Perspectives
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The New Geopolitics of Food
Lester Brown
October 9, 2012
Global food prices have more than doubled over the last decade, increasing the burden on the world’s poorest to feed themselves. If this trend continues, spreading food unrest will likely lead to political instability. This is not just an agricultural problem, writes Lester Brown, author of “Full Planet, Empty Plates,” but one involving energy, water resources, transportation and health and family planning.
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New Report on the Dangers of Genetically Modified Foods
Richard Schiffman
July 5, 2012
“Aren’t critics of genetically engineered food anti-science? Isn’t the debate over GMOs (genetically modified organisms) a spat between emotional but ignorant activists on one hand and rational GM-supporting scientists on the other?”
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U.N. Report Warns Environment is at Tipping Point
AP
June 6, 2012
The earth’s environmental systems “are being pushed towards their biophysical limits,” beyond which loom sudden, irreversible and potentially catastrophic changes, the United Nations Environment Program warned Wednesday.
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Jewish Aspirations For The Temple Mount Include Rebuilt Temple
Jeremy Sharon
May 17, 2012
As points of religious contention go, the current status of the Temple Mount is one of the most potentially explosive issues for competing faiths anywhere in the world.
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Beware The Unholy Alliance Of State And Internet
Evgeny Morozov
April 3, 2012
Surveillance means safety. This is the argument wherever and whenever governments seek new powers to monitor their citizens. Proposed legislation in the UK to enable police and intelligence services to access emails, Skype calls and Facebook messages is another such example. It is also another case of the unnecessary and dangerous expansion of state power, in collaboration with companies, into our online--and offline--lives.
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Competing Visions of a Computer-Controlled Future
Markus Dettmer, Hilmar Schmundt and Janko Tietz
March 7, 2012
Computers dominate how we live, work and think. For some, the technology is a boon and promises even better things to come. But others warn that there could be bizarre consequences and that humans may be on the losing end of progress.