Dear earthlings: It doesn’t do you any good to get all excited about finding earth-like planets like Kepler 22-B where the average temperature is 72 degrees F (22 C.), if you are going to turn your own planet into a sweltering tropical swamp. The Durban climate conference about the fate of our own planet has […]
Pakistan and the US: Quarrel or Divorce?
The Pakistani government is forcing the United States to depart the Shamsi Air Base in Baluchistan within two weeks, as one of three steps taken to protest the killing of 24 Pakistani troops by US war planes on 26 November. The incident was probably an example of friendly fire, though what exactly happened and why […]
Theocratic Dominance of the New Egypt may be Exaggerated
The official results of the November 28 vote in Egypt have now been announced. Observers are jumping to a lot of conclusions. It seems clear that Muslim religious parties have done better than expected, but the exact proportions are still unclear. Egyptians head to the polls again today to settle run-off contests for seats held […]
Tomgram: William deBuys, The Parching of the West
Consider it a taste of the future: the fire, smoke, drought, dust, and heat that have made life unpleasant, if not dangerous, from Louisiana to Los Angeles. New records tell the tale: biggest wildfire ever recorded in Arizona (538,049 acres), bigge…
Top Things that Should have Disqualified Cain before Now
The most alarming thing about Herman Cain’s “suspension” of his presidential campaign is what it took to drag him off the stage. It wasn’t his cruelty, sexism, arrogance or rank ignorance about the world. But it should have been. Herman Cain advocated electrifying a border fence to fry Mexicans sneaking across the border. Cain predicted […]
Israeli Ads against Marriage with American Jews are Part of a Population War
The Israeli government has been forced to withdraw advertisements aimed at Israeli-Americans, urging them to return to Israel and to refrain from marrying American Jews (depicted as ignorant of and distant from Israel). Here is Aljazeera English’s video report on the ads: Why would the Israeli government bite the hand that feeds it, and risk […]
FBI Using “Community Outreach” events to Spy on Americans
I sometimes talk to Muslim audiences. There is often an FBI agent in the audience and sometimes an ACLU representative. Maz Jobrani suggested at one such event that everyone else leave and let the two of them talk. Now it turns out that the agents often are there gathering information on participants and storing it, […]
Senate Bill Allows Arrest of Americans by Military Anywhere
The Senate passed a war expenses appropriation bill on Thursday that appears to hold out the possibility that the military could be ordered to arrest and hold an American citizen anywhere in the world (including the US) without trial and indefinitely. Senator Lindsey Graham insisted that the move is necessary so that information can be […]
Britain Closes Tehran Embassy
The British government has closed its embassy in Tehran and given Iranian diplomats two days to depart the UK. London has not severed diplomatic relations with Iran, but has reduced them to the lowest level possible without a break. Some other European countries have followed suit. Apparently the angry students and other forces suspected the […]
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