Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Mussolini defined fascism as the “merger of state and corporate power.” But not all corporations are equally complicit. Obviously, our current fascist moment is driven in part by a merger of the US government with the portfolio of companies owned by Elon Musk and Peter Thiel. The focus on the […]
Amid Gaza Protests: – Top 5 Ways Israeli PM Netanyahu kept Hamas in Power
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The London-based, Saudi-owned pan-Arab daily, Al-Sharq al-Awsat [The Middle East], reports that demonstrations against Hamas broke out this week in Gaza, beginning in Beit Lahia on Tuesday, and continuing on Wednesday there and in Shuja’iyyah in the north of Gaza, where people set tires on fire. They chanted for the […]
China’s BYD has a $16K “Tesla-killer,” as IEA finds EVs are an Oil Company-Killer
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Incredible new developments in electric vehicles are taking place in China with global implications. China’s BYD sold $100 billion worth of its electric vehicles (EVs) in 2024, outstripping Tesla, the sales of which were $97 billion. Since CEO Elon Musk has ruined the Tesla brand by attacking Americans’ social security, […]
Shamash! “Night Flight”
Panel #40 Previous panels : >
Signalgate shows Trump bombing of Yemen just for Show, Ignores Dead Yemeni Children
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The high-level Trump administration Signal message thread on bombing Yemen on which someone on the staff of National Security Adviser Michael Waltz included The Atlantic‘s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg is what is impolitely called in the military a SNAFU (Situation Normal All F*cked Up). Yes, it is a security breach of […]
The Making of the Modern Middle East: Juan Cole on History, Politics, and Today’s Turmoil – Tamooda Interview
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Juan Cole interviewed by Martin Asser at Tamooda : “The Making of the Modern Middle East: Juan Cole on History, Politics, and Today’s Turmoil” According to LinkedIn, “ TAMOODA is a new digital, independent, liberal, and secular platform in the Arab world for opinion. It is is a non-profit initiative […]
America, the Unhappy: Lonely, Suspicious, Gun-ridden, and Stingy, the US Ranks Low for Well-Being
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The 2025 “World Happiness Report,” produced by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, powered by Gallup analytics and in partnership with the UN, is out. The bad news is that Americans, despite all their wealth and power, only rank 25th in the world for self-reported happiness and […]
CO2 in Atmosphere Higher than in 2 Million Years, with 2024 the Hottest Year Ever Recorded
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The annual report of the World Meteorological Organization concludes that in 2023, the latest year for which a complete analysis has been carried out, the amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere reached its highest level ever recorded —- about 420 parts per million (ppm). That’s 151% higher than […]
“Being Jewish after the Destruction of Gaza:” Peter Beinart in Conversation with Juan Cole
Peter Beinart in conversation with Juan Cole on Beinart’s book, “Being Jewish after the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning”; Program in Arab and Muslim American Studies, Department of American Culture, University of Michigan, March 10, 2025. Excerpt from auto-generated transcript (caveat emptor): Juan Cole: … I haven’t lost my interest in Middle Eastern spirituality, and […]
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