Wednesday-Night

 
Wednesday-night.com on Russia
Q&A: Conflict in Georgia (BBC)

Putin lashes out, blames U.S. for Georgia conflict
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin lashed out at Washington Thursday, accusing the Bush administration of orchestrating the conflict in Georgia as a means to aid a candidate in the upcoming U.S. presidential elections. Russia has been struggling […]

And this is why: Jon Stewart lectures reporters on coverage

Michael Nagle for The New York Times
Jon Stewart, on the set of “The Daily Show,” tied Tom Brokaw, Brian Williams, Dan Rather and Anderson Cooper among admired journalists. And that was last year.

 When Americans were asked in a 2007 poll by the Pew Research Center for […]

See also Afghanistan news on Wednesday-night.com and
CBC Background on Afghanistan 2008
Robert Galbraith
August 20
(NYT Editorial) The more territory the Taliban controls, the more money it can raise from narcotics and black-market activities to mount an even fiercer challenge against the foundering civilian governments in Kabul and Islamabad. And the more territory the Taliban controls, the more […]

More on the 2008 campaign and issues
Although the early days of the campaign were regrettably short on serious exploration of issues and the candidates’ positions, their websites supplied considerable information. Now that the Democrats have united (sort of) behind Barack Obama, we are moving away from following the issues in one post. There are now […]

See also Global Treaty on Climate Change
August 13
Elephant seals join fight against climate change
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Elephant seals swimming under Antarctic ice and fitted with special sensors are providing scientists with crucial data on ice formation, ocean currents and climate change, a study released on Tuesday said.
The seals swimming under winter sea ice have overcome […]

Enlarged map and notes
See also Arctic and Antarctic
(BBC) British scientists say they have drawn up the first detailed map to show areas in the Arctic that could become embroiled in future border disputes.
A team from Durham University compiled the outline of potential hotspots by basing the design on historical and ongoing arguments over ownership.
Russian […]

August 1, 2008
Please see Uncertainty and Climate change

(Op-Ed, NYT) Recently the Web site The Politico asked Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, why she was blocking attempts to tack offshore drilling amendments onto appropriations bills. “I’m trying to save the planet; I’m trying to save the planet,” she replied.
I’m glad […]

(Strategic Forecasting Inc.) Kosovo, Russia and the West
2007 saw the resurgence of a long-dormant issue: independence for Serbia’s breakaway province of Kosovo. The tiny region is a key pressure point on the fault line between Russia and the West.
The subject of independence for Kosovo is re-emerging as a serious issue. The West seems intent on […]

See also Rodrigue Tremblay on Wednesday-night.com
by Rodrigue Tremblay
I think the [US financial] system is basically sound, I truly do. George W. Bush, July 15, 2008
Since 1951, the budget of the Department of Defense each year exceeds the net profits of all U.S. corporations. So, in finance capital terms, that means that the management of that […]

Taxing the Poor
Edward Gresser (Foreign Affairs) … most imports arrive not under FTAs but through the permanent tariff system, which receives far less attention in Congress. Rather than raising money and protecting jobs, permanent tariffs tend to increase clothing and shoe prices at home while creating especially high trade barriers that deter goods from approximately […]