Life Cycle Analysis

2011-03-20T08:43:00.001-04:00

Nuclear Boy

The entertaining anime cartoon above is apparently being shown to Japanese children. It is supposed to explain what is happening at the Fukushima nuclear plant. I learned a lot. There is definitely more information here than in the official government press releases. My brother lives in Tokyo but like most Japanese has not chosen to leave home over the dangers which the nuclear incident may portend.

2011-03-16T09:06:00.000-04:00

Valdosta State University graduate Stephen Dupuis (VSU '08) teamed up with UGA grad Stephen Turner to create Defy Thirst, which strives to empower developing nations through sanitation education and the sharing of efficient, inexpensive water filtration technology. It is good to know that our graduates from this university are not only able to earn a living but contribute to solving the problems of the world.

2011-03-14T07:43:00.001-04:00

9.0 Earthquake and Tsunami hit Japan

CNBC host Larry Kudlow proudly displays those "ugly American" attitudes which are so in demand today in our broadcast media. My brother lives in Japan, so perhaps I am overly sensitive. My brother is fine but he did say that this is the worst earthquake that he has experienced. He has lived in Japan for at least 25 years now, since the late 1980's.

2010-11-08T17:08:00.001-05:00

Don't Swear For Me, Nigeria

2010-10-04T20:43:00.000-04:00

Hajigak Iron Ore Deposit

2010-09-29T22:01:00.002-04:00

Nigeria at 50

Yvonne Ndege reports on Africa's most populous country on the 50th anniversary of her independence from Great Britain.

2010-08-29T18:33:00.000-04:00

Finders Keepers

Craig Childs was just interviewed on NPR's All Things Considered. While his book may not contain any new ideas, Craig is certainly very passionate about some traditional archaeological ideas which need his clear and compelling restatement. I look forward to reading it!

2010-08-27T08:02:00.002-04:00

California Highway Spill (NSFW)

Major Slut Spill on California Highway (NSFW)

2010-08-18T17:40:00.001-04:00

2010-08-10T07:01:00.003-04:00

"A Whole Crude World"

Home video from the Gulf Coast of the United States documents the impacts of the B.P. oil spill on mermaid populations. Written and directed by Lee Camp. Starring Juliet Jeske.

2010-08-05T03:22:00.006-04:00

Obama Target Game

The above crude likeness of President Barack Obama was featured in a carnival game called "Alien Attack" at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Big Time fair in Roseto, Pennsylvania. As the child is doing in this photograph, carnival visitors were rewarded with stuffed animals and other trinkets for their aim in firing a toy plastic gun at the president. The inspiration evidently came from "Tea Party" politics in that the caricature poses the president with a scroll labeled "Health Care Bill" in his right hand.

The original story on this appeared in the Express Times of Easton, Pennsylvania. The story broke nationally through The Morning Call and the British newspaper The Guardian. I first read about it in a piece at The Huffington Post authored by AP Reporter Michael Rubinkam. A company called Goodtime Amusements ran the carnival - 320 Willow Road, Hellertown, PA - goodirv66@yahoo.com - 610-554-7425 - Fax 610-838-2549

2010-07-21T21:22:00.002-04:00

ILLER: Obama Zombies Strike Back

2010-07-20T11:40:00.006-04:00

R.I.P. Stephen Schneider

Lane Professor for Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies at Stanford University and long an active faculty member in the Department of Biology, Schneider apparently suffered a heart attack on an airplane en route to London from Stockholm. Schneider's obituary appeared in today's Washington Post but his death is not yet mentioned on his Stanford University webpage. Schneider was an early member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and was actively working on the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) at the time of his death.

Hat tip to Democracy Now! for alerting me to the news. A eulogy written by Ben Santer has been posted at Real Climate.

2010-07-16T14:00:00.004-04:00

France to repay Haiti

Yesterday (July 14th) was Bastille Day, marking a popular uprising which gave birth to the modern French state. According to the website for the Ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes, France chose Bastille Day to announce an Outline Agreement for the Rebuilding of Haiti (ACRH). The Agreement calls for cancellation of Haiti's international debt, which has retarded the development of Haiti during recent decades and contributed to the impact of the recent earthquake and other natural disasters. France acknowledges with the announcement of ACRH that the disaster which befell the Haitian people is not simply the result of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake but is partly the result of economic and social policies including the legacy of French colonization.

(The above is my own translation of the text posted on the website for the Ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes.) Hat-tip to The Independent, Democracy Now!, and The People's Forum for excellent and timely coverage of the story in English.

2010-07-02T09:16:00.002-04:00

Training Arizona Police

2010-06-22T21:10:00.003-04:00

Kindra Arnesen

A passionate narration of the inept and duplicitous assessment and clean up of BP's Deep Horizon Oil Spill. This woman spits fire!

Kindra's speech at the Gulf Emergency Summit was filmed by FluxRostrum.

2010-06-17T09:38:00.003-04:00

Lead Toxicity and Nigerian Gold

Yvonne Ndege reports on severe health effects due to lead exposure among villagers in Zamfara province, northern Nigeria. Six villages have been affected according to Marcel Lagenbach of Medecins Sans Frontieres. The villagers say they will continue to mine for gold despite lead in the dust that is killing their children. Critics accuse the government officials of turning a blind eye and focusing instead on signing lucrative mining deals with China.

2010-06-14T08:02:00.004-04:00

Afghanistan Bonanza

Afghanistan may be the Saudia Arabia of lithium, according to recently reported findings of an American geologist working for the U.S. Geological Survey. In an interview with James Risen of the New York Times, geologist Jack Medlin proposes opening up "some very, very large mines that will require more than just a gold pan."

As the above map suggests, mineral deposits are scattered throughout the country, including in the war-torn regions along the country's borders with Pakistan and Iran. The biggest mineral deposits discovered so far are ores of iron and copper in quantities large enough to make Afghanistan a major world producer of both. There are also large deposits of niobium and rare earth elements. Gold occurs primarily in the Pashtun areas of southern Afghanistan.

The lithium discoveries are relatively recent results from ground surveys on dry salt lakes in western Afghanistan. Initial analyses at one location in Ghazni Province promise lithium deposits as large of those of Bolivia, which now has the world’s largest known lithium reserves

2010-06-12T06:54:00.004-04:00

Code Pink Protest - BP Station in NYC on May 28, 2010

BP your heart is black! You can have your oil back! - Live video shot by Melissa Ulto intercut with her own creative montage of current news footage.

2010-06-09T11:01:00.001-04:00

Cane Toad Daz missing Baz

2010-05-26T16:07:00.002-04:00

Beyond Petroleum

2010-05-20T12:40:00.003-04:00

DREAM activists face deportation

Three young immigrant rights activists speak with Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez of Democracy Now! on Thursday, May 20th. The three are all facing possible deportation after their arrest in a sit-in on Monday at the offices of Republican Senator John McCain.

Mohammad Abdollahi is an Iranian-born immigrant rights activist and co-founder of a web portal for undocumented students called DreamActivist.org. Yahaira Carrillo is student at Rockhurst University in Kansas and the founder of the Kansas Missouri Dream Alliance. Lizbeth Mateo is an organizer with DREAM Team Los Angeles.

2010-05-19T08:46:00.005-04:00

Subcommandante Marcos unmasked!

"The constant obsession on the part of the Mexican government to know or to discover the face of subcommandante Marcos takes the place of any commitment to address the structural causes for the faces of poverty which beset over a million families in Mexico."

Loose translation from an editorial by Jaime Martínez Veloz published April 9, 2010 in La Jornada.

2010-05-18T18:30:00.003-04:00

Jessica Colotl fights back!

They just f _ _ _ ed with the wrong Mexican!

2010-05-18T06:49:00.005-04:00

Drug Mule Politician, Zuru Ayortor

Eme Zuru Ayortor, a candidate for the Edo state assembly, was arrested two weeks ago at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria. Mr. Ayortor, a pharmacist, was stopped while trying to board a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt after scanning equipment indicated that he had foreign material within his stomach cavity. While undergoing interrogation at the airport, he excreted 100 packets of cocaine weighing a total of 2.120 kilograms (4.4 lbs). According to Mr. Ayortor, the proceeds from his drug mule venture were going to help him finance his campaign for office.

Mr. Ayortor is in good company. The story in Compass by Juliana Francis and Biodun Komolafe reports previous drug smuggling arrests at the same airport have included a doctorate degree holder, an ex-councilor and a couple trying to use their children. The quantity that Ayortor ingested, however, is the record since January.

2010-05-08T13:00:00.003-04:00

Yar'Adua, Nigeria's president

Both BBC and CNN as well as African news sources such as Next and AllAfrica reported the death of Umaru Musa Yar'Adua on Wednesday, May 5th. The president of Nigeria has been too ill to govern since last November, as reported in my blog dated January 12th. Vice president Goodluck Jonathan governed as best he could but had not formally succeeded Yar'Adua. According to the story in Next, Jonathan now automatically becomes the substantive president and will be sworn in tonight by Nigeria's chief justice.

The recent vacuum of leadership during Yar'Adua's prolonged illness has perplexed both Nigerian and foreign political analysts. I believe, however, that it can be traced to the regional divisions within Nigeria as a nation. In a post on February 12th, I suggested that Mr. Jonathan's Christian affiliation might have upset the balance between Islamic and Christian leadership in the government. As I now understand the situation, the problem centers on a "gentleman's agreement" of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) to choose a candidate alternately from "northern" and "southern" states. The regional division between north and south is both religious and ethnic, as astutely pointed out in the comment below by Solomonsydelle.

The coming period of transition in leadership in Nigeria promises to be a tense one. Mr. Jonathan is by no means guaranteed to be chosen as PDP candidate or, if chosen, to emerge victorious in the elections of 2011.

P.S. Ndesanjo Macha of Global Voices has aggregated recent blog postings about the president's death. Surprisingly, my comments above and exchange with Solomonsydelle and Imnakoya are prominently featured. Real Nigerians must be either immensely saddened or embarassed at the conclusion of this chapter of their recent history.

2010-05-07T05:45:00.003-04:00

Yar'Adua 419
(from Nairaland's PrinceK12)

Dear Sir/Madam
I am sure that you have heard about the death of Nigeria's president Yar'adua, for it is the headline on every major news network in the world. Unfortunately, Mr. Yar'adua died without writing a will, and he is survived by his wife. His wife will inherit some of his property and wealth according to the laws of Nigeria. However, the manager of First Bank of Nigeria, PLC has just notified me that President Yar'adua has the equivalent of $50,000,000 (fifty million US Dollars) in his bank account, and that he did not list any next of kin. According to the laws of Nigeria, therefore, since he did not list any next of kin, the money will pass to his successor in interest.

I have talked to the Bank Manager and he told me that I am the successor in interest to any of President Yar'adua's assets, including financial assets, but that I have to sign several paperwork to expeditiously effectuate the transfer to me, the successor in interest. Please keep this matter confidential, for disclosing to any third party this information may affect the transfer of the funds to my bank account.

The manager has also informed that we need to some funds to effectuate this transfer, and therefore I need to remit to him as soon as possible the sum of $100,000 (one hundred thousand US dollars). Once you send me the $100,000, I will sign the necessary paperwork and transfer the money to your foreign account, whereupon you can deduct your $100,000 plus your $10,000,000 (ten million US dollars) which is your commission for being a partner.

Thank you very much. I hope that you will act swiftly within the next 24 hours, for every time wasted can severely jeopardize this transaction. The manger of First Bank of Nigeria, PLC will contact you insofar as needed to collect any relevant information that is pertinent to this transfer. Your full cooperation is required.

Sincerely,

Alhaji Al Rabin Tal Wa lal
Successor in interest to his excellency, President Musa Yar'adua

2010-05-05T09:18:00.003-04:00

Deepwater Horizon Spill

John Wathen, who blogs as the Hurricane Creek Riverkeeper (hccreekeeper), has put up a new blog entirely dedicated to the oil spill from the BP Deepwater Horizon. A video filmed during a flyover of the spill on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 can be streamed both on the new blog, Gulf Oil Slick, and on YouTube.

2010-05-03T21:44:00.001-04:00

The Ban

2010-05-03T09:01:00.001-04:00

Jyri Jaakola

2010-05-03T09:00:00.001-04:00

DESAPARECIDOS!

Six people are missing, including two Mexican journalists, after a paramilitary ambush on Tuesday, April 27th attacked a caravan carrying food and other aid to a remote village in the state of Oaxaca. The above photograph from an article in The Hindu shows the bullet-riddled car which carried the two journalists, Erika Ramirez and David Cilia. According to a post yesterday by Kristin Bricker, all six of the activists and journalists are safe and have found refuge in the nearby town of Juxtlahuaca.

Paramilitaries continued to blockade San Juan de Copala until Sunday, May 2nd. Articles in mainstream media indicate that all members of the caravan have now been rescued although some injuries are also reported. Hitherto, the only news consisted of victim accounts compiled by Kristin Bricker. By all accounts, at least two activists died during Thursday's raid on the caravan. One of the dead activists, Betty Carino, is remembered by Keegan Smith in a moving post featured both on his own blog at Z Communications and on Bricker's My Word is My Weapon. The other victim of the paramilitary ambush, Jyri Jaakkola, was an observer from Finland. His thoughts on the trip which he was planning to Oaxaca have been captured in a video posted today to YouTube.

2010-04-29T16:11:00.004-04:00

Iwu Out!

The acting president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, has sent Maurice Iwu on "pre-retirement leave" from his position as chairman of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC). The retirement is interpreted as a long overdue dismissal by most who know Nigerian politics, given that Iwu supervised the extremely corrupt and mismanaged elections of 2007.

"Iwu sacked" reads the story by Daniel Idonor in both Vanguard and AllAfrica. Funke Adetutu t the Daily Nation regards this as a welcome sacking, as does Bamidele Aturu in her letter to Sahara Reporters.

2010-04-22T19:12:00.002-04:00

Less Ass from Iceland

Iceland’s President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson explains the effects of the Eyjafjallajokull eruption on air traffic in Europe to Neil Cavuto of Fox News. His thick accent leads him to pronounce ash as "ass," leading to some comical remarks about ass falls and ass clouds sent to Europe. Hat tip for the link to Martin Eisenstadt of the Harding Institute.

2010-04-20T06:39:00.004-04:00

Volcano Song

I've a Fiat. Yogurt, Merkel?

2010-04-20T06:16:00.002-04:00

Eyjafjallajokull

2010-04-11T20:02:00.004-04:00

2010 Harding Prize Awards

Hosted by the Kennedy Political Union at American University in Washington, D.C.

2010-04-11T09:17:00.004-04:00

World Cultural Preservation

My former professor, Richard Kurin, has been the Under Secretary for History, Art, and Culture" at the Smithsonian Institution for over 25 years now. An interview with Dr. Kurin posted on the U.S. State Department's propaganda organ America.gov has been making the round among progressive news outlets like Scoop and cultural resources blogs like Saving Antiquities.

I am amazed that Kurin has not only survived but flourished as organizer and recruiter of international acts for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival as well as many of the Silk Road Project events and exhibits at museums in our nation's capitol. The profile advertising his appearance at the Canadian Museum Association conference in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Kurin describes many of his most recent accomplishments:

(Kurin)... has worked with cultural figures ranging from Pete Seeger, Yo-Yo Ma, Mickey Hart, and Bernice Johnson Reagon to the Aga Khan and the Dalai Lama. He helped draft an international treaty on safeguarding the world’s living cultural heritage. He has produced major events for the Smithsonian’s 150th anniversary, the opening of the World War II Memorial, the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian, and programs for numerous presidential inaugurals, including that of President Obama.

I highly recommend the interview with Kurin posted at America.gov.

2010-04-11T08:16:00.007-04:00

Lagos up close... and open to interpretation

Sokari Ekine, who blogs at Black Looks, has an interesting essay about Lagos up at the New Internationalist Blog. Sokari reviews a recent television program which focused on the resourcefulness of the poor in Lagos.

In spite of all the current interest, I know that Lagos remains a dangerous place to visit for foreigners traveling from overseas. In fact, I was just speaking with a colleague on the Chemistry faculty here at VSU. He regularly flies in and out of Lagos to visit family. I was telling him that if I traveled to Nigeria I would probably go by way of Abuja. Perhaps the security will improve soon, or perhaps I will make some friends and acquaintances who can meet me when I arrive.

2010-03-31T05:04:00.008-04:00

ClimateGate debunked by UK Parliament

Climate scientist Phil Jones of the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom has been completely exonerated of any misconduct in the "ClimateGate" scandal based upon emails stolen from the university's email server. According to results of an inquiry released today by the Science and Technology Committee of the UK Parliament, Dr. Jones' research methods were “in line with common practice in the climate science community." Statistical and mathematical analyses performed by his Climate Research Unit have been repeated and the conclusions have been verified by independent scientific experts.

The DeSmog Blog has a thoughtful summary of this final chapter in the long and messy "ClimateGate" scandal. Comments are just starting to show up at the brief entry on RealClimate.

My entries in this blog about ClimateGate began on November 23rd, 2009. Follow up posts were written on November 24th, November 28th, November 30th, December 4th, and December 5th. ClimateGate was clearly well timed to undermine plans for the Copenhagen Climate Summit as well as Climate Change legislation here in the United States.

2010-03-28T08:24:00.004-04:00

HELL YES, WE DID!

The "Party of No" has now become the "Party of Hell, No!" moving farther to the right and more militant as President's Obama legislative agenda rolls on through a corrupt Senate and a divided House of Representatives. Who speaks for the people now?

2010-03-06T04:10:00.007-05:00

Lagos-Benin Highway Bus Massacre

I am not going to post the picture here for show. If you have not found it yet, you can view it on the NIGERIA MASTERWEB page. I have also posted it to my Flickr account here.

The story is being covered ably by the BBC, but I am sure that there are good Nigerian journalists working on it as well. The incident actually during July of 2009, although it has garnered fresh media attention beginning a little over a week ago. The original story from the Nigerian Tribune, written at the time of the incident, has been reposted to Online Nigeria. The Nigerian Senate itself was quite confused as to the date and details when it took up the issue on Wednesday, March 3rd. The otherwise trustworthy online publications Next and All Africa both reported an incorrect date of February 23rd in stories widely circulated through the blogosphere.

UPDATES: (3/5) Imnakoya has a very thoughtful post about the incident with a tasteful link to the photograph at his Grandiose Parlor. His post already has four comments and promises to stimulate lively discussion.

(3/6) The Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Ogbonna Onovo, provided a full accounting of the incident to the Nigerian Senate on Thursday, March 4th. As quoted by Yemi Akinsuyi in This Day, Inspector Onovo related that -

On the 31st of July, 2009, a luxury bus belonging to Young Shall Grow Transport Company left Enugu for Lagos. On the way, the bus developed a fault, which was temporarily corrected. As it started moving again,
this time around, on a slow pace, some suspected armed robbers attacked the vehicle and ordered all the 41 passengers in the bus to alight. They were ordered to sit down right on the road. While the operation was going on, a heavy duty vehicle, on a high speed, which had lost control, ran over the people. Six females and 13 males lost their lives in the process, while the two drivers of the vehicles were arrested and taken to Shagamu Police Station, where the incident occurred.

2010-03-05T07:05:00.005-05:00

Danger of a Single Story

Chimamanda Adichie delivered this talk to the TED global conference back in July of 2009. I was made aware of it only today by Nneoma, a Nigerian blogger who found it a bit pompous. I may be a bit too romantic, but I found the message quite inspiring. It was particularly welcome to hear about all of the things which Nigerians are good at during days when the news seems to be all about their bad deeds.

2010-02-25T06:44:00.016-05:00

Cherchez La Femme?

First rumored on January 25th, the return of Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to Nigeria appears to have finally been accomplished at the behest of his wife, Turai. According to stories in All Africa, Next, and Elendu Reports, Mrs. Yar'Adua has instigated what may well be a coup d'etat by returning her husband to Nigeria in the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 24th, 2010. According to the story "Turai takes charge" published in the newspaper Next and authored by Tolu Ogunlesi, Terfa Tilley-Gyado and Elizabeth Archibong,

...the arrival of the President in the early hours of Wednesday was engineered to take place in utmost secrecy. Just before midnight on Tuesday, the military units sealed off the presidential wing of the airport and cordoned off the area, ordering all airport staff to move to the international wing. The airport was sealed off from journalists and other visitors who had begun to gather at the presidential wing. The air ambulance conveying the President finally landed at 1.45am in a remote section of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

Since the president's arrival, acting president Goodluck Jonathan has been sequestered and blocked from taking the symbolic "presidential seat" in Abuja. Mrs. Yar'Adua appears to have the support of a few generals and officials within the security and defense apparatus who were standing in opposition to Mr. Jonathan's installation as acting president. President Yar'Adua himself does not appear to be healthy enough to govern the country. He is reportedly being kept in a specially outfitted ambulance which brought him home from the airport.

This just in! - The United States State Department, represented in Abuja by Under Secretary of State Johnnie Carson, has issued a strongly worded statement of concern. As quoted in Next, the statement expresses our hope that “President Yar’Adua’s return to Nigeria is not an effort by his senior advisors to upset Nigeria’s stability and create renewed uncertainty in the democratic process.” The full text of Mr. Carson's statement is available at the webpage for the United States embassy in Abuja here.

2010-02-16T09:58:00.000-05:00

MAKE CHARITY HISTORY!

Dambisa Moyo is interviewed by David Frost on his Al Jazeera program, Frost Over The World. Frost turns surly as he comes to the defense of Bob Geldof and other celebrities who promote charitable causes in the African subcontinent.

2010-02-13T10:16:00.004-05:00

SNOWMAGEDDON!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Unusually Large Snowstorm

http://www.thedailyshow.com/

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

2010-02-12T09:06:00.007-05:00

Nigeria's Failures

An eclectic panel of Nigerians discusses her political troubles on Al Jazeera. The impunity of military forces in committing extrajudicial killings is discussed at the outset. For some reason, a strong and unrestrained military is here discussed as characteristic of a "failed state." In Nigeria, however, military rule has been the mechanism through which the state reconstitutes herself when sectarian forces threaten to tear her apart.

The focus of the panel discussion then shifts to the recent transfer of power from Yar'Adua to Goodluck Jonathan. Some panelists appear to fear that if the acting president succeeds, his Christian affiliation may raise issues of the balance between Islamic and Christian leadership in the government.

My overall impression from the discussion is that the "failed state" concept is a rhetorical weapon wielded primarily by partisan players both inside and outside the country. Another common trope or rhetorical weapon used by members of the panel is the accusation of "corruption." Since Nigeria first gained independence from the colonial power, Nigerians have taken power through both electoral and military means. The state survives but her divisions persist.

2010-02-11T17:23:00.005-05:00

Pollluter Harmony

This is a hilarious take on the corrupt relations between politicians and lobbyists for the natural resources industries and other big corporations who pollute our air and water. Polluter Harmony is a "matchmaking" service through which Jeff, a lobbyist, claims to have met Lisa, a powerful senator from the state of Alaska. I laughed and laughed until I realized just how close this gets to the truth.

2010-02-10T09:23:00.005-05:00

Goodluck now governs

Nigeria’s National Assembly voted Tuesday to make Vice President Goodluck Jonathan the acting president.

In his first address to the nation as acting president, All Africa quotes Jonathan pledging to pacify the Niger Delta region and consolidate the gains of the amnesty offered to rebels there.

2010-02-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

MEND ends ceasefire

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) announced on Saturday, January 30th that it would be ending the ceasefire which it declared last October. The first actual sabotage also occurred on Saturday against the TransRamos pipeline. Although MEND has denied that it is responsible for Saturday's sabotage, This Day reports that flow stations along the pipeline have been shut down by Royal Dutch Shell in order to control new leaks.

All Africa had the story of the ceasefire declaration last October while Saturday's resumption of armed conflict and sabotage was reported both by Sahara Reporters and UPI. Now that the rebels have in fact resumed their campaign of sabotage against the Nigerian people, it will be interesting to see what sort of response the federal government makes, if any. Vice President Goodluck Jonathan actually hails from part of the Niger Delta, although he has shown very little sympathy or patience with the local rebel movements.

2010-02-02T08:07:00.002-05:00

Joint Statement on Nigeria

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, EU High Representative Catherine Ashton

London, United Kingdom

January 28, 2010

We express our deep regret at the recent violence and tragic loss of lives in Jos, and extend our sympathies to the bereaved and injured. We urge all parties to exercise restraint and seek peaceful means to resolve differences between religious and ethnic groups in Nigeria. We call on the Federal Government to ensure that the perpetrators of acts of violence are brought to justice and to support interethnic and interfaith dialogue.

Nigeria is one of the most important countries in sub-Saharan Africa, a member of the UN Security Council, a global oil producer, a leader in ECOWAS, a major peacekeeping contributing country, and a stabilizing force in West Africa. Nigeria's stability and democracy carry great significance beyond its immediate borders.

We therefore extend our support to the people of Nigeria during the current period of uncertainty, caused by President Yar'Adua's illness. We extend our best wishes to the President and his family, and join the Nigerian people in wishing him a full recovery.

Nigeria has expressed its resolve to adhere to constitutional processes during this difficult time. We commend that determination to address the current situation through appropriate democratic institutions. Nigeria's continued commitment and adherence to its democratic norms and values are key to addressing the many challenges it faces, including electoral reform, post-amnesty programs in the Niger Delta, economic development, inter-faith discord and transparency. The gubernatorial elections in Anambra on 6 February will be a milestone in the journey towards electoral reform and a signal of Nigeria's commitment to the principles of democracy.

We are committed to continue working with Nigeria on the internal issues it faces while working together as partners on the global stage.

Hat-tip to Baba Jidesalu, who has also posted the full text of the Joint Statement.

2010-02-01T07:12:00.003-05:00

Prison Time for American Crooks

Two disgraced former executives of the Willbros Group have been convicted in United States court of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by bribing Nigerian officials. Jim Bob Brown was sentenced in federal court in Houston to one year and one day in prison and fined $17,500 while Jason Edward Steph was sentenced to 15 months and fined $2,000, Further details of the story can be found at All Africa and in the FCPA Blog.

2010-01-28T21:31:00.003-05:00

REPOWER AMERICA

In Wednesday night’s State of the Union address, President Obama forcefully called for passing clean energy and climate legislation. Spread the word, share this video with friends and family and join REPOWER AMERICA!

2010-01-26T07:49:00.003-05:00

Jos Violence and Nigerian Security

An Al Jazeera piece by Andrew Simmons explaining the violence between Christian Birom people and Muslim Hausa in Plateau state. The Nigerian police and military may not be entirely blameless or effective in subduing the violence.

2010-01-25T06:58:00.001-05:00

Return of Yar'Adua?

Elendu Reports discusses rumors that Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has returned or is returning sometime today from his convalescence overseas. Among the unknowns are whether he will appear first in Abuja, Lagos, or in home town Katsina.

2010-01-22T22:29:00.002-05:00

A New York State of Mind

Omoyele Sowore of Sahara Reporters interviews Nigerian foreign minister Ojo Madueke at the United Nations in New York City. When pressed regarding the lingering absence of President Umaru Yar'Adua from his official duties, Mr. Madueke claims that his own authority is somehow independent of the president due to the manner in which ministerial duties are assigned in the Nigerian constitution. He observes that Mr. Yar'Adua is not a "micromanager" with respect to foreign affairs, although one might question whether there is management of any sort at the present time.

2010-01-22T05:59:00.005-05:00

Obasanjo asks Yardy to resign

Speaking at a public lecture in Abuja, former Nigerian president Olesugun Obasanjo suggested that current president Umaru Yar'Adua may need to resign from office. Obasanjo, who himself chose Yar'Adua as a candidate to succeed him, still wields considerable power within the corrupt and bickering government.

According to the story in Sahara Reporters, Obasanjo's comment was delivered in response a member of the audience who accused him of being responsible for the present constitutional crisis by choosing a sick man to succeed him as president. “What I need to say is that nobody picked Yar’Adua so that he will not perform,” Obasanjo replied. “If I did that, God will punish me. There is no reason why I should do that.”

2010-01-21T08:25:00.003-05:00

Jos violence quelled by Nigerian army

Troops sent by Nigerian vice president Goodluck Jonathan are keeping the peace for now in the northern city of Jos, according to reports prepared by Al Jazeera. A twenty four hour curfew is in force, according to a report prepared by Voice of America (VOA).

Professor Kabiru Mato of the University of Abuja, interviewed by the VOA, traces the current spate of violence to a number of factors, including social apathy, economic deprivation, and political frustration. The necessity of action to quell the violence in Jos does appear to have forced President Yar'Adua to delegate at least some token powers to his vice president, Goodluck Jonathan.

2010-01-18T14:39:00.004-05:00

PANTS ON THE GROUND!

A 62 year old contestant on American Idol disrespects all the young gangbang rapstars.

2010-01-14T09:00:00.002-05:00

Day 9 of Nigeria's 7 Day Ultimatum!
The Nigerian Senate issued an "ultimatum" to the United States on Wednesday, January 6th, 2009. Counting that Wednesday itself, the seventh day of their ultimatum was Tuesday, January 12th. At the conclusion of the Nigerian ultimatum, the United States government had not made any moves toward rescinding its policy of intimidating Nigerians at U.S. airports.

On its first day back in session and at the conclusion of the seven day ultimatum, what action was taken up first by the Nigerian senate? According to the Nigerian newspaper Vanguard, the first order of business was "a motion seeking an investigation into the authenticity of the presidential assent of the 2009 N353 billion Supplementary Budget." This was somehow intended to challenge the Nigerian president, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, to resume his office and take on the issue of intimidation by Western governments of Nigerian citizens. That action appears to have had little impact either upon Mr. Yar'Adua or upon government officials here in the United States.

On Wednesday, January 13th the Nigerian Senate debated a motion to honor the father of the underwear bomber for reporting his son to the American embassy and the CIA. Again according to a story in Vanguard, a weak commendation was passed as opposed to a stronger award of "national honor." Regarding the central issue raised in the seven day ultimatum, the Committee on Foreign Relations led by Senator Jibril Aminu has been given a mandate "to work with the American Senate to extricate Nigeria from the watch list for terrorists." Good luck on that one!

2010-01-14T07:27:00.010-05:00

Chimamanda Adichie on Nigerian "terror"
An excellent interview with prize-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie was aired yesterday on the National Public Radio program "Tell Me More." Like other Nigerians living in the diaspora, Ms. Adichie expresses shock and surprise that an action such as this would have been carried out by one of her countrymen. She highlights many of the topics which have dominated discussion among Nigerians since the event, including most of those which have been discussed and debated in the blogosphere.

My favorite comment from Ms. Adichie would have to be her challenge to Nigerians to admit that Farouk Abdul Mutallab is indeed one of them. She notes that were he to have achieved some great success such as a scientific discovery or sports victory, there would have been no issue of the time which he spent abroad detracting from his true nationality. I also agree with Ms. Adichie, however, when she faults the media for overemphasizing Nigeria as a center or source for the anit-western ideology which the underwear bomber espoused.

Readers of this blog who are not otherwise familiar with Chinamamba Adichie should certainly check out an earlier interview from December 21st on the BBC program "The Interview" with Carrie Gracie. Her books are wonderful reading experiences whether you have ever been to Nigeria or have any interest in doing so or not. Although she writes about universal themes, there have never been questions raised about her being Nigerian.

2010-01-12T06:53:00.015-05:00

Yardy speaks!
Nigerian president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has spoken to the BBC, and highlights from the interview can be streamed online here. Speaking in both Hausa and English, Mr. Yar'Adua told Mansur Liman from the BBC Hausa service that he was getting better from treatment in Saudia Arabia for pericarditis and other ailments. "I hope that very soon there will be tremendous progress, which will allow me to get back home... As soon as my doctors discharge me, I will return to Nigeria to discharge my duties."

Although he has now spoken from his private clinic in Saudia Arabia, the Nigerian president is not threatening to take much action over the pressing issue which is on the minds of most Nigerians. Large street rallies and demonstrations are reported today from Abuja, the Nigerian capital. Wole Soyinka and other leading Nigerian dissidents are demanding action against the United States for its treatment of Nigerian passengers flying through American airports. These may force the hand of the legislative branch to take action in spite of the passive response of their executive.

Yar'Adua has refused to turn the reins of power over to his vice president, Goodluck Jonathan. In the midst of the crisis over Nigeria's homegrown underwear bomber, Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa did step up to issue an executive opinion on the issue. Addressing a world press conference in Abuja attended by Lanre Adewole of the Nigerian Tribune, Mr. Aondoakaa advocated a more diplomatic approach in contrast to the ultimatum of the Nigerian Senate. This diplomatic approach does not appear to have found favor, however, with the Nigerian public. Being that today is the last day of the Nigerian Senate's "ultimatum," perhaps we will see a more strident statement from the legislative branch than we have from the executive.

Dismay over Yar'Adua's passive response to this international affair has been voiced not only by his political enemies but also by many journalists, scholars, and bloggers read widely in Western countries. It has been over a week, for example, since Todd Moss penned a widely read post entitled "Where in the world is Nigeria's president??" Bolaji Aluko, the Nigerian Muse asked the very same question again, directing it to those who should be the most concerned. Related comments from other Nigerian bloggers include:

"Nigeria's president absent during crisis" by Solomonsydelle at Nigerian Curiosity.

Babajidesalu is also a must read for a humorous take on this all too serious turn of events at JideSaluDiary

(Tip of my cap on Friday's AG conference to the Caretaker).

2010-01-11T22:09:00.002-05:00

Bomb Squad Rats

2010-01-10T07:30:00.006-05:00

Dirty Gold

Anna Boiko-Weyrauch has created another fabulous radio report on extractive industries and the environment of Africa. This one is about gold mining impacts along the Subri river in Ghana. She posted it on December 18th, and I think that I may have heard it on public radio here in the United States.

Ghana used to be called the Gold Coast and today it's the second largest producer of gold in Africa. Most of the gold comes out of a number of large surface mines. They are all owned by companies from abroad such as Newmont, which stores water and waste from its gold mine behind the Subri River dam. In her report for the Common Language Project, Ms. Boiiko-Weyrauch speaks with Adusah Yakubu from a local advocacy group about health consequences of local environmental deterioration. She also mentions the Responsible Jewellery Council, which certifies gold miners who do a better job than Newmont has done here in Ghana.

2010-01-07T01:38:00.002-05:00

Nigerians subject to special scrutiny

The United States has placed Nigeria on a list of 14 countries whose citizens will be subjected to full body searches, electronic scans, and intensive interrogations at airports. A panel of experts interviewed by Al Jazeera agree that the new policy is both racist and unlikely to prove effective in preventing Al Qaeda terrorist actions. Commentary and analysis from blogs and mainstream media will be added below as they appear today (January 6th, 2010):

Dora Akunyili spoke out on the issue in Abuja yesterday (January 5th). Today, she was interviewed on National Public Radio by Steve Inskeep.

Juan Cole has a lengthy analysis inspired by the Al Jazeera story at his blog, Informed Comment.

In African Loft, the story "Nigeria Makes US Terror-Nation List" was first posted on Monday, January 4th and already there are four comments. The caretaker of the African Loft, in his Grandiose Parlor, foreshadowed the current events with his post "Now a terrorist nation?" back on Christmas Day of 2009.

"Nigeria now on Teh List" observes Loomnie in a post padded with significant links.

"US discriminating against Nigerians unfairly" is one of those thingsifeelstronglyabout for Anengiyefa.

The Sahara Reporters' Babtunde Ayeni asks today (January 6th) "Who is afraid of 3d scanner and America: the poor and obedient Nigerians or their rulers?" Mr. Ayeni echoes a common sentiment among Nigerians that the discriminatory treatment by the United States is the fault of a corrupt political system and an inffectual and ailing president at home.

Along the same lines, Chixta asks for "Rebranding" to keep this from happening again.

A comical take on the controversy from EVCL, a creative design studio based in Abuja -

2010-01-05T06:47:00.003-05:00

Who are the Climate Skeptics?

Back on December 16 of 2009, Jim Lippard posted a lengthy investigation of the denialist infrastructure in terms of citations, credentials, and organizational affiliation. I came across his blog by accident while reading Juan Cole today.

2009-12-26T13:26:00.004-05:00

Nigerian tries to blow up Delta Flight 253 in Detroit

Abdul Farouk Umar Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old son Nigerian national, attempted to ignite an explosive device aboard Delta Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan. Abdulmutallab is the son of the former chairman of the First Bank of Nigeria, Abdul Farouk Umar Abdulmutallab. According to stories in both the Detroit News and This Day, the father had repeatedly warned authorities about his son's radical leanings going back more than two years. The younger Abdulmutallab claims to have received both his incendiary device and training on how to use it from Al Qaeda forces in Yemen. Why was he allowed to board a flight bound for the United States?

2009-12-21T07:03:00.004-05:00

More Power without Coal?

Because of "regulatory and legal uncertainties" about the future of coal, the Seminole Electric Cooperative today announced that it has canceled plans to build a new coal-fired power plant at its generation facility near Jacksonville, Florida (St. Petersburg Times, Dec 18th). Earthjustice, an non-profit public interest law firm based in Tallahassee, had threatened legal action on behalf of the Florida Wildlife Federation.

Seminole applied in 2006 for a permit to build the proposed 750 megawatt coal-fired plant, upgrading its Putnam County facility which currently generates 1300 megawatts. Power, an industry magazine, named it as "top facility" for 2009. The Seminole Electric Cooperative also received a Leadership Award from the Council for Sustainable Florida. It's webpage trumpets a "long-standing and continuing commitment to a diverse program of environmental stewardship at its generating stations." According to Earthjustice, Seminole is now proposing to build a natural gas fired plant instead along with a 1 to 5 megawatt solar energy project in southwest Florida.

2009-12-19T13:02:00.003-05:00

tcktcktck... BOOM!

As many of us expected, the United Nations Climate Summit in Copenhagen has failed to reach a substantive or binding agreement. The United States negotiating team refused to commit to specific targets for emission of greenhouse gases, continuing the policy initiated during the administration of George W. Bush when we refused to join other developed countries in signing the Kyoto Protocol.

Particularly positive develompents in Copenhagen include a strong showing by developing countries, including civil society participants alongside the official delegations. A new crop of climate activists has emerged, loosely coordinated through organizations such as Friends of the Earth, the Climate Action Network and the tcktcktck Global Citizens for Climate Action.

As Kumi Nadoo writes in his open letter to President Barack Obama, the paltry cuts in greenhouse gas emissions which the United States may successfully enact through the Waxman-Markley bill will fall considerably below what is necessary to avert catastrophic climate change. In addition, we have yet to make a commitment to long-term financial assistance for poor countries which will need to adapt to the impacts of our rapid industrial development throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

Nadoo admonishes Obama for a lack of ambition and warns that many who were energized by his promise of hope are now becoming discouraged. Like Nadoo, I too cling on to hope. To quote Nadoo, "the prospect of personal leadership at the negotiations allows me to retain some ‘audacity of hope’ that (Barack Obama) will have both the courage and the vision to make history."

2009-12-18T22:08:00.003-05:00

COP15 COPS OUT

NGO leaders of the Climate Action Network lament the effort by Barack Obama and the United States delegation to hijack the United Nations conference on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark.

2009-12-10T07:32:00.004-05:00

Schmidt and Christy face off on CNN

2009-12-05T02:28:00.002-05:00

Climategate, Copenhagen, and the UN intergovernmental panel

The Copenhagen Climate Conference organized by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) begins this coming Monday, December 7th. Will the stolen emails from the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit scupper an international agreement?

2009-12-04T18:08:00.002-05:00

Congo's Bloody Coltan

Coltan is a dull metallic ore containing both columbite and tantalite minerals. Common in the eastern Congo, the exploitation of these mineral resources is intricately connected with ethnic strife and national politics among Congolese and with their neighbors in Rwanda and Uganda.

2009-12-04T08:16:00.004-05:00

Holdren remarks to U.S. House Select Committee

Dr. John Holdren, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, gives his opening statement during the Select Committee Hearing, "The State of Climate Science" held on December 2, 2009. Holdren emphasizes that relative role of natural and anthropogenic forcing is being addressed within the scientific community and will not benefit from political or governmental intervention.

2009-12-02T21:11:00.002-05:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Scientists Hide Global Warming Data

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

2009-11-30T07:31:00.004-05:00

Climategate: George Monbiot on Real News

A secretive scientific culture permeates climate research, according to Monbiot. Is this unique to climate science? Do most scientists belong to a democratic and "open" society as Monbiot claims, following Karl Popper?

2009-11-28T09:31:00.006-05:00

Michael Brklacic of Carleton University is interviewed by Paul Jay of "The Real News" about the emails stolen from the university server for the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia.

2009-11-24T08:39:00.005-05:00

CRU Email Hack and "Climategate"

There has been a great deal of chatter in blogs on both politics and climate science regarding emails and scientific data stolen from a university computer serving the Climate Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia. The stolen material can be found in many places on the internet at this point, and relatively few scientists have managed to find time to read them or address the issues involved. The most balanced and thoughtful discussions can be found in the posts by Gavin Schmidt at Real Climate.

My only comment at this point is that all scientists need to be concerned about our privacy and confidentiality privileges both as citizens and professional researchers. It is particularly offensive to hear a sitting United States Senator promoting this sort of thievery and promising to hold a Senate hearing in which the stolen material will be aired and relied upon to trample upon the rights of university professors and government scientists here in the United States.

2009-11-23T12:25:00.004-05:00

The hypothesis of anthropogenic global warming has finally been conclusively disproven by the failure of politicians meeting in Copenhagen to agree to reduce carbon emissions. Senator James Inhofe announces this exciting finding and rubs it in to Senator Barbara Boxer in the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works. Senator Inhofe used to chair this committee before the Democratic Party took over the leadership of the United States Senate.

Senator Inhofe was all over talk radio on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 promising to hold hearings on emails stolen from the University of East Anglia Climate Research Unit. Inhofe's hearings would deal not with the ethics of stealing scientific data and electronic communication but with the content of the scientific discussions partially represented by the stolen emails.

The Ed Morissey show on the "Hot Air" blog.

America's Morning News with Melanie Morgan.

2009-11-23T12:00:00.000-05:00

A retired climatologist, Dr. Tim Ball, confirms how low academic researchers have sunk in terms of professional ethics. Private electronic communications and peer review discussions are no longer confidential. University computer servers are easily accessible to fringe journalists just as they have been for terrorists and saboteurs from foreign governments.

Das Erzgebirge

2009-11-16T07:38:00.001-05:00

My family name comes from this region in Germany along its southern boundary with the Czech Republic. This is also an area with a strong imprint from natural resources extraction. Salt was transported through here during the later years of the Roman Empire. Silver and other precious metals were then mined beginning in the Middle Ages.

2009-10-31T05:34:00.005-04:00

Clean Coal!

Anne Havemann of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network tries to clean coal and fails.

Public Option Annie

2009-10-26T08:39:00.001-04:00

Direct action musical comedy at an AHIP meeting by the Billionaires for Wealthcare.

The Yes Men Pull Off Prank Claiming US Chamber of Commerce Had Changed Its Stance on Climate Change

2009-10-21T16:04:00.000-04:00

Chamber of Commerce Climate Change prank

2009-10-21T15:53:00.007-04:00

Chamber of Commerce and Climate Change

A "representative" of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday that the Chamber would be changing its position on climate change legislation. Fox, CNN, and other U.S. news media ran the story and then retracted it after the position of the representative was questioned by a different representative of the Chamber. CNBC finanancial analyst Larry Kudlow suggested that the Obama Whitehouse might be involved, and anchor person Trish Ragan left it at that.

Surviving in the Nation's Capital

2009-10-21T15:32:00.001-04:00

If Climate Change legislation cannot pass the House and the Senate, there is an alternative. See the Survivaball demonstration here on the steps of the United States capitol.

2009-10-15T10:06:00.015-04:00

African Cities and Sea Level Rise

This post is stimulated by a recent African Loft post on this same topic. David Wheeler and numerous coauthors with the Center for Global Development (CGD) have compiled the fundamental data. Alexandria in Egypt and Lagos in Nigeria are particularly at risk both because of their likely inundation by rising seas and because of their rapidly increasing populations.

As noted by Gupta and others (2009), "variations in coastal morphology will magnify the effects in some areas, while largely insulating others." Their complete paper projecting storm surge impacts for developing countries can be downloaded at the CGD webpage here. An appended spreadsheet (.xls 53k) further tabulates the data for 327 cities. Alexandria ranks second and Lagos third based upon the population projected to be exposed to storm surges by the year 2100.

Asian cities are also at serious risk, with Manila ranking at the top of the CGD compilation. Cities in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar (Burma), Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam are also among the top 20 in the CGD table. Impacts projected for Vietnam's Mekong delta by the CGD and many independent scientists were reported in a recent New York Times article by Seth Mydans.

Wheeler and his coauthors with the CGD are certainly qualified to compile these data and explain their implications for risk assessment and public policy. Wheeler himself stands out as a clear thinker who both comprehends the scientific literature and interprets it to the general public in simple language. Following the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Wheeler (2007) penned a note about the sea level projections in which he correctly criticized their overly conservative use of glacial ice melting rates for Greenland and West Antarctica. As discussed in an earlier post on African Loft, a scenario in which these ice sheets continue melting at their present rates will in fact result in catastrophic submergence by the year 2099 along the coast of West Africa. Nigeria would be particularly affected because of the dense population in Lagos and other coastal cities.

2009-09-17T06:51:00.004-04:00

Financial Crisis in Africa?

Analysis by Dr. Okonjo Iweala of the World Bank

2009-09-10T08:05:00.005-04:00

The Apostle's Denial

Patrick Moore was one of the cofounders of Greenpeace. He has been an environmental activist for nearly four decades now, sailing into the Aleutian Islands on the inaugural Greenpeace mission in 1971. For many of us, however, Moore first came to our attention for his unique stance in support of nuclear power. In an interview with Fareed Zakaria last year in Newsweek, Moore championed the rapid construction of new nuclear plants as a means to replace the energy currently generated by coal-fired power plants in the United States and other parts of the world.

This morning on BBC's One Planet radio program, Mike Williams interviewed Patrick. Moore expressed skepticism regarding the anthropogenic causes for global warming, stating -

"I do not believe that we know for certain that we are causing global warming or climate change. I believe the subject is so much more complex than we understand."

It will be interesting to see how this apostle's denial is received by members of the scientific community who have made anthropogenic forcing a cornerstone of contemporary climate science.

2009-09-08T01:25:00.000-04:00

Brass Evolution

The marching band at Smith-Cotton High School in Sedalia, Missouri was forced by conservative parents to abandon a t-shirt in which hominid ancestors were shown marching along with brass instruments. Assistant Superintendent Brad Pollitt asked that all band members turn in their shirts after the band marched at the Missouri State Fair. Pollitt told Tony Ferrell of the Sedalia Democrat that the Sedalia School District is required by law to remain neutral where religion is concerned.

Many of us do believe that biological science and the theory of evolution are neutral with respect to religion. Not so Richard Dawkins, however, who has prominently posted this story under "Wingnut News."

2009-08-29T12:07:00.003-04:00

Dambisa Moyo!

Dambisa Moyo talks to the Commonwealth Club of California about the problem of aid dependency. Should African countries find alternative ways of financing development rather than turning to foreign aid from the United States and other developed nations?

2009-08-27T07:09:00.004-04:00

The End of an Era?

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Ted Kennedy Pt. 1

http://www.thedailyshow.com/

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Healthcare Protests

What has happened to this episode of The Daily Show? ? ?

2009-08-27T01:45:00.001-04:00

I Am Martin Eisenstadt - The Book

A new tell-all book by Martin Eisenstadt about Martin Eisenstadt, the Washington insider who made Sarah Palin famous for not knowing Africa was a continent .

2009-08-24T21:53:00.002-04:00

A Tour of Governor's Island

2009-08-23T15:56:00.001-04:00

EPA damages Fort Edward

This story is over a week old, but it is only just now beginning to show up on listservers and blogs about archaeology and historic preservation.

Fort Edward is located on the east bank of the Hudson River 45 miles north of Albany, New York. It strategic importance lay in serving as a point of portage between the Hudson River and Lake George. Fort Edward figured prominently in the history of the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. The fort's location is also within the area initially impacted by PCB wastes which were left behind by General Electric and were eventually washed downstream to contaminate the entire Hudson River valley and its estuary, where New York City is located.

The current chapter in Fort Edward's long and colorful history began when the Environmental Protection Agency restarted its project to dredge the entire Hudson River downstream of the spill. The dredging project had been strongly debated both pro and con for many years, and the environmentalist forces marshalled by the likes of Pete Seeger and Robert Kennedy, Jr. finally achieved their goal. Now some clumsy equipment operators appear to have ripped out timbers from an historic fort, triggering severe bank erosion. Conservative news outlest such as CNS News and Rupert Murdock's New York Post have jumped on the story, presumably because it casts the EPA in a bad light. Historic preservationists must regrettably admit that the fort site itself had been poorly maintained. Archaeological consultants working for EPA may have given inadequate guidance regarding the fort's extent, condition, and appropriate measures for dredging in the immediate vicinity.

Hat tip to New York History blogger John Warren, whose excellent writing just came to my attention while researching this story.

2009-08-22T12:51:00.000-04:00

The Glass Site

My friend and colleague at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Dennis Blanton, created a blog to report his excavations from the field this summer in Telfair County. While the project began as an effort to find the site of a Spanish mission called Santa Isabel de Utinahica, the focus of the excavations has turned out to be somewhat earlier and a possible candidate for one of the sites visited by Hernando de Soto.

2009-08-17T01:00:00.000-04:00

Hillary Clinton's Nigeria Trip, filtered - my latest and greatest on the events and a commentary on the comments of others in the Nigerian blogosphere just went up at Nigerians Talk.

2009-08-13T17:05:00.003-04:00

Les Paul goes up above

R.I.P. I never got to see him unfortunately. Now he is with Mary Ford once again.

2009-08-13T01:30:00.001-04:00

Clinton arrives in Abuja, Nigeria

Hillary Clinton arrived in the capital of Nigeria Tuesday night, August 11th, 2009. As reported by both the BBC and Peter Clottey of the Voice of America, Clinton's itinerary for this 36 hour visit to Abuja includes meetings with politicians from several parties prior to meeting President Yar'Adua. Suleiman M. Bisalla and Aisha Umar of Nigeria's Daily Trust write that the Nigerian administration is offended that Clinton's staff put her itinerary together without first consulting them. Such an arrangement may run "contrary to diplomatic norms" but shows that key advisors such as Johnnie Carson as well as Mrs. Clinton herself are aware of the complexity and dynamism of Nigeria's multi-ethnic political landscape. It is too bad that she will be unable to visit more of the country to absorb the roots of the complexity among the people in their local environment.

Imnakoya, Solmonsydelle, and Beauty have also posted today on the Clinton visit to Nigeria.

Jewels in the Jungle has a fabulous and very lengthy post on the Clinton's entire trip to Africa. Firoze Manji, writing in Pambazuka News, analyzes the focus on economic development and promotion of the interests of U.S. corporations by Clinton in picking countries to visit and issues to raise with African politicians.

2009-08-12T11:14:00.001-04:00

2009-08-12T09:07:00.004-04:00

Second Warmest July on Record

Based upon temperature anomalies worldwide, NASA GISS is reporting that July of 2009 was the second warmest July within the period of instrumental record, going back well over a hundred years. The story is presented on the AccuWeather
site by their senior meteorologist, Brett Anderson. I was not able to find the same analysis on the NASA GISS site.