It’s The Oil by Jim Holt (a conservative Republican) puts us in the picture. While his pitch is depressing it’s also realistic and underlies all the concerns about the quagmire of Iraq. Bush/Cheney (or should we say Cheney/Bush) got what they wanted from their boondoggle to Iraq – oil and money. And the reason they’ve …
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Farm bird populations at new low
A key UK government wildlife indicator, Wild Bird Populations 2006, shows shows that the number of wild farmland bird species breeding in England is at the lowest level since records began, showing that these species have declined by about 60% since 1970. The RSPB called the UK government’s 2006 indicator “extremely depressing”. The farmland bird …
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Trade, inequality and education
Observations that inequality is rising as wealth rises have circulated recently with the publication of the International Monetary Fund’s latest World Economic Outlook which shows that while global income inequality has fallen, within countries, both rich and poor, inequality has been rising almost everywhere. As the IMF put it: “This recent experience seems to be …
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Markets for Ecosystem Services by WBCSD and IUCN
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development and The World Conservation Union has just published Markets for Ecosystem Services – New Challenges and Opportunities for Business and the Environment (1.3 MB). The report shows how at a fundamental level, all economies and businesses depend directly or indirectly on the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable …
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America, please stop convicting children as adults
As the rumblings of a change to the policy of capital punishment begin in America, the Equal Justice Initiative is releasing a report that says states should be required to review sentences of juvenile offenders, looking for cases where parole might be warranted. According to the report, there are 73 Americans serving life without parole …
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Dot.com bubble again?
While stock markets gyrate it seems investors are also resorting to the kind of investment screening applied near the end of the dot.com bubble to justify their bets. NYT reports that Silicon Valley start-ups are awash in dollars, again as investors apply convenient metrics, like number of users, to justify paying billion dollar prices for …
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Raise efficiency or lower consumption: the best ways to tackle climate change, again
Energy efficiency is the most effective company-wide first steps CEOs can take to launch a climate change program, according to a team of environmental scientists and climate researchers. The panel, which includes 54 fellows of the Switzer Foundation, an environmental non-profit, participated in a survey titled, “What the Scientists Know: How Business Leadership can Help …
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God, the Universe and Everything
This video (God The Universe and Everything Else) records a discussion between Stephen Hawking, Arthur Clarke and Carl Sagan, moderated by Magnus Magnusson. It is a very forward looking and, although recoded in 1988, offers insights today. Worthwhile viewing.
A war of virtual imperial powers
It seems that the political dynamic of our world remains dominated by tension between imperial powers. The primitive psychology is the same as any caricature of Romans, Huns or Brits, but the banners under which they march are not so tangible. Today the powers are virtual. They are fighting for minds and souls, rather than …
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IMF World Economic Outlook forecasts down
The IMF published its World Economic Outlook 2007 – Globalization and Inequality. The IMF now expects the global economy to grow 4.8% next year, down from its earlier 5.2% forecast. The downgrade follows in the wake of the much-publicised turmoil in the global credit markets which was started by record defaults in the US sub-prime …
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