The Spanish Steps. Heard of it? Well, I have, and I traipsed up and down them dozens, if not hundreds of times when I lived in Rome. There was a McDonald's there. There were protests about it before it opened there.
I knew that, being an American icon, the fast food restaurant was particularly irksome for some. I sympathized. In any case, if we just argued "property rights", there would be no case. Well-run multinationals go out of their way, believe it or not, to avoid generating negative press and negative attitude toward their brand.
In what appears to be a failure of the 40 year-old drug war in Latin American countries, many of these countries are considering not only legalizing marijuna, but other drugs as well. The leaders in this push for legalization are former presidents of Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.
Wildfires in British Columbia, Canada, have topped the 400 mark this summer. And the situation is getting worse. The province is parched and no useful rainfall is in the forecast. It has been months since the province's forests have received a good soaking. Any tiny spark can set off a conflagration.
The musician Wyclef Jean should say in days if he is to stand as the next President of Haiti. Commentators on various sites believe he would win and bring hope to a nation who need hope and some positive, happy times.
