Lebanon, oh Lebanon Where Art Thou?

Depending upon where you start history one's perspective on the Middle East can change dramatically. Was it the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers or the attack on a US barracks in Beiruit or the Suez Crisis or the Paris Treaty of 1919 which most shapes to-day's reality? Is Canadian foreign policy now aligning with US policy? Stephen Harper believes Israel's response to the Hezbollah kidnappings was a measured response. Here is a good quote from Jim Travers, The Hill Times, Aug 14th, 2006;
"It's often said that war is God's way of teaching Americans geography. It's now as apt to say that foreign affairs are Allah's way of teaching new Canadian prime ministers history." National Geographic has found half of young Americans can not locate the Big Apple on a map and only 37% know where Iraq is despite all the publicity surrounding the war.

Cuban Plantation Before the Green Revolution 

Cuba - The Latest Revolution!

Cuba, a country to emulate? Yes, at one time for much of its success in educating its population and providing medical care. But that was twenty, thirty years ago you say. And since then it has become a basket case with the withdrawal of Soviet assistance. True, Cuba used to rely on false Eastern Bloc prices for its sugar and cheap subsidized imports of oil and machinery. The collapse of the communist bloc brought on an economic crisis that endangered its ability to feed itself. But to-day the world is turning with admiration again to Cuba as it implements highly sustainable agricultural practices. The Cuban government is providing urban brownfields for use as market gardens with wide varieties of fruits and vegetables grown. Employment and profits are mushrooming you might say. Very little fossil fuel or machinery or synthetic fertilizer is required for the labour intensive but scientific practices it is applying. Necessity is the mother of invention and this is one place to watch as it forges ahead.
Source: CBC The Nature of Things. Cuba: The Accidental Revolution