Iran holds pro-government rallies Al Jazeera 12/30/2008 Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to gather across Iran for a series of state-sponsored rallies designed as a show of strength following days of pro-opposition demonstrations. Wednesday’s demonstrations in Tehran and several other cities, come as Iran’s police chief vowed to "crush" opposition gatherings. "In dealing […]
Cheney Joins Hypocritical Attacks On Obama’s ‘Low Key Response’ To Failed Terrorist Attack ThinkProgress 12/30/2009 … But in a statement given to a different Politico reporter, former Vice President Dick Cheney harshly criticized Obama’s “low key response“: As I’ve watched the events of the last few days it is clear once again that President Obama […]
On my recent trip, I went through security a lot of times in Cairo, Aswan, and Luxor in Egypt and Amman in Jordon. They zipped us right on through, even though our metal parts [back fusions and replaced knees] set off the metal detectors. But they were super-hyper about the Muslims, particularly young men. The […]
The key to literary success? Be a man – or write like one Washington Post By Julianna Baggott December 30, 2009 This fall, Publishers Weekly named the top 100 books of 2009. How many female writers were in the top 10? Zero. How many on the entire list? Twenty-nine. I wish I were scandalized, or […]
Obama Curbs Secrecy of Classified Documents New York Times By CHARLIE SAVAGE December 29, 2009 WASHINGTON — President Obama declared on Tuesday that “no information may remain classified indefinitely” as part of a sweeping overhaul of the executive branch’s system for protecting classified national security information. In an executive order and an accompanying presidential memorandum […]
US, Israel staged Iran protests: Ahmadinejad By Agence France-Presse on AFP 12/29/2009 TEHRAN — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad branded Sunday’s anti-government protests as a "nauseating play" staged by the United States and Israel, state news agency IRNA reported. "Iranians have seen lots of these games. Americans and Zionists are the sole audience of a play […]
Karl Rove granted divorce in Texas Politico By MIKE ALLEN 12/29/09 Karl Rove, former senior adviser to President George W. Bush, has been granted a divorce in Texas after 24 years of marriage, family spokeswoman Dana Perino said. “Karl Rove and his wife, Darby, were granted a divorce last week," said Perino. "The couple came […]
As we traveled through Egypt and Jordan, I kept thinking about how much of each country was desert. If you get very far from the sparse rivers, there’s nothing there but space – dry, hot, arid, unpopulated space. A few years ago, we flew to Kenya by way of Dubai. When we got close to […]
Before I left, I was speculating about Tiger Woods’ Madonna Prostitute Complex based on his choice of loose women. I’ve been mildly obsessed with Iran since I got back, but I checked in on Tiger, and saw that the mistress count was in the teens now – all "easy" ladies. I got to thinking what […]
Iran’s turning point Washington Post Editorial December 29, 200 ONE WAY or another, Sunday’s Ashura holiday in Iran probably will be a turning point in the struggle between an extremist regime and an increasingly radical opposition. … There is, however, more that could be done to help the Green Movement. Russia and non-Western nations should […]