Some politicians like to blame the current weak economy on globalization, outsourcing and free trade. Yet such blame relies on a limited definition of globalization and overlooks the contribution of technology, suggests David Brooks of the New York Times. In particular, Brooks rejects protectionism...
Click here for the original article on The New York Times.
Africa has 11 of the world’s 20 fastest growing economies, yet thousands of African youth risk their lives to cross the Mediterranean to pursue opportunities in Europe, notes Kanayo F. Nwanze, president of the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development. He questions if growth and...
Read this article at the Harvard Business Review.
After Russia increased the price for oil flowing into Belarus, the former Soviet republic responded by imposing a tax on Russian oil shipped through a pipeline passing between its borders, destined for Europe. When Russia refused to pay the tax, Belarus siphoned off some oil for some compensation....
Click here for the original article on The Christian Science Monitor's website.
Canada, Russia, the US, Norway and Denmark all have some overlapping claims throughout the Arctic, each hoping to secure a big share of the rich oil, gas and mineral reserves believed to rest under the ice. “Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a country can secure rights to...
Click here to read the article from CanWest News Service.
In areas where electricity and indoor plumbing are rarities, a surprising trend is taking shape. Despite infrastructure shortcomings and widespread poverty, Africa is now the world's fastest-growing market for cellphones. Mobile technology is drastically changing business and daily life –...
Click here for the original article on The New York Times website.
正如许多人所担心的，本次联合国气候变化大会仅通过了一项软弱无力的协议，勉强能称为“一个开端”。环境经济学家斯科特•巴雷特（Scott Barrett）指出，此前为应对环境问题而举行的类似会议也同样被称作为“开端”，但这些会议并未取得任何实质性成果。在哥本哈根，尽管谈判持续了很长时间，但最终结果却是一纸篇幅很短的协议文本，它反映了发达国家和发展中国家两大阵营各自的提议所能达到的“最小公分母”（lowest-common- denominator）妥协。《哥本哈根协议》（Copenhagen agreement）是一项政治声明，而不是类似《京都议定书》（Kyoto Protocol）...
排放和毁灭：德国北莱茵-威斯特法伦州（North Rhine-Westphalia）的燃煤发电厂使地球升温；孟加拉国（下）的旱灾受害者为此付出代价。
纽约：经过多年准备，加上在哥本哈根举行的为期两周的紧张谈判，最终出炉的不过是一份三页的文本，很显然未能应对被该文件确切称作“我们这个时代所面临的 最大挑战之一” 的全球气候变化问题。在许多人看来，《哥本哈根协议》（Copenhagen Accord）将是一种倒退；但实际上，它只不过是一段长期失败的气候谈判历史的延续。根本问题出在策略上：...
The Chinese philosopher Confucius lived more than 2500 years ago, and his teachings about how to live a life of purpose still resonate today. As a code of ethics, Confucianism emphasizes peaceful relationships and benevolent dictatorships through hierarchy, requiring women to obey men, the young...
It has taken almost 2,557 years, but the family tree of Confucius, the philosophical father of Asia's male dominated society, is finally going to acknowledge women. Female descendants will be recognised in a new lineage...
While most Americans today have heard about and many already been alarmed by the outsourcing of jobs overseas, some others might not be as worried; those include the employees of South Korean semiconductor company Samsung in Austin, Texas. The company just announced that it would pump another $500...
Click here for the original article on The New York Times website.