October 2011
8 posts
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"The strength of the argument" NOT "the status of...
Tracing the networked “global public sphere” exemplified in Occupy-Wall-Street to the Greek agora—where male citizens gathered to debate ideas— Faizullah Jan, American University doctoral student, looks at the evolution of public opinion expression and the interaction between state and society.
“Without a functioning public sphere the state’s interaction with the ...
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Can the planet keep up with our demand for food?
Picture the planetary impact of feeding the world’s population today—with roughly one billion going hungry—and in 40 years from now:
Can we feed the world without destroying the planet?
Yes, researchers say, if we manage to…
curb expansion of farmland in the tropics;
raise yields in under-performing lands by 60%;
reallocate water, nutrients and agricultural...
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West Liberty, IA: A Worst-Case Scenario for...
Last week was filled with news and debate (NYT) around Alabama’s new immigration law requiring schools to check the immigration status of students. The result of getting at the parents through their children: unauthorized-immigrant parents keeping children home and asking friends to care for their children (AP) in the event of deportation.
What’s the worst-case scenario behind...
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Whose Planet to Manipulate?
#paceblog—US politicians can’t agree on the science of climate change, let alone how to respond to it. But a task force of scientists, former government officials and national security experts gathered by the Bipartisan Policy Center debated the issue and submitted their recommendation to the Federal Government: large-scale research on geoengineering.
The law of unintended consequences...
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Inspiration in Homework
To fellow #paceblog -ers: Weekend homework assignments delivered unsuspected inspiration:
By Professor Andrew @Revkin at DotEarth:
“[…] visions of the human species eventually overcoming its tribal and myopic nature and embracing the reality that it is in fact a single, if variegated, community inhabiting a shared, if planet-size, home.”
Fascinating and thought-provoking read: the...
