Netanyahu Back on Top
The “national unity” government of Israel formed in June 2021, was doomed in a year. Their single seat majority dissolved with the resignation of one of their members last April. This June, with a stymied agenda, they were forced to dissolve the government. The resulting elections were held November 1st. Netanyahu’s Likud party gained seats in the Knesset, Israel’s unicameral governing body. With 64 out of 120 members, Netanyahu’s coalition has the largest majority in years.
Lula In, Bolsonaro Out
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is slated to lead Brazil again. He previously served as President from 2003-2010. The labor union and Worker’s Party leader has had some turbulent years since then. After being appointed Chief of Staff in 2016, Lula was forced to step down by the Supreme Court of Brazil. He was subsequently convicted of money laundering and corruption and blocked from running for President in 2018. Then in 2019, the court began ruling in his favor. He was released from jail and the trial against him was declared void due to jurisdiction issues. In 2021, the Supreme Court declared the Judge in Lula’s initial trial had been biased. All charges were dropped, clearing the way for his 2022 Presidential run. Narrowly defeating Bolsonaro in a run-off election, Lula will bring big changes to Brazil’s direction. He has already been very vocal at the COP27 meetings and will undoubtedly lend Brazil’s weight to many future climate resolutions. Lula has also often blamed the United States for his political and legal troubles. It would not be surprising if this leads to somewhat cooler relations between our two countries, a cause for concern when the US and western allies need major markets like Brazil and India to back them on trying to contain Russia and China.
Pakistan and China
Under its Belt and Road initiative China is developing a corridor to the Arabian Sea through Pakistan. There is some resistance to becoming dependent on China as well as other regional conflicts inside Pakistan. One such region, which considers itself independent, lashed out in a suicide attack that specifically targeted Chinese teachers. What is really strange is that the attacker was a 30 year old mother of two that, according to Reuters, held advanced university degrees. This is a significant departure from the stereotypical, fringe, single male. Pakistan has accused both India and Afghanistan for fostering extremism and rebellion inside of its territory in the past.
Tanker Troubles
A tanker with ties to Israel was struck by a drone in the waters off Oman. Iran is suspected to be behind the attack. The tanker was not seriously damaged. This comes at the same time Iran is releasing two Greek ships it has held for nearly six months. The seizure itself was retaliation for Greece’s cooperation in US action against embargoed Iranian oil. The Navy also just stopped a fishing vessel with nearly 200 tons of fertilizer, to be used in explosives, on its way from Iran to Yemen. A bitter civil/proxy war has raged for years in Yemen, a focal point for the broader conflict between Iran and its Sunni neighbors.
The Good Ol’ Days
As the headlines compel contemplation of the Cold War in our not-so-distant past, no stroll down this lane of memories would be complete without considering the USSR’s close Caribbean collaborator Cuba. Our communist neighbor hasn’t been forgotten by their old red buddy Russia either. They are close allies amid this time of international turmoil. The President of Cuba will be visiting Russia shortly and will meet with Putin. No doubt they will share many tender reminiscences and possibly even a vodka or two as a new monument in Moscow is revealed: a statue of their dearly departed friend, the late-leader of Cuba, Fidel Castro. (Let’s hope RT does a TV special.)
Religious Discrimination
Kroger has elected to settle a lawsuit from two employees at their Conway, Arkansas store who claim their termination was religious discrimination. The pair refused to wear aprons with an “Our Promise” rainbow they said supported LGBT etc. issues in violation of their own convictions. Kroger denies that is what was represented but describes their core values as “honesty and integrity, diversity and respect, safety and inclusion.” Kroger did come up with 180,000 excuses not to get to the bottom of the issue in court however.
Magnetic Timeline
Archaeological researchers in Israel are using earth’s magnetic field to date or order ashes from various cities, verifying accounts of invasion and destruction in the Bible. The magnetic field around earth changes, but ashes will retain evidence of the state of the field at the time of burning. The times of many major changes to the field are known. There are many ruins throughout the country, knowing when a certain site was destroyed paints a vivid new picture of how different conquering armies moved over the land and the extent of their depredations.
Spaceport
The first ever license for a spaceport has been issued in the UK. The site in Cornwall will be the first ever approved launch site in Europe. Britain hopes to rush to the front of the space launch industry, a nice compliment to the many thousands who are already employed in the country building satellites and other relevant technologies. Virgin Orbit will be offering to launch small satellites from the Cornwall location but many other places around the UK have similar permits pending and there is the expectation that the industry will blossom.
Famine
The standards for declaring a famine vary: A quarter of the population suffering severe shortages; The death rate doubling; Two out of every 10,000 dying each day. Regardless of the standard, an enormous amount of suffering and loss takes place before any formal government declaration can be made. Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia have been suffering a years long drought. The area has been particularly susceptible to global price pressures. It is feared that at least parts of Somalia will be in a state of famine in the near future. The last time one was declared, in 2011, it is estimated that almost a quarter of a million people died over 3 years. Private aid donations have lagged since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine. According to reports, millions of cattle have already died and people are flocking to cities to look for food and water.
Sushi, Anyone?
Construction of hydroelectric dams in the United States began to dry up in the 1960’s and 70’s. Concerns about fish migration and river health turned this technology into the red-haired step child of the green movement, effectively halting new construction. Apparently preventing future projects was not enough. Many are actually destroyed, like the four set for removal in the Klamath Basin. According to NPR, “The dams produce less than 2% of PacifiCorp’s power generation — enough to power about 70,000 homes — when they are running at full capacity, said Bob Gravely, spokesperson for the utility.” Despite having functioned for between 75 and 100 years each, new conservation rules would have required updates so costly that the company elected to destroy them instead. Some are celebrating that miles of spawning ground will once again be open to salmon. May their sushi comfort them through the cold dark winter.
