Thanks to Politico!

That makes number… Another GOP debate?!

Rotten apple? Apple’s earnings take a hit.

Tit for tats: Israel and Palestine swap prisoners.

And, what are teen girls learning from reality TV?

Image thanks to the New York Times

We at USDemocrazy are big fans of a day at the beach – the splashing waves, golden sand, warm sun, cool breeze, and…the civil disobedience?

A group of Israeli women have been taking Palestinian women from the West Bank to the beach – in violation of their country’s laws.

Palestinians are not legally allowed to move freely back and forth between the land-locked Palestinian territories and Israel.  As a result, many have never been to the beach.

About a year ago, a group of Israeli women started taking Palestinian women to the beach.  There have been seven trips so far.

Many of the Israeli women involved have been called in for questioning by the Israeli police, but no arrests have been made and no Palestinians have been questioned.

One woman involved explained that

What we are doing here will not change the situation. But it is one more activity to oppose the occupation. One day in the future, people will ask, like they did of the Germans: ‘Did you know?’ And I will be able to say, ‘I knew. And I acted.’

Check out pictures from their day at the beach here.

Thanks to MSNBC!

The Big Man moves on: Saxophonist Clarence Clemons dies at 69.

What’s the score? Obama and Boehner hit the golf course.

Burning up! Things get dry in the south, risk of fires increases.

STUCK: United Airlines passengers stranded all over the country.

And, how old is graffiti?!

Image from Palestine Note

Everyone gets stressed from work sometimes and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad might be no exception.

As if he didn’t have enough on his mind already, the Prime Minister suffered a heart attack on Sunday.

At the time of the heart attack, Fayyad was visiting the United States for his son’s graduation from the University of Texas. He is currently recovering in a nearby hospital.

Though they can’t necessarily be linked, the heart attack comes at the time of an increased focus on Israeli-Palestinian relations. Tensions have been high as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Washington and a forthcoming United Nations vote gives Palestine the potential for statehood.

The vote at September’s U.N. General Assembly would be mostly symbolic, and carry little legal weight. But passage—which is expected if the resolution proceeds to a vote—would be a very visible show of Israel’s isolation on the international stage.”

Thanks to Zimbio

Don’t add “diplomat” to Justin Bieber’s repertoire. Pop star might be ruining relations in Israel.

Long road ahead; President Obama lays out 12 year plan to cut spending and borrowing.

Environment or economy? China weighs their options.

Republican governors will be Republican governors: Labor supporters angered by Florida’s GOP governor.

And, Barry Bonds breaks the rules.

The world has been serving up a lot of big headlines of late… Earthquakes and uprisings have rocked the world.

Two other news story that might have ordinarily received more world attention slipped by many of us last week.

Both were sad reminders of the inflamed relations between Israel and its Palestinian neighbors.

The first is the gruesome story of a terrorist attack on a Jewish family who were knifed to death while their slept in their home. The dead included a four year old boy and his baby sister.

The second was a decision by the Israeli government to restart construction of Israeli settlements in disputed land. This action will most certainly lessen the chance of any peace talks between the two adversaries.

Are there any other stories out there you think the world is missing?

(Cartoon by Kal)

From E online

All over America, people are losing their homes, and it seems trivial media sensations are no exception, as Octomom is getting evicted.

Surfing Santas hit the Florida coast- perhaps Santa is considering relocating.

Israel’s foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman says “peace is impossible” with Palestine.

A man returns a library book- 76 years late.  Luckily, the library is waiving the late fee.

North Korea recently joined YouTube and Twitter, using the social media platforms to mock South Korea and the United States. Interestingly, the messages are aimed at South Koreans, not at North Koreans, who are denied access to websites like YouTube and Twitter.

Europe

Ladies of Italy, rejoice! Venice is soon going to see its first female gondolier! Until recently, the trade has been limited to men due to the tradition of fathers training their sons to become gondoliers. Now, there is a course in becoming a gondolier and more women can try their hand at the profession.

Middle East

There’s another controversy involving Facebook! An Israeli soldier posted pictures of herself smiling and posing next to blindfolded and handcuffed Palestinian prisoners,  causing an uproar among Palestinian groups. The Israeli Defense Force has released a statement disapproving the picture, but the soldier sees nothing wrong with her actions.

Thanks to Wikicommons.

Even more costs for US Gov. due to homes. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac costing USA more than any other.

Opening of the Gaza blockade. Israel announces plan to allow civilian goods into war torn area.

China to revalue currency (slowly). Central Chinese bank says changes to value would happen gradually.

Africa

This week saw the start of the France-Africa Summit, a conference between many African and French leaders, both in the political and business arena. The summit is to address topics such as Africa’s role in the world and trade between Africa and France. The summit comes at a time when many African countries, including Burkina Faso, the Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar, are celebrating their 50th year of independence.

Asia

Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has resigned.  Hatoyama is the fourth Japanese Prime Minister to resign after spending less than a year in office. At a news conference Hatoyama said that he had failed in trying to make people the most integral part of the government. His resignation does not come as a surprise, as he has been losing support for the past few months. Many expect the current Finance Minister, Naoto Kan, to take the position next.

Europe

Japan isn’t the only country facing an important leader resigning from his job. Germany’s President, Horst Koehler, has resigned after having the job for only about a year. The Presidency in Germany is a largely a ceremonial role, with the Chancellor, Angela Markel, having more power, but Koehler’s resignation just adds more work for Merkel, as she tries to find a suitable replacement. The resignation was not expected, with Merkel only finding out 2 hours before the official announcement.

The Middle East

The big news in the Middle East is the tension between Israel and Turkey after the former raided aid ships, leaving many Turkish citizens dead. Israel is still holding passengers from the ship and refuse to acquit them, despite Turkey’s demands. Needless to say, Israel and Turkey are not getting along right now, even though they have cooperated in the past.

Central America

Tropical Storm Agatha, the first of the season, killed around 200 people in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.  As after most disasters, many are homeless and lack important supplies, like water and food. Aid officials are trying to reach interior regions to distribute these resources. A sinkhole also appeared in the middle of Guatemala City that claimed an entire sewing factory but fortunately, no one was hurt or killed.