Global Issues / Immigration
What does a dam in Holland have to do with America? Turns out their modernized levee system is being studied by the Army Corps of Engineers as a great model for protecting US coastal towns. There is plenty going on in the world that affects our lives here at home and it’s not just about the strife. Not only should we have a robust trade of goods but we should also be trading ideas and innovations. We can learn just as much from the micro loans for small business programs in India as they can learn from our organic farming co-ops. Just because it’s global, doesn’t mean it’s not about us.

Visitor Influx Has Londoners Crying Foul

From the outbox of Meyer’s inbox:

Every four years representatives from around the world gather to compete in the Olympic games. For three weeks the world is captivated by the athletes and their amazing prowess. Then everybody packs up and goes home. Before the torch is lit, there will be thousands of looky-loos jostling for a seat and a place to stay. As a result, some delightful examples of free enterprise landlords have decided to kick out their tenants so that can charge 15 times the rent for the duration of the Olympics. Don’t you just love it when folks embrace the sense of community inspired by the games?

OLYMPIC HOUSING CRUNCH: LONDON LANDLORDS EVICT TENANTS TO GOUGE TOURISTS

By Marian Smith, msnbc.com

LONDON — Landlords in Britain’s capital are evicting tenants so they can cash in on this summer’s Olympic Games by charging tourists many times the usual rent.
Homes in the east London boroughs where many events are to be held are fetching between five and 15 times their typical rates as properties are rebranded as short-term “Olympic lets.” Some landlords are also enforcing expensive “penalty” clauses for tenants who want to remain during the gathering of the world’s top athletes. Read More...

Free to Tweet; Not So Much

From the outbox of Meyer’s inbox:

Let’s face it, we’re living in an age where we are all connected; like it or not. Social media networking is driving a lot of this connectivity. Thanks to Facebook we now know what someone we haven’t seen in 30 years is having for breakfast. But cyber sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have proved to be a valuable tool all around the world as ordinary citizens take to the streets in protest and provide live streaming updates that are often closer to the truth then what is provide from the media. Now, Twitter is putting for policies that will allow certain countries to censor tweets that might be deemed to break the law. Let the flame wars begin!

TWITTER’S CENSORSHIP PLAN ROUSES GLOBAL FUROR

From the AP

Twitter, a tool of choice for dissidents and activists around the world, found itself the target of global outrage Friday after unveiling plans to allow country-specific censorship of tweets that might break local laws. Read More...

China Has a Yen For British Infrastructure

From the outbox of Meyer’s inbox:

We all know that China has money to spend and spend it they do. One of their latest investments is buying into Thames Water, one of Britain’s biggest sewage company. Naturally, there is nobody around these parts who is going to quarrel with investing in infrastructure especially a sewage treatment plant. But it’s curious to wonder what’s behind a move like this. Is it sound business investing or is China poking the US in the eye? Could China invest in our infrastructure? Would we let them? Have they already? So many questions to ponder. Speaking of pondering, how about that title? “China has a Yen?” Get it? A yen is a strong desire. It’s also the Chinese currency so when you use it in a sentence… oh never mind.

CHINA BUYS INTO THAMES WATER FOR £500M

By Tom Bawden writing for the The Independent

China has made the first of an expected flurry of investments in Britain’s ailing infrastructure, buying nearly 10 per cent of Thames Water, the UK’s largest water and sewage company. The estimated £500m deal follows talks in Beijing this week with Chancellor George Osborne, who is looking for overseas investors to finance a massive reconstruction of the UK’s infrastructure with the added benefit of boosting the economy. Read More...