Disneyland is all about the rides. From the thrill of Space Mountain to the nostalgia we feel riding It’s a Small World. Like in Disneyland, Israel is also full of wild rides. For the past two years the wild ride IRAC has been monitoring are Israel’s segregated buses lines. We are starting to see results, but there is still more to do.
I remember one time on a Freedom Ride when an ultra-orthodox woman sat next to me, and thanked me for giving her the courage to sit up front. We had another testimony from an ultra-orthodox woman telling us that she is thankful that the reform movement is fighting for her dignity. She says without us there would be nobody to give her a voice. You can read her entire story in our booklet Women Talking about Segregation in Israel.
The summer months see the number of visitors to Israel skyrocket, and I know that many of you are even planning trips to Israel. Whether it is with a group or on your own, please consider becoming one of our Freedom Riders.
If you are not coming, you can still help spread the word to your friends and communities by submitting a Letter to the Editor for your local newspapers. It is only through having a presence on these buses, as well as in the press, that we will see this phenomenon finally end.
In this week’s Action Alert you are able to send individual letters to the editor for the newspapers in your area. All you have to do is click on the link above and enter your zip code. It will give you a list of newspapers and you simply chose the one you would like to send your letter to. You can use our pre-written letter or write one of your own. You will be doing a huge service to IRAC by helping us spread the word about our Freedom Rides. When you are done you can forward this to a friend or post it on your Facebook page.
Unfortunately, our newspaper database is limited to the United States for now. We are working on improving it so our supporters from around the world can also send letters to their local newspapers.
There are times in which we will want to harm the innocent from the outset. And their presence and their killing is actually beneficial and helpful to us. For example, harming the infants from the wicked king’s family, who are currently innocent; their killing helps us to harm and pain the king so that he will stop fighting us. – Excerpt from the book “Torat Hamelech”
Dear Friends of IRAC,
For some reason, when ideas are put down in a book they are given more authority. Seeing something crazy in writing makes it literature, and if it is written in Hebrew it is holy. The book I am talking about today is neither literature nor holy. It is simply evil.
In 2009, Rabbis Yitzhak Shapira and Yosef Elitzur, who head the “Od Yosef Chai” Yeshiva, wrote a book that permits the killing of non-Jews. This book is called Torat HaMelech (The King’s Torah), and it is a manual on how Jewish law can justify hate and violence.
This outrageous book received official rabbinic endorsement by prominent orthodox rabbis in Israel including Rabbi Dov Lior, who is employed by the State as the rabbi of Kiryat Arba. At IRAC, we have been working to end the careers of these rabbis as civil servants.
When the Mufti of Jerusalem gave a sermon about killing Jews, the State opened a criminal investigation in less than a week. But when rabbis widely distribute their manual for violence to the masses, the State remains silent. We will not remain silent.
After our countless complaints to the State, IRAC petitioned the Supreme Court demanding that the authors of Torat HaMelech and those who gave it official rabbinic endorsement be prosecuted. We are anxiously awaiting the State’s response to our petition.
Last week, when we were at the Supreme Court fighting for Miri Gold’s right to be recognized as a rabbi, the State entered the hearing with full knowledge that the backing of thousands of supporters all over the world were with us.
Very soon, we will need your help again applying pressure on the State to prosecute these rabbis.
Israel needs to be a Jewish state that uses its Jewish values to build a safe and inclusive home for all its citizens. Help our numbers grow, and together we will stop this perversion.
Last week, you had the chance to express your opinion about equal recognition for our rabbis… and that is exactly what you did. Over 5000 emails were sent to the Minister of Religious Services, Minister Margi, and his spokesperson. They were so confused by the display of support for Miri Gold that they first called our office to see if we were having a computer malfunction, and then they called a second time threatening to sue us for harassing them. It was a proud day at IRAC, and it was all thanks to you.
The only way we can continue to exert influence is if our numbers grow. Imagine the impact if those five thousand emails were fifty thousand! The only way we are going to double or triple our supporter base is with your help. Donate as many of your friends as you can, and explain how important it is for them to join our efforts.
We have seen how powerful it is when we work together to make our voices heard, and only together will we make those voices grow.
Bangkok: Six human foetuses which had been roasted and covered in gold leaf as part of a black magic ritual have been seized from a British citizen in Bangkok, Thai police said on Friday.
Chow Hok Kuen, 28, who is of Taiwanese origin, was arrested with the grisly haul in the city’s Chinatown on Thursday, police said. The corpses had been packed into luggage and were set to be smuggled to Taiwan.
The suspect bought the foetuses several days ago from a Taiwanese man in Thailand for 200,000 baht ($6,500) and planned to sell them in Taiwan for up to six times that amount, police said. The origin of the foetuses was unclear.
“He said he planned to sell the foetuses to clients who believe they will make them lucky and rich,” said Colonel Wiwat Kamchamnan of Bangkok police.
The man faces one year in prison and a 2,000 baht fine for possession of the foetuses.
In Thai black magic rituals, also observed among some Chinese communities, preserved foetuses are believed to bring good fortune to the owner and are often kept in shrines within homes or businesses.
We know that the rainforests are critical for maintaining the Earth’s climate. For many of us these ancient forests also represent places of abundance and beauty that renew our spirits.
It gives me great hope to see how many more people have recently joined Amazon Watch’s community at such an important moment. Strengthened by our growing network of 150,000+ online supporters, our team and partners have made incredible impact around the globe this spring: organizing critical missions to strongholds in Brazil and Ecuador; bringing delegations of indigenous leaders from the Amazon to the oil sands of Canada to expose industry land grabs in Peru; forging powerful alliances and recruiting supporters worldwide.
Whether you choose to sign a petition, host an educational or fundraising event, or join us on a supporter delegation to see the Amazon firsthand and renew your spirits, you are helping our movement grow at a critical time for the future of the planet’s largest rainforest.
Judges of the Inter-American Human Rights Court took the unusual step of making an in situ visit to the Kichwa indigenous community of Sarayaku in the heart of Ecuador’s central Amazon region in April. The historic visit was part of the community’s long-running case against the Ecuadorian government over rights abuses suffered when an Argentine oil company began conducting seismic testing in search of oil reserves with the aid of Ecuador’s military. The entrance of the oil company into Sarayaku lands occurred without the consultation or consent of the community. A decision in the case is expected this year and will have sweeping implications for indigenous rights across the Americas.
A brave delegation of Achuar leaders traveled to Canada to demand that Calgary-based Talisman Energy cease oil drilling in their ancestral territory and to see firsthand how indigenous people in Canada have fared during oil operations in their homelands. The group visited Ottawa, Calgary, Fort McMurray, Vancouver and Haida Gwaii; meeting with members of Parliament, press, Talisman officials, First Nations leaders and supporters in an effort to build alliances and raise awareness about Talisman’s abuses. Talisman has been drilling exploratory wells in the heart of Achuar territory and continues to ignore their calls to leave. Explore through the eyes of the Achuar in these photos.
After years of pressing a historic lawsuit against Big Oil behemoth Chevron, the communities of the Ecuadorian Amazon still do not have access to clean water. This must change: We cannot wait for Chevron to do the right thing while families drink contaminated water. A coalition has joined forces to support a solution – ClearWater – a water project led by Ecuadorian communities to provide immediate relief to the region still suffering the effects of oil contamination. We’re still working around the clock to hold Chevron accountable, in the meantime it’s time to meet needs on the ground by supporting ClearWater.
In the months preceding the Rio+20 Earth Summit the Brazilian government is seeking to reinforce its credentials as a country that has balanced economic growth and poverty reduction with respect for environmental sustainability and human rights. However, President Rousseff may find it challenging to keep the wool pulled over our eyes given disastrous reforms to the country’s forest protection law and the illegal construction of the Belo Monte dam. Amazon Watch and our allies recently greeted President Rousseff with protests in Washington D.C., and we’ll be in Rio this June.
For more than 18 years Ecuadorian Amazonian communities have waged a historic battle for justice against Chevron, which has vowed not to pay the $18 billion judgement. Later this month two Ecuadorian representatives of 30,000 plaintiffs will leave the Amazon and travel to California to confront Chevron. They need your support to stand face-to-face with Chevron CEO John Watson and the board of directors, shareholders, media and an international community that continues to support them through this epic battle for justice. Join the Cause, share with your friends and follow their journey.
Woman doctor caught red handed aborting a female foetus
Yamuna Nagar, Haryana: Daughters are precious, don’t kill them even before they are born – this was the message actor Aamir Khan wanted to spread through the first episode of his much talked-about TV show “Satyamev Jayate.” Aamir talked at length about the alarming statistics on female foeticide and shared case studies – all with the aim of convincing the masses to discourage and help eradicate the social evil. So has the message reached all intended recipients? Well, contrary to the expectations of many, it seems not yet.
In Haryana’s Yamuna Nagar area, a Delhi suburb, a woman doctor has been arrested after she was allegedly caught aborting a girl child during a raid conducted by health department officials.
Priyanka, a BMS doctor from Saharanpur in UP, was caught red-handed when the health department of Yamuna Nagar raided bungalow no 43 in Jagadhari district’s posh Saraswati Colony. A team from the Red Cross Society also accompanied them.
Priyanka has reportedly been running the clinic, along with her sister Parul, for the last five years. Parul is also a BMS doctor. According to a cleaner at the clinic, the two doctors perform at least six to seven abortions every month. And the foetuses, the worker revealed, are later flushed in toilets.
This week in Dallas, trade representatives are secretly negotiating new regulations for the Internet – including intellectual property provisions that could choke off online speech. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement may be even worse than ACTA; it could tie the hands of democratically-elected legislators and create new, international standards for intellectual property enforcement. Worst of all, Internet users and free expression advocates like EFF aren’t allowed in the room and are forbidden from seeing the negotiated text.
Click here to join EFF in demanding a Congressional hearing so lawmakers can learn what’s in the TPP and hear from all affected stakeholders, not just deep-pocketed industry representatives.
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk claims they have made “extraordinary efforts” to include public stakeholders in negotiations, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Like ACTA, negotiations have actively excluded civil society and the public, while welcoming private industry representatives with open arms.
EFF’s International IP Director Gwen Hinze traveled to Dallas to demand transparency, butshe wasn’t allowed to see the draft text or be present for the negotiations. Here’s how Gwen described the tactics the USTR is using to shut Internet users out from the negotiations:
Unlike previous negotiation rounds, there will be no official forum for stakeholders to present their views to the assembled TPP country negotiators. Instead, stakeholders are being asked to register their interest in sponsoring a table to provide negotiators who might so happen to stroll past with information on particular topics.
The public should be front and center in these negotiations, not relegated to a table outside.
Join EFF in calling on Congress for more transparency in TPP. Negotiators can’t just shut out the public and their elected representatives.
Defending your digital rights,
Maira Sutton
International Team
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Each year in the Aokigahara Forest, dozens of people reportedly push through a dense “sea of trees” to find a place to take their lives. Those who are indecisive leave trails of colored tape woven between the trees so they can navigate out should they change their minds. In a chilling documentary that was released in 2010 and recently refeatured by VICE on YouTube, Azusa Hayono, a resident of the area, takes viewers into the forest.
“I think I’ve found more than 100 suicide corpses in the last 20 years or so,” Azusa says.
According to the description published alongside the video, “The authorities sweep for bodies only on an annual basis, as the forest sits at the base of Mt. Fuji and is too dense to patrol more frequently.” Japan has one of the world’s highest suicide rates. According to CNN, the forest is home to the highest number of suicides in the country.
More Than 300,000 Complaints of Online Criminal Activity Reported in 2011
Washington, D.C.May 10, 2012
FBI National Press Office(202) 324-3691
FAIRMONT, WV—The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) today released the 2011 Internet Crime Report—an overview of the latest data and trends of online criminal activity. According to the report, 2011 marked the third year in a row that the IC3 received more than 300,000 complaints. The 314,246 complaints represent a 3.4 percent increase over 2010. The reported dollar loss was $485.3 million. As more Internet crimes are reported, IC3 can better assist law enforcement in the apprehension and prosecution of those responsible for perpetrating Internet crime.
In 2011, IC3 received and processed, on average, more than 26,000 complaints per month. The most common complaints received in 2011 included FBI-related scams—schemes in which a criminal poses as the FBI to defraud victims—identity theft, and advance-fee fraud. The report also lists states with the top complaints, and provides loss and complaint statistics organized by state. It describes complaints by type, demographics, and state.
“This report is a testament to the work we do every day at IC3, which is ensuring our system is used to alert authorities of suspected criminal and civil violations,” said National White Collar Crime (NWC3) Center Director Don Brackman. “Each year we work to provide information that can link individuals and groups to these crimes for better outcomes and prosecution of cases.”
Acting Assistant Director of the FBI’s Cyber Division Michael Welch said, “Internet crime is a growing problem that affects computer users around the world and causes significant financial losses. The IC3 is an efficient mechanism for the public to report suspicious e-mail activity, fraudulent websites, and Internet crimes. These reports help law enforcement make connections between cases and identify criminals.”
IC3 is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the NW3C, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Since its start in 2000, IC3 has become a mainstay for victims reporting Internet crime and a way for law enforcement to be alerted of such crimes. IC3’s service to the law enforcement community includes federal, state, tribal, local, and international agencies that are combating Internet crime.
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About IC3
IC3 receives, develops, and refers criminal complaints of cybercrime. IC3 gives victims a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of suspected criminal or civil violations. For law enforcement and regulatory agencies at the local, state, federal, and international levels, IC3 provides a central referral mechanism for complaints involving online crime.
Give Free Speech a Chance. Naomi spoke out about the dissertations by Black students. She has a right to speak freely. She spoke the truth. Why is that when a white person speaks about a Black person words like racism etc. appear out of the woodwork and everyone gets sanctimonious? What would have happened if the reverse occurred? NOTHING!
It appears that America is becoming prisoner to its own political correctness.
“Seriously, folks, there are legitimate debates about the problems that plague the black community from high incarceration rates to low graduation rates to high out-of-wedlock birth rates,” Riley wrote about the dissertations. “But it’s clear that they’re not happening in black-studies departments. If these young scholars are the future of the discipline, I think they can just as well leave their calendars at 1963 and let some legitimate scholars find solutions to the problems of blacks in America. Solutions that don’t begin and end with blame the white man.” – Naomi Schaefer Riley
The Chronicle of Higher Education dismissed one of its bloggers after outcry over a blog post she wrote questioning the legitimacy of black studies as an academic discipline.
Naomi Schaefer Riley, a lecturer and author who wrote for the Chronicle’s blog, Brainstorm, was let go after readers pushed back on an essay she published last week titled “The Most Persuasive Case For Eliminating Black Studies? Just Read the Dissertations.” Riley’s essay responded to a sidebar of a story in the Chronicle which profiled several up-and-coming black studies scholars in the process of writing dissertations. Riley looked at the titles of the dissertations — on subjects like the role of race in housing policy and the history of black midwifery in the United States — and called them “left-wing victimization claptrap.”
Nearly 6,500 people signed a petition calling for her dismissal from the blog. Yesterday, Liz McMillen, the site’s editor, wrote a note apologizing for Riley’s post, and said that the publication had decided to part ways with the author, who is also an affiliate scholar of the Institute of American Values, a conservative think tank based in New York.
MALWARE INSTALLED ON TRAVELERS’ LAPTOPS THROUGH SOFTWARE UPDATES ON HOTEL INTERNET CONNECTIONS
Recent analysis from the FBI and other government agencies demonstrates that malicious actors are targeting travelers abroad through pop-up windows while establishing an Internet connection in their hotel rooms.
Recently, there have been instances of travelers’ laptops being infected with malicious software while using hotel Internet connections. In these instances, the traveler was attempting to setup the hotel room Internet connection and was presented with a pop-up window notifying the user to update a widely-used software product. If the user clicked to accept and install the update, malicious software was installed on the laptop. The pop-up window appeared to be offering a routine update to a legitimate software product for which updates are frequently available.
The FBI recommends that all government, private industry, and academic personnel who travel abroad take extra caution before updating software products on their hotel Internet connection. Checking the author or digital certificate of any prompted update to see if it corresponds to the software vendor may reveal an attempted attack. The FBI also recommends that travelers perform software updates on laptops immediately before traveling, and that they download software updates directly from the software vendor’s Web site if updates are necessary while abroad.
Anyone who believes they have been a target of this type of attack should immediately contact their local FBI office, and promptly report it to the IC3’s website at www.IC3.gov. The IC3’s complaint database links complaints together to refer them to the appropriate law enforcement agency for case consideration. The complaint information is also used to identify emerging trends and patterns.
@robinmarchesi Hiya Robin thanks. The last date for June issue was 15th May. So July will be the issue - last date is June 10th. Tks friend 19 hours ago
In this week’s Action Alert you are able to send individual letters to the editor for the newspapers in your area. All… lnkd.in/WRq2DC20 hours ago
