Skip to content

Occasional Planet

Progressive Voices Speaking Out

  • Home
  • About
  • Contributors
  • Contact
  • FAQ
  • Click Quotes
  • Who am I?
  • Infographics

Category: International

populism

Populist bedfellows: Donald Trump and Hugo Chavez

October 18, 2020 Christopher Burke 2020 Election, International One comment

“He based his popularity on his extraordinary charisma, much discretionary   money, and a key and well-tested political message: denouncing the past and  promising

Continue reading

The whole world watched the Trump-Biden “debate.” And they were horrified.

September 30, 2020 Renee Shur 2020 Election, International Leave a comment

The first of the much-anticipated three debates-that-aren’t-debates is now thankfully behind us. And make no mistake. The whole world was watching. The day-after reactions

Continue reading

Supreme Courts: American and international variations on a theme

September 27, 2020 Christopher Burke International, Supreme Court [SCOTUS] One comment

The US Supreme Court didn’t always have nine members. The original Supreme Court established by the Constitution in 1789 had six. However, the number

Continue reading
Bogota

Bogota quarantine: Nobody is hiring mariachis anymore

August 5, 2020 Christopher Burke Coronavirus, International One comment

In quarantine here in Bogotá, the days flow into more days. But sometimes the routine of sameness is broken up. At a certain moment,

Continue reading
Burundi

How to vote in Burundi

May 6, 2020 Gloria Shur Bilchik 2020 Election, International, Voting News Leave a comment

For those who don’t vote in the US because they think it’s too time-consuming, too complicated or too confusing, consider the voting process in

Continue reading
Covid19

Life by numbers

April 29, 2020 Christopher Burke Coronavirus, International One comment

Once upon a time, we had Paint by Numbers. Now suddenly, we have Life by Numbers. Numbers circulate in our daily 2020 lives just

Continue reading
Bogota

Quarantined in Bogota

April 6, 2020 Christopher Burke Coronavirus, International One comment

A friend asked me on Whatsapp today how my cats were doing. They’re doing just fine. Early on, I fretted about having enough food

Continue reading
colombia protest

Reporting from Colombia as nationwide protests continue

December 5, 2019 Christopher Burke Activism, International One comment

On November 21, 2019, Colombia became the latest country in Latin America to take to the streets. Following protests in Chile, Bolivia and Ecuador,

Continue reading
Colombia

The complicated, ever-evolving, nitty-gritty of peace in Colombia

June 24, 2019 Christopher Burke Corruption, International One comment

In November 2016, then-Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signed peace agreements with the FARC (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia,) Colombia’s largest guerrilla group

Continue reading
Colombia

9 things I’ve learned in 9 years in Colombia

June 1, 2019 Christopher Burke Cities, International One comment

In 1971 after graduating college, I left Ireland. The zeitgeist and personal choice led me to the US, first to Ohio and then to

Continue reading

Posts navigation

1 2 3 … 19 Next Posts»

In case you missed it

  • Ann Wagner: a hypocrite in her own words
  • The Incoming Biden Team: A Review
  • Time to Act: But what are the crucial goals?
  • Goodbye Washington. Hello Courtroom
  • The First Amendment and social media: Let’s review
  • Biden announces Jan. 19, 2021 national memorial for COVID victims

A new book by Arthur Lieber. Political Introverts: How Empathetic Voters Can Help Save American Politics.  Buy it here.

Gloria Shur Bilchik’s new book, Election Insiders: Behind the scenes with the people who make your vote count. Kindle edition now available at Amazon.

Follow Occasional Planet on social media

Newsletter
Twitter
RSS
Facebook

Top posts

  • Bernie Sanders' accomplishments
    Bernie Sanders' accomplishments
  • We have too many levels of government
    We have too many levels of government
  • Trump is Grover Norquist's fantasy president: an idiot with a pen
    Trump is Grover Norquist's fantasy president: an idiot with a pen
  • Togo: another country I know nothing about
    Togo: another country I know nothing about
  • 10 reasons why school vouchers should be rejected
    10 reasons why school vouchers should be rejected
  • Beware a National Unity Government
    Beware a National Unity Government