Europe is gearing up to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I next year. There are many things we have learned about the Great War, but Americans tend to ignore what was unquestionably the most important event of the 20th Century. History does not give “lessons”, but history can give us insights that may be useful to contemplate. The Economist has a short essay on the parallels between the great War and the geopolitical landscape of the 21st Century. The insight is indeed sobering.
It was not true for South Hadley, but, globally, November 2013 was the warmest November recorded since records began in 1880. Interestingly, one of the coolest places on Earth was New England, but if you lived in Siberia, it was incredibly warm. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its map of land and ocean temperatures for November:
The tense relationship between Russia and the US (or, perhaps, between Obama and Putin) is only going to become more problematic as Obama has decided not to send any high-ranking political figures to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Instead, he has decided to send highly visible gay individuals to represent the US at the games. The move is in response to the draconian anti-gay laws recently passed by the Russian government, laws which have been backed up by thugs who have decided to enforce the laws with their fists. Caitlin Cahow, one of the athletes chosen, expressed the proper way to interpret the decision:
““Basically, the White House is highlighting Americans who know what it means to have freedoms and liberties under the Constitution. That’s really what we’re representing in Sochi and it’s not at all different from what’s espoused in the spirit of Olympism.”
World Politics News 
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