(2023-12-26). Ukraine has civil rights problems that relegate Russians to second-class status — US expert. infobrics.org Even after peace is achieved, as long as the Russian minority remains marginalized in Ukraine and as long as NATO expansion goes on, there will still be room for tension and conflict – internally and internationally. It is about time we have a wide and honest discussion about post-Maidan Ukraine.
(2023-12-26). Pressley Bill Would Classify Discriminatory Book Bans as Civil Rights Violations. scheerpost.com 
(2023-12-26). Santa Was in Solitary and Jesus Got the Death Penalty. scheerpost.com 
By Jean Casella / Solitary Watch It's Christmastime once again in Incarceration Nation. Amid the celebrations, fears, and hopes the season brings this year, it is worth stopping for a moment to remember certain things about the two figures who dominate this holiday. As the year ends with some 2,300 Americans sitting on death row …
(2023-12-26). Headlines for December 26, 2023. democracynow.org Hundreds of Palestinian Civilians Killed as Israel Steps Up Attacks on Gaza Strip, Israel PM Netanyahu Says Gaza Assault "Isn't Close to Finished", U.N. Security Council Passes Watered-Down Gaza Aid Resolution Following U.S. Veto Threat, Baghdad Condemns U.S. Strikes on Northern Iraq, Says Civilians Among the Dead, Israel Assassinates Senior Adviser to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria, Pope Calls for Gaza Ceasefire as Palestinians Cancel Christmas Celebrations in Bethlehem, Ukraine Weighs Lowering Age of Conscription as It Seeks Half-Million More Soldiers, Jailed Kremlin Critic Al…
(2023-12-26). Micron, Fujian Jinhua to settle lawsuits. ecns.cn U.S. chip company Micron Technology Inc has settled an intellectual property lawsuit with Chinese company Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co, which experts said can pave the way for positive development of the firms in the future.
(2023-12-26). Blood and Hyacinths: The Human Condition in Poetry. jamanetwork.com "Browsing the Journal of Gastrointestinal Distress" might seem an odd title for a poem, but not one written to honor the acclaimed Serbian American poet Charles Simic, who died in January 2023. Simic's poetry was colored by his early years in then-Yugoslavia amidst the specter of bloody political oppression, and was also distinctly American in its belief that art could be liberating. Thus "Browsing" tells of hyacinths planted among lyrically inscribed gravestones, the first in a series of juxtapositions that suggest beauty amidst darkness. Similarly, the speaker's fascination with the strange loveliness of the bo…