The New York Times - NYTimes.com

Sunni Muslim and Baathist Forces Said to Clash Near Kirkuk - NYTimes.com
▻http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/06/22/world/middleeast/iraq.html?referrer=&_r=0

... someone in Hawija who witnessed the clash said the two factions had fought over control of gasoline and oil tanker trucks brought by the Sunni militants from the refinery at Baiji, which they have been attacking for nearly a week now.

Presbyterians Vote to Divest Holdings to Pressure Israel - NYTimes.com

▻http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/06/21/us/presbyterians-debating-israeli-occupation-vote-to-divest-holdings.ht

❝DETROIT — After passionate debate over how best to help break the deadlock between Israel and the Palestinians, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted on Friday at its general convention to divest from three companies that it says supply Israel with equipment used in the occupation of Palestinian territory.

The vote, by a count of 310 to 303, was watched closely in Washington and Jerusalem and by Palestinians as a sign of momentum for a movement to pressure Israel to stop building settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and to end the occupation, with a campaign known as B.D.S., for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), one of a handful of historic mainline Protestant denominations and the church of many American presidents, is the largest yet to endorse divestment at a churchwide convention, and the vote follows a decade of debate — and a close call at the assembly two years ago, when divestment failed by only two votes.

The measure that was passed not only called for divestment but also reaffirmed Israel’s right to exist, endorsed a two-state solution, encouraged interfaith dialogue and travel to the Holy Land, and instructed the church to undertake “positive investment” in endeavors that advance peace and improve the lives of Israelis and Palestinians. It also said the motion was “not to be construed” as “alignment with or endorsement of the global B.D.S.” movement by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The language was written by the church’s 65-member Middle East committee.

#BDS

Prison Program Turns Inmates Into Intellectuals - NYTimes.com
▻http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/06/01/nyregion/prison-program-turns-inmates-into-intellectuals.html

Still, an intellectual firmament has taken hold. On a recent afternoon, 10 men gathered under the tutelage of Baz Dreisinger, a professor of English at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, to share some of their writing and to talk about the Brazilian philosopher Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed.” One of the students, Theron Smith, serving time on a second-degree murder conviction, noted that Freire’s work called to mind Hegel and the theory of double consciousness. Mr. Smith is an avid consumer of sociological texts; his longtime friend Rowland Davis, next to him in class that day, has immersed himself in theology. Another student had been creating an elaborately illustrated graphic novel.

In nearly every instance, when the men read from their own compositions, the writing was absorbing, learned and impeccable. All of the men had gained admission, through a competitive application process, to a program initiated by John Jay three years ago that allows prisoners who have high school diplomas or G.E.D.s, and who are eligible for release within five years, to amass college credits, and then when they leave, to complete degrees in the City University system. Ms. Dreisinger is the program’s academic director and founder, overseeing the teaching of art history, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Toni Morrison and so on. She is adamant about the instruction of grammar, which is why the men’s writing stands out even beside what you might find among students at elite high schools where a warning about dangling modifiers is often considered a benighted waste of time.

#education #prison

N.Y.U. Crisis in Abu Dhabi Stretches to Wall Street - NYTimes.com
▻http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/dealbook/2014/05/26/n-y-u-crisis-in-abu-dhabi-stretches-to-wall-street

... the university’s much-heralded new campus in Abu Dhabi might have been the product, in part, of rights abuses of foreign laborers.

[The university’s president John] Sexton might have been trying to create distance between N.Y.U. and the contractor, but it is a red herring: The general contractor that helped oversee the construction of the campus isn’t some fly-by-night firm outside N.Y.U.’s purview. Quite the opposite. The contractor is run by a trustee of N.Y.U.’s board: Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, the chief executive of the Mubadala Development Company.

The Mellon Lifestyle as a Brand
▻http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/04/13/fashion/hanley-mellon-clothing-line-fashion.html

The couple started slowly with hanleymellon.com, a lifestyle website that has fashion articles (“For Nicer Weather Days” features a Balenciaga bag, $1,485, and Mulberry coat, $3,000), posts on the perfect crop top featuring portraits of Ms. Hanley Mellon, and collages of images they find inspiring.

The Hanley Mellon line will have 10 pieces of clothing, including a coat and blouses meant to be wardrobe staples for a jet-set life, priced from $250 to $2,000. Each collection will be inspired by a different place in the world, with New York City being the first.

And then, who knows?

“I’ve never been to Africa, but I feel like I have this deep affinity for it,” Ms. Hanley Mellon said. “I’ve read every Hemingway, we collect Peter Beard, I’ve watched ‘Out of Africa.’ It touches your soul to visit and smell the smells, and you can’t recreate the experience without immersing yourself.”

#je_te_jure...

Does Porn Hurt Children ? - NYTimes.com
▻http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/03/29/sunday-review/does-porn-hurt-children.html?_r=0

And here is where the topic starts to get very murky. It turns out that the research suggesting that teenagers and pornography are a hazardous mix is far from definitive. In fact, many of the most comprehensive reports on this subject come to conclusions that amount to “we can’t say for sure” shrugs.

Les journalistes et leur trafic - NYTimes.com
▻http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/03/24/business/media/risks-abound-as-reporters-play-in-traffic.html?smid=tw-share&_r=1&re

Le journaliste David Carr revient sur l’annonce par plusieurs journaux et plateformes d’information de payer leurs journalistes au clic. Le risque bien sûr, que les journalistes ne s’intéressent qu’au plus facile. L’accent mis sur la productivité et le nombre de pages vues fait oublier certainement trop rapidement les effets d’agrégation, de mise en avant et de masse qui se jouent en ligne. Tags : internetactu2net fing internetactu #media #journalisme

Mikhlif Al Shammari has been jailed repeatedly, declared an infidel, ruined financially and shot four times — by his own son, all for this: he believes his fellow Sunni Muslims should treat Shiites as equals.

▻http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/03/15/world/middleeast/saudis-lonely-costly-bid-for-sunni-shiite-equality.html

U.S. Airstrike Kills 5 Afghan Soldiers and wounded 8 more by mistake - NYTimes.com

▻http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/03/07/world/asia/united-states-airstrike-kills-afghan-soldiers.html?_r=0

“We can confirm that at least five Afghan National Army personnel were accidentally killed this morning during an operation in eastern Afghanistan,” said Maj. Cathleen Snow, a spokesman for the American-led International Security Assistance Force. “We value the strong relationship with our Afghan partners, and we will determine what actions will be taken to ensure incidents like this do not happen again.”

Asylum Fraud in #Chinatown : An Industry of Lies

A Chinese woman walked into a law office in New York’s Chinatown and asked to see her lawyer. She had applied for asylum, claiming that she had been forced to get an abortion in China to comply with the country’s family-planning laws, and she was anxious about her coming interview with immigration officials.

She had good reason to be worried: Her claim, invented by her lawyer’s associates, was false.

But the lawyer, John Wang, told her to relax. The process, he said, was straightforward, and as long as she memorized a few details, everything would be fine. “You are making yourself nervous,” he said in Mandarin. “All you would be asked is the same few rubbish questions.”

“Just make it up,” the lawyer added.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2014/02/23/nyregion/23asylum-jp-01/23asylum-jp-01-articleLarge.jpg

▻http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/nyregion/asylum-fraud-in-chinatown-industry-of-lies.html?_r=0&referrer=

#mensonge #fraude #asile #réfugié #Chine #chinois #USA

Eavesdropping Ensnared American Law Firm
▻http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/02/16/us/eavesdropping-ensnared-american-law-firm.html

Cette fois les terroristes c’est un cabinet d’avocats étasunien travaillant pour défendre les intérêts commerciaux de l’Indonésie.

#nsa

S6438-2013 - NY Senate Open Legislation - Prohibits the use of state aid by colleges and universities to fund or provide membership in certain academic institutions - New York State Senate
▻http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S6438-2013

TITLE OF BILL: An act prohibiting the use of state aid by colleges and universities for certain academic institutions

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: This bill would prohibit any college from using state aid to fund an academic entity, to provide funds for membership in an academic entity, or fund travel or lodging for any employee to attend any meeting of such academic entity if that academic entity has undertaken an official action boycotting certain countries or their higher education institutions.

New York bill to punish ASA over Israel boycott picks up 48 supporters
▻http://mondoweiss.net/2014/01/israel-boycott-supporters.html

A New York bill to cut off state funding to the American Studies Association over its Israel boycott has the support of 48 lawmakers. That means that Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who authored the bill, is just 28 members short of garnering a majority of the state assembly to back the legislation targeting the ASA.

#wag_the_dog

Academics Who Defend Wall St. Reap Reward - NYTimes.com
▻http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/12/28/business/academics-who-defend-wall-st-reap-reward.html?pagewanted=4&_r=0

.. interviews with dozens of academics and traders, and a review of hundreds of emails and other documents involving two highly visible professors in the commodities field — Mr. Pirrong and Professor Scott H. Irwin at the University of Illinois — show how major players on Wall Street and elsewhere have been aggressive in underwriting and promoting academic work.

#conflit_d’intérêt #Wall-street #économie #finance #universitaires

Bombings in Mostly Shiite Districts of Baghdad Kill Dozens

#Iraq is experiencing a protracted wave of sectarian violence that has increased since the American military withdrawal in 2011, a level of strife not seen since 2006 and 2007. More than 8,000 Iraqis have been killed so far this year, according to the United Nations.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/12/09/world/09iraq1/09iraq1-articleLarge.jpg

▻http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/12/09/world/middleeast/bombings-kill-dozens-around-baghdad.html?ref=world

#Irak #morts #décès #violences #guerre

The banality of systemic evil:
▻http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/opinionator/2013/09/15/the-banality-of-systemic-evil

Leaks, leaks, leaks... Has the younger generation lost its moral compass ? No - just the opposite.

’There can be no expectation that the system will act morally of its own accord. Systems are optimized for their own survival and preventing the system from doing evil may well require breaking with organizational niceties, protocols or laws. It requires stepping outside of one’s assigned organizational role’

As a HN commenter puts it at ▻https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6437272 :

’Welcome to the hyper-individualistic, hyper-critical, post-communitarian world, where neither tradition nor any existing social institution is taken for granted. Everything is now open to critical scrutiny, and nothing that fails such scrutiny will receive anyone’s respect. Gone are the days when “institutions” [..] were universally agreed to be valuable things in themselves. Now they need to prove their own worth [..] because if they have no intrinsic moral worth, you can’t blame others for eroding them’ - Here comes ’the first generation to ascribe absolutely no intrinsic moral worth to the System’ [..] its ’perks are now gone, and with it the last traces of the System’s romantic halo. All that is left is a rotting social infrastructure with questionable instrumental value at best. [..] The population won’t behave anymore - the only psychological bias that kept them at bay has dissolved away [..] another superstition trampled under the relentless feet of reason’

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/09/13/opinion/13stone-gallery/13stone-gallery-jumbo.jpg

#Wikileaks #Manning #Hammond #Swartz #Snowden #Arendt #Ellsberg #Jackall

N.S.A. Able to Foil Basic Safeguards of Privacy on Web - NYTimes.com
▻http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/09/06/us/nsa-foils-much-internet-encryption.html?hp=

By 2010, the Edgehill program, the British counterencryption effort, was unscrambling VPN traffic for 30 targets and had set a goal of an additional 300.

But the agencies’ goal was to move away from decrypting targets’ tools one by one and instead decode, in real time, all of the information flying over the world’s fiber optic cables and through its Internet hubs, only afterward searching the decrypted material for valuable intelligence.

#nsa #snowden #gchq #skype #bullrun #manassas #edgehill #prism #pgp

Julian Assange: The Banality of ‘Don’t Be Evil’ - NYTimes
▻http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/06/02/opinion/sunday/the-banality-of-googles-dont-be-evil.html

à propos de ’The New Digital Age,’ by Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen
▻http://www.scientificamerican.com/media/inline/imported/recommended-the-new-digital-age-res_1.jpg

In the book the authors happily take up the white geek’s burden. A liberal sprinkling of convenient, hypothetical dark-skinned worthies appear: Congolese fisherwomen, graphic designers in Botswana, anticorruption activists in San Salvador and illiterate Masai cattle herders in the Serengeti are all obediently summoned to demonstrate the progressive properties of Google phones jacked into the informational supply chain of the Western empire.

The authors offer an expertly banalized version of tomorrow’s world: the gadgetry of decades hence is predicted to be much like what we have right now — only cooler. “Progress” is driven by the inexorable spread of American consumer technology over the surface of the earth.
(...)

Google, which started out as an expression of independent Californian graduate student culture — a decent, humane and playful culture — has, as it encountered the big, bad world, thrown its lot in with traditional Washington power elements, from the State Department to the National Security Agency.
(...)

This book is a balefully seminal work in which neither author has the language to see, much less to express, the titanic centralizing evil they are constructing. “What Lockheed Martin was to the 20th century,” they tell us, “technology and cybersecurity companies will be to the 21st.”

(...) this is essential reading for anyone caught up in the struggle for the future, in view of one simple imperative: Know your enemy.

#Google #Etats-Unis #Wikileaks #surveillance #impérialisme

Sweeping Leak Inquiries Reveal How Wide a Net U.S. Has Cast - NYTimes.com
▻http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/us/leaks-inquiries-show-how-wide-a-net-is-cast.html

#Obama tient à ce que que les journalistes puissent vérifier ses actes et en même temps bride ce qui leur permet de le faire.

On Thursday, President Obama ordered a review of the Justice Department’s procedures for leak investigations involving reporters, saying he was concerned that such inquiries chilled journalists’ ability to hold the government accountable. But he made no apology for the scrutiny of the many officials whose records were searched or who had been questioned by the F.B.I.