How Bibi lost a best friend Netanyahu needs all the support he can get. But he still turned Biden’s visit into a diplomatic fiasco Aluf Benn The Guardian Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has a bad habit: when things appear to be moving in the right direction for him, he stumbles upon some stupid political landmine, raising doubts about his leadership and credibility. A series of blunders had ruined his first term in the 1990s, and on his way back to power Netanyahu promised that he had changed. For a year, he stayed away from trouble, avoiding unscripted public remarks, … Continue reading How Bibi lost a best friend

Why Universal Translation is a Holy Grail March 7, 2010 · 6 comments in Blurring Boundaries, Social Media [Tower of Babel. From Logoi.com] A while back, my friend  David Feng tweeted in Chinese that he was tweeting while riding under Beijing in a subway car. I used Google Translate to see if I could figure out what he said. It came out something like “I’m using my digits on myself with a bird in the Beijing belly,” and he and I had a good laugh I remembered that this morning I saw a few tweets with my name in them. … Continue reading Universal Translation is a Holy Grail – the time is ripe for the next communication leap

Fake Politics vs. Authentic Politics. engagememt vs. platitudes Interesting article about how politicians will/should engage with our disconnected youth. written by Amina Taylor I nearly spat out my morning coffee when I heard the words “urban”, “gangster” and “hoodie” emerge from the lips of Conservative Party leader David Cameron. He might have chosen to live in the less well-heeled end of London’s Notting Hill, but you can guarantee Cameron’s only contact with these “urban gangster hoodie-wearers” is from the safe distance of his ministerial car. Those in the immediate vicinity of the place Cameron calls home are more likely to … Continue reading Fake Politics vs. Authentic Politics in the UK?

Future Counter-Terrorism: Evolving Threats and Response 09:00, 17 Mar 2010 RUSI, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2ET Link to map: multimap PLACES AVAILABLE: Open to all £350.00 – Standard Rate (excl. 17.5% VAT) £285.00 – Corporate Rate – (excl. 17.5% VAT) £270.00 – UK Government, Military and Diplomatic Rate – (excl.17.5% VAT) About the event: Counter-terrorism is under increasing scrutiny. With budget cuts expected across Whitehall after the General Election, the economy and effectiveness of counter-terrorism policies will be closely examined. Legislation introduced after 7/7, operations in Afghanistan, the Prevent strategy and wider police funding are all under review in the new … Continue reading Future Counter-Terrorism: Evolving Threats and Response – 17 Mar 2010 RUSI, Whitehall

Well, at least his mother loves him: Bald, pink (and ugly) newborn baby aardvark makes it five at one UK zoo By Daily Mail Reporter Pink, wrinkly and bald, this baby aardvark certainly isn’t about to win any beauty prizes. But at least his mother still seems to love him. The two-week-old youngster, who has not yet been named, is the latest animal to be born thanks to the only successful aardvark breeding group in the UK The latest addition to the aardvark family at Colchester Zoo is the fourth offspring for mother Oq and father Adela, and the fifth … Continue reading Is this guy ugly?

How liberal are our MPs? A new website ranking MPs’ anti-authoritarian credentials reveals that the Liberal Democrats are the party of freedom Stephen Tall guardian.co.uk One sure-fire way to bring most Lib Dems out in hives is to ask them the question, “Do you think of yourself as rightwing or leftwing?” This right/left dichotomy – an archaic hangover from the French revolutionary period – is a nonsense in today’s political situation, in which all three major parties broadly subscribe to the principles of market economics and parliamentary democracy. Left and right are terms beloved by those parts of the media … Continue reading UK Prepares to OUST authoritarian MPs and their sidekicks?

Biden visit exposed Israeli settler truths This week the US saw Netanyahu’s government in all its glorious stubborness – providing a clarity the peace process badly Daniel Levy guardian.co.uk, US vice-president Joe Biden speaking at Tel Aviv University today, where he moderated his earlier criticism of Israel. Photograph: Uriel Sinai/Getty Images There was a moment of rare clarity this week for America’s efforts to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace. The US vice-president Joe Biden was on a visit, ostensibly a charm offensive to an Israel that has been heretofore neglected by the Obama administration‘s most senior echelons, and an opportunity to discuss broad … Continue reading Joe Biden gives hope to MidEast Peace

Chilling truths —by Afrah Jamal The Al Qaeda Connection By Imtiaz Gul Penguin Global; Pp 320 Today, the landscape has been transformed into a hunting ground as the showdown between the military and militants gets underway and retaliatory strikes against the public intensify. While attempting to curb insurgency within its borders, Pakistan’s security forces have been accused of stage-managing militant outfits that once served as counterweights against traditional enemies. Never disarmed, and left unguided, these heat-seeking entities latched on to a new target. Ever since the region tested positive for militancy post-9/11, there has been a lack of consensus regarding, … Continue reading Various Mullah breeds