As the Obama administration expands U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, military experts are warning that the United States is taking on security and political commitments that will last at least a decade and a cost that will probably eclipse that of the Iraq war. Since the invasion of Afghanistan eight years ago, the United States has spent $223 billion on war-related funding for that country, according to the Congressional Research Service. Aid expenditures, excluding the cost of combat operations, have grown exponentially, from $982 million in 2003 to $9.3 billion last year. The costs are almost certain to keep growing. The Obama administration is in the process of overhauling the U.S. approach to Afghanistan, putting its focus on long-term security, economic sustainability and development. That approach is also likely to require deployment of more American military personnel, at the very least to train additional Afghan security forces. Later this month, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, is expected to present his analysis of the situation in the country. The analysis could prompt an increase in U.S. troop levels to help implement President Obama’s new strategy. Military experts insist that the additional resources are […]
Dogs are as bright as a human toddler, a Canadian canine researcher told the American Psychological Association Saturday. Stanley Coren of the University of British Columbia, speaking on the topic ‘How dogs think,’ said the average dog can understand about 150 words and signs and can practice intentional deceit on dogs and people. ‘We all want insight into how our furry companions think, and we want to understand the silly, quirky and apparently irrational behaviors Lassie or Rover demonstrate,’ Coren said. ‘Their stunning flashes of brilliance and creativity are reminders that they may not be Einsteins but are sure closer to humans than we thought.’ Coren said dogs show three types of intelligence: instinctive, which is hard-wired; adaptive, which they learn from their environment; and working and obedience, the equivalent of school learning. He said they are as intelligent as children ages 2 to 2 ½. The smartest dogs can learn about 250 words, Coren said. Dogs also have some ability to do arithmetic, counting up to 5 and spotting errors in simple addition. He said border collies are the smartest breed, followed by poodles and German shepherds.
WASHINGTON — The changing global climate will pose profound strategic challenges to the United States in coming decades, raising the prospect of military intervention to deal with the effects of violent storms, drought, mass migration and pandemics, military and intelligence analysts say. Such climate-induced crises could topple governments, feed terrorist movements or destabilize entire regions, say the analysts, experts at the Pentagon and intelligence agencies who for the first time are taking a serious look at the national security implications of climate change. Recent war games and intelligence studies conclude that over the next 20 to 30 years, vulnerable regions, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and South and Southeast Asia, will face the prospect of food shortages, water crises and catastrophic flooding driven by climate change that could demand an American humanitarian relief or military response. An exercise last December at the National Defense University, an educational institute that is overseen by the military, explored the potential impact of a destructive flood in Bangladesh that sent hundreds of thousands of refugees streaming into neighboring India, touching off religious conflict, the spread of contagious diseases and vast damage to infrastructure. ‘It gets real complicated real quickly, said […]
WASHINGTON — The nation’s drugmakers stand ready to spend $150 million to help President Obama overhaul health care this fall, according to numerous officials, a staggering sum that could dwarf attempts to derail his chief domestic priority. The White House and allies in Congress are well aware of the effort by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a somewhat surprising political alliance, given the industry’s recent history of siding with Republicans and the Democrats’ disdain for special interests. The campaign, now in its early stages, includes television advertising under the trade group’s name and commercials aired in conjunction with the liberal Families USA. Numerous people with knowledge of the drugmakers’ plan said they had been told it would probably reach $150 million and perhaps $200 million. They spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to divulge details. For comparative purposes, 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain was limited to spending $84 million a year ago when he accepted government money for his fall campaign. Any health care bill that makes it to Obama’s desk is expected to extend health insurance to the nearly 50 million who now lack it. That would mean […]
Last year, five per cent of the total population of the 27 EU countries was Muslim. But rising levels of immigration from Muslim countries and low birth rates among Europe’s indigenous population mean that, by 2050, the figure will be 20 per cent, according to forecasts. Data gathered from various sources indicate that Britain, Spain and Holland will have an even higher proportion of Muslims in a shorter amount of time. The UK, which currently has 20 million fewer people than Germany, is also projected to be the EU’s most populous country by 2060, with 77 million people. The findings have led to allegations that policy-makers are failing to confront the widespread challenges of the ‘demographic time bomb’. Experts say that there has been a lack of debate on how the population changes will affect areas of life from education and housing to foreign policy and pensions. Although some polls have pointed to a lack of radicalisation in the Muslim community, little attention is being given to the integration of migrants, it is claimed, with fears of social unrest in years to come.
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
