Israeli Segregation à la Rosa Parks

Posted on Dec 18, 2011

An Israeli woman is relegated to the back of the bus by a group of Orthodox Jews; New York celebs party with the Occupiers; and studying fish may be the key to understanding why uninformed voters are a necessary evil in our democracy. These discoveries and more below.

On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that have found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.

The links below open in a new window. Newer ones are on top.

The new Israel: Women in the back of the bus
All Tanya Rosenblit wanted to do was get on a bus to Jerusalem. She didn’t have any plans to turn into the Israeli Rosa Parks, when a group of ultra-Orthodox Jews demanded she move to the back of the bus.

U.S.-made tear gas becomes fatal ingredient of protests
Residents of Nabi Saleh in the West Bank have been demonstrating, each week for the past two years, against the slow encroachment on their land by Israeli settlers.

JPMorgan Chase Announces New Programs for Military and Veterans
JPMorgan Chase announced it will significantly enhance its programs to help military and veteran customers.

Are art and architecture converging?
A new book argues that the two forms seem more similar than ever—and that may not be a good thing.

The return of the Radical Chic evening
Penn Badgley, Zoe Kravitz and other young NY celebs throw a sparkly party for Occupiers. Confusion rules.

Don’t mourn—organize
As Molly Ivins wrote in 2004, using the words Joe Hill made famous (in a letter to Bill Haywood, prior to his execution in 1915), “Think about how you can lend a hand to the amazing myriad efforts that will promptly break out to help the country recover from what it has done to itself. Now is the time. Don’t mourn, organize.”

It’s not the Great Vacation
The Great Vacation narrative fails to explain why unemployment remains so high in the United States.

Investigating China: What it means to be a journalist in a socialist market economy
In authoritarian China, control of the media exists, but so does control by the media.

Bail-out Bombshell: Fed ‘Emergency’ Bank Rescue Totaled $29 Trillion Over Three Years
Speculation about the Fed’s actions during the financial crisis has made headlines on and off again over the last several years.

Herman Cain Floats Own Name for Defense Secretary
The former White House hopeful’s surprise answer catches even Barbara Walters off guard.

Study of Fish Suggests the Value of Uninformed Voters
Could the golden shiner prove the salvation of our democracy? New research involving the common minnow suggests that uninformed voters are important in blunting the effects of political extremists.

Solving the Public Poop Problem
Urination and defecation are human needs that the modern city handles very well, in private at least.

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