Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | – – Recent crises have seen historical tensions between Iraq and Iran’s highest religious leaders, who command the loyalty of millions and a deep philosophical difference, playing out on Iraq’s streets and among politicians. Iraqis living in Iran hold up posters of spiritual leader, Ali al-Sistani, during a […]
Archives for September 2015
Obama’s Journey: Top 10 signs of Extreme Climate Change in Alaska and why it Should Scare Us
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – American corporate news has not devoted the hours to President Obama’s trip to Alaska that it deserves, focusing on the GOP clown car back in the lower 48 instead. I did a Lexis Nexis search under Arctic Summit (yes, there was one, which Obama attended) in […]
Why I Shared a Horrific Photo of a Drowned Syrian Child
By Peter Bouckaert | Director, Emergencies | (Human Right Watch) | – – I thought long and hard before I retweeted the photo. It shows a lifeless toddler, lying face down on a popular Turkish beach, one of eleven Syrians who have almost certainly died as they tried to reach safety in Europe by boarding […]
GOP jumps Shark *again*: Call For Canadian Border Wall
Ana Kasparian, John Iadarola, and Jimmy Dore | (The Young Turks Video report) | – – “Scott Walker is attempting to out-Trump Donald Trump by discussing the idea of a building a wall along our Canadian border. Ana Kasparian (The Point), John Iadarola (Think Tank), and Jimmy Dore (The Jimmy Dore Show Podcast), hosts of […]
Martyr to Science in Palmyra: Archeologist Khaled al-Asaad
By Pierre Leriche | (The Conversation) | – – A second ancient temple at Palmyra has been razed, with a satellite image appearing to confirm the destruction of the Temple of Bel, previously one of the best-preserved parts of the ancient city. The revelation follows the release of images by Islamic State last week showing […]
Obama 1, Netanyahu 0, as Dems & Public rally to Iran Deal
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The Israel lobbies don’t win every fight on Capitol Hill, but over time they have tended to win the big ones in recent decades. This time, they are going down. Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, a notorious narcissist, appears to have completely over-estimated his ability to […]
Kentucky Christian mini-caliphate still denying Gay Marriage Licenses in Name of God
AJ+ | (Video News Report) | – – “Kim Davis, a clerk for Rowan County, Kentucky, refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples one day after the Supreme Court told her she had no legal ground to stand on.” AJ+: “Same-Sex Marriage Licenses STILL Denied By Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis”
Martin Kramer’s “Modest Proposal” for starving Gazans into having fewer Children, 5 Yrs Later
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – In view of the dire UN report warning that in 5 years Gaza may well be uninhabitable for its 2 million Palestinian residents, it is worth considering again that this outcome is being connived at by the Israeli far right wing, one mouthpiece for which is […]
Obama, 19 World Leaders tout Climate Danger at Alaska Summit, Ignore Fuel Extraction
By Leehi Yona | (Inter Press Service) | – – ANCHORAGE, Alaska (IPS) – After a one-day summit in the U.S. Arctic’s biggest city, leaders from the world’s northern countries acknowledged that climate change is seriously disrupting the Arctic ecosystem, yet left without committing themselves to serious action to fight the negative impacts of global […]