New research conducted at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health found that exposure to arsenic in drinking water was significantly reduced among Americans using public water systems following the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation on maximum levels of arsenic.

Compliance with the regulation led to a decline of 17 percent in levels of urinary arsenic, equivalent to an estimated reduction of over 200 cases of lung and bladder disease every year. However, there were no improvements in arsenic exposure rates among users of private wells, which are not federally regulated. The findings reported in The Lancet Public Health confirm the critical role of federal drinking water regulations in decreasing toxic exposures and protecting human health.

This is the first study to evaluate the impact of the 2006 implementation of the maximum contaminant level on reducing arsenic exposure at the individual level or by using biomarker data.

“EPA regulation was associated with a significant decrease in urinary arsenic concentrations among Americans who use public water systems,” said Anne Nigra, ScM, in the Mailman School’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences, and the study’s lead author. “Levels of arsenic in private wells, estimated to provide water to roughly 45.5 million Americans, vary significantly throughout the U.S. Because of the cost of testing and treating contaminated water, private well water users remain inadequately protected against arsenic exposure in drinking water, especially residents of lower socio-economic status.”

Arsenic is an established carcinogen and naturally occurs in drinking water across the U.S. In 2006, public water systems were required to meet the new EPA 10 μg/L regulatory limit for the maximum arsenic level in drinking water, down from 50 μg/L. In the Southwest, many cities’ public water supplies come from water sources with naturally high levels of arsenic, including Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Scottsdale and Tucson.

The researchers compared data from 14,127 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2003 and 2014 who tested for dimethylarsinate (DMA) – the main metabolite of inorganic arsenic in humans. They adjusted for other sources of arsenic such as diet and smoking. Arsenic was measured in spot urine samples collected during the examination in a one-third random subsample of participants 6 years of age or older.

Among public water users – approximately 70 percent of participants– arsenic levels decreased from 3.01 μg/L in 2003-2004 to 2.49 μg/L in 2013-2014, or by 17 percent.

“The 17 percent reduction in water arsenic exposure for public water users represents a significant exposure reduction when applied at the population level,” said Ana Navas-Acien, MD, PhD, professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the Mailman School, and co-author. “The decline was strongest among Mexican-Americans and supports the recent infrastructure investments in many cities in the Southwest that focused on ensuring water arsenic below 10 μg/L.”

The decrease was only observed after 2009-2010, consistent with the regulatory compliance process under the Safe Drinking Water Act, which required time for testing, and time to address the problem by changing the source or installing water treatment.

The authors estimate that the reduction in exposure to arsenic is equivalent to a reduction of 200 cases of lung and bladder cancer per year, but could be as many as 900 cases.

There was no change recorded among well water users. It has been estimated that 1.7 million Americans are at risk of exposure to arsenic above the maximum contaminant level, >10 μg/L and 3.8 million to arsenic > 5 μg/L in household well water. The authors note that efforts to address arsenic levels in private wells vary between states. “To date, no state government requires homeowners to install treatment systems to reduce arsenic if test results for arsenic exceed these contaminant levels. Continuing efforts for additional state and federal initiatives are critical to help families sample, test, and address arsenic exposure from unregulated private wells,” added Navas-Acien.

By Elise Harris

In a letter responding to questions raised by Cardinal Robert Sarah on the new process of translating liturgical texts from Latin into vernacular languages, Pope Francis offered several points of clarification.

The Pope discussed points regarding the approval of new translations and the relationship between translations and Latin texts.

He clarified that while in the past, it was the task of the Vatican’s liturgical office to judge whether or not a translation is faithful to the original Latin, episcopal conferences themselves have now been given the faculty of “judging the goodness and consistency of one and the other term in the translations from the original, in dialogue with the Holy See.”

Dated Oct. 15, the Pope’s letter was in response to one he had received from Cardinal Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, at the end of September thanking the Pope for his recent motu proprio “Magnum Principium” (MP) on the translation of liturgical texts, and offering a commentary on how to interpret the motu proprio.

The motu proprio, published Sept. 9, granted episcopal conferences the task of both preparing and approving texts that had been “faithfully” translated from the original Latin, while cementing the role of the Apostolic See in confirming the translations approved by bishops.

In his commentary, Cardinal Sarah had argued that the new process for translating liturgical texts still follows the rules put into place with the 2001 Instruction Liturgiam Authenticam (LA), which said the vernacular versions must faithfully reflect the language and structure of the Latin texts.

Sarah also looked at the role of the Holy See and bishops’ conferences in both “recognizing” (recognitio) and “confirming” (confirmatio) modifications to liturgical texts, arguing that the term “recognitio” used in the new canons involves adaptions of texts, while “confirmatio” involves translations.

Because of this, the terms are different, even if they are “interchangeable with respect to the responsibility of the Holy See,” Sarah said. He also argued that the “recognitio” of liturgical texts implies a preliminary consultation with the Holy See before translation processes begin, with the “confirmatio” of the Holy See being the final step.

In his letter to Cardinal Sarah, the Pope thanked him for his commitment and for sending the commentary, but offered some simple “observations” on the commentary “which I consider to be important, especially for the proper application and understanding of the motu proprio and to avoid any misunderstanding.”

The first point Francis made was that his motu proprio Magnum Principium “abolished” the process for translating used by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments after LA was published in 2001. Magnum Principium, he said, “sought to change” this process.

The Pope said of the terms “recognitio” and “confirmatio,” that it cannot be said that they are “strictly synonymous or interchangeable or that they are interchangeable at the level of responsibility of the Holy See.”

The distinction between “recognitio” and “confirmatio,” he said, emphasizes “the different responsibility” that the Apostolic See and episcopal conferences have in liturgical translations.

“Magnum Principium no longer claims that translations must conform on all points to the norms of LA, as was done in the past,” the Pope said, explaining that because of this, individual numbers in LA have to be “carefully re-understood.”

He said this includes numbers 79-84, which deal specifically with the requirement for a vernacular translation to have the “recognitio” of Rome. These numbers, Francis said, “have been abrogated,” and “re-formulated” with the publication of MP.

The “confirmatio” of the Vatican, then, “no longer supposes a detailed word-by-word examination,” he said, except in obvious cases which can be brought to the bishops for further reflection. This, the Pope said, applies to texts such as the Eucharistic Prayers or sacramental formulas.

Pope Francis said the new norms imply “a triple fidelity,” first of all to the original Latin text, to the particular languages the text is translated into, and to the comprehension of the text by its recipients.

In this sense, the “recognitio” of the texts only implies “the verification and preservation of conformity” to the Code of Canon Law and the communion of the Church, he said.

Francis also emphasized that in the process of translating liturgical texts, there should be no “spirit of imposition” on bishops conferences of a translation done by the Vatican’s liturgical department.

The Pope said “it is wrong to attribute to the ‘confermatio’ the purpose of the ‘recognitio,’” which is to “verify and safeguard” in accordance with the law. He also stressed that the “confirmatio” is not “merely a formal act, but necessary for the edition of the translated liturgical book,” and is granted after the version has been submitted to the Apostolic See for a confirmation of the bishops’ approved text.

Pope Francis closed his letter noting that Cardinal Sarah’s commentary had been published on several websites, and asked that the cardinal transmit his response to the same outlets, as well as to members and consultors of the Congregation for Divine Worship.

Examples of the interaction of religious influence and economic performance have occurred throughout history, most notable Weber’s argument of the ‘Protestant ethic’. This column uses an earlier example, of the Cistercian Catholic Order, to show that religious values did influence productivity and economic performance in England and across Europe. The effect of this historic influence has persisted to today.

By Thomas Andersen, Jeanet Bentzen, Carl-Johan Dalgaard and Paul Sharp*

One of the most enduring debates in social science concerns the role of religion in society. This is reflected by concerns about how post-Cold War international relations might be marked by a ‘clash of civilizations’, early 20th century concerns about the compatibility of Catholicism and liberal democracy, and contemporary concerns about the compatibility of Islam and western culture, which have almost certainly played a role in the rise of right-wing populist parties in many western countries. For economists, however, it is the relationship between religion and economic performance that is of prime concern, and arguments have been made both for and against different religions and their negative or positive contribution to comparative economic development.

The most famous work on how religion might impact on economic growth came from Max Weber (1958[1905]), who argued for the idea of a ‘Protestant ethic’. Observing that the predominantly Protestant north of Europe was richer than the predominantly Catholic south, Weber hypothesised that this could be traced back to Protestantism’s promotion of the virtues of hard work and thrift. As a consequence, he believed, Protestants worked harder than their Catholic counterparts, and saved more – facilitating the rise of capitalism in Western Europe. The theory remains controversial till today, although it has recently been argued, using data from Prussia, that it was Luther’s idea that Christians should be able to read the Bible and the consequential impact on human capital accumulation, rather than a Protestant ethic as such, that was the real reason why Protestants performed better than Catholics in that particular setting (Becker and Woessmann 2009).

Nevertheless, a religion or religious order promoting hard work and thrift could surely have an impact on economic development through cultural change, and our paper (Andersen et al. 2017) argues that such influence was indeed exerted by the Catholic Order of the Cistercians, which spread around Europe from the 11th century. The Order, an offshoot of the Benedictines, was established in 1098 in France with the aim of returning to a literal observance of the ‘rule of St. Benedict’. Unlike their Benedictine cousins, who had softened their observance over time, the Cistercians aimed to return to an austere life of hard manual labour and restraint from consumption. Thus, the values that Weber was to associate with Protestantism had in fact already been promulgated several centuries later.

As a direct consequence of the austere life they promoted, Cistercian monasteries became rich and successful. Thus, a tribute to their contribution to the landscape was made by the famous poet William Wordsworth: “Where’er they rise, the sylvan waste retires, And aery harvests crown the fertile lea”. The Cistercians made important advances in breeding and agriculture, perhaps most important by consolidating their land in ‘granges’ rather than the typical unenclosed village holdings of the time. Moreover, monasteries also made significant use of water power for a range of industrial activities. Importantly for our work, their teachings and practices spread beyond the walls of the monastery both to so-called lay brothers, illiterate peasants who followed a less demanding form of Cistercian life and worked the land, and to other secular labourers they employed, as well as to settled communities that formed around the monasteries.

Our analysis therefore begins with a simple theoretical model, which lays out how Cistercian values might have propagated from this initially small group of people ‘beyond the walls’. Prior to the fertility transition, the economic success they enjoyed translated into reproductive success. Parents passed on Cistercian values to their children, who also enjoyed higher economic and reproductive success. In this manner, Cistercian values would eventually come to dominate society. Our model suggests that this might plausibly have happened within the space of just five centuries, although small initial differences in the Cistercian influence would also have led to considerable local variation in cultural values.

We empirically investigate the plausibility of this account using historical cross-county data for England, where we have information on the location of Cistercian monasteries (and other monastic orders) as well as regional population data. In a pre-industrial Malthusian setting, greater population density indicates greater productivity. Specifically, we find evidence that counties with a higher Cistercian influence experienced more rapid population growth during the period 1377-1801, long after the Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII in the 16th century when all monasteries were closed and their land confiscated. We measure the Cistercian influence both along the extensive margin (Cistercian presence, i.e. whether a Cistercian monastery was present in a county) and along the intensive margin (Cistercian share, i.e. the ratio of Cistercian monasteries to all religious houses in a county). The partial correlation for the relationship between the Cistercian share and population growth is illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1 Cistercian influence on population growth in England

Although we introduce a number of exogenous controls, we also use the work of historians to provide an instrument for the location of the Cistercian monasteries. It has been suggested that the Cistercians, who explicitly sought out secluded and isolated areas, often chose locations close to Royal Forests, which were places where the King enjoyed certain privileges, including hunting rights – which made them less desirable for other people. We find statistical evidence that this was indeed the case in the first stage of an IV, and this in turn reinforces our estimates of the effect of the Cistercian influence on population growth.

In light of the likely persistence of cultural values, we use the European Values Surveys to zero in on the cultural mechanism. That is, we investigate whether or not the influence of the Cistercians can be detected in contemporary cultural values across European regions. As Protestants may also have been influenced by the Reformation, we concentrate on Catholic subsamples. Consistent with the cultural mechanism, we find that areas closer to Cistercians do place greater emphasis on values regarding the importance of ‘hard work’ and thrift across European Catholics.

Our paper thus contributes to the literature on the potential positive effects religious teaching can have on economic growth. That the Cistercians, a Catholic order, had this effect does not at all detract from the point that Weber made, and in fact our analysis leads us to expect that Protestant teachings resulted in a similar process of growth through cultural change.

*About the authors:
Thomas Andersen, Professor of Economics, University of Southern Denmark

Jeanet Bentzen, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of Copenhagen

Carl-Johan Dalgaard, Professor, Department of Economics, University of Copenhagen

Paul Sharp is professor of business and economics at the Historical Economics and Development Group, University of Southern Denmark

References:
Andersen, T B, J Bentzen, C Dalgaard, and P Sharp (2017), “Pre-Reformation Roots of the Protestant Ethic”, The Economic Journal 127: 1756–1793.

Becker, S, and L Woessmann (2009), “Was Weber Wrong? A human capital theory of protestant economic history”, Quarterly Journal of Economics 124(2): 531–96.

Weber, M (1958 [1905]), The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

By Dr. S. Chandrasekahran

It is rather sad that human rights activists, western media and many other leaders of repute have made a concerted effort to denigrate Suu Kyi without realising her constraints in dealing with a humanitarian problem ( Rohingya) that seems to get out of hand. The irony is that more she is criticised, more she is admired and supported by her people and more importantly the Army in Myanmar. Not that she is indifferent but she has many other correlated problems in dealing with the crisis. An Adviser to her had said that “she is appalled by what she has seen and she does care deeply” about the crisis.

What is more, increased western chorus against Suu Kyi would only encourage the Rohingyan leader Al Ullal, trained in Pakistan and flush with Saudi funds to order another strike to scuttle any chances of return of the Rohingyan refugees from Bangladesh.

One analyst of RSIS had rightly said that the international reaction to lambast Suu Kyi is unhelpful. It is only feeding the ultra nationalist rhetoric that a democratic Myanmar already faces!

It is not clear what the international community wants. Do they want to destroy the infant democracy that it still in the transition stage? Do they want to renew the sanctions against Myanmar which will only throw the country back into Chinese arms? This time India too may not abide by any coercive sanctions. Is it not correct not to raise the pitch but allow the Myanmar government to find its way to seek a solution of a problem that has been festering for over a few decades? The best approach would be to leave Suu Kyi alone.

The UNHCR had called the exodus of Rohingyas as a text book example of “ethnic cleansing.” Not that it matters, but the city of Oxford had decided to withdraw an honorary title it bestowed on Suu Kyi in 1997 on grounds of her inaction in the crisis. They perhaps are not aware that it is their country Britain that was the cause of the present day crisis!

While the two countries that are directly affected by the crisis Myanmar and Bangladesh seem to be talking to each other and finding ways and means to solve the crisis, it is surprising that other countries who are not directly involved seem to be raising the pitch on the crisis.

The Iranian Deputy Parliament Speaker Ali Motahar declared last month that the Muslim world should form an expeditionary force to go to the rescue of the Rohingya. He threatened that the crimes of Myanmar government will not be halted without using military force! The Saudis already have an NATO like standing army.

Towards the end of September, the National Security Adviser U Thaung Tun addressed the UN Security Council and made a very objective and sober analysis of the situation in Rakhine Province in Myanmar. He said

1. One needs to recognise that the recent violence in Rakhine State was triggered by the attacks carried out by the so-called ARSA (Arakan Salvation Army) terrorist group.

2. The attacks resulted in the death of 12 security officers, one immigration officer one soldier and a number of innocent civilians and the Security forces were obliged to defend themselves.

3. It is to be stressed that there is no ethnic cleansing and genocide in Myanmar. Myanmar is home to over 135 officially recognised ethnic groups each with its own culture and to a variety of religions who have been living in harmony throughout history.

4. The Muslims are not a minority in Rakhine and they constitute 95 percent of the total population.

5. The villagers in the affected areas are living in fear of retaliation by the ARSA following the revelation that a large number of Hindu villagers have been massacred and buried in mass graves.

6. In spite of assurance of assistance and security many are still crossing over to Bangladesh.

7. Myanmar is willing to start the verification process that was once tried in 1993.

8. The government has launched a number of initiatives that includes an implementation committee for dealing with the recommendations of Kofi Annan Commission. The Report of Kofi Annan represents a “viable” road map to forge forward.

In an indirect reference to international criticism, he appealed to the international community to join hands with them to ensure that democracy takes firm roots at a critical juncture in the life of their young democracy.

The reaction of the Bangladesh government has been very sober and that is one country that is most affected. It is said that over 522000 refugees have officially registered themselves as refugees after crossing over. The speech of Prime minister Sheikh Hasina was without rhetoric and her proposals to move forward in the UN General Assembly are practical and doable. She appealed for the return of all the refugees and full implementation of Kofi Annan Commission Report.

While efforts are being made to bring back normalcy, the man Ata Ullah who has brought untold misery to thousands of Rohingyas by ordering the attack a day prior to the release of Kofi Annan’s report is said to be determined to continue his activities to liberate the community. A Reuter’s report of 6 October indicates that some of those who participated in the attacks now in refugee ranks have declared their intention to go back and attack “again and again.” There will be serious repercussions if another attack takes place.

An article in the Atlantic has rightly identified that problem of the Rohingya’s crisis is one of identity. Whereas the humanitarian groups and the Western Nations see the “self-identifying Rohingyas as the world’s most persecuted minority, the government of Myanmar and majority of its people see “the handiwork of a foreign group with a separatist agenda, fueled by Islam and funded overseas. It is this difference in perception that will make the Rohingya issue all the more difficult to resolve in the near future.

Suu Kyi herself had said that the issue has to be handled more delicately, lately as it has received extra attention from the international community. It is more difficult to resolve any problem when all are watching it. This is true!

Given the recent violence in Rakhine State and undue international attention, the fragile peace process to which Suu Kyi has set her heart is likely to be impeded. The UNFC’s planned meeting had to be postponed. The next Panglong Conference due in November will also have to be postponed. The Army meanwhile is continuing its operations against the KIO and thereby throwing the latter more into the arms of the Chinese supported Wa Group. The Shan State/Army Group has already warned that the situation in the country will worsen if the peace process is stalled.

Suu Kyi has her priorities. In her address to the diplomats in September, she warned that Myanmar’s fragile democracy faces an uphill battle and huge challenges. She should be allowed to attend to these challenges. Denigrating her will not help.

Irrespective of nationality, religion, race, or gender; whether stinking rich, desperately poor, or somewhere in between, happiness is the one thing everyone is seeking.

The architects of the socio-economic system in which we live have devised a system that promises to satisfy this yearning. But instead of building a society at ease with itself, full of peaceful happy people, collective discontent is fed, resulting in a range of mental health issues and in some cases suicide.

Happiness, according to the duplicitous devotees of Neo-Liberalism is to be found in the homogenous shopping centers of the world, the sterile holiday resorts and brash casinos. In things, in products and services that stimulate and excite: Happiness in this perverse paradigm has been replaced by pleasure, love exchanged for desire, choice substituted for freedom.

Echoes of happiness

Happiness that lasts is what we yearn for, not a transient state in which one feels the tingle of happiness for a moment or so, only to see it evaporate as the source of our happiness loses its appeal, or is exhausted — the holiday comes to an end, a relationship breaks up, the gamble doesn’t pay off, a new I-Phone or handbag hits the high street making the old one redundant, etc., etc. We sense that a state of lasting happiness is possible but know not where it is or how to find it. The mistake commonly made, and one we are constantly encouraged to make, is to search for happiness within the sensory world where all experiences, pleasant or unpleasant, are facile and transient. The inevitable consequence of such shallow encounters with happiness is discontent and frustration.

Despite being repeatedly confronted with disappointment, instead of refraining from this never-ending quest, the searcher becomes increasingly desperate; a new relationship may be sought, a change of job or new home, more shopping outings, dinners planned, alcohol and drugs taken and so on into the darker reaches of sensory satisfaction and hedonistic indulgence.

Of course it is important to enjoy life, and yes, something resembling happiness is experienced on these excursions, but it is a happiness dependent on something, or someone, on certain elements being in place: take these away and the feeling very quickly evaporates. Such happiness is a mere echo of ‘True Happiness’, and one that carries with it conflict, fear and anxiety; this taste of happiness, functioning via the desire principle and the medium of the senses is relentlessly stoked by the exponents of neoliberal idealism.

The success of their divisive project, i.e., profitability, growth, development, progress, call it what you will, is totally contingent on consumerism, and the act of consuming relies on and is the result of perpetual desire. To their utter shame, despite having a responsibility to create the conditions in which ‘True Happiness’, can be experienced, most, if not all governments collude with corporate man/woman to promote the unhealthy, materialistic values that are the source of unhappiness as well as a range of social ills.

Desire is constantly agitated through advertising, television, film and print media; fantastical, sentimental, idealized images, of not just where happiness lies, but what love looks like, are pumped around the world every minute of every day. The aim of this extravagant pantomime is to manipulate people into believing they need the stuff that the corporate-state is selling in order to be happy. But happiness cannot be found within the world of sensations, pleasure yes, but not happiness, and pleasure will never fill the internal void that exists and is perpetuated through this movement into materiality. Pleasure is not happiness, nor does it bring lasting happiness, at best it creates a false sense of relief from unhappiness and inner conflict, a momentary escape before dissatisfaction and desire bubble up again.

Cycles of discontent

Nothing but discontent is to be found within this endless cycle of desire, temporary satisfaction, and continued longing. It is an insatiable, inherently painful pattern that moves the ‘Seeker of Happiness’ further and further away from the treasure he or she is searching for, creating disharmony and conflict, for the individual and society. Add to this polluted landscape competition and inequality and a cocktail of division and chaos emerges: Competition between individuals and nations separates and divides, working against humanity’s natural inclination towards cooperation, sharing and tolerance; qualities that were crucial in the survival of early man.

Competition operating in conjunction with conformity fosters ideas of superiority and inferiority; images of what ‘success’ and ‘failure’, of beauty, and what it means to be a man or a woman, particularly a young man or young woman are thrust into the minds of everyone virtually from birth. One of the effects of this is the tendency towards comparison, leading to personal dissatisfaction (with myriad symptoms from self-harming to addiction and depression), and the desire, or pressure, to conform to the presented ideal.

At the root of these interconnected patterns of discontent and misery, not to say disease, lies desire. Desire not just for pleasure, but desire for things to be other than they are; it is this constant movement of desire that creates unhappiness and deep dissatisfaction. If desire is the obstacle to happiness, then all desire needs to be negated, including the desire for happiness. Perhaps the question to be addressed then is not what will bring lasting happiness, but how to be free of unhappiness and discontent.

In ancient Greece, where life was hard and happiness was widely believed to be reserved for those rare individuals whom the Gods favoured, Socrates (470 BC – 399 BC) proposed that happiness could be attained by everyone by controlling their hedonistic desires, turning their attention towards the soul and by living a moral life. His view finds its root in the teachings of the Buddha, who, almost 100 years earlier had made clear in the Second Noble Truth, that far from bringing happiness, desire is in fact the cause of all suffering, and further, that freedom from suffering and unhappiness is brought about when desire is overcome.

‘True Happiness’ is an aspect of our natural self, it will not be found within the world of pleasure and material satisfaction, comfort and indulgence. It is an inherent part of who and what we are, and in principle at least, the possibility of unshakable happiness exists for everyone, everywhere, irrespective of circumstances.

“Trying to do it all and expecting that it all can be done exactly right is a recipe for disappointment,” said Sheryl Sandberg. The Facebook COO is no stranger to juggling an immense workload together with family demands. She suggests that perfection, including a perfect “work-life balance,” may not be possible in our globalized, electronically connected times.

Certainly, how we find equipoise must take into account recent technological and social changes. IESE holds a biennial academic conference devoted to work-family balance. And now professors Mireia Las Heras, Nuria Chinchilla and Marc Grau have collected select conference papers in a book, The Work-Family Balance in Light of Globalization and Technology. The book’s contributors use a range of analytical approaches, with research across eight nations, to show that technology is fundamentally changing the way we spend time at work and with our families worldwide — from entrepreneurs in Ethiopia to managers in Spain.

One thing is clear throughout: work-family balance is about boundary management. According to the authors, our success in managing our work and home lives is determined by how we perceive, set and move between boundaries. But finding balance may not happen in the way we expect. Much of this new research shows that balance in our globalized age is less about a traditional separation between work and home, and more about a skillful, flexible negotiation of these overlapping domains.

Three Trends That Transform

Why must we change the way we approach work to keep our balance? In their introduction, the book’s co-editors point to three main employment trends:

1. The pace and global nature of work. Firstly, the world of work has transformed into a fast-moving, globalized domain. Human resource (HR) practices are more flexible than ever, information and communication technologies are rapidly updating, and we work with people across the entire globe.

2. Deregulation and our service economy. The labor market offers fewer promises to workers and has shifted towards a services model, where businesses offer personalized solutions rather than simply selling physical products. This means employees need to be more committed than ever to going above and beyond their job requirements to offer competitive and consistently excellent service.

3. More dual-earners. The third factor is the massive increase in families where two caregivers both work. This means employees seek more flexibility in their jobs, as well as being more likely to outsource some childcare and domestic services.

The Pros and Cons of More Connectivity

The book’s co-editors and authors point out that our globalized world of work offers many new opportunities for finding balance. Due to technological advancements and more flexibility in working remotely, employees can have increased control over their time and can make independent, creative decisions to coordinate work and home pressures. Social networks offer opportunities to “both broaden and deepen our network connections.”

But there are dangers to being constantly, remotely connected to our work electronically. As the co-editors note, many people end up “working everywhere, all the time,” failing to delineate boundaries between their work and family lives, and setting themselves up for overload.

The book’s research establishes that both employee and employer attitudes are important in determining whether always-on work practices are experienced as opportunities or hazards. In one chapter, professors Rashimah Rajah and Remus Ilies track how connected employees are to their jobs outside the workplace, and measure this against the employees’ “integration preference” — how much they preferred to integrate or separate their work and family lives. The outcome was that employee wellbeing was much higher when employers gave workers the choice not to be connected outside the workplace. If job connectedness is forced on employees, they feel a loss of psychological control and have higher risks of burnout, even if they personally don’t mind integrating their work and family life. Here, the authors conclude that the most important thing is for employees to have enough control to “engage in boundary management tactics to circumnavigate the negative effects associated with constant connection to job matters.”

Enrichment: Letting Work and Family Roles Benefit One Another

In another chapter, professors Sowon Kim, Mireia Las Heras and María José Bosch Kreis explore the power of a boundary-management tactic called enrichment. Here, enrichment means “work and family roles benefit one another” by providing opportunities to transfer skills and learnings from one domain to the other. The authors point out that individuals can be proactive in increasing their resources across boundaries, and that employers can support them through workplace policies that facilitate positive enrichment.

Taken together, the book’s studies show that navigating work-family boundaries is a complex, dynamic process. On the one hand, employees need the control to create firm boundaries between their work and home lives, but on the other, they can gain great enrichment advantages from moving fluidly between these boundaries. It is of the utmost importance that companies and employees work together to develop policies that allow optimal flexibility, limits and overlap in work-family boundaries. The wellbeing of our globalized workforce hangs in the balance.

Methodology, Very Briefly

For this volume, the co-editors selected 10 papers presented at the IESE International Conference of Work and Family, 2015. Themes include technology, management, globalization and work-family balance. Selections were based on the quality of the scholarship, methodologies and geographical regions. Countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe and North America are represented, and analytical approaches include ethnographic studies, quantitative projects and research-sample methodologies. Each paper contributes new knowledge to understanding work-family balance in the globalized workplace and how to improve the balance.

A University of Southampton expert in tectonics is helping to lead a major investigation in one of the most seismically active areas in Europe.

Southampton Professor Lisa McNeill is Co-Chief Scientist on the Corinth Active Rift Development expedition which leaves the port of Corinth in Central Greece on Friday, 20 October on board the drilling vessel Fugro Synergy.

It is in the Corinth Rift, located in the Gulf of Corinth, that one of the Earth’s tectonic plates is being ripped apart causing geological hazards including earthquakes. This rifting process is the focus of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 381 which Professor McNeill will co-lead with Professor Donna Shillington of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University in the USA.

Continental rifting is fundamental for the formation of new ocean basins, and active rift zones are dynamic regions of high geohazard potential. The Corinth Rift, Greece, is a unique laboratory situated in one of the most seismically active areas in Europe. Geologically the Corinth Rift is a very young tectonic feature, forming in the last five million years. The main rift today is situated across a marine basin, which, with its high rates of activity, closed drainage system and high sedimentation rates, makes it an ideal location to examine the earliest phase of rift formation and how the landscape responds to tectonic and climate forcing factors.

During the expedition, an international team of scientists will collect cores at three different locations, drilling up to a depth of about 750 meters below the seabed. The expedition in the Corinth Rift will last for about eight weeks.

The overall aim is to gain an insight into the rifting process by recovering sediment cores and data of the properties of the borehole materials. The cores, which will represent about 1 to 2 million years of sediment deposition, act as archives as they are capturing and recording the geological history in their composition, age and structures.

The expedition will address questions on four main scientific themes:

• Natural Hazards – As one of the most seismically active areas in Europe, what are the implications for earthquake activity and earthquake potential in a developing rift?
• Structural Evolution – How does the rift actually evolve and grow and on what timescale? How did the activity on the rift faults change with time?
• Surface Processes – How does the landscape respond to tectonic and climatic changes?
• Past climate reconstruction – What was the climate in the Eastern Mediterranean and the environment of the rift basin in the last 1 to 2 million years?

“We are very excited to get started with this expedition, after many years of planning by many scientists from around the world,” said Professor McNeill. “Researchers have been working in the Gulf of Corinth region for many decades, examining sediments and active fault traces exposed on land and using marine geophysics to image the basin and its structure below the seafloor.

“Still – there is very little information about the age of the sediments and of the environment of the rift over the last 1 to 2 million years,” she continued. “By drilling, we hope to find this important piece of the jigsaw puzzle. It will help us to unravel the sequence of events as the rift has evolved and, importantly, how fast the faults, which regularly generate damaging earthquakes, are slipping.”

Professor Shillington added: “This expedition will provide key missing information on the timing and rates of fault activity in the Corinth rift. Not only is this information very important for understanding faulting and hazards in this rift zone, it will also help us understand other active and ancient rift zones around the world. I’m looking forward to working with the rest of the Science Party on this exciting expedition!”

A civilization where women and children are sexually commoditized is one in terminal decline. The next enduring superpower will be one that had successfully shielded its women and children from the ongoing epidemic of mass-mediated sexualization. Any futurist worth his salt will vouch for this axiom, as well as note the inverse correlation between the enfeeblement of the current superpower and the procession of phallic chevrons that accompany its military compulsions abroad.

But the faculty of reason – and of cause and effect – is inevitably lost on a society where adjunct professors may resort to prostitution in order to make ends meet. And believe it or not, this is exactly what is happening in the United States.

Professorial Prostitutes

According to a Sept 28 report in The Guardian, a quarter of part-time college academics or “adjuncts” in the United States are subsisting on public welfare programs such as Medicaid, food banks and charities while they live off streets, in shacks or in their cars. “Adjuncting” is the result of runaway capitalism that has benefited a privileged 1% at the expense of an overworked and underpaid rabble.  It is a convenient way of providing substandard teaching for higher fees and revenue at US universities and colleges.

Living conditions for these “fast-food workers” of the US academia have become so grim that the American Sociological Association had to downgrade faculty jobs to a level below stable middle-class careers. With a median annual salary of $22,041 (2014 average), a female adjunct professor may be tempted to earn as much as $200 an hour in the flesh trade.  This portraiture of the US gig economy is further debased by twisted enjoinders from well-paid gender and sexuality professors who actually promote sex work as “empowering”.  From Ivory Towers, we seem to have graduated to Ivory Parlours.

Student Streetwalkers

One nightmare scenario facing female adjunct moonlighters is an accidental propositioning from one of their own students in a darkened alley. But like their academic mentors, America’s future workforce might have been in the cul-de-sac of life for the same reason. These encounters are often mediated by websites such as Backpage.com and SeekingArrangement.com that have managed to reduce once-effervescent children into young sex workers.

Hunger is the cruel motivator here. The Urban Institute, in a report last year titled Impossible Choices: Teens and Food Insecurity in America, revealed that approximately 6.8 million US youths aged 10 to 17 years struggled with food insecurity. This figure included 2.9 million boys and girls who go hungry on a quotidian basis and another 4 million who lived in “marginally food-secure households”.

Desperately poor female teenagers are even trading sexual services for food through an academic-sounding arrangement called “transactional dating.”

The situation is no better in the United Kingdom, with nearly a quarter of UK students contemplating sex work to either make ends meet or fund their preferred lifestyles.   A Liberal Democrat councillor, Dennis Parsons, even went to the extent of suggesting prostitution as a career choice for pupils during a party conference.

The toxic ramifications of a hyper-sexualized environment are routinely ignored by Anglo-American policy-makers and their media factotums. As a result, there has been a two-fold surge in child-on-child sexual crimes over the last four years in the UK alone, leading researchers to dub pornography as the “electronic cocaine” of our age. Blaming it on porn per se, however, is a disingenuous deflection of a growing tendency in alfresco exhibitionism, notably showcased by virally-popular “wardrobe malfunctions” at celebrity events and concerts. And these often involve celebrities who ironically champion human and women’s rights even while they are victimized by sexual predators like Harvey Weinstein.

STD Epidemic

The fallout from this licentious cauldron is predictable. The United States is currently staring at an uncontrollable STD epidemic, with Washington DC emerging as the capital for Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). A recent study by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) revealed that Chlamydia outbreaks in Washington DC had exceeded the national average by 118% in 2016 while Gonorrhoea and Syphilis had surged by a staggering 230% and 175% respectively during the same year.

Not surprisingly, the city that imposes “international law and order” on the rest of mankind is also one known to exact sex for prime parking slots by none less an authority than a Chief Deputy US Marshal (CDUSM) himself – as revealed by an Oct 16 Department of Justice report.

When the heart of a nation is debauched, one can only imagine the rot spreading through the arteries of society. Each year, one in four American teenagers is stricken with STD/STI. Apart from poverty, social malaise like pervasive despair, binge drinking and one-night stands among students and young adults stoke this silent epidemic.

There are more than 110 million total STD cases in the US at any one time, costing the US economy $16 billion per year and counting. Half of the estimated 20 million new cases in the US each year afflict youngsters aged between 15 and 24 years.

How the United States is supposed to “lead the world” under these venereal circumstances, as its politicians and media pundits are wont to fantasize, is open to question. Pimping out the US military on behalf of defence contractors, after all, is hardly different from adjuncts prostituting themselves for basic necessities.

President Donald Trump has promised to fix this – by entertaining a military strike against North Korea! He has little time for trifles such as 95 million Americans who are perpetually out of the workforce, despite promises made to the contrary during his electoral run last year.

Therefore, keep your fingers crossed for the latest eructation of geopolitical indignation from America’s putrescent underbelly. Wouldn’t it be ironic to see US media “presstitutes” shedding apocryphal tears over the plight of North Korean women and children (or some other target of regime change) during the run-up to America’s next military misadventure?

On October 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia’s monarch, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, made his first state visit to Russia.  The most newsworthy of the resultant deals was a $3bn commitment for Russia to supply the Saudis with its most advanced air defence missile system, the S400 Triumph.

The Saudi state visit and the subsequent agreements were surprising in light of the opposing positions held by the two nations in the Syrian conflict. Bashar al-Assad’s regime is being supported by Russian military power, while the Saudis are funding rebel groups seeking to overthrow him.

An explanation was provided by Yuri Barmin, an expert at the Russian International Affairs Council. The Saudis, he said, “realise that Russia now owns the crisis. They see how the balance of power is changing in the region: how the US is pulling out and how Russia is now increasing its influence in the Middle East.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin is intent on re-establishing Russia as a major force to be reckoned with, and the Middle East is one area where he is succeeding. If he managed to pre-empt US President Donald Trump in the region, he would enhance Russia’s global status enormously.

At present not a single foreign embassy in Israel is located in Jerusalem. This is because the exact status of Jerusalem, left undetermined in the UN partition plan of 1947, has remained so. On the other hand both the UN and the EU support “a viable state of Palestine in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.” UN Security Council Resolution 2334, passed on December 23, 2016 refers three times to “Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem.” Given this confident assertion of the status of East Jerusalem, it must logically follow that West Jerusalem at least is part of sovereign Israel.

It was way back in 1995 that Congress passed legislation requiring the US embassy in Israel to be relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Although adopted with overwhelming majorities by the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Jerusalem Embassy Act has never been implemented. Section 7 of the Act gave the president power to sign a waiver every six months to protect “national security interests,” and every six months every president from Bill Clinton to Donald Trump has done so.

Throughout his presidential election campaign, Trump pledged unreservedly to relocate the US Embassy. His first chance to allow the Act to come into effect was June 1, 2017, when the last waiver signed by ex-President Obama ran out. But when June 1 came around, lo and behold Trump fell into line with all his predecessors and signed a further 6-month waiver.

There seemed to be good reasons for Trump’s decision. Between taking office and June 1 he had embarked on an ambitious plan to broker a new Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He had hosted discussions with Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mahmoud Abbas. He had undertaken his first foreign tour, which had included a meeting in Saudi Arabia with over 50 leaders of the Arab world, followed by visits to Israel and to the PA-controlled city of Bethlehem. He had extracted promising indications from all parties of support for a renewed peace effort. He and his advisers must have judged that to implement his promise on the US embassy would be to damage the delicate state of his peace deal initiative.

On October 7, 2017 Trump reiterated this position. During a TV interview he told former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee that he would not consider moving the US embassy to Jerusalem until his Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative had been given a chance to succeed.

“Right now,” said Trump, “we are actually working on a plan that everyone says will never work, because for many years it hasn’t worked. They say it is the toughest deal of all – peace between Israel and the Palestinians.” If the peace effort fails, he continued, “and that is possible, to be totally honest,” he would think again about the embassy move, but he wants to “give it a shot” first.

Is he right in assuming that moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem would overturn his peace deal in the making?

Of the 15 members of the Security Council, only one nation has recognized the logical implications of what they voted for in Resolution 2334 – namely that if East Jerusalem is Palestinian territory, then West Jerusalem must be Israeli. On 6 April 2017 Russia issued a statement reaffirming its support for the two-state solution and for East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, but adding: “At the same time, we must state that in this context we view West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”

Apocalypse did not follow Moscow’s declaration. Arab states accepted the pronouncement with equanimity. So perhaps Trump’s assessment of the effect of relocating the US embassy to West Jerusalem is misconceived. Rather than disrupting his peace effort, if coordinated with those Arab states most closely concerned – Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia – it might have the opposite effect. By sketching out the possible future structure of a two-state set-up, it could act as an incentive to all parties to move to meaningful negotiations.

Meanwhile Putin may very well be tempted to out-trump Trump. To be the first nation to establish its embassy in what Putin himself has declared to be the capital of Israel would snatch the ball from Trump’s grasp, and establish Russia firmly as a major player in any future Israeli-Palestinian peace process. How Putin views Trump’s efforts to foster credible peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians is not known, but he would undoubtedly jump at the chance of brokering Israeli-Palestinian peace talks himself.

Immediately after UN Resolution 2334, Russia issued a statement that, far from endorsing the attempt to impose a two-state solution on Israel, favored direct talks between Palestinians and Israelis. “We would also like to reaffirm our readiness to host a meeting of the leaders of Israel and Palestine in Moscow.”

If Trump does not watch out, he may find himself out-manoeuvered by Putin in his favoured area of diplomatic activity – achieving an Israel-Palestine accord.

President Donald Trump has apparently appointed Joseph Simons and Rohit Chopra to run the Antitrust Division at the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”).

It was allegedly proven by Julian Assange’s Wikileaks and multiple other sources that Google deliberately screwed Donald Trump over during his campaign by showcasing and highlighting negative attacks on his reputation and campaign, while hiding and obfuscating negative publicity and search engine terminology against Hillary Clinton.

But because the incoming Trump Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) was about to retain Joshua Wright, a former Google friendly FTC crony, similar to the Goldman Sachs model of high-level crime enjoying a revolving door with the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve with its executives Robert Rubin, Larry Summers, Hank Paulson, Tim Geithner, and Gene Sperling (who all engineered the 2008 financial crisis), it appears that the United States of America is truly being held captive by both Google and Goldman Sachs, with both its outgoing (and incoming) government being held ransom by these 2 corporate/ finance/ technology behemoths.

Currently, however, the European Union led by heroic Antitrust Investigator Margrethe Vestager is going after Google big time, having already sanctioned them to the tune of $3 billion dollars, with Russia, South Korea, France, and other countries already having beaten the stuffing out of Google with multiple judgments against them for antitrust activity, unfair and deceptive business practices, abuse of monopoly power, search engine manipulation for political/financial reasons, tax evasion, government corruption and interference, and other criminal acts and antics.

Even though Donald Trump publicly stated that he would strengthen the FTC in order to block the upcoming scary AT&T/Time Warner merger, he has apparently abandoned that idea, and it also seems that he doesn’t care very much about Google’s awesome but threatening power, even though their full force, political might, corruption, cronyism with the Obama White House, ties to Hillary Clinton and the Deep State Plutocrat Elite, trillions of dollars, lobbying power, and overall octopus-like tentacles tried to destroy and derail his campaign first.

Maybe Donald Trump now realizes that he will have to accommodate Google in order to get his agenda passed, even though he has indicated that he doesn’t like to capitulate to the Deep State powers that be.

Therefore it appears that the future of the world and its freedom lies in the hands of the European Union – can its Antitrust investigation of Google liberate America from the yoke of slavery under Google, and its control of the United States government?

Food security has taken on a new dimension almost five months into the Gulf crisis that pits a UAE-Saudi alliance against Qatar and for which there is no resolution in sight.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia would deny that they are attempting to starve Qatar into submission with their diplomatic and economic boycott that has forced Qatar to seek alternative food suppliers and alternative air and sea shipment routes. Yet, de facto, their strategy is to drive the cost of Qatari food and other imports up to the point that the wealthy Gulf state no longer can afford the more expensive imports.

In the process, the boycott has redefined the national security aspects of food security, particularly for small states that are more vulnerable to external pressures.

Food security amounted for the Gulf states in the first decade of the 21^st century to ensuring access in a global market in which shortages were driving up prices. The Gulf states responded to the food crises and massive price hikes in 2007-2008 and in 2010-2011 by following in the footsteps of China South Korea and Europe and acquiring huge tracts of agricultural land in Asia and Africa.

Ironically, high oil prices were one driver of the increased cost of food that prompted some exporters in Africa and Asia confronted with domestic shortages to restrict exports. The restrictions were what prompted the Gulf states to go on their land acquisition binge.

At the time, food security was for cash-rich but soil-poor Gulf states a question of market supply and demand and ensuring the food supply chain at whatever price. That narrow definition first changed with the popular Arab revolts in 2011 that toppled long-standing autocrats and sparked civil wars and a counterrevolution. Some of those revolts, like in Syria, which started as a peaceful protest in demand of change before it deteriorated into a catastrophic civil war, were prompted in part by droughts that effected the agricultural economy.

With the revolts, food security took on a far greater domestic security aspect for autocratic Gulf leaders whose legitimacy was rooted in a social contract that promised a cradle-to-grave subsidized welfare state in exchange for surrender of all political rights.

The Gulf crisis, however, has taken the dimensions of food security for the Gulf as well as small states elsewhere to a new level. Food security no longer is primarily about commercial access or preferred access to world markets at times of shortages and rising prices. Control of agricultural resources in far-flung lands no longer provides necessary levels of security. The Gulf crisis has broadened the aim of food security, particularly for small states, to include a diversified supply, guaranteed shipping routes, and self-sufficiency to the degree possible as a means of defense against attempts to starve a small state into submission.

The defense and security as opposed to market aspects of food have taken on additional significance not only because of Qatar’s need to fend off pressure on its food supplies by neighbours determined to undermine its independence and force it to adhere to policies devised in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh rather than Doha.

The most recent joint agricultural outlook of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) for the next ten years suggests that the food crises of the first decade of the 21^st century are for now a thing of the past. “Prices for the main crops, livestock and fish products all fell in 2015, signalling that an era of high prices is quite likely over for all sub-sectors,” the outlook said.

Food security is at the core of Qatar’s ability to resist UAE-Saudi pressure. Its continued capability to do so will likely define perceptions of margins of manoeuvrability that small states have in relationship to big brothers. “It sometimes takes war or the threat of war to make countries look at their food security,” John Dore, an Irishman who is helping Qatar become self-sufficient in dairy products, told The Guardian.

To compensate for the effects of the UAE-Saudi blocking of land, sea and air routes, Qatar initially shifted the bulk of its dairy imports from Saud Arabia to Turkey and Iran. Trade between Qatar and Iran has increased by 60 percent since the imposition of the boycott in early June.

Importing thousands of cows from Europe and the United States, Mr. Dore’s operation, within a matter of months, has been able to supply up to 40 percent of Qatar’s milk needs. He expects that the import of another 10,000 animals over the next year will make Qatar self-sufficient.

To be sure, Qatar’s enormous wealth gave it a leg up in its ability to fund resilience and its refusal to cave into the demands of its bigger brothers. In doing so, it relied not only on its financial muscle but also on the relationships and dependencies it established by diversifying the client base for its liquified natural gas.

Nonetheless, the long and short of Qatar’s fight is that how the battle in the Gulf unfolds and how the crisis is resolved will likely have far-reaching consequences for definitions of food security, priorities in shaping food security strategies, and the architecture of international relations as small states gain confidence, recognizing that size is no longer the only or main factor that determines their ability to chart an independent course.

Late, but finally, the vibe for the next parliamentary and the very first district councils elections has been created in Afghanistan. The elections were supposed to happen, at least, two years ago when the legal term of the current parliament effectively ended in mid-2015. Then, however, the newly established National Unity Government (NUG) of President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, was primarily concerned to keep its core intact, meaning not to fall apart abruptly in the face of growing political infighting in the first place. Nevertheless, reforming the electoral managing bodies and restoring the credibility of the process were considered being one of the top priorities of the NUG.

As one could expect, the practical steps for initiating the reforms, unnecessarily, delayed for months and sadly became highly politicized. Thus, the legal and technical recommendations produced by Special Electoral Reform Commission (SERC) and, later on, endorsed by the government were conceptually weak and technically irrelevant to the ground realities. It brought no substantial change, rather than replacing a group of discredited electoral officials with a number of weak and pro-government commissioners, who barely understood either the policy or technical aspect of elections. In short, the reforms were derailed and it’s hard to see what will get it back on track.

Now, with less than ten months left to the scheduled July 2018 elections, both the IEC and the ECC are far from ready to create an environment conducive to assuring the populace of holding fairly better and transparent elections than before. Technical incompetence and diluted impartiality of the leadership have eroded the trust of many stakeholders in the commissions. In his recent briefing to the UN Security Council, Tadmaichi Yamamoto, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, implicitly shared some concern on the timely conduct of the elections. “It is imperative that we hold the elections according to the plan. Timely elections will enhance the credibility of the political system and institutions. Many stakeholders, however, remain skeptical that credible elections will be held on time.”

Anyway, there is much still to worry about. But what constructive contributions the Afghan government, civil stakeholders, and internationals could make in the short span of time that still exits? As a former official of the Election Commission, I believe that a radical recommendation like replacing the entire leadership of both commissions won’t help. That will further delegitimize electoral institutions and, if it happens, a delay of the upcoming parliamentary and district council’s elections is highly anticipated. Therefore, for now, that should not be an option. A limited number of replacements at the leading technical level, including the replacement of high ranking technical officers of IEC’s secretariat, however, are pragmatic steps for enhancing technical and operational capacity.

On restoring the credibility of the institutions, President Ghani and his team need to adopt rather apolitical and non-intervening policy, allowing the commissions to carry out their legal and technical mission with professionalism and needed autonomy. At this critical stage, what’s expected from the NUG leaders is a final, but decisive push for creating an intra-government mood of cooperation, particularly, on providing security, facilitating the logistics of elections, and engaging with the donor community to finance the electoral operations. With the international forces extremely limited to counterterrorism operations, now, it’s for Afghans to mobilize all government resources at national and subnational levels to support the upcoming elections.

Ironically, after wasting nearly half a billion dollar on distributing more than 20 million unverifiable voting cards since 2003, finally there is a consensus among all electoral stakeholders, including the United Nations Assistant Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) that establishing polling station-specific voter lists and producing a reliable voter’s database could increase procedural oversight and transparency. The need assignment for creating such a list started a few months ago, but, due to technical incompetence and corruption in the IEC, the progress was hindered. Technically speaking, the significance of completion of the voter’s list and its impact on transparency is second to none. Once and for all, we have to create a voter’s list that identifies eligible voters and help us to put an end to the tradition of conducting elections based on imprecise estimates.

Moreover, as it has been the case with previous elections, the political support that UNAMA provides to the process is exceptionally crucial in legitimizing the outcome of elections. For the upcoming elections, however, not only the political support of UNAMA is required, but also it’s equally vital that electoral commissions should receive technical and policy support from a group of national and international experts through UNAMA. The mechanism of expanding UNAMA’s technical involvement could be designed in consultation with the IEC and ECC.

Regardless of the political differences that electoral stakeholders have on how the IEC and ECC is governed, which in itself is a practice of democracy, let’s make sure that instead of offering usually quick-fix solutions right when an electoral controversy follows a fraudulent elections, we rather push for some achievable reform objectives, which are technically doable and politically affordable. Finally, considering the fluid nature of Afghan politics, a political crisis is always around the corner. Thus, it’s better to contain and solve the problem than leaving it unattended.

*Tabish Forugh is an Afghan electoral expert and democracy activist. He was formerly a Fulbright Scholar at New York University, Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow of the National Endowment for Democracy, and Chief of Staff of Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission. He tweets @ForughTabish.

The distinction between male and female genders is based less on their physiological traits and more on their respective mindsets. These mindsets, in turn, are a product of social expectations of behavior in a cultural milieu. It is expected from male members of a society to behave in a supposedly manly fashion; and similarly, it is expected from female members of a society to act in a purportedly feminine manner.

But this emphasis on binary distinction of genders in a rural-agrarian setting served a purpose: the division of functions between male and female members, where women were expected to do housekeeping and nurturing children, while it was expected from men to produce food for the family. Although this distinction is still maintained, to a lesser or greater extent, in urban and industrialized societies, but a distinction based on division of functions is a hypothetical imperative: as means to achieve certain ends and not an end in itself.

Moreover, it would be normative to contend that in primitive tribal societies, women had the same social status as men. The nomado-pastoral and agricultural eras were the age of hunting-gathering, farming and strenuous physical labor, and it is a known fact that physically, women are a weaker sex, that’s why we have separate sports and athletics events for men and women.

Women attained the status of equality after the onset of industrial revolution and a shift to mechanized labor, when the focus shifted from physical labor to intelligence and information; and when it comes to cognitive faculties, women are just as intelligent as men, if not more so.

Notwithstanding, instead of taking a binary approach to the classification of genders, modern feminists now favor to look at the issue from the prism of a whole spectrum of gender identities. The way I see it, it should not be about being manly; rather, it should be about being human, which is the common denominator for the whole spectrum of gender identities.

When we stress upon manliness, it’s not manliness per se that we are glorifying, but the presence of feminine attributes in the socially-elevated male gender is something that we, as the agents of patriarchal structure, frown upon. But such machismo is not a natural order of things, because more than the physical attributes, the rigid segregation of genders is a product of social constructions that manifest themselves in the artificial cognitive and behavioral engineering of male and female mindsets.

In our formative years, such watertight gender identities and their socially-accepted attributes are inculcated in our minds by assigning gender roles, but this whole hetero-normative approach to the issue of gender identity is losing its validity in a post-industrial urban milieu, where gender roles are not as strictly defined as they used to be in the medieval agricultural societies.

More to the point, what are the virtues that are deemed valuable in women separately from the ones that are deemed desirable in men? If meekness, diffidence and complacency are disapproved in men, then why do we have double standards for separate genders? Self-confidence, assertiveness and boldness should be equally encouraged in both genders without discrimination.

However, the dilemma that we face is that the mindsets of individuals and gender roles are determined by the culture, but if the society itself is patriarchal and male-dominated, then it tends to marginalize and reduce women to a lower social status. Therefore, a social reform is needed which can redefine “virtue” and the qualities that are deemed valuable in human beings should be uniform and consistent for both genders.

Regardless, if we study the behavioral patterns in the animal kingdom, a tigress is as good a hunter as a tiger; in fact, the females of most species are generally more violent than their male counterparts; because they fight not only for food, but also to protect their offspring. But how often do we find a violent woman in human history and society? Excluding a handful of femme fatales like Cleopatra, bold women are a rare exception in human history. Thus even though by nature women are just as assertive and violent as men, but the patriarchy-inspired nurture and male-dominated culture have tamed women to an extent that they have unlearned even their essential, innate nature.

Two conclusions can be drawn from this fact: first, that it’s always nurture and culture which play a more significant role in determining human behavior compared to some far-fetched concept of essential human nature; and second, that essentially human nature is quite similar for both genders, it’s only the behavioral process of social construction of gender identity that defines and limits the roles which are deemed proper for one gender or the other.

Additionally, even regarding physiological distinction between male and female genders, evolutionary biologists are of the opinion that such differences only have a minor importance. Even if we take primary reproductive organs, for instance, clitoris is regarded as a rudimentary penis in females and nipples in males are regarded as rudimentary breasts, a fact which proves beyond doubt that specialization of male and female reproductive organs is merely a mechanism to keep genetic material unimpaired by preference for meiosis division over repetitive and harmful mitosis reproductive division.

Moreover, it is generally assumed about males that due to the presence of testosterone, they are usually more aggressive and competitive than females. If we assess this contention in the light of global versus local character traits theory, however, testosterone only promotes a specific kind of competition, i.e. competition for mating. When it comes to competing for food, however, males and females of all species exhibit similar levels of aggression and competition.

Therefore, it would be reductive to assume that the distinction between male and female attitudes and behaviors is more physiological and hormonal than it is due to the difference of upbringing and separate sets of social expectations of behavior that are associated with the members of male and female sexes.

Finally, there is no denying of the obvious fact that testosterone is primarily responsible for secondary sexual characteristics in the males of all species. Through the process of natural selection, only those males that have succeeded in mating are able to carry forward their genes, which proves that males with higher testosterone levels do have a comparative advantage in the competition for mating, but its effect on attitudes and behaviors of animal species, and particularly in human beings with their complex social institutions and cultures, is tentative and hypothetical, at best.

Tuesday July 14, 2015 is a date with double significance. It was the day on which world powers, led by the United States, signed the so-called JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), the deal with Iran that nominally limits its nuclear programme. It also marked the re-emergence of Iran into world markets after decades of crippling sanctions. In truth the consequential commercial and economic benefits of the deal are as vital to Iran’s ambitions as the nuclear.

As for those ambitions, Iran’s leaders have never concealed them. The Islamic Republic of Iran seeks to become the dominant political and religious power in the Middle East. As the prime exponent of the Shi’ite tradition of Islam, Iran views as its main rival the leading Sunni state, Saudi Arabia, which it has constantly sought to suborn. It regards Western democracy with contempt, dubs its leading exponent, the United States, the “Great Satan” and has for decades initiated and supported terrorist attacks on US targets, many of them deadly. Iran abhors Israel in particular, and makes no secret of its intention eventually to eliminate it from the map of the Middle East.

It is to this rogue state that the much-vaunted nuclear deal has handed the keys to an eventual nuclear arsenal, and the means to enjoy a flourishing economy and commercial growth on a previously unimaginable scale. Long starved of economic development, and with a population of some 80 million, Iran is replete with juicy commercial plums simply waiting to be plucked.

The negotiations between Iran and the so-called P5+1 (the permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) in an attempt to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, involved the retreat, step by step, of the world powers. The prime policy objective of the Obama administration from the first – to bring Shia Iran “on side” in order to counter the activities of Sunni al-Qaeda, and later of IS – presupposed appeasement. Other western powers, mesmerized by Iran’s apparent access of flexibility, bent over backwards to accommodate its demands and finalise a nuclear deal. Trumpeted as a triumph, in fact the outcome opens the door to Iran eventually becoming a nuclear power – a fact still often ignored or obscured by pro-dealers.

Significantly, though, the US State Department’s former special adviser for non-proliferation and arms control in the Obama administration, Bob Einhorn, recently described the nuclear deal’s ‘sunset’ provisions as the risk that, “when key nuclear restrictions of the JCPOA expire, Iran will be free to build up its nuclear capabilities, especially its enrichment capacity, and drastically reduce the time it would need to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon.”

This was the main objection voiced by Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in 2015 when he publicly opposed Obama’s deal with Iran. The fact is that between 2025 and 2030 the agreement to limit Iran’s stocks of low-enriched uranium and the number of centrifuge cascades it can operate will expire, allowing Iran to erect an industrial-scale nuclear program if it chooses. Other ambiguities built into the agreement allow Iran to continue testing ballistic missiles and to block inspections of its military sites. So while it may be accurate to say that Iran is complying with the letter of the deal, it is also likely that, thanks to this deal, Tehran will be able to rebuild its economy, expand its military and, at some point in the future, be in a position to construct a nuclear arsenal.

All of which has led Washington to a new high-risk strategy vis-à-vis Iran. The timetable is significant. On September 14 President Donald Trump agreed to extend sanctions relief for Iran, since re-imposing sanctions without a pressing reason could have led Iran to renounce the deal and revert back to rapid uranium enrichment. Nine days later, perhaps emboldened by the US’s move, Iran chose to test-launch its newest missile which is reportedly capable of carrying multiple warheads, and to have a range placing Israel and Saudi Arabia within easy striking distance.

Speaking during a military parade featuring the new missile, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said: “We will promote our defensive and military power as much as we deem necessary. We seek no one’s permission to defend our land.”

Trump responded with a tweet: “Iran just test-fired a ballistic missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have.”

This was perhaps the opportunity Trump was waiting for. On October 13 he certified that Iran was not complying with the agreement, and gave Congress 60 days to decide whether to re-impose sanctions waived under the deal. Trump hopes this move will provide leverage to deal with the deficiencies in the current agreement. He knows that a re-imposition of sanctions is the last thing that Iran, currently blossoming economically, would wish. His high risk strategy may succeed, though there are signs that Congress may opt not to jeopardize the nuclear deal.

So far world opinion has vehemently opposed it. The fear is that the nuclear agreement could unravel, leaving the international community with even less transparency about Iran’s nuclear program. It would also scupper the myriad highly profitable commercial deals with Iran that have mushroomed since sanctions were lifted.

The ink was barely dry on the nuclear agreement, before a German government plane filled with some of the nation’s top economic and commercial interests touched down in Tehran. The team included the chief executive of Siemens, the German industrial conglomerate, and leading figures from Daimler, Volkswagon and ThyssenKrupp.

Germany was far from alone. European ministers and business people flocked to the country. Agreements were soon being negotiated and signed with an Italian bank and a major French hotel chain. Two Russian companies signed a deal with an Iranian firm to develop a remote-sensing satellite observation system based on the Russian Kanopus-V1. The launch is scheduled for 2018 aboard a Soyuz carrier rocket. Satellite observation systems can be used to gather information about the Earth’s atmosphere, surface, and oceans. What else they can be used for was not specified in the Iranian news report, leaving the imagination to run riot.

Russia was reported to be cooperating with Iran in the fields of aviation, shipbuilding and the supply of S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems. Other reports suggested that Iran had begun negotiating with Boeing and Airbus to rebuild its commercial air transport system, thus tempting both the US and the EU into the burgeoning and highly lucrative Iranian renaissance.

The Trump administration and the Iranian leadership are certainly playing a high stakes game of poker. The first party to blink risks losing everything.

Some of the recent observations and comments made in social media by number of Tibetans living as refugees or citizens in other countries give an impression that some of them may be losing confidence that independence of Tibet would happen in their life time. Some of them seem to think that such hope of Tibetan independence is a distant dream or unrealistic dream.

To some extent, the Dalai Lama , the venerable leader of great stature, seem to have given room for such feelings by making observations on more than one occasion in recent times that he would be satisfied if Tibet would be given full autonomy within the overall governance of China and he would not demand complete independence for Tibet.

Of course, some quarters among Tibetans have expressed surprise at such stand of the Dalai Lama. It appears that, as yet, the Dalai Lama has not explained in public the logic or justification for diluting the target of independent Tibet and instead asking for autonomy status for Tibet.

In any case, it is very clear that the present Chinese government has no intention of conceding the demand for independence of Tibet or autonomy status for Tibet.

Apart from the fact that the Dalai Lama seem to have diluted his desire for independence of Tibet by asking for autonomy status for Tibet, the ground reality that no country in the world has shown readiness to condemn openly China’s aggression in Tibet seem to have shaken the confidence of section of the Tibetans living around the world that Tibet’s independence would be possible in the foreseeable future.

Barrack Obama, the former President of United States, also contributed significantly to demolish the confidence of Tibetans by receiving the Dalai Lama through the back door in White House, as if he was doing a mistake or scared of antagonizing the Chinese government.

Nevertheless, one should not miss the fact that Chinese government is aware that there is underlying feeling among cross section of world citizens that Tibet has been taken over by China unjustifiably with its military might. China is acutely aware that it has virtually destroyed the Tibetan culture and tradition and world knows it and China further knows that this fact cannot be concealed in the world history in future.

Given this ground reality, China clearly has apprehensions about the world’s view on its occupation of Tibet and it vehemently protests even if the government of a small country would officially receive the Dalai Lama. China objects strongly to any recognition for the Dalai Lama anywhere in the world, since it knows that the Dalai Lama represents a strong moral force and Tibetan cause and the plight of Tibetans can potentially prick the conscience of the world in future.

In recent times, after Mr. Modi has become the Prime Minister of India, the government has exhibited a courage of conviction to stand against China as far as the treatment extended to the Dalai Lama and Tibetans in India are concerned. Certainly, Tibetans across the world should gain confidence from the no nonsense attitude of the Narendra Modi government, which is standing up to China with regard to the importance given to the Dalai Lama and Tibetans in India.

It is a fact that most of the Tibetans living around the world today have not seen Tibet or touched the soil of Tibet, as Tibet lost its freedom around 60 years back. Quite a number of them are citizens of some other countries. However, it is very important that they should keep the Tibetan pride in their families for all time to come and should continue to cherish the thought of independent Tibet.

The Tibetans should not let China has the last laugh with regard to the occupation of Tibet. Tibetans should keep their belief and faith that independence of Tibet would be possible and should keep their spirit alive and strong, by constantly discussing about the cause of Tibet in several world forums wherever possible.

There is also need for the Dalai Lama to think as to what would happen to Tibetan cause after his time, since today the Dalai Lama represents the voice of Tibetans and has a very strong moral power which China too recognizes.

Tibetans need to plan their strategies for independent Tibet under the guidance of the Dalai Lama by organizing several brain storming session in different parts of the world and such strategies should be widely communicated to the Tibetans and friends of Tibet all over the world.

Tibetans should remember that faith and belief has historically changed the tide of misfortune and without faith and belief ,no cause can be achieved.

By Jeannie Wurz

There are few opportunities for immigrants in Switzerland, who have not become naturalized citizens to participate politically. In one case where they can, the results are disappointing.

Chairs are drawn close at the seven tables filling the auditorium of the Progr cultural cente in Bern. After greetings and presentations, it’s time to get down to business. Expressions are earnest; the quiet hum of voices fills the room. People’s nametags reflect a range of cultures, but the language of discussion is German.

This is the 16th year that the city of Bern is hosting a networking forum for members and representatives of Bern’s immigrant communities. This year, the forum is also open to organizations that work with immigrants. The topic of discussion on this day in September: how to implement the city’s new “Regulation over the political participation of foreigners”.

The regulation – which allows foreigners to formally bring their ideas to the city parliament for consideration – was approved in June 2015 by almost 60% of Bern citizens who voted. But more than two years later, it has never been put into practice.

Getting started

The city of Bern’s Competence Centre for Integration has been given the task of spreading the word about the regulation. But reaching the thousands of immigrants from more than 160 nations who are eligible to take advantage of the new tool requires a variety of approaches. The forum is one of them.

Over three and a half hours, attendees hear what kinds of issues can and can’t be addressed through a motion. They receive tips for drafting a motion’s text. They discuss where and how and from whom to collect signatures. And they network, looking for potential partners among people who have similar interests.

“I’m hoping that two, three, four, five motions will result from tonight’s meeting,” says the Director of the Competence Centre, Ursula Heitz.

Supporting role

But in reality, the number of attendees at the event who are eligible to propose or to sign a participation motion is limited. Many of the foreigners present have Swiss citizenship, and the new instrument is specifically designed for people who are not Swiss.

“I don’t see the point of excluding individuals who have acquired Swiss nationality from the possibility to sign a motion,” says Peruvian researcher Rorick Tovar, a forum attendee. “You would expect these people to have the same interests as other foreigners. Their support would help attain the goals pursued by the motion.”

Yvonne Apiyo Brändle-Amolo is at the Bern forum to inform herself on the possibilities for immigrants who reside in Switzerland and do not yet have a Swiss passport to be politically active.

She’s originally from Kenya and has lived in Switzerland for 17 years. As President of SP Immigrants Zurich, the left-wing Social Democratic Party’s political organ for immigrants, she is already politically active. But as a Swiss citizen and a resident of canton Zurich, she’s not eligible to submit a motion.

Hurdles

At the workshop, one task put to the attendees is to brainstorm topics for a motion. The texts, written on colorful sheets of paper, are sorted into categories and hung on the walls at stations around the room.

The spontaneous proposals fall under the general categories of language learning, political participation, work and career, culture and leisure, and childcare and schooling. Many of these are typical “migrant” themes, says Heitz. She stresses that migrants don’t have to restrict themselves to such topics. “Any theme that’s important to you is an option.”

Defining a topic to bring to the parliament can be a challenge, however. “At the forum I heard interesting ideas,” says Tovar, who is a member of Bern’s Committee for Integration, an advisory body. “Unfortunately, many of the proposed topics corresponded to competences of the canton or even the federation.”

There are other challenges associated with informing and motivating immigrants to take advantage of the new political option. For one thing, says Project Leader Itziar Marañón, “this kind of tool isn’t usually used by members of the public; it’s used by members of the city parliament, who are politically active and politically organized.”

Former Bern city parliament member Cristina Anliker, who introduced the Participation Motion, concedes that “it’s not so easy getting 200 signatures”.

A lack of German language skills is another potential hurdle for many of the immigrants who might be interested in submitting a motion. Input from an organization that works with migrants, or support from second-generation residents or Swiss citizens, can help.

One step closer

City council member Franziska Teuscher, Bern’s Director of Education, Social Welfare and Sport, sees the new regulation as an opportunity to reach out to the quarter of the population who have no political rights. The city council would like immigrants to be more involved in the city in the future, “politically as well,” she says.

Ultimately, the new regulation is a tool for migrants to contribute their ideas, according to Marañón. “It’s not that it has to work the first time. It doesn’t have to be fast. But it’s a really good way to start being politically active.”

But the regulation could become obsolete before it’s ever used. Shortly after this event, the Bern city council said it is in favor of changing the Bern cantonal constitution to allow individual communities in the canton to decide whether they want to allow foreigners to vote at the local level. If this were to be implemented in Bern, the participation motion would no longer be needed, says Anliker.

Foreigners’ voting rights

Cantons that give foreigners the right to vote/be elected at a communal level are: Appenzell Ausser Rhoden, Basel City, Fribourg, Graubünden, Neuchâtel, Jura, Vaud and Geneva.

Those granting the right to vote at a cantonal level are Jura and Neuchâtel.

The Spanish economy created 521,700 jobs year-on-year in the third quarter of 2017, and unemployment fell by 589,100, according to the figures from the Labour Force Survey (Spanish acronym: EPA) published by the National Statistics Institute (Spanish acronym: INE).

The rise in the number of workers over the last year stands at 2.82%, which means that almost all economic growth translates into new jobs. The barrier of 19 million people in work has been hit for the first time in eight years. Most new jobs were created in the private sector, practically all of which are full-time jobs and permanent employment contracts have grown more than temporary contracts. The total number of unemployed has fallen to 3.73 million, the lowest figure since the start of the recession, the same as the unemployment rate, which has dropped by 2.53 points in the last year to stand at 16.38% of the active population.

The new results for the job market exceed forecasts and are in line with the upward trend of the economy. According to the latest macro-economic chart, the Spanish economy will grow by a year-on-year average of 3.1% in 2017, one tenth higher than the previous estimate. Almost all of this growth is translating into job creation – 521,700 over the last year – which shows how effective the reforms are proving, the improvements in competitiveness attained and the reduction in the macro-economic imbalances. Since the lowest point for the job market during the crisis (first quarter of 2014), more than 2 million net jobs have been created and the number of unemployed has fallen by 2.5 million people since the maximum posted in the first quarter of 2013, while the unemployment rate has fallen by 11 points.

In the third quarter of this year, the number of people in work stood at 19.05 million – a figure not attained since the corresponding quarter of 2009 – following a quarter-on-quarter rise of 235,900. This rate of job growth is the highest in 12 years for the third quarter of the year. In terms of unemployment, the figure has fallen by 182,600 in the third quarter to stand at 3.73 million, the lowest figure since the fourth quarter of 2008. Unemployment fell in the services and industrial sectors, but rose in the agriculture and construction sectors. The number of people who lost their job more than one year ago fell by 114,900 while it rose by 11.400 among first-time job seekers.

Job creation over the last year mainly took place in the private sector, with 463,500 more people in work, a 2.99% year-on-year rise, compared with a rise of 58,200 people in the public sector (up 1.94%). 94.5% of the posts created were full-time jobs (up by 493,000 people), while the remaining 5.5% were part-time jobs (up 28.700 people). Employment has been created in all sectors, headed up by the services sector (up 301,700, or 57.8% of the total). In the industrial sector, this figure rose by 139,400, in construction by 47.400 and in agriculture by 33,200. Permanent employment contracts rose by 299,300, while temporary employment contracts increased by 202,700. The temporary employment rate now stands at 27.38%, 0.43% up on the figure a year ago and below the levels seen before the crisis.

The reduction in unemployment stands at 589,100 people year-on-year in the third quarter, and hence exceeds the figure of half a million fewer unemployed per annum, a rate that has been maintained each of the last four years. This fall is shared among all sectors, principally the services and construction sectors. The number of unemployed who lost their job more than a year ago has fallen by 417,500 and by 45,900 for first-time job seekers. The unemployment rate fell by 0.84% on the previous quarter to stand at 16.38%, the lowest rate since the fourth quarter of 2008. Over the last 12 months, the number of households with all its active members out of work has fallen by 244,400, to stand at 1.19 million, while those households with all its active members in work has increased by 412,300.

State and local investment spending fell at near or above a double-digit rate for the second consecutive quarter.

A jump in the pace of inventory accumulation raised the rate of GDP growth to 3.0 percent in the fourth quarter. Coupled with the 3.1 percent growth rate in the second quarter, these are the first back-to-back quarters over 3.0 percent since the third and fourth quarters of 2014, when the economy grew at 4.6 and 5.2 percent rates, respectively.

The increase in the pace of inventory accumulation added 0.73 percentage points to the quarter’s growth rate. The pace of final demand growth was 2.3 percent in the quarter, down from 2.9 percent in the second quarter and 2.7 percent in the first quarter.

Consumption growth accounted for the vast majority of the increase in final demand, adding 1.62 percentage points to GDP growth for the quarter. A 14.7 percent growth in car sales was a big part of this story. This is likely due to people replacing cars destroyed by the hurricanes. Excluding cars and other durable goods, consumption growth was modest. Non-durables grew at a 2.1 percent rate and services at just a 1.5 percent rate.

It is worth noting that the growth of health care spending remains under control. Nominal spending on health care services rose at a just a 2.5 percent annual rate in the quarter. It is up by just 3.9 percent over the last year. This component accounts for close to two-thirds of total health care spending.

The growth in consumption has outpaced income as the savings rate fell to 3.4 percent, the lowest since before the Great Recession. As a share of GDP, consumption stands at a record high. (There is a misguided view that the consumption share of GDP continually rises. This is not true historically, as there was no rise from 1950 to the mid-1970s, nor does it make sense theoretically.)

The low savings rate should raise some concerns. People are obviously spending based on their growing stock and housing wealth. If there were to be a reversal in these markets (more likely stock than housing), we would expect to see consumption fall back some. This would not likely cause a recession, since neither investment nor housing seem to be driven by high market prices at the moment, and therefore would not fall much in response to a downturn, but a dampening of consumption would certainly be a drag on growth.

Investment was weak in the quarter, growing at a 3.9 percent rate. A 5.2 percent decline in structures offset modest growth in the other two categories. Residential construction was surprisingly weak, falling at a 6.0 percent rate, its second consecutive decline. Most of this drop has been in spending on improvements and commissions and fees, such as those charged in mortgage refinancing.

Net exports added 0.41 percentage points to growth in the quarter, as a modest rise in exports was coupled with a small drop in imports. This is not likely to be repeated in future quarters. A drop in government spending was a small drag on growth as federal non-defense spending fell for the third consecutive quarter and state and local investment spending dropped at near or above a double-digit rate for the second consecutive quarter.

There continues to be no evidence of inflationary pressures in this report. The GDP price index is up 1.8 percent over the last year, while core personal consumption expenditure deflator is up by 1.3 percent. This is the same as its rate of increase in the last quarter. This means the rate of inflation remains well below the Fed’s target, with no evidence of acceleration.

One piece of potentially very positive news in this report is a rise in the rate of productivity growth. Hours worked grew at less than a 1.0 percent annual rate in the third quarter, while value-added in the non-farm business sector grew at a 3.8 percent rate. This means that productivity is likely to be over 2.0 percent for the quarter, a big jump from the 0.7 percent rate of the last five years. Quarterly data are hugely erratic, but this would still be a good sign.

On the whole, this report provides little evidence that the economy upshifted from its 2.0 percent growth rate in the recovery to date. The rise in inventory growth will not be sustained and consumption growth will likely slow in future quarters.

After more than 15 productive years in orbit, the U.S./German GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite mission has ended science operations. During their mission, the twin GRACE satellites have provided unprecedented insights into how our planet is changing by tracking the continuous movement of liquid water, ice and the solid Earth.

GRACE made science measurements by precisely measuring the distance between its twin satellites, GRACE-1 and GRACE-2, which required that both spacecraft and their instruments be fully functional. Following an age-related battery issue on GRACE-2 in September, it became apparent by mid-October that GRACE-2’s remaining battery capacity would not be sufficient to operate its science instruments and telemetry transmitter. Consequently, the decision was made to decommission the GRACE-2 satellite and end GRACE’s science mission.

GRACE, a mission led by Principal Investigator Byron Tapley at the University of Texas at Austin, launched in March 2002 on a planned five-year mission to precisely map our planet’s ever-changing gravity field. It has revealed how water, ice and solid Earth mass move on or near Earth’s surface due to Earth’s changing seasons, weather and climate processes, earthquakes and even human activities, such as from the depletion of large aquifers. It did this by sensing minute changes in the gravitational pull caused by local changes in Earth’s mass, which are due mostly to changes in how water is constantly being redistributed around our planet.

“GRACE has provided paradigm-shifting insights into the interactions of our planet’s ocean, atmosphere and solid Earth components,” said Tapley. “It has advanced our understanding of the contribution of polar ice melt to global sea level rise and the amount of atmospheric heat absorbed by the ocean. Recent applications include monitoring and managing global water resources used for consumption, agriculture and industry; and assessing flood and earthquake hazards.”

GRACE used a microwave ranging system to measure the change in distance between the twin satellites to within a fraction of the diameter of a human hair over 137 miles (220 kilometers). The ranging data were combined with GPS tracking for timing, star trackers for attitude information and an accelerometer to account for non-gravitational effects, such as atmospheric drag and solar radiation. From these data, scientists calculated the planet’s gravity field monthly and monitored its changes over time.

“GRACE was an excellent example of a research satellite mission that advanced science and also provided near-term societal benefits,” said Michael Freilich, director of NASA’s Earth Science Division at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. “Using cutting-edge technology to make exquisitely precise distance measurements, GRACE improved our scientific understanding of our complex home planet, while at the same time providing information — such as measurements related to ground water, drought and aquifer water storage changes worldwide — that was used in the U.S. and internationally to improve the accuracy of environmental monitoring and forecasts.”

GRACE established that measuring the redistribution of mass around Earth is an essential observation for understanding the Earth system. GRACE’s monthly maps of regional gravity variations have given scientists new insights into Earth system processes. Among its innovations, GRACE has monitored the loss of ice mass from Earth’s ice sheets, improved understanding of the processes responsible for sea level rise and ocean circulation, provided insights into where global groundwater resources may be shrinking or growing and where dry soils are contributing to drought, and monitored changes in the solid Earth. Users in more than 100 countries routinely download GRACE data for analyses.

“GRACE was a pioneering mission that advanced our understanding across the Earth system — land, ocean and ice,” said Mike Watkins, director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, and the mission’s original project scientist. “The entire mission team was creative and successful in its truly heroic efforts over the last few years, extending the science return of the mission to help minimize the gap between GRACE and its successor mission, GRACE Follow-On, scheduled to launch in early 2018.”

Despite the loss of one of the twin GRACE satellites, the other satellite, GRACE-1, will continue operating through the end of 2017. “GRACE-1’s remaining fuel will be used to complete previously planned maneuvers to calibrate and characterize its accelerometer to improve the final scientific return and insights from the 15-year GRACE record,” said GRACE Project Scientist Carmen Boening of JPL.

Currently, GRACE-2’s remaining fuel is being expended and the satellite has begun to slowly deorbit. Atmospheric reentry of GRACE-2 is expected sometime in December or January. Decommissioning and atmospheric reentry of GRACE-1 are expected in early 2018. NASA and the German Space Operations Center will jointly monitor the deorbit and reentry of both satellites.

GRACE Follow-On, a joint NASA/Helmholtz Centre Potsdam German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) mission, will continue GRACE’s legacy. It will also test a new laser-ranging interferometer developed by a joint German/U.S. collaboration for use in future generations of gravitational research satellites.

(RFE/RL) — The president of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region says he is stepping down amid tensions over last month’s independence referendum.

In a letter read to lawmakers in Irbil on October 29, 71-year-old Masud Barzani said he would no longer exercise his functions after November 1.

“I ask parliament to meet to fill the vacancy in power,” Barzani added.

The move comes as the September 25 independence referendum he had championed triggered a regional crisis.

People living in areas under Kurdish control in northern Iraq overwhelmingly backed secession in the vote that the Baghdad government rejected as illegal.

Following the referendum, Iraqi government troops and allied Shi’ite militia fighters moved into disputed areas that previously were held by Kurdish Peshmerga forces.

The assault dealt a severe blow to Barzani, who has held the post since 2005.

Presidential and parliamentary elections due for November 1 in the autonomous Kurdish region have been delayed.