Archives: May 2013

Falsely Accused Pot Mom Released in Mexico; Case Argues for Decriminalization

The release of Yanira Maldonado from a Mexican jail after an apparent attempt to frame her for marijuana trafficking underlines the need to end the disastrous "war on drugs" and to legalize…

A German Guru and his Solar Park for the Brahma Kumari Community in Rajasthan

The Brahma Kumari spiritual community in Mt. Abu, Rajasthan, seeks to live a life in harmony with nature. Their solution to the need for power for residents and the 20,000 pilgrims a…

Egyptian-Ethiopian Conflict Spikes as Addis Ababa dams Blue Nile

The Ethiopian government's unilateral and high-handed decision to build an enormous dam on the Blue Nile has thrown Egypt into a state of high anxiety. Egyptians already suffer from too little water…

McCain’s Photo Op raises Questions about Arming Syrian Rebels

Lauren Williams of The Daily Star (Beirut) reported that when Sen. John McCain made a visit to rebel-held northern Syria on Monday, one of his photo ops was with a man implicated…

Iran candidates all “Loyal Servants of Dictator”: Kadivar

by JULIE POUCHER HARBIN, EDITOR, ISLAMiCommentary, on MAY 30, 2013: Mohsen Kadivar Several Iranian opposition figures have declared Iran’s upcoming June 14 presidential election illegitimate, following last week’s decision by Iran’s constitutional…

Summer Reading: Napoleon’s Egypt (Cole Video)

A twitter friend commented that he was finding my book, Napoleon's Egypt great summer reading. Here is my talk 3 years ago at AUC on Bonaparte's invasion of Egypt as an 18th…

Stephen Fry decries the Grammar Nazis (Video with Kinetic Typography)

British actor and writer Stephen Fry's rant against grammar Nazis, with kinetic typography:

The Coming Israeli-Russian War?

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon bluntly threatened the Russian Federation on Tuesday, saying that if Moscow followed through on its plan to send the S-300 air defense system to Syria, Israel would…

A Forever War that Dares not Speak its Name (Bacevich)

Andrew J. Bacevich writes at Tomdispatch.com For well over a decade now the United States has been “a nation at war.” Does that war have a name? It did at the outset. …

The Survival of Earth Depends on Frogs… and Frogs are in Trouble

Herbicides and pesticides threaten to wipe out one third of amphibian species in the coming decades. A new study finds that frogs, toads and salamanders are disappearing much faster than earlier thought…

CIA Whistleblower who revealed Torture is still in Jail; Torturers walk Free

Just a reminder that President Obama has not yet pardoned John Kiriakou, the CIA whistleblower who revealed the agency's torture practices Kiriakou went to jail on February to serve 30 months. Obama…

Could Ulra-Orthodox Conscription issue bring down the Israeli Government?

Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist, secular Yesh Atid party, has threatened to withdraw from the government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu unless a proposed bill is passed into…

Dubai Promotional Video

Dubai promotional video

Should Memorial Day include Commemoration of Thoreau?

Memorial Day began as a commemoration for the dead in the US Civil War, and especially for the Northern dead. Southern states for the most part had their own days of mourning…

Help Build a Hospital in Karbala, Iraq!

Karbala, Iraq, doesn't have enough good medical care. The number one killer is heart attacks, but a whole range of ailments are not being effectively combatted. There is an opportunity for us…

Who’s the Threat? Western Powers have invaded and Killed Millions of Muslims

Listening to Newt Gingrich, the great bloviator, go on this morning on the alleged Muslim threat, set me off. Gingrich did his dissertation on Belgian educational policy in the Congo, where he…

Rockets in Beirut Target Hizbullah as Violence spreads from Syria to Lebanon

Four persons were wounded by GRAD rockets that fell in south-western Beirut, a Hizbullah stronghold, on Sunday. The strikes come a day after the head of Hizbullah pledged to continue fighting for…

Turkey: Kissing Protest in Ankara

After a subway official chastised a young couple in Ankara for kissing in public, internet activists organized a small flashmob at the Kurtuluş metro station in the Turkish capital, where lots of…

Media Ignores Climate Change Background of Increased Flooding (Media Matters Short)

As The Scientific American noted a couple of years ago: In a 2011 study published in Nature, ". . . researchers examined daily records of rainfall, snowfall and sleet from more than…

Checkpoint: The Every Day Life of Humiliation for Palestinians (Short Documentary)

Checkpoint - Every Day Life in Palestine Documentary ( Subtitles ) " Published on Apr 27, 2013 A film showing the day to day reality of Palestinians subjected to demeaning humiliation at…

Taliban Attack UN Agency in Kabul, Wounding 7

The Taliban launched a major attack in the capital of Kabul on Friday, injuring 7 people with a car bomb at the International office of Immigration, a UN-affiliated organization. In the firefight…

Civil Disobedience and Jail Time for Opposing Big Oil: Tim DeChristopher (Moyers Interview)

Bill Moyers interviews Tim DeChristopher, leader of Peaceful Uprising, who just got out of jail after serving a two-year sentence for peacefully disrupting an oil and gas auction on public land that…

Nice Speech on Closing Gitmo, Mr. President; but It’s still Open (Schanzer)

David Schanzer writes at Islamicommentary: David Schanzer In his speech at the National Defense University, President Obama made his most impassioned and compelling argument to date about the need to close the…

My Visit to the Iraqi National Museum (Photo Gallery)

Here is a photo gallery from my visit on May 9, 2013, to the Iraqi National Museum, courtesy the Ministry of Culture. Ancient Iraq or Mesopotamia was, of course, the cradle of…

“If you Eat a 2000 Hamburgers in the Name of Vegetarianism, You aren’t an Extremist Vegetarian”; Nabil responds to Woolwich Murder

Nabil goes in: A British Muslim responds to the Woolwich murder in which Lee Rigby, 25, of 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was butchered by clearly unbalanced persons. Our hearts…

When Politicians promise ‘Lower Taxes’ they are promising Collapsed Bridges

The next time you hear politicians campaigning on "lower taxes," you should realize two things. First, they don't intend to lower your taxes, which are probably mostly social security. In fact, they…

Sen. Inhofe: “When a Disaster Occurs in America… Everyone … wants to pour Money on’em”

From last fall: Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma argues against relief aid for Hurricane Sandy, in part because working on it in the Senate would delay the beginning of his Christmas vacation.…

Rafsanjani’s Exclusion from Iran’s Presidential Race a Sign of Creeping Totalitarianism

Iran's Guardian Council startled that country when it announced that Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former president (1989-1997) who was among the founders of the Islamic Republic, would not be allowed to run…

PBS and the Koch Brother Scandal (plus “Koch Brothers Exposed”)

PBS declined to show "Citizen Koch, a documentary about the Wisconsin public union issue, treating the influence of the dirty energy magnates who are destroying the world through climate change and funding…

Israel, Syria, Trade Fire, Threats in Golan Heights

The Increasingly desperate Baath regime in Syria appears to be seeking skirmishes with Israel as a way of shoring up its nationalist credentials. If the regime were under fire from Israel, that…

How America Became a Third World Country (Kramer & Comerford)

Mattea Kramer and Jo Comerford write at Tomdispatch: The streets are so much darker now, since money for streetlights is rarely available to municipal governments. The national parks began closing down years…

America’s ‘Mission Accomplished’ Legacy to Iraq: Sectarian Violence Mounts with 95 Dead

Bombings killed at least 95 people on Monday in Iraq, with 10 car bombs going off in the capital of Baghdad alone. Two car bombs were detonated in the southern Shiite port…

Storms and Extreme Weather: The Impact of Climate Change (Videos)

Any particular storm is weather, not climate. That is, it is a discrete event, whereas climate is a decades-long pattern of such events. But the pattern is worrisome. A hotter atmosphere, which…

Pakistan, Islam and Democracy

Pakistan, a country 97 percent Muslim, has just made its first successful transition from one elected, civilian government to another since its founding in 1947. The country has had long bouts of…

Renewable Energy in Marrakech: Solar Water Pumps & More (Video)

Morocco has enormous solar and wind energy potential and plans to get 40% of its electricity from green energy sources by 2020, only 7 years from now. This documentary explores the potential…

Massive Meteoroid Impact on Moon shines like Small Star (NASA Video)

That boulder-sized meteoroid that hit the moon on the 17th, causing a star-bright conflagration? NASA reports that it likely was part of a whole pack of meteoroids, a smaller set of which…

Climate Change Denial is Costing us Trillions, Threatening Farming, Fishing, Animals (Video)

Michael Mann: Climate change is already costing us $1 trillion a year. Aljazeera asks Professor Mann why there is still confusion among Americans about the perils of climate change, at a time…

“I will Survive” the Muslim Brotherhood: Leftist Egyptian Youth Music Video

Not an endorsement, but this cover by secular leftists of Gloria Gaynor's 1978 "I will Survive," with satirical Arabic lyrics (translated in subtitles) about the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis…

Moapa Band of Paiutes Celebrates switch from Coal to Solar Energy in Nevada

The Moapa Paiutes are celebrating the advent of solar power and the beginning of the end of coal power in southern Nevada. They are having a solar plant built on tribal lands,…

The Great American Descent into Plutocracy (Kroll)

Andy Kroll writes at Tomdispatch.com Billionaires with an axe to grind, now is your time. Not since the days before a bumbling crew of would-be break-in artists set into motion the fabled…

Really Star-Trekking: Skylab Astronauts Reflect on Life in Outer Space (Video)

Three astronauts from the International Space Station did a Google hangout with the stars of "Star Trek: Into Darkness." Meanwhile, VOA profiles an earlier generation of Skylab astronauts who risked their lives…

Kenya gets Funding for Africa’s Largest Wind Farm

The African Development Bank has approved $150 million in funding for the Turkana wind farm in Kenya, which will be Africa's largest, generating 300 megawatts of electricity and powering nearly 1 million…

“Crazy:” Egyptian Version (Video)

Egyptian version of "Crazy," the 2006 Gnarls Barkley single (a collaboration of Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green):

Cyclone Threatens Rohingya Refugees in Myanmar/ Burma: 80 Dead at Sea

The Rohingya Muslim refugees in Myanmar [Burma], having been menaced by hatred of foreigners and Buddhist chauvinism, are now threatened by a powerful cyclone. Monday some 80 died as boats capsized, in…

Solar Impulse sun-powered Plane flies from California to Phoenix, AZ on way across America (Video)

Bertrand Piccard is piloting the sun-powered plane, 'Solar Impulse,' across America in legs. This video is of his flight from California up to San Francisco and then down to Phoenix, AZ this…

Is it Racism? Why did we Ignore New Orleans but obsess about Boston?

I got back from my trip to Baghdad on Sunday evening, and noticed when I checked the news that there seemed to have been a horrible shooting in New Orleans. I was…

Understanding the Palestinians’ Dilemma: From al-Araqib to Susiya (Video)

From Al-Araqib to Susiya (English) , a film by al-Adalah (Justice) : " Two Villages - One Story An Interactive Dialogue on Forced Displacement In a new short film, From Al-Araqib to…

Iraqi Folklore Performances (Cole Videos)

Iraqi Sword Dance: Here are some folklore performances put on for us by a troupe in Baghdad on May 8, 2013, at the Ministry of Culture's 3rd International Conference on Translation, which…

Department of Justice Spying on AP Reporters’ Telephone Contacts Threatens Democracy

The Associated Press has been the victim of massive secret surveillance of its reporters' telephone traffic (not the substance but to whom they were talking) on the part of the Department of…

Carbon Dioxide Passes 400 parts per million, Threatens Climate Catastrophe

The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached the milestone of 400 parts per million, something not seen on earth for 2 or 3 million years. This time, it is…

Two Kinds of anti-Muslim Racism in the Netherlands (Wertheim)

Anne-Ruth Wertheim writes in a guest column for Informed Comment On 31 January 2013 Mohamed Rabbae stated on www.Joop.nl that far right wing politician Geert Wilders is not looking for solutions to…

Iraqi Youth Demonstrate against Sectarianism, in Favor of National Unity (Video by Cole)

During my trip to Iraq last week, I visited Mutanabbi Street, a district of bookstores, handicrafts, and cultural centers, on Friday morning. I kept bumping into people I knew, including historians from…

My Trip to Baghdad Last Week (Photo Gallery)

Here are photos from my trip to Baghdad last week, to attend the 3rd International Conference on Translation, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture. There were about 100 scholars in attendance, from…

Gates: Administration Critics view of US Military Capabilities in Benghazi “Cartoonish”

Former Bush and Obama administrations secretary of defense Bob Gates, a lifelong Republican, replied to some of the GOP fantasies about the possibility of a US military mission into Benghazi on Sept.…

Bibi’s $127,000-bed in the Sky: PM Sleeps in the Clouds as he Plans Austerity for Israelis

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is in trouble with the public for chartering a $300,000 plane ride to attend the funeral of the late British former prime minister Margaret Thatcher and then…

“Space Oddity:” Hadfield Signs off From the International Space Station

Canadian Cmdr. Chris Hadfield has made his stay aboard the International Space Station a teaching moment, tweeting out images of the earth from space and reaching out to schoolchildren. He has also…

Erdogan: Turkey will not be Dragged into Bloody Quagmire in Syria, after Deadly Bombings Kill 49

Turkey has charged that an extreme left group with ties to Syrian secret police was responsible for the twin bombings in the border town of Reyhanli on Saturday, which killed 49 and…

Will New Pakistani Government Ban US Drone Strikes in Light of Court Ruling? (Ross)

It looks as though the Pakistan Muslim League (N), led by steel magnate Nawaz Sharif, is going to be the single largest party in Parliament, after Saturday's landmark elections. It is the…

The Chinese Diplomatic Pivot to the Middle East and Beijing’s Middle East Studies Establishment (Ma)

by HAIYUN MA writes at ISLAMiCommentary : Haiyun Ma This week China’s new president, Xi Jinping, separately hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas — meetings that some…

Minorities and the Arab Revolutions (Cole Video)

Here is an excerpt from my recent talk on minorities and the Arab Revolutions at Portland State: Here is the video

Obama’s War on Whistleblowers who are trying to out Government Waste, Fraud (Van Buren)

Peter van Buren writes at Tomdispatch.com: What do words mean in a post-9/11 world? Apart from the now clichéd Orwellian twists that turn brutal torture into mere enhanced interrogation, the devil is…

A Million Newborns die the Day they are Born, every Year: Save the Children

Save the Children reports that a million newborns every year die the same day they are born. Most of these babies die of infections and could be treated with inexpensive antibiotics. Video…

The Worst Places to be a mother– Save the Children

Save the Children has issued its annual report on mothers and newborns. The best place to be a mother? Finland! The worst? The Congo. Save the Children issued a video on motherhood…

Alabina, “Habibi ya Nour el Ain” (Music Video)

Some Spanish lyrics, some Arabic. In medieval Arabic poetry this genre was called mulamma`at. Alabina, "Habibi ya Nour el Ain," rare version As This source points out, "The mulamma', “patch-work,” or “macaronic”…

UN has strong suspicions Syrian Rebels used Sarin Gas

A UN commission unvestigating the situation in Syria has strong, concrete suspicions that Syrian rebels used sarin gas, but does not have firm proof, according to investigator Carla del Ponti. Euronews reports…

BS Happens: Parody of 24/7 Cable News

Parody of 24-hour cable news from The Onion that that nails it:

Shiraz, Iran: Timelapse Video

Timelapse of scenes of Shiraz, Iran. The southwestern city is known for its poets and shrines to poets and gardens and, in the old days, wine.

Saudi Arabian Women, Unveiled (VICE video)

VICE reports on Saudi Arabian women, unveiled, showing the strong private/ public divide in the Kingdom (and moreover private and public are drawn differently there).

Syria’s Neighbors have Rising Anxiety about Crisis (Three Aljazeera Videos)

Turkey is strategizing how to limit the impact of the Syria war on Turkey. Ankara is particularly concerned by the emergence of a relatively autonomous Kurdish area in northern Syria, fearing that…

Bad Camel

Bad camel sticks head through window of family car, delights little girl no end by licking whole top of her head.

Fracking ourselves to Death: Hydrocarbons are bad for Children and other Living Things (Cantarow)

Ellen Cantarow writes at Tomdispatch.com: More than 70 years ago, a chemical attack was launched against Washington State and Nevada. It poisoned people, animals, everything that grew, breathed air, and drank water.…

After unsafe Factory kills 400 in Bangladesh, on May Day workers Demand Rights (Democracy Now!)

As deaths in the Bangladesh textile factory fire mount to over 400, on May Day workers demand they be afforded as many legal protections as the products they make. Amy Goodman's Democracy…

UNICEF: Facebook likes don’t save lives, Contributions do

UNICEF reminds us that Facebook 'likes' don't save children's lives-- cash contributions do. Plus, it helps if the US Congress steps up. The Israel lobbies have been threatening congressional UNICEF funding over…

Saudi Arabian hunter stalks desert Gazelle with pet Cheetah

Saudi Arabian man keeps cheetah as pet to help with hunting gazelle in the desert.

Top Ten Problems in South Carolina Lindsey Graham should worry more about than Benghazi

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) slammed President Obama for a deterioration in US security because, he said, of four Americans having been killed in Benghazi last September and then another four at the…