Gordon C. McCord

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Las secuelas del huracán Otis en una carretera cerca de Acapulco, México. Marco Ugarte/Associated Press

ReflexionesNaturaleza,  

A medida que nos acercamos al invierno, hay una buena noticia para las personas que tiemblan al pensar en el frío y viven en el hemisferio norte: es probable que las temperaturas sean más cálidas.

Pueden agradecérselo al patrón meteorológico cíclico conocido como El Niño.

Pero para otras partes del planeta, el pronóstico no es agradable. Para algunas regiones podría ser desastroso. Es probable que aumenten las precipitaciones en Sudamérica y que se produzcan sequías graves en Australia, Indonesia y partes del sur de Asia. Ya se han producido inundaciones mortales en Perú e India, y en Australia, donde es primavera, las autoridades advierten de una temporada de incendios especialmente peligrosa este verano.…  Seguir leyendo »

The aftermath of Hurricane Otis along a highway near Acapulco, Mexico. Marco Ugarte/Associated Press

ReflexionesNaturaleza,  

As we head toward winter, the good news for those who shiver at the thought of cold weather is that temperatures are likely to be warmer for people who live in the nation’s northern tier.

You can thank the cyclical weather pattern known as El Niño for that.

But for other parts of the planet, the forecast is not nearly so agreeable. For some regions, it might be disastrous. Increased rainfall is likely in South America and severe drought in Australia, Indonesia and parts of southern Asia. Already there has been deadly flooding in Peru and India, and in Australia, where it is spring, officials are warning of an especially dangerous fire season this summer.…  Seguir leyendo »

Police Service of Northern Ireland officers look at a burnt car in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast in 2002, after Catholic and Protestant rioters clashed with police overnight. (Peter Morrison/AP)

EuropaUnión Europea, , ,

Fifty years ago this month, the British government sent troops to Northern Ireland to impose control as relations broke down between Protestants and Catholics. The ensuing violence, known as “the Troubles”, lasted 33 years and led to over 3,000 deaths, including 1,617 in Belfast alone. Why did Northern Ireland — a jurisdiction of an advanced industrial nation — suffer such sustained violence? In new research, we examine one important factor. Catholics and Protestants lived side by side, but they had very few social or economic ties across the communities. This meant geographic proximity bred violence instead of mutual tolerance.

The Troubles were sparked by tit-for-tat violence

To understand the Northern Ireland conflict, you need to know a little history.…  Seguir leyendo »