This past weekend I attended a conference and my brain is strongly resisting any new inputs right now. I think this may not be the best list of links ever, but still I think there’s some fun stuff to learn as our world culturtwines itself into little knots.
A sign of wealth is an increase in cancer rates? Apparently, and apparently poor countries are becoming wealther! Non-Communicable Diseases
Have you heard of the three American hikers who were caught at the Iraqi-Iranian border and arrested? The woman was released just over a year ago, but the two men have been in jail for over two years now. This week I saw in the headlines that the Iranian government announced that they would be released within a few days. But several days have come and gone and they may still be released within a few days. Check out the news on their website: http://freethehikers.org/news/latest-headlines/
China for a while has been working on taking over for the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, several UN agencies, USAID and all other Western donor governments. Most recently, the news is about China making an offer to Caribbean countries that they can’t refuse. China woos Caribbean with offer of $1 bln in loans
This article in and of itself is one of many interesting commentaries on the Arab Spring. While I didn’t think the topic of this particular story was anything out of the ordinary, I just LOVE this quote: Fear has switched sides. Read the article to understand the phrase, chew on it, think about it, consider its meaning… Morocco: Multiple Arrests Against Activists
I did NOT see the anti-American sentiment described here in the wake of 9-11, but then again, maybe it’s because I expected the world’s reaction to be bad anyway… 9/11: The dark day that brought out the worst in Britain
International development is full of bad ideas. Some of these bad ideas in the health field include infrared sensors in Kenya and an ambulance to a village with no paved roads… “as much as three-quarters of all medical devices in the developing world do not function.” So now experts are considering “Could donkey ambulances save lives in poor countries?”
Pictures of Iranians holding a candlelight vigil for victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, back in 2001. This is one of those times when pictures must say what words can’t right? http://shabhaft.blogfa.com/post-134.aspx
Remember: FEAR HAS SWITCHED SIDES