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News Round Up - Muppets, MidEast and Militarism

2012-02-01T08:02:00.001+02:00

CBO: U.S. Deficit To Top $1 Trillion for Fourth Straight Year

Good news and bad news from the Congressional Budget Office's new semi-annual projections out Tuesday. The bad: The federal budget will likely be $1.1 trillion in fiscal year 2012, the fourth straight year that it has topped the 13-figure threshold. The good: That number is actually down slightly from the previous fiscal year's deficit of $1.3 trillion, and is the lowest—in both nominal terms and as a percentage of the economy—since the Great Recession of 2009.
AFP: UN leader calls for 'goodwill gestures' by Israel

UN leader Ban Ki-moon called on Tuesday for "goodwill gestures" by Israel to encourage the Palestinians to revive the Middle East peace process, ahead of talks with leaders from the two sides. Speaking after meeting with Jordanian leaders, Ban did not say what the gestures were, but he has been an outspoken critic of Israel's increased settlement in the occupied territories, which the Palestinians blame for the latest peace impasse.
Fox Business's Eric Bolling, Dan Gainor Say Muppets Movie Is Anti-Corporate Propaganda

The Muppets fired back this past week at a Fox Business host for suggesting in December that their new movie was brainwashing kids with a radically green agenda.
UAE joins big pharma, Bill Gates to fight tropical diseases - Healthcare - ArabianBusiness.com

GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi and other healthcare companies are joining forces with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UAE and other governments to fight so-called neglected tropical diseases such as leprosy.
American pro-democracy organization workers in Cairo take shelter at U.S. embassy - The Washington Post

CAIRO — The American Embassy in Cairo on Sunday took the highly unusual step of sheltering U.S. citizens employed by nongovernmental organizations amid fears that they could be detained as part of a crackdown on pro-democracy groups, according to U.S. officials and a former NGO official.
Newt Gingrich’s Deep Neocon Ties Drive His Bellicose Middle East Policy - The Daily Beast

Since his days in the House, Gingrich has always attached himself to the most extreme neocon elements of American and Israeli politics. Adelson’s $18 million in contributions since 2006 only further fueled draft ducker Newt’s already chronic case of bombast.
President Obama custom-tailors his pitch to Latinos - Josh Gerstein - POLITICO.com

Over the past few months, the Obama administration has rolled out a series of executive actions that often garner little attention from the English-language press but get huge coverage in the Spanish-language media and other outlets favored by Hispanics.
The mirage of Obama’s defence cuts - FT.com

Instead of endlessly praising the soldiers as they withdraw from Iraq and soon Afghanistan, should we not be asking why the US has expended so much blood, time and money to achieve so little?
Reduced work hours could attract Saudis to private sector | Finance and Economy | AMEinfo.com

The Saudi government has formed an inter-ministerial committee to examine the disadvantages Saudi citizens face while working in the private sector, Saudi Gazette has reported. Some of the decisions to be expected include the number of working hours, days off per week, and number of annual holidays, in order to encourage Saudis to work for the private sector, said Hattab Bin Saleh al-Enezi, spokesman of the ministry of Labour. The move will help reduce the number of Saudis quitting the private sector to work for the public sector every year, he said.
MidEast hiring highest in world, say CEOs - Industries - ArabianBusiness.com

More CEOs in Middle East/Africa reported hiring increases in the past 12 months than any other region in the world, while CEOs in Asia said they are most likely to add jobs in the coming year.
Saudi signals it could make up Turkish oil shortfall - FT.com

Saudi Arabia has signalled it could meet a possible shortfall in Turkey’s oil imports if supplies from Iran are hit by new US and European Union sanctions, in a sign of the interest of Turkey’s main oil group in procuring alternative supplies of oil.
Protests in Romania: Romania's winter of discontent | The Economist

THEY have been called "worms", "violent and inept slum-dwellers", and "suckers". And yet hundreds of them, exasperated about austerity measures, political incompetence and lack of public consultation over laws, keep coming out on to the freezing winter streets of Bucharest and other Romanian cities to urge the president and government to resign. "Now is the winter of our discontent—Suckerspeare" read one banner in Bucharest's University Square

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News Round Up - Gingrich, Gulf and Gold

2012-01-29T09:50:00.001+02:00

Gulf states to spend $100bn on water production by 2016 | Energy, Oil and Gas | AMEinfo.com

Global management consultancy firm Booz & Co has said GCC countries are set to spend $100bn by 2016 to increase water production for a regional population that is growing by more than 2% a year
Home Page - Gulf in the Media

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh arrived in the United States for medical treatment on Saturday, a week after leaving Yemen for Oman under a plan for him to step down to end a year of protests against his rule.
Isikoff blast at Gingrich backer -- 'Israel is in my heart' -- puts 'Israel firster' issue in mainstream

“I am not Israeli. The uniform that I wore in the military, unfortunately, was not an Israeli uniform. It was an American uniform, although my wife was in the IDF and one of my daughters was in the IDF ... our two little boys, one of whom will be bar mitzvahed tomorrow, hopefully he’ll come back-- his hobby is shooting -- and he’ll come back and be a sniper for the IDF,” Adelson said at the event....“All we care about is being good Zionists, being good citizens of Israel, because even though I am not Israeli born, Israel is in my heart,” he said toward the end of his talk.
New kids on the block - Culture & Society - ArabianBusiness.com

From Turkey to Brazil, India to Saudi Arabia, a growing number of non-Western donors are bringing fresh funds, a different mindset and their own experience of managing natural disasters to the global humanitarian aid scene.
Anonymous Invades Polish Parliament

Anonymous Invades Polish Parliament Pop culture is seeping into politics more and more every day. The Polish Palikota Party showed a united front, and abuse of office copier regulation, during parliament yesterday.
Lack of skilled Saudis takes the shine off gold trade - Arab News

Saudization in gold and jewelry shops reached 100 percent in 2003 following a royal decision issued by the then Interior Minister Prince Naif. The Nitaqat system recently issued by the Ministry of Labor defined a Saudization rate of 70 percent in the gold sector. The decision led to misunderstandings, with many businessmen thinking they could decrease Saudization with 30 percent in their gold shops. However, traders confirmed to Arab News that the Saudization rate in companies and factories is 70 percent, but gold shops have to remain fully Saudized.
Experts deactivate bomb on Libyan jet in Cairo | Al-Masry Al-Youm: Today's News from Egypt

Explosives experts at Cairo International Airport deactivated a bomb Wednesday that had been placed on a Libyan Airlines jet, said an airport security source.
Oil industry sees China winning, West losing from Iran sanctions | Reuters

As the European Union prepares to ban Iranian oil and the United States turns the screw on payments, oil executives and policymakers say China and Russia stand to gain the most and Western oil firms and consumers may emerge the biggest losers.

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Katy Perry on Pres. Ali Abdullah Al-Saleh

2012-01-28T09:41:00.001+02:00

BIG News Round Up

2012-01-28T08:28:00.002+02:00

Hillary Rodham Clinton dodging political 'high wire' – USATODAY.com

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says she wants to step off the "high wire of American politics" after two decades and is again tamping down speculation that she might stay in government if President Obama wins a second term.
Popuphood: How To Revitalize A Struggling Neighborhood In Six Months | Co.Exist: World changing ideas and innovation

In September 2011, Dominguez and his friend Sarah Filley, an urban planner, teamed up to create Popuphood, a project that is giving five new retail shops the opportunity to get six months of free rent at previously vacant storefronts on one block in the neighborhood.
UN Security Council to discuss Syria as violence spikes - The National

Two days of violence in Syria killed more than 50 people as regime forces shelled residential buildings, fired on crowds and left bleeding corpses in the streets in a dramatic escalation of violence, activists said yesterday.
Newt Gingrich Compares Gay Marriage To Paganism

Newt Gingrich has three marriages and repeated infidelity under his belt, but that doesn't stop him from sounding off about the sanctity of male-female marriage. On a conference call for Religious Right supporters Wednesday, Newt compared gay marriage to paganism. Right Wing Watch has excerpts from the conversation:
Obama-backed electric car battery company files for bankruptcy protection - The Washington Post

Ener1, an electric car battery company that the Obama administration awarded a $118 million stimulus grant to expand its operations, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday after being unable to repay pressing debts.
Twitter may censor tweets in individual countries – USATODAY.com

Twitter has refined its technology so it can censor messages on a country-by-country basis. The additional flexibility announced Thursday is likely to raise fears that Twitter's commitment to free speech may be weakening as the short-messaging company expands into new countries in an attempt to broaden its audience and make more money.
BBC News - Guatemala ex-leader Rios Montt to face genocide charge

Ex-Guatemalan military leader Efrain Rios Montt is to be tried for genocide and crimes against humanity.
Obama: U.S. 'Saudi Arabia of Natural Gas' - US News and World Report

President Obama called America the "Saudi Arabia of natural gas" Thursday and said the country should start using natural gas to power more cars and trucks. Obama made the remarks in light of his decision to open nearly 38 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico for oil and natural gas extraction, saying that natural gas could support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade.
BNP Paribas to sell $11bn energy loan portfolio - FT.com

BNP Paribas, France’s largest bank by assets, has put on the block up to $11bn of loans to oil and gas companies.
Bill Gates pushes ‘green revolution’ for small farms in developing world - The Washington Post

After years that have seen riots over rice shortages in Asia and record low world reserves of staple crops such as wheat, software-billionaire-turned-philanthropist Bill Gates argues that there is a simple solution. Grow more food.
Kuwait snaps up Total for $9bn China refinery deal - Energy - ArabianBusiness.com

Kuwait chose Total as the third partner to build a $9bn oil refinery in China, Kuwait Petroleum Corp chief executive officer Farouk Al-Zanki said.
Sanctions spur surge of Iranians buying luxury homes in Dubai - The National

There has been a sharp rise in the number of wealthy Iranians buying luxury homes in Dubai recently as increasing international sanctions bite in their home country.
100,000 flood Tahrir Square as Egypt marks the day it all began - The National

Liberal activists chanted for the military to hand power to civilians. Islamists cheered their victory in the parliamentary elections. Four young men, wearing black and holding signs "mourning the blood of the martyrs", stood silently. The 100,000 and more who streamed into Tahrir Square yesterday were a microcosm of political life in the country a year after Egyptians took to the streets to demand the end of the regime of Hosni Mubarak.
Stalled Abu Dhabi museums revived after review - Construction - ArabianBusiness.com

Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich sheikhdom that’s transforming itself into a business and cultural hub, plans to resume suspended real-estate projects including branches of the Louvre and Guggenheim museums after reviewing their viability, the government said.
Petrobras soars on woman chief’s appointment - FT.com

Shares of Petrobras soared to a near eight-month high as the Brazilian state-controlled oil company announced the appointment of its first woman chief executive. Petrobras said Maria das Graças Foster, a company veteran said to be close to Brazil’s president Dilma Rousseff, would take over the reins of what is arguably Latin America’s most important company from incumbent José Sérgio Gabrielli in February.
Mubadala to move out of property development - FT.com

Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi government investment company, is winding down its property development business as real estate prices continue to fall in the emirate. In unusually candid comments, Waleed al-Muhairi, Mubadala’s chief operating officer, said the company had “taken some gambles and I think been proven wrong in some of the businesses that we’ve done”, making a specific reference to the fund’s property activities.
gulfnews : Aramco likely to pump first shale gas by 2020

Riyadh: Saudi Arabian Oil Co (Saudi Aramco) is seeking to begin producing natural gas from shale rock in the country before the end of the decade as domestic power demand climbs.
Croatia Votes 2 to 1 to Join European Union - NYTimes.com

Croats voted by a two-to-one margin on Sunday to join the European Union, signaling that the bloc retains its allure despite the debt crisis engulfing the euro currency that many of its members use.
Keystone XL oil pipeline: John Boehner says Republicans might use payroll tax cut bill to force approval

House Speaker John Boehner told Fox News Sunday that Republicans “may” tie approval of the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline to the next extension of the payroll tax cut that President Obama supports. Boehner made it clear that “all options are on the table” to force the president to give his backing to the controversial project, reports Reuters.

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West Wing just sums it up so well

2012-01-21T13:05:00.000+02:00

News Round Up - Sustainability, Solar and Ski Dubai

2012-01-19T11:33:00.001+02:00

Abu Dhabi unveils new rules for building permits | Real Estate | AMEinfo.com

Abu Dhabi's Urban Planning Council (UPC) has announced new projects are to be awarded building permits in the emirate only if they prove efficient use of resources, Gulf News has reported. UPC also plans to introduce new guidelines that will also make existing structures sustainable. The measures will be part of the UPC's Estidama (sustainability) Pearl Rating System for existing buildings, which are expected to be introduced by the end of the year.
Ma'aden signs contract for 500km pipeline to supply new gold mines | Saudi Arabian Mining Company | AMEinfo.com

Ma'aden signed a contract for the construction of a 430 kilometre pipeline to carry treated waste water to planned new gold mines in Taif Makkah Region. The SR464m contract with Metal Services Company for Trading and Contracting was signed by Ma'aden Gold and Base Metals Company.
Paula Deen hid her type 2 diabetes diagnosis from the Food Network for 3 years

Paula Deen hid her type 2 diabetes diagnosis from the Food Network for 3 years — and made $30 million for her fattening fare in the interim. While keeping the Food Network and her fans in the dark about her diabetes, Deen continued delivering episodes on deep-fried butter balls and other artery-clogging fare as she raked in an estimated $10 million per year via her TV show, cookbooks, endorsements and appearances. “I intentionally did it,” Deen admitted to NBC’s Al Roker of hiding the news from fans. “I said, ‘I’m gonna keep this close to my chest for the time being’ because I had to figure out things in my own head.”
Ukrainians in the Czech Republic: We'll always have Prague | The Economist

THE Czech Republic’s decision to grant Oleksandr Tymoshenko asylum has prompted speculation about whether the country is becoming a base for exiled allies of his wife Yulia, Ukraine’s jailed former prime minister and the heroine of the Orange Revolution. The answer is: not yet. Mr Tymoshenko is the second member of his wife's circle to have fled Kiev for Prague.
Palestine: Where Israel ‘Field Tests’ Both Its Own and American Weapons | mideastposts.com

Last Saturday, Omar Barghouti stopped in Oakland, CA as part of his current West Coast tour. The lecture was billed as “Occupy Wall St., not Palestine,” and Barghouti made the case that it makes “perfect sense to think of Israel as part of the global one-percent in War Inc.” He touched on the relationship between U.S. and Israeli weapons manufactures, suggesting that Israel’s behavior as a “garrison state” enables more customers for U.S. produced weapons.
Abortion Reform Marks Major Change in Morocco | mideastposts.com

Under current Moroccan law, abortions are only allowed with a husband’s consent in order to save a woman’s life or maintain her physical or mental health, meaning that unmarried women could not legally have an abortion. Now this is set to change. A top aide to Morocco’s prime minister confirmed that the leader would support allowing abortions in the case of rape or incest
The Kodak lie - Fortune Tech

People never seem to notice, but strategies have fashions. Just as cars had fins for a while, or business folks try to dress like they just stepped off the set of Mad Men, or phones get big touch screens and icons to chase after Jony Ive's iPhone design choices, there are also conventions in how we think about what firms should do to create value. These ways of thinking even have names so we can refer to them in shorthand: focus, cost leadership, differentiation, core competence leverage, supply chain integration, and the like.
UAE-Spain solar venture plans $5bn spend - Energy - ArabianBusiness.com

Torresol Energy, a joint venture between Spain's Sener and Abu Dhabi's Masdar, plans to invest up to $5bn in the short-term to build concentrated solar power plants (CSP) in Spain, the United States and the Middle East, its president said on Wednesday.
Abu Dhabi eyes long-term water supply plan - Energy - ArabianBusiness.com

Abu Dhabi, the UAE's capital and largest sheikdom, aims to develop a plan to secure long-term water supply, the head of the government-run renewable energy company said. The emirate is pursuing several programmes to study water conservation and cut domestic use, which may lead to a “comprehensive and holistic approach” to water security in the next year or two, Sultan Al Jaber, chief executive officer of Masdar, as the renewable energy company is known, said today.
Hearing Begins on Indictment of Israeli Foreign Minister - NYTimes.com

** Surprise another corrupt Israeli politician, and a rather fascist and xenophobic one at that ** Israel’s state prosecutors began a hearing on Tuesday to decide whether to indict Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on charges of fraud, breach of trust and money laundering, a move that could shake up Israeli politics and lead to early elections.
March of the penguins… into Ski Dubai - Lifestyle - ArabianBusiness.com

Dubai shoppers will soon be able to get up close and personal with snow penguins, after Ski Dubai announced it would play host to a colony of the Antarctic birds. The indoor ski slope, located in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates, said it planned to build a special enclosure to host the birds as part of a multi-generation breeding programme.

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News Round Up - Dolphins, Dark Money and Drones

2012-01-18T15:12:00.001+02:00

Bomb-detecting dolphins: The Navy's secret weapon against Iran? - The Week

But if Iran mines the Persian Gulf, retired U.S. Adm. Tim Keating tells NPR, don't worry, because "we've got dolphins." Yes, mine-detecting dolphins may be America's secret to keeping the world's oil supply flowing. Here, a guide to the U.S. military's marine mammals:
5-Year-Old Stabs 3 People Over A Juicebox

** I still have no idea if this is real or not ** Deputies responded a reported stabbing at 3:25 p.m., at a mobile home park on Shady Grove Road in Ruckersville, Virignia. WCAV reported that neighbors said the stabbing arose from an altercation over a juice box, but authorities have not confirmed that information. All 3 people are okay.
Turkey bashes Perry over debate comments - The Washington Post

The Turkish government on Tuesday denounced Rick Perry’s comments about the country during a GOP presidential debate in South Carolina, accusing the Texas governor of making “unfounded and inappropriate allegations.” The statement comes after Perry argued that Turkey, a democratic U.S. ally, is ruled by “what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists” and should have its NATO membership reconsidered.
BBC News - Ethiopia forces thousands off land - Human Rights Watch

Ethiopia's government has been accused of forcing tens of thousands of people off their land so it can be leased to foreign investors. US-based Human Rights Watch says people are being forcibly relocated to new villages that lack adequate food, farmland and facilities. Ethiopia has already leased out more than 3.6 million hectares (8.8m acres) of land - an area the size of The Netherlands - HRW says
Captured Drone: Iran to send toy model back

Iran says it will send the U.S. government a toy model of the CIA drone the Islamic Republic captured last month. The announcement, made via state media, comes in response to the White House's request for the return of the unmanned aircraft.
AFP: China and UAE sign energy cooperation agreement

China's Sinopec clinched a "strategic" energy cooperation agreement with the UAE's state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), the official WAM news agency reported Tuesday. The agreement, inked on the sidelines of an energy conference in the United Arab Emirates capital, came two days after Saudi state oil giant Aramco inked a deal with the Chinese company to build an oil refinery in the Red Sea city of Yanbu that will process some 400,000 barrels per day.
What if the Iranians start killing scientists? - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

Israel may have rejoiced at the news of the hit, but let's consider how senior members of Israel's scientific community, especially the nuclear scientists, would view the assassination of scientists on the faculties of well-known academic institutions. (Most of the senior scientists in Iran's nuclear program also have academic posts. ) They would probably have reservations about the wisdom of expanding the shadow war to the scientific community.
The Republicans' Dark Money-Moving Machine | Mother Jones

Inside the GOP group that skirts election rules by shuffling millions across state lines and then "wiping the fingerprints off the money."

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News Round Up - Hacktivism, Haley and Hatred

2012-01-17T08:19:00.001+02:00

Hackers disrupt websites of Israel’s stock exchange, national air carrier - The Washington Post

JERUSALEM — A hacker network that claims to be based in Saudi Arabia paralyzed the websites of Israel’s stock exchange and national airline on Monday, escalating an international cyber war that has jolted this security-obsessed country.
Rick Santorum: Dead Foreign Scientists Are A 'Wonderful Thing' (Video)

"On occasion scientists working on the nuclear program in Iran turn up dead. I think that's a wonderful thing, candidly," said Rick Santorum at a recent campaign stop in Greenville, South Carolina.
Japanese Department Store May Want to Look Up the Word 'Fucking'

Japanese Department Store May Want to Look Up the Word ‘Fucking’
Preventing a Nuclear Iran, Peacefully - NYTimes.com

***A well-reasoned and rational appeal to expand the rhetoric and scope of options regarding nuclear proliferation in the Middle East***
THE debate over how to handle Iran’s nuclear program is notable for its gloom and doom. Many people assume that Israel must choose between letting Iran develop nuclear weapons or attacking before it gets the bomb. But this is a false choice. There is a third option: working toward a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East. And it is more feasible than most assume.
Norwegian U.N. official kidnapped in Yemen - CNN.com

Armed tribesmen snatched a Norwegian U.N. official from the streets of Yemen's capital Sunday, demanding the release of a jailed tribal leader, Norwegian and Yemeni officials said.
Protesters gather for fourth straight day in Romania - CNN.com

Protesters seeking the ouster of Romanian President Traian Basescu and early elections gathered for a fourth straight day Sunday in a main square of Bucharest, the capital, and 18 other cities in the Eastern European nation. The demonstrations, which included clashes between police and protesters Saturday in University Square that injured 17 people, are the most serious since Basescu's election in 2004.
North Korea denies punishing citizens for not mourning enough - CNN.com

North Korea has angrily denied allegations that it punished some of its citizens for inadequately mourning the death of its late leader Kim Jong Il. Kim died last month after 17 years of repressive rule over the secretive state, setting off deep uncertainty about North Korea's future.
President Obama politically hedges with SOPA opposition | Death and Taxes

While there were collective cheers amongst the anti-SOPA alliance following Saturday’s press release, in which three Obama technology team officials stated opposition to the bill, it was not quite what was required. Rather, it was far too muted and well-timed: who pays much attention to political news on a Saturday, not to mention a day so occupied by NFL playoff fever?
Swiss, German firms plan $2bn Oman solar project - Energy - ArabianBusiness.com

Switzerland's Terra Nex Financial Engineering announced on Sunday plans for a major $2bn solar power project in Oman. It said it was collaborating with the Middle East Best Select (MEBS) Group of Funds to develop solar power resources within the sultanate. Terra Nex, a Swiss licensed and global wealth management company, said in a statement that solar power electricity generation stations were central to the project.
Rick Perry: Marines urinating on corpses were just kids, shouldn't face criminal charges

Texas Gov. Rick Perry told CNN Sunday that the Marines who were filmed urinating on Afghan corpses were just kids being kids and the White House has gone “over the top” in its criticism. “When you're 18 or 19, you do dumb things. These kids made a mistake, there's not any doubt about it,” the Republican presidential hopeful said. He went on to note that other famous military figures acted the same way in a war environment: “[Winston] Churchill did the same thing.”
Man suspected in Virginia butt slashings arrested in Peru - CNN.com

A man suspected in a series of buttock slashings in Fairfax, Virginia, has been captured in Peru, authorities said. Johnny D. Guillen, known as the "Corta Nalgas" -- or "butt cutter" -- was captured Friday in Lima, according to Jair Quedas, system operator for Interpol Peru.
ElBaradei ends Egyptian presidential run - CNN.com

Egyptian reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei on Saturday ended his bid for president after criticizing the interim military government for its failure to bring about "a real democratic system."
False Flag - By Mark Perry | Foreign Policy

Buried deep in the archives of America's intelligence services are a series of memos, written during the last years of President George W. Bush's administration, that describe how Israeli Mossad officers recruited operatives belonging to the terrorist group Jundallah by passing themselves off as American agents. According to two U.S. intelligence officials, the Israelis, flush with American dollars and toting U.S. passports, posed as CIA officers in recruiting Jundallah operatives -- what is commonly referred to as a "false flag" operation.
Lebanese man detained on suspicion of spying for Israel - The Washington Post

The Lebanese army has detained a man on suspicion of collaborating for years with Israel’s Mossad spy agency, Lebanese media and officials said Thursday. The state-run National News agency identified the man arrested earlier this week as Elias Younes, a retired employee of the state telecommunications company Ogero.
FT Alphaville » US regains top position for clean energy

The US overtook China to regain top position as the world’s leading investor in “clean” energy last year, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the FT reports. It was the first year since 2008 that the US has been ahead of China as the world’s largest market for investment in renewable energy, biofuels and energy efficiency
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour Pardons Murderers, Brett Favre's brother, Earnest Scott

UPDATE: A Mississippi judge has temporarily blocked the release of 21 inmates who received full pardons or medical releases from outgoing Gov. Haley Barbour in his final days in office.
Lebanon could start drilling gas reserves this year | Energy, Oil and Gas | AMEinfo.com

Lebanese energy expert, Roudi Baroudi has said the country is sitting on one of the biggest gas reserves in the region and drilling is likely to start as early as this year, The Daily Star has reported. The '11th basin' off the Lebanese coast is reported to have a gas reserve which are almost three times bigger than Libya's gas reserve, he said. "I am very happy that the Lebanese government passed the law to administer the country's oil and gas wealth off the coast. This is a major step that will make Lebanon one of the largest gas producers in the region," Baroudi told the daily.
Egypt: Israeli pilgrimage 'impossible' thus year - Yahoo! News

Egypt's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it had told Israel that it would not be "appropriate" for Israeli pilgrims to make an annual visit to the tomb of a 19th-century Jewish holy man in the Nile Delta, as activists mobilized to block the pilgrimage route.
Qatar restaurants see trade slump after alcohol ban - Travel & Hospitality - ArabianBusiness.com

Restaurants and bars on Qatar’s flagship Pearl development have seen revenues slump by more than 50 percent in the wake of a new ruling banning the sale of alcohol to customers. Outlets on the manmade island off the coast of Doha were told on Dec 12 they could no longer serve booze to guests in what is seen as a display of tension between Qatar’s Muslim culture and its largely expatriate population.
» Moo-ving forward? Qatar’s next big purchase- a farming sector – Kippreport.com

Like other oil-rich, water-poor Gulf states, Qatar has been investing in large areas of farmland overseas to ensure access to food supplies. The agricultural arm of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, Hassad Food, has bought land in Sudan and Australia, and has announced plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on agricultural projects in countries including Kenya, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey and Ukraine. But in contrast to the other Gulf states, Qatar also aims to produce most of its food domestically, by spending massively to boost crop yields and convert semi-desert into agricultural land.

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Al-Manar on Facebook

2012-01-16T10:09:00.001+02:00

Hezbollah goes mainstream with sponsored advertising on Facebook. 'Atta boy Zuckerburg.

Best Drum Solo Ever... with a little surprise

2012-01-11T12:03:00.001+02:00

News Round Up - Iran, Innovation and the IDF

2012-01-10T05:27:00.001+02:00

Fighting Words - By Michael A. Cohen | Foreign Policy

So why, then, are Republican candidates treating Iran like it's the modern embodiment of Nazi Germany, al Qaeda, and the Soviet Union, all wrapped up in a mischievous and explosive ball? The long answer is Americans don't like Iran, they are afraid of nuclear weapons and images of mushroom clouds, and Muslims with weapons of mass destruction are scary. Frankly, GOP primary voters care about threats to Israel -- and sanctions and diplomacy are less impressive than the promise that American airplanes will soon be dropping bombs on reinforced bunkers.
Do Innovation Consultants Kill Innovation? | Co.Design

Are companies more innovative than ever before? Judging from the vast number of Fortune 500 companies professing their commitment to innovation, the answer is yes. But we sense that the more a company talks, thinks, and strategizes about innovation, the less real, big innovation it produces.
Bungee Jumper's Cord Snaps In Freak Accident; Australian Erin Langworthy Survives Plunge

Bungee Jumper's Cord Snaps In Freak Accident; Australian Erin Langworthy Survives Plunge
William Daley to step down as Obama's chief of staff - chicagotribune.com

William Daley is stepping down as White House chief of staff and budget director Jack Lew is taking over the President Obama’s team as it heads into a tough election year, senior administration officials say.
IDF Finally Concedes Gaza Attacks Originated in Sinai, Not Gaza « Tikun Olam-תיקון עולם: Make the World a Better Place

When even the most hawkish of Israel military correspondents concede (implicitly) the IDF’s version of the Eilat terror attacks is rubbish, you know you’ve been vindicated. You’ll recall that back in August, after the incident, Alex Fishman, Idan Landau and I all demolished the claims by the IDF that the attackers were Gazan. We argued that the attack originated in Sinai and that Sinai Islamists organized it and carried it out. Eli Lake, Avi Issacharoff and any number of obedient water carriers dutifully reported IDF and U.S. intelligence nonsense. The lies spouted by the IDF were also used to justify killing the top leadership of the Popular Resistance Committees and 25 other Gaza civilians having nothing to do with the raid.
Papa John's apologizes for receipt's racial slur - CNN.com

Papa John's Pizza fired a cashier at one of its New York restaurants and apologized to an Asian-American customer for a receipt that identified her as "lady chinky eyes." "We were extremely concerned to learn of the receipt issued in New York," the company said in a statement posted on its Facebook page Saturday.
Two more monks set themselves alight in China - CNN.com

A former Tibetan monk has died and another is seriously injured after setting themselves on fire in southwest China's Sichuan province on Friday -- the 13th and 14th acts of self-immolation in the country since March. A 22-year-old man set himself ablaze at a crossroad in Aba county in the Aba Tibetan-Qiang Autonomous Prefecture before police put the fire out and sent him to a local hospital, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.
Siri blows off some steam and curses at British boy | Death and Taxes

According to the Sun, Charlie Le Quesne, 12, learned that lesson the hard way this week when he picked up a display model of the iPhone 4S at a store and asked, “How many people are there in the world?” Siri’s answer: “Shut the f*** up, you ugly t***,” the Sun reports. “I thought I must be hearing things,” Le Quesne’s mother told the Sun. But when they asked again “the same four-letter stuff blared out.”
Israel seeks revenge for hacking - FT.com

** I find the Israeli definition of terrorism rather entertaining. So stealing credit cards is terrorism, but the intentional bombing of UN buildings sheltering refugees is collateral damage. ** The Israeli government has threatened to retaliate against the hacker who last week published the credit card details of thousands of Israelis, with one senior official comparing the cyberattack to a “terrorist operation”. Danny Ayalon, the deputy foreign minister, warned that the attack represented “a breach of sovereignty comparable to a terrorist operation, and must be treated as such”. He added: “Israel has active capabilities for striking at those who are trying to harm it, and no agency or hacker will be immune from retaliatory action.”

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

News Round Up - Housing, Honduras and Halliburton

2012-01-04T21:44:00.001+02:00

So what does Rick Santorum know about Honduras? | FP Passport

It makes sense given Santorum's fairly Manichean worldview, which is centered around a global struggle to confront the "cancer" of radical Islam, that he would fixate on Honduras. It's a case where the overall good guys vs. bad guys narrative (a corrupt, populist, anti-American leader is overthrown) can overwhelm the inconvenient facts. (Rather than resigning in the face of a popular uprising, he was dragged out of bed by the military and put on a plane out of the country in the middle of the night.) It's similar to his views on Egypt, where he has attacked Obama for throwing U.S.-ally Hosni Mubarak "under the bus" in favor of anti-Israel extremists. Evidently "democratic" and "rule of law" for Santorum, are synonyms for pro-American and pro-Israel.
Bahrain inks record $505m social housing deal - Construction - ArabianBusiness.com

The Bahrain government has signed a record BD208m ($550m) with a local developer to build more than 4,000 homes in a bid to ease the Gulf kingdom’s chronic low-cost housing shortage. The deal, a first in the GCC, will see Bahrain-based Naseej build 3,110 social housing units and a further 1,042 low-cost homes in the Northern City, Al Buhair and Al Lawzi projects.
Saudi Gazette - E-gate coming to Kingdom’s airports

Saudis and expatriates can soon use their magnetic identity and iqama cards to enter and exit the Kingdom, instead of having to show their passports at the country’s airports. This is part of the e-gate system being introduced by the Directorate General of Passports at all the Kingdom’s airports, said a senior official at the directorate, reported Al-Watan Arabic newspaper.
Carlyle buys into Turkish schools provider - FT.com

Carlyle Group has taken a 48 per cent stake in Bahcesehir Koleji, a Turkish education company, amid increasing investor interest in the country’s rising disposable incomes. The deal, for which no financial details were disclosed, marks the US private equity group’s third investment in Turkey among five regional transactions made under its $500m Middle East and North Africa fund, which was set up in 2009.
First-ever hybrid shark discovered off Australia - The Washington Post

Scientists have identified the first-ever hybrid shark off the coast of Australia, a discovery that suggests some shark species may respond to changing ocean conditions by interbreeding with one another.
Pat Robertson: God Told Me Who The Next President Will Be (VIDEO)

** I really can't believe anyone pays attention to Robertson anymore...** Christian conservative leader Pat Robertson says he has a secret straight from God: He knows who the next president of the United States will be. "I think He showed me about the next president, but I'm not supposed to talk about that so I'll leave you in the dark -- probably just as well -- but I think I know who it's gonna be," Robertson said Tuesday on the Christian Broadcasting Network's "700 Club.
BBC News - BP asks Halliburton to pay for Gulf of Mexico spill

Oil giant BP has asked its contractor Halliburton to pay for all costs and damages that arose from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The claims were made in a filing by BP's lawyer Don Haycraft in a US Federal court. BP and Halliburton are locked in a legal battle with a trial expected this year to settle damages claims.
Chinese solar company to buy Germany’s Sunways - FT.com

Investor hopes of a year of consolidation in the troubled German solar sector rose after LDK Solar, a Chinese solar company, said it planned to take over Germany’s Sunways. The companies said the combination would link German high technology with China’s low-cost advantage but some analysts doubt whether Germany’s solar sector is ripe for similar transactions.
Temasek sets up S$2.5bn China fund - FT.com

Temasek Holdings, the Singapore state investment agency, is setting up a fund that will have up to S$2.5bn ($1.9bn) to invest in north Asia, primarily in China. Pavilion Capital, which will be run by Tow Heng Tan, Temasek’s former chief investment officer, is still in the formative stages and it is not clear how closely tied to its parent it will be or who will sit on its board, according to people familiar with the matter. Temasek has also not yet decided if the new fund will accept third-party money.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

News Round Up - Crowds, Crackdowns and Cairo

2011-12-30T21:23:00.002+02:00

New island forms in Red Sea off Yemen: NASA

A new island has appeared off the west coast of Yemen following a volcanic eruption, NASA said Friday.
Crowd dynamics: The wisdom of crowds | The Economist

IMAGINE that you are French. You are walking along a busy pavement in Paris and another pedestrian is approaching from the opposite direction. A collision will occur unless you each move out of the other’s way. Which way do you step? The answer is almost certainly to the right. Replay the same scene in many parts of Asia, however, and you would probably move to the left. It is not obvious why. There is no instruction to head in a specific direction (South Korea, where there is a campaign to get people to walk on the right, is an exception). There is no simple correlation with the side of the road on which people drive: Londoners funnel to the right on pavements, for example.
UK secretly supplied Saddam - FT.com

Margaret Thatcher’s government was covertly supplying military equipment to Iraq as early as 1981, according to newly released government documents. Secret files made public on Friday contain an exhaustive list of equipment from Hawk fighter jets to military air and naval bases that the government was attempting to sell Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Crackdown in Cairo - By Sarah Carr | Foreign Policy

CAIRO – There was a flurry of good news last week in Egypt. Activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah was released on Christmas Day, Cairo's Administrative Court issued a ruling banning "virginity tests," and thousands of women took part in a spirited march in downtown Cairo to denounce the military's brutal violence against women protesters during the breakup of a sit-in in front of the Cabinet building on Dec. 16 and 17. That streak of good times was interrupted Thursday afternoon when public prosecution officials, assisted by armed Central Security Forces (CSF) soldiers -- Cairo's ubiquitous black-clad riot troops -- raided the offices of six civil society groups.
هل تخبرنا التجربة الرومانية بما سيحدث في مصر؟

هل تخبرنا التجربة الرومانية بما سيحدث في مصر؟

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

News Round Up - Christmas Catchup

2011-12-29T20:09:00.002+02:00

BBC News - Trial of Hosni Mubarak resumes in Egypt

The trial of the former Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, has resumed after a delay of almost two months. State TV showed the 83-year-old being stretchered into the court, at the police academy in the capital, Cairo.
Entrepreneurial Ambitions Differ Across Saudi Arabia

- Although small shares of Saudi Arabia's adult population own businesses or plan to open them soon, Gallup surveys in 2011 reveal these shares are even smaller outside the three major cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam. Saudis living in these major cities are twice as likely as their counterparts in the rest of the country to be business owners (9% vs. 4%) and have plans to open a business in the next 12 months (4% vs. 2%). The differences in their ambitions may lie in the diverse challenges they face in becoming business owners and their attitudes.
Ultra-Orthodox Attacks on Israel’s Women Linked to Arab Inequality - The Daily Beast

What gives the ultra-Orthodox the ability to oppress women, in other words, is partly a political system in which Israel’s Arab citizens are largely barred from power. What the protesters in Beit Shemesh and their supporters in the United States need to remember is the fundamental interconnectedness of equal citizenship.
The Army and the Economy in Egypt

Should the production of pasta, mineral water, butane gas cylinders, and gas station services qualify as classified military secrets? And does discussing these enterprises in public pass as a crime of high treason? The leaders of the Egyptian Armed Forces believe the answer is “yes.” Until this very day, the role of the military establishment in the economy remains one of the major taboos in Egyptian politics.
Saudi Electricity to launch transmission firm in Jan | Reuters

State-controlled Saudi Electricity Co (SEC) plans to launch a transmission subsidiary in January as it splits up into six companies to encourage competition, state news agency SPA reported on Tuesday. After the restructuring, SEC will be a holding company and will retain full ownership of the six companies, which include four power generation firms, one firm for distribution and another one for transmission.
The Associated Press: Bahrain to host Saudi prince's news network

Bahrain has been picked to host the headquarters for Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal's new international Arabic news network despite months of unrest, according to the tiny Gulf kingdom's media oversight authority. Alwaleed's channel, dubbed Alarab, will be based in the Bahraini capital Manama's new Media City office complex, Sheik Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, a member of the Bahraini royal family and head of the country's Information Affairs Authority, said in a statement late Tuesday.
Israel 'will launch significant Gaza offensive sooner or later' | World news | The Guardian

A new Israeli military offensive against Gaza will be launched "sooner or later" and will be "swift and painful", Israel's most senior military officer has warned. Benny Gantz, the chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces, was speaking on the third anniversary of the start of a major three-week assault on Gaza during which around 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed.
The worst case for war with Iran - By Stephen M. Walt | Stephen M. Walt

you'd like to read a textbook example of war-mongering disguised as "analysis," I recommend Matthew Kroenig's forthcoming article in Foreign Affairs, titled "Time to Attack Iran: Why a Strike Is the Least Bad Option." It is a remarkably poor piece of advocacy, all the more surprising because Kroenig is a smart scholar who has done some good work in the past. It makes one wonder if there's something peculiar in the D.C. water supply.
Rick Perry on Abortion: Texan Gift of Life made him expand his anti-abortion views to include rape, incest

Rick Perry may be trailing in the Iowa polls with one week to go but the one-time GOP frontrunner is not giving up just yet. The Texan has launched his latest bid to win over conservative voters thought to be key to his campaign hopes, telling a group of Iowans on Tuesday that his opposition to abortion has grown, and he now believes that it is wrong in all cases, including rape and incest.
Moldova faces election delay as sole candidate pulls out | Reuters

Moldova risks a prolonged political stalemate that may further slow down reforms in one of Europe's poorest nations as the only candidate for president said on Wednesday he was pulling out of this month's election. The withdrawal of parliament speaker Marian Lupu means the presidential election, which takes place in parliament rather than by popular vote, might be delayed if no other candidate steps in. The vote is currently scheduled for January 15.
BBC News - Brazil economy overtakes UK, says CEBR

Brazil has overtaken the UK as the world's sixth largest economy, an economic research group has said. The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) said its latest World Economic League Table showed Asian countries moving up and European countries falling back.
The Forgotten Cold War: 20 Years Later, Myths About U.S. Victory Persist - The Daily Beast

The perilous contest died, but a dangerous myth lived and thrived-- that President Ronald Reagan won the day with unmatchable hikes in military spending and by being tough and uncompromising. Today, that myth tugs daily in wrong directions regarding the most momentous U.S. policy decisions in hotspots like Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, and China.
Saudi Arabia "vulnerable to high food prices' | Retail | AMEinfo.com

Saudi wealth manager NCB Capital has said the kingdom remains vulnerable to increases in food prices due to its high dependence on imports, Arab News has reported. The inability to fully pass on higher costs to consumers will exert pressure on the margins of food companies
Saudi hospitals losing millions through rejected insurance claims forms | Healthcare | AMEinfo.com

Several private hospitals in Saudi Arabia are losing millions of riyals annually, as health insurance firms reject improperly filled out the documents required to confirm payments for medical services rendered by hospitals to insured patients,
I knew Christopher Hitchens better than you - Satire - Salon.com

Christopher Hitchens and I were friends for 40 years, plus another five when we were enemies. He took ideas so seriously that if he disagreed with you on a matter that he deemed important, he’d literally throw you in a ditch. It was 1972, the height of our mutual virility. He and I went to a pub to celebrate his most recent intellectual victory over the establishment press. I intimated that sometimes women could be funny on purpose. Even back then, the thought enraged him. Hitchens threw a drink in my face, pressed a lit cigarette into my neck, and hit me over the head with a barstool. The next thing I knew, it was two days later and I was lying hogtied and naked beside the M5. Hitch had already severely damaged my reputation in a vicious essay in the Guardian. But that’s how he operated, and that’s why we loved him.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

News Round Up - Nipples, Nightlife and Nouveau Riche

2011-12-22T00:14:00.002+02:00

Mercosur approves Palestinian free trade deal - Yahoo! News

The Mercosur trade group of four South American nations has signed a free trade agreement with the Palestinian Authority. It's the first trade deal between the Palestinian territories and a bloc of nations outside the Arab world.
Thousands of Women Mass in Major March in Cairo - NYTimes.com

CAIRO — Several thousand women demanding the end of military rule marched through downtown Cairo on Tuesday evening in an extraordinary expression of anger over images of soldiers beating, stripping and kicking female demonstrators in Tahrir Square.
Cash-flow problems delay Dubai skyscraper - Construction - ArabianBusiness.com

Liquidity woes may push Dubai’s second tallest skyscraper, the Pentominium, past its completion date as developer Trident struggles with financing, the project manager said. The planned 516m tower in Dubai Marina was scheduled for completion in 2013 but saw work suspended in August amid wider financing concerns.
BP, Total and Statoil secure Angola rights - FT.com

A new exploration frontier off the coast of Angola that may be similar to oil fields found in Brazil is to be opened after the government of the African country awarded drilling rights to some of the world’s largest energy groups. Britain’s BP, Total of France and Norway’s Statoil all secured licences to explore in Angola’s pre-salt deposits – a layer of salt accumulated millions of years ago under the sea.
BP to exit solar business after 40 years - FT.com

BP will close the chapter on more than 40 years of history after deciding to shut down its solar business, once regarded as one of its flagship alternative energy divisions. The group has told staff that it had made the decision after the business became unprofitable.
Saudi Dairy Giant Spends $83M On Argentina Farms : NPR

Saudi Arabia's largest dairy company said Wednesday it is buying Argentine farm operator Fondomonte S.A. for $83 million in a bid to secure access to animal feed. The acquisition will give Riyadh-based Almarai Co. control of roughly 30,000 acres of farmland in the South American nation. Almarai said the deal is in line with the desert kingdom's policy of "securing supplies and conserving local resources."
China Hackers Hit U.S. Chamber Of Commerce Last Year

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hackers in China broke through the computer defenses of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce last year and were able to access information about its operations and its 3 million members, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
Barney Frank’s Protruding Nipples: Why Do Nipples Harden in the Cold? - Slate Magazine

Rep. Barney Frank was "upstaged by his own chest" during a speech he gave Monday with erect nipples. According to the Huffington Post, his appearance “raised questions about how cold it was in the House chamber.” Why do nipples harden in the cold? No one knows, but it's probably for the same reason that cold gives you goose bumps.
London club aims to shake-up Dubai’s nightlife scene - Lifestyle - ArabianBusiness.com

Mahiki, the Mayfair club made famous by regulars such as Prince Harry, is hoping to shake-up the Gulf’s nightlife scene with the launch of its Dubai venue and infamous open-door policy. The owners of the venue are mulling a regional-wide expansion, and said Dubai’s clubbing scene had become a “spectator sport” thanks to strict door policies that bar entry for certain customers. The London club has previously pledged to allow entry to anyone, whether “fat, thin, bald, ugly or old”.
Dutch firm targets super-rich Arabs with $1m submarines - Lifestyle - ArabianBusiness.com

For the GCC’s super-rich residents that are bored with their 150-ft yachts, private jets and luxury speedboats, now there's another toy on offer – a personal submarine. Dutch company U-Boat Worx is targeting the region’s wealthiest residents with its range of private submarines, with prices starting from €730,000 ($951,371) per craft.
Football legend Cristiano Ronaldo to meet fans in Dubai - Lifestyle - ArabianBusiness.com

Football legend Cristiano Ronaldo will be in Dubai Mall next week to raise funds for international charity Save the Children. The Real Madrid player, who will also be participating in this year’s Dubai Sports Council's (DSC) Sixth Dubai International Sports Conference, will meet fans in the mall on December 27, and sign 10 charity t-shirts for winners of a Dubai Mall competition.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Bath, Bath and Beyond Israeli Apartheid Flash Mob

2011-12-20T23:51:00.000+02:00

News Round Up - Princes, Portugal and Power

2011-12-20T18:42:00.002+02:00

Domestic oil use in Saudi Arabia at 10-year high | Energy, Oil and Gas | AMEinfo.com

According to official Saudi figures, crude oil consumption in the kingdom rose 13.7% in October from the previous month, reaching the highest level since at least 2002, Bloomberg has reported. The country used an average of 2.02 million barrels a day of oil in October compared with 1.78 million barrels in September,
Israel's Emerging "Jewish Hezbollah" by Mark Perry | The Middle East Channel

"I don't want to exaggerate, but it's time to call this what it is," a veteran IDF officer noted in a recent telephone conversation on the Nablus incident. "It might be news in America, but it's no secret in Israel. This is a very real crisis. What we have here is the birth of a state within a state. The birth of a kind of Jewish Hezbollah." This former officer went on to speculate that "what is emerging in the West Bank" is "a three-state solution: Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and, standing between them, a radical settler state."
Portugal to Pass Security Laws as Crime Rises Amid Austerity - Bloomberg

Portugal’s government is set to propose laws to make streets safer amid an increase in crime during the country’s year-long recession, Justice Minister Paula Teixeira da Cruz said. The government will soon propose legislation to bolster cooperation between different police forces,
Woman Burned Alive in Brooklyn Elevator - Police Arrest Man - NYTimes.com

Mr. Isaac, 47, methodically set the woman aflame, burning her alive in the elevator of her building in Brooklyn on Saturday, only a few feet from her apartment door, the police said. He sprayed the flammable liquid in the woman’s face and over her cowering body, and then lighted a Molotov cocktail to ignite the fire.
Israel frees hundreds in second phase of swap - The Washington Post

Also Sunday, the Israeli government moved ahead with its plan to accelerate building in West Bank settlements and East Jerusalem, announcing that it would invite bids to construct more than 1,000 homes there. The new housing will be in the settlements of Beitar Ilit and Givat Zeev, and in Har Homa, a Jewish neighborhood of Jerusalem built on West Bank land annexed to the city. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the stepped-up construction last month after the Palestinians were accepted as a member state in UNESCO.
Saudi Prince Buys $300 Million Stake in Twitter - WSJ.com

Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has made a $300 million investment in Twitter Inc., expanding his media empire into social-media sites and giving the billionaire a stake in an online forum that was widely used by activists in this year's Arab uprisings.
UAE food prices are among lowest in world | Retail | AMEinfo.com

Food prices in the UAE are now some of the lowest in the world, thanks in part to ongoing government controls introduced earlier this year, The National has reported. The UAE Government sought to protect consumers in May when it launched a campaign to freeze or reduce the prices of 400 basic commodities until the end of the year.
Records show colonizers were not done with Goa - The Times of India

After 50 years, one tends to think that the Portuguese colonial power kept itself busy elsewhere after Goa was liberated from its rule by the Indian army. But the colonizers nursed dreams of recapturing the tiny coastal Indian region for several years, even bombing Goa twice under the Indian union.
A New Home for Hamas? - By Houriya Ahmed and Julia Pettengill | Foreign Policy

The shifting allegiances in this tumultuous era of Arab politics have come to resemble a game of musical chairs. According to an unnamed Hamas official quoted in the Wall Street Journal, the hard-line Palestinian group is seeking to move its political headquarters from Damascus as early as this week. Its reliance on the tottering regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria has left it significantly weakened and in search of a new base for political operations, and Egypt and Qatar have both materialized as possible new bases, according to the official. In the case of the Qatari capital of Doha, that may not necessarily be a bad thing.
Newt, Mitt, Bibi and Vladimir - NYTimes.com

I sure hope that Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, understands that the standing ovation he got in Congress this year was not for his politics. That ovation was bought and paid for by the Israel lobby. The real test is what would happen if Bibi tried to speak at, let’s say, the University of Wisconsin. My guess is that many students would boycott him and many Jewish students would stay away, not because they are hostile but because they are confused.
Why Tom Friedman is a true friend of Israel - By Stephen M. Walt | Stephen M. Walt

Many of you probably saw Tom Friedman's startling column in yesterday's New York Times, where he attacked the Republican presidential candidates for pandering on the subject of Israel. He also informed his readers that all those standing ovations for Netanyahu in Congress were "bought and paid for by the Israel lobby," and he correctly noted that this blind and unconditional support for Israel was not really "pro-Israel" at all. Why? Because it was leading Israel away from a two-state solution and toward one of three disastrous options from Israel's perspective: 1) apartheid, 2) ethnic cleansing, or 3) a binational democratic state which would eventually be dominated by the more numerous Palestinians.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Google.com Secrets

2011-12-19T19:40:00.002+02:00

Go to google.com and type "Let it snow"

Enjoy

Tim Tebow and Jesus

2011-12-19T19:35:00.001+02:00

News Round Up - Islamaphobia, Israel and Iowa

2011-12-16T17:15:00.002+02:00

Can Venture Capital Save The World? - Forbes

Novogratz plays the role of auditor because, as CEO and founder of the Acumen Fund, helping people starts with financial due diligence. In April Acumen sank $1.9 million into the bank in exchange for an 18% stake, one small investment in a decadelong experiment in charitable giving. Instead of shoveling aid dollars to causes or governments that give away life-sustaining goods and services, Acumen espouses investing money wisely in small-time entrepreneurs in the developing world who strive to solve problems, from mosquito netting to bottled water to affordable housing. It’s a new twist on the old adage about teaching a man to fish, except that Novogratz wants to build an entire fish market.
Saudi reshuffle boosts economy team | beyondbrics

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia appointed two heavyweights to head up the ministry of economy and planning, and the ministry of commerce and industry at a time when consolidating economic planning is crucial to maximizing the benefits of the huge spending earmarked for the coming years.
IDF agrees to expansion of West Bank settlement - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

** But yeah, clearly, Israel wants peace...***
Israel's military establishment has approved the establishment of a new, permanent neighborhood and a farm near the West Bank settlement of Efrat. The projects will go beyond the community's current built-up area, constituting an effective expansion of the Etzion Bloc of settlements toward the north and north-east. After they are completed, Jewish settlement in northern Gush Etzion will reach the edges of Bethlehem's southernmost suburbs
Backlash for Lowe's as ads pulled from Muslim show - Yahoo! News

Lowe's Home Improvement has found itself facing a backlash after the retail giant pulled ads from a reality show about American Muslims. The retail giant stopped advertising on TLC's "All-American Muslim" after a conservative group known as the Florida Family Association complained, saying the program was "propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda's clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values."
Perry continues campaign push in Iowa, faces hecklers – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs

**Oh Republican candidates...**
"No greater example of it than this administration sending millions of dollars into the solar industry, and we lost that money," Perry began. "I want to say it was over $500 million that went to the country Solynda."
Peter Beinart Is Right—or, a One-State Solution Is Inevitable if Settlements Continue - Atlantic Mobile

A number of Goldblog readers have forwarded me this video of Peter Beinart speaking at the recent General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America. These readers are critical of Peter's assertion that Israel is, in essence, forcing a one-state solution on itself by continuing the occupation and settlement of the West Bank. I watched the video, and, alas, I don't find much to dispute with what Peter says. This isn't the easiest thing for me to acknowledge; I disagree with much of Peter's Middle East political analysis, and I disagree with many of his peacemaking suggestions. But he's not wrong about the most crucial thing: Israel will soon enough be forced to face a choice: Grant citizenship to the Arabs of the West Bank, or cease to call itself a Jewish democracy. Here is a bit of what Peter said:
Lauren Scruggs, Model, Walks Into Plane Propeller, Survives (VIDEO)

A 23-year-old model and fashion editor is lucky to be alive after she accidentally walked into a small plane's propeller on Saturday. Lauren Scruggs, of Plano, Texas, was getting off a small private plane after looking at Christmas lights around the area when she walked into the moving propeller, Fox Dallas reports.
Alec Baldwin: My Flying Lesson

First off, I would like to apologize to the other passengers onboard the American Airlines flight that I was thrown off of yesterday. It was never my intention to inconvenience anyone with my "issue" with a certain flight attendant.
Saudi government considers banning smartphones for public employees | Telecoms | AMEinfo.com

The Saudi government is considering banning all public employees from using smartphones and tablets, such as iPhones, iPads, and BlackBerry devices, during working hours after receiving complaints from the public,
Kuwait set to open $3.3bn terminal in 2016 | Aviation | AMEinfo.com

*** Hmmm, somehow I don't see the need for 25 million passengers to commute via Kuwait... ***
The Kuwaiti ministry of public works has said a new, KD900m ($3.3bn) passenger terminal presently under construction at Kuwait International Airport is due to open in September 2016, Zawya Dow Jones has reported. The new terminal will have capacity to accommodate 13 million passengers annually in the first stage, with the ability to increase this number to 25 million and to 50 million in later stages.
Facebook makes Gowalla acquisition | Media and Advertising | AMEinfo.com

Facebook has acquired location sharing service Gowalla for an undisclosed sum, CNN has reported. Most of Gowalla's employees, including founder Josh Williams, will move to Facebook's offices in Palo Alto. The team will work on Facebook's Timeline feature, which launched at this year's F8 conference and is gradually rolling out to Facebook's 800 million members.
Putin's Treasure Dive Find Was Staged: Spokesman

** I don't believe it, it was staged!?!?***
The widely publicized incident in which Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin pulled up ancient Greek jug fragments from the seabed on a diving expedition was staged, his chief spokesman said. The August dive in the Kerch Strait that connects the Black and Azov seas was reported extensively in Russian and overseas media. Putin is noted for his habit of appearing in vigorous and adventurous settings, including fishing while stripped to the waist and riding with leather-clad motorcyclists.
President Obama calls on Bill Clinton to help unveil energy efficiency program for office buildings - 44 - The Washington Post

President Obama will announce on Friday a partnership with private companies to invest $4 billion toward making federal government and commercial office buildings more energy-efficient, a program the administration predicted could create tens of thousands of jobs. The program is part of a Better Buildings Initiative that Obama outlined in his State of the Union address in January to increase the energy efficiency in commercial buildings by 20 percent by 2020.
Nearly half German city to evacuate Sunday for defusing of WWII era bomb - News - Stripes

About 45,000 residents of the German city of Koblenz, nearly half of the city’s population, are under evacuation orders Sunday following the discovery of what local officials said was one of the largest unexploded bombs ever found, believed to have been dropped by the British Royal Air Force during World War II. The nearly 4,000-pound bomb, packed with more than 3,000 pounds of explosives, as well as other unexploded ordnance, were discovered in the Rhine River, where the water levels have dropped significantly due to a lack of rain over the past few weeks, according to local authorities.
5 Corporations Who Owe Americans Thanks This Thanksgiving Day | Death and Taxes

Forming a corporation means never having to say you’re sorry. It’s very structure is built around the idea that no one is culpable for wrong action. However, since Citizens United vs. FEC dictated to every American citizen that corporations are people (in their totality), we think that like any good person, they should give thanks where required. Here are five corporations and banks who were either bailed out in recent years or who pay next to nothing in federal taxes.
Dubai to star in shoot-'em-up computer game - Media - ArabianBusiness.com

A shoot-em-up computer game which pits gamers against a hostile sandstorm-ravaged Dubai is set to be released next year, its creators have said. Publisher 2K Games said that its much anticipated military shooter Spec Ops: The Line will be released in spring 2012.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

The Louvre and More - Paris Photos

2011-12-11T18:30:00.002+02:00

Protest against Russian election fraud

Outside the Louvre

Bridge by my hostel

Random broken down Delorian (Back to the Future) in the middle of the street

Not getting enough pyramids in the Middle East...

Me taking pictures of tourists taking pictures of the Mona Lisa

The famous and rather tiny Mona Lisa

Cover photo for GQ

Napoleon's throne

Not a clue

Paris Photos - Day 1

2011-12-10T17:42:00.000+02:00

Three Days in the (New) Life of Eric - Bulgaria Photos

2011-12-09T22:04:00.001+02:00

Best Auto Corrects

2011-12-08T18:48:00.002+02:00

If you want to die laughing, go here.

Bar Photoblocker

2011-12-08T16:44:00.001+02:00

Francesinha Recipe

2011-12-06T14:09:00.003+02:00

Below is the recipe for one of my new favorite foods - the infamous Francesinha (Little French Girl) from Porto, in northern Portugal.

It is a heart attack in a sandwich, but is delicious.

Time 30 minutes
Serves 1

Ingredients

Sandwich:
2 slices of white bread
2 slices of smoked ham
4 slices of cheese
1 grilled sausage
1 fried or roasted slice of beef
Both the sausage and the beef should be cooked or reheated before assembling the sandwich
Sauce:
1 beer
1 cube of chicken stock
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp concentrated tomato paste
1/4 cup brandy or Port
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp cornstarch
chilli flakes to taste
salt (if needed)

How to make it

Sauce:
Dissolve cornstarch into the milk and add all the ingredients. Blend the liquid mix on a food processor.
Put it into a pan over low heat and add the bay leaves . Stir it until it starts to boil. It's ready - reserve.
Sandwich:
Assemble the sandwich and save 2 slices of cheese.
Put the sandwich on a plate and place the 2 slices of cheese on top.
Pour the sauce over the sandwich (should be hot, so the cheese melts).

Recipe from here.

Porto Photos - Port and Francesinha

2011-12-06T13:59:00.003+02:00

Lisbon Photos - Day 2

2011-12-06T13:43:00.010+02:00

My Mugging

2011-12-04T22:20:00.002+02:00

So to some of you in recent years I have commented that I have been surprised and oddly disappointed through all my years of travel that I've never faced any crazy incidences such as natural disasters, hospital stays, muggings or general events outside the pace of normal life. While presumably these events are terrifying and awful at the time; with the salve of time and a return home, they inevitably make a great story best told over a Christmas dinner table with family or a pub night with friends.

Today on this cold rainy evening in northern Portugal, my luck has changed.

I arrived in Portugal a few days ago and have spent the last 5 days endlessly treading the streets of Lisbon and Porto, sipping fine wines and portos, meeting groups of Brazilians and Portuguese and having a rather enjoyable vacation before returning east to meet my brother in Sofia, Bulgaria in a few days.

Taking a break from Porto this morning, I hopped a train to the nearby town of Guimaraes, the recently acclaimed 2012 European City of Culture. The weather has been a bit overcast with intermittent rain; however, the greenery of it all makes the foul weather enjoyable (as does the respite from the heat of Dubai). I walked the streets for a few hours, taking in the old city, enjoying a meal of Portuguese seafood and trouncing through old castles, parks and streets paved (cobbled?) with cobblestones.

After the enjoyable day excursion, I caught an early evening train back to Porto, the second largest city in Portugal, where I am staying for the night. Arriving in Portugal around 7:30pm, I began the 10 minute walk from the centrally placed train station to my hostel which is just up the hill following a well lit and traversed main thoroughfare.

Casually walking with a book in hand and bundled in a winter coat and scarf, a guy approaches me and asks for some money. Now mind you, this shopping street has a fair amount of people walking up and down and several stores lining the path. I dig in my wallet and remove the change I have accumulated, a not so whopping 1.40 Euros, but conversely, not the smallest sum one could give a guy who is holding a bread roll and asking for money for food. Here's a quick replay of the conversation:

Me: Here you go (I start slowly walking on)

Him: No, give me 5 Euros, I see that you have it.

Me: I just gave you money.

Him: No, give me 5 Euros, I'll give you change (He pulls out the 1.40 I gave him, plus an additional euro or so)

Me: No, sorry.

At this point, I start walking on a bit hoping someone else will catch his attention. However, the stream of pedestrians seems to have cleared up.

(He walks with me)

Him: I don't want to rob you man.

Me: I don't want you to rob me either. Why would you rob me? I just gave you money.

Him: Come on, give me 5 euros. (at which point he pulls out some sort of half-inch knife... now I use the emphasis, as this knife appears to be some sort of dull butter knife attached to a key chain.

I pause a bit, realizing that I am sort of being mugged, but also appraising this 5 foot homeless man in front of me who certainly could not keep up if I ran away, holding a knife that if he were to stab me through my warm winter coat would cause some mild discomfort at best. I keep walking and talking a bit, trying to stall for time a bit with the expectation that some more pedestrians will come by and he will melt away.

Him: Come on, give me 5 euros, I'll give you change. I just want to eat.

Me: No, sorry. I gave you money and now I'm pissed off that you want to rob me too. Go ask someone else for money, there are lots of people around.

Him: Yeah, but they aren't giving me money.

Me: So I was nice enough to stop and actually give you some money, and now you want to take more money from me?

I walk on a bit further, at which point he stands in front of me, but has put his key chain butter knife away.

Him: 5 euros, I'll give you change.

Me: No, I gave you money

At this point I'm getting pissed off, but still finding the situation to be oddly funny and a bit unnerving as well (after all, it is my first mugging)

Him: Come on man, I don't want to rob you.

Me: Don't rob me. I'm sorry, but I gave you money and I'm not giving you any more as I had to work for this money (some pedestrians get closer).

Him: Ok

He walks away and asks the new pedestrians for money. I walk up the street to my hostel laughing.... yet looking over my shoulder to make sure the midget Portuguese homeless man is not chasing me with a brandished butter knife key chain.

Lisbon Photos - Chilly Autumn

2011-11-30T19:09:00.008+02:00

Vacation Reads Take 1

2011-11-28T21:26:00.002+02:00

News Round Up - Tea Baggers and Turkey Day

2011-11-27T08:28:00.001+02:00

5 Corporations Who Owe Americans Thanks This Thanksgiving Day | Death and Taxes

Forming a corporation means never having to say you’re sorry. It’s very structure is built around the idea that no one is culpable for wrong action. However, since Citizens United vs. FEC dictated to every American citizen that corporations are people (in their totality), we think that like any good person, they should give thanks where required. Here are five corporations and banks who were either bailed out in recent years or who pay next to nothing in federal taxes.
Dubai to star in shoot-'em-up computer game - Media - ArabianBusiness.com

A shoot-em-up computer game which pits gamers against a hostile sandstorm-ravaged Dubai is set to be released next year, its creators have said. Publisher 2K Games said that its much anticipated military shooter Spec Ops: The Line will be released in spring 2012.
Black Friday Walmart Shopper Injures 20 With Pepper Spray

Pepper spray--it's not just for police any more; civilians can use it too! A woman in Los Angeles exemplified the Black Friday competitive spirit Thursday night by using it against many of her fellow shoppers, in a mad rush at a Los Angeles Wal-mart. The Los Angeles Times reports that the suspect was trying to get first dibs on electronics that were unveiled late Thursday night (Wal-mart started Black Friday at 10 p.m. Thursday this year).
Hydrofracking Debate Spurs Huge Spending by Industry - NYTimes.com

Energy companies have been pouring millions of dollars into television advertising, lobbying and campaign contributions as the administration of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo enters the final phase of deciding when and where to allow a controversial form of natural gas extraction that is opposed by environmental groups. Related Companies that drill for natural gas have spent more than $3.2 million lobbying state government since the beginning of last year, according to a review of public records
White House 'closely monitoring' Bahrain for reforms - Politics & Economics - ArabianBusiness.com

The White House has said it will be "closely monitoring" Bahrain's promise to carry out reforms following the publication of a report into the unrest which erupted in February. In a statement, the US President's office said it welcomed the report by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry and said King Hamad’s decision to establish the Commission was a "courageous one".
Emaar sees niche for low-cost housing in Dubai - Real Estate - ArabianBusiness.com

Emaar Properties, developer of the world’s tallest building, is in talks with several UAE emirates to roll out affordable housing schemes and plans to concentrate on Dubai first, its chairman said. Despite a housing market that is widely seen as being oversupplied, Mohamed Alabbar said Dubai still has room for properties at a price point of around AED500,000 (about $136,000).
Egypt Protests: Court Orders Release Of 3 U.S. Students, Say Egyptian Officials

A court in Egypt has ordered the release of three American students arrested during a protest in Cairo, a lawyer in Philadelphia confirmed Thursday. Derrik Sweeney, Luke Gates and Gregory Porter, who attend the American University in Cairo, were arrested on the roof of a university building near Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square on Sunday. Officials accused them of throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters.
Bahrain forces comb Shi'ite town before rights report - Culture & Society - ArabianBusiness.com

Bahraini security forces chased youths in a Shi'ite town on Wednesday and one man was killed when his car was hit by a police vehicle, activists said, hours before the release of a report on the sectarian strife that has roiled the kingdom. Witnesses said riot police in 4x4 vehicles sped through the streets of Aali, outside the capital Manama, in pursuit of dozens of teenagers, before seizing one and beating him with batons as helicopters circled overhead.
Ali Abdullah Saleh: Yemen president signs deal to step down amid Arab Spring protests

And the Arab Spring rolls on. Yemen’s president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, signed an agreement to step down Wednesday after 33 years of authoritarian rule, the New York Times reports. In a surprise move, he signed an agreement “that Yemeni officials said immediately transferred power to his vice president,” the Times writes. In exchange, he received immunity from prosecution.
Rick Santorum calls for religious profiling of Muslims in GOP debate

Muslims in the United States should "absolutely" be subjected to religious profiling by authorities, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said at Tuesday night’s national security debate in Washington, D.C.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

News Round Up - Turkey, Tahrir and "Truly Stupid"

2011-11-23T06:21:00.001+02:00

The GOP National Security Debate - The Washington Note

GOP National Security Debate Rick Santorum D+ Michele Bachmann B+ Newt Gingrich B- Rick Perry D- Herman Cain F Mitt Romney B- Ron Paul B Jon Huntsman B+ [After reviewing my grades, I decided that Rick Santorum's honesty about the importance of negotiating and willing to compromise with the "other side" deserves a bit more credit. I hereby revise his grade to a C-.]
Herman Cain at The Holy Land Experience Theme Park: Worried That His Doctor Was 'Too Foreign' | Death and Taxes

Cain elaborated on how his Christian values factored into his cancer treatment: He did have a slight worry at one point during the chemotherapy process when he discovered that one of the surgeon’s name was “Dr. Abdallah.” “I said to his physician assistant, I said, ‘That sounds foreign–not that I had anything against foreign doctors–but it sounded too foreign,” Cain tells the audience. “She said, ‘He’s from Lebanon.’ Oh, Lebanon! My mind immediately started thinking, wait a minute, maybe his religious persuasion is different than mine! She could see the look on my face and she said, ‘Don’t worry, Mr. Cain, he’s a Christian from Lebanon.’”
102,000 cupcakes! Small bakery burned by Groupon - TODAY News - TODAY.com

A bakery owner was forced to make 102,000 cupcakes after being swamped by customers taking up her cut-price Groupon offer, according to reports Tuesday. Rachel Brown offered a 75 percent discount on 12 cupcakes, which normally cost $40 (£26), the BBC reported.
Saudi Telecom sets up $50m fund

The Saudi Telecom Group has established an investment fund to enrich innovation and creativity in Information and Technology with an initial capital of $50 million. The venture capital fund will specialise in start ups and small, and medium sized companies operating in the field of telecommunications and Information Technology in the Saudi market as well as other international markets.
Egypt’s Tahrir Square Explodes in Violence

UPDATE: Egypt's military leadership announced via state media Tuesday that it will hand over power to a civilian government no later than July 1, 2012 -- a full year earlier than had been expected.
Turkish Airlines: ‘Europe’s favourite’ carrier steers a contrarian course - FT.com

Turkish Airlines’ breakneck expansion makes it the world’s fastest-growing airline – and possibly its most underrated.
Comment: Iran and the I.A.E.A. : The New Yorker

** Seymour Hersh on Iran, the IAEA and the beating of war drums for the nonexistent Iranian bomb *** The new report, therefore, leaves us where we’ve been since 2002, when George Bush declared Iran to be a member of the Axis of Evil—with lots of belligerent talk but no definitive evidence of a nuclear-weapons program.
CIA Spies Caught, Fear Execution in Middle East - ABC News

In a significant failure for the United States in the Mideast, more than a dozen spies working for the CIA in Iran and Lebanon have been caught and the U.S. government fears they will be or have been executed, according to four current and former U.S. officials with connections to the intelligence community.
Gingrich calls child labor laws ‘truly stupid’ - Election 2012 - The Washington Post

At a Monday afternoon speech in New Hampshire where he unveiled his plan for revamping entitlement programs, Gingrich reiterated his ideas about child labor laws, saying that kids janitors “would be dramatically less expensive than unionized janitors.” In an interview with my colleague, Amy Gardner, Gingrich said that he is not advocating revamping child labor laws, he simply wants to empower young people with a work ethic they need to succeed.
Fairleigh Dickinson PublicMind Poll Shows Fox News Viewers Less Informed on Major News Stories

Quick, were Egyptian protesters successful in their bid to overthrow longtime president Hosni Mubarak earlier this year? According to a new poll (PDF) from Fairleigh Dickinson University, if you watch Fox News you are significantly less likely to know the correct answer to that question than if you mostly avoid news shows and newspapers all together. After controlling for factors like partisanship, education, and other demographic factors, the pollsters found that Fox New viewers were 18 points less likely to know that the revolt was successful than their non-active news consuming counterparts. Fox News viewers were also 6 points less likely to know that the Syrian uprising has yet to succeed.
How the conservative belief in American exceptionalism has become a matter of faith. - Slate Magazine

The ancients taught us to fear “hubris,” and the Bible teaches the sin of pride. I am always amazed that American conservatives are not more suspicious of self-proclaimed historical uniqueness. But proclaim it they do, as if trying to reassure themselves against the blasts of what looks like a very bad season.
UAE to bypass Strait of Hormuz with new pipeline - Energy - ArabianBusiness.com

A crude oil pipeline in the United Arab Emirates that will bypass the Strait of Hormuz is nearly complete with first oil to flow next month, as talk of military action against Iran intensifies, four industry sources told Reuters on Monday.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

News Round Up - Iran, Jobs and Intimidation

2011-11-22T07:55:00.001+02:00

Venture For America Wants To Create 100,000 New Jobs By Matching College Grads With Startups | Fast Company

Andrew Yang wants to create jobs. Specifically, 100,000 U.S. jobs by 2025. It’s an ambitious goal, but one that Yang believes is completely attainable just by getting recent college graduates to work at startups rather than take positions in finance, consulting, and law. But not just any startups: Yang wants to recruit young talent to ignite entrepreneurial sparks in such economically depressed areas as Detroit; Providence, Rhode Island; and New Orleans.
Iran may have sent Libya shells for chemical weapons - The Washington Post

The Obama administration is investigating whether Iran supplied the Libyan government of Moammar Gaddafi with hundreds of special artillery shells for chemical weapons that Libya kept secret for decades, U.S. officials said. The shells, which Libya filled with highly toxic mustard agent, were uncovered in recent weeks by revolutionary fighters at two sites in central Libya. Both are under heavy guard and round-the-clock surveillance by drones, U.S. and Libyan officials said.
Bill to investigate flotilla is a 'tool of intimidation'

Palestine solidarity activists and human rights lawyers are decrying a Congressional bill that would investigate whether organizations involved in last summer's thwarted flotilla to Gaza should be designated as "terrorist" groups. Critics of the House of Representatives bill see it as the latest in a decades-long effort to intimidate Palestine solidarity activists in the United States.
Kuwait might invest in Europe fund | Finance and Economy | AMEinfo.com

The president of the Kuwait Investment Office has said the Gulf country could invest in the European Union's expanded EFSF rescue fund, although it will depend on the conditions of investing, which are not yet clear, Reuters has reported.
John Bolton Argues the U.S. Has the Wrong President for a Syrian Intervention - The Daily Beast

** Unbelievable. John Bolton confirming his irrelevance in the world by arguing that we should undertake regime change in Syria and Iran... but not under Obama, because he is not up for it. The arrogance of this man is astounding, especially considering all the "regime changes" under his administration's watch are utter failures.**
While we should have long since been pursuing regime change against the Assad family tyranny, the unhappy reality today is that ousting Assad—or even aiding the dissidents with U.S. military force—is not something we should entrust to Barack Obama. The stakes are too high, the opposition too formidable, and the risks too great to allow him to exercise the commander-in-chief responsibilities in a possible confrontation with Iran

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Updates on Egypt

2011-11-21T12:33:00.001+02:00

News Round Up - Towers, Tampons and Taxes

2011-11-17T08:01:00.001+02:00

Benetton Unhate Campaign: Italian company causes outcry for photos of Pope, Imam kissing

If Benetton was hoping to make waves with its new UNHATE ad campaign (and it’s a safe bet they were), mission accomplished. The Italian clothing company is no stranger to sensational ads, but the Benetton ad team may have outdone themselves this time with a series of digitally-altered photos depicting a handful of world leaders locking lips with one another.
Work on 1km-tall Kingdom Tower set to begin in January - The National

Construction is to begin in January on a 1km tall tower in Jeddah, including a six-storey "sky palace" on the 158th floor, the lead architect says. Most of the permits are in place for the US$1.2 billion (Dh4.40bn) Kingdom Tower, which would be the tallest building in the world, said Adrian Smith, a partner in Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.
Pentagon: Cyber offense part of U.S. strategy - The Washington Post

The Pentagon is prepared to launch cyberattacks in response to hostile actions that threaten the government, military or U.S. economy, according to a new policy document submitted to Congress this week. The report, obtained by The Washington Post, is the most detailed document so far from the government on its emerging cyberwarfare program, and it warns that adversaries attempting cyberattacks against the United States “would be taking a grave risk.”
Report: U.S. Air Force receives new 15-ton bunker buster bombs - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

The U.S. Air Force has received new 30,000-pound bombs capable of destroying deep underground bunkers, the Bloomberg news agency reported. The bombs, designed to be delivered by B-2 stealth bombers, "will meet requirements for the current operational need," U.S. Air Force spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jack Miller said in a statement to Bloomberg.
Palestinian activists demonstrate by riding Israeli bus in West Bank - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

Six Palestinian activists, clutching national flags and surrounded by dozens of reporters, were dragged off an Israeli bus they planned to ride into Jerusalem after a standoff with police Tuesday. The Palestinians boarded the Israeli bus in a widely advertised action hoping to draw attention to what they call discriminatory measures in the West Bank, particularly travel restrictions.
Was Israel Behind a Deadly Explosion at an Iranian Missile Base? - TIME

"Who Is Responsible for Attacks on the Iranian Army?" asks Maariv, and the paper lists without further comment a half-dozen other violent setbacks to Iran's nuclear and military nexus. For Israeli readers, the coy implication is that their own government was behind Saturday's massive blast just outside Tehran. It is an assumption a Western intelligence source insists is correct: the Mossad — the Israeli agency charged with covert operations — did it. "Don't believe the Iranians that it was an accident," the official tells TIME, adding that other sabotage is being planned to impede the Iranian ability to develop and deliver a nuclear weapon. "There are more bullets in the magazine," the official says.
Israeli lawmakers push ahead contentious bills - Yahoo! News

At the end of a stormy debate, Israeli lawmakers pushed ahead two bills that critics say would threaten the independence of the country's Supreme Court, just days after Cabinet ministers advanced another proposal to sharply limit funding for dovish groups. Opponents say both developments reflect attempts by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to stifle dissent and pluralism.
BBC News - Israel-Kenya deal to help fight Somalia's al-Shabab

** Israel reinvigorating its periphery alliances - Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, as a way to further harass and pressure Arab countries ** Israel has offered to help Kenya secure its borders as it tackles Somalia's Islamist group, al-Shabab, the Kenyan prime minister's office has said. It said Kenya got the backing of Israel to "rid its territory of fundamentalist elements" during Prime Minister Raila Odinga's visit to the country.
Israel to hold $100 million in taxes owed to Palestinians - The Washington Post

Israeli Cabinet ministers decided Monday to hold on to about $100 million in taxes owed to the Palestinians, an official said, despite warnings from Israel’s Defense Ministry that the measure could threaten the stability of the Palestinian government in the West Bank. Israel stopped transfer of tax funds as punishment for the Palestinian’s successful bid for admission to UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural agency, which was part of a larger effort to gain admission as a state in the world body.
Vodka Tampons? Reported Alcohol Abuse Among Teens Also Includes 'Butt Chugging'

It would appear that nobody wants to use their mouth anymore to get drunk. Much to their parents' dismay, teens have long been known to secretly consume alcohol, and the latest method reportedly has them doing so with tampons and bongs.
Net Neutrality Survives With Help of Senate Democrats | Death and Taxes

Al Franken has called net neutrality “the most important free speech issue of our time,” which most Democrats echo. However, Republicans believe the internet has flourished without regulation and that corporations should be allowed to do as they please in a non-regulated internet environment. Naturally, corporations like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon have heavily lobbied Republicans to oppose Net Neutrality, which many believe would create a ”fast lane” for corporations who could afford to pay for a premium service. It would thus relegate those who could not afford such premium lanes to slower internet speeds, thus potentially stifling free speech and neutralizing the overall freedom associated with the internet.
Robert Fisk: You can't blame Gaddafi for thinking he was one of the good guys - Robert Fisk - Commentators - The Independent

Gaddafi was one of those Arab potentates for whom the moniker "crazy" was fitting, yet who spoke a kind of sanity. He did not believe in "Palestine" because he thought the Israelis had already stolen too much Arab land (correct) and he did not really believe in the Arab world – hence his tribal beliefs. He was, indeed, a very odd person.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Putin's Election Ad

2011-11-16T07:40:00.001+02:00

Cain on Libya

2011-11-15T19:35:00.000+02:00

FML

2011-11-14T16:14:00.001+02:00

Today, I introduced my Chinese-born girlfriend to the rest of the family. My uncle immediately blurted out, "He's dating a communist." FML

Confidence Men

2011-11-14T09:30:00.002+02:00

I just finished reading Ron Suskind's "Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington and the Education of a President" a few days ago. I must say, I was rather impressed by the book. Suskind is clearly an extremely talent writer, reporter and researcher, and it is hard to fathom how he was able to dig up so much history on the three years of the Obama presidency and a year of campaigning.

When I first started the book, I was a bit hesitant to give Suskind full credit for his objectivity - after all he is a Wall Street Journal reporter - owned by everyone's favorite right wing puppet master - Rupert Murdoch. However, through well thought out and researched arguments, Suskind had me convinced of the validity of his arguments within the first 100 pages (The entire book is 480 pages or so).

I won't spoil the story for anyone still interested in reading the book - but a long story short, Suskind argues that Obama in the end was played by Wall Street through a set of advisers (many of whom were previously from Wall Street) who manipulated and controlled information, limited the scope of debate, and generally pursued their individual agendas sometimes against the direct wishes of President Obama. The underlying critique was directed at Obama's lack of fundamental management skills, which seems to have some merit.

Go out and buy this book or check it out from the library. It's a great read and has some interesting insights into modern day politics and the Obama Administration.

Murakami Quote

2011-11-12T19:14:00.003+02:00

"Emotional hurt is the price a person has to pay in order to be independent ... Sometimes, however, this sense of isolation, like acid spilling out of a bottle, can unconsciously eat away at a person's heart and dissolve it. You could see it, too, as a kind of double-edged sword. It protects me, but at the same time steadily cuts away at me from the inside ... and that's why I've had to constantly keep my body in motion, in some cases pushing myself to the limit, in order to heal the loneliness I feel inside and to put it in perspective"

- What I Talk about when I talk about Running

News Round Up - Nudity, Tebow and Iran

2011-11-12T19:13:00.001+02:00

How the GOP Became the Party of the Rich | Politics News | Rolling Stone

The nation is still recovering from a crushing recession that sent unemployment hovering above nine percent for two straight years. The president, mindful of soaring deficits, is pushing bold action to shore up the nation's balance sheet. Cloaking himself in the language of class warfare, he calls on a hostile Congress to end wasteful tax breaks for the rich. "We're going to close the unproductive tax loopholes that allow some of the truly wealthy to avoid paying their fair share," he thunders to a crowd in Georgia. Such tax loopholes, he adds, "sometimes made it possible for millionaires to pay nothing, while a bus driver was paying 10 percent of his salary – and that's crazy." Preacherlike, the president draws the crowd into a call-and-response. "Do you think the millionaire ought to pay more in taxes than the bus driver," he demands, "or less?" The crowd, sounding every bit like the protesters from Occupy Wall Street, roars back: "MORE!" The year was 1985. The president was Ronald Wilson Reagan.
Steve Jobs’s Real Genius : The New Yorker

** Great read - Gladwell on Steve Jobs ** THE TWEAKER - The real genius of Steve Jobs. by Malcolm Gladwell
5 Lessons of U.S. Plan for a Permanent Military Presence in Australia - Max Fisher - International - The Atlantic

The U.S. has arranged with Australia to install a permanent military presence near the northern Australian town of Darwin, a move that signals shifts in President Obama's foreign policy and the U.S. vision for its role in the world. Obama will formally announce the new base with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard during his visit to Australia next week, the Sydney Morning Herald reported this morning.
Tebow or not Tebow, that is the question - FT.com

Do you know how to Tebow? Unless you follow American football, you might not know what I’m talking about. But Tebowing is all the rage in the US today – and anyone with more than a passing interest in our society should take note. Tebowing owes its origins to a God-fearing football player named Tim Tebow (pronounced: Tee-boh), who celebrates good fortune on the field by dropping to one knee and lowering his head in prayer – assuming a pose not unlike that of Rodin’s “The Thinker”, if “The Thinker” got off his pedestal, put on pads and rested his forehead on his fist.
Mitt Romney: I Won't Let Iran Get Nukes - WSJ.com

** A terribly ignorant, idiotic and naive op-ed from Romney on Iran. Amazing to hear the war drums beating already... conveniently as Israel steps up its settlement activities ** The International Atomic Energy Agency's latest report this week makes clear what I and others have been warning about for too long: Iran is making rapid headway toward its goal of obtaining nuclear weapons. Successive American presidents, including Barack Obama, have declared such an outcome to be unacceptable. But under the Obama administration, rhetoric and policy have been sharply at odds, and we're hurtling toward a major crisis involving nuclear weapons in one of the most politically volatile and economically significant regions of the world.
Iran’s nuclear capability: How to stop Iran without bombing them - Slate Magazine

The “Iran problem” can be summed up as follows: The Iranians really seem to be building nuclear weapons and, while they’re not there yet (an important caveat), they have everything they need to get there soon. It would be seriously bad news if they took that final step. Yet a pre-emptive strike on their nuclear facilities would set back their program only slightly, boost popular support for their regime, and likely unleash a spree of terrorist attacks and economic retaliation with devastating effects worldwide.
U.S. may sell precision-guided bombs to UAE: source | Reuters

The U.S. government may soon announce plans for a large sale of precision-guided bombs to the United Arab Emirates, a source familiar with the arms sales plans said late on Thursday, as tensions mounted with Iran over its nuclear program. The Pentagon is considering a significant sale of Joint Direct Attack Munitions made by Boeing Co, adding to other recent arms deals with the UAE. These include the sale of 500 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles about which U.S. lawmakers were notified in September.
Israeli army says accidentally kills West Bank settler | Reuters

An Israeli soldier killed a Jewish settler rabbi in the occupied West Bank on Friday after mistaking him for a Palestinian militant as he drove to dawn prayers, the army and settler leaders said. Troops set up a checkpoint near Beit Hagai settlement after receiving reports of a car "driving suspiciously," and one of them opened fire on the speeding vehicle after it failed to heed orders to halt, the army said in a statement.
Obama’s Influential Mideast Envoy to Resign - NYTimes.com

** Finally the ridiculously biased Zionist Dennis Ross is leaving his post ** Dennis B. Ross, a seasoned diplomat who has been one of President Obama’s most influential advisers on Iran and the Middle East, announced Thursday that he would leave the White House, at a time when Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are frozen and tensions over Iran are flaring up anew.
Egypt closes Great Pyramid on 11/11/11 – USATODAY.com

The authority's head Mustafa Amin said in a statement Friday that the pyramid of Khufu, also known as Cheops, would be closed to visitors until Saturday morning for "necessary maintenance." The closure follows a string of unconfirmed reports in local media that unidentified groups would try to hold "Jewish" or "Masonic" rites on the site to take advantage of mysterious powers coming from the pyramid on the rare date.
Two blasts hit Egypt’s gas pipeline to Israel and Jordan

An Egyptian pipeline sending gas to Israel and Jordan was hit by two explosions early Thursday, Egypt’s security services and the official news agency said. A first blast occurred around 1:00 am (2300 GMT Wednesday) 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of the town of al-Arish in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, a security source said. A second unexplained explosion took place near a pumping station in the same sector, the official news agency MENA said, adding that the army was deploying in the region.
Newt Gingrich’s war on Republican debate moderators - The Washington Post

If there’s one thing Newt Gingrich has made clear in recent debates, it’s that he doesn’t have much regard for debate moderators. Gingrich’s duel with CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo at Wednesday night’s Republican debate in Michigan was perhaps the tensest exchange between Gingrich and a debate moderator to date, but it was simply the latest in a long line of them. Gingrich has taken on the press at almost every debate (he actually did it twice with Bartiromo on Wednesday) in what can’t be described as anything less than a calculated effort.
Dubai's MBC says sorry over movie nudity mistake - Media - ArabianBusiness.com

Dubai-based TV network MBC on Wednesday said it had launched an investigation into how a movie containing nudity was broadcast unedited earlier this week. Into The Wild, directed by Sean Penn, was shown on its MBC Max channel on Monday but scenes showing partial nudity prompted many viewers to complain on social networking site Twitter.
Obama’s Christmas Tree Tax? Agriculture Department scraps plan for 15-cent fee on growers.

The effort, which was scrapped by the administration on Wednesday, the same day it was set to go into effect, would have imposed the fee on most American growers for each fresh-cut Christmas tree sold this holiday season. ABC News explains that the proposal was backed by the very growers that would have had to pay the fee, and that the money would have gone to a new marketing board set up by the tree growing industry, much like the "Got Milk" dairy marketing campaign or the beef industry’s "What’s for Dinner" commercials.
Supreme Court confronts a trove of constitutional questions in case involving passport law - The Washington Post

If landmark Supreme Court rulings sometimes come in unlikely cases, the justices’ consideration Monday of a law that gives 50,000 Americans born in Jerusalem the option of listing “Israel” as their birthplace seems to fit the bill. In a little more than an hour, lawyers and the justices debated whether the president has sole authority to guide the nation’s foreign policy, whether Congress is an equal — or perhaps superior— partner and whether the Supreme Court even has a role to play in sorting it out.
Chinese counterfeit parts found in U.S. weapons - The Washington Post

U.S. officials say a problem that has long plagued luxury handbag makers such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton is now afflicting the Pentagon’s high-end weapons systems: cheap Chinese counterfeits. A months-long congressional probe found at least 1,800 cases of counterfeit electronics in U.S. weapons, with the total number of suspect parts exceeding 1 million.
Saudi Arabia named among top G-20 emissions offenders - Energy - ArabianBusiness.com

Saudi Arabia was named on Monday as one of the worst performers in the G-20 for its level of carbon emissions in relation to economic growth. A report published by Price waterhouseCoopers said the kingdom's emissions grew almost twice as fast as its GDP.
On electoral map, Obama still has routes to victory in 2012, despite low ratings - The Washington Post

There’s no question that President Obama faces one of the most challenging political environments in modern memory as he prepares to try to win a second term next November. But with one year to go before the 2012 election, a state-by-state examination of the battleground map suggests that the president still retains several plausible pathways to the 270 electoral votes he needs.
Israel’s secular activists start to fight back - FT.com

In this city, however, the sight and sound of women singing in the street is seen by a large and increasingly influential part of the local population as a provocation. Members of Jerusalem’s ultra-orthodox Jewish community believe that men should not listen to the female voice in song, because it may arouse impure thoughts. The same goes for public images of women on advertising billboards and buses. Such pictures have become hard to find in Jerusalem, as more companies shun female models, fearing that posters will be vandalised by zealous members of the ultra-orthodox, or Haredi, community.
Mossad site down after Anonymous warning - FT.com

The websites of the Israeli military, the Mossad intelligence agency and the Shin Bet domestic security service crashed on Sunday, triggering speculation that the three pillars of Israel’s national security apparatus had fallen victim to a hacking attack. The websites broke down just days after a statement issued by Anonymous, the shadowy group of hackers and online activists, threatened to “strike back” at Israel over the country’s continuing maritime blockade against the Gaza Strip.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Finally someone got Bachmann to shut up

2011-11-12T18:19:00.001+02:00

Anonymous against Israeli Aggression

2011-11-07T10:49:00.000+02:00

News Round Up - OWS, Pox and Qatar

2011-11-07T10:02:00.001+02:00

Prosecutor to parents: Mailing chickenpox illegal

Parents fearful of vaccinations are being warned by a federal prosecutor that making a deal with a stranger who promises to mail them lollipops licked by children with chickenpox isn't just a bad idea, it's against the law. Jerry Martin, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, said he was spurred by reports this week by KPHO-TV in Phoenix and WSMV-TV in Nashville about people turning to Facebook to find lollipops, spit or other items from children who have chickenpox. "Can you imagine getting a package in the mail from this complete stranger that you know from Facebook because you joined a group, and say here, drink this purported spit from some other kid?" Martin told The Associated Press.
Oakland Cops Send Second Veteran to Hospital

If the Oakland police department is trying to improve its public image regarding crowd control, it might want to try a little harder. A second war veteran was sent to the hospital last week during clashes between police, Occupy movement protesters and vandals which resulted in more arrests.
Radical Muslim Nigerian Sect Kills 100

Since Friday, the radical Muslim sect known as Boko Haram has killed at least 100 people in Nigeria, and suicide bombs and shooting attacks may continue in the country on Sunday, according to the Associated Press.
Saudi aviation switch could speed up airline sale - Transport - ArabianBusiness.com

Saudi King Abdullah on Saturday ordered the establishment of an independent civil aviation authority and put its head in charge of the board of Saudi Arabian Airlines, a move that could help speed up privatisation of the national carrier. The decision came as part of a series of royal decrees published on state media that separated civil aviation from the Ministry of Defence and Aviation following the death of Crown Prince Sultan, who was also in charge of the ministry.
Who Needs a Federal Government When We Have Starbucks? | Death and Taxes

Starbucks is doing a novel thing. Starting on November 1st, it will roll out a program called “Jobs for USA,” in which it will begin accepting donations of $5 from its millions of customers throughout its 7,000 U.S. stores and dedicating the money directly to creating jobs.
The McRib Contains an Ingredient Most Commonly Found in Yoga Mats | Death and Taxes

In fact, I almost think the news that the McRib contains an ingredient most commonly found in yoga mats is a plus for fans. It allows them to defy and in a way desecrate the supposedly healthiest, most spiritually enlightening form of exercise while (hopefully) surviving the McRib experience. Gym mats in the bun doesn’t make it gross—it makes it better.
Fittest Cities, From Denver to Los Angeles - The Daily Beast

** Yeah Denver. US' fittest city again, several years running. 1. Denver Ed Andrieski / AP Photo Percentage of residents who performed physical activity in the last 30 days: 83.3% Obese: 18.8%
Bahrain launches $265m fund to seek food investments - Banking & Finance - ArabianBusiness.com

A Bahraini sovereign wealth fund has launched a BD100m ($265m) food security fund to invest in agricultural projects in the tiny Gulf kingdom and abroad, an official said on Wednesday. "The fund is based on purely commercial principles," Mohammed Mubarak al-Sulaity, chief executive of Bahrain's Future Generations Reserve Fund (FGF), told Al Arabiya television on Wednesday.
GCC to spend $25bn on new power generating capacity | Energy, Oil and Gas | AMEinfo.com

The International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) has said that the GCC countries are likely to spend up to $25bn (Dhs91.8bn) over the next decade to install new power generation capacity in order to meet their burgeoning electricity demand, Gulf News has reported.
US firm wins deal to plan Saudi homes boom - Construction - ArabianBusiness.com

US-based Parsons said on Wednesday it has been awarded a contract to master plan thousands of new homes in Saudi Arabia. The award of the first package released by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Housing as part of a programme to build 500,000 houses over the next few years comprises 32 million sq m of land.
Mexico soldiers seize catapults used to fling pot - Yahoo! News

The Mexican army says soldiers have seized two catapults that were being used by drug smugglers to fling packages of marijuana across the border into Arizona.
Israel to build housing to retaliate for Palestinians' U.N. moves - latimes.com

Reporting from Jerusalem— After a successful Palestinian bid to join the U.N. cultural agency, UNESCO, Israel said Tuesday that it would retaliate by issuing tenders for about 2,000 new housing units on land it seized during the 1967 Mideast War. After meeting with his top advisors, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would order construction of apartments in the Jerusalem area and the West Bank settlements of Gush Etzion and Maaleh Adumim. Officials said about 1,650 units would be built around Jerusalem and the rest in the West Bank.
Qatar to hold first legislative polls

Qatar plans to hold the first elections to its advisory legislative council in the second half of 2013, HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani said yesterday. The election will be the first to the Advisory Council, 30 of whose 45 members will be elected and the others appointed by the Emir under a constitution approved in 2003. All the body’s current members are appointed.
Syria Reportedly Plants Landmines Along Lebanon Border

Syria has planted land mines along parts of its border with Lebanon, further sealing itself off from the world and showing just how deeply shaken Bashar Assad's regime has become since an uprising began nearly eight months ago. Although Assad's hold on power is firm, the 46-year-old eye doctor is taking increasingly desperate measures to safeguard his grip on the country of 22 million people at the heart of the Arab world. A Syrian official confirmed to The Associated Press that troops were laying the mines, saying they were aimed at stopping weapons smuggling into the country during the uprising.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Dubai Sunrise

2011-11-05T14:49:00.001+02:00

Hard to believe I actually live here sometimes...

News Round Up - Cain, Colonialism and the CIA

2011-11-01T17:10:00.001+02:00

Va Republican party condemns Loudoun GOP e-mail with an image of Obama shot in the head - Virginia Politics - The Washington Post

The Republican Party of Virginia is strongly condemning an e-mail sent by Loudoun County’s GOP committee that shows President Obama as a zombie with part of his skull missing and a bullet through his head. “The disgusting image used today on a mass e-mail has no place in our politics. Ever,’’ said Pat Mullins, chairman of the state party. “The Republican Party of Virginia condemns the image and its use in the strongest possible terms.”
Another Cain Gaffe: He Questions the Existence of the Palestinians - The Daily Beast

** Cain is an idiot. He should go back to making pizza and sexually harassing women **
To Palestinian ears, Republican contenders for the presidency can sound a lot like far-right Israeli politicians when discussing the Middle East. Most oppose concessions by Israel and advocate the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. But now Herman Cain has managed to outdo even the most hawkish Israelis by referring to residents of the West Bank and Gaza as the “so-called Palestinian people.” The formulation appears to cast doubt on not just the Palestinians’ right to statehood but on their very existence as a nation.
Online hackers threaten to expose cartel's secrets - Houston Chronicle

** Amazing, rather incredible. A group of anonymous hackers taking on a drug cartel **
An international group of online hackers is warning a Mexican drug cartel to release one of its members, kidnapped from a street protest, or it will publish the identities and addresses of the syndicate's associates, from corrupt police to taxi drivers, as well as reveal the syndicates' businesses. The vow is a bizarre cyber twist to Mexico's ongoing drug war, as a group that has no guns is squaring off against the Zetas, a cartel blamed for thousands of deaths as well as introducing beheadings and other frightening brutality.
Moshe Dayan's Widow Ruth: Zionist Dream Has Run Its Course - The Daily Beast

** Ruth Dayan speaking on the destruction of the Zionist dream and the racism and war mongering of the current Israeli regime **
This political transformation is not lost on Ruth. “For Netanyahu, peace is just a word, and that [current Foreign Minister Avigdor] Liberman?...?he is the most terrible man in this country. The way he speaks about our Arabs, our Israeli Arabs, is unacceptable! I call Liberman ‘Doberman’: how can a man like that represent our country?!”
Saudi in $10.6bn desalination plant spend - ArabianBusiness.com

Saudi Arabia is planning to spend SR40bn ($10.6bn) on building a number of desalination plants in the kingdom, a senior official said on Sunday. The governor of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation also announced plans to privatise SWCC next year, state news agency SPA reported.
How a letter on Hitler’s stationery, written to a boy in Jersey, reached the CIA - The Washington Post

At CIA headquarters in Langley, one of the newest artifacts in the agency’s private museum is a message from a father to his 3-year-old son. The gold-embossed letterhead features a swastika and the name Adolf Hitler. “Dear Dennis,” the seven-sentence letter begins. “The man who might have written on this card once controlled Europe — three short years ago when you were born. Today he is dead, his memory despised, his country in ruins.”
US condemns UNESCO over Palestine vote - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

** Israeli lobby at its worst/best **
The US government has cut off tens of millions of dollars in annual funding to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) after it voted to admit Palestine as a full member. Victoria Nuland, the US state department spokeswoman, said payments to the Paris-based organisation would be stopped immediately. She said Washington would refrain from making a $60m payment it planned to deliver in November. "Today's vote by the member states of UNESCO to admit Palestine as a member is regrettable, premature, and undermines our shared goal of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East,'' Nuland said.
Kuwait delays privatisation of ailing flag carrier - Transport - ArabianBusiness.com

State-owned Kuwait Airways has delayed plans to privatise the airline and will now push ahead with the restructuring of the ailing carrier, a committee formed for the privatisation plan said on Sunday. Kuwait Airways was offering 35 percent of its share capital of KD220m ($805.3m) to potential long-term investors, amounting to around $280m, as part of the plan.
Oil’s new world order - The Washington Post

For more than five decades, the world’s oil map has centered on the Middle East. No matter what new energy resources were discovered and developed elsewhere, virtually all forecasts indicated that U.S. reliance on Mideast oil supplies was destined to grow. This seemingly irreversible reality has shaped not only U.S. energy policy and economic policy, but also geopolitics and the entire global economy. But today, what appeared irreversible is being reversed. The outline of a new world oil map is emerging, and it is centered not on the Middle East but on the Western Hemisphere. The new energy axis runs from Alberta, Canada, down through North Dakota and South Texas, past a major new discovery off the coast of French Guyana to huge offshore oil deposits found near Brazil.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

News Round Up - Occupation and Protest Special

2011-10-29T15:39:00.001+02:00

Giles Fraser: St. Paul's canon resigns over Occupy London Stock Exchange evictions

A top cleric at the famous St. Paul’s Cathedral in London resigned Thursday in support of the "Occupy" protests taking place in front of his church. Giles Fraser, the church’s canon chancellor, announced via Twitter that he was stepping down "with great regret and sadness." He had split with church leaders over demonstrators’ right to camp out in front of the cathedral as part of the Occupy London Stock Exchange protests, one of several offshoots of New York’s Occupy Wall Street protests that have sprung up around the world.
There Are Only 2 Ways to Save the Economy: Innovation or Inflation - Michael Mandel - Business - The Atlantic

In other words, we have to shift from a consumer economy to a production economy. This is partly about a change in spending patterns, but also about a change in attitude. For example, we need to boost R&D and other investment in knowledge capital, but we also need federal regulatory agencies to encourage rather than discourage innovation. We need more infrastructure spending and other investment in physical capital, but it should be directed towards supporting exports and production in the U.S., rather than clearing up bottlenecks of imported consumer goods. This profound shift in policy and behavior is essential over the long run, but it won't be easy or quick.
Tahrir Square Meets Occupy Wall Street - Thanassis Cambanis - International - The Atlantic

NEW YORK -- It was supposed to be a master class in revolutionary activism: two stars of the Tahrir Square uprising visiting Occupy Wall Street to swap tactics and sass. It ended up more like an undergraduate teach-in. For Egyptian activists Asmaa Mahfouz and Ahmed Maher, the visit to Zuccotti Park was an exhilarating -- if surreal -- break from the punishing workload of fighting the military dictatorship back home. "Where is the tear gas?" Maher asked with a smile, but he seemed genuinely puzzled by the cordial relations between the Wall Streeters and the cops.
Qatar Discloses Ground Troop Involvement in Libyan Conflict - Arabianomics

Via The Guardian: For the first time since the start of the conflict, Qatari officials have admitted to providing troops to the Libyan rebels in their fight against the Gaddafi regime. Previously, only Qatar’s air force involvement was publicly disclosed.
Soviet-style ‘Foreign Affairs’ stages ‘debate’ on Israel between ’2 senior Israeli officials’ and ‘liberal American Zionist’

I wish this was a joke, but it's not. Here's a portion of an email promoting the November/December issue of Foreign Affairs. The actual articles are here. The email promotion (emphasis mine): “The Problem is Palestinian Rejectionism” by Yosef Kuperwasser and Shalom Lipner and “Israel’s Bunker Mentality” by Ronald Krebs A heated debate over the source of Israel’s greatest threat, pitting two senior Israeli officials against a liberal American Zionist, as they lock horns over whether hard-line Palestinians or hard-line Israelis are to blame for the impasse in the peace process. Isn't this like 'pitting' a ram and a ewe?
BBC News - Tunisia election: Partial results suggest Ennahda win

Partial official results from Tunisia suggest victory for the moderate Islamist party Ennahda, in the first democratic elections prompted by the Arab Spring uprisings. The electoral commission said Ennahda was well ahead in the vote for a new assembly that will write a constitution and appoint a caretaker government.
Saudi housing supply, demand gap narrows - Real Estate - ArabianBusiness.com

The gap between housing demand and supply in Saudi Arabia is narrowing as banks start to lend and government support boosts sector development, the director of Jones Lang LaSalle in Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday.
Jon Huntsman on Colbert Report: Chinese joke gaffe

ut there was at least one noteworthy part of the back-and-forth that was left on the cutting room floor, ABC News reports. When the show played a stereotypical Chinese musical jingle, the former U.S. ambassador to China responded with a less-than-PC joke. "When’s the delivery food coming?" Huntsman quipped. After a groan from the crowd and an awkward silence, Colbert responded, "Did that go over well in Beijing?"
The Man Who Knew Too Much - By David Rieff | Foreign Policy

Qaddafi was, quite simply, a man who knew too much. Taken alive, he would have almost certainly have been handed over to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which had indicted him -- along with his son, Saif al-Islam, and brother-in-law and military intelligence chief Abdullah Senussi (whereabouts unknown) -- for crimes against humanity in late June. Imagine the stir he would have made in The Hague. There, along with any number of fantasies and false accusations, he would almost certainly have revealed the extent of his intimate relations with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the details of his government's collaboration with Western intelligence services in counterterrorism, with the European Union in limiting migration from Libyan shores, and in the granting of major contracts to big Western oil and construction firms.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

News Round Up - Iraq, Imperialism and 'Illegals'

2011-10-25T13:57:00.001+02:00

Ilan Grapel, American-Israeli accused of spying, to be released by Egypt - The Washington Post

Egypt will release a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen held on suspicion of spying in exchange for 25 Egyptians jailed in Israel under a deal reached with the help of Washington, the Israeli prime minister’s office said Monday. A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Egypt had agreed to release Ilan Grapel, who has been held since June 12. Israel will release 25 Egyptians, including three minors, none of them jailed for security offenses, the statement said.
Why can't we say "empire"? - Foreign policy - Salon.com

Crowley and his establishment colleagues would have us believe we just woke up one day and found ourselves “the lone superpower in the world” rather than admitting that the position is the calculated result of empire building. They downplay our imperial behavior as mundane statecraft — as he put it, simply “throw[ing] our weight around.” But whatever euphemism you prefer, it’s undeniable that America is an empire — and it’s undeniable that the airing of this simple truth is highly inconvenient to those who represent the empire. It’s inconvenient to them because they fear the empire’s serfs might not be so supportive of our government’s long-term ambitions if they discover what those ambitions are.
Are regulations killing US jobs? - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

Politicians pushing right-wing positions in public debate now operate with the assumption that they can get away with saying anything without getting serious scrutiny from the media. That is why right-wing politicians repeatedly blame government regulation for the failure of the economy to generate jobs. Even though there is no truth whatsoever to the claim, right-wing politicians know that the media will treat their nonsense respectfully in news coverage. If political reporters did their job, they would make an effort to determine the validity of the regulation-killing-jobs story and expose the politicians making the claim as either ignorant or dishonest, just as if a politician was going around claiming that September 11 was an inside job. However, today's reporters are either too lazy or incompetent to do their homework.
EA WorldView - Home - Yemen Feature: Drones & the Killing of an American Teenager (Greenwald)

Two weeks after the U.S. killed American citizen Anwar Awlaki with a drone strike in Yemen — far from any battlefield and with no due process — it did the same to his 16-year-old son, Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, ending the teenager’s life on Friday along with his 17-year-old cousin and seven other people. News reports, based on government sources, originally claimed that Awlaki’s son was 21 years old and an Al Qaeda fighter (needless to say, as Terrorist often means: “anyone killed by the U.S.”), but a birth certificate published by The Washington Post proved that he was born only 16 years ago in Denver.
Mitt Romney, Rick Perry & Herman Cain: Why the GOP Demonizes 'Illegals' - The Daily Beast

** Couldn't agree more! Use of the term 'illegals' is dehumanizing ** On the other hand, it’s just possible that the rhetorical dehumanization of millions of Latinos may have something to do with the big spike in anti-Latino hate crimes over the last decade. In 2010, for instance, a Phoenix man named Gary Kelley shot his neighbor, Juan Verela, after yelling, “Go back to Mexico or die!” No word yet on whether Kelley is an “illegal” as defined by Mitt Romney.
Arab cry for affordable housing answered - FT.com

Dubai’s Emaar Properties aims to tackle one of the main socioeconomic drivers of the unrest that has driven Arab revolutionary ferment this year: affordable housing. Dawahi Development, the property company’s specialist subsidiary, has been 18 months in the making, so the initiative predates the Arab spring, but the timing of this week’s launch is striking.
Michele Bachmann on the Iraq withdrawal: Do Republicans think we own Iraq? - Slate Magazine

But Gingrich’s and Santorum’s gripes are nothing compared to Michele Bachmann’s rage. On Face the Nation, she fumed: We've put a lot of deposit into this situation with Iraq. And to think that we are so disrespected and they have so little fear of the United States that there would be nothing that we would gain from this … We are there as the nation that liberated these people. And that's the thanks that the United States is getting after 4,400 lives were expended and over $800 billion? And so on the way out, we're being kicked out of the country? I think this is absolutely outrageous.
Jobs Plan Stalled, Obama to Try New Economic Drive - NYTimes.com

With his jobs plan stymied in Congress by Republican opposition, President Obama on Monday will begin a series of executive-branch actions to confront housing, education and other economic problems over the coming months, heralded by a new mantra: “We can’t wait” for lawmakers to act.
Police Pepper Spray Haka Dancers At Football Game In Utah

ROOSEVELT, Utah -- Police in a small Utah town are being accused of overreacting after using pepper spray to break up a group of Polynesian men and boys performing a traditional dance called the Haka after a high school football game. The police action came after a pair of officers unsuccessfully attempted to disperse the dozen or so performers who were blocking an exit after the Union-Uintah game Thursday night, the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Over A Third Of Americans Support Occupy Wall Street Protests: Poll [LIVE UPDATES]

More than one-third of the country supports the Wall Street protests, and even more – 58 percent – say they are furious about America's politics. The number of angry people is growing as deep reservoirs of resentment grip the country, according to the latest Associated Press-GfK poll.
Church Of Scientology Investigated 'South Park' Creators Matt Stone, Trey Parker: Report

Marty Rathbun, a former Church of Scientology executive-turned-critic and independent worshipper, revealed to the Village Voice a number of documents that detailed the religious sect's detailed surveillance of the Emmy-winning TV moguls. Through the help of informants, public records and various other means, they searched for "vulnerabilities" in the pair's personal lives, and after exploring their personal and business connections, widened their focus to investigating actors such as John Stamos, as well.
Rick Perry Answers Questions On Obama Birth Certificate

** You've got to be kidding me ** Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry walked a fine line when presented with questions about President Barack Obama's birth certificate -- which was released by the White House earlier this year -- in a new interview with Parade magazine published online.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

News Round Up - Portuguese Port, Qatari Diar and Russian Rail

2011-10-24T08:08:00.001+02:00

Qatar Foundation unit set to boost Arabic Wikipedia - Technology - ArabianBusiness.com

A unit of Qatar Foundation has signed a partnership deal to reinvigorate the Arabic content of Wikipedia, the world's largest free encyclopaedia, it was reported on Sunday.Qatar Computing Research Institute is in partnership with Wikimedia Foundation to increase the quantity and quality of online Arabic contributions, Qatar's Gulf Times said.

tags: technology MiddleEast arabic qatar knowledge
Qatari Diar to invest $543.8m in Egyptian projects - Banking & Finance - ArabianBusiness.com

Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company on Sunday said it had signed a contract worth more than $543.8m for projects in Egypt. The contract with with Consolidated Contractors Company allots $464.3m to the company's Nile Corniche project in Cairo and $79.5m to its coastal resort project in Sharm El Sheikh.

tags: Egypt Cairo MiddleEast qatar swf
Obama’s Re-election Model: Bush ‘04

It was a bad economy, the country was thoroughly committed to increasingly unpopular military conflicts in the Middle East, and the president’s popularity was low. No — we’re not talking about President Barack Obama, we’re talking about President George. W. Bush. Or rather, we’re talking about both, and because of that, the current president’s reelection team is looking his predecessor’s 2004 success very closely

tags: obama politics bush politicians elections democrats
Cantor Speech Canceled for Fear of Being Occupied

It could have been a match made in heaven — Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor wanted to make a speech about income inequality at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and the people from Occupy Philadelphia wanted to be there. But while both parties wanted to address the same general topic, they were on opposite sides of the political spectrum. So Cantor’s speech, in which he imagines what he would say to a “9-year-old, inner city kid scared to death, growing up in a life of poverty,” was canceled.

tags: republicans poverty gini protest occupywallstreet
UAE to give Egypt $3bn aid

The United Arab Emirates plans to provide $ 3 billion in financial aid to Egypt but is still discussing the mechanism to deliver it, a senior UAE official said on Saturday. “The UAE has approved an assistance of $ 3 billion to Egypt, but the mechanism is still subject to discussion,” Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs, told reporters.

tags: UAE abudhabi Egypt revolution imperialism
Port wine cherishes its past, looks for a future | The Associated Press | Food & Wine | Washington Examiner

The syrupy after-dinner drink has long been a hallmark European product, like Parma ham, Greek feta or French champagne. The business has withstood foreign and domestic wars, economic depressions and a 19th-century plant blight that wiped out many of the continent's vineyards. The 21st century is no less challenging. Shifting consumer fashions and financial crises in places where port has always sold well have crunched earnings and cast a cloud over the trade's future. That is forcing producers to step outside their comfort zone and explore distant new markets.

tags: port portugal europe alcohol drinks
Could a Russia-US rail tunnel be built? - BBC

Russian officials have backed the idea of a rail tunnel linking Russia and the US. It would run under the Bering Strait for 105km (65 miles) - twice the length of the UK-France Channel Tunnel. The tunnel itself has been estimated to cost $10-12bn and to take 10-15 years to build.

tags: russia UnitedStates politics transportation

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

News Round Up - Self-immolation, Saudi and Settlements

2011-10-22T08:14:00.001+02:00

Minister predicts end of world... again

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A California ministry that warned the end of the world would come Friday awoke to discover that Earth was undergoing its usual gyrations with no signs of a cataclysmic event. Oakland-based Family Radio International stirred a global frenzy when it predicted the rapture would take 200 million Christians to heaven on May 21. Its most recent pronouncement said natural disasters would destroy the globe on Friday.
Luxury Condo, For Saleh or Rent - By Ken Silverstein - Foreign Policy

If Saleh is forced out -- he has held power for more than three decades -- the asset hunters might want to begin their search in Washington, D.C. Real estate records show that in 2007 a man named Ahmed Ali Saleh bought four condominiums in a luxury building in Friendship Heights, right near one of the capital's swankiest shopping areas. He paid $5.5 million -- in cash -- for the condos. He also owns a property assessed at about $220,000 in Fairfax, Virginia, bought in the 1990s.
California adopts first cap-and-trade program in U.S. - latimes.com

The California Air Resources Board on Thursday unanimously adopted the nation's first state-administered cap-and-trade regulations, a landmark set of air pollution controls to address climate change and help the state achieve its ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The complex market system for the first time puts a price on heat-trapping pollution by allowing California's dirtiest industries to trade carbon credits. The rules have been years in the making, overcoming legal challenges and an aggressive oil industry-sponsored ballot initiative.
The median U.S. wage in 2010 was just $26,363 - The Washington Post

The government has released the first official payroll data for 2010. As you might expect, the numbers aren’t too encouraging. The “raw” average wage--net compensation divided by total number of workers--was $39,959.30, according to the data from the Social Security Administration. But the median wage is far lower: 50 percent of workers earned less than or equal to $26,363.55 for 2010
‘We are wall Street…we are smarter and more vicious than [dinosaurs]‘ - FT

“We are Wall Street. It’s our job to make money. Whether it’s a commodity, stock, bond, or some hypothetical piece of fake paper, it doesn’t matter. We would trade baseball cards if it were profitable. I didn’t hear America complaining when the market was roaring to 14,000 and everyone’s 401k doubled every 3 years. Just like gambling, its not a problem until you lose. I’ve never heard of anyone going to Gamblers Anonymous because they won too much in Vegas.
Dubai International Airport adds SnoozeCube units - AMEinfo.com

Dubai International Airport has added new facilities in Terminal 1 to provide added comfort to weary transit passengers. Ten sound-proof 'SnoozeCube' units have been installed containing a full-sized bed, touch-screen TV, and high-speed internet. Dubai is the first airport to install the system, said developer of the SnoozeCube, Larry Swann.
Israel plans new settlement of 2,600 that will isolate Arab East Jerusalem | World news - The Guardian

Israel has submitted plans to build the first big Jewish settlement in the occupied territories in 25 years, in a move condemned as an "assassination" of attempts to revive peace negotiations. A leading Israeli peace group, Peace Now, denounced the plan to build 2,600 homes at Givat Hamatos on the southern edge of Jerusalem as a "game changer" because it would virtually cut off the Arab east of the city from the rest of the occupied West Bank.
Kenyan forces hunt Somali militants - FT

Kenyan and Somali troops launched an attack on Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda in Somalia on Sunday, following a spate of kidnappings of tourists and aid workers in Kenya. Kenya said at the weekend it would hunt the al-Qaeda-linked insurgents following Thursday’s kidnapping of two aid workers from Dadaab, in north-eastern Kenya, home to the world’s largest refugee camp. More than 400,000 Somalis who have fled war and famine shelter there, close to the border.
Self-Immolation: French Math Teacher Sets Herself on Fire in Front of Students - AFP

A 44-year-old math teacher who set herself on fire in front of students at her school in southern France died Friday. The AFP reports that the self-immolation appears to have been prompted by a confrontation between the teacher and a group of rowdy students at a Thursday meeting aimed at clearing the air between the instructor and her pupils.
New Deal accomplishments: Do conservatives who attack the New Deal actually know what America gained from it? - Slate Magazine

651,000 miles of highway. 8,000 parks. The Triborough Bridge. Do conservatives who attack the New Deal actually know what America gained from it?
Saudi oil Saudi energy demand to double by 2028 - Gulf News

Saudi Aramco has forecast that the kingdom's daily energy demand will reach an equivalent of 8.3 million barrels by 2028, more than double the 3.4 million barrels equivalent in 2009. Currently, of the 8.3 million barrels daily in oil production, more than three million barrels are consumed by the domestic market mainly to fuel national industries.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Portraits of Sheikh Jarrah

2011-10-16T21:00:00.001+02:00

Series of videos portraying continued Israeli expropriation of Palestinian land in the West Bank. Incredibly well done films.

Find them all here

Perfect Dinner

2011-10-15T20:46:00.001+02:00

Chicken with peri peri sauce, salad, kiwi, Guinness and the FT...

News Round Up - Buttocks, Britain and Bad Karaoke

2011-10-14T11:26:00.001+02:00

Would Iran Really Want to Blow Up the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S.? - Max Fisher - International - The Atlantic

It's entirely possible that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's announcement today is exactly what it looks like: the U.S. discovery and foiling of a plot by Iranian government agents to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. in a bomb attack, possibly in Washington, DC. Iran has a record sponsoring terrorism, and Iran-Saudi competition can sometimes look like a Cold War of the Middle East. But, for all the plausibility that Iran might be willing to blow up a Saudi ambassador, it's not at all apparent what they would gain from it. Iran has never been shy about sponsoring terrorism, but only when it was within their interests, or at least their perceived interests. It's hard to see how they could have possibly decided on a plot like the one that Holder claimed today.
Two spaces after a period: Why you should never, ever do it. - Slate Magazine

Can I let you in on a secret? Typing two spaces after a period is totally, completely, utterly, and inarguably wrong. And yet people who use two spaces are everywhere, their ugly error crossing every social boundary of class, education, and taste.
US charges man with spying for Syria - FT.com

A Syrian-born man has been arrested on charges of spying on Syrian protesters in the US on behalf of the government in Damascus, the justice department announced. Mohamad Anas Haitham Soueid, a 47-year-old resident of Leesburg, Virginia, was charged with acting as an unregistered agent of the Syrian intelligence agency by collecting information about dissidents “in order to silence, intimidate and potentially harm the protesters”. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
Saddam’s bronze buttock up for auction in Britain

A bronze buttock from the statue of late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein toppled in Baghdad after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 is to be auctioned in Britain, an auction house said Tuesday. A former soldier from Britain’s elite SAS regiment retrieved the two-foot (0.6-meter) wide piece of history and took it back to Britain shortly after U.S. marines dragged the statue down on live television.
Hiring Narcos to Murder the Saudi Ambassador? If It’s True, Tehran Is Pretty Dumb - Global Spin - TIME.com

If Iranian government operatives really did try to contract a Mexican drug cartel to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the U.S., as the Obama Administration alleges today, then they weren't just being diabolical. They were being fairly stupid.
Netanyahu Announces Deal to Free Shalit - NYTimes.com

Israel and Hamas, two of the Middle East’s most implacable foes, announced Tuesday they had reached a tentative agreement brokered by Egypt to exchange more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for an Israeli soldier held captive for more than five years.
Saudi cabinet OKs rail connecting east, west coasts | Reuters

Saudi Arabia approved plans to build a freight and passenger railway connecting its western port of Jeddah with the eastern ports of Dammam and Jubail, president of the Saudi Railway Organisation said in an statement on Tuesday.
Floating island concept unveiled for Dubai's The World - Real Estate - ArabianBusiness.com

A Dubai-based joint venture has developed a floating island concept which it says could answer the needs of owners of islands in Nakheel's The World project. Atoll Floating Islands, a joint venture between Palmerstone and Donald Starkey Designs has unveiled the 'Ome, a floating home on a monocoque type structure, which is designed to be manouvered between Dubai's coast and The World islands.
Abbas stumps for Palestinian statehood in El Salvador - CNN.com

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who is on a three-country tour in Latin America in a bid to build support for U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state, met with the president of El Salvador on Sunday. Salvadorian President Mauricio Funes expressed his support for a Palestinian state and said that he hopes it will soon have a place at the United Nations, according to the president's website.
GCC power: Coping with ever increasing demand | Kuwait Financial Centre (Markaz) | AMEinfo.com

For the past several years, GCC countries have made concerted efforts toward enhancing their power generation capacity in an effort to satiate rising demand due to the increase in the population and economy. Power consumption across the GCC has grown at an annual rate of about 9% from 2002; Saudi Arabia and the UAE account for a combined 75% of the total GCC consumption. The major power projects, completed across the GCC during the past decade, have now commenced operations; installed capacity has doubled from nearly 46,600 MW in 2002 to almost 98,000 MW in 2009: a CAGR of 10%.
Cairo rally by Coptic Christians spurs deadly clashes - The Washington Post

At least 23 people were killed and nearly 200 were wounded in downtown Cairo on Sunday night as a march by Coptic Christians turned into the deadliest outbreak of violence in Egypt since the popular revolt that toppled the country’s autocratic leader in February.
Singing Bad Karaoke in Front of Strangers Is For People With a Death Wish | Death and Taxes

A 42-year-old man has been convicted of punching a 79-year-old man into a plate glass window after complaining about the older man’s karaoke singing at a western New York bar. The Ontario County District Attorney’s Office says a jury Thursday convicted Paul Collen of the town of Naples of second-degree assault. Prosecutors say Collen was at the bar at the Naples Hotel last March when he punched the 79-year-old man in the face, breaking his nose and facial bones. Authorities say the punch sent the man’s head through a plate glass window. The assault occurred during one of the bar’s weekly karaoke nights. Officials say Collen complained about the man’s singing, then began punching him before several patrons stepped in to stop the assault.
BBC News - Poland votes in general election

People in Poland are voting in a parliamentary election which the governing centre-right hopes to win. If successful, PM Donald Tusk's Civic Platform would become the first Polish party to win two consecutive terms since the fall of communism in 1989. Mr Tusk has presided over four years of strong economic growth.
Qatar announces plans for $1bn solar plant - Energy - ArabianBusiness.com

Qatar Solar Technologies (QSTec) has announced that it plans to build a $1bn polysilicon production facility. QSTec's plant will manufacture 8,000 MTPY (metric tonnes per year) of high-purity solar grade polysilicon and is scheduled to start operations in the second half of 2013. The site, chosen with future expansion in mind, is located on 1.2m sq m of land in Ras Laffan Industrial City in the north east of Qatar, the heart of Qatar's LNG refineries and exports.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

News Round Up

2011-10-08T15:35:00.001+02:00

In G.O.P. Race, Foreign Policy is Mainly a Footnote - NYTimes.com

Herman Cain suggested that Israel’s conservative prime minister would be open to allowing Palestinians right of return to the lands they fled in what is now Israel. Gov. Rick Perry suggested it was possible that American troops could be sent to Mexico if drug violence there got worse. And former Senator Rick Santorum offered that the United States should engage with the ousted Pakistani dictator Pervez Musharraf — now living in self-exile in London — to respond to the threat of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands.
Wikileaks: Obama responds to leaks with executive order to close security gaps

President Obama is set to issue an executive order Friday aimed at closing the widespread security gaps exposed when WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of classified government documents last year. The National Journal, which was given an advance copy of the order, reports that it makes individual federal agencies primarily responsible for safeguarding their information, and issues instructions on how to do so. It also includes provisions for internal psychological profiling in the form of an Insider Threat Task Force, which will ascertain whether those agencies handling classified information can, in the words of the Journal, "weed out the malcontents and people whose behavior suggest they cannot handle sensitive information appropriately."
Occupy Wall Street protests ramp up in New York, elsewhere - The Washington Post

The long-running New York protest against economic inequality and perceived Wall Street excesses gained momentum Wednesday as union members joined marchers in Lower Manhattan, while students at several colleges walked out of classes in solidarity and like-minded organizers completed plans to bring the fight to Washington.
What Occupy DC wants: Less corporate money in politics - The Washington Post

On Monday, about 20 people gathered to join Occupy DC’s midday meeting in Washington’s McPherson Square, some of whom have been camped out since early Saturday morning. The group ranged from white-collar professionals on their lunch break to unemployed workers and students, one of whom was changing clothes beneath a tree in the park. Occupy DC has no defined policy agenda or demands. But when asked why they showed up, many participants could agree on one thing: corporations have too much influence over the political system
Pfizer plant to produce 1 billion pills in Kingdom - Arab News

RIYADH: Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) signed an agreement in Riyadh on Monday with leading biopharmaceutical company Pfizer for the establishment of a multimillion dollar manufacturing plant with a capacity to produce around 1 billion tablets and capsules a year. The agreement was inked between SAGIA adviser Prince Saud bin Khaled Al-Faisal and Guy Lallemand, regional president of Pfizer for Africa and Middle East for Pharmaceutical Businesses, at the Faisaliah Hotel on Monday.
The Guy Who Chose Sarah Palin as VP Tells Rachel Maddow it Was a Mistake, She's Not Qualified to be Prez | Death and Taxes

Steve Schmidt is a senior Republican Strategist. As John McCain’s Campaign Strategist in 2008 he was the guy principally responsible for selecting Sarah Palin as McCain’s VP nominee. Two nights ago he appeared on the Rachel Maddow show and told her that selecting Palin was a “failure” of the VP vetting process based on the criterion that the VP must be qualified to become president.
- Steve Schmidt is a senior Republican Strategist. As John McCain’s Campaign Strategist in 2008 he was the guy principally responsible for selecting Sarah Palin as McCain’s VP nominee. Two nights ago he appeared on the Rachel Maddow show and told her that selecting Palin was a “failure” of the VP vetting process based on the criterion that the VP must be qualified to become president.
Egypt's military rulers back down on election law, but concerns persist - CSMonitor.com

Under fierce pressure from a range of political parties, Egypt’s interim military rulers agreed to meet some demands for electoral reform and laid out a tentative timeline for transition to civilian rule on Saturday.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

News Round Up - Assassination, Arabs and Awlaki

2011-10-03T16:30:00.001+02:00

Palestinian Moves Reshape Attitudes - WSJ.com

RAMALLAH, West Bank—The Palestinian bid for United Nations statehood, whatever its outcome, is already helping reshape Palestinian attitudes to expect less of negotiations—which most feel have failed to deliver after nearly two decades—and embrace a more confrontational stance toward Israel. That could mean challenging Israel using boycotts, demonstrations and international diplomatic forums more aggressively—ideas that are gaining currency among young Palestinians. In a year when peaceful demonstrations have radically altered the political landscape of the Arab world, they increasingly embrace notions of nonviolent resistance.
Saudi Arabia will pay unemployment benefit from Nov - Politics & Economics - ArabianBusiness.com

Saudi Arabia, which had a 10.8 percent unemployment rate in July, will begin to pay unemployment benefits for the first time from November, Labour Minister Adel Fakieh said on Sunday. The government from next year also will seek to encourage the hiring of more Saudi nationals in the kingdom’s private sector, Fakieh said in comments published by newswire Bloomberg.
Raymond Davis, CIA Contractor, Charged After Fight Over Parking Spot

Hometown Heroes - Colorado! HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. — Colorado authorities say a man accused of shooting and killing two men while working as CIA contractor in Pakistan faces misdemeanor charges after a fight over a shopping center parking spot. Douglas County Sheriff's Lt. Glenn Peitzmeier says Raymond Davis has been charged with third degree assault and disorderly conduct.
Israel welcomes peace talks plan - The Washington Post

** Great, buying further time for the continued colonization of Palestine under the guise of peace talks ** Israel on Sunday agreed to a proposal by international mediators to resume peace negotiations after the initiative was positively received by the Palestinians, but there were no signs that a dispute over Israeli settlement building that has blocked talks was any closer to being resolved.
Kuwait gets funding for $6.2bn Vietnam refinery - Construction - ArabianBusiness.com

Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI) will receive funding from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to build Vietnam's second oil refinery, its chairman has said. Hussein Ismail said in comments published by Kuwait's state news agency Kuna that building the $6.2bn Nghi Son oil refinery was part of Kuwait's strategy to invest in large-scale refining and petrochemicals projects in East Asia.
Hollywood star joins Egyptian activists in protests - ArabianBusiness.com

US actor Sean Penn joined thousands of Egyptian activists who packed downtown Cairo on Friday demanding that military rulers speed up the transfer of power to civilians and end emergency laws once used by Hosni Mubarak against his opponents. Local media said Penn, holding an Egyptian flag, walked with Egyptian actor Khaled el-Nabawi in Tahrir Square, where Egyptians demonstrated in what they dubbed as "Reclaiming the Revolution" day amid growing discontent over the way military rulers had managed the transitional period.
Not Everyone Thinks Killing Anwar al-Awlaki Was the Right Thing to Do -- Daily Intel

As Williamson wrote in the National Review, "the prospect of putting American citizens on a government hit list should give us pause as conservatives: not for what this administration might do with such power, but for what an administration 50 years down the road might do with it."
Bachmann blames Obama for Arab Spring - The Washington Post

At an event in Concord, N.C., GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann blamed President Barack Obama's stand on Israeli-Palestinian peace talks for the uprisings against autocratic governments across the Arab world. (Sept. 30) (CBS News)
Kuwaiti man guilty of royal Twitter insults - Real Estate - ArabianBusiness.com

A Kuwait court convicted a man for insulting Gulf rulers and putting inflammatory sectarian comments on social media, but released him immediately because of time already served while awaiting trial, a human rights activist said on Wednesday. Nasser Abul, a 26-year-old Shi'ite, was sentenced to three months in jail on Tuesday for posting comments critical of Sunni Muslim ruling families in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and for insulting followers of Sunni Islam.
Kuwait Central Bank staff hold pay demonstration - Banking & Finance - ArabianBusiness.com

Several dozen of Kuwait Central Bank employees held a demonstration on Wednesday, demanding improved employment and financial conditions, the latest in a wave of strikes by government employees in the Gulf Arab state.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

"Home" in Riyadh

2011-10-02T16:56:00.001+02:00

Sunset picture of the Riyadh compound

"Showing Weakness"

2011-10-01T09:22:00.002+02:00

Bachmann blames Obama for democratization movements in the Middle East... Republicans just keep upping the crazy amongst themselves.

News Round Up - Settlements, Saudi and Syria

2011-09-28T12:09:00.001+02:00

Europe and US condemn Israel settlement plans - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

The European Union and the United States have condemned Israeli plans for the construction of 1,100 new housing units in occupied East Jerusalem, as being counterproductive to negotiations on peace talks with the Palestinians. They responded sharply to the Israeli interior ministry's announcement on Tuesday that it had approved plans for the new housing units in Gilo, a settler enclave in southeast Jerusalem.
Israel settlements: Interior approves 1,100 new homes, stoking tension with Palestine

"He said at the United Nations he was giving his hand in peace but actually he is digging in the land to build more settlements," Palestinian negotiator Mohammed Shtayyeh told CNN, referring to Netanyahu's speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Friday. "It's a slap in the face of the Quartet and the whole international community, which is saying stop settlements."
President Obama House of Blues Heckler: Man calls president the “antichrist” before being dragged out by Secret Service.

“Christian God is the one and only true living God, the creator of Heaven and the Universe,” [the man] shouted, as the crowd began booing loudly to try to drown him out. Obama stopped speaking and smiled uncomfortably at him as the man continued shouting: “I love Jesus. Jesus Christ is God. Jesus Christ is the son of God.” Eventually, the Secret Service plunged into the crowd and dragged the man toward the exit. “Jesus Christ is God; Barack Obama is the antichrist!” he shouted. The crowd chanted “four more years!” When the commotion was over, Obama said: “All right, where was I? It is good to be back in LA.”
Dubai plans big solar plant, says utility chief - Energy - ArabianBusiness.com

The emirate of Dubai is poised to unveil a big solar power plant as part of a push to get five percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, Saeed Mohammed al-Tayer, vice chairman of Dubai's Supreme Council of Energy, said on Monday.
Kuwait construction industry seen growing 2.5% in 2011 - Construction - ArabianBusiness.com

Kuwait's construction industry is expected to grow by 2.5 percent in 2011 to be worth $2.4bn, according to latest data released by Business Monitor International. The sluggish growth is set to continue for most of the forecast period taking the industry value to $3.2bn by 2015, BMI said in a report.
The Twelve Attributes of a Truly Great Place to Work - Tony Schwartz - Harvard Business Review

More than 100 studies have now found that the most engaged employees — those who report they're fully invested in their jobs and committed to their employers — are significantly more productive, drive higher customer satisfaction and outperform those who are less engaged. But only 20 per cent of employees around the world report that they're fully engaged at work.
Netanyahu vs. Abbas at the United Nations: Israel's tactics to delay Palestinian statehood. - By William Saletan - Slate Magazine

But facts are facts. Abbas has proved his commitment to peace on the ground, and he has agreed to give up more than three-quarters of the original Palestine. The right of return will have to be negotiated, as will settlements, and no diversionary alarms about the Nakba or acknowledging Israel as a Jewish state will change that. Netanyahu has a tough job ahead of him. All we can ask is that he do it.
In Syria, defectors form dissident army in sign uprising may be entering new phase - The Washington Post

A group of defectors calling themselves the Free Syrian Army is attempting the first effort to organize an armed challenge to President Bashar al-Assad’s rule, signaling what some hope and others fear may be a new phase in what has been an overwhelmingly peaceful Syrian protest movement. For now, the shadowy entity seems mostly to consist of some big ambitions, a Facebook page and a relatively small number of defected soldiers and officers who have taken refuge on the borderlands of Turkey and Lebanon or among civilians in Syria’s cities.
Saudi king okays women to take part in polls - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Saudi women will have the right to join the advisory Shura Council as full members and participate in future municipal elections, King Abdullah has said. The announcement came days before municipal elections where women will be excluded. "Because we refuse to marginalise women in society in all roles that comply with sharia, we have decided, after deliberation with our senior ulama [clerics] and others ... to involve women in the Shura Council as members, starting from the next term," he said on Sunday in a speech delivered to the Shura Council.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

I hope the producer was fired for this one...

2011-09-25T15:21:00.000+02:00

News Round Up - Clinton, Netanyahu and the UN

2011-09-23T18:38:00.001+02:00

Bill Clinton: Netanyahu killed the peace process | The Cable

Who's to blame for the continued failure of the Middle East peace process? Former President Bill Clinton said today that it is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- whose government moved the goalposts upon taking power, and whose rise represents a key reason there has been no Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. Clinton, in a roundtable with bloggers today on the sidelines of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, gave an extensive recounting of the deterioration in the Middle East peace process since he pressed both parties to agree to a final settlement at Camp David in 2000. He said there are two main reasons for the lack of a comprehensive peace today: the reluctance of the Netanyahu administration to accept the terms of the Camp David deal and a demographic shift in Israel that is making the Israeli public less amenable to peace.
U.N.convenient Truth - By James Verini | Foreign Policy

Weighing the Palestinian stone-throwers in the streets against Israel's indisputable -- no, laughable -- military supremacy over its neighbors, he concluded, "We come up against the immense gap between the reality of our power and the psychology of our vulnerability."
Libya military site yields possible radioactive material - CNN.com

Anti-Gadhafi forces have come across a military site in southern Libya that contains what appears to be radioactive material. The site, not far from Sabha in the Sahara desert, has two warehouses containing thousands of blue barrels marked with tape saying "radioactive," and plastic bags of yellow powder sealed with the same type tape.
Diplomat: Chavez urged Iran to free Americans - Yahoo! News

A Venezuelan diplomat said Thursday that President Hugo Chavez played a behind-the-scenes role in efforts to secure the freedom of two Americans who were released from prison by Iran this week. Deputy Foreign Minister Temir Porras said Venezuela's government was approached for help last year by friends and supporters of the two men, Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer. Porras said Chavez, who is a strong critic of Washington yet expresses friendship for the U.S. people, believed the Americans' account that they were simply hiking when they were detained in 2009 along the Iran-Iraq border and accused of spying

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

News Round Up - Palestine, Obama and Selling Out

2011-09-23T07:44:00.002+02:00

KSA to stop wheat cultivation by 2016

In a move to discourage the cultivation of water-intensive wheat crops, Saudi government will altogether stop buying wheat from local farmers by 2016, said Dr. Fahd Bin Abdulrahman Balghunaim, Minister of Agriculture.
Qatar aims to invest billions of dollars in farm city - Industries - ArabianBusiness.com

Qatar aims to invest billions of dollars in an agricultural city to house food growers and processers, in an effort to increase its food supply security and combat rising food prices, a government official said.
Israel, Obama, and Abbas’s U.N. Challenge Over Palestinian Statehood - The Daily Beast

U.S. policy in the Middle East has long boiled down to a squalid bargain: support for Arab dictators as long as they abstained from challenging the Israeli-Palestinian impasse. Now the Arab Spring offers America the chance—fragile, uncertain, but potentially the best opportunity in more than a generation—to break out of paralysis: to side with the future rather than the past. In Egypt, in Libya, in U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford’s courageous stand against the vicious crackdown in Damascus in Syria, America has shown a commitment to the future. But the Arab world sees Palestine as the test: the U.S. vote in the Security Council will be taken as proof of where America really stands. As the 2012 election approaches, domestic politics may prevent Obama from supporting Abbas’s resolution in the Security Council, but even a carefully explained abstention would send a powerful message. America’s Founding Fathers did not regard their independence as negotiable. How can President Obama demand that the Palestinians accept any less?
Israel fears settlers in West Bank are using terror tactics - Middle East, World - The Independent

** Nothing new here, they've been doing this for years ** Shin Bet, Israel's domestic intelligence agency, says that Jewish extremists are forming new "terrorist" groups that are deliberately targeting Palestinians and Israeli peace activists, intelligence sources were quoted as saying yesterday. Israeli officials have watched with alarm a sudden spike in attacks by Jewish zealots, particularly West Bank settlers, on Palestinian and Israeli property and personnel following the Israeli army's demolition of several homes in Migron, an illegal Jewish outpost in the occupied West Bank, 10 days ago.
Abu Dhabi fund improves rate of return - FT.com

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, last year sharply improved its annualised rate of return measured over a 20-year period. Adia said in its an annual review published on Tuesday that annualised rates of return increased to 7.6 per cent on the back of global economic growth, compared with 6.5 per cent in 2009, the first year the fund reported 20-year annualised rates of return.
US poverty rate: Census report shows 15 percent below poverty line

It’s official: The poor are getting poorer. A record 46 million Americans were living below the poverty line in 2010, according to a report released Tuesday by the US Census Bureau. That means a household income of $22,113 for a family of four. The national poverty rate of 15.1 percent was the highest it’s been since 1993.
The Years of Shame - NYTimes.com

** Nice work Krugman, saying what needs to be said, as usual ** What happened after 9/11 — and I think even people on the right know this, whether they admit it or not — was deeply shameful. The atrocity should have been a unifying event, but instead it became a wedge issue. Fake heroes like Bernie Kerik, Rudy Giuliani, and, yes, George W. Bush raced to cash in on the horror. And then the attack was used to justify an unrelated war the neocons wanted to fight, for all the wrong reasons.
Veto a State, Lose an Ally - NYTimes.com

** Turki Al-Faisal's op-eds are getting better and better ** The United States must support the Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations this month or risk losing the little credibility it has in the Arab world. If it does not, American influence will decline further, Israeli security will be undermined and Iran will be empowered, increasing the chances of another war in the region. Moreover, Saudi Arabia would no longer be able to cooperate with America in the same way it historically has.
Was Marx Right? - Umair Haque - Harvard Business Review

In case you've been on Mars (or even just on vacation), here's a surprising idea that's been making the rounds lately: there might have been something to Marx's critiques of capitalism after all.
Saudi Arabia plans to build 4,000 new schools - Education - ArabianBusiness.com

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education will spend SR32bn ($8.5bn) on constructing 4,000 new schools in the kingdom as part of its plan to overhaul the Gulf state’s education system, it was reported on Sunday. A total of 600 new schools have been built and 1,200 have been renovated so far this year, a Ministry of Education spokesperson told Saudi daily Arab News.
Qatar's Al Jazeera says Egypt offices raided, staff held - Media - ArabianBusiness.com

Security officers raided the offices of an Al Jazeera channel in Egypt and detained some of its staff, the Qatar-based broadcaster said on Sunday, describing the move as an attempt to drive the channel off the air. State news agency MENA said it had shut down a company that provided facilities to the channel Al Jazeera Mubasher (Live), which broadcasts live international events. MENA said the Al Jazeera unit did not have a proper licence.
AUC students and workers launch strike against soaring fees and wage cuts | Al-Masry Al-Youm: Today's News from Egypt

About two thousand students and workers at the American University in Cairo (AUC) began an open-ended strike Sunday in protest at the recent hike in tuition fees and continuing low salaries, amid silence from the university's administration. Protesting students stormed classrooms at the new AUC campus in New Cairo, urging all students to unite and ask for their rights, chanting, "Get out," and, "Why are you silent? Aren't you a student like us?" They then marched around the campus and stood in front of the administration building that houses the office of AUC President Lisa Anderson, chanting: "Lisa, where did our parents' money go?"
The 9/11 Decade - Bill Keller’s Unfinished Business - NYTimes.com

** Nice to see some repentance by the Iraq War advocates ** Ten years after the attacks, we memorialize the loss and we mark the heroism, but there is no organized remembrance of the other feelings that day aroused: the bewilderment, the vulnerability, the impotence. It may be difficult to recall with our attention now turned inward upon a faltering economy, but the suddenly apparent menace of the world awakened a bellicose surge of mission and made hawks of many — including me — who had a lifelong wariness of the warrior reflex.

"The Malls in Dubai"

2011-09-21T18:29:00.002+02:00

Ongoing revolution in Libya? Nope
Continued struggle for democracy in Egypt? Nope
Palestinians fighting Israeli colonialism in the UN? Nope
Random 16-year-old singing about the malls of Dubai? Oh yeah. This is what qualifies for news on Arabian Business.

(Big) News Round Up

2011-09-09T19:01:00.001+02:00

BBC News - Somalia denies CIA rendition base in Mogadishu

Somalia has dismissed reports that the US runs an underground detention centre where the CIA helps interrogate terror suspects in the capital Mogadishu.
Saudi Arabia and Morocco lead solar demand in MENA | ConstructionWeekOnline.com

The global solar market is expected to grow from 15.8GW in 2010 to 37.5GW by 2016 for $65.4bn, a compound annual grow rate of 15.5%, the report said. It added that while it was lower than the industry’s past history of 30%+ annual growth rates, it was a sign of the market’s increasing maturity and its move away from subsidies as a driver of growth.
BBC News - Turkey 'to escort Gaza aid ships' amid row with Israel

** I love Turkey ** Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said his country will in future escort aid ships travelling to the Gaza Strip. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Mr Erdogan also said Turkey had taken steps to prevent Israel unilaterally exploiting natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean.
KACST sets up fund for Saudi technological firms | Technology | AMEinfo.com

A first-of-its-kind fund has been established in Saudi Arabia to finance small and medium sized technological firms, Arab News has reported. The King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology (KACST) has launched the fund after signing a cooperation agreement with Investor Securities. The agreement has been signed with the aim to improve Saudi Arabia's technological development.
Saudi Arabia's infrastructure projects worth $99bn | Transport and Logistics | AMEinfo.com

A top Riyadh Exhibition Company (REC) official has announced that infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia worth more than SR375bn ($99bn) are in the pipeline and will continue to sustain the Kingdom's construction boom
Qatar is MidEast's No 1 in global competitiveness list - Industries - ArabianBusiness.com

Qatar retained its status as the Middle East's most competitive economy, according to the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 released on Wednesday. The Gulf state, which won the rights to host the 2022 World Cup since the last report, was ranked 14th in the list, climbing three places.
Al Jazeera reporter Gabriel Elizondo barred from Texas high school football game

In a post on Al Jazeera’s English-language website, reporter Gabriel Elizondo tells of being barred from interviewing spectators at a high school football game in rural Booker, Texas, after district officials learned the name of his employer. Elizondo, an American who lives in Brazil, was on a cross-country trip to report on American attitudes about 9/11 and its aftermath.
US finds ‘world-class’ phosphate in Iraq - FT.com

Iraq possesses “world-class” reserves of phosphate with the four biggest deposits holding 5.75bn tons, 9 per cent of the global total, says the US Geological Survey. The findings give Iraq the second biggest phosphate reserves in the world, after Morocco. Two of these deposits, in the western desert province of Anbar, are big enough to rank among the largest 10 per cent in the world.
Turkish PM announces additional sanctions on Israel - CNN.com

Turkey's fiery prime minister ratcheted up rapidly-escalating tensions with Israel on Tuesday, comparing Ankara's once-close middle eastern ally to a "spoiled boy" and announcing additional sanctions would soon be imposed.
How Howard Buffett Will Use His Grandfather's Recipe For Riches To Disrupt Philanthropy | Fast Company

Howard Buffett is attempting to unify the scattered world of independent nonprofits through his grandfather's multi-billion dollar investment strategy: Invest in a portfolio of smart people and let them flourish. Having just taken the reins as Executive Director of the family foundation after holding posts in the White House and Department of Defense, Buffett has ambitious plans to pay the world's savviest nonprofits to collaboratively tackle the full spectrum of food security, from third-world farmer education to public policy
Exclusive Audio: Inside the Koch Brothers' Secret Seminar | Mother Jones

"We have Saddam Hussein," declared billionaire industrialist Charles Koch, apparently referring to President Barack Obama as he welcomed hundreds of wealthy guests to the latest of the secret fundraising and strategy seminars he and his brother host twice a year. The 2012 elections, he warned, will be "the mother of all wars." Charles Koch would probably not publicly compare the president of the United States to a murderous dictator. (As a general rule, he and his brother don't do much politicking or speechifying in public at all.) But Mother Jones has obtained exclusive audio recordings from the Koch seminar, a private event that took place in June at a resort near Vail, Colorado.
West Bank mosque damaged by settlers in revenge attack | World news | The Guardian

Hardline settlers attacked a mosque in a West Bank village on Monday in an apparent "price tag" operation following the demolition of homes in a settlement outpost by Israeli forces. Windows were smashed, tyres set alight inside the building and graffiti in Hebrew sprayed on the walls at the mosque in the village of Qusra, near Nablus, according to the Palestinian news agency Ma'an.
Obama’s outreach toward Muslims is limited at home - The Washington Post

By contrast, Obama has not visited a mosque in the United States since taking office, although he has done so in Egypt, Turkey and Indonesia as part of his project to repair U.S. relations with the Muslim world. Bold abroad, Obama’s outreach has been largely invisible at home as Muslim Americans confront enduring suspicion and, in some cases, outright hatred a decade after the attacks.
First sturgeon hatched at Abu Dhabi caviar factory - Retail - ArabianBusiness.com

The Royal Caviar Company, which has plans to become the world's largest producer of caviar, said on Monday its first sturgeon fish had hatched at its new factory in Abu Dhabi. Almost 120,000 sturgeon eggs were flown in from Germany last month and since their arrival, the company has seen more than 80 percent of these eggs successfully hatch - representing the first batch of locally-grown sturgeon.
A decade after the 9/11 attacks, Americans live in an era of endless war - The Washington Post

“Today’s Army, including its leadership, lives in a bubble separate from society,” wrote retired Lt. Gen. David Barno, who commanded U.S. forces in Afghanistan, in an essay for the Web site of Foreign Policy magazine. “This splendid military isolation — set in the midst of a largely adoring nation — risks fostering a closed culture of superiority and aloofness. This must change if the Army is to remain in, of, and with the ever-diverse peoples of the United States.”
Rick Perry panic fires up the left - Ben Smith and Maggie Haberman - POLITICO.com

Perry panic has spread from the conference rooms of Washington, D.C., to the coffee shops of Brooklyn, with the realization that the conservative Texan could conceivably become the 45th president of the United States, a wave of alarm centering around Perry’s drawling, small-town affect and stands on core cultural issues such as women’s rights, gun control, the death penalty, and the separation of church and state.
Oracle investigated over Africa dealings

Federal officials are probing Oracle’s software sales to governments in Africa for possible violations of bribery laws, the WSJ says. The Justice Department has led a criminal investigation for at least a year while the SEC is conducting a civil inquiry. The probes focus on whether Oracle or its agents made improper payments to officials in order to secure sales. Enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has markedly stepped up in recent years, with $2bn of fines collected in 2009 and 2010 versus $11m in 2004.

Impressive Chipotle Ad

2011-09-06T20:23:00.001+02:00

News Round Up - Solar, Cement and Settlers

2011-08-31T05:06:00.001+02:00

Bleak Forecast Underscores Need for Water Use Policy Changes | SUSRIS Blog

“The real wild card for political and social unrest in the Middle East over the next 20 years is not war, terrorism, or revolution—it is water.” Alterman’s report added, “A combination of government action and inaction has shaped the Middle East’s water problems, and only government action can prevent them from causing sudden upheaval.”
Kingdom’s cement industry to fuel sector profitability in Gulf

Saudi Arabia remains the only driver of GCC cement sector profitability with the net profit increasing by 13.5 percent year-on-year in H1 2011, Global Investment House (GIH) said in a research note. The other member countries were expected to continue an erosion in their profitability, it added. Cement prices in all the GCC countries witnessed a decrease except in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
IDF training Israeli settlers ahead of 'mass disorder' expected in September - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

** So Israeli politicians manufacturing lies of an impending attack and then use it as an excuse to heavily arm radical terrorist settlers known for shooting children and attacking farmers... great *** The IDF has conducted detailed work to determine a “red line” for each settlement in the West Bank, which will determine when soldiers will be ordered to shoot at the feet of Palestinian protesters if the line is crossed. It is also planning to provide settlers with tear gas and stun grenades as part of the defense operation. The IDF is currently in the process of finalizing its preparations for Operation Summer Seeds, whose purpose is to ready the army for September and the possibility of confrontations with Palestinians following the expected vote in favor of Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly.
Solar May Produce Most of World’s Power by 2060, IEA Says - Bloomberg

Photovoltaic and solar-thermal plants may meet most of the world’s demand for electricity by 2060 -- and half of all energy needs -- with wind, hydropower and biomass plants supplying much of the remaining generation, Cedric Philibert, senior analyst in the renewable energy division at the Paris-based agency, said in an Aug. 26 phone interview.
U.S. Solar Product Exports Rose 83% Last Year on Sales to China - Bloomberg

U.S. exports of solar products climbed 83 percent last year to $5.63 billion as increasing production in China drove up sales of manufacturing equipment and raw materials, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Random Denver Photos

2011-08-29T00:41:00.002+02:00

Thin Man, East Colfax

17th and Champa

News Round-Up- Saudi Arabia, Sweatpants and Spy Tools

2011-08-28T18:08:00.002+02:00

Russia strikes first Bahrain arms deal after riots - Industries - ArabianBusiness.com

Russia for the first time is selling weapons to Bahrain after the UK and France banned deliveries of security equipment to the Gulf monarchy because of its crackdown on protesters.
Western spy tools aid in crackdown on Arab dissent - Technology - ArabianBusiness.com

The use of the system for interrogation in Bahrain illustrates how Western-produced surveillance technology sold to one authoritarian government became an investigative tool of choice to gather information about political dissidents - and silence them. Companies are free to sell such equipment almost anywhere. For the most part, the US and European countries lack export controls to deter the use of such systems for repression.
Bahrain plans new industrial city in east of kingdom - Construction - ArabianBusiness.com

A new industrial city could be built in the east of Bahrain, a senior minister has announced.
Middle East Policy: A zero-sum game? - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

Perhaps the primary cause of America's declining influence is its stance on the Arab-Israeli conflict. If the US was really serious about getting on "the right side of history" in the Middle East, it would have long since adopted a balanced and proactive stance. Let us say it frankly: this would mean putting tangible pressure on Israel to adhere to the international consensus - land for peace, based on the 1967 lines, in the framework of the 1967 UN Security Council Resolution 242. "Pathetic" does not adequately describe Obama's position on this matter. In fairness, several of his predecessors were almost equally supine.
Saudi Arabia Buys 660,000 Tons of U.S., European Hard Wheat - Bloomberg

Saudi Arabia bought 660,000 metric tons of hard wheat from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Canada for delivery from November to February, the Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization said. The average price is $346 per ton, including cost and freight, the government-run wheat importer said in an e-mailed statement. The kingdom will receive six shipments in the port of Jeddah and six in Dammam, according to the statement.
The symbolism of sweatpants - FT.com

There is a bit of vanity in possessing a couple of pairs of sweatpants with swooshes, stripes and leaping wildcats on them, but beyond that they’re inexpensive, easy to care for and practical. They can go from bed to street and back to bed again in an endless cycle that mirrors the downward cycle of the communities where these garments flap on clotheslines and hang on balcony railings. In short, sweatpants are a sign of surrender, of giving up, of hopelessness, of no longer needing to make an effort in society.

Manufacturing Islamaphobia

2011-08-26T20:10:00.002+02:00

Islam is now the most negatively viewed religion in America, due in part to the relentless efforts of a small group of individuals and organizations.

This new report shines a light on the Islamophobia network that manufactures, produces and distributes an irrational fear of Islam and Muslims. This network’s ability to influence politicians’ talking points and create a wedge issue for the upcoming 2012 elections has mainstreamed what was once considered extremist rhetoric.

Well worth the read (or a skim for those short on time).

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/08/islamophobia.html

Books I'm trying to find time to read

2011-08-19T13:36:00.002+02:00

Awkward interview with former Tea Party candidate

2011-08-18T17:53:00.001+02:00

A very awkward interview with Christine O'Donnell, resulting in an even stranger pan-out and end of interview

My Day - Morning Coffee on the Persian/Arabian Gulf

2011-08-15T05:37:00.000+02:00

News Round Up - UN, Uranium and the US

2011-07-01T10:20:00.001+02:00

Oman jails 13 over Sohar pay, job demonstrations - ArabianBusiness.com

An Omani court has jailed 13 protesters for up to five years in the industrial city of Sohar, site of demonstrations demanding better pay, more jobs and an end to corruption, a newspaper reported on Wednesday. Seven of them were sentenced to five years for "shutting down work at a government organisation" the Times of Oman said, in an apparent reference to demonstrators blocking state buildings during protests that broke out in February.
UN court indicts four Hezbollah members over Hariri car bomb - The Guardian

Lebanon's senior prosecutor has received criminal indictments for four members of the Shia militant group Hezbollah, who are accused of assassinating the country's former prime minister Rafiq Hariri in a car bomb attack six years ago.
Clinton says US offering ‘limited’ engagement with Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood - The Washington Post

The Obama administration is reaching out to the Muslim Brotherhood in a “limited” effort to build ties and promote democratic principles ahead of Egypt’s upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the U.S. isn’t adopting a new policy. She says the administration wants to engage all Egyptian groups as long as they espouse nonviolence.
Six Moldovan 'uranium smugglers' arrested - BBC

Moldovan police have arrested six people suspected of trying to sell a type of uranium that can be used in nuclear weapons. Those held wanted to sell more than 1kg (2.2lb) of uranium-235 with a value of at least $20m (14m euros; £12m), an official said. The were conflicting reports as to whether the men were accused of trying to sell the uranium to an African country, or to an African national.
Ron Johnson Pledges To Bring The Senate To A Halt Over Debt Negotiations [UPDATE]

Freshman Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) declared that as long as the debt ceiling negotiations are held behind closed doors, he will block all unanimous consent calls, effectively putting a stop on Senate business Tuesday in a one-man filibuster. Johnson criticized the move to "decide the fate of America's ... financial future" in private. "Unless we receive some assurance from the Democrat leadership that we will actually start addressing our budget out in the open, in the bright light of day -- I will begin to object," Johnson said on the Senate floor. "I will begin to withhold my consent."
FEC Grants Stephen Colbert's Super PAC Request, But Compromise Decision Will Have Only Limited Political Impact

The Federal Election Commission on Thursday approved comedian Stephen Colbert's request to form a so-called "Super PAC," a political action committee that can raise unlimited amounts of money from corporations, unions and wealthy individuals. The Comedy Central star's decision to form the PAC is part of his satiric attempt to highlight the implications of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision last year, which determined that corporations have the same free speech rights as individuals and can provide unlimited money for political advertisements.
Mark Halperin suspended: MSNBC suspends Time magazine editor for calling Obama a dick

** Why is he being suspended for this???? ** MSNBC has suspended one of its senior political analysts indefinitely after he said he thought President Obama acted like "a dick” at recent press conference.
Capital Area Food Bank to begin charging members for produce - The Washington Post

For the first time in its history, the Capital Area Food Bank will begin charging its members for fruits and vegetables July 1, adding thousands in unexpected costs for some of the 700 agencies that rely on the organization to feed the region’s hungry. The fee, 10 cents per pound, is needed to help offset the rising cost of food, which hit an all-time high globally this year and is projected to increase between 3 and 4 percent in the United States by the end of the year, officials said.
Saudi Suggests 'Squeezing' Iran Over Nuclear Ambitions - WSJ.com

A leading member of Saudi Arabia's royal family warned that Riyadh could seek to supplant Iran's oil exports if the country doesn't constrain its nuclear program, a move that could hobble Tehran's finances. In closed-door remarks earlier this month, Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal also strongly implied that Riyadh would be forced to follow suit if Tehran pushed ahead to develop nuclear weapons and said Saudi Arabia is preparing to employ all of its economic, diplomatic and security assets to confront Tehran's regional ambitions.
It's Netanyahu who is delegitimising Israel - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

And that is the case today. It's not the Palestinians who are delegitimising Israel, but the Israeli government which maintains the occupation. And the leading delegitimiser is Binyamin Netanyahu, whose contemptuous rejection of peace is turning Israel into an international pariah. Sure, Netanyahu received an embarrassing number of standing ovations when he spoke before the United States Congress. But that demonstrates nothing except the power of Israel's lobbyists. It is doubtful that Netanyahu would get even one standing ovation in any other parliament in the world - and that includes Israel's. The only thing we learned (yet again) from Netanyahu's reception by Congress is that money talks. What else is new? So let's ignore the talk about "delegitimisation," even though Madison Avenue message-makers certainly deserve credit for coming up with that clever distraction. Israel's problem is the occupation, the Israeli government that defends it, and the lobby that enforces support for it in Congress and the White House.
Saudi Arabia to spend $100b on clean energy - Saudi Gazette

Saudi Arabia is planning an investment of at least $100 billion into clean energy resources over the next decade, including a target to achieve 5 gigawatts of solar-generated power, said the organizers of an upcoming solar summit. The Solar Arabia summit is taking place in Riyadh on Sept. 27 and 28 at the Four Seasons Hotel.

News Round Up - Palestine and the UN

2011-06-20T16:29:00.001+02:00

Palestinians deserve Obama’s support in September - FT

This message is easily summarised: Israel is not interested in peace; it wants to maintain apartheid. The PLO recognised Israel back in 1993, in an exchange of letters between Yassir Arafat, the Palestinian president, and Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli prime minister. Eighteen years later, it is time for Israel to recognise Palestine. In our vision for peace, Jerusalem will be a shared and open capital, and a Palestinian state will be framed by the internationally recognised 1967 border with minor modifications in our interest, and not to legitimate illegal settlements. We believe a just and agreed solution to the issue of refugees can be based on UN resolution 194, as stated in the Arab Peace Initiative. With these principles, we are prepared to return to negotiations. Mr Netanyahu’s gamesmanship aside, we are pleased that Mr Obama recognised that Palestine must be based on the 1967 border. If Israel continues to choose colonisation over a two-state solution, we hope that the US will support our peaceful efforts to realise our national rights at the UN this September. As Mr Obama noted, the transformations taking place in the Middle East provide “a moment of opportunity”. We ask that this not be missed: it is truly an opportunity for Palestinians, Israelis, and world peace.
Kingdom to double wheat reserves - Arab News

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia expects about two million tons of wheat imports this year unchanged from 2010, and aims to double its reserves to one year’s consumption by 2014, the Kingdom’s Minister of Agriculture said. Saudi Arabia, which has emerged as a major buyer of wheat, wants to build up reserves of basic commodities such as wheat, rice, oils and sugar to protect itself against the impact of a spike in global food prices and to support its rapidly growing population. The country began importing wheat in 2009 and is looking to rely entirely on wheat imports by 2016 as it seeks to save precious water.
Global mobile ad revenues set to hit $3.3bn in 2011 - Technology - ArabianBusiness

Worldwide mobile advertising revenue is forecast to reach $3.3bn in 2011, more than double the $1.6bn generated in 2010, according to US research firm Gartner. Worldwide revenue will reach $20.6bn by 2015, but not all types of mobile advertising will generate the same opportunity.
Netanyahu is dooming Israel to live eternally by the sword - Haaretz

Netanyahu demands that the Palestinians renounce their national ethos and recognize Israel as "the nation-state of the Jewish people." He demands that Abbas commit himself to saying that a Jew in Brooklyn or London has more right to this country than an Arab citizen of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem or Haifa - and thereby essentially acknowledge that the Palestinians are foreign invaders in the Jewish people's state.
Obama to eat dinner with $5 donors The Washington Post

In a fundraising appeal signed by the president himself, the Obama re-election campaign is saying anyone who donates at least $5 on Wednesday automatically is placed into a lottery for a dinner with Obama. Four donors will get to attend the dinner, which does not yet have a date or a location.
The Palestinians cannot be Zionists by Ahmad Samih Khalidi | The Middle East Channel

The demand for the Palestinians to recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people has yet another dimension. It places the moral burden of the conflict on the Palestinians, and consequently, not only exonerates Israel from the dubious moral circumstances of its birth but makes the Palestinians the historical transgressors; by refusing to accept the Jewish claim to the land we would be to blame for what has befallen us.
Qatar's pharmaceutical market set for 12% growth to 2015 - ArabianBusiness

Qatar’s pharmaceutical market is forecast to become a billion dollar industry in 2019, according to a new report by Business Monitor International.The sector was valued at QR1.43bn ($392m) in 2010 but is expected to see compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.6 percent to reach $709m by 2015, BMI said."Our longer range forecast is for Qatar to become a billion dollar pharmaceutical market for the first time in 2019 and reach QR3.99bn ($1.10bn) at the end of our forecast period in 2020," the report said.BMI analysts said the growth will be driven by expansion of the wider economy, for which growth in real terms is expected to remain above five percent a year over the next 10 years.
C.I.A. Building Base for Strikes in Yemen - NYTimes

WASHINGTON — The Central Intelligence Agency is building a secret air base in the Middle East to serve as a launching pad for strikes in Yemen using armed drones, an American official said Tuesday. The construction of the base is a sign that the Obama administration is planning an extended war in Yemen against an affiliate of Al Qaeda that has repeatedly tried to carry out terrorist plots against the United States.
Uncertainty and optimism in Egypt | The Middle East Channel

After a week in Cairo talking to a wide range of activists, academics, political figures, Islamists, journalists, and many others -- while also taking part in this exceptional conference which I helped organize at the American University of Cairo (video here) -- I came away sharing many of the concerns I encountered in the vibrant political discussions I heard, but broadly optimistic about Egypt's prospects. It is impossible to not be impressed with the energy, enthusiasm, and talent of the diverse array of activists and social forces which came together to make Tahrir possible. While I found plenty of reasons for concern about the intentions of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, I found myself more impressed by their relative incompetence than by their malevolent genius. I found the Muslim Brotherhood confident but clearly grappling with a wide range of unfamiliar issues and challenges which have the Islamists on shaky ground. I also found deep, if unsurprising, skepticism that the U.S. could or would play a positive role in shaping a new Egypt, a public sentiment with which the U.S. appears to be doing too little to engage.

Food for Thought - Glencore

2011-06-18T10:44:00.000+02:00

Most Amazing Interview Ever - Man to fight lion

2011-06-09T12:49:00.001+02:00

A must read from my friend Ali at Al-Masry Al-Youm

http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/465580

Al-Masry Al-Youm: When, and more importantly, how did you come up with this idea?

Al-Sayed al-Essawy: I discovered my incredible strength at the age of 13, and, almost immediately afterwards, promised myself that, one of these days, I would fight a lion. Since then, I’ve been thinking about the best way to go about it, and, after the revolution, with the economy the way it is, I’ve been given the perfect opportunity to realize my dream.

Photos du Liban

2011-06-04T10:01:00.013+02:00

Spent a great weekend with some colleagues/friends in Lebanon, where our gracious Lebanese hosts planned 4 days of sightseeing, eating, drinking and revelry. It was a great time. Below are some of the highlights

View from my Hamra Hotel Window

Shakira Concert

Saida Cemetary

Mountains Outside Beirut

Coffee and Morning Reading on Hamra Street

Music Hall

Ridiculous

2011-05-25T11:18:00.001+02:00

"President Obama got 25 standing ovations during his 2011 State of the Union address. Netanyahu got 29 today."

Say something?

Breakfast

2011-05-25T08:38:00.002+02:00

Part of a well-balanced breakfast - pizza and orange juice

I'm off to Beirut, Lebanon later today. I'll keep all you blog readers (all four of you) entertained with pictures of one of the most beautiful countries in the world.