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Lakhdar Brahimi who was special representative of the UN secretary general for Afghainistan from October 2001 to December 2004 and was present when under UN auspices Afghan political representatives met to build anew after the US defeated the Taliban. He says it was a mistake then no to try to atract those in the Taliban movement and other political groups in Afhanistan that could have been brought into the new political setup and administration to build a broader base of support. And the Taliban did not surrender to anyone when it was defeated so the same mebers of that movement could simply resurface. Also no peace can be achieved in Afghanistan without the cooperation and support of Pakistan its neighbor and with tribes. sharing land on both sides of the border. Brahimi says he bitterly regrets not having advocated more strongly 2 suggestions made by the UN in early 2002. The first to reach out to those members of the Taliban who were willing to join the political process and second to deploy the ISAF outside of Kabul with increased strength. He also believes the war that happened in Iraq after the Afghan peace effort may have falso fundamentally altered the views of people in the countryside and in border areas of neigboring Pakistan about perceptions of the US and NATO....

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Following the WSJ Facebook Investigation and hearings in the US Senate there are calls for tough laws and regulations to prevent abuse of information technologies. Documents in the WSJ Facebook Investigation shows harm from the company's products- how the company's moderation rules favor elites, how its algorithms foster discord to increase user volume, and how drug cartels and human traffickers use its services openly, says the WSJ. One Senator calls the company "morally bankrupt." Yet Congress has known much of what is happening but failed to act to provide the legislation to regulate the new technology platforms such as Twitter, Google and Facebook, leaving them unregulated and without public oversight, leading to the idea that the US Congress itself has failed to protect young teenagers and prevent the harm resulting from such products. One Senator Ms Klobuchar says "there are lobbyists around every single corner of this building that have been hired by the tech industry. Facebook and other big tech companies are throwing a bunch of money around this town and people are listening to them." That would suggest that some of what one senator has called "morally bankrupt" also reflects back on Congress and the lobbyists, based on the WSJ Facebook Investigation. ...

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Bernie Sanders bill would help tens of millions afford critical dental care. 

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For the seat bottom longer is better, and this gives more support under the thighs. Reclining means pressure gets distributed on your back. Leg and calf rests help distribute weight.

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Nissan and NEC plan to invest $115 to produce a lithium ion battery in a 3 years project with capacity of 13,000 a year in the beginning growing to 65,000 annually by 2011, mostly for cars. Nissan has a 51% ownership stake in the new company. Nissan and NEC say their laminated cell battery uses a stable crystal structure called spinel manganese that will eliminate risk of overheating.

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Beijin leaders Wen JiBao and Hu Jintao expressdetermination to address quality and safety issues that have plagued Chinese products and come to light in the media recently. They show an awareness of the many challenges facing China and the need for changes to meet these challenges. This includes intra party overhauls to allow for the party to have critics within itself to make the necessary changes said Wen.

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The Trump administration is moving away from strict bank regulation by chipping away at some of the restrictions and agencies that conducted banking supervision in the past. This report in the NYT describes action taken by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currrency and interim leader Keith Noreika that weakens regulation. The 2008 financial crisis led to stricter regulation of banks and Fed supervision which is being diluted.