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Showing posts with the label Democracy

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4 Ways AI Can Be Used And Abused In The 2024 Election, From Deepfakes To Foreign Interference

on October 16, 2024

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Presidential Elections Provide Opportunities To Teach About Power, Proportions And Percentages

on October 16, 2024

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Overseas US Voters Get Ignored By Political Campaigns − But Could Be Crucial Supporters

on October 16, 2024

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What Does Springfield, Illinois, In 1908 Tell Us About Springfield, Ohio, In 2024?

on October 14, 2024

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Jimmy Carter And His Hometown Of Plains Celebrate The 39th President’s 100th Birthday

on October 01, 2024

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Post-Election Violence Is Possible In US, Political Scientist Says − And It Could Be Worse Than Jan. 6

on September 26, 2024

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Local Government Controls Your Roads, Schools And Utilities − But That Doesn’t Mean The US President Doesn’t Touch Your Life In Important Ways

on September 25, 2024

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A Brief History Of Former Presidents Running For Reelection: 3 Losses, 1 Win And 1 Still TBD

on September 24, 2024

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California Secretary Of State Among Officials In 16 States Receiving Suspicious Packages

on September 19, 2024

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Health Care Under Harris Versus Trump: A Public Health Historian Sizes Up Their Records

on September 17, 2024

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Igbo Journal Review

Culture and Ideas for the Igbo Nation

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Why America Is Buying Up The Premier League – And What It Means For The Future Of ‘Soccer’

BY KIERAN MAGUIRE AND CHRISTINA PHILIPPOU When the Premier League broke away from the rest of English football in 1992, its 22 clubs generated £205 million in its debut season, and the average player earned £2,050 a week. Thirty years later, despite having two fewer clubs, the league’s revenue had increased by 2,850% to £6.1 billion and the average player earned £93,000 a week. At the heart of this extraordinary growth is an American revolution. In the Premier League’s inaugural season, football was still in recovery from the horrors of the stadium disasters at Hillsborough and Heysel . Owners tended to be from the local area and with a business background. The only foreign owner was Sam Hamman at Wimbledon, a Lebanese millionaire who bought the club on a whim having reportedly been much more interested in tennis. The season ended with Manchester United (under Alex Ferguson) winning the English game’s top league for the first time in 26 years. Now, if the Texas-based Friedkin Group’

US Warns Israel To Boost Humanitarian Aid Into Gaza Or Risk Losing Weapons Funding

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a news conference during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Vientiane, Laos, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (Tang Chhin Sothy/Pool Photo via AP) BY LOLITA C. BALDOR, TARA COPP AND MATTHEW LEE WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has warned Israel that it must increase the amount of humanitarian aid it is allowing into Gaza within the next 30 days or it could risk losing access to U.S. weapons funding. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned their Israeli counterparts in a letter dated Sunday that the changes must occur. The letter, which restates U.S. policy toward humanitarian aid and arms transfers, was sent amid deteriorating conditions in northern Gaza and an Israeli airstrike on a hospital tent site in central Gaza that killed at least four people and burned others. A similar letter that Blinken sent to Israeli officials in April led to more humanitarian assistance get

4 Ways AI Can Be Used And Abused In The 2024 Election, From Deepfakes To Foreign Interference

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the 2016 U.S. election concluded that Russia had worked to get President Donald Trump elected. Jonathan Ernst/Pool via AP BY BARBARA A. TRISH PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE GRINNELL COLLEGE The American public is on alert about artificial intelligence and the 2024 election. A September 2024 poll by the Pew Research Center found that well over half of Americans worry that artificial intelligence – or AI, computer technology mimicking the processes and products of human intelligence – will be used to generate and spread false and misleading information in the campaign. My academic research on AI may help quell some concerns. While this innovative technology certainly has the potential to manipulate voters or spread lies at scale, most uses of AI in the current election cycle are, so far, not novel at all. I’ve identified four roles AI is playing or could play in the 2024 campaign – all arguably updated versions of familiar election ac

At 10-Year Mark, US And Allies Weigh Future Of Islamic State Mission

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin listens to remarks by US President Joe Biden during a Cabinet meeting inside the West Wing at the White House in Washington, US, on 20th September, 2024. PICTURE: Reuters/Tom Brenner/File photo BY PHIL STEWARD BRUSSELS, BELGIUM ( REUTERS ) - Ten years to the day after the formal launch of the US-led operation against the Islamic State, the United States and its NATO allies gathered in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the future of a mission facing increasing headwinds. Niger kicked out the US military from its counter-terrorism base in West Africa this summer. Afghanistan has been largely off-limits since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover. And Iraq wants the Pentagon to start reducing its personnel and end coalition operations there. At the same time, American officials warn the global threat from Islamic State is growing in Africa and elsewhere, even as public attention has shifted to Russia’s war in Ukraine and expanding conflicts in the Middle East. US

No Strings Attached: Brazil Nudists Get Rio Beach

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DECEMBER 5, 2014 Erica Menezes de Oliveira prepares a drink as her husband Carlos Eduardo grabs some ice on Abrico beach, recently designated as nudist after a 20-year-battle, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014. The city renown worldwide for its wild Carnival celebrations featuring near-naked samba dancers has finally gotten its first official nudist beach. Abrico beach, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of central Rio, was officially made a nudist beach last month. While Brazilian beachwear may be as close as one can get to being nude while ostensibly clothed, for Brazilians those tiny spandex triangles covering private parts make all the difference. Nudism outside of Carnival parades is widely frowned upon in Brazil. On the more than 7,400 kilometers (4,600 miles) of coastline, there are just eight official nudist beaches, now including Rio's Abrico. That's compared to over 200 nude recreation areas in the U.S. unde

What The History Of Blasphemy Laws In The US And The Fight For Religious Freedom Can Teach Us Today

BY KRISTINA M. LEE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA Some 79 countries around the world continue to enforce blasphemy laws. And in places such as Afghanistan, Brunei, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, violation of these measures can result in a death penalty. While the U.S. is not among those countries, it also has a long history of blasphemy laws. Many of the U.S. colonies established blasphemy laws, which became state laws. The U.S. Supreme Court did not rule that blasphemy was a form of protected speech until 1952. Even then, it has not always been protected. As a scholar of religious and political rhetoric , I believe the history of U.S. blasphemy laws reflects a complex fight for the freedom of religion and speech. Early US blasphemy laws U.S. colonies often developed legal protections for Christians to practice their religion. These safeguards often did not extend to non-Christians. Maryland’s Toleration Act of 1649 , for example, was the first Colonial a

Post-Election Violence Is Possible In US, Political Scientist Says − And It Could Be Worse Than Jan. 6

Armed Trump supporters breach the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in the worst attack on Washington, D.C., since the War of 1812. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana BY ALEXANDER COHEN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, CLARKSON UNIVERSITY Should Americans be bracing for bloodshed if Donald Trump loses the 2024 presidential election? As a political scientist who studies American politics , I can easily imagine a repeat of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection – or worse – following this November’s presidential election. Flashback to 2020 Four years ago, in an attempt to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election, then-President Donald Trump and his surrogates furiously challenged its results. Lodging 63 lawsuits, Trump and his surrogates tried to discredit or override vote counting, election processes and certification standards in nine states . None of these attempts was successful. Many were dismissed as baseless – often by Trump-appointed judges – before they even saw trial. Si

A Look At Nsibidi: The Long Lost Nigerian Writing

Image via The Guardian BY NJIDEKA AGBO (THE GUARDIAN) -- Long before the Europeans and what is today known as the western civilization came to West Africa, the Ekoi (Ejagham) people in present-day Nigeria had developed a unique form of ideographic writing called Nsibidi. Author P.A Talbot who lived during the colonial times described it as "a kind of primitive secret writing" which was communicated on "cut or painted on split palm stems". However, historian and Revered J.K Macgregor's in his work, Some Notes On Nsibidi likened it to an ordinary writing. "The use of Nsibidi is that of ordinary writing. I have in my possession a copy of the record of a court case from a town of Enion [Enyong] taken down in it, and every detail ... is most graphically described". Although there is no generally accepted date, scholars say it has been in use in Ekoi for as long as 400 CE. Its oldest archaeological evidence dates back to 2000 B.C. Nsibidi was used t

Nollywood Review: "Girls Cot"

I’m not sure if I should say one is now hooked to Nigerian movies, the Nollywood and fourth-ranked movie industry on the Planet. I have been watching quite a lot lately but I do have a problem with the plots and the titles. They all seem to be the same. Like “Girls Cot” which marks the genuine return of Genevieve Nnaji after a long sabbatical. It has the same resemblance of Nollywood’s previous projects which much appears they have ran out of stories and better creative stuff. Nollywood should come out bold and start telling stories of human events and tragic moments of our time and beyond. Like Hollywood’s “Shindler’s List,” “We Were Soldiers,” “Pearl Harbor,” "Gangs of New York," “Platoon,” “Hotel Rwanda,” “The Pianist,” “The Holocaust,” “Flags of Our Fathers,” “Letters From Iwo Jima,” “Malcolm X,” “Amistad,” and many more films of that nature, it would be worthy of Nollywood to start producing movies in the same manner with scenes like “Blood on the Niger,” "Aba

During The American Revolution, Brits Weren’t Just Facing Off Against White Protestant Christians − US Patriots Are Diverse And Have Been Since Day 1

BY ADAM JORTNER GOODWIN PHILPOTT EMINENT PROFESSOR OF RELIGION, AUBURN UNIVERSITY In 1770, Barnard Gratz of Philadelphia wrote to a friend complaining about a recent speech by King George III. Gratz, an American patriot , wrote that the speech “was such narishkeit” that it was “not worth the postage.” Narishkeit is Yiddish for “nonsense.” Gratz was one of hundreds of Jews who joined the American Revolution as soldiers and leaders: Gershom Seixas led his synagogue out of New York when the British invaded and led what was probably the first Jewish prayer group in Connecticut. Solomon Bush earned the rank of lieutenant colonel in the American army; at the time, no Jew in Europe could serve as a military officer. At the battle of Beaufort, one of the patriot militias was nicknamed “the Jew Company ” because 28 of its 40 members were Jewish. Yet belief persists that the American Revolution was somehow a Christian event – and that the country it created is therefore a Christian nation .

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: 2015: Leadership and Sins of Nd'Igbo

Click on image to read full story and analysis

FROM THE ARCHIVES: BIAFRA: Relative Discourses

I signed up because I had little experience in Africa, after having served in the United Nations forces in Congo. Also upset about what happened in Biafra and Czechoslovakia, I did not want to stand next to and just watch.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: INTERVIEW: JULIUS KPADUWA

The problems that confront Imo State are really not unique. It is the same problem that confronts almost every state in Nigeria, and it's one of economic development. The primary thing or my clear vision for the people of Imo State will be getting all the able-bodied men and women back to work, so that we can begin to have the quality of life that has so far eluded the people of Imo State.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Where We Met

But seeing a Nigeria headline on my screen it then occurred to him I must either be a Nigerian or perhaps a curious minded fellow who is reading to find out about the notorious Boko Haram, if they have captured more of their victims, or if there's an ongoing battle between the insurgents and the nation's security forces. Elevating my head up and starring at each other, I told him I was Igbo

FROM THE ARCHIVES: The Otokoto Saga Interview

Now, the main question is about eleven year old Ikechukwu Anthony Okonkwo whose head was found dripping with blood with the convicted murderer Innocent Ekeanyanwu on a police tip-off inside a traveling commercial bus at Eziama in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: THE AMBROSE EHIRIM-CHIKA UNIGWE INTERVIEW

Every writer has to be able to live in the head of her characters. I had to make myself a blank blackboard for the characters to inscribe their lives on me. I had to wipe off that board every time a new character had to be created and totally surrender myself to that new character.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: INTERVIEW: THE SYLVESTER MENSAH STORY

The idea of writing a book had always engaged my thoughts based on reflections and the desire to share my experiences. The motivation was however triggered after reading the book of a gentleman l consider the busiest in Ghana, H. E. John Dramani Mahama

FROM THE ARCHIVES: INTERVIEW: DR. APOLLOS NWAUWA

Contrary to what many think, the Igbo Diaspora is not really a homogenous, coherent group. Like other ethnic nationalities in the USA, the Igbo Diaspora consists of peoples from all walks of life separated by everything and only united by the fact that they are all Igbo. Serious social class disparity exists between them; therefore, presenting a united front in influencing or engineering actions at home continues to be a challenge.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: INTERVIEW: OZO'S KENI SAINT GEORGE

It was indeed a very boisterous, purpose driven, well-to-do Royal family. I come from a lineage of Royals and a well groomed family unit. My Father, Chief George Ozuloke, was a Court Judge for all of 18 years. He was both a Christian and Animist. He had 7 wives of which my mother was the first. I went to St. Martins Primary School and later to a wonderful School – Abbot Secondary Grammar School in Ihiala, my town. I even did a stint in Ihiala Seminary trying to be a Catholic Priest

Sovereign National Conference: A Symposium

A sovereign nation is born when, out of civilization, any such populations of human assemblage pledge loyalty and confide their trust to a governing body which they elect to oversee to their security, welfare and yes, to their happiness. The ensuing system of governance thrives and becomes sustainable by the wishes of the people whose interests it caters for.

ARETHA FRANKLIN (1942-2018)

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Nchamere Nd'Igbo: Evidence of Anti-Igbo Pogrom

Obafemi Awolowo's orchestrated "Economic Blockade" denies food and medicine to Children of Biafra during Yakubu Gowon's-led genocidal campaign against the Igbo Nation. CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW ALL PICTURES

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Inside Nigeria's Fourth Republic: Nothing But A Messy 14 Years

In the fourteen years of said democracy, things that never happened in the past - the way it had now turned out - started happening at an alarming rate and spooky by its nature.......Click on image to read full story

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