֎ [United Nations] Soon—or at least, soon in the context of human history—the number of people on Earth will stop growing. Based on the latest figures from the United Nations, demographers’ best guess for when this will happen is about 2100. By then, the global population is projected to have risen to just shy of 11 billion. Africa will be the most populous continent. Islam will be the most popular religion. And there are going to be a lot more old people.
Sounds like a relief valve for one of humanity’s issues. There are others, though: feeding 11 million people; a wholly different international economy; maybe another world war; the vagaries of living in a robot-managed world. The twenty-first century will be interesting to say the least. But first, recovering from Donald.
Kudos to ProPublica for uncovering the story about why Donald is buddy-buddy with Saudi Arabia despite the Saudi’s role in the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and the ritualistic murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Yes, it’s about money.
֎ [ProPublica] President Donald Trump’s inauguration chairman, Tom Barrack, lobbied the new administration to share nuclear power technology with Saudi Arabia while, at the same time, making plans to team up with the Saudis to buy a company that would benefit from the policy change. . . Barrack, a billionaire investor, went on to pursue a lucrative deal based on the Trump administration’s Middle East policy, a policy that he was helping to shape.
Saudi Arabia still needs to sign a treaty with the U.S. before it can build nuclear power plants using U.S. technology. But the administration has already given some nuclear companies permission to share sensitive information with the Saudis. Lawmakers are furious that they weren’t notified and that the administration forged ahead.
Readers may recall that Donald wants to sell fighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia despite the dissent of everyone in Congress, the State Department and the military. Donald and Barrack smell big money in Saudi Arabia. Again, there is no wall between Donald’s licentious desire to acquire wealth by any means and managing the wellbeing of the United States of America.[1]
Ancient Mariner
[1] For the article, see: https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-adviser-tom-barrack-saudi-nuclear-deal