February 19, 2018 – Bridge Agents

Israel: Record-Low in Gaza Medical Permits

February 19, 2018 Bridge Agents

(HRW) – The record-low rate of permits issued by Israel for Palestinians seeking vital medical treatment outside Gaza underlines the urgent need for Israel to end its decade-long closure of the Gaza Strip, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), and Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) said today in a joint statement. Record-high delays by the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 2017 in issuing required approvals and Egypt’s continued closure of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza have further restricted movement…

The Media Need to Think Twice About How They Portray Mass Shooters

February 19, 2018 Bridge Agents

United States (Conversation) – The lead story on The New York Times homepage provided the overview of the latest massacre at an American school: “17 Killed at Florida School; Toll May Climb.” A “sidebar,” or secondary story, also on the homepage, bore this headline: “Here’s What We Know About the Suspect.” In a similar vein, the Washington Post ran a story with the headline, “Florida shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz: Guns, depression and a life in trouble.” The stories tell of a troubled kid who liked weapons, threatened classmates and was…

The U.S. Returns to ‘Great Power Competition,’ With a Dangerous New Edge

February 19, 2018 Bridge Agents

(FPIF) – The Trump administration’s new National Defense Strategy is being touted as a sea change in U.S. foreign policy — a shift from the “war on terrorism” to “great power competition,” a line that would not be out of place in the years leading up to World War I. But is the shift really a major course change, or a re-statement of policies followed by the last four administrations? The U.S. has never taken its eyes off its big competitors. It was President Bill Clinton who moved NATO eastwards,…

‘We Want the World to Know’: Activists Reporting on Occupation Face Legal Threats in Western Sahara

February 19, 2018 Bridge Agents

(GV) – Among media freedom and human rights groups, Morocco is often described as having a relatively favourable landscape for media freedom, in contrast to other oppressive regimes and dictatorships in the neighbourhood, such as Egypt and Mauritania. These assessments, which are already subjective, do not extend to the occupied territories of Western Sahara. In a militarized environment with aggressive controls on media and citizen reporting, few stories of Western Sahara reach audiences beyond the immediate region. Local journalists and media activists reporting on the occupation and Moroccan abuses face…

Millennials and RVs: A Match Made in Heaven?

February 19, 2018 Bridge Agents

The RV business is booming! Why? Millennials all over the world are investing in recreational vehicles instead of traditional housing. Trending interest in RV’s and campers is causing rapid growth in the industry During the recession, the RV industry almost went completely out of business. Thanks to a combination of millennials, baby boomers, and a trending desire to travel, the industry has been growing steadily for the last 8 years and is expected to keep going. Thor and Winnebago are the two leading companies in the RV industry and have…