U.S. and the World
FBI Offers $1 Million Reward for Missing Ex-Agent Last Seen in Iran
Five years ago today, Bob Levinson, a retired FBI agent, flew from Dubai to Kish Island in Iran. He disappeared and has not been seen or heard from since. Now the FBI has offered $1 million to anyone who anyone who provides information that leads ... read more
Obama Moves G8 Summit Away from Chicago Protesters to Camp David
The next meeting of G8 leaders will not be held in Chicago after all, in anticipation that the event would attract large numbers of demonstrators.
President Barack Obama made the call to relocate the meeting of leaders of the world’s largest e... read more
198 U.S. Aid Groups Criticize CIA for Using Fake Polio Vaccination Drive to Kill Bin Laden
Did the CIA plan that located Osama bin Laden in Pakistan last May endanger the lives of foreign aid workers and Pakistani children? The answer is yes, according to InterAction, a coalition of American non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which ... read more
Tsunami Debris Headed to Join “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”
Garbage will collide with garbage sometime later this year in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. As a result of the tsunami that struck Japan last year, a large mass of debris, including objects as large as televisions and refrigerators, will reach ... read more
Qorvis Always Ready to Lobby for Dictators
Qorvis, one of Washington, DC’s top lobbying and public relations firms, has continued to help one of its most controversial clients improve its image with American leaders.
Since signing a $40,000-a-month contract with the government of Bahra... read more
Japanese Government Softened Tsunami Warning 8 Days Before One Hit Fukushima
At the behest of nuclear power companies, government officials in Japan softened language relating to the threat of earthquake-produced tsunamis only eight days before last year’s disaster.
In early March 2011, representatives of Tokyo Electri... read more
What will be in the New U.S. Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement? It’s None of Our Business
The U.S. government has agreed with its negotiating partners to keep details of a new international trade agreement involving Pacific Rim nations a secret until negotiations are completed.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), also known as the... read more
Academy Awards 2012—Live Action Shorts
Unlike last year, this year’s set of live action shorts nominees is dominated by comedies, which was good news for me since I am a fan of short comedies.
Tuba Atlantic (Norway)
Oskar, a misanthropic farmer who is obsessed with killing seagull... read more
Academy Awards 2012—Documentary Shorts
With this year’s nominees clocking in at an average of 34 minutes, the Academy might want to rename this category Documentary Mediums rather than Documentary Shorts. Perhaps because of their length, they are a solid bunch.
The Tsunami and the... read more
Immigration Judge Orders First Deportation of Foreign Military Commander for Human Rights Violations
El Salvador’s former defense minister has become the first foreign military leader ordered to leave the United States for human rights violations.
General Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova, who ran the military during El Salvador’s turbulent civil... read more
Academy Awards 2012—Foreign Language Films
I saw 50 of the 63 films entered in the Best Foreign Language Film category and I am happy to report that this was an exceptionally good year. If there was no single masterpiece that stood out, there were a couple dozen good films that I would rec... read more
Academy Awards 2012—Animated Shorts
I have to recuse myself from giving objective opinions of this year’s animated shorts nominees because one of them, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, is so close to my heart that I’m not a proper judge of the others. First, here’s... read more
Should Obama Consider Prisoner Exchange to Save American Due to be Executed in Iran?
The lawyer for a former U.S. Marine facing execution in Iran for allegedly spying has asked American officials to consider a prisoner swap in order to save his client’s life.
Amir Mirzaei Hekmati was sentenced in January to be hanged after bei... read more
As New Protests Loom, Chicago Pays $6.2 Million to Settle False Arrests of Anti-Iraq War Protestors
Chicago city officials have agreed to a $6.2 million settlement with the more than 800 protesters who were wrongfully arrested or detained in 2003 while demonstrating against the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Members of the class action lawsuit will ... read more
Thousands Die of Mystery Illness; Work-Related Dehydration Suspected
Thousands of workers in Central America are dying from kidney disease that has turned into an epidemic, according to health experts.
More than 24,000 people in El Salvador and Nicaragua have died since 2000 from kidney failure, which usually o... read more
Outsourcing Death in the Afghanistan War
Just like the war in Iraq, contractors have assumed a significant share of the U.S. military effort in Afghanistan and even surpassed the number of soldiers, both in terms of total personnel and fatalities.
As of January, nearly 113,500 employ... read more