One of the great advantages of digital photography is that no longer do we need to stuff old photos in a plastic bag, store them in a bottom draw, and resolve to put them in albums some time soon.
Another advantage is that we can distribute these photos to family and friends so much more easily via websites and CDs. So, it seems, can the US militia in Iraq.
The Economist reported last week, Road out of hell, that in the 13 weeks after 6 April 1994, between 500,000 and 800,000 Rwandans were murdered — the fastest genocide in history — where the killers were armed, not with guns or poison gas, but with farm tools. The Guardian also has an excellent special report, including an interactive guide giving an historical overview of events. The UN has designated tomorrow, 7 April, an International Day of Reflection to mark the 10th anniversary of this horrific episode, and we reflect we might, but some ought to be doing a lot more soul-searching than others.
Recent articles in the conservative press (e.g. by Martin Wolf in the Financial Times, reproduced below in full) have hailed the PSOE election victory as a win for al-Qaida. I can’t help but think that this is an insult to the intelligence of the Spanish electorate. For a counter view, see A victory for Spain, not al-Qaida by Ivan Briscoe, at openDemocracy. Note, you may have to register first. This is free and well worth the effort, IMHO, as the quality of the writing at this site is generally of a very high standard.
News that Ralph Nader will be running for the White House, and that another report has been released that presents a very bleak outlook for the Great Barrier Reef should come as no great surprise, but I choked on my muesli bar this morning when I read in The Guardian that the Pentagon has issued a warning on the dangers of global warming (see Now the Pentagon tells Bush: climate change will destroy us).
I’ve been stewing on this for a week or two now, and reading Phillip Adams’ piece in the Oz at the weekend, In Fear We Should Trust, it has reminded me just how Orwellian the world has become post-September 11. Gary Sauer-Thompson’s analysis of the Australian Government’s decision to invest several billion dollars of tax payers’ money on a missile defence system, Boys and Their Toys, provides evidence of this. Just exactly who are these missiles going to be pointing at? Leunig’s cartoon (also located at Gary’s blog) sums it up rather nicely. Another article on the topic – a personal favourite – is located here.
When is bad, really, really bad? According to BBC News, Thirsty Africa faces food crisis, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) reckon that with “business as usual” policies and investments, the number of Africans without access to clean water will more than double to 401 million by 2025, with maybe as many as 523 million people being affected.
Amrozi, a.k.a ‘the smiling assassin’ will now face the firing squad for his hand in the Bali bombing. I can’t help agreeing with Susanna Miller, one of the relatives of the British victims, who considers it an inappropriate punishment.
An interesting read for all Keating fans is to be found at Margot Kingston’s blog. In a speech entitled The New Global Mosaic delivered to the Local Government Unlimited Conference in Queenstown, New Zealand on Monday, PJK reflects on the three economic long waves of the 20th century, and how he expects the third wave (the one we’re in now) to peter out in the next half dozen years unless there is some action in North Asia. He also comments on the current US administration’s aggressive unilateralism, and that unless there is a return to a more liberal notion of internationalism, there will be a ‘geo-strategic uncertainty of a kind that is debilitating and broadly unnecessary’.
My blogging is likely to be even more spasmodic than usual over the next few weeks on account of my relocation to Singapore (via France). Furthermore, typing on a French keyboard is unlikely to enhance my productivity any!
If Australia does secure a free trade agreement with the United States, then it will obviously be well placed to become a fully fledged member of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and perhaps, into the future, the extension of NAFTA, the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).
