NYT (3): Foreign Affairs

Will second "Arab Spring" start with Jordan?; Muslim Brotherhood demands that military cede power; Even among Putin's "base," support is tepid.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Friday, February 10, 2012

NYT Editorial & Op-Eds (4)

"A federal appeals court struck down California’s ban on same-sex marriage, bringing this nation a step closer to full equality and fairness" (Editorial); "On popular Web sites, misinformation about antipiracy legislation amounted to an abuse of trust and a misuse of power" (Guest Op-Ed); "Observing democratic awakenings in places like Egypt, Syria and Russia puts a glow in your heart and a pit in your stomach" (Friedman); "Ending Iran’s influence in Syria would transform the Middle East" (Guest Op-Ed)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Wednesday, February 8, 2012

NYT (6): Foreign Affairs

Seeing writing on well, U.S. cuts Iraq embassy staff in half; Is Russia finally taking active role in Syrian crisis?; As people strike, Greek leaders postpone vote on austerity measures, and wonder if they amount to political suicide; All eyes on poorest 1/5 of Indians as they go to polls; Haitians creating immigration crisis in Brazil; The U.S. embargo against Cuba is 50 years old.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Apple in China: iRobots | The Economist

Posted by Michael Butler, Tuesday, February 7, 2012

NYT (6): Foreign Affairs

U.S. closes embassy in Syria; Obama/Clinton fail to get Egypt to rescind legal action against Americans; U.S. drones out of control in Pakistan?; European activists fight their own "SOPA"; Failing French economy leads to gains for far right; Wicked cold snap kills hundreds in Europe.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Monday, February 6, 2012

NYT Editorial & Op-Eds (10)

"Three major legal cases may influence the 2012 election, but the cases also illustrate how politics shape the Supreme Court" (Editorial); "Whether Barack Obama wins or loses in November, the Democratic Party’s attention will immediately turn to 2016" (Guest Op-Ed); "Whether you can obtain a job, credit or insurance can be based on your digital doppelgänger — and you may never know why you’ve been turned down" (Guest Op-Ed); "Anyone entertaining such dreams of the Internet as a refuge for the bohemian, the hedonistic and the idiosyncratic probably didn’t know the reasons behind the disappearance of the original flâneur" (Guest Op-Ed); "How do the laws and mores of different nations manage, if at all, the multinational companies that now govern our digital lives?" (Guest Op-Ed); "Romney’s Mormon faith is too central to his biography and identity to be swept to the side" (Bruni); "Web tools can turn the world upside down. Change.org has empowered ordinary people to close down homophobic 'clinics' in Ecuador, shine a light on sex trafficking, and force banks to drop fees" (Kristof); "Vladimir Putin has been unable to make the political, economic and educational changes needed to make Russia a modern European state. Will he step up?" (Friedman); "Can Callista transform Newt so that he can transform her into the First Third Lady?" (Dowd); "Half of the country wants to restrict or end abortion, but you wouldn’t know that from the coverage of the Planned Parenthood-Komen controversy" (Douthat)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, February 5, 2012

NYT (3): Foreign Affairs

As post-soccer violence continues into fourth day, Egypt will try 19 Americans, possibly leading to loss of U.S. aid; Russians endure bitter cold to protest Putin.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, February 5, 2012

Clearing Up the Confusion Over “Made in China”

Posted by Michael Butler, Saturday, February 4, 2012

NYT (6): Int’l Affairs

Post-soccer violence continues in Egypt for third day; Russia and China veto U.N. bill re Syria, right after attack that kills 200; Hacker group "Anonymous" hacks an FBI-Scotland Yard phone call about... "Anonymous"; E.U. looks to create roadblock re Google's new privacy rule; Putin aide says roots of protests are "foreign"; U.N. says Somali famine is over, though violence continues.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Saturday, February 4, 2012

Pakistan’s security state: Reading the Taliban | The Economist

Posted by Michael Butler, Thursday, February 2, 2012

NYT (3): Foreign Affairs

Panetta calls for earlier end to U.S. combat presence in Afghanistan; Chinese village that took on gov't gets independent elections; Was Egyptian military complicit in post-soccer game violence that left over 70 people dead?
Posted by Ian Alterman, Thursday, February 2, 2012

NYT (5): Foreign Affairs

In Egypt, some demonstrators take on Muslim Brotherhood, others attack Syrian embassy; Activists take on Chinese gov't over pollution; Reversing bluster, Iran admits sanctions are hurting; Outrage in Pakistan over journalists as "morality police"; A short list of those declining to be knighted.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Saturday, January 28, 2012

NYT (6): Foreign Affairs

"Discontent and upheaval" are on the rise across almost the entire globe; Not all Egyptians are happy with current status as they celebrate first anniversary of revolt; Is Iran "pre-emptively" intimidating and arresting journalists and bloggers in advance of elections?; Scots move closer to independence from UK; Cameron tries to limit power of Human Rights Court; German state court bars publication of excerpts from Mein Kampf.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Thursday, January 26, 2012

NYT (4): Int’l Affairs

Google may have to change their motto ("Do no evil") in wake of new "privacy" policy; Clashes between Tibetans and Chinese forces increase; Libyan interim gov't forces lose town to Qaddafi loyalists; Is new prez of Brazil taking the country backward on the environment?
Posted by Ian Alterman, Wednesday, January 25, 2012

NYT (2): Foreign Affairs

In first parliamentary session, Muslim Brotherhood finds democracy is messy; Chinese security forces open fire on Tibetan protesters.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Tuesday, January 24, 2012

NYT (4): Foreign Affairs

Muslim Brotherhood and military move toward agreement; Protests against temporary Libyan gov't grow; Sectarian violence returns to Iraq; China reports 2nd case of bird flu.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Monday, January 23, 2012

NYT (4): Int’l Affairs

In almost-unheard-of case, bird flu scientists agree to halt research, keep certain info secret; U.S. may close embassy in Syria; Self-immolation on the rise; China warns Iran on nukes.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Saturday, January 21, 2012

NYT (3): Foreign Affairs

In rarity, Haitian police officers get jail terms for massacre; Romanian protests ramp up; Myanmar gov't giving with one hand, taking with the other.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Friday, January 20, 2012

Arundhati Roy: Capitalism’s Real Gravediggers

the great Arundhati Roy ..

In India, the 300m of us who belong to the new, post-“reforms” middle class – the market – live side by side with the ghosts of 250,000 debt-ridden farmers who have killed themselves, and of the 800m who have been impoverished and dispossessed to make way for us. And who survive on less than 50 cents a day .. Corporations have their own sly strategy to deal with dissent. With a minuscule percentage of their profits they run hospitals, educational institutes and trusts, which in turn fund NGOs, academics, journalists, artists, film-makers, literary festivals and even protest movements. It is a way of using charity to lure opinion-makers into their sphere of influence. Of infiltrating normality, colonising ordinariness, so that challenging them seems as absurd (or as esoteric) as challenging “reality” itself. From here, it’s a quick, easy step to “there is no alternative”.

.. read more
Posted by Mike Blaxill, Friday, January 20, 2012

NYT (3): Foreign Affairs

Israel considers indicting Foreign Minister; China continues crackdown on dissidents; More bodies found in cruise ship wreck, and more evidence of captain's negligence.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Wednesday, January 18, 2012

NYT (8): Foreign Affairs

Bahrain opposition unimpressed by King's suggested reforms; Taiwan elections stir democracy-minded hearts in China; Hacker who hit Israeli credit card accounts strikes again, crippling sites of ElAl and Stock Exchange; Romanian protests over austerity measures turn violent; Hard lesson learned, Nigerian leader reinstitutes gas subsidy; Sarkozy vulnerable due to economic situation; Pakistan's highest court initiates contempt of court proceedings against PM; Captain of capsized liner likely to face charges.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Tuesday, January 17, 2012

NYT (11): Editorials, Op-Eds, Letters

"Mitt Romney and the Republican Party fear talking about income inequality in the campaign" (Editorial); "In a sound ruling, the National Labor Relations Board concluded that employees’ federal right to engage in concerted action trumps any arbitration agreement that bars group claims" (Editorial); "The Tea Party’s influence is diminishing as conservatives seem to be inching toward nominating Mitt Romney" (Guest Op-Ed); "Presidential candidates are just like you. You plus multiple homes and millions" (Bruni); "There has yet to be any discussion over the one quality that has subtly driven Mitt Romney's candidacy: his race" (Guest Op-Ed); "The private equity revolution of Mitt Romney and others helped keep America competitive, but the human costs must be acknowledged, too" (Douthat); "In fashion next fall: enigmatic, elusive, analytical Harvard grads" (Dowd); "For those in the news media who covered the slow-motion collapse of the Soviet Union, this moment feels familiar" (Guest Op-Ed); "As a new government takes shape, Egyptians are finding their voices again and rediscovering their neighbors" (Friedman); "Medieval Europe had barbarian hordes, famine and plague. We have millions of people on Xanax" (Guest Op-Ed); "Sunday Dialogue: Mobility and Inequality in Today’s America" (Letters)
Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, January 15, 2012

NYT (3): Foreign Affairs

Marines in video identified, Corps looks for videographer; Pakistani gov't faces confidence vote; U.S. begins retasking European troops to the Asia-Pacific region.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Saturday, January 14, 2012

NYT (4): Foreign Affairs

As Gulf states back U.S. attempts to choke Iranian oil, U.S. warns Iran that closing Strait would be "red line"; Urination video goes viral, causing serious problems for U.S. in Afghanistan; U.S. restores full relations with Myanmar.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Friday, January 13, 2012

NYT (5): Foreign Affairs

Assad still blaming outsiders for unrest; Pakistani Supreme Court threatens to dismiss PM; Mulnutrition in Indian children widespread and growing; Taiwan vote lures expatriates in China; U.S. ranks only 13th in nuclear security.
Posted by Ian Alterman, Thursday, January 12, 2012