Curated knowlege, trenchant insights & witty bon mots
An NYT feature looks at why young British Muslim men are killing themselves and others in reaction to conflicts thousands of miles away from them. An excerpt: Many here see answers in the sense of injustice at events both at home and abroad that is far more widespread among Muslims than many Westerners recognize; in [...]
Sat, July 30 2005 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page » Comments Off
Javed Akbar, director of outreach at the Pickering Islamic Centre, notes that at the beginning of the 20th Century, Muslim intellectuals were in love with the West. So where did all the goodwill go? An excerpt: To honour the souls of the more than 50 people who died in a planned and pathologically-motivated attack in [...]
Sat, July 30 2005 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page » Comments Off
One common link between many young extremists is the search for a commanding figure in their lives — a figure that embues their lives with some dignity and meaning. An excerpt: In a study of 3,000 Palestinian children in Gaza — where the militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups attract young people ready to die [...]
Sat, July 30 2005 » Main Page » Comments Off
Stephen Holden of the New York Times: “Must Love Dogs” is an Internet dating comedy so weightless that it makes a trifle like “You've Got Mail” look like Chekhov. Sadly, that's the only great line in the review.
Sat, July 30 2005 » Film, Main Page » Comments Off
The Museum of the American West is hosting a show called “Once Upon a Time in Italy: The Westerns of Sergio Leone.” An excerpt from the NYT story: On Tuesday, in a museum tucked into a corner of Los Angeles's sprawling Griffith Park, three men re-enacted the climactic shootout from the 1966 western “The Good, [...]
Sat, July 30 2005 » Film, Main Page » Comments Off
The NYT looks at the scourge of corruption in Latin America and claims it is threatening democratic development there. An excerpt: Brazil's scandal is just the latest reminder of the unremitting corruption that has marked Latin American politics since colonial times, when absolute rulers regarded newly conquered realms in the New World as their personal [...]
Sat, July 30 2005 » * Big Picture Stuff, Main Page » Comments Off
Lachlan Murdoch has left News Corp., but Rupert still has one son to go — James. An excerpt from the BBC story: When that will be, of course, is an open question. The elder Mr Murdoch may be 74 years old, but is married to a woman 40 years his junior, has two small children, [...]
Sat, July 30 2005 » Main Page, Media » Comments Off
Muckraking columnist Jim DeFede of the Miami Herald took a call Wednesday from a well-known Florida politician — just before that politician shot himself in the Herald's lobby. DeFede recorded it without getting the permission of Arthur E. Teele Jr., in violation of Florida state law. By late Wednesday, DeFede — a talented columnist but [...]
Sat, July 30 2005 » Main Page, Media » 4 Comments