The Armenians are a people of great antiquity — the first Armenian kingdom was in the 8th century B.C. — but they grew up in a tough neighborhood, and they have been in retreat for a very long time.
Continue reading Gwynne Dyer: Armenia in Trouble— USA to the Rescue??
Scientists warn invasive pests are taking a staggering toll on society
The authors of a major new U.N.-backed report say invasive species are costing the world more than $423 billion a year
By Dino Grandoni — September 4, 2023
Invasive pests are wreaking havoc across the planet, destroying crops, disseminating pathogens, depleting fish people rely on for food and driving native plants and animals toward extinction, according to a major report backed by the United Nations.
[COMMENT: Also from a report in my tiny back yard in Durham NC. . . .]
Continue reading The Invasion of the Invasives Is Here (Right In My Back Yard)
Lèse-majesté is the ‘crime’ of offending the dignity of the king, and these days it has gone out of fashion. In Britain, you can say anything you like about King Charles the Turd (as an Irish friend calls him), and no one turns a hair. But if you insult King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, you’re in deep trouble.
By Gwynne Dyer – September 4, 2023
Thailand’s Lèse-majesté law decrees specifies a jail term of up to fifteen years for insulting the king, and it is vigorously enforced. Every insult attracts a separate punishment, so the penalties pile up fast.
Continue reading A Dyer Twofer: Thailand’s Struggles & Pope Francis’ s Mixed History
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Seventy years after a CIA–orchestrated coup toppled Iran’s prime minister, its legacy remains both contentious and complicated for the Islamic Republic as tensions stay high with the United States.
While highlighted as a symbol of Western imperialism by Iran’s theocracy, the coup unseating Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh — over America’s fears about a possible tilt toward the Soviet Union and the loss of Iranian crude oil — appeared backed at the time by the country’s leading Shiite clergy.
Continue reading Iran Marks Anniversary of 1953 CIA-Backed Coup
