When You've Lost Nicholas Kristof...

When you've lost Nicholas Kristof...

Avowed Obama supporter Nick Kristof is disgruntled with Obama's foreign policy:

Yet the president is taking prudence to the point of paralysis. I’m generally an admirer of Obama’s foreign policy, but his policies toward both Syria and Sudan increasingly seem lame, ineffective and contrary to American interests and values. Obama has shown himself comfortable projecting power — as in his tripling of American troops in Afghanistan. Yet now we have the spectacle of a Nobel Peace Prize winner in effect helping to protect two of the most odious regimes in the world. 

 Earlier this month Kristof called Obama out over a lack of support for the starving children of Sudan:

President Obama, you harshly criticized President Bush for failing to stand up to Sudan’s slaughter in Darfur. So now what are you going to do as Sudan kills again — on your watch? 

That Kristof is even surprised at Obama's "dithering" is naive; who can forget Obama's "dithering" while Iranians protested and died in the streets fighting for their freedom?  Hell, even Bon Jovi stood with Iran on that one.   Obama not only "dithered" in 2009 while Iranians protested, but he went out for ice cream, grilled with Bobby Flay, had a luau and, of course, played golf.

Why should Kristof think the Sudan would be any different?

Yesterday Kristof wrote:

Obama was forceful in demanding that President George W. Bush stand up to Sudan during the slaughter in Darfur, so it’s painful to see him so passive on Sudan today. When governments turn to mass murder, we may have no easy solutions, but we should at least be crystal clear about which side we’re on. That’s not too much to expect of a Nobel Peace Prize winner. 

What exactly did Obama do to win that prize again?

The Nobel Peace Prize 2009 was awarded to Barack H. Obama "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples". 

 Oh, yeah.  Right.  Tell that to Neda.



Photo Credit:  Deborah Hakes/The Carter Center

Let's Go To Madagascar

Is this not the cutest creature EVER?! Time Magazine wrote this week about the efforts to save the wildlife in Madagascar and the pictures just drew me in.

Did you know that lemurs are only found on the African island nation of Madagascar? And did you know that the vast majority of Madagascar's 2,300 species are found ONLY there and nowhere else? Time reports that vast deforestation and climate change have already "pushed countless species out of existence" and that of the "surviving 71 lemur species and subspecies...63% are endangered." Lemurs are adorable; and it seems that they have incredible eyesight and "an unmistakable smell."

Conservation efforts are ongoing; villagers have been hired to help plant new trees. At present, more conservation money is pouring into Madagascar than any other place in Africa. Many organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund, are involved.

It's not just the wildlife that is in danger, either. It's the trees and plant life, too. These great baobab trees fascinate me. Some of these trees are reported to be a thousand years old but it's hard to tell because their trunks don't produce the rings that most trees do. The trees serve practical purposes; the leaves are edible either fresh or as a dried powder. The tree also produces a fruit, sometimes called "monkey-bread" which has more vitamin C than oranges and more calcium than cow's milk.

I'd love to pack my camera and go check it out!

(Image credits: Time.com)