http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/world/europe/09food.html?_r=1&ref=world

President Obama has "enlisted leading powers" to give $15 billion in agricultural aid, according to the New York Times. The effort reflects many philanthropists, economists, and African government's predictions that efforts to reduce poverty in Africa will fail without a far greater investment in agriculture.

I don't think $15 billion is an impressive sum at all, but considering only $5 billion was being spent on agriculture, it's a tremendous improvement. I've never agreed with the current approach to helping Africa, which is shipping food and throwing money at local governments to fix things. It prevents starvation in the short term, but if eradicating poverty is the goal, then everything we've done has been completely ineffective. We should be trying to make Africa more attractive for investment and helping the people feed themselves.

http://newsok.com/ernest-istooks-son-arrested-by-bounty-hunters/article/3384052

Bounty hunters arrested US Rep. Earnest Istook's son Tuesday night. Istook pretended he wasn't there, but the bounty hunters broke in and searched his home, eventually finding him in the closet corner of the master bathroom.

I'm outraged by their behavior, and I question whether it's ethical to use bounty hunters or not. They didn't have a search warrent. They should not have been inside that house. It's officially sanctioned vigilante justice, and it disgusts me.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0703/p02s13-usgn.html

The Christian Science Monitor reports that many public schools across the country are cutting summer classes in order to save money, replacing the summer classes with summer camps sponsored by community groups and online courses. The cuts could lead to thousands of teacher layoffs, and loss of opportunity for students struggling to catch up.

I've never liked the public school system, and these cuts are terribly depressing. Education standards were already lacking in my high school, the food was bad, and the building maintained poorly. These cuts might be necessary to ensure the school system's survival, but it shouldn't come to this. Children won't get the education they deserve. It's time to reorganize our priorities and reallocate our military budget.

http://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2009/07/08/l-irlande-organisera-un-nouveau-referendum-sur-le-traite-europeen-le-2-octobre_1216587_3214.html#ens_id=1208066

According to le Monde, Ireland will organise a new referendum to accept the European Union's Lisbon treaty on Oct. 2. The treaty was rejected in June of last year, "plunging Europe into a grave institutional crisis." Dublin agreed to consult further on the treaty after receiving guarantees on issues of national sovereignty, such as military neutrality.

I do hope that they adopt the treaty. I would like to see the European community integrate itself further. The union may well represent the future of global politics. The world is becoming increasingly globalized, and military strong-arming just can't form the basis of foreign policy like it used to.

http://www.normantranscript.com/localnews/local_story_177170457.html

Eight employees for the OU press will be laid off, according to the Norman Transcript. The economic crisis strained the press's finances, forcing it to cut costs. In addition to the eight laid off, book production will lower 20%.

This is yet another blow to the print industry. The economic crisis has likely damaged numerous other printing establishments and publishing industries, exacerbating the decline print media has been suffering for years now. As someone who intends to write for a living, I worry I won't be able to find a suitable job.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/27/us/politics/27climate.html?ref=global-home

According to the New York Times, The House of Representitives has passed a bill "intended to address the threat of global warming." This bill overcame many deep divides within the house-- it passed 219 to 212-- but still falls short of European standards and expectations.

It may not be perfect, but I'm glad that it passed at all. For years the US has lagged behind other industrialized nations regarding carbon dioxide emissions. Any effort at all is preferable to none, even though it might not be sufficient to avert the worst environmental change. Hopefully we can improve standards later.

http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/speciales/special_iran/20090626.OBS2123/barack_obama__la_diplomatie_sera_affectee_par_les_viole.html

The Nouvel Observateur reports there may be diplomatic repercussions from the Iranian government's response to the protests in Tehran. President Barack Obama has indicated that the response will affect the diplomatic situation between the US and Iran. Obama will not seriously consider the Iranian demands for an apology.

I admire the stance Obama has taken with Iran, but fear it isn't feasible unless he makes some larger concessions. I don't think he has any reason to apologize, but if he wants to achieve his diplomatic aims with such a volatile and hostile state, he may have to. This may even be the wrong stance entirely; it's difficult to know if we can negotiate with Iran.