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January 31, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
All systems fail, all organized interactions are vulnerable to entropy, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. And at best, we are but stardust, a beautiful yet haunting explanation of our origins. Infused with light. Doomed to shadow. Whatever your spiritual beliefs, in the mortal physical realm, entropy is always interfering. The intellect often uses convenient [...]
January 30, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
The US economy is reported to have shrunk by 3.8% in the 4th quarter of 2008, the worst performance in nearly 3 decades. The news has some worried that markets will react negatively and the recessionary spiral will lead to even greater losses and the possible self-fulfilling prophecy of economic depression. Gov. Rod Blagojevich was [...]
January 30, 2009 :: Denver Lessing :: Comments Off
Pres. Barack Obama has announced the creation of a special task force on the prosperity of the middle class, to be headed by Vice-President Joe Biden. The president also said he views organized labor as “part of the solution” for an ailing economy, and said he would sign 3 executive orders to require federal contractors to let workers know their collective bargaining rights.
January 29, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
House Republicans have refused the offer of bipartisanship from Pres. Obama, even after he pushed to include more tax measures to benefit small and medium-sized businesses. The House of Representatives yesterday approved an $819 billion recovery and reinvestment bill, by a 244-188 vote, with zero Republicans voting yes, one abstaining and 11 Democrats voting no.
January 29, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
Millions of people are expected to gather on the National Mall, between the west face of the Capitol Building and the Lincoln Memorial; security is expected to be without any known precedent, and temperatures are not likely to rise above freezing… should we go? Should we go, and if we do, should we go as [...]
January 27, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
US-Iran: The new US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, has said the Obama administration will engage in “direct diplomacy” with Iran, but only once Tehran suspends uranium enrichment, in keeping with UN Security Council resolutions that aim to curb the proliferation of nuclear weapons. ICC: The first man to be tried by the International [...]
January 26, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Food supply: UN sec. gen. Ban Ki-moon and Spanish pres. José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero meet in Madrid for UN conference on exploding food prices, potential related security risks, potential solutions. Last year, as the banking system suffered widespread instability, across the world, soaring transport and food costs put tens of millions of people around the [...]
January 26, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: 3 Comments
Pres. Barack Obama today addressed a room full of invited guests from the business community, to outline his position as to economic stimulus, energy innovation, climate destabilization and dependence on high-polluting combustible fuels. The president then signed more executive orders raising fuel-efficiency standards and ordering a review of the EPA’s barring California from raising tailpipe carbon-emissions standards. Striking a defiant tone, Obama declared that “America will not be held hostage to dwindling resources, hostile regimes and a warming planet”.
January 23, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Pres. Obama will issue executive orders to restore funding to family planning organizations that provide information about or assist in abortions, restoring funding that was banned by Pres. Bush, depriving NGOs across the developing world of millions of dollars in needed aid… Obama will also act to enable government funding of research that relates to [...]
January 22, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Timothy Geithner, whose nomination for secretary of Treasury has been questioned due to a tax-filing mistake he made years ago, which has been accounted for and paid in full, has been approved by a Senate committe vote, clearing the way for an approval vote before the full Senate in coming days. Sec. of State Hillary [...]
January 22, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: 3 Comments
A top human rights activist in Russia has been murdered in cold blood, in broad daylight, just one week after the man most negatively impacted by his campaigning, Col. Yuri Budanov, was freed from prison, where he was sent for war crimes in Chechnya. Budanov was convicted of the kidnap, rape, and murder, of Elza Kungaeva, a Chechen woman who was brutally raped, beaten and sodomized, found dead 2 hours after Budanov ordered her abduction.
January 22, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: One Comment
Pres. Obama today signed 4 executive orders dramatically redirecting administration policy from that of the Bush administration. He signed one order to close the Guantánamo Bay prison camp by 22 January 2010, another to close CIA “black site” prisons across the globe, another would establish a special task force in collaboration with Defense Secretary Robert Gates to determine detention policy going forward, and the fourth would require all US personnel to adhere at all times to the rules for treatment of prisoners as laid out in the Army Field Manual.
January 21, 2009 :: staff :: One Comment
Pres. Obama immediately began the hard work of governing, and perhaps the even harder work of fulfilling his highly ambitious and principled campaign promises. On the morning of his first full day as chief executive of the United States government, Pres. Obama phoned four heads of state across the Middle East —Israel, Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Jordan— to discuss his feeling that there is an urgent need to start a practical and viable process of sustainable peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
January 21, 2009 :: staff :: One Comment
Russia and Ukraine have confirmed that they have arranged for the flow of natural gas from Russia, through Ukraine, to the EU, to be restored, though the two states differ on the details of when that resumed service will occur exactly, and EU monitors will be watching to ensure compliance with ongoing agreements. The trials [...]
January 21, 2009 :: staff :: One Comment
Over 2 million people flooded the National Mall and surrounding streets at the heart of the nation’s capital to attend the Inauguration of Barack Obama as president of the United States. The unprecedented crowd, facing unprecedented security measures, gathered in good spirits to hear what was widely seen as the dawning of a new era. Obama himself said that citizenship carries the burden of responsibility for “shaping an uncertain destiny”.
January 20, 2009 :: staff :: One Comment
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age…
January 20, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many — and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
January 20, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
The hour is upon us, a new period in our history is about to open up before us, and we are called to shoulder the responsibilities of our aspirations, our needs and our freedoms. It is a serious undertaking, a task of noble and concerning difficulty, to be the change, the improvement, we demand, but so it is, and we have awakened to that complex, ethical and civic principle.
January 19, 2009 :: Denver Lessing :: 2 Comments
Facing an economic crisis of historic proportions, and with the nation reeling from several years of soaring fuel prices, in the face of mounting risks from climate destabilization, President-elect Barack Obama may issue an executive order to require fuel-efficiency be raised on all new vehicles.
January 19, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Thailand has jailed an author for 3 years for “insulting” the king and crown prince in just one paragraph in a self-published novel that sold only 7 copies; Harry Nicolaides, an Australian, received the 3 year sentence, in part because he pled guilty, earning him a lower sentence. According to the Christian Science Monitor, “Most [...]
January 19, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
The New York Times edition on this Sunday two days before the inauguration of Barack Obama as 44th president of the United States is a time-capsule, a probing glimpse of the nation at this pivotal moment in history. The president-elect’s road to inauguration is graced with stellar poll numbers, but also beset on all sides with crises and conflicts of daunting complexity.
January 18, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: 2 Comments
Setting out from Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station, a special inaugural Amtrak train carried President-elect Obama and his wife to Wilmington, Delaware, where they would pick up VP-elect Joe Biden and his wife, and where both men would deliver addresses to the crowd gathered outside the station. The train tour would take them on to Baltimore and Washington, DC, and was designed to recreate the final stages of Pres. Abraham Lincoln’s 1861 journey to his inauguration.
January 18, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
The Isreali government of PM Ehud Olmert has announced what it is calling a “unilateral” ceasefire in its offensive against Hamas-controlled Gaza. The ceasefire comes after a flurry of diplomatic activity in recent weeks, with mounting pressure from Europe, the UN, Arab neighbors and even the US, to end the offensive, in which at least 1,205 Palestinians were killed, with more than half thought to be civilians.
January 17, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
We began this train trip in Philadelphia earlier today. It is fitting that we did so — because it was there that our American journey began. It was there that a group of farmers and lawyers, merchants and soldiers, gathered to declare their independence and lay claim to a destiny that they were being denied.
January 17, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: One Comment
Politics is informed with some of our best intentions, with much of our lust for ‘improvement’ and with all of our fears, petty and grandiose, paranoid and consequential. We have seen a great and resonant turning toward better instincts in the US, with an election that for good reasons inspires hope and may allow us to manifest more than ever those “better angels of our nature”, but we must recongize that in order to manifest the best in ourselves, we must start by overcoming our own habits of fear and division.
January 16, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
China has sentenced a would-be Olympic protester to 3 years in prison. The Beijing government set up a process whereby protests could be held only in specifically designated zones, and only with a permit; Ji Zizun appears to be victim of a deliberate strategy of using the application process to ferret out protest leaders, then jail them.
January 16, 2009 :: Anjika Sridhar :: Comments Off
The New York Times has published an article detailing the intense discrimination still experienced by ‘buraku’, members of Japanese society who suffer discrimination due to feudal dictates that reduce them to inferior social status, due to ancestry. The most prominent ‘buraku’ is Hiromu Nonaka, who rose to the 2nd most powerful post in Japan’s government.
January 16, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
George W. Bush, one of the most controversial presidents in living memory, throughout the fall had the lowest recorded approval ratings in history, and will leave the country with two wars and a deep recession. He is reported to believe his presidency will be remembered as consequential and as a period of tough choices, in service of his country, and has made that case in his final televised address as president.
January 16, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Minutes after the pilot of US Airways flight 1549 reported a “double bird strike”, he landed the Airbus A320 passenger jet on the Hudson River, at about 3:30 pm yesterday. Reports suggest the plane hit a flock of Canada geese shortly after takeoff from New York’s La Guardia airport, with both engines being knocked out. All 155 people on board survived the water landing.
January 15, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
Eric Holder today told the Senate judiciary committee he views the practice known as ‘waterboarding’ as torture. That makes the ‘enhanced interrogation’ technique illegal under a number of US laws and international treaties, and Holder’s view —in keeping with those of the committee chair, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Pres.-elect Obama— raises the question as to whether he would seek to prosecute individuals in the outgoing administration who engaged in or ordered such practices.
January 15, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
According to the Financial Times, “Susan Crawford, the Pentagon official responsible for convening the military commissions at Guantánamo, told the Washington Post that interrogators had “tortured” Mohammed al-Qahtani, the alleged 20th hijacker.” The finding puts serious pressure on the White House and outgoing Bush administration, as the president-elect has vowed he will reverse US policy [...]
January 15, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Always, and especially in the crucible of these global challenges, our overriding duty is to protect and advance America’s security, interests and values: First, we must keep our people, our nation and our allies secure. Second, we must promote economic growth and shared prosperity at home and abroad. Finally, we must strengthen America’s position of global leadership — ensuring that we remain a positive force in the world, whether in working to preserve the health of our planet or expanding dignity and opportunity for people on the margins whose progress and prosperity will add to our own.
January 14, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: One Comment
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) appeared before the Senate foreign relations committee, Tuesday, in confirmation hearings for her nomination as secretary of State. Her preparation and the sweeping breadth of her responses to issues of major global import were widely praised, by members of both parties. She now appears to be headed for what leaders of both parties suggest will be a significant majority vote to approve her nomination.
January 14, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Reports from Gaza now place the number of Palestinians killed in the ongoing Israeli offensive against Hamas at over 1,000. Israel says it does not target civilians, but top UN officials have questioned whether Olmert’s government is doing enough to abide by legal requirements to avoid civilian deaths. Ban Ki-moon, secretary general of the United [...]
January 14, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Citigroup forced to join with Morgan Stanley —which will hold 51% of shared assets— to hold onto Smith Barney, which accounts for 30% of its profits. Analysts suggest government of $45 billion to prop up massive bank now “underwater”, Citi will be forced to start selling assets. US retail sales fell by 2.7% last month, [...]
January 12, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Pres.-elect Barack Obama’s aides have told members of the press that he will in fact issue an executive order in the early days of his administration to close the Guantánamo Bay detention camp. Obama had said yesterday in an interview that he acknolwedges the closure will be complicated and will take some time; his aides have not specified how long the president-elect plans to take to close the facility or what plan he will enact to deal with the 250 people detained there, some of whom will likely face trial in US federal criminal courts.
January 11, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
An editorial published by the Wall Street Journal is accusing Israel of violating international law and committing war crimes in its offensive against the Gaza Strip. George Bisharat writes that “Israel’s current assault on the Gaza Strip cannot be justified by self-defense.” He adds that the Gaza offensive “involves serious violations of international law, including war crimes. Senior Israeli political and military leaders may bear personal liability for their offenses, and they could be prosecuted by an international tribunal, or by nations practicing universal jurisdiction”.
January 10, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
libertad aquella musa
aquel ritual de autodesconcepción
el reto que guía o confunde
siguiendo líneas que no vemos
finos hilos de ópalo y vapor
matriz y desvergüenza…
January 10, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
We start this new year in the midst of an economic crisis unlike any we have seen in our lifetime. We learned yesterday that in the past month alone, we lost more than half a million jobs – a total of nearly 2.6 million in the year 2008. Another 3.4 million Americans who want and need full-time work have had to settle for part-time jobs. And families across America are feeling the pinch as they watch debts mount, bills pile up and savings disappear.
January 8, 2009 :: Webb Tisch :: Comments Off
Israel’s government has agreed in principle to the stated goals of the ceasefire agreement proposed by French president Nicolas Sarkozy’s diplomatic initiative, also backed by Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. The IDF also implemented yesterday and today a new policy of daily 3-hour ceasefires, to allow humanitarian operations to be implemented unthreatened by bombing or ground fire.
January 8, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
President-elect Barack Obama today announced his comprehensive economic recovery plan, warning that inaction could lead to a deepening and prolonged recession and double-digit figures of unemployment. Obama’s plan calls for a massive economic stimulus package, tax-cuts friendly to small businesses, and building a new economy through investment and innovation in healthcare, infrastructure and energy.
January 8, 2009 :: staff :: One Comment
Obama decries “imprudent and dangerous decisions” as mistakes that led to current economic crisis, calls for end to “culture of anything goes” in business and in economic policy: “We start 2009 in the midst of a crisis unlike any we have seen in our lifetime – a crisis that has only deepened over the last few weeks. Nearly two million jobs have now been lost, and on Friday we are likely to learn that we lost more jobs last year than at any time since World War II. Just in the past year, another 2.8 million Americans who want and need full-time work have had to settle for part-time jobs. Manufacturing has hit a twenty-eight year low. Many businesses cannot borrow or make payroll. Many families cannot pay their bills or their mortgage. Many workers are watching their life savings disappear. And many, many Americans are both anxious and uncertain of what the future will hold.”
January 8, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
In the first comprehensive study of the risks inherent in early Caesarean section deliveries, especially where they are repeated, results suggest a significant increased risk for the newborn, such as complications related to breathing. According to the Washington Post: The study of more than 24,000 full-term infants found that those delivered at 37 weeks to [...]
January 6, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
Es un paisaje de relevancias inesperadamente centrales e imprescindibles que he descubierto en volver a pisar este territorio almado, sentido, visceral, es una geología de acontecimientos inmersos en el espíritu, confesiones casi imposibles, miradas que lo explican todo tan abierta como cautelosamente, un oleaje de necesidades que por suerte son también gustos y lujos, intermitencias y alas que nos llevan a algo más duradero…
January 6, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
US House and Senate sworn in for next terms; Obama names Panetta to head CIA; Israel hits UN school in Gaza, killing 40, Israel says it was responding to hostile fire, does not target schools; Nkunda reportedly outsed as Kivu rebel leader, denies ouster
January 6, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: 3 Comments
In a dramatic scene in the heart of the nation’s capital, Roland Burris, the former Attorney General of the state of Illinois, recently named by embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich, attempted to enter the Senate chamber to be sworn in and was blocked from entering, on a technicality related to his “paperwork” (his credentials were not signed by the Illinois secretary of state, for which there is no Constitutional requirement). The Minnesota seat that belongs to either Al Franken or Norm Coleman also remains unfilled, due to ongoing challenges.
January 6, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
Each information transaction, sometimes as exemplary, sometimes as single element added to a sweeping aggregate of historical sway, is a precedent, which can motivate, influence or redirect the push of future happenstance. And, we must take note, every transaction involving matter or energy contains information, traces of a history of its coming into being, and generates a “footprint”, a trace of its appearance and its transition into something beyond the transactional moment.
January 5, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
The ground invasion of the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces is now being supported by air attacks and by naval operations. The Israeli government has said it does not intend to re-occupy the Gaza Strip, and it has hinted that it is not seeking to “crush” or eradicate Hamas or to topple its rule in Gaza, only to prevent the future firing of rockets from Gaza into southern Israel.
January 5, 2009 :: Anjika Sridhar :: Comments Off
Doctors without Borders (Medecins sans Frontieres/MSF) says the medical situation in Gaza is becoming dire. Some groups have been able to bring medical supplies into Gaza since the airstrikes began, but distribution has become nearly impossible since the ground invasion, and doctors worry that hospitals will be unable to meet the needs of wounded civilians or the normal population of patients.
January 4, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
The twin Mars rover projects NASA launched over 5 years ago, which landed the Spirit rover on 3 January 2004 and the Opportunity rover on 24 January 2004, which planned only 3 months of research, are still roving, gathering data and transmitting new discoveries back to Earth, after 5 years at work on the desolate red planet. Specifically, the rovers have revealed a great deal of information about water around the Martian equator billions of years in the past.
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