Boycotting Jews to prevent the boycott of Israel - Boycott

This week a German bank announced that it is closing the account of a Jewish human rights organisation because it supports BDS. What's next?

The German organisation Jewish Voice for Just Peace (JVJP) is a sister organisation of the US Jewish Voice for Peace and part of the coalition European Jews for a Just Peace (EJJP). It was founded in 2003.

Three weeks ago, the organisation - of which I am a board member - was shocked when it received a letter from its bank, the Bank for Social Economy based in Cologne, that it had decided to close JVJP’s account. No reason was given for the decision. 

This is the first time since World War Two that a German bank has closed the account of a Jewish organisation

But on Tuesday, the bank finally announced, in a second letter sent out by a spokesperson, the reason: JVJP supports the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Mother and son charged with incest are unapologetic and ‘madly in love’

Caleb Peterson, left, and Monica Mares, right, are charged with incest in New Mexico. The Associated Press

Monica Mares and Caleb Peterson say they are in love with each other.

She is his mother. He is her son.

The state of New Mexico, where they live, calls their sexual relationship incest and has charged both with the crime.

They face separate jury trials over the next few weeks — Peterson on Aug. 25, Mares on Sept. 16. They’ve been banned by the courts from having any more contact with each other.

But the two are unapologetic about their relationship and have been talking to the media to explain it.

They’ve been subject to scorn since their secret love became public in February. Mares says she’s been attacked outside her home and has received death threats. People call her “Incest.”

On Facebook, people have accused them of having a “disgusting” and “gross” relationship.

The prosecutor for the case says she has heard no sympathy for Mares and that people tend to see Peterson, 19, as a victim.

Reward Credit Cards: How Much Cash Can You Get?

Miles take a back seat to cash for credit-card holders; competition heats up and rewards get juicier

Cash-back credit cards are growing in popularity. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

Forget about that free plane trip or the private dinner with a famous chef. When it comes to collecting rewards from credit cards, most consumers just want cash.

Cash-back rewards cards are increasingly popular with shoppers, prompting financial institutions to develop programs that, in some cases, return as much as 10% of spending. But the recent explosion in cash-back cards has some industry executives worried the market is getting overheated.

They say the hefty rewards aren’t sustainable for the banks and may not ultimately drive the brand loyalty that is the goal of such programs.

“I’m sure someone has a spreadsheet that tells them how they are going to make money, but you have to put in a lot of assumptions,” says David Nelms, chief executive officer of Discover Financial Services Inc., which issued the first cash-back card in 1986 and now offers several varieties.

Cash-back cards reward consumers by essentially rebating some of the money they spend. Instead of points, customers get cash they can use to reduce their credit-card bill, deposit in a bank or buy a gift card.

A Methodist Network for Immigrants Believes in ‘Welcoming the Stranger’

Rob Rutland-Brown of National Justice for Our Neighbors lives out his faith by helping run legal clinics for low-income immigrants in 10 states

The children of Methodist volunteers play with the children of immigrant clients during a Justice for Our Neighbors clinic at Hillcrest United Methodist Church, Nashville, Tenn., 2012. PHOTO: JAN SNYDER

Coming from a family of United Methodist ministers—including his father, grandparents, aunts and uncles—Rob Rutland-Brown says that his own generation was expected to find a vocation in the church as well. But after stints working as a schoolteacher and with the Special Olympics, Mr. Rutland-Brown found a different way to act on his faith: helping immigrants.

In 1996, while Mr. Rutland-Brown was a teenager in Florida, one of his cousins and an aunt co-founded a nonprofit in northern Virginia to provide legal aid to low-income immigrants who had been seeking advice informally at local churches. Nearly a decade later, his cousin, Allison Rutland Soulen, decided to devote herself full-time to legal work at the nonprofit, and Mr. Rutland-Brown—with a new graduate degree in nonprofit management—took on her job and became executive director of the group, called Just Neighbors.

The Origin of Just About Everything, Visualized

SLIDE:1 / OF14. Caption:Caption:The Origin of (Almost) Everything is a visualized science book that explains the origin of (almost) everything, like dark matter.JENNIFER DANIEL/NICHOLAS BREALEY

THE WORLD IS full of simple questions that have complicated answers. For example: What is the universe made of? Why do we have wax in our ears? And where exactly does belly button lint come from? “There are so many great scientific origin stories out there,” says Graham Lawton, features editor at New Scientist.

In his new book, The Origin of (Almost) Everything, Lawton worked with designer Jennifer Daniel to unravel dozens of life’s biggest mysteries. Lawton crafts the narration while Daniel handles the infographics. Together they’re able to answer nagging questions that have inspired centuries of scientific inquiry.

The Origin of (Almost) Everything doesn’t look like a typical science book. It’s friendly and colorful. Its blocks of text and ample images, makes it read more like a magazine than textbook. “We wanted to almost invent a new genre of science book,” Lawton says. Origins is divided into six sections—the universe, the planet, life, civilization, knowledge, and inventions—with each page dedicated to a different topic.