The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is the largest aid agency in the Gaza Strip where it provides emergency and other assistance to vulnerable Palestinians. Credit: UNRWA
ATLANTA, USA, Oct 31 2024 (IPS) – The most solemn and terrifying words ever uttered are those inscribed over the gateway to Hell in Dante’s Inferno: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here!” Hope is essential for human survival both as individuals and as nations.
Surveying the history of the seemingly endless series of wars and counter-wars between Israel and its foes in Gaza and Lebanon from 1948 until now—a period of 76 years—it seems that all hope for peace has been lost. Palestinians, Lebanese, the people of Gaza—and yes, the Israelis too—are all residents of this inferno, the endless Hell of war.
If you pay close attention to the weak, mealy-mouthed utterances of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken—the emissary of the equally weak President Joe Biden—you’ll understand that the Middle East region and therefore the world is rapidly approaching the Ninth Circle of Hell.
Both of them utter meaningless phrases that reveal their lack of understanding at best, or at worst their vicious, inhumane complicity.
Now, the latest, and possibly most obscene, third act in this modern Greek tragedy was played out October 28 in Israel’s Knesset. Nearly 100 of the 120 members of that wise and honorable body voted to cut the lifeline for millions of Palestinians who depend on the UN’s Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for health care and education.
Credit: UNRWA
Besides irrationally imposing new cruelties—rubbing salt in the wounds of an entire population of innocent people—the Knesset’s decision constitutes cultural genocide, an essential factor underlying the supreme international crime of Genocide as defined by the United Nations.
UNRWA’s registry constitutes the primary link millions of 1948 War refugees and their descendants have to their lost properties. Destroying that link erases an entire people from history. It obliterates Israel’s “Crime of the Century,” which is the theft of the nation of Palestine.
Is this the hand of friendship, the “Light to the Nations” Israel’s founder Ben Gurion promised in 1948? Review the numbers: there are still 1.2 million registered Palestinian refugees dependent on food aid in 68 camps in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank, and Gaza. UNRWA services in Gaza alone include 140 health care centers and 700 schools educating 300,000 students.
Is there hope in this darkened scenario? Actually, there is. Sun Tzu’s long-ago Chinese classic, The Art of War, records the following sardonic, understated observation: “There is no example of a long war benefitting anybody.”
Which means that at some point people will have to come to their senses, or else generations will pass away before their descendants, with new issues to deal with, will wonder what the fuss was all about.
But that’s in the future—perhaps the distant future. What about now? Is there any hope? Surprisingly, yes, there is.
In an interview on al-Jazeera television on October 25, 2024, after more than a year of the most devastating and genocidal war on Palestine’s civilian population, leading Palestinian politician and spokesman Mustafa Barghouti, expressed optimism.
He said that the single positive development during the longest and most destructive war against Palestine in its history is the continuing determination of the Palestinian people to remain on their land and to resist efforts to expunge their national identity, as is their right.
In Arabic it is called Sumud, “steadfastness,” loosely translated as “Staying power.” Hope survives. Where there’s life, there’s hope.
James E. Jennings is President of Conscience International, an international aid organization that has responded to wars in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, and Gaza since 1991.
The Art Show crowd on opening night. Photo credit: Scott Rudd Productions
ADAA’s The Art Show opened last night (October 30) in the Park Avenue Armory, with the usual benefit gala to support Henry Street Settlement, one of the nation’s oldest social services organizations. The 36th edition of one of the oldest fairs in the city has work brought by seventy-five ADAA member galleries, many of which are presenting highly curated solo booths that put very focused spotlights on each artist’s practice and narrative. This curatorial attention, coupled with the already present elegance of the well-dimensioned interiors of the Armory and the high-profile crowd, gave the fair a boutique feel.
Despite this, sales and negotiations unfolded slowly in the early hours, reflecting a current trend: collectors are increasingly contemplative and deliberate, requiring extended conversations and negotiations before finalizing deals even as prices at most booths seemed more reasonable than in previous editions. The abundant selection of hors d’oeuvres and drinks may not have helped, as much of the crowd’s attention gravitated towards refreshments, diverting the focus away from art purchases.
Newly appointed ADAA executive director Kinsey Robb, however, expressed satisfaction with the first night’s turnout, telling Observer that the benefit preview exceeded his expectations. “There was a stellar turnout and palpable excitement in the air for our exhibitors’ presentations, many of whom debuted new works and artists for the first time,” he said. “It was a joy to come together as a community, share in one another’s work and celebrate our longstanding partnership with Henry Street, for whom we raised over $1 million last night.”
Of the seventy-five ADAA member galleries featured at the fair, forty-three presented solo exhibitions. Photo credit: Scott Rudd Productions
At the entrance, Pace Gallery mounted a solo booth featuring unique monotypes by in-demand artist Chase Hall, with prices set between $50,000 and $55,000. Just ahead, Kasmin presented a series of rarely exhibited works by influential American photographer Tina Barney, all focused on the theme of family.
One booth of particular note was that of Luxembourg + Co., with theatrical assemblages by Japanese artist Katsumi Nakai. Nakai, who relocated to Italy in the 1960s, became deeply immersed in the Italian art scene, working with the historic Galleria Il Naviglio in Milan. His practice, rich with influences from Lucio Fontana’s Teatrini and the shaped, altered canvases of Enrico Castellani and Agostino Bonalumi, also retains a link to Japanese origami traditions. These pieces literally unfold in the booth, shifting from monochromatic designs to vibrant, multicolored structures that evoke playful, almost biological forms. Priced between $14,000 and $50,000, Nakai’s work is part of an ongoing rediscovery effort following his showcase at Frieze Masters in London and a solo exhibition in London last year. This effort coincides with a newly opened show at Luxembourg + Co.’s New York location, featuring Nakai’s work in dialogue with that of Isamu Noguchi.
Thomas Sills and Jeanne Reynal presented by Eric Firestone. Courtesy of Eric Firestone
Down the left aisle, Eric Firestone Gallery presents a captivating dialogue between Thomas Sills and Jeanne Reynal, two artists who were life partners and deeply influenced one another’s intricate, compelling art. Their works reflect a shared inspiration from their travels, particularly in the Mediterranean and South America. Reynal, trained in Paris as a mosaicist, developed an innovative abstract approach to this traditional medium upon her return to the U.S., cutting and intuitively assembling tesserae mixed with Venetian glass, semi-precious stones and shell fragments. The result is sculptural columns that evoke ancient Greek archeological ruins but at the same time appear extremely organic, like underwater corals or limestone formations, while her works on canvas take a more informal approach to the material, with a magmatic quality that recalls the experimental textures of Jean Fautrier and Jean Dubuffet. Meanwhile, Sills (1914-2000), a self-taught Black artist from the South, began painting in his 30s, inspired by Reynal’s work and encouraged by Willem de Kooning. Known for his mastery of color, Sills applied paint with cloths and rags, creating a distinctive softness and an inner luminosity in his pieces. Reynal’s works in this presentation are offered in the $150,000-$200,000 range.
Speaking of light emanating from canvas, Tibor De Nagy is showcasing Icelandic landscapes by Hildur Ásgeirsdóttir Jónsson that pulse with vibrant colors and gradients, capturing the unique natural forces and atmospheric frequencies of her homeland. These works are priced between $15,000 and $18,000.
Nearby, Michael Rosenfeld showcases a solo presentation of Charles White’s evocative chronicles of African American lives. Next door, Peter Freeman’s booth immediately captures fairgoers’ attention with an installation featuring dollars suspended from the ceiling. This piece, part of “Just as money is paper, so is a gallery a room” by Croatian neoconceptual artist Mladen Stilinović, critically explores the role of money and labor in society, informed by his experience under a communist regime. Stilinović, a leading figure in Yugoslavia’s New Art Practice and a member of Zagreb’s Group of Six Artists, focused his work on a direct critique of societal values surrounding money and work.
Mladen Stilinović, “Just as money is paper, so is a gallery a room,” Peter Freeman, Inc., Booth D13. Courtesy Peter Freeman, Inc., New York / Paris. Photography by Nicholas Knight.
At Peg Alston’s booth, standout pieces by Sam Gilliam and Frank Bowling, including a Bowling work inspired by Cézanne and priced at $200,000, drew notable attention. Louis Armstrong’s music played in the background, creating an ambiance reminiscent of the era in which many of these works were conceived.
Toward the back, Lehmann Maupin presented intricate collages by Malawian artist Billie Zangewa, hand-stitched from raw silk fragments. Her works, exploring themes of motherhood and life in Johannesburg, are on display at SITE SANTA FE through February and will later travel to the Frost Museum. Pieces at The Art Show were priced between $18,000 and $20,000.
Nearby, James Fuentes highlighted the lyrical abstraction of Japanese artist Kikuo Saito alongside two lyrical paintings by Trinidad-born polymath Geoffrey Holder, whose estate the gallery represents. Holder’s Woman in Orange, sold on the first night for $150,000. Following a summer show at Victoria Miro with his brother, Boscoe Holder, Geoffrey Holder’s diverse body of work has attracted renewed interest, especially since Fuentes hosted his first solo exhibition in Los Angeles at the beginning of the year.
Geoffrey Holder, Portrait of Carmen, 1960; Oil on masonite, 68 1/2 x 41 1/8 inches. Courtesy of the estate and James Fuentes.
Among the fair’s notable discoveries this year are the darkly surreal work of self-taught artist Abraham Lincoln Walker (1921-1993), originally from Kentucky and based in Saint Louis. Recently discovered and presented for the first time by Andrew Edlin Gallery, Walker’s art nearly sold out in the early hours, with pieces priced between $10,000 and $40,000. His deeply dystopian works from the late 1960s to early 1970s depict elongated, masked figures and disjointed human forms, intertwining and hovering in ambiguous relationships in desolate, dark-toned landscapes.
For those interested in emerging talents, a visit to the booth of Houston-based Josh Pazda Hiram Butler Gallery is worthwhile. Here, one finds the intricate, multilayered abstract paintings of Ana Villagomez, who recently enjoyed a sold-out show at Nino Mier Gallery in New York. All works are uniform in size and priced at $18,000, reflecting her growing appeal among collectors.
Ana Villagomez, “The Lightning is the Mother’s Song,” presented by Josh Pazda Hiram Butler. Photo: Scott Rudd
Josh Pazda Hiram Butler is not the only Houston gallery represented this year: ADAA has launched an exciting new initiative, “Spotlight On…,” designed to showcase the art scenes of cities beyond major art hubs. The inaugural edition celebrates the vibrancy of Houston’s fine art community, featuring presentations by Houston-based ADAA members with panels and institutional engagement.
Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino is presenting a solo exhibition by artist Reynier Leyva Novo with works from his ongoing series, Mnemosyne’s Whisper. This series debuted earlier this year in Novo’s solo exhibition “Former Present Today” at the Blaffer Art Museum at the University of Houston. Novo’s body of work explores historical memory, questioning how it is shaped and manipulated through monuments and other symbolic representations. The booth has acrylic paintings and canvas drawings that reflect on the removal of Confederate monuments in the U.S. following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. One side of the exhibit features an abstract blue block created by amplifying a single pixel of the sky that once framed these monuments, effectively erasing their image. The contrasting side showcases a drawing that uses infrared light to reveal traces beneath the erased documentation of the historical moment.
Cuban artist Reynier Leyva Novo presenting his work with Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino. Photo credit: Scott Rudd Productions
ADAA’s The Art Show continues at Armory Park Avenue through Saturday, November 2.
Attorneys for former Nebraska Congressman Jeff Fortenberry filed a flurry of motions this week seeking, among other things, to disqualify the attorney prosecuting him for allegedly lying to FBI agents investigating foreign campaign contributions.
It’s the second time they’ve asked a judge to remove Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mack Jenkins, who first prosecuted Fortenberry in California in 2022 on the same allegations.
The judge there denied the motion.
And a jury in Los Angeles found him guilty of one count of concealing conduit campaign contributions and two counts of lying to federal agents during an investigation into $30,000 Fortenberry had gotten from a controversial Nigerian billionaire, Gilbert Chagoury, at a fundraiser in L.A. in 2016.
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Fortenberry ultimately donated the money to charity after he learned about it because it is illegal for U.S. elected officials to accept foreign money. But the FBI says he lied in interviews about the money.
Fortenberry resigned from the House of Representatives a week after his conviction. And he later appealed.
On Dec. 26, 2023, a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel reversed the conviction, saying Fortenberry should have been tried in Nebraska or Washington D.C., where he had made the statements at issue, not in California where the fundraiser took place.
Four days after the mandate was issued, the five-year statute of limitations ran out to bring charges against him in Nebraska over the statements he made at his home March 23, 2019.
But on May 8, a grand jury in Washington indicted him on two charges — falsifying and concealing material facts and making false statements — for statements Fortenberry made while still in office during an interview July 18, 2019, at his counsel’s office in Washington.
Court filings in the case Tuesday showed the back-and-forth that followed the decision to retry him, this time in Washington.
In an email exchange that followed, the government offered Fortenberry a plea agreement. Plead to falsifying and concealing material facts. In exchange, the government would ask for time served, plus a reinstatement of the previous $25,000 fine and any community service he hadn’t already completed.
Tobin Romero, Fortenberry’s attorney, responded the same day with Fortenberry’s counteroffer — that the government drop the case — which was rejected.
By Aug. 7, Romero had emailed U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves directly asking him to reconsider.
Two days later, Graves declined, saying he was familiar with the matter, the plea offer and counteroffer.
“I support the team’s assessment and decision to continue the prosecution,” he wrote.
Jeff Fortenberry
Associated Press file photo
In motions Tuesday, Romero asked a judge to dismiss the indictment and asked for oral arguments on his request to obtain discovery as to whether Fortenberry’s case amounted to “selective prosecution” or “selective enforcement.”
He’ll face a high burden in proving it, but pointed to a 1999 case where an African American defendant charged with cocaine distribution met the standard by showing state prosecutions, but not a single federal prosecution, of a white person in the entire year across four counties of Massachusetts.
“Although courts appropriately pay deference to prosecutorial discretion in the vast majority of cases, the decision to re-indict and retry this case is the kind of unprecedented prosecutorial decision that warrants discovery into government decision-making,” he wrote.
Romero said the defense team wasn’t able to find any cases in the past 10 years in which the federal government, following reversal by a Court of Appeals, retried a defendant who had received probation and had served most of it.
He accused the government not only of disparate treatment, but also of “political bias” against Fortenberry, a Republican and supporter of Donald Trump, pointing to Jenkins’ financial contribution to “Stop Republicans,” a group dedicated to resisting Trump and the Republican Party.
“Separation of powers principles ordinarily require courts to defer to the executive branch’s prosecutorial decisions, but the Constitution importantly provides for some limited checks by the judiciary,” Romero wrote in the motion.
He said he had urged the government not to retry Fortenberry. Even if a retrial were to result in a conviction, he likely would be sentenced to serve no more than the remaining six months of his prior probationary sentence, the attorney said.
Romero also pointed to Fortenberry’s first trial, saying the government focused extensively on its July 18, 2019, interview of Fortenberry where Jenkins questioned him for more than two hours, making him a witness in the case.
“This is unavoidable — the July 18 interview is central to the case, as was SAUSA Jenkins’ role in it,” he wrote.
The government hasn’t yet responded to the motions.
Photos: Jeff Fortenberry through the years
Jeff Fortenberry
1st District Rep. Jeff Fortenberry speaks with more than 200 constituents during a town hall meeting at Southeast Community College on Monday, Aug. 8, 2011. The nation’s debt was the most popular topic of the evening. (BRYNN ANDERSON / Lincoln Journal Star)
BRYNN ANDERSON/Lincoln Journal S
Memorial Day
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry speaks during a Memorial Day event honoring military veterans in 2012 at Antelope Park.
Journal Star file photo
Osborne in congress
First District candidate for Congress Jeff Fortenberry (right) speaks to members of the media during a news conference in 2004 at the Fremont Municipal Airport. Supporting at the press conference were Congressmen Tom Osborne and Bob Goodlatte of Virginia.
Archive photo
RB12081602.jpg
ASHLAND, NE – 08/16/2012 – Sen. Ben Nelson humors Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (second from left) as he opens his remarks during the 2012 Legislative Summit at the Strategic Air & Space Museum. Congressional report speakers were (L-R) Congressman Adrian Smith, Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, Congressman Lee Terry, Sen. Mike Johanns, and Sen. Ben Nelson. ROBERT BECKER/Lincoln Journal Star 8/17/2012 2A Sen. Ben Nelson humors Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (second from left) as he opens his remarks during the 2012 Legislative Summit at the Strategic Air & Space Museum on Thursday. Congressional report speakers were (from left) Rep. Adrian Smith, Fortenberry, Rep. Lee Terry, Sen. Mike Johanns and Nelson. ROBERT BECKER/LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR
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Republicans Gov. Mike Johanns (left) and Sen. Chuck Hagel join Jeff Fortenberry at the Cornhusker Hotel Tuesday night. Fortenberry thanked them for lending their “good names,” to his campaign.
WILLIAM LAUER
Czech ambassador
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry walks into the Kolac Korner in Prague on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2013, for a reception to welcome Petr Gandalovic, the Czech ambassador to the United States.
MORGAN SPIEHS/Lincoln Journal Star
Ben Sasse
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (from left), Republican Senate nominee Ben Sasse and Gov. Dave Heineman share a laugh at Sasse’s Election Night party following the 2014 primary.
FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
Memorial Day
U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-1st Dist., speaks at a Memorial Day service at Wyuka Cemetery.
DAN LITTLE/Lincoln Journal Star
Fortenberry in France
Jeff Fortenberry (right) with veteran Bill Elwood of Red Oak, Iowa. Fortenberry is a member of the congressional delegation that joined President Barack Obama and other world leaders in paying tribute to the U.S. and allied forces who fought and died in Normandy on D-Day 70 years ago.
Courtesy photo
Pilger tornado damage
Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (left) and Gov. Dave Heineman tour damage in downtown Pilger with Fire Chief Kory Koehlmoos after the tornadoes.
GWYNETH ROBERTS/Lincoln Journal Star
Prange Funeral
LINCOLN, NEB – 08/08/2014 – Widow Liz Prange receives a hug from Congressman Jeff Fortenberry following the funeral service for her husband, United States Army Staff Sergeant Benjamin G. Prange, on Friday outside Southwood Lutheran Church.
KRISTIN STREFF/Lincoln Journal Star
Jeff Fortenberry, Columbus
Military historian Timothy Kilvert-Jones (left), U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (center) and Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce President K.C. Belitz visit the Andrew Jackson Higgins Memorial, which includes a full-size replica of Higgins’ landing craft, on Tuesday in Columbus.
TYLER ELLYSON/Columbus Telegram
Jeff Fortenberry
U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (left) speaks to Pete Ricketts’ supporters as his wife, Celeste, looks on prior to Ricketts’ appearance on Tuesday at The Cornhusker Marriott in Lincoln. Fortenberry told the crowd to enjoy the GOP’s wins. Winning is wonderful, he said. “But it’s not enough. We have to govern.”
FRANCIS GARDLER/Lincoln Journal Star
fortenberry
Former President George W. Bush, along with former first lady Laura Bush, met this week in Washington with the family of a Nebraska soldier whom the president had decorated with a Purple Heart weeks before the soldier died of wounds suffered in a roadside bomb explosion in Afghanistan. The meeting was arranged by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (far right). Capt. Robert Yllescas’ two daughters, Julia Faye (right) and Eva Grace, were joined by their mother, Dena, who has remarried, and her husband, John Johnston, along with their 21-month-old son, Carsten.
Courtesy photo
Jeff Fortenberry at military recruitment center
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (right) talks with U.S. Army Capt. Jonathan D. Murrell (left) and Sgt. 1st Class Anthony E. Fey on Friday during a visit to the military recruitment center on North 27th Street.
FRANCIS GARDLER/Lincoln Journal Star
Offutt Air Force Base Task Force
Congressmen Adrian Smith (from left), Brad Ashford and Jeff Fortenberry joined Gov. Pete Ricketts to answer questions about a task force formed to push for runway repairs at Offutt Air Force Base.
GWYNETH ROBERTS/Journal Star
Election 2016: Republican Party
LINCOLN, NEB – 11/08/2016 Congressman Jeff Fortenberry smiles for a picture with supporters Sydney Langness (from left), Joyce Hasselbalch, Karen Lay, Myre Meints and Donna McClain, all of Lincoln, during the Lancaster Republican Party’s election night event on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, at Chez Hay Reception Hall. MATT RYERSON, Journal Star
MATT RYERSON, Journal Star
Yazidi Cultural Center
Laila Khoudeida, board member and secretary for the global Yazidi group Yazda, speaks with Congressman Jeff Fortenberry during a tour of the newly opened Yazidi Cultural Center on Friday.
GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Fortenberry
Lincoln Police Officer Christopher Milisits keeps an eye on the crowd as Rep. Jeff Fortenberry answers questions during a town hall meeting with constituents at Lincoln Southwest High School.
KRISTIN STREFF, Journal Star file photo
Fortenberry Meets with Malawi’s Ambassador
Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) on Monday (April 24) issued the following statement after meeting Malawi’s Ambassador to the United States: “Congratulations to Norfolk and their sister city Blantyre, Malawi. I was honored to welcome the Malawi Ambassador, His Excellency Edward Yakobe Sawerengera, and the Mayor of Blantyre, the Honorable Wild Ndipo, to my office. We had a good discussion about education, agriculture, and conservation practices.” Fortenberry serves on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations.
COURTESY PHOTO
Fortenberry Town Hall
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry speaks as police monitor the crowd at Schoo Middle School.
AMBER BAESLER, Journal Star
Fortenberry Town Hall
LINCOLN, NEB – 07/31/2017 Rep. Jeff Fortenberry speaks at a town hall meeting on Monday, July 31, 2017 at Lux Middle School. AMBER BAESLER, Journal Star
AMBER BAESLER, Journal Star
Fortenberry 79
Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (left) takes a question during a town hall meeting amid hundreds of constituents on Monday, March 13, 2017, at Lincoln Southwest High School.
KRISTIN STREFF, Journal Star
James Terry
Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (left) and James Terry chat during Fortenberry’s visit to the SCC Entrepreneurship Center in June 2017
Courtesy photo
Fortenberry town Hall
Lincoln, NE – 7/27/2018 – Rep. Jeff Fortenberry listens to a question at a town hall meeting on Friday, July 27, 2018, at Schoo Middle School. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
GWYNETH ROBERTS
Jeff Fortenberry campaign sign vandalism
A large Jeff Fortenberry sign was defaced in October with big googly eyes and a misspelling of the incumbent candidate’s name.
COURTESY PHOTO
Election 2018 Nebraska Republicans
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb.,, second right, shakes the hand of a supporter during a Nebraska Republican Party Get Out The Vote rally tour stop in Omaha, Neb., Friday, Nov. 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Nati Harnik
Senator Deb Fischer wins re-election
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry hugs one of his daughters while speaking at an election party in Lincoln Tuesday.
LUKE FRANKE, For the Journal Star
The 2019 Inaugural Ball at Pinnacle Bank Arena
U.S. Representative Jeff Fortenberry and his wife Celeste are presented during the “Grand March” on Saturday Jan. 12th, 2019, for the 2019 Inaugural Ball at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Savannah Blake, Journal Star
Fortenberry town hall 2
1st District Rep. Jeff Fortenberry speaks at a town hall meeting in August 2019 at Lincoln North Star High School. Fortenberry, a Republican, had $1.9 million in campaign cash on hand in April to face Democratic challenger Kate Bolz.
GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star file photo
Legislative Summit Nebraska
Nebraska’s elected lawmakers, from left: Reps. Don Bacon, Adrian Smith, and Jeff Fortenberry and Sens. Deb Fischer and Ben Sasse sit on stage during a legislative summit sponsored by the Omaha and Lincoln Chambers of Commerce, at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in Ashland Thursday.
Nati Harnik, Associated Press
CHIEF STANDING BEAR
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (from left), Rep. Jeff Fortenberry and Sen. Deb Fischer listen to remarks during an unveiling ceremony of a statue of Ponca Chief Standing Bear in Statuary Hall in September.
Journal Star file photo
Fortenberry
Jeff Fortenberry (third from left) watches as President Trump signs The Great American Outdoors Act on Tuesday.
Jeff Fortenberry Facebook page
Jeff Fortenberry and Pete Ricketts
Gov. Pete Ricketts (right) defended Rep. Jeff Fortenberry on Monday, describing him as “a man of high integrity.” The two Republicans are shown here at a meeting in September 2020 with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, who visited Great Plains Beef in Lincoln.
GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star file photo
Lincoln South Beltway event
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry speaks at an event to celebrate the progress made on construction of the Lincoln South Beltway on Oct. 8.
GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star file photo
Trump rally
U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry listens as President Donald Trump speaks at Eppley Airfield in Omaha on Tuesday. President Trump spoke as part of a Make America Great Again! campaign rally.
ANNA REED, Omaha WORLD-HERALD
GOP Election Party, 11.3
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry introduces his wife Celeste during the Lancaster County Republican election watch party on Tuesday at the Embassy Suites.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
GOP Election Party, 11.3
LINCOLN, NEB. – 11/03/2020 – Rep. Jeff Fortenberry speaks during Lancaster County Republican election watch party, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, at Embassy Suites. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Walk for Life 1.16
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry speaks to anti-abortion advocates near the north steps of the state Capitol during the Walk for Life in January.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star file photo
Republicans Election Day, 5.4
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry speaks during the Republican watch party on May 4.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star file photo
Fortenberry Kadhimi
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry meets with with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.
COURETSY PHOTO
Jeff Fortenberry at Mexico border
Jeff Fortenberry tweeted this photo and said help is needed at the border, where he met with the sheriff near the Texas town of Uvalde.
Courtesy photo
Watch now: Fortenberry overlooks the Rio Grande near the border
Federal Legislative Summit
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (left) and Sen. Deb Fischer converse at the Federal Legislative Summit on Aug. 12 at the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum.
GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Federal Legislative Summit
Rep. Adrian Smith (left) and Sen. Deb Fischer (right) listen as Rep. Jeff Fortenberry speaks at the Federal Legislative Summit on Thursday at the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum.
GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Fortenberry, 10.5
U.S. Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (right) talks to Tom Henning, Chairman, President and CEO at Assurity Life, during a Lincoln Chamber of Commerce lunch on Tuesday. Fortenberry talked to business leaders about the important issues facing Nebraskans at the federal level and the impact in Lincoln.
FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
Fortenberry, 10.5
U.S. Congressman Jeff Fortenberry laughs at a comment from one of his fellow diners during a Lincoln Chamber of Commerce lunch on Tuesday. He spoke about the important issues facing Nebraskans at the federal level and how those issues impact businesses in Lincoln.
FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
Fortenberry, 10.5
U.S. Congressman Jeff Fortenberry talks to diners during a Lincoln Chamber of Commerce lunch to discuss the important issues facing Nebraskans at the federal level on Oct. 5 at the Country Club of Lincoln.
FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star file photo
Fortenberry, 10.5
U.S. Congressman Jeff Fortenberry speaks during a Lincoln Chamber of Commerce lunch Tuesday at the Country Club of Lincoln. He talked to business leaders about the important issues facing Nebraskans at the federal level and the impact in Lincoln.
The act of planting trees offers more than shade and fruit. It symbolizes a deeper mission—restoring soil, preserving water, and, for these students, living in Tanzania’s northern Rorya district, delivering a form of climate justice. The reforestation efforts are in step with Tanzania’s broader plans to fortify its agriculture and water systems against the advancing climate crisis.
Faiza Ally, a pupil at Mtoni Primary School in Mara Region, plants a tree. Credit: Kizito Makoye/IPS
MUSOMA, Tanzania, Oct 30 2024 (IPS) – At Gabimori primary school, located at Nyamagaro ward in Tanzania’s northern Rorya district, a 15-year-old Florence Sadiki kneels among polyethylene bags, carefully examining the seedlings she and her classmates have nurtured from tiny sprouts “We’ve planted many trees to make our school look better and to help fight climate change,” she says.
Sadiki is part of an inspiring grassroots movement in the east African country where students, teachers, and community members team up to fight environmental degradation through reforestation. In Rorya district, nestled on the shores of Lake Victoria, rampant deforestation driven by charcoal production has left the land barren. But the efforts of school environmental clubs, supported by the Lake Community Program (LACOP), are working to repair the damage.
The reality in Rorya is grim. Erratic rainfall and prolonged droughts have changed swathes of once-fertile land into dry savannas, a trend that has only accelerated since the initiative began in 2022. Spearheaded by the global charity World Neighbors and the Lake Community Development Foundation (LACODEFO), this initiative empowers students to plant trees and learn the entire process of growing them.
Daudi Lyamuru speaks during a village meeting to mobilize the community to plant trees and support the climate mitigation project. Credit: Kizito Makoye/IPS
Pupils at Mwenge primary school pose for a photo after tree planting exercise. Credit: Kizito Makoye/IPS
“We’re teaching students to set up their own nurseries,” says Idrisa Lema, the project officer. “It’s not enough to hand out seedlings. They need to learn the whole process—choosing drought-resistant species, improving soil with organic manure, and using techniques like mulching.” This holistic approach promotes sustainability and equips students with transferable skills that can help them for the rest of their lives.
In the past two years, the students have successfully planted 2,800 trees across five villages, a remarkable achievement that has already begun to bear fruit. Some once-dry water springs are starting to flow again. Yet challenges remain, particularly in Nyamagaro and neighboring Kyangasaga villages, where erratic rainfall and drought continue to hinder progress.
“Watering the trees is tough,” admits Alex Lwitiko, an environmental teacher at Rorya Girls’ School. “We’ve had to be strict with the students—otherwise, the trees wouldn’t survive.”
To adapt, students have switched to innovative solutions like bottle irrigation and even drilled water wells to support their young trees. “We focus on drought-resistant species and organic farming methods to give the trees the best chance,” Lwitiko says, emphasizing the program’s commitment to teaching sustainability.
Sadiki herself has learned to adapt. “I know how to graft trees and grow them in tough conditions now,” she says. “These trees are our future. They fight climate change, provide shade, and even improve soil fertility.”
A government official, Aloycia Mdeme, plants a tree to signify the launch of the school environmental club. Credit: Kizito Makoye/IPS
Mtoni Primary School pupils plant trees; this project has become central to the region’s contribution to climate change mitigation. Credit: Kizito Makoye/IPS
In Tanzania, the impact of climate change is becoming increasingly severe. The country aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 to 35 percent by 2030, a goal outlined in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Despite its low carbon footprint—just 0.22 tons per capita compared to the global average of 7.58—Tanzania is reeling from climate-related disasters. Droughts, floods, and erratic weather patterns disrupt agriculture, drying up water sources and threatening economic stability.
For the rural poor, especially those who rely on farming—the backbone of the economy, making up 28 percent of GDP—the stakes are higher. But in places like Nyagisya and Rorya Girls Secondary Schools, students have taken up the fight. Through tree planting, they have become unlikely climate crusaders, tackling environmental degradation while improving food security and boosting local livelihoods.
The act of planting trees offers more than shade and fruit. It symbolizes a deeper mission—restoring soil, preserving water, and, for these students, delivering a form of climate justice. The reforestation efforts are in step with Tanzania’s broader plans to fortify its agriculture and water systems against the advancing climate crisis.
As these student-led initiatives flourish, they mirror Tanzania’s urgent call for global support. With limited resources, the country is striving to fulfill its commitments yet it recognizes that the battle against climate change is a collective endeavor that requires unity on a global scale.
Despite the promising efforts in Tanzania, significant challenges remain. One of the main hurdles is the unpredictability of funding. Tree-planting initiatives and climate adaptation programs require sustained financial support, but resources are often limited, local analysts say.
Without consistent funding, scaling up projects and maintaining long-term impact becomes difficult.
Community members plant trees in Rorya district. Credit: Kizito Makoye/IPS
While students have embraced environmental stewardship, not all local households are on board. In some areas, livestock continues to graze on young saplings, undoing the hard work of reforestation. Additionally, cultural and economic pressures, such as the reliance on charcoal for income and firewood for cooking, contribute to ongoing deforestation, making conservation efforts harder.
Erratic rainfall and worsening drought conditions present another barrier. Water scarcity makes it harder to nurture newly planted trees, despite innovative solutions. These conditions also strain local agriculture, which many families depend on, increasing the urgency of balancing conservation with survival needs.
While Tanzania has ambitious climate goals, the gap between policy and practical implementation remains wide, particularly in rural areas where the effects of climate change are felt most acutely.
At Gabimori Primary School, students have embraced their role as environmental stewards. “They’ve seen how conservation affects their daily lives,” says teacher Witinga Mattambo. “They now understand the link between the trees and the food they eat.”
The impact is vivid for students like Sadiki. “I never realized trees were this important,” she says. “They bring rain and improve our environment.”
For Lema, this is only the beginning. By fostering leadership skills and engaging the broader community, the program is building a new generation of Tanzanians dedicated to environmental protection. “We’ve even seen parents get involved,” Lwitiko says. “They’re starting to plant trees in their own yards.”
Still, the program faces hurdles. Some households allow their livestock to graze on young saplings, undoing the hard work of the students. “It’s frustrating,” admits Lwitiko, “but we’re making progress, step by step.”
Lema has ambitious plans to expand the initiative.
“We’re training students to pass on their knowledge,” he says. “As they move on, they’ll teach younger students, and we’ll spread this effort to other schools.” But scaling the program will require more funding.
“We’re working on securing more resources and partnering with local governments to enforce tree-planting bylaws,” Lema explains. There are also plans to set up household tree nurseries, allowing families to earn extra income while contributing to conservation.
For Sadiki, the program’s impact is lasting.
“We have the duty to plant trees and protect our environment. It’s something we’ll carry with us for the rest of our lives.”
Climate finance will come under intense scrutiny during COP29, and its distribution aligned with scientific analysis of the impacts of climate change, but the methodology ignores the inequality in research networks of the Global South.
More than 700 authors representing 90 different nationalities written the AR6 for IPCC | Credit: Margaret López/IPS
CARACAS, Oct 29 2024 (IPS) – Climate finance will be at the epicenter of the discussion at the UN Climate Change Conference 2024 (COP29). The focus will be on strengthening the fund and defining the conditions under which the countries of the Global South will be able to access this money. However, little is said about the scientific research that is required to gather the evidence and data to prove the loss and damage caused by the impact of climate change in developing countries.
One of the points under discussion is the need for countries of the Global South to provide comprehensive, scientifically backed reports on how they are being directly affected by the impacts of climate change. This requirement guarantees that money will flow to the most affected countries, but it ignores the inequality present in scientific research networks in the Global South.
Floods and the effects of storms or hurricanes are not the only topics we are discussing. For example, will Latin American countries, such as Brazil or Argentina, be ready to provide data and evidence of how global warming precipitated an increase in dengue cases among their citizens in 2024?
Dengue cases in Latin America tripled compared to the same period in 2023. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) compiled reports of more than 12 million cases of dengue fever in the region up to middle October and, undoubtedly, this additional health burden is part of the less talked about impacts of climate change.
Research centers in Brazil or Argentina, two of the countries with the best scientific networks in the region, can surely deliver the studies to support a financial request to cover these health-related damages. But the scenario is very different if we look at the scientific networks of other Latin American countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, or my native Venezuela.
More than 3,000 Venezuelan scientists have left the country for lack of support and financial problems in its laboratories since 2009, according to the follow-up done by researcher Jaime Requena, a member of the Academy of Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences (Acfiman, its acronym in Spanish). This is equivalent to half of the Venezuelan scientific force, considering that Venezuela had 6,831 active researchers in the Researcher Promotion Program (PPI) in 2009.
Only 11 Venezuelan scientists participated as authors in all the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In AR6, the most recent IPCC report, only three authors were Venezuelan.
Colombia, Peru, and Uruguay were also represented by three researchers in AR6, while other countries such as Paraguay and Bolivia did not even manage to add a scientist to the group of more than 700 authors.
Climatologist Paola Andrea Arias was part of the Colombian representation. She is one of those promoting that the IPCC broaden the diversity of authors in the next report on the effects of climate change in the world.
“We all do science with different perspectives; we will follow the same methods and the same standards, but we have different perspectives. We ask different questions and have different priorities. We see in science the possibility of answering or solving different problems and, obviously, that will be very focused on your reality, the world in which you live, the country or city where you are,” said Arias when I asked her about her participation in AR6.
The low participation of Latin American scientists in global research on climate change, such as that of the IPCC, also means less space and dissemination for those studies that try to track the impacts of climate change in the region. This pattern is also repeated in Africa and Asia.
Promoting more research on the damages and impacts of climate change in the Global South, in the end, is not something that can be separated from climate finance. A clear example is that the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) has just created a scientific committee for its biodiversity conservation fund, as announced during COP16 on biodiversity in Cali, Colombia.
CAF explained that this new biodiversity committee will have “a key role” with recommendations based on scientific evidence to invest in environmental projects. The first tasks of this scientific committee will be focused on providing recommendations for conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of ecosystems in the Amazon, Cerrado, and Chocó, a program that will have access to 300 million dollars.
The creation of a scientific committee to deliver climate finance can be a first step, as shown by CAF’s experience in biodiversity. To move forward on this path, however, it is necessary to promote more funding for Latin American, African, and Asian scientists to do more local research on the impacts of climate change. It’s the only way to gather the scientific evidence to support the contention that the climate crisis represents an obstacle to development in those countries with the largest populations and the greatest number of disadvantages.
This opinion piece is published with the support of Open Society Foundations. IPS UN Bureau Report
BOSTON / PHILADELPHIA, Oct 28 2024 (IPS) – The students and the common people of Bangladesh dared to do something in 36 days of July-August that was considered simply impossible by most people just days before August 5, 2024. They said ‘enough is enough’ to an old order that outraged their humanity, robbed their dignity and the rulers imagined that their citadel of power was simply impenetrable. The revolutionists refused to bow down to the murderous regime that knew no bounds to its cruelty and plundering. They were ready to sacrifice their lives for the freedom of the besieged nation.
Mawdudur Rahman
This revolution is unique in so many ways. It is a revolution in the digital age that is rooted in meta-modernist philosophy. The old political leadership with its moribund appeal and bankrupt philosophy proved irrelevant in this agenda. As Professor Yunus, the Chief Advisor to the Interim Government, has rightly said, ‘Now is the era of a new generation’.
Meta-modernism is the cultural philosophy of the digital age, coined by Mas’ud Zavarzadeh in 1975. meta-modernism is the Age of the Internet or more balanced worldview. As one analyst puts it, we went from modernism — “Make it new!” Let’s shape History! – to postmodernism — everything sucks! Nothing really matters! — to meta-modernism – maybe things are not this black-and-white, maybe there’s a middle ground.
Meta-modernist thinkers perceive the present world around them as a threat to their very existence. They work with pragmatic idealism and have no grand narrative thinking or any orthodox certainties. In other words, they try to strike a balance between all of this. They recognize that they have to face the problems of the society.
Habib Siddiqui
Arguably, all the activities of Bangladeshi revolutionists including their wall posters, followed a framework of Meta-Modernism. It is understood that the new Bangladesh is defined in a new ideology. Student revolutionaries have said that our ideology is reflected through the language we use. The basis of the new ideology is language. It is a revolution of change from the cultural context of fascist imperialist language to the native (spoken) language of the people. In other words, new ideals will be reflected through the language of the people.
It would be wrong to think that this people’s revolution was all about a change of government. Its victory is unlike 1947 and 1971. In both those cases, there was a change of government without any structural change. As a result, the incoming government followed imperialist practices of exploitation left behind by the British. Subsequent governments turned the country into a failed democracy, in order to control, exploit and subjugate its citizens. The police were used as an enabling force to subjugate the citizens, while the legislature and judiciary worked as the rubber stamps to sustain the total control of the government. This evil social system has corrupted the mindset and behavior of our people. An immoral society was formed with no fear of accountability, whose driving force was unfathomed greed and mantra — the ‘rule and exploitation by repression’. Government employees saw themselves as bosses and not as public servants. They thrived upon corruption at all levels.
There are now two competing ideologies in front of Bangladesh – one of decaying fascism that wants to resurface under old leadership and the other is the young leadership of equality and morality. As the revolution demonstrated, the ‘New Bangladesh’ does not approve fascist-supporting corrupt institutions. It desires a corruption-free new society. It is for paradigm shift – a transformational change.
The Chief Advisor and Student Coordinators have clearly highlighted the ideals of New Bangladesh through their speeches and interviews. Dr. Yunus said, ‘We are all one nation’. This is a clarion call to establish a holistic change in society. Such a radical change in society requires a change in values. A change in values lies in the change in public ideology.
The new Bangladesh is not the old Bangladesh with a new cover. It demands a change in the fundamental values of human behavior, actions, and beliefs. These include structural changes, personal changes, expectations.
To understand the ideology of this change, one has to listen carefully to the speech of Mahfuz Alam, the ‘thinker’ of the movement. Five points can be deduced from his recent talks: (1) unity, (2) ‘language is their inspiration’, (3) group leadership, (4) they are children of time, and that (5) they are not a slave to traditional thinking. His views reflect today’s meta-modernism.
For any transformational change to succeed, the change agents must own it, direct it, and ultimately excel in it. We think that this revolution of holistic change can benefit from the revolutionary approaches adopted in China and Cuba that were also led by youths. They owned the revolution and did not allow it to be hijacked by the reactionaries. We see some of these characteristics in the minds and mission of the Bangladeshi revolutionaries.
The bottom line is, bringing any changes in old culture habits was never an easy task. This revolution has presented an opportunity to change the destiny of Bangladesh as never before.
The meta-modernist youths of Bangladesh have come to lead and move forward; they will not go back to the old ways. Their message is clear: if you do not join us, the country will not wait for you. If older generations do not adopt the new view of change, we fear further instability and chaos to come, whose outcome cannot be pleasant.
Dr. Mawdudur Rahman, Professor Emeritus, Suffolk University, Boston, USA. He can be contacted at: mrahman@suffolk.edu.
Dr. Habib Siddiqui is a peace and human rights activists. His latest book – ‘Bangladesh: a polarized and divided nation?’ is available in the Amazon.com. Both are members of the steering committee of Esho Desh Gori – Let’s Build Bangladesh.
