Tomorrow marks the beginning of Eid al-Adha, the festival that concludes the Hajj and is celebrated by Muslims all over the world. The festival commemorates Abraham (Ibrahim) and his willingness to sacrifice his son at God's command, a story that should be familiar anybody who knows their Bible stories (though the identity of the son … Continue reading What do vegetarian Muslims do on the Festival of the Sacrifice?

A great history course can teach students how to think critically about what they read and hear, to understand the people around them, to appreciate the commonalities that bind us as human beings and the differences that make every society unique and worthy of respect. A great US history course can help students become more … Continue reading The fight over our own history

What you're looking at is the Aral Sea, which at one time was the fourth largest lake in the world. On the left you see the lake in 2000, and on the right you see it as it is today, virtually gone. If you want the true scope of the enormous destruction that happened here, … Continue reading Man and his environment, in one side-by-side photo spread

Remember that snazzy new Republican TV ad that debuted last week? The one that earnestly tried to convince you, the viewer, that "Republicans Are People Too, Also"? They are! The People in that ad were Grandmothers, and Prius Owners, and Tattoo/Beard Havers, and Black People, and Public New York Times Readers even! And they were … Continue reading Stock Republicans

At Salon, Elias Isquith suggests that President Obama's declining approval rating (hovering in the 40% neighborhood) may be the New Normal, because unlike past declines that were followed by increases back to his usual high-40s-to-50-percent level, this time the decline appears to be fueled, in part, by a loss of support among liberals: What’s got … Continue reading Are liberal voters ever going to figure out how government works?

In Iraq, new Vice President Nouri al-Maliki (where have I heard that name before?) has been spending time in his new job making life difficult for the guy occupying his old job: Attempts by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi to distance himself from the legacy of his predecessor Nuri Al-Maliki have created a rift between … Continue reading A tale of two vice presidents

D.R. Tucker, at Washington Monthly listens to Rich Lowry so you don't have to (emphasis mine): So that oracle of obnoxiousness, National Review editor Rich Lowry, showed up on California NPR affiliate KCRW-FM last Friday to discuss the week’s events with “Left, Right and Center” host Matt Miller. When the discussion turned to the September … Continue reading Getting taken seriously

The Khorasan Group. They're the latest dire threat to the United States, so dire that we've either diverted resources from bombing Daesh positions in Syria to strike them or have used Daesh as an excuse to bomb inside Syria so that we could strike Khorasan targets. The name conjures up images of Abbasid shock troops … Continue reading The Terrorist Group That Wasn’t There

The glaring problem with newly adopted UN Resolution 2178, dealing with the movement of "foreign terrorist fighters" around the world, is the same problem that's plagued the "War on Terror" since its inception: we (the US, or the US and its allies if you like) can't or won't really define what constitutes "terrorism" or "terrorist … Continue reading The trouble with definitions

The Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayuth Chan-ocha, who moonlights as head of the army ever since a May coup left him in both jobs, is apparently planning to take on a third job: soap-opera writer. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has criticised television soap operas for promoting violence and divisions in society, and said he … Continue reading It’s not like he’s got anything better to do