Big Fat Deal

Former Vice President Al Gore sells Current TV to Al Jazeera. CNN's Erin Burnett has more. Would you like to know more? Al Jazeera America To Shut Down In April 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh_jDmI4U30 Why has Al Jazeera set its sights on U.S.? (Opinion) http://cnn.it/1PKpi1C Al Jazeera buys Al Gore's Current TV http://cnn.it/1QxXjzh "The Arab television network Al Jazeera said Wednesday it has acquired Current TV, the U.S. network started by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. The buy will give the network -- headquartered in Doha, Qatar -- greater access to the U.S. market..." Cover-up campaign hits Gulf streets http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/06/2012614123018114938.html "Activists in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates encourage expatriates to dress modestly and respect local culture. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. That is the message of two campaigns started by local women in the Gulf countries of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Najla Al Mahmoud is a Qatari behind the "One of Us" public awareness push, which hopes to educate expatriates about appropriate dress. Specifically, she wants people - men and women - in her country to cover up between the shoulders and the knees. During the summer "the scene of exposed flesh increases", Al Mahmoud said. "We are offended by this... but we are sure that people don't know and we are sure that people will respect this. Why wouldn't they? We want to educate them." Most local women in Qatar and the UAE wear an abaya, a black garment that covers most of the body. The men wear the kandura, which tends to be ankle-length and a shade of white. The "UAE Dress Code" campaign, started by locals Hanan Al Rayes and Asma Al Muhairi, began out of disgust at the sight of foreigners dressed in what they deemed to be inappropriate attire, according to media reports. "Whether you like it or not, this country has its own culture that shd be respected & protected by its own people," read one of their recent tweets..." Saudi Arabia - Oppression of Expression - Support Raif Badawi, Turki Al-Hamad,Hamza Kashgari http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x__9kAIP3HM Gulf warned over threat from Islamists (gulf-daily-news, Dec 10, 2012) http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=343398 "GULF countries have been urged to beware of the rise of Islamist political parties in the Mideast. Chairman of the Jeddah-based Gulf Research Centre, Dr Abdulaziz Sager, warned ... terrorist groups were now using Yemen as a base from which to conduct operations and called on the GCC to intervene ... Islamists have already claimed a foothold in Egypt, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, where the Muslim Brotherhood has swept to power..." Terror funds linked to shady charities (gulf-daily-news, Dec 10, 2012) http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=343393 "HUNDREDS of millions of dollars a year are being channelled into the hands of the Taliban - much of it from the Gulf ... Shady charities in the GCC continue to funnel cash to Afghanistan to fund insurgents, said Afghanistan Centre for Research and Policy Studies director Haroun Mir..." George W. Bush: The Arab Spring and American Ideals http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304192704577406612351805018.html "These are extraordinary times in the history of freedom. In the Arab Spring, we have seen the broadest challenge to authoritarian rule since the collapse of Soviet communism. The idea that Arab peoples are somehow content with oppression has been discredited forever ... America does not get to choose if a freedom revolution should begin or end in the Middle East or elsewhere. It only gets to choose what side it is on. The day when a dictator falls or yields to a democratic movement is glorious. The years of transition that follow can be difficult. People forget that this was true in Central Europe, where democratic institutions and attitudes did not spring up overnight. From time to time, there has been corruption, backsliding and nostalgia for the communist past. Essential economic reforms have sometimes proved painful and unpopular ... As Americans, our goal should be to help reformers turn the end of tyranny into durable, accountable civic structures. Emerging democracies need strong constitutions, political parties committed to pluralism, and free elections. Free societies depend upon the rule of law and property rights, and they require hopeful economies, drawn into open world markets ... In promoting freedom, our methods should be flexible. Change comes at different paces in different places. Yet flexibility does not mean ambiguity. The same principles must apply to all nations. As a country embraces freedom, it finds economic and social progress. Only when a government treats its people with dignity does a nation fulfill its greatness. And when a government violates the rights of a citizen, it dishonors an entire nation..."