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Regardless of the precise strategy of the Palestinian group Hamas, or any other Palestinian movement for that matter, the daring Palestinian military campaign, deep inside Israel, on Saturday, October 7, was only possible because Palestinians are simply fed up. 

17 years ago, Israel imposed a hermetic siege on the Gaza Strip. The story of the siege is often presented in two starkly different interpretations. For some, it is an inhumane act of ‘collective punishment’; for others, it is a necessary evil so that Israel may protect itself from so-called Palestinian terrorism. 

Largely missing from the story, however, is that 17 years are long enough for a whole generation to grow up under siege, to enlist in the Resistance and to fight for its freedom.

No new U.S. reactors, big or small, fission or fusion will be built here within at least the next five years…more like ten. Those that try will do nothing but divert resources away from the Solartopian technologies needed to save the Earth.

They’ll also lose big money for their billionaire backers and the taxpayers who’ll be forced to bail them out.

There are now 93 large uninsured light-water reactors licensed for operation in the US. One more-- Georgia’s Vogtle #4-- may open within the next year or so.

All of them emit radioactive Carbon-14. They release additional greenhouse gasses through the process of mining, milling and enriching uranium-based fuel, as well as attempting to store it once it’s become radioactive waste.  

All commercial reactors burn at ~570 degrees Fahrenheit, warming the planet on their own.  

Meanwhile, there are zero such commercial nukes in the pipeline. None are under construction. 

It’s all so easy to romanticize the uprising against that gray sense of isolation and helplessness we all feel every day. (New Moon on Monday by Duran Duran jumps to my own mind. No doubt each Free Press’s rebel has a favorite!)

But we mustn’t forget Rosa Luxemburg’s warning about how innocents confuse the two: the day of the uprising is what will be celebrated on anniversaries, but the revolution to change society down to its roots takes a long time, most likely many generations. It’s one thing to pick up the reins when a government collapses, but transforming society down to its roots is a much deeper and complex matter. What comes first? Do we take office to change the laws, or remodel society to the point that laws have to be changed to catch up with a new reality, some combination of the two, or something else entirely?

 The Israeli military, too, has contributed to the Israeli hasbara that Tel Aviv would be able to face several threats at all fronts, from Gaza, to the West Bank, to Lebanon, and Syria.

 But the Hamas attack at numerous Israeli targets on Saturday, October 5, at precisely 6:00 am Palestine time, proved him utterly and humiliatingly wrong. Neither Netanyahu, nor his army were in fact able to face a single Palestinian group, operating alone, and under siege.

 It will take time for all of this to sink in among Israeli leaders, military brass, media, and society. For now, however, Netanyahu is desperate to show that Israel remains a powerful country and a regional power that deserves its often-touted status of having an ‘invincible’ army.

 But all his options are nearly impossible.

 It was obvious that Hamas, and later the Islamic Jihad, were keen on capturing as many Israelis - both soldiers, and settlers - as possible.

As its 30th season opens, that crowd pleasing palace the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts is mounting a musical perfect for capitalizing on the fact that as of this writing, it’s currently Hispanic Heritage Month. The title characters of On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan are, of course, real life musicians who were both born in Cuba. Given the Miami Sound Machine’s (and later iterations of Gloria’s band) hits, including “Dr. Beat,” the eponymous “Get On Your Feet” and the positively infectious “Conga,” I wondered if Feet! would actually have a plot per se or if this stage production would merely be a glorified excuse for a concert.

Originally published 2016

According to a recent Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) report, cancer of the cervix was the 14th most common malignancy among Minnesota women. Cervical cancer was also listed as the 17th most common cause of cancer death in Minnesota.

In Minnesota, according to the statistical information provided by the MDH (published at http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpcd/cdee/mcss/documents/ccc.pdf), the incidence of cancer of the cervix among Minnesotan females of all races is a miniscule 6.8/100,000 population (ie, 6.8 newly diagnosed cases per 100,000 women per year). (Incidence is the term for the number of new cases of a disease diagnosed during a specified period of time, usually a year.)