Pilger: Megrahi was framedSuppressed evidence shows Abdel Bassest Megrahi, the man jailed over the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, is innocent, says John Pilger, but both Britain and the US have too much at stake in the conviction to have ever allowed a fair trial.
United States
In the battle of Johnston vs. Palin, the winner is Vanity Fair
America’s favourite redneck and former-future-son-in-law of Sarah Palin, Levi Johnston, has been making waves in the media with a candid interview for Vanity Fair. But the media is divided over whether his “expose” justice served or just sleaze.
God goes green
The US Environmental Protection Agency is now offering its ‘Energy Star’ rating program to churches, providing congregations with a kit to track and improve energy use and greenhouse emissions, and obtain an Energy Star label for their place of worship.
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US trade around the world
America’s economy may be up the proverbial creek, but many other countries still rely on on them as a trading partner for the sake of their own economies. This lovely infographic tracks the flow of US trade around the world: who they owe money to, and who owes money to them.
US military screening embeded journalists
The US armed forces have employed a PR firm to “screen” journalists before they’re allowed to be embedded with military units in Afghanistan, analysing whether they have provided positive or negative coverage of the army in the past, according to Stars and Stripes.
No surprises: Bernanke will be back
US President Barack Obama will renominate Ben Bernanke as the US Federal Reserve chief. The move comes a little early — Bernanke’s first term isn’t up for another five months — but it’s hardly a shock in such turbulent economic times, says Phil Izzo.
Is Sarah Palin writing her own Facebook notes?
Every time former Alaska governor and VP candidate Sarah Palin writes something on her Facebook page, the press goes nuts for it. But come on, says Gawker: they’re far too coherent, well-argued and grammatically correct to have ever been penned by Palin herself.
Atticus Finch: a fictional portrayal of real life racist failings
To Kill a Mockingbird’s Atticus Finch was no civil rights activist. Instead he represents the real life double standard in Southern liberalism, swapping one prejudice for another, writes Malcolm Gladwell.
Joint Strike Fighter: too big to fail and too big to succeed
The US Joint Strike Fighter Project is is years behind its original planned development dates, is over-weight and way over budget, says Ben Sandilands. The 1990s JSF specification has little relevance to the 2015-25 world and the aircraft’s design needs to be changed.
Dan Rather: Obama must save the media
Veteran newsman Dan Rather calls on US President Barack Obama to save the ailing news industry with a Presidential commission into what he calls “a crisis that, with no exaggeration, threatens our democratic republic at its core.”
Lessons in History: What we can learn from WW2 health reform
Until the 1940s, healthcare was more privilege than right. Were you be able to pull a few groats together, you might be able to get a doctor to bleed your ills away.
Hillary’s secret conference on Iran
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently held a secure video conference to discuss Iran with 20 State Department officials from around the world. Foreign Policy dishes the inside dirt.
Fast food fat tax
Will a planned US tax on fast food actually have an impact on obesity levels? Or will it just make food more expensive to those with little cash?
The soundtrack of war
Music isn’t just about delighting the senses. Sometimes its about getting soldiers amped up and ready for killing. The New Yorker explores what US soldiers are listening to on the frontlines.
Rudd, Depressions and the lessons of history
On the evidence of his latest essay, Kevin Rudd is ignorant of Australian economic history, which, surprisingly, isn’t actually identical to US economic history.
Postcard from America: seems like old times
It may be awash with gadgetry — iPhones, Priuses, WiFi — but in some ways, travelling through America is like stepping back into Australia circa 1970, says Tim Dunlop.
Newsweek: The recession is over!
“The recession is over” declares Newsweek… with one caveat: tough times are still ahead for Americans — GDP growth alone can’t feed a family or pay a mortgage, and the country will need a new strategy for recovery to make it happen.
To embrace Palestine, embrace Sharia Law
Israel and the US can peacefully coexist with Palestine, say Osama Abu-Irshaid and Paul Scham, but to do so, they must understand Sharia Law, which is at the heart of Hamas’ every move.
graph pr0n Graphing the rise of US financial fraud
The Economist chart the astronomical rise of financial fraud in the US over the last 10 years.
Americans like their conflicts in black and white
Americans like their conflicts with good guys and bad guys, says Tony Karon, but in situations like Iran, Darfur and China, trying to make everything fit a Cold War script can have a tragic outcome.
Afghanistan is not Obama’s Vietnam
Trying to draw parallels between America’s military campaigns in Afghanistan and Vietnam betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of both countries and the sentiments of their citizens, says Peter Bergen.
Lifting the hood of the KKK
LIFE features a confronting collection of photos documenting life inside the modern Klu Klux Klan.
Bringing corporate sponsorship into the classroom
With the economic crisis hitting the already-struggling US education system hard, American colleges are selling off the naming rights to their classes to raise capital. “Quantitative Methods in Social Research, brought you by McDonald’s: I’m loving inferential statistics and control variables!”
