Two die in Pakistan as film violence spreads (via AFP) Two protesters died in Pakistan on Monday as a violent backlash against a US film mocking Islam spread across the region and angry demonstrators clashed with police, hurling stones and shouting: "Death to America." Protests also took place in Afghanistan, Indonesia, the West Bank, the Philippines and… … [Read more...] about Two Die in Pakistan as Film Violence Spreads
Blessing for Obama: Occupy Movement Dead
As part of the 99%, I am a little sad but completely unsurprised to see that it's been confirmed: the Occupy Wall Street movement is effectively dead. As sympathetic as I was to much of its sentiment--the way government has allowed massive publicly-traded corporations to pretty much control our lives and our destinies, in countless ways both visible and invisible, something … [Read more...] about Blessing for Obama: Occupy Movement Dead
The Points Romney Should Make to Court Independents
09/17/2012 I am not a registered Democrat or Republican but a dyed in the wool independent. Recently, in a blog I suggested the points Obama needed to make to win independent support. In this one, I am formulating the points about domestic policy Romney should make to get the backing of independents. Some subtle changes in his positions are necessary and demonizing Obama is … [Read more...] about The Points Romney Should Make to Court Independents
Why Insulting the Prophet Always ‘Pays Off Big’ (Le Quotidien d’Oran, Algeria)
Whatever the nature of the film that has set the Islamic world on fire, what responsibility do Muslims have for reacting to it the way they have? This editorial from Algeria's Le Quotidien d’Oran comes down hard on Muslims for allowing themselves to be habitually manipulated by others, and for failing utterly to 'put reason over emotion - and emotional manipulation.' The Le … [Read more...] about Why Insulting the Prophet Always ‘Pays Off Big’ (Le Quotidien d’Oran, Algeria)
Media Lies Based on False Balance
If Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan started saying the world is flat, most conventional journalists would repeat the assertions and offset them with contrary opinions. This kind of “false balance” is the subject of the New York Times’ promising new Public Editor Margaret Sullivan, who examines the proposition that it should be called “false equivalency”: “Simply put, false … [Read more...] about Media Lies Based on False Balance
Islam in Turmoil: Religion as ‘Ersatz-Identity’ (Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany)
Are we witnessing the birth pangs of a new Muslim identity? For Germany's Frankfurter Rundschau, columnist Stephan Hebel writes that if Americans and Europeans want to see real change in the Muslim world, they must do their utmost not only to understand the recurring theme of violent reaction to Western free expression, but to endeavor not to live up to Islamist stereotypes of … [Read more...] about Islam in Turmoil: Religion as ‘Ersatz-Identity’ (Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany)
Influence of Salafists Grows After Arab Spring
Influence of Salafists grows after Arab Spring (via AFP) Violent protests across the Arab world triggered by a film insulting Islam could reflect the growing strength of Salafist groups that benefit from a widening freedom in Arab Spring countries, analysts say. The Salafists, a group of Sunni Muslims who promote a strict lifestyle based on the traditions… … [Read more...] about Influence of Salafists Grows After Arab Spring
Chevy Volt : Solyndra on Wheels (Guest Voice)
Chevy Volt: Solyndra on Wheels Making Sense, by Michael Reagan "I absolutely love my Chevy Volt." That's what the smug guy in the TV commercial says when he's praising the virtues of his plug-in hybrid and boasting that he hasn't seen a gas pump in months. You might love your Chevy Volt, too -- if you could afford to buy one. The GM Volt, aka the Green Edsel, is … [Read more...] about Chevy Volt : Solyndra on Wheels (Guest Voice)
How Artificial Intelligence is Changing our Lives
How artificial intelligence is changing our lives (via The Christian Science Monitor) In Silicon Valley, Nikolas Janin rises for his 40-minute commute to work just like everyone else. The shop manager and fleet technician at Google gets dressed and heads out to his Lexus RX 450h for the trip on California's clotted freeways. That's when his chauffeur – the car – … [Read more...] about How Artificial Intelligence is Changing our Lives
The American Election’s Global Reach
WASHINGTON -- The Obama-Clinton alliance, formalized with Bill Clinton's blockbuster speech at the Democratic convention, confirms what has often been played down: President Obama has chosen to build on Clinton's legacy rather than abandon it. This is why the 2012 election matters not only to Americans but also to supporters of the moderate left across the world. … [Read more...] about The American Election’s Global Reach
Why Obama Went Soft On A Dark Chapter — The Bush Torture Regime: Report From 20 Paws Ranch
WE DO NOT TORTURE TERROR SUSPECTS. ~ George W. Bush (November 7, 2005) As one of the flew bloggers who wrote extensively about the Bush Torture Regime and enthusiastically supported Barack Obama, the most bitter pill of his first term is that he has pretended this dark chapter in the history of our once great democracy never happened. That is okay, in a pretzel logical … [Read more...] about Why Obama Went Soft On A Dark Chapter — The Bush Torture Regime: Report From 20 Paws Ranch
A Female Commander for Scandal-Plagued Air Force Training Center
Almost every person who enlists in the U.S. Air Force receives his or her “basic training” at the sprawling Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. I was there in 1958. I don’t remember much. As a brand new, young immigrant with little knowledge of the customs and rigors of basic training and equally little knowledge of the English language, I had my hands full … [Read more...] about A Female Commander for Scandal-Plagued Air Force Training Center
Libyan Fatwa Court Calls Attack on Americans an ‘Offense to Islam’ (Al Watan, Libya)
With the Muslim world again in turmoil, ostensibly because of a film insulting to The Prophet Mohammad, but more likely thanks to a variety of factors know only to those wishing to provoke such a reaction, Libyans are expressing another view. This report from Libyan newspaper Al Watan extensively quotes a statement by the Libya Fatwa Court, an officially sanctioned religious … [Read more...] about Libyan Fatwa Court Calls Attack on Americans an ‘Offense to Islam’ (Al Watan, Libya)
Congressional Republicans “Complaining” About Romney
Do you see the tea stains here? A yearning for the good old days of Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann? The GOP members say Romney must do a better job of communicating to voters what to expect of him, either by making a bold pledge akin to George H.W. Bush’s 1988 “no new taxes” promise or fleshing policy proposals with more details. Papa Bush was down after the … [Read more...] about Congressional Republicans “Complaining” About Romney
Google Blocks Anti-Islam Film in Indonesia: Govt
Google blocks anti-Islam film in Indonesia: govt (via AFP) YouTube has begun restricting access to videos of an anti-Islamic film in the world's most populous Muslim nation, a government official said Sunday. "Google, which is YouTube's parent company, emailed us on Thursday evening to say it had blocked Indonesia's access to 16 URLs related to the … [Read more...] about Google Blocks Anti-Islam Film in Indonesia: Govt
Obama Inches Ahead in Key Voter Polls
Obama inches ahead in key voter polls (via The Christian Science Monitor) It’s been a rough week for both President Obama and Mitt Romney, Mr. Obama has had to deal with anti-US protests around the Muslim world, including the murder of American diplomats in Libya. Mr. Romney took flak from Republicans as well as Democrats for what critics said were intemperate … [Read more...] about Obama Inches Ahead in Key Voter Polls
One Year Since the Repeal of DADT: No Story At All?
“Repeal [of don’t ask, don’t tell] would undermine recruiting and retention, impact leadership at all levels, have adverse effects on the willingness of parents who lend their sons and daughters to military service, and eventually break the All-Volunteer Force.” — March 2009 statement signed by 1,167 retired admirals and generals, 51 of them former four-stars. On … [Read more...] about One Year Since the Repeal of DADT: No Story At All?
Sorry Bibi – Americans don’t want to fight your war
Bibi Netanyahu has been all over American TV trying to influence the election and get the U.S. to attack Iran. The American people want no part of it. The bad news first: Who can blame them? There's a constant stream of misinformation out there, and so a stunning majority of 66 percent of Americans don't know that U.S. intelligence agencies think Iran has not made a … [Read more...] about Sorry Bibi – Americans don’t want to fight your war
Snakes Invasive To Guam Have Wiped Out Bird Populations And Allowed Spiders To Reach Plague Proportions (Guest Voice)
Snakes Invasive To Guam Have Wiped Out Bird Populations And Allowed Spiders To Reach Plague Proportions (via Planetsave) The disappearance of forest birds Guam’s island ecosystem, as a result of the invasive brown treesnake, has led to a ‘plague’ of spiders in the local jungles. Nearly 40 times more spiders live in Guam’s jungles than in the jungles of neighboring … [Read more...] about Snakes Invasive To Guam Have Wiped Out Bird Populations And Allowed Spiders To Reach Plague Proportions (Guest Voice)
Insane Fame in Islam Crisis
The velocity of instant fame overtakes a pair of different men this weekend. Barack Obama eulogizes an American who “laid down his life for his friends, Libyan and American--and for us all” after the death of Ambassador Christopher Stevens, killed in Benghazi during an attack on the U.S. consulate over snippets of an anti-Muslim film online. Chris Stevens, the President … [Read more...] about Insane Fame in Islam Crisis