Former President Jimmy Carter’s family has announced that he is undergoing hospice care at home, a sign of his imminent passing. In his honor, I am reprinting this column with some updates. The guinea worm may be the second major human disease after smallpox to be completely eradicated. It is a parasite that you get […]
Israeli Delegate Expelled from African Union Summit, in what may be First Global South Reaction to new Extremist Netanyahu Government
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On Saturday at the opening of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Israeli delegate was asked to leave. Sharon Bar-Li, the deputy director of the African desk at the Israeli foreign ministry, was escorted out of the opening session by security guards, according to the Al Jazeera […]
Do we Have Until 2050 to become Carbon Neutral? What if 27 Climate Feedback Loops are Working together to Shorten our Deadline?
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Feedback loops are central notions in science. There are two kinds, negative and positive. Negative feedback loops, despite their name, are actually good if you are looking for stability. So for instance say you are too hot, so you sweat. The sweat evaporates, cooling you off. In fact, it could […]
No, Mike Pompeo, God doesn’t Want the Palestinians to be Ethnically Cleansed and Shot down like Dogs
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave a podcast interview in which he said that Israel has a “biblical right” to the Palestinian West Bank, to which he referred as “Judea and Samaria,” and is not “an occupying nation.” So reports Chris McGreal for The Guardian.. Pompeo defended the Trump […]
More Evidence that the Massive Thwaites Glacier is Melting Fast, Threatening the world’s Coasts
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is in the news again. We are fascinated with it because it is the Godzilla of glaciers, 80 miles across and as massive as Florida. If the ice sheet holding it back were to melt, and if Thwaites plopped into the ocean, it would all […]
Iran’s Raisi Visits Beijing, Signs 20 Agreements, as Iranian Lion and Chinese ‘Yellow Dragon’ seek to Outflank US Pressure
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited China on Tuesday in response to an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping. China is probably now Iran’s biggest trading partner, and the trade of the two countries increased by 30% in 2022. At the meeting, twenty economic commitments were signed by the two sides. […]
Ford Announces $3.5 Billion Next-Generation Battery Plant for its Electric Vehicles in Michigan, “to lead the EV Revolution”
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Ford Motor Co.’s CEO, Jim Farley, tweeted on Monday, “Today @Ford is announcing a $3.5B investment to build the first automaker-backed LFP battery plant in the U.S. bringing 2,500 jobs to Michigan. Good for America and our customers! All part of our $50B+ plan to innovate & lead the EV […]
Is Turkey’s Prosecution of Shady Builders after 12,141 Structures Collapse in Earthquake a Model for going after Big Oil for Climate Disasters?
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Turkish government has issued 100 arrest warrants for building contractors suspected of erecting structures that did not meet building code standards in the 10 provinces most affected by last week’s massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake, which has left at least 32,000 dead and perhaps twice that. Some of the contractors […]
Earthquake Leaves Millions Homeless and without Water and Electricity in Turkish, Syrian Harsh Winter, Many Facing Death
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Jordanian newspaper al-Ghad reports that on top of the now nearly 30,000 known deaths in Turkey and Syria, millions people are estimated to have been made homeless. Not only are they without shelter, they now lack water and electricity, and often even food and the World Health Organization (WHO) […]
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