Sit Still at Your Desk? Not Always

Years ago, a student who misbehaved could have been sent to the back corner of the room and told to stand, back to the class, for a period of time, presumably to consider the consequences of his or her actions. The punishment was for not sitting still in class. The two key words in that [...]

Barge Traffic Resumes on Mississippi River

Crews began cautiously moving barges and small ships down the Mississippi River near Baton Rouge, after Coast Guard officials reopened the river there, three days after closing it because three barges sunk in the flood-swollen water. Tributaries, most notably the Yazoo in Mississippi, were nearing flood stage as well. The traffic moved only north, meaning [...]

Army Engineers Still Blasting Levee to Stave Off Historic Flooding

It’s not often that the government blows up private and public property, but that’s exactly what’s happening along the Mississippi River in a couple of states, as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has blasted through a two-mile section of a levee to try to ease flooding in Ilinois and Kentucky. Government engineers have blasted [...]

Labor Bills Inflame Political Protests, Debate in Rust Belt

The Middle East and Africa are not the only flashpoints for governmental protests. Three states in the U.S. are the scene of fierce debate over legislation aimed at curtailing the power of labor unions. Thousands of people have gathered in Madison, the capital of Wisconsin, for more than a week to protest a series of [...]

Protesters Swell in Bahrain Square as King Promises Dialogue

A massive crowd numbering in the tens of thousands filled Pearl Square in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, pressing their demands for a more representative government at the current ruler, King Hamad bin Isa, the latest in a long line of members of the al-Khalifa dynasty. The protesters swelled in size and volume in the square, after [...]

Egyptian Party Leaders Resign

Protestors in Cairo’s Tahrir Square have taken some comfort from the latest announcement from the beleaguered Egyptian government: the resignation of top officials from the ruling National Democratic Party. Among the six-member party Steering Committee to resign were Safwat el-Sharif, the party secretary-general, and Gamal Mubarak, son of President Hosni Mubarak and a onetime possible [...]

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