The BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment and Sanction) is taking over college campuses in Europe and America. Ronnie Fraser, a college lecturer and founding director of the Academic Friends of Israel, warns that the next generation of leaders is being brainwashed that Israel is the worst nation on earth. "Britain's students are being fed a diet of 'Israel is a racist state. Israel is a Zionist state. Israel equals the Nazis," he said. Fraser sued his own union, the University and College Union, for institutional anti-Semitism, saying it attempted an academic boycott of Israel that crossed the line into anti-Semitism.

In Germany, Nazi persecution of the Jews began with a boycott in April 1933. While some who are boycotting Israel may truly believe they’re only trying to help Palestinians, but to Jews, the goal of the Israel boycott is a destination similar to Nazi Germany’s. "People want to see the total destruction of Israel. When people say, from the river to the sea, that's what it means," Mandy Blumenthal with the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism explained.

There are undoubtedly those in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction movement who believe they are only trying to help Palestinians. But Jews see that the movement has a destination very similar to that of Nazi Germany. The boycott movement wants the full right return of the Palestinians; "from the river to the sea," which means Israel would be erased. The Nazis would call it "Judenfrei" or "free of the Jews."

The report in question - actually two reports issued together - is from the hefty US National Academy of Sciences.

According to the NAS:

Present-day global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by at least 90 percent ... Although emissions reductions are technologically feasible, they have been difficult to implement for political, economic, and social reasons that may persist well into the future ... It is thus prudent to also examine other options for countering the impacts of climate change.

But one of the authors of the report, Professor Raymond T Pierrehumbert, begs to differ. In a post on the popular blogging service Slate.com, he lays out his personal views. He feels that some of the other options - in particular those covered in the second report, dealing with the reflection of more sunlight back into space - are just too dangerous even to do research into.

He writes:

The idea of “fixing” the climate by hacking the Earth’s reflection of sunlight is wildly, utterly, howlingly barking mad. Professor Pierrehumbert feels that a future world in which the atmosphere is full of carbon but disastrous heating is only averted by a continually maintained effort to reflect sunlight away is not only dangerous but "an evil choice". He also seems to have very little faith in the United States in particular in such a scenario.

Lauding the rule-based system to emerge in the post-World War II era, Obama admitted it wasn’t perfect, but argued “the UN, the IMF, and a whole host of treaties and rules and norms that were established really helped to stabilize the world in ways that it wouldn't otherwise be.” He argued, however, that the efficacy of this idealistic, Wilsonian, rule-based system was severely tested by the fact that “there are bad people out there who are trying to do us harm.”

In the president’s view, the reality of those threats has compelled the US to have “the strongest military in the world.” Obama further says that “we occasionally have to twist the arms of countries that wouldn't do what we need them to do if it weren't for the various economic or diplomatic or, in some cases, military leverage that we had — if we didn't have that dose of realism, we wouldn't get anything done, either.”

Jean-Claude Juncker deliberately chose to deliver his warning in German. "Commissioners are proposed by the member states, but they do not represent the interests of their member state," the newly appointed president of the European Commission said as he introduced his team last September. In the event a commissioner confused "national and European policies," he threatened, he would move that appointee to another portfolio.

Germany's Commissioner Günther Oettinger paid little heed to the warning. On January 8, he met in Hamburg with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble to warn them that Juncker was planning to loosen the rules of the Stability Pact for the common currency zone. The three quickly agreed at the meeting that the development would not be in Germany's interest, and they agreed to thwart Juncker's plans.

It had been clear for some time that Europe's most powerful leader would eventually clash with the head of the European Commission, the EU's executive, but it happened earlier than some might have expected. Juncker's commission hasn't even been in office for 100 days yet and conflicts between Berlin and Brussels are already surfacing. Policy differences are at the forefront, with Juncker feeling that Merkel has bound Europe to austerity policies for too long. But the conflict also touches on a more fundamental question: Who holds the power in Europe?

CNN’s blunder was immediately noticed by viewers – many of whom began sharing the screenshot on Twitter, calling it a “Freudian slip” and commenting that “the mask slips.” One person said it was “the stupidest thing I’ve seen today.”

The definition of Kiev forces as “pro-US troops” looks to be a perfect contrast to the term “pro-Russian rebels,” which is used by Western media to refer to the militias in Ukraine’s southeastern Donetsk and Lugansk Regions. Western media outlets claim the regions are receiving direct support from Russia. Moscow has repeatedly stated that it is not part of the Ukraine conflict. Meanwhile, the US and EU have been unable to back their accusations that Russia is supporting and arming the rebels.

Last week, Stephen Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian studies and politics at New York University and Princeton University, called the Ukraine conflict a proxy war between Russia and the US-led NATO bloc. “A political dispute in Ukraine became a Ukrainian civil war. Russia backed one side; the United States and NATO, the other. So it’s not only a new Cold War, it’s a proxy war,” Cohen told Russia Insider.

The Ukraine conflict began last April, when Kiev sent regular forces and volunteer battalions to the southeastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions, after rebels there refused to recognize the country’s new, coup-imposed authorities. The civil war has so far claimed the lives of 5,300 people, according to the UN.

There were three main forces behind the drive towards integration.

Firstly, the reality of the Cold War and the growing dominance of the international stage by the USSR and USA brought home to Europeans the need to collaborate to match the political, military and economic strength of the superpowers.

Secondly, both of the World Wars had started on European soil, devastating vast swathes of the continent. Integration seemed the safest way to prevent future continental conflicts.

Finally, there seemed to be a desire among Europeans to create a more open and free continent, one which worked together for prosperity with fewer barriers to trade and travel.

In recent years, the validity of the European Union has been brought under heavy scrutiny, many European citizens campaign for their governments to secede from the Union. In such a situation, it is useful to look back on the treaty that started the transition of the Union from a purely economic one into one with significant political and social influence. Although the EU’s origins can be traced back to the formation of the ECSC in 1951, the institution as it exists today only truly came into being in 1992.

The Greek elections, in which the radical left-wing Syriza won a near majority, shattered the Brussels consensus. The new coalition government insists that austerity must end and foreign debts must be renegotiated. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that he wants Greece to stay in the euro zone as well as the EU. But a breakdown of the European bailout program might make a Greek exit from the euro ("Grexit") the only feasible option. And the popular revolt against outsiders dictating economic policy creates a huge new roadblock to attempts to expand Brussels' power over EU members.

Europe remains the world's most important economic unit. Home to most of the significant colonial powers, the continent enjoys globe-spanning historical and cultural ties. Only after the mid-20th century was Europe displaced from military pre-eminence. In 1992 German Chancellor Helmut Kohl predicted "the creation of what the founding fathers of modern Europe dreamed of after the war, the United States of Europe."

However, the EU failed to live up to the grand hopes of the Eurocrats, the academic, bureaucratic, business, media, and political elites who dominate continental politics and policy. Europe remains a geographic conglomeration, not a political unit.

Greece lied about meeting the euro's standards, but the euro zone's other members didn't care. Once in, Athens borrowed at essentially German interest rates and spent wildly - but not on anything that could credibly be called an "investment." Instead, the Greeks preferred to keep their system of relaxed but corrupt inefficiency. Debilitating work rules, privileged economic cartels, bloated public payrolls, profiteering political influences, and enervating cultural practices ensured that the country would never grow like its northern neighbors. Soon the loan bills came due, and Athens couldn't pay…

"Look, the state of their economy is really on the verge of disaster," Adomanis told host Alyona Minkovski, later adding, "If you look at the amount of assistance that Ukraine has actually received from both the United States and the Europeans, it’s been pretty paltry amounts. It's a few billion here and there, and [Ukraine's] funding needs are, at a minimum, somewhere between $15 and $20 billion and likely quoted a bit more."

Ukraine's Hryvnia currency plunged about 30 percent against the dollar on Thursday, Reuters reported. The news service explained that the country's currency has been sliding since the start of the protests in the winter of 2013. Decades of corruption have taken a heavy toll on the country's economy and the crisis has been made worse by the current fighting.

Mark Adomanis said the fighting has shut down areas that were once counted as some of the Ukrainian economy's most productive, like the Donets Basin. "This is a real catastrophe from an economic standpoint, and, again, unless there is very rapid and very substantial assistance that's provided to Kiev, I’m not sure how much longer they can keep things going on," Adomanis said.

Merkel staunchly opposes arming Ukraine's beleaguered military. “I hope that we shall be able to solve this conflict by diplomatic means because I think by military means it cannot be solved," Merkel said through a translator.

Her meetings in Washington and Ottawa followed German and French-led talks last week with Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. The parties will meet again Wednesday in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. "We will see over the next few days whether there will be progress. That is anything but certain," Merkel said.

The Chancellor said if there is no progress Western allies will coordinate future steps, but reiterated she is not in favor of lethal aid. "Now we should put all of our efforts into the question ‘can we find a diplomatic solution?’", she said. "I'm very grateful that both the American president and the Canadian prime minister support us in this endeavor."

This defiant rebuttal of the “no difference” hypothesis is sure to stir up a hornet’s nest as the Supreme Court prepares to trawl through arguments for and against same-sex marriage. It will be impossible for critics to ignore it, as it is based on more data than any previous study - 512 children with same-sex parents drawn from the US National Health Interview Survey.

The emotional problems included misbehaviour, worrying, depression, poor relationships with peers and inability to concentrate. After crunching the numbers, Sullins found opposite-sex parents provided a better environment. “Biological parentage uniquely and powerfully distinguishes child outcomes between children with opposite-sex parents and those with same-sex parents,” he writes.

As he points out, this has immense implications for public policy. The Elton John/David Furnish model of lavishing love and licorice on the offspring of surrogate mothers won’t do. Throwing down the gauntlet before supporters of same-sex marriage, Sullins contends that “the primary benefit of marriage for children, therefore, may not be that it tends to present them with improved parents (more stable, financially affluent, etc, although it does this), but that it presents them with their own parents.”

The Ultima Thule of same-sex marriage, legal and social recognition of gay and lesbian partnerships, will not reduce the risk of emotional problems. “The two family forms will continue to have fundamentally different, even contrasting effects on the biological component of child well-being, to the relative detriment of children in same-sex families.”

Dear Justice Kennedy,

“June is nigh, and with it will come your ruling on the most contentious political issue of our time: marriage.

I write because I am one of many children with gay parents who believe we should protect marriage. I believe you were right when, during the Proposition 8 deliberations, you said “the voice of those children [of same-sex parents] is important.” I’d like to explain why I think redefining marriage would actually serve to strip these children of their most fundamental rights.

It’s very difficult to speak about this subject, because I love my mom. Most of us children with gay parents do. We also love their partner(s). You don’t hear much from us because, as far as the media are concerned, it’s impossible that we could both love our gay parent(s) and oppose gay marriage. Many are of the opinion I should not exist. But I do, and I’m not the only one.

This debate, at its core, is about one thing.

It’s about children.

The definition of marriage should have nothing to do with lessening emotional suffering within the homosexual community. If the Supreme Court were able to make rulings to affect feelings, racism would have ended fifty years ago. Nor is this issue primarily about the florist, the baker, or the candlestick-maker, though the very real impact on those private citizens is well-publicized. The Supreme Court has no business involving itself in romance or interpersonal relationships. I hope very much that your ruling in June will be devoid of any such consideration.”

It’s true that people in the northeast would find it difficult to vote: more than a million and a half of them have fled their homes, while others are living under Boko Haram occupation or have been warned by the Islamist terrorists not to participate in the election. It’s also true that Boko Haram’s insurgency began almost six years ago. If the government can neutralize the group in just six weeks, what has taken so long?

Representative Calvey has introduced House Bill 2206, which would prohibit Oklahoma’s district attorneys from prosecuting state officials, granting that power exclusively to the state’s Attorney General. This would exempt lawmakers from prosecution of nearly any crimes that are normally handled at the local level.

The bill never goes into specifics on what would be considered a public offense, thus providing immunity to lawmakers for nearly any criminal activity at the local level. Since Calvey himself acknowledges that the point would be to avoid legislators or politicians from being prosecuted for abuse-of-power, this bill proposes to set forth a very dangerous precedent that could lead to even less accountability for politicians.