By Frank Wesselingh and Matteo Lattuada | – Imagine you are on the coast, looking out to sea. In front of you lies 100 metres of barren sand that looks like a beach at low tide with gentle waves beyond. And yet there are no tides. This is what we found when we visited the […]
Archives for December 2020
What does the Holy Book of Islam say about the Birth of Jesus?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | Revised. The Qur’an, the scripture Muslims believe was received by the the Prophet Muhammad (d. 632) by divine inspiration, has a number of passages that mention Mary and the virgin birth of Jesus. The Chapter of Mary, 19:16, says (my interpretation): And mention in the Book Mary, when […]
An un-merry Christmas for Palestinians, as Militant Israeli Squatters attack Monastery, Church
This year, there will be no Christmas celebrations in Palestine because of restrictions necessary to stop the spread of COVID-19. Worse, this unusually gloomy season was darkened further when militant Israeli squatter-settlers disrupted Christian prayer at the oldest monastery in Palestine. On Thursday 17 December, hundreds of Israeli settlers gathered in order to intimidate the […]
Inside Trump and Barr’s Last-Minute Killing Spree
By Isaac Arnsdorf | – (ProPublica ) – In its hurry to use its final days in power to execute federal prisoners, the administration of President Donald Trump has trampled over an array of barriers, both legal and practical, according to court records that have not been previously reported. Officials gave public explanations for their […]
From biblical times to Trump, false messiahs have doomed societies
By Kimberly Stratton | – The prophet Jeremiah records in excruciating detail the catastrophic events leading to the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BCE. Jeremiah describes the devastating famine, escalating sense of fear and ominous foreboding that permeated the city despite optimistic oracles issued in the royal court by prophets, who promised divine […]
Trump Pardons Blackwater 4 for Nisour Square Massacre in Iraq, because Whites must never Suffer for Killing Innocent Brown People
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On Tuesday, Trump the Mad pardoned 4 Blackwater mercenaries who killed 14 Iraqi civilians, including a nine-year-old boy, with indiscriminate fire at Nisour Square in downtown Baghdad on September 14, 2007. The four were convicted at then VP Joe Biden’s insistence, and were serving jail terms. WaPo says, “Investigators for […]
“Master Swindler” Netanyahu isn’t the Cause of Israel’s Instability or Ruinous Colonization of Palestine, but the Symptom
( Middle East Monitor ) – It is convenient to surmise that Israel’s current political crisis is consistent with the country’s unfailing trajectory of short-lived governments and fractious ruling coalitions. While this view is somewhat defensible, it is also hasty. Israel is currently on the cusp of a fourth general election in less than two […]
Young Muslim women are leading environmental movements grounded in their beliefs
Memona Hossain | – Weeks prior to the lockdowns and closures that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, UN Secretary General António Guterres said 2020 would be a “pivotal year for how we address climate change.” Revamped emission goals were expected from 196 countries, but with international meetings postponed due to the pandemic, the stark reality […]
‘Wealth Accumulates and Men Decay:’ Can America learn the Lessons of Iraq and Vietnam
( Tomdispatch.com ) – In choosing a title for his final, posthumously published book, the prominent public intellectual Tony Judt turned to a poem by Oliver Goldsmith, The Deserted Village, published in 1770. Judt found his book’s titlein the first words of this couplet: Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey Where wealth […]
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