Boycott

CAIRO - A movement to boycott this week's runoff presidential election is gaining momentum, threatening Egypt's restive transition to democracy and revealing a sharpening disdain by voters over the choice between a conservative Islamist and a holdover from the old guard. That dilemma highlights the polarizing struggle between political Islam and the secular police state. The state has handily won this battle since the 1950s. But the country's first free presidential election shows Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi in a tight race with Ahmed Shafik, a remnant of ousted leader Hosni Mubarak's government.

Some hunters are targeting Colorado's important tourism dollars by urging a boycott of the state because of its recently approved gun control legislation. “It's a question of principle,”  Chris Jurney, vice president of the Colorado Outfitters Assn., a group that represents many of the guides and outfitters that cater to out-of-state hunters, told The Times. “It's a real threat; people are tired of having their rights infringed upon.” Last week, Colorado became the first Western state to approve gun control measures, including an expansion of background checks for prospective buyers and a limit on the size of ammunition magazines.

Israel's right-leaning parliament approved a hotly disputed law Monday that will penalize those who organize or publicly endorse political boycotts against the country, including campaigns directed at Israeli universities, settlements and businesses in the West Bank. Critics, including several prominent Israeli politicians, newspaper columnists and the parliament's legal advisor, questioned whether the law would withstand a Supreme Court challenge, saying it probably violates the right to free speech and free expression.

With a Monkees reunion tour looming next month, singer, songwriter and guitarist Michael Nesmith has taken to Facebook to head off what he says is a campaign by a contigent of Monkees fans who are threatening to boycott the tour unless actor Kevin Spacey steps in for the late Davy Jones to sing “Daydream Believer.” Other observers in the music business quickly started reposting Nesmith's note, several of them deriding misguided fans for suggesting...

Fox News host Glenn Beck used his popular show Monday to attack the background of Van Jones, a White House environmental advisor and co-founder of an African American political advocacy group that organized an advertising boycott of his program. Beck did not address the boycott spearheaded by Color of Change to protest the talk show host's remark last month that he believes President Obama is "a racist." Instead, he spent a large share of his program suggesting that Jones, who co-founded Color of Change in 2005, is a radical.

In May 2010, Los Angeles was a part of wave of cities that voted to boycott Arizona after lawmakers in that state passed a controversial law targeting illegal immigrants. City Hall staffers were ordered to review contracts with Arizona companies for possible termination, and official travel to Arizona was supposed to be suspended. But a year later, little has changed in the way Los Angeles does business with the state next door. The city still buys street sweeper parts from one Arizona firm and has a contract for emergency sewer repairs with another, officials say. The Harbor Department alone has four contracts with Arizona companies that total nearly $26 million.

Animals that care Re "Chimpanzees mourn like humans do," April 27 This Times article reminded me of Dr. Jane Goodall's famous study of the chimps of Gombe. There was a young chimp named Flint who was especially attached to his mother, Flo. When Flo died, Flint was inconsolable. He was old enough to care for himself, but instead, he stayed with his mother's corpse, lost interest in everything else and died shortly afterward. Pets, too, intuitively understand the significance of another's illness and try to provide comfort.

Pressure continued to mount Tuesday against Arizona's tough new immigration law, with the Obama administration considering a legal challenge and political leaders calling for economic boycotts. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that she had "deep concerns" with the law and said it could siphon resources needed to target criminals. U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric Holder said he was considering "the possibility of a court challenge."

The Soweto-inspired boycott of black schools spread to other townships today, accompanied by sporadic student violence that was the most widespread of the 2-month-old state of emergency.