Karzai's fraud scheme could backfire, 7 Delicious Meat Alternatives, Ramadan charities: Give without fear,

Evidence of fake registration cards, ghost voters, threats and intimidation suggest Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his powerful warlord allies plan large-scale voter fraud for Thursday's presidential election. Critics say the reported scheme means the widely anticipated poll is more likely to damage the government's credibility than boost it. - Gareth Porter Karzai's fraud scheme could backfire

Cutting back on meat consumption is one of the most significant ways to help the planet. And it doesn't require subsistence on tofu. 7 Delicious Meat Alternatives (and Not a Lick of Tofu in Sight)By Sarah Irani, EcoSalon

American Muslims face unique and troubling challenges in trying to fulfill their religious obligations to give charity or zakat. The laws meant to serve the legitimate purpose of preventing the diversion of humanitarian aid to terrorist groups are, instead, overly broad, ambiguous and constitutionally suspect. Sweeping powers granted to federal agencies in the wake of 9/11 resulted in the closing of nine American Muslim charities. However, the majority of these charities were not charged with any wrongdoing and only one investigation resulted in a conviction. In addition to the closures, aggressive law enforcement tactics like widespread FBI interviews with donors and mosque surveillance has led to a pervasive chilling effect in the American Muslim community with respect to charitable giving. The full extent of this chilling effect and related civil liberty issues is the subject of a recent report issued by the American Civil Liberties Union entitled Blocking Faith, Freezing Charity. Ramadan charities: Give without fear (but give wisely)