Author Archives: hlanthorn

eu carries out airstrikes on mainland somali pirate bases

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18069685 http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2012/0515/EU-airstrike-on-Somali-pirates-echoes-US-drone-strategy eu is now allowing airstrikes on on-land targets, a move about which the somali government was aware. however, no eu boots are ashore in these operations. By bringing its fighting strategy more in line with that of the US, Europe is playing “a very dangerous game,” says Bronwyn Burton,  deputy director of the Michael S. AnsariContinueContinue reading “eu carries out airstrikes on mainland somali pirate bases”

fun tidbits from grading (medicare and expensive treatments)

every year i am re-astounded by the things we discuss about medicare in norm daniels’s ethics class. among them: 1. it is not permissible for medicare to consider cost, cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit, or opportunity cost when deciding to cover a new medicine or treatment. only effectiveness (‘reasonable and necessary’) (see D Brock 2010). this is trueContinueContinue reading “fun tidbits from grading (medicare and expensive treatments)”

how is a raven like a writing desk? (smartphones as sanitation metaphor)

i have raised my eyebrows once or twice here about some of the discussions on the ipad or smartphone of toilets and sanitation. now i have gotten through the @gatesfoundation challenge paper and have a few more things to say. i briefly summarize the three key topics of the paper in  terms of approaches to improvingContinueContinue reading “how is a raven like a writing desk? (smartphones as sanitation metaphor)”

new pirate prison set up in somaliland

more here. unclear how much it will do to deter piracy but will help relieve pressure in neighboring (prosecuting) countries — though very few will ever be prosecuted (and many released). “the pirates know what the odds are when they get into the business – four out of 10 pirates that go out on theContinueContinue reading “new pirate prison set up in somaliland”

sunglasses (googles) in bombay

this is from the summer i spent in bombay (2009), when I was living in dharavi and part of a research project on an unregistered slum near reay road station (i’ll call this community RR). as many of you may know, i am pretty attached to my sunglasses.  not attached in the sense that iContinueContinue reading “sunglasses (googles) in bombay”

bringing in the state for experiments and development efforts — when? how?

there have been a lot of mentions of governments, experiments, ownership, & development in the past two weeks that sparked a few ideas in my head. the underlying theme is that we need to start considering not just the political economy of the contexts in which we work but how to actually bring political andContinueContinue reading “bringing in the state for experiments and development efforts — when? how?”

somali pirates switching back to smaller boats

to remain less conspicuous, Somali pirates have been switching back to using smaller, more traditional boats (e.g., i think) as motherships, which blend in with fishing boats. this probably will keep them closer to shore. more here. a few points of note: “a study published in February by U.S. non-governmental organisation One Earth Future FoundationContinueContinue reading “somali pirates switching back to smaller boats”