Hundreds of tombs in a Jewish cemetery have been vandalized in eastern France. The incident follows a rise in the number of attacks against European Jews, including Sunday morning's shooting in Copenhagen.

What happened in the town of Sarre-Union was a "despicable act," French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said on Sunday, referring to the defaced Jewish tombs. "The country will not tolerate this new injury which goes against the values that all French people share."

"Every effort will be made to identify, question and bring to justice the person or persons responsible for this ignominious act," he added.

France's Prime Minister Manuel Valls also condemned the act of desecration on Twitter, referring to the incident as "an antisemitic and ignoble act."

The opposition coalition Solidarity has submitted a request for a major march against the authorities' anti-crisis measures on March 1. Moscow City Hall is yet to grant approval for the rally.

The news about the application was reported by one of Solidarity's key activists, Sergey Davidis. He told Interfax the event would be named simply 'Spring' and the maximum turnout is estimated at 100,000. The main objective of the march is to express discontent with the anti-crisis program of the authorities, Davidis elaborated.


The head of Moscow's directorate for regional security, Aleksey Mayorov, told reporters on Monday that various political movements had submitted six different applications for mass rallies on March 1 and added that it was early to talk about any particular plans. According to Russian law, civil servants have three days to officially permit or ban the rally.

On Sunday one of the main figures behind the planned rally - the leader of the Party of Progress Aleksey Navalny - was detained for promoting the march.

Navalny and another anti-corruption activist - Aleksey Lyaskin - were apprehended on Sunday evening in the Moscow Metro and released at about midnight after spending six hours in a police station, TASS reported quoting the Moscow press service of the Interior Ministry. Police said that the detained were violating public order.

As anti-austerity protests continue to build in numbers across Europe (and not just in Spain where Podemos now holds a commanding poll lead over the status quo) KeepTalkingGreece reports that Greek parliamentary spokesman for Syriza, Nikos Filis notes "The wave of protests indicates a new beginning... And it scares the dominant forces in Europe. Because Syriza virus can spread and in their communities." And we suspect that is indeed the Eurogroup's greatest fear.

Via AVGI (Google Translate),

The demonstrations of solidarity with the Greek people against the austerity policies and enrolled in a European perspective changes and upheavals. This scares the dominant forces in Europe. Because the "virus" SYRIZA can spread and in their communities,"said the parliamentary spokesman of SYRIZA Nick Phillis.

"The wave of protests indicates a new beginning because SYRIZA virus can spread to the rest of Europe, as solidarity rallies in Greek people are against the austerity policies that degrade the lives of European citizens. The protests shall be entered in a European perspective changes and upheavals. And it scares the dominant forces in Europe. Because SYRIZA virus can spread and in their communities."

Commenting on Juncker statements and attitude of Europeans, in recent times, given the current Eurogroup for the Greek issue, Nikos Phillis speaks of "democracy deficit in Europe" and notes:

"They have behind them saying in recent days, seems to insist on completion of the Memorandum program harden their stance. This element is important to take account of people and Greece and Europe. Most likely not end today, having a horizon until 28/2. It is a political issue, not a technical one, because they put issues not related financial interest, such as labor. And on the part of creditors is not the issue of a minimum wage only, is subject a comprehensive, collective bargaining rights of a system, a European acquis in Greece is not the case. When elections take place in a country, we must respect the will of citizens, it is sovereignty issue. But the loan agreement is a bilateral relationship and the Greece and its creditors, the memorandum is a relationship that the Greece and has to do with the domestic legislation. Therefore, it says Juncker and others in Europe is not right, why do not question multilateral European treaties, but a treaty that its internal legislation. This raises issues of sovereignty and democratic representation. The negotiations should take into account the political change in our country. If not taken into account, this shows the perception in Europe for democracy, indicates lack of democracy in Europe ".

The UK's biggest department store, Selfridges, has provoked outrage after it installed "disgusting" anti-homeless spikes outside its Manchester branch.

"Anti-homeless" metal spikes placed outside the Manchester department store make it impossible for homeless people to sleep there.

Residents in the area have confirmed homeless people "used to sleep" in the exact same place where the spikes are now situated.

This isn't the first time these "inhumane" spikes have sparked controversy in the UK.

Last June, the metal spikes caused a stir on social media when they were placed outside luxury apartments in London.

Following public outrage, London Mayor Boris Johnson ordered the "ugly, self-defeating and stupid" fixtures be removed from the buildings.

The spikes outside the London apartments were removed following protests and a petition which reached over 130,000 signatures.

Furious campaigners have launched a fresh petition against the "intimidating" spikes outside the Manchester department store.

Academic Cathy Urquhart, who launched the change.org petition, said: "We should be looking after the homeless, not demonizing and scapegoating them."

Urquhart told the Manchester Evening News she was "shocked" when she saw the spikes.

A petition signatory, Richie Young from Blackpool, commented on the page: "Being homeless is not a crime."

Advocates are struggling to get students to eat "healthy" lunches - even if they're free.

It's not too hard to see why. Timothy Martinez qualifies for free lunches, but he and his classmates often skip meals and go hungry because the cafeteria food at Bronx Academy of Letters is inedible, according to DNAinfo.

"When they serve us pizza, sometimes it's not reheated all the way and you can see the frozen pieces in the dough," Martinez says. "It's the same thing with the taco meat. And they serve us ices instead of juice," referring to the liquids still being frozen.

"There's not much taste to them," another student, Justin Minaya, says of the sweet potato fries.

"The chicken looks too greasy. It's just frozen food that's been reheated. It's not appetizing."

For these students, it usually means a free school meal or going hungry. More often, they're choosing the latter.

"What they are provided with is unappetizing and unsatisfying," Sarah Camiscoli, a teacher at the school, says. "There is much more effort [on the DOE's part] put into thinking about fine tuning the logistics of state exams rather than the logistics of nutritional needs of students on free lunch."

As more fresh fruits and vegetables are being introduced into school lunches, students are reporting that they're finding more unintended protein in the items.

Raven Nolan posted this photo, thanking First Lady Michelle Obama, the champion of the "healthy" lunch rules:
Meanwhile, Rachel Owens posted this photo, which likely came from Hamilton Southeastern Schools in Indiana:

With virtually no police, crime or unemployment, meet the Spanish town described as a democratic, socialist utopia.

Unemployment is non-existent in Marinaleda, an Andalusian village in southern Spain that is prosperous thanks to its farming cooperative.

On the face of it, the Spanish town of Marinaleda is indistinguishable from any other in its region. Nestled in the picturesque Campiña valley, the surrounding countryside is made up of rolling green hills, miles of olive plantations and golden fields of wheat stretching as far as the eye can see. The town is pretty, tranquil and typical of those found in Andalusia, Spain's poorest and most southerly province.

It's also a democratic, anti-capitalist village whose mayor actively encourages shoplifting.

Since the financial crisis began in 2008, Marinaleda has shot to fame — and so has its maverick mayor Juan Manuel Sánchez Gordillo, who earned the nickname,"The Spanish Robin Hood," after organizing and carrying out a series of supermarket raids in a direct action protest last August. Basic groceries such as oil, rice and beans were loaded into carts, wheeled from the store and taken to a local food bank to help the poor, as helpless cashiers looked on, some crying.

In an interview after the event, Gordillo, the democratically elected mayor since 1979, said it was not theft, but a non-violent act of disobedience.

"There are many families who can't afford to eat," he argued. "In the 21st century this is an absolute disgrace. Food is a right, not something with which you speculate."

[Editor's note: All redactions are sott.net redactions for offensive language]

Fifty Shades of Grey, the book and the movie, is a celebration of the sadism that dominates nearly every aspect of American culture and lies at the core of pornography and global capitalism. It glorifies our dehumanization of women. It champions a world devoid of compassion, empathy and love. It eroticizes hypermasculine power that carries out the abuse, degradation, humiliation and torture of women whose personalities have been removed, whose only desire is to debase themselves in the service of male lust. The film, like American Sniper, unquestioningly accepts a predatory world where the weak and the vulnerable are objects to exploit while the powerful are narcissistic and violent demigods. It blesses this capitalist hell as natural and good.

"Pornography," Robert Jensen writes, "is what the end of the world looks like."

We are blinded by self-destructive fantasy. An array of amusements and spectacles, including TV "reality" shows, huge sporting events, social media, porn (which earns at least twice what Hollywood movies generate), alluring luxury products, drugs, alcohol and magic Jesus, offers enticing exit doors from reality. We yearn to be rich, powerful and celebrities. And those we must trample to build our pathetic little empires are seen as deserving their fate. That nearly all of us will never attain these ambitions is emblematic of our collective self-delusion and the effectiveness of a culture awash in manipulation and lies.

The story of the dead bankers rolls forward.

In December 2014, Zero Hedge rounded up a list of 36 dead bankers who died recently under mysterious or odd circumstances, leaving only "riddles" and probing questions about their possible connections.

Researcher John Vibes has already rounded up 9 more dead bankers who've died as of January 2015.

Now, a bizarre Hollywood-style train collision with an SUV Mercedes sitting on the tracks leaves three more dead bankers, along with a pharmaceutical researcher and a well-known art curator.

Though it was a terrible accident, the vast majority of the estimated 400-700 passengers were fortunately not injured. Only five passengers died, and all, it seems, were noteworthy figures.

A Kentucky teenager died in a shootout with Maryland police Saturday — three days after he allegedly murdered his mom, dad and little sister and fled the state in his parents' SUV.

Jason Hendrix — a faithful churchgoer and a high school ROTC cadet — died at the shootout scene Saturday, Baltimore County cops said.

Police in his hometown of Corbin, Ky., said the 16-year-old shot his beekeeper parents and cheerleader sister execution-style Wednesday, just hours before he attended a weekly church service.

Investigators have not determined a motive for the slayings, but said Jason Hendrix was angry at his parents for taking away his computer privileges days before the killings.

The Saturday chase started when Maryland state troopers tried to pull Jason Hendrix over for speeding, CBS Baltimore reported. He drove through Harford County and Baltimore County before he slammed his parents' green Honda Pilot into another car, police said.

When officer approached the SUV, Jason Hendrix started shooting. He injured one officer before the cops fired back, killing the teen.

After police identified the gunman, they asked police in Corbin, Ky., to check in on the teen's home.

Gaza is in desperate need of power. One organization hopes to bring clean, renewable energy to Gaza with the installation of solar panels.

Over the past few months an international team of humanitarians have been organizing a project which would bring solar power to Gaza. Gaza engineer, Naji Abu Shaaban, along with his group of engineers in Gaza have been working around the clock to make this solar project a reality.

Outside of Gaza are a number of supporters of this project which include internationally recognized artist, Martha Tjoe Nij, who has supported the project from her home in Suriname. A Turkish webmaster, Hatice, volunteered her time to create a website for the Solar Gaza project, which has evolved from #SolarGaza when it was started on Twitter as an idea, to its new official title Solar Gaza Lights.