IMHO this is less about Syria and more important to Trump to send a message to Iran and N. Korea. For a long time Bolton has favored military action in Iran and now he appears to have the means to attain this.
Is Trump's tweet a warning to his mates in Russia? As in.. We've had some military meetings and decided to bomb Syria. I'm letting you know ahead of time because you got me elected?
Iranian players are not allowed to compete with Israelis. One did anyway and was barred from playing in any tournaments by authorities in Iran. They also barred his sister from playing for not wearing abaya during her games.
When you say "Biblical life style" I wonder if you have actually read the Bible, especially the Old Testament. Packed with sex, form Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden, Abraham and Sarah, Lot and his daughters in Sodom, and this is just the first 20 pages. Much of the sex involves older men with girls about the age of the ones that Moore is alleged to have gone after so it doesn't surprise me at all.
I'm surprised that Israel is involved in this technology as I thought that kosher meat could only come from animals that were slaughtered according to Jewish law.
A building can be rebuilt. Some years ago the when the world was outraged over the destruction of the large Buddha statues the people who were least concerned were Buddhists, as it confirmed their belief that all worldly things are transitory.
The impending destruction of US health care for millions of people is a much greater travesty.
In your opinion is there any substance in the 5,000-15,000 more troops to Afghanistan idea or is this just to divert media attention from Trump's various domestic problems? Besides the ongoing investigation into Russian ties to Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, Carter Page, Michael Flynn, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions; there is also the president's family selling resident visas in exchange for $500K invested in the family's real estate empire.
Pres Trump expressed his support for le Pen (without a formal endorsement). Since over 80% of the French view Trump unfavorably (rude, arrogant, uncultured, racist, sexist etc.) this could move uncommitted voters to Macron. Also he does not have to worry about electoral votes, just winning the popular vote is enough in France.
China (the world's largest dictatorship) has more people arrested and executed than these other countries combined but Americans are fine with buying their stuff at walmart and amazon. maybe because the US and China have so much in common with high incarceration rates and capital punishment.
China is a member of the "nuclear club" and we want their help in excluding unwanted members like the North Koreans.
The USA has intervened in at least 80 countries (counting multiple times in some countries, like Haiti and Iraq) to attempt to change regimes since WW2. If we're going to dish it out we better expect to take it back.
Some of the most ardent conspiracy theorists are already a major part of the govt., like the authorities charging reporters in N. Dakota covering protests with conspiracy to shut down the Keystone Pipeline.
The big money is mainly behind HRC and figured that Trump would pose little opposition in the general election. In fact Bernie proved to be a more credible threat and gave the DNC some anxious moments (before finally selling out).
The US has nothing to gain from being involved in this conflict. Obviously it has not made us any safer at home judging by recent events in NY and Minnesota. This is why I am voting for Gary Johnson (Clinton is bad and Trump probably worse).
One way to counteract the aging of a population is through immigration, as immigrants tend to be younger than the average age of the residents in Western countries. But they might not be the most desirable race or religion for many conservatives.
"In particular, Saudi Arabia has been forced to initiate a shift toward an economic model that emphasizes investment and productivity as the main drivers of economic growth. Other countries in the region will have to follow suit and reform their economic systems, or face the wrath of their increasingly disgruntled citizens."
The same could be said about countries in our region like the United States. Concentration of wealth in the hands of an ever shrinking percentage is increasing all over this country.
Trump admires Putin's Russia where hostile journalists disappear and praised the Chinese govt for the strength they used on protests at Tiananmen Square.
If Trump's 44% is more than any other candidate got, than he can legitimately say he won the group.
the point here is that the two "Latino candidates", Rubio and Cruz, are not attracting Hispanic voters to any degree. The polls in Florida show Trump crushing Mr. Establishment Senator in his own home state.
Iran reacted to Nimr's execution by accusing Saudi Arabia of “support[ing] terrorists and takfiri (radical Sunni) extremists, while executing and suppressing critics inside the country.”
Accusations from Iran would be comical (if not so tragic)...the Islamic "Republic" executes several people on a daily basis, and is #3 in the world (behind China and N. Korea).
The USA ranks high as well, the last Western democracy to still execute prisoners.
Think the Economist is wrong here, as the Chechen brothers who bombed the Boston Marathon came here in 2002 (Chechens who actually came from Dagestan).
Trump has never studied history or foreign policy. His purpose in the GOP race is ego gratification (a rich man's game to relieve boredom) and also to make Bush et al seem "moderate" in comparison (there was a good article on climate change the other day that compared the GOP candidates to conservatives in other countries. Bush's policies are far to the right of almost all of them, but might be too "moderate" for US Republicans).
A few years ago everyone was trying to guess when Assad would be joining Saddam and Qaddafi in the hearafter. Now he's almost America's buddy, interviewed on CBS the other night with the usual softball questions. They'll be calling him the comeback kid soon.
This is what happened on a planet in another ST episode, where to reduce their population the inhabitants were even willing to infect themselves with a fatal disease. Unfortunately, this is neither a humane nor an effective solution.
I have no idea what the long-term solution is, or even if one exists. As Malthus would say, the land and water in Israel/Palestine is severely limited, but the potential for population growth is not. Neither side wants to reduce its population for fear of being outnumbered by the other so the crises gets ever deeper.
Their story doesn't sound much different from the Tsarneyev (sp) brothers who carried out the Boston terrorist attack. Losers with little going for them are often easy pickings for mass movements. Shooting people for expressing their views is an absolute disgrace and only cowards would walk into a newspaper office with machine guns and murder the staff.
Not much of a TV watcher, but today I flipped on CNN before leaving the house. The slightly pro-Israel Madelaine Albright was followed by the extremely pro-Israel John McCain.
Are there any new developments in the AMIA bombing case in Buenos Aries? Argentina accused Iran of planning this attack and Hezbollah or carrying it out. The current Pope Francis signed a petition, “85 victims, 85 signatures” calling for justice but nothing seems to have happened.
I wonder if trying to fight fires of this size isn't just a waste of time and resources. Better to evacuate the area and focus on prevention, or on controlled burns to prevent accumulation of underbrush.
The argument may be moot as I have never heard of a stock fund that would accept as little as $5 a week (could just be my ignorance I guess). Usually they require an initial investment of a thousand or more.
Prof Cole-
I met you once several years ago and I remember your opinion of the mass media in the US was that it was worse than useless. With that in mind I almost never watch TV news and take most other sources with a lot of skepticism.
We for one thing literacy in places like Yemen is only about 60%. The rest can be brainwashed so easily. They may never question what they are told by an authority that they trust. It can be family, preacher, a TV channel or the state. If the preacher tells them that the Qur'an suggests violence, they believe.
Many radical Muslims don't even read the Qur'an. They are encouraged in "jihad" and they can enter the country just to blow themselves up.
I think most Muslims you have met are intelligent, educated people who can accept grey as a color. What mainstream Islam thinks doesn't reflect what the usual Muslim in the Middle East thinks. I said "the Muslim" because they call themselves Muslim. Not because they obey the rules in the Qur'an.
This sounds like a Saudi vs Iran (sunni-shia) power struggle being fought in Syria and the British (as usual) want to get a piece of the pie. The USA sees Iran as the greater threat, just as in the Iran vs Iraq conflict in the 1980s.
Chavez was looting the oil wealth of Venezuela and basically giving it to Cuba. The right wing there must really be horrible for people to see Chavez as a better alternative.
The Japanese eat more tuna than anyone else, and, so far at least, I have not heard of any health problems there attributed to that. It is nothing something I would eat very often though (mainly vegetarian).
What are the reasons for the decline of the Muslim world and the rise of Europe? I have heard that climate change in the the Middle East caused drought and a decline in agriculture, while Northern Europe became warmer and more productive.
The Who said it well - Meet the new boss, same as the old boss...what did they expect would happen, voting for something called the Muslim Brotherhood?
On the upside at least the US didn't prop up Mubarak to the same extent as the Shah so the new rulers may not hate us as much.
I traveled through most of Europe and North America, and worst experience I ever had was returning to the U.S. from Canada.
It's much worse even though for people from the Middle East. Some of these were sent to Syria for further interrogation.
Olympic medal counts are mainly determined by a nation's commitment to winning medals. The Soviet Union was a perfect example of sport for propaganda and if you added up medals won by Russia and all the former Soviet nations would still be #1. Nations try especially hard when they are hosting the games, which is why China was #1 in 2008 and Great Britain #3 this year.
On the other hand Germany was supposed to dominate medal counts after reunification but their wins have been rather modest. East Germany used to win far more medals than all of Germany does today, but without the Cold War rivalry the old incentive may not be there (also drug testing has advanced in the last 20 years).
The original AP story mentioned that Romney spoke with Sheldon Adelson before and after this speech, then in a later version and on yahoo all the mention of Adelson was removed. Strange since he owns news media in Israel and has pledged to spend limitless money to beat Obama.
I am wondering why the killer chose to carry out this massacre in a movie theater. Usually when students snap they seem to take it out on their fellow students and faculty members, as at nearby Columbine or Virginia Tech. Or, as at Ft. Hood, the killer was an officer killing other soldiers. This guy just seemed to randomly target movie patrons.
What will happen when Assad is gone and who decides? It could be real change (as seems to be happening so far in Libya) or just a new dictatorship replacing the old. I am certain both factions are part of this revolution but it is difficult for outsiders to sort them out.
If you took out "Egypt" and substituted "Detroit" the article could be about the same (except for point 2, Detroit is steadily losing population). The parts about corrupt government and uncompetitive products (in Detroit's case an economy overly dependent on one product) both fit. When it comes to education a recent study announced that standardized math scores in Detroit were the lowest in the test's history. Students who had never attended school and picked answers at random would have done almost as well.
Both have the typical brain drain pattern. About 2 million Egyptians have emigrated to the US, and these are professionals and skilled workers (others need not apply).
In Detroit those who can usually move to the suburbs, or leave for jobs in another state, leaving behind the unemployed and those whose incomes are too low to sustain the city (real unemployment in Detroit is over 45%).
The drawback is that the longer people live the more health care they consume. The guy who smokes like a chimney, eats like a hog and dies at 62 uses less social security and medicare than if he lived to 85 or 90 (although I think longevity is mainly genetic).
Mursi and the Islamic Brotherhood seem to be very devious people. According to a GOP Presidential candidate they have already infiltrated our own govt.-
Bachmann: It appears that there has been deep penetration in the halls of our United States government by the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood has been found to be an unindicted co-conspirator on terrorism cases and yet it appears that there are individuals who are associated with the Muslim Brotherhood who have positions, very sensitive positions, in our Department of Justice, our Department of Homeland Security, potentially even in the National Intelligence Agency. I am calling upon the Justice Department and these various departments to investigate through the Inspector General to see who these people are and what access they have to our information.
This was a very light verdict, life for Mubarak, who is 84 and dying soon anyway, against acquittal for most of his family and friends. The State Department might get what it wants, a Mubarak type regime without Mubarak.
Why are so many Muslims constantly at war with each other, if the Quran commands them to kill only infidels? "Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves."
Despite the gaffes and flip-flops I think Romney will wrap up the nomination soon, and that the election will be closer than many Democrats think right now.
The majority (of both parties) opposes U.S. involvement in Syria, probably fearing another Iraq or Afghanistan. (I also recall the attack on U.S. troops and U.S. embassy in Beirut in 1983). This could change if politicians of both parties supported intervention, but aside from McCain I haven't heard much call for it.
He was kind of a black sheep in his own family, drank, gambled etc. As far as his attitudes towards women being typical for Lebanon I can't say but I have read many similar stories from the middle east. Actually in places in the USA rapes often go unreported as women fear the same kind of treatment in the legal system.
This situation is common in Lebanon, and the men I have met from Lebanon seem proud of it. One described a rape that a friend of his committed on a female student. He was acquitted when the victim admitted under questioning by the judge that she was not a virgin. The sharia judge called her every name that Limbaugh used on his show, plus a few more, and dismissed the case.
I haven't listened to Limbaugh in almost 20 years, but my impression was that he never (personally at least) was much interested in these kind of issues, except as far as they could be useful in getting attention for his show.
The one issue I have no doubt he cares passionately about is reducing taxes on high income earners, and therefore he will do his beat to lead his flock into the Mitt Romney camp.
I'm certainly not for Gingrich but I don't really see why Obama apologized. If the allegations were true about these Korans being used to send messages than they were already "desecrated" anyway.
Santorum supported the position of the Catholic Church on the Crusades -
“The idea that the Crusades and the fight of Christendom against Islam is somehow an aggression on our part is absolutely anti-historical,” former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) told a South Carolina audience yesterday. “And that is what the perception is by the American left who hates Christendom. They hate Western civilization at the core. That’s the problem.” Sanoturm also suggested that American involvement in the Middle East is part of our “core American values.”
“What I’m talking about is onward American soldiers,” Santorum continued. “What we’re talking about are core American values. ‘All men are created equal’ — that’s a Christian value, but it’s an American value.”
The USA can intervene in an area to stabilize, or to destabilize, and will do whichever one is in the political and economic interests of the decision makers.
Although US involvement in the Middle East is comparatively recent, compared to its long history in Latin America, since the end of WW2 the US has almost constantly been involved in conflicts in this region. One of the first was the regime change in Iran in the early 50s, which stabilized that nation and its oil output for almost 25 years. The US also intervened in Iraq (several times), Libya, Lebanon, Somalia, Kuwait, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and the Suez, with varying levels of success.
Ron Paul is the only candidate committed to reducing defense spending. Obama just slows the increase somewhat, and the "mainstream" are still fighting the cold war, or would start new wars to advance the neo-conservative cause.
To my surprise this bill passed the Senate by something like 93-7. One of its backers was Carl Levin, a Senator I have met and admire for the most part, who said all it did was affirm what the Supreme Court already decided in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, that US citizens could be detained indefinitely without trial as enemy combatants. This article however says that it goes much farther than that- http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/11/gitmo-law-could-someday-apply-americans
First Lowe's was attacked for sponsoring this show, now they are attacked for backing away from it. Good reasons for business to avoid anything connected with race, religion, or politics. (FWIW I watch very little TV and have never seen the show).
I am learning that laws and customs vary quite a bit throughout the Muslim world, still this was a surprise. It shouldn't be in light of death sentences for adultery, even in rape cases. In Turkey and a few other countries things not forbidden in the Quran, like driving or going out without male relatives seem to be permitted, while in Saudi Arabia anything not permitted in the Quran is forbidden, especially to women, and likely to be punished very severely. Even voting won't be allowed until 2015, then maybe there will be some changes but I wouldn't count on it.
No doubt he did, and these crackdowns were timed to take place while he was out of the country, keeping White House involvement or accountability to a minimum.
Speaking of Iran, does anyone know who paid the $1 million for the release of the 2 hikers that went free today? Not many families could post that kind of bail, and it would be a mistake for the government to pay money for hostages (unless they really were spies...)
As far as the Afghan story I really can't think of much to add. This is the way things seem to get done over there, and if someone is willing to die in order kill others they have a very good chance of succeeding. Coalition losses have gone up every year since 2004.
Wall St. will do business with whoever is elected, and will as always play a major part in selecting the field. last time around they backed Clinton, Obama and McCain, so far this time its Obama and Romney. But Perry is no problem either, the differences are 90% rhetoric. A candidate proposing real change, like Ron Paul or Ralph Nader, is another matter and will be ignored or discredited.
IMHO this is less about Syria and more important to Trump to send a message to Iran and N. Korea. For a long time Bolton has favored military action in Iran and now he appears to have the means to attain this.
Is Trump's tweet a warning to his mates in Russia? As in.. We've had some military meetings and decided to bomb Syria. I'm letting you know ahead of time because you got me elected?
Iranian players are not allowed to compete with Israelis. One did anyway and was barred from playing in any tournaments by authorities in Iran. They also barred his sister from playing for not wearing abaya during her games.
With all our violence and mass shootings it makes no sense for the US to be #1 to begin with.
When you say "Biblical life style" I wonder if you have actually read the Bible, especially the Old Testament. Packed with sex, form Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden, Abraham and Sarah, Lot and his daughters in Sodom, and this is just the first 20 pages. Much of the sex involves older men with girls about the age of the ones that Moore is alleged to have gone after so it doesn't surprise me at all.
I'm surprised that Israel is involved in this technology as I thought that kosher meat could only come from animals that were slaughtered according to Jewish law.
Don't Germans pay higher energy costs than in the US? They don't have much oil to begin with so they have had to innovate.
"An oilman knows the world like others don't."
Condi Rice
A building can be rebuilt. Some years ago the when the world was outraged over the destruction of the large Buddha statues the people who were least concerned were Buddhists, as it confirmed their belief that all worldly things are transitory.
The impending destruction of US health care for millions of people is a much greater travesty.
Arms industry still calls the shots in DC whoever is nominal president.
In your opinion is there any substance in the 5,000-15,000 more troops to Afghanistan idea or is this just to divert media attention from Trump's various domestic problems? Besides the ongoing investigation into Russian ties to Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, Carter Page, Michael Flynn, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions; there is also the president's family selling resident visas in exchange for $500K invested in the family's real estate empire.
Pres Trump expressed his support for le Pen (without a formal endorsement). Since over 80% of the French view Trump unfavorably (rude, arrogant, uncultured, racist, sexist etc.) this could move uncommitted voters to Macron. Also he does not have to worry about electoral votes, just winning the popular vote is enough in France.
China (the world's largest dictatorship) has more people arrested and executed than these other countries combined but Americans are fine with buying their stuff at walmart and amazon. maybe because the US and China have so much in common with high incarceration rates and capital punishment.
China is a member of the "nuclear club" and we want their help in excluding unwanted members like the North Koreans.
So what, we spend more than that sending Trump to Florida.
The USA has intervened in at least 80 countries (counting multiple times in some countries, like Haiti and Iraq) to attempt to change regimes since WW2. If we're going to dish it out we better expect to take it back.
Some of the most ardent conspiracy theorists are already a major part of the govt., like the authorities charging reporters in N. Dakota covering protests with conspiracy to shut down the Keystone Pipeline.
The big money is mainly behind HRC and figured that Trump would pose little opposition in the general election. In fact Bernie proved to be a more credible threat and gave the DNC some anxious moments (before finally selling out).
The US has nothing to gain from being involved in this conflict. Obviously it has not made us any safer at home judging by recent events in NY and Minnesota. This is why I am voting for Gary Johnson (Clinton is bad and Trump probably worse).
One way to counteract the aging of a population is through immigration, as immigrants tend to be younger than the average age of the residents in Western countries. But they might not be the most desirable race or religion for many conservatives.
Daesh is said to be promising double rewards for acts of jihad during Ramadan, so look for still more violence before the offer expires on Tuesday.
"In particular, Saudi Arabia has been forced to initiate a shift toward an economic model that emphasizes investment and productivity as the main drivers of economic growth. Other countries in the region will have to follow suit and reform their economic systems, or face the wrath of their increasingly disgruntled citizens."
The same could be said about countries in our region like the United States. Concentration of wealth in the hands of an ever shrinking percentage is increasing all over this country.
Trump admires Putin's Russia where hostile journalists disappear and praised the Chinese govt for the strength they used on protests at Tiananmen Square.
If Trump's 44% is more than any other candidate got, than he can legitimately say he won the group.
the point here is that the two "Latino candidates", Rubio and Cruz, are not attracting Hispanic voters to any degree. The polls in Florida show Trump crushing Mr. Establishment Senator in his own home state.
This is less money than I was paid in the 1970s for factory work, and we didn't punch out for break time either.
Still frightens me to think that McCain might have won and died in office.
The suit would get nowhere. Michigan governmental agencies and employees are immune from liability for negligence.
Iran reacted to Nimr's execution by accusing Saudi Arabia of “support[ing] terrorists and takfiri (radical Sunni) extremists, while executing and suppressing critics inside the country.”
Accusations from Iran would be comical (if not so tragic)...the Islamic "Republic" executes several people on a daily basis, and is #3 in the world (behind China and N. Korea).
The USA ranks high as well, the last Western democracy to still execute prisoners.
Trump won't win, but my question is would a Sanders presidency be good for the US economy, or just drive more jobs overseas?
Think the Economist is wrong here, as the Chechen brothers who bombed the Boston Marathon came here in 2002 (Chechens who actually came from Dagestan).
Do you think Gov Snyder is justified in blocking any more Syrians from emigrating to Michigan?
If the Russians torture enough suspects it should be easy to get as many confessions as are required, as they did in the Nemtsov case.
Trump has never studied history or foreign policy. His purpose in the GOP race is ego gratification (a rich man's game to relieve boredom) and also to make Bush et al seem "moderate" in comparison (there was a good article on climate change the other day that compared the GOP candidates to conservatives in other countries. Bush's policies are far to the right of almost all of them, but might be too "moderate" for US Republicans).
A few years ago everyone was trying to guess when Assad would be joining Saddam and Qaddafi in the hearafter. Now he's almost America's buddy, interviewed on CBS the other night with the usual softball questions. They'll be calling him the comeback kid soon.
This is what happened on a planet in another ST episode, where to reduce their population the inhabitants were even willing to infect themselves with a fatal disease. Unfortunately, this is neither a humane nor an effective solution.
I have no idea what the long-term solution is, or even if one exists. As Malthus would say, the land and water in Israel/Palestine is severely limited, but the potential for population growth is not. Neither side wants to reduce its population for fear of being outnumbered by the other so the crises gets ever deeper.
Their story doesn't sound much different from the Tsarneyev (sp) brothers who carried out the Boston terrorist attack. Losers with little going for them are often easy pickings for mass movements. Shooting people for expressing their views is an absolute disgrace and only cowards would walk into a newspaper office with machine guns and murder the staff.
What does Obama have to offer Iran, especially as a lame duck whose party lost power in the legislature in the last election?
Seeing the right gaining power in the US will probably drive Iran to accelerate their nuclear programs, not to back off.
No way in hell would Syria or Iraq ever invite Israeli troops into their country.
How much territory do the Sunnis need to seize before they can all it a Caliphate?
Not much of a TV watcher, but today I flipped on CNN before leaving the house. The slightly pro-Israel Madelaine Albright was followed by the extremely pro-Israel John McCain.
The typical Walmart customer is a single female with children, so this is not really news.
Are there any new developments in the AMIA bombing case in Buenos Aries? Argentina accused Iran of planning this attack and Hezbollah or carrying it out. The current Pope Francis signed a petition, “85 victims, 85 signatures” calling for justice but nothing seems to have happened.
Egypt seems headed back to the Mubarak era, with or without Mubarak.
So does this mean the US will stop selling Egypt F-16s and other hi-tech weapons? I doubt it.
Video has been deleted
This could have been an accident, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was done deliberately by Islamic extremists, FLQ, or some combination of these.
I wonder if trying to fight fires of this size isn't just a waste of time and resources. Better to evacuate the area and focus on prevention, or on controlled burns to prevent accumulation of underbrush.
Disturbing, but I suppose it's better for the govt. to have this info and not need it than to need it and not have it.
Guardian story said the protestors with Molotov cocktails were agents paid by police to provoke an attack.
The argument may be moot as I have never heard of a stock fund that would accept as little as $5 a week (could just be my ignorance I guess). Usually they require an initial investment of a thousand or more.
Maybe just too much opium.
Tamarlan was a 14th century Asian ruler, who called himself the Sword of Islam.
Dzhokhar was a 20th century Chechen leader, killed by the Russian Air Force.
These are probably not names that would be chosen by a father who was accepting Russian rule, or favored cooperation between Russia and the US.
Prof Cole-
I met you once several years ago and I remember your opinion of the mass media in the US was that it was worse than useless. With that in mind I almost never watch TV news and take most other sources with a lot of skepticism.
We for one thing literacy in places like Yemen is only about 60%. The rest can be brainwashed so easily. They may never question what they are told by an authority that they trust. It can be family, preacher, a TV channel or the state. If the preacher tells them that the Qur'an suggests violence, they believe.
Many radical Muslims don't even read the Qur'an. They are encouraged in "jihad" and they can enter the country just to blow themselves up.
I think most Muslims you have met are intelligent, educated people who can accept grey as a color. What mainstream Islam thinks doesn't reflect what the usual Muslim in the Middle East thinks. I said "the Muslim" because they call themselves Muslim. Not because they obey the rules in the Qur'an.
This sounds like a Saudi vs Iran (sunni-shia) power struggle being fought in Syria and the British (as usual) want to get a piece of the pie. The USA sees Iran as the greater threat, just as in the Iran vs Iraq conflict in the 1980s.
Chavez was looting the oil wealth of Venezuela and basically giving it to Cuba. The right wing there must really be horrible for people to see Chavez as a better alternative.
The Japanese eat more tuna than anyone else, and, so far at least, I have not heard of any health problems there attributed to that. It is nothing something I would eat very often though (mainly vegetarian).
What are the reasons for the decline of the Muslim world and the rise of Europe? I have heard that climate change in the the Middle East caused drought and a decline in agriculture, while Northern Europe became warmer and more productive.
The Who said it well - Meet the new boss, same as the old boss...what did they expect would happen, voting for something called the Muslim Brotherhood?
On the upside at least the US didn't prop up Mubarak to the same extent as the Shah so the new rulers may not hate us as much.
Petraeus is a good a subject as any for media sensationalism, as it adjusts to a post-election news shortage.
Why I Refuse to Vote for Barack Obama:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/09/why-i-refuse-to-vote-for-barack-obama/262861/#.UGZPJy4xuuw.facebook
I traveled through most of Europe and North America, and worst experience I ever had was returning to the U.S. from Canada.
It's much worse even though for people from the Middle East. Some of these were sent to Syria for further interrogation.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/canadian-terror-suspect-tortured-in-syria-after-rendition-by-us-416726.html
Rumor is the SOS will be Lieberman or Pawlenty
Olympic medal counts are mainly determined by a nation's commitment to winning medals. The Soviet Union was a perfect example of sport for propaganda and if you added up medals won by Russia and all the former Soviet nations would still be #1. Nations try especially hard when they are hosting the games, which is why China was #1 in 2008 and Great Britain #3 this year.
On the other hand Germany was supposed to dominate medal counts after reunification but their wins have been rather modest. East Germany used to win far more medals than all of Germany does today, but without the Cold War rivalry the old incentive may not be there (also drug testing has advanced in the last 20 years).
The original AP story mentioned that Romney spoke with Sheldon Adelson before and after this speech, then in a later version and on yahoo all the mention of Adelson was removed. Strange since he owns news media in Israel and has pledged to spend limitless money to beat Obama.
I understand that Obama Sr. was jailed by the British and never had anything good to say about them the rest of his life.
I am wondering why the killer chose to carry out this massacre in a movie theater. Usually when students snap they seem to take it out on their fellow students and faculty members, as at nearby Columbine or Virginia Tech. Or, as at Ft. Hood, the killer was an officer killing other soldiers. This guy just seemed to randomly target movie patrons.
What will happen when Assad is gone and who decides? It could be real change (as seems to be happening so far in Libya) or just a new dictatorship replacing the old. I am certain both factions are part of this revolution but it is difficult for outsiders to sort them out.
If you took out "Egypt" and substituted "Detroit" the article could be about the same (except for point 2, Detroit is steadily losing population). The parts about corrupt government and uncompetitive products (in Detroit's case an economy overly dependent on one product) both fit. When it comes to education a recent study announced that standardized math scores in Detroit were the lowest in the test's history. Students who had never attended school and picked answers at random would have done almost as well.
Both have the typical brain drain pattern. About 2 million Egyptians have emigrated to the US, and these are professionals and skilled workers (others need not apply).
In Detroit those who can usually move to the suburbs, or leave for jobs in another state, leaving behind the unemployed and those whose incomes are too low to sustain the city (real unemployment in Detroit is over 45%).
The drawback is that the longer people live the more health care they consume. The guy who smokes like a chimney, eats like a hog and dies at 62 uses less social security and medicare than if he lived to 85 or 90 (although I think longevity is mainly genetic).
Mursi and the Islamic Brotherhood seem to be very devious people. According to a GOP Presidential candidate they have already infiltrated our own govt.-
Bachmann: It appears that there has been deep penetration in the halls of our United States government by the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood has been found to be an unindicted co-conspirator on terrorism cases and yet it appears that there are individuals who are associated with the Muslim Brotherhood who have positions, very sensitive positions, in our Department of Justice, our Department of Homeland Security, potentially even in the National Intelligence Agency. I am calling upon the Justice Department and these various departments to investigate through the Inspector General to see who these people are and what access they have to our information.
I read that the Bush policy was to risk up to 35 civilian deaths in order to get a confirmed terrorist. Is this still the ratio?
This was a very light verdict, life for Mubarak, who is 84 and dying soon anyway, against acquittal for most of his family and friends. The State Department might get what it wants, a Mubarak type regime without Mubarak.
Why are so many Muslims constantly at war with each other, if the Quran commands them to kill only infidels? "Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves."
I wish peace for all Egyptians during their uneasy transition from CIA-backed dictatorship to Muslim theocracy.
This was the first of several British wars in Afghanistan. In most 19th century wars the number of dead from disease exceeded the combat casualties.
Attacks get publicity, and that helps Taliban recruiting. I imagine their organization has fairly high turnover.
Typical Romney speech, basically cut all federal spending except military, no more "free stuff" etc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY0LUPer5n8&feature=endscreen&NR=1
Despite the gaffes and flip-flops I think Romney will wrap up the nomination soon, and that the election will be closer than many Democrats think right now.
The only candidate in either party that would reduce defense spending is Ron Paul.
Why does the picture jump around so much? It looks like it was shot by his daughter (not the one in Mexico of course)
The majority (of both parties) opposes U.S. involvement in Syria, probably fearing another Iraq or Afghanistan. (I also recall the attack on U.S. troops and U.S. embassy in Beirut in 1983). This could change if politicians of both parties supported intervention, but aside from McCain I haven't heard much call for it.
http://www.people-press.org/2012/03/15/little-support-for-u-s-intervention-in-syrian-conflict/1/
He was kind of a black sheep in his own family, drank, gambled etc. As far as his attitudes towards women being typical for Lebanon I can't say but I have read many similar stories from the middle east. Actually in places in the USA rapes often go unreported as women fear the same kind of treatment in the legal system.
This situation is common in Lebanon, and the men I have met from Lebanon seem proud of it. One described a rape that a friend of his committed on a female student. He was acquitted when the victim admitted under questioning by the judge that she was not a virgin. The sharia judge called her every name that Limbaugh used on his show, plus a few more, and dismissed the case.
Think it depends on what your definition of war is. I don't expect an all out invasion but air strikes seem more likely than not at this point.
I haven't listened to Limbaugh in almost 20 years, but my impression was that he never (personally at least) was much interested in these kind of issues, except as far as they could be useful in getting attention for his show.
The one issue I have no doubt he cares passionately about is reducing taxes on high income earners, and therefore he will do his beat to lead his flock into the Mitt Romney camp.
I'm certainly not for Gingrich but I don't really see why Obama apologized. If the allegations were true about these Korans being used to send messages than they were already "desecrated" anyway.
Santorum supported the position of the Catholic Church on the Crusades -
“The idea that the Crusades and the fight of Christendom against Islam is somehow an aggression on our part is absolutely anti-historical,” former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) told a South Carolina audience yesterday. “And that is what the perception is by the American left who hates Christendom. They hate Western civilization at the core. That’s the problem.” Sanoturm also suggested that American involvement in the Middle East is part of our “core American values.”
“What I’m talking about is onward American soldiers,” Santorum continued. “What we’re talking about are core American values. ‘All men are created equal’ — that’s a Christian value, but it’s an American value.”
The USA can intervene in an area to stabilize, or to destabilize, and will do whichever one is in the political and economic interests of the decision makers.
Although US involvement in the Middle East is comparatively recent, compared to its long history in Latin America, since the end of WW2 the US has almost constantly been involved in conflicts in this region. One of the first was the regime change in Iran in the early 50s, which stabilized that nation and its oil output for almost 25 years. The US also intervened in Iraq (several times), Libya, Lebanon, Somalia, Kuwait, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and the Suez, with varying levels of success.
Must be missing India (2.8%)
Ron Paul is the only candidate committed to reducing defense spending. Obama just slows the increase somewhat, and the "mainstream" are still fighting the cold war, or would start new wars to advance the neo-conservative cause.
Have you seen this new human rights report on Iraq? Very discouraging. http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/01/22/iraq-intensifying-crackdown-free-speech-protests
Newsweek gave the US citizenship test for immigrants to people born in the US and found that only 38% could pass.
Obama is more concerned now about the economic and political effects of higher oil prices than about seeming to be soft on Iran.
To my surprise this bill passed the Senate by something like 93-7. One of its backers was Carl Levin, a Senator I have met and admire for the most part, who said all it did was affirm what the Supreme Court already decided in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, that US citizens could be detained indefinitely without trial as enemy combatants. This article however says that it goes much farther than that- http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/11/gitmo-law-could-someday-apply-americans
First Lowe's was attacked for sponsoring this show, now they are attacked for backing away from it. Good reasons for business to avoid anything connected with race, religion, or politics. (FWIW I watch very little TV and have never seen the show).
Weren't they released on DNA evidence? Not that possibly innocent people haven't been executed in America, one earlier this year in fact.
I am learning that laws and customs vary quite a bit throughout the Muslim world, still this was a surprise. It shouldn't be in light of death sentences for adultery, even in rape cases. In Turkey and a few other countries things not forbidden in the Quran, like driving or going out without male relatives seem to be permitted, while in Saudi Arabia anything not permitted in the Quran is forbidden, especially to women, and likely to be punished very severely. Even voting won't be allowed until 2015, then maybe there will be some changes but I wouldn't count on it.
No doubt he did, and these crackdowns were timed to take place while he was out of the country, keeping White House involvement or accountability to a minimum.
Speaking of Iran, does anyone know who paid the $1 million for the release of the 2 hikers that went free today? Not many families could post that kind of bail, and it would be a mistake for the government to pay money for hostages (unless they really were spies...)
As far as the Afghan story I really can't think of much to add. This is the way things seem to get done over there, and if someone is willing to die in order kill others they have a very good chance of succeeding. Coalition losses have gone up every year since 2004.
Wall St. will do business with whoever is elected, and will as always play a major part in selecting the field. last time around they backed Clinton, Obama and McCain, so far this time its Obama and Romney. But Perry is no problem either, the differences are 90% rhetoric. A candidate proposing real change, like Ron Paul or Ralph Nader, is another matter and will be ignored or discredited.