Mohammed Asad ( Middle East Monitor) – Gaza is a region we hear about often but how much do we know about its past and history? This is something architect Wala’a Shublaq is looking to change as she sketches ancient sites and helps Palestinians in Gaza reconnect with their past. The 27-year-old urban […]
Archives for April 2023
The Era of Great Power Victory in Wars ended in 1945 and a Wise Power would Avoid them
( Tomdispatch.com) – I was born on July 20, 1944, amid a vast global conflict already known as World War II. Though it ended with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 before I could say much more than “Mama” or “Dada,” in some strange fashion, I grew up at war. Living […]
On Earth Day, 69% of Americans want Carbon Neutrality, with Minorities and Youth in the Vanguard
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On Earth Day, 2023, big public events were held by activists across the US (and across the world). But activists you always have with you. I joined in picking up garbage along the road that led to our high school on April 22, 1970, the first earth day. The world […]
Why London’s first Ramadan Lights Celebration has been so Important for Muslims Everywhere
By Farouq Tahar, University of Sheffield | – (The Conversation) – On March 21 2023, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Hamza Taouzzale, lord mayor of Westminster, stood on Coventry Street in central London and switched on the capital’s first ever Ramadan illuminations. Every evening throughout the holy month, 30,000 coloured lights have lit […]
Explainer – Sudan Conflict and What Worries Neighbors, the US and Others
( Middle East Monitor ) – A conflict raging in Sudan is rattling neighbouring countries and worrying the United States and others for reasons ranging from concern about shared Nile waters and oil pipelines, to the shape of a new government and a new humanitarian crisis in the making. Sudan, which relies heavily on foreign aid, is no […]
Climate Change makes ‘Florida Rain-bombs’ more Common, as DeSantis would Know if he had bothered to Visit Ft Lauderdale
Craig Pittman ( Florida Phoenix)- If you live in Florida, you never suffer from an irony deficiency. Case in point: Flood managers from across the nation gathered in South Florida last week for a conference — only to run into the region’s worst flooding in yeeeeeeeeears. (Hey, do you think we can get the […]
Glaciers in Swiss Alps lost 6% of Mass last Year, as Climate Emergency brings brutal Heat Waves
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The UN’s World Meteorological Organization has issued its annual report. As you will have guessed, things don’t look good. There were 117 heat waves in 2022 and 58 droughts globally. But there were also 61 wet spells and 63 floods. We are rushing toward weather extremes. Global heating has driven […]
Any New Yemen Truce must allow Participation of Citizens and Civil Society
Human Rights Watch – (Beirut) – Negotiations for a new truce in Yemen by Saudi and Houthi authorities present an opportunity to incorporate accountability and monitoring mechanisms that are essential for protecting Yemenis’ fundamental rights, Human Rights watch said today. Based on news reports, negotiations are apparently making progress. To effectively address Yeminis’ human rights, […]
Behind the Ruling: Supreme Court decrees Mifepristone can Remain Available
By Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia and Sonia Suter, George Washington University | – (The Conversation) – The U.S. Supreme Court issued an emergency ruling on April 21, 2023, that allows continued access to the abortion pill mifepristone in states where abortion is legal. The court’s decision, which included few details and only indicated that […]