lock Hamilton blocked from novelty helmet change By en.espnf1.com Published On :: Fri, 27 Mar 2015 07:48:51 GMT Lewis Hamilton appears to be the first victim of the FIA's controversial helmet ban after being blocked from wearing a novelty lid in Malaysia Full Article
lock Dealing with coronavirus: A not-so-serious take on surviving the lockdown By www.thenewsminute.com Published On :: Thu, 26 Mar 2020 08:09:07 +0000 CoronavirusDo all the things you always wished you had the time to do, like working on a script that will be picked up by Leonardo DiCaprio or perfecting the pincha mayurasana.Anuja ChandramouliPixabayCorona or not, it sucks to be cooped up like chickens with our loved ones without the comfortable distance required to make the heart grow fonder. In a bid to do my part to save the world from this crippling pandemic without actually moving my backside for fear of stepping over the Lakshman Rekha, I decided to draw up a survival guide of Dos and Don’ts to weather the tsunami of trouble stirred up by this nasty critter. Trust me, preliminary studies conducted by the reputed folks at WhatsApp University have confirmed their efficacy beyond a shadow of doubt. The first step is to make soap and water your most intimate acquaintances. They have proven themselves good friends to humanity long before diamonds and dogs usurped their rightful spot and will continue to prove their worth long after corona has shrunk back into the bowels of hell from which it has erupted like a particularly foul effluent. It would also help if one were to make personal hygiene a priority and public hygiene an even bigger one if only as a preventive measure against the spread of communicable diseases and related hazards that could prove to have epic stakes in the survival game. Roughly translated, that means not ever dumping your trash outside the sparkling interiors of your home into the streets, using the great outdoors as a spittoon or latrine, defacing public property by scratching your lover’s name, throwing up pornographic sketches on every available surface or blowing your nose and allowing the discharge to fly every which way. Steer clear of social media if you value your sanity or at least use it in moderation especially if you lack the balancing power of a monkey on stilts to take the better while leaving out the bitter, barf – inducing garbage out there. Ever since some wiseacre got word out that democracy works best when your voice is heard out loud, people have been screaming themselves hoarse to make sure that their endless torrent of nonsense is amplified to the furthest reaches of the internet, bolstered by twitchy fingers compulsively hitting like and share in the desperate hope that they will be rewarded in kind. Therefore we have internet idiots and savants with interchangeable attributes raving and ranting fit to burst. The insufferably self-righteous and superior types tend to drip scorn for everyone and everything from the admitted showmanship of the supreme leader and inadequacy of the ruling party to the extreme foolishness of the folks who tentatively stepped out of their homes to find a bite to eat or medicine for an ailing grandmother only to be sneakily photographed or recorded so that they may be viciously trolled, endlessly abused and publicly shamed for putting millions at risk. Then there are the fanatical religious nuts who swear that India need not be subjected to a lockdown because Indians practise the downward facing dog regularly on their balconies with their rear ends strategically raised towards the benign sun which unleashes the Kundalini Shakti with all its serpentine strength which is more than sufficient to slay corona, sharona and whatever else have you or something equally ludicrous about the virus killing power of pots and pans banged in unison. Relatively innocuous Instagram must also be avoided at all costs too. According to the illustrious professors of WhatsApp University, those pretty pictures have great envy-inducing powers which can corrupt the best and brightest till they are reduced to gibbering, glass-eyed cyber stalkers who can spend years staring at pics and videos of Janhvi Kapoor sexily pretending to eat a slice of pizza, giving her puppy a bath or showing you the correct technique for applying lipstick to the exclusion of all things useful or worthy. Avoid fake news like the plague. Fear and panic cause a lot more damage than pandemics. Be sure to verify the credentials and reliability of all purveyors of information and check the facts. Even if you can’t be bothered, be sure to think thrice before you join hands with the mob to tear apart the hapless medical personnel getting off a gruelling nightshift because they are suspected to be carriers of COVID-16 (or is it COVID-17?). And believing self-proclaimed experts who have declared that the only country in the world that is currently corona free is Kailasa and you are considering applying for permanent citizenship under the benevolent rule of HDH Nithyananda even if you run a far higher risk of contracting HIV, do yourself a favour and check yourself into the nearest hospital for a lobotomy. While many endorse vegetating in front of Netflix, it is advisable to take time out to work out, read a book, cook a meal, take the dog for a walk, play with the kids or teach them something useful that does not involve staring at a screen, converse with the spouse about something other than whose turn it is to do the dishes or swab the floors and do whatever it takes to tough things out as long as it is legal and non-fattening. Do all the things you always wished you had the time to do, even if it is something impracticable like working on a script that will be picked up by Leonardo DiCaprio at an exorbitant price or perfecting the pincha mayurasana in the hopes that a video of you executing the same or at least the blooper version will go viral on the internet. If you are inclined to feel that this survival guide is lacking in scientific detail, didn’t once mention social distancing, testing, gaumutra, masks, sanitiser and is somewhat on the rambling side not unlike the supreme leader’s impassioned addresses to the nation, allow me to stress that if the buzz on WhatsApp is to be believed I am a shoo-in for the Noble Prize thanks to this priceless contribution towards the greater good, entirely free of cost. If that doesn’t convince you to take every word put down here as the gospel truth which deserves to be liked and shared till it has spread to the furthest corners of civilized society like a contagion, I don’t know what will. Body 2: Full Article
lock Liuzzi penalised five grid positions for blocking By en.espnf1.com Published On :: Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:53:28 GMT Tonio Liuzzi has been slapped with a five-place grid penalty for impeding Nico Hulkenberg, meaning the Force India driver will start the British Grand Prix from 20th Full Article
lock Turning back the Poverty Clock: How will COVID-19 impact the world’s poorest people? By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 16:43:10 +0000 The release of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook provides an initial country-by-country assessment of what might happen to the world economy in 2020 and 2021. Using the methods described in the World Poverty Clock, we ask what will happen to the number of poor people in the world—those living in households with less than $1.90… Full Article
lock Exit from coronavirus lockdowns – lessons from 6 countries By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 08:05:54 +0000 Full Article
lock Exit from coronavirus lockdowns – lessons from 6 countries By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 08:05:54 +0000 Full Article
lock Anti-money laundering rules: An emergency assistance roadblock By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 08 Apr 2020 07:00:42 +0000 While America’s 30 million small businesses are fighting for their lives against the COVID-19 recession, emergency assistance is facing a roadblock: anti-money laundering (AML) rules. Unless Treasury changes this system, which it can, it will cost American businesses and banks billions of dollars, slow down funds when time is of the essence for keeping Americans… Full Article
lock Democracy in Hong Kong: Might 'none-of-these-candidates' break the deadlock? By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Mon, 09 Feb 2015 00:00:00 -0500 Midway through Hong Kong’s second public consultation on the method of electing the next chief executive (CE), both pro-democracy “pan-democrat” legislators and the Hong Kong government and Chinese Central government are still holding their cards close. Following the current public consultation, members of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (LegCo) will cast an historic vote on political reform. Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, states that “the ultimate aim is the selection of the CE by universal suffrage upon nomination by a broadly representative nominating committee in accordance with democratic procedures” (Basic Law Art. 45). Pan-democrat LegCo members currently plan to vote against the eventual resolution on political reform, given their dissatisfaction with the reform process to date. Observers predict that passage of a resolution will happen only if the Hong Kong and Central governments can swing a few pan-democrats over to their side in the final hour. The problem is a prickly one: Is it possible to design an electoral system that is sufficiently open and democratic in the eyes of the Hong Kong people and, at the same time, that guarantees to the Central Government that the elected leader of this special administrative region accepts the supremacy of the Chinese Communist Party? Even as politicians on each side reiterate the near “impossibility” of changing their positions (see e.g., RTHK Backchat discussion with Justice Secretary Rimsky Yuen at 4:25), thought-leaders from Hong Kong’s universities are inventing creative proposals with the potential to break the deadlock. The Ground Rules A 2004 decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC), China’s national legislature, interpreted the Basic Law to require a “Five-Step Process” in order to amend the selection method for the CE. Hong Kong is now between Steps 2 and 3. Step 1: The current CE must submit a report to the NPCSC on the need to amend the electoral system. That submission took place on July 15, 2014 after a five-month initial public consultation process. The CE’s report faced heavy criticism in Hong Kong for not accurately reflecting public opinion. Step 2: The NPCSC must issue a decision affirming the need for the amendment. The NPCSC announced that decision on August 31, 2014. It endorsed a system by which citizens may directly vote for the CE but imposed restrictive conditions on the nomination procedure of eligible candidates. The decision triggered 79 days of protest and civil disobedience – what activists and the media have referred to as the “Umbrella Movement.” Step 3: The Hong Kong government must introduce the political reform bill in LegCo, and two-thirds of legislators must endorse it. The vote in LegCo is scheduled to take place during the first half of 2015, although a precise date has not been set. The purpose of the second-round public consultation is to forge consensus behind political reform within the parameters set out in the August 31 NPCSC decision. Steps 4 and 5: In the event that LegCo endorses the bill, the CE must provide his consent and report the amendment to the NPCSC for its final approval. If the bill does not receive two-thirds endorsement of LegCo (or if it does, but the NPCSC does not approve) then political reform would fail. Hong Kong would be left with the status quo, and Hong Kong people would lose the opportunity to vote for their chief executive for at least the next seven years. Limited Room for Negotiation The terms set out by the August 31 NPCSC decision limit the range of possible political reform options. For that reason, one of the core demands of the Umbrella Movement was to scrap the decision and re-start the Five-Step Process; that didn’t happen, however. In January 2015, the Hong Kong government issued a public consultation document framing the discussion in the lead up to the vote in LegCo. The consultation document hews closely to the NPCSC decision: The Nominating Committee (NC) will resemble the previous committee that elected the CE with the same number of members (1,200) belonging to the same limited number of subsectors (38). The Wall Street Journal recently described that committee as “a hodgepodge of special interests.” During the consultation, citizens may discuss adding new subsectors to make the committee more inclusive and representative (such as adding new subsectors to represent the interests of women or young voters), but restructuring will necessarily mean disrupting and eliminating the positions of existing subsectors or committee members. Therefore, the consultation document suggests these changes are unlikely to be achieved (Consultation Document, Chapter 3, Sec. 3.08 p. 10). The NC will nominate two to three candidates, and each candidate will require endorsement from at least half of the NC membership. (Given the difficulty of restructuring the subsectors or their electoral bases, these terms would effectively exclude any pan-democrats from nomination.) In order to make this more palatable, the consultation document proposes that citizens discuss a two-stage nomination process. In the first stage, a quorum of 100-150 committee members would “recommend” individuals for nomination. The committee would then elect the nominees from this recommended group (Consultation Document, Chapter 4, Sec. 4.09 p. 14). In theory, the meetings when recommendation and nomination votes take place could be staggered in order to allow campaigning and public debate. The idea is that NC members would take public opinion into consideration before casting their second vote. On the voting arrangements, citizens may discuss a “first-past-the-post” arrangement with either a single-round, two-round, or instant runoff vote systems (Consultation Document, Chapter 5, Sec. 5.06 p. 17-19). Both sides in this negotiation have fired shots across the bow. At the launch of the second public consultation on January 7, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam remarked, “there is no room for any concessions or promises to be made in order to win over support from the pan-democratic members.” For their part, the pan-democrats vowed to boycott the public consultation and veto a resolution that conforms to these terms. They argue that the proposed method of electing the chief executive does not improve upon the status quo. Most pan-democrat legislators are directly elected from geographical constituencies, and public opinion could provide legitimate grounds for shifting their position. According to polling by the Hong Kong University Public Opinion Programme last month, a plurality of respondents view the Hong Kong government’s proposal as neither a step forward nor a step backward for democracy. If the government were to commit to making the electoral system more democratic in the next CE election in 2022, a clear majority of respondents would then support the government’s plan. Inventing Options and Finding Common Ground The two-stage nomination mechanism in the government’s proposal is an acknowledgement that the NC ought to be responsive to public opinion. But without additional tinkering, this procedure does not materially change the incentives of NC members. What if the public had the power to reject the slate of candidates nominated by the committee? Since the first public consultation, a few academics, including Simon Young at Hong Kong University (HKU), have considered at least two ways this could happen. An “active” approach would allow Hong Kong voters to cast blank votes and require a minimum percentage of affirmative votes for the winning candidate. A “passive” approach would require a minimum voter turnout rate for a valid election. NC members might then have to take public opinion into account. Early last month, Albert Chen, also a professor at HKU and a legal advisor of the NPCSC, began to advocate publicly for a proposal that employs a ballot with a none-of-these-candidates option (see RTHK Jan. 13 edition of The Pulse). Under his proposal, if a majority of people vote for “none-of-these-candidates,” the slate of candidates put forward by the NC will be voided. When the public votes down the candidates, the NC could revert back to an election committee and choose a provisional CE. Alternatively, the Chief Secretary could assume CE duties during a six-month interim period prior to a new election (drawing upon Basic Law Art. 53). Chen argues that his proposal would give the Hong Kong people—not pan-democrat politicians—decision-making power to accept the new NC and its slate of candidates or to revert back to the status quo. More recently, Johannes Chan, HKU professor and human rights advocate, floated a competing proposal that would provide voters with the option for negative voting. A 20 percent “no” vote for an otherwise leading candidate would trigger a re-vote. Between the first and second elections, the candidates would have additional time to campaign. If after the second election, still 20 percent of voters oppose the leading candidate, the candidate would be disqualified, and the NC would nominate new candidates. Given Hong Kong’s governance problems and increasing public polarization, the 20 percent veto ensures that no CE will be saddled with a substantial block of Hong Kong society affirmatively opposed to him or her from day one. Albert Chen’s proposal received a tepid if supportive response in pro-Beijing quarters. Jasper Tsang, the Speaker of LegCo and member of the largest pro-establishment political party, and Rita Fan, a member of the NPCSC, affirmed their view that the none-of-these-candidates mechanism does not violate the Basic Law. While the government’s consultation document does not expressly mention the none-of-these-candidates concept, Hong Kong’s Justice Secretary indicated that the proposal should be considered. Starry Lee, another leader of the biggest pro-establishment party in LegCo, countered that technical difficulties and limited time for discussion would pose obstacles to the none-of-these-candidates ballot proposal. Pan-democrats so far have tended to rebuff government overtures to engage on the topic. A few legislators, such as the Civic Party’s Ronny Tong, have been willing to engage (with Albert Chen on the Jan. 13 edition of The Pulse) but have reservations about what happens after a voided election, and feel that the threshold for public veto is too high. Law Chi-kwong, a founding member of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party and also a member of the HKU faculty, suggested that the winning candidate ought to receive an absolute majority of votes with blank votes counted. (E.g., when one candidate receives 45 percent, another receives 35 percent, and none-of-these-candidates receives 20 percent, that would lead to a void election.) However, other scholars associated with the Democratic Party have distanced themselves from the blank vote debate and Law’s statements. The Merits of Blank Voting The debate over blank and negative voting in Hong Kong unfolds in a global context where none-of-these-candidates has become an increasingly common political choice. Several democracies have institutionalized the practice. Proponents cite instrumental rationales, such as improved accountability and transparency. However, these benefits are not necessarily guaranteed. More broadly, people recognize the inherent value of the “no” vote as a form of political expression. In the U.S. state of Nevada, for example, a none-of-these-candidates option has appeared on the ballot for all statewide and national elections since 1975. During the 2012 presidential cycle, the Secretary of State of Nevada argued that removing a none-of-these-candidates option would harm Nevada voters by taking away a “legitimate and meaningful ballot choice.” There is precedent for none-of-these-candidates winning a plurality of votes in a congressional primary; in that case, Republican Walden Earnhart finished behind the none-of-these-candidates option but still “won” the primary and got the nomination. More typically, the ballot option plays a “spoiler role.” In the 1998 Senate race, for example, 8,125 votes for none-of-these-candidates dwarfed the 395-vote margin between Harry Reid and John Ensign. This allowed Reid, the incumbent, to be re-elected. It is hard to find examples where none-of-these-candidates has won a majority of the popular vote. Hong Kong’s pan-democrats may be right to question whether this possibility would meaningfully affect the calculus of the NC. Colombia is one of the few jurisdictions where blank votes can have institutional consequences. The right of citizens to cast a blank vote was established by the Colombian Constitution in 1991, and later codified in political reform statutes in 2003 and 2009. Similar to Albert Chen’s proposal in Hong Kong, if the number of blank votes equals a majority of the total number of votes cast, the election must be repeated. The original candidates cannot participate in the second election. The Colombian experience suggests that the blank vote is more consequential in races with fewer candidates. Colombian voters have never nullified a slate of candidates at the national-level, where the field is crowded. In the city of Bello, however, the blank vote won the mayoral election in 2011. In that case, the electoral authority disqualified the one opposition candidate. This led to a one-man race and united all opposition forces around the blank vote in order to reject the establishment Conservative Party candidate. In the second round election, the replacement Conservative Party candidate (Carlos Alirio Muñoz López) won 59 percent of the vote. In the end, his party benefited with a resounding popular mandate. By this logic, the blank vote could matter in the two- to three-candidate race contemplated for Hong Kong. Empirical evidence also suggests that local conditions in Hong Kong could support a relatively high turnout for none-of-these-candidates. Based on data from Spain and Italy, Chiara Superti at Harvard finds that blank voting is a sophisticated political choice, more likely to take place in municipalities with highly educated and politically engaged electorates. Hong Kong would qualify. Beyond candidate selection, voting is a highly expressive act. A citizen’s vote is an expression of identity as well as a channel for protest. Echoing this view, the Supreme Court of India recently held that the country’s constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and expression confer on Indian citizens a right to reject all candidates and to exercise their right to affirmatively vote for none-of-these-candidates in secrecy. As a people who define themselves by “core values,” including freedom of expression, this resonates with Hongkongers. More fundamentally, the ballot serves a powerful safety-valve function. At the time universal suffrage was introduced in England and France, the vote was presented as a way to channel political turmoil into more moderate political expression—and this, too, resonates in Hong Kong today. Views expressed in the article are the author's personal views. Authors David Caragliano Image Source: Reuters Full Article
lock Turning back the Poverty Clock: How will COVID-19 impact the world’s poorest people? By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 16:43:10 +0000 The release of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook provides an initial country-by-country assessment of what might happen to the world economy in 2020 and 2021. Using the methods described in the World Poverty Clock, we ask what will happen to the number of poor people in the world—those living in households with less than $1.90… Full Article
lock Local elections could help unlock Palestinian political paralysis By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Tue, 26 Jul 2016 08:00:00 -0400 Last month’s decision by the Palestinian Authority to schedule municipal elections in early October hardly registered in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, much less here in Washington. In light of Hamas’ recent decision to take part in the process, however, those elections have suddenly taken on new meaning. While the election of some 414 village, town, and city councils across the West Bank and Gaza Strip will not change the face of the Palestinian leadership or alter the diplomatic impasse with Israel, local elections have the potential to unlock the current paralysis within Palestinian politics. Although Palestinian law calls for local elections to take place every four years, they have only been held twice since the creation of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 1993, only one of which could be deemed genuinely competitive. The first and only local elections to take place in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip were held in 2004-05, in which Hamas—in its first foray into electoral politics—made major gains. Local elections were again held in 2012, although this time Hamas boycotted the process, preventing the vote from taking place in Gaza and allowing Fatah to declare a sweeping, if somewhat hollow, victory. Hamas’ decision to take part in this year’s local elections was therefore something of a surprise. Indeed, Hamas initially expressed dismay at the announcement, accusing the leadership in Ramallah of acting without consulting the other parties. Moreover, should the elections proceed as planned on October 8, they would be the first competitive electoral contest in the occupied territories since Hamas defeated Mahmoud Abbas’s ruling Fatah faction in the 2006 legislative election. Those elections triggered an international boycott of the PA which eventually led to the split between Fatah and Hamas and the current political paralysis. If nothing else, Hamas’ entry into the elections averts another needless internal crisis in Palestinian politics. A boycott by Hamas would likely have further entrenched the political and geographic division between the Fatah-dominated West Bank and Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, while dealing yet another blow to the beleaguered National Consensus Government, which despite being accepted by both factions in April 2014 has yet to physically return to Gaza. Movement on the reconciliation track could also help push the long-stalled reconstruction of Gaza, which has yet to recover from the devastating war of 2014. Hamas has little to lose from participating in an election that is unlikely to significantly alter the political landscape one way or the other...[and Fatah] has little to gain from “winning” another electoral process that is largely uncontested. What explains Hamas’ apparent change of heart? For one, Hamas may believe it has an advantage over Fatah, which continues to suffer from widespread perceptions of corruption and incompetence—a perception reinforced by the collapse of the peace process as well as the unprecedented unpopularity of President Abbas. Hamas may also view the upcoming vote as a way to gauge its current standing and future prospects in anticipation of long-awaited legislative and presidential elections. Either way, Hamas has little to lose from participating in an election that is unlikely to significantly alter the political landscape one way or the other. Hamas’ decision to participate in the elections is welcome news for Palestinian voters eager to see the return of competitive elections and a revival of political life after years of stagnation. It even helps Fatah, which has little to gain from “winning” another electoral process that is largely uncontested. More important, as the party that lost both parliamentary elections and a civil war in 2006-07 and that remains the chief proponent of a failed process, Fatah desperately needs a political victory of some kind as well as a basis on which to stake its claim to legitimacy and continued grip on power. That said, it is important not to overstate the significance of local elections, which in the end will do nothing to address the deeper problems facing Palestinians in the occupied territories, whether from Israel’s continued occupation and its ever-expanding settlement enterprise or the ongoing political dysfunction within their own ranks. On the other hand, the prospect of the first competitive Palestinian elections in a decade represents a small but significant ripple in the otherwise stagnant waters of Palestinian politics. Authors Khaled Elgindy Full Article
lock How to think about the lockdown decision in Latin America By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 02 Apr 2020 15:31:02 +0000 Full Article
lock Sovereignty as responsibility: Building block for R2P By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 Roberta Cohen and Francis M. Deng write on sovereignty and responsibility as the building block for R2P in the "The Oxford Handbook of the Responsibility to Protect." Full Article
lock Turning back the Poverty Clock: How will COVID-19 impact the world’s poorest people? By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 16:43:10 +0000 The release of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook provides an initial country-by-country assessment of what might happen to the world economy in 2020 and 2021. Using the methods described in the World Poverty Clock, we ask what will happen to the number of poor people in the world—those living in households with less than $1.90… Full Article
lock Turning back the Poverty Clock: How will COVID-19 impact the world’s poorest people? By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 16:43:10 +0000 The release of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook provides an initial country-by-country assessment of what might happen to the world economy in 2020 and 2021. Using the methods described in the World Poverty Clock, we ask what will happen to the number of poor people in the world—those living in households with less than $1.90… Full Article
lock Turning back the Poverty Clock: How will COVID-19 impact the world’s poorest people? By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 16:43:10 +0000 The release of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook provides an initial country-by-country assessment of what might happen to the world economy in 2020 and 2021. Using the methods described in the World Poverty Clock, we ask what will happen to the number of poor people in the world—those living in households with less than $1.90… Full Article
lock Unlocking housing wealth for older Americans: Strategies to improve reverse mortgages By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Mon, 28 Oct 2019 13:00:34 +0000 Housing wealth is a largely untapped resource that can help older adults supplement their incomes and buffer financial shocks in retirement. According to the 2016 Survey of Consumer Finances, more than 6 million homeowners age 62 and older in the U.S. have less than $10,000 in non-housing financial wealth but have at least $20,000 in… Full Article
lock Local elections could help unlock Palestinian political paralysis By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Tue, 26 Jul 2016 08:00:00 -0400 Last month’s decision by the Palestinian Authority to schedule municipal elections in early October hardly registered in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, much less here in Washington. In light of Hamas’ recent decision to take part in the process, however, those elections have suddenly taken on new meaning. While the election of some 414 village, town, and city councils across the West Bank and Gaza Strip will not change the face of the Palestinian leadership or alter the diplomatic impasse with Israel, local elections have the potential to unlock the current paralysis within Palestinian politics. Although Palestinian law calls for local elections to take place every four years, they have only been held twice since the creation of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 1993, only one of which could be deemed genuinely competitive. The first and only local elections to take place in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip were held in 2004-05, in which Hamas—in its first foray into electoral politics—made major gains. Local elections were again held in 2012, although this time Hamas boycotted the process, preventing the vote from taking place in Gaza and allowing Fatah to declare a sweeping, if somewhat hollow, victory. Hamas’ decision to take part in this year’s local elections was therefore something of a surprise. Indeed, Hamas initially expressed dismay at the announcement, accusing the leadership in Ramallah of acting without consulting the other parties. Moreover, should the elections proceed as planned on October 8, they would be the first competitive electoral contest in the occupied territories since Hamas defeated Mahmoud Abbas’s ruling Fatah faction in the 2006 legislative election. Those elections triggered an international boycott of the PA which eventually led to the split between Fatah and Hamas and the current political paralysis. If nothing else, Hamas’ entry into the elections averts another needless internal crisis in Palestinian politics. A boycott by Hamas would likely have further entrenched the political and geographic division between the Fatah-dominated West Bank and Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, while dealing yet another blow to the beleaguered National Consensus Government, which despite being accepted by both factions in April 2014 has yet to physically return to Gaza. Movement on the reconciliation track could also help push the long-stalled reconstruction of Gaza, which has yet to recover from the devastating war of 2014. Hamas has little to lose from participating in an election that is unlikely to significantly alter the political landscape one way or the other...[and Fatah] has little to gain from “winning” another electoral process that is largely uncontested. What explains Hamas’ apparent change of heart? For one, Hamas may believe it has an advantage over Fatah, which continues to suffer from widespread perceptions of corruption and incompetence—a perception reinforced by the collapse of the peace process as well as the unprecedented unpopularity of President Abbas. Hamas may also view the upcoming vote as a way to gauge its current standing and future prospects in anticipation of long-awaited legislative and presidential elections. Either way, Hamas has little to lose from participating in an election that is unlikely to significantly alter the political landscape one way or the other. Hamas’ decision to participate in the elections is welcome news for Palestinian voters eager to see the return of competitive elections and a revival of political life after years of stagnation. It even helps Fatah, which has little to gain from “winning” another electoral process that is largely uncontested. More important, as the party that lost both parliamentary elections and a civil war in 2006-07 and that remains the chief proponent of a failed process, Fatah desperately needs a political victory of some kind as well as a basis on which to stake its claim to legitimacy and continued grip on power. That said, it is important not to overstate the significance of local elections, which in the end will do nothing to address the deeper problems facing Palestinians in the occupied territories, whether from Israel’s continued occupation and its ever-expanding settlement enterprise or the ongoing political dysfunction within their own ranks. On the other hand, the prospect of the first competitive Palestinian elections in a decade represents a small but significant ripple in the otherwise stagnant waters of Palestinian politics. Authors Khaled Elgindy Full Article
lock Turning back the Poverty Clock: How will COVID-19 impact the world’s poorest people? By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 16:43:10 +0000 The release of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook provides an initial country-by-country assessment of what might happen to the world economy in 2020 and 2021. Using the methods described in the World Poverty Clock, we ask what will happen to the number of poor people in the world—those living in households with less than $1.90… Full Article
lock The Structure of the TANF Block Grant By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: The 1996 welfare reform legislation replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program with a new Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant that is very different than its predecessor. In the old AFDC program, funds were used almost entirely to provide and administer cash assistance to low-income—usually single-parent—families. The federal government… Full Article
lock Exit from coronavirus lockdowns – lessons from 6 countries By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 08:05:54 +0000 Full Article
lock Israel’s Netanyahu is indicted amid political gridlock By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 21 Nov 2019 22:29:37 +0000 Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit ended months of speculation today in announcing his decision to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. The move caps a dramatic and tumultuous year in Israeli politics. If convicted, Netanyahu could face prison time, potentially making him the second consecutive Israeli prime… Full Article
lock Two Blocks From the Culture War: A Local Perspective on Charlottesville By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Mon, 14 Aug 2017 21:12:50 +0000 Full Article
lock Italy: “the workers are not cannon fodder” – after the 30 March assembly, the fight for lockdown continues... By www.marxist.com Published On :: Wed, 22 Apr 2020 10:41:35 +0100 Since the beginning of the healthcare crisis, the decrees issued by the Conte government have, one after the other, increased the number of restrictions. This is on top of the ordinances from the different regions. A campaign has developed and has promoted social distancing through calls to stay at home, hashtags and appeals. But all this fervour did not affect the millions of workers forced to continue going to work in non-essential companies and services. Full Article Italy
lock Britain: bosses’ pressure mounts as end of lockdown looms By www.marxist.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 11:47:43 +0100 The bosses are pushing ever harder for workers to return to work. And the Tory government is giving them free rein to restart the economy without the necessary safety measures. The labour movement must organise a fightback. Full Article Britain
lock Not much to see in Vancouver's first Passive House apartment block By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Fri, 27 Apr 2018 10:36:02 -0400 And that's just the way the architect and developer like it. Full Article Design
lock Lego plans to make their iconic plastic blocks … without plastic By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Thu, 25 Jun 2015 15:43:46 -0400 The company will spend $1 billion and employ a team of 100 to find a sustainable alternative. Full Article Business
lock Ollies Wooden Blocks are like LEGO meets Tinkertoys meets Erector sets By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Fri, 25 Mar 2016 14:08:32 -0400 These sets of precision-cut oak blocks and planks, combined with clever connectors, are intended to help spark creativity and imagination in kids, and to "make playtime more meaningful." Full Article Living
lock Ollies Blocks encourage kids' imagination & creativity (Review) By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Wed, 19 Apr 2017 12:30:55 -0400 Building with blocks and construction toys is a great unstructured activity for kids, and Ollies Wooden Blocks are a superb new addition to the category. Full Article Living
lock How discovering ice's secret could unlock alternative energy options By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 05:00:00 -0400 A long-suspected secret behavior of water molecules in ice is seen for the first time using a new technique that could help develop energy alternatives. Full Article Science
lock Tiny House Warriors building tiny homes to block construction of oil pipeline (Video) By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Thu, 23 Nov 2017 12:29:24 -0500 These are tiny homes with an activist bent, taking a stand against the incursion of a pipeline that could contaminate indigenous lands. Full Article Design
lock Solar blocks could replace solar panels on buildings By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Thu, 17 Aug 2017 10:38:12 -0400 The blocks could be part of the architecture of a building, generating more power than just rooftop panels. Full Article Technology
lock Vancouver apartment block looks like a stack of shipping containers By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Wed, 25 Apr 2018 19:13:23 -0400 I mean, shipping containers are hot. But does this kind of shipping container architecture make sense? Full Article Design
lock On MNN: A totally brilliant bell, common cleaning mistakes and are ad blockers the death of the web? By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Wed, 16 Sep 2015 14:03:55 -0400 A look at our favorite posts from our sister site. Full Article Living
lock Here's how 'night owls' can reset their sleep clocks By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Mon, 10 Jun 2019 15:29:38 -0400 Over 3 weeks, researchers trained night owls to reset their sleep patterns; the results are pretty remarkable. Full Article Living
lock San Diego Homeowners, Unite for Cheaper Solar Power: One Block Off the Grid Expands Program By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Mon, 06 Apr 2009 10:40:00 -0400 If you live in San Diego and find the prospect of banding together with your neighbors to get better rates on installing your own solar panels interesting, then this one is for you: 1BOG (that's One Block Off the Grid ...) has announced that they will Full Article Energy
lock Coburn Vows to Block Senate Resolution Honoring Rachel Carson By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Thu, 24 May 2007 10:18:58 -0400 This coming Sunday would've been Silent Spring author and environmental hero Rachel Carson's 100th birthday. In recognition of Carson's contributions to the creation of the modern environmental movement, Sen. Benjanmin L. Cardin (D-MD) has announced his Full Article Business
lock What are "locked-in emissions" and why do they matter? By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2019 09:48:01 -0400 Also called "carbon lock-in," it's about time. Full Article Design
lock Deja vu all over again: Michigan auto dealers sneakily try to lock Tesla out of the state By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 15:58:33 -0400 When the incumbents do everything in their power to keep you out of the market, rather than try to compete with you directly on the merit of their products, you know you're on to something. Full Article Transportation
lock It's wood. It's Passive House. It's the "Goldilocks density." By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Tue, 18 Feb 2020 11:38:24 -0500 Boston is getting a "CLT Cellular Passive House Demonstration Project" that pushes every TreeHugger button. Full Article Design
lock How to thrive during a lockdown with kids By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Fri, 13 Mar 2020 11:59:00 -0400 School closures mean kids will be spending a lot more time at home. Here's some advice on how to cope. Full Article Living
lock Got a locker full of stuff? Deposit it in the Furniture Bank By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Tue, 19 Jun 2018 12:40:42 -0400 Why are so many people renting lockers when the stuff can be put to good use by people who really need it? Full Article Design
lock Tick tock tick tock: Doomsday Clock nears midnight By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Thu, 23 Jan 2020 12:57:42 -0500 It is now 100 seconds to midnight, closer to midnight than at any point since the clock's creation in 1947. Full Article Living
lock Protesters in Portland block Shell’s ship by suspending themselves from a bridge By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Wed, 29 Jul 2015 09:01:42 -0400 Activists risk arrest in an effort to prevent slow oil drilling exploration in the Arctic. Full Article Energy
lock How we got "locked in" to fossil fuel consumption By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Tue, 14 Jan 2020 07:48:41 -0500 More on why our personal consumption habits matter in the climate emergency. Full Article Business
lock Modernist open plan family home reuses 270 concrete blocks By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Mon, 31 Aug 2015 07:00:00 -0400 Built for a sculptor and his new family on the site of an old gold mine and sawmill, this house uses reclaimed concrete blocks weighing a ton each. Full Article Design
lock Speeding Driver Kills Nearly an Entire Flock of Sheep By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:04:59 -0400 Pastoral life has long been emblematic of a harmonious relationship between man and nature -- but that was all shattered recently in a horrific accident that killed nearly an entire flock of sheep. The incident took place on a roadway Full Article Transportation
lock Lockdown-induced silence is a gift to scientists and wildlife By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Mon, 13 Apr 2020 07:00:00 -0400 Researchers are able to detect and measure things they could not before, while many species flourish amid the silence. Full Article Science
lock How to make heat blocking curtains for $6 By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:15:00 -0400 This easy DIY project will save you money and reduce energy consumption by making less work for your air conditioner. Full Article Technology
lock Vedanta Resources' Orissa Bauxite Refinery Expansion Blocked by Indian Government By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 11:28:00 -0400 Two months after the Indian government stopped plans by UK-based Vedanta Resources to put a bauxite mine on a mountain held sacred by two indigenous tribal groups in Orissa, on the Full Article Business
lock Water clock system boosts solar output up to 30% By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Thu, 16 Jun 2016 07:12:24 -0400 Designed by an innovative 19-year-old, the Sun Saluter relies on a basic water clock to rotate solar panels. Full Article Business