2014

The BuSSy Monologues in Egypt: I will pinch your ass and grab your boobs, and you can’t talk about it:

(By Sondos Shabayek) “You can’t go on stage and say this,” the state-owned theater director told me. “How do you suggest I say it otherwise?” I replied. “Just use ‘bleep’ or say that someone said an inappropriate phrase or committed an inappropriate act in my presence.” “So when someone pinches my ass and another […]

Apartheid

Israel Accused of War Crime over Army “Execution” of Innocent Palestinian Teens

contributors

(By Lauren McCauley) According to rights group Defense for Children International — Palestine, which obtained and circulated the security camera footage, Nadeem Siam Nawara, 17, and Mohammad Mahmoud Odeh, 16, sustained fatal gunshot wounds on May 15 by Israeli Defense Forces after participating in a demonstration near the Ofer military prison in the West Bank. […]

Censors

When the McCarthyites tried to Ban “Robin Hood” as a Communist; and the Green Feather Movement

contributors

(By Alison Kysia) On November 13, 1953, during the height of the McCarthy era, Robin Hood and his band of “merry outlaws” made headlines. Mrs. Thomas J. White of the Indiana Textbook Commission called for a ban of Robin Hood in all school books for promoting communism because he stole from the rich to give […]

Featured

The Obama Effect? Are Iran/ Saudi-and-GCC no longer on a war footing?

Juan Cole

(By Juan Cole) There are signs of a diplomatic thaw between Iran and the Arab oil monarchies of the Gulf. It has just been announced that the ruler of Kuwait, Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, will make a state visit to Iran. This news comes after it was confirmed that the Iranian foreign minister has been invited […]

Climate Change

India-Pakistan Solar Energy Race? Desert Solar Park among world’s Largest

contributors

Pakistan’s first large-scale solar power project, the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park project, was recently inaugurated by Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, representing one of the country’s first clear steps towards renewable energy. The project…

al-Qaeda

Can we close Guantanamo Now? Abu Hamza Convicted by New York Jury

contributors

British preacher Abu Hamza guilty on US terror charges (via AFP) A New York jury convicted British hate preacher Abu Hamza on 11 kidnapping and terrorism charges Monday, opening the way for a judge to impose what will almost certainly be a life sentence. The hook-handed imam, who became a tabloid bogeyman in Britain… […]

Climate Change

Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Miles O’Brien slam CNN as the ‘Wal-Mart of journalism’

contributors

On the latest episode of his StarTalk Radio Show, Neil DeGrasse Tyson spoke to former CNN science journalist Miles O’Brien about the failures of modern news reporting — particularly at CNN. As the interview began, O’Brien joked that CNN fired…

Christianity

Will Pope Francis’s Visit to the West Bank be a Challenge to Occupation?

contributors

"This visit will help us in supporting our struggle to end the longest occupation in history." (By Lauren McCauley) On an upcoming trip to the Middle East, Pope Francis is expected to prioritize his visit with Palestinians, including a refugee camp, in a move interpreted by many as a 'recognition' of a future Palestinian state. […]

Democracy

Sunnis Big Losers in Iraq Elections, PM al-Maliki has Largest Party

Juan Cole

(By Juan Cole) The results of the Iraqi parliamentary elections are in, and everybody lost. There will be another hung parliament that gets almost nothing done. The Sunni Arabs ended up dividing their vote and doing poorly. The Shiites likewise are deeply divided. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s party did best, positioning him for a third […]

Archives for 2014