Jogendra Nath Mandal: Chosen by Jinnah, banished by Pakistan’s bureaucracy

Akhtar Balouch; November 4, 2015 Jogendra Nath Mandal has the distinction of representing the Muslim League as minister in the 1946 pre-partition political setup of India. Later, he presided over the historic session of the Constituent Assembly on 11th August 1947, where Mohammed Ali Jinnah was sworn in as the first Governor-General of Pakistan. Jinnah… Read More Jogendra Nath Mandal: Chosen by Jinnah, banished by Pakistan’s bureaucracy

The US military is embedded in the gaming world. Its target: teen recruits

Since 2018, the US military has been ramping up its use of gaming to recruit more people, at a critical time when the US armed forces face the worst recruitment struggle since becoming an all-volunteer force after the Vietnam war. Targeting gamers makes sense from the military’s perspective, as it gives them access to the young, tech-savvy population they want joining up. But… Read More The US military is embedded in the gaming world. Its target: teen recruits

The ‘debate of the century’: what happened when Jordan Peterson debated Slavoj Žižek

I did see “the debate of the century”, the debate of our century. It was full of the stench of burning strawmen. A big deal, with huge numbers, and really very little underneath. First posted April 20, 2019 Stephen Marche The controversial thinkers debated happiness, capitalism and Marxism in Toronto. It was billed as a… Read More The ‘debate of the century’: what happened when Jordan Peterson debated Slavoj Žižek

Mahsa Amini’s uncle sentenced to five years in jail over Iran protests, rights groups say

The uncle of Mahsa Amini, the young Iranian-Kurdish woman whose death in custody sparked months of protests, has been sentenced to more than five years in jail for his criticism of the government in 2022, rights groups have said. Safa Aeli, 30, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison by the revolutionary court… Read More Mahsa Amini’s uncle sentenced to five years in jail over Iran protests, rights groups say

Modi’s Strange India of Celebrations and Superstition

In this weird India, bizarre scenes are witnessed daily. Words of wisdom come from a villager in Haryana. He says what a scholar could have said: “Modi ji, Hinduism continued to survive centuries of foreign rule because religion was not associated with the ruler. If it were associated with a Prime Minister or President or King,… Read More Modi’s Strange India of Celebrations and Superstition

Christianity, Violence, and the West

Philippe Buc, Holy War, Martyrdom, and Terror: Christianity, Violence, and the West; 2015 Reviewed by Warren Brown “The medievalist Philippe Buc discerns Christian tropes of holy war and martyrdom in seemingly secular movements with terroristic potential. A brilliant and disturbing interpretation of the religious origins of redemptive violence in the West, this is a book… Read More Christianity, Violence, and the West