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Out With the Old? Russian Professor Predicts US Collapse

CitizenSugar — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 08:00:29 -0800

A Russian professor who's been predicting the end of the US for years is starting to get attention. His argument? Immigration, the economy, moral degradation (whaa?) will trigger a civil war and the eventual breakup of the US. Oh, and he says there's a 45-55 percent chance this will happen by next year.

Maybe his timing is dubious, but the argument that's been disregarded for years in Russia is starting to be taken seriously. At least if you consider the state-run Russian media, where it's been getting considerable coverage, serious.

So if the US is breaking up, where will we live? To find out,

I Like You! America's New Self-Image

CitizenSugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:30:46 -0800

If you've meandered through Europe with a Canadian flag on your backpack, it's time to switch it up. With the US's improving image, it's suddenly cool to be American again — both at home and abroad.

First off, the US is making new friends. "Yes we can, be friends," proclaimed a German newspaper across its front page, "We have fallen in love with the new, the different, the good America."

US citizens abroad are receiving more friendly gestures and kind words for being nothing other than their American selves. This newfound goodwill isn't just improving America's international image, but also its sense of self at home. For more on unlikely patriots coming out in the bluest of places,

Does Your Personality Match Your State of Residence & Mind?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 06:00:00 -0700

Think you can judge a person by the state they live in? It might not be such a crazy notion according to new research on the geography of personality. Controlling for factors like race, income, and education, the study profiled 600,000 Americans with a 44-question personality test that evaluates five traits: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness.

Using those results and cross-checking them with stats on crime and health seem to seal the deal on one's state of mind lining up with one's state of residence. High amiability means lower crime, high anxiety points to poor health and lowered life expectancy.

Of course the results spark questions like whether certain states encourage specific personalities by culture, climate, or common history — or whether we just choose to live where we feel most at home. Those questions aside, the results and the interactive maps? Fun times! Very nicely done, Wall Street Journal.

To see some of the most unusual findings,

Is It Important for the US to Win the Most Olympic Medals?

LibertySugar — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:30:38 -0700

Fifty-three percent of American adults think it's important for the US to bring home the most medals from the Beijing Olympics, with 19 percent saying that it is very important. While it's one thing to root for the home team, it's another thing to say medal supremacy is "important." Where does the importance lie? Does the winner get to set the agenda for the UN General Assembly? Or could a seemingly public relations victory increase (or save) America's international standing and influence? If America does not hold onto victory on China's home court, has it somehow symbolically passed the torch of preeminent global influence to China?Since World War II the US has topped the gold medal count in more than half the Olympic Games. In the last three Summer games, the US won the gold medal count, and the overall count. But this year the US Olympic Committee is dimming expectations, saying that China will most likely win the most medals. Do you think it matters? Be honest!Source

Is It Important for the US to Win the Most Olympic Medals?

Yes. China's athletic competitiveness suggests economic and military competitiveness.

No. American would win if it lost its xenophobic fear of relinquishing world dominance.

Other. I'll tell you in the comments.

Where Your Peeps At? Find Your Ethnic Background on Maps

CitizenSugar — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:19:47 -0700

The US might be a melting pot, but don't get out that fondue fork just yet — the government knows your ethnic background, where you live, and has plotted it on a map. This one shows the big overview categories, but what if you're Scots-Irish? They've got a map for that, too. German? upper Midwest all the way.

That wacky census — they know so much! Data released Monday shows that opposite-sex couples who live together has grown from 1 million to 6.4 million in the last 30 years. Shacking up makes up 10 percent of all boy-girl couples, which they know because they were impertinent enough to ask. Cheeky census. I'm strangely excited for the next count, if for no other reason than to find out more goods like this, and where my British-Danish brethren are hanging out.

What's your background? Does your US kin match up with a map?

To see another map that shows where ethnic minorities aren't,

Front Page: US Homeless Population Drops, Internet Censored For Games, Bush Signs Housing Rescue

CitizenSugar — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:00:05 -0700

US Homeless Population Drops:
The number of homeless people living on the streets and in shelters dropped by 30 percent between 2005 and 2007, according to Bush administration officials and statistics compiled by local counts. The drop is attributed to a "housing first" strategy. The plan emphasizes placing the chronically homeless in permanent shelters to stop the cycle of emergency shelters, hospitals, and the streets. The decline is the most significant officials have seen in years.

Internet Censored For Games:
Journalists will not have uncensored access to the Internet during the Olympics, according to officials. Sites related to human rights and the group Falun Gong will be blocked. When China bid for the Games, they said journalists would be free to report, and blocking the "sensitive" sites does not go back on the pledge in their minds. "We will provide reporters with sufficient Internet access."
Bush Signs Housing Rescue:
President Bush signed a housing rescue package into law today that, in addition to protecting mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, includes $4 billion in grants to states to buy and repair foreclosed homes to "flip" them for profit and a fund to help homeowners get more affordable mortgages. The nation as a whole is $12 trillion in mortgage debt.

Source

Dirt Cakes & Ding-Dongs: Haiti & US Face Unique Food Crises

CitizenSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 08:00:58 -0700

With my appetite sufficiently dampened by the up-to-the minute reports of McCain's facial growth, this story erased it completely, and the picture reduced me to tears. These children live in the Haitian, Port-au-Prince slum of Cite Soleil. Some kids make mud pies for play — but the children in the picture survive on dirt cakes. They eat them.

Like in the pictures below, the cakes are molded of mud and fat and allowed to dry in the sun, the only form of sustenance many Haitians can afford after rice and bean prices have risen 100 percent. One woman who makes the dirt cakes says, "it stops the hunger. You eat them when you have to."

The Director of the aid agency Christian Aid says, "food is available but people cannot afford to buy it. If the situation gets worse we could have starvation in the next six to 12 months." Food aid has been delayed.

While more than 50 percent of Haitians are undernourished, a new study about the state of the future of the US waistline is even harder to stomach. To see it and a clever way you can help feed the hungry,

Pay Attention Y'all! How to Talk Like an American

LibertySugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:45:28 -0700

Whether it's volume, content, or exaggerated vowels, you just have to overhear an American tourist while overseas to notice that Americans have a distinct way of speaking. But many Brits (mistakenly) think watching American film and television makes them trained in an American accent.

Get Flash to see this player.

One English reporter, determined to be better than a Hollywood wannabe, decided to get top professional training from accent-coach-to-the-stars Barbara Berkeley. Berkeley, who has trained the likes of Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow, offered these simple technical steps for learning to speak like an American: Widen your mouth like you would making the "ee" sound in "weed." Smile, to place the voice towards your nasal resonator. Position your tongue further up in the mouth, rather than against the ridge behind the top teeth. And finally, let yourself go!

If you learn better by example, I've rounded up some clips of foreign actors speaking "American." Tell me, out of Hugh Laurie, Nichole Kidman, Ralph Fiennes, and Cate Blanchett, who does the best American accent? And what characteristic makes a speaker sound quintessentially American, anyway? You know?

What's in a Name? Eight People Named After US Presidents

CitizenSugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:00:15 -0700

If you thought the name of the president doesn’t have much effect in the day-to-day lives of citizens, just ask — not Barack Hussein Obama — but John Quincy Adams Nadenbousch his opinion on that matter. One of eight people known to have been named after presidents, he took his #6 namesake and became the commander for the Berkeley Border Guards at Harper’s Ferry before eventually serving under Stonewall Jackson.

Then there's Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Stode or “Woody” as he was called. No, he didn’t create the League of Nations, but he was a decathlete, a football star and a Golden Globe nominated actor who appeared in Once Upon A Time In The West, Spartacus, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Not a Democrat? No problem. There was also Theodore Roosevelt Radcliffe, AKA “Double Duty.” Mr. Radcliffe was a professional baseball player who lived to be 103 years-old. He earned his name when he played both pitcher and catcher in a double header at Yankee Stadium in 1932. The rest include: Martin Van Buren Bates, Abraham Lincoln Erlanger (who directed theatre. . . creepy?) William McKinley Randle, Jr., Monty Franklin Pierce Stratton, and George Washington Trendle.

Speaking of odd presidential trivia, are you a lonely south-paw? In November Americans will select, for the fifth time in the last 35 years, a left-handed president. This isn’t an endorsement, it’s inevitable. To see the scoop,

These Colors Do Run? Is the USA No Longer a Superpower?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:15:18 -0700

Is America place at the head of the class, finished? Well-known intellectuals, think tank thunkers, and MSM elite seem to think so. Citing headlines from the Times asking "who shrunk the superpower?" to Fareed Zakaria's book, The Post-American World, and the French foreign minister saying of America's standing, “The magic is over . . . It will never be as it was before." It seems like a logical conclusion: The US Party of A is over. Take the streamers down. But! According to this piece in World Affairs it's not the first time such talk has been bandied about, and it's hardly cause for panic.
The United States does contend with serious problems at home and abroad, but these prophecies of doom, which spread like a computer virus, hardly reflect a rational appraisal of where we stand. Moreover, it is not too difficult to see the ghosts of declinism past in the current rush to pen America’s epitaph. Gloomsayers have been with us, after all, since this country’s founding.

Though it sure seems like the drumbeat of America fading is a new millennial challenge, it's not. It reared up in the late-18th century from royalists, the 1920s and 30s from fascists, the 1970s from similar challenges to the ones the country is facing today (shored up by Jimmy Carter's malaise speech) and became terribly chic in the 1980s. Bashing America's standing is in like shoulder pads. Are the "declinists," pointing to the Bush doctrine, over-stretched military, and squashed economy right — is the US out of first place? Or is history just repeating itself?Source

These Colors Do Run? Is the USA No Longer a Superpower?

The US has absolutely slipped in its standing. Regardless of history, its decline is real.

What could be trendier than bashing the US? Naysayers are nothing new, the US is fine.

It may be more nuanced. Perhaps it's no longer who's #1, but more collaborative.

Other. I'll tell you what I think in the comments.

Say What? US to Talk With Iran Saturday, No Preconditions

LibertySugar — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:00:05 -0700

A senior US official will sit down with Iranian officials and other world powers in Geneva this Saturday to discuss Iran's nuclear program, a move intended to show that the Bush Administration wants to find a diplomatic solution to the standoff.

The decision breaks from continued statements from Bush that the US would not join nuclear talks unless Iran stopped enriching uranium. In fact, yesterday Iran signaled that it will not halt its atomic activities. Considering that one senior White House official says the Under Secretary of State William Burns "is there to listen, not to negotiate," I doubt Saturday will produce any concrete agreement.

The Bush administration must realize that the US cannot afford to be left out of the talks. To see why,

China World's Largest Economy by 2035, Double US by 2050

LibertySugar — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:00:19 -0700

China's economy will be the world's number one economy by 2035, and two times the size of the US economy by 2050.

China's Economic Rise: Fact and Fiction, a study released yesterday, concludes that China's commercial prominence could have military consequences. And since the 10 percent annual growth comes from domestic demand, China's rise will happen independent of international economic factors. China seems right on track for money, power, and respect.

The report urges American leaders to rethink economic strategies and enact sweeping domestic reforms. Do you think Americans can adapt to a new world order? What do you think the world will look like with China on top?

Source

Russia Lectures US: You're in No Position to Give Advice

LibertySugar — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:00:30 -0700

Russian President Dmitri A. Medvedev is in no mood to listen to US criticism about the state of human rights or democracy in Russia. This week he said that the US was "essentially in a depression" and thus in no shape to tell other countries what to do.

During an interview with foreign journalists, one reporter asked the president about John McCain's proposal to expel Russia from the G8 for its record on democracy. Medvedev offered a lesson in international relations: "The Group of 8 exists not because someone likes or dislikes it, but because objectively, they are the biggest world economies and the most serious players from the foreign policy point of view." Little more than a decade after communism fell and left Russia in economic shambles, lucrative oil exports have made Russia economically, and geopolitically, confident.

Gas-station-side prayer vigils across America, organized by the Prayer at the Pump movement, might be giving Medvedev the evidence he needs to make such statements. For more on God and gas,

Lykkelig! Danes Top List As Happiest in a Happier World

LibertySugar — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:45:37 -0700

The world is happier — thanks to economic growth, democracy, and social tolerance, according to the World Values Study. The findings contradicted the assumption that regardless of changing variables, happiness remains constant.

The researchers credit relative quality of life improvements for the global rise in happiness; for example, low-income societies like China experienced economic growth while developed societies saw a rise in equality and tolerance. Denmark is currently the happiest country and Zimbabwe takes last place. Check out the pictures bellow of the happy Danes.

The United States ranks 16th. To find out which countries beat the US,

Aloha Queen? Native Group Wants Hawaiian Monarchy Back

LibertySugar — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:00:33 -0700

Some natives in Hawaii want to reclaim their island's sovereignty. The Hawaiian Kingdom Government issues its own license place, and operates under a separate judicial system. Her Majesty Mahealani Kahau leads the group of 1,000 members who claim the right to dissolve Hawaii and confiscate all bank assets in the state.

The official American state government pretty much leaves the legally unenforceable monarchy alone. Out of the population of 1.3 million, 200,000 are Hawaiian natives. Hawaii boasts numerous organizations claiming sovereignty over the island on behalf of the natives.

Before the US annexed Hawaii in 1898, Queen Liliuokalani ruled the paradise. American businessmen ousted and imprisoned the queen, and now the Kingdom Government is fighting for reparations. In 2007, they levied a $7 trillion fine on the American state. Think they'll have any luck?

Do native Hawaiians have a right to assert their sovereignty? Legislation passed by the House of Representatives, and awaiting adoption by the US Senate, would grant Native Hawaiians self-government similar to American Indian tribes. Will that be enough to address past wrongs?

Source

Flush China Calls US Out For Mishandling Their Economy

CitizenSugar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:00:25 -0700

It's the ultimate economic version of the pot and the kettle and all that talk about being black. After having been on the receiving end of US scolding over their mishandled economy, the shoe has moved to the other foot. In recent weeks senior Chinese officials have been pointing the finger back at Americans for mismanaging their own economy. Among their criticisms is the “warped conception” of market regulation following the subprime mortgage debacle now eroding the world economy. At the latest World Trade Organization meeting, the Chinese envoy called upon the US to halt their dollar’s freefall depreciation before its complete failure further sends world oil and food prices upwards. To see who agrees, and how the Olympics fit in,

Front Page: US and UK Join Forces, Updates to the ADA, Saudi Arabia to Up Oil Production

CitizenSugar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:00:51 -0700

US and UK Join Forces: Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced Britain will send extra troops to Afghanistan, bringing numbers to their highest level yet — the UK surge will bring overall UK numbers in Afghanistan to more than 8,000. Brown spoke at a news conference with President George Bush, said the military presence would be increased to keep up pressure on the Taliban. The two leaders also joined forces to put pressure on Iran. They have warned Iran to accept their "offers of partnership" or receive harsh sanctions and international isolation. President Bush thanked Brown for his "strong statement" saying, "the Iranians must understand that when we come together and speak with one voice we are serious. . . Iranians must understand, however, that all options are on the table."

Updates to the ADA: The Bush administration is about to big changes that would give people with disabilities greater access to courtrooms, swimming pools, stadiums, and stores. The proposal would update and rewrite federal standards for enforcement of the Americans With Disabilities Act, a landmark civil rights law passed with large bipartisan support in 1990. The new rules would have more strict requirements and are being put forth in an effort to meet the needs of an aging population and growing numbers of disabled war veterans. More than seven million businesses and all state and local government agencies would need to make changes.
Saudi Arabia to Up Oil Production: Though President Bush was unable to persuade them to do so, Saudi Arabia now plans to increase its oil production by 200,000 barrels a day next month, the kingdom's oil minister told UN chief Ban Ki-moon yesterday. Ban said, "the king believes that the current oil prices are abnormally high, and he is ready to restore prices to their appropriate levels." Saudi Arabia is thought to increase oil production by 200,000 barrels a day from June to July. By July, production should be at 9.7 million barrels a day.

India Blames US Gluttony For Food Crisis — Are They Right?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 07:53:15 -0700

Researches at an independent research institute in India think they've solved the food crisis — hold on to your drumstick — they say the US's voracious appetites that is to blame. That if Americans slimmed down to the weight of middle-class Indians, “many hungry people in sub-Saharan Africa would find food on their plates.” The spokesman for the organization added pointedly that the amount of money spent in the United States on liposuction to get rid of fat from excess consumption could be better spent feeding famine victims. The super-sized backlash on American consumption stems partially from remarks made by President Bush about India’s growing middle class and food prices. He said, “when you start getting wealth, you start demanding better nutrition and better food, and so demand is high, and that causes the price to go up.”An editorial in India slammed these comments, saying Bush was trying to pass the food inflation buck to India, instead of where India thinks it properly belongs. Figures may show they're right. The United States uses — or throws away — 3,770 calories a person each day (according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization) compared with 2,440 calories per person in India. Is consumption to blame for the food crisis and grocery bill sticker-shock? Are factors like poor crops, climate change, biofuels, and fuel prices more to blame than the US liposuction habit? Is India making a fair point?Source

India Blames US Gluttony For Food Crisis — Are They Right?

Yes! It's not a comfortable burden to bear, but it's true. We need to cut back.

There are a lot of reasons for the current food situation, but yes, this could be one.

Are you kidding? This is political sniping. I manage my own plate responsibly, thank you.

Other. I've got an extra helping for the comments.

Food Crisis? Not According to What's on a US Plate

CitizenSugar — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:45:25 -0700

There has been a lot of finger pointing about what's to blame for the global food shortage. Some claim global warming, or gobbling up certain foods for ethanol means less for eating, or just harvests coming up short. All of this may be true, but add to that the newest figures from the United States Agriculture Department from 2007 and Americans can point a fat finger at themselves too.

Ready for this? It's gut-check time: the Agriculture Department states that while one Indian eats roughly 392 lbs of grain in a year, a US citizen eats 2,306 lbs. — over five times greater. Yup. And it's not just Indians — US citizens also eat twice the amount of an EU citizen and three times the amount of someone living in China. To see the specifics,

Immigrants Keeping Cash in the US, Sending Less Home

CitizenSugar — Thu, 01 May 2008 03:00:26 -0700

A recent survey shows the economic crunch has long tentacles for immigrant workers in the US. “The longstanding pattern of increasing numbers of Latin American immigrants sending increasing amounts of money back home has stopped,” says the official in charge of the survey.

In the last two years more than three million Latin American immigrants have stopped sending money home — only 50 percent of roughly 18.9 million Latin American immigrants residing in the United States send money back to their native countries as opposed to 73 percent two years ago. What's to blame? To find out,

US Has 25 Percent of World's Prisoners — Is It Safer?

LibertySugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:00:28 -0700

With less than 5 percent of the world's population, the US has 25 percent of the world's prisoners. The US incarceration rate, which remained stable for much of US history, increased by seven fold with the late 1970s movement to get tough on crime. Today's New York Times highlights explanations offered by criminologists:

[H]igher levels of violent crime, harsher sentencing laws, a legacy of racial turmoil, a special fervor in combating illegal drugs, the American temperament, and the lack of a social safety net. Even democracy plays a role, as judges — many of whom are elected, another American anomaly — yield to populist demands for tough justice.

As a result of this combination, 2.3 million criminals are behind American bars. That means about one in 100 Americans are locked up. China, which has four times as many people, has 1.6 million criminal prisoners. San Marino, which has a population of 30,000, has one prisoner. With tougher sentences, a drop in crime has followed. But causation is not clear. Ups and down in Canada's crime rate has mirrored the US's; however, there has not been a surge in Canada's imprisonment rate. What is your reaction to this American anomaly, and the decision to not follow the rest of the West? Is tough sentencing the best way to make America safer?Source

US Has 25 Percent of World's Prisoners — Is It Safer?

Yes. Locking up criminals reduces the level of crime. The benefits offset the cost.

No. Locking up so many nonviolent criminals is simply dehumanizing.

No. The fanatic war on drugs only increases the bill for taxpayers.

No. But it does make the private owners of corporate prisons richer.

Doesn't matter. Voting Americans think incarceration is the way to deal with crime.

Other. I'll tell you in the comments.

Spies Among Us Prove Israel Has the Bomb?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 09:02:15 -0700

Yesterday, an American mechanical engineer for a US Army weapons center was arrested for disclosing classified defense information to none other than our own allies, the Israelis.

Ben-Ami Kadish is being accused of acting as an illegal agent (read: spy) for the Israelis from 1979 to 2008 without notifying anyone in the US Attorney General’s office. Between 1979 and 1985, it is alleged that Kadish took classified documents to his home in New Jersey where his contact (code named CC-1) would photograph the sensitive material. One of the documents contained restricted information concerning nuclear weaponry.

Even more interesting, are rumors that are circulating concerning Israel’s current nuclear capabilities. Mordechai Vanunu, who has been imprisoned in Israel for eighteen years for treason, was convicted for telling a British newspaper in 1986 about his work as a technician at Israel’s main atomic reactor. This was the first time anyone was willing to come forward with physical proof of Israel’s nuclear assets. It gets trickier, just

Front Page: eBay Sues Craigslist, Zimbabwe Recount, India Rebuffs US

CitizenSugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:53:37 -0700

eBay Sues Craigslist: The "shop victoriously" eBay is suing the popular no-frills community and ad website Craigslist, saying it needs to "safeguard its four-year financial investment." eBay claims that Craigslist executives took actions that "unfairly diluted eBay's economic interest by more than 10 percent." No further details of that action were gvien. Craigslist responded saying it was surprised and disappointed by eBay's "unfounded allegations." Craigslist is the seventh most popular English-language website.

Zimbabwe Recount: In a recount, Zimbabwe's ruling party (Zanu-PF) has been confirmed as the winner of the first of 23 constituencies to analyze the results of March's election. The opposition, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has questioned the recounts as an attempt to rig the election and overturn its parliamentary majority. The initial results of the election have not been announced. The deputy information minister said that Zanu-PF was preparing for a second round in the presidential election."We are waiting for the official announcement of results to say, we're waiting for a re-run, that's a fact. MDC knows that, Zanu-PF knows that, that there is no clear winner. No-one has got 51 percent." Post-election violence in Zimbabwe has displaced 3,000 people, injured 500 and left 10 dead.
India Rebuffs US: India has declined a call by the US for it to ask Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment program. India's foreign ministry said neither India nor Iran needed US guidance on how to proceed with relations. The rebuff came after a senior US official said the US would welcome India telling Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to curtail Tehran's nuclear program. Ahmadinejad is set to visit Delhi next week. A foreign ministry spokesman said, "India and Iran are ancient civilizations whose relations span centuries. Both nations are perfectly capable of managing all aspects of their relationship with the appropriate degree of care and attention. Neither country needs any guidance on the future conduct of bilateral relations as both countries believe that engagement and dialogue alone lead to peace."

80 Percent of the Arab World Hates the US — Are They Justified?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:00:01 -0700

A new poll just released shows that eight out of 10 people in the Arab world have a negative view of the US. The negative impression perhaps stems from the progress in the war in Iraq as only 6 percent of Arabs believe the US troop surge in Iraq has worked.A majority of Arabs have their own idea of how the conflict should end and believe that if US troops withdraw from Iraq completely, Iraqis would be able to bridge their differences.Interestingly, the three leaders seen as the most popular are the only ones standing up against US influence in the region: Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah is the most popular leader, followed by Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Do these findings surprise you?Source

80 Percent of the Arab World Hates the US — Are They Justified?

Absolutely. The US has wildly overstepped their bounds in the region and made a mess.

Maybe. The region is in turmoil, I can see why they might want to assign blame.

No way. The region's conflicts reach so far back it's foolish of them to blame the US.

Other. Wow. 8 out of 10. I'll tell you my opinion in the comments.

Which Countries Are Greenest?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:30:09 -0700

China is #1! They totally beat the USA! Though admittedly the honor is a tad dubious. A study out next month shows that China has usurped the US as the new "top carbon polluter." They knocked the US off that smoggy throne with unchecked growth that stunned even the team of researchers who admit that they probably have even underestimated the levels. The findings also suggest that unless China is reigned in, their wild emissions will wipe out all advances by countries participating in the Kyoto Protocol.

Our brand new Newsweek just arrived but as I was finishing up with last week's eco-issue at the gym last night, I found this hot at-a-glance way to see how the world stacks up, ecologically speaking. It's a map and a chart! Both! My favorites. According to their index of environmental performance for 2008, Sweden is the greenest of them all. (Maybe it's all those flat-packs from Ikea?) The Scandinavian country well bested the US who limped in in 66^th place.

To see how China's emissions have exploded beyond all expectations,

Does the US Need European Laws Protecting the Planet?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:00:01 -0700

Europe has moved to the head of the environmental class by pledging to cut emissions by 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. It's the world’s most comprehensive carbon management system.

Europe is proposing to tighten the rules for allocating pollution allowances, and make polluters pay the government for allowances instead of getting them for free. It's a plan that will raise large sums of money to invest in new and cleaner ways of producing energy.

By contrast, America's efforts to halt global warming are stymied by governmental inaction. Sen. Joseph Lieberman is still hoping to get a veto-proof majority for a bill he is co-sponsoring with Sen. John Warner to start capping emissions across the entire economy.

Europe’s program is in business, whereas America’s best ideas are still on paper. Change is slow to come. New York City is battling to enact congestion-zapping tolls, and the biggest new environmental idea — Al Gore's huge eco-initiative comes from the private sector — and was launched partly out of frustration in the lack of government action.

Do we need policy or personal behavior and private sector know-how? Why is America so behind Europe?

Source

Bush and Putin Disagree on a Missile Shield. Do We Need One?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:00:45 -0700

Presidents Bush and Putin met for the last time this weekend to reminisce, say goodbye, dress completely alike, and discuss the European missile defense shield that Bush would like to build in Poland and the Czech Republic, just a stone's throw from Russia. Putin is firmly opposed to such a plan, especially if the shield is installed in Europe and so close to Russia. Despite Bush's enthusiasm for the plan, he himself announced, “We spent a lot of time in our relationship to get rid of the Cold War ... it’s over.” If the US president says the Cold War is over, and Russia is opposed to a shield on their border — and the possibility that the United States's newest enemies don’t have the capability to build, yet alone launch a nuclear missile the question is, do we still need a missile shield? Does the act of building a shield become a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy? If we build it, they will come?Source

Bush and Putin Disagree on a Missile Shield. Do We Need One?

Yes, build that shield! It's smarter to be safer than sorry.

No way. We should be working toward disarmament instead of a shield against attacks.

I'm ducking and covering and putting my thoughts in the comments.

US Reputation Around the World Is on the Up

LibertySugar — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:01:36 -0700

America is turning a popularity corner. In a BBC World Service poll, 35 percent of people from all over the world said the US has a positive influence, up from 31 percent last year. The view that the US has a negative influence declined from 52 percent to 47 percent.

The pollsters credit various factors including: extra attention to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process; a firmer stance on global warming; the election of pro-US Nicolas Sarkozy in France; decreased violence in Iraq; and the upcoming presidential election. World citizens hope that the next president will pursue a more collaborative foreign policy.

Comparatively, Iran and Israel received the most negative ratings. Doing a 180 from about 60 years ago, Japan and Germany have the highest positive ratings. Russia gets a 37 percent approval rating, higher than the US.

Surprised by these results? Do you think approval will increase with the next US president, or is a superpower destined to be judge critically?

Source

My Country's Better Than Your Country! Who's More Stable?

LibertySugar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:00:04 -0700

I always thought the United States was associated with wealth and stability. Well, apparently not according to the latest rankings of country stability and prosperity. The US is ranked 22nd, with a still respectable score of 93 out of 100, coming in behind Ireland, Portugal, Denmark, Australia, and France, to name a few.

Iraq just escaped the bottom ten, thanks to the high number of foreign troops and high level of oil revenue. But Afghanistan came in as the world's third most unstable country, thanks to its government's inability to control large regions of the country, and the fact that opium accounts for 50 percent of the economy.

Jane's Country Risk, the group that conducted the one year investigation, said that the proliferation of small arms (aka guns) owned by Americans, and dangerous drug trafficking on the Mexican border led to the US's drop in the rankings.

And who's number one? To find out

Need to Know: Parliaments, Presidents, and Monarchs

LibertySugar — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 03:04:44 -0800

Every nation has a head of state, which serves as the chief public representative for the country. Depending on the constitution, the head of state may or may not exercise executive power.

In parliamentary systems found across the world, and especially in Europe, the prime minister, or premier, functions as the chief executive officer and answers to the parliament. Authority is vested in cabinets responsible to the parliament. The prime minister is the head of the cabinet, and therefore the chief executive of the nation.

In such systems, the prime minister also answers to a ceremonial head of state. In some nations it is a weak president and in constitutional monarchies, such as the United Kingdom or Spain, it is the hereditary monarch.

Unlike with parliamentary forms of government, the President of the United States is vested with real authority and there is no prime minister. The US President is both the head of state and chief executive. Versions of the American presidential system have been adopted in Latin America and the developing world.

And finally, France offers a third example of executive power distribution. In 1958, Charles de Gaulle created the Fifth Republic, which gave France's president potent executive powers. The president has the power to dissolve the national legislature and call national referenda. He or she also appoints the prime minister, who must have the support of a majority in France's lower house. Post-communist countries, including Russia, modeled their constitutions after France. Thus, Russian President Putin will have the opportunity to seek the next best office as Russia's Prime Minister.

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