I experienced some social media backlash after posting a selfie from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Beyond the usual problem of annoying comments, this experience raises questions about our current social media use.
The new “middle ages” for science is on
It’s usually an upper-middle-class elite, living in the metropolitan centre, that shops for organic and GMO-free food items from fancy stores. That’s fine, nobody really has an issue with people paying more for green carton packaging and food with no added health benefits. What is concerning, however, is that, increasingly, the same people want to […]
Credential inflation leads to mass ghost-writing
As students value higher education for credentials instead of knowledge, ghostwriting becomes a lucrative business.
Remember Macron’s new food bill? It backfired as anticipated
Last year, the French legislature passed the “Loi EGalim”, intended to re-establish fairness between food producers and retailers. But none of the “fairness” measures have made anything fairer. Quite the contrary.
Nationalism destroyed Europe in the early 20th century
The far-right in Europe is making gains both at the national and EU level. Donald Trump has made noise about reuniting with self-identified economic nationalist Steve Bannon. It’s a trend that’s not going away, even as we debate the true meaning of nationalism and its political implications. So it’s worth remembering what it did to Europe in the 20th […]
Macron uses climate change to block free trade
The European Union is in the midst of concluding a free trade deal with Mercosur, the trade bloc also known as the South American Common Market. Its members are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela (which has been suspended since December 2016). Current associate countries are Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname. Mercosur […]
One conference to keep Africa hungry
This month the World Food Preservation Center in partnership with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, will hold the first “International Conference on Agroecology Transforming Agriculture & Food Systems in Africa”, in Nairobi, Kenya. The goal of this conference is to promote organic and non-GMO farming as part of a complete “socio-economic transformation” of Africa. A […]
Eli Roth’s “Green Inferno” Is a Metaphor for Today’s Environmental Movement
People looking to find employment and entrepreneurs alike are struggling due to crushing government environmental regulations and taxes.
What you see when you visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
While many people are watching the new HBO show Chernobyl—poised to become the new Game of Thrones based on its ratings and reviews—I went to Ukraine to see the actual Exclusion Zone.
Event: European Union: Will you get what you voted for?
For those of you in and around Olomouc, Czech Republic: I will be giving a talk in the city on the European elections and what follows next. The event will be tomorrow evening at 6.00 PM. There will also be a direct translation into Czech. For further information and updates on the venue, you can […]
Bill Wirtz 