“8 Candidates, 8 Visions for 1st Franklin Seat,” announced the April 17th lead story of my county newspaper in western Massachusetts. Most, if not all, of the basic needs for human security and well being are there in the platforms of four women and four men who are Democratic candidates running for this seat in […]
Archives for April 2018
A coming Crash? Massive Bank deregulation and a Trump-appointed Fed: What could go Wrong?
By Nomi Prins | ( Tomdispatch.com) | – – Warning: What you are about to read is not about Russia, the 2016 election, or the latest person to depart from the White House in a storm of tweets. It’s the Beltway story hiding in plain sight with trillions of dollars in play and an economy […]
Tunisian women hit campaign trail as equals to men
By Aymen Jamli | – – Tebourba (Tunisia) (AFP) – Tunisian women “have the chance to act”, says Ines Boussetta, as she hits the campaign trail in northern Tebourba, listening attentively to the problems of the rural region’s inhabitants. Boussetta is one of hundreds of Tunisian women heading party lists in May 6 municipal polls […]
Russia and China slam Trump-Macron Push to Renegotiate Iran Deal
Russia and China are both putting their feet down about the talk in the US and France about renegotiating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 agreement on freezing and curtailing Iran’s nuclear enrichment program by the UN Security Council and Germany in return for lifting international sanctions. US President Trump is threatening […]
Iraqi Oil for Israel? 15 Years later, new Light on the Iraq War
By Gary Vogler | ( University of Kansas Press Blog) | – – April 24 marks the 15th anniversary of my initial entry into Baghdad as the senior oil advisor to retired Lieutenant General Jay Garner, our US government civilian leader in Iraq. It was the beginning of my six plus years in Iraq working […]
Syrian Gov’t Secures Capital, takes E Qalamoun from Saudi-backed ‘Army of Islam’
Beirut (AFP) – Syria’s regime Wednesday moved towards sealing its grip on the capital as it retook a new region outside Damascus from rebels and pounded its southern districts to oust jihadists. Seven years into Syria’s civil war, President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has ramped up its efforts in recent weeks towards securing the capital with […]
China’s Climate Policies Could Save 94,000 People from Early Grave
Beijing (AFP) – China could avoid nearly 94,000 premature deaths and save a whopping $339 billion in health costs over the next 12 years by honoring its carbon reduction commitments under the Paris climate accord, a study showed Monday. The country has pledged to reach peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 at the latest and […]
Turkish Youth, WW I’s Gallipoli Battle, and the Secular-Religious Divide
By Brad West and Ayhan Aktar | (The Conversation) | – – With ongoing political instability and security concerns in Turkey, we are again likely to see a smaller turnout of Australians and New Zealanders for Anzac Day ceremonies at Gallipoli this year. Turkish soldiers in a trench at Gallipoli. The way Turkish youth commemorate […]
Macron and Trump talk new Iran Deal, but is it Pie in the Sky?
Gilles Paris and Marc Semo at Le Monde report on President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to President Trump in Washington and their discussions regarding the Iran deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA). They say that Macron repeated his four points regarding Iran policy: 1. Maintain the 2015 Iran deal, which freezes the Iranian […]








