Right now approximately 20,000 men, women and children from Iraq’s minority Yazidi community are trapped atop mountains in Iraq’s north, penned in by Sunni militants for days on end without food or water. U.S. military planes dropped in basic supplies last night, but not before dozens of Yazidi children died of dehydration. Kurdish troops recently helped escort thousands to safety , but thousands more remain marooned. With Gaza still fending off Israeli shelling and Syria battling barrel bombs, why has America’s military might moved to help these persecuted peoples in ...

Israeli civilians have seized upon social media to express strong support of the IDF’s offensive - examples range from reasoned to ridiculous. Supporting the forces is understandable - we hate the war, but comprehend that warriors are human pawns - people with families and friends anxious for their safety, organizing messages of comfort and care packages. But what are we to make of increasingly goofball messages of support? Bizarre “ bomb shelter selfies ” are trending out of Tel Aviv as residents vow to “keep on smiling!” Facebook forums flood ...

While a war of weapons takes place in Gaza, a war of words over the conflict takes place in Hollywood - which has close ties to Israel - and the rest of the world. With the death toll reaching over 1,800 and up to 10,000 injured in the occupied city, it’s no shock that international celebrities are taking to social media to voice their opinions. A few small words from one influential celeb can shake-up millions of people around the world. Team Palestine v Team IDF! While One Direction star ...

A century ago, the mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida boarded a 23-minute flight across the bay and became the world’s first paying airplane passenger . The humble “flying boat” carried Mayor Abram C. Pheil the 21-mile distance from St. Petersburg to Tampa. We’ve come a long way since that flight. And while it may be the home of flying carpets, the Middle East hasn’t always been known for aviation. Now, things are changing. First off, the region is a natural link between Asia and Europe — much of the world’s ...

The Middle East’s media has gone gaga over Gaza - and rightfully so - but there’s hellish happenings elsewhere in the region that demand their share of world awareness. The brutal tactics against both civilians and military enemies of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are providing some of the internet’s most horrifying images ranging from stonings, suicide bombings, crucifixions and beheadings. So, what is the backstory to the growing unrest that threatens to knock the region back to a pre-Arab Uprising era? Since 9/11, the Western benchmark ...

Arab and Jewish journalists are often suspected of bias when reporting on the Middle East. The Gaza/Israel conflict has thrown a piercing spotlight on this - every word matters, especially when amplified by social media. Reporters are meant to be dispassionate, neutral broadcasters of fact. No cultural allegiances allowed. Park messy emotion and personal point of view; that’s for the intelligent viewer to extract, right? Who are we kidding! Every newspaper, network and blog has its trademark slant. And each attracts writers (and audiences) who echo that perspective. But what ...