http://micahhalpern.com/ Copyright 2012 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:52:08 -0500 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.11 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Thursday February 9, 2012 I've Been Thinking: There is no doubt that innocent people are being slaughtered in Syria. And there are people who want to oust Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. Most of those slaughtered have been, and will continue... http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/02/inside_syria.html http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/02/inside_syria.html Thoughts Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:52:08 -0500 February 8, 2012 Column: Tu b'Shvat is called the Jewish Arbor Day. But the timeline is backwards. Arbor Day was first celebrated on April 10th in the year 1872, in the state of Nebraska, by J. Sterling Morton. Since then... http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/02/jewish_arbor_da.html http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/02/jewish_arbor_da.html Columns Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:12:40 -0500 Tuesday February 7, 2012 I've Been Thinking: The Turkish foreign ministry has summoned the Swiss ambassador. The Turks want an explanation. The Swiss have launched an investigation into the Turkish EU Minister suggesting that he may have violated international protocols... http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/02/turks_upset_at.html http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/02/turks_upset_at.html Thoughts Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:20:26 -0500 Monday February 6, 2012 I've Been Thinking: One may have thought that things could not get any worse when it came to Egypt and their new incarnation. Now hear this: The new military leadership in Egypt has decided to put... http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/02/pull_aid_from_e.html http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/02/pull_aid_from_e.html Thoughts Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:05:44 -0500 Sunday February 5, 2012 I've Been Thinking: The head of the Palestinians Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and the head of Hamas, Khalad Mashaal, met on Sunday in Doha the capital of Qatar. They met to talk about creating an independent interim... http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/02/pa_hamas_meet_i.html http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/02/pa_hamas_meet_i.html Thoughts Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:11:20 -0500 Saturday February 4, 2012 I've Been Thinking: How naive and how gullible are we? The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wrapped up its meeting in Iran and then fed us all a great line. The meetings, they said, were positive... http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/02/iran_iaea_failu.html http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/02/iran_iaea_failu.html Thoughts Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:54:45 -0500 Friday February 3, 2012 I've Been Thinking: One of the Arab world's most popular comedians was convicted and sentenced to 30 months in prison yesterday for the crime of insulting Islam. This, not surprisingly, happened in the New Egypt. Adel... http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/02/comic_sentenced.html http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/02/comic_sentenced.html Thoughts Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:19:39 -0500 Thursday February 2, 2012 I've Been Thinking: Yesterday Germany upgraded the diplomatic status of the Palestinian Authority. The PA had been a "representation" and now they are a "mission." A mission means that the top representative to the host country... http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/02/germant_upgrade.html http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/02/germant_upgrade.html Thoughts Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:11:05 -0500 Wednesday February 1, 2012 I've Been Thinking: The Senate Intelligence Committee held a hearing yesterday. Syria and Iran were on the agenda. David Petraeus, head of the CIA, explained to the senators that Israel and the United States see the... http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/01/us_israel_iran.html http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/01/us_israel_iran.html Thoughts Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:26:44 -0500 Tuesday January 31, 2012 I've Been Thinking: Tensions between the United States and Israel about how to respond to Iran continue to rise. They have a clear difference of approach on how to handle the situation. Israel has no doubt... http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/01/us_israel_tensi.html http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/01/us_israel_tensi.html Thoughts Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:54:37 -0500 Monday January 30, 2012 I've Been Thinking: Iran has begun to play hard ball. Iran wants to frighten and to threaten the West. Yesterday Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qassami announced that Iran will soon stop exporting oil to certain Western... http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/01/iran_says_oil_w.html http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/01/iran_says_oil_w.html Thoughts Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:24:05 -0500 Sunday January 29, 2012 I've Been Thinking: Hamas has a real problem. They have, to use a colloquialism, ticked off their sugar daddy. And so, next week Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh will be on his way to Iran to beg... http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/01/hamas_has_upset.html http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/01/hamas_has_upset.html Thoughts Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:27:02 -0500 Saturday January 28, 2012 I've Been Thinking: Yesterday in Cairo the Syria embassy was raided. It was sacked. The first and second floors were totally destroyed by rioters. At first it was assumed that the rioters were disgruntled Syrians attacking... http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/01/sacking_embassi.html http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/01/sacking_embassi.html Thoughts Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:03:31 -0500 Friday January 27, 2012 I've Been Thinking: Dubai Police Chief Lieutenant-General Dahi Khalfan is currently visiting Bahrain. Khalafan took the opportunity to speak about tensions in the region. He explained that the region is close to war. He said that... http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/01/warning_about_i.html http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/01/warning_about_i.html Thoughts Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:13:48 -0500 Thursday January 26, 2012 I've Been Thinking: The White House has just announced that it will be fast tracking monetary aid to Egypt. The White House is asserting that last week they had unprecedented meetings with the Muslim Brotherhood. Undersecretary... http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/01/us_to_give_egyp.html http://micahhalpern.com/archives/2012/01/us_to_give_egyp.html Thoughts Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:37:57 -0500