Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu provoked a lot of mocking humor by saying in an interview for BBC Persian that “if Iranians were free they would wear blue jeans, and listen to Western music.” Iranian youth were surprised and annoyed by the ignorant comment, and responded by posting to the web photos of themselves wearing […]
Archives for October 2013
Stop it Now! Keystone XL will Bring Us the Dirtiest Oil on the Planet (Giesen)
Tom Giesen writes in a guest column for Informed Comment The US already imports over 2.5 million barrels of Canadian oil each day. Much of it is tar sands oil. The proposed Keystone XL pipeline in the US for tar sands oil is a huge and irreversible mistake. Tar sands processes have contaminated huge quantities […]
Day of Division in Middle East: Bloody Clashes in Egypt, Iraq
Sunday was another bloody day in the Middle East. In Egypt, the establishment commemorated the success of the Egyptian army 40 years ago in crossing the Suez Canal and taking back most of the Sinai Peninsula, Egyptian territory occupied by Israel in 1967. But the commemorations, which were lively and joyous in Tahrir Square and […]
The Great Solar Car Race begins in Australia: Can it save Humankind?
On Sunday, the every-other-year great solar car race (the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge) began in Australia, as vehicles powered by sunlight competed to get from Darwin to Adelaide (3000 km/ 1800 miles) as quickly as possible. An electric car with the right range and speed is crucial to solving the problem of climate change, since […]
Cole on Middle East Crises (Chuck Mertz interview)
Here is the interview Chuck Mertz did with me for Saturday’s episode of his long-running dissident show, “This is Hell, ” covering the situation in the Middle East. Episode 769: Enemies Forgotten and … 5 hours ago Episode 769: Enemies Forgotten and … 5 hours ago Juan Cole: “I don’t understand why the Secretary of […]
Shutdown Anthem: Boehner & Bachmann “We Can’t Stop” (SNL Miley Cyrus spoof video)
Miley Cyrus and Taran Killam on Saturday Night Live this weekend as Michele Bachmann and John Boehner in a spoof of the government shutdown to the tune of Cyrus’s summer hit “We can’t Stop” (2013): Warning: the behavior spoofed in this video is often shocking and offensive.
Iran’s Leader “Optimistic” about Rowhani’s US Diplomacy, but Skeptical of Washington, Israel
Iran’s supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, spoke on Saturday to cadets at a military school, and in the course of his speech he referred to the new round of diplomacy with the United States initiated by President Hassan Rouhani with the United States. Khamenei was largely supportive of Rouhani’s initiative, saying “we approve and support […]
Oceans turning Acid, Lifeless faster than any time in 300 million Years from Human CO2 Emissions (Queally)
Jon Queally writes at Commondreams: The latest audit by an international team of marine scientists at the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) found that the world's oceans and marine life are facing an unprecedented threat by combination of industrial pollution, human-driven global warming and climate change, and continued and rampant overfishing. […]
Top Ten Signs Solar Energy is rapidly Winning
The recent UN report on climate change points out that the world does not have much time to switch to renewables if it is to avoid catastrophes stemming from global warming. Climate change is being driven by human beings burning coal, gas and petroleum, and we need to stop doing that ASAP. The most plausible […]