by John Richardson on March 30, 2009
Today’s update of human rights events around the world.
US: Freezing Out Hamas No Longer Viable, Say Policy Heavyweights
A new report from a New York-based think tank and delivered to U.S. President Barack Obama by a signatory who is also a current adviser recommends that Washington forcefully reinsert itself into the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, calling for “a more pragmatic approach to Hamas.” IPS
NETHERLANDS: Dutch Police Get Tasers
Today, Holland starts a one-year trial of arming police with Tasers. This sounds like a familiar story, but here’s the twist: The Dutch police don’t want the them. According to Dutch Public TV, the Federal Police issued a statement documenting their objections to using a weapon so rife with problems. AmnestyUSA
MIDDLE EAST: Press Sudan on Darfur Aid
The League of Arab States should call on Sudan to urgently readmit humanitarian aid groups to Darfur, Human Rights Watch said in a letter released today. Arab League foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Sudan when they meet on March 30, 2009, at their annual summit in Doha, Qatar. Human Rights Watch
BOLIVIA: Will the Rule of Law Apply to All Bolivians?
On March 7, a mob of Bolivians occupied the home of Victor Hugo Cardenas, an indigenous politician who served as vice president under former president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. The group, which justified the action as an expropriation based on a provision of the new constitution requiring that land holdings serve a social function, also acted roughly with Cardenas’ wife and children. The mob explicitly stated that they specifically targeted Cardenas due to his opposition to the new constitution. The responses of government officials to this seizure have been contradictory and unclear thus far. High-level officials including Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera and Deputy Interior Minister Marcos Farfan, however, have implied or stated outright their support for the action. Unfortunately, the incident is but one in a series of occurrences that have observers – even those sympathetic to the Morales administration – scratching their heads regarding the government’s relationship with the rule of law. Freedom House
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by John Richardson on February 3, 2009
The daily update of human rights events around the world.
SUDAN: Sudanese Harassed for Cooperating with the International Criminal Court
FIDH is concerned about the repeated attacks against persons suspected of supporting or cooperating with the International Criminal Court (ICC), which have been registered in Sudan over the last months. FIDH
U.S.: Time to Select U.S. AIDS Leader
As acronyms go, OGAC — the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator — is no memorable stand-out. However, its coordinator has the extraordinarily important job of setting U.S. AIDS policy and identifying spending priorities. With the U.S. investing more than ever in the global AIDS fight, it’s time to fill the position with someone with the knowledge, credibility and leadership to head up what is America’s largest global public health initiative, accounting for billions in annual spending. Remarkably, this office has been leaderless for over a week now. Nicholas Kristoff – NY Times
CHINA: Human Rights Lawyer in Arbitrary Detention
The Chinese government should immediately disclose the whereabouts of Gao Zhisheng, a leading human rights lawyer who disappeared two weeks ago, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Human Rights in China said today in a joint statement. Human Rights Watch
LATIN AMERICA: Human Rights Coverage Serving Washington’s Needs
A new Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) study finds that leading newspapers have been putting political considerations ahead of humanitarian concerns in their editorials on human rights in Latin America. Common Dreams
BOLIVIA: Tight Grip on the Next Big Resource
In the rush to build the next generation of hybrid or electric cars, a sobering fact confronts both automakers and governments seeking to lower their reliance on foreign oil: almost half of the world’s lithium, the mineral needed to power the vehicles, is found here in Bolivia – a country that may not be willing to surrender it so easily. NY Times
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by Rob Kellogg on November 25, 2008
Executives of the U.S. auto industry – flanked by their cadre of lobbyists – are now busy begging lawmakers for handouts. So far, GM, Ford and Chrysler have failed to present a strong case for using taxpa
yer money in their resuscitation. We know that Wagoner (GM), Mulally (Ford) and Nardelli (on behalf of Cerberus Capital, owner of Chrysler ) will get one more chance to prove their case once Obama takes office, if not sooner. And regardless of whether the “big 3″ automakers end up filling their golden chalices with federal money, a mandate stipulating an increase in the production of plug-in electric cars will emerge. This much is sure.
So it seems that this is an opportune time to consider what the next era of America’s auto industry might usher in. Let’s start by taking a quick trip back to high school chemistry class since the future of the auto industry and the new fleet of next generation cars starts with the letters “Li” on the periodic table.
The element lithium is one of nature’s more flexible atoms. Lithium salts were used during the 19th century to treat various ailments and millions of people around the world today rely on it to treat psychosis and manic-depression. Lithium is also used as an industrial agent to kill algae and to filter carbon dioxide from the air in spaceships.
Lithium is the lightest metal and the least dense solid element and because of this it is very effective in heat transfer applications used in rechargeable and primary batteries because of its high electrochemical potential, light weight, and high current density. A lithium-ion battery is the “engine” (non-combustion of course) of today’s electric cars and will likely remain so in the foreseeable future.
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A new report from a New York-based think tank and delivered to U.S. President Barack Obama by a signatory who is also a current adviser recommends that Washington forcefully reinsert itself into the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, calling for “a more pragmatic approach to Hamas.” IPS
