WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democratic U.S. Representative Alcee Hastings has died at the age of 84, his office said on Tuesday, further narrowing the party’s majority in the lower chamber of Congress. Hastings, a former judge and civil rights activist, has served 15 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives in a Florida district that now includes […]
Democratic U.S. congressman Hastings of Florida dies Read More »
USA
When a gunman killed four people and wounded a fifth at a Southern California office building last week, news outlets, over and over, called it the third in a string of mass shootings. “The violence in the city of Orange was the third major mass shooting in just over two weeks,” an Associated Press story
Jamaica’s ‘Clothesline Project’ was part of 2016’s 16 Days of Activism, symbolising the hanging of ‘dirty laundry’ in public to advocate for an end to violence against women and girls. Photo by UN Women/Khristina Godfrey, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. Jamaicans are anxious. Over 600 people have died from COVID-19 since the country announced its index case
Jamaicans agonise, politicians seek solutions after another young woman is killed Read More »
International
The Republican-majority Texas State Senate passed a new sweeping election reform bill on Thursday with a slew of new voting restrictions, mostly affecting people in dense urban areas. State Sen. Bryan Hughes (R) introduced measures in the Senate chamber which would reduce voting hours, give broader authority to partisan poll watchers, ban drive-though voting and limit
Texas Senate Passes Sweeping New Voting Restrictions Read More »
USA
By Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) -A sceptical president invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday to form a new government, after another inconclusive election deepened political stalemate in Israel. The country’s longest-serving leader, in power without interruption since 2009, now faces the tough challenge of enlisting enough allies for a governing coalition. Under law, Netanyahu
Sceptical president invites Netanyahu to form next Israeli government Read More »
Middle East
In her 89 years, Dr Nawal El Saadawi was relentless in her fight against the persecution of women. She passed away on March 21, but her legacy as an advocate and writer lives on. Her multifaceted approach to feminism, pulling from her experience as a writer, physician and psychiatrist ensured her advocacy reverberated transnationally, overwhelming
Washington (AFP) – Rich countries have an obligation to ensure the Covid-19 pandemic does not undermine efforts to fight poverty worldwide, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Tuesday. “It’s the responsibility of the developed countries to make sure that decades of progress in fighting poverty globally and trying to close income gaps between rich and
‘Responsibility’ of rich countries to continue poverty fight: Yellen Read More »
USA
Washington (AFP) – Arkansas became the first US state to ban gender-affirming medical treatment for transgender youth Tuesday when the state legislature overrode a veto of a new law by governor Asa Hutchinson. Rejecting Hutchinson’s argument on Monday that the measure gave the state too much power over the decisions made by trans youth, their
With veto override, Arkansas bans treatment for trans youth Read More »
USA
The title of this book is an understatement if ever there were one. “Three Ordinary Girls” really should be retitled as “Three Extraordinary Girls.” [Donald H. Harrison]
Book Review: ‘Three [Extra] Ordinary Girls’ Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History
Major League Baseball: Most teams have limited seating to 20% to 30 % of their stadiums’ capacities, but the Texas Rangers organization permitted its ballpark to fill up to capacity because Texas prides itself on being bigger than any other state in the numbers of fans it allows to attend sporting events or the Covid-19 spike it expects in two weeks. [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]
Satire: Spring Openings Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire
Virtually the entire Bible is either obscure or ambiguous. This not a criticism. Some scholars and I have noted that all very good literature is obscure or ambiguous. This enhances what is written. It gives the reader an opportunity to interpret what is being read. It is as if there are two writers of what is written both the original author and the reader. As a result, the reader gets more out of the writing than the writer composed. In addition, in regard to biblical law, it gives the religious leaders of the Jews an opportunity to reinterpret the obscurity to correspond to modern times [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
The Tower of Babel ‘Trial’ Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
It’s our responsibility as citizens of the world to continuously hope for a better future. Our world is filled with prophets of doom and they are especially to be found in the Jewish world where many who should know better see a dark cloud for the future of American Jewry, European Jewry and the Jews of Israel. The danger is that all of these can turn into self-fulfilling prophecies. [Rabbi Dr. Bernhard H. Rosenberg]
Don’t listen to the prophets of doom Read More »
Bernhard H. Rosenberg-Rabbi, Lifestyles
With antisemitism on the rise, it is tempting to stay laser focused on stories that impact our community, but we must resist the temptation. Those who complain how few people helped Jews during the Holocaust (although the Righteous Among the Nations surely did), need to follow the same moral high road that we wish others would have followed during our time of peril. [Donald H. Harrison]
The Sage Hillel Guides Our Choice of Stories Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Middle East, USA
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has begun consultations with party leaders two weeks after Israel’s deadlocked elections. He met representatives of Likud on Monday, the first of a series of meetings planned with the 13 groups represented in parliament in the course of the day. Each group is to recommend a candidate to form the government
Israeli president starts post-election talks with party leaders Read More »
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