Category Archives: human rights

U.S. Student, Barred From Israel Over Boycott, Goes to Court – The New York Times

Lara Alqasem once belonged to a group perhaps most notable for backing an Israel hummus boycott. Now Israel says she can’t study in Jerusalem.

bellingcat – Second Skripal Poisoning Suspect Identified as Dr. Alexander Mishkin – bellingcat

In the preceding report from the current investigation into the two suspects in the Skripals poisoning case, Bellingcat and its reporting partner the Insider disclosed the identity of one of the two suspects. The person travelling under the alias of Ruslan Boshirov was identified as GRU’s Col. Anatoliy Chepiga, recipient of Russia’s highest state award….

Source: bellingcat – Second Skripal Poisoning Suspect Identified as Dr. Alexander Mishkin – bellingcat

Separation of Powers is Officially Politically Dead | La Prensa San Diego

For political gain, the Republicans have blurred the lines between independent branches of government on the bet that their voters will reward them with another term or two in office. They may be right. Republican voters may think that the end justifies the means. But, there are more Democratic and Independent voters than Republicans, and many of those may think that the long-term damage to our form of government is a too high a price to bear. Moderate women voters are the most likely to revolt against the Republicans for their callous responses to accusations of assault, especially given Trump’s mocking of Dr. Ford this week. The movement has made great strides to protect women from abuse, but now Trump and the Republicans are pushing right back on those efforts. With elections only five weeks away, voters will have an opportunity to show how they feel about the political machinations going on, and they will have the last word on who wins and who loses. If voters don’t recoil from the current political environment, we should all brace for more vitriol and corrosive political maneuvers in the future. Left unchecked, the convergence of the three branches of government co

Source: Separation of Powers is Officially Politically Dead | La Prensa San Diego

Congo Ebola outbreak at ‘critical point’ after attack on Red Cross staff | Global development | The Guardian

Two health workers seriously wounded while carrying out safe burials of Ebola victims in north-eastern city of Butembo

Source: Congo Ebola outbreak at ‘critical point’ after attack on Red Cross staff | Global development | The Guardian

Sen. Susan Collins to vote yes on Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh, likely securing his confirmation – Los Angeles Times – She and Flake will be responsible for countless rapes and assaults because any guy can get away with it – too many will now think. Shame is too weak a word for their vile votes!

The U.S. Senate voted narrowly Friday to advance the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s choice for the Supreme Court.

Source: Sen. Susan Collins to vote yes on Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh, likely securing his confirmation – Los Angeles Times

Senate advances Kavanaugh nomination, setting up a final vote as early as Saturday – Los Angeles Times women’s rights – care for women – not on GOP agenda – low life right wingers is what they want!

Source: Senate advances Kavanaugh nomination, setting up a final vote as early as Saturday – Los Angeles Times

Dentist at detention center suggests immigrants floss with sock string – INSIDER Shameful by government and th hired hands!

One of the dentists told the inspectors that he only provides “palliative care” to immigrants because he doesn’t have time for procedures like cleanings or fillings. When inspectors asked him about the necessity of fillings, he brushed off the concern and said patients won’t need them if they commit to brushing and flossing. “Floss is only available through detainee commissary accounts, but the dentist suggested detainees could use strings from their socks to floss if they were dedicated to dental hygiene,” the inspectors wrote. Immigrants told the inspectors they had received tooth extractions rather than fillings — and even those procedures have sometimes gone awry. The inspectors interviewed one immigrant who waited eight months to have a tooth extracted, and another had the wrong tooth pulled.

Source: Dentist at detention center suggests immigrants floss with sock string – INSIDER

An ‘Ancestral Memory’ Inscribed in Skin – The New York Times

These tattoos were traditionally inscribed on women’s skin by women’s hands to commemorate various achievements and points in a woman’s life, such as one’s first menstrual period, the mastery of a new skill and childbirth. But as Western colonization swept Alaska in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the establishment of boarding schools where indigenous languages would not be spoken, many Alaska Natives were prohibited from practicing the rituals that had bound them to one another. Tattooing was one of those traditions. In the last decade, women in Alaska and other areas of the circumpolar north have been working to revitalize the tattooing tradition. For them it is a response to the long-ago efforts to wipe out cultural practices and entire populations of people, and a celebration of cultural resilience.