June 13, 2018, Catania, Sicily. The Aquarius arrives in Sicily carrying more than 900 migrants as a diplomatic standoff continues over Italy's refusal to let the rescue ship dock. Orietta Scardino/Press Association. All rights reserved. The Aquarius affair made clear that the European political space understands itself as only able to permit unrestricted freedom of movement within its internal borders – the Schengen area – by denying movement across its external borders. Moreover, the fact that refugee camps are increasingly emerging on the borders of the European area – and even outside it – is a concrete manifestation of the way that Europe, by means of an externalization of its borders,…

The biggest Democratic star to emerge from the 2018 midterm elections is, without a doubt, Beto O’Rourke. The Democratic challenger to Ted Cruz’s Texas Senate seat has attracted the nation’s attention for his compassionate vision of America — a stark contrast to that of his acerbic opponent.    Although he’s running to represent Texas, O’Rourke has become a popular figure in Hollywood. Celebrities have been ponying up big bucks for his campaign and endorsing him on social media. The latest to come out for O’Rourke is actor Jake Gyllenhaal. The “Nightcrawler” and “Brokeback Mountain” star posted a photo of himself wearing a “Beto” T-shirt on Sunday, November 4.  “Vote for change, for…

Signboard replaced outside hometown of Mesut Ozil in Turkey, removing photo of him in a German jersey in July 2018. Gurkay GüNdogan/Press Association. All rights reserved. The recent case of Mesut Özil has shown a severe rupture in relations between German-Turks and German natives, which has been a long time coming, but went unrecognized while the football national team put it in the shade. However, it was precisely because of the earlier sporting success of the German squad that the Özil case escalated into a fierce conflict. Three crucial ingredients played a role in this escalation: the failure of political messaging on national football-team diversity, some setbacks in Germany-Turkey relations,…

Twelve-year-old Corey “Lil C-Note” Jackson has already made a name for himself in the hip-hop world. He’s sold over 250,000 albums and he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show last year to show off his amazing sales technique. Jackson is also a philanthropist. At ten he started the “If I Can Do It, You Can, Too” foundation where he gives away toys to disenfranchised children. He also tours as a motivational speaker.  But now, Jackson may acquire another title: felon.  A few days ago Jackson was selling CDs with his aunt at the Cumberland Mall in Atlanta, Georgia, when he was detained by a police officer who threatened him with jail time.…

The crisis of the left around the world has opened up a vacuum for extreme right movements to gain traction and threaten our democracies. What Francis Fukuyama called the ‘end of history’ after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, in other words, the end of the fight between the ideologies of the left and the right in the post-Cold War world, and the triumph of liberal democracy as the only political path, lost its relevance thirty years later. One of the most influential modern thinkers that has positioned himself against this idea of the end of history is Portuguese sociologist and left-wing intellectual, Boaventura de Sousa Santos. De…

When Jessica Pate first saw the huge black shapes swimming close to shore in Palm Beach County, Florida, she didn’t know what they were. The shadowy forms were manta rays. Even though Pate was studying sea turtles at the time, and that meant she was constantly on the beach, she didn’t even realize that there were manta rays in Florida. She also soon learned no one else was studying them. Eager to find out more, she convinced a friend to take her out on the water to search for the rays. On that first expedition, Pate and her friend closed-in on an immense black shape in the teal water. The…

Lily Jordan can’t see the toes of her bright yellow wading boots over her pregnant belly. She sees swirls of orange fly line on the graveled beach, and tree shadows slanting down from the forest. She hears her 6-year-old son, Luke, tossing rocks into the lake. “Don’t, Luke, you’ll spook the fish.” “I don’t care.” And another rock shatters the smooth blue-green surface. His hazel eyes challenge hers, his mouth a tight line. “What’s wrong, Luke?” She feels her womb tightening as if the fetus she carries recoils from her 6-year-old’s negative energy. She is determined not to lose this baby and hopes that today will reveal what turned Luke from a fun-loving talkative child to a silent, anxious…

Palestinian boy protesting near the border with Israel, in eastern Gaza City, 27 April 2018. Picture by Momen Faiz/NurPhoto/Sipa US/PA Images. All rights reserved. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, the process of ethnic cleansing carried out by Zionist militias in Palestine which led to the displacement and dispossession of more than 750 000 Palestinians, including my own family.  I will not only confine my deliberations to abstract concepts and theories, but will evoke the reality as we experience and understand it on the ground in Gaza and in the diaspora. We Palestinians are fully aware of the fact that we are the victims of an historic issue that…

In case you missed it, during a recent appearance on “The Howard Stern Show,” comedian Sarah Silverman revealed Louis C.K. consensually jerked off in front of her. She shared there were times when C.K. would ask permission to jerk off in front of her, and she’d say yes, while other times she’d decline and he’d abide.   Silverman also went on to clarify that her experiences were “not analogous” to the other women C.K. masturbated in front of — for one, she gave consent, but also — the power dynamic was different. This is what she told Stern: While it should be noted that Silverman was prompted to talk about C.K., and…

The football game is the place to be in Huntsville on Friday night, but my sorry butt isn’t in those bleachers. Blair guilt-tripped me into babysitting Grandma instead. So here I am, stuck in a muggy warehouse on the outskirts of town, biding my time while “Gram” hangs out with her friends. The crowd erupts in a chorus of cheers and boos. I close my eyes and rub my temples, reminding myself that I’m doing the right thing. “Your grandma isn’t as young as she thinks she is,” Blair said as she packed the minivan just a few hours earlier. “I’m counting on you to look out for her.” The…