Eid al-Adha “Festival of Sacrifice” is a religious festival celebrated by Muslims (including the Druze) worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God. However, God provided a ram in place once Ibrahim demonstrated his willingness to follow God's commands. At Eid al-Adha, Muslims make […]
Today is a very holy day for Muslims around the world. Nearly three million Muslims have gone yesterday to Mount Ararat during the annual hajj pilgrimage, and today is Eid al-Adha. In English, it is called "Feast of the Sacrifice." The majority of pilgrims have been praying for the forgiveness of their sins, but of […]
SOMALIA: “Highest levels of malnutrition in the world”. "Somalia has the highest levels of malnutrition in the world", with up to 300,000 children acutely malnourished annually, Hilde Frarfjord Johnson, UNICEF's deputy executive director, said. Anaemic mothers and inadequate nutrition were the main causes of high malnutrition levels in the war-torn country, she said, with most […]
Yesterday I brought you a quote from Epictetus, and it had me thinking of his Philosophical teachings. As a philosopher, Epictetus believed all external events are are out of one's control, and decided by fate, but that we are responsible for our own actions. He believed that suffering came from trying to control the uncontrollable, […]
Coal Mining Debris Rule Is Approved is the story from the "NY Times" earlier this week. National environmental groups and regional groups like the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition were, understandably, up in arms. The NRDC, for instance, said in their release: "The EPA's concurrence and approval of this defective rule governing coal mining is ecologically […]
“Only the educated are free.” -Epictetus (a Greek Stoic philosopher, most likely born a slave). An empty classroom is surely a sad sight, and the sight of a child denied an education not only brings tears to one's eyes, but enslaves nations. Children are denied an education due to poverty, war, disability…and those who do […]
Media reports late Friday said five security guards with Blackwater USA were told to surrender to the FBI by Monday to face manslaughter charges stemming from a 2007 shooting incident in Iraq. Security contractors fired in response to alleged hostile fire during the Sept. 16 escort of a State Department official, killing 17 Iraqis. FBI […]
I read a wide variety of online news sources and I’m used to seeing certain names pop up on certain sites as regular contributors. It's rare though for a name familiar to me from foreign policy sites to suddenly appear on the trendy pop culture sites, so I noticed when this opinion piece from Joseph […]
For my view on the year and what is to come, have a look at the 2008 Philanthropy in Review page. See if you agree.
Day three after the tragedy of Agadir. My contact in Laayoune says students are being rounded up and arrested. In Agadir, things can't be much better. As I left the station, four garrisons of police vans were stationed at the far end of the concrete tarmac. Somewhere on that concrete pad once laid the crushed […]
I have flagged the "FT's" stellar coverage on climate change and energy on numerous occasions. I just want to stop to highlight the release this week of the third in their three-part series on climate change this year. The first tranche of stories was on science, the second on politics. This week they look at […]
The International Herald Tribune reports that the emerging links between the Mumbai terrorists and Pakistan are complicating U.S. diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between India and Pakistan and assist the investigation into the attacks: The new links to Pakistan added fresh complications to American diplomatic efforts to secure cooperation between India and Pakistan, which […]
Cluster bomb treaty signing begins Representatives from more than 100 countries began signing a treaty to ban the use, creation and storage of cluster bombs Wednesday. Some of the world's largest military players, including the U.S., Russia, China and India have refused to support of the effort. UN envoy to press Nepal on child soldiers […]
As nation-states gradually give way to quasi-imperial geopolitical spheres of influence, artificial city-states are appearing in Asia and the Middle East to punctuate global crossroads. Beyond Singapore, these uber-habitats are signposts of the future intersections of radically conceived designer realities and a millennial world culture. Famous examples, such as Dubai's man-made archipelagoes‚ “The World” and […]
Obama buzz felt at global climate talks reads the headline from the A.P. John Kerry, the next chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, is quoted. “”America is back,’ says Sen. John Kerry, underscoring that Barack Obama’s election signals a U.S. intent to regain a leadership role on climate change. “After eight years of obstruction […]