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Showing posts from February 14, 2014

The Old Testament's Made-up Camels Are A Problem For Zionism

The earliest camel bones have been dated at 1,500 years after Genesis – which undermines Zionists' promised land narrative By Andrew Brown - " The Guardian " - There are 21 references to camels in the first books of the Bible, and now we know they are all made up. Some of them are quite startlingly verisimilitudinous, such as the story of Abraham's servant finding a wife for Isaac in Genesis 24: "Then the servant left, taking with him 10 of his master's camels loaded with all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. He made the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was towards evening, the time the women go out to draw water." But these camels are made up, all 10 of them. Two Israeli archaeozoologists have sifted through a site just north of modern Eilat looking for camel bones, which can be dated by radio carbon. None of the domesticated camel bones they found date from earl...

Venezuela Coup? Gunfire, Clashes as 3 Dead in Violent Caracas Protest

" RT " - At least three people have died in violent protests in the Venezuelan capital, officials have confirmed. President Nicolas Maduro has condemned the unrest as an attempt at a coup d’état orchestrated by extremist members of the political opposition. Thousands of protesters flooded the streets of the Venezuelan capital on Wednesday in the worst unrest since Nicolas Maduro assumed the presidency last year. Demonstrators from several different political factions clashed in Caracas, leaving at least three people dead and over 20 injured. Venezuela’s top prosecutor confirmed the death of 24-year-old student Bassil Dacosta Frías, who was shot in the head and died later in hospital. Officials said that a government supporter was also assassinated in what they decried as an act of “fascism.” A third person was killed in the Chacao neighborhood in the East of the Venezuelan capital. #Caracas Difunden foto de unidades policiales incendiadas en el centro de la ciudad pic.twitt...

Europe's Center-Left Under Pressure as the Economic Crisis Drags On

Members and supporters of the CCOO Workers Union and the General Union of Workers take part in a protest organized by unions against the Spanish government's austerity policies at the Atocha Square in Madrid on Oct. 7, 2012. DANI POZO/AFP/Getty Images Summary The economic crisis is reshaping Europe's political and ideological landscape. The nationalist right is becoming more populist, criticizing the European Union and the political elites that back it and rejecting immigration. Center-right parties are afraid of losing votes to their competitors on the right, so they are adopting elements from the nationalists' agenda. Center-left parties are facing an identity crisis because they traditionally have defended deeper European integration and the expansion of the welfare state. With both of these concepts in crisis, progressive parties are struggling to adapt to the new social and political environment in Europe. The far right and center-right will continue attracting voter...

Is the Palestinian Civil War Coming to an End?

Palestinian supporters of the Fatah and Hamas movements demonstrate in the West Bank city of Hebron on Jan. 17, calling for an end to the siege of the Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp in southern Damascus. HAZEM BADER/AFP/Getty Images Summary A high-powered Fatah delegation on a visit to Gaza Feb. 11 continued its meetings with the leaders of Hamas. The two sides have been discussing ways of implementing the understanding they reached on ending the intra-Palestinian conflict and will continue to try to reach a power-sharing settlement. Two days earlier at a news conference, Hamas Politburo member Khalil al-Hayyah and Fatah Central Committee Member Nabil Shaath said talks were in the implementation stage after having reached an agreement ending a nearly seven-year civil war. Given that the two groups have failed to reconcile for years, it is unclear that this latest move will succeed. However, it is significant that a senior Fatah official traveled to Gaza to meet with Hamas leaders, an...

Venezuela's Growing Protests Are Not Yet a Danger to the Government

A protester waves a flag in front of police in Caracas on Feb. 12. (JUAN BARRETO/AFP/Getty Images) Summary Protests in Venezuela have been gaining strength, but it is doubtful whether the students and opposition groups behind the unrest have a support base broad enough to unseat the government at this time. Demonstrations Feb. 12 left three dead, dozens injured and dozens more arrested. The government also ordered the arrest of Leopoldo Lopez, the current opposition leader and former mayor of Chacao (a subdivision within the capital), according to El Universal. The protests are ostensibly intended to free four students who were arrested Feb. 6, but in reality they reflect widespread and growing dissatisfaction with the state of affairs in the economically turbulent country. Analysis The student-led protests drew tens of thousands of people to the streets in most of Venezuela's medium and large cities from Caracas to the border town of San Cristobal, Tachira state, where authoritie...