Drawing the Middle East’s modern borders on a map with a ruler certainly seemed simple. Perhaps that’s why the lines, set in 1916 by Englishman Sir Mark Sykes and Frenchman Francois Georges-Picot were straight ones.
Author Archives: andrewspaulw
The Mariana Trench – a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
A decade before the Apollo Moon Missions, two aquanauts, traveled to the last unexplored place on Earth, the deepest point under all the Earth’s oceans. On 23 January 1960, Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh, in the bathyscaphe Trieste, descended down to the bottom of Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, 7 miles, (11 km) beneathContinue reading “The Mariana Trench – a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea”
The Armenian Genocide – the Tragic, Forgotten Holocaust
Most know of the Jewish Holocaust, committed by Nazi Germany during World War II. But many are oblivious to Armenian Genocide, the 1st modern atrocity of the 20th century. It occurred 30 years earlier during World War I. In 1915, leaders of the Ottoman Empire began the systemic expulsion and extermination of Armenian Christians livingContinue reading “The Armenian Genocide – the Tragic, Forgotten Holocaust”
Mother Jones, the Mother of Labor Unions
You may know the name Mother Jones from the progressive news magazine & website. But its namesake, Mary Harris “Mother” Jones was a fearless fighter for the working class and a tireless labor activist. Her opponents in industry and congress labeled her “The most dangerous woman in America!” Jones combined radical organizing methods and energeticContinue reading “Mother Jones, the Mother of Labor Unions”
Krakatoa Volcano: the Eruption that Shook the Globe
The eruption of Krakatau island in August 1883 was THE most deadly volcanic explosion in modern history.
The Cuban Missile Crisis – the Day Russia Blinked
For 13 nerve-wracking days in October 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the earth close to a nuclear WORLD WAR III. It was a direct confrontation between 2 major superpowers, United States and USSR (Soviet Union) during the so called Cold War. It was the worst clash since the construction of the Berlin WallContinue reading “The Cuban Missile Crisis – the Day Russia Blinked”
Bhopal India was the World’s Worst Industrial Disaster
How soon we forgot. Over 30 years ago, on the night of December 3, 1984, the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, released 30 tons of deadly methyl isocyanate gas into the air. Primarily into the poor slums surrounding the factory, exposing more than half a million souls to the deadly cloud. The thick,Continue reading “Bhopal India was the World’s Worst Industrial Disaster”
Japan’s Horrific Minamata Disease was a Man-made Disaster
Minamata Disease is a sobering reminder of the dangers of unregulated industries in modern times, a purely human-created disease.
Podcast : An Irish Immigrants Welcome – No Irish Need Apply
Given this centuries massive migrant refugee crises around the world, it’s not hard to fathom the intense Irish immigrant bigotry of the mid-1800’s. The great Irish Potato Famine lasted nearly a decade and brought massive numbers of Irish refugees to America, Canada and England. Faced with eviction and starvation, hundreds of thousands of Irish emigrated across the AtlanticContinue reading “Podcast : An Irish Immigrants Welcome – No Irish Need Apply”
Middle East Peace- the Egypt-Israeli Camp David Accords
Peace in our time, seems like a utopian fantasy, doesn’t it? But there are true examples of lasting success.