Speaking of sand, “It was a systematic fraud”, says Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, co-founder of Mother Nature, an environmental group that spearheaded the inquiry. “Taxes were evaded for 95 per cent of the exports”.
While the money was rolling in – mostly on the black market – the government ignored calls from activists warning of the negative environmental and social effect of sand extraction. But an investigation in 2016 revealed that Singapore reported to have imported US$752 million in sand from Cambodia, but Cambodia only reported US$5.5 million in exports to the Lion City. This discrepancy forced officials to eventually halt all exports of sand in July after a public outcry THE WORLD IS RUNNING OUT OF A RESOURCE, AND IT’S NOT OIL SCMP
10 food trends you’re going to see in 2018 TreeHugger
PR Week Stories
We like the sensational headline -- Literary fiction in crisis as sale drop dramatically, Arts Council England reports reports Alison Flood in The Guardian
In The Washington Post Nora Krug reports on The odd assortment of books that make up the White House Christmas book tree and ... oh, my.
It's nice to see there's some interest in books in the White House (hey, this "tree" is in the library ...), and that they even bought books for the occasion. But:
Krug politely sums up:
But, hey, they did apparently buy some books, so ... win ?
PR Week Stories
We like the sensational headline -- Literary fiction in crisis as sale drop dramatically, Arts Council England reports reports Alison Flood in The Guardian
It's nice to see there's some interest in books in the White House (hey, this "tree" is in the library ...), and that they even bought books for the occasion. But:
The books were purchased especially for their decorative value, "based on their varieties of green color tones," according to Stephanie Grisham, director of communications for first lady Melania Trump.Oh, my .....
Krug politely sums up:
The titles that make up President Trump's holiday book tree are a perplexing assortment.Indeed.
But, hey, they did apparently buy some books, so ... win ?
The Church Of Bookstores
“Unless you’re just about to board, bookshop browsing can be a deeper and more untethered exercise than other kinds of shopping. Just opening a book and reading a few lines can draw you partly into another world, one you might not have planned to visit. According to Vancouver publishing consultant Thad McIlroy, only 40 percent of bookstore purchases are premeditated. All the rest are decided on impulse.”
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Women in Sweden conduct a boxing class on a roof in the 1930s.
Our Universities Have Become Polarized. What To Do About It?
"There are many things we can do to reduce tribalism, strengthen our kids, and repair our universities. We—the baby boomers and gen-Xers who fill this room—we have made a mess of the clock. Left and Right, Republicans and Democrats. But we can make up for it if we can come together, admit that we messed up, and change what we are doing to kids, and to college students. We just might be able to raise a generation of kids who can care for the clock after all." … [Read More]
