Archive for the Europe Category

French girls know how to get their point across

French girls know how to get their point across

The French are an excitable people. They take to the streets at the drop of a hat…or a brief delay in a retirement entitlement. The Americans have a similar penchant for street protests, but less of a predilection for burning things. The French do have a certain way with  flambé automobiles.

10.28.2010 | Europe |

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Sarkozy bans recruitment of tall guards for the Presidential detail

Sarkozy bans recruitment of tall guards for the Presidential detail

There is no way that you can read about the latest edict of French President Sarkozy and not have the phrase Napoleonic Complex spring to mind. If you need context, in 1908 psychologist Alfred Adler cited Napoleon to describe an inferiority complex in which short people adopt an over-aggressive

06.11.2010 | Europe |

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A bad week for refugees from Libya to London…

A bad week for refugees from Libya to London…

Refugees deserve our best efforts as humans. Great events well beyond them control make them flotsam within their home nation. Extreme stresses of poverty, disease, war and oppression see fellow humans undertake epic journeys in a search for peace and prosperity. They arrive sometimes on our sho

06.9.2010 | Africa, Europe |

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Gene level therapy - a whole new ethical dilemma

Gene level therapy – a whole new ethical dilemma

I am fascinated by how emerging technology raises new ethical issues to be dissected and discussed. A few days we raised tongue-in-cheek some of the dilemmas raised by the increasing capacity for defective human organs to be replaced by technology parts, 'Virus transferred from man to machine'.Â

06.5.2010 | Europe, Israel |

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Catholics + Contraception = Illegal abortion crisis in Poland

Catholics + Contraception = Illegal abortion crisis in Poland

For me there is a conflict point between religion and sound social policy. Religion, as practiced thorough private observation of the rule set of the respective sect is not my concern. It is when religion is used as an attempt to justify public policy that my hackles raise. I have reported befor

06.4.2010 | Europe |

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Virus transferred from man to machine

Virus transferred from man to machine

Not too sure why this experiment causes me such discomfort; it may be the product of watching one too many Terminator genre movies. A British scientist at Reading University implanted himself with a RFID chip that contained a virus. He used the chip to interact with other technology items such a

05.29.2010 | Europe |

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Jihadists focus on the West for recruits

Jihadists focus on the West for recruits

It is an interesting exercise to follow the various declarations from Islamist extremists and discover a common thematic. Despite being a lose transnational coalition with an ideology that ranges from earthy political pragmatism to the most fundamentalist belief set,  you can tell their health

05.25.2010 | Europe, Middle East |

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US to supersede British national command chain

US to supersede British national command chain

In a development that will see shudders go down the spine of those who believe national integrity greater than transnational cooperation, British troops in Afghanistan will now come under direct US command. The complicated NATO multinational chain of command and the often conflicting ‘national cav

05.21.2010 | Afghanistan, Americas, Europe |

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Breaking down the global nuclear policy conundrum

Breaking down the global nuclear policy conundrum

In light of the latest set of nuclear maneuverings of Iran and Brazil and new proposed sanctions, it is worthwhile revisiting the confusion of global nuclear policy. Who can be and can’t be granted self-governance over nuclear development plans seems to be based on whim. It reads like a Marx B

05.18.2010 | Americas, Asia, Editorials, Europe, Middle East, Rest of the World |

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How virtual networks can strengthen family bonds

How virtual networks can strengthen family bonds

Much social media content is banal. It is even sometimes downright annoying and pervasive. It is often characterized by Heidi and Spencer’s latest update, Ashton Kutcher tweeting candid shots of Demi Moore or the like. It is often frat-level humor with silly Facebook fan pages, themes, quizzes

04.22.2010 | Americas, Editorials, Europe |

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A brother gone but not forgotten

A brother gone but not forgotten

There are few words...you will be missed and it hurts. I lost my brother today, unexpectedly and randomly as life and death can be. He was a good man. He will be missed. RIP, my brother and know your memory will be forever treasured. A link to someone that has better words than I do

04.18.2010 | Europe |

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UK nuclear threats and the French “chunnel retaliation

UK nuclear threats and the French “chunnel retaliation”

Time moves on and more once-secret historical information gets released. It is always enlightening, and sometime frightening to read what goes on behind the scenes in international relations, and how often we have come as a race to the brink of extinction before some saner mind takes charge. The

03.7.2010 | Europe |

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