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from The Atlantic Magazine
Why the UAE Made Peace With Israel
This morning, Donald Trump announced the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Israel is also committing to not annexing the West Bank. The agreement will shock those who thought the portion of the Jared Kushner portfolio devoted to peace in the Middle East consisted of a single briefing folder filled with printouts of Wikipedia articles. But there were signs that this agreement was coming, and that the Trump administration would be uniquely suited to making it happen. Saudi Arabia is not officially party to the agreement, but its relationship with the UAE is so fraternal that we should assume that it eagerly approved, and that the UAE will represent its interests in Israel as if they were its own. The Trump administration deals with these countries through the same personal channels, which look opaque and corrupt to us because they are. A few months ago, a Saudi academic told me that Trump was easier for him to understand than for me, because I live in a country where nepotism is a crime, and he lives in one where it is the system of government. The idea that a president would appoint his son-in-law to manage the most sensitive aspects of his administration offends me. To a Saudi, he said, it is just how things get done, and there is nothing mysterious about it at all.
from HumanProgress.org
Education Website
Our ninth Center of Progress is ancient Rome during its Republican and early Imperial periods, when the Romans built infrastructure projects that were, at the time, unparalleled in their sophistication. Those projects ranged from aqueducts and sewers to bridges, amphitheaters, and bathhouses. The viae Romanae (“Roman ways”) or Roman road network, in particular, represented a breakthrough. While built in part to ease the transportation of soldiers and the delivery of military supplies, the roads greatly aided the free movement of civilians and trade goods. The Romans pioneered new concepts such as milestone markers, advanced surveying, and various engineering marvels, such as viaducts, to generate the shortest and straightest possible routes.
Uranium has been a relative newcomer to the story of human progress. Yet this element still has a vast amount of untapped potential to contribute toward global prosperity. We tend to think of uranium as a glowing green rock; however, pure uranium is a silvery-grey radioactive chemical element. The first pre-industrial use for uranium was as a coloring agent in the manufacture of pottery. Naturally-occurring uranium oxide was ground into a yellow powder and applied as a pottery glaze as early as 79 CE. The discovery of the element uranium has been credited to the German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth. Klaproth was the first to isolate an oxide of uranium and is responsible for naming the element. However, it would take another fifty-two years to isolate metallic uranium and a further 55 years before the French engineer and physicist Henri Becquerel would unlock uranium’s radioactive significance in 1896.
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Magazine of The Living Church Foundation (Anglican)
A DEADLY KIND OF CALLING
Augustine wept at his ordination. He had arrived in the ancient seaport of Hippo, in part, to avoid becoming a priest. The Catholic Church in North Africa was at that time a relatively small pond, and Augustine (354–430 AD) was a sizeable fish. Word travelled quickly that Augustine had relinquished a prestigious professorship in the big city of Milan and returned to his hometown of Thagaste, a small farming community 200 miles from the Mediterranean coast. What Augustine desired in retirement was time for study, writing, and enriching conversation, the pursuit of wisdom and holiness in a community of like-minded “Servants of God.” He thus carefully avoided visiting any town with an episcopal vacancy for fear of being enlisted for the role. His purpose for visiting Hippo was simply to gain a new recruit for his nascent community and to scout out a location for their monastery. The bishop of Hippo had other intentions. While Augustine was attending a service at the basilica, Bishop Valerius preached on the urgent needs of the church in Hippo and exhorted the people to provide a presbyter for their beloved city. The congregation eagerly obeyed, grabbing the unsuspecting Augustine and pushing him down the nave toward the bishop. Bishop Valerius ordained Augustine to the cheers of the congregation and the tears of their newly minted presbyter.
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from Mises Institute
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, MIXED
Why There's a Left-Right Divide among Libertarians
Amid the sociocultural convulsions and boutique displays of urban anarcho-tyranny that have taken place in America in recent months, there has been renewed discussion within certain circles of the liberty movement about how appropriate it is for libertarians and their intellectual brethren to self-identify as “right-wing” or “left-wing.” While libertarianism itself, which merely requires adherence to the nonaggression principle (NAP) and a desire to minimize or abolish state power, need not be considered a “right-wing” or “left-wing” political philosophy, I contend (from a decidedly right-wing perspective) that individual libertarians are almost certainly on the right or on the left. All too often, libertarian infighting and internecine squabbles come across as mere navel gazing, with many mainstream libertarians—especially Libertarian Inc.—insisting that they have heroically transcended the old left-right spectrum. (Strangely enough, some libertarians seem to believe that this spectrum primarily pertains to red/blue politics.) Nevertheless, in recent months there have been some important conversations touching upon rights, human nature, the left-right spectrum, and what being a libertarian actually means.
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from MSN News & Media Website
Pompeo calls for joint US-EU effort on Belarus crisis
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that Washington hoped to work with the EU to resolve the crisis in Belarus where veteran leader Alexander Lukashenko's controversial re-election has sparked unprecedented protests. Thousands have been arrested following mass peaceful protests that have been brutally quashed by police following Sunday's vote, which opponents say was rigged.
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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington
Sue Lani Madsen: Civil righteousness seeks reconciliation through Christianity
An event with roots in Ferguson, Missouri, came to Spokane Saturday, Aug. 8, at 6:01 p.m., at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Division Street. It received little attention in the largely white and unchurched Pacific Northwest. “Pray on MLK Way” was a 2020 project of Civil Righteousness Inc., a Ferguson based nonprofit “dedicated to racial reconciliation and restorative justice through spiritual, cultural and economic renewal.” Events were held in all 50 states and nine countries, according to event organizers. Ellie Rae Hardy, youth pastor for Spokane’s Victory Faith Church, organized the local event. She first heard the founder of Civil Righteousness, Jonathan Tremain Thomas, speak at her church three years ago. It was the first time she’d heard someone talk about the realities of racism without politicizing the issues. Thomas has been described as a “chaos chaser” who sees his mission field as bringing reconciliation and revival in the face of the racial unrest roiling American cities.
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The Post Office’s Problem Isn’t Trump
Democrats cry sabotage. But mail volume is way down, and the USPS is losing billions of dollars. Two months into his new job, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is being keelhauled by Democrats for alleged sabotage of the U.S. Postal Service. Nearly 200 House Democrats signed a letter this week accusing him of acting to “accelerate the crisis” at the USPS. Apparently they missed the post office’s news release last Friday, when it reported losing another $2.2 billion last quarter. Congress has only itself to blame for this mess.
Sue Lani Madsen: Civil righteousness seeks reconciliation through Christianity
An event with roots in Ferguson, Missouri, came to Spokane Saturday, Aug. 8, at 6:01 p.m., at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Division Street. It received little attention in the largely white and unchurched Pacific Northwest. “Pray on MLK Way” was a 2020 project of Civil Righteousness Inc., a Ferguson based nonprofit “dedicated to racial reconciliation and restorative justice through spiritual, cultural and economic renewal.” Events were held in all 50 states and nine countries, according to event organizers. Ellie Rae Hardy, youth pastor for Spokane’s Victory Faith Church, organized the local event. She first heard the founder of Civil Righteousness, Jonathan Tremain Thomas, speak at her church three years ago. It was the first time she’d heard someone talk about the realities of racism without politicizing the issues. Thomas has been described as a “chaos chaser” who sees his mission field as bringing reconciliation and revival in the face of the racial unrest roiling American cities.
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from USA Today
No list of incredible Idaho women is complete without a discussion of Sacagawea, the Shoshone teen who helped guide the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1805. Technically, this list doesn't include Sacagawea. It focuses on Idaho women alive between 1920 and 2020, as the USA TODAY Network marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment when women in the U.S. gained the legal right to vote. In commemoration, the USA TODAY Network is naming 10 American women from all 50 states and the District of Columbia who’ve made significant contributions to their respective states and country as Women of the Century.
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from U.S. Department of the Interior
Trump Administration Outlines Comprehensive Strategy to Tackle $120 Billion Problem
Today, the Trump Administration released a draft strategic plan for combating an estimated $120 billion problem—invasive species. The Administration has taken significant actions to more effectively manage invasive species, which impact water supplies, impair hunting and fishing opportunities, interfere with energy production, exacerbate wildfires, damage America’s agriculture and drive native species to extinction. This plan provides a coordinated approach to further align programs and policies across the U.S. Department of the Interior and leverage more resources in addressing this important issue. In Fiscal Year 2020, Interior alone is investing an estimated $143 million to manage invasive species. To protect the Western United States from quagga and zebra mussels that annually cause more than $1 billion in economic impact and management costs, Interior launched numerous initiatives in 2017 in collaboration with western governors and federal, state and Tribal agencies. Under this Administration, Interior has invested approximately $41 million since Fiscal Year 2017 to identify and implement actions such as boat inspections with states, and early detection of and rapid response to mussel invasions.
Trump Administration Outlines Comprehensive Strategy to Tackle $120 Billion Problem
Today, the Trump Administration released a draft strategic plan for combating an estimated $120 billion problem—invasive species. The Administration has taken significant actions to more effectively manage invasive species, which impact water supplies, impair hunting and fishing opportunities, interfere with energy production, exacerbate wildfires, damage America’s agriculture and drive native species to extinction. This plan provides a coordinated approach to further align programs and policies across the U.S. Department of the Interior and leverage more resources in addressing this important issue. In Fiscal Year 2020, Interior alone is investing an estimated $143 million to manage invasive species. To protect the Western United States from quagga and zebra mussels that annually cause more than $1 billion in economic impact and management costs, Interior launched numerous initiatives in 2017 in collaboration with western governors and federal, state and Tribal agencies. Under this Administration, Interior has invested approximately $41 million since Fiscal Year 2017 to identify and implement actions such as boat inspections with states, and early detection of and rapid response to mussel invasions.
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from The Wall Street Journal
The Post Office’s Problem Isn’t Trump
Democrats cry sabotage. But mail volume is way down, and the USPS is losing billions of dollars. Two months into his new job, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is being keelhauled by Democrats for alleged sabotage of the U.S. Postal Service. Nearly 200 House Democrats signed a letter this week accusing him of acting to “accelerate the crisis” at the USPS. Apparently they missed the post office’s news release last Friday, when it reported losing another $2.2 billion last quarter. Congress has only itself to blame for this mess.
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from Washington Policy Center
Educational Research Center in Seattle, Washington
An irresponsible silence about King County’s spike in COVID transmission
Soon after the beginning of protests related to the death of George Floyd, the rate of transmission of COVID in King County shot up to a level not seen since the earliest days of the pandemic. In early June, the Institute for Disease Modeling (IDM), which helps the state Department of Health (DOH) calculate the rate of transmission, noted the increase and said the protests might be a contributing factor. Then, suddenly, the issue was dropped. No explanation has ever been given for the spike. The failure to explain that spike indicates either a lack of seriousness about fighting COVID, driven by the politics of the protest, or a level of ignorance about disease transmission that undermines the claim that state policy and strict economic restrictions are driven by 'science.' Whether it is a lack of ethics or a lack of knowledge, the failure to honestly address the increased transmission rate is irresponsible and must be fixed.
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An irresponsible silence about King County’s spike in COVID transmission
Soon after the beginning of protests related to the death of George Floyd, the rate of transmission of COVID in King County shot up to a level not seen since the earliest days of the pandemic. In early June, the Institute for Disease Modeling (IDM), which helps the state Department of Health (DOH) calculate the rate of transmission, noted the increase and said the protests might be a contributing factor. Then, suddenly, the issue was dropped. No explanation has ever been given for the spike. The failure to explain that spike indicates either a lack of seriousness about fighting COVID, driven by the politics of the protest, or a level of ignorance about disease transmission that undermines the claim that state policy and strict economic restrictions are driven by 'science.' Whether it is a lack of ethics or a lack of knowledge, the failure to honestly address the increased transmission rate is irresponsible and must be fixed.
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