by Bernd Debusmann | 14 Oct 2020 | Decoders, Government, Politics
A candidate can win the U.S. presidency without winning the most votes. Americans don’t like the Electoral College, but it seems here to stay. Senate pages carry presidential electoral ballots to a joint session of Congress, Washington, DC, 6 January 2017....
To understand our world of today, students need to know where we came from. But history in a vacuum can be a turnoff if it’s not connected to current events. Bernd Debusmann’s decoder offers a historical look at the curious institution of the U.S. Electoral College, while connecting the dots to today’s political events in that country. The article links to documents that open the door to further study and poses three questions at the end that are fodder for classroom discussion.
by Bernd Debusmann | 10 Sep 2020 | Health and Wellness, World
Jews were blamed by some for spreading the Black Death plague in the Middle Ages. Now, incidents of antisemitism are on the rise during COVID-19. Only the word “masks” can still be read from an inscription that was formerly “Jews = mask...
by Bernd Debusmann | 4 May 2020 | Health and Wellness
COVID-19 has stifled economic activity, leading to a drop in carbon emissions and clearer skies. But don’t count on the pandemic saving our planet. India Gate in New Delhi, India, pictured on 28 October 2019 (top) and on 20 April 2020 (bottom), showing improved...
by Bernd Debusmann | 14 Apr 2020 | Health and Wellness
Some rich nations are making progress in slowing the spread of COVID-19. But a lack of global cooperation threatens the developing world. Homeless people wait in line for food during a COVID-19 lockdown in Johannesburg, South Africa, 13 April 2020. (EPA-EFE/KIM...
by Bernd Debusmann | 14 Jan 2020 | Decoders, Islam, Middle East, Technology
The U.S. used a drone, controlled from an Air Force base thousands of kilometers away, to kill Iran’s top general. Are drones reshaping war? A U.S. MQ-4 Predator drone at Balad Air Base, north of Baghdad, Iraq, 21 June 2007 (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) The death of...
