Posted By admin on February 26, 2015
Gaza Fixer: A Chronicle of Survival Can news fixer and six-time war survivor Raed Athamneh recover once more after Israel #39;s 2014 war on Gaza? More on our website: http://aljazeera.com Follow us...
Posted By richards on February 25, 2015
One of the great beauties about the CSUN community is that it is very diverse, with 37,000 students. Which is why we should always celebrate the history of different heritagesNot just Black History Month.
In fact, our university is ranked number 94 for best college diversity nationwide. Students come from different ethnic backgrounds, ranging from Hispanic, White, Asian, African American, Native American, Middle Eastern and many others. Seeing that we are such a unique university, it is only right that we celebrate each others history.
In order to remember the people who fought for our rights and helped shape America into what it is today, we celebrate holidays like Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day and Memorial Day.
Not only do we have certain days of memorial but we also have months dedicated to the history of Americas people.
One of the most prominent months that is easy to remember and celebrated around the United States is Black History Month. Having a month to learn about the struggles and to highlight the accomplishments of people is a beautiful thing. Although Black History Month isnt the only month dedicated to such a diverse nation, I fear other minority groups lack the proper representation to have their history widely known.
Im not saying that we shouldnt celebrate Black History Month. In fact, it is very important that we do. Out of the 37,000 students who attend CSUN, 7.8 percent are black. Other students on campus should be aware of how Black History Month has helped in shaping our society.
The struggles that African Americans went through should never be forgotten. They fought for equal rights and continued fighting for their freedom until they finally received it. That is in and of itself inspiring, and should be motivational for all. People need to learn about their history because it is one of the foundations in which America was built.
Sure, there may be some of us who are aware that October is Hispanic Heritage Month or know that November is known as Native American Heritage Month. We have months dedicated to Womens History, Gay and Lesbian Pride, Asian Pacific, Jewish American and even a month dedicated to older Americans and the disabled.
Months like these remind us that different minority groups are represented as well. Even though there are months dedicated on the calendar to these minority groups, they are still underrepresented.
For Black History Month, we hear stories about the individuals who defended equal rights of all while trying to improve the fate of African Americans.There was Martin Luther King who fought for equal rights and led the Civil Rights Movement up until his death. We hear stories about Nat Turner and her attempt to lead a slave rebellion in 1831, and Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat on a bus. Today, the 44th president of the United States is African American. By having Barack Obama lead our nation, it is proof that change is among us.
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We All Have A History Worth Celebrating
Posted By richards on February 25, 2015
L #39;Cha Dodi, Central Synagogue- Friday February 7, 2015
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L'Cha Dodi, Central Synagogue- Friday February 7, 2015 - Video
Posted By richards on February 25, 2015
Prague : Pragues Jewish Town : Spanish Synagogue
Prague : Pragues Jewish Town : Spanish Synagogue Praha : Prask idovsk msto : panlsk synagoga Approximate coordinates (gps): 50.09018 x 14.42084 The S...
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Posted By richards on February 25, 2015
Have you heard the one about the Sikh, the Hasidic Jew, the Muslim and the nun who walked into a job interview?
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito channeled his inner stand-up comic Wednesday in indicating that he and most of the court would side with a Muslim woman who showed up for a job interview with Abercrombie & Fitch wearing a black headscarf. She didn't get hired.
Samantha Elauf, the woman at the center of the case about religious discrimination in hiring, was in the courtroom Wednesday. The case turns on how an employer is supposed to know that a worker or applicant has religious beliefs that need to be accommodated.
The clothing retailer said Elauf can't claim discrimination because she didn't say anything about religion during her interview.
Alito acknowledged that it sounded like he was making a joke in describing interviews with "a Sikh man wearing a turban," "a Hasidic man wearing a hat," ''a Muslim woman wearing a hijab" and "a Catholic nun in a habit." But his point was that employers can't feign ignorance when people appear before them in religious clothing.
"Now, do you think ... that those people have to say, we just want to tell you, we're dressed this way for a religious reason. We're not just trying to make a fashion statement," Alito said.
Pressed by both conservative and liberal justices, Abercrombie lawyer Shay Dvoretzky said employers would get into trouble if they started making assumptions about people. "What we want to avoid is a rule that leads employers, in order to avoid liability, to start stereotyping about whether they think, guess or suspect that somebody is doing something for religious reasons," Dvoretzky said.
Only Justice Antonin Scalia seemed open to the company's argument.
Several of Scalia's colleagues said there's an easy way to avoid stereotyping. Tell job applicants what the rules are and ask them, as Justice Sonia Sotomayor said, "You have a problem with that?"
Those conversations sometimes might be awkward, Justice Elena Kagan said. But far better the awkward moments than a situation that leads to stereotyping anyway, Kagan said.
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Justices appear to favor Tulsa Muslim denied job over headscarf
Posted By richards on February 25, 2015
Samantha Elauf outside the Supreme Court Wednesday. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption
Samantha Elauf outside the Supreme Court Wednesday.
At the U.S. Supreme Court, you know that it's going to be a hot argument when the usually straight-faced Justice Samuel Alito begins a question this way: "Let's say four people show up for a job interview ... this is going to sound like a joke, but it's not."
The issue before the court on Wednesday was whether retailer Abercrombie & Fitch violated the federal law banning religious discrimination when it rejected a highly rated job applicant because she wore a Muslim headscarf.
Alito's hypothetical continued this way: The first of the four applicants to show up at Abercrombie is a Sikh man wearing a turban; the second is a Hasidic man wearing a hat; the third is a Muslim woman wearing a hijab; the fourth is a Catholic nun in a habit. Now, Alito asked Abercrombie's lawyer: "Do you think that those people have to say, we just want to tell you, we're dressed this way for a religious reason? We're not just trying to make a fashion statement." Or, might we reasonably conclude that Abercrombie knows why they are dressed that way?
Not surprisingly, Abercrombie's lawyer fudged his answer.
The case before the court arose when Samantha Elauf, then 17, applied for a job at an Abercrombie Kids store in Tulsa, Okla. She was interviewed by an assistant manager, given a high score and recommended for hiring. But the assistant manager alerted her superiors to the fact that Elauf wore a headscarf, telling them that she assumed the scarf was worn for religious reasons. Ultimately, the hiring recommendation went to a regional manager, who ordered Elauf's score downgraded because of the headscarf, and she wasn't offered a job.
Abercrombie defends its action, citing its so-called Look Policy, which bans caps and black clothing. Elauf's dress for the interview a T-shirt and jeans fit well with that policy, which is described as "classic East Coast collegiate style of clothing." But her headscarf did not fit at all. The policy does not allow caps, terming them "too informal for the image we project."
Abercrombie maintains that if Elauf wanted a religious exception allowing her to wear her headscarf, it was up to her to make the case at the time of her interview. Elauf responds that she didn't even know about the Look Policy, and that deliberately downgrading an otherwise highly rated applicant because of a religious practice violates the federal law banning religious discrimination in employment.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission agreed with Elauf. And on Wednesday, Deputy Solicitor General Ian Gershengorn told the Supreme Court that when an employer has reason to believe that an applicant will need a religious accommodation, that's enough to put the employer on notice and to trigger a conversation about whether a religious accommodation would be possible.
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High Court Leans Toward Religious Protection In Headscarf Case
Posted By admin on February 25, 2015
Gaza: : Another Battle - Just To Survive - Six months after the ceasefire During the last conflict with Israel, more than 2000 people in Gaza were killed and 18000 homes destroyed http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-31617943 Six months after a ceasefire... By: Skendong
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Gaza: : Another Battle - Just To Survive - Six months after the ceasefire - Video
Posted By admin on February 25, 2015
Trouble in the Tunnel: Fallout in Gaza (Part 2) Watch Part One After a War, Still Living in Rubble - http://bit.ly/1LHEjLZ During the devastating 50-day war in Israel and Gaza this past summer, around 18... By: VICE News
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Trouble in the Tunnel: Fallout in Gaza (Part 2) - Video
Posted By richards on February 25, 2015
NEW YORK (AP) Jazz musicians from around the world will gather this April in Paris for International Jazz Day, an event UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock hopes will bring an uplifting "positive message" to a city still reeling from last month's terrorist attacks.
Hancock and UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova announced Wednesday that Paris had been selected to be the global host city for the fourth annual International Jazz Day on April 30.
Hancock said organizers initially considered Paris as the host city to celebrate its legendary place in jazz history, dating back nearly a century to World War I when African-American troops brought the music to France.
But the deadly January attacks on the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish food market have given this year's event added significance, the jazz pianist said.
"Jazz has been a bridge for bringing people together," Hancock said in an interview. "It's not sectarian and it's not just for people of a particular ethnic group. It's for human beings. We need to recognize that which makes us similar, while at the same time honoring that which makes us different."
Bokova said the event was also intended to be a highlight of yearlong observances of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
She said that in these turbulent times, the All-Star Global Concert at UNESCO's Paris headquarters, to be offered on live stream around the world, offers a vital message.
"Jazz is not simply music. Jazz is about civil rights, human dignity and dialogue among cultures," said Bokova, interviewed by telephone from Paris. "Jazz emphasizes the importance of creativity and freedom of expression."
Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dianne Reeves, Al Jarreau and Marcus Miller will be among the American jazz stars performing at the concert climaxing Jazz Day celebrations. The international contingent includes trumpeters Hugh Masekela (South Africa) and Claudio Roditi (Brazil), saxophonists Igor Butman (Russia) and Guillaume Perret (France), and oud master Dhafer Youssef (Tunisia).
The daylong program will include jazz education programs and performances in all 20 districts of Paris, said Tom Carter, president of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, which is presenting the event in partnership with UNESCO.
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Paris named host city for International Jazz Day 2015
Posted By admin on February 25, 2015
Gaza: Why is no-one rebuilding it? BBC News BBC #39;s Lyse Doucet visits Gaza where during the last conflict with Israel, more than 2000 people were killed and 18000 homes destroyed. 73 Israelis also die..
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Gaza: Why is no-one rebuilding it? BBC News - Video
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