Random World News
Just got this week's Economist and thought I'd share a few things I gleaned.
1. New York Times columnist Judith Miller is going to jail for researching an article about a CIA agent. She is refusing to give up her source (for the story she never wrote) to a federal prosecutor. Robert Novack, the conservative who broke the story and thus the identity of the agent, is not in trouble, presumably because he cooperated with the prosecutor.
2. Iowa is giving all ex-felons the right to vote, without any hoops to jump through
3. Peru's desert is rocking the agricultural world by blooming out major supplies of asparagus, artichokes, olives, and some tropical fruit. A big factor is that the US and EU eliminated tariffs so that the Andean countries would have an alternative to drugs. This deal expires in 2006.
4. The Philippines president is mired in scandal, but no one really cares. Gloria Arroyo was taped asking someone about the vote count in a particular province. The man told her, "What they did to raise yours- it was done well." Oops. Also, her husband, son, and brother-in-law (but not her?) are all implicated in a pocketing bribes scheme. Still, only 18% of Filipinos want her to resign and 20% want the country to forget about it (at least her part). It appears they like how she is handling the economy and country in general.
5. China, Russia, and some Stans (Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tajikastan, and Uzbekistan) all had a big pow wow. Basically, China wants their oil, and the Stans and Russia want China's money. Additionally, the 6 are greatly in support of each other's suppression of any dissidents (oops, I mean "terrorists"). This could get interesting though. China and Russia are both trying to get the US out of this region (we have troops there) while trying to get the upper hand over each other simultaneously.
6. Selling cell phones to developing countries for cheap might be a win-win situation. Cell phones have been found to help business innumerably in poorer countries that lack basic infrastructure (worse roads, bad postal systems, limited land lines). Right now, in some countries, a village might share one phone between themselves. Companies producing cheaper phones might result in some high sales since most of the world is poor (but who wants a phone without a video camera or one that can't play Snoop Doggy Dogg every time my mom calls?).
7. A science article I went into more detail below...
1. New York Times columnist Judith Miller is going to jail for researching an article about a CIA agent. She is refusing to give up her source (for the story she never wrote) to a federal prosecutor. Robert Novack, the conservative who broke the story and thus the identity of the agent, is not in trouble, presumably because he cooperated with the prosecutor.
2. Iowa is giving all ex-felons the right to vote, without any hoops to jump through
3. Peru's desert is rocking the agricultural world by blooming out major supplies of asparagus, artichokes, olives, and some tropical fruit. A big factor is that the US and EU eliminated tariffs so that the Andean countries would have an alternative to drugs. This deal expires in 2006.
4. The Philippines president is mired in scandal, but no one really cares. Gloria Arroyo was taped asking someone about the vote count in a particular province. The man told her, "What they did to raise yours- it was done well." Oops. Also, her husband, son, and brother-in-law (but not her?) are all implicated in a pocketing bribes scheme. Still, only 18% of Filipinos want her to resign and 20% want the country to forget about it (at least her part). It appears they like how she is handling the economy and country in general.
5. China, Russia, and some Stans (Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tajikastan, and Uzbekistan) all had a big pow wow. Basically, China wants their oil, and the Stans and Russia want China's money. Additionally, the 6 are greatly in support of each other's suppression of any dissidents (oops, I mean "terrorists"). This could get interesting though. China and Russia are both trying to get the US out of this region (we have troops there) while trying to get the upper hand over each other simultaneously.
6. Selling cell phones to developing countries for cheap might be a win-win situation. Cell phones have been found to help business innumerably in poorer countries that lack basic infrastructure (worse roads, bad postal systems, limited land lines). Right now, in some countries, a village might share one phone between themselves. Companies producing cheaper phones might result in some high sales since most of the world is poor (but who wants a phone without a video camera or one that can't play Snoop Doggy Dogg every time my mom calls?).
7. A science article I went into more detail below...
posted by chuckdaddy2000 at 9:33 am
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