…For three years, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman seemed like he would rescue the US and Britain from a terrible quandary. For decades, both have made the alliance with Saudi Arabia central to their foreign and security strategies, because of oil and Iran, and because it represented some sort of pro-western island of stability in a sea of regional troubles. The alliance was probably the most popularly detested aspect of both countries’ policies for “backbench” politicians and the… more: thetimes
Category: News
Whatever Happened to Childhood? Whatever, Happened , Childhood
In a Boston school, second-graders take a field trip to the local police station to hear a presentation about the dangers of illegal drugs and to be fingerprinted for “stolen child” identification cards.
In an affluent Chicago suburb, elementary school students carry cell phones, pagers, palm pilots and PDAs (personal digital assistants) to keep track of their hectic schedules. Says one parent: “Our kids are just trying to keep their lives ordered.”….MORE: VISION.ORG
Chinese Hypersonic Nuclear Aircraft
Stephen Miller’s third-grade teacher suspended after saying he ate glue as child
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — A Southern California school district has suspended a teacher who recounted how a senior aide to President Donald Trump ate glue as a third-grader.
Nikki Fiske told the Hollywood Reporter that when Stephen Miller was a student in her classroom, he was a loner with a messy desk who played with glue. She calls Miller “a strange dude.”…more: nbcnews
Prey by Michael Crichton
“I’d rather be killed than be a killer”: How the Assad regime erased peaceful protesters
The friends continued their peaceful protests and decided to offer roses with bottles of water to the soldiers. Hiba remembers when, one night, another prominent Daraya activist, Ghiath Mattar, came to their house with flowers and bottles of water and stayed up all night with Islam, writing messages in preparation for the demonstration the following day. She sends me a photo of a rose affixed to a water bottle with an elastic band, and a handwritten message from Islam to the soldiers: “We are Syrians, why are you killing us?”…more: newstatesman
AZERBAIJAN: Fines, censorship amid state control of Islam
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg has given the Azerbaijani government until 1 February 2019 to respond to questions about the jailing of 44-year-old Sardar Babayev, punished for leading Muslim worship having gained his religious education outside Azerbaijan (see below)…more: .forum18.org 0
Washington Post editorial: Where is Jamal Khashoggi?
more: washingtonpost
Editor’s note: Jamal Khashoggi is a Saudi journalist and author, and a columnist for Washington Post Global Opinions. Khashoggi’s words should appear in the space above, but he has not been heard from since he entered a Saudi consulate in Istanbul for a routine consular matter on Tuesday afternoon.
Egypt: Woman human rights defender and sexual harassment survivor sentenced for speaking out
The IRS is Ending Amnesty for Your Financial Accounts Overseas
The Internal Revenue Services offices in Washington, D.C. If you’re holding a bank account or an investment account overseas, you’re running out of time to come clean to the IRS. The Internal Revenue Service will shut down its voluntary disclosure program on Sept. 28, meaning those who have failed to participate could be subject to large fines, penalties and criminal prosecution. Since the program’s launch in 2009, more than 56,000 taxpayers have stepped up to report their foreign financial assets. In all, they paid $11.1 billion in back taxes, interest and penalties since then, according to the IRS… MORE: cnbc
