*1. One man's dictatorship is another man's...democracy?
Several interesting reads over the weekend about political power. What is a dictatorship and what is a democracy? And a specific dictatorship with ties to Star Wars.
"In its 2015 Democracy Index, the Economist Intelligence Unit reckons that just 12 percent of the world's population lives in what it calls "full democracy," down from about 15 percent in 2014. Three in 10 people live under regimes where challenging the status quo is likely to land them in prison, get them tortured or worse."
"The Democracy Index counts 51 dictatorships around the world. These are states without free elections, civil liberties and an independent media, governed by rulers who knock down...others who try to stand up."
"There are those who argue that dictatorship has its benefits — and not just for the dictators."
and this may surprise many (or not)
"The Democracy Index rates the United States a full democracy — but only barely, thanks to race-based police violence, Congressional gridlock and wiretapping."
"He [Yahya Jammeh] prefers that subjects address him by his full name — His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya Abdul-Azziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh — and says he can cure AIDS."
+ From Ozy - Here's one dictator that did not survive the long arm of international justice. How Saddam Hussein Modeled a Paramilitary Unit After Darth Vader
and, speaking of Star Wars, just for fun, this video is VERY funny. You will laugh. Trust me.
*2. One man's contractor (mercenary) in another man's...soldier?
"...there are roughly three contractors (28,626) for every U.S. troops (9,800) in Afghanistan, far above the contractor per uniformed military personnel average of America's previous wars. In Iraq today, 7,773 contractors support U.S. government operations — and 4,087 U.S. troops."
Pretty interesting statistics from this FP article. I'm of no opinion whether using contractors is the right approach to modern war, but it's definitely a paradigm shift for conducting the business of war.
"'Americans have learned that it's harder to end wars than it is to begin them,' the president said in the Rose Garden."
++ From WaPo - Since we are talking about Obama, I found this interesting - Don't look now, but Barack Obama is suddenly popular
"But over the course of the year, Obama's approval numbers changed -- quickly, and a lot. In Gallup's most recent weekly average, Obama is at 51-45 -- the exact opposite of where he was on Jan. 1 and a 12-point swing since then."
++ From FP - A slightly different topic, but related to ongoing conflicts and potential future conflicts - Ex-Generals March Into 2016's Political Wars
*3. Brother, can you lend a hand?
I'm no expert on the the cost of college tuition, but it seems to me that the rapid rate of tuition escalation is not sustainable.
"What cannot be defended, however, is the claim that tuition has risen because public funding for higher education has been cut. Despite its ubiquity, this claim flies directly in the face of the facts."
"In fact, public investment in higher education in America is vastly larger today, in inflation-adjusted dollars, than it was during the supposed golden age of public funding in the 1960s."
"In other words, far from being caused by funding cuts, the astonishing rise in college tuition correlates closely with a huge increase in public subsidies for higher education."
"On the other hand, there are no valid arguments to support the recent trend toward seven-figure salaries for high-ranking university administrators..."
@ Also, see 2 May Top of the News, story number 4
*4. Pregnancy In the Time of Zika
"The CDC said...it will begin posting a weekly update on the number of Zika-related pregnancy cases it is monitoring. The numbers are expected to rise as the summer mosquito season approaches."
"The escalating numbers [of countries with verified Zika cases] have prompted the CDC to urge pregnant women in particular to avoid traveling to Zika-affected areas, and to abstain from sexual contact for a prolonged period with anyone who has traveled to countries where the virus is circulating."
"In late February, the CDC reported that at least two pregnant women in the United States infected with the Zika virus had chosen to have abortions, while two others had suffered miscarriages. One woman gave birth to an infant with serious birth defects, while two others delivered healthy infants."
"Countries such as El Salvador and Jamaica have urged women to consider postpone pregnancy while the outbreak continues."
Postpone pregnancies. Abort fetuses. Deliver infants with birth defects. Deliver healthy babies. Abstain from sex. Wow! Those are some seriously difficult decisions.
*5. We don't swim in your toilet, please don't pee in our pool. Gross!
"Routine inspection...revealed that 80 percent of public pools, hot tubs, and spas presented at least one health or safety violation. And one of every eight of those venues had to be closed immediately because of a serious threat to public health."
"But it gets worse. Of all the pools that inspectors looked at, kiddie pools had the highest proportion of violations that led to closures. The researchers found that a fifth of kiddie pools had to be shut down immediately following an inspection. So kids clearly aren't swimming in the cleanest of waters."
From The Verge - Pools are gross, new CDC study confirms
BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
* Opioid Prescriptions Drop for First Time in Two Decades (@ Also, see 5 May Top of the News, story number 1)
* In Sweden, an Experiment Turns Shorter Workdays Into Bigger Gains and How to adopt a 5-hour workday and make time for extraordinary living
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