Politics – Page 58 – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

The Warrior-Scholar Project: Easing the Move from Combat to College

By Guest PostJune 21, 2012Culture, General, Politicsafghanistan, air force, alfred guy, american soldiers, australian army, black and white, christopher howell, civilian life, dave carrell, david howell, democracy, donald kagan, eli whitney program, first gulf war, globalization, jeffrey brenzel, jesse reising, john gaddis, karin gosselink, marine corps, misha pemble belkin, navy seal, nick rugoff, ninja reading, pilot program, platoon, restrepo, sebastian junger, tactical assault group, taliban insurgents, tim hetherington, tribalism, us army, war, warrior scholar project, william whobrey

Having twice served in Afghanistan, where his platoon faced some of the most intense fighting of any American soldiers, U.S. Army sergeant Misha Pemble-Belkin felt a bit of a “culture shock” earlier this month when he first took a seat in a Yale classroom.

His combat team’s firefights with Taliban insurgents in eastern Afghanistan in 2007 — and the deaths of two members of his small unit — were captured in the Academy Award-nominated documentary “Restrepo” by Sebastian Junger and the late Tim Hetherington, as well as in Junger’s bestselling book “War.” Described by one film reviewer as “the conscience” of the documentary, Pemble-Belkin received major media attention for his part in the film.

During his stay on the Yale campus, however, Pemble-Belkin had to leap out of the role of soldier and into that of student as he participated in the newly inaugurated Warrior-Scholar Project, which helps war veterans and non-commissioned officers who are leaving the service make the transition to college life. (more…)

The Mystery of Evil

By Guest PostMay 30, 2012Politicsactuality of evil, knowledge of evil, moral evil, mystery of evil

Where does evil come from? If God is all-powerful and created a universe that is very good why does evil exist? (more…)

Religion is a Potent Force for Cooperation and Conflict, Research Shows

By Guest PostMay 25, 2012Politicsbackfire effect, conflict resolution deals, religious conviction, religious rituals, sacred values

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— Across history and cultures, religion increases trust within groups but also may increase conflict with other groups, according to an article in Science. (more…)

Criminology and the Global Financial Crisis

By Guest PostMay 24, 2012Economy, Politicscriminal behavior, criminology, financial dealings, global financial crisis, Ponzi Scheme, psychopathic tendencies

The first overt indications of the impending global financial crisis manifested themselves in August 2007, when BNP Paribas announced it was severing ties with three hedge funds specializing in mortgage debt for American real estate properties. The crisis was exacerbated by the immediate freeze on credit by banks to their customers – and to each other. The crisis came to a head in 2008 when the United States government refused to rescue investment firm Lehman Brothers from financial collapse. Subsequent actions by the American government and by foreign governments, as well as actions taken by commercial enterprises world wide, have been focused on repairing the financial damage to sovereign economies and to individuals thrown out of work – and out of their homes. (more…)

Muslim Brotherhood Candidate Trails in Race for Egypt’s Presidency: UMD Poll

By Guest PostMay 22, 2012Politics2011 revolution, abd al menem abul fotouh, ahmed shafiq, amr mousa, arab league chief, arabs, Economy, egypt, egyptians, gamal abdel nasser, hamdeen sabahi, iran, islamic sharia law, islamist moderate, Israel, king abdullah, middle east, mohamed morsi, muslim brotherhood, nasserist, palestinians, parliamentary election, political scientist, presidency, President Obama, prime minister, recep teyyib erdogan, salafi, saudi arabia, shibley telhami, syria, turkey, umd poll, university of maryland

Majority of Egyptians Faults Brotherhood Fielding its Own Candidate

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – As Egypt prepares this week to elect its first president since the 2011 revolution, a new University of Maryland poll finds the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate tied for fourth place. Researchers describe the race as fluid.

The poll confirms the strategic damage inflicted by the Brotherhood’s decision to field its own candidate, after saying it would not. Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed (71 percent) called the decision a “mistake.”

The poll also shows Egyptians approaching the race differently from Parliamentary elections, focusing more on personal trust and the economy over party affiliation. (more…)

What Does Islam Say About the Fate of Non-Muslims?

By Guest PostMay 21, 2012Politicsfate, infidels, islamic belief, islamic thought, muslims, non muslims, salvation, salvation of muslims

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Since Sept. 11, it has become increasingly common to hear about Muslims who condemn all non-Muslims – or “infidels” – to hell, but this has never been a foundation of Islamic thought, argues a Michigan State University professor who recently published a first-of-its-kind book on non-Muslim salvation. (more…)

China Takes Action to Stop Software Counterfeiting

By Guest PostMay 17, 2012Politics, TechnologyBeijing, China, chinese government, coas, copyright infringement, counterfeit software, counterfeiter, crime, david finn, dell, haidian district, hp, huang jingping, intellectual property, intellectual property rights, ipr, lenovo, Microsoft, peoples court, piracy, shang yajun, simplified chinese, wang changlin, windows 7, windows server 2008, windows xp professional

Counterfeiter sentenced to more than seven years for manufacturing and distributing fake Microsoft products.

REDMOND, Wash., and BEIJING — The Chinese government has dealt a strong blow against intellectual property crime, penalizing counterfeiter Shang Yajun for copyright infringement and the sale of illegally manufactured registered trademarks. The 1st Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing upheld the Haidian District Court’s decision that sentenced Shang to seven years and six months imprisonment, representing the longest-ever criminal sentence in China for selling and distributing counterfeit software products.

In its July 2011 raid of storage facilities belonging to Shang, the Haidian District Public Security Bureau in Beijing confiscated more than 360,000 partially finished certificates of authenticity (COAs). Although product names and product identification had not been added yet, it is estimated that when finished and packed, their worth would be approximately 513.5 million RMB, or $79 million (U.S.). (more…)

Undocumented, Young Immigrants Face Obstacles, Uncertain Futures

By Guest PostMay 12, 2012Politicsamerican youth, citizenship, dream act, ford foundation, immigration status, irvine, latino youth, leo chavez, nightmare, orange county, roberto gonzales, undocumented, united states, university of california, university of chicago, young adults

Undocumented Latino youth who migrate to the United States face futures clouded by limited rights and the constant fear of deportation, according to a new report from the University of Chicago and the University of California, Irvine.

Many don’t fully realize the constraints of their status until they become older teenagers and young adults, the report finds.

“Rites of passage common to American youth — getting a driver’s license, traveling, working and applying to college — are either denied, unattainable or dangerous to pursue for undocumented immigrants,” said Leo Chavez, professor of anthropology at University of California, Irvine. “It’s at this point that many undocumented Latino youth realize society sees them as discardable, as easily castaway. Yet, rather than merely give up, many become involved in campaigns to change the law.” (more…)

Category Archives: Politics