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Like many American boys of the baby-boomer generation, I played “war” with those old, olive-drab, plastic toy soldiers meant to evoke our great victory over the Nazis and “the Japs” during World War II. At age 10, I also kept a scrapbook of the 1973 Yom Kippur War between Israel and its various Arab enemies in the Middle East. It was, I suppose, an early sign that I would make both the military and the study of history into careers. I recall rooting for the Israelis, advertised then as crucial American allies, against Egypt, Syria, and other regional enemies at least ostensibly allied with the Soviet Union in that Cold War era. I bought the prevailing narrative of a David-versus-Goliath... Read more

Source: Bombing Muslims for Peace appeared first on TomDispatch.com.

Though her family sometimes received food stamps and occasionally had their utilities cut off, Marcie Alvis Walker’s parents led her to believe that they were an average middle-class Black family. They encouraged her to pursue her dreams and told her that if she worked hard enough, she’d achieve them. The small catch was that Walker’s dream was an elusive one for any cash-strapped and undereducated Black woman: being a New York Times–bestselling author. Now, as a published non-bestselling author, she wishes she’d had a backup plan.

When I first got divorced, I didn’t have a job, because I was doing my best to be a good and proper Christian woman whose husband was the head of the household while she looked after his every need and cared for his castle. Small hiccup—my first husband was having none of that: no church, no traditional job, no needs, no castle.

On Sunday night, the Israeli army carried out a series of intensive strikes in multiple locations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Political commentators referred to the strikes as ‘diversion’ tactics, intended to cover a rescue operation that reportedly brought two Israeli hostages home. For Palestinians, the experience was one that has become familiar: […]

Dear Me,

What, you think your bird feeders clean themselves? That rainstorms are Mother Nature’s dishwasher, making everything just ducky at the thistle feeder? That you can simply hose down your bird-feeding stations once or twice a year with whatever water’s left over in the spray nozzle and call it a day?

Well, allow me to piss in your Cheerios, princess. See, our feathered friends shit where they eat, which means your improperly maintained platform feeder is now a petri dish of disease and death. That wasn’t a purple finch you spotted at your feeder, toots. It was a common house sparrow with pink eye. And every time Pinky rubbed its little crusty, diseased head against anything it touched? That’s right, genius. Say hello to Conjunctivitis Carnivale for the aviary known as your backyard.

Pestilence starts with ignoramuses like you who don’t have the first clue about proper bird-feeder-cleaning protocol.

On Sunday night, the Israeli army carried out a series of intensive strikes in multiple locations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Political commentators referred to the strikes as ‘diversion’ tactics, intended to cover a rescue operation that reportedly brought two Israeli hostages home. For Palestinians, the experience was one that has become familiar: […]

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Recent attacks on cargo vessels in the Red Sea have disrupted a major shipping lane. This analysis looks at the impact on shipping costs and global trade flows.

THE third and final session of the Ignite Mini’s series hosted by Regional Development Australia Mid North Coast (RDAMNC) was held at Bellingen Golf Course on Thursday 8 February, after earlier sessions in Taree and Kempsey. Attracting a full house of key stakeholders from a diverse range of industries, the one-day forum covered a host...

The post Ignite session covers challenges and opportunities for Mid North Coast appeared first on News Of The Area.

SIXTY years of service to the Coffs Coast community is being celebrated by the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) Coffs Harbour Unit. The Coffs Harbour Unit, formed in 1964, has supported the community through several major natural disasters, including multiple major flooding events in 1991,1996 and 2009. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s...

The post Celebrating 60 years of Coffs SES, a vital force in the community appeared first on News Of The Area.

Isabel Ringrose explains that imperialism is about more than major countries dominating the smaller ones

The post Why capitalism breeds imperialism and war first appeared on Solidarity Online.

With more than 30,000 dead and much of Gaza reduced to rubble Israel’s genocidal assault shows no sign of relenting.

The post Israel set to launch murderous assault on Rafah as Albanese sits by first appeared on Solidarity Online.