Where to Look

The Boston bombers are from the Republic of Dagestan, a republic of Russia, which has been a scene of low-level Islamic insurgency, occasional outbreaks of separatism, ethnic tensions and terrorism since the 1990s. That is the environment the bombers came from. This does not justify what they did but it might help us understand where to look for future threats.

 

The area known as the Tigris-Euphrates Basin is losing water faster than any other place in the world except for northern India. From 2003 through 2009 an amount equal to the contents of the Dead Sea has disappeared.

 

As water levels drop tensions rise. In Iraq, the absence of a strong government, drought and shrinking aquifers have led to a number of assassinations of irrigation department officials and a re-emergence of clashes among clans which, are feared, could escalate into full scale armed conflicts.

 

In Syria, drought beginning in 2006 forced many farmers to leave their farms and migrate to urban centers.  Some political pundits believe the migration instigated the civil war. With the migration resulting in angry, unemployed men helped trigger a revolution in which 80,000 people have died.

 

Since 1975, Turkey's dam and hydropower construction has reduced water flow to Iraq by 80 percent and to Syria by 40 percent.

 

Wars over water may replace wars over oil.

 

The United States may have to become more sensitive to problems in other countries that are taken for granted within our borders, at least for now.

 

 

Oil or Water

Water, the next war; the Tigris-Euphrates Basin is losing water faster than any other place in the world except for northern India. From 2003 through 2009 due to dwindling rainfall and poor water management policies an amount equal to the contents of the Dead Sea has disappeared.

 

As scientists watch dropping water levels political experts have observed rising tensions. In Iraq, the absence of a strong government, drought and shrinking aquifers have led to a number of assassinations of irrigation department officials and a re-emergence of clashes among clans which, are feared, could escalate into full scale armed conflicts.

 

In Syria, drought beginning in 2006 forced may farmers to leave their fields and migrate to urban centers.  Some political experts believe the migration instigated the civil war. With the migration resulting in angry, unemployed men helping to trigger a revolution in which 80,000 people have died.

 

Since 1975, Turkey's dam and hydropower construction has reduced water flow to Iraq by 80 percent and to Syria by 50 percent.

 

Wars over water may replace wars over oil.

 

Test-Taking

At the university level students are skilled at taking tests.  Test Taking is an ability distinct from actual knowledge, which is not to say that knowledge is unimportant to success on a well-constructed exam. There is a strategic component to right questions" Is there a correction [on multiple choice questions] for guessing?" "Should I write a literal answer, or should I extrapolate?" "Do you want all possible solutions or just the most obvious one?" Skilled test-takers pace themselves intelligently, quickly identifying the most time-consuming questions, making sure that they leave them for last, scoring as many points as they can on questions that could be quickly answered.

 

Is there a course where students are taught how to take tests? Don't need one. It's natural selection.

 

Why natural selection? Student admissions at the university are extremely competitive. Students are products of an educational system in which those who are proficient at test-taking are moved towards the honors tracks in middle school and high school. Once there, they can earn the best grades only by excellent exam work---test-taking again. If that were not enough, nearly all students take a nationwide aptitude test as the capstone of their preparations. Students who are not proficient at test-taking are gradually weeded out. By the time students reach the university classroom, only the adept test-takers are left. It works automatically, just like natural selection.

 

Fwd: FW: All I ask is to pass this on!

 

 

WHEN A SOLDIER COMES HOME This email is being circulated around the world~~~please keep it going. When a soldier comes home, he finds it hard to..... listen to his son whine about being bored. ....to keep a straight face when people complain about potholes. To be tolerant of people who complain about the hassle of getting ready for work. ...to be understanding when a co-worker complains about a bad night's sleep. ..to be silent when people pray to God for a new car. ....to control his panic when his wife tells him he needs to drive slower. ..to be compassionate when a businessman expresses a fear of flying. ....to keep from laughing when anxious parents say they're afraid to send their kids off to summer camp. ....to keep from ridiculing someone who complains about hot weather. ....to control his frustration when a colleague gripes about his coffee being cold. ....to remain calm when his daughter complains about having to walk the dog. .....to be civil to people who complain about their jobs. .....to just walk away when someone says they only get two weeks of vacation a year. ....to be forgiving when someone says how hard it is to have a new baby in the house. The only thing harder than being a Soldier... Is loving one. I was asked to pass this on and I will gladly do so!! Will you??? No one has been able to explain to me why young men and women serve in the U.S. Military for 20 years, risking their lives protecting freedom, and only get 50% of their pay on retirement. While Politicians hold their political positions In the safe confines of the capital, protected by these same men and women, and Receive full-pay retirement after serving one term. It just does not make any sense. If each person who receives this will forward it on to 20 people, in three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one proposal that really should be passed around. Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution: "Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States." You are one of my 20+. I passed it on, will you? "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice," and these brave soldiers have given you that right!! I Love my Country. It's the government I'm afraid of!

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--
Michael Kinder

Failing States

One of the problems the civilized world is facing is the number of failed states. A failed state, similar to a severely disturbed individual, is a danger to itself as well as well as those around it and beyond.

 

The term "failing state" has been in use only a decade or so but these countries are now the center of global politics. Yesteryear the concern was the concentration of too much power in one state as in Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan and the Soviet Union. Today the concern is the absence of power. Failed states often degenerate into civil war as opposing groups vie for power.

 

Afghanistan is 6th and Iraq is 7^th.  Pakistan is 10^th and has nuclear weapons.