By The Fault is a reference to the fact that I live in San Francisco, California not far from the San Andreas fault. It’s a blog about politics and economics with a global perspective. I rarely mince words so it is a place for seismic politics, earth-shattering economic and volcanic commentary.
This blog covers global issues that are near and dear to my heart. For the most part, the opinions expressed are solely mine but over time there will be guest posts that may express the views of others.
By The Fault was born of the blog refugee crisis that the race for the Democratic nomination spawned as I was committed to the candidacy of Senator Hillary Clinton for President. That was the genesis of this blog but the issues covered here go far beyond the advocacy of her candidacy which is now moribund.
The primary issues of focus are rights of conscience, the global energy panorama from a peak oil perspective, the growing and worrisome global food crisis, international policy issues, the monitoring of elections, migration issues, global climate change, world poverty and global trade and economics.
While I have been focusing on US Presidential race, I hope to spend more time covering local races in the United States and elsewhere. Elections matter and the right to vote was gained only recently in the history of humanity nor is it a right yet fully established in some quarters of the globe. If you care to contribute a post on a political race in your neck of the woods be that in the United States or elsewhere, such local flavour is welcomed.
Posts average over ten a day and as such it is recommended that the reader peruse back two to three days to capture a fuller sense of the events and happenings of the past 24-48 hours. For now, the blog is powered by Word Press. In time, the blog will likely evolve into a more user friendly platform.
Here is some background on the regular features of By The Fault:
Linking Up with the World
Linking Up with the World is published daily just after midnight Pacific Time which is seven hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT-7). This section covers global events providing links to stories of interest in the global media.
Regional Reports
While I follow global events closely, I have particular knowledge of several parts of the world and I tend to write more on those. My interests mirror my strengths in Canada, Europe, Latin America, Africa, South Asia (really India, Sri Lanka and Bhutan), East Asia (more Japan and Korea than China) and South-East Asia. You’ll find in-depth features on countries from these regions in the respective regional categories. On occasion, I will group news features from a region in a regional report. My three big gaps are Central Asia, the Middle East and Oceania. With the uptick in inflation, I have started covering inflation reports. Once a month (around the middle of the month when the data is released), there is an Inflation Around the World report. Back issues are filed in the Economics category. I also enjoy reading and writing on global trade issues especially particular markets. To date, there have been reports on the global flower market and the global trade in bananas. These are also filed in the Economics category.
By The Fault Weekend Reader
Published on Fridays, the BTF Weekend Reader offers more in-depth focus on issues of global importance. Topics vary by the week.
The Heterosexual Friendly Report
Published as needed covering LBGT news and issues from around the world including the United States. While the topics are gay-related, the news is hetero-sexual friendly.
The Price of Oil
This is a peak oil blog and By The Fault covers energy issues from around the world. Sporadically, you will see posts that headlined by a dollar figure. These posts refer to the price of a barrel of oil in US dollars on a given day and examine the status of global oil markets at the time. All energy-related topics can be found in the Energy and Peak Oil Category.
Peaking Your Interest
Published irregularly with stories on energy developments from around the world. This segment focuses more on what other countries, cities and individuals are doing to solve the global energy crisis as we confront peak oil. It will also cover transportation issues and some geo-political issues. All energy-related topics can be found in the Energy and Peak Oil Category.
Heroes of the Rights of Conscience
Profiles of people around the world who are struggling or have struggled for their rights of conscience inalienable.
Women at the Top
An occasional series profiling women leaders from around the world. Previous posts are filed in the Women at the Top category.
The World’s Natural Parks & Reserves
On Sundays, one of the world’s natural parks is highlighted and profile. Entries in this series have so far included parks from Peru, Ecuador, Zimbabwe, the Altai Republic and Poland. These posts are filed in the Environment category and cross-posted in the Travel section.
Camp on Friday/Saturday Night
It is not always so serious on BTF, I take time to enjoy myself. The Camp series is published at the weekend and while campy, the videos are generally tied to a matter of social relevance.
Backtracking with Barack
An irreverant look at Barack Obama’s flip flops, 180s, pirouettes, backtracks and clarifications.
US Senate Races
I subscribe to various feeds and will be covering the Senate races across the United States. When polls are released, there will be a short report coupled with ads from the campaigns if available. Most of us never get to see the Senate races in other states, here is your chance. Other local races and issues are also covered but they are more sporadic than the US Senate races. All previous posts can be found in the Politics and the US Campaign Ads categories.
The Blogroll
The majority of the news sources and blogs listed are world-class. They emanate from around the world though the focus is clearly the United States, Europe and Latin America. Each region of the world includes both media and local blogs in English though some foreign newspapers are only available in their native language. Included in the blogroll are the websites of international agencies and government agencies, providing a research resource. If you know of a local blog that is exceptional, please don’t hesitate to bring it to my attention. Thank you.
Comment Policy
You must register to comment. Comments expressed are that of their authors and not By The Fault. Please kind the following in mind:
All e-mail received by By The Fault should be considered intended for publication unless otherwise indicated in the initial message from the writer. Please don’t send attachments. Links are preferred.
By The Fault reserves the right to edit all e-mail and posted comments for content, clarity, and length, however generally they are automatically approved. Bandwidth is expensive and for the foreseeable future this site is advertising free. The comment space is reserved for comments that relate to the topic of the post . You may not reprint lengthy text from your own works or those of others, including news articles. You may quote a few short paragraphs and link to them.
Expletives in my view detract from political discourse. Please avoid them. Quoting expletives used by others is permissible. The conversation should be civil and forthright. Calling Obama foolish is better than calling him a fool.
In an effort to make this a global blog, please consider noting your location. City or state/country suffices. It is not mandatory and is really more meant so people know where you are coming from. At the moment, the readership of BTF is approximately 70% from the United States and 30% from the rest of the world.
I consider myself a global citizen and encourage you to do the same. This is the only planet we have, treat it well.
Charles Lemos
San Francisco, California
email: charles.lemos@mac.com