(Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi vowing to eradicate all his enemies)
- Republicans slash federal funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund to 1/3rd.
- BP's Gulf of Mexico Spill likely to have massive environmental repercussions - to wit:
Professor Joye noted that after the Exxon Valdez spill, it took several years before it became clear that the herring industry had been destroyed. (Ed. this is interesting. Did the herring all die off or only recovered to a level that was unsustainable for industrial extraction?)
- Texas to pass a bill allowing handguns on campus - supposedly students will feel safer and can defend themselves in time rather than wait for security to arrive and get killed. On the other hand, some professors must have wondered that if this bill passes perhaps they will self-censor in order to avoid angering gun toting students with strong opinions?.
- On the family name 'Washington' in the US.
- Germany's Merkel and her CDU party suffers resounding defeat in regional Hamburg election.
- New Zealand calls for greater protection of fish stocks in the Pacific. Whether we like it or not, either all the nations step up together to patrol and end illegal and overfishing in international waters or we get to have to rely on Sea Shepherd and their affiliates to do it for us. Where are the fleets of armoured UN frigates patrolling all the key known fisheries and inspecting boats and their equipment?
- Old World Monkeys, in this case Macaques, appear to show self doubt - meaning they are aware of themselves and their thoughts. In a situation where they are not sure, and given the option to choose 'not sure', they will exercise that option. Now, why can't we have 'Not Sure' or 'None of the Above' on our voting slips?
- CIA agent in Lahore killed two Pakistanis (A third killed by the car rushing to rescue him). He says he thought he was being robbed by armed men. Pakistan says he was spying and shot in cold blood. Obama has pressed for his release, calling him 'our diplomat', and his administration has tried to bury the news. Since this case involves the CIA, the likely 'truth' will be as slippery as an eel. Still, this is not good for Obama or the US' international reputation. At the end of the day, three people died because of this agent, one of which was entirely innocent. The CIA continues to waltz around the world like an elephant on skates in a china shop. Team America, F*&k Yeah!
- Now Libyans respond: But Gaddafi has vowed to fight to the last and cops / troops are already firing live rounds and grenades at protestors. Where the Egyptian toll from their revolution has been relatively light, other executive leaderships in the region are not giving up lightly - resulting in mounting tragedy. Over 230 dead in Libya so far. One must ask, how far would Taiwanese go to defend, in their case, their democracy and independence? I don't know the answer to that question. (I am still unsure about the nature of events in that country, and the region. I welcome the end of autocratic, theocratic or monarchial rule everywhere with the caveat that revolutions can happen quickly but get to be fully understood much much more slowly. Speculation at this point won't help those caught in huge transitions. We need to listen and build a picture of the what, where, when, why, who and how before we jump to conclusions. The only problem is that the world rarely waits for analysis.)
