Alieu Sanneh, University of Missouri-St. Louis The Gambia’s President Adama Barrow has been declared winner of the election held on 4 December. Barrow received around 53% of the vote cast while his closest rival at the polls, Oussainou Darboe, got … Continue reading The Gambia’s 55-year-old marbles voting system is simple but difficult to cheat
James Weinberg, University of Sheffield The killing of British Conservative MP David Amess, who was stabbed to death in his constituency on October 15, is a deeply tragic moment for democracy. What makes it even more devastating is that such … Continue reading David Amess killing: threats of violence and harassment have become commonplace for politicians
Alice Gorman, Flinders University On October 5, an unusual crew will fly to the International Space Station. Director Klim Shipenko and actor Yulia Peresild will spend a week and a half on the station shooting scenes for the Russian movie Challenge. Peresild plays a surgeon who must conduct a heart operation on a sick cosmonaut. This is an exciting — if controversial — development for the station, which orbits around 400 km above Earth. Commercial use of its facilities could be a funding avenue to keep it in orbit. A Japanese documentary and an American movie, starring Tom Cruise, are … Continue reading From poo politics to rubbish disposal: 5 big questions about the International Space Station becoming a movie set
French airforce sergeant who planned to shoot Muslims has case dismissed The Collectif contre l’Islamophobie en France draws our attention to reports that Christophe Lavigne, a sergeant in the French airforce with far-right links, will not now be prosecuted. Lavigne was arrested last August and charged with planning an armed attack on worshippers at the Al Forqane mosque in the Lyon suburb of Vénissieux to coincide with the end of Ramadan. Judges had already dismissed the charge against Lavigne of possessing ammunition in connection with a terrorist enterprise, on the grounds that the bullets were of a grade permitted for collectors of historical weapons and so … Continue reading French airforce sergeant who planned to shoot Muslims has case dismissed
So what type of voter are you? Pollsters Populus have come up with a new way of tapping into the mind of the electorate. You can take the test here – but first let us explain what it is all about. Worcester woman. Mondeo Man. Political parties love slicing and dicing the electorate into chunks, all the better to target them for their votes. The technique is called segmentation and – like many political tools – has been perfected in the United States. Gone are the days when the public was segmented by simple things like their cars or postcodes. Now … Continue reading Take the test: Which political tribe are you?
Labour – deserves better? Ed Miliband seriously needs to start thinking out of the box – in fact he needs to throw away the box! That if he is serious about the leadership of the UK let alone New Labour. What has Ed done to make his party representative of the people of the United Kingdom as he promised in his last conference speech? Take the example of Birmingham: Near 50% of the people and 80% of the Labour Party ‘ground troops’ are what Labour regards as ‘Black and Ethnic’ minority – then you look at the larger picture in … Continue reading Britain deserves better?
“Divinity of Doubt”: An Agnostic Probes the God Question by: Martha Sorren, Truthout | Book Review With books like “Helter Skelter” and “The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder” under his belt, author Vincent Bugliosi is no stranger to writing about controversial topics, and his first career as an attorney has influenced his writing voice and his writing method. “Divinity of Doubt: The God Question” is not a book about atheism. Bugliosi doesn’t have an interest in being an atheist, but rather takes the Clarence Darrow approach to belief in God and classifies himself as an agnostic. He quotes … Continue reading “Divinity of Doubt”: An Agnostic Probes the God Question
By Shaykh Hamza Yusuf There was a story in the New York Times a few days ago about how the “revolution” in Tunisia was sparked in December by the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26-year-old, befuddled roadside green grocer. Like so many young Arabs, he was born poor and only dreamed of providing for his siblings and his mother. He had been to college, where he studied law, but had found no employment possibilities. So, given the basic dignity often found in people in places like Tunisia, he chose to humble himself and find a halal means to generate some … Continue reading Deferred Dreams, Self-Destruction, and Suicide Bombings
MP3 versions: Praying for Democracy – Egypt 2011 Praying for Democracy – Egypt 2011 (without music) Continue reading Praying for Democracy – Egypt 2011
Mohammed Abbasi 