Who Will Liberate Us from Personality, Political and Providential Cults?
December 19, 2010 No Comment
Article by WN.Com Correspondent Dallas Darling. “An ignorant people is the blind instrument of its own destruction.” -Simon Bolivar When Venezuela lawmakers granted President Hugo Chavez extraordinary powers to govern the country by decree for the next several months, it evoked the life of Simon Bolivar and his visit to Europe and exposure to the French Revolution and the ideas of the Enlightenment. While visiting Spain, he was confronted with the question: “Who will liberate South American from Spanish imperialism?” Regarding Bolivar’s rise to power and how his life ended, perhaps there should have been a follow-up question. In other words, “Who will liberate us from personality and…
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Hundreds of Alaskans jumped into the icy waters of Goose Lake in Anchorage to raise money for the state’s Special Olympics program. The ‘Polar Plunge’ raised more than $100000 for the program last year. (Dec. 18)
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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has rejected a call for UN troops to leave Ivory Coast as tensions escalate after last month’s presidential election. Incumbent Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo had earlier demanded that all foreign peacekeepers leave the country. His spokesperson accused UN and French troops of colluding with former rebels. The UN and major powers have recognised Mr…
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Amanda Knox won an important victory in her appeals trial of her murder conviction in Italy on Saturday, when a court ruled that it will allow an independent review of crucial DNA evidence. (Dec. 18)
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Despite being Jewish from birth, legendary American rock band’s guitarist Jorma Kaukonen undergoes conversion process with his wife. ‘It will probably sound like a clich?, but I feel like a new and better person,’ he tells Ynet
Continue reading …Open Thread with The Professional Left Weekly Podcast: "No Labels", Sanders, and Full Metal Mondale
December 19, 2010 No Comment
enlarge Credit: The Professional Left Time for your weekly podcast with The Professional Left, our own Driftglass and Bluegal . Happy holidays and enjoy the podcast, especially the first few minutes when DG gets his Bill Clinton impersonation on. You can listen to the archives or make a donation to help keep the podcasts going at http://professionalleft.blogspot.com/ .
Continue reading …Genre: Captain Beefheart Title: I’m Glad R.I.P. Don Glen Van Vliet, who passed away on the 14th day of Zappadan. We lost a good one. And there’s more Captain Beefheart at our sister site, Newstalgia: From the Cowtown Ballroom, Kansas City – April 22, 1974.
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Minsk: Belarus votes in presidential polls expected to hand a fourth term to its unpredictable strongman Alexander Lukashenko but already derided by the opposition as a mockery of democracy. The mercurial Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet state of 10 million since 1994, was for years an unwavering ally of Moscow but in recent months has infuriated Russia by seeking to align Belarus closer to the EU. Once accused by the United States of running Europe’s “last dictatorship”, he has earned notoriety for antics such as dressing his young son reportedly born out of wedlock in full military uniform for parades — but also for not tolerating dissent. US diplomats have referred to Lukashenko…
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Congress on Saturday repealed the ban against gays serving openly in the U.S. military, a major victory for President Barack Obama who had promised to end what his liberal supporters said was an outdated and discriminatory policy. A sign at the Department of Defense is pictured at the Pentagon in Washington, March 25, 2010. (REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang/Files) Obama intends to sign it into law next week, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. But Defence Secretary Robert Gates, who had pushed for the change, warned gay men and women serving in the military that the current “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy will remain in effect for some time while the new rules are…
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