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Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The UN Convention to Combat Desertification issued a new report, “Drought in Numbers 2022 on Friday, warning of the dangers of the climate emergency for further desertification and wildfires and massive loss of human life. “The report warns that The number and duration of droughts has increased by 29 percent […]

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Israeli Snipers Murder Prominent American Journalist in Cold Blood, attempt to Kill her Camera Crew, as US Press Equivocates

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Israeli snipers murdered prominent American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on Wednesday in an attempt to prevent the veteran Al Jazeera correspondent and her camera crew from filming an Israeli military attack on the Jenin refugee camp in the Occupied Palestinian West Bank. The Israeli army has killed 50 Palestinian journalists […]

Climate Crisis

Wind and Solar generate Fully 20% of US Electricity in April for First time as Renewables Jump to 26.5%

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The United States generates 6.5% of its electricity from dams, producing hydroelectricity, mainly in the West. Up until about a decade ago, that was the major renewable source of electricity in the country. In 2021, the total proportion of renewables in the US energy mix was 20%, i.e. 13.5% came […]

American Jews

Majority of Americans of all Religions or None want Legal Abortion, except for Evangelicals and 47% of Catholics

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Pew Research Center has a poll out on views about abortion of American religious groups. It shows that in most American religious groups, as well as religious “nones” (people without strong religious beliefs, including agnostics and atheists), the majority believes that abortion should be legal in “all or most […]

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Jared Kushner to invest Saudi Funds in Israeli Tech: Is MBS sidestepping his father King Salman on Palestine?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Dion Nissenbaum and Rory Jones at the Wall Street Journal got the scoop that Affinity, Jared Kushner’s investment firm, will invest some of the $2 billion it got from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund in Israel. Kushner told the WSJ that he sees building investment and business ties between the […]

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US Double Standard: Russia Sanctioned for Ukraine Occupation, but 4,000 new Israeli invaders of Palestinian West Bank merely “Opposed”

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Deputy Spokesperson for the State Department, Jalina Porter, on Friday condemned the Israeli government’s announcement that it would build 4,000 further housing units in the Palestinian West Bank, i.e., it would steal land owned by Palestinian families and bring in squatters from Israel to squat on that land. The […]

Climate Crisis

Could Europe Install a Terawatt of new “Freedom Solar” by 2030 to Escape Russian Gas?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – John Ainger at Bloomsberg reports that a coalition within the European Union is pressing Brussels to set a goal of 1,000 gigawatts of new solar capacity by 2030 as a way of escaping dependence on Russian methane gas for electricity generation. The European Union is seeking to boycott Russian goods […]

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Occupied Bodies: How SCOTUS’ repeal of Roe and the Israeli Supreme Court’s Expulsion of Palestinians are Similar

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – This week a leaked opinion by far right wing Justice Samuel Alito revealed that the Trump-Bush majority on the Supreme Court intended to reverse Roe v. Wade and allow states to make abortion illegal. Throughout Alito’s opinion ran a subtext, however, of denying the constitutional right to privacy, a notion […]

Climate Crisis

Denmark makes Bid for “Putin-Free” Energy by Accelerating Mammoth Artificial Wind Island Plan

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Europe has faced a dilemma in standing up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, since most European countries have tied themselves to Russian methane gas and petroleum imports. These countries are thus funding the very war they rail against. Denmark, for its part, is accelerating the building of two mammoth wind […]