Continuing with our coverage of the just-concluded trial against Scientology in France, this news item from Le Monde is in part made up of quotes from Scientology's lead attorney, Patrick Maisonneuve, who sees the case as a cop-out on the part of prosecutors. While the charges against Scientology are for organized group fraud and the illegal use of pharmaceuticals, Maisonneuve … [Read more...] about Lawyer for Scientology France Rails Against Injustice: Le Monde of France
Daniel Pearl With a Happy Ending
The escape of a New York Times reporter from seven months of captivity in Pakistan recalls the shock of Daniel Pearl's beheading there seven years ago and prompts second thoughts about the uses of secrecy in a tell-all media age. Unlike Pearl's captors, the kidnappers of David Rohde did not release videos of their work, and his family and employers chose to maintain secrecy … [Read more...] about Daniel Pearl With a Happy Ending
Saturday Roundup
David Rohde, a New York Times reporter who was abducted by the Taliban seven months ago, has escaped and is on his way home. One striking detail about this story comes from his wife, Kristen Mulvihill: … [Read more...] about Saturday Roundup
President Barack Obama’s Statement On Iran
President Barack Obama has just issued this statement on Iran: The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands … [Read more...] about President Barack Obama’s Statement On Iran
Iran’s Events Today: The Worst Possible Outcome?
RealClearWorld's Kevin Sullivan has a great roundup of events today in Iran -- and he fears today's events were the worst possible outcome: In a way, I fear what happened today may be the worst possible outcome. The Iranian government's brutality has been put on display, but that's in part due to the lower-than-anticipated turnout in Tehran (judging from secondhand info, … [Read more...] about Iran’s Events Today: The Worst Possible Outcome?
The Pragdealist Alternative: A Declaration of Independence
The following is a guest voice contribution from Allan Goldstein. --------------------- A new wind is blowing through America. Change is in the air and I’m not talking about Barack Obama. This change is deeper than that, more fundamental. Our president is a product of that change, not its cause. Americans are marginalizing the margins. The fastest growing party … [Read more...] about The Pragdealist Alternative: A Declaration of Independence
The Khadijah Williams Story Reduced Me To Tears
I was reduced to tears reading the story of Khadijah Williams in The Los Angeles Times. It is the drenching, heart-warming story of a homeless girl overcoming incredible odds and earning a full scholarship to attend Harvard University. It is required reading for anyone believing our public education system is in the tank. In Khadijah's case, the system worked with help from … [Read more...] about The Khadijah Williams Story Reduced Me To Tears
Parallels Between Tehran 1979 and Tehran 2009?
There are, says BBC correspondent John Simpson, present for protests at both points in history. His reflections suggest that any pro-democracy celebrations in other parts of the world may be premature: When I go out into the streets now and see the crowds with their green ribbons and scarves and face-paint and balloons, it occurs to me that I am looking at a coalition of … [Read more...] about Parallels Between Tehran 1979 and Tehran 2009?
Iran’s Election Results: “The Devil Is in the Digits”
We have all heard by now of the allegations of massive fraud in the counting and reporting of the recent election results in Iran. There is telltale "suggestive evidence" that tends to confirm such allegations: * The unrealistically high votes for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in urban areas, including Tehran and Tabriz where he is not very popular. * The surprisingly … [Read more...] about Iran’s Election Results: “The Devil Is in the Digits”
Live Blogging Reports: Mousavi On Street Says “I Am Ready For Death”
As Iranians defy Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's warning that there will be blood on the streets of Tehran if there are continued protests, it's now clear that there are indeed extensive protests going on in Iran -- and the latest is that two of the key sites on the Internet now have reports saying opposition candidate Hossein Mousavi who was earlier reported to be … [Read more...] about Live Blogging Reports: Mousavi On Street Says “I Am Ready For Death”
Empathy, Conservatives and Health Care Reform
There has been an interesting exchange between Freddie deBoer and Mark Thompson over at League of Ordinary Gentlemen on how conservatives approach health care reform. It's been fascinating because I think it explains why the conservative arguments against major change doesn't ring very true to the larger public. I don't always agree with Freddie, but this has been on of the … [Read more...] about Empathy, Conservatives and Health Care Reform
Obama, GM’s new Chairman (Guest Voice)
Obama, GM's new Chairman by Scott McKain If my very future depended upon selecting a single person to sink just one basketball shot, I'm picking Michael Jordan. If my life hung in the balance, and one individual from our history had to present an oration that would determine my survival, I would beg Martin Luther King to speak on my behalf. So, why in the moment of … [Read more...] about Obama, GM’s new Chairman (Guest Voice)
Go See Food, Inc. This Weekend
The documentary on the food industry went into wider distribution this weekend. Critics agree -- SEE IT! NY Magazine: After an hour and a half of sighing, wincing, and clucking over the manifold outrages portrayed in Robert Kenner’s Food, Inc., I gave up the thought of “reviewing” the documentary and decided, instead, to exhort you: See it. Bring your kids if you have them. … [Read more...] about Go See Food, Inc. This Weekend
Quote of the Day: Dick Polman On John Ensign
The political Quote of the Day comes from Dick Polman, writing on the scandal swirling around John Ensign: Nevada Republican Sen. John Ensign, the erstwhile rising GOP star who...copped to an affair with an aide's wife, wants to ban gay marriage via a federal constitutional amendment. In 2004, he declared that it was important "to defend the institution of marriage....The … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Dick Polman On John Ensign
Iranian Filmmaker Makhmalbaf: Mousavi Silenced And Wants World To Know
Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf writes in The Guardian that he has been asked to deliver a message from Hossein Mousavi: Mousavi has been silenced and his closest associates arrested...and the picture Makhmalbaf gives about what's going inside Iran is one of a county whose bottom line is that it is controlled by one man and anyone who seriously resists will be … [Read more...] about Iranian Filmmaker Makhmalbaf: Mousavi Silenced And Wants World To Know
Govt. Study to Determine Why Dogs Scratch at Fleas
Ok. The headline isn't true. But it may as well be. NIH Funds $423,500 Study of Why Men Don't Like to Use Condoms The federal government is spending $423,500 to find out why men don't like to wear condoms, a project government watchdogs say is a nearly-half-a-million-dollar waste of taxpayer money. Researchers at Indiana University's Kinsey Institute, with funding from … [Read more...] about Govt. Study to Determine Why Dogs Scratch at Fleas
Iran: 1979 or 1989 Redux
As we look to the amazing scenes coming out of Iran the minds of many go back to the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and speculation as to whether history is repeating itself. Certainly almost every major event of today and tomorrow can be compared to an event from the past, but I am growing increasingly convinced we are looking not thirty years into the past but only twenty. For … [Read more...] about Iran: 1979 or 1989 Redux
‘Snub’ from Obama Reflects ‘Death of Nigerian Diplomacy’: Modern Ghana, Ghana
A newly-minted piece of commemorative cloth from Ghana, printed for President Obama's first visit to the heart of Africa since taking office. Ghana's gain is being seen as nearby Nigeria's loss. Nigerian soul-searching over why Obama is skipping the oil-rich country is reaching a fever pitch. For Modern Ghana, Nigerian columnist Sola Odunfa writes of an encounter he had … [Read more...] about ‘Snub’ from Obama Reflects ‘Death of Nigerian Diplomacy’: Modern Ghana, Ghana
Pixar Shows How To Have A Heart
I am not often moved to tears by a story in the news but this one comes pretty darn close to making even the most stoic of readers a little emotional. It seems a 10 year old girl was getting close to the end of her long battle with cancer. She had previously seen the Pixar film Monsters vs. Aliens and had enjoyed it but she was really looking forward to the new movie Up, … [Read more...] about Pixar Shows How To Have A Heart
Olbermann Complains About Bias ?
In the last few days Keith Olbermann over at MSNBC has been attacking Fox news for being biased against President Obama and his administration. Now I am not a big fan of Fox, and I certainly would agree they have a bias to the right when it comes to most issues. But if memory serves there was one network that was equally biased against the last administration (and equally … [Read more...] about Olbermann Complains About Bias ?