The War in 1984

Not so fictitious really

Cultures of the Middle East

Great Wall(s) of China

Recycling In America

In the United States, although we've increased the total percentage of waste we recycle to more than 30% of the waste we produce, we still do not create any less non recycled waste than we did 10 years ago (about 1 ton per person).

Waste Per Country

What is the difference that has made some European countries produce less garbage and some produce more? I don't really see any connection between countries that are in each group. How much / what percent of each recycle? Data pulled from here.

Colonial Africa

Muslim Christian Map in Africa

Sort of a strange way of viewing the breakdown, but useful nonetheless.

Sunni Shiite Map

To put things in perspective:

Geographical History of Empires

U.S. Identifies Vast Mineral Riches in Afghanistan

The previously unknown deposits — including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium — are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe.

The previously unknown deposits — including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium — are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe.

The whole article is here

Missionaries of Hate

Nigeria

The eight most populated country in the world with about 50/50 for both rural/urban and christian/muslim breakdown just lost their president. How do you unite a country that is so divided in language and culture?

Yemen: A Terrorist Training Ground?

When I look at Afghanistan I think about how we've neglected it for so long and how if we didn't, if we helped it grow and mature 20 years ago, the world would be better off with less money wasted than our current situation. This is a useful lesson when looking at other places in the world and thinking wether some other poor and politically unstable region will fall subject to Al Queada and Islamic extremism. Besides, the very interesting situation in Ethiopia, where else may terrorism grow in the coming years?

Ali Abdullah Saleh
Houthis rebellious tribesmen in the mountainous north. Have been fighting with the government for the last 6 years, the most recent surge began in August. So far 250K refugees have been displaced from their homes. The Saudis have been drawn in to fight the Houthis after Houthi gorillas attacked along the Saudi border.

Obama's Accomplishments

With the turmoil that the world has recently been through, its difficult to measure what positive impact the election of Barack Obama has had. Let's briefly review: While his health care push has experienced serious resistance, he has made some significant accomplishments domestically including instating the financial recovery bill (including 19 billion to modernize health care records), canceling the F22, demanding new auto fuel efficiency standards, and banning space weapon development.

His international rapport is better than any president in the short history of globalization He has worked on reducing the worldwide nuclear stockpile, specifically with Russia and has taken steps to close Guantanamo and has made the right decision to resurge in Afghanistan. Obama's largest impact is likely to come from his ability to inspire, such as his speeches such as setting a new world order at the United Nations or speaking directly to the Muslim world. Instead of waiting to see what history makes of the man who promised to bring change, we should take more personal responsibility to carry on the momentum.

Virtual Astroturfing

A new online strategy for political gain. Watch out!

Obama's Speech in Copenhagen

Noam Chomsky on 9/11

"Every authoritarian regime in the world gained from 9/11".

National Stability

A nice report on the top 20 failed states of recent time. This is a very useful way to visualize international politics and the places around the world that have the highest level of political stress / competition on the country. In a sense, this helps me understand why we are involved with the middle east: because the play a major role in the political instability across the globe. Now why don't we have the same amount at stake in all of central Africa? With Al Queda setting up and generating attacks from place like Yemen, maybe the west's focus will shift / expand.

Elections in Afghanistan

Just to get a feel for how the country voted, supporters of Hamid Karzai are in red while supporters of Dr. Abdullah are in blue.

Ahmad Shah Massoud

Following the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet-backed government there, Ahmad Shah Massoud became Defense Minister in 1992 under former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani. Following the collapse of Rabbani's government and the rise of the Taliban in 1996, Massoud returned to the role of an armed opposition leader, serving as the military commander of the United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan.

On September 9, 2001, two days prior to the September 11 attacks in the United States, Massoud was assassinated in Takhar Province of Afghanistan by suspected al-Qaeda agents. The following year, he was named "National Hero" by the order of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The date of his death, September 9th, is observed as a national holiday in Afghanistan, known as "Massoud Day." The year following his assassination, in 2002, Massoud was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize..

Fertility Levels Vs. GDP

Healthcare

U.S. spending on health care is nearly double the GDP average for Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (PDF) (OECD) member-countries--almost all of which offer some form of universal coverage. A number of middle-income countries have also recently achieved universal health care or are moving in that direction. This has raised concern among some economists and U.S. business leaders that mounting health care costs not only affect U.S. domestic health but its ability to compete globally".

When our health care system fails to deliver value, it does not just affect individual companies and their workers, it harms our nation's ability to compete in the global economy," Ivan Seidenberg, chairman and CEO of Verizon, said following the study. "This raises the cost of our products and services and diverts resources from needed investments."

Factoring in costs borne by the government, the private sector, and individuals, the United States spends over $1.9 trillion annually on healthcare expenses, more than any other industrialized country. The United States spent 16 percent of its GDP in 2007 on health care, higher than any other developed nation. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that number will rise to 25 percent by 2025 without changes to federal law (PDF). Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical School estimate the United States spends 44 percent more per capita than Switzerland, the country with the second highest expenditures, and 134 percent more than the median for member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) These costs prompt fears that an increasing number of U.S. businesses will outsource jobs overseas or offshore business operations completely.

A November 2008 Kaiser Foundation report notes that access to employer-sponsored health insurance has been on the decline (PDF) among low-income workers, and health premiums for workers have risen 114 percent in the last decade. Small businesses are less likely than large employers to be able to provide health insurance as a benefit. At 12 percent, health care is the most expensive benefit paid by U.S. employers, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.These ballooning dollar figures place a heavy burden on companies doing business in the United States and can put them at a substantial competitive disadvantage in the international marketplace.

Mexico Drug War

The president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, has recently deployed more than 40,000 soldiers and federal police in the areas controlled by or hardest pressed by drug trafficking gangs, who are battling for control of Mexican street sales and control of smuggling routes to U.S. consumers. Michoacan may be one of the hardest states hit: Interior Minister Fernando Gomez Mont said the government was sending 1,500 police, 2,500 soldiers, and 1,500 navy personnel to the western state. Also, the so-called Merida Initiative has the Obama administration requiring the certification on Mexico's human rights record for full disbursement of the $1.4 billion worth of military equipment and training for the drug war promised Mexico under .Gangland violence has killed some 12,000 people since the crackdown began when Calderon took office in December 2006.

Criminalizing money laundering is another key element in the war, but so far, Mexico has fallen short. An International Monetary Fund report published in January found Mexican authorities have only made 25 convictions for money laundering since in 1989 and Mexican law does not allow for the quick freezing of traffickers’ assets. In short, Mexican money laundering laws do not meet international standards and many cases are not properly investigated.

U.S. Savings Rate Over TIme

Finally bouncing back from 0 in 2005.