Feb 20 2008
After almost 50 years in power, Fidel Castro resigned as president of Cuba. In 2006, he stepped aside from power because of health problems, temporarily leaving the leadership of the island to his brother, Raul. But now, he has resigned permanently, arguing that he is no longer able to keep up with the duties of the presidency.
Feb 19 2008
Americans’ ignorance of African affairs has long been a common complaint among Africanists in academia. The Onion takes on the subject:
Nation Of Andorra Not In Africa, Shocked U.S. State Dept. Reports
Feb 18 2008
The Globalist recently welcomed its newest staff members on board.
Despite the blindfolds (or maybe because of?), a fun time was had by all.
Feb 13 2008
Applying eccentric urban policies in other cities
In my article “‘Super Mayors’ in Bogota,” I wrote about the eccentric, yet effective, urban policies employed by former Bogota mayor Antanas Mockus to create a culture of citizenship in order to reduce crime and increase respect among citizens. One of his most note-worthy policies was handing out 350,000 red-and-white cards to city residents. Whenever someone saw a fellow citizen doing something wrong like throwing trash on the streets or disrespecting traffic signs, he or she would flash the red side of the card to the wrong-doer. And whenever someone did something good, a person would flash the white side of the card. This was meant to reinforce good behaviors and punish bad ones, citizen to citizen, peer to peer. Mockus claims that this program created a culture of respect in Bogota, something that was badly needed in a city that was in the verge of chaos.
Feb 03 2008
Imagine for a moment a presidential candidate under criminal investigation for fraud and stock manipulation. This same candidate among other things would have admitted to tax evasion for falsely claiming his children were employees and for using false addresses to enroll them in better schools. Understand that the public would be fully aware of these allegations and rival candidates would be capitalizing on these ethical shortcomings in their own campaigns. Believe it or not, this candidate is real. His name is Lee Myung-bak and he has just been elected South Korea’s president.
