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Multilateral Treaties and the Bully State
Sun Oct 4, 2009 12:16 PM EDT
They’re basic. From children's games to the multilayered complexity of the European Union. They are the hallmark of human co-operation, the cornerstone of civilisations. We call them laws, regulations, rules, agreements, treaties and much else.
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Get Rich Slow – Windfall Wealth Could Clobber Ya. Norway: a Case in Counterpoint
Tue Jun 9, 2009 8:34 PM EDT
When the Spanish conquered America, pretty soon gold was all that mattered. It was like finding cash. Spanish coffers were brimming with the stuff, never had the world seen such wealth. Then they went and blew it all on the Spanish Armada and castles in the sand.
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Repercussions of Condoning Torture on the International Community
Sun Jun 7, 2009 5:41 PM EDT
Discussing the merits of torture is a distraction. Lest we forget, let me remind you what the crime is: It's wilfully inflicting pain on a person in your power. I find that talking of the “purpose" of torture invariably starts a process of evaluation.
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Three Fantasies revisited
Sun Dec 14, 2008 10:29 AM EST
I’ve always found it hard to evaluate my own creative work. I need feed-back. Showing your sketches and poems, photos and scores to friends and asking for a comment is not such a good idea if truth matters to you.
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The Cluster Bomb Ban: Today Is a Great Day for Civilians!
Wed Dec 3, 2008 7:45 AM EST
Today ministers and diplomats from a hundred nations gather in Oslo's city hall for the signing ceremony. After years of work this great Norwegian initiative is in its crowning phase.
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Propaganda and Censorship: My Head Belongs to Daddy...
Thu Nov 27, 2008 7:24 AM EST
I'm reading, "An error has occurred while attempting to load the page" and "the server is not responding, have you tried spitting three times while reciting the Bill of Rights backwards?" Fact is, newsvine.com is working just fine, it's my access that has been disrupted.
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A columnist's parting thoughts on China
Seeded on Sat Aug 2, 2008 5:36 AM EDT (International Herald Tribune)
China's model has a lot to offer the world, but one senses that it has taken China itself about as far as it can. This government has stopped making the massive, brutal blunders it committed in the 20th century, which killed or stunted the lives of huge numbers of its citizens.
The Atomic Age Enters a New Dawn
Seeded on Sat Jul 12, 2008 6:11 AM EDT (SPIEGEL ONLINE)
Nuclear energy makes a world-wide comeback. Today the sinister technology, still more unpopular than almost any other, is experiencing an unexpected comeback. Thirty-six new reactors are currently being built worldwide, while another 81 are in the planning stages.
Freedom: a Resource, a Condition, a State of Mind, a Slogan, a Dream
Wed Jul 9, 2008 7:27 PM EDT
...or just an illusion? My God, listen to me, just another semi-intellectual do-gooder, talking about freedom. Barring some finer points, I have never suffered personal deprivation.
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A Soldier Died Today
Wed Jun 18, 2008 10:08 PM EDT
It's that old problem again, the one about dying in vain. We all die, most of us die in vain. By dying we do nothing but prove the inevitability of death, a fact so mundane that it doesn't need to be proven, so mundane we don't even need to be reminded.
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Coastal Nations Grab for Ocean Floor Riches
Seeded on Wed Jun 4, 2008 8:39 AM EDT (SPIEGEL ONLINE)
It's all about resources and greed on one side and international law and extreme patience on the other. Coastal nations are gearing up for what could be the legal battle of the century or just battle. It seems major nations are thinking in military terms.
Don't you worry none, America!
Wed May 28, 2008 3:02 PM EDT
A weather man once said: We are now getting so good at predicting the weather that we can tell you precisely what kind of weather we are having right now. Making economic predictions is much the same, by the time we know what we have, realities have moved on.
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The Great American Myths are the BEST and MOST EFFICIENT – ever!
Wed May 14, 2008 9:00 AM EDT
Let us not speak of lies, it's such an ugly word. Myths is a nice word. A myth may be a truth distorted rather than an outright lie. We've got Greek myths, urban myths, now enter: the Great American Myths. Or not so great.
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How to speak Norwegian? Nobody really knows.
Sun May 11, 2008 8:18 PM EDT
It ain’t broken, but it sure ain’t fixed either.
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Missing: The £5bn aid needed to rebuild lives
Seeded on Tue Apr 29, 2008 11:52 AM EDT (The Scotsman)
First he met Condoleezza Rice, tonight he'll be talking to President Bush - the new UN relief co-ordinator Kai Eide needs more than promises
Humans nearly wiped out 70,000 years ago, study says
Seeded on Sat Apr 26, 2008 12:49 PM EDT (CNN)
Though our common mother lived more than 200 000 years ago, our gene pool stems from only 2000 individuals living 70 000 years ago. Things turned around for them, the rains came.
The Fable of Anti-Americanism
Fri Apr 18, 2008 5:24 PM EDT
"Anti-Americanism" is a label of convenience launched by those who would prefer foreigners applauding American policies on all issues. This is a "clouding-the-issues" kind of a term.
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We Need Another War Like We Need a Whole Lot of Bread
Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:45 AM EDT
People who criticise the Occupation of Iraq often mention the cost. In a way, this is like criticising NASA spending in the 1960's.
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Taxes: The Tool
Fri Sep 14, 2007 9:47 PM EDT
The redistribution of wealth should be a key issue for any government calling itself socialist, and even for governments that go by other names. The chief instrument used to achieve this is taxes. Another instrument is the motivational factor.
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Norway, hiding in plain sight
Fri Sep 14, 2007 9:14 PM EDT
So what is it with the Norwegians? I have been looking at those favourite words of George W. Bush, "freedom" and "democracy", I have been studying statistics and various international commentaries about Norway.
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How to Keep Your Honour: Try Killing Your Daughter and Stealing without Getting Caught
Fri Sep 14, 2007 5:32 PM EDT
In the spring of 2007, some 900 Oslo cab drivers of Pakistani origin were found to be involved in a giant tax evasion scheme.
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Comments & Feedback
You're a tough cookie Erik. You make me have to think really hard before I respond to your strongly stated comments. I like the challenge but like it more when we agree, which has happened a couple of times. You are what I was looking for when I found Newsvine.
— JCAtom
When I live in Norway - I do that just a few months of the year - I do not have a number. My living conditions are a bit chaotic (but nice and very cheap)
Yes, I do have a Chinese family. This doesn't make me half Chinese. I think I'm a full-blooded Norwegian, and my father thought so, too :-)
When I live in China, Newsvine is closed to me :-(
Your pen is certainly mightier than the sword.
— ntq
Stop Tracking
About Erik the Read
Articles Posted: 17
Links Seeded: 5
Links Seeded: 5
Member Since: 7/2007
Going back to China August 7, 09. Don't know if Newsvine will be open from there. If it isn't, I'll be silent until I get back to Norway in February.
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