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Suzie-Q ★ 89 
Republicans Lack the Seriousness to Govern
The Republicans shouldn’t be taken seriously anymore. It seems obvious, but in order to be taken seriously, politicians have to be, you know, serious. Not just in terms of personality or behavior, but primarily in terms of policy and lawmaking. If a politician refuses to propose serious ideas and only pumps out nonsensical bumper-sticker sloganeering, fear-based histrionics or symbolic legis
Wisconsin Judge Rules Union Law Not In Effect
Wisconsin Judge Declares Union Law Not In Effect TODD RICHMOND and SCOTT BAUER 03/31/11 11:33 AM ET via: HuffPost MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin judge ruled Thursday the state’s divisive new collective bargaining law had not taken effect, and officials in Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s administration say he plans to comply with the ruling and to halt preparations to begin deductin
Newt and Evangelicals: Not a Match Made in Heaven
video TIME Posted by Amy Sullivan Wednesday, March 30, 2011 What was Newt Gingrich doing at John Hagee’s Cornerstone Church on Sunday? Besides delivering another speech from his book of Demagogue Mad Libs, that is. The most obvious answer is that Gingrich is courting evangelical voters. But ever since the LA Times wrote about Gingrich’s outreach to evangelicals earlier this month, I’ve been skeptical
Fukushima Forecast: Radioactive Particles To Be Concentrated Over Midwestern US On April 1, 2
Fukushima Forecast: Radioactive particles to be concentrated over Midwestern US on April 1, 2 (VIDEO) Energy News March 29th, 2011 at 03:55 PM Fukushima Potential Releases, Xe-133 Total Column for March 29-April 2, 2011, Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), March 29, 2011: * Although xenon is not toxic, its compounds are highly toxic — CRC handbook of chemistry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ H
The Angry Black Woman ★ 8
More Housekeeping Ahead
This weekend I finally, finally got around to creating new headers for the blog. Overdue for well over a year, I know. There are four that will rotate randomly. Check the footer for information on the artist. I’m doing a bit of spring cleaning as a result of getting fired up during a conference this weekend. I’m also tweaking the theme’s look to make it easier to read (hopefully) and find informa
Signal boost: What should sci-fi or fantasy sound like?
Missing Voices NK Jemisin and Podcastle are looking for a voice actor who is at least black male southern for a new fantasy story about New Orleans that they are about to release in audio book form. You do not have to be a professional voice actor, though if you are, yeah!! Signal boost, pass it along, enter if you got the qualifications. Don’t be shy!!! Or fantasy. A short story of mine, “Sin
Signal boost: What should sci-fi or fantasy sound like?
Missing Voices NK Jemisin and Podcastle are looking for a voice actor who is at least black male southern for a new fantasy story about New Orleans that they are about to release in audio book form. You do not have to be a professional voice actor, though if you are, yeah!! Signal boost, pass it along, enter if you got the qualifications. Don’t be shy!!! Or fantasy. A short story of mine, “Sin
Sci-fi technology heavy books by POC authors?
video Hey there readers of ABW! I’ve been gone for far too long haven’t I? Sorry. Been rather busy. This is going to be a short update, unfortunately. 1. Con or bust, the auction programme that works towards sending POC fans to Wiscon, is now open and will be until March 6. All sorts of fun stuff are on offer, from autographed books to pretty shiny jewelry to short story critiques to to spice blend
Is it a More Convenient Season yet?
“I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the abse
Amygdala ★ 4
Gop'S Radical Breakage Continues
video GOP'S RADICAL BREAKAGE CONTINUESWho is "Wisconsin's most dangerous professor"? He's William Cronon. Who he? He's this incredibly threatening man:[...] In 1991, Cronon completed a book entitled Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West, which examines Chicago 's relationship to its rural hinterland during the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1991, it was awarded t
Michael D. Glicksohn, 1946-2011, Rip
video MICHAEL D. GLICKSOHN, 1946-2011, RIPMike Glicksohn was possibly the second most famous letter of comment writer to fanzines in all of fanzine fan history, after Harry Warner, Jr.Mike was a writer, a publisher, a personality, a math teacher, a good man, a great fan, beloved by many, friend to even more.141 High Park Avenue, Toronto, is an address I'll never forget, I saw it so many times. L
Perspective
PERSPECTIVE 5.6k Saturn Cassini Photographic Animation from stephen v2 on Vimeo.Sometimes we all need it. This is the brain and emotion cleanser I needed to see right now.And any time.Beauty enriches all our souls. As does perspective. View The The Rest Scale: 5 out of 5. Wait for the color. Watch it all. You won't be sorry.Via John Robinson's site for Sore Eyes.Read more posts at Amygdala!
Snog In The Fog
SNOG IN THE FOG(Cross-posted at Obsidian Wings.)If you happen to be in the environs of the San Francisco Bay Area from March 11th through 13th, I'll be here:FOGcon: March 11-13, 2011, at the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway HotelFogcon is this (links mine):The Friends of Genre Convention (FOGcon) is a literary-themed San Francisco SF/F con in the tradition of Wiscon and Readercon. Each year we’ll focus
Prospects for Peace ★ 1
J Street Conference 2011: Reflections on the US-Israel Relationship
video The J Street’s second annual policy conference included a keynote address from Ambassador Dennis Ross, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for the Central Region. After Ross's remarks on The American Role in the Middle East, J Street hosted a panel discussion focusing on the Obama administration’s approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its policy in the broad
Craig Murray ★ 29
Quite A Mystery
The word “quite” in English is an extraordinary linguistic phenomenon because it has two meanings which are used in precisely the same way, as a qualifying adjective, yet mean precisely the opposite. To say something is “quite interesting” is to mean that it is a fair bit interesting, interesting to a reasonable and acceptable degree. But to say that something is “quite wonderful” is to mean tha
At 16.00 Today I Was
Trying to work out a way to send 34 Caterpillar 1 and 1.5 MW gensets to Japan. They are redundant, being left over from the government of Ghana’s Emergency Power Project of 2007. They would be a small but useful contribution towards an urgent need for portable electricity in Japan, capable of being fed to a grid, for the areas affected by the recent disaster. But unfortunately I don’t think it
But Is Everywhere In Chains
Yesterday 123 people were arrested for demonstrating in St Petersburg and Moscow. They were demonstrating against Putin’s unconstitutional restrictions on freedom of assembly. I have a high opiniion of Mikhail Gorbachev, whose over the top eightieth birthday celebrations were deserved. The truth is that Putin has rolled back almost entirely the personal and political freedoms which Gorbachev in
At 16.00 Today I Was
Organising my air ticket back to London, via Turkey. Although I live in the UK, it is much cheaper to buy tickets as returns from the Ghanaian end. But because of the prevalence of fraud, you can’t buy a ticket over the internet starting from West Africa. So my long suffering Ghanaian PA has had a complex task working out from the airlines the best way to fly Accra/Izmir/London/Accra. The ans
Murder in Samarkand Nominated
If you scroll down, down, down on this link, far, far past Chris Evans and Nick Ferrari, you will see that serious radio still does exist, and that Murder in Samarkand, by David Hare, adapted from my memoir, has just been nominated for best radio drama at the Sony Radio Awards. I do hope it wins – the BBC may have to dust it down and make it available somewhere other than on this website.
Who Planted The Jerusalem Bomb?
In these days of obsession with Breaking News, it is worth returning to a story sometimes to see what happened to it. The bomb in Jerusalem 8 days ago which killed a British lady at a bus stop is a good example. The Israeli government has announced – on no discernible evidence, that the bomb was the work of Palestinian extremists. The western media has accepted that narrative with no questionin
IPS Inter Press Service Earth Alert: Confronting Climate Change ★ 20
UGANDA: Sun Smiling on Renewable Energy Initiative
Clementine Auma was still living in a displaced person's camp in Gulu district when she acquired the treasure she's gone into the house to fetch. She re-emerges from her home with a white box in her arms: it's a solar oven.
Sky-High Oil Prices Here to Stay
As the Arab world continues to pitch and heave with flashes of popular uprisings here and sparks of brutal crackdowns there, analysts are painting a grim picture of the regional unrest's economic consequences, predicting the persistence of high oil prices in the coming years.
JAPAN: Disaster Highlights Economic Vulnerability
As authorities struggle to control dangerous radioactive material spilling from the quake ravaged Fukushima nuclear power reactors, a more difficult question has begun to unsettle Japan: is the country's post-war prosperity as invincible as was believed till now?
INDIA: Fukushima Revives Debate Over Nuclear Liability
The Fukushima disaster has prompted calls to review legislation passed by the Indian parliament in August 2010 that capped compensation payable, in the event of a nuclear accident, at 320 million U.S. dollars.
AUSTRALIA: Pushing Uranium Exports Despite Japanese Crisis
Many countries view nuclear energy as a way to meet growing electricity demands without releasing large amounts of greenhouse gasses. And as a major uranium exporter, Australia is keen to capitalise on future opportunities despite the ongoing nuclear emergency at Japan's Fukushima reactors.
CARIBBEAN: Colonies Seek to Redefine Relationship with EU
The newly elected chair of the Overseas Countries and Territories Association (OCTA), Montserrat's Chief Minister Reuben Meade, wants "trade rather than aid" to form the basis of the future relationship between Europe and its colonies around the world.
Obsolete ★ 27
Last Daily Sport reader found on the moon.
So. Farewell Then to the Daily Sport. Unlike some others, I was genuinely sad for at least a couple of moments on hearing of its passing - not because I ever read it, if indeed you could in the proper sense of the word, more for the simple fact that back in 2006 it had more humanity than the rest of the tabloids combined. It was also at least honest at what it did, was shorn of the inherent con
Damocles revisited.
This apparently isn't an early April Fools:Members of the NATO alliance have sternly warned the rebels in Libya not to attack civilians as they push against the government of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, according to senior military and government officials. ...“We’ve been conveying a message to the rebels that we will be compelled to defend civilians, whether pro-Qaddafi or pro-opposition,” said a se
On arguing for war.
It's sad to note that unless I've missed it (one honourable exception is this piece by Sean Matgamna on Shiraz, rather different to the usual posts there on the Guardian's soft Stalinism and how anyone sceptical about the intervention in Libya is a scab) there hasn't really been a substantial debate even within the left in this country over our in action in Libya, not helped by the leadership of a
The pressure increases.
If there's something ever so slightly imperialistic about holding a summit to decide the immediate future of a country which for now at least has a regime stubbornly refusing to budge, then the assembled great and not so good gathered in London today didn't let it faze them. After all, they didn't actually invite the interim national council to take part, although representatives were certainly h
Better the black bloc than the pretensions of UK Uncut.
I wasn't on the march on Saturday. Not because I necessarily had anything better to do, more for the reason that I couldn't really see what it would achieve or end up representing. For me at least, there's a key difference between demonstrating against something which is definitively going to happen or is already happening, as opposed to protesting against a war which could either be stopped or
Hatewatch | Southern Poverty Law Center ★ 24
Enraged by Florida Pastor, Afghan Crowds Kill Foreigners
Is Terry Jones a mass murderer? Probably not, under American law. But does he bear moral responsibility for the deaths today of at least a dozen people in Afghanistan, after mobs enraged by his March 20 burning of the Koran stormed a United Nations building and killed men and women inside? That’s an entirely different question. Jones is the wretched “pastor” who tried to hold an “International Bur
Black Extremists Blast Obama’s Decision to Weaken Qaddafy, With One Predicting Spaceships
President Obama’s decision to intervene militarily in Libya to cripple dictator Muammar Qaddaffy’s ability to combat rebels trying to topple his regime didn’t sit well with two American black nationalist leaders who consider the long-time strongman a friend and ally. “Now you may laugh, but in a few days, something is going to wipe the smile and the laugh from your face,” Louis Farrakhan, leader o
Steve Emerson, Backing King Hearings, Pushes Misleading Statistic on Muslim Terrorism
UPDATE: Steve Emerson, who is criticized in the post below, sent in a lengthy statement last night in response to a request for comment submitted by the writer earlier in the week. It can be found in the comments at the end of the story. The day before U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) convened the first round of his controversial hearings on the radicalization of American Muslims, the nonprofit Inve
Muslim-Basher Pam Geller, Fresh From Call for Censorship, to Testify to Alaska House Today
Pamela Geller, one of America’s most rabid Islamophobes and a woman who is scheduled to testify today to the Alaska House of Representatives, thinks people like her should be able to decide what news people like you get to see. And she doesn’t think you can handle news presented by Middle East-based Al Jazeera English. Geller, writing for the right-wing Daily Caller website Saturday, offered her i
SPLC Testifies About Rising Anti-Muslim Sentiment
Anti-Muslim bigotry is once again on the march, thanks in large part to hate groups like Stop Islamization of America, which helped gin up nationwide hysteria last year over a planned Islamic cultural center near the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in Manhattan. Since the controversy over the “ground zero mosque” erupted last May, we’ve seen a steady drumbeat of news accounts of hate crimes and
Student Group at Harvard Sponsors Anti-Gay Religious Speakers
On April 1-2, an event called “The Social Transformation Conference: Social Transformation by the Power of God” is scheduled to take place at Harvard University, and it’s raising a few red — or perhaps crimson — flags. Sponsored by a student group, the Harvard Extension Service & Leadership Society, the conference is billed innocuously as a meeting of invited religious leaders to discuss how f
Syria Comment ★ 25
What is Missing or Exaggerated in News of the Uprising? – Heydemann, Lawson, Lesch, Seale
Roundtable on Syria Today (Part 2): Mar 31 2011 by Steven Heydemann, Fred Lawson, David Lesch, and Patrick Seale This is Part 2 of our first Jadaliyya Roundtable on Syria, moderated by Bassam Haddad and Joshua Landis, of Syria Comment. It features Steven Heydemann, Fred Lawson, David Lesch, and Patrick Seale. This post will be published on both Jadaliyya and Syria Comment. See Part 1 here. Roundta
Will the Opposition be Successful? Heydemann, Lawson, Lesch, Seale
Roundtable on Syria Today (Part 1) 1 Mar 31 2011 by Steven Heydemann, Fred Lawson, David Lesch, and Patrick Seale [ ["No to Violence, Yes to Freedom." Image from Static.guim.co.uk] This is Part 1 of the first Jadaliyya Roundtable on Syria, moderated by Bassam Haddad and Joshua Landis, of Syria Comment. It features Steven Heydemann, Fred Lawson, David Lesch, and Patrick Seale. This post will be pub
Speech to the Syrian Parliament by President Bashar al-Assad: Wednesday, March 30, 2011.
President Bashar al-Assad’s Speech to the Syrian Parliament, Wednesday, March 30, 2011, following the wave of demonstrations, protest, and counter demonstrations that swept the country for the previous two weeks. Mr. Speaker, Ladies and gentlemen, members of the People’s Assembly, It gives me a great pleasure to meet you once again in this distinguished place, to talk to you about the conditions
“Syria: the boldness of Bashar al-Assad” by Brian Whitaker
Brian Whitaker has the best commentary on the Assad speech that I have read so far – and not just because he quotes from Syria Comment – although it helps. Syria: the boldness of Bashar al-Assad Brian Whitaker, Guardian, Thursday 31 March 2011 Bashar al-Assad’s seemingly relaxed attitude to reform is either supreme confidence or extreme recklessness Syria president al-Assad Syria’s president Bash
Quotes from Syrians Supporting Assad’s Speech
This morning, I published responses from Syrians living abroad. Most were very disappointed in the speech. Here I am posting comments sent to me by Syrians, most of whom live in Syria. Some of the more glowing comments come from a Latakia-based, Arabic facebook list named – Baladi Habibi – Mamnu`a al-fitna -waylu illi yu`adina [My Dear Country - Civil Discord is Forbidden - We curse whomever is ag
WWF - Latest News ★ 21
Oil platform must be halted to save critically endangered whale
The Russian government must oppose the development of a proposed oil and gas platform off Russia’s Sakhalin Island because the project has not been subject to appropriate environmental risk assessments, according to an international coalition of leading NGOs. The coalition, which includes WWF, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Pacific Environment and Sakhalin Environment Watch, will submi
Oil platform must be halted to save critically endangered whale
The Russian government must oppose the development of a proposed oil and gas platform off Russia’s Sakhalin Island because the project has not been subject to appropriate environmental risk assessments, according to an international coalition of leading NGOs. The coalition, which includes WWF, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Pacific Environment and Sakhalin Environment Watch, will submi
Marine park bolsters community facing climate change
video Since 2007, the entire island group of Nosy Hara, Madagascar, has been under MPA (Marine Protected Area) temporary protection status, safeguarding the waters and islands, and all species that live there. At the northern most tip of Madagascar, the country frazzles and explodes into many small islands that dot the Indian Ocean. Nosy Hara is the queen of these islands, and she wears a crown of
Small-scale fishers in the Coral Triangle get big break in global market
Mindoro, Philippines – Tuna handline fishers in the Philippines now have a better chance at competing in European markets through a private-public partnership between WWF, Blueyou Consultancy, European seafood companies and the Government of Germany. Strict European Union policies on sourcing tuna plus increasing consumer demand for responsibly-caught seafood have made it difficult for small-scal
India releases tiger numbers as experts convene
New Delhi, India – The Indian Government today released new tiger population numbers for the first time since 2007, indicating that numbers have increased in the country that has half of the world’s remaining wild tigers. The government estimated current tiger numbers in India at 1,706, up from 1,411 during the last count in 2007. However, the 1,706 figure includes an additional tiger reserve in
Earth Hour success shows world ready to go Beyond the Hour
As the lights come back on in the Cook Islands, the 134th country to celebrate Earth Hour 2011 – a record breaking year for the annual lights-out event – the global community has shown it is united in commitment to a sustainable future. Around the world, Earth Hour was embraced by the global community, transcending race, culture, age and economics as individuals took leadership in their communiti
ALL THINGS PAKISTAN ★ 22
Ultimate Lollywood (3): Mast Qalandar in English
Adil Najam ‘Ultimate Lollywood’ is not a title that I would give lightly to any song. Only twice before have I used this title in the post (here and here). I dare say that I have now found a third specimen to match the first two. Have a look and listen and decide for yourself. WPvideo 1.10 The film is ‘Dekha Jaye Ga’; the singer is the legendary Ahmad Rushdie; and the actor is Shahid. But the U
Pinglish Goes Into the Toilet: Barra ya Chota?
Tamashbeen This is not the first bathroom humor post at ATP. “Long” and “Short” Toilet is, of course, English Translation, or maybe Pinglish, for “Barra” and “Chota” Peshaab. I am not going to explain what that means here. If you do not know, just move on to another post.
Match Mubarak, India. Thank You, Pakistan.
Adil Najam How do I feel today with Pakistan having lost to India in the Semi-Final of the 2011 Cricket World Cup? I feel exactly as I did on November 4, 1987. I was at the Ghaddafi Stadium in Lahore, as a sports reporter for the newspaper The Muslim, covering the Semi-Final match between Pakistan and Australia in the 1987 World Cup. Pakistan was the clear favorites. Pakistan lost. How did that fe
Beyond Cricket: Today is About Tomorrow. And Tomorrow is Another Day.
Adil Najam I know today is the day. I have already confessed that I can think of nothing except about what may happen today. But today – and what happens today – is really about tomorrow. It always is. And tomorrow is another day! Apologies for being unnecessarily philosophical. But today (there I go again!) calls for it. Maybe its my impatience for the great match to begin. Or maybe it is my anx
Higher Education in Pakistan: Future Tense
Muhammad Hamid Zaman The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan may soon be dissolved and the authority devolved to the provinces. This move does not bode well for the future of higher education in Pakistan and should be cause for serious concern. According to The News (March 25): Implementation Commission has approved the devolution of HEC despite the fact that it exists in the Federal Leg
Bring Back Cricket Commentary in Urdu
Shahran Asim After ten years of listening to international cricket matches only with English commentary, my Pakistaniat (which includes the love for our national language) was awakened again with all the excitement of the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Off I went, then, in search of some place where I could still find Urdu cricket commentary. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a single source on
Texas Liberal ★ 43
Obsidian Wings ★ 30
do as I say, not as I do
by fiddler (not an April Fool's post, despite the date) Richard A. Clarke, former counter-terrorism czar for both the Clinton and Bush administrations, had some strong words about the US Chamber of Commerce's aborted plans for discrediting its critics, which included spying on families, using malware to steal information, faking documents to embarrass its liberal opponents, and creating and using
Treason against family; UPDATED
by Doctor Science A couple of weeks ago I happened to catch a couple of minutes of the Fresh Air interview with Frank Calabrese, Jr., who testified against his own father in Chicago's Operation Family Secrets mafia trial.What if what I was doing was wrong? How could I live with myself? I loved my dad dearly, and I love him to this day. But I was repulsed by the violence and his controlling wa
GOP's Radical Breakage Continues
by Gary Farber Who is "Wisconsin's most dangerous professor"? He's William Cronon. Who he? He's this incredibly threatening man: [...] In 1991, Cronon completed a book entitled Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West, which examines Chicago 's relationship to its rural hinterland during the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1991, it was awarded t
Your comfort food open thread
by liberal japonicus Well, my month back in Mississippi is wrapping up and it's been nice to have to opportunity to go out an eat a lot. My high end experience was going to Cochon, by the NOLA convention center for crawfish pie, smothered greens, wood roasted oysters and a brisket sandwich, accompanied by a Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan (draft!). And while I could have happily driven down there
the laboratories of democracy
by russell Folks with a federalist bent often refer to the various states as the "laboratories of democracy". Let policy initiatives begin at a local or state level, where the issues are often more tangible to folks, and where the costs and risks are lower. As thing get sorted out there, the best of breed ideas will bubble up to the national level. It's not a bad idea. Here in Mass
altmuslim ★ 17
Muslims in the public square: Is this about American Muslims, or America?
Lately, Congress appears to be obsessed with Muslims. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) held hearings Tuesday (March 29) on "Protecting the Civil Rights of American Muslims," and Chairman Peter King has announced a second set of hearings on "Radicalization in the American Muslim Community" in the House Homeland Security Committee, this set focusing on radicalization in prisons. Although the word "Muslim" is
Muslims in the public square: Is this about American Muslims, or America?
Lately, Congress appears to be obsessed with Muslims. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) held hearings Tuesday (March 29) on "Protecting the Civil Rights of American Muslims," and Chairman Peter King has announced a second set of hearings on "Radicalization in the American Muslim Community" in the House Homeland Security Committee, this set focusing on radicalization in prisons. Although the word "Muslim" is
Bigotry: ‘Islamophobia’ is not a phobia
The expression "Islamophobia" to describe anti-Muslim hostility in Europe and North America is becoming increasingly common. Even though the use of this expression is still not quite as trendy as a Lady Gaga song, one can already find numerous books, articles and websites that expound on the phenomenon of "Islamophobia". The views on "Islamophobia" are quite diverse, ranging from people on one end
Internment: The experience of Japanese-Americans in WWII resonates
The unrelenting gray of my Indiana winter was just barely beginning to promise spring recently when I said goodbye to a friend and neighbor. Myrtle Goldfinger was born in Tokyo in 1917 and came to America as a child. Her father, a minister, brought his family to live in California, where he founded the Hollywood Japanese Independent Church. I met her toward the end of her rich and wonderful life,
Libya revolts: A convergence of interests and values
It happens once every blue moon: the convergence of Western military action with Arab and Muslim public opinion. The last time we witnessed such convergence was during the US-led interventions in the Balkans, which stopped an ethnic cleansing and eventually brought peace to a troubled region of the world. Contrary to assertions from some, Libya 2011 is not Iraq of 2003. Whereas the war in Iraq lac
Egypt referendum: My vote counted
I got excited as the plane approached the tarmac. A wide smile overtook my face. I felt more confident about my last-minute decision to travel from New York to Cairo to vote in Egypt’s constitutional referendum. I was anxious to get out of the plane. Polling stations had opened early in the morning. Egyptians were finally getting their first taste of democracy. During former President Hosni Mubara
Pickled Politics ★ 32
Middle East’s only democracy continues to oppose more democracy
Hey look, Israel is still rooting for Middle Eastern dictators: As popular unrest threatens to topple another Arab neighbor, Israel finds itself again quietly rooting for the survival of an autocratic yet predictable regime, rather than face an untested new government in its place. Syrian President Bashar Assad’s race to tamp down public unrest is stirring anxiety in Israel that is even higher th
Daily Mail’s advertising revenue falls
Seems the combination of demonising immigrants and Muslims hasn’t been bringing in the advertising pound: The Daily Mail’s website has actually soared, attracting thousands of visitors to the site, mainly towards the seedy gossip pages…. First half revenues are down 8%, worse than what they had predicted, mainly due to a 27% fall in recrutiment advertising. Like the Guardian and other papers, the
Jasvinder Sanghera documentary
Forced marriage campaigner Jasvinder Sanghera has made a documentary (available on the iplayer for a few more days) on her attempts to reconcile with her family: Shame Travels is the story of one woman’s desperate attempt to contact a sister she was not allowed to meet because she dishonoured her family. Jasvinder Sanghera fled from her home in Derby to Newcastle-upon-Tyne to escape being sent to
The amusing contradiction of the ‘agitators’ from Saturdays protests
Saturday’s TUC march excellent and undoubtedly historic. After a bit though of walking I decided to head down to Oxford Circus to see what was going on. There, I took part in a UKuncut action against Dorothy Perkins (owned by tax avoider Philip Green) – we all sat down peacefully at the entrance on Oxford Circus. A police chief threatened us with arrest for not letting customers out of the store,
The funniest EDL interview remix ever
video This is simply awesome (via Political Scrapbook). Rumbold posted this video last week (which you can watch below again) And now watch the dance remix!
‘Life at a tabloid’ exposure continues
Richard Peppiatt, who resigned from the Daily Star several weeks ago, has continued his revealing of the life of a tabloid reporter. In his widely-reported resignation letter three weeks ago, Mr. Peppiatt condemned the Daily Star for a number of failings, especially its approach to Islam and the EDL: It almost never came to this. I nearly walked out last summer when the Daily Star got all flushed
ArmsControlWonk ★ 42
FEPC Info Sheet 3/31
Busy day today; full text after the jump. Update to Information Sheet Regarding the Tohoku Earthquake The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan (FEPC) Washington DC Office As of 11:00AM (EST), March 31, 2011 Radiation Levels o At 8:51AM (JST) on March 31, it was announced that radioactive nuclide I-131 was detected from the seawater sampled near the seawater discharge point (sout
Pyroprocessing is Reprocessing
For those of you who follow South Korea’s interest in pyroprocessing spent nuclear fuel (or “recycling used fuel” as proponents are apt to say) Dick Stratford made an unusually straightforward comment at the Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference that pyroprocessing is reprocessing. Here is the full-text of Stratford’s reponse to a question by Daryl Kimball. (You can listen to the full
FEPC Info Sheet 3/30
Below the jump, please find today’s FEPC info sheet. I wanted to pass along two other items of interest, which perhaps ought to inform the stories we are going to start seeing over the next couple of days as the situation continues to worsen. First, my friend Mike Levi wrote an excellent blog post about the challenges in being a policy expert without pretending to be either a reactor safety exper
FEPC Info Sheet 3/29
I was too busy yesterday to post the FEPC information sheet. Here it is, belatedly, with the disturbing news that now we have plutonium in the soil, which indicates a containment breach. Update to Information Sheet Regarding the Tohoku Earthquake The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan (FEPC) Washington DC Office As of 11:00AM (EST), March 29, 2011 Radiation Levels o At 11:4
Localized Criticalities at Fukushima?
My colleague at MIIS, Ferenc Dalnoki-Veress has written a paper, What Was The Cause Of The High Cl-38 Radioactivity In The Fukushima Daiichi Reactor #1. Ferenc concludes that we cannot exclude the possibility that little pockets of melted fuel have gone critical, even if for a short period of time. The possibilty of localized criticalities could severely hamper on-site operations. Comments are
Expansion and Contraction
Hawks and Doves, like practicing Buddhists, experience expansion and contraction. Both phenomena are most evident after treaty debates. Usually, but not always, the winners feel expansion and the losers feel contraction. Failure for one camp is the pathway to a safer future for the other. Progress in this field – whether you are for treaties, nuclear weapons, and missile defenses or against them
(title unknown) ★ 13
Les Twins — Hip Hop Dance Straight Outta Sarcelles
At the beginning of the year, I was on Facebook when I noticed a post of young twin hip hop dancers. I was blown away by their talent as I watched the brothers Larry and Laurent start actually dancing. Fantastic doesn’t even begin to describe them! There are many dancers out there and most of them are a dime a dozen. Any old movie star or football player can start dancing and do well enough.
Quote(s) of the Day
via Lonnie Plaxico: John Henrik Clarke “Powerful people cannot afford to educate the people that… they oppress, because once you are truly educated, you will not ask for power. You will take it.” Krishnamurti/Freedom from the Known, p.11: DISORDER :”The primary cause of disorder in ourselves is the seeking of reality promised by another… It is a most extraordinary thing that although most of
Blackout of humanitarian crisis in Cote d’Ivoire
In the wake of the enormous media coverage of the uprisings and so-defined “revolutions” in North Africa and the Middle East, I am hard pressed to find any media coverage of the escalating atrocities and impending civil war in Cote d’Ivoire. The “blackout” of this media coverage I am referring to is not within the mainstream media… which is understandable… it’s within the AfroSphere itself. One c
“What Can the Tea Party Do to Attract Minorities?” by Emery McClendon
Op-ed submission by Project 21 As a tea party organizer and black man, I am often asked how a movement with the critical mission of saving and restoring our republic can attract minorities currently weak in numbers in tea party ranks. The mainstream media and civil rights lobbyists have perpetuated the myth that tea partiers have racist tendencies. These untrue accusations must be countered. Tea
“How Much Do We Need Greenhouse Gas Regulations” by Nicholas Scott
Article submission from Nicholas Scott, a health, safety, and political advocate with a passion for environmental responsibility. He believes there should be a greater focus on the present risks of environmental toxins to urban communities with close proximity to dense areas of industry. With the recent legislation proposed by the GOP that requests for the removal of the Environmental Protection A
West overzealous on Libya – Al Jazeera
West overzealous on Libya – Opinion – Al Jazeera English. Now that the United Nations Security Council resolution for a no-fly zone has been passed, how will it be implemented?The UNSC Resolution 1973 has made it legal for the international community to protect the Libyan people from Muammar Gaddafi’s lethal and excessive force – by, among other things, imposing a no-fly zone and carrying o
American Leftist ★ 16
Free Fire Zone Afghanistan
You may have seen this elsewhere already, but I think it is important to acknowledge these atrocities. From Mark Boal's article in Rolling Stone, The Kill Team: The morning of May 2nd, the platoon was on a routine patrol in a village called Qualaday, a few miles from base. Following standard procedure, the unit's leaders entered a house to talk with a man who had previously been arrested for havi
The Sub-Proletarianization of America
UPDATE 1: t responds to this post at Pink Scare.INITIAL POST: General Electric made 14.2 billion dollars in profit last year, paid no taxes and now insists upon substantial concessions from its unionized workers: This year, 14 unions representing more than 15,000 workers will negotiate a new master contract with General Electric. Among the major concessions GE has signaled that it will ask of unio
A New Japan?
An excerpt from a thoughtful article by Kojin Karatani: In the ruins of postwar Japan, people reflected upon the path the country had taken in modern times. Standing against the Western powers, modern Japan strived to achieve the status of a great military power. The shattering of this dream in the nation's defeat led to another goal, to become a great economic power. The ultimate collapse of t
The Libyan Enigma
UPDATE 4: Sarkozy and Erdogan are still going at it: Nicolas Sarkozy has belittled Nato's role in the military operations against Muammar Gaddafi, re-igniting the row over who replaces the Americans in charge of the campaign in Libya.Senior Nato officials said the alliance would decide within days whether to take over the bombing campaign against Gaddafi's forces and David Cameron announced that N
Revolution the Only Solution
Good news in Yemen: Defense Ministry Mohammad Nasser Aliis just gave a brief statement saying the army would defend Saleh against any coup against democracy.There have been dozens of major defections today, including the most powerful military officer, who controls 60 percent of the army.France's foreign ministry has said that Saleh's departure is is unavoidable, according to Al Jazeera. Washingto
Black Rain
UPDATE 1: Having grown up among Japanese Americans in Northern California, I find these stories to be especially heartwrending: The devastating impact of the Japanese earthquake on the country's ageing population was exposed on Thursday as dozens of elderly people were confirmed dead in hospitals and residential homes as heating fuel and medicine ran out.In one particularly shocking incident, Japa
infowarsnews at Yahoo! Groups ★ 34
Globalist Bid To Ban Cars Is Part Of "Planned-Opolis" Agenda
Globalist Bid To Ban Cars Is Part Of "Planned-Opolis" Agenda Only the elite will be allowed to drive vehicles, while the rest of the population will be tightly
Nuclear Expert Calls Global Warming Alarmist Monbiot "Criminally Irr
Nuclear Expert Calls Global Warming Alarmist Monbiot "Criminally Irresponsible" For Downplaying Fukushima Dr. Christopher Busby calls Monbiot's claims "total
Pseudo-Intellectual Hit Piece Emblematic Of Crumbling Elitist Media
Pseudo-Intellectual Hit Piece Emblematic Of Crumbling Elitist Media New York Magazine smear portrays Alex Jones as paranoid, Fox News-wannabe while assuring
Japanese Authorities Admit Deadly MOX Plutonium Reactor Is Leaking
Japanese Authorities Admit Deadly MOX Plutonium Reactor Is Leaking Has cover-up of leakage been ongoing since massive March 14 explosion? Paul Joseph Watson
Chernobyl-Style Yellow Rain Causes Panic In Japan
Chernobyl-Style Yellow Rain Causes Panic In Japan Authorities assure alarmed citizens yellow powder is pollen, but victims of Chernobyl radiation were told the
Fukushima Radiation Release Rivals Chernobyl
Fukushima Radiation Release Rivals Chernobyl Despite media spin downplaying severity of crisis, Fukushima is likely to be a worse catastrophe than 1986
Green & White ★ 13
Convofy getting spotlight on the web.
Convofy after its initial launch and video is getting some rave reviews, here is the feedback. Robert Scoble has done a detailed demo run with Faizan, embedded below with come comments from around the world wide web. And twitter is exploding with Convofy too Just when we thought we figured out the new “social enterprise” market along comes Convofy. I tried to be skeptical, but the collaborative
Google Summer of Code Program 2011. Opportunity for Pakistani Students
BrightSpyre’s blog had this useful information about a Google Program. Some snippets for quick information from the post are (do follow the link for details on BrightSpyre original post) According to Google Summer of Code Program “Google Summer of Code (GSoC) is a global program that offers student developers stipends to write code for various open source software projects.” In this program along
Abid Beli sells Beliscity.com
Beliscity.com is one of the top online shopping site of Pakistan, founded as early as 2001. Abid Beli was the founder of this thriving online business. More recently they have diversified their offering from typical online products by adding a dedicated book section (in partner ship with Liberty books) and an online Grocery store. However recently Abid Beli has sold his venture to an online distri
Love Cricket? have BlackBerry? Download Cricket theme by pepper.pk
Cricket fever is on and Pakistan Cricket team has made it to the Quarter Finals. People of our beloved country will celebrate Pakistan day this year by watching the first Quarter Final and Pakistani software industry has not been left behind. Pepper.pk who have been doing a great job with their BlackBerry apps have launched their free Pakistan Cricket Theme to celebrate the success of the cricket
iScrybe’s Team Brings Convofy – Private Social Network for Companies
All of you Remember iScrybe. The immensely cool calendar app which got Rave Reviews, their Video got Viral and Got Funded by LMKR and Adobe. Things went very quiet after that on iScrybe front. However now it seems they are now ready with another venture. They have seemed to designed a Social Network for Companies. Similar to what Yammer did for bringing short twitter conversations to companies Con
Celebrate 23rd March on Nokia with Theme Desigend by Ten Pearls
Event specific apps are not a new thing, during Christmas and Holidays we see App Stores around the world flooded by Apps trying to capitalize on the festive mood. However for Pakistan this trend has yet to catch on, and with a sizable number of Telecom Consumers and equally impressive number of Mobile App developers coming out of this region, I guess its just starting. Ten Pearls who previously w
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