Society's ChildS


Star of David

Ancient Christian village in occupied West Bank struggles to survive as Israelis prepare for another land grab

Yumna Patel
Mondoweiss
Fri, 17 Aug 2018 00:00 UTC
Beit Arye settlement West Bank
© Yumna PatelThe Beit Arye settlement (background) and the road between Aboud and al-Lubban al-Gharbiye (foreground) that has been closed off by Israeli authoriities since the Second Intifada
Nestled in the hilltops of the central occupied West Bank, an ancient Palestinian Christian village is gearing up for a fight against the Israeli occupation that it has all too much experience with.

In late July, the village of Aboud, whose existence dates back two millennia, was handed an order by Israeli authorities confiscating some 324 dunums (80 acres) of land shared by Aboud and its neighboring village al-Lubban al-Gharbiya.

Israeli authorities confiscated the land under the pretext that it would be used to build an Israeli-only road between the two illegal settlements of Beit Arye and Ofarim - both of which are built on the lands of Aboud.

The villagers however, insist that this time, it is not an ordinary tale of land confiscation - something they have been subject to for decades.

"There is already a road that exists between the settlements, so they are lying to us when they say they are taking the land for this purpose," 70-year-old Abdullah Sharqawi, a resident of Aboud, told Mondoweiss.

Comment: The 'only democracy in the Middle East' is not selective in its predations. Anyone, whether Arab or Christian is fair game.

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Arrow Down

Italy arrests three men accused of fighting for Donbass against Ukrainian aggression

Tony Weselowsky
RFE/RL
Thu, 16 Aug 2018 15:15 UTC
Vladimir Verbitsky
A screen grab from a video that purportedly shows Vladimir Verbitsky (aka "Parma") involved with separatists in eastern Ukraine. He has since been arrested by the Italian police.
For years they traveled with ease from Italy to take part in the Russia-backed insurgency in eastern Ukraine. Many boasted of their martial exploits on social media and in videos, often decked out in camouflage fatigues and brandishing weapons.


Comment: Good for them. The more help the Donbass gets the better. They're the ones fighting actual Nazis, after all.


And for years, authorities in Italy largely turned a blind eye, failing to stop these mercenaries despite protests and complaints from officials and others in Kyiv.


Comment: And yet authorities around the Western world still turn a blind eye to every other fact of the Ukraine civil war: that it was a U.S.-backed coup, that it was and is supported by actual Banderite Nazis, that Ukraine isn't implementing any of its requirements under the Minsk agreements, that Ukraine has tortured and murdered civilians, and that foreign mercenaries fight for Kiev, too. Sound fair?


Until now.

On August 1, Italian police announced they had arrested three men accused of recruiting mercenaries to fight in eastern Ukraine. Three others are still being sought after prosecutors in the northern Italian city of Genoa accused the six of fighting in eastern Ukraine and recruiting others to the cause.

It was the first time that Italian authorities have charged anyone with fighting in eastern Ukraine, where more than 10,300 people have died since the conflict erupted in April 2014.

Comment: Here's just a small selection of inconvenient facts for RFE/RL and Weselowsky to ignore:

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Wine n Glass

South African winemaker concerned land seizures could be 'disastrous' for industry & economy


RT
Sun, 19 Aug 2018 11:03 UTC
Wine
© Kai Pfaffenbach / Reuters
Land expropriation in South Africa is touching almost all spheres of business in the country, and wine making is no exception. RT has talked to a South African wine producer concerned about the land seizures.

At the moment, South African wineries are not a subject to land redistribution, where a white minority reportedly still owns almost three quarters of the land - almost a quarter century after the end of apartheid.

"There is no historic 'land ownership' that was taken away in the winelands area. But if the constitution is amended, it might as well happen. It can go both ways. For now we believe in the law as is, and continue investing," Josef Dreyer, winemaker at RAKA wines told RT.

However, there is uncertainty looming over the vineyards, and it hardly adds to confidence in this business, said Dreyer. If land expropriation hits winemakers, the effect would be 'disastrous' for the industry, he warns.

Comment: See also: List of possible farm expropriation targets published - South African farmers panic

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Stock Down

Monsanto woes stack up as Bayer stock keeps falling

David Meyer
Forbes
Thu, 16 Aug 2018 13:05 UTC
monsanto
© News Target
Bayer stock continues to slide in the wake of last week's bombshell verdict on the carcinogenic nature of Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller.

Bayer bought Monsanto earlier this year for $63 billion. Roundup's active ingredient is a herbicide called glyphosate, which a jury last week decided was responsible for the cancer of former groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson-a verdict that quickly lopped 10% off Bayer's share price.

Glyphosate's responsibility for causing cancer is a deeply contentious issue. The World Health Organization thinks the substance is dangerous. However, the European Union decided in 2015 that it is not carcinogenic, the Environmental Protection Agency said last year that it probably doesn't cause cancer, and Bayer continues to argue that its newly acquired product is safe-it's appealing the Johnson ruling.

Comment: Monsanto Papers: Leaked docs reveal scientific mischief and regulatory collusion
"This is a look behind the curtain," said Wisner. "These show that Monsanto has deliberately been stopping studies that look bad for them, ghostwriting literature and engaging in a whole host of corporate malfeasance. They (Monsanto) have been telling everybody that these products are safe because regulators have said they are safe, but it turns out that Monsanto has been in bed with U.S. regulators while misleading European regulators."

Several of the documents discuss a lack of robust testing of formulated Roundup products. In one email, Monsanto scientist Donna Farmer writes "you cannot say that Roundup is not a carcinogen ... we have not done the necessary testing on the formulation to make that statement. The testing on the formulations are not anywhere near the level of the active ingredient."


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Newspaper

Rashida Tlaib repudiates key positions of Liberal Zionist organization, J Street

Ali Abunimah
Mint Press News
Sun, 19 Aug 2018 13:19 UTC
This comes after days of controversy and questions about the political commitments required to secure the support of the liberal Zionist organization.
Rashida Tlaib
Rashida Tlaib (Rashida Tlaib for Congress)
Rashida Tlaib has repudiated key positions of the Israel lobby group J Street, which endorsed her during her winning Democratic primary campaign for Michigan's 13th congressional district.

This comes after days of controversy and questions about the political commitments required to secure the support of the liberal Zionist organization.

In an interview with In These Times on Tuesday, Tlaib was asked about questions this writer raised concerning the Palestinian American politician's alignment with J Street.

Comment: Why does Rashida Tlaib support US military aid to Israel?

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Whistle

Brazil: Thousands march and protest to register imprisoned Lula for presidential candidacy


teleSUR
Wed, 15 Aug 2018 00:00 UTC
Lula innocent
© ReutersA man participating in the march to support Lula's candidacy holds a placard reading 'Lula innocent.'
Brazil's Superior Electoral Tribunal has until September 17 to determine the future of Lula's candidacy.

Thousands of Brazilians marched Wednesday to the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE) to support the registration of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on behalf of the Workers' Party.

Among those marching were the former Education Minister and Mayor of Sao Paulo Fernando Haddad, Lula's running mate.

The event is a continuation of the Free Lula March, headed by the Landless Workers' Movement (MST) and other social organizations and movements, to demand Lula's freedom.

Comment: See also:

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Arrow Up

Wage gap: Pay for CEOs increases dramatically - while average workers get no significant raise


RT
Fri, 17 Aug 2018 11:42 UTC
Wall Street
© Brendan McDermid / Reuters
A recent report by the Economic Policy Institute shows that top managers are getting higher compensation every year, while their employees' salaries barely change.

"In 2017 the average CEO of the 350 largest firms in the US received $18.9 million in compensation, a 17.6 percent increase over 2016. The typical worker's compensation remained flat, rising a mere 0.3 percent," the report said.

"The 2017 CEO-to-worker compensation ratio of 312-to-1 was far greater than the 20-to-1 ratio in 1965 and more than five times greater than the 58-to-1 ratio in 1989."

The difference between the compensations of CEOs and other very-high-wage earners is also growing, with CEOs of large companies earning 5.5 times more than the average earner in the top 0.1 percent.

Comment: See also: US ranks #1 in income inequality in the Western world

But for a far more nuanced take, see: The Inequality Delusion: Evidence indicates majority of people are not bothered by income inequality

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Palette

Moscow's newest park brings all of Russia together - and it was designed by Americans

Roslyn Sulcas
The New York Times
Fri, 10 Aug 2018 00:00 UTC
The floating bridge in Zaryadye Park
© James HillThe floating bridge in Zaryadye Park extends over the Moscow River. The park, which opened in 2017, is one of the most ambitious and expensive architectural projects carried out in Russia for several decades.
"The park should describe the Russian soul," said Petr Kudryavtsev, gesturing broadly at the sloping, snow-covered landscape. "A place where you can hide and where you can also see everything around you." On an icy December day here, trees bare and frost-glazed, it wasn't at first apparent where you could hide in Zaryadye Park, Moscow's first new green space in 50 years, designed by the American architects Diller Scofidio & Renfro, and one of the most ambitious and expensive architectural projects in Russia in decades.

But Mr. Kudryavtsev, a partner at Citymakers, the Moscow-based urban planning team that worked on the project with the architects, was soon proudly pointing out how the numerous buildings on the 35-acre site have been tucked under curving, plant and tree-filled slopes. Each of these, he explained, represents an aspect of Russia's varied regional landscapes: tundra, the steppe, the wetlands, birch forests.

Comment: One wonders if the hopelessly biased, propagandistic and Russophobic NY Times would have even published this article if it weren't for the fact that the architects were American. Still, if Americans and Russians can work together to beautify anything in a world turning uglier by the day - then why the heck not?

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Water

California state legislature passed a bill this week requiring restaurants to only offer kids milk or water with meals

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Sat, 18 Aug 2018 22:40 UTC
The California state legislature passed a bill this week requiring restaurants to make the default drinks for kids' menus either water or milk.
girl drinking juice
According to the text of S.B. 1192:
"This bill would require a restaurant, as defined, that sells a children's meal that includes a beverage, to make the default beverage water, sparkling water, or flavored water, as specified, or unflavored milk or a nondairy milk alternative, as specified. The bill would not prohibit a restaurant's ability to sell, or a customer's ability to purchase, an alternative beverage if the purchaser requests one."
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Arrow Up

Syria's Aleppo slowly rebuilding & getting its industry back on track


RT
Sat, 18 Aug 2018 21:01 UTC
Aleppo, Syria
City of Aleppo, once trading and industrial heart of Syria, is slowly coming back to life after years of fighting and occupation by militants who destroyed its industries.

Ancient Aleppo has seen years of fighting between the Syrian government forces and various militant groups. In December 2016, all parts of the city were liberated by the Syrian army and locals started to rebuild peaceful life.

While residential areas of Aleppo suffered greatly during the conflict, its industry has seemingly seen it worse. Before the war, Aleppo housed roughly one third of country's industry, and all of its factories were damaged to a certain degree in the years-long fighting.

RT crew visited a crucial textile factory in the city, which was rendered inoperable by the militants. Now the plant is back on track and is able yet again to provide its important production.
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