Palestinian activist silenced, expelled from event
When can asking a question at a public forum at a university get you in trouble? When you're a Palestinian student, the speaker is an Israeli official, and the university is Florida International University (FIU). "Mnar has the strength of 10 men," said an Egyptian-American demonstrator at a recent south Florida Egyptian solidarity...Decision soon on Israeli war crime ads
A judge in Washington state was expected to rule on Friday, Feb. 18 whether it was unconstitutional for a county to cancel a bus ad that spoke out against Israeli Army war crimes. SeaMAC's bus ad. The ads, scheduled to run on Seattle buses, were pulled.In King County Washington, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a...Patriot Act provisions pass Congress, Obama expected to sign into law
WASHINGTON, DC- Three provisions of the highly controversial Patriot Act received final approval from the U.S. Legislature on Thursday, Feb. 17, passing the House in a 279-143 final vote. The provisions will be extended for 90 days after the passage if President Barack Obama signs the bill as expected. Much of the act was made...
U.S. needs to stand with Egyptians
February 12th, 20110 At a time when the human spirit in Egypt is braving the odds, standing up against tyranny and for freedom and basic human rights, the Obama administration shows little support for the political needs and internal pressures of the Egyptians. This non-response from the Obama White House has made Egyptians increasingly critical of the...Mixed response further hurts U.S. credibility
At a time when the human spirit in Egypt is braving the odds, standing up against tyranny and for freedom and basic human rights, the Obama administration shows little support for the political needs and internal pressures of the Egyptians. This non-response from the Obama White House has made Egyptians increasingly critical of the...The Birthright Citizenship Act seeks to change 14th Constitutional Amendment
Early this year U.S. Representative for Iowa’s 5th congressional district, Republican Steve King introduced House Resolution 140 also known as “The Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011” to the House floor. The bill’s objective is to alter the 143-year-old 14th Amendment of the U.S. constitution which grants birthright...
SPJ final decision over pulling Helen Thomas award delayed 10 days
January 10th, 20110 The Society of Professional Journalists Executive Committee voted on Saturday, Jan..8 to recommend removing its Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award, however, the recommendation must be looked over by SPJ’s full board before being approved. A final decision is expected to be announced in 10 days. The full board includes the...The U.S. media hit on Helen Thomas
In recent years, my faith in the power of dialogue in politics has been severely tested – as, no doubt has hers (Helen Thomas) – in an age where diatribes and calculated demonization chills debate and exchanges of opposing views. Once you are labeled and stereotyped, especially if you are denounced as an anti-Semite, you are...Arizona’s racist ethnic studies ban starts
Effective January 1, 2010, the instruction of ethnic studies in public schools grades K-12 is illegal thanks to HB 2281, another racist bill signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer.(AlterNet.org) – This week, children in Arizona will return to school after the winter break. But they'll be lacking one thing in their curriculum that...National 2010 Year in Review
• Countries, rights groups protest new TSA screening directives; “675 million added to terrorist list” • Suicide rate among U.S military veterans surges to average rate of 18 per day • Bush-era ban on Muslim Scholars Ramadan and Habib lifted • Flight 253: Why is the American press silent on Israeli role compared to...Messages on buses protest U.S. aid to Israeli military
SEATTLE — City buses in the city will display signs that read: "Israel war crimes. Your tax dollars at work." The Seattle Midwest Awareness Campaign reportedly paid King County $1,734 to display the message on 12 buses. The message is expected to appear on buses starting Dec. 27, two years after the Israeli attacks on Gaza....
Top secret America: Billions used to spy on Americans
December 28th, 20100 A large network of military and intelligence agencies working with large corporations. The government spending billions of dollars undermining citizens' privacy. A major database filled with names of everyday people. Self-described experts on terrorists. Battlefield technologies being used in neighborhoods. Though it sounds like...… And justice for few
NEW YORK (IPS) — Poor defendants on death row, immigrants in unfair deportation proceedings, torture victims, domestic violence survivors and victims of racial discrimination — all these groups are consistently being denied access to justice while those responsible for the abuses are protected, according to a new report by the...DISH World IPTV now has country’s largest Arabic channel lineup
Englewood, Colo. — DISH Network L.L.C., the leader in international programming, this week announced its DISH World IPTV service now offers access to the largest Arabic channel lineup in the U.S. DISH Network International Marketing Team and Reach Media /ART.DISH World IPTV, introduced earlier this fall, distributes DISH...Readers pick Assange as Person of the Year, TIME picks Zuckerberg
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is TIME Magazine's Person of the Year for 2010. The controversial founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has won an online vote to be TIME Magazine's Person of the Year. The annual online vote asks readers to choose the most influential person, people or things from the previous year. Readers voted a......
U.S. sues school over denial of Muslim pilgrimage
WASHINGTON — The federal government sued a suburban Chicago school district Monday for denying a Muslim middle school teacher unpaid leave to make a pilgrimage to Mecca that is a central part of her religion. In a civil rights case, the department said the school district in Berkeley, Ill., denied the request of Safoorah Khan on...Obama’s shift on Israeli settlements
As Obama caves in, settlements are no longer of key relevance to the Mideast peace talks. With divergent views on settlements, the Israeli Prime Minister and the Palestinian Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during a business conference in Tel Aviv December 13, 2010. Netanyahu hailed on Monday a U.S.......
Zionists don’t control Congress?
December 18th, 20100 Zionists don't control Congress? AIPAC drafts resolution against declaration of Palestinian statehood, U.S. House passes it unanimously Washington (PNN) — In a vote of 435-0 on Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution opposing a unilateral declaration of statehood by Palestine and...Senate Foreign Relations Committee approves professional exchange program with Muslim countries
WASHINGTON — The Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week passed legislation written by Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) to establish a professional exchange program between the United States and Muslim-majority countries. The International Professional Exchange Act will help build professional capacity, strengthen civil society, and...Senate Delays DREAM Act After House Passage
WASHINGTON —The potential passage of the DREAM Act has been delayed in the United States Senate after passing in the House of Representatives by a vote of 216-198 a day earlier on December 8. Senators voted to defer a decision on the morning of Thursday, December 9 on the act, which would help give a path to citizenship for illegal...Study finds Arabic to be fastest-growing foreign language for U.S. university learning last year
WASHINGTON — Arabic was the fastest-growing foreign language for U.S. university study last year, with enrollments growing by more than 46 percent compared to 2006, a study released Wednesday showed. Besides English, Arabic leapfrogged Latin and Russian to land in eighth place on the most studied language list, which has been compiled......
From DREAM to nightmare, deportations soar in U.S.
December 4th, 20100 NEW YORK — While the U.S. Congress idles on the passage of the DREAM Act, immigrants here face ever harsher treatment. The rate of deportations has increased by 1,200 percent since 1990, from 30,000 per year then to a staggering 360,000 under the Barack Obama administration. These numbers, taken from a recent study by the New York...Nearly 2 million Americans lose unemployment checks
About two-million Americans began losing their extended unemployment paychecks on Dec.1 leaving them jobless and with no source of income just before the holidays according to the Associated Press. Several Americans are protesting the paycheck cuts and encouraging the U.S. Congress to act fast and extend unemployment benefits. About 40......
Poll shows Americans prefer to holiday shop online
A poll conducted Nov. 19-22 by Zogby International shows 63 percent of Americans say they prefer doing all their holiday shopping online instead of shopping at local malls, and 64 percent plan on making holiday purchases online this year. In recent years 86 percent have made online holiday gift purchases. A third prefer to do their...Poll: 61% of Americans oppose body scanners
The recent implementation of full-body scans and aggressive pat-downs by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is opposed by 61% of voters (out of 2,032 likely) polled from Nov. 19 to Nov. 22 by Zogby International Polling in Washington, D.C. In addition, 52% of those polled believe the enhanced security measures will not......