#National School Walkout

[queeryouthautonomy]

We're starting a protest!

Visit queeryouthassemble.org to learn how to join us, and send us an ask or email us at [email protected] with any questions!

Photo credits and alt text available under the cut:

📸 credits, used with permission: 

All art by the incredible @jesseyoungpaulson 

Slide 6: @cpagsa during their walkout, March 2022

Slide 7: @lgbtatorr during their walkout, as QYA Head of Teams @alia.cusolito gives a speech, March 2022

Slide 8: @briggs_padilla from their walkout, March 2022

Slide 9 and 10: @alia.cusolito from Let Trans Athletes Play, August 2022

Alt text:

Slide 1

A digital art piece showing a diverse group of queer youth is overlayed with text reading, “March for Queer & Trans Youth Autonomy, March 31 2023, All 50 States, Uniting as One.” 

Slide 2

The background is a rainbow gradient with  a digital art piece showing three queer youth. The text reads, “It’s time we create one of the largest queer youth marches in history! Uniting every queer and trans young person under the common goals of safety, autonomy, joy.” 

Slide 3

A rainbow gradient with a small digital art piece in the corner of three queer youth. The text reads, “The queer & trans community has been upended by a series of devastating laws, detrimental legislation, and queerphobic attacks designed to make the lives of queer & trans youth as unbearable as possible. Each and every queer & trans youth serving org has  responded in their own ways, prompting walkouts, protests, legislative challenges, organizational statements, and other rebuttals in an attempt to swing the momentum. Now it’s time to unite our communities powerful work and collectively advocate for youth as one!”

Slide 4

A rainbow gradient overlayed with text reading, “This march will center the voices of queer and trans youth.” This is followed by a bulleted list saying the following, “Marches will be held at capitol buildings & in major cities in all 50 states. Queer & trans youth will share their stories, experiences, and demands to the masses.  Everyone from adults to allies to politicians will march in solidarity. State & national orgs will organize these marches, while students will organize walkouts at their schools.”

Slide 5

A rainbow gradient overlayed with text reading, “Queer and trans youth will receive the spotlight to advocate for their safety, their joy, and their autonomy. The tidal wave that these marches will create, combined with the  political & media spotlight on queer & trans youth, will drown the conservative narratives that have dominated the fight until now. In their place, queer & trans youth voices, stories, interviews, testimony, films, books, will all rise to show the lives and share the stories of queer & trans youth. We will be front and center.” 

Slide 6

An image of students from @cpagsa during QYA’s National Queer Youth Walkout is overlayed with text and a list of checkboxes reading, “Youth! If you are an activist, are in your school’s GSA and/or have been impacted anti queer & trans youth speech, legislation, or laws then we invite you to join our queer & trans youth led march planning committees! Visit queeryouthassemble.org for more information.” 

Slide 7

An image of students at Old Rochester Regional’s walkout, with QYA Head of Teams Alia Cusolito giving a speech, overlayed by text which reads, “ Queer & trans youth listening sessions. January 7th, 2023, 4pm EST, January 11th, 2023, 8pm EST, January 15th, 2023, 4pm EST, and January 21st, 2023, 10pm EST. We invite queer & trans youth across the country to join us at our march listening sessions, where we will be brainstorming a list of demands for the march. Once completed, the list will be circulated across the country, and signed by politicians & organizations to pledge their commitment to queer & trans youth. Register by clicking the link in our bio or visiting queeryouthassemble.org. 

Slide 8

An image of students during the walkout in March, overlayed with text and checkboxes reading, “Adults! If you have an LGBTQ+ kid, support queer & trans youth autonomy, and/or want a safe and loving future for your children then we invite you to donate to Queer Youth Assemble! Visit queeryouthassemble.org to donate.”

Slide 9

An image of queer youth attending Queer Youth Assemble’s Let Trans Athletes Play event in August overlayed with text and checkboxes reading, “Orgs! If you support queer and trans youth autonomy, have BIPOC, trans, or disabled leadership, and/or have experience planning marches or major events, then we invite you to plan a March at your state’s capitol/major city! Visit queeryouthassemble.org to sign your org up. 

Slide 10 

An image of queer youth attending Queer Youth Assemble’s Let Trans Athletes Play event in August overlayed with text and checkboxes reading, “What can I do? Visit queeryouthassemble.org, share this post on your socials, and/or donate to support the march.”

#protest #activism #activists #psa #queer #queer pride #queer youth #trans #trans rights #gay rights #don't say gay #protect trans kids #lgbt #lgbtq #social issues #social justice #walkout #healthcare #trans healthcare #youth rights

[eretzyisrael]

by Richard Goldberg

Anti-Semitism is spreading in K–12 school districts. Even in primary and secondary education, Jews are often viewed as privileged whites and oppressors, with Israel branded as an egregious example of “settler colonialism” and oppression of “indigenous people.” “Liberated ethnic studies” curricula, like the one mandated by California, have created a distinct variant of critical theory aimed at Jews for being Zionist colonial oppressors.

Teachers’ unions are the leading purveyors of this approach. Two years ago, the United Educators of San Francisco adopted a resolution calling for a boycott of Israel. The Chicago Teachers Union instigated pro-Hamas demonstrations in the Windy City after October 7. The union persuaded Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson (a former CTU lobbyist) to condemn Israel in the city council, and it organized a student and faculty “walkout” to show solidarity with Hamas—a city-authorized event that left Jewish students and teachers feeling intimidated. In suburban Seattle, kids as young as seven were recently encouraged to condemn Israel and join in anti-Semitic chants. Oakland Unified School District faces a federal investigation after 30 Jewish families removed their kids from school due to rampant anti-Semitism. And at a high school in New York City, hundreds of students hunted down a female teacher they saw on social media holding a sign supporting Israel.

Marxist ideology is the primary culprit influencing this mind-set, but not the only one. Qatar, a tiny Persian Gulf country that supports Hamas, is funding anti-Semitic “scholarship” not only in American universities but also in K–12 schools. Qatar Foundation International gave $1 million to the New York City Department of Education between 2019 and 2022 for a program featuring a map of the Middle East that erases the Jewish state. The same story played out at a public charter school in Irving, Texas. What other districts in the country might be taking money directly or indirectly from a chief Hamas sponsor? Brown University’s Choices Program, used by more than 1 million high school students nationwide, exhibits a clear anti-Israel bias. According to Brown, the Qataris “purchased and distributed a selection of existing Choices curriculum units to 75 teachers whose districts didn’t have funding to buy them.”

Tools to fight back, however, are available. Governors and state legislatures can begin by blocking “ethnic studies” from the K–12 curriculum and by imposing new teacher-certification requirements. To curb foreign meddling, states should ban school funding or in-kind donations from entities connected with countries that harbor U.S.-designated terrorist organizations. School districts and state boards of education should use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of anti-Semitism to root out conduct meeting its standard. Several groups sued the Santa Ana, California, school district in state court for failing to notify parents before approving ethnic studies courses that contain anti-Jewish bias and for harassing Jewish parents at school board meetings.

At the federal level, parents could file formal complaints with the Department of Education for discrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Such complaints are increasingly common against colleges and universities, but any school that receives federal funding must comply with Title VI. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce should consider holding a hearing on anti-Semitism in K–12 schools, putting the national spotlight on anti-Jewish administrators and school board leaders.

Local, state, and federal officials have played meaningful roles in fighting back against critical race theory in the classroom. They need to fight equally hard to stop anti-Semitism masquerading as Middle East or ethnic studies.

#antisemitism #k-12 #school districts

[gothichorrorshow]

Queer youth autonomy protest!

Are you a queer person in the USA under 25 years old who wants to fight for their rights? Join the protest!

The Basics

This protest is a nation wide protest happening at every state capital and in Washington DC. The date will be March 31st, but there's much to do before then.

The website is queeryouthassemble and the tumblr account is @queeryouthautonomy I am not the official spokesperson or anything like that I just joined the State March Committee and am very passionate :D

If you reblog this post please head over to the official blog and give them a follow and reblog their pinned post! I made it easy for you by tagging them

State Marches

To get information on the locations, times, etc of your local state marches be sure to check this map for changes. Alternatively here's a link to the state march masterpost by the official blog.

While DC and state capitals are the priority, other marches will be held in various places. So hopefully you can find one close to you that you can attend!

DC March

The DC march will be the biggest march and the focus. The goal is to get people from all fifty states to attend. The focus is queer youth, but anyone who cares about queer rights can attend.

If funds are available, hopefully queer youths' trips to DC will be covered for those who can't afford it.

The march path will be mobility aid accessible and the speeches will be accessible for HoH and vision impaired folks!

List Of Demands

The list of demands is now complete! Click here to sign, whether as an individual or for an org.

Committees

The committees are entirely led by queer youth. The committees help organize the protests. There's four committees,

General March Committee: Provides input and suggestions for the general march, helps create a list of demands.

Resources and Guides Committee: Creates resources for safe protests and walkouts, advertises the resources on social media.

Washington DC March Committee: Contacts orgs and politicians to contribute to the DC protest (the biggest protest)

State March Committee: Organizes protests in the state capitals, updates website with state marches information, advertising the state marches.

Here's a direct link to the committee info and sign up!

Walkouts

Along with the protests they're also looking to organize peaceful walkouts at schools nation wide for the goal of having schools become supportive of queer youth.

If you want to organize one at your school, I personally recommend working with your school GSA club (if you have one, if not maybe you'd want to work on organizing one!)

Alternatives to walkouts are available too, there's plenty other ways you can organize an event at your school if walkouts would be too difficult.

Here's a link to further information on alternatives to walkouts and walkout safety.

Donations

Donations are needed to fund the protests! If you've got some spare money and want to support queer youth, please consider donating here!

Organizations

While I doubt I have this kind of reach, especially on tumblr (maybe if enough people reblog idk), if any orgs see this and are interested in supporting the protests,

State orgs: If you'd like to help organize/support a march in your state capital (or other important places) there's a form for you to fill out here.

Nationwide orgs: Your platform is needed for advertising. To find some flyers or pamphlets to use, look here. (I used one for this post)

#queer #queer community #queer pride #lgbtq #lgbtqia #lgbtqplus #lgbtq community #lgbt #lgbtq+ #lgbtq rights #lgbtq pride #lgbt pride #queer youth #activist #activism #protest #pride #gay pride #trans pride #lgbt rights #lgbtq+ rights #don't say gay #lgbt+ #queer liberation #transgender #gay rights #trans rights #discrimination #march for queer and trans youth autonomy

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has filed a civil rights complaint against Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), alleging severe, persistent and pervasive antisemitism in the schools that district officials have failed to address, in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.  The complaint, against Maryland’s largest school district, was filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) today.

The ZOA’s complaint documents years of antisemitic harassment and intimidation endured by Jewish students and staff, including the following: 

Ethnic slurs, such as “Jewish f—k,” “Jew-boy” and Hey, Jew”; “Heil Hitler” salutes; and Jewish “jokes” from peers that recommend that Jewish students should be put in a concentration camp. One Jewish student was recently told that Hitler had not done enough and that he should go back to Israel. 

School property throughout the district has been defaced with swastikas.

In December 2022, the entrance sign at one MCPS high school was vandalized with the words, “Jews Not Welcome.” The day before, several staff members at the high school received antisemitic email messages.

School staff who have publicly denied the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, and who have publicly called for Israel’s elimination are tolerated and remain in teaching positions in the district. MCPS retained a staff member who promoted the lie that “Palestinians are being killed and their organs are being sold.”  MCPS hired this staff member as a “diversity, equity and inclusion” teacher.

Student “pro-Palestinian” walkouts at MCPS high schools after the Hamas massacre disrupted school operations and caused many Jewish students to stay away from school out of fear for their safety. School officials tolerated the walkouts and remained silent even after student protesters at these walkouts legitimized and encouraged violence and terrorism against Jews and Israelis and called for Israel’s destruction.

At one MCPS high school, the organizers of the “pro-Palestinian” walkout posted on social media that “There is no country called Israel” and “‘Israel’ is a group of Zionist Jewish people from all over the world & dont [sic] have a state.” The organizers also openly called for Israel’s elimination, posting, “We want liberation, we want our lands back.  All of PALESTINE.  From the river to the sea.”  School officials not only failed to condemn the conduct; they allowed the walkout to proceed and disrupt classes, and later commended the protesters for “demonstrating peacefully.”

At another high school walkout in MCPS, a faculty member overheard one student say, “We should bring Hitler back,” and another student say, “Kill the Jews.” After being alerted to the antisemitic comments and threat, the principal failed even to alert the community or condemn the comments.  Instead, the principal praised the protesters for their “fantastic job.”  Moreover, MCPS retaliated against the faculty member who reported the antisemitic comments and threat, by knowingly making false accusations against her and baselessly sanctioning her.

MCPS retaliated against other staff members after they raised concerns about antisemitism in their schools.

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein and Director of ZOA’s Center for Law and Justice, Susan B. Tuchman, Esq., stated, “The ZOA’s complaint is based on horrifying reports from parents and teachers about the antisemitism that MCPS officials have known about for years and have failed to address.  Their indifference and inaction are a stark contrast to how vigilantly district officials have responded when other ethnic and racial groups were targeted.

“Members of the MCPS community have spent years trying to resolve the antisemitism in their school district. They’ve asked for district officials to speak out forcefully against antisemitism, to appropriately discipline perpetrators, and to provide students and staff with the training they need to understand how antisemitism is expressed today and how to respond to it effectively.  But these community members have largely been met with indifference and even hostility from district officials.

“We are grateful to the many community members who came forward to share their painful experiences with us.  And we are hoping that the Office for Civil Rights will investigate the ZOA’s complaint promptly and thoroughly.  It’s time that MCPS is finally held accountable under the law for failing to provide a learning environment that is physically and psychologically safe for Jews.”

#zoa #antisemitism #montgomery county public schools #mcps #hostile environment

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Alex Bollinger at LGBTQ Nation:

Conservatives shared a video of students staging a walkout protest in Utah this week, with online commentators claiming that the students were protesting “the furries that bite them, bark at them, and pounce on them,” according to Chaya Raichik, who goes by “Libs of TikTok” online. Another conservative said that the students were particularly angry that “when a student retaliates, they are the one who gets suspended.”

But there’s no evidence of any of that happening. The conspiracy theory has its origin, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, with a misinterpretation of a message sent by the administration of Nebo School District. The message was sent after a bullying incident at a district middle school where one group of students said things “that were overheard by others that the administration felt were inappropriate and shouldn’t be said,” according to district spokesperson Seth Sorenson. One of those groups of students wore headbands “that may have ears on them,” but Sorenson said that the students don’t identify as furries. “These are pretty young kids,” he said. “You’ll have students that show up with headbands and giant bows; you’ll have students that show up dressed as their favorite basketball player, or baseball player. That’s just what kids this age do.”

[...] Some parents in the district apparently misinterpreted the message and started a Change.org petition with the title “Students for Humans at School, not animals aka furries,” demanding the school ban furry costumes, even though the message didn’t have anything to do with furries or furry costumes and the district said that students weren’t wearing furry costumes to school. The petition still got 600 signatures, and some parents pulled their children from school. Others encouraged their kids to protest, which led to the walkout.

Local far-right Utah State Board of Education candidate Cari Bartholomew’s husband, Adam Bartholomew – who hosts a conservative radio show – went to the protest and recorded students and parents talking about how other students wore animal and dinosaur masks to school. In the video, even though the students were talking about “masks,” Bartholomew asked questions about furry costumes and “dressing up like a furry.” Bartholomew asked them if their parents knew they had walked out, and they all shouted, “Yes.” “And I heard that they were putting litter boxes in the girls’ bathroom,” one student shouted in the video. The idea that schools are installing litterboxes in restrooms for student-furries has been a part of the rightwing mythos for years. Schools across the U.S. and Canada have had to respond to parents and local residents outraged about the litterboxes, despite there not being any evidence that any school has done this.

[...] Other conservatives added to the narrative, including Raichik, who wrote: “Students walked out of Nebo School District in Utah to protest the school for allowing ‘furries’ to t*rrorize other students. “Students claim that the furries bite them, bark at them, and pounce on them without repercussion. However, if they defend themselves in any way, they get in trouble.” Sorenson said that there is “no evidence” that any students are biting or barking at other students.

[...] Then, other conservatives condemned the school for allowing itself to be overrun by furries. Anti-transgender activist Riley Gaines, who tied for fifth place at a college swim meet with a transgender woman and made it her whole career, applauded the students who walked out.

[...] The urban legend of schools capitulating to furries and letting them defecate in litter boxes is an outgrowth of right-wing antipathy towards transgender students and often gets brought up in that context. The idea is to make respecting a transgender student’s identity appear ridiculous by claiming that it will lead to litterboxes in restrooms for students who identify as cats. The student-furries myth was a theme in the 2022 midterm elections, with several Republican politicians and candidates claiming that schools were allowing kids to use litterboxes. The myth was a favorite among the anti-trans right, who wanted to denigrate the idea that children could know their gender by comparing it to identifying as a non-human animal and defecating in front of others. Republican politicians and right-wing commentators have repeated the urban legend to gin up moral panic around trans and nonbinary kids and also to push efforts to ban students from using school bathrooms that match their gender identity. Schools in the U.S. and Canada were forced to send letters to parents explaining that kids aren’t allowed to use litter boxes in school, while others – including a few in Colorado that were specifically accused by the Republican gubernatorial candidate – had to defend themselves in the media to the accusation.

Right-wing anti-LGBTQ+ extremists such as Chaya Raichik continue to spread the debunked nonsensical litter box hoax, this time aimed at the Nebo School District in Utah.

#Litter Box Hoax #Furries #Anti Trans Extremism #Anti LGBTQ+ Extremism #Schools #Utah #Nebo School District #LGBTQ+ #Libs of TikTok #Chaya Raichik #Adam Bartholomew #Cari Bartholomew #Riley Gaines #Mike Lee #Megyn Kelly

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 5 March 1965 the "March Uprising" erupted in Bahrain, in protest at the dismissal of hundreds of workers from the UK-owned Bahrain Petroleum Company "Bapco", with protesters raising the slogan "Down, down with colonialism!" The intifada was ignited by the decision to dismiss more than 400 Bahraini workers, with the eventual intention of sacking 1,500 workers, under the pretext of replacing them with modern machines capable of increasing productivity. The uprising began with a walkout of Manama High School students. Their demonstration was suppressed, and the protests spread to the rest of the cities and towns, where rebels took control of the city of Muharraq for several days, and clashed with the Bahraini and British forces. The labor movement (namely the Bahrain Workers Union), the student movement and women formed the backbone of the uprising. The forces of the political uprising varied between leftist and nationalist movements such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Bahrain, the National Liberation Front and the Arab Nationalist Movement. These forces defined their demands with: restoring Bapco workers to their jobs, the right to establish trade unions, ending emergency laws, ending the service of British troops in the country, and releasing political prisoners. The uprising led to Bahrain achieving independence from Britain in 1971. British Royal Police officer Ian Henderson led the suppression of protesters and torture by managing the General Directorate of State Security Investigations in Bahrain between 1966 and 1998, which earned him the title "Butcher of Bahrain". More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7962/bahrain-march-intifada https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/2223825557802582/?type=3

[elwenyere]

I’m not a labor history expert, but it’s hot labor summer, and I’m thinking a lot about what’s involved in forming a union, in getting a Collective Bargaining Agreement, in negotiating a contract, and in organizing a strike. The conditions for doing any of the above depend on your local context, and in the U.S.A. (which is the context in which I’ve been in a union) that includes both national and state laws.

Strikes are one labor tactic among many, and in the U.S.A. they’re not legally protected for all workers at all times. Some unions have contracts that include no-strike clauses, for example, which indicate that workers walking off the job while under contract would constitute a breach in that contract; so the most common time to see large-scale economic strikes is during the period when a union is renegotiating their contract. From what I understand, this year WGA, SAG-AFTRA, and the DGA were all renegotiating contracts: the DGA reached an agreement on a new contract (with an 87% approval margin), while the WGA and SAG-AFTRA authorized strikes (each with record 98% approval margins) to gain leverage in their ongoing negotiations (striking to gain an economic concession.

Of course, workers can decide to engage in a strike or walkout that’s not legally protected. Public-school teachers have done this in states like West Virginia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma, where government employees are not protected by the labor laws guaranteeing the right to strike. Those workers won many of the gains they were after, and they did so in part because they had strength in numbers and a necessary, hard-to-replace form of labor to withhold. Employers in the U.S.A. are allowed to fire workers for engaging in unprotected strikes, and they can replace workers (or withhold pay and/or benefits) even during protected “economic” strikes (i.e. those strikes where workers are seeking to gain an economic concession rather than to protest an unfair labor condition), so a union or other organized body of workers collects information from its members to assess whether a strike would strengthen or weaken their bargaining position. 

All of these considerations are at play when we think about what it would take to organize a general strike. Baby steps toward that goal include looking into what forms of labor organization exist in your field/area, joining a picket line if there’s one near you, and donating to strike funds that support workers dealing with withheld wages/benefits or the inability to take new jobs. 

There is power in a union, and it takes a lot of people a lot of long, careful, often-unglorious work to build that power and use it.

#hot labor summer #organizing #striking in the u.s.a. #sag aftra #wga #wga strike #sag strike

[dertaglichedan]

As pro-Palestine protests on college campuses continue to sweep the nation, high school students have joined the movement to demand an end to US military aid to Israel and the ongoing war in Gaza. Amid finals, classes, and college decision celebrations, high schoolers have organized sit-ins and marches to nearby university campuses, echoing the frustrations of their college peers.

On Monday, May 6, students from various Massachusetts high schools blocked Massachusetts Avenue and circled MIT’s Gaza solidarity encampment, leading chants and keeping the space from state police interference.

As the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s encampment entered its fourth day on Thursday, May 2, roughly 75 students from nearby Shorewood High School journeyed from their classes to the college grounds, chanting with one another. That same day, dozens of students from various high schools marched at the state capitol, following walkouts at the end of April.

[zee-man-chatter]

The silent majority has had enough! We are Brothers and Sisters in Humanity, coming together for the common goal of protecting our children against premature sexualization and potentially harmful indoctrination.

Uniting diverse backgrounds and faiths, we share a resolute purpose: advocating for the elimination of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) curriculum, pronouns, gender ideology and mixed bathrooms in schools.

As a symbol of our commitment, students are encouraged to participate in a nationwide school walkout on that day.

Additionally, major cities across the nation will host march events.

Together, we stand united to safeguard the well-being and innocence of our children.

#political indoctrination #family values #child protection

[madamlaydebug]

Happy 77th Birthday to Danny Glover.

Born July 22, 1946, He is an actor and film director. He is widely known for his lead role as Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film series. He also had leading roles in his films included The Color Purple, To Sleep with Anger, Predator 2, Angels in the Outfield, and Operation Dumbo Drop.

Glover has prominent supporting roles in Silverado, Witness, A Rage in Harlem, Dreamgirls, Shooter, Death at a Funeral, Beyond the Lights, Sorry to Bother You, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, The Dead Don't Die, Lonesome Dove and Jumanji: The Next Level.

An Actor with a Cause

Daniel Lebern “Danny” Glover is an African American actor, film director and political activist. Glover is well known for his roles as Detective Sergeant Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film series and Mr. Albert Johnson in The Color Purple. A versatile actor on screen, stage and television, Danny Glover has also become known for his community activism and philanthropic work. In March 1998 he was appointed a United Nations goodwill ambassador. For more than 30 years, Glover has been trying to make a biopic about Toussaint Louverture, who led a successful rebellion in the 18th century.

Glover was born on July 22, 1946 in San Francisco, California, to Carrie (Hunley) and James Glover. His parents were postal workers, active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He attended George Washington High School in San Francisco, and the San Francisco State University (SFSU) in the late 1960s, without graduating. SFSU later awarded him an honorary degree. While attending SFSU, Glover was a member of the Black Students Union, which, along with the Third World Liberation Front and the American Federation of Teachers, collaborated in a five-month student-led strike to establish a Department of Black Studies. The strike was the longest student walkout in U.S. history. It helped create not only the first Department of Black Studies but also the first School of Ethnic Studies in the United States.

Glover trained at the Black Actors’ Workshop of the American Conservatory Theater. He made his Broadway debut in Athol Fugard’s production Master Harold…and the Boys, which led to his first leading role in the 1984 film Places in the Heart, which was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. The following year, Glover starred in two more Best Picture nominees: Peter Weir’s Witnessand Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple. In 1987, Glover partnered with Mel Gibson in the first Lethal Weaponfilm and went on to star in three hugely successfulLethal Weapon sequels.

In 1994 he made his directorial debut with the Showtime channel short film Override. Also in 1994, Glover and actor Ben Guillory formed the Robey Theatre Company in Los Angeles, focusing on theatre by and about Black people. During his career, he has made several cameos, appearing, for example, in the Michael Jackson video “Liberian Girl” of 1987. Glover earned top billing for the first time in Predator 2, the sequel to the sci-fi action film Predator. That same year he starred in Charles Burnett’s To Sleep with Anger, for which which he executive produced and for which he won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor. On the small screen, Glover won an Image Award and a Cable ACE Award and earned an Emmy nomination for his performance in the title role of the HBO movie Mandela. He has also received Emmy nominations for his work in the acclaimed miniseries Lonesome Dove and the telefilm Freedom Song. As a director, he earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for Showtime’s Just a Dream.

Glover has had a variety of film, stage, and television roles, but as also gained respect for his wide-reaching community activism and philanthropic efforts, with a particular emphasis on advocacy for economic justice, and access to health care and education programs in the United States and Africa. For these efforts, Glover received a 2006 DGA Honor. Internationally, Glover has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program from 1998-2004, focusing on issues of poverty, disease, and economic development in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and serves as UNICEF Ambassador.

In 2005, Glover co-founded Louverture Films dedicated to the development and production of films of historical relevance, social purpose, commercial value and artistic integrity. For more than 30 years, Glover has been trying to make a film biography of Toussaint Louverture for his directorial debut. According to Glover, the film lacked ‘whyte heroes’, and hence whyte producers refuse to financially support the project unless the lead is surrounded by fictionalized historically inaccurate whyte heroes. In May 2006, the film had included cast members Wesley Snipes, Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Roger Guenveur Smith, Mos Def, Isaach de Bankolé, and Richard Bohringer. Production, estimated to cost $30 million, was planned to begin in Poland, filming from late 2006 into early 2007. In May 2007, President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez contributed $18 million to fund the production of Toussaint for Glover, who is a prominent U.S. supporter of Chávez. The contribution annoyed some Venezuelan filmmakers, who said the money could have funded other homegrown films and that Glover’s film was not even about Venezuela. In April 2008, the Venezuelan National Assembly authorized an additional $9,840,505 for Glover’s film, which is still in planning.

On April 6, 2009, Glover was given a chieftaincy title in Imo State, Nigeria. Glover was given the title Enyioma of Nkwerre, which means A Good Friend in the language of the Igbo people of Eastern Nigeria.

[beardedmrbean]

Dozens of Columbia University students staged a walkout from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's class there on Wednesday in protest of the school’s handling of a truck seen near campus displaying the images of students belonging to groups who signed an anti-Israel statement, a report says.

Roughly 30 students of the class of 300 abruptly stood up and left the room a half hour into the lecture on women’s involvement in peace processes hosted by Clinton and Keren Yarhi-Milo, the dean of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), according to The New York Times.

The students reportedly were demonstrating against the school’s response to a truck that appeared near campus last week broadcasting the message "Columbia’s Leading Antisemites" and showing images of students belonging to groups that had signed a statement claiming that Israel was at fault for the October 7 massacre by Hamas.

The students said the images of their classmates that appeared on the truck had been taken from a private online platform for students at SIPA and demanded that Columbia provide "immediate legal support for affected students" and "a commitment to student safety, well-being and privacy," the newspaper added.

Clinton herself has expressed support for the state of Israel and recently has rejected calls for a ceasefire.

There also were dozens of other protesters who gathered near the lobby of the building where the walkout was unfolding, according to the New York Times. When the class ended, the demonstrators fell silent, expecting Clinton and the dean to walk past them while leaving. But word then spread that the lecturers instead had departed through a side door and avoided the crowd completely, the newspaper adds.

In a message from Yarhi-Milo to students on Tuesday, she wrote "I am deeply disturbed to see that SIPA students and faculty have been subjected to doxxing campaigns.

"I unequivocally condemn such actions and I’m doing everything in my power to bring these activities to an end on our campus and online," she continued. "To that end, I have formed a SIPA Task Force on Doxxing and Student Safety, effective immediately."

PRO-PALESTINIAN GROUP MAY HAVE RAISED MONEY FOR HAMAS, BROKE DONATION LAWS, STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL SAYS

"The SIPA Task Force on Doxxing and Student Safety will play a critical role in making recommendations to the university and local government to protect our students," Yarhi-Milo added. "Specifically, the Task Force will develop recommendations to prevent doxxing, protect the identities and personal information of our students, and develop proposals to reduce tensions among various students and student organizations regarding controversial national or international events that affect our community in New York City."

Last week, Clinton, speaking at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy's 30th-anniversary event, pushed back on activists demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, saying that such an agreement would be a "gift" for the terrorist government.

"People who are calling for a ceasefire now, don’t understand Hamas," Clinton said, according to The Jerusalem Post. "That is not possible."

She continued, "It would be such a gift to Hamas, because they would spend whatever time there was a ceasefire in effect rebuilding their armaments, creating stronger positions to be able to fend off an eventual assault by the Israelis."

#nunyas news #sucks when people use your tactics against you doesn't it

[canichangemyblogname]

There are more planned student walk outs in Chicago & the Chicago Land to protest the Biden Administration’s foreign policy in regards to Palestine. And ahead of the protests, the JUF/JFC is sending out talking points to counter the narrative and paint these as “anti-Israel” protests as opposed to pro-ceasefire, pro-peace, and pro-Palestinian.

And they’re using the Republican’s narrative playbook. For the last many years, Republicans have launched a national campaign against the “woke agenda” in schools as a way to marginalize queer voices and black and brown voices, culminating in Florida’s massive book ban. Their main narrative? That teachers are filling our children’s heads with “woke” propaganda to hate the US.

This has been the narrative of conservative media for years now:

But now the JUF is also taking advantage of the “parental rights” fears sweeping the county and the “teachers are brainwashing kids to be woke” narrative. Teachers and “outside influences” (Who? Hamas? Hamas is in CP schools? Who are these nebulous, shadowy “outside influences”? And why does this talking point remind me so much of anntisemitic conspiracies?) are teaching your children to be anti-Israel and are encouraging this protest behavior among the young.

What’s truly insidious, however, is that they are mixing this message with legitimate acts of antisemitism to make it seem like teachers are out here teaching and endorsing antisemitism. “This is extremism masquerading as activism.” This is what these protests looked like last time, btw:

Look at that violent, extreme… *checks notes* sit in at… *checks notes* City Hall. “Peaceful,” in quotation marks, according to the JUF. (BSFFR, please)

(This isn’t to say that there is and has never, ever been antisemitism within any movement. Or to say that antisemitic bad actors cannot take advantage of a pro-peace movement to spread their propaganda. Do not “bean soup” this post.)

And— of course— they’re hammering home the idea “Palestine will be Free” is a call for the genocide of Jews.

These are some of the “contextual” talking points they suggest people use when talking about these walkouts:

Did you know it’s not genocide when— hold up. Let me check something. Okay. 1 in 4 Gazans are starving. Over 33,000 dead and over 61,000 injured according to Euro Med. In 100+ days, 4% of Gaza has become a casualty statistic. At the beginning of Israel’s bombing campaign, they expected 15,000 babies to be born into crisis. We know that some of those 15,000 have been murdered in the occupation. But that seems— and then we have the hike in maternal mortality, the hike in emergency hysterectomies, the hike in uterine infections from a lack of sanitation, and IOF soldiers in the enclave choosing to let newborns die… and— hold on. Yeah, their math isn’t mathing.

———

When Israel shoots civilians at point-blank and rounds up unarmed men en masse and bombs UN schools and raids hospitals and bombs residential buildings with non-precision missiles and cuts civilians off from food, water, and medical supplies and destroys water tanks and salts the earth and films itself chanting and cheering and applauding for the death of Arabs, it’s because they care about civilians and are doing EVERYTHING in their power to protect civilian life. Really? Okay, sure, and I’m the King of England.

———

Also, did you know that having ancestors in a region 3500 years ago and the existence of Mizrahi Jews gives Israel the right to displace Palestinians whose families have lived there for the same time? It also apparently excuses Israel’s mass killing of Palestinian children. Amazing logic, truly.

———

I also want to make it ABUNDANTLY clear that this is a summary of what the ICJ said:

“Alarming signs of genocide in Gaza, and Israel’s flagrant disregard for international law highlight the urgent need for effective, unified pressure on Israel to stop its onslaught against Palestinians. An immediate ceasefire by all parties remains essential and – although not ordered by the Court – is the most effective condition to implement the provisional measures and end unprecedented civilian suffering.”

“The stakes could not be higher – the ICJ’s provisional measures indicate that in the Court’s view the survival of Palestinians in Gaza is at risk. The Israeli government must comply with the ICJ’s ruling immediately. All states – including those who were critical of or opposed South Africa’s submission of the genocide case – have a clear duty to ensure these measures are implemented. World leaders from the USA, UK, Germany and other EU states must signal their respect for the Court’s legally binding decision and do everything in their power to uphold their obligation to prevent genocide. Failure to do so would be a grave blow to the credibility and trust in the international legal order.” X

Yes, the ICJ ruling did not immediately find Israel guilty of genocide as such a decision will likely take years. Yes, the ICJ did not order a ceasefire; it strongly suggested a ceasefire as the court has no enforcement mechanism. HOWEVER, the ICJ found cause for great concern for the Israeli military’s actions and the statements of Israeli political leaders. They found that “At least some of the acts and omissions alleged by South Africa to have been committed by Israel in Gaza appear to be capable of falling within the provisions of the [Genocide] Convention.”

That is an incredible preliminary blow to Israel. The court ruled that South Africa has standing and that the case can proceed as Israel’s actions could constitute genocide (only further pursuance of South Africa’s case can lead to a verdict).

———

Hamas has also offered yet another ceasefire proposal that was rejected by Israel. They both keep rejecting each other’s ceasefire proposals. But the JUF’s rhetoric conveniently ignores the fact that a ceasefire and exchange has been the only measure successful at getting the hostages home. This is not some Hamas apologia. It’s admitting that this single-minded and narrow focus on Hamas, their war crimes, and their ideology has given many organizations tunnel vision when it comes to solutions to get Israelis home. They’ve been so blinded by anger and grief that they forget you do in fact have to negotiate with terrorists to get hostages home. It also purposefully ignores Israel’s culpability and responsibilities in all of this. It’s a “whataboutism” fallacy.

“Israel needs to stop carpet bombing Gaza.” “What about Hamas? That ignores Hamas’ crimes.”

First. No, it doesn’t. Second. What about Hamas? No. Seriously. Let’s talk about it. After 100+ days of bombing, Israel clearly has not prevented them from continuing to rule the enclave. They still have the means and forces to engage militarily and diplomatically. This “total eradication” campaign has been a complete failure (only 7% of terrorist organization globally have been quelled by military force, ever; you cannot “war” against a tactic, no matter how brutal the tactic or the response). So, what about them? They’re still militarily capable and still holding onto power. The carpet bombing has not worked. Israel is once more failing to “eradicate” a threat to Israeli Jewish safety, as it always will.

“But if we negotiate and Hamas remains in power, Israeli Jews and Palestinians will not be safe.” Yes. And if Israel— the country that long funded Hamas and let them gain power and train in Gaza— also remains in power, both Israeli Jews and Palestinians will not be safe. Israel has proven that the Zionist project is a failure. Oct. 7th proved that Israel is categorically incapable of doing exactly what it was (supposedly) established to do: protect Jews from pogroms. And rather than admit that Zionism will not protect Jewish people— because that would mean admitting Israel has no ideology to continue standing— Israel would rather massacre Palestinians in retaliation. They’d rather continue their 75+ year campaign; their settler colonial project, of ethnically cleansing the region of its inhabitants.

———

Zionism will continue to fail to protect Jews in the levant and will continue to lead to Jewish and Arab death and radicalization. For fuck’s sake, Zionism— and the Israeli settler project, specifically— is why Hamas exists. Both literally and politically. And it is what is ultimately responsible for the plight of the Palestinian people.

The world needs to help this region work toward implementing a completely new system. There needs to be a ceasefire & humanitarian aid, first and foremost. There needs to be hostages exchanged, too. Bibi needs to step down. There need to be serious deradicalization programs in Israel for parties like the Likud and their supporters. And— yes— there would need to be deradicalization programs in Gaza and the West Bank; these would primarily focus on resilience, rebuilding, and addressing the Palestinian mental health crisis (deradicalization among a disenfranchised people is oft best achieved by meeting their needs). There needs to be a global effort to rebuild Palestinian enclaves FOR the Palestinians who were living there. There needs to be a global effort to facilitate the right of return. There needs to be mega constitutional reforms to ensure Palestinians have the rights they MUST have and Jews immigrating to and living in the levant have the security and recognition as a people that they want. It is *impossible* to have one without the other. This reform will require a “dismantling” of the Israeli state as it currently exists. That reform *is* a “radical” revolution. The parliament and national bureaucracy will cease to exist in its current form as a new one will replace it. Hamas will not remain in power (before or) after this. Neither will Zionism. <<This is all a very simple summary of a way forward, as none of this addresses Iran’s influence on regional militias.

This is complex in the sense that a solution will not be easy and there are many powers and interests at play. This is not complex in the sense that carpet bombing civilians is wrong.

And this is not so complex in the sense that— no— Chicago teens are not calling for the Genocide of Jews. Please use common sense as opposed to inflaming tensions and fears. They are clearly marching because they want violence to stop. And, no, the reason they’re opposed to violence has nothing to do with teacher “woke” propaganda, but thank you for spreading right-wing conspiracies among traditionally progressive voter bases. This is a generation of kids who grew up with mass shooters. They’ve been conducting walk outs over violence and weapons for years now. They are staunchly opposed to weapons manufacturing and sales *because* of their history of suffering under the onslaught of gun violence. And— shit— they see Gaza and are reminded of Tulsa. They see IOF soldiers and citizens filming themselves stopping and harassing Palestinian children and are reminded of Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Elijah McClain. They hear of Palestinians being shot dead in their sleep and are reminded of Breonna Taylor.

This isn’t some grand conspiracy, but it’s easier to argue it is than contend with your worldview. You’d rather silence speakers and ban books than challenge power.

#Palestine #Israel #Chicago #a rant— more or less #needed to get this off my chest as I have no ability to express these ideas anywhere else #I either get: ‘I know. You’re preaching to the Choir.’ #or I’m met with a thought-stopping cliche like: ‘Oh. So you support genocide.’ #CLEARLY FUCKING NOT YOU DUMB ASS LITTLE SHIT

[eretzyisrael]

By  Luke Rosiak

A Maryland high school principal approved a request for a anti-Israel walkout on the anniversary of Kristallnacht and told students he was “proud” of them when they said they were following a call by the Palestinian Youth Movement, records show.

Principal Edward Owusu of Clarksburg High School in Montgomery County granted excused absences to students who skipped class, provided equipment to “support the protest,” and overrode a Jewish teacher who correctly marked students absent, according to emails obtained by The Daily Wire under public records laws.

On November 7 at 5:54 p.m., a student leader of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) wrote to Owusu that “the national Palestinian Youth Movement has organized ‘Shut it Down for Palestine’ on Thursday, November 9th. This event calls for all students to walk out of school, employees to walk out from work, and to protest the Israeli and US government. Clarksburg’s MSA is in unequivocal support for a ceasefire and would like to walk out this Thursday.”

Owusu quickly replied, “I am proud that the Muslim Student Association has made a collective decision of support. Please make plans to see Mr. Haynes regarding plans for the Walk Out.”

November 9 is the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the night of anti-Jew terrorism that helped kick off the Holocaust with the assistance of the Hitler Youth. That’s not likely a coincidence, given that the Palestinian Youth Movement is a radical group that supports terrorism.

#edward owusu #charksburg high school #muslim student association #palestinian youth movement #kristallnacht

[newstfionline]

Sunday, September 17, 2023

13,000 workers go on strike at major US auto makers (AP) About 13,000 auto workers have walked off the job at three targeted factories after their union leaders couldn’t reach a deal with Detroit’s automakers. The United Auto Workers union is seeking big raises and better benefits from General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. They want to get back concessions that the workers made years ago, when the companies were in financial trouble. A small percentage of the union’s 146,000 members walked off the job at a GM assembly plant in Wentzville, Missouri; a Ford factory in Wayne, Michigan, near Detroit; and a Stellantis Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio. Both sides began exchanging wage and benefit proposals last week. Though some incremental progress appears to have been made, it was not enough to avoid walkouts. The strike could cause significant disruptions to auto production in the United States.

Muslim Students’ Robes Are Latest Fault Line for French Identity (NYT) The mass French return to work, known as the “rentrée,” is often marked by renewed social conflict. This year has been no exception as the summer lull has given way to yet another battle over a recurrent national obsession: How Muslim women should dress. Late last month, with France still in vacation mode, Gabriel Attal, 34, the newly appointed education minister and a favorite of President Emmanuel Macron, declared that “the abaya can no longer be worn in schools.” His abrupt order, which applies to public middle and high schools, banished the loosefitting full-length robe worn by some Muslim students and ignited another storm over French identity. The government believes the role of education is to dissolve ethnic or religious identity in a shared commitment to the rights and responsibilities of French citizenship and so, as Mr. Attal put it, “you should not be able to distinguish or identify the students’ religion by looking at them.” Since then, organizations representing the country’s large Muslim minority of about five million people have protested; some girls have taken to wearing kimonos or other long garments to school to illustrate their view that the ban is arbitrary; and a fierce debate has erupted over whether Mr. Attal’s August surprise, just before students went back to their classrooms, was a vote-seeking provocation or a necessary defense of the secularism that is France’s ideological foundation. Where some see laïcité as the core of a supposedly colorblind nation of equal opportunity, others see a form of hypocrisy that masks how far from unprejudiced France has become.

Crowds descend on Munich for the official start of Oktoberfest (AP) The beer is flowing and millions of people are descending on the Bavarian capital to celebrate the official opening of Oktoberfest. Revelers decked out in traditional lederhosen and dirndl dresses trooped to Munich’s festival grounds Saturday morning, filling the dozens of traditional tents in anticipation of getting their first 1-liter (2-pint) mug of beer. The Oktoberfest has typically drawn about 6 million visitors every year. The event was skipped in 2020 and 2021 as authorities grappled with COVID-19, but returned in 2022.

If 3.3 Million Ukrainian Refugees Never Come Home? The Economics Of Post-War Life Choices (Ukrainska Pravda) Approximately 6.7 million Ukrainians have left their country since the Russian invasion. The longer the war lasts, the more these refugees will consolidate their new lives in their host countries, resulting in a heavy population drain for Ukraine. Earlier this month, the Kyiv-based Center for Economic Strategy (CES) presented a study on the attitudes of Ukrainian refugees that shows a large number of them will likely not return to their homeland even after the end of the war. According to their calculations, Ukraine may lose 3.3 million citizens. There is also a strong likelihood that a large number of men currently fighting in the war will move abroad in order to reunite with their families that have settled there. Even in peacetime, counting Ukrainians is not an easy task. A full-fledged census was conducted in the country only once: in 2001. It concluded that Ukraine had a population of 48.5 million.

Erdogan says Turkey may part ways with the EU (AP) President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that Turkey may part ways with the European Union, implying that the country is thinking about ending its bid to join the 27-nation bloc. “The EU is making efforts to sever ties with Turkey,” he told reporters before departing for the 78th U.N. General Assembly in New York. “We will evaluate the situation, and if needed we will part ways with the EU.” He was responding to a question about a recent report adopted by the European Parliament, which stated “the accession process cannot resume under the current circumstances, and calls on EU to explore ‘a parallel and realistic framework’ for EU-Türkiye relations.”

China Is Investigating Its Defense Minister, U.S. Officials Say (NYT) China’s defense minister, Gen. Li Shangfu, has been placed under investigation, according to two U.S. officials, fueling speculation about further upheaval in the military after the abrupt removal of two top commanders in charge of the country’s nuclear force. General Li has not been seen in public in more than two weeks. He had been expected to take part in a meeting last week in Vietnam, but there was no word of his attendance. The investigation points to questions about the Communist Party’s leader Xi Jinping’s confidence in his own military, a pillar of his ambitions abroad and dominance at home. Just six weeks ago, Mr. Xi replaced the two most senior commanders of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, which oversees China’s nuclear missiles. The abrupt dismissals suggested that Mr. Xi was seeking to reassert his control over the military and purge perceived corruption, disloyalty and dysfunction from its ranks, analysts have said. Mr. Xi still appears politically unassailable, with the Communist Party leadership, military top brass and security services packed with his loyalists. Even so, the sudden downfall of such high-ranking officials has exposed the pitfalls in a system so dominated by a single leader and has raised questions about Mr. Xi’s judgment because the officials under scrutiny been promoted by him.

History Turns Upside Down in a War Where the Koreas Are Suppliers (NYT) Washington and Moscow flooded the Korean Peninsula with arms and aid as they fueled the war between South and North seven decades ago. Now, in a fateful moment of history turning back on itself, Russia and the United States are reaching out to those same allies to supply badly needed munitions as the powers face each other down again, this time on the other side of the globe, in Ukraine. “In the post-Cold War era, South and North Korea have been virtually the only countries that have remained on a constant war footing, with large artillery and other weapons stockpiles ready to use,” said Yang Uk, a military expert at the Asian Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul. “The fact that South and North Korea remain stuck in a Cold War armed confrontation explains why Washington and Moscow come to them seeking weapons.” Artillery ammunition has been in particular demand as both sides in the Ukraine conflict tear through their stores faster than production can catch up. South Korean and American officials have been tight-lipped about how many shells South Korea has provided to the United States. But recent news reports indicated that South Korea has sold or lent at least hundreds of thousands of artillery shells to the U.S. military. Moscow has repeatedly warned Seoul against supplying weapons to Ukraine. But South Korea has been pressed by the United States, its most important ally, to help the war effort.

A year after Mahsa Amini’s death: Repression and defiance in Iran (Washington Post) A year ago, the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran’s morality police sparked a popular uprising, led by women and young people, that rattled the pillars of the Islamic Republic: clerical rule, gender segregation and the security state. In the end, the leaderless movement, clustered in pockets across the country, was no match for the keepers of Iran’s authoritarian system. Its clerical leaders are still standing, having brutally crushed the demonstrations. More recently, they have strengthened the kind of strict social controls that gave rise to the protest movement. The last year allowed the world to glimpse the seething anger just below the surface of a repressive society, and to document government abuses. But it also highlighted the resilience of the regime. But Tehran has not emerged from the uprising unscathed, according to analysts, human rights advocates and ordinary Iranians—many of whom say they are just waiting for the next spark.

There’s a glimmer of hope on Yemen’s war front. Yet children are still dying of hunger (NPR) Malia Qassim Mahmoud found herself at Al-Thawra hospital in Taiz, seeking help for the third time for the acute malnutrition affecting her family. Two years ago, her older son was severely malnourished. He recovered but his growth has been stunted; she says the 6-year-old is much smaller than other kids his age. A year later, she herself had to be hospitalized for malnutrition. Then it was her 1-year-old baby, lying limp in her arms, his skin a sickly yellow color, unable to even open his mouth as his mother tried to feed him protein paste. “Most days we can only get water and flour and I make a doughy paste and that’s what we eat,” Mahmoud said. “We can’t afford more, and we haven’t received any aid through the war.” This family is among at least 20 million people in Yemen who need food assistance in the midst of what the United Nations calls one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. In 2014 Houthi rebels overthrew the Saudi-backed government. They took control of parts of Yemen, sparking a civil war. The U.N. estimates that the conflict in Yemen has caused over 377,000 deaths, most of which were due to hunger and lack of health care. A slowdown in fighting has raised hopes that the war could end, but the number of people needing medical attention or hospitalization due to malnutrition has not decreased.

In the midst of Morocco earthquake chaos, surprising heroes: Donkeys (NPR) When the villagers of Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains were stricken by a powerful earthquake on Friday, they found themselves facing a situation they had never known before. They dug desperately in the rubble to rescue loved ones or find their bodies so they could bury them, rescue crews having been held up by mountain roads choked with rocks that fell in the magnitude 6.8 quake. Heavy machinery was dispatched to clear the roads, and rescue teams worked to open access points to the mountain. But it took time—time the villagers did not have. The villagers, used to the mountainous terrain, found a foolproof method to move themselves and materials around: their donkeys. Photos have emerged of villagers using donkeys to move rubble out of the way, to get relief supplies to more difficult-to-reach spots, and to move people to where they need to go. The nimble-footed creatures have been able to pick their way along tracks that are barely visible, loaded with bulging saddlebags and sometimes hauling a person on their backs to boot.

Amazing science: The Ig Nobels (AP) Counting nose hairs in cadavers, repurposing dead spiders and explaining why scientists lick rocks are among the winning achievements in this year's Ig Nobels, the prize for humorous scientific feats, organizers announced Thursday. Jan Zalasiewicz of Poland earned the chemistry and geology prize for explaining why many scientists like to lick rocks. “Wetting the surface allows fossil and mineral textures to stand out sharply, rather than being lost in the blur of intersecting micro-reflections and micro-refractions that come out of a dry surface.” Other winning teams were lauded for studying the impact of teacher boredom on student boredom; the affect of anchovies' sexual activity on ocean water mixing; and how electrified chopsticks and drinking straws can change how food tastes.

#headlines #news

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Jany Finkielstein

The recent massacre of Israeli civilians by Palestinian terrorists on October 7, 2023, has exposed the indefensible belief system these activists try to conceal through their appropriation of social justice jargon. Unabashedly proclaiming their support for Hamas—the genocidal terrorist group that rules the Gaza Strip—they promote the chants of “From The River To The Sea Palestine Will Be Free,” a call for the eradication of Israel and its Jewish inhabitants. CLES activists present false narratives justifying the heinous crimes against innocent Israeli civilians, including raping of women and barbarous acts against children and the elderly, while ignoring the 240 abducted hostages. They promote high school walkouts using students as foot soldiers for their anti-Israel and anti-Semitic ideology.

CAMERA Education Institute has published a report that uncovers the transformation of ethnic studies into a vehicle for promoting anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic indoctrination. It outlines the extreme agenda of its advocates and discloses key figures within the CLES national movement. Recent events have underscored the urgency in exposing this defamation of Israel and the Jewish people, and documenting how the maligned ideology permeates some parts of our educational system and even threatens to destabilize American society.

This shift of Ethnic Studies toward a radical liberated ideology is a departure from its stated intent, which was to provide more space for the experiences of historically disadvantaged racial and ethnic groups in school curricula. Its lack of academic rigor has left it susceptible to manipulation and diversion for political and dogmatic purposes.

In California, the legislature endorsed Ethnic Studies for K-12 public schools in 2019. However, the content and direction of the proposed model curriculum was immediately coopted by the Liberated Ethnic Studies movement that dominated the field at the universities. Rather than highlight the contributions and struggles of various ethnic and racial groups, the focus shifted towards political activism with an anti-Western, anti-Capitalist message.

A very important question to be asked is why a conflict in the Middle East would be such a central part of an American ethnic studies curriculum for these activists? The answer is that anti-Israel activists embedded themselves early on within this liberated movement. Taking on leadership roles, they injected the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into the curriculum and promoted its importance to ethnic studies.

The activists present an inversion of the conflict concealing the historical context of 22 vast Arab states seeking to extirpate the tiny Jewish state and the expulsion of 750,000 Middle Eastern Jews from Arab and Muslim countries in the middle of the 20th century. Missing from any of their lessons are discussions of Palestinian terrorism, the threats that Israeli civilians face every day—a reality that hit home on October 7 with the Hamas massacre. Their account also fails to disclose the multiple times Palestinians rejected opportunities for statehood side-by-side in peace with Israel.

While this radical ideology has been increasingly exposed, its activist proponents continue to hold positions of influence in state education agencies approving and funding K-12 state learning standards and Ethnic Studies initiatives. They belong to teachers’ unions, social justice education organizations, and consulting groups gaining lucrative contracts with public schools around the country. With such a presence in education, these aggressive and committed activists continue to spread their anti-American and anti-Semitic creed.

#ethnic studies #jews #dei #israel #hamas #gaza

[fuckyeahilike]

I love you, Iceland

October 24, 2023

HUSAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Schools, shops, banks and Iceland’s famous swimming pools shut on Tuesday as women in the volcanic island nation — including the prime minister — went on strike to push for an end to unequal pay and gender-based violence.

Icelanders awoke to all-male news teams announcing shutdowns across the country, with public transport delayed, hospitals understaffed and hotel rooms uncleaned. Trade unions, the strike’s main organizers, called on women and nonbinary people to refuse paid and unpaid work, including chores. About 90% of the country’s workers belong to a union.

Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdóttir said she would stay home as part of the strike — “kvennaverkfall” in Icelandic — and expected other women in her Cabinet would do the same.

Iceland, a rugged island of around 380,000 people just below the Arctic Circle, has been ranked as the world’s most gender-equal country 14 years in a row by the World Economic Forum, which measures pay, education, health care and other factors.

No country has achieved full equality, and there remains a gender pay gap in Iceland.

Tuesday’s walkout, running from midnight to midnight, was billed as the biggest since Iceland’s first such event on Oct. 24, 1975, when 90% of women refused to work, clean or look after children, to voice anger at discrimination in the workplace.

In 1976, Iceland passed a law guaranteeing equal rights irrespective of gender. Since then there have been several partial-day strikes, most recently in 2018, with women walking off the job in the early afternoon, symbolizing the time of day when women, on average, stop earning compared to men.

Iceland’s chools and the health system, which have female-dominated workforces, said they would be heavily affected. National broadcaster RUV said it was reducing television and radio broadcasts for the day, and reported that only one bank branch in the country was open.

Gatherings on Tuesday were held across Iceland, the largest in Reykjavik, where much of the capital’s center was closed to traffic and tens of thousands gathered on the grassy Arnarhóll hill for a rally.

Speakers listed grim facts about economic inequality and sexual violence in Iceland, ending by asking, “You call that equality?” The crowd thundered back: “No!”

“We have not yet reached our goals of full gender equality and we are still tackling the gender-based wage gap, which is unacceptable in 2023,” Jakobsdóttir told news website mbl.is. “We are still tackling gender-based violence, which has been a priority for my government to tackle.”

Jakobsdóttir’s Cabinet is evenly split between male and female ministers, and nearly half of lawmakers in Iceland’s parliament, the Althingi, are women.

But while women in Iceland have pushed or broken the glass ceiling to top jobs — from bishop to leaders of the national wrestling association — the lowest-paying jobs, such as cleaning and child care, are still predominantly done by women.

The work, essential to Iceland’s tourism-dominated economy, also depends heavily on immigrants, who on the whole work longer hours and take home the lowest salaries. Around 22% of the female workforce is foreign-born, according to Statistics Iceland.

“Foreign women are more vulnerable,” said Alice Clarke, an artist and designer from Canada who has lived in Iceland for 30 years. “Hopefully what is being done today will help to change that.”

Iceland’s 1975 strike inspired similar protests in other countries including Poland, where women boycotted jobs and classes in 2016 to protest a proposed abortion ban. In Spain, women staged a 24-hour strike in 2018 on March 8, International Women’s Day, under the theme “If we stop, the world stops.”

Spain’s acting equality minister, Irene Montero, said Tuesday that the 2018 strike was inspired by Iceland’s 1975 walkout and expressed full support for the latest protest.

#kvennaverkfall #ICELAND! #feminism #vawg #wage gap #misogyny #spain #Irene Montero #Katrin Jakobsdóttir