Lost Symbol: Dan Brown

"If a thought has mass, then a thought exerts gravity and can pull things toward it...Meaning if enough people begin thinking the same thing, then the gravitational force of that thought becomes tangible, and it exerts actual force."

-The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown

Lost Again.

Sometimes it is easier to remain lost in the wilderness. To be unknown, unfound, unable to fail those that want you to succeed. To be lost in the wilderness of one's thoughts can be engulfing, a dark, dreary and lonely place. But sometimes that is exactly the place you're meant to be, lost in the depths of your own recollections until the bright light of illumination penetrates through it pushing everything else aside to bring a new dawn of clarity. Alas, for some that moment is destined to remain ever asunder. Always another step away, always a perpetual hesitation.

Lost, again, with no desire to be found.

Muslims On No-Fly List Now Suing FBI, Pressured To Be Informants

Fifteen American Muslims, including four military veterans, are suing the federal government after discovering they were placed on the "no-fly" list.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of these 15 plaintiffs alleging that these U.S. citizens were put on a security risk no-fly list without any credible reasons or security concerns.

Read the rest here:

Muslims On No-Fly List Now Suing FBI, Pressured To Be Informants

A U.S. War on Secularism?

Embattled Syrian president Bashar Assad is a despot and a tyrant of the worst breed. He ranks right up there with the late Moammar Gaddafi of Libya and Egypt’s former autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Unlike his partners in tyranny, why hasn’t he been toppled?

The uprisings and overthrows of the“Arab Spring” that swept through Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya were not protracted affairs. The initial results were rather quick for such a historic affair: a massive popular movement overthrew established dictatorships in some countries and prompted political changes in others.

Yet when it comes to Syria, Assad still stands. Why is it that after a year of opposition movements, Syria’s vicious ruler still remains in power with no clear indication that his reign is limited? Why has the population protesting his failed and violent policies not ousted him yet? Is Assad a different, insurmountable beast?

Read the rest and leave your thoughts here: http://aslanmedia.com/news-politics/1865-a-u-s-war-on-secularism

US, China, Pakistan: It Takes Two to Tango, but Three's a Crowd

Usually the definition of “allies” means two territories, countries, or nations that are working together in order to further mutual interests. Pakistan and America have for decades been considered allies, as they fought to conclude the vaguely termed War Against Terror in Afghanistan. The United States and China are officially allies, too-- economic allies, working in tandem to promote trade, good business practices, and further develop the economies of both regions. Pakistan and China are also allies; Pakistan was one of the first countries to have recognized China. Since then the two have maintained a long, stable history of mutual aid and cooperation. Until recently these various treaties seemed to work in their individual spheres, rarely overlapping and never under danger from or suffering from fear of their ally’s other alliances...until now.


Read the rest: It Takes Two to Tango, but Three's a Crowd

Immigrants from another world.

At the end of the day, I believe we are all immigrants, coming from another world and entering this one with such grace and fortitude that we remain resilient for the rest of our stay here. Eventually, we all know our stay here is temporary. No one is a permanent resident. In fact, most make this place home without becoming too comfortable, without forgetting our roots, without forgetting the place we will eventually return. Isn’t that the story of an immigrant? I’m a Pakistani-American. My family moved to the United States when I was just 2 years old. As a result, I didn’t really face too harshly the transition from one country to another. What I did encounter was the sameness, the human likeness, that all of us carry within our hearts. As a woman, I find that heart even more prevalent in the center of my being, and as an immigrant I see the struggle we all face as part and parcel of the human experience. It is our tenacity, our flexibility that underlines how similar all of us as human beings really are. It is these stories of diverse immigrants that come and establish themselves with a passion for life, with a retention of their home cultures yet an ability to adopt to the new one, that showcases the underlying humaneness that removes the facile contentions of difference and replaces it with an understanding of human unity. 
 

Gingrich wins South Carolina Primary

Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina Primary by 40.4%. Since 1980, when the South Carolina primaries began, the winner of this primary goes on to win the Republican nomination. If history can be trusted, this means more than likely Gingrich will win the nomination. It seemed that Gingrich's response to the first question posed by John King got the crowd roaring, ready to commit to his cause and emotionally supportive of Gingrich's heartfelt criticism.

Was CNN (and King's) decision to ask about Gingrich's personal life as the very first question a lousy decision: YES.

Was this what led to Gingrich's victory and the downfall of the media's trustworthiness: Perhaps an exaggeration.

So, what're your thoughts? Will Gingrich's win lead him to win the Republican nomination, and even more importantly, can he go on to defeat President Obama to become the new commander-in-chief of the world's current superpower?

If the answers to both of those questions are in the affirmative, I'm nervous for the future of our great country.