A U.S. Activist’s Last Days in the West Bank City of Hebron

Richard Hardigan CounterPunch
A U.S. activist with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), which supports Palestinians in their non-violent actions against the Israeli occupation, writes of his last days in Hebron. Hebron is the most populous city in the Occupied Territories. It is the only West Bank city where the Israeli settlers live inside the city itself, including many who live in an area close to the hub of the city, designated as H2.

Can Pope Francis Change the Doctrine of the Catholic Church?

Jason Berry Global Post
Pope Francis is a reform-driven pope that has huge popularity with rank-and-file Catholics who have hungered for a figure to transcend an age of scandal. But, does even a powerful and popular pope have the power to change church doctrine? The advancing story line of Francis’s papacy is how far can a pope go in making reforms against an embedded culture of cardinals and bishops who are averse to change?

NLRB Makes a Good Decision, Supreme Court a Bad Decision

Tom Raum, Adam Liptak AP
In a turn-around decision, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that employees can use their workplace email to organize a union. The Supreme Court continued it's pro-business agenda by ruling that Amazon can detain workers at the end of their shift to search them, and they do not have to pay them for the time it takes.

A Flock of Genomes Tells the Tale of Bird Evolution

Geoffrey Mohan Los Angeles Times
Which bird is closest to the saltwater crocodiles, American alligators and the slender-nosed Indian gharial? Either the chicken or the ostrich, depending on how you look at it. If a genome is a shelf of books, then the chicken has been a better librarian, but the ostrich has been a more faithful translator.

Drones and Discrimination: Kick the Habit

Kathy Kelly Portside
A group of Afghan friends had entrusted me with a simple message, their grievance, which they couldn’t personally deliver: please stop killing us.

The Ominous ‘Cromnibus,’ A Budget Bill That Should Have Died

Isaiah J. Poole Campaign for America's Future
Given the acute need for jobs and rising incomes, what passes for “bolstering job creation” in a summary of the budget bill released by the House Appropriations Committee is scandalous. Incredibly, a provision that allows banks to engage in high-risk derivatives trading under the shield of federal insurance is listed as a measure to “bolster job creation.”

Professor Louie: The Cockroach

The good Professor Louie of Brooklyn has a rap for us about why the cockroach is so successful, hoping maybe we will take a hint before our short stay on this planet is over. 

The Avian Tree of Life

This animation illustrates the  major branches of the avian tree of life revealed by the mapping of the complete genomes of 48 bird species -- one of the most ambitious evolutionary investigations yet.

Movie: Selma

One of the decisive battles against segregation took place here, in the heart of the Old South, and in plain view of the whole world. A star cast, and talk of Oscars. Opening soon.