Stay true to the dreams of thy youth

Egypt’s unlikely ‘founding fathers’ - The Washington Post

They make an unlikely trio of “founding fathers” for the new Egypt: One is a wily, old-school politician, the second is a reticent scientist who won the Nobel Peace Prize and the third is a hard-nosed business tycoon. But they are emerging as the country’s senior political voices and, interestingly, they share similar views about Egypt’s transition to democracy.

North Korea confirms US citizen is arrested - BBC

North Korea has confirmed that it has arrested a US citizen and is preparing to charge him with "committing a crime" against the country. Jun Young-su was arrested in November last year, the official KCNA news agency said.

U.S.-Financed Groups Had Supporting Role in Arab Uprisings - NYTimes.com

A number of the groups and individuals directly involved in the revolts and reforms sweeping the region, including the April 6 Youth Movement in Egypt, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and grass-roots activists like Entsar Qadhi, a youth leader in Yemen, received training and financing from groups like the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute and Freedom House, a nonprofit human rights organization based in Washington, according to interviews in recent weeks and American diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks.

U.S. Says Iran Helps Crackdown in Syria - WSJ.com

** Remind me, where did Egypt get its tear gas, trainings, weapons and tanks from??? Oh yeah, USA. ***

Iran is secretly helping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad put down pro-democracy demonstrations, according to U.S. officials, who say Tehran is providing gear to suppress crowds and assistance blocking and monitoring protesters' use of the Internet, cellphones and text-messaging.

Frustrated Justin Bieber 'pulled into' Israel politics - BBC

But the visit encountered more controversy when a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - nicknamed "Bibi" - and the young star apparently fell through after Bieber refused a request from the PM to invite Israeli children affected by Palestinian rocket fire in Israel's south.

Mark Kramer on shared value: Not just lipstick on a pig | The Economist

The nonprofit consultant and co-author of a controversial new article says working toward the greater good can benefit the bottom line

Middle East & North Africa - Israeli minister faces criminal charges - FT

Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli foreign minister, faces criminal charges for fraud, money-laundering and witness tampering, in the latest in a series of scandals to hit the country’s political elite. Israel’s justice ministry said Mr Lieberman was informed by the attorney-general that he was “considering” an indictment, one of the last formal steps before charges are filed. Mr Lieberman has the right to defend himself in a hearing, a move that would delay any indictment for several months at least.

U.N. report: Palestinian Authority ready for statehood - The Washington Post

“In six areas where the U.N. is most engaged, governmental functions are now sufficient for a functioning government of a state,” said the report from the Office of the U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. It defined those areas as: governance, rule of law and human rights; livelihoods and productive sectors; education and culture; health; social protection; and infrastructure and water.

Inhofe Defends Ivory Coast Strongman With 'Happy Face' (VIDEO) | TPMMuckraker

As Justin Elliott has been reporting, Gbagbo has long running ties with the Christian right in the United States, including with Inhofe. Gbagbo and his wife Simone are evangelical Christians and have attended the National Prayer Breakfast, an annual event that is run by the secretive Christian group called the Family. Gbagbo has also gotten support from Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network -- with one reporter on the network even comparing the situation in the Ivory Coast to the Bush-Gore showdown. Ouattara, for the record, is a Muslim.