Researchers studying global warming-driven climate change issued a dire warning highlighting the need to prepare for the dire ill-effects of climate change today, but their primary solution to curb carbon emissions is both politically and economically unrealistic.  Certainly, carbon emissions and other forms of air pollution should be curbed for the sake of mankind and our global ecosystem, yet this will only happen if a technology-driven economic revolution leads to this scenario.  Such a revolution may be in motion, but it is likely not going to solve the carbon emissions problem in the time window researchers have put forward while the world of politics is deadlock on major issues as the world struggles to deal with the realities of an economy built on bubbles and increasing economic disparity.  As it is, preparing to deal with the already unavoidable ill-effects of climate change is going to be a challenge that likely will not be met until there are unavoidable economic problems.  Consequently, the environmentally conscious need to help develop solutions to address climate change in a prudent fashion.

Unfortunately, North Korea has decided to provoke its neighbors to the south by firing 500 rounds of artillery shells into South Korean waters, which lead to the South responding by firing 300 rounds of artillery shells into the North’s waters.  Given the long history of the Korean War and the “personality of North Korea,” this is a sign that North Korea is headed into an active cycle where it will attempt to extort some humanitarian aid/ economic concessions by ratcheting its bad behavior up, until the world caves, which it should not do, or the North goes far enough to attract some very negative consequences.  Considering the world’s attention is focused on events like those in Crimea and the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, which major world powers have vested interests in these conflicts of interests, the North’s behavior is far from unwelcome while it certainty appears to be a way for North Korea to get back into the news.  Consequently, this adds greater pressure to finally resolve the ongoing, backburner issues surrounding the Korean War.  

Although unions, and/or other groups representing the interests of workers, are necessary, there are teachers whose behavior can be quite unbefitting for those in their positions, which hurts students.  Teachers are supposed to be professionals, but their unions do have problems and unreasonable protections from tenure are a major source of those problems.  

When there are teachers who pass out worksheets then hit the web, teachers who sleep in class, teachers who are thoroughly incompetent, good teachers who are fired for just being new, teachers who use school resources for personal or business uses, teachers who do drugs, teachers who have inappropriate sexual relationships with students, etc, tenure should mean jack while there are two groups responsible holding offenders accountable.  Having seen all of these examples and more, this writer understands the reason why there is a growing movement to address the tenure issue, once and for all. 

Administrations that turn a blind eye to protect the image of their schools and their careers are obviously responsible for bad teachers in school.  Meanwhile, teachers are responsible, because they are supposed to be a group of professionals.  Being a professional means fostering higher standards and greater accountability; it also means mentoring and supporting follow professionals.   Henceforth, it should not take legal action to deal with the tenure issue.  School administration and teachers unions should be working identity, reform, and replace misbehaving teachers, without regard to tenure.  Moreover, the protections of tenure should be checked for the good of students and teachers. 

Controversy-inspiring Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is once against priming his State for another political storm.  This time around, he has signed a bill into law that prohibits early voting on weekends and past 7 p.m. on weekdays.  In other words, early voting is only allowed when most people are working.  Many view this to be an attempt to hinder earlier voters who tend to vote Democratic; obviously, it is easier to silence voters than it is to develop balanced compromises with those who disagree with you.  That said, whether or not you agree with earlier voting, whether or not you see the motivation behind this law as political, this move clearly nullifies the entire purpose of early voting.  Either do away with early voting, so votes can have equal access to the polls, or find a way to schedule them more in line with the needs of the People.  If the goal is to produce unified voting hours, the legislation should be scheduling hours when people can vote.  Moreover, instead of playing games with scheduling voting hours, officials need to find a better solution; otherwise, this type of behavior has the potential to undermine the integrity of the electoral system.

Clearly, the US and Saudi Arabia have several conflicts of interests as well as many more pressing mutual interests,  but the outcome of the Syria Civil War represents an area where the US and Saudi Arabia share common ground.  Much was discussed on President Obama’s visit to the Saudi Kingdom, but a potential shift in his Syrian policies was largely overlooked given issues those happening in Ukraine.  The Obama Administration is now considering allowing shipments of new air defense systems to Syrian rebels.  Clearly, this development would have been most effective when the Syrian rebels were making ground and their efforts were only being hampered by Syrian President Assad’s airpower.  The unfortunate truth is that Assad’s allies have helped him retake the momentum, thus the rebels likely need far more military support now than they did.  What side wins will be a trivial matter should the devastation in Syria continue.