Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Looking back in time

A new record distant object in space has been discovered. What's being seen is a giant star explosion, occuring more than 13 billion years ago, when the universe itself was only 0.6 billion years old, and when there still was 8.5 billion years to go before planet Earth was formed. Now these Earth beings are getting close to seeing how it all started...

Monday, April 20, 2009

Prosecute torture

Torture is a crime against humanity and people torturing prisoners should be prosecuted and punished. Following orders to use torture is no excuse. Nazi torturers didn't get away by blaming higher authorities. Everyone should know that torturing other people is a crime they will have to answer for.

Now President Obama says that CIA interrogators having used torturing methods won't be prosecuted. That's wrong, they should be. It's not enough to say that they did so following official guidelines, or that these methods won't be used any more. According to released documents waterboarding, which simulates drowning, has been performed on one prisoner 183 times! I agree with Norman Geras who questions Obama's decision and argues that all people, everywhere, have a both legal and moral duty not to torture.

There's a good movie, A Few Good Men, where in the end both those ordering torture and those carrying out those orders are punished. You would hope the US government stood up for these principles, too.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Free trade with Cuba

The United States has had a trade embargo against Cuba since 1962, but now it looks like it's slowly but surely being softened. From now on Cuban-Americans will be free to travel and send money to their homeland. In Cuba both people and Fidel Castro are anxious for further steps to be taken.

There was a time when communism posed a threat to the world, but that ended when Boris Yeltsin killed Soviet communism in 1991. Today it makes no sense to continue with a trade embargo against Cuba, and President Obama should use his momentum to a change of course. The blockade of Cuba should be lifted and replaced with a free exchange on all levels.

The communist dictatorship on Cuba will face growing difficulties in an environment of commercial and human interaction. People like the Women in White aren't easily intimidated any more. Dreams of a free Cuba, as expressed by Gloria Estefan in her song Cuba Libre, may be fulfilled sooner rather than later if the US rely on market forces instead of outdated embargo policies.

Friday, April 3, 2009

A hopeful meeting

The G20 meeting in London resulted in a document promising concerted efforts to fight the economic crisis. It's encouraging that widely differing countries like the US, China, and Russia can come together to save us from a global depression. Not that it still can't happen, but if everybody sticks to what they've agreed to this may be a turning point.

For once the protesters' focus was not anti-American which was refreshing. Rather they took their anger out on the bankers, not without good reasons one have to say. Unfortunately, we have to save the banks, because if the banking system goes down a depression will follow. To help prevent future mismanagement of financial companies the G20 will set up a Financial Stability Board that will suggest stricter lending rules and even introduce "tough new principles on pay and compensation". Hopefully that means an end to ridiculously high bonuses that have blinded people in the financial sector, often driving them into far too risky lending practices and investments. To review how the crisis started in the US housing market, see Washington Post's revealing three-piece story The Bubble.

President Obama had a cold but that didn't deter him from shaking everybody's hands. Let's hope everybody stays healthy now when they return to implement their agreement at home.