In The News

At 71, Physics Professor Is a Web Star

Sara Rimer December 20, 2007
The internet offers endless exploration – and search engines like Google, which order search results based on complex mixture of volume, links, content and the democratic nature of the web, create some surprising new stars. Among the latest is 71-year-old Walter H. G. Lewin, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, whose lectures on physics are both educational and entertaining for...

The UN's Death Blow

Louise Arbour December 19, 2007
Global citizens expect the United Nations to be relevant in a modern world by taking stands on difficult issues. A call from the UN General Assembly for a worldwide moratorium on the application of the death penalty is a step in protecting human rights, according to Louise Arbour, UN high commissioner for human rights. More than 130 nations have abolished the death penalty with six – Iran, Iraq,...

Don’t Bet Against the Dollar

Thomas Palley December 18, 2007
The global economy depends on the US dollar, and talk about its demise is premature. The US does confront real problems of persistent trade deficits and a high debt load, writes Thomas Palley for Foreign Policy, with increased borrowing merely creating jobs offshore. Two thirds of reserves held by world’s central banks are in dollars, and decline in the dollar’s value would hurt many around the...

It’s Too Late for Later

Thomas L. Friedman December 18, 2007
People worldwide, even those in the least developed nations, are fully aware of the causes and dangers associated with global warming. “‘Later’ was a luxury for previous generations and civilizations,” writes New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. The planet’s transforming before our eyes – polar ice melting at faster rates, tides moving higher along coastlines and the population of some...

Britain's Carbon Strategy “Up in Smoke”

Steve Connor December 17, 2007
Nations closed the climate conference in Bali with vows to tackle climate change. Scientists are taking the government leaders at their word. Jim Hansen – director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in the US, who has long warned that global warming poses real dangers to the planet, including species extinction, raised sea levels and ruined coastlines – urges governments to back away...

The Global Money Machine

David Roche December 17, 2007
The sub-prime mortgage crisis – the big stack of US home loans that went to people who could not afford payments – has led to a global credit crunch. Record low interest rates created a huge supply of credit, which in turn led to higher prices for homes and other assets. An appetite for risk, rather than actual asset values or funds backing the loans, drove the supply of credit and the price for...

World Bank Fund Will Pay to Leave Forests Standing

December 14, 2007
The World Bank will establish a fund to compensate developing nations to protect forests, with the hope that preserving forests will slow climate change. "The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility signals that the world cares about the global value of forests and is ready to pay for it,” said Robert Zoellick, World Bank president. Deforestation is responsible for about one fifth of total carbon...