A Tibetan monk self immolated near a police station Tuesday in Tawu, Kham, Tibet, calling for the return of the Dalai Lama, who is considered a criminal separatist in Tibet, and for Tibet to be free of Chinese rule. Kalsang Yeshe, a man in his late 20s or early 30s, was a monk practicing at Nyitso … Read more
The share of farmland tended by small farmers is shrinking. The land is changing hands. Although small farms are more productive than large farms and tend to grow food products–they produce 80 percent of the world’s food–they are being swallowed up by large corporate farms that grow high-profit crops for export markets. The land left … Read more
Statistically, New York police shoot more often at blacks than at whites–by about 700 percent. But, statistically blacks are armed and shoot at police more often than whites–by over 700 percent, according to national statistics and the NYPD’s annual firearms discharge report. In light of the recent “Black Lives Matter” protests in New York following the decision not to indict white … Read more
A 19-year-old Tibetan woman has become the 135th Tibetan to self immolate in protest of Chinese rule and policies. The woman, known as Tseypey, self immolated and chanted prayers as she burned. She died on the scene, reportedly, and her body was removed by police. Internet access in the area has been restricted and phone … Read more
While attacks from Muslim terrorist outfits in various parts of the world are making headlines, the Boko Haram made sure that their efforts to break the human spirit in Nigeria did not go unnoticed. Released late on Saturday to journalists, a video landed on the internet just two days after reports of the Boko Haram … Read more
Language facilitates the global flow of ideas, and elite languages in global communications are those that are both literate and online, according to new research that has mapped information flows across languages. Certain languages have been found to be much more powerful than others, because they are more and better connected within the communications networks of the … Read more
Memory was considered the greatest faculty of mind before the invention of printing. Greek philosophers, Roman lawyers and Medieval European priests practiced the art by storing memories within mentally constructed architecture and objects. Recently, a study has found that rooms may be just how memory is stored. “Each place–or room in your house–is represented by … Read more
Arguably the biggest science story of the week was the discovery of material evidence of dark matter. In this two-part article, two lead researchers on the report explain their findings and the significance of the work. Their accounts are full of–besides beautiful explanations of cutting-edge physics research in layman’s terms–potent philosophy and enthralling sentiment about what these scientists … Read more
Arguably the biggest science story of the week was the discovery of material evidence of dark matter. In this two-part article, two lead researchers on the report explain their findings and significance of the work. Their accounts are full of–besides beautiful explanations of cutting-edge physics research in layman’s terms–potent philosophy and enthralling sentiment about what these scientists are … Read more
Southeastern Asia’s rivers and lakes will be dramatically affected if China builds the dozens of dams already planned for construction. These dams would divert the water that supplies its countries with much of its population of fish, the regions primary source of food. With it’s population of over 1.2 billion, China’s energy needs are constantly … Read more
A significant amount of the world’s plastic ends up in our oceans, which has caused something of a mystery for ecologists, who until recently had found evidence of only tens of thousands of tons of that garbage rather than the millions they expected would be floating on the surface. Now a joint-team of researchers has found … Read more
Danger lurks within each moment of our lives. Coupled with a lack of awareness and a stroke of bad luck, simple recreational activities could easily spiral down into a monumental disaster. Take a one-man fishing trip, for example. 67-year-old fisherman Ron Ingraham spent twelve days out in the rocky seas, exposed to the elements and … Read more