The one who made the heavens and the earth has wounded the heart of many a mourner; he has put many ruby lips and perfumed locks six feet beneath the ground. Translated by Juan Cole from Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, [pdf] Whinfield 137
The Revenge of the Leftovers in Egypt
The Egyptian constitutional court on Thursday threw the Egyptian Revolution for a loop. There are howls of outrage about a soft coup, or a counter-revolution. The specter of Algeria haunts the Nile Valley this morning. But more likely we are seeing a replay of Turkey 1997. Either way, the remnants of the old regime of […]
Omar Khayyam (136) “The Caravan of Life….”
It is amazing how the caravan of life goes by. Take a deep breath, and let it pass cheerfully. Barkeep, why be sad about tomorrow’s grief? Pick up a wine glass, before the night has fled. Translated by Juan Cole from Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, [pdf] Whinfield 136
Global Disappointment in Obama Actually Rational, unlike in US (Pew)
The [pdf] Pew Charitable Trust Global Attitudes Survey finds that most publics abroad have experienced substantial disappointment in Barack Obama. Indeed, Middle Eastern Muslims are hoping Obama will be defeated next November. But, the rest of the world isn’t experiencing buyers’ remorse about Obama for the same reasons as the American public. Not even. Global […]
“On Democracy”… (H.L. Mencken Poster)
You Always Knew it, but Now . . .
There are so many open secrets in our corporatocracy. But precisely because they are the open secrets of powerful multi-billion-dollar concerns with phalanxes of attorneys, which after all themselves own most “news” media, they are the secrets that dare not say their name. But every once in a while, some evidence for these secrets is […]
The Kierkegaardian Presidency: or the Teleological Suspension of the Ethical (van Buren)
Peter van Buren writes at Tomdispatch.com: Leaking War How Obama’s Targeted Killings, Leaks, and the Everything-Is-Classified State Have Fused By Peter Van Buren White is black and down is up. Leaks that favor the president are shoveled out regardless of national security, while national security is twisted to pummel leaks that do not favor him. […]
Libya’s Problems will be Solved by more Democracy, not Less (Hilsum)
Lindsey Hilsum writes in a guest column for Informed Comment: Attacks on both the US and UK delegations in Benghazi, fighting in Kufra, the detention of four officials from the International Criminal Court – more evidence that Libya’s weak transitional authorities are unable to impose law and order. The young men who took up arms […]
Planned Israeli Detention Camps for Africans Draw Human Rights Protests
An Israeli law allowing the arrest and detention of illegal immigrants for up to 3 years without trial has been denounced as contrary to basic human rights by Human Rights Watch. Israel has about 60,000 illegal immigrants from Africa, nearly 1% of the population. Some are from Darfur and South Sudan, and came because they […]
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