WikiLeaks's unveiling of secret State Department cables exposes U.S. diplomacy

WikiLeaks's unveiling of secret State Department cables exposes U.S. diplomacy [washingtonpost.com] A vast treasure trove of secret State Department cables obtained by the Web site WikiLeaks has exposed the inner workings of U.S. diplomacy, as well as bluntly candid assessments by American diplomats, according to news organizations granted advance access to the more than 250,000 confidential documents.

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Wikileaks's unveiling of cables shows delicate diplomatic balance with Pakistan
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Foreign governments say WikiLeaks revelations undercut relations with U.S.
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U.S. asked China to stop missile parts shipment to Iran
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: Wikileaks cables expose world leaders' sensitive diplomacy
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WikiLeaks's release of documents shows struggle to relocate Guantanamo detainees
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WikiLeaks cables reveal personal details on world leaders
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WikiLeaks's unveiling of secret State Department cables exposes U.S. diplomacy
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Obama administration to WikiLeaks: Documents' release would have 'grave consequences'
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WikiLeaks release: With better sharing of data comes danger
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Secret cables reveal that U.S. believes Iran has advanced missiles
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Pentagon details security changes prompted by leak
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Text of White House statement on WikiLeaks release
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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange takes Post readers' questions
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Clinton: Wikileaks release an 'attack on international community'

The documents suggest U.S. diplomats were ordered to engage in low-level spying by obtaining foreign diplomats' personal information, such as frequent-flier and credit card numbers, presumably to better track their movements.

Princess Entitlement Mentality

Recordings of Rigoberta Menchú, Nobel Peace Prize Recipient, Digitized by Hoover Archives | Hoover Institution

Recordings of Rigoberta Menchú, Nobel Peace Prize Recipient, Digitized by Hoover Archives | Hoover Institution

The sound recordings of Rigoberta Menchú that formed the basis of her autobiographical book, I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala (London: Verso, 1983), compiled by Elisabeth Burgos-Debray, are digitized and available for immediate access at the Hoover Archives. Menchú, a Quiché Indian woman who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 1992, was interviewed by Elisabeth Burgos-Debray over the course of a week in 1982. The recordings are among the Elisabeth Burgos-Debray papers at Hoover.

In the introduction to I, Rigoberta Menchú, Burgos-Debray writes, “Every day for a week, we began to record her story at nine in the morning, broke for lunch at about one, and then continued until six in the evening. We often worked after dinner too, either making more recordings or preparing questions for the next day. At the end of the week I had twenty-four hours of conversation on tape.”

Gainsbourg and Whitney Houston

No Sex Education Please, We're Arab - IPS ipsnews.net

Sex education is expelled from Egyptian schools.

Credit:Victoria HazouNo Sex Education Please, We're Arab - IPS ipsnews.net

CAIRO, Nov 22, 2010 (IPS) - Civil society has warned of adverse social and health consequences after the Egyptian government ordered the removal of content related to male and female anatomy, reproductive health and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) from the school curriculum.

"We know most of this material wasn’t being taught, but removing it from the curriculum is a big step backwards," says Noha Roushdy, researcher at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR).

Egypt’s education ministry has instructed schools not to teach lessons on "reproduction and propagation methods", "pollination and fertilisation" genetics, and anatomical illustrations of the male and female reproductive systems. Teachers were ordered to disregard chapters on these subjects in existing biology textbooks, and new textbooks have been printed that omit the lessons.

Stop DC's war on the black community!

Stop DC's war on the black community!

[uhurunews.com] The war on the African community in DC is in full swing.

In response, the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM) will hold an event titled, “Stop the war on the black community!” at Everlasting Life Café (2928 Georgia Avenue; Washington DC).

The event will be held on Saturday, December 18th at 2:00pm EST.

Keynote speaker will be InPDUM President Diop Olugbala.

The exchange of leadership between the two imperialist parties during the recent elections has had no effect on oppressed people.

City officials continue their attacks on all fronts, including gentrification, economic oppression, police containment, and a newly introduced attack on DC’s welfare program.

The gentrification problem, in particular, is so severe that DC—historically known as the “Chocolate City” because of its majority black population—is in danger of losing that title by 2020.

Same old. Same old.

Democrat Adrian Fenty is soon to be replaced as mayor of DC by city council chair Vincent Gray, also a Democrat. According to popular media, it would seem that things are about to brighten up.

The popular media reports that Gray lacks the level of arrogance Fenty was known for.

They say he will not build dog parks for white citizens in formerly African communities, or tear down our schools. Allegedly, Gray won't ignore “the people,” as Fenty has.

The question remains though: what will Gray do? He will inherit DC's 150-million-dollar deficit, and, as has been the trend set by Democratic mayors before him, he will make up for this deficit on the backs of Africans.

Already, Gray has co-signed an attack on the DC welfare program, initiated by former mayor, current city council representative and beloved neocolonial stooge, Marion Barry (who also is a member of the Democratic party).

Jerry Haber: FAQ on Zionism and Racism

FAQ on Zionism and Racism [972mag.com] Many in Israel and abroad have equated Zionism with racism – but is it justified?

By Jerry Haber

Is Zionism inherently racist?

No. Zionism was never based on theories of racial or even cultural superiority. Zionism, was and is a movement to achieve Jewish self-determination (there are other elements as well). For most Zionists, the place for that self-determination was and is the Land of Israel.

Is there racist Zionism?

Sure, there are certainly racist versions of Zionism, if we broaden “racism” to include theories of religious-racial superiority.

Have there been racist Zionists?

Sure, but not by virtue of their Zionism. Even the attempts of certain religious Zionists to posit a metaphysical distinction between Jew and Gentile, or who suggest that the Ishmaelites have inherited their ancestor’s hatred of Isaac, etc., can not be laid at the feet of their Zionism, but rather their understanding of Judaism. And, of course, there are racists everywhere. Even cultural Zionists like Magnes expressed feelings of cultural superiority towards local Arabs in his private correspondence. But that did not figure into his Zionism. He simply was an American who had spent time in Germany, and who had the cultural snobbery that infects many people. In America, German Jews didn’t let Russian Jews become members of their country clubs because they viewed the latter as uncouth and vulgar. A person can be a bigot and a Zionist, but that doesn’t make Zionism bigotry.