> In January 2002, Daniel Pearl, a reporter for the New York Times, was beheaded by an extremist group operating in Pakistan. I will not use “Islamic” to describe the extremist group, as the group does not adhere to Islamic principles, as clearly stated within the context of the movie. To label the group thusly…

> How does a Chai Walah become a contestant on the most popular game show in India? What motivates someone to want to be on a game show? Money and fame would be two obvious answers. Good answers, yet wrong answers. Love. Love is the motivation to appear on this game show. For Jamal, love…

> Piracy is not the problem. Piracy is the symptom. It’s like the guy who goes to the doctor because his thumb hurts. “Why does your thumb hurt?” the doctor asked. “I hit it with my hammer,” the nitwit answers. The problem is not the thumb, the problem is the guy hitting himself with the…

> Technorati Tags: china,population,gender,one-child,selective abortion,gender imbalance China’s guy problems only getting worse [Source: Salon.com} “Population Control is Good for the Human Race”   China is a “Boys Club.” Not will be – is. According the article In 2005, China had 32 million more males under the age of 20 than females. In 2005, 1.1 million…

> Happiness Index: Nebraska Nabs Top Spot [Source: MainStreet.com]   According to MainStreet.com, powered by TheStreet.com (ever heard of Jim Cramer?), Nebraska of all states ranks as the “Happiest State” in the Union. When all of the statistics were massaged, Nebraska rose to the top. Warren Buffet, one of the richest men in the world,…

> M6.3 Magnitude Earthquake – Central Italy [Source: al-Jezeera] A significant earthquake struck central Italy about 1:30am UTC (Universal Coordinated Time). The quake appears to really have struck at or near the geometric center of Italy. The medieval town of L’Aquila is located nearby, which is about 60mi (100km) northeast of Rome. Of importance, note…

> This thought just occurred to me: what better way to finance our operations in Iraq and Afghanistan than to place an “operational surchage or tariff” on all of these movies that have come out over the last eight years in which our military and intelligence operations have played a role. These movies wouldn’t exist…

> A number of elements about Persepolis will bother many people in the general movie-going population. First, Persepolis is an animated feature. Not anime, per se, and not in color, for the most part. The true biographical story of Marjane, an Iranian girl, is told in mostly black, white, and grey. Another element many in…

> Technorati Tags: war on terror,general petraeus,al-qaeda,taliban   Obama is Fighting the War on Terrorism But Without the Name [Source: Washingtonpost.com] Thank God, Allah, Yahweh, Ganesh, whoever. The so-called “War on Terror” has been one of the most misguided American policies ever conceived. How can one have a “war” on a concept, a feeling, or…

> The French are right (again) | [Source: Salon] Let’s not say the French are correct. If we say they are “right,” then someone must be “wrong.” I am not willing to go that far – yet. European states adhere to a variety of forms of socialism. Socialism is not Communism, though one could argue…