Prologue We owe the Greeks our desire to be the best and most powerful people in the world: There’s nothing more Greek than striving for excellence, choosing from one’s values, and competing with others for a prize. This is the passion that gave birth to Homer, the nude and sacred Olympics, democracy, the golden age More
Sam Randazzo was once the Chair of the Ohio Public Utilities Commission. Now, at 74, he’s dead by apparent suicide. As is the “Nuclear Renaissance.” Dating back many years, we often encountered Sam at energy hearings in Columbus. He was always personable and friendly as we exchanged handshakes and smiles. That we were totally on More
In February this year, Elbit Systems, Israel’s notorious drone manufacturer and creator of the Hermes 450 aerial device responsible for this month’s killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers including the Australian national, Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom, was rewarded with a $917 million contract. Business, even over bodies, exerts a corrupting force. More
The repeated use of 2,000-pound bombs have leveled multistorey apartment buildings in Gaza, killing hundreds of residents in order to strike even just a single Hamas suspect. The IDF has relied on the "Lavender" and "Where's Daddy" AI programs, which have limited human oversight, to kill suspected militants, their families, and nearby neighbors in the hundreds on the mere possibility of on-site Hamas members. In shifting free-fire zones, snipers are ordered or allowed to shoot anyone in sight,...
Since the start of the Gaza war, more than 200 hundred aid workers have been killed. As a result, the health situation of the civilian population, still reeling from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)’s attacks, has worsened considerably, since many aid operations have been cancelled. One cannot but wonder what is crossing Netanyahu’s mind who More
The Paris climate agreement of 2015 set the standards for how nation/states must approach the net zero target year 2050 by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in stages, starting with major reductions by 2030. Paris ’15 is dead. According to a new report by Global Energy Monitor of San Francisco, at least 20B barrels of oil More
Russian President Vladimir Putin justified the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by asserting the existence of a singular “Russian world” that needs protection and reunification. He set aside the secular socialist ideological rationales that the Soviet Union used to justify its expansion favoring the Tsarist Russia, rooted in religion and culture. But the history of political More
It is not often that a best-selling author and correspondent on consumer, food, medical, and health issues comes up with an idea for all Eaters that nobody has thought of before. Jean Carper, with sixty years of experience, has done just that with her brand-new book provocatively titled “100 Life or Death Foods: A Scientific More
My “take” on the politics of Biden/Trump/Israel/USA/Gaza politics is that: [1] The Zionist Lobby (AIPAC et al.) is stringing President Biden along with just enough money to keep him “in line” with Israel’s demands—but The Lobby much prefers Trump, to whom they may be giving even more money. [2] Israel and the Zionist Lobby prefer More
Sweden and Finland have joined NATO. Will Switzerland be next? In a small step in that direction, NATO will soon open an office in Geneva. Does NATO’s presence, however small - sources say only one NATO officer will be based in Geneva – represent a historic change for a country that has been legally neutral since 1815? Although the office is presented as a multilateral liaison with international organizations – NATO has similar offices in Vienna and New York – it does raise questions about Swiss...
Known as treacherous and despite all the efforts of the neoliberal press to pretty him up, Michel Temer was extraordinarily unpopular. Understanding that public security was one of the most worrying issues afflicting the population, he decided to turn it to his advantage and puff up his reputation. He chose Rio de Janeiro, the country’s security flashpoint, suspending state autonomy and putting the army in charge, unfazed by the fact that he was messing with a narco-regime whose territories and...
Soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces have marched the length of Gaza carrying with them the spoils of victory: clothes, musical instruments, watches, jewelry, bicycles, mirrors, cosmetics, prayer rugs and even Qur’ans. Looting is widespread and conducted without shame. “There was zero talk about it from the commanders,” one soldier said. “Everyone knows that people are taking things. It’s considered funny — people say: ‘Send me to The Hague.’ It doesn’t happen in secret.” More