Economy

Biodiesel's Mixed Blessings

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Biodiesel shows promise as an alternative fuel, but it presents substantial challenges to produce locally, efficiently, and in quantities to keep prices down and sustain a budding industry. Hawaii’s main electric companies have committed to using biodiesel in energy production by 2009, but are under pressure to make sure the soybean oil is locally grown to avoid driving clearcuts in Indonesia for soybean plantations, reports the Honolulu Star Bulletin. The Associated Press notes six organic farmers in California’s Santa Cruz county are also taking a local approach, growing mustard seed instead of soybeans to fill school buses, tractors and three local biodiesel fueling stations. Most of the soybeans would otherwise be grown in the Midwest and processed outside the state — not a very efficient use of energy. The high cost of producing and transporting biodiesel and its components remains one of the technology’s biggest problems.
Dozens of new soybean processing plants are popping up across the Midwest, and provide jobs with benefits in economically depressed areas.

World

Zimbabwe: The Toll of Fake AIDS Drugs

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A growing number of Zimbabweans infected with HIV are being sold counterfeit or contaminated anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) at non-approved dispensaries such as flea markets and hair salons, according to IRIN, the United Nations news service. With the health system in collapse and medication in short supply, only a fraction of Zimbabwe’s estimated 300,000 patients in need to ARVs have access to real medication. Most cannot afford to pay private-sector prices for the drugs, while government-subsidized programs cannot handle the demand. Trade groups blame the government for a lack of internal controls and for not going after the counterfeiters, while unlicensed “doctors” perform illegal surgeries and then sell patients counterfeit drugs, often with fatal consequences. Source:
“ZIMBABWE: Fake ARVs threaten lives”
IRIN (United Nations), August 24, 2007

World

Hungarian Militia Casts a Fascist Shadow

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Hungary’s Jewish community sees frightening precedent in the recent creation of the Magyar Garda (Hungarian Guard) by the far-right party Jobbik this week. The Guard, a paramilitary group with the avowed goal of providing “physical, mental and spiritual training to help maintain public order, preserve Hungarian culture and defend the nation in extraordinary situations,” has uniforms and a coat of arms similar to that of Hungary’s Nazi-aligned Arrow Cross party that coordinated efforts to send Jews to concentration camps during World War II. The creation of the Guard sparked counter-demonstrations and condemnation by Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany, who called them “Hungary’s shame.” Jobbik has no seats in Parliament, but its candidates competed widely in the last election, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Source:
“Extreme-right party swears in first members of militia”
Deutsche Presse-Agentur, August 26, 2007

World

Pakistan: Unregulated Donations Fund Terror

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Black-market money transfers in Pakistan, known as Hawala, are done verbally, leave no paper trail, and fund much of the Islamist violence in northern Pakistan; Osama bin Laden used it to fund his terror operations, according to the 9/11 Commission. U.S. officials are frustrated with the Pakistani government for not cracking down on the practice, which thrives in tribal areas under Taliban command. Although some money transfers are legit, like wage remittances, much is disguised as zakat, a Muslim charity tax, that funds the work of Muslim mosques, madrassas and militias. Wealthy donors who feel a religious obligation to give to charities and “don’t think too hard about where it goes,” one U.S. expert told the Guardian. Trying to regulate zakat is “impossible,” he adds.

Democracy & Civics

Mexico's Drug War Crosses Borders

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Driven by America’s insatiable appetite for cocaine, marijuana and other narcotics, Mexican drug cartels have increasingly transformed U.S. border towns into scenes of violence, kidnappings and corruption, reports the Los Angeles Times. The El Paso Times reports that drug cartels are increasingly recruiting U.S. citizens to their networks, including Horizon High School students in El Paso who were recently busted for driving Mexican drugs to Oklahoma City. According to the Dallas Morning News, U.S. narcotics officials are well aware of the problem, and last week rounded up 30 key Mexican Gulf Cartel operatives that were selling cocaine and marijuana at key points throughout Texas. One key Gulf Cartel leader, Miguel Trevino Morales, a hit man in charge of fending off any competition in and around Nuevo Laredo, has so far evaded the grasp of both Texan and Mexican officials. Oddly, Morales is listed as “wanted” only by the Laredo police, and not by the DEA or other national-scale agency, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

Democracy & Civics

A Neo-Nazi Resurgence Tests Speech Limits

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From a grisly “execution” video to clashes over protest rallies, officials and ideologues tread dangerous ground as neo-Nazi activists seek to push their agenda in Europe and the United States. In Russia, a student was arrested for posting a video that appears to document the execution-style beheading and shooting of two purported Central Asian immigrants. The Guardian reports that racist and neo-Nazi crimes in Russia are up 22 percent compared to last year. Previous incidents there include an assault on an environmentalist camp that left one person dead and nine injured. Germany remains intolerant of neo-Nazi activity, and banned a march memorializing Rudolph Hess, the Third Reich’s second-in- command, who committed suicide in prison in 1987.

Democracy & Civics

The Gospel of Intolerance

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Whether it’s Jews against Christian, Christians against Muslims, or Iraqi sects against each other, religious intolerance is thriving, sometimes with deadly results. The Yedizi community, an ancient minority Kurdish ethnic- religious group in Iraq, faces near-annihilation following a coordinated carpet bombing attack carried out by al-Qaeda operatives last week in the Sinjar district west of Mosul. The Yedizis, who were heavily persecuted under the regime of Saddam Hussein, have endured other attacks in recent months. Yedizi leaders are now contemplating bringing disparate Yedizi settlement together under Kurdish tribal lands for safety. Dutch Minister Geert Wilders made headlines last week when he wrote an editorial calling for a ban on the Koran, which he called a “fascist” text that exhorts violence.

Democracy & Civics

Hate Crimes and the Homeless

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Violent street attacks on the homeless have multiplied across America in recent years, prompting lawmakers in six states, including California, to introduce legislation that would label such attacks hate crimes and punish people accordingly. According to a 2006 report from the National Coalition for the Homeless, the number of rapes, beatings and murders has jumped to 142 attacks countrywide from 36 such assaults recorded in 2002. The report points out that most homeless attacks are likely to go unreported. As for the perpetrators, crime statistics point squarely to middle-class males of European descent, typically in their teens. Those who oppose including protection for the homeless under hate crimes legislation say that unlike race or gender, being homeless is sometimes a choice.

World

The Atrocity Illustrations

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An advocacy group called Waging Peace wants to submit “evidence” of crimes against humanity witnessed by Sudanese children who say Arabic Janjaweed militants, backed by government troops, killed their families and torched their villages in Darfur. A group of child refugees drew pictures when asked to describe the atrocities their witnessed. Arguing that children’s memories are more reliable than evidence provided by the Sudanese government, the group now wants to submit 500 drawings to the International Criminal Court as it prosecutes Sudanese war criminals. Lawyers for the ICC say using the drawings could present problems, especially if questions come up regarding the activists’ influence over the children. They also expressed concern about forcing the children and their surviving relatives to undergo harsh cross-examination on the stand.

World

Ten Chapters to Jihad

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A military manual put together by Taliban militants and clerics shows how organized the group really is, and underlines its geographic power base along the southern Pakistani border. The 10-chapter “Military Teachings for the Preparation of Mujahedeen” is a how-to manual that details everything from constructing explosives and how to target heavy vehicles to techniques for blowing up bridges and power lines. It also encourages students to join the Taliban without the consent of their parents. The Telegraph reports that the manual has already been delivered to Taliban militants in Pakistan. Experts say it has the potential to fall into the hands of pro-Taliban ethnic Pashtun tribes along the border who also oppose the occupation.