Diálogo Plural

Check out this opinion piece in Judge Sonia Sotomayorm from The Los Angeles Times. Tell me what you think, Sonia Sotomayor is a good choice for the Supreme Court - Los Angeles Times Posted using ShareThis

I thought you would be interested in the following story on WSJ.com. As India's Congress Party is set to continue in government with a relatively more stable majority there are still major challenges to be met, especially in a country that is still haunted by huge inequalities and surrounded by unstable neighbors.  Indian voters opted for continuity, stability, and possibly a civic culture in  which tolerance and improved social relations and better inter-faith understanding is a reachable possibility. Voters rejected the polarizing rethoric of BJP nationalists opting for firm stance towards India's adversaries but leaving open political space for dialogue. They also opted for continuing economic stability and sound policies.  The Ghandis have much credit for this positive electoral outcome. But there is much to be said for the political resilience of Manmoham Singh, Prime Minister and Economist.  Don't forget to click on the link below for the whole news.       India's...

And we wonder why Palestinians are bitter and resentful. We pay lip service to their revindications, promise them money and all sorts of aid and then do nothing. This applies to the West (the United States and the European Union), Israel and the Arab World alike. Check out this news piece from Spanish Daily El País For Shame! Las ayudas prometidas a Gaza quedan en cero · ELPAÍS.com

Our esteemed governor Luis Fortuño said on Friday, May 1st in one of Puerto Rico's daily newspapers that everyone of us should alter our lifestyles to reality. This in anticipation of massive layoffs planned by the Commonwealth government as part of a plan of drastic spending cuts. I wonder if he reflects on his public declarations and how they affect the collective psyche of Puerto Ricans. He and his peers in the cabinet are imposing a massive fiscal overhaul when government investment is what is needed most. But lets assume that, in his infinite conservative wisdom, he and the hand-picked economists (that told him what he wanted to hear), and the members of the island's business community (whom he consulted, disregarding other important sectors like cooperatives and small and mid-size entrepreneurs) are right and the government is in no position to increase spending, what happened to politics being the art of the possible? When I say possible I don't mean get money where...

Check this newspiece from the New York Times on how our Mexican friends are being humiliated and stigmatized because of porcine flu. Sometimes, it takes a panic to bring out the true nature of others. The Mexican government is not amused, and with reason. Tell me what you think. Mexico Objects to Quarantines Over Swine Flu in China - NYTimes.com : "Even as Fears of Flu Ebb, Mexicans Feel Stigma"

One of the ugly sides of this new pandemic that beseech us. Check this article by French daily Le Monde on how Egyptian authorities are dealing with the pork farms on their country and how their measures are affecting one particular community: Chrisitian Copts. The measures are extreme, perhaps, but not unjustified. It is a health measure that would have gone a whole lot better if the Egyptian government would have opened a dialogue with the Copts. As it is unfolding right now, it has all the elements of ethnic and religious strife. Tell me what you think Grippe porcine : affrontements entre policiers et éleveurs de porcs au Caire LEMONDE.FR avec AFP 03.05.09 09:09 L'Egypte a annoncé son intention d'éradiquer le cheptel porcin du pays, une mesure jugée inutile par l'OMS. Accédez à l'intégralité de cet article sur Le Monde.fr : http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2009/05/03/grippe-porcine-affrontements-entre-policiers-et-eleveurs-de-porcs-au-caire_1188263_3244.html B...

A most interesting article by university professor Mark C. Taylor questioning the premises upon which academic freedom, and the tenure that is protected by it, is mounted. My friends in academia will find it most interesting. Tell me what you think. From The New York Times: OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR: End the University as We Know It By MARK C. TAYLOR If higher education is to thrive, colleges and universities, like Wall Street and Detroit, must be rigorously regulated and completely restructured.... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/opinion/27taylor.html Blogged from my iPhone

I've been brooding about this news piece by UK daily The Guardian , which reports on a Policy Paper by the US National Intelligence Council (NIC) that forebears bad news in future geopolitics. The United States, it says, will not be able to call the shots in an increasing multi-polar and unstable world. It will also prove most difficult for this nation to forge 'coalitions of the willing' in an environment where emerging nations like Brazil, India, and China will rise to higher political and economic status in spite of the United States. Disturbing indeed. However, there was a similar report similar report in the midst of G.W. Bush's election victory in 2004 where the world was, well, different. Quoting The Guardian 'it matched the mood of the times' Forgive me for saying so, these reports have a way of waking the skeptic in me. What's changed in the course of four years? Are these reports a reflection of the intelligence community's attitudes ...