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Schumer Backs Open Primaries -- New York Senator Chuck Schumer has taken to the pages of the New York Times to propose a significant change to the way America selects its political leadership. He has backed the idea of an open primary rather than party-specific primaries. In other words, every candidate competes in a single primary with the top two finishers going head-to-head in the general election. It solves a few problems, but it won't really fix America's broken political system because it isn't radical enough. [23 July]
Governor Perry Grandstands with 1,000 National Guardsmen at Border -- Governor Rick Perry has decided to make a play for the hearts and minds of American nativists by calling up 1,000 National Guardsmen to "protect the border" his state of Texas has with Mexico. This can only be an electoral ploy because it is both excessive and insufficient. The use of military assets to prevent people crossing the border makes Texas look like East Germany, and that is hardly a positive. By the same token, 1,000 troops can't do much along a 1,200-mile-long border. [22 July]
Carlos Slim Calls for 11-Hour Day, 3-Day Work Week -- Carlos Slim is the second richest man in the world thanks to his strangle hold on Mexico's mobile phone market and a generally good sense for turning a profit. At a business conference called "Growing Together -- States and Enterprises," held in Asuncion, Paraguay, he called for a 3-day work week composed of 10- or 11-hour work days. He also called for postponing retirement until a worker is in his or her 70s. Both are ideas worth further discussion. [11 July]
Malaysian Airliner Shot Down over Rebel-Held Ukraine -- Russia's stealth war against Ukraine took an evil turn yesterday when a Malaysian Airlines 777 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. The evidence proves almost to metaphysical certitude that the Russian-backed agitators of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts pulled the trigger, mistakenly. Now that non-Russians and non-Ukrainians are dying, there is a new dimension to this conflict. This gives everyone a chance to step back from the brink, but one doubts that such wisdom will prevail. [18 July]
UAE Announces Unmanned Mars Mission for 2021 -- The United Arab Emirates made a bid yesterday to become ninth country to have space-faring capabilities with the announcement of an unmanned mission to Mars in 2021. In addition, the UAE has announced the establishment of its own space agency, which will report directly to the cabinet. It's much better news out of that part of the world than the five-hour ceasefire in Gaza that Hamas violated within 2 hours. [17 July]
Copyright 2014 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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