Entertainment

AJ+ “Bill Maher is scheduled to be the guest speaker at UC Berkeley’s fall graduation this December. But despite the university’s reputation for free speech, some students say Maher is too offensive toward Muslims, women and others to enjoy the honor of speaking at graduation. AJ+ spoke with the students leading the charge to cancel […]

Culture

Rosewater: Jon Stewart and Maziar Bahari talk about their Film

contributors

BBC News “Jon Stewart and Maziar Bahari talk to the BBC’s Andrew Marr about their film ‘Rosewater’. The film is based on Bahari’s memoir ‘Then They Came for Me’.” BBC News: “Jon Stewart & Maziar Bahari talk ‘Rosewater’ to Andrew Marr”

Asia

The Yasukuni Shuffle: China and Japan duke it out via T.V. Serials on the Wrongs of WW II

contributors

By Philip J Cunningham Everyday hundreds, if not thousands of Chinese and Japanese kill one another on Chinese television. Hundreds of Anti-Japan war dramas were churned out last year and the genre dominates China’s airwaves round the clock like never before, even though eight decades have gone by since Japan’s war of invasion. What’s more, […]

Comic Books

Heresy & Superheroes: Broken legs, death threats and fatwas: the trials and tribulations of THE 99

contributors

By Naif Al-Mutawa Many years ago, I was the volleyball counsellor at a summer camp in New England. It was 1990 and I was fit for five minutes. It seems there’s always an injury I can blame my (lack of) fitness on. That summer was no different. Running into the lake, I slipped. My hands […]

Humor

“Have you heard the one about the Ayatollah?”: Iran Hard Liners outraged at Internet Humor

contributors

By Golnaz Esfandiari via RFE/RL A friend of the Imam asks him, “Would you like to drink vodka or tequila?” Outraged at the indignity, the pious Imam slaps the man in the face. “What’s wrong with homemade aragh sagi?” he asks. This knee-slapper, which mocks Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s fierce rejection of alcohol and his promotion […]

Christians

Duck Dynasty star to Hannity: Convert or kill ISIS (Chris Hayes)

contributors

Chris Hayes, “All In”: “The Duck Dynasty patriarch offers his advice on dealing with ISIS: convert or kill them” “Partial Transcript from Hannity: HANNITY: Welcome back to HANNITY. New video surfaced earlier today showing the brutal execution of captured American journalist Steven Sotloff by ISIS terrorists. Now, this comes just two weeks after the radical […]

Culture

6 Robin Williams Movies That Teach Us Progressive Values

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By Mindy Fischer via Liberals Unite There’s no doubt that Robin Williams could make us laugh, but he did a whole more than that. He made us think and dream. Because he wasn’t afraid to tackle the tough social issues in our society. In his personal life he was involved in nearly 30 charity organizations […]

Entertainment

“Good Morning, Afghanistan!” Robin Williams entertaining the Troops, 2007

contributors

“A Life Overseas”: Robin Williams (1951-2014) was one of the acts for the 2007 USO show here on Kandahar AirField. Alert: Profanity. Robin Williams At Kandahar AirField May Mr. Williams rest in peace.

censorship

No Regime? Egyptian Satirist Bassem Youssef Cancelled b/c “Enormous Pressure”

contributors

So, no regime then? Jon Stewart was on al-Barnamag [“The Program”] last year this time and remarked of the then Muslim Brotherhood government’s prosecution of his Egyptian counterpart, Bassem Youssef, for political libel of President Muhammad Morsi, “If your regime can’t handle a joke, you don’t have a regime.” AFP reports: Egypt satirist who mocked […]