Facebook Used to Search for Darfur Criminals

User known only as 'El Shaheed' fueled protests

(NEWSER) - The protests rocking Egypt have been fueled in part by a man who died before they began: Khaled Said, who was reportedly killed by police last summer. That’s the name that heads a Facebook page that has been helping to organize the demonstrations—but the page’s creator, who goes by the name El Shaheed, or martyr, remains completely anonymous, Newsweek reports. “There is no name. There is no leader. It is purely about the thought,” says an activist. More»

Activists say civil discourse beats tea partying

(NEWSER) - Citizens who say tax protests and rage against government aren't their cup of tea have started a caffeinated movement of their own. The Coffee Party movement "gives a voice to Americans who want to see cooperation in government," says founder Annabel Park, who became the movement's de facto organizer after creating a Facebook page that snowballed into chapters in at least 30 states. More»

The fringes aren't more prevalent, but they are more visible

(NEWSER) - With all the left- and right-wing "extremism" out there, the media love pushing the narrative that "the country is coming apart at the seams! The center is dying!” But it’s not true, writes Nate Silver. A glance at long-running polls show Americans identify with the fringes about as much as they did 40 years ago, which is to say not a lot. Extremism isn’t more “prevalent;” the Internet has made it more “visible.” More»

Actress slams president's Darfur policy in Newsweek

(NEWSER) - Angelina Jolie “hates” President Obama so much that she and partner Brad Pitt “get in nasty arguments all the time” about him, sources tell Us —and she lets a bit of her distaste shine through in a piece she wrote for Newsweek on Darfur. “When the administration says it intends to work to 'improve the lives of the people of Darfur,' I would like to know what that means, besides the obvious point that their lives could hardly get worse.” More»

(NEWSER) - President Obama opened bilateral talks with China today with a friendly speech, saying the US-China relationship would “shape the 21st century” and highlighting areas in which the nations have common interests, like nuclear proliferation, terrorism, and the global economy. He also touched on climate change, noting that the US and China are the world’s top energy consumers. “Common sense calls upon us to act,” he said. More»