I watched a movie today with a body count in the hundreds. People exploded. People were eaten alive by other people. It was stupid and fun afternoon amusement for a human. What would others think? What do graphic violence, horror and inhumanity say about us? We can hope to be judged by the scope of our being. For every film filled with buckets of blood and gore, we have at least one that uses emotion and character to tell a complex story. Our music helps us rise above the common world. Our fiction brings us ideas that can shape the … Continue reading What we say about ourselves

I think that there are three fundamental elements for a successful First Contact that would work under most circumstances: Transparency, global involvement and a careful process moving forward. The SETI protocol for First Contact incorporates all of these principles. If a message is discovered, and confirmed as being from an extraterrestrial civilization, they have set out several steps that provide for proper notification. Transparency is at the heart of the protocol. The writers understand the danger in what might occur once a government is included in notification. Scientists, for the most part, have a commitment to openness. It is an … Continue reading First Contact with an extraterrestrial civilization could happen in a number of ways.

Last week we took at look at some general threat concerns that would need to be considered in a Direct extraterrestrial First Contact event. This week let’s examine the timing of those threats and possible responses. 1. Military threat The timing of a military threat would most likely be immediate. It seems unlikely that an extraterrestrial military group would stop to say hello and then start shooting. An alien attack would be the ultimate in surprise. After all, we don’t even believe they exist. We do have the ability to fire missiles into space. The U.S. military did such to … Continue reading Timing and the response to threats – formalised offworld contact

By Kaveh L Afrasiabi On the eve of the major conference on Thursday in London that will bring together senior officials from all of the governments taking part in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan as well as Afghanistan’s neighbors, donors and the United Nations, Iran was still debating whether or not to attend. However, even if the Iranians do not show up, they will for the immediate future continue to push internationally for a regional approach to stabilizing Afghanistan. This was one of the conditions Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki set for Iran to attend the meeting. “The occupying … Continue reading Iran waits in the wings

By M K Bhadrakumar British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s attention is likely to be divided as hosts long-awaited international deliberations in London on the war in Afghanistan on Thursday. To be or not to be in the British capital was the question as Brown rushed to Belfast on Monday to “talk through the night” to save the Ulster power-sharing process from collapse. In a manner of speaking, power sharing also forms the agenda of the London conference, attended by some 60 countries. Cynics label the meeting a public relations stunt by Brown at a time when two-thirds of Britons oppose … Continue reading Circles within circles around the Taliban

In an interview with RFE/RL, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that he expected concrete results from this week’s London conference on Afghanistan. Speaking to RFE/RL correspondent Abubakar Siddique, Rasmussen also said that the NATO mission in Afghanistan was not an “occupation force”. “We will stay as long as it takes to finish our job, but our ultimate goal is to hand over responsibility to the Afghan people,” he said. RFE/RL: The Afghan government is expected to present a detailed plan for reconciliation with the Taliban in London. Previous plans have failed to win international … Continue reading NATO head says Taliban will not win

The King of Spades finally falls By Sami Moubayed DAMASCUS – Three big stories came out of the Arab world on Monday, starting with the explosion of an Ethiopian airplane in the skies off Beirut, which led to the death of all 90 passengers, on to three deadly attacks in Baghdad, which killed 37 people, and finally, the execution of Ali Hassan al-Majid, the notorious cousin of Saddam Hussein. The death of Majid – known as “Chemical Ali” – has caused a stir among ordinary Iraqis, who remember well how feared and brutal he was. Few will shed a tear … Continue reading

By Wu Zhong, China Editor HONG KONG – China’s top soccer officials have been booted out and put under investigation in a high-profile crackdown on rampant corruption and match-fixing that also smacks of political maneuvering. While fans and the media cheered the sackings, it is said on the grapevine in Beijing the stand may be part of Vice President Xi Jinping’s bid to gain popularity in the runup to the 18th Communist Party Congress in 2012, when he is expected to succeed President Hu Jintao as supreme leader. Xi, who organized the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, has followed soccer … Continue reading Xi blows whistle for the big match

By Ramzy Baroud The assessment by veteran Israeli human-rights and political campaigner Uri Avnery of the recent Israel-Turkey diplomatic and political row – that “the relationship between Turkey and Israel will probably return to normal, if not to its former degree of warmth” – seems sensible and daring. In my view, however, it is also inaccurate. Simply put, there is just no going back. In a recent article entitled “Israel Must Get Used to the New Turkey”, Suat Kiniklioglu, deputy chairman of external affairs for Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party wrote, “Israel appears to be yearning for the golden … Continue reading Turkey seizes its moment