Once upon a time three bulls lived in the forest. One white, one brown and one black. They were brothers and lived together in harmony. In that forest also lived a tiger who had his eye on the bulls. But every time he attacked one of them the others came to his aid and together they drove the tiger away.

The tiger decided that he needed to change his strategy. So one day when the Black Bull was away, he went to the other two and said, “You know, the Black Bull is black and dirty and evil. Why do you keep him with you? He is a disgrace to you. You are beautiful and noble. If the Black Bull is no longer there, you will have all the grazing to yourself. He takes away your food and adds no value to you.” The two bulls listened to the tiger’s spiel and said, “Well, you know, he is our brother. What can we do?”   Continue reading “The Arabic Legend of the White Bull”

RT

The head of the Organization of American States (OAS), accused by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of being a “CIA agent,” says military intervention against Caracas should not be ruled out as a response to the ongoing crisis.

OAS Secretary-General Luis Almagro has hinted that the bloc may consider taking military action in Venezuela if it runs out of diplomatic options in its bid to alleviate the plight of people in the crisis-stricken country.   Continue reading “Military intervention in Venezuela ‘on the table,’ says OAS secretary general”

TeleSur TV

The Researching the American-Israeli Alliance group, in partnership with anti-occupation group Jewish Voice for Peace released a report detailing the ways in which exchanges between the United States and Israeli state security agencies have reinforced a “security model that justifies flagrant human and civil rights violations” in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

This model, which relies on civilian surveillance and racial profiling along with suppressing public protests and critical social movements, does not target potential foreign enemy threats but civilian population and minority communities.   Continue reading “‘Deadly Exchange’: Report Details, Criticizes Israel’s Role in Militarizing US Law Enforcement Post 9/11”

Planet Free Will – by Joseph Jankowski

The European Parliment has passed a controversial copyright directive that contains provisions which force tech giants to install content filters and sets in place a potential tax on hyperlinking.

The bill was passed in a final vote of 438 – 226 and will need to be implemented by individual EU member states.   Continue reading “‘Catastrophic’: EU Passes Copyright Directive Including Internet ‘Link Tax’ and ‘Upload Filter’”

Global Research – by Partnership for Civil Justice Fund

In a major reversal of long-standing federal policy, the Trump Administration has issued a new plan to charge demonstrators for the right to use our public parks, sidewalks and streets that are on federal land in the nation’s capital for First Amendment activity.  Among other areas, this includes the National Mall, Lafayette Park, the Lincoln Memorial and the sidewalk in front of Trump Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue.    Continue reading “Trump Administration Publishes Plans to Tax Protests and Close White House Sidewalk to Protests”

Electronic Intifada – by Nora Barrows-Friedman

In a move to chill speech critical of Israel, a former Israel lobbyist who is now the Trump administration’s top civil rights enforcer has said that the Department of Education will apply standards that conflate criticism of Israel and Zionism with anti-Jewish bigotry.

The announcement was made without public or congressional notification or debate, and reportedly took current and former investigators in the education department “by surprise.”   Continue reading “Trump administration moves to curb campus criticism of Israel”

Business Insider – by Peter Kotecki

A growing number of North American architects and developers are supporting mass timber construction. Tall timber can sequester carbon, it’s more resistant to fire than concrete, and it’s often cheaper than using steel or concrete. Timber structures use large, prefabricated wood pieces.

But the process of building mass timber structures remains tough, because most cities place height restrictions on wooden structures.   Continue reading “Oregon just became the first state to legalize mass timber high-rises, and it could lead to a boom in tall wood buildings”

Daily Beast – by Amy Zimmerman

Last week at the Toronto International Film Festival, Michael Moore debuted his latest film, Fahrenheit 11/9. The Daily Beast described the political documentary as a fast-paced, wide-reaching project, jumping from Flint, Michigan to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (and stopping along the way to compare Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler). As Natalia Winkelman wrote, “Moore’s best zingers and most penetrating indictments land on the Democratic Party, whom he implicates (along with dominant liberal news media) as part of an establishment system continually churning in place to maintain the status quo and impede forward movement. He even calls out Obama on a few occasions: for letting down the people of Flint, for accepting Goldman Sachs money, for deporting immigrants, for drone strikes. But best of all, Moore acknowledges and emphasizes that he himself is not totally free from that establishment either.”   Continue reading “Michael Moore Accused of Stiffing, Smearing Vendors: ‘All I Would Like Is to Be Paid’”

Daily Mail

Dramatic footage shows a shootout between Los Angeles police and a gang member at point-blank range during a routine traffic stop.

The suspect was fatally wounded after attempting to shoot at officers, injuring one of them.   Continue reading “Horrifying moment a police officer is shot at POINT BLANK range and her partner returns fire in a split second to kill gangster during routine stop-gone-wrong”

France 24

CAPE TOWN (AFP) –  South Africa’s murder rate rose again last year, official statistics showed Tuesday, with over 20,000 killed across the country — about 57 a day — as police admitted they were struggling to keep control.

A total of 20,336 people were killed in the 12 months to March this year, up from 19,016 the previous year.   Continue reading “S.Africa ‘close to war zone’ with 57 murders a day: minister”

“Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one.”
— Terry Pratchett

“If she’s amazing, she won’t be easy. If she’s easy, she won’t be amazing. If she’s worth it, you won’t give up. If you give up, you’re not worthy. … Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for.”
— Bob Marley   Continue reading “Distraction: Quotes on Life”