(2019-05-31). Twisted Melodies: The Life and Times of Donny Hathaway at the Apollo. blackstarnews.com 
Photo Credit: Richard Anderson | The Apollo Theater graciously asked me to come and review a play they are featuring entitled "Twisted Melodies" about the life of Donny Hathaway. | Hathaway was a musical genius plagued by mental illness in the form of paranoid schizophrenia. His diagnosis was severe and medicine only served to exacerbate the illness. In fact it retarded him, taking him on a journey of frenzied highs and devastating lows. | The causes of schizophrenia are complicated and still being researched. There is some thought that heredity may play a role. Research does show that genetics may deem who is mo…
(2019-05-31). The fight against the racist Ramsay Centre continues. greenleft.org.au 
Eighty people gathered at Sydney University on May 23 for a forum "Ramsay and the new academic racism", to hear speakers condemn the Ramsay Centre's proposed Western Civilisation degree. | Chaired by Robert Boncardo (lecturer at Sydney University's School of Languages and Cultures), the speakers included Layla Mkhayber (undergraduate student, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences), Dr Nesrine Basheer (Arabic Language and Cultures) and Jeff Sparrow (Guardian Australia columnist and author) | The Ramsay Centre is a right-wing think tank, established by the wealthy philanthropist Paul Ramsay. It is chaired by former…
(2019-05-31). Greta Thunberg: 'Act as if your life depended on it, because it does'. greenleft.org.au 
Hundreds of thousands of students and environmentalists took to the streets around the world as part of the Global Strike for Future climate actions on May 24. Elections for the European Parliament took place two days later, on May 26 and resulted in Greens (along with the far right) gaining votes. | In Copenhagen, Denmark, 40,000 people took part in the People's Climate March on May 25. Swedish student and environmentalist Greta Thunberg addressed the rally. An abridged transcript of Thunberg's speech follows. | * * * | It is absolutely crazy that things have gone so far that children feel like they must sacrifi…
(2019-05-31). Is the Galilee Basin coal 'bonanza' a damp squib? greenleft.org.au 
True to her word, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced on May 31 that another approval had been given to the controversial Adani coal mine in the Galillee Basin. But while more approvals still have to be gained and other coal miners are getting out, it is not yet clear that Adani will succeed. | On the last day in May, the Department of Environment and Science (DES) approved mining giant Adani's management plan for the endangered black-throated finch. This is one of many outstanding approvals necessary before the Adani Carmichael mine can legally go ahead. It comes on the back of a huge campaign by…
(2019-05-31). Environmental Justice Activists Are Leading a Green New Deal Revolution. truthout.org Even among observers who accept the grave reality of climate change, the Green New Deal is often described as an "ambitious" if not overly broad proposal for a massive public investment in green infrastructure, with the dual goals of slowing climate disruption while growing a more just economy. | However, for Indigenous people and communities of color facing the impacts of toxic p…
(2019-05-31). CO2 Concentration Is Higher Than Ever in Human History. truthout.org For the first time in human history, on May 13, Earth's concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) reached 415 parts per million ( ppm). Before the 19th century's industrial revolution, the CO2 concentration was at about 280 ppm. | Meteorologist and Grist staff writer Eric Holthaus tweeted the following shocking data, derived from historical records, abou…
(2019-05-31). Trump administration and EPA anti-science work will cost lives. nationofchange.org The true human cost of the Trump administration's policies will continue to galvanize communities across the U.S. and will haunt Wheeler and the Trump administration as they pursue their reckless course of action.
(2019-05-31). Forum & Discussion: The Fight for Public Education. indybay.org 2969 Mission St. near 26th St.
(2019-05-31). The Victory of Small Visions in Australia: Scott Morrison Retains Government. asia-pacificresearch.com …
(2019-05-31). If the US Congress Has No Mojo to Govern, Let's Make It a Part Time Job. globalresearch.ca If the American public needs any further evidence that the US Congress is unable to function as an operating legislative branch of the Federal government in the 'pursuit of happiness' or to 'promote the general welfare,' look no further than …
(2019-05-31). US Forces in Syria Causing Catastrophic Effects on Civilians Held in Rukban Concentration Camp. globalresearch.ca American forces occupying Syrian territory entered the country illegally and their presence impedes efforts to restore peaceful life to the country and constitutes an obstacle to stability in southeastern Syria and causing the catastrophic conditions of the residents of al-Rukban …
(2019-05-31). Israeli 'Intelligence' Is Fostering US Bellicosity Toward Iran — But 'Quietly'. globalresearch.ca As the U.S. risks a major conflict with Iran, many have pointed out that the U.S. intelligence on alleged Iranian attacks is reminiscent of the faulty intelligence leading up to the Iraq war. And several mainstream sources have said that …
(2019-05-31). Canada's Trudeau Government Supportive of Venezuela Anti-democratic Hardline Elements. globalresearch.ca Not only has Canada financed and otherwise supported opposition parties in Venezuela, Ottawa has allied with some of its most anti-democratic, hardline elements. While the Liberal government has openly backed Voluntad Popular's bid to seize power since January, Ottawa has …
(2019-05-31). US Hints at Sanctions Against Venezuela CLAP Food Programme. Bolivarian Militia to Protect CLAP. globalresearch.ca Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced the incorporation of the National Bolivarian Militia into the subsidised CLAP (Local Supply and Production Committees) food programme. | The move comes as rumours circulate of upcoming US-led sanctions against the leaders of the programme, …
(2019-05-31). Al-Jaafari: It Is Syria's Duty and Right to Protect Its Citizens from Terrorism. globalresearch.ca Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization, which controls most of Idleb province, continues its attacks on neighboring areas and on the Syrian army positions, Syria's Permanent Representative at the United Nations Bashar al-Jaafari has stressed, reiterating that it is the Syrian state's …
(2019-05-31). Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. globalresearch.ca Israeli forces continued with systematic crimes, in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), for the week of 23 — 29 May, 2019. | Israeli forces continued to use excessive force against peaceful protestors in the Gaza Strip. 11 Palestinian civilians, including 3 …
(2019-05-31). Upcoming Trilateral Russia -Israel -US National Security Advisors Summit. Focus on Syria and Iran. globalresearch.ca The Russian, "Israeli", and American National Security Advisors will hold their first-ever trilateral summit in Jerusalem in June to discuss what the White House described as "regional security issues", which is an obvious euphemism for Syria & Iran and the …
(2019-05-31). Trumponomics: America First, the US-China Trade War, and the Future of Global Capitalism. globalresearch.ca "The value chains that link China into Western markets are value chains that are of course Chinese, but they're closely integrated with the international investment banks and the multi-national corporations. And people who therefore see the current world, in terms …
(2019-05-31). Full-blown US-China Trade War? Rare Earths — US Has So Much to Lose, China Barely Feels the Loss. globalresearch.ca The United States sees the trade dispute it has with China as one of many. It's been down this road before, with Japan, Canada, Mexico and the European Union. | China views it differently. In Beijing the trade issue is seen …
(2019-05-31). The 2019 Beijing Consensus of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations. globalresearch.ca On 15 May 2019, the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations was held in Beijing, China. A total of 1352 representatives from all 47 countries in Asia, countries in other parts of the world and international organizations attended the conference …
(2019-05-31). The Bankers' "Power Revolution": How the Government Got Shackled by Debt. globalresearch.ca This article is excerpted from my new book Banking on the People: Democratizing Money in the Digital Age, available in paperback June 1. | The U.S. federal debt has more than doubled since the 2008 financial crisis, shooting up from …
(2019-05-31). 'Criminalizing Compassion': Trial Begins for Humanitarian Facing 20 Years in Prison for Giving Water to Migrants in Arizona Desert. globalresearch.ca Human rights advocates accused the U.S. Justice Department of " criminalizing compassion" as a federal trial began in Arizona Wednesday for activist Scott Warren, who faces up to 20 years in prison for providing humanitarian aid to migrants …
(2019-05-31). Australia's Suspicion of China's South Pacific Investments Is a Zero-sum Game. globalresearch.ca The mainstream media revived its narrative of fear-mongering about China's South Pacific investments during the Vanuatu Prime Minister's visit to Beijing and ahead of the recently re-elected Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's trip to the Solomon Islands next week. …
(2019-05-31). Australia's Bob Hawke: Misunderstood in Memoriam. asia-pacificresearch.com …
(2019-05-31). Europe as a Community of Values. globalresearch.ca Kant in his work "Ideas for a Universal History with Cosmopolitan Intent", in Seventh Principle explained the need for peace and security among the nations as the following: "That is to say, wars, the excessive and never ending preparations for …
(2019-05-31). Video: Syrian Army Cracks Down on ISIS Cells Near Palmyra. globalresearch.ca The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) eliminated an ISIS cell, which was preparing to attack an SAA convoy near Palmyra. According to reports, the SAA killed at least 5 ISIS members and eliminated a vehicle. | Earlier this year, ISIS carried out …
(2019-05-31). Clubs, Cartels and Bilderberg. globalresearch.ca "After decades of neoliberalism, we are at the mercy of a cluster of cartels who are lobbying politicians hard and using monopoly power to boost profits." — Joseph Stiglitz, The Price of Inequality (2012) | The emergence of think tanks …
(2019-05-31). The Hangman of the Middle East: US-backed Regime in Egypt Hands Down Nearly 2,500 Death Sentences. globalresearch.ca Egypt's US-backed dictatorship of Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has sentenced 2,443 people to death since coming to power in a bloody coup in 2013, according to a report issued this week by the UK-based human rights group Reprieve. | Of those …
(2019-05-31). Washington's Silent Weapon for Not-so-quiet Wars. "A World Full of Dollars", A 2019 Global Economic Crisis. globalresearch.ca Today by far the deadliest weapon in the US arsenal is the ability of Washington to control the global supply of money, of dollars, through actions of the privately-owned Federal Reserve in coordination with the US Treasury and select Wall Street financial groups. The US is weaponizing the dollar.
(2019-05-31). Video: Orthodox Crescent of Instability. globalresearch.ca The US continues its practice of creating zones and lines of chaos in key regions of the world. In the 2000s, it started a campaign to create an arc of instability stretching from Northern Africa to the east of the …
(2019-05-31). A Compulsive Matter: Mandatory Voting in Australia and Its Discontents. asia-pacificresearch.com …
(2019-05-31). Global Poverty: How the Rich Eat the Poor and the World. globalresearch.ca 62 individuals — 388 in 2010 — now own more wealth than 50% of the world's population. More shockingly, this share of wealth by half of the world's people has collapsed by over 40% in the last five years.
(2019-05-31). Ted Cruz and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Agree to Partner on Legislation. theantimedia.com (TT) — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz committed on Thursday to partner up with his political opposite, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to move legislation that would ban members of Congress from becoming corporate lobbyists after they leave public life. The coming together played out over Twitter. Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, tweeted Thursday afternoon a statistic from Public Citizen, an …
(2019-05-31). Society Is in Decay. dissidentvoice.org Plutocrats like to control the range of permissible public dialogue. Plutocrats also like to shape what society values. If you want to see where a country's priorities lie, look at how it allocates its money. While teachers and nurses earn comparatively little for performing critical jobs, corporate bosses including those who pollute our planet and …
(2019-05-31). Society Is In Decay — When the Worst is First and the Best is Last. counterpunch.org Plutocrats like to control the range of permissible public dialogue. Plutocrats also like to shape what society values. If you want to see where a country's priorities lie, look at how it allocates its money. While teachers and nurses earn comparatively little for performing critical jobs, corporate bosses including those who pollute our planet and More
(2019-05-31). New Haven, California teachers strike at a crossroads. wsws.org The New Haven Teachers Association is working with state Democrats to end the teachers strike as quickly as possible with a sellout contract…
(2019-05-31). WWII Lessons for the Climate Emergency. counterpunch.org "The bad news is that if history teaches us one thing, it is that there never has been an energy transition….The history of energy is not one of transitions, but rather of successive additions . . ." Bonneuil and Fressoz, The Shock of the Anthropocene The New Deal and World War II are reminders of More
(2019-05-31). A Million Extinctions Eclipsed by One Royal Grandbaby. fair.org 
As many as 1 million of the estimated 8 million plant and animal species on Earth are at risk of extinction — many of them within decades — according to the scientists and researchers behind a new UN report. The assessment by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services is the most comprehensive …
(2019-05-30). Honduran Police Repress Protesters Amid Strike. telesurenglish.net Honduran doctors, teachers, and students Thursday demanded the repeal of two executive orders issued by President Juan Orlando Fernandez (JOH) and were repressed by state police forces in cities and towns around the country. | RELATED | Honduras Teachers Unions Marching Against Privatization | The Platform for the Defense of Education and Health, an organization which brings the two sectors together, called for a national strike Thursday and Friday of this week, along with marches to d…
(2019-05-30). Support Greta's call for a global climate strike. greenleft.org.au 
The inspiring, global student-led climate strike protests on May 24, initiated by high school students, took place in an incredible 1594 cities and towns across more than 118 countries. | It shows the global student strike movement is growing, out-mobilising strike actions just two months before and joining up with other climate networks such as Extinction Rebellion. | The #FridaysfortheFuture protests, started by Swedish school student Greta Thunberg, were also organised in several cities in Australia on May 24, the largest of which was called by Extinction Rebellion in Melbourne. Thousands of students and other…
(2019-05-30). University cancels 'reporting on far right' class by disgraced fact-checker due to lack of interest. rt.com 
New York University has canceled an undergraduate journalism class entitled 'Reporting on the Far Right' after only two students signed up. The controversial lecturer quit her fact-checking job last year for false reporting.
(2019-05-30). A major win for transgender rights: UN health agency drops 'gender identity disorder', as official diagnosis. un.org "To reflect critical advances in science and medicine", the World Health Organization, WHO, has removed so-called "gender identity disorder" from its official manual of diagnoses, which is being hailed as a major win for transgender rights.
(2019-05-30). 3 white women sue 'totalitarian' diversity-obsessed NYC school system for discrimination. rt.com 
Three white New York City school administrators are suing the Department of Education, claiming they were demoted and replaced with less-qualified but racially-diverse colleagues as part of a crusade against "toxic whiteness."
(2019-05-30). Stripped of Their Rights: Understanding the Gaza Strip. globalresearch.ca Many wonder why Israel continues to persecute the Palestinians in Gaza with such brutal repression. | The answer is simple; Palestinians in Gaza pose a demographic and, indeed, an existential threat to the Jewish state, which created the inferno that is …
(2019-05-30). Bangladesh Charges 16 for Burning Alive Sexual Abuse Survivor. telesurenglish.net Bangladesh police charged 16 people for the murder of a female teenager burned to death last month after she registered a complaint against her teacher for sexually abusing her. | RELATED: | Bangladesh Schools Fight Sexual Harassment After Girl's Murder | Nusrat Jahan Rafi was 18 when her killers—classmates—poured kerosene over her and…
(2019-05-30). Victorious Grassroots Caucus Faces Challenge From Longtime Incumbent in Teachers Union Election. therealnews.com 
In Baltimore, longtime teachers union incumbents have demanded a re-election after a grassroots slate's surprise victory. Now the American Federation of Teachers may decide the outcome.
(2019-05-30). Garland, TX community confronts school board over trafficked teachers. fightbacknews.org Garland, TX – On May 28 members of the community, together with some of the affected teachers, confronted the Garland school board about the board's failure to act to help teachers who had been trafficked from the Philippines to work in the Garland school district. | Three teachers and several community supporters addressed the school board, while dozens of other supporters sat in the room wearing t-shirts and buttons in support of the teachers' cause. After the last speaker, the supporters began chanting "When teachers are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!" and were escorted from the b…
(2019-05-30). 52,000 teachers strike in New Zealand. wsws.org The biggest teachers' strike in the country's history drew support from many parents and workers who are affected by the worsening social crisis.
(2019-05-29). Headlines for May 29, 2019. democracynow.org SCOTUS Makes 2 Key Decisions on Indiana Abortion Laws, Missouri's Last Abortion Clinic May Shut Down This Week, Netflix Considers Georgia Production Boycott After Abortion Ban, Sen. Kamala Harris Announces Plan for Gov't Oversight of New State Abortion Laws, Rights Groups Challenge Rule Allowing Providers to Refuse Healthcare Based on Religious Belief, PA Policy Allowing Students to Choose Bathroom Remains in Place After SCOTUS Declines Challenge, Sen. McConnell Would Confirm a Trump SCOTUS Nominee in 2020, Angela Merkel Warns Against Rise of Nationalism, At Least 20 Civilians Killed in Syria as U.N. Warns of Hum…
(2019-05-29). Fairfield University Announces New Veterans Fellowships for Graduate Students. blackstarnews.com 
Former servicemen and women interested in pursuing a master's degree in creative writing or public administration can apply to receive up to $10,000 in financial assistance from the College of Arts and Sciences. | Fairfield University takes great pride in serving veterans of the U.S. armed forces, just as they take pride in having served our country. As part of the University's commitment to helping these courageous individuals attain their educational goals, the College of Arts and Sciences is excited to offer a limited number of graduate level, veterans fellowships to former servicemen and servicewomen interest…