Baraondas

[baraondas]

via Pocket http://ift.tt/2CvKqVf

[baraondas]

via Pocket http://ift.tt/2kLJSmi

[baraondas]

The strange reinvention of Icelandic

IT IS hardly surprising that Icelanders have names for the many different fish that abound in their surrounding waters—the various types of cod, herring and so on which they have been catching for centuries. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2BzgJm3

[baraondas]

What an Indian tiger’s bid for freedom says about humans and nature

THE tiger padded south. Slipping through the grey-green teak forest he wound around thickets of wild sage, cloaked behind its orange flowers. Gorges in the ruddy sandstone of the Vindhya plateau gave him respite from the midday heat. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2CHNNrl

[baraondas]

America’s school funding is more progressive than many assume

IN 1647, the Massachusetts Bay Colony passed a law mandating the establishment of publicly funded schools. Puritans were worried that otherwise children would fail to learn the Bible and become susceptible to the wiles of “that old deluder, Satan”. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2oNWCOv

[baraondas]

What the elections of 2017 say about 2018

ON DECEMBER 12th, as Alabamans headed to the polls to choose a new senator, Tawanna Dunagan stood on Graymont Avenue in downtown Birmingham holding up a Doug Jones sign, exhorting passers-by to vote for the Democratic candidate. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2BNbEcJ

[baraondas]

The rise of long-distance marriage

THE Callahans, Karen and Kevin, got married in 1973 when they were college students in Des Moines, Iowa. Forty years, two children and umpteen moves across the country later, they put down roots. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2oNWPBh

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a brooding sportsman-sage

ADDRESSING the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in 2016, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sounded uncharacteristically optimistic. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2oKZ20d

[baraondas]

Making Saskatchewan great again

WHEN it comes to erecting barriers, Brad Wall lives up to his name. On December 6th the premier of Saskatchewan banned lorries registered in neighbouring Alberta from new government-backed roadworks in his province. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2kjEdVa

[baraondas]

The awful state of prison food

MOST recipes aim at deliciousness. With nutraloaf (also spelt nutriloaf) the aim is to be as revolting as possible. It is made in prisons by baking leftovers and whatever else is to hand into a loaf, meeting minimum calorific and nutritional requirements. The ingredients vary. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2BJQIDg

[baraondas]

Latin America’s biggest scandal threatens to snare Peru’s president, too

SINCE narrowly winning Peru’s presidential election in June 2016, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has had it tough. His centre-right Peruvians for Change party holds only 18 of the unicameral congress’s 130 seats. Popular Force, led by his defeated opponent, Keiko Fujimori, boasts 71. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2km7ZIN

[baraondas]

The Communist Parties of China and Vietnam do not get on

ONCE upon a time the Communist Parties of China and Vietnam were staunch comrades in the proletarian struggle. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2kNxPEZ

[baraondas]

India faces growing competition with China in its own backyard

EARLIER in December Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, said his country “disapproves” of spheres of influence in international affairs. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2kjEbN2

[baraondas]

A battle over feral buffaloes divides Hong Kong

BUFFALOES love mud. It keeps them cool and protects their delicate skin from the sun. When the squelchy stuff is scarce they dig down to reach groundwater and make their own. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2B0VSah

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China pushes towns to brand themselves, then regrets it

NUCLEAR is the future for the small coastal city of Haiyan. Not just as a source of power but, local officials think, as a magnet for businesses and tourists. Home to China’s first domestically developed commercial reactor, Haiyan recently started calling itself “nuclear-power town”. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2BIxaiH

[baraondas]

Cyril Ramaphosa could save South Africa—if he can reform his own party

HIS broad grin, and his rival’s grimace, heralded the big news. On December 18th Cyril Ramaphosa became the new leader of the African National Congress (ANC) and thus its candidate in the next South African presidential election. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2kjE18o

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Africa’s chiefs are more trusted than its politicians

SEATED by the roadside in the Ghanaian town of Kyebi, Kwame Asiedu explains how for seven years he employed 500 people as illegal gold miners. via Pocket http://ift.tt/2kjE3Ny