The Week: Most Recent from Harold Maass

Every 4.1 seconds someone becomes a refugee

By Harold Maass — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:03:00 -0400

The number of people around the world who have been forced to flee home due to war or some other life-threatening crisis hit a 19-year high in 2012, according to a new report by the United Nations' refugee office. In all, 45.2 million people have been displaced by conflict and crisis. "This means one in each 4.1 seconds," says Antonio Guterres, the U.N. high commissioner for refugees. "So each time you blink, another person is forced to flee." Here, a look at the extent of the global refugee epidemic, by the numbers:

28.8 million
Those among the world's 45.2 million refugees who have been internally...

Is it time to stop looking for Jimmy Hoffa?

By Harold Maass — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:04:00 -0400

Yet another hunt for Jimmy Hoffa's remains has turned out to be a bust. The FBI said Wednesday it was ending a three-day search after finding no trace of the former Teamster union leader — who disappeared in 1975 — at the site of a long-gone horse-farm barn where a tipster said Hoffa was buried.

The property outside Detroit — the city where Hoffa was kidnapped in a restaurant parking lot — came under scrutiny after Tony Zerilli, 85, the son of reputed former Detroit mob boss Joseph Zerilli, told investigators in January that Hoffa's captors had taken him to the barn, where...

Turkey's 'Standing Man': Can a lone protester change history?

By Harold Maass — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:55:00 -0400

You've surely seen the iconic image of an unidentified man who stared down a line of tanks in Tiananmen Square, and inspired pro-democracy demonstrators in China. Well, now Turkey's anti-government protesters have their own symbolic hero — Erdem Gunduz, also known as the "Standing Man."

Standing Man in Taksim. Silent protest. And loneliness... pic.twitter.com/Vxs4MfLvCH
— Elif Safak / Shafak (@Elif_Safak) June 19, 2013

Gunduz set out to stage a solo protest in Istanbul's Taksim Square, the birthplace of a nationwide movement opposing what activists see as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip...

10 things you need to know today: June 19, 2013

By Harold Maass — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:20:00 -0400

1. OBAMA LAUNCHES PUSH FOR NUCLEAR WARHEAD CUTS
President Obama, on his first visit to Berlin as president, plans to call for reducing America's deployed nuclear arsenal by one-third, provided Russia makes similar cuts. The move will renew disarmament goals Obama committed to early in his first term. His speech will be delivered at the Brandenburg Gate, once a key passage through the Berlin Wall and the backdrop then-president Ronald Reagan used in 1987 when he called on Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall." [Washington Post]
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Why Claire McCaskill is endorsing Hillary Clinton so early

By Harold Maass — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:44:00 -0400

Sen. Claire McCaskill has become the first lawmaker on Capitol Hill to publicly endorse Hillary Clinton for president in 2016. "It is important we start early," said McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat, in a statement posted at ReadyforHillary.com. "As I look at 2016 and think about who is best to lead this country forward, I’m proud to announce that I am Ready for Hillary."

McCaskill's support has come so early that she beat Clinton herself to the punch — the former secretary of State has yet to declare her intention to run. Indeed, even if Clinton jumps in the race, McCaskill's announcement...

Taliban peace talks: Finally, a breakthrough?

By Harold Maass — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:35:00 -0400

After twelve years of war, is Afghanistan finally on the road to peace?

Hope sprung anew on Tuesday, with Taliban leaders announcing that they are willing to enter direct peace negotiations with the Afghan government led by President Hamid Karzai. If the talks take place, they'll be the first tete-a-tete discussions between the two sides since a U.S.-led force ousted the Taliban from power in 2001.

The news came just as NATO formally handed over the lead on security to Afghan forces, a critical step ahead of a withdrawal of all foreign combat troops by the end of next year.

The first step &mdash...

The last telegram ever is about to be sent

By Harold Maass — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:58:00 -0400

On July 14, someone somewhere in India will tap out what is being called the world's last telegram. India's state-owned telecom company, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, has been holding out as other countries around the world retire their antiquated telegraph services. Now, after delaying the move for two years, the business operating what is considered to be the world's last telegraph service is finally ready to pull the plug, saying telegrams are no longer commercially viable in the age of digital communications.

India's telegram service had been upgraded in recent years — clerks now type...

10 things you need to know today: June 18, 2013

By Harold Maass — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:20:00 -0400

1. AFGHAN FORCES TAKE OVER SECURITY LEAD FROM NATO
Afghan forces formally took over the lead security role in their country from NATO on Tuesday. Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced the handover during a ceremony in Kabul. "You are the sons and guardians of this country," he told his troops, "and it is your responsibility to protect it." NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said foreign soldiers would now shift from spearheading combat to supporting Afghan units. "By the end of 2014," he said, "our combat mission will be completed." [CNN]
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Why the odds are against Chuck Schumer's Adderall crackdown

By Harold Maass — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:50:00 -0400

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is urging colleges to step up their efforts to stamp out "academic doping," in which students ingest stimulants commonly prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to cram for tests and complete their assignments. Studies suggest that as many as 30 percent of students on some campuses have used the drugs, such as Adderall and Ritalin, to stay awake and increase their focus during crunch time.

Schumer held a news conference Sunday to urge New York colleges and universities "to start being careful" about overprescribing the drugs, which have become...

Obama's sinking ratings: 3 reasons the White House should worry

By Harold Maass — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:26:00 -0400

President Obama's poll numbers plunged over the last month, as the White House faced a backlash over several controversies, including revelations about the National Security Agency's phone and online data-mining programs. A CNN/ORC International survey released Monday found that Obama's approval rating had dropped by eight percentage points to 45 percent, his lowest in 18 months.

The poll marked a first for Obama — one he won't relish — with half of respondents saying they didn't believe he was honest and trustworthy. Americans were split on the controversial NSA program that tracks...

A woman is kicked out of college for being a lesbian -- and she's stuck with the bill

By Harold Maass — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:40:00 -0400

Danielle Powell was expelled from Grace University, a conservative Christian school in Omaha, Neb., after she became romantically involved with another woman. That was in 2012, but Powell's fight with the school was just beginning. Now Grace administrators want her to pay back $6,000 in federal grants and loans for her final semester, because she didn't finish it.

Powell says she shouldn't have to pay the bill. She agreed to undergo months of counseling, spiritual training, and mentoring in the hope that the university would let her finish her final semester and graduate — but administrators...

10 things you need to know today: June 17, 2013

By Harold Maass — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:25:00 -0400

1. OBAMA ARRIVES AT G8 SUMMIT
President Obama arrives Monday in Northern Ireland for a two-day summit of the Group of Eight nations where Syria's civil war is expected to dominate his conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In their first face-to-face meeting in a year, Obama will try to persuade Putin to get his ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, to discuss a peace deal with rebels, but Putin has criticized the West in recent days for promising to send weapons to opposition forces. [Reuters]
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Nicaragua's logic-defying bid to rival the Panama Canal

By Harold Maass — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:25:00 -0400

Nicaraguan lawmakers have given their backing to a Hong Kong company's proposal to build a canal across their Central American nation, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Supporters in the National Assembly, which is controlled by President Daniel Ortega's Sandinista Front, hope the jobs and economic growth spurred by the project — along with the government's share of the profits — will lift the nation out of poverty, much the way the Panama Canal has proved a valuable source of revenue for Panama. But not everyone thinks the project is so sensible. Here, a brief guide:

What...

Is Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan finally relenting -- or preparing a bigger crackdown?

By Harold Maass — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:50:00 -0400

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised Friday to let a court decide the fate of his development plan for Istanbul's beloved Gezi Park, where a crackdown on a sit-in by environmental protesters set off nationwide anti-government demonstrations. "We wait for the legal procedure to end, and if after that there's need for a public vote, we'll go to the polls," Erdogan said after meeting with protesters and reaching a compromise.

That's the good news. The bad news is that Erdogan — whom the demonstrators criticize as increasingly authoritarian — also issued an ultimatum to...

Will arming rebels turn the tide of Syria's war?

By Harold Maass — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:58:00 -0400

President Obama has authorized the delivery of weapons to Syrian rebels after the U.S. concluded that government forces had indeed used illegal chemical weapons, which Obama had described as a "red line."

The rebels have faced a run of stinging setbacks recently. First, they lost the strategically important city of Qusayr on the Lebanese border, after thousands of Hezbollah militants from Lebanon poured in to assist Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Now, the Syrian military is launching an offensive against another rebel stronghold, Aleppo.

Will U.S. weapons help the rebels turn the...

10 things you need to know today: June 14, 2013

By Harold Maass — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:15:00 -0400

1. OBAMA APPROVES ARMING REBELS
The U.S. has concluded that the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons against rebels, something President Obama has called a "red line." As a result, Obama authorized supplying opposition fighters with weapons for the first time. Last year, then-CIA Director David Petraeus recommended arming the rebels, but Obama was reluctant to wade into another Middle East war. Some diplomats say the U.S. is also considering imposing a limited no-fly zone near the Syria-Jordan border. [New York Times, Reuters]
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