Human Rights

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    hrw.org

  • Kimberley Process: Zimbabwe Action Mars Credibility

    Human Rights Watch
    6 Nov 2009 | 3:31 pm
    (Johannesburg) - The credibility of the world's "blood diamond" monitoring group has been damaged after its failure this week to suspend Zimbabwe despite overwhelming evidence of serious human rights abuses and smuggling in the Marange diamond fields in eastern Zimbabwe, Human Rights Watch said today. read more

  • Uganda: Bill Threatens Progress on HIV/AIDS

    Human Rights Watch
    6 Nov 2009 | 1:57 pm
    (Kampala) - A proposed Ugandan law on HIV/AIDS promotes dangerous and discredited approaches to the AIDS epidemic and would violate human rights, a group of more than 50 Ugandan and international organizations and individuals said in a report released today. The HIV and AIDS Prevention and Control Bill could be taken up by Uganda's parliament shortly. read more

  • Israel: Stop East Jerusalem Home Demolitions

    Human Rights Watch
    6 Nov 2009 | 12:12 pm
    (Jerusalem) - Israeli authorities in East Jerusalem should immediately stop demolishing Palestinian homes in violation of international law, Human Rights Watch said today. read more

  • Turkey: Bar Entry or Arrest Sudan President

    Human Rights Watch
    6 Nov 2009 | 9:22 am
    (New York) – Turkey should not allow President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, an accused war criminal, to attend a conference in Istanbul, and should arrest him if he sets foot in Turkey, Human Rights Watch said read more

  • Sudan: Reform National Security Law

    Human Rights Watch
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:44 am
    (New York) - A report released on November 5, 2009 by the United Nations Panel of Experts on Sudan reveals continuing human rights violations in Darfur and underscores the urgent need to reform Sudan's repressive national security law, Human Rights Watch said today. read more
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    IRIN

  • GUINEA: Political crisis only sharpens daily hardship

    DAKAR, 6 November 2009 (IRIN) - Even when Guinea is not facing political crisis and reeling from a massacre, daily life is gruelling for many and instability is never far away. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in a September 2009 report says Guinea is “volatile” due to a combination of sharp economic decline; widespread and chronic poverty; limited access to basic services like health, water and sanitation; and persistent political instability.

  • LESOTHO: A mountain of challenges

    JOHANNESBURG, 6 November 2009 (IRIN) - The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has been feeding people in Lesotho since 1965, yet the tiny mountain kingdom is still not much closer to achieving food self-sufficiency. Time to overhaul the approach, aid agencies say.

  • SOMALIA: Donor caution alarms aid workers

    NAIROBI, 6 November 2009 (IRIN) - Aid agencies operating in Somalia say they need more money but that some donors are holding back, concerned at where resources might end up in areas too dangerous for international staff.

  • LAOS: Grandmother Khamsone, “The spirits don’t want to be here”

    NAKAI PLATEAU, 6 November 2009 (IRIN) - Over 6,000 people have been resettled to make way for a controversial dam in central Laos: The Nam Theun 2 Dam, the country's single largest infrastructure project, will produce electricity for Thailand, and domestically.

  • MAURITANIA: Don’t abandon us, HIV-positive community tells donors

    NOUAKCHOTT, 5 November 2009 (IRIN) - People living with HIV in Mauritania are voicing their concerns about the suspension of HIV/AIDS funding by the World Bank and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. They feel powerless in the face of the decisions, of which they are suffering the consequences.
 
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    Global Voices Online » Humanitarian

  • Laos: Concert to raise funds for typhoon victims

    Mong Palatino
    3 Nov 2009 | 5:24 pm
    A charity concert will be held in Vientiane, Laos this Friday to raise funds for the typhoon victims in the southern provinces of Saravane, Sekong and Attapeu.

  • Ukraine: Updates on Flu

    Veronica Khokhlova
    1 Nov 2009 | 3:53 pm
    Updates on the flu situation in Ukraine, at Greetings From Kyiv - here and here, and at Ukrainiana - here.

  • Ukraine: Charity

    Veronica Khokhlova
    28 Oct 2009 | 7:26 pm
    Scenes From the Sidewalk writes about an encounter with one of Kyiv's many homeless children - and posts photos from actress Olga Kurilenko's visit to a CrossRoads Foundation/ChildRescue's rehabilitation center. Wild World of Sean's Blog reports on a charity visit to a Kyiv hospital for children affected by the Chernobyl catastrophe.

  • Turkmenistan: Trafficking in human beings

    Adil Nurmakov
    26 Oct 2009 | 1:08 am
    Annasoltan writes about the problem of human trafficking in Turkmenistan against the background of persistent economic hardship, porous borders and the regime's attempts to demur and defer the issue.

  • Turkmenistan: Government Puts Obstacles to Peace Corp

    Adil Nurmakov
    26 Oct 2009 | 12:59 am
    Vlad reports that Turkmenistan has taken to barring entry to Peace Corps volunteers, for reasons that remain utterly baffling.
 
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    ...My heart's in Accra

  • CFCM: Crossing Borders

    Ethan
    5 Nov 2009 | 4:01 pm
    This post covers presentations at MIT’s Center for Future Civic Media at MIT’s communications forum. Josh Levinger leads off the final session at CFCM’s show and tell, titled “Crossing Borders”. His project, Virtual Gaza, aggregates the stories of civilians who were present in Gaza as bombs fell earlier this year during the Israeli incursion. The project centers on a map of Gaza that shows bombed houses. The impetus for the project was the lack of media coverage of Gaza, a fact complicated by the fact that there were only 6 international journalists in Gaza…

  • CFCM: Subjective Mapping

    Ethan
    5 Nov 2009 | 3:35 pm
    This post covers presentations at MIT’s Center for Future Civic Media at MIT’s communications forum. Rick Borovoy’s project Lost in Boston focuses on what might well be my pet peeve with Boston – lack of signage. (Seriously. It’s a big problem. I suspect we do it to avoid letting Yankees fans find Fenway.) He shows off a new sign, built by students at Mass Arts. It shows key local arts institutions, pointing to sites like the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts. It’s put up on private land and was designed through a student contest.

  • CFCM: Rethinking News

    Ethan
    5 Nov 2009 | 3:13 pm
    This post covers presentations at MIT’s Center for Future Civic Media at MIT’s communications forum. Cristina Xu leads off a segment focused on the future of news. She introduces her project, the News Positioning System, by digging into American history to talk about “transient newspapers”. When the US postal system heavily subsidized the mailing of newspapers, they began being used as mementos, or as post cards, underlined to make certain points. The practice became so widespread that Congress had to intervene, deciding that underlining a sentence in a newspaper was…

  • CFCM show and tell: Making Change

    Ethan
    5 Nov 2009 | 2:49 pm
    This post covers presentations at MIT’s Center for Future Civic Media at MIT’s communications forum. Ryan Toole is designing a platform called Red Ink, a tool designed to enable secure, collective financial action. He points out that there are existing tools – wesabe, mint.com, yodlee – which unify your online financial information. The bleeding edge in this field is financial tools for collective action – carrotmob, groupon, merry miser, buy it like you mean it. Red Ink fits into this latter category. It’s a “social financial platform” designed…

  • Show and tell at Center for Future Civic Media

    Ethan
    5 Nov 2009 | 2:21 pm
    It’s very easy to experience whiplash if you hang out at the academic institutions of Cambridge, MA. I spent the day in the basement of Harvard’s wood-panelled faculty club, in a discussion about the future(s) of the Berkman Center, then took the T two stops to MIT for the Communications Forum, where students in MIT’s Center for Future Civic Media program are presenting recent work, held in the deeply non-Euclidean Stata Center. Once my head stops spinning from looking for a local vertical, I’ll do my best to report on the new work put forward by Chris…
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    undispatch.com

  • Yvo de Boer briefs NGOs on what success at Copenhagen would look like

    Mark Leon Goldberg
    6 Nov 2009 | 6:03 am
    The top UN climate negotiator Yvo de Boer lays out his four criteria that would make up a "strong political agreement" at Copenhagen. The top UN climate negotiator Yvo de Boer lays out his four criteria that would make up a "strong political agreement" at Copenhagen.  Watch.    H/t Adopt a Negotiator.

  • Morning Coffee - 6 November 2009

    Lindsay Beyerstein
    6 Nov 2009 | 3:24 am
    Summary:  An Army psychiatrist opens fire at Fort Hood, killing 13; the Honduras deal is DOA (surprise, surprise); German workers are outraged as GM reneges on a bailout deal to save Opel and 10k jobs. Top Story:  ARMY MAJOR HELD IN FORT HOOD SHOOTING An army psychiatrist is in custody after allegedly killing 13 people and wounding 30 others at the Fort Hood army base in Texas yesterday afternoon. Ironically, Dr. Nidal Malik Hasan specialized in treating veterans with post traumatic stress disorder. At the time of the shooting, he himself was facing his first deployment to a war…

  • *Global cooperation* on drugs, crime, terrorism and insurgency

    Mark Leon Goldberg
    5 Nov 2009 | 9:11 am
    The Small Wars Journal takes a look at the nexus between terrorism and international organized crime. A worthy subject, but the article overlooks that these are global problems requiring global solutions. Via Thomas Ricks, Retired Army Col. Bob Killebrew of the Center for a New American Security has a piece in Small Wars Journal on the growing nexus between international organized crime and terrorist/insurgent groups.  It's well worth a read, though his perspective is somewhat limited by the fact that he seems to only consider what America can do to manage the problem.  The problem…
 
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    Darfur Daily News

  • Two Kidnapped Darfur Aid Workers Freed - Official

    18 Oct 2009 | 2:07 am
    KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Two kidnapped aid workers from the Irish agency Goal were released on Sunday in Sudan's troubled Darfur region after more than 100 days in captivity, a government official said."They were released earlier this morning," Sudan's state minister for humanitarian affairs, Abdel Baqi al-Jailani, told Reuters.Sharon Commins, from Dublin, and Hilda Kawuki, from Uganda, were seized in their north Darfur compound by a group of armed men in July.Darfur has seen a wave of kidnappings in the past year, and aid workers working in the hostile region have had to step up security. Mostly…

  • American approach to Darfur genocide woefully lacking

    4 Oct 2009 | 1:55 am
    By Jonathan GurwitzIf you have followed the genocide in Darfur over the past six years, then you have seen and heard every manner of insult to the human conscience. I'm not talking here only about the endless atrocities of the Sudanese government and its Janjaweed militias, atrocities documented at length by human rights organizations, a United Nations commission, the International Criminal Court and the U.S. government.I'm not talking about the genocidal plan of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to kill or drive out the black African residents of Darfur, a plan that has claimed 400,000…

  • Diversionary tactics on Darfur

    21 Sep 2009 | 12:02 am
    By Anne BartlettSeptember 20, 2009 — Diversionary tactics seem to be the order of the day where Darfur is concerned. The real tragedy of Darfur – the suffering of its people – has been forgotten under a sea of pointless initiatives, all of which seem to have only one goal in mind: to create enough confusion and chaos that the status quo will prevail. On the ground - and contrary to prevailing diplomatic speak - people continue to be killed and targeted in the Jebel Marra area by government forces that now have carte blanche to do what they like. Meanwhile, day after day we are treated…

  • Raising awareness

    14 Sep 2009 | 1:39 pm
    Students, activists and elected officials marched through Downtown this afternoon to raise awareness of the human rights violations taking place in Darfur and South Sudan. The march is the first of several events this month organized by the Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition to take advantage of the arrival of world leaders and international media in Pittsburgh for the upcoming G-20 Summit on Sept. 24 and 25.The marchers, lead by a group of West African drummers, held signs bearing the names of destroyed villages as they walked from the City-County Building to Mellon Park. Read more…

  • Sudan Pres. Will Face Justice

    9 Sep 2009 | 2:53 pm
    Darfur Daily News
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    News from Survival International

  • Isolated Amazon Indians die in ‘swine flu epidemic’

    4 Nov 2009 | 2:02 am
    The Yanomami are the largest relatively isolated tribe in the Amazon© 1980 Victor Englebert/Survival Seven Yanomami Indians in Venezuela have died from an outbreak of suspected swine flu in the last two weeks. Another 1,000 Yanomami are reported to have caught the virulent strain of flu. The Venezuelan government has sealed off the area, and sent in medical teams to treat the Yanomami. The regional office of the World Health Organization has confirmed the presence of swine flu. There are fears that the epidemic could sweep through the Yanomami territory and kill many more Indians. The…

  • Blow to Malaysian palm oil industry as UK bans advert

    2 Nov 2009 | 1:14 am
    Oil palms planted on recently-deforested land, Sarawak© M Ross/ Survival – Penan tribe in Borneo welcomes ban An advert for Malaysian palm oil has been banned in the UK, dealing a major blow to the credibility of Malaysia’s palm oil industry. Members of the hunter-gatherer Penan tribe in Borneo have welcomed the ban, saying, ‘Oil palm plantations have not benefited us at all; they have only robbed us of our resources and land.’ The Penan live in Sarawak, in the Malaysian part of Borneo, and are fighting to stop the forests they rely on being cut down to make way for oil palm…

  • US oil company threatened with eviction from Amazon

    30 Oct 2009 | 8:06 am
    The Harakmbut are one of three tribes that depend on the reserve where Hunt is exploring for oil.© Dilwyn Jenkins/Survival Indigenous people have threatened to evict a US company, Hunt Oil, exploring for oil on their ancestral land in the Peruvian Amazon. According to FENAMAD, an indigenous organisation in south-east Peru, at least two hundred people have gathered in a small town called Salvación, which acts as Hunt’s base in the region. A meeting between company representatives, local indigenous people and high-ranking government ministers, including the prime minister, was scheduled…

  • Peru plans to disband national indigenous organisation

    28 Oct 2009 | 7:47 am
    Armed police attack indigenous protesters at Bagua, northern Peru.© Thomas Quirynen and Marijke Deleu The Peruvian government is planning to disband Peru’s national organisation representing indigenous people in the Amazon, known by its Spanish acronym AIDESEP. The unprecedented proposal for AIDESEP’s dissolution was made by Peru’s Ministry of Justice. It is based on the claim that AIDESEP is ‘flagrantly violating’ its charter and undermining ‘public order’. In an interview on Peruvian radio on 24 October AIDESEP’s acting president, Daysi Zapata, said indigenous…

  • Amazon mega-dams stoke new wave of Indian protests

    27 Oct 2009 | 3:22 am
    Kayapó dance at an anti-dam protest in 2006 © T Turner Kayapó Indians are to hold a protest against a huge hydro-electric dam planned for Brazil’s Xingu River, one of the Amazon’s main tributaries. The week-long protest will start on 28 October and take place in the Kayapó community of Piaraçu. At least 200 Indians are expected to gather. Representatives from Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy, and the Ministry of the Environment, have been invited there to talk with the Indians. The Kayapó and other indigenous peoples oppose the dam, saying they have not been properly…
 
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    HUMANITARIAN NEWS - Google News

  • Ricky Palermo wins Humanitarian Award - The Daily News Online

    6 Nov 2009 | 11:55 pm
    Ricky Palermo wins Humanitarian AwardThe Daily News OnlineRicky Palermo of Batavia will receive the 25th annual Health and Humanitarian Award Dec. 4 at an awards luncheon at Terry Hills Restaurant.

  • Aid contributions to Somalia down - United Press International

    6 Nov 2009 | 11:31 pm
    New York TimesAid contributions to Somalia downUnited Press InternationalContributions for humanitarian aid have been $571 million for 2009 so far, the Integrated Regional Information Network said. In 2008, donors gave $615 SOMALIA: Donor caution alarms aid workersIRINnews.orgUN Says US Delays Led to Aid Cuts in SomaliaNew York TimesFood supply 'broken'Sarasota Herald-Tribuneall 13 news articles »

  • It's win, or stay home - ESPN

    6 Nov 2009 | 5:12 pm
    New York TimesIt's win, or stay homeESPNPause receives humanitarian honor: Fire midfielder Logan Pause and Kansas City Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad share the 2009 US Soccer Foundation/MLS WORKS Fire's playoff task: Win by 2Chicago TribuneRevved-up Fire looking to advance to Eastern finalsSouthtown Starall 28 news articles »

  • Conrad & Pause Named MLS WORKS Humanitarians Of The Year - Goal.com

    6 Nov 2009 | 4:35 pm
    MLS - Major League SoccerConrad & Pause Named MLS WORKS Humanitarians Of The YearGoal.comMLS has announced that Kansas City Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad and Chicago Fire midfielder Logan Pause have been named the MLS WORKS Humanitarians of the Conrad, Pause win Humanitarian of the YearMLS - Major League SoccerWizards' Conrad named 2009 US Soccer Foundation/MLS WORKS Humanitarian of the YearKansas City Kansanall 10 news articles »

  • ECHO Operational Strategy 2010: Asia and the Pacific - ReliefWeb (press release)

    6 Nov 2009 | 12:29 pm
    ECHO Operational Strategy 2010: Asia and the PacificReliefWeb (press release)Support for humanitarian coordination and advocacy efforts will continue, as well as for security coordination and humanitarian flights to facilitate access ECHO Operational Strategy 2010: Central AfricaReliefWeb (press release)ECHO Operational Strategy 2010: Sudan and ChadReliefWeb (press release)ECHO Operational Strategy 2010: Middle East and MediterraneanReliefWeb (press release)ReliefWeb (press release) -ReliefWeb (press release) -ReliefWeb (press release)all 8 news articles »
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    The Ushahidi Blog

  • Open Question: Mixing Analog & Digital

    Erik Hersman
    5 Nov 2009 | 5:09 am
    QuestionBox is a project that allows offline people in emerging markets to ask questions and get answers. It’s an analog solution for those who don’t have their own digitally connected data devices. Open Question is a free and open source software application used for the purposes of collecting and disseminating information via phone in extreme environments. It’s being launched today, in conjunction with TEDIndia, where founder Rose Shuman is presenting. “The longterm vision is to have it integrate with other open source software and data collection platforms like…

  • Getting Better at Design and Crisis Mapping

    Erik Hersman
    2 Nov 2009 | 3:02 pm
    I’m really (REALLY) excited today. Today I get to announce that two amazing individuals who have been long-time Ushahidi community members are joining the team to help with areas that we have a great need for their expertise in. First though, a big thank you to the Cisco Foundation. Through their generous grant, we have been able to focus on developing certain features into the Ushahidi application, many of which require the expertise of Patrick and Caleb (below). The funding of Ushahidi’s core team, which serves to shepherd its growth, community and core architecture, has been a…

  • An Internet Emergency Kit

    Erik Hersman
    1 Nov 2009 | 12:27 pm
    I’m a big fan of MAKE magazine, and as a web addict, I’m also always keen on finding ways to maintain connectivity. IN their recent issue, they have an “internet emergency kit” put together by NetHope. However, wearing my Ushahidi hat it becomes even more important to think of ways of maintaining internet access during emergencies. It’s possible to setup your laptop as the SMS gateway using FrontlineSMS. You can sync that with an Ushahidi instance hosted elsewhere if you have an internet connection. Think of this kit as that “worst case scenario”…

  • Digital Media in Conflict-Prone Societies

    Erik Hersman
    29 Oct 2009 | 2:24 pm
    I had the chance to do a talk with Ivan Sigal, Executive Director of Global Voices, at the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington DC this week. The talk was primarily about the paper that Ivan wrote, titled Digital Media in Conflict-Prone Societies, which should be out soon. I filled in as a representative of Ushahidi, a prototype of the way new media is being used in ways that challenge the status quo. “Digital media in conflict-prone societies have the potential to foster dialogue and peace or to fuel hate speech and violence. The rapid spread of digital-based communications…

  • Download form fixed

    juliana
    28 Oct 2009 | 11:47 am
    For those who’ve used the download form in the last few days to request a copy of the Ushahidi platform, kindly accept our apologies, we had a small problem with the code that notifies us of your request. This has been fixed and you should have received a link to download the platform. If you still have issues with it, kindly use this contact form. Please note that you can always grab a copy from Github/ushahidi. Thank you for your patience.
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    united-nations « WordPress.com Tag Feed

  • Joe Stern-McGovern Announces: www.endhivaids.com

    universalartists
    7 Nov 2009 | 5:27 am
    www.endhivaids.com In the event Joe Stern-McGovern, President of Universal Artists, International, hasn’t made this point clear, in the name of the betterment of mankind, it is his intention to guide UAI into even further ventures of charity through the medium of the arts. Coming early in 2010, please look for the World Mixtape, brainchild of Joe Stern-McGovern of UAI and Pure-Records of Tokyo fame, as well as various contacts throughout Western Europe. The agency’s coalition of sorts intends to release the mixtape, an American phenomenon which creates not only entertainment for…

  • News Round-Up for 07 Nov 2009

    landrjm
    7 Nov 2009 | 4:19 am
    Reuters: Obama weighs steps to spur jobs, wary on deficit Reuters: U.S. OKs two more import probes versus China CQPolitics: Obama Poised to Discuss Korean Trade Agreement, But Lawmakers are Anxious AP: Computers, records seized at ACORN offices in La. Bloomberg: Cantor Says Rhetoric Harmful, Calls for Inclusion CQPolitics: Ex-Rival – ‘Bigger Name’ Bennett Challenge Brews AP: Afghan gov’t says UN representative out of line    

  • Afghanistan: 'Security on the ground essential'...

    markdowe
    7 Nov 2009 | 3:31 am
    SECURITY IN AFGHANISTAN From the desk of MD PUBLIC opposition to Britain continuing its campaign in

  • UN General Assembly endorses Goldstone report.

    Pelopidas
    7 Nov 2009 | 3:10 am
    “In war, truth is the first casualty.” ~Aeschylus Remember my post regarding the Goldstone report? Well the story goes on, on November 5th the UN general assembly endorsed the report and urged both Israel and Palestinians to proceed with credible investigations in order to punish those responsible for the war crimes committed during the Israeli invasion at Gaza strip almost a year ago. As the UN news center reports: The General Assembly today endorsed the report of the United Nations investigation which found that both Israeli forces and Palestinian militants were guilty of serious human…

  • UN Reorganizes to Better Protect Women from Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

    hrbrief
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:35 pm
    By Zach Zarnow Protecting women from conflict-related sexual violence is once again at the forefront of activity at the United Nations. On September 30, 2009, the Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1888, which recommends ways for the UN and its Member States to improve their response to sexual violence committed during armed conflict. Such steps include comprehensive legal and judicial reforms. Although the resolution won praise, many women’s rights activists believe it is long overdue. Marianne Mollmann of Human Rights Watch characterized the resolution’s adoption as a move…
 
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    ICT for Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace)

  • 1000 posts on Groundviews: Bearing witness, shaping peace

    Sanjana Hattotuwa
    6 Nov 2009 | 3:07 am
    Exactly three years after its launch, Groundviews published its 1000th post today. In it Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu identifies the site with quality debate and asks citizens to use it to canvass their ideas for constitutional reform, governance, human rights and the economy and whatever else they see as constituting essential elements of an agenda for change and reform. Over three years, Groundviews has borne witness to that which traditional print and electronic media did not, and for well-known reasons, could not. Post-war for example, our path-breaking coverage of the situation…

  • White House visitor logs and e-gov

    Sanjana Hattotuwa
    2 Nov 2009 | 6:29 am
    The White House website has an interesting post on new disclosure policies that make available on the web, for the first time in history, all White House visitor records. Transparency like you’ve never seen before is a progressive record of transparency made possible by a forward thinking administration, strengthening and complementing existing Right to Information legislation. Compare this with Sri Lanka’s proposed use of ICT at local and national government levels and lack of any Right to Information legislation. Posted in ICTs and other stuff

  • Mobiles, new media and citizen journalism in Kashmir

    Sanjana Hattotuwa
    1 Nov 2009 | 11:44 pm
    Photo credit: BBC World Service Kashmir has, according to a new BBC World Service documentary, the highest rate of mobile phone usage per capita in India although services were only introduced in 2003. As the BBC reporter points out, without mobile phone services there would be no cyber resistance. And there’s the irony, for it is this largely mobile phone based cyber resistance that is today documenting human rights abuses in the region, and serving to bolster international attention on a region that is tremendously difficult and dangerous for traditional news media to cover in a…

  • The Hub poses vital questions over controversial execution video

    Sanjana Hattotuwa
    1 Nov 2009 | 6:27 am
    Should You Believe Your Eyes? Allegations of Doctored Video from Sri Lanka is a good post on The Hub, analysing the reactions to the controversial video first broadcast by Channel 4. Well over 14,000 people have to read read a related post on Groundviews (A video of shame and outrage: Responses, positions and clarifications) looking at the reactions to this video from government, civil society, media, the international community, diaspora and others. Despite concerns over the authenticity of the video by government, the Sunday Leader reported recently that “a United States company…

  • Blogger arrested in Sri Lanka for “offensive” comments regarding President and Defense Secretary?

    Sanjana Hattotuwa
    1 Nov 2009 | 4:41 am
    The Daily Mirror web edition carries a story about a youth arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department and remanded till the 6th of November by the Matale Magistrate. The crime? Making “offensive” comments regarding the President and the Secretary of Defense on the web. The newspaper has no further information on the individual, the nature of the “offensive” comments, or the language and location in which they were published. The disturbing transition from banning pornography to open web censorship seems to have been made. Update: 2nd November 2009 The Daily…
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    Information Technology and Emergency & Crisis Response

  • I väntan på ambulans - I väntan på ökad budget?

    3 Nov 2009 | 12:27 am
    Den senaster tiden har Göteborgs-Posten haft en serie med artiklar med fokus på ambulansverksamheten i Göteborgområdet. Ambulansverksamhetens ansvariga fått förklara hur det kan komma sig att personer som uppfattar sig vara i behov av ambulans inte fått det inom en rimlig tid. Ur SOS-alarms perspektiv kan det kanske vara lite klurigt att besvara frågorna från journalisterna då SOS-alarm av hänsyn till sin kundrelation med VGR inte nödvändigtvis kan eller bör skylla över problemen på sin kund.I gårdagens GP fanns en artikel om hur Räddningstjänsten i Stor-Göteborg utför…

  • Spännande studie om När, Hur och Varför ringer vi SOS?

    2 Nov 2009 | 11:47 am
    Idag var jag på ett projektmöte i Stockholm tillsammans med SOS-alarm och MSB där Mats Eriksson (fil.dr) från Örebro Universitet presenterade en kvalitativ studie med fokus på den flerbottnade frågan "När, Hur och Varför ringer vi SOS?". Studien baseras på en serie av fokusgruppsintervjuer där Mats forskarteam försökt gräva djupare kring användningen av det nationella nödnumret 112.Resultaten från studien var mycket intressanta och innehöll även en del överraskningar kring hur "medelsvensson" resonerar kring användningen av 112 och framtida möjligheter.Förutom nämnda…

  • CALL FOR PAPERS: ISCRAM2010

    18 Oct 2009 | 10:46 pm
    ISCRAM2010 - 7th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and ManagementDefining Crisis Management 3.0May 2-5, 2010Crowne Plaza HotelSeattle Washington USALink to: Call For Papers & Submission deadlines

  • Euro-Atlantic Stakeholder Conference 2009: Highlights

    18 Oct 2009 | 10:30 pm
    From the Euro-Atlantic Stakeholder Conference EASC2009 presents a few highlights from the conference in Stockholm, Sweden, earlier this month. The following text is copied from the email sent out to the conference participants.HIGHLIGHT KEYNOTES & PRESENTATIONSThere were many memorable keynotes and presentations. In one of the most compelling, physician and epidemiologist, Dr. D. A. Henderson described the international effort he headed during the 1960s to eradicate smallpox, for which he received the Medal of Freedom in 2002.View ClipMr. Sten Tolgfors, Swedish Minister for Defence (also…

  • Koll på flyget

    11 Oct 2009 | 11:30 am
    Den enkla men intressanta tjänsten flygradar gör att individer och organisationer på ett enkelt sätt kan ha koll på flyger. Tjänsten är en klassisk mashup med en karta från google samt flygdata med detaljerad information om varje plan direkt i webbläsaren. www.flygradar.nu
 
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    DARFUR NEWS - Google News

  • UN says abuses continue in Darfur - Washington Post

    6 Nov 2009 | 10:13 pm
    New Sudan VisionUN says abuses continue in DarfurWashington PostSudan's government continues to commit human rights abuses in Darfur, according to a UN report released Friday, even as the Obama administration pursues a UN Panel Accuses 2 Iranians of Breaking Darfur Arms EmbargoNew York TimesUN panel: Sudan still commits abuses in DarfurPhiladelphia InquirerFACTBOX: Key excerpts from U.N. report on Darfur violationsReutersThe Free Lance-Star -Al-Ahram Weekly -Common Dreams (press release)all 44 news articles »

  • Darfur groups press US to get tough with Turkey over Bashir trip - Christian Science Monitor

    6 Nov 2009 | 5:05 pm
    Times LIVEDarfur groups press US to get tough with Turkey over Bashir tripChristian Science MonitorPresident Bashir of Sudan, who faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes in Darfur, is scheduled to arrive Sunday in Turkey for an Islamic Turkey to host Sudanese leader despite EU disapprovalAFPTurkey criticized over Sudan presidenteTaiwan NewsTurkey and EU in spat over BashirAljazeera.netWall Street Journal -Today's Zaman -all 94 news articles »

  • Rwanda: 200 RDF Troops Return From Darfur - AllAfrica.com

    6 Nov 2009 | 12:35 am
    Rwanda: 200 RDF Troops Return From DarfurAllAfrica.com of the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) yesterday returned in the country after a one-year peacekeeping stint under the AU-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).

  • The New Republic: Fire Our Darfur Envoy Now - NPR

    5 Nov 2009 | 4:37 am
    FinalCall.com NewsThe New Republic: Fire Our Darfur Envoy NowNPRGration has touted his success in convincing Sudan to readmit some of the aid groups it ousted from Darfur earlier this year; but many groups were never US special envoy tackles Darfur with Sudanese officialsSudan TribuneSerious questions about politics in Sudan and North AfricaFinalCall.com NewsSudan: Ask US - Engaging on Sudan StrategyAllAfrica.comDeHavilland (press release) (subscription) -Sudan Vision -ReliefWeb (press release)all 32 news articles »

  • Nerdgasm: Boll-ing for Darfur - The Daily Titan

    3 Nov 2009 | 9:10 pm
    WorstPreviews.comNerdgasm: Boll-ing for DarfurThe Daily TitanOn why he did a movie about Darfur: “the idea is to stop the genocide in sudan…its a crime ….children getting hacked in pieces and we do nothing … [sic]. Trailer for Uwe Boll's "Darfur"WorstPreviews.comTrailer for Uwe Boll's Darfur movie debutsGamePro.comUwe Boll's Darfur Trailer Is Offensive Only Because It Can't SpellCinema BlendFilm School Rejects (blog) -Screen Rant -Zergwatchall 11 news articles »
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    TIBET NEWS - Google News

  • For Beijing, Tibet is the thorn in the side of China–US relations - AsiaNews.it

    7 Nov 2009 | 3:48 am
    Boston GlobeFor Beijing, Tibet is the thorn in the side of China–US relationsAsiaNews.itThe reference is to Taiwan and the "Tibet issue", which are essential for a "growth of bilateral relations". In return China opens on climate, trade, Obama's first China visit won't shake the worldGlobal TimesObama to Asia: The United States Is BackThe Carnegie Endowment for International Peaceall 182 news articles »

  • Religious event of Tibet's Ganden Monastery - People's Daily Online

    7 Nov 2009 | 1:33 am
    People's Daily OnlineReligious event of Tibet's Ganden MonasteryPeople's Daily OnlineLegend has it that on the 15th day of the 6th month of the Tibetan lunar year marks the day for the reincarnation of Sakyamuni, founder of Buddhism.

  • Chinese official media slams Dalai Lama as a 'liar' - Indian Express

    7 Nov 2009 | 1:25 am
    Telegraph.co.ukChinese official media slams Dalai Lama as a 'liar'Indian ExpressCriticising as "nonsense," the Dalai Lama's reported statement that "there exists fear in Tibet," the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist 'US supports Dalai Lama visit to Indian state'AFPArmy's help not taken for Dalai Lama's visitPress Trust of IndiaForeign journos gagged for Dalai Lama's visitIBNLive.comPhayul -Thaindian.com -VoiceofSikkimall 1,054 news articles »

  • CCP Pressures Bangladesh to Stop Tibet Photo Exhibit - NTDTV

    6 Nov 2009 | 9:22 am
    CCP Pressures Bangladesh to Stop Tibet Photo ExhibitNTDTVThe exhibition, titled “Into Exile: Tibet 1949 to 2009,” was supposed to be opened to the public at the Drik Photo-Agency Gallery on November 1st. China Throws its Weight AroundAsia Sentinelall 2 news articles »

  • Life-changing journey takes IU senior to Tibet, Thailand, back home - Indiana Daily Student

    5 Nov 2009 | 10:06 pm
    Life-changing journey takes IU senior to Tibet, Thailand, back homeIndiana Daily StudentThe card now lies in a music shop in Tibet with the other belongings Borger left behind when she was asked to leave the country.
 
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    Tibet Will Be Free

  • “When the ‘Pillars of National Unity’ Turned Into Totems” by Woeser

    High Peaks Pure Earth
    5 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    "Tibetans""Uighurs"High Peaks Pure Earth has translated an article written by Woeser for Radio Free Asia on September 30, 2009 and posted on her blog on October 12, 2009. This article refers to the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st in Beijing, where 56 pillars representing ethnic unity were erected. In the western media, the pillars received scant blog attention, however, Xinhua news agency gave wide coverage to the pillars and published several photos."When the 'Pillars of National Unity' Turned Into Totems" by WoeserIn…

  • Top Ten Reasons to Donate $10 to the Tibetan Freedom Movement!

    Nick
    4 Nov 2009 | 11:25 am

  • Chinese Pressure Forces Bangladesh to Bar Tibet Exhibition

    Nick
    4 Nov 2009 | 11:16 am
    From Phayul: Organisers determined to go on with the Tibet exhibition on the street Activist and Professor Dr. Muzzafar Ahmed seats in front of Drik gallery protesting the ban on a photo exhibition featuring Tibetan history in Dhaka November 1, 2009. An exhibition “Into Exile | Tibet 1949 – 2009″ featuring the journey of “Tibetans from their Homeland to Exile” has been banned by police on Sunday, organizers said. REUTERS/Andrew Biraj Dharamsala, November 2: Bangladeshi police in the country’s capital Dhaka on Sunday barred a prominent picture gallery from…

  • Obama Should Meet Who/Hu First?

    Jamyang Norbu
    4 Nov 2009 | 8:17 am
    When the announcement was made that President Obama would not meet the Dalai Lama on the latter’s trip to the USA last month, the disappointment in the Tibetan world was palpable. I felt a little better after seeing this AFP headline “West Appeasing China on Tibet, says PM-in-exile”[Wednesday, September 16, 2009 17:43]. The report also  Click here to read more...

  • New York Times Profiles Dhondup Wangchen Ahead of Obama’s China Visit

    kate
    2 Nov 2009 | 4:25 am
    Just weeks before U.S. President Obama makes his first presidential visit to China, Andrew Jacobs of the New York Times profiled detained Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen who is facing a secret trail for documenting the views of Tibetans in Tibet on the Beijing Olympics, the Dalai Lama and Chinese rule in Tibet. Read the full article below: China Is Trying a Tibetan Filmmaker for Subversion By ANDREW JACOBS CHONGQING, China — A self-taught filmmaker who spent five months interviewing Tibetans about their hopes and frustrations living under Chinese rule is facing charges of state…
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    hrw.org

  • Kimberley Process: Zimbabwe Action Mars Credibility

    Human Rights Watch
    6 Nov 2009 | 3:31 pm
    (Johannesburg) - The credibility of the world's "blood diamond" monitoring group has been damaged after its failure this week to suspend Zimbabwe despite overwhelming evidence of serious human rights abuses and smuggling in the Marange diamond fields in eastern Zimbabwe, Human Rights Watch said today. read more

  • Uganda: Bill Threatens Progress on HIV/AIDS

    Human Rights Watch
    6 Nov 2009 | 1:57 pm
    (Kampala) - A proposed Ugandan law on HIV/AIDS promotes dangerous and discredited approaches to the AIDS epidemic and would violate human rights, a group of more than 50 Ugandan and international organizations and individuals said in a report released today. The HIV and AIDS Prevention and Control Bill could be taken up by Uganda's parliament shortly. read more

  • Israel: Stop East Jerusalem Home Demolitions

    Human Rights Watch
    6 Nov 2009 | 12:12 pm
    (Jerusalem) - Israeli authorities in East Jerusalem should immediately stop demolishing Palestinian homes in violation of international law, Human Rights Watch said today. read more

  • Turkey: Bar Entry or Arrest Sudan President

    Human Rights Watch
    6 Nov 2009 | 9:22 am
    (New York) – Turkey should not allow President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, an accused war criminal, to attend a conference in Istanbul, and should arrest him if he sets foot in Turkey, Human Rights Watch said read more

  • Sudan: Reform National Security Law

    Human Rights Watch
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:44 am
    (New York) - A report released on November 5, 2009 by the United Nations Panel of Experts on Sudan reveals continuing human rights violations in Darfur and underscores the urgent need to reform Sudan's repressive national security law, Human Rights Watch said today. read more
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    Derechos: Human Rights Listings

  • CA & NV: Two positions with anti-death penalty groups

    28 Oct 2009 | 2:23 pm
    Victim Outreach Coordinator for Southern California California Crime Victims for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (CCV) would like to announce a job opening for the position of Victim Outreach Coordinator for Southern California. This will be an independent contractor position requiring approximately 45-60 hours of work per month (12-15 hours/per week). Start date: Jan. 1, 2010. (more below) -- Nevada Coalition Against the Death Penalty Seeks Program Coordinator We seek a motivated, experienced Program Coordinator to inspire, support, and strengthen the network of activists and members…

  • DC or SF: Amazon Watch Program Director

    29 Sep 2009 | 10:01 am
    Position Title: Program Director Client: Amazon Watch (www.amazonwatch.org) Location: San Francisco, CA or Washington, DC Founded in 1996, Amazon Watch is a dynamic nonprofit organization that protects the rainforest and advances the rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin. We partner with indigenous and environmental organizations in campaigns for human rights, corporate accountability and the preservation of the Amazon's ecological systems. Amazon Watch has successfully led the way in a number of groundbreaking victories for indigenous peoples rights and the environment through…

  • ASIL Guide to Electronic Resources for International Law

    22 Sep 2009 | 11:21 am
    http://www.asil.org/humrts1.cfm This guide provides a useful overview of electronic sources available for international human rights, regardless of the format. It includes general tips for doing research as well as for locating necessary documents and materials. It provides pointers on where to start: Bibliographic Databases and Online Catalogs, Research Guides and Bibliographies and Periodical Indexes. The scope encompasses both primary sources on human rights instruments and jurisprudence, and secondary sources (including documents from non-governmental organizations and country reports)…

  • DC - Researcher/Project Officer

    16 Sep 2009 | 2:37 pm
    The International Uyghur Human Rights and Democracy Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based human rights organization that promotes human rights and democracy for the Uyghur people, especially for Uyghur women and children, is seeking an experienced, well-organized self-starter to fill its Researcher/Project Officer position. The Researcher is responsible for conducting research and documentation, managing daily research activities and carrying out timely, accurate production of research reports, project narrative reports and press releases. The Researcher is also responsible for office…

  • NY/Cape Town: Health and Human Rights Program Officer - Africa

    16 Sep 2009 | 2:31 pm
    IGLHRC is seeking a skilled and committed individual for a grant-funded position based in either New York or Cape Town. The Health and Human Rights Program Officer’s primary function will be to work with IGLHRC’s national and local partners to: foreground the HIV and health-related rights of LGBT people in Africa (and elsewhere as needed); respond to health-related human rights violations; and confront the homophobic and transphobic policies and social stigma that undermine the health and safety of LGBT people. In particular, the Health and Human Rights Program Officer will work to help…
 
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    PhD studies in human rights

  • 4 Nov 2009 | 12:45 am

    4 Nov 2009 | 12:45 am
    A Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights ruled yesterday that displaying a crucifix in the classroom of a publicly-funded school is a violation of article 2(1) of the first Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights: http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/portal.asp?sessionSimilar=36227362&skin=hudoc-en&action=similar&portal=hbkm&Item=19&similar=frenchjudgement. Article 2(1) states: No person shall be denied the right to education. In the exercise of any functions which it assumes in relation to education and to teaching, the State shall respect the right of…

  • Ben Ferencz Interview

    3 Nov 2009 | 12:35 am
    Ben Ferencz was the prosecutor of the famous Einsatzgruppen trial, one of the post-war prosecutions organised by US military tribunals. Here's a recent interview with Ben: http://www.pbs.org/pov/reckoning/interview_ferencz.php. And if you want to read the judgment, and the trial proceedings, see: http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/Military_Law/pdf/NT_war-criminals_Vol-IV.pdf. There is a new book on the case: Hilary Earl, The Nuremberg SS-Einsatzgruppen Trial, 1945–1958Atrocity, Law, and History, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009:…

  • Karadzic Trial

    3 Nov 2009 | 12:25 am
    Some interesting submissions to the blog on the Karadzic trial. Here's a piece on the legal options open to the Trial Chamber to deal with Karadzic's refusal to attend trial: http://www.internationallawbureau.com/blog/?p=851.And a Newsnight report on the trial questioning whether the proceedings will reveal the advance knowledge of western powers about the attacks on Srebrenica, Zepa and Gorazde. It features interviews with Sir Geoffrey Nice, Mohamed Sacirbey (the former Bosnian foreign Minister), the former Dutch Defence Minister during the fall of the enclaves and an old interview with…

  • Piracy, the Crime of Crimes?

    2 Nov 2009 | 7:25 am
    There is a lot of talk about adding some new crimes to the subject matter jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, or about setting up some new tribunal to deal with the scourge of piracy. I agree with Professor Antonio Cassese, who writes in his book International Criminal Law that piracy is not an international crime, in the sense that it 'was (and is) not punished for the sake of protecting a community value...' (2nd ed., p. 12, italics in the original). Piracy should not be lumped with the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. We do this…

  • Sierra Leone Special Court Prisoners Will Serve Terms in Rwanda

    1 Nov 2009 | 1:14 am
    The eight persons convicted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone have been transferred to Rwanda, where they will serve their sentences, which range from 15 to 52 years. They will be detained at the Mpanga Prison, which is about a two-hour drive from Kigali.This is a sign of the times. It wasn't long ago that the prison conditions in Rwanda were being denounced as the worst in the world. Some of them, no doubt, are still pretty wretched. Mpanga was built about four years ago with financial assistance from the Dutch government.I visited the Mpanga Prison a couple of years ago, and was…
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    Business & Human Rights in Vancouver

  • No More Rape in the Congo

    13 Oct 2009 | 9:45 am
    From the Africa-Canada Accountability Coalition:The Africa-Canada Accountability Coalition announces the launch of a new campaign NO MORE RAPE.The eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the worst place in the world to be a woman or a girl. Over the last decade, a complex and ongoing series of conflicts, described as the world’s “deadliest crisis since World War II,” has unleashed unprecedented violence on the bodies of women and girls in this region. The brutality is extreme: three-month-old babies to eighty-year-old women have been raped. Women and girls are raped with such…

  • Business Ethics Mappng Workshop

    13 Oct 2009 | 9:38 am
    From the Canadian Business Ethics Research Network:CBERN Pacific Region Hub: Business Ethics Mapping Project & Workshop, Vancouver, BCFriday, November 20, 2009Mapping the Business Ethics research interested parties and their areas of interest in British Columbia and the Yukon in natural resources and other sectors.Date: November 20, 2009Location: The Atrium, BCIT Downtown Campus, 555 Seymour St., Vancouver, BCInformation: pacific@cbern.caOBJECTIVE: Mapping the Business Ethics research interested parties and their areas of interest in British Columbia and the Yukon in natural resources and…

  • Make your voice heard on Bill C-300

    1 Oct 2009 | 4:14 pm
    From Fiona at Amnesty. Here's more info on Bill C-300:Support Bill C-300Amnesty International is deeply concerned about human rights violations committed directly or indirectly by Canadian mining, oil and gas companies in developing countries.To ensure that Canadian companies respect human rights in developing countries, we need mandatory human rights standards and stronger regulations to hold transnational companies accountable. The status quo won't do.This fall, the Canadian Government is considering adopting a bill on corporate accountability (Bill C-300).Amnesty International supports…

  • Vancouver event - Canada as Global Citizen: Is Bill C-300 the Answer

    1 Sep 2009 | 3:56 pm
    Amnesty International - Business & Human Rights Presents:Canada as Global Citizen:Is Bill C-300 the Answer?Tuesday September 8th, 2009 / 6pmSFU Harbour Centre – 7000 Earl & Jennie Lohn Policy RoomIn our rapidly globalizing world, Canadians are increasingly concerned with corporate, social and environmental responsibility, and demand that the activities of corporations operating abroad do not violate basic human rights.Liberal M.P. John McKay will speak about Bill C-300, an Act designed to hold Canadian companies accountable for their activities in resource extractive industries…

  • NDP resolution on extractive industries.

    15 Aug 2009 | 2:15 pm
    This is unofficial, but I have it from a good source (Liz Blackwood, the co-chair of this group) that the NDP has unanimously passed a resolution at their convention for regulating the overseas operations of Canadian extractive industries. If anybody's wondering, this is good.
 
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    Chez Rémi

  • Wind the clock

    6 Nov 2009 | 11:36 pm
    Conversations in the last two days at the Barcelona Climate Talks were all about the best way to rewind the Copenhagen clock. The clock hasn't stop ticking but it's losing a few seconds every minute or every hour. It's been the case for quite some time of course, but the fact that after Barcelona everyone knows this raises a tactical issue: Will civil society remain politically relevant in the coming weeks with a slogan "fair, ambitious, binding treaty now" which everyone knows can't be achieved in that time frame unless something extraordinary happens? Repetition, repetition, repetition is…

  • Yes we can

    4 Nov 2009 | 10:35 am
    As people are pretty pessimistic here as the third day of the Barcelona Climate Talks is ending, I thought I'd cheer up with an encouraging piece of news.The Spanish newspaper El País reports a new milestone in clean energy production: last night, 40% of Spain's electricity was produced by wind.One year after President Obama's election, this is an opportunity to pull out the old slogan again: Yes we can.

  • Hate

    3 Nov 2009 | 2:01 pm
    Interesting remark by Yukio Hatoyama, the new Japanese Prime Minister.He's reported as saying "I hate whale meat." [I trust it is not a typographic error and that he did not mean to say he just "ate" whale meat]. It's not really surprising to hear this from a Japanese citizen of his generation. I hear this all the time in Tokyo, because whale meat is associated in the psyche of the Prime Minister's generation to the post WW-II hard times when Japanese people had little else to eat than boiled whale meat in the way of protein. What's interesting, and perhaps a sign of new times, is that for…

  • Barcelona climate curtain raiser

    2 Nov 2009 | 3:04 am
    I've been since Friday in Barcelona where I'll be staying all week for the Climate Negotiations. The Tcktcktck campaign asked me to organize their secretariat and help coordinate their activities at this session. Little more than a week ago I thought it would be cool to bring 1000 alarm clocks all set to ring before the start of the meeting, to wake up the negotiators. It was a great curtain raiser to highlight civil society organizations' demand for a fair, ambitious and binding treaty in Copenhagen.I'll pass on all the logistical nightmares (which explain in part why Chez Rémi was silent…

  • Momentum

    24 Oct 2009 | 9:22 am
    It's tough to choose a graphic to illustrate today's International Day of Action on Climate Change organized by 350, because so many inspiring actions are taking place everywhere in the world today. I've chosen this dive on the sunken Rainbow Warrior in New Zealand. Inevitably each time I see an underwater footage of the ship on board of wich I sailed so much three decades ago, it brings very special emotions and thoughts.Momentum is building for Copenhagen. The next stop is next week's final preparatory meeting in Barcelona. I'll be there.
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    Children

  • HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

    Cassandra Clifford
    31 Oct 2009 | 10:56 am

  • The Scariest Halloween Story of All…

    Cassandra Clifford
    31 Oct 2009 | 9:15 am
    A story sure to give you nightmares is the harrowing story behind child labor across the globe.  Whether it is costumes made from cotton picked by child labors in Uzbekistan or clothing sewn by child labors, ghoulish make-up with minerals mined by child labors, chocolate candy-bars made from cocoa picked by the hands of child labors in West Africa, or another hideous form of child labor that haunts our consumer market the stories are all eerily similar and all will leave you tossing and turning at night hoping that when you open your eyes it will all have been a dream.  But this is no…

  • News…

    Cassandra Clifford
    30 Oct 2009 | 3:48 pm
    U.S. might accept spousal abuse asylum claims The Barack Obama administration’s recommendation to grant asylum to a Guatemalan woman fleeing severe spousal abuse opens the door for other battered and sexually abused women in other countries to seek refuge in the U.S. Rody Alvarado Pena’s case had languished in immigration courts for 14 years. Federal officials are looking to create guidelines for asylum claims based on abuse. Global health efforts failing on top child killers Diarrhea and pneumonia remain the largest killers of young children across the world but fail to get as…

  • Is child obesity abuse?

    Cassandra Clifford
    28 Oct 2009 | 9:36 pm
    Is child obesity abuse? That is the question that has been raised by many over the past few years.  As the issue plagues teachers, care providers and doctors as the rates of childhood obesity increase. According to the American Obesity Association, obesity among children and teens is beginning to reach epidemic levels, as some 30% of children and teens are overweight and 15% are obese.   The frightening facts about child obesity is that it most often is not something that children ‘grow out of’, as those children who are overweight, with at least one overweight parent, are 80%…

  • Doing more to protect our children from abuse

    Cassandra Clifford
    27 Oct 2009 | 9:58 pm
    The United States has done it has topped the list, were number one…but this is one list and ranking we don’t want to go dancing in the streets about.Shockingly to many the US is the cheerless leader of deaths related to child abuse and neglect.Five children die each day in this country as a result of child abuse and neglect kill more than in any other industrialized nation, according to the report, We Can Do Better: Child Abuse and Neglect Deaths in America released by the Every Child Matters Education Fund. The report found that no less than 10,440 American children died from abuse or…
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    ICT - UN Declaration

  • NCAI endorses UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

    WASHINGTON – The National Congress of American Indians has passed a resolution supporting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and urging its endorsement by state governments and Congress.

  • Newcomb: World Conservation Congress endorses Declaration

    On Oct. 13, 2008 (Columbus Day), in Barcelona Spain, the World Conservation Congress (WCC) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), voted to endorse and begin implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 13, 2007.

  • Letter to all political parties

    Tomorrow, Sept. 13, 2008, we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The declaration was adopted by the UN General Assembly on Sept.13, 2007, after more than two decades of negotiation and debate. Despite having previously played a positive role in building international support for this human rights instrument, Canada was one of only four states to oppose the Declaration.
 
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    Bahai Faith in Egypt

  • Freedom!

    Bilo
    3 Nov 2009 | 2:27 pm
    A walking grasshopper...free to enjoy living! [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • A Trick of Nature

    Bilo
    1 Nov 2009 | 3:31 pm
    Sunset reflection on a high cloud. Northern New Mexico, USA, late October. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Trial of Iran's Baha'i Leaders Delayed Again

    Bilo
    18 Oct 2009 | 8:40 am
    According to the Baha'i World News Service, the trial of the dissolved ad hoc group of Baha'i leaders in Iran, scheduled for today, has been delayed again. The full story is posted below: Trial of seven Baha'is delayed, no new date set 18 October 2009 GENEVA — Although the trial of seven Baha'i leaders imprisoned in Iran for more than 17 months was scheduled for today, when attorneys and families arrived at the court offices in Tehran they were told it would not take place. No new trial date... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Upcoming Trial of Baha'i Leaders in Iran

    Bilo
    13 Oct 2009 | 3:15 pm
    The following comment was just left on a previous post regarding the trial of Baha'i leaders in Iran. It is posted again below because of its relevance: Cynthia has left a new comment on your post "Iran: Trial of Baha'i Leaders Postponed": The USC Office of Religious Life, USC Levan Institute for Humanities and Ethics and the Los Angeles Baha'i Center are hosting a concert event on Wednesday, October 14th at 7:30 PM at the Bovard Auditorium for a call for human rights and religious freedom in... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Happy Birthday!

    Bilo
    12 Oct 2009 | 9:29 am
    Martha turns one-year-old today! [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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    Change.org's Women's Rights Blog

  • Friday Femme Fatale: Social Media, Book Lists & Beth Ditto

    Jen Nedeau
    6 Nov 2009 | 11:22 am
    This weekend I am taking a reprieve from the bright lights of New York City and heading to Washington, DC for a few days to do some speaking at the Pledge2Protect conference and visit old friends. Additionally, for those who wonder what I do over at my full-time gig, Air America Media, I just published this column today in SmartBrief titled: Can social media save the radio star? I hope you all are gearing up for some rest and relaxation this weekend as well, but before you unplug completely check out the stories you may have missed in the world of women's rights: Social Media Salary Report:…

  • Female Bloggers Noticeably Absent From Technorati Survey

    Jen Nedeau
    5 Nov 2009 | 1:49 pm
    Earlier this fall, Technorati published a survey called the "2009 State of the Blogosphere." Some of the findings are interesting such as the idea that "Despite being perceived by some as enemies of the traditional media, bloggers actually carry a journalistic pedigree." I was trained as a journalist and pursued that passion until I realized that there weren't many jobs left in print reporting. Now I'm a blogger and a new media director. Not surprising that I ended up in the communications field, but what is surprising about this survey are the statistics about gender: Two-thirds are male 60%…

  • The Movement To End Genocide

    Jen Nedeau
    5 Nov 2009 | 11:57 am
    For those interested in global women's rights, the Pledge2Protect conference in Washington, DC should be on your agenda this weekend. From November 6 - 9, Genocide Intervention Network's (GI-NET) student-led division, STAND, is bringing together a powerful network of 1,000 students and community leaders and activists from across the country to Capitol Hill for Pledge2Protect: a conference designed to educate, empower, and highlight the work of activists who are driving the movement to prevent and stop genocide and mass atrocities. In collaboration with core partners Save Darfur Coalition and…

  • 2009 Election: Winning Female Candidates & Democrat Losses

    Jen Nedeau
    4 Nov 2009 | 8:50 am
    Yesterday's election was fraught with disappointment for Democrats. Instead of continuing the wave of "change" from just one year ago when Barack Obama was elected President, the 2009 elections delivered several big victories for the GOP: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the victory by Republican challenger Chris Christie for the governorship in New Jersey and then Republican candidate Bob McDonnell who won the Virginia gubernatorial race. Interestingly, despite these losses, Beau Friedlander at Air America says that this shouldn't be considered a referendum on Obama, but rather an…

  • Desperate Times Calls for Desperate Catholics

    Jen Nedeau
    3 Nov 2009 | 7:34 pm
    As someone who was raised Catholic, went to 15 years of Catholic school and is still asked to rise at eight o'clock in the morning when I visit my parents to go to church, the following news is quite the shocking revelation: the Catholic Church is now accepting applications from Anglicans. For those who are not well-versed Christianity, here's a quick definition of an Anglican: those who historically protest the Catholic Church and have been traditionally more liberal on their stances on the ordination of women bishops, gay priests and gay marriage. But it looks like desperate times in the…
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    It Dawned On Me

  • A Would-Be Robber and The Power of Love to Overcome Fear and Desperation

    Diane Beeler
    24 Oct 2009 | 12:46 pm
    It was October 19, 2009. 23-year-old Greg Smith was out of work, desperate, and needed money. He held Angela Montez at gun point, fully intending to rob a cash advance store, but something miraculous happened. Angela, a mother and grandmother, started crying and began talking to Greg. She told him “‘No, you don’t have to do this. Nothing can be bad enough for you to lower yourself to something so bad.” Even though the cash register was open and Greg could have taken the money and ran, he didn’t. His heart softened and he got down on his knees and prayed with…

  • Oak Ridge, TN: Developed the Atomic Bomb and Now Stopping Child Predators

    Diane Beeler
    18 Oct 2009 | 10:43 pm
    What was rolling farm land in east Tennessee, the city now known as Oak Ridge was quickly transformed by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1942 to become one of the four places that worked on the Manhattan Project and birthed the atomic bomb. Because of the plentiful and cheap hydroelectric power provided through the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Oak Ridge was the place where uranium was enriched. At one point, the Oak Ridge plants consumed one-sixth of the electricity in the entire United States…more than New York City. World War II-era billboard at the Oak Ridge Facility (Photo:…

  • I Pray for Grace

    Diane Beeler
    13 Oct 2009 | 3:43 pm
    Do you know someone who thinks about God or religion or spirituality differently from you? How do you feel about that? Are you respectful toward their beliefs? Are they respectful toward yours? Did you pray to Buddha? Someone asked me this today. I was sharing how I have been meditating and doing spiritual work to affirm and attract prosperity. I incorporate various precepts in my spiritual practice. I love the  Buddhist concepts of loving-kindness, that suffering ceases when we let go of our attachment to ideas, people, places, and things, and that we can increase our own peacefulness…

  • Does Barack Obama Deserve the Nobel Peace Prize?

    Diane Beeler
    9 Oct 2009 | 5:59 pm
    I was really excited to hear who the Norwegian Nobel Committee would choose today to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Would it be Three Cups of Tea author and Afghanistan and Pakistan builder of schools for girls Greg Mortenson (see my post on Greg here)? Or Dr. Denis Mukwege, the Congolese gynecologist who has repaired the damage done to 21,000 gang raped women and given them hope? Both were incredibly deserving and could certainly put the $1.4 million prize money to good use helping women and girls. President Obama at UN Security Council Meeting in September 2009 (Doug Mills, NY Times) I was as…

  • Don’t Stop Believin’ – Formerly Homeless Journey Lead Singer and Harvard Student

    Diane Beeler
    5 Oct 2009 | 9:03 pm
    The early 80s Journey song “Don’t Stop Believin” was sung on the Oprah show today by their amazing new lead singer (and formerly homeless person in the Phillippines) Arnel Pineda, who was discovered by one of the band members in a video Arnel posted on YouTube. Arnel, who had to fend for himself on the streets after his encouraging mother died when he was 13, is a testament to the power of those words, now living a life he says is way bigger than he could ever have imagined. The song provided a perfect setup for the story of Khadijah, an African-American young woman who was…
 
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    SWOPBlogger

  • SWOP Youth Defend Right to Drive

    George
    5 Nov 2009 | 10:08 am
    Two of our youth interns spoke with the Albuquerque Journal yesterday to weigh in on a proposal to refuse driving permits to youth that don't meet certain academic requirements. Lillian and Samantha did a good job representing for the youth that are targeted by this policy.With all the discussions lately and suggestions for improving our education in the state, you'd think they would come up with a better solution than punishing low-income and minority students. You'd think.You can see the article at the Journal's website.Interested in contributing to this discussion? A public hearing will be…

  • ATTENTION SWOP MEMBERS

    George
    4 Nov 2009 | 5:12 am
    Please don't forget about our Membership Meeting this Saturday, Nov. 7th. We will be talking about our work in the coming months as well as holding board elections. See you there!

  • UNM Students Unite for Health Care Reform on Nov. 4th

    tomas garduno
    3 Nov 2009 | 9:21 pm
    Hey SWOPistas, A new group of students at UNM is organizing a rally in support of Healthcare Reform with a strong public option. Support student organizers TOMORROW!Tomorrow, November 4, 2009 UNM students will host an event in support of Health Care Reform. The event will take place in the Student Union Building from 12- 2pm.The event will feature a “call your representative” phone drive, a petition to the all New Mexico senators and congressmen, and several prominent speakers, including Julie Heinrich, Dr. Jamal Martin, Dr. Sonia Gipson-Rankin, and Dr. Richard Wood.“Students showed up…

  • Carlsbad's CCCC Holds Second Meeting!

    Kathy Kelly
    2 Nov 2009 | 8:57 am
    Carlsbad SWOP recently held their second Community Complete Count Committee meeting. Those in attendance were: Elaine Avina-Census Partnership Specialist, Kathy O. Kelly-SWOP Field Organizer, Pastor David Munoz, Lula Miller, Irene Runnels, Kristy Beasley,Jessie Gates and Garry Adams. The discussion was centered around the application for funding and how we want to utilize those funds. We came up with some really great ideas! Mr. Adams suggested a "mobile booth" and offered the use of his truck, trailer and time to make this happen. Each member has agreed to operate the booth at least once,…

  • Youth Office Needs Help...

    Youth
    29 Oct 2009 | 3:02 pm
    Hey there folks, This is Lilian one of the youth interns here at SWOP. We are calling out for your help. Our Youth office is looking kind of dull, we would like to make our Youth building more youth-friendly. Here are some of the items we're looking for.(All donations will be tax deductable)· Couches· Tables· Comfy chairs· Cool place rugs· Youth art work· Bean bag chair· End tables or coffee tablesAll other donations are greatly appreciated. If you would like to donate anything please contact:Emma Sandoval-(505)-353-2941 or Emma@swop.netMarisol Enyart-(505)-400-4815 or…
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    Roma Rights Network

  • Germany to send Kosovar refugees home

    admin
    14 Oct 2009 | 9:51 am
    Kosovo Refugees Some 10 years after the Kosovo conflict, thousands of Kosovar refugees – most of them from the Roma community – are set to return home, daily Süddeutsche Zeitung reported this week. According to a parliamentary inquiry by the Left party into the matter, Berlin and Pristina plan to sign an agreement this autumn to send back the refugees, the paper said. There are reportedly 14,000 Kosovar refugees in Germany, 10,000 of whom are Roma. The agreement states that Kosovo must take all refugees back that can give proof they once lived in the disputed former Serbian territory.

  • "Europe Should Learn from the US Experience of Desegregation"

    admin
    5 Oct 2009 | 1:03 pm
    Stanko Daniel Speaking at the 17th Meeting of the Decade's International Steering Committee in Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia, Roma activist and ERRC consultant Stanislav Daniel called upon the Slovak government and other European governments to end school segregation. Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia, September 22, 2009: Segregated education for Romani children is still a widespread practice in many European countries. The European Roma Rights Centre's (ERRC) consultant Stanislav Daniel compared the US experience in desegregation with the European practice in his opening address delivered today on…

  • Gypsies caught in political crossfire

    admin
    14 Sep 2009 | 1:01 pm
    The music is mournful, a painfully slow lament that evokes longing and loss. There are slides – glissandi – between chords that pluck at the heartstrings as well, as if all of a people's suffering can be encapsulated in the notes of a song. In a smoky cabaret, the audience is appreciative, even if the lyrics aren't understood. But it has always been thus: The gypsy-entertainer, bohemian and romanticized; minstrels for their supper, valued for talents with the violin, the guitar, the lute, pan-pipes and castanets. Perhaps, as musicians of distinct skills, they might even gain easier…

  • ACTION ALERT: Roma Community Facing Forced Eviction

    admin
    13 Sep 2009 | 11:43 am
    Amnesty International has released this action alert: City authorities in Milan, northern Italy, are preparing to forcibly evict a community of about 200 Roma people living in Rubattino area in the east of the city. According to local NGOs and media, they have announced that they will carry out the evictions at some point before 21 September. According to the information received by Amnesty International, It is not clear what alternative accommodation will be offered to the community living in the Rubattino area. They have not been consulted on the proposed evictions, and the authorities have…

  • No hope for Roma in Czech ghettos

    admin
    13 Sep 2009 | 11:37 am
    It is the first day of school. The children are well-scrubbed and neatly dressed. Some, the littlest and most excited, have their mothers in tow as they wait at the bus stop. The bus pulls in. The doors fold open. The driver glares. And forbids them from boarding. "I don't take gypsies." Moms, incensed, start to yell. Kids, confused and frightened, begin to cry. The driver, unmoved, slams shut the door and the bus rumbles off, leaving youngsters stricken and adults seared with shame. Many of these children have just had their introductory lesson in what it means to be Roma – reviled and…
 
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    ONE

  • #FollowFriday @ONECampaign

    Chris Scott
    6 Nov 2009 | 4:58 pm
    Follow Friday is a chance for people on Twitter to recommend other people, organizations, and movements on Twitter. We at @ONECampaign like to take the opportunity to give shout-outs to other partner organizations and people who are making a difference in the fight against extreme poverty. Here’s today’s round-up: #FF @mercycorps turns crisis into opportunity at [...]

  • Upgrade Aid Petition Delivery

    Emily.Stivers
    6 Nov 2009 | 3:58 pm
    Yesterday a team of ONE members, interns and staff delivered our Upgrade Aid petition with more than 45,000 signatures from ONE members across the country. We were well-received in every office we visited, reflecting the bipartisan nature of the bill we support: S.1524, the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act. This bill will give USAID, the [...]

  • A-List: Vusi Mahlasela Performs at the African Leadership Academy

    Vusi Mahlasela
    6 Nov 2009 | 2:59 pm
    ONE is turning to its community of artists, friends, members and staff for their top picks on creative works that have enhanced their knowledge and understanding of the richness of African culture and arts. Today we have a recommendation from Vusi Mahlasela: Two years ago, I met an inspired young South African named Fred Swaniker at [...]

  • Protecting Children from Rotavirus

    Chris Scott
    6 Nov 2009 | 1:59 pm
    If you watched Bill and Melinda Gates’ “Impatient Optimists” presentation, you probably remember this discussion about rotavirus, and the deadly impact it can have on children: The Living Proof Project also has this great corresponding photo gallery documenting clinics in Managua and Pantasma, Nicaragua where great progress is being made in the administering of rotavirus vaccines. You [...]

  • What do you know about the Central African Republic?

    Les Roberts
    6 Nov 2009 | 12:58 pm
    Les Roberts, Clinical Associate Professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health has worked extensively in countries ranging from Zimbabwe to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Today he writes about a lesser-known country– the Central African Republic: The Central African Republic (CAR) is a little known nation in the middle of Africa with a [...]
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    BBC World Service Trust blog

  • Enhancing Nigeria’s Response to HIV and Aids

    worldservicetrust
    2 Nov 2009 | 6:17 am
    Enhancing Nigeria’s Response to HIV and Aids (ENR) is a new Pan-Nigerian, DFID-funded project which will focus on lowering the prevalence of HIV in the country. An aspect of this, which the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) is a part of, is to help capacity building at national and state TV stations. This involves creating a TV training team which will then go out and provide training at local stations, including training on HIV reporting and co-producing with the station for several weeks. Ambika Samarthya, an international trainer based in Abuja reports on the first stages of the three…

  • DFID White Paper: a welcome step forward for development

    worldservicetrust
    8 Jul 2009 | 8:07 am
    By Caroline Nursey, Executive Director Here at the BBC World Service Trust, we welcome DFID’s new White Paper, Eliminating World Poverty, Building our Common Future. There is a clear evidence and research base demonstrating that media in developing countries can constitute among the most effective checks on corruption and abuse of power, and it is gratifying to see this reflected in the White Paper. The commitment to set aside an amount equivalent to 5% of budget support funds to help ‘ensure that citizens groups, local media… and others are able to monitor how governments use these…

  • Ringing in change

    Yvonne MacPherson
    15 May 2009 | 11:03 am
    It is my second day at the train halt point in Patna. A number of BBC Hindi Radio listeners have assembled at a modest venue in central Patna to speak to programme makers. Here, I am surrounded by a group of about 10 Bihari men. Should I do it? Should I take out my mobile phone and press the button that starts my ringtone?  I want to make the most of my visit to Bihar and get feedback from people we are trying to reach with our work. I decide to give it a go. I want to know what these men think when they hear my ringtone. I press the button. The ringtone begins to chime. Con… con… con……

  • Beyond the ice cream

    Yvonne MacPherson
    11 May 2009 | 12:06 pm
    The BBC Election Train pulled into Patna station in the early hours of the hottest day of the season. It was 42.8 degrees Celsius. Despite the heat, I was looking forward to meeting some of our project partners and understanding what more can be done in Bihar, one of the poorest states in the country.  According to India’s National Family Health Survey, 42% of children nationally are underweight.  However, in Bihar it is even higher at 58%. Fewer than 20% of births are delivered in a health facility in Bihar (again, considerably worse than the national average). There is a lot of scope…

  • Training NGOs and a serenade on a train: are you prepared?

    Yvonne MacPherson
    9 May 2009 | 2:07 am
    Local band Bhoomi ("Earth") join the BBC election train What can a band of musicians do to help people prepare for natural disasters? Well, if you are West Bengal’s hit band Bhoomi, you use your popularity to encourage people to take simple steps that could save lives and limit the damage from floods and cyclones. In February this year, Bhoomi helped the BBC World Service Trust raise awareness about disaster preparedness through a high-profile public concert. The 3000 seat stadium in Kolkata was packed – many in the audience lived in communities vulnerable to disaster. The…
 
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    BBC World Service Trust

  • Enhancing Nigeria’s Response to HIV and Aids

    worldservicetrust
    2 Nov 2009 | 6:17 am
    Enhancing Nigeria’s Response to HIV and Aids (ENR) is a new Pan-Nigerian, DFID-funded project which will focus on lowering the prevalence of HIV in the country. An aspect of this, which the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) is a part of, is to help capacity building at national and state TV stations. This involves creating a TV training team which will then go out and provide training at local stations, including training on HIV reporting and co-producing with the station for several weeks. Ambika Samarthya, an international trainer based in Abuja reports on the first stages of the three…

  • DFID White Paper: a welcome step forward for development

    worldservicetrust
    8 Jul 2009 | 8:07 am
    By Caroline Nursey, Executive Director Here at the BBC World Service Trust, we welcome DFID’s new White Paper, Eliminating World Poverty, Building our Common Future. There is a clear evidence and research base demonstrating that media in developing countries can constitute among the most effective checks on corruption and abuse of power, and it is gratifying to see this reflected in the White Paper. The commitment to set aside an amount equivalent to 5% of budget support funds to help ‘ensure that citizens groups, local media… and others are able to monitor how governments use these…

  • Ringing in change

    Yvonne MacPherson
    15 May 2009 | 11:03 am
    It is my second day at the train halt point in Patna. A number of BBC Hindi Radio listeners have assembled at a modest venue in central Patna to speak to programme makers. Here, I am surrounded by a group of about 10 Bihari men. Should I do it? Should I take out my mobile phone and press the button that starts my ringtone?  I want to make the most of my visit to Bihar and get feedback from people we are trying to reach with our work. I decide to give it a go. I want to know what these men think when they hear my ringtone. I press the button. The ringtone begins to chime. Con… con… con……

  • Beyond the ice cream

    Yvonne MacPherson
    11 May 2009 | 12:06 pm
    The BBC Election Train pulled into Patna station in the early hours of the hottest day of the season. It was 42.8 degrees Celsius. Despite the heat, I was looking forward to meeting some of our project partners and understanding what more can be done in Bihar, one of the poorest states in the country.  According to India’s National Family Health Survey, 42% of children nationally are underweight.  However, in Bihar it is even higher at 58%. Fewer than 20% of births are delivered in a health facility in Bihar (again, considerably worse than the national average). There is a lot of scope…

  • Training NGOs and a serenade on a train: are you prepared?

    Yvonne MacPherson
    9 May 2009 | 2:07 am
    Local band Bhoomi ("Earth") join the BBC election train What can a band of musicians do to help people prepare for natural disasters? Well, if you are West Bengal’s hit band Bhoomi, you use your popularity to encourage people to take simple steps that could save lives and limit the damage from floods and cyclones. In February this year, Bhoomi helped the BBC World Service Trust raise awareness about disaster preparedness through a high-profile public concert. The 3000 seat stadium in Kolkata was packed – many in the audience lived in communities vulnerable to disaster. The…
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    Sponsor Impact

  • Inaction is not the answer.

    sponsorimpact
    2 Nov 2009 | 10:50 am
    I am aware that this blog has been unusually quiet these past few weeks. It isn’t that there are not tragedies or emergencies to report or that there are no stories to tell or faces to share. Instead I have found myself overwhelmed with the amount of tragedies and injustices that so many around the world face on a daily basis. It only takes a brief pause on the news channel while surfing the tube, a quick click of a mouse on the CNN home page or the unfolding of the morning newspaper and  scan of the headlines to be reminded of the reality that this world is full of injustice and need.

  • Bringing Light to the “least of these”

    sponsorimpact
    14 Oct 2009 | 7:11 am
    As HIV/AIDS and other fatal diseases have struck the continent of Africa and the rest of the world a new kind of family has been created. One that is virtually unheard of in the developing world because we understand the absolute chaos it would be. These families are what we call Child Headed Households meaning that when the parents pass away the oldest child becomes the surrogate parents to the younger children. More often than not though the oldest is still a child themself. Our West Coast Regional Manager of our Advocate Ministry, Wendy McMahan has an incredible passion for bringing light…

  • Recovering from the Flood

    sponsorimpact
    30 Sep 2009 | 12:29 pm
    Our staff on the ground in the Philippines have sent us an update of the situation and have included some pictures. ” 100% of the families in Tibag and Curayao were affected on different levels. Some families lost all of their belongings (house and what they own), some have kept their house but there is nothing left inside. Some families kept their houses and belongings but they are no longer useful. Many CDP children neeed new school materials, bags, uniforms and sleepers. Some families have returned to their respective houses but some families continue to stay in relocation sites as…

  • And the Rain Came Down

    sponsorimpact
    28 Sep 2009 | 2:26 pm
    Saturday brought hours and hours of rainfall to Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. This rain was a result of typhoon Ketsana that was not expected to have much affect on the islands of the Philippines. This storm was only expected to be a category 1 storm and yet the rain that was brought by this storm in just a matter of five hours was the same amount of rain that they usually receive in a months time. In just six hours, Manila received over 13 inches of rain, they average 15 inches for this whole month. That one day of rain caused submerged houses, swept away shanties and made…

  • Food Crisis Escalates

    sponsorimpact
    19 Sep 2009 | 7:42 am
    Our field staff in Kenya have alerted us to a problem that is also being reported by many news sources. There is a food crisis in Kenya that is affecting 3.8 million people and part of the reason for this is the drought that this country is experiencing. This drought has been blamed for a number of elephants dying because the rivers are drying up. Some of the other reasons for this food crisis are the high prices of food that Kenyans can no longer afford, the lingering effects of the election violence that cut production of crops in the fields of Kenya. Though most people are feeling the…
 
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    Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

  • Ministers back 'anti-slavery law' [UK]

    6 Nov 2009 | 4:47 am
    Ministers are to legislate to outlaw employment practices which campaigners say amount to modern-day slavery. Civil liberties groups, unions and leading figures in the House of Lords have called for specific laws to ban domestic servitude and forced labour. They say cases of such abuse remain widespread, with some migrants being held against their will on low wages. Prosecutions are difficult, they argue, because of a lack of clear offences criminalising such practices. Ministers had previously insisted current laws gave victims sufficient protection. But the government backed down on…

  • [PDF] A Shadowy Business [scroll to pg. 29]

    6 Nov 2009 | 3:19 am
    ...In Shadow Force, Isenberg analyzes the security element of contractor business in the Iraq intervention...With the aspiration of furthering the private security contractor debate, described as a tale told by idiots, full of sound and fury,... Isenberg attempts to offer a fair view of the security contractors in Iraq by avoiding judgments...A long discussion of the Abu Ghraib scandal, involving two private companies (CACI and Titan) providing unarmed translators and interrogators to the Iraqi prison, illustrates this tension between theory and practice, eventually questioning the efficiency…

  • [PDF] "Just business: Why companies must pay attention to human rights" - Keynote Address, Canadian Business for Social Responsibility (Toronto, 5 Nov 2009)

    6 Nov 2009 | 3:05 am
    I've been asked to provide an update on my mandateLet me turn to two components of the [Protect, Respect and Remedy] framework that relate directly to corporations: first, human rights due diligence, and second, grievance mechanisms. The corporate responsibility to respect human rights is a universally acknowledged norm. Yet how do companies know they respect human rights? What is required...is human rights due diligence...Secondly, I want to stress the role played by site-level grievance mechanisms to which affected individuals and communities can bring corporate-related concernsIf I had to…

  • Payments in Ivory Coast Dumping Case at Risk, Lawyer Says

    5 Nov 2009 | 1:59 pm
    Thousands of victims of one of the worst toxic dumping scandals in years could lose their hard-won settlement thanks to maneuverings by a shadowy but influential figure in Ivory Coast, where the dumping occurredUp to $45 million in compensation is at stake, intended for about 30,000 victims of an oil-based sludge surreptitiously dumped around Abidjan, Ivory Coast's capital, in 2006[T]he money, frozen in a local bank, has been claimed by a largely self-appointed community representative named Claude Gohourou. In recent weeks, the Ivorian judiciary has sided with him, according to the London…

  • Empresa minera Rio Tinto se retira de Reque Chiclayo [Peru]

    5 Nov 2009 | 5:14 am
    La minera Rio Tinto comunico oficialmente su retiro de Reque, distrito cuya poblacion se opuso durante el 2008 a la puesta en marcha de la instalacion de una planta de demostracion de lixiviacion de cobre...la compania continuara su experimento en una universidad capitalina. La infraestructura de lo que seria la planta se encuentra cerca a la Loma del Cerro Reque, lugar que pretende ser convertido en area de conservacion.
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    Change.org's Poverty in America Blog

  • Help YouTube Document Hunger in America

    Greg Plotkin
    6 Nov 2009 | 9:00 am
    Do you know of or work for a nonprofit organization that helps to alleviate the causes of hunger in America?  If so, our friends over at YouTube want to hear (and see!) about it. YouTube's Video Volunteer program is a simple way to raise awareness about the organizations and issues you care about.  This month, the program is seeking short videos (of no more than three minutes) profiling nonprofits that work to end hunger in America. It doesn't matter if you're involved with Feeding America or a tiny food pantry in a rural area.  This is a fantastic opportunity to show the world how you…

  • 1 in 10 Americans Unemployed

    Leigh Graham
    6 Nov 2009 | 6:48 am
    10% unemployment is here. The worst unemployment rate since 1983; for those of you who weren't in elementary school then - how does this recession match up in your mind to that one? Given the rising cost of living compared to the declining value of wages over the last two decades, how are households getting by in this bleak reality relative to 26 years ago? Will Obama and Congress get us out of this mess? More than 7M Americans have lost their jobs in the last two years, and remember, official unemployment rates only count people actively looking for work. The # of people out of the workforce…

  • Housing Instability Hurts Kids

    Diane Nilan
    6 Nov 2009 | 5:07 am
    I'm tired of being subtle. In this world of attention-grabbing headlines and screaming issues, little kids are being trampled as crowds of media rush to cover "issues" which often have the importance of a mosquito bite, or um, a silver balloon. Left to fend for themselves are millions of little kids and their families in this country, mired in deep poverty, teetering on or swallowed up by homelessness. So I made this 4-minute video, "Life is But a Dream," to remind viewers of the cost as we continue to abandon the wee ones in this country. Would be great if you view it and share it. A new…

  • 10% Unemployment Looming

    Leigh Graham
    5 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm
    New unemployment #s come out tomorrow - economists predict 9.9% unemployment nationwide.  Can I just round that up to 10% and call it a day? First time jobless claims were less than expected in October, though only 20k fewer of over half a million.  We are supposed to take this as good news that "job cuts are easing as the economy slowly heals."  This is the lowest level since January.  Still...2009 is almost over and we're still seeing half a million people per month file for unemployment for the first time?  That is one horribly contracting economy. Surviving workers are laboring more…

  • 90% of Black Children on Food Stamps

    Greg Plotkin
    5 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    In one of the most dramatic examples I've seen of the true reach of hunger in the United States, a new report released this week by Washington University in St. Louis researchers found that 90 percent of black children will be clients of the national Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/Food Stamps) at least once by the time they turn 20. Although the percentage is less for white children (the only other ethnic group studied), the startling statistic here is that, at some point before their 20th birthday, 50 percent of all children in the United States will have received SNAP…
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    Change.org's Stop Genocide Blog

  • A Case of Liable

    Karl Horberg
    6 Nov 2009 | 2:44 pm
    So far the drafters of the Genocide Convention had established a definition and punishable acts. The next step was to clearly establish who could be held liable for genocide. The Secretariat draft placed criminal liability for genocide on "rulers, public officials, and private individuals." In their commentary the experts stressed that the greatest responsibility for genocide prevention lies with rulers or statesmen. They also took the position that international law should concern itself with prosecuting "rulers" and that states should be in charge of prosecuting lesser public officials. In…

  • A Special Message from Indego Africa

    Michelle
    6 Nov 2009 | 4:28 am
    I received the following message from a board member at Indego Africa, nonprofit taking a social enterprise approach to empowering hundreds of women Rwanda to lift themselves out of poverty. If you're looking for something to do in DC tonight, check it out -- and enter the raffle to win a trip to Rwanda. Dear Michelle: I am a Board member of the non-profit Indego Africa, and I wanted to alert you to our fall fundraiser event being held this Friday night from 7-10pm at the Josephine Butler Parks Center in Northwest, DC. Indego is an innovative and entrepreneurial nonprofit built upon the…

  • Racialized Refugee Status in the UK?

    Michelle
    5 Nov 2009 | 4:27 am
    Did the UK just endorse racial profiling of refugees? According to a decision announced on Tuesday by Britain's Interior Ministry, all "non-Arab" Darfuri asylum-seekers will be allowed to remain in the country, contingent upon periodic reviews of the situation in Sudan: "All non-Arab Darfuris, regardless of their political or other affiliations, are at real risk of persecution in Darfur and internal relocation elsewhere in Sudan is not currently to be relied upon," the Interior Ministry's UK Border Agency concluded in its operational guidance note. Yes, non-Arab Darfuris were the targets of…

  • New Darfur Film Knows No Shame

    Michelle
    4 Nov 2009 | 4:42 am
    The man "widely considered to be the worst working director today" + Darfur = Disaster. You don't even need to see the full film to tell -- here's all you need to know: White journalists in a gun battle with the Janjaweed. Seriously. If the trailer is any indication, Uwe Boll's new film Darfur is the worst kind of white-man's-burden, heart-of-darkness trash known to cinema -- Eurocentric Africa filmmaking at its most condescending. Starring Billy Zane. The film repeats a theme commonly seen in movies about African wars: White people in search of adventure stumble into a land of lawlessness…

  • Bold Words, from Sudan to Zim to the DRC

    Michelle
    3 Nov 2009 | 8:00 am
    Dictator Delusion Disorder Congolese President Joseph Kabila boasted that his army is winning its battle to uproot extremist Hutu militias in the east, just as the UN withdrew its support for the Congolese army and human rights groups issued warnings about egregious violence committed by the troops against civilians. A typical day at the office? Says my favorite old curmudgeon Bobby Mugabe of his Prime Minister: "Even if some person is not mentally stable he is still your partner . . . . We bound ourselves to work together even though we had disparate position." So is he on or off the…
 
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    Survival's Blog

  • Ururú Akuntsu: an obituary

    Survival
    14 Oct 2009 | 6:40 am
    Last week we received news of the sad loss of Ururú Akuntsu. She was one of the last remaining members of the Akuntsu tribe who live in a small reserve in Rondônia state, western Brazil. There are now just five of them. They have suffered as their forest home, friends and families were massacred over many years by ruthless ranchers in pursuit of land. Today they live in a territory recognised by the government and protected by FUNAI (government indigenous affairs department). Altair Algayer, head of the nearby FUNAI outpost, remembers Ururú. His brief recollections conjure the image of an…

  • Is Botswana’s President an ‘archaic fantasy’?

    Lindsay
    7 Oct 2009 | 4:57 am
    A South African woman recently sparked a minor international incident when she accused Botswana’s president, Ian Khama, of looking ‘like a Bushman’ (according to South African newspaper Sowetan). Botswana President Ian Khama whose government has been criticised for human rights abuses. An official at a Botswana border gate overheard the woman’s comments, and arrested her for ‘insulting the president’ and tried to charge her for ‘insults relating to Botswana’. After a few hours in a police cell, the woman was released and free to return to South Africa. It’s hardly surprising…

  • A bad month for oil palm

    David
    30 Sep 2009 | 3:00 am
    Hunter-gatherers in Borneo blockade roads to keep oil palm companies off their land. . . the World Bank freezes loans to oil palm companies. . . and now the UK’s Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has banned a ‘misleading’ advert calling oil palm the ‘Green Answer.’ ‘The ad must not appear again in its current form,’ the ASA concluded. Another video shows the objectionable image of palm oil promoted by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council. The advert, placed by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council, claimed that accusations against Malaysia’s palm oil industry ‘of rampant…

  • ‘Communist excrement’ – moi?

    David
    17 Sep 2009 | 11:24 am
    The author of Survival’s ‘most racist article’ of 2009 now says he was ‘exaggerating’ when he suggested bombing Peru’s indigenous population with napalm. ‘When I wrote that I didn’t mean it literally,’ Andres Bedoya Ugarteche retorts in his column in Peru’s Correo newspaper. ‘When you tell someone that he or she’s f**king you, or that you’re going to ‘beat the shit out of them’, you don’t really mean it.’ Indeed. The question is, when isn’t he exaggerating? It’s difficult to know. After all, he describes ‘all human rights NGOs’ as ‘blood-sucking…

  • Eviction emergency for Kenyan tribe

    Matthew
    28 Aug 2009 | 7:04 am
    It is indeed an emergency. The Kenyan government has passed down an ultimatum that will shatter the Ogiek, residents of the Mau forest for centuries. Authorities have ordered everyone to leave the forest by next month, or face arrest. ‘The government said it would spare no one, not even a goat or a chicken’, emphasised an Ogiek spokesperson. ‘This is very serious, the Ogiek have nowhere else to go. People are crying about the eviction.’ View Larger Map The eviction is taking place in the name of conservation. However, it is said that the greatest threats to the forest…
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    News from Survival International

  • Isolated Amazon Indians die in ‘swine flu epidemic’

    4 Nov 2009 | 2:02 am
    The Yanomami are the largest relatively isolated tribe in the Amazon© 1980 Victor Englebert/Survival Seven Yanomami Indians in Venezuela have died from an outbreak of suspected swine flu in the last two weeks. Another 1,000 Yanomami are reported to have caught the virulent strain of flu. The Venezuelan government has sealed off the area, and sent in medical teams to treat the Yanomami. The regional office of the World Health Organization has confirmed the presence of swine flu. There are fears that the epidemic could sweep through the Yanomami territory and kill many more Indians. The…

  • Blow to Malaysian palm oil industry as UK bans advert

    2 Nov 2009 | 1:14 am
    Oil palms planted on recently-deforested land, Sarawak© M Ross/ Survival – Penan tribe in Borneo welcomes ban An advert for Malaysian palm oil has been banned in the UK, dealing a major blow to the credibility of Malaysia’s palm oil industry. Members of the hunter-gatherer Penan tribe in Borneo have welcomed the ban, saying, ‘Oil palm plantations have not benefited us at all; they have only robbed us of our resources and land.’ The Penan live in Sarawak, in the Malaysian part of Borneo, and are fighting to stop the forests they rely on being cut down to make way for oil palm…

  • US oil company threatened with eviction from Amazon

    30 Oct 2009 | 8:06 am
    The Harakmbut are one of three tribes that depend on the reserve where Hunt is exploring for oil.© Dilwyn Jenkins/Survival Indigenous people have threatened to evict a US company, Hunt Oil, exploring for oil on their ancestral land in the Peruvian Amazon. According to FENAMAD, an indigenous organisation in south-east Peru, at least two hundred people have gathered in a small town called Salvación, which acts as Hunt’s base in the region. A meeting between company representatives, local indigenous people and high-ranking government ministers, including the prime minister, was scheduled…

  • Peru plans to disband national indigenous organisation

    28 Oct 2009 | 7:47 am
    Armed police attack indigenous protesters at Bagua, northern Peru.© Thomas Quirynen and Marijke Deleu The Peruvian government is planning to disband Peru’s national organisation representing indigenous people in the Amazon, known by its Spanish acronym AIDESEP. The unprecedented proposal for AIDESEP’s dissolution was made by Peru’s Ministry of Justice. It is based on the claim that AIDESEP is ‘flagrantly violating’ its charter and undermining ‘public order’. In an interview on Peruvian radio on 24 October AIDESEP’s acting president, Daysi Zapata, said indigenous…

  • Amazon mega-dams stoke new wave of Indian protests

    27 Oct 2009 | 3:22 am
    Kayapó dance at an anti-dam protest in 2006 © T Turner Kayapó Indians are to hold a protest against a huge hydro-electric dam planned for Brazil’s Xingu River, one of the Amazon’s main tributaries. The week-long protest will start on 28 October and take place in the Kayapó community of Piaraçu. At least 200 Indians are expected to gather. Representatives from Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy, and the Ministry of the Environment, have been invited there to talk with the Indians. The Kayapó and other indigenous peoples oppose the dam, saying they have not been properly…
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    Change.org's War and Peace Blog

  • Your Chance to Tell The IASC What You Think

    Michael Bear
    16 Oct 2009 | 4:02 am
    Or, at least, to tell the Inter-Agency Standing Committee -- or, as I like to think of it, the Bilderberg group of the humanitarian world -- what you think about their various publications. IASC has just launched a survey to determine how many people within the humanitarian community know about their various policy statements, guidelines and manuals, whether they're useful, and how they can be made more accessible. (Because, admit it, you loved reading the IASC report on humanitarian action and older persons.) The survey takes about five minutes, and is available here in English, French and…

  • Blog Action Day: How Climate Change Causes Conflict

    Michael Bear
    15 Oct 2009 | 7:24 pm
    [A video from the Environmental Change and Security Program] In an excellent post over at Stop Genocide, my co-blogger Michelle looks at Conflict in the Age of Climate Change.  As Michelle points out, climate change effects access to natural resources -- desertification and drought, for instance, reduce the amount of usable land available -- which in turn exacerbates conflict, a situation made even worse when not-so-nice regimes "play favorites" or manipulate these conflicts to serve political ends. (Hello, Darfur.) All of which got me wondering about the broader, historical connection…

  • One Disarmed Rebel for Every Seven Women Raped

    Michael Bear
    14 Oct 2009 | 10:05 pm
    [Sexual violence in the DRC - video from Human Rights Watch] Earlier this week, the Congo Action Coalition released a statement highlighting the "unacceptable cost for the civilian population" of the ongoing Congolese army offensive against rebels in North and South Kivu provinces. The UN-supported offensive is aimed at neutralizing the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (French-acronymized to FDLR), a particularly vicious rebel group operating in eastern Congo. According to the Congo Action Coalition -- comprising 84 international and Congolese NGOs -- things haven't gone exactly…

  • Sarah Silverman's Plan To End World Hunger

    Michael Bear
    14 Oct 2009 | 7:51 pm
    I laughed. Which might make me a horrible person, but I did laugh. And, ummmmm, goes without saying - if you're easily offended, you might want to pass on this.

  • Heretical Thoughts

    Michael Bear
    12 Oct 2009 | 9:11 pm
    1. Would you take advice on how to fix some of the structural issues facing the States -- say income inequality, or the debt -- from a Congolese man who has spent a grand total of twelve months in the country? You might listen politely, even nod, but chances are you wouldn't find his analysis particularly illuminating. So, why, exactly, are we qualified to offer governance and economic advice to the Congolese? Or, really, to anyone else? Most answers seem a variation on the theme of "our system works better than theirs; ergo I'm qualified to dispense advice" -- but, unless you wrote the…
 
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    Change.org's Global Health Blog

  • Climate Change is Biggest Health Threat to Children of 21st Century

    Mike Smith
    6 Nov 2009 | 9:24 am
    Climate change could kill up to 400,000 children a year. That's the assessment of Save The Children who explain that not only will does climate change represent a huge global health problem that will kill hundreds of thousands every year, but it's singled out as the biggest health threat to children in the 21st century. Save the Children estimate that up to 175 million a year will be effected as natural disasters increase over the next decade. There of course is no-one immune to climate change, and no immunization being developed, or hopes that the Gates Foundations can step in and fund…

  • Lower Fertility Rate is Improving the World in Incredible Ways

    Mike Smith
    5 Nov 2009 | 6:59 pm
    Climate change, hunger and malnutrition, women's rights, war and conflict are all causes in which the situation is likely to dramatically improve should global fertility rates continue to decrease. Soon a milestone will be reached as "only half of humanity will be having only enough children to replace itself," writes the Economist. We aren't going to disappear as a race, oh no, but population growth is likely to slow and with it more people will enjoy a higher standard of living at no-one's expense. More pairs of hands won't be needed to improve your family's chances of survival, and the…

  • Anti-Malarials Often Ineffective But Historic First Vaccine Could Save 500,000 a Year

    Mike Smith
    3 Nov 2009 | 11:24 am
    It's not just a lack of funding causing millions to die from malaria. Even where provision for anti-malaria medicine exists, too often it's ineffectual. But there is hope with a new vaccine. ActWatch have just released a study of seven African countries which explains that most people were receiving ineffective anti-malarials. The study, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, found that the lack of quality medication is usually down to the high-cost and low-availability of the better drugs which can cost twenty times as much — up to 65 times the average daily wage in some of the…

  • World Pneumonia Day 2009: Join The Fight

    Mary Beth Powers
    2 Nov 2009 | 6:06 am
    Pneumonia is preventable and treatable; so why does a child die from pneumonia every 15 seconds? Today is the first World Pneumonia Day, and Save the Children is taking action to protect children from a disease that takes nearly 2 million lives each year – that is one child every 15 seconds. Every day in 40 countries around the world we work with parents and community health workers to provide these children with the medicine and expertise to help children survive pneumonia. Why all the effort around the first World Pneumonia Day? It's not just the toll that pneumonia takes on children that…

  • Ecuador Breaking 2,000 Drug Patents, Big Pharma Says No Problem

    Mike Smith
    1 Nov 2009 | 6:16 pm
    Ecuador are breaking drug patents left, right, and center, bypassing patents on 2,000 drugs "in order to produce them locally or buy cheaper versions elsewhere." And that's not the most interesting bit: 14 of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies accept the decision. So why is big pharma happy for this to happen? Well, it's legal, so they have little option but to agree. "We accept the democratic decision... to legally implement this extraordinary measure ... No legal right is superior to the requirements of public health," the companies explained. Under rules agreed by the World Trade…
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    About.com: Civil Liberties

  • Terrorism, Rebellion, and Hate Crimes

    31 Oct 2009 | 5:48 am
    Other than the completely baseless red herring about the Shepard-Byrd Act somehow threatening free speech, one of the most persistent criticisms of hate crime laws is that motivation does not, or should not, matter when it comes to criminal justice--that we should not establish special categories of prosecution for crimes that are motivated by specific factors. As Star Parker argues in the Dallas Morning News: What could it possibly mean that the penalty for the same act of violence - for murder - may be different depending on what might be deemed to be the motivation?Can you imagine a…

  • On Medical Marijuana, a Good Suggestion

    23 Oct 2009 | 3:40 am
    Earlier this week, the Obama administration released a memo stating that prosecution of medical marijuana dispensaries and caregivers "is unlikely to be an efficient use of limited federal resources." This is, in effect, a weakened federal version of the "lowest law enforcement priority" statutes adopted in some U.S. cities. While a more strongly-worded memorandum would be ideal (there are far too many loopholes in this one), this will probably reduce, and may eliminate, elective raids on state-legal medical marijuana facilities.But this is, make no mistake, a temporary accommodation--a…

  • Obama's LGBT Rights Speech: Promise by Promise

    16 Oct 2009 | 5:45 am
    Last Saturday, President Obama delivered what may have been the first significant presidential speech on gay rights in U.S. history. In it, he made some promises--some of which he can probably keep, some of which he probably can't. Read more...Obama's LGBT Rights Speech: Promise by Promise originally appeared on About.com Civil Liberties on Friday, October 16th, 2009 at 12:45:09.Permalink | Comment | Email this

  • Senate Judiciary Committee Rejects JUSTICE Act, Adopts Weaker Legislation

    14 Oct 2009 | 3:59 am
    Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is usually considered solid on civil liberties issues, but nobody has been solid on the PATRIOT Act--with the exception of Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), the only senator to vote against it when it first came up in 2001.Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-8 to accept Leahy's USA PATRIOT Act Sunset Extension Act of 2009, rejecting Feingold's JUSTICE Act and leaving most of the PATRIOT Act's controversial provisions in place.But the bill does make some modest changes, as the ACLU reports:[T]here were two amendments included in the final bill - both…

  • If Animal Cruelty Isn't Obscene, What Is?

    5 Oct 2009 | 1:15 am
    Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will hear opening arguments in United States v. Stevens. At issue, as explained by About.com: Animal Rights guide Doris Lin, is 18 USC Section 48, which reads: Title 18 USC, § 48. Depiction of animal cruelty(a) Creation, Sale, or Possession.-- Whoever knowingly creates, sells, or possesses a depiction of animal cruelty with the intention of placing that depiction in interstate or foreign commerce for commercial gain, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.(b) Exception.-- Subsection (a) does not apply to any depiction that…
 
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