Talk of the Town

MIKYAJY: Makeup of Arabia

2010-08-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

Think Dylon's Candy Bar Store meets Urban Decay and what do you get? Mikyajy (www.mikyajy.com). It’s the newest and fastest growing cosmetic brand in the Middle East. Mikyajy, which means 'Makeup' in Arabic, believes makeup should be fun, fabulous and affordable!

Mikyajy is makeup with an edge for fashionable ladies everywhere. When you walk into the store, you get the impression you’re entering a candy shop. The design concept behind the Mikyajy store is one of a semi-cartoon world where everything is cute and teeny made for women of all ages.

Mikyajy product offers a dazzling array of makeup for eyes, lips, cheeks and makeup brushes you’re sure to love.

Launched in 1999, Mikyajy has more than 160 stores across Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Libya. It was developed and made in Europe to satisfy a makeup fashionistas everywhere.

Ranked 29th in the Forbes Arabia Top 40 Brands - an incredible achievement for a brand that was born just 10 years ago, Mikyajy is continuing to grow globally through franchise operations.

I'm surprised it's not sold in Sephora or Henri Bendel. Helloooo!

With lots of fun products to choose from, Mikyajy epitomizes the overall notion that make up should be an enjoyable, experimental process in an effort to help achieve your desired look. Mikyajy’s Minx brand boasts the perfect line to create the hottest looks. Minx is for the girl who embraces variety, flirts with color and plays with style. If you desire to look like a rock star or beauty queen, Minx is for you.

For the girl next door look, the Sabaya range is designed as the perfect cosmetic brand for everyday use. Its uncomplicated, easy to use and the highest quality standards. Sabaya is perfect for women who don’t like spending a lot of time on their makeup, but wants to add a little color to bring out their natural beauty.

But Mikyajy’s most impressive and luxurious brand (and my favorite) is the 22Kcollection. Fun, sophisticated and glamorous, it is Mikyajy’s premium line of full frontal makeup. The packaging is the gold standard of Mikyajy’s product line, literally!

The 22K Magnetizing Single Chalk Eye Shadow is an exquisite eye shadow that locks in intense color for the eyes. It can be used wet for a dramatic look, or as a dry chalk for soft luminosity. These bold shades come in 22 colors and will bring out the sexy in you. Black Knight, White Gold and Burnished Copper will give your eyes a smokey look and shimmer all night.

Luxurious textures, like the 22K Daring Cream Eye Shadow, are offered in 12 radiant colors. Rich in texture and dazzling in style, Passion Red, Couture Brown and Bohemian Bronze are sure to give your eyes a fabulous glow. These pearly pigments glow in the day and shimmer at night. Put that in your makeup bag! Russian Velvet and Lustrous Lilac paired together are playful and sexy. Let’s not forget the glamorous gold packaging, developed to allure you into the world of Arabian beauty and brilliance.

Don't you hate when your eye shadow disappears after long day at work. Go for the 22K Intriguing Eye Shadow Base. One easy application of this versatile base makes eye shadow color last longer. It does what it says and says what it does!

Eyeliner is essential, so define your eyes with 22K Captivating Liquid Eyeliner. This super long-lasting liquid liner pen will never fade or run and stays on strong. Even after site-seeing all day in Dubai’s 110 degree heat, I was amazed it didn’t run off or fade away.

Arch your eyebrows with the 22K Scintillating Eyebrow Powder & Wax. This dual function eye brow kit does what it says. The Earthy Brown powder works to enhance your natural tones, while the Dusty Brown wax seals in color, protects the eye brows and maintains their shape.

Nowadays, women want fabulous eyelashes, or “fabulashes.” I recommend the 22K Curvaceous Curling Mascara in Black Magic. It contains bees wax for a glossy finish and a curl effect complex which instantly curls the lashes. It’s long lasting and smudge resistant.

So now you know. Mikyajy is expanding and we hope to see it come to Europe and North America. For more information about Mikyajy brand categories, visitwww.mikyajy.com or http://kojfranchise.com/mikyajy_cat.htm

Queen Ifrica - "Serve and Protect"

2010-01-17T05:56:00.000-08:00

Queen Ifrica's new video "Serve and Protect" does justice to highlight the growing problem of police corruption and brutality and the distrust many Jamaicans have toward them. Both "badman and police" have people living in fear and running scared. When police are accused of extrajudicial killings, who do you trust to "serve and protect" you?

Praises to the Fyah Muma for another conscious effort.

Deadly Earthquake Hits Haiti, Capital In Ruins

2010-01-16T17:52:00.000-08:00

What more can this impoverished country of more than 9 million people take. It seems like every year Haiti takes another one of nature's beatings. But this time, mother nature knocked it off it's feet. Late afternoon on January 12, Haiti was devastated by a 7.0 earthquake that left over 100,000 dead and the city's population homeless. Even the presidential place looks like Roman ruins.

The Taliban’s Secret Weapon - Addict U.S. Soldiers to Heroin

2009-12-07T11:43:00.000-08:00

President Obama issued marching orders to 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan in his primetime address to the nation in what may be one of the most defining decisions of presidency. Many have compared the current situation in Afghanistan to Vietnam in terms of the level of success. But, Afghanistan is no Vietnam. It's Vietnam in the Middle East. Sending additional troops to Afghanistan would bring the total of American forces to 100,000, but has anyone considered that Karzai country is Opium rich and produces almost 90 percent of the world Opium.

The White House Web Site Gets a Makeover

2009-11-03T05:41:00.000-08:00

Whenever I visited the White House's Web site, it was either for a research assignment or to find out who was the President's cabinet secretaries. Today, times have changed and so has the official Web site of the White House serving President Barack Obama. Anyone who's recently visited the site's official homepage (http://www.whitehouse.gov/) was probably pleasantly surprised at how modern, interactive, informative and user-friendly President Barack Obama's vitual home is. The site even has links to social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace and Youtube. How's that for a change.

Health Benefits of Jamaican Sorrel

2009-10-01T02:13:00.000-07:00

Christmas isn't the same without a tall glass of sorrel drink to quench your holiday thirst! And if you want to pack a punch, add some white rum, pimento, ginger and port wine (optional). You'll have yourself a party pleaser!

But sorrel isn't just a drink of choice for many Caribbeans at Christmas time. It's also good for you.

A glass of sorrel a day will keep the doctor away!

Research confirms that Jamaican Sorrel is high in Vitamins and Minerals with powerful antioxidant properties. It helps lower elevated blood pressure, bad cholesterol and detoxify the entire body. Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity (ORAC) is a measure of total hydrophilic capacity. In fact, eating high ORAC foods such as Jamaican Sorrel can significantly raise the antioxidant power of human blood. It has a ORAC rating which is higher than vegetable juice, tomato juice and orange juice; and compares favorably to Cranberry Juice and Pomegranate Juice, which is well known for its antioxidant properties.

The antioxidant properties in sorrel helps provide our bodies with protection against free radicals, molecules which cause heart disease, stroke, hypertension, Alzheimer's, premature aging and cancer. Sorrel also helps flush the prostate and maintains the proper functioning of the liver, kidney and bladder.

The medical value of sorrel (officially called the Rosella plant, or Hibiscus Sabdariffa) has been noted in studies from various countries (Brazil, China, Cuba, India, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, India, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States). Medical studies illustrate Sorrel's ability to improve quality of life by helping to maintain the health and wellness of the entire body.

Cheers!

King of Pop Michael Jackson Dead at 50

2009-06-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

The "King of Pop" Michael Jackson, whose Thriller album became an instant phenomenon after selling more than 40 million copies and yielding seven Top 10 hits, including "Billie Jean," "Beat It" and the title track, died Thursday afternoon on June 25 after paramedics responded to an urgent 911 call from his Bel-Air mantion on Carolwood Drive off Sunset Boulevard. When they arrived at the home, Jackson was not breathing. Immediately, paramedics performed CPR and rushed him to UCLA Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 2:26 PM (PST).

"It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home. However, the cause of his death is unknown until results of the autopsy are known," his brother Jermaine said. Police said they were investigating, standard procedure in high-profile cases.

Jackson, 50, died as he was attempting a comeback after years of tabloid headlines, most notably his trial and acquittal on child molestation charges.

In May, The Los Angeles Times reported that Jackson had rented the Bel-Air residence and was rehearsing for a series of 50 sold-out shows in London's O2 Arena. Jackson had won the backing of two billionaires to get the so-called "King of Pop" back on stage.

His backers envisioned the shows at AEG's O2 as an audition for a career rebirth that could have ultimately encompassed a three-year world tour, a new album, movies, a Graceland-like museum, musical revues in Las Vegas and Macau, and even a "Thriller" casino. Such a rebound could have wiped out Jackson's massive debt.

Hally Berry and Jamie Foxx Lock Lips at Guys Choice Awards

2009-06-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

Who said chivalry was dead? Not at the Guys Choice Awards that aired last night on Spike TV where Oscar Award winners Hally Berry and Jamie Fox locked lips in a wet and steamy french kiss. I'm getting hot just thinking about it.

"And the Oscar goes to Hally Berry for the sexiest kiss."

Now this is what I call acting at it's best.

Halley Berry Kiss Jamie Foxx : Ils S'embrassent / Scoop
by lilwayne75

Reggae Sumfest Set To Heat Up Jamaica

2009-06-21T10:04:00.000-07:00

Lights, Camera and Action! Reggae Sumfest is set to celebrate its 17th Anniversary on July 19 - 25, as the premier Reggae show on earth in Montego Bay, Jamaica showcasing performances by the industry's top reggae's artists including dancehall heavy-weights Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley, "King of the Dancehall" Bennie Man, the "Energy God" Elephant Man, the "General" Bounty Killer, "Gangsta for Life" Mavado, and "Rompin' Shop's" Vybz Kartel and Spice, as well as Roots Reggae's ambassadors Coco Tea, Taurus Riley, Queen Ifrica, Morgan Heritage, Lutan Fyah and more. Also slated to perform Ne-Yo, Toni Braxton, Nas and Jazmine Sullivan.

What an exciting lineup!

The event kicks-off Sunday @ 2PM, July 19th with a Beach Party on Cornwall Beach. Bring those bikinis ladies.

Then let the festivities begin on Thursday, July 23 with JAGRA DANCE HALL NIGHT. SHOW YUH LIGHTERS!!!!!

Friday, Friday July 24 is INTERNATIONAL NIGHT 1 with special guest performances by Ne-Yo and Jazmine Sullivan. All "Miss Independents" - wave your hands!

Saturday, Friday July 25 is INTERNATIONAL NIGHT 2. The grand finale captures the sultry voice of Toni Braxton and Hip Hop star Nas.

Virgin Megastore Closes, End of a Music Era

2009-06-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

It's official Walmart shoppers! Virgin Megastore is closing up shop today. The last large-scale record store in Union Square located in downtown New York City is closing it's doors tonight and setting off in the sunset to the reality that overall CD sales have dropped remarketably to the increase of online music download.

According to The New York Times, from the industry’s peak in 2000 — when some 785 million albums were sold — until the end of 2008, album sales fell 45 percent, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Even with the rise of iTunes and other online outlets, however, CDs have remained consumers’ format of choice, though that advantage is slipping.

As recently as 2006, CDs accounted for more than 90 percent of album sales. Last year that proportion dropped to 84 percent, and so far in 2009 it is 77 percent. As many as two-thirds of all album sales are made at large chains like FYE, Wal-Mart and Best Buy, according to industry estimates."

Source: The New York Times

Netanyahu: "A Demilitarised Palestinian State alongside Israel"

2009-06-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

In a major speech given at the Begin-Sadat Center in Israel in response to US President Barack Obama's address to the Muslim world in Cairo, Egypt, Benyamin Netanyahu on Sunday endorsed the creation of a Palestinian state, under another pre-condition, “The Palestinian territory will be without arms."

“If we have the guarantees on demilitarisation...then we [can] arrive at a solution based on a demilitarised Palestinian state alongside Israel,” Mr Netanyahu said.

Translation: "We have a military, but you can't, nah nana nah nah!"

After weeks of pressure and policy talks from Washington, Netanyahu is risking a head-on collision with the Obama administration as it also refuses to halt Israeli expansion on Palestinian territory in the name of "natural growth."

Said Netanyahu: "There is a need to allow settlers to lead normal lives, to allow mothers and fathers to raise their children like all families around the world."

Summary: The Palestinians must recognize the state of Israel, they cannot have a standing army and have to allow the expansion of Israeli settlements on Palestinians territory. Huhh?

Uh oh, back to the drawing board.

With such preconditions, I beg the question, Does Israel really want peace?

The saga continues...

"Benjamin Netanyahu supports creation of demilitarised Palestinian state"

"Binyamin Netanyahu defies Barack Obama by refusing to halt settlements"

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran "wins" election...Ahhhhahahaha!

2009-06-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

And the winner by a disputed "knock-out" is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad!

Defeated candidate Mirhossein Mousavi demanded on Sunday that Iran's presidential election be annulled and urged more protests, while tens of thousands of people hailed the victory of the hardline Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, reports the Associated Press. Mousavi calls Ahmadinejad's win a "fraud."

Whatever the case, it's back to the drawing board. Read "Who Cares Who's President of Iran" by Shmuel Rosner.

It is important to note that Iran was on of the least extremist of Muslim nations. If you can recall, a covert CIA coup took place in 1953 against a legitimate, democratically elected Iranian government. The coup made generations of Muslims suspicious and cynical of Western motivations.

Amy Winehouse to Record Album in Jamaica

2009-06-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

Ever since I heard Amy Winehouse's song "Just Friends" from here sophmore album Back To Black, I knew she would eventually entertain the thought of recording an album in Jamaica and indeed, I was right.

Currently on an extended vacation in St. Lucia, the hard-partying singer has sent word home that she'd already written "a big chunk" of her next album and like to record it in in Jamaica.

"Amy is having the time of her life in St. Lucia and doesn't want it to end," a source told UK paper The Sun. "She is looking and feeling so much better and is worried about the bad influences waiting for her back in London."

Still, the source added, "They are keen to accommodate her as long as she keeps getting better and carries on working."

Photo Source: www.metro.co.uk

Is Payola Ruining Reggae Music?

2009-06-13T08:45:00.001-07:00

The reggae music business is dominated by payola (pay for play), says dancehall artiste Wayne Marshall. He argues that 80 per cent of the industry silences talented artistes whilst supporting Chris Blackwell's view that Jamaica's golden era of music is finished.

"A foolish record will get played and pushed if a man has money behind it. So that is the record you will hear everyday...The golden age is gone because the new number one record would be off-key in certain parts, the content has nothing significant," says Blackwell.

"Payola is very prevalent part of the business now," said Marshall who is in the Alliance group of artistes headed by Bounty Killer. "Money is all over the place on the charts, the radio stations ... payola is all over and that contributes to the stagnant nature of the business."

To read full article, click here: 'Payola mashing up the business'

Daggerings Leads To Broken Penises

2009-06-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

Over the past year, a new dance craze in Jamaica known as daggering has resulted in a threefold increase in fractured or broken penises among Jamaican men.

The dance has been called “dry sex” on the dance floor, which usually includes them simulating various sexual positions, and often times, rough sex, to the beat of the music. Because of the obviously suggestive nature of the dance, it is not surprising that it has become popular activity in the bedroom, too.

A Kingston doctor has said, “During very rigorous intercourse, the man can hit the woman’s pubic bone and sustain a fracture. There is a loud popping sound, excruciating pain and swelling.”

The violent thrusting of the dance has also resulted in an increased number of cases of ruptured vaginas. The problem of broken penises has become so widespread that the Jamaican government is considering a ban on daggering, including music with daggering lyrics.

For those who want to continue daggering in private, they may want to bone up on what to do in case the 'dagger' snaps off at the 'hilt.' Ouch!

SOURCE: Jamaican Dance Craze Responsible for Threefold Increase in Broken Penises

President Obama’s Plan To Close Gitmo Faces UpHill Battle

2009-06-04T17:04:00.000-07:00

"He who walks in the middle of the road gets hit from both sides," said George Schultz, former U.S. Secretary of State.

Since President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order in January to close the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, he's been confronted with growing opposition from fellow Democrats and the GOP, namely the "trio of pillsbury doughboys now leading the party - Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich and Dick Cheney" said Frank Rich of The New York Times.

Fearing political repercussions if suspected terrorists are relocated to U.S. federal maximum security prisons, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) pulled $80 million in funds requested by the administration to carry out its pledge to close the detention facility within a year. Yet, two years ago, Obey and 143 other Democratic members of Congress sent a letter to President Bush urging that Guantanamo be shuttered and the inmates transferred to military prisons inside the U.S.

Why the sudden change?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) explained simply that the U.S. “Can’t put them in prison unless you release them.” And according to House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), “more than 200 of the world’s most dangerous terrorists will be released or transferred from the Guantanamo Bay prison.”

On CNN, Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), author of a recent amendment banning the transfer of Guantanomo detainees to the United States declared that moving detainees to maximum-security prisons or military bases would make those facilities “magnets to terrorism”. He claimed that the U.S. is “not set up to handle terrorist detainees”.

“World’s Dangerous Criminals”? What about home-grown terrorists?

Remember Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber who, prior to 9/11, carried out the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil that killed 160+ Americans. He was brought to justice, incarcerated and eventually put to death by lethal injection in 2001. He was an American citizen.

Another case was the focus of a plot by seven home-grown extremists, ranging in age from 22 to 32 — who were indicted by a federal grand jury in 2006. They sought to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago and an FBI building in Miami. At the time, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told a Justice Department news conference: “They were persons who for whatever reason came to view their home country as the enemy.”

And what about Robert Goldstein, a Jewish podiatrist who plotted to bomb Islamic mosques, Islamic centers and Islamic schools with his wife.

Last but not least, Theodore Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber ("UNiversity and Airline BOMber"), who earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and earned a PhD in mathematics from the University of Michigan. From 1978 to 1995 he built bombs in his remote cabin targeting universities and airlines, killing three people and injuring 23. Designated a "domestic terrorist" by the FBI, Kaczynski is currently serving a life sentence at the supermax federal penitentiary in Florence, Colorado, also known as the "Alcatraz of the Rockeis". It is widely considered to be perhaps the most secure prison in the United States.

Richard A. Falkenrath, New York City’s deputy police commissioner for counterterrorism, told the Senate Homeland Security Committee in 2007 that “the possibility of a ‘homegrown’ terrorist attack against New York City or any other American city is real and is worsening with time.”

Bear in mind, the prison system in the United States is full of dangerous criminals, including serial killers, murders, gang members, arsonists, sex offenders, drug traffickers, homegrown terrorists and other menaces to society deserving of federal lockup.

Here's a little footnote, the United States has the highest documented incarceration rate in the world at 738 persons in prison or jail per 100,000 (as of 2005). A report released Feb. 28, 2008 indicates that more than 1 in 100 adults in the United States are in prision. That's another story.

The issue is not whether the United States has the facilities and capabilities to house GITMO's remaining 241 detainees. Democrats are bothered by the notion that some terrorism suspects will be tried on criminal charges in federal courts on U.S. soil. So if they shouldn't be tried neither on criminal charges in U.S. courts and in military tribuals (although 61.4% agree to trials in military tribunals, according The Economist/YouGov poll), then How?, What? and where? Is it because most of the detainees are Muslim, but in a U.S. court, they would be given the option (operative word "option") of "swearing an oath" or making an affirmation to tell the truth as to the best of their knowledge in a U.S. court.

Before the U.S. went half-way across the world waging a "war on terror" under the auspices of spreading democracy in the Middle East, it should have put in place a tribunal for enemy combatants when it rejected calls by the United Nations to send them to the Hague. Terrorism suspects deserve some semblance of due process. Isn't that what the American judicial system is based on, "innocent until proven guilty." Or is it "guilty until proven innocent" in the case of Guantanamo Bay detainees?

If Saddam Hussein was put on trial, convicted and put to death in his home country, why not put Iraqi citizen terrorist suspects held in Guantanamo Bay on trial in their home country, or better yet in Guantanomo Bay. According to The Economist/YouGov poll, 61.9% favour holding trials for the terrorists suspects being held at Guantanamo Bay, while 49.6% polled the U.S should continue to operating the Guantanamo detention center.

The president's critics on the right, Cheney of course, are more concerned that the Obama administration is working to reverse Bush-era policies that he said have kept America safe for more than seven years since 9/11.

Really? If Bush-era policies have kept the U.S. safe to this day, why do some members of Congress disapprove of relocating them to supermax prisons in the most powerful country in the world. Perhaps the U.S. is not that safe after all?

RNC Steeles Message of Change to Solve Identity Crisis

2009-01-30T16:13:00.000-08:00

What does the Republican National Commitee do when their party is going through an identity crisis? They name Michael Steele, an African-American and the former Maryland Lieutenant Governor, to head the GOP.

This begs the question, why now? Did the RNC suddenly have a "change" of heart?

Is it because they woke up one morning and said time to change the status quo. Really?

Is it a gesture of apology and act of damage control after Chip Saltsman created a firestorm after he sent a collection of satirical political songs, including "Barack the Magic Negro," to committee members. Perhaps?

Or, is it because Barack Obama is the first African-American president in U.S. history and they want to "balance the power." Bingo!

This is blatant racism for lack of a better word. It wouldn't look so patronizing if the RNC named a black man to be chairman of the "Grand Old Party" twenty-years ago.

The Republican party has proven itself once again to be reactionary. I hope Michael Steele recognizes that too. Perhaps it's a token position, but I must say it's a great time to be black in America.

The GOP may be the party of Lincoln and the Emanicipation Proclamation, but they stopped short of nominating the first African-American president in U.S. history.

Amy Winehouse's Grammy Award-winning debut album (2007) "Back to Black" should be nominated again as album of the year for 2009!

Obama's "BarackBerry"

2009-01-24T09:23:00.000-08:00

President Obama gets a new Blackberry, the first sitting US president to use email. The new devise, now dubbed the "BarackBerry" has been certified by the National Security Agency and costs $3,350.

His new exclusive smartphone is compact with...well, classified information. The handset is reportedly a Sectera Edge, a model from General Dynamics that is capable of encrypting top secret voice conversations and classified documents.

The decision to allow Obama to carry a smartphone is “a compromise that allows him to stay in touch with senior staff and a small group of personal friends,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told the media in his first press conference since inauguration thursday.

“Use will be limited and the security is enhanced to ensure his ability to communicate but to do so effectively,” Gibbs also said. “And to do so in a way that is protected.”

Gibbs said the 44th president’s e-mail traffic will – with some exceptions – be preserved for historical purposes.

The e-mails will be subject to the Presidential Records Act there are “some narrow exemptions” in the law for “strictly personal communications,” Gibbs said.

Noam Chomsky on Gaza: "Exterminate all the Brutes"

2009-01-24T07:22:00.000-08:00

Noam Chomsky, the philosopher and father of modern linguistics, offers a eye-openning critique of the Israeli offensive in Gaza and condemns the U.S. and Israel for civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip in his latest article "Exterminate all the Brutes:" Gaza 2009.

Chomsky syas that the attack had been meticulously planned, for over 6 months according to the Israeli press. "The meticulous planning also presumably included the termination of the assault, carefully timed to be just before the inauguration, so as to minimize the (remote) threat that Obama might have to say some words critical of these vicious US-supported crimes. "

He argues, "all of this is normal, and quite openly discussed by high Israeli officials. Thirty years ago Chief of Staff Mordechai Gur observed that since 1948, "we have been fighting against a population that lives in villages and cities." As Israel's most prominent military analyst, Zeev Schiff, summarized his remarks, "the Israeli Army has always struck civilian populations, purposely and consciously ... the Army, he said, has never distinguished civilian [from military] targets ... [but] purposely attacked civilian targets." The reasons were explained by the distinguished statesman Abba Eban: "there was a rational prospect, ultimately fulfilled, that affected populations would exert pressure for the cessation of hostilities."

Read the full essay "Exterminate all the brutes:" Gaza 2009 by Noam Chomsky at http://www.chomsky.info/articles/20090119.htm

For more info, visit his website http://www.chomsky.info/

The End of White America?

2009-01-24T05:46:00.000-08:00

In the January/February 2009 issue of the Atlantic Monthly, Hua Hsu writes about the state of white America. Culturally, America already post-white. Are we headed there demographically, too ?

Also in this latest issue, Michael Hirschorn looks at The New York Times on the brink of extinction in "End Times: Can America’s paper of record survive the death of newsprint? Can journalism?"

This is a man's world?

2009-01-24T04:25:00.000-08:00

"No man is an island," so said the English poet John Donne. James Brown chimed soulfully "This is a man's world, but it ain't nothing without a woman on his arm." And so we have it, President Barack Obama and his "rock" Michelle Obama. "Beside every successful man is a strong woman."

(Photographs courtesy of Callie Shell/Aurora for Time Magazine.)

Who is Kirsten Gillibrand?

2009-01-23T14:01:00.000-08:00

A "blue-dog" democrat who is pro-NRA? Hmmmmm? Is she a closet Republican? A Joe Lieberman in a skirt? Gillibrand, you are no Hillary Clinton!

Madame Secretary: Hillary Clinton

2009-01-23T13:53:00.000-08:00

We all know who'll be answering that 2 a.m. phone call. And it won't be President Barack Obama. You got your wish Hillary.

President Barack Obama Inaugurated as 44th President

2009-01-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

President Barack Obama took the oath of office as the 44th president of the United States and delivered an inaugural address focusing on the themes of sacrifice and renewal on January 20, 2009.

In case you missed it (that's if you were on the planet Mars), sit back and watch the inauguraton (courtesy of C-Span).