Today we honor our country's veterans, for it was in 1918, at the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, that the fighting ceased in World War I with the German signing of the Armistice. Initially the day was known as Armistice Day, for which it remains known in many European countries. […]
The Inter Press Service News Agency published last week an article on religion in India, titled "Secular Fabric Under Threat." The author , Praful Bidwai , discusses a Hindu-chauvinist terrorist network, which police are now starting to understand better after two months of investigations. Bidwai writes that there are organizations and individuals "tied together by […]
I will be off tomorrow for the holiday, so I wanted to wish you a happy Veterans Day. As I previously mentioned, I grew up as a military brat (those who have one or both parents serving in the military) and this is a holiday that we tend to take seriously, as we have […]
Why is the promotion of breastfeeding, and the work that organizations like Mercy Corps are doing, so important? The first two years in a child's life are vital to that of healthy development into adulthood. After the age of two much of a child's life is already permanently imprinted upon them. Children who spend their […]
It's the final day of the 34th EUCOCO conference and people are slowly filing into the conference hall at El Palau de la Musica in Valencia, Spain. It is an appropriate setting for this finale where the dramas of injustice, oppression, and conviction play out on the stage in its many halls. Except this time, […]
An item in the "FT" caught my eye recently: Wal-Mart to seek greener supply chain. Fun fact: "In the US alone, Wal-Mart is estimated to sell about $30bn of goods annually that are made by about 30,000 factories in China, or about 10 per cent of all US imports." (I touched on what some retailers […]
The International Herald Tribune had the bright idea of asking six writers to identity what they most admired about President George W. Bush and would miss when he leaves the White House in January. Not all six were by any means Bush fans, but they all praised certain aspects of his character, often his basic […]
The people of Hong Kong have proven to be tough in pursuit of their own destiny. Now a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, this former British colony was given a special status not only because of its capitalist foundation under a one-party leadership. The name reflects the combination of Hong Kong's […]
You have probably seen these images on the news by now. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem erupted in a huge brawl on Sunday when Armenian and Greek orthodox began to fight for space in the church. The worshippers believe that it is the site of the crucifixion and contains the tomb of […]
Since the dawn of time women of set forth to care for their children, their natural source of sustenance for their infants, breastmilk. However natural breastfeeding may be, the rate of woman breastfeeding in some countries is significantly low, as seen in the previous post, Is Breastfeeding heading for extinction in the Philippines?, which is […]
The International Crisis Group calls it one of the world's longest and most neglected conflicts. For the Saharwi who live in the Western Sahara in southern Morocco, everyday is a struggle for recognition of basic fundamental rights and international attention. Neither seem to materialize. Progress is slow but for the global solidarity movement represented here […]
In times of war everyone becomes a victim, however children suffer more than anyone, and girls face an even graver fate than their male counter parts. Sexual Violence against girls is heightened in times of war, the degree of violence deepened. The Democratic Republic of Congo is no exception; in fact the DRC may truly […]
written November 7, 2008 If all goes as planned, for the next few weeks I'll be telling you a story that is thirty-three years in the making. It begins in the barren deserts of the Western Saharan and stretches into a protracted stalemate between the Saharwi people and Morocco. It involves a conflict of state-centric interests, […]
The result of the 2008 U.S. presidential election is a long delayed step towards expanding opportunities for and chances of future presidential hopefuls. Now that Obama's historic victory has taken place, one is left to wonder how much he can continue this trend towards change for a better and more unified country. Obama was an […]
The question of “meeting rebel leaders” (or rogue states) has been at the front of international diplomacy over the past few years – particularly with the public debate in the United States about Obama's potential meeting with Iranian President Ahmadinejad “without preconditions.” When is it advisable for the diplomatic process to include rebels – or even terrorists? Two days ago, […]