Jerusalem's Most Contested Neighborhood

Over the past several months, Jerusalem has been a scene of clashes and violent attacks. Silwan, a Palestinian neighborhood just steps away from Jerusalem's Old City, has been at the heart of the unrest, and is becoming one of the most contentious neighborhoods in the most contested city in the world. Israeli authorities have ramped up their practice of demolishing homes built without proper permits, which are near impossible for Palestinians to acquire. In addition, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in early November the reinstatement of the policy of demolishing terrorists' homes, which Palestinians claim is a form of collective punishment.

Why Are There No Women in The Hobbit?

SFF author Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind), at Chicago's pop culture event C2E2, talks about why images of women are so often absent or distorted in scifi, video games and other media, and what to do about it.
 

The Courage of Stuart Scott

Stuart Scott (1965-2015) was a long-time ESPN anchor who was a trailblazer in the freewheeling style of sports coverage. Keith Olbermann tells how Scott had to face down his hidebound bosses to win the right to speak in his own voice.

Koch Industries' Mysterious Swiss Bank

You may have heard of the Koch brothers, but you've probably never heard of Arteva Europe, a Koch Swiss branch that makes hundreds of millions of dollars, pays very little tax, and has no staff. The Guardian goes to Zurich to find out what happens at this lucrative office.

Friday Nite Videos -- January 9, 2015

Portside
Koch Industries' Mysterious Swiss Bank. Black and White in the War on Drugs. The Courage of Stuart Scott. Why Are There No Women in The Hobbit? Jerusalem's Most Contested Neighborhood.

Stopping the Biggest Corporate Power Grab in Years

Arthur Stamoulis Foreign Policy in Focus
TPP is a corporate power grab clearly worthy of Seattle-caliber mobilization. But the fight against this reprehensible deal requires different types of tactics. And the place to start is by derailing “Fast Track,” the mechanism that would allow TPP approval to rush through the U.S. Congress with little debate and no amendments.

Tidbits - January 8, 2015 - Selma, Police, Palestine, Climate, Sports and more...

Portside
Reader Comments - Selma; Civil Rights Tour led by Julian Bond; Ferguson Grand Jury; Police, NYPD, PBA, de Blasio; Women telling their Story; Wealth and Inequality; Sports - A Radical Proposal; BDS, Israel, Palestine, Solidarity; Sony; The Interview; Privatization and Hucksterism; Climate Change, Marx and Nature; Healthcare; Superbugs; the Ukraine; Announcements - The American Labor Movement At A Crossroads; Elections in Greece: Can Syriza Break with Austerity?

How to Understand Psychic Violence and Murder - "The Whole Damn System"

Lisa Brock Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership
[This is the first of a three-part series, Rage Against the Narrative, by Praxis Senior Editor Dr. Lisa Brock. The series is written in response to the uprising sparked by the killings of unarmed black people throughout the US. The three epigraphs below are gestures to each part.]

NYPD Insubordination Results - Drop in Crime

Nathaniel Downes; Charles F. Coleman Jr.
Statistics speak for themselves - revealing the New York Police Department has been needlessly arresting people who were not criminals at all. The NYPD has given Mayor Bill de Blasio proof that the department is indeed out of control, and not accountable to the people they are there to protect. The "broken windows" approach to law enforcement needs to be scrapped, and also the age-old trend of funding America's cities on the backs of the poor.