That’s right. Even in this day and age, freelance and independent journalists working for such outfits like Reuters are fair game for the American brass. The United States has, and continues, to imprison foreign journalists. This behaviour calls into question the principles upon which the nation was founded. Double-standards are de rigeur in the land […]
U.S. moms get mobile baby health tips The White House, health care professionals and wireless telephone providers have teamed up for the launch of “text4baby” project in a bid to improve infant health and decrease premature birth and infant mortality rates. Pregnant women and mothers of infants can sign up for free delivery of three […]
Thursday, New York Times columnist Gail Collins spent significant time mocking New York City councilman Larry Seabrook, who is charged with doctoring a receipt for a bagel sandwich from $7 to $177. Most people around the country aren’t too surprised (but remain disgusted) by such behavior in politicians. Gail Collins should see what I see. […]
There was, of course, a lot of coverage from me, and much of the rest of the world it seems, on the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) in Copenhagen in December – before, during and since. One of the critical agreements to come out of the conference was on finance. Pledges were made by […]
This week marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Nelson Mandela from Robben Island, a gesture that symbolized an end to Apartheid. While Mandela’s human face and political eloquence will place him firmly in history as one of the world’s greatest icons, it was musician Hugh Masakela who provided the soundtrack to the anti-Apartheid […]
This film is intense. It follows three members of the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad in Baghdad in 2004. When Staff Sergeant William James (played by Jeremy Renner) takes over the unit, he freaks out his fellow squad members by having an apparent total disregard for safety and protocol. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/2GxSDZc8etg” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” […]
In the comments section of yesterday’s Goldstone post, David Bernstein points our way to many critiques of the Goldstone Report he deems valid and substantive. I recommend reading them and also perusing the spirited debate in the comments section of Bernstein’s Volokh Conspiracy post from yesterday. Deem for yourself whether the critiques rise to the […]
2010 will surely be known as the year that disaster struck Haiti, as the impoverished nation was rocked to it’s knees on January 12th. However while all eyes continue to be focused on Haiti’s aftermath, Somalia continues to cry out. In July last year in July I published, Will we remember Somalia?, at the time […]
Many food aid organizations are offering unique ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day, while providing contributors with special opportunities to fight against global hunger. Action Against Hunger has a selection of e-cards that you can send to a loved one, while making a donation in their name to fight against child malnourishment. The World Food Programme’s (WFP) website is offering […]
As Iran marks the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution that brought the current system of government to power, there are two topics dominating headlines on Iran: their less than always transparent nuclear program and their human rights record. And both are the target of possible economic sanctions in the coming days and weeks. The […]
The EU Council leaders were meeting this week to determine how best to prevent a default of Greek sovereign debt by common support. The council issued a statement of support with no details as talks continue.
In time for its annual meeting last month, the World Economic Forum released the fifth edition of its Global Risks Report (full report here). Each year, the report outlines some of the current issues dominating the global risks landscape and the appropriate measures required to address these risks. If the 2010 report is distinguished from […]
David Bernstein of The Volokh Conspiracy examines an interview with Desmond Travers, a member of the fact-finding mission that resulted in the Goldstone report. Bernstein lists some quotes from the interview, stating: All the quotes check out, but the quotes recounted above don’t begin to illustrate Travers’s hatred of Israel, unwillingness to credit anything Israel […]
I’ve written about the environmental devastation inherent in the development of Canada’s tar sands a few times, so here’s a quick update: ForestEthics is effecting change in getting some big companies to tell their fuel suppliers they don’t want gasoline that uses tar sands oil. Whole Foods and Bed Bath & Beyond are on board. […]
Can corruption really be fought? That is, can you change a society from one whose everyday wheels are greased by bribes to one in which petty corruption is rare and shunned? Can you, say, turn Uzbekistan into Britain? The textbook examples of such change are Singapore and Hong Kong. Both faced corruption as a commonplace […]