January 2018 – Page 3 – Bridge Agents

Repression Overshadows Women’s Reforms

January 22, 2018 Bridge Agents

Saudi Arabia (HRW) – Unlawful Attacks in Yemen; Discrimination Against Women, Religious Minorities Saudi Arabia announced reforms during 2017 to enhance women’s rights, including ending a driving ban, but stepped up arrests and prosecutions of activists seeking reform or voicing peaceful dissent, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2018. As the leader of the eight-nation coalition that began military operations against the Houthis and forces loyal to the now deceased former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen on March 26, 2015, Saudi Arabia has committed numerous violations of international humanitarian…

Diseases Caused By Food And Water Contamination

January 22, 2018 Bridge Agents

(Doom And Bloom) – The primary necessity for survival is the availability of air. Once you have air to breathe, water, food, and shelter become the next requirements for your continued existence on the planet; that is, clean water and properly prepared food. Even in normal times, there are many instances where an outbreak of infectious disease occurs due to water of poor quality. Ingesting food that was incompletely cooked caused the deaths of medieval kings in medieval times and may even have sparked the Ebola epidemic in 2014. Epidemics…

In New York, Crime Falls Along With Police Stops

January 21, 2018 Bridge Agents

New York, United States (ProPublica) – Police have radically cut back their use of stop-and-frisk policies. To the surprise of some, crime didn’t spike, but tumbled yet again. If you grew up in New York City in the 1970s, the number can be hard to get your head around: 291. If you were a reporter in New York City in the early 1990s, the number can almost make your head explode: 291 murders in 2017, the lowest total since the 1950s. But the number is perhaps most striking when set not…

Legalization of Marijuana

January 21, 2018 Bridge Agents

Is Marijuana a medicine? Twenty-eight states say that marijuana is a medicine, but the Utah lawmakers insist that it shouldn’t be legal, except for cases of severe epilepsy. Some say the use of marijuana can help treat chronic pain, while other push that the legalization will help further research on dosage, effectiveness, and driver impairment. In Into the weed: What Can Utah Expect If Medical Marijuana Is Legalized?, Jennifer Graham argues that marijuana “is simply a plant, a God-given remedy not so different from aloe or witch-hazel. Like opium derived…

Singapore Authorities Ban Documentary on Palestinian Teen Activists for ‘Skewed Narrative’

January 20, 2018 Bridge Agents

Singapore (GV) – A documentary focusing on the life of two teenager activists from Palestine was banned by the Singapore government for exploring the Palestinian-Israeli conflict “without a counterbalance.” Released in 2016, “Radiance of Resistance” was directed by American filmmaker Jesse Roberts. It was supposed to be screened at the Singapore Palestinian Film Festival during the first week of January 2018, but was removed after the Info-Communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) classified it as “not allowed for all ratings”. According to the synopsis of the documentary, it tells the story…

There Will Be A Women’s March Near You This Weekend

January 20, 2018 Bridge Agents

World (PT) – No matter where you live in America, there will be a rally happening close by, or at least within road trip distance. The screen shot below is from the Women’s March website. And it depicts the vast amounts of cities in almost every state taking part today and tomorrow. And don’t worry, PT will be out this weekend covering the events. Screen shot or map of Women’s Rallies happening all over the country. The 2-day event is catching on around the world as clearly visible with events in…

Monuments and Their History

January 20, 2018 Bridge Agents

Proper education on the statues and names of confederates on buildings or monuments is needed to teach future generations from the immoral standpoint we have had for ages. But putting meaning into a piece of metal, or on a name of a confederate building or monument is stopping us because people put too much emphasis on an inanimate object, instead of the injustice by the actual people. In an article I read, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu stated that “these monuments could be used as places to mourn our past…

Dangerous Deliveries – Is Texas doing enough to stop moms from dying?

January 19, 2018 Bridge Agents

Texas, United States (TexasTribune) – In the photos flashing on the projector screen, Michelle Zavala had a look of serenity. In one, her eyes were closed as she smiled with her newborn daughter Clara nestled under her chin. Another showed her kissing her husband Chris on vacation. Another captured her laughing while stomping grapes at a vineyard, radiating the positivity that people loved about her. Below the screen, Michelle lay in a casket, surrounded by bouquets of flowers. The Pflugerville woman died in July — just nine days after giving birth to Clara…

Feds Drop Felony Charges Against 129 Inauguration #DisruptJ20 Protesters

January 19, 2018 Bridge Agents

US (Sputnik) – Federal prosecutors in Washington, DC have abruptly dismissed their felony cases against 129 of the 188 DisruptJ20 protesters who were charged with felony rioting following the inauguration of Donald Trump. The first six DisruptJ20 protesters were found not guilty of all felony and misdemeanor charges levied against them during the December verdict. However, the first defendants had particularly weak cases brought against them: two were arrested for carrying medical supplies during the protests, which prosecutors unsuccessfully argued was an an implicit admission of violent intent. The Justice Department’s failure to secure a single conviction during the first trials…

America, Oprah is Not Your Savior

January 18, 2018 Bridge Agents

United States (OW) – Oprah Winfrey’s remarkable Golden Globes speech rocked not only the event’s A-list attendees, but almost all of America. Winfrey cited the under-told story of Recy Taylor, a young black woman who was raped by six armed white men during the Jim Crow era. Despite threats to her life, Taylor reported her story to the NAACP — where Rosa Parks made it her mission to help her find justice. That justice was never seen, but Oprah ended her speech on an optimistic note. “A new day is…