Category: The Fifth Column

(HRW) – Iranian authorities should drop charges and stop prosecuting women for peacefully protesting Iran’s compulsory dress code (hijab) laws, Human Rights Watch said today. At least three women who peacefully protested the hijab law have been arrested since the end of January 2018. Iranian officials arrested Nargess Hosseini on January 29 as she took off her headscarf to protest Iran’s compulsory hijab while standing on top of an electric utility box on a street in Tehran. They arrested Azam Jangravi on February 14 and Shaparak Shajarizadeh on February 21…

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Planned Parenthood is in the media spotlight as “Republicans push to block funding for the group because it provides abortions for women.” (CNN). Planned Parenthood receives $500 million a year in funding from the government that ends up being 40% of Planned Parenthood’s total $1.3 billion in revenue for the year (NPR). Without this funding from the federal government the organization could be facing some financial trouble and struggle to keep providing the services it does. The “public funds come from two programs: Medicaid, the health care program targeted at…

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(GV) –  are among the Balkans’ most reclusive residents. That’s why environmentalists in Macedonia and Albania and their allies in Western Europe are highlighting recently captured images of a lynx called Deki to generate support for protection of the critically endangered species. During the first week of February 2018, the Macedonian Ecological Society – MES released before-and-after photos of Deki, shot using camera traps in Mavrovo National Park. The first photo from 2013 shows him as an eight-month-old cub trailing his mother, while the second shows him as a fully grown individual….

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(WNV) – On December 13, six members of the University of Michigan’s Board of Regents shared a statement titled “United Against Hate,” showing their opposition to the current negotiations happening between the university and white nationalist Richard Spencer. After a disastrous appearance at the University of Florida at Gainesville, which saw mass actions by the No Nazis as UF coalition, Spencer had set his sites on the University of Michigan for his so-called “alt-right” recruitment. Students reacted quickly, organizing walkouts and building occupations at the University of Michigan, Michigan State,…

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(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…

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(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,…

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(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…

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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…

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When you are operating your business, there are always things that need doing. Some of these things are incredibly important, and some of them just don’t matter. The trick is to figure out where things fall on that scale. When it comes to being compliant with legal requirements and standards, these tasks tend to fall on the incredibly important side. Here are a few things you shouldn’t skip over, no matter what. Liability Insurance Every business is required by law to have insurance in case of emergencies. Liability insurance covers…

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