(Cross-posted from Booman Tribune, but applies as much in Europe.)

A great thank you to Renee in Ohio who posted a link in this comment a few days ago. curly and I spent some time at the link Saturday morning and achieved a decent number of rice grains donated. Go have some fun! Challenge yourself to see which level you can reach. You may have a hard time leaving once you get started, but your new addiction is all for a good cause.

More below:

I don't know if the Tribbers will have much energy to discuss the linked article on a day like this.  But I thought that it should be brought to everyone's attention.

The Economist's Intelligence Unit has just published an article (pdf) on 'how democratic' various nations are:

Defining and measuring democracy

There is no consensus on how to measure democracy, definitions of democracy are contested and there is an ongoing lively debate on the subject. The issue is not only of academic interest. For example, although democracy-promotion is high on the list of American foreign-policy priorities, there is no consensus within the American government on what constitutes a democracy.

As one observer recently put it, "the world's only superpower is rhetorically and militarily promoting a political system that remains undefi ned--and it is staking its credibility and treasure on that pursuit"

(Horowitz, 2006, p 114).

Cross-posted at Booman Tribune.

We are rapidly approaching the end of the year.  What a year it has been!  Many of us are in the market for new outrage-gauges, the old one worn out by the constant stream of scandal coming from the crime syndicate that passes itself off as the administration of this country.  We worry about an illegal war, the disregard for our fellow residents in NOLA, the attack on the environment and the cutting of social programs for the weakest while the super-rich get another round of tax cuts. Are you worn out yet?

I just came across this article in WaPo.  A little glimmer of light in between so many dark pieces of unsavory news. Follow below:

I have long thought of writing an entry on the so-called Oil-for-Food scandal (OFF).  But it has been difficult because it was a bit too close to home.  I did not work in the OFF, but over the years, on three occasions, I worked on assignments for them and got to see quite a bit of the inner workings of the place.

The UN has been a perennial target, particularly by the right of American politics for a long time.  But the occasion of the OFF turned a lot of this criticism into rabid attacks.  Senator Norm Coleman, Chair of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has been among those most eager to push the attacks, which is why it gave me such an undivided pleasure to see George Galloway so thoroughly dressing him down during the hearings back in May (regardless of what one may otherwise think of MP Galloway).  Or think John Bolton as Ambassador to the UN.  But I digress.

More below:

 

I started this as a comment to an Open Thread at Booman Tribune, but it got too long. The subject is also worthy of a discussion.  The entry could have been more comprehensive, but was prepared during lunch-break - please chime in.

From NYT:

POLITICIANS and scientists may debate why the earth is warming, but the fact remains: the Arctic ice cap, estimates say, has shrunk by nearly half in the last 50 years.
(snip)
For starters, conflicting territorial claims among the countries that border the Arctic Ocean will rapidly acquire a new urgency. A quarter of the world's oil and natural gas resources lie in the Arctic, but until recently polar ice rendered many of these deposits inaccessible.
(snip)
Yet perhaps the most significant consequence of the melt is the rising potential for Arctic navigation. The polar thaw may lead to what would be the most transformational maritime project since the Panama Canal: an Arctic Bridge.
(snip)
Because the Arctic lacks a comprehensive legal framework akin to the 1961 Antarctic Treaty, which ended territorial claims and established Antarctica as a demilitarized region of international scientific cooperation, the United States should play a leading diplomatic role in adjudicating the growing international contest over the Arctic. It should also negotiate an Arctic security arrangement with Canada. (my emphasis)

The improved accessability to the resources of the Arctic will inevitably lead to increased tensions in the absence of an Arctic Treaty similar to the one for the Antarctic (it's already started in a small way).  Russia, Canada and the US have strategic interests in the region.  Smaller nations like Iceland, Denmark and Norway have also traditionally been very active in the area - both in terms of geographical exploration and extraction of resources.  Other nations will be attracted, e.g. to the rich fishing resources.

In view of the above, the need for an "Arctic Treaty" is becoming urgent.  Googling the term did provide some results, but suggest that there is no current progress.  This link (the top result) points to a working draft from 1991.

The WWF is calling for a treaty:

"We need a new Arctic treaty to regulate access to the Arctic," said Samantha Smith, head of the WWF global conservation group's Arctic Programme. The chill Alaskan environment has yet to recover from the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill.

Another resource page on the issue is here (page is from 2000).

What can be done to limit further military expansion and non-sustainable exploitation of the Arctic region?  Very little appears to be happening in international fora.
 

The Rest of Their Lives
Life without Parole for Child Offenders in the United States

I only read the summary, but that alone is quite illuminating.  I guess we keep piling it on here at BT for the US - in this case, it is well deserved.

Promoted and edited by Colman

Well, it did not take long: John Bolton was appointed by Bush as US Ambassador to the UN on 1 August during the congressional recess.

Bush said the job at the United Nations was "too important to leave vacant any longer, especially during a war and a vital debate about U.N. reform."

Here's what was so important and urgent, Bush needed to throw a spanner in the works.

Update [2005-8-25 11:38:55 by Colman]: While we're on the topic of arrogant fools and foreign policy, the BBC and Irish Times are reporting that the new Iraqi constitution has been agreed, and that it is unclear whether it will actually be voted on by parliament:

A government spokesman Laith Kubba insisted parliament did not need to formally meet to approve the charter because it had effectively been passed on Monday.

No - not between Greece and Turkey.

It's summertime. The media, always ready to ignore the real stories in politics (DSM, Plame, etc.) are even lazier during this season. Which is probably why this story pops up again in the media this July; it's actually a long standing conflict. More below:

Join the bloggers coalition to close down Guantanamo! We can all help the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) publicize and support its Fourth of July rally in NYC (10AM-noon; 34th St, between Broadway & 7th Ave) featuring Eve Ensler, Code Pink, Gloria Steinem, Not in Our Name, Center for Constitutional Rights, and United for Peace and Justice.

Well, 'curly' and I were there this morning!  A beautiful, sunny morning - moderate humidity and temperature.  A perfect start for the day.

More below the fold: