On January 11, the Israeli Lod District Court ruled against a Palestinian film-maker, Mahmoud Bakri, ordering him to pay hefty compensation to an Israeli soldier who was accused, along with the Israeli military, of carrying out war crimes in April 2002, in the Palestinian Jenin refugee camp located in the northern occupied West Bank.   

 The case, as presented by Israeli and other media, seemed to deal with typical legal matters such as defamation of character and so on. To those familiar with the massive clash of narratives which emanated from that singular event, known to Palestinians as the ‘Jenin Massacre’, the Israeli court verdict is not only political but historical and intellectual, as well. 

Faith, Community Leaders Submit Applications for Stays of Deportation in Support of Edith Espinal and Miriam Vargas
On Thursday, January 21st at 11 a.m., faith and community leaders will stand in solidarity with immigrant mothers, Edith Espinal and Miriam Vargas, who are submitting updated applications for stays of deportation to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Columbus.
Following a press conference, one ally will enter the ICE office to submit the applications on behalf of Espinal and Vargas.
WHAT: Press conference and submission of applications
WHEN: Thursday, January 21st at 11 a.m.
WHERE: ICE Field Office 50 W. Broad St. Columbus, OH 43215
WHO: Edith Espinal, in sanctuary at Columbus Mennonite Church since October 2017 Miriam Vargas, in sanctuary at First English Lutheran Church since July 2018

SUPHANBURI, Thailand -- The government is treating for free thousands
of patients suffering cancer and other illnesses with a recently
illegal brew of marijuana boiled in coconut oil, created by Daycha
Siripatra who says a mind-reading Buddhist monk helped tweak its
recipe.

Mr. Daycha also teaches the public how to make cannabis oil themselves.

It's as easy as cooking soup on a kitchen stove.

Mr. Daycha, an agricultural expert, is now government-licensed to
make, prescribe, and distribute his popular Daycha Oil to the public
for common or serious ills.

His interest began 10 years ago when he worried about contracting
cancer after several relatives died from the disease even with
chemotherapy.

He searched online for treatments and illegally experimented with a
formula publicized by Canadian cannabis activist Rick Simpson.

Mr. Simpson suggested naphtha, a solvent, to extract oil from marijuana.

To test the oil, Mr. Daycha secretly began treating two terminal
cancer patients.

Normalcy and tradition held sway as — for the first time in my life — I watched a presidential inauguration live, listening to Lady Gaga sing the national anthem and, then, Joe Biden take the oath of office, becoming the 46th president of the United States.

As I write these words, I find myself swimming in a complex stew of emotions, more moved by what I have just watched than I expected to be.

“. . . if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts . . .”

And then Garth Brooks sang “Amazing Grace,: urging everyone — including the folks at home — to join him. And I did, quietly saying to myself: You’ve got to be kidding me.

The upstart pop act, with releases also ranging in genre from rock to funk to hip hop, Ace & Boris have cultivated the ideal repertoire for live shows post pandemic. The band is prepping for a post-pandemic extravagant live show tour of the Midwest with record label Darlar Productions. Tour dates and locations will be announced soon by Darlar Productions; the band intends for Columbus to be on the schedule. The quickly rising artists are sure to draw large audiences with their stage performances and musical skill alike.

Singers and multi-instrumentalists Ace Peterson and Boris Rockwell began writing and performing music in the greater Columbus, Ohio area in 2019. Their talent as musicians and showmen was quickly recognized by record label Darlar Productions, with whom they entered into a creative collaborative agreement that year, granting them full license overall production decisions and distribution of their works.