Tom Engelhardt writes at Tomdispatch.com: He came and he went: that was the joke that circulated in 1979 when 70-year-old former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller had a heart attack and died in his Manhattan townhouse in the presence of his evening-gown-clad 25-year-old assistant. In a sense, the same might be said of retired CIA operative […]
Egypt: Elbaradei, al-Azhar, Leftist Youth Condemn Excessive Force
Egypt reacted with shock and grief to the massacre of Muslim Brothers early Sunday morning. Even figures who supported the July 3 coup such as Vice President for Foreign Affairs Muhammad Elbaradei and the Rector of the Al-Azhar Seminary criticized the military for using excessive force. It seems clear that Brotherhood members were attempting to […]
Tunisia: Government Teeters on Brink after Slain Leftist’s Funeral.
An estimated 50,000 came out in Tunis for the funeral of the assassinated leftist opposition member of parliament Mohamed Brahmi, leader of the pro-worker Popular Front. [Estimate here). Brahmi was shot 14 times outside his home on Thursday by an unknown assailant. A major suspect is extremist Boubakr al-Hakim, a former recruiter of fighters for […]
Thousands of Germans Protest Obama/ Merkel STASI-like Spying on Them
A few thousand people came out to demonstrate in 40 cities Germany on Saturday against US National Security Agency spying and German government complicity with it. They hailed from the Green Party, the Pirate Party, and organizations like “Stop Watching Us!” The biggest demo was in Frankfurt, the financial capital. German Chancellor Angela Merkel (center-right) […]
Fox to Reza Aslan: Why would a Muslim write a book about Jesus?
Academic publishes scholarly study of the historical Jesus. Fox Cable News wants only to talk about his own religious background as a Muslim. Apparently they don’t know over there that Muslims believe in Jesus (as a prophet, which is what the New Testament calls him– remember his comment about a prophet not being without honor?). […]
Egyptian authorities release CCTV Footage of Muslim Brotherhood Attack on 6 October Bridge
The Egyptian authorities have released CCTV video of the Muslim Brotherhood attempt to take over 6 October bridge, showing vanguards engaged in stone-throwing and appearing to cause fires (molotov cocktails?). h/t EAworldview Journalist @Beltrew also reported seeing the same events unfold. The Egyptian military allege that they simply repelled this attempt to take a key […]
Egypt: Midnight Massacre of Muslim Brothers at 6 October Bridge (NBC Video)
NBC news reports on the massacre at October 6 Bridge last night in Cairo. The Egyptian health ministry is now saying 66 are dead, the Muslim Brotherhood estimates twice that. NBC to its credit suggests a rational reason for the discrepancy. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Propaganda Terms in the Media and What They Mean – Noam Chomsky
This talk is from 1990 but it is astonishing how well it holds up. The terms of discourse haven’t changed. Propaganda Terms in the Media and What They Mean – Noam Chomsky
Egypt’s Revocouption Part Deux: Dueling Crowds leave 30 Dead
Egypt’s combination of popular street power and military power continued to dominate the unfolding events in that country on Friday. On Wednesday, Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called on the Egyptian masses to gather on Friday to “delegate” to the army the authority necessary to root out terrorism. Al-Sisi got his wish, as enormous crowds […]