“Those who think AIDS is over are dreaming. It is one of the most serious epidemics the world has ever faced, and we need to really, really get serious about it.”
– Kofi Annan
[2002]
L&T 2003.
Category: World at Large
Dust, Discrimination, and Domestic Containment.
Some thanksgiving orals reading, for you and yours…read with lavish amounts of stuffing and cranberry sauce.
| Elaine Tyler May, Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era. C. Vann Woodward, The Strange Career of Jim Crow. Donald Worster, Dust Bowl: The Southern Plains in the 1930s. |
Brave New Century.
Slow and steady wins the race, I hope:
American and Ashamed.
My high school friend Luke, lately the creator of Expats Against Bush, is interviewed by Newsweek on his leading the anti-Bush protests in London tomorrow. You go, buddy.
Missions Accomplished?
As Howard Dean announces his college-friendly education plan (which includes $10,000 a year in financial aid and a quadrupling of Americorps), William Saletan — not one of Dean’s biggest fans — wonders how the Doctor will handle the “postwar” phase of the campaign. Meanwhile, Wesley Clark continues developing the “right-on-terror” strategy (originally articulated by Bob “Osama Bin Forgotten” Graham) by accusing the Bushies of dropping the hunt for Al Qaeda’s leader in their rush to get Saddam. The general’s got a point, particularly when you consider the nightmare rhetoric still emanating from Al Qaeda’s corner. It’s too bad the guy’s so way off on flag burning. (Last link via Value Judgment.)
11/11.
By way of Kestrel’s Nest, Aftermath, a remembrance of the end of World War I, which came to a close on this day 85 years ago. Among the millions who died in the Great War was my great-grandfather, Alfred Amory Sullivan — he perished in the Battle of the Somme, on the side of the British.
Riddles in the Dark.
In celebration of a quarter-century of Science Times, the paper ruminates on the 25 questions currently driving science, while Alan Lightman ponders the motivations that fuel scientists. I’m not sure if the likes of Stephen Hawking are really contemplating Atlantis, but there’s some intriguing stuff here.
Russian Risk, American Antipathy.
Also in science news, CNN examines the cultural divide between the US and Russia over space exploration. My friends who’ve worked for NASA in some capacity have also complained about a risk-aversiveness bordering on the ridiculous within America’s space program, even with regard to unmanned missions. As one put it, for considerably less than the cost it takes to make one probe perfect, we could send up multiple probes — each with a 90% success rate — and just play the odds, which turn out to be roughly equivalent. Obviously, the calculus of safety for manned missions should be more stringent, but still, I’d think many astronauts would be willing to accept a greater degree of risk if it meant a reinvigoration of the space program.
Rough Trade.
So, unless Dubya capitulates to the WTO, it looks like his botched protectionist ploy for steel state votes is going to result in an all-out trade war with the EU. Nice going, y’all…exactly the type of leadership we’ve come to expect from the Bushies. My bet is they back down – After all, Florida orange-growers are a juicier segment of the electorate than West Virginia steelmakers.
Party with Powhatan.
Williamsburg preps for Jamestown’s 400th birthday. I wonder if they’ll invite Roanoke.