On January 13, only one day after the earthquake in Haiti that has probably killed 200,000, and the moron Pat Robertson was already at it. “They made a pact with the devil,” were more less his words because “they wanted to free themselves from the French.” As if God is now punishing these people 200 […]
The movie Avatar is a blockbuster, and now the third-highest grossing movie of all time. It is also a story about migration. In short, it depicts humans in the year 2154, seeking to extract a valuable mineral from a far-off planet called Pandora, and willing to do so at any cost, including the extermination of […]
A report that was released on January 7, 2010, by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), regarding the levels of sexual victimization within juvenile detention facilities leaves many shocked by the statistics. The report, Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth, 2008-09, is part of a series of statistical reviews, which are required under […]
A couple of months ago I wrote an article for a magazine here in Brussels about Eritrea. Eritrea is a nation struggling to come to terms with conflict, with a looming food crisis and human rights abuse. In November, Eritrea’s dismal human rights record was put in the spotlight at the United Nations. A month […]
As with the international aid community, Haitians living overseas are seeking ways to help from a distance after a devastating earthquake struck Port-au-Prince on Tuesday evening. Many migrants already send significant proportions of their earnings each week or month in the form of remittances. Rather than foreign assistance from governments, they may provide the most […]
Amnesty International: Czech school system discriminating against Roma Authorities in the Czech Republic must act to end systematic discrimination against Roma gypsy children that ensures they receive an inferior education, Amnesty International says. Roma-only schools use a less competitive curriculum than mainstream schools, perpetuating social exclusion and reducing Roma children’s ability to find future employment. […]
I know that times are hard. I also know that many of you want to help the people of Haiti at this horrible time. Below are some organizations whose vital work you can support. The links will take you directly to the donate pages. It’s not the size of donation but the thought that counts. […]
Perhaps one of the most ignored countries in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti found itself back in the spotlight for yet another disaster. While this disaster – a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, the strongest to hit Haiti in over 200 years – was brought on by nature and not the political drama that normally brings Haiti into […]
A massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Wednesday, has now left us filtering through the flood of disturbing images that have begun to flood in from the country. The epicenter of the quake was located just 10 miles from Port-au-Prince, leaving entire sections of the city utterly devastated. As rescue and humanitarian teams from across […]
German media reports allege that the husband of commissioner-designate for humanitarian aid and crisis response of the European Union (ECHO – 700+ million Euro budget), Rumiana Jeleva, has links to organized crime in Bulgaria*. Jeleva, a 41-year old former foreign minister in Bulgaria, underwent a tough hearing in front of the European Parliament last night […]
Although we have entered upon a new year and a new decade, we still find ourselves battling the demons of the past. While we often look to the New Years it as a time for a fresh start and of renewed hope, we still find ourselves embattled in a recession. The continued recession has left […]
Transition from military rule to full democracy is never easy and often involves serious questions about accountability. This can involve accountability for past actions, or new questions about how a civilian government can be held accountable to the people. Because of the complicated nature of any transition, some governments opt to take the easy way […]
Today was National Global Human Trafficking Awareness Day (NGHTAD) and the buzz against human trafficking was all about. E-mails and 24 hour campaigns were bustling around the Internet, while Facebook was exploding with chatter on what one could do on the day to promote the day. People across the country were sharing resources and information […]
In a recent interviews with MSNBC, Bloomberg and VentureBeat, PayPal co-founder and Slide CEO Max Levchin has discussed the development of social networks and similar online worlds as “self-enclosed economies,” in which all the normal economic rules can be made to apply in the new, burgeoning trade of virtual goods. He suggested that this is […]
Sixty percent of all the world’s development aid comes from Europe. That is something one will always hear when you hang around the EU corridors here in Brussels. In charge of this colossal sum is the European Commission (the executive power of the European Union). And in charge of this dossier at the European Commission […]