Welcome

By Chris Hedges October 27, 2014 " ICH " - " Truthdig " - There is more truth about American journalism in the film “Kill the Messenger,” which chronicles the mainstream media’s discrediting of the work of the investigative journalist Gary Webb, than there is in the movie “All the President’s Men,” which celebrates the exploits of the reporters who uncovered the Watergate scandal. The mass media blindly support the ideology of corporate capitalism. They laud and promote the myth of American democracy—even as we are stripped of civil liberties and money replaces the vote. They pay deference to the leaders on Wall Street and in Washington, no matter how perfidious their crimes. They slavishly venerate the military and law enforcement in the name of patriotism. They select the specialists and experts, almost always drawn from the centers of power, to interpret reality and explain policy. They usually rely on press releases, written by corporations, for their...

By Ted Rall   October 23, 2014 " ICH " - From The Washington Post : “The cost of turning against the Islamic State was made brutally apparent in the streets of a dusty backwater town in eastern Syria in early August. Over a three-day period, vengeful fighters shelled, beheaded, crucified and shot hundreds of members of the Shaitat tribe after they dared to rise up against the extremists .” From USA Today : “Contrary to the popular opinion that radical Islam is the primary threat to homeland security , Christianity provides the other four groups with their extremist rationale.” “Extremism” is the new “ terrorism ” – a word that so automatically conjures revulsion that its user is under no pressure to justify its use with logic or reason. ...

By Eric Zuesse October 24, 2014 " ICH " -  On the one side are Republicans, who resent taxes and self-identify with rich people who say that government is basically a huge waste of money and only private business is efficient and productive. On the other side are Democrats, who don't resent anything and who say that government is good enough to be worth the taxes that are paying for it. Neither party is "pro-government," and both parties are "pro-private-enterprise" or pro- corporate ; so, what America actually has is two conservative parties, one of which -- the Republicans -- is extremely conservative. Those are the only two political parties that have a history and a donor-base that's big enough to ...

By DNA on July 22, 2013   A senior Taliban commander on Wednesday published an open letter to Malala Yousafzai, in response to her speech at the United Nations on July 12, on the occasion of her 16th birthday. The bizarre letter—in parts menacing, in parts almost apologetic—was written by Adnan Rasheed , a senior figure in the Pakistani Taliban who escaped in a prison break last year before vowing to assassinate former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf. In it, the militant jihadist quotes former secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the British philosopher Bertrand Russell, as well as a letter written by the British secretary of War in 1835 to make his case. It also includes a disclaimer: it does not express the official views of the Taliban or any other jihadi faction or group. Miss Malala Yousafz...

How can companies operating in Africa contribute to long term social and economic returns for its people? Last updated:  20 Oct 2014 14:32 Cherie Blair Cherie Blair is the founder and chair of Omnia Strategy LLP, a pioneering international law firm that provides strategic counsel to governments, corporates and private clients. The skyline of central Luanda, Angola [AP] Four African leaders are meeting in London today with a very clear common agenda: promoting Africa as a land of opportunity and investment potential for international corporations and investors. As a barrister and an adviser to businesses on the implementation of Good Global Corporate Citizenship, I believe this gathering needs to be viewed as far more than just a commercial forum for investors to diversify their portfolios but also as a unique opportunity to foster long term value-adding partnerships on the continent. The "Africa Rising...