By Chris Schulz, RP Staff, on Fri Nov 18, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET
In New Zealand, rats wiped out some native species. Instead of wreaking havoc on the ecosystem though the rats began to do the job of those species that they wiped out. [bbc.co.uk]
As the world population rises and the idea of a nuclear family changes, architecture and laws about zoning and construction should also adapt. [nytimes.com]
The Senate votes down a measure that would cut funding for walking and bike paths. For good reason too, as a bike path can add $9,000 in value to a nearby home. [theatlanticcities.com]
In lighter news, instead of trying to solve actual problems PETA once again goes for a cheap publicity stunt where they lose more credibility. [latimes.com]
By Jonathan Miller, on Tue Nov 15, 2011 at 12:30 PM ET
I'm placing a written within the cracks of Jerusalem's Wailing Wall, a centuries-old tradition
Meandering yesterday through the cobblestone streets of Jerusalem’s Old City brought back some poignant memories of my first trip to the Jewish homeland — a precocious and often obnoxious 11-year-old — traveling on a community family mission in 1978.
I most vividly remember the reaction of many Israelis to my yarmulke (skull cap) — specifically the stitching of my first name translated into Hebrew: Yonatan.
They’d flash a proud smile, point to my head, and shout “gibor,” the Hebrew word for hero.
After some initial confusion — I couldn’t figure out why so many Israelis knew about my junior tennis exploits — I learned that I wasn’t the subject of their compliments.
Instead, it was my fellow Yonatan, Jonathan Netanyahu, who two years earlier had led the successful Raid on Entebbe, a hostage rescue mission at the Entebbe Airport in Uganada, in which all 102 hostages were rescued unharmed. Indeed, the only casualty of the mission was Netanyahu himself.
It was a great time to be a Yonatan. And I would never forget the surname.
A few decades later, I became aware of a new Netanyahu. Yonatan’s baby brother, Benjamin — better known to Israelis as “Bibi” — made a dramatic splash on the international stage in the mid-1980s, as Israel’s representative to the United Nations.
Of course, I was intrigued. Bibi was smooth, polished, charismatic, and spoke the best American-ized English I’d ever heard from a native Israeli. I was proud to be connected to him; even though the association was mostly in my imagination.
But then came the bad news. Bibi was a card-carrying member of the Likud party, the dreaded right-wing of Israeli politics. A proud, progressive Democrat, I couldn’t associate myself with the Israeli GOP equivalent. And when Bibi’s first foray as Israel’s Prime Minister in the 1990s concluded unsuccessfully — and his personal reputation grew more controversial — my heart hardened further; the Entebbe narrative dissipated further into childhood fantasy.
By Jason Atkinson, on Fri Nov 4, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET
Contributing RP Jason Atkinson has followed up his Internet sensation, “Big Mo” — which debuted here at The Recovering Politician — with a new short film on fishing, “Half Pounder.”
By Chris Schulz, RP Staff, on Fri Oct 28, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET
CNN has a nice collection of info and stories about the Earth getting ready to hit 7 billion people. [cnn.com]
As the population rises, and resources become more scarce, it will become harder to feed people. One San Francisco restaurant is looking to make a cheaper source of protein acceptable. [npr.org]
Allegations of scientific misconduct are being leveled at the researcher who told us of polar bears drowning because of global warming. [npr.org]
By Chris Schulz, RP Staff, on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET
Politics of the Planet
This week I am posting two stories this week that share a common thread.
One is about an underground moo-vement that allows people to buy unpasteurized milk, which is illegal. The other is about the Danish government instituting a fat tax on foods with saturated fats. The fat tax is intended to make the populous healthier but it will unfortunately hurt local farmers disproportionately. These local farmers are making smaller scale, organic and natural foods, like butter and cheese, that are healthy if enjoyed in moderation.
Obviously the common thread here is that the government is making the decisions of what people should eat and drink. Unfortunately, these decisions are not ending corn subsidies and hurting processed foods manufacturers, but are in fact hurting local farmers and educated consumers.
My resolution is to engender the Kentucky Green Party to success. The two party political system in the United States and Kentucky is hopelessly broken and beyond repair.
The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness. My resolution would be that the coal barons would stop the criminal destruction of the Appalachian mountains. This destruction is being done by coal mining methods called mountain top removal and radical strip mining. Our forests and water resources are being totally destroyed.
By Chris Schulz, RP Staff, on Fri Sep 30, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET
The Politics of the Planet
An interesting graphic about water use and water shortages. [npr.org]
Killer cantaloupes are on the loose. Luckily they are being traced to a single source. [nytimes.com]
In Nigeria, A Nobel Peace Prize winner dies. Her work focused on the relationship between the protection of the environment and quality of life. [latimes.com]
Yesterday, the RP published a provocative piece here and at The Huffington Post, urging President Obama to firmly and strongly object to unilateral U.N. action on a two-state solution, giving the President a two-part message:
Obama has a simple, fair, and logical message to share: First, each party to the problem must have ownership of the solution: imposing borders unilaterally is not in the spirit of the U.N.’s mission. And second, if Palestine merits formal global recognition, then Israel too — finally — deserves its full acceptance as a Jewish state by Palestine and all of its neighbors, an integral element of any compromise solution.
Of course, President Obama listened to the RP and immediately complied by delivering a speech to the United Nations General Assembly. (OK, just maybe it was planned in advance of the RP’s article.):
Now, I know that many are frustrated by the lack of progress. I assure you, so am I. But the question isn’t the goal that we seek — the question is how do we reach that goal. And I am convinced that there is no short cut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades. Peace is hard work. Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the United Nations — if it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now. Ultimately, it is the Israelis and the Palestinians who must live side by side. Ultimately, it is the Israelis and the Palestinians — not us –- who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them: on borders and on security, on refugees and Jerusalem.
Ultimately, peace depends upon compromise among people who must live together long after our speeches are over, long after our votes have been tallied…We seek a future where Palestinians live in a sovereign state of their own, with no limit to what they can achieve. There’s no question that the Palestinians have seen that vision delayed for too long. It is precisely because we believe so strongly in the aspirations of the Palestinian people that America has invested so much time and so much effort in the building of a Palestinian state, and the negotiations that can deliver a Palestinian state.
But understand this as well: America’s commitment to Israel’s security is unshakeable. Our friendship with Israel is deep and enduring. And so we believe that any lasting peace must acknowledge the very real security concerns that Israel faces every single day.
Let us be honest with ourselves: Israel is surrounded by neighbors that have waged repeated wars against it. Israel’s citizens have been killed by rockets fired at their houses and suicide bombs on their buses. Israel’s children come of age knowing that throughout the region, other children are taught to hate them. Israel, a small country of less than eight million people, look out at a world where leaders of much larger nations threaten to wipe it off of the map. The Jewish people carry the burden of centuries of exile and persecution, and fresh memories of knowing that six million people were killed simply because of who they are. Those are facts. They cannot be denied.
The Jewish people have forged a successful state in their historic homeland. Israel deserves recognition. It deserves normal relations with its neighbors. And friends of the Palestinians do them no favors by ignoring this truth, just as friends of Israel must recognize the need to pursue a two-state solution with a secure Israel next to an independent Palestine.
The RP Nation had its say as well. The RP’s article unleashed a torrent of comments here, at The Huffington Post, on Facebook, and via email.
One consistent thread from all sides of the ideological debate: The ROP screwed up when he stated the Yom Kippur War occurred in 1974. It was 1973. We are confident that the RP will seek absolution for this mistake on Yom Kippur, this year, 2009.
Here is a representative sample, protecting the identities of the innocent:
Read the rest of… “Obama’s Defining Moment on Israel”: The Response
