Remember the wind-powered rotating skyscrapers of Dubai? Well, the building boom in the Emirates is over, thanks to the financial crisis. Most of the huge and expensive construction projects have been cancelled or are on hold. Not only that, foreign laborers are being laid off at an astounding rate ...

Below is an op-ed by Naser Khader from Monday’s Jyllands-Posten. Naser Khader, as regular readers will recall, is a secular Muslim and prominent Danish political figure. His outspoken stance against radical Islam and in favor of modern secular democracy have earned him anger and death-threats from...

Somalia’s governing council has voted to institute Islamic law (sharia). There are also stories tonight about the effects of Islamic law in Afghanistan and Algeria. Despite the protests of Islam’s apologists, the Muslim world is becoming more radical, not less. Thanks to Barry Rubin, C. Cantoni,...

El Inglés has written about the near inevitability of civil war in Europe, with a particular focus on Denmark. Recent events suggest that the prodromal stage of the coming conflict is already in progress. The early phase seems to be the violent conflict between Danish Hells Angels and various immig...

There’s an overwhelming number of news items here tonight — almost a hundred. If you all think that this operation is becoming unmanageably large, please let me know. With all the juicy items that people send me, it’s hard to pick which ones to leave out. Thanks to Abu Elvis, C. Cantoni, CSP, ...

A Gates of Vienna reader named Gryffilion sent us this movie review. We don’t get out to the movies very often, so posting a review of one counts as a vicarious thrill. Who’s Watching “The Watchmen�? Why Watch “The Watchmen�?by Gryffilion This weekend, I had the misfortune to watch the f...

I’ve undertaken the task of surveying the state of free speech in the parts of Europe that haven’t been covered here previously. This is the first of an occasional series on instances of official repression wielded to combat “racism�, “discrimination�, and “incitement to hatred� in E...

Now even Donald Luskin is sounding apocalyptic. Normally he’s a cheerful, optimistic sort of fellow when it comes to capitalism and the American economy. But after watching the new administration’s ineffectual and damaging responses to the economic crisis, Mr. Luskin offers the opinion that this...

Remember the bra-burnings back in the 1960s? Well, that’s so 20th-century! As a symbol of her liberation, the modern woman burns her hijab. At least that’s what a Norwegian ex-Muslim did today to celebrate International Women’s Day. Her name is Sarah Azmeh Rasmussen, and here’s the video of ...

The most significant story of the day asserts that the American financial system is effectively insolvent. I’ve been asserting similar things for a while now, but had become concerned that such views were turning me into a crank. I even had Dymphna put me on a 24-hour Crank Watch, to make sure tha...