Here we have two more examples, first the spread of Islam... 
And the spread of Buddhism... 
Yes, these happen on different timescales, have diverse points of origin, and varied mechanisms for transmission + replication + mutation. Nevertheless both poisonous ideas and viral poisons are parallel phenomena for humanity to apply scientific methods on, to ever more thoroughly understand, and to ultimately prevail over.
"Military might alone won’t defeat Islamic State and its ilk. The U.S. needs to promote economic empowerment. [...] Today we hear the same economic and cultural pessimism about the Arab world that we did about Peru in the 1980s. But we know better. Just as Shining Path was beaten in Peru, so can terrorists be defeated by reforms that create an unstoppable constituency for rising living standards in the Middle East and North Africa. To make this agenda a reality, the only requirements are a little imagination, a hefty dose of capital (injected from the bottom up) and government leadership to build, streamline and fortify the laws and structures that let capitalism flourish. As anyone who’s walked the streets of Lima, Tunis and Cairo knows, capital isn’t the problem -- it is the solution. [...] The people of the “Arab street” want to find a place in the modern capitalist economy. But hundreds of millions of them have been unable to do so because of legal constraints to which both local leaders and Western elites are often blind. They have ended up as economic refugees in their own countries. To survive, they have cobbled together hundreds of discrete, anarchic arrangements, often called the “informal economy.” Unfortunately, that sector is viewed with contempt by many Arabs and by Western development experts, who prefer well-intended charity projects [...] All too often, the way that Westerners think about the world’s poor closes their eyes to reality on the ground. In the Middle East and North Africa, it turns out, legions of aspiring entrepreneurs are doing everything they can, against long odds, to claw their way into the middle class. And that is true across all of the world’s regions, peoples and faiths. Economic aspirations trump the overhyped “cultural gaps” so often invoked to rationalize inaction."
"We help hacker spaces take root in the Middle East and beyond. Together, we can create inclusive spaces to solve problems, start businesses, and strengthen our communities."
"This makeshift piece of Syria has three hospitals -- meaning that healthcare and mortality rates are significantly better inside the camp than outside -- and there are a number of schools, although attendance is low. Just a quarter go to classes. Entrepreneurial residents have also set up more than 3,000 different shops and businesses along the camp's main roads -- including the humorously named "Champs Elysee" -- selling a wide range of goods and services, from groceries and fresh bread to wedding dresses and mobile phones. There are also taxi services, children's playgrounds and football pitches. [...] Yet, the vast majority of Syria's 1.9 million refugees do not live in Jordan's desert camps, but are instead spread across the region. Most are in Lebanon, followed by Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. This is not forgetting the 4.25 million internally displaced people within Syria itself."
I wonder what it would take for Jordan to assimilate the refugees and give them empowerment rights to work and own property and businesses and welcome them to build up the Jordanian economy, including such emerging cities as Aqaba and beyond.
"We have a unique opportunity to get Flying Paper into the ArcLight Documentary Festival in Hollywood as a "Fan Favorite," but we need your help by going to this link on YouTube and LIKING it. Only 5 films competing will win a spot in the festival as a "Fan Favorite" so our participation in this film festival is completely in your hands. Please go to YouTube and "Like" the link and share it with your friends and encourage them to do likewise."Absolutely! Click thru to YouTube to vote...
"More refugees continue to pour into the Hashemite kingdom every day, and this has put an enormous strain on Jordan. It's a relatively poor country that already hosts hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Iraq war and more than two million Palestinian refugees who have come in various waves over the past 65 years. Last week, the country took out a $150 million dollars World Bank loan to deal with the refugee crisis, and King Abdullah made a plea for help at a World Economic Forum."
"Half a million people live in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip. For decades, they have been governed by a strong security paradigm [...] Now they are back in the international spotlight because of an increase in militant attacks, arms smuggling and human trafficking. When Egyptians took to the streets against Hosni Mubarak’s police state [...] the insurgency here continued long after his ouster [...] Fault Lines explores the roots of Sinai’s ongoing uprising and, as Egypt’s new leaders vow to crack down on militancy and smuggling, the dangers of following an old script. How did the Sinai Peninsula become a crucible for geopolitical tensions?"At root, it seems to be inequitable development with connected Cairo elites taking and locals languishing, but judge for yourself...
"Many in Lebanon worry that the influx of up to 400,000 Syrian refugees, who are mostly Sunni, may disrupt the delicate balance in the country. Lebanon fought its own sectarian civil war from 1975 to 1990."
"It is impossible to determine precisely where the boundaries of control lie in Syria. But an analysis of news reports and videos posted online indicates that rebels are stronger in the north and northeast, while the government holds the center of most of Syria’s largest cities and the west."
"...the Pakistani schoolgirl who was shot and almost killed for defying the Taliban in her outspoken advocacy for girls' education. [...] Not only did she show almost unheard of courage in the face of almost-certain physical violence against her by speaking out about educating girls in Pakistan, she has raised awareness about the issue of violence against girls and women all over the world -- an epidemic that few seem focused on."I can scarcely think of a more important issue planet-wide than supporting women and girls-rights, most especially to equal and complete education. The many faith-freak religious wingnuts who fight against and prevent this must be expunged from power.
Thanks to Urban Greenery and Apple Arts for spotting this cool design!
"What we need today more than anything else is to invest in beauty, because beauty is harmony which comes from chaos. But we invest in chaos, because chaos is much more profitable than peace .... Beauty is a kind of safety vault for people. And music as well. I don't think music is beautiful today, music is just a way to advertise other things because music is very powerful as a force and then through music we can advertise anything we want .... When music becomes a product [...] something is wrong about that. [...] To be interested in education, art, science culture, for me this is the key against the crisis today .... The banking crisis is not as important as the culture crisis. So when you deal with culture I think you can manage the rest easier. All the rest, all the misery comes because we don't have beauty, you know, the quality of life. And quality of life is not money, quality of life is something else."
