Culture

Ian Lee | (CNN Video News Report) | – – “Egyptian graffiti artists, who were asked to add authenticity to the show “Homeland,” managed to sneak in some mocking Arabic slogans. CNN’s Ian Lee reports.” CNN: “‘Homeland’ hijacked by Egyptian graffiti artists”

Culture

Andrew Garfield of Spiderman: Trump ‘has a lot,’ Unwelcoming of those with Little

contributors

Popsugar Entertainment | (Video Interview with Andrew Garfield) | – – “Andrew Garfield spent hours with families who’d lost their homes in the foreclosure crisis to prepare for his role as a single dad fighting to stay afloat in 99 Homes. While those stories may have faded from the daily news cycle, he says they’re […]

Books

How Persian Literature shaped the culture of Iran and India

contributors

Sunil Sharma interviewed by Maryam Kamali | ( Iranian Medieval History) Sunil Sharma is the Associate Professor of Persianate and Comparative Literature at Boston University’s Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature Dear Prof. Sharma, it is my great pleasure to have an interview with you regarding medieval Persian literature. One of the controversial issues […]

Culture

The Real Palestine: Bethlehem festival celebrates diversity of culture and faith

contributors

By: Anna Kokko | (Ma’an News Agency) | – – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — At the end of Star Street in the Old City of Bethlehem, turquoise metal doors that are usually locked have been set wide open. In a cave-like interior, a group of women sits in the dim light on brightly colored pillows and […]

Entertainment

In Honor of Jon Stewart’s Finale, that time he showed a Juan Cole clip re: al-Qaeda

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (informed Comment) | – – Jon Stewart is the most brilliant man on television, and Steve Colbert said it well, that we’ve all learned from him “how to do our jobs” — the job being to be a critical consumer of information and news. Not having him to turn to at […]

fiction

One Ring to Bind them: Reading the Lord of the Rings to defeat ISIL

contributors

By Akil N Awan | (The Conversation) | – – The wave of recent attacks in Tunisia, Kuwait and Turkey, all apparently linked to Islamic State in some way, have reinforced the spectre of the unstoppable “Daesh death cult” whose tentacles of terror can reach deep into every corner of the globe The omnipresence of […]

Environment

Jaw-dropping: Surfer fights off shark attack live on TV in S. African competition

contributors

RT | (Video Report) | – – “Courtesy of World Surf League (WSL): www.worldsurfleague.com Professional Australian surfer Mick Fanning had a huge scare as his board was attacked by a shark during the 2015 World Surf League championship’s, at the Jeffreys Bay Open in South Africa, Sunday.” RT: ” Jaw-dropping: Surfer fights off shark attack […]

Children

Gaza breakdancers perform to express themselves against war

contributors

Lizzie Phelan | (RT Video Report) | – – “It’s a year and a day since Israel unleashed a devastating 7-week bombing campaign in Gaza – in a bid to stop cross-border rocket fire from Hamas. With much of the region in rubble, and thousands of Palestinians still homeless, locals are raising their spirits any […]

Culture

Omar Sharif didn’t have to Play a Terrorist

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Omar Sharif is dead at 83. Born Michel Chalhoub in Alexandria to Lebanese Christian parents in 1932, he changed his name and converted to Islam in 1955 in order to marry his co-star Faten Hamama. The two were a power couple in the Cairo film world […]