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Archives: January 2010
Coal River Mountain Protestors Meet with Governor
Coal River Mountain Protestors Meet with Governor - Huntington News NetworkThe closest thing you might get in today's world to Gandhists and followers of Martin Luther King, on a practical plane, are…Muslim inventions that shaped the modern world
Muslim inventions that shaped the modern world - CNN.comCoffee houses, surgical techniques, algrebra, some key institutional developments in universities and hospitals, all from Muslim science. Not to mention optics, astronomical advances (some…
NATO, Afghan Troops Clash, 4 killed; Call for Talks with Taliban Rejected
NATO troops appear to have made a horrible error in Afghanistan on Friday, as they clashed with what turned out to be Afghan National Army troops and called in an air strike…
Obama shows himself a Natural for a Second Term in Debate with Republicans
President Barack Obama was so effective in his 90-minute 'questions session' with the congressional Republican conference that some Republican leaders are said to be regretting that they allowed the session to be…America’s Competitors Will Use Supreme Court Ruling To Block Our Green Jobs Effort And Close Our Factories | OurFuture.org
America's Competitors Will Use Supreme Court Ruling To Block Our Green Jobs Effort And Close Our Factories | OurFuture.org 'Saudi Arabia’s economy depends on oil exports so stands to be one of…NATO to Provide $500 mn. to Bribe Taliban; Seeks Exit beginning 2011; Obama’s Request for 10,000-troop NATO Surge Quietly Rejected
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown may have called the London Conference on Afghanistan for domestic political purposes, as a sort of publicity stunt. But the nearly 70 nations that gathered there unexpectedly…Gopal, Afraid of the Dark in Afghanistan
Tomgram: Anand Gopal, Afraid of the Dark in Afghanistan | TomDispatch"The foreign soldiers, most of them tattooed and bearded, then went on to the main compound. They threw clothes on the floor,…Israeli Militarism, Local Conflicts Driving Palestinian Children Crazy
Flesh and Stone - War is hell on the brain: Doctors map psychological disorders in Gaza and the West Bank "23.2 percent had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 17.3 percent had an anxiety…Foreign Affairs in Obama’s State of the Union: Caught between the Utopian and the Propagandistic
Understandably, President Obama concentrated on domestic issues, especially job creation, in his State of the Union address. But there were a few paragraphs toward the end about foreign affairs that I want…
22 Dead, 80 wounded in Baghdad Crime Lab Bombing,
AP reports that guerrillas drove a car bomb into an Interior Ministry crime lab in the Karrada district of Baghdad on Tuesday, only a day after a coordinated bombing attack on the…Four charged in phone scheme at Sen. Landrieu’s office ; Or, Rightwing Politics is Mostly Dirty Tricks
Four charged in phone scheme at Sen. Landrieu's office - USATODAY.com James O'Keefe, the rightwing activist who tried to punk ACORN by dressing as a pimp, was endorsed in a resolution by…
Beauty in Arab Culture Quizas in Arabic: Riachi’s "Belaaks"
Headline news of the sort on which I concentrate on at Informed Comment is driven by dramatic events, with violence being the most dramatic. But it is also important to fight back…Juan Cole in Second Life, Virtually Speaking, Thursday at 9 ET
Juan Cole will be a guest in the Second Life virtual world on Jay Ackroyd's Virtually Speaking interview show at 9 pm Eastern, 1/28/2010.Note that this is much better than just passively…
37 Killed, over 100 wounded in Hotel Bombings in Baghdad; Guerrillas Seek to Isolate, Destabilize Maliki Gov’t; Chemical Ali Executed
Al-Zaman reports in Arabic on Monday's string of bombings in Baghdad, in which late reports say 37 persons were killed and more than 100 wounded. The bombings especially targeted the Jadiriya district,…Roberts: Death Rates don’t Actually Decline During Wars
Leslie F. Roberts writes in a guest op-ed for Informed CommentAn astonishing version of the Human Security Report was released this past week. It was astonishing for its primary headline: “NEW REPORT…Oregon’s rich getting richer and all others falling behind, wage study shows | But it’s a National Trend and We are Becoming Florence
Oregon's rich getting richer and all others falling behind, wage study shows | Oregon Business News - OregonLive.com' The free-market fervor that has gripped the country since the Ronald Reagan administration has…Afghanistan postpones parliamentary elections
Afghanistan postpones parliamentary elections - latimes.comThe LAT lays out the basic facts around the postponement of parliamentary elections in Afghanistan. The Afghan press stresses two factors aboveall: Afghanpaper.com writing in Dari Persian…The Irrelevance of Bin Ladin
An audio message allegedly from Usamah Bin Laden was released Sunday, claiming that the attempted Christmas day airline attack over Detroit was his work.I'm going to go out on a limb here…Gates Strikes out In Pakistan; Obama’s AfPak Policies in Disarray
Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates's trip to Pakistan this weekend has in many ways been public relations disaster, and I think it is fair to say that he came away empty-handed…Milne: Haiti’s poverty is treated as some baffling quirk of history…when in reality it is the direct consequence of " . . . colonial exploitation
Seumas Milne: "Haiti's poverty is treated as some baffling quirk of history...when in reality it is the direct consequence of a uniquely brutal relationship with the outside world — notably the US,…Iraq war was illegal, Dutch panel rules
Iraq war was illegal, Dutch panel rules | World news | guardian.co.ukOf course it was illegal. There are only two conditions under which war may be launched according to the United Nations…
Biden Attempts to Mediate Sunni-Shiite Struggle in lead-up to Elections
Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Baghdad on Friday in a bid to settle conflicts over the March 7 parliamentary elections. The exclusion of hundreds of candidates from the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary…Is the Supreme Court Decision so Important in a Web 2.0 World? Can Corporations Compete in ‘Pull’ Media World Anyway?
Of course, I-- like many social critics-- am dismayed at the Supreme Court ruling striking down elements of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform act, and essentially giving corporations carte blanche to pay…World Health Agencies Condemn Israeli Blockade of Gaza (Again); Obama’s Biggest Mideast Failure
When a relief plane for the Physicians without Borders isn't allowed to land by US military authorities at the airport in Port-au-Prince, there is an outcry.But Israeli military authorities will not allow…Brown Wins, Robs Dems Of Filibuster-Proof Majority
Brown Wins, Robs Dems Of Filibuster-Proof Majority - Hotline On CallJuan cannot understand why Scott Brown can be elected with just 52% of the Massachusetts vote, but we can't pass universal health…
One Year Later: Did Obama Win the Iraq War?
President Barack Hussein Obama was inaugurated a year ago, and this is a good time to review his major foreign policy success.It is, of course, important that he has repaired the reputation…Top Ten Counter-Terrorism Scandals 2010
The new year is not very old, but several recent revelations cast the the US fight against al-Qaeda (a tiny if deadly fraternity of a couple thousand fanatics spread in dozens of…Study Finds Exposure to Chemical Pollutants Increases Fat:
Study Finds Exposure to Chemical Pollutants Increases Fat: Scientific AmericanThen there is the recent University of California study that indicates extra obesity risks from high fructose corn syrup. Contrary to the latter…Kabul attacks Video Update
Skynews has video of Monday's coordinated bombings and attacks in Kabul.End/ (Not Continued)Kabul gets the Baghdad Treatment from Taliban Bombers
The Taliban mounted their boldest and most ambitious assault on the capital of Kabul in recent years on Monday, with a series of well-coordinated bombings in the vicinity of the presidential palace…MLK: The International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment
We live in an even more regimented society than the 1950s and early 1960s. We live in a society where protests can be confined to 'protest zones,' where peaceful protest or critical…HAITI: Arab aid making its way
Reuters AlertNet - HAITI: Arab aid making its wayI was watching Aljazeera Arabic and they noted that the Qatari aid plane had difficulty getting in a queue to land at the airport…
Scott Brown implies that Obama was born out of Wedlock
Martha Coakley - Salon.comAn evolution in the birthers and teabaggers? Joan Walsh points out that Republican candidate for senator from Massachusetts Scott Brown says he doesn't know if Obama's parents were married…
US, Canadian Soldiers Killed; Parliament again Slaps down Most Karzai Cabinet Picks; Charges of Corruption Dog Drug Czar, other Ministers
A US and a Canadian soldier were announced killed in hostile action in Afghanistan on Saturday.In a further blow to the his leadership, the lower house of the Afghanistan parliament rejected 10…Iran Not Committed to Building Nuclear Bomb, Pentagon Intel Chief Says
NTI: Global Security Newswire - Iran Not Committed to Building Nuclear Bomb, Pentagon Intel Chief SaysU.S. Defense Intelligence Agency Chief Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess said, "The bottom line assessments of the [National…
Drone strikes Kill 11 but not Hakimullah: US trainers and recruiters fail to attract southern Pashtuns
At least two Pakistani soldiers in Pakistani Kashmir were killed by a roadside bomb Thursday.Some observers fear this sort of move is a bid by the Taliban to assert themselves in Kashmir,…Want To Make Use Of $47 Billion To Spare? Help Haiti
My essay is up at NPR on why Wall Street should tithe its bonuses to Haiti as an act of propitiation and a recognition that a lot of this money was generated…
Najaf Bombings Kill 27, Wound 111; Sunnis Threaten Election Boycott
Three bombs were set off in the old city of Najaf, among the holiest of Shiite sacred sites on Thursday afternoon, according to DPA. The casualty count is confused, but up to…
Kimmel savages Leno on Leno
Jimmy Kimmel does 10 of 10 on Jay Leno's show and savages him over the torpedoing of Conan O'BrienEnd/ (Not Continued)Part of the Suffering of Haiti is "Made in the USA"
Bill Quigley: What the Mainstream Media Will Not Tell You About Haiti: Part of the Suffering of Haiti is "Made in the USA"Bill Quigley reviews the ways that US policy set Haiti…
Grayson: The Reason Republicans hate Government so Much is that they are So Bad at It
Rep. Alan Grayson: The Bush administration didn't start any wars by mistake except Iraq, no cities drowned under Bush-Cheney except New Orleans . . .End/ (Not Continued)
A New Middle East Cold War? Ahmadinejad slams Saudi Arabia over Yemen, Gaza
While American security officials are focused laser-like on the 300 or so al-Qaeda members in rural Maarib province of Yemen, and worry about further strikes on the US planned by this small…Ahmadinejad as Truther
Now Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad not only questions the extent of the Holocaust but is also a "truther," saying, absurdly, that the US and Israeli governments were behind the 9/11 attacks. The…
Global Earthquake Zones: Western half of Africa looks Safe
If we were smart we'd move to Mali or the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville).The world's earthquake zones according to the US Geological SurveyAnother way in which white slavery was unfair to the…Pat Robertson’s Racist Blaming of Haitian Victims; and the Televangelist Misuse of History
h/t Daily Kos: Evangelist Pat Robertson manages to blame Haitians for the earthquake, instead of a shift in tectonic plates: And you know Christy, something happened a long time ago in Haiti…
Foreign, Afghan Troops Allegedly Kill 6 at Rally against Western Burning of Qur’an
Oh, no. Here we go again. Some 2000 villagers from near Lashkar Gah in Helmand province mounted a demonstration against the alleged desecration of the holy Qur'an by NATO troops.The rally turned…
How Wall Street Could Help Haiti and Partially Redeem those Bonuses
ITN has early video of the earthquake devastation of Port au Prince, Haiti.For a quick overview of the Haitian economy, see this site. It was a sad story even before the earthquake.…
6 Allied Troops Killed in Afghanistan; Poll Shows Afghans Upbeat
Six NATO troops were killed in hostile action in Afghanistan on Monday, three of them Americans. The US troops appear to have been killed in close combat, whereas most of the other…
Republicans Reject Reid Half Measures, Embrace Gangsta Rap
SatireRepublicans were outraged Monday by two-year-old remarks of Democratic Senate Majority leader Harry Reid about the electability of Barack Obama, in which Reid (an early Obama supporter) spoke of Obama's light skin…Could the Pakistani Government Fall over Karachi Violence? What would it Mean for Obama’s War on al-Qaeda?
The ongoing political turmoil in a major Pakistani city to which few Americans pay much attention could nevertheless prove pivotal to the Obama administration's AfPak project. Ten more functionaries from various parties…
Ahmad: Shahid Alam on Israeli Exceptionalism
Ahrar Ahmad reviews M. Shahid Alam. Israeli Exceptionalism: The Destabilizing Logic of Zionism (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009), 274 pp., for ICAhrar Ahmad writes:Shahid Alam is primarily an economist and an educator.…
The Other Cartoon Death Threats
Drudge Retort says, "Political cartoonist Mark Fiore wrote on his blog that he's receiving death threats over a 90-second animated film he created that teaches viewers "how to speak Tea Bag." Comparing…
Why Republicans are Worried
The corporate media are in the tank for a Republican comeback in 2010, and the GOP may in fact pick up some seats in the Senate and the House, though if employment…Allah Muslim-Christian Controversy in Malaysia
The riots by some Muslims in Malaysia and attacks on Christian churches over a recent court ruling allowing Christians to call God "Allah" are as baffling and dismaying to me as to…Something Screwy about that Liveability Ranking
International Living has issued its annual ranking of countries as the best places to live. I do not know anything about the site, International Living, which seems to be oriented to selling…Jumping from the World’s Tallest Building
Jumping from the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Via MSNBCVisit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economyEnd/ (Not Continued)Cont'd (click below or on "comments")EXPLAINING THE CONCEPT OF “LEARNING CURVE” TO JEFFREY GOLDBERG
EXPLAINING THE CONCEPT OF “LEARNING CURVE” TO JEFFREY GOLDBERG � The Race for IranHillary Mann Leverett explains to American Likudnik Jeffrey Goldberg that an Iran realist is a Neocon who has been…
Iraq, Gaza, Drone Strikes in Pakistan– the Radicalization of CIA Assassin Humam al-Balawi
I just saw a clip on Aljazeera Arabic of the "martyrdom tape" of Humam al-Balawi, the Jordanian-Palestinian double agent who carried out a suicide bombing in Khost, Afghanistan, last week, killing 7…Obama: The Age of the War on Al-Qaeda
I give the text of President Obama's speech on security below, along with video.Unlike the two speeches Obama gave in the immediate aftermath of the attempted underpants bombing, in this one the…Iran and the Goldilocks Principle: Why Kuperman is Completely Wrong and the Leveretts are Only Partly Right and There are no Tunnel Bombs
In the past three weeks, Iran observers have been baffled by the range of opinion appearing on the op-ed page of The New York Times concerning Iran, and the uneven reporting on…
Obama to fix Security Flaws; but Could he Please Fix Stupid Racial Profiling?
President Obama spoke firmly and with some smoldering anger on Tuesday about the failure of US intelligence to 'connect the dots' of information it had in hand about how dangerous Umar Farouk…Guantanamo: The Definitive Prisoner List (Updated for 2010) |
Guantanamo: The Definitive Prisoner List (Updated for 2010) | Andy Worthington Worthington has updated his invaluable list of Guantanamo prisoners, including those released. He shows that most were arrested arbitrarily and were…
Symbol of Global Excess in Dubai
The world's tallest building, Burj Khalifah or Khalifah Tower, was unveiled in Dubai on Monday.AP has videoDubai is a finance hub, the bubble of which has burst, so the building's opening now…Afghans supported Personal Freedoms, Women’s Education in Asia Society Poll
Surprises in the Asia Society poll done in June, 2009, of attitudes of Afghans. It was a big poll, with some 6400 respondents from all over the country. It reveals a society…
Serial Catastrophes in Afghanistan threaten Obama Policy
You probably won't see it in most US news outlets, but on Monday morning in Kabul and Jalalabad, hundreds of university students demonstrated against US strikes this weekend that allegedly killed a…Who are the climate change skeptics?
The Lippard Blog: Who are the climate change skeptics?Follow the moneyEnd/ (Not Continued)Bush, Rumsfeld responses to Shoe Bomber & Bin Laden Video: Bin Laden ‘Not Escaping us’; ‘We’ve Stopped Chasing’; Government ‘Responding Accordingly’
The WSJ headlines that Homeland Security director Janet Napolitano "has become "a target" for the GOP in the wake of the attempted Christmas day bombing of a Northwest Airliner. And I expect…Taleban deputy leader warns of more attacks in Afghanistan in 2010
The USG Open Source Center translates an interview with the "Old Taliban's" number 2 man, Mullah "Baradar" Abdul Ghani, on Taliban tactics against the US.Taleban deputy leader warns of more attacks in…DETNEWS | WebVideo | Detroit 2009, The Movie
DETNEWS | WebVideo | Detroit 2009, The MovieTbe main hope I see for Detroit is that rising petroleum prices may hurt commuting and suburbs, and reverse the exodus from places like downtown,…
Death toll climbs to 93 in Lakki Marwat blast
DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Death toll climbs to 93 in Lakki Marwat blastOnly a few days after Monday's horrific bombing of a Shiite procession in Karachi, the Pakistani Taliban struck again, blowing…Top Ten Good News Stories from the Muslim World in 2009 that You Never Heard About
10. Saudi Arabia opened its first coeducational college campus, the King Abdullah Science and Technology University. In a country where the sexes have been so separated in public that some have spoken…