Thumbs up: CASL sustainable-living house begins construction this summer
After years of working to secure funds for a real-life demonstration of more sustainable living principles, the Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Living is breaking ground on its new live-in facility this summer. The house, which is located on Moss Street, will no doubt be a huge boon to both environmental awareness and University recruitment. It will also serve as a valuable opportunity for hands-on experimentation and understanding of the challenges faced by efforts to live more sustainably. The greater Eugene area will also serve to benefit from the development, which will offer the potential for engagement with interested people outside of the University community.
Thumbs down: Obama halts release of hundreds of detainee abuse photos
In a surprising reversal, President Obama halted the release of hundreds of photos showing detainee abuse in American-held Afghani and Iraqi prisons, claiming the release of the photos would explode anti-American sentiment, and bring back the days following Abu Ghraib. Given the already-huge firestorm after Abu Ghraib, this is a valid concern. But given Obama's claim on his second day of office, saying no information will be withheld just on his say-so, there's no way this won't look bad. One of the hallmarks of Obama's campaign was his vow to remove the opacity of the previous government, and he needs to live up to that promise, or he risks throwing away the American people's trust and proving his detractors right.
Thumbs up: House bill would require Oregon banks to report on stimulus money use
If passed, House Bill 2784 will require four Oregon banks receiving Troubled Asset Relief Program funds from the federal stimulus package (Umpqua Bank, Capital Pacific Bank, PremierWest Bank and Willamette Valley Bank) to report on their use of the funds received, and also appear in front of House and Senate committees to defend their investment choices. While the Oregon House is divided along party lines on the issue - Democrats favor the bill as a necessary tool to keep an eye on taxpayer funds while Republicans deride it for being redundant red tape - the bill is promising in that it indicates a firm commitment on the part of the state to regulate our banking industry and ensure that our taxpayer dollars are better protected than in previous bailouts.
Thumbs down: UN Human Rights Council elects nations with atrocious human rights violations
It is a positive step that the United States has recently joined the UN Human Rights Council, which it previously boycotted due to the organization's fierce criticism of Israel. Unfortunately, the council consists of a number of nations with abhorrent human rights violations. In 2006, the council was dissolved and reformed with a new commitment to take into consideration the human rights policies of nations that applied for membership. However, its recent elections awarded China, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and Cuba a seat at the table. Global human rights reform is a difficult challenge, but will be virtually impossible if we allow the process to be controlled by violators. The U.S. needs to work with other countries to make sure nations that create and enforce such policies aren't simultaneously disobeying them.
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