Scramble for the Arctic: Is World War III Next?
The arctic ice is melting, a climate change issue that portends massive geopolitical changes. There is an ongoing “scramble for the Arctic” just like there was a “scramble for Africa” in the 19th century. Both driven by the same lust for
Dangerous Times for Democracy: Why Italy is Key
Writing from Italy, New York Times foreign affairs Op Ed columnist and Pulitzer winner Thomas L. Friedman claims in a new not-to-be-missed piece that he will “ruin your breakfast, lunch and dinner “ and he certainly does. He argues that
Trump and the NRA: Supporting the Second Amendment
This story needs to start with Trump’s triumphant tweet following his campaign-style speech at the National Rifle Association (NRA) event in Dallas, telling the cheering crowd that he’s fighting for the Second Amendment: I want to thank all of our friends
Can Cryptocurrencies Ever Become Reliable Means of Exchange?
Following the 2017 craze, Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are currently experiencing a crash that has many wondering whether cryptocurrencies have a future. They are facing existential threats to their role as means of exchange and store of value. But cryptocurrencies firmly
Net Neutrality War: Trump White House vs. Silicon Valley
Update: On 14 December 2017, the FCC voted to repeal net neutrality. This means that all the issues identified in this article will come to pass. Silicon Valley will never be the same again. On November 21, the new head of
The Hidden Roots of Trump’s Fighting Instinct
The bizarre video Trump attached to yet another “modern presidential” tweet showing him wrestling with CNN has a lot more behind it than the press has yet uncovered. The outrage about it being un-presidential, while understandable, ignores something far more
IMPAKTER ESSAY: WHY FAKE NEWS GOES VIRAL
AND WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT Fake news is emotionally-charged bits of disinformation. And, in large numbers and constantly repeated – online, news travels fast and far – it can be lethal. As was chillingly demonstrated by the murder of
Muslims Against ISIS
A major Western newspaper, The Independent, on 24 November 2016, reported that 20 million of Shia Muslims took part in one “of the biggest marches in the world”, described as an anti-ISIS demonstration “as they travel through Iraq in celebration
Passions, Interests and socialmedia
Why We Share, Like and Follow on Social Media I have yet to find someone who really likes Facebook but just about everyone I know, despite the complaints, returns to it, day after day - or at least three times a
Italy’s Forgotten Museum
A Museum with Art Like the Louvre's Mona Lisa In Palermo, Sicily, there is a museum that exhibits art as good as the best anywhere in Europe, even the Louvre. And it is housed in an extraordinary 15th century palace, a
WE’RE MELTING THE FUTURE
On Sunday morning, September 21, 2014, artists Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese installed a large-scale ice sculpture of the words The Future. This beautifully impermanent public art/climate change monument heralded the United Nations Climate Summit on Sept 23rd in New York City.
Oil spills: A Double-Standard World
This is the emblematic story of two oil spills: one in the developed world, the other in the Third World, the BP case in the Golf of Mexico vs. Chevron-Texaco in the Amazon. In the photo: Aerial view of the amazon The