An "Obama Nation" Abomination
The US mainstream media has gone wild with indignation at "Obama Nation", a new book on the Democratic Nominee by Jerome R Corsi (co-author of the book that first launched the infamous "swiftboat" episode which arguably ruined John Kerry's 2004 bid for the presidency).
Corsi has been very open about the intended aim of his latest opus: convincing the American public that Obama is a dangerous socialist and committed radical who, like Kerry, should be kept safely away from the White House for the sake of everyone. Nice!
Predictably, said indignation has now propelled the book into the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list.
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The US opens the door, Russia says thank you
It is of course unthinkable that Russia would've acted in such a blatantly gleeful manner during its invasion/aggression in Georgia were it not for the fact the the UN and the so-called "International Consensus" are pretty much defunct niceties nowadays.
The fallout from the Irak War has produced a wide spectrum of effects but my guess is that we are witnessing the most spectacular of them to day, the most blazé show of the "might is right" doctrine since the Bush administration re-invigorated the concept and gave it currency.
Of course, it could be reasonably argued that Russia would've acted the same way regardless of what happened in the past 5 years.
Time (and declassified archives) will tell.
It is of course unthinkable that Russia would've acted in such a blatantly gleeful manner during its invasion/aggression in Georgia were it not for the fact the the UN and the so-called "International Consensus" are pretty much defunct niceties nowadays.
The fallout from the Irak War has produced a wide spectrum of effects but my guess is that we are witnessing the most spectacular of them to day, the most blazé show of the "might is right" doctrine since the Bush administration re-invigorated the concept and gave it currency.
Of course, it could be reasonably argued that Russia would've acted the same way regardless of what happened in the past 5 years.
Time (and declassified archives) will tell.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
RIP Mahmoud Darwish - National Poet, Universal Soul
Mahmoud Darwish is dead and this blog is now having the unfortunate look of an obituary column. Darwish was a supreme lyricist and a writer of great panache and vision. We used one of his most famous poems in a theatre play we produced back in April and it was easily one of the most powerful moments of the piece.
It's now time to address the question of who amongst the new generation of Arab poets can take on the mantle and move literature (and the art of the unsaid) forward. Things are hopeful and we will be watching this space.
Mahmoud Darwish is dead and this blog is now having the unfortunate look of an obituary column. Darwish was a supreme lyricist and a writer of great panache and vision. We used one of his most famous poems in a theatre play we produced back in April and it was easily one of the most powerful moments of the piece.
It's now time to address the question of who amongst the new generation of Arab poets can take on the mantle and move literature (and the art of the unsaid) forward. Things are hopeful and we will be watching this space.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Solzhenitsyn, no more.
Author of "The Gulag Archipelago" and iconic figure of 20th literature and politics Alexander Solzhenitsyn has passed away tonight. His brave stance against Soviet totalitarianism has generated as much fury in his homeland as has his later reconciliation with Putin's Russia done in the West. A gigantic monument on the intellectual landscape with a complex footprint to match.
RIP.
Author of "The Gulag Archipelago" and iconic figure of 20th literature and politics Alexander Solzhenitsyn has passed away tonight. His brave stance against Soviet totalitarianism has generated as much fury in his homeland as has his later reconciliation with Putin's Russia done in the West. A gigantic monument on the intellectual landscape with a complex footprint to match.
RIP.
Monday, July 28, 2008
The Arab Orson Welles
Yesterday, the greatest film director of the Arab world has passed away. Youssef Chahine was not just a master professional but a tremendous artist and generous human being too.
He will be missed terribly.
Yesterday, the greatest film director of the Arab world has passed away. Youssef Chahine was not just a master professional but a tremendous artist and generous human being too.
He will be missed terribly.
'S' is for sinister
Check out the new starbust advert... is it just me or is this one of the most disturbing, unpleasant bits of footage ever inflicted on the nation's kids?
Check out the new starbust advert... is it just me or is this one of the most disturbing, unpleasant bits of footage ever inflicted on the nation's kids?
Monday, July 21, 2008
And now for something completely different...
Here's the new offering from the JibJab team. Simply brilliant!
Here's the new offering from the JibJab team. Simply brilliant!
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Something for the mind..
If you care about science, or at least about combatting rampant stupidity (creationism and all its friends) do yourself a favour and make it a habit to visit the excellent badscience website by Ben Goldacre or checkout the regular saturday column in the Guardian.
Seriously, read it every week and weep at the state of science coverage in the media. Ben is easily in my top ten list of "greatest humans alive"
No, Really, I mean it!
If you care about science, or at least about combatting rampant stupidity (creationism and all its friends) do yourself a favour and make it a habit to visit the excellent badscience website by Ben Goldacre or checkout the regular saturday column in the Guardian.
Seriously, read it every week and weep at the state of science coverage in the media. Ben is easily in my top ten list of "greatest humans alive"
No, Really, I mean it!
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Newsflash from the White House! Mandela no longer on official US terrorist list.
The US government's reputation as a world-leader when it comes to pioneering political stances is yet again highlighted by the announcement (less than 48 hours ago and barely twenty years after his release) that Nelson Mandela, someone the rest of the world had so far naively assumed was a notorious, dangerous and undesirable terrorist was, in fact, NOT a notorious, dangerous and undesirable terrorist but a great statesman and the closest thing humanity has to a modern saint..
Our heartfelt thanks to US administrations (present and past) for staying ahead of the curve and leading us all the way to the true, definitive state of enlightenment..
Amen
The US government's reputation as a world-leader when it comes to pioneering political stances is yet again highlighted by the announcement (less than 48 hours ago and barely twenty years after his release) that Nelson Mandela, someone the rest of the world had so far naively assumed was a notorious, dangerous and undesirable terrorist was, in fact, NOT a notorious, dangerous and undesirable terrorist but a great statesman and the closest thing humanity has to a modern saint..
Our heartfelt thanks to US administrations (present and past) for staying ahead of the curve and leading us all the way to the true, definitive state of enlightenment..
Amen
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