Skip to main content

Posts

‘Plan B’ – Not an Enigma: Why the West Is Keen on Dividing the Arabs

When Arab streets exploded with fury, from Tunis to Sanaa, pan-Arabism seemed, then, like a nominal notion. Neither did the so-called ‘Jasmine Revolution’ use slogans that affirmed its Arab identity, nor did angry Egyptian youth raise the banner proclaiming Arab unity atop the high buildings adjacent to Tahrir Square. Oddly, the Arabism of the ‘Arab Spring’ was almost as if a result of convenience. It was politically convenient for western governments to stereotype Arab nations as if they are exact duplicates of one another, and that national sentiments, identities, expectations and popular revolts are all rooted in the same past and correspond with a precise reality in the present. Thus, many in the west expected that the fall of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia, especially since it was followed by the abdication of Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, would lead to a domino effect. “Who’s next?’ was a pretentious question that many asked, some with no understanding of the region and its complex

Syria: Holding the Line Against the Forces of Hell

by JOHN WIGHT When future historians sit down to write the history of the Syrian conflict there is a simple test that will determine whether their objective is to mine and reveal the truth, or whether it is merely to shovel more dirt onto the mountain of the stuff that’s been erected over the course of its five long years as a monument to propaganda. The test will be their depiction of the Syrian Arab Army and its role in the conflict. If said historians credit it with holding the line against the forces of hell that were committed to the country’s destruction as a secular, non sectarian, multi-religious and ethnic state, enduring the kind of losses and casualties placing it among the most courageous, resilient, and heroic of any army of any nation that has ever existed, then people will know that truth rather than propaganda has prevailed. The glorification of war and conflict is difficult to resist for those living safely many miles away from its horrors and brutality. Those who do g

The New Mind Control

The internet has spawned subtle forms of influence that can flip elections and manipulate everything we say, think and do. By Robert Epstein Over the past century, more than a few great writers have expressed concern about humanity’s future. In The Iron Heel (1908), the American writer Jack London pictured a world in which a handful of wealthy corporate titans – the ‘oligarchs’ – kept the masses at bay with a brutal combination of rewards and punishments. Much of humanity lived in virtual slavery, while the fortunate ones were bought off with decent wages that allowed them to live comfortably – but without any real control over their lives. In We (1924), the brilliant Russian writer Yevgeny Zamyatin, anticipating the excesses of the emerging Soviet Union, envisioned a world in which people were kept in check through pervasive monitoring. The walls of their homes were made of clear glass, so everything they did could be observed. They were allowed to lower their shades an hour a

Saudi Arabia’s “Northern Thunder,” Sound and Fury Signifying Nothing

By Ulson Gunnar The news has been abuzz before and during the ceasefire announced amid Syria’s conflict about Saudi Arabia’s possible intervention. Saudi Arabia has threatened to intervene amid incomprehensible, contradicting rhetoric, claiming that it would enter Syrian territory to “fight” IS (the Islamic State), but would do so only now because the Syrian government has refused to step down. Of course, the only coherent forces on the ground fighting IS now are the Syrian government’s troops and Kurdish fighters who now appear to be working with Damascus. Saudi Arabia’s intervention to remove President Bashar al Assad from power would seem to work in IS’ favor, not against it. To give Saudi Arabia’s confusing threats some teeth, Riyadh announced its “Northern Thunder” military exercises which it claimed would be one of the largest military exercises ever held. The United Arab Emirates’ “The National,” would report in an article titled, “ Saudi Arabia hosts joint military exercise ,”

THE ROOT CAUSE OF CANCER NO ONE KNOWS (IT’S BEEN HIDDEN SINCE THE 1930S)

Most people think that DNA damage is what causes a cell to be cancerous. While it is true that cancer cells may have DNA damage, it is highly unlikely that DNA damage can cause any cell to become cancerous. In fact, the DNA damage is a result of the true cause cancer.  So let us discuss what really causes cancer.  There have been many discoveries about cancer in the past 125 years.  For example, William Russell (1852-1940), in 1890, discovered that there are microbes inside and outside of cancer cells. Later it was discovered that the microbes inside cancer cells were “pleomorphic,” that is, they changed shapes and sizes depending on the pH inside the cancer cells. In 1931, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Otto Warburg for his discovery in determining that the defining characteristic of cancer cells was low “ATP energy” (ATP is made inside the mitochondria of cells and is called “adenosine triphosphate”).  But Not Healthy Cells In 1930, it was proven that if th

The ancient sites and monuments destroyed in Syria's crisis

                     The Association for the Protection of Syrian Archaeology says more than 900 monuments and archaeological sites have been looted, damaged or destroyed in the country's crisis. Referring to satellite images, the United Nations said in December that 300 sites had been plundered, damaged or destroyed. Here is a look at some of the major Syrian historical sites or monuments destroyed. Palmyra Islamic State (IS) jihadists have blown up several famed tower tombs at the UNESCO-listed world heritage site, targeting the first century AD monuments as part of a campaign to destroy the site, antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim told AFP. He said that among at least seven tombs destroyed were the three best preserved and most treasured funerary towers, including the famed Tower of Elahbel. Earlier this week, the UN training and research agency UNITAR said satellite images "confirm the destruction of the main Temple of Bel as well as a row of columns in its immediate vic
PHOTO: The main opposition grouping described the ceasefire as "positive" but lodged a formal complaint with the UN and foreign governments about breaches on the first day. (AFP: STR) Key players in the Syrian war traded accusations over violations of the first major ceasefire in the five-year conflict, but the truce remained largely intact on its second day. The main opposition grouping described the ceasefire as "positive" but lodged a formal complaint with the United Nations and foreign governments about breaches on the first day. "We have violations here and there, but in general it is a lot better than before and people are comfortable," said Salem al-Meslet, spokesman for the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee (HNC). An HNC letter to UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon accused the Syrian government and its allies of committing "24 violations with artillery shelling and five ground operations... in 26 areas held by the moderate opposition"

Watchdog: Secret US-backed Cuban Twitter programs problematic, amounted to nepotism

(AP) — Once-secret U.S. government programs in Cuba that included a Twitter-like messaging service and an HIV-prevention workshop contained inadequate monitoring, conflicts of interest and questions of legal responsibility for those involved, according to an agency watchdog report this week. The U.S. Agency for International Development, which oversaw the now-defunct “Cuban Twitter” program and other efforts, also didn’t have a policy in place to protect sensitive work from subversion by Cuban intelligence officials, the report stated. ZunZuneo, as the text-messaging program was called, was among several of the agency’s Cuban civil-society programs designed to bring about democratic change. The USAID inspector general’s report follows a months-long investigation by The Associated Press last year into concealed U.S. government work on the island. Those disclosures revealed how one of those companies — working under USAID’s supervision — developed ZunZuneo, staged an HIV-prevention wo