24
09, 2021
The African Union and its Reactions to Three Types of Coups in Guinea, Mali, and Chad
Three different types of coups have occurred in Guinea, Mali, and Chad, and they are worth identifying. These are opportunistic, oligarchic, and sultanistic coups. Opportunistic in the case of Guinea, oligarchic in the case of Mali, and sultanistic in the case of Chad. All of the coups were staged as military takeovers of civilian government, but in different contexts.
24
09, 2021
Bard vs. Bullet
Good news for a change—but bad news, as usual. According to the Associated Press (July 31), there’s a shortage of ammunition all over the United States, as major manufacturers are unable to keep up with high demand. Only the military is unaffected, since the Army supplies its own ammo, for all branches of the armed forces.
24
09, 2021
The Critical Importance of Wildlife Conservation
Many scientists believe that we are in the midst of a 6th mass extinction, one that is almost entirely caused by human involvement. While this is a grim reality, it also means that we have the power to do something to stop the future loss of species. From purchasing a shark bracelet that helps fund marine conservation to eco-friendly shoes, there are endless ways to make conscious purchases that make a big difference.
10
09, 2021
The Abortion Wars
The Texas law is an abomination, not just because it violates women's rights, but because the egregious manner in which it does so also betrays any who might be troubled by abortion on truly moral grounds. It is a law rooted in culture war politics, not moral concerns, and its effect will be the promotion of a more sinister and corrupt society, not a more morally sensitive one. And yet it is just such moral sensitivity that we require if we are going to caringly address abortion and other morally relevant issues.
25
06, 2021
Bright Green Lies & Deep Green Deceptions
For Deep Green fundamentalists there can be no compromise, no middle ground between Deep and Bright Green. JK&W contend “even with steep reductions in our energy-intensive lifestyle, a return to subsistence living, and the best-known permaculture techniques, a city cannot be made sustainable.” They reason that since “cities have existed for less than 5 percent of our time on this planet…Obviously we don’t need cities.” Reality check! Obviously our foraging ancestors had no use for cities on a sparsely populated, biologically rich planet. But do the authors seriously believe our ecologically damaged and depleted planet can support 7.8 billion post-industrial hunter-gatherers?
8
06, 2021
Racism comes to The Shire
By: Hendrik van der Breggen Not all white people are orcs—and they aren’t the only people who are orcs. “It’s
14
05, 2021
Falling Stars and Lined Pockets
There is no analogy between a “pocket pardon” and an actual (or proposed) one, any more than there is between a forged passport and a valid one, except that both documents appear to say the same thing—and thus might fool someone into mistaking one for the other. Indeed, a “pocket pardon” is a contradiction in terms, just as a forged passport isn’t a passport, but a seductive imitation: a fake, like its author.
30
04, 2021
Villagers & Pillagers: Who Will Survive the Collapse?
Green survivalists hope humans will wake up to their universal peril, overcome their addiction to fossil fuels, and ditch the ecocidal economy that pursues profit at the expense of people and the planet. To create a sustainable alternative, these “bioneers” are committed to healing humanity’s toxic relationship with the Earth by integrating the wisdom of indigenous cultures with the most useful insights of science and ecology. Unfortunately, ecovillagers are oblivious to, and woefully unprepared for, a looming threat to the future they hope to create. While they hone their abilities to live peacefully with each other and the planet, other survivalists intend to stay alive through plunder and pillage.
23
04, 2021
Surviving the City of Arts
How do we teach humanities to STEM students in a time of increasing suspicion about the goodness of technology?
23
04, 2021
Derick Chauvin’s Conviction is Only the Beginning of Police Reform
By: David O. Monda Reverend Martin Luther King reminded humanity that the arc of the moral universe is long, but