Andrew Hussey believes the only way to makes sense of the problems Algeria faces today is to look back into its colonial history. He takes a journey through 21st-century Algiers … into a dark past – Published on The Guardian, by Andrew Hussey, The Observer, Jan 27, 2013.
… More recently, France was convulsed by a series of murders over nine days last March including three French soldiers of north African descent killed in two separate shootings, and a rabbi, his two young sons and a third child in an attack on a Jewish school in Toulouse. Continue Reading…
on two to 20 years of liberation in the work of Ezzedine Choukri Fishere – Published on Al-Ahram weekly online, by Tahia Abdel-Nasser, Jan 22, 2013.
At the start of the 25 January Revolution, Tahrir inspired poetry and an abundance of other art forms; it made and remade genres, which underwrote the revolutionary movement throughout 2011 and 2012. Tahrir, and the national desire for tahrir (or liberation) inspired collective art forms: the mass ceremony of poetry recitations; poetic improvisation; and the communal elegising of martyrs of the revolution in murals. Continue Reading…
The 25 young Africans must prove that they can translate talk into real change – Watch this video, 47.30 min, published on AlJazeera, 25 Jan 2013.
… Most of the participants chose a project that draws on their childhood experiences and, from May to August, 25 social projects sprang up across the continent. But translating their ideas into reality will mean addressing taboos and facing their inner most conflicts. And that becomes the focus of the second workshop. While their meeting in Cape Town was all about examining tough African issues, in Oxford they are pushed to analyse themselves. Continue Reading…
The energy revolution as a path to a peaceful future? On Daniele Ganser’s book “Europa im Erdölrausch. Die Folgen einer gefährlichen Abhängigkeit (Europe in the oil rush. The consequences of a dangerous dependency)” – Published on Current Concerns, by Tobias Salander, historian, January 14, 2013.
… More wars for oil – or peaceful energy transition? Continue Reading…
… at the Salle des pas perdus, on Tuesday February 12, 2013 at 6.00 p.m., followed by a reception: ACANU has the pleasure to invite you to the exhibition History as News, based on the Josep Bosch Collection.
Published on Pambazuka News, by Abayomi Azikiwe, Jan 16, 2013.
From the Montgomery bus boycott, the marches on Detroit and Washington to the sanitation strike in Memphis, civil rights and labour worked to break down US apartheid which is integral to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Continue Reading…
Escaped slaves fought on the British side, which promised to free them, during the American war for independence for white men. But nobody liked to talk about that much after the French won the war, although — come to think of it — nobody much likes to talk about the French winning the war, or for that matter about the big losers being, not the British but the Native Americans. Continue Reading…
The attacks on the public domain, particularly public education, social services, and the public sector unions that are linked to these services, are coming in rapid-fire succession, sometimes in an overwhelming barrage where the victims have little time to comprehend what is happening and respond effectively. Continue Reading…
Where are the checks and balances? – Published on Common Dreams, by Shiney Varghese, January 19, 2013.
Writing in National Geographic in December 2012 about “small-scale irrigation techniques with simple buckets, affordable pumps, drip lines, and other equipment” that “are enabling farm families to weather dry seasons, raise yields, diversify their crops, and lift themselves out of poverty” water expert Sandra Postel of the Global Water Policy Project cautioned against reckless land and water-related investments in Africa. Continue Reading…
UNICEF calls for all parties to spare children, as UN refugee agency describes situation as children’s refugee crisis – watch this video on Al Jazeera, 2.08 min, Jan 19, 2013.
The United Nations Fund for Children has denounced the increase of violence in Syria, adding that children are paying a terrible price as the near two-year-old conflict drags on. Continue Reading…
A beginner’s guide to land grabs, 1.53 min, uploaded by by OxfamGreatBritain, =ct 4, 2012: Big land deals are tearing whole communities apart, leaving people hungry and homeless. It’s big business at a big cost. But the World Bank has the power to be a force for good. With your assistance, it can help protect the rights of the world’s poorest people;
LAND GRAB IN AMERICA, 89.03 min, by Deborah Tavares, Leuren Moret, &Roxy Lopez, uploaded by roxy777lopez777, August 2, 2012: This interview covers many aspects of a land grab scenario, Deborah Tavares reveals government source documents that we as citizens must all read. Leuren Moret speaks from the scientific aspects: WHY a land grab is in order and the ultimate effects on citizens. Roxy Lopez speaks from inside knowledge pertaining real-estate fraud, banking scandals, and illegal foreclosures of the American people;
London land grab, 2.07 min, uploaded by by OxfamGreatBritain, Dec 5, 2012: In poor countries an area of land the size of London is sold to foreign investors every six days. Most of these land deals are unregulated and result in poor communities being evicted from their land at no notice and without compensation. Unscrupulous deals are pushing people into poverty and hunger. The World Bank funds many big land deals and also influences how land is bought and sold. So this means it has the power to stop land grabs. Special thanks to the people of Putney who helped us grab their town;
to exempt homes and small farmers from onerous food production regulations – Published on Intrepid Report, by blog owner, January 16, 2013.
… “From SWAT team raids carried out at the behest of the Food and Drug Administration to onerous zoning regulations which prevent farmers from hosting pumpkin carving parties for children, local food producers are increasingly criminalized to their personal detriment and that of society as a whole,” said John W. Whitehead. “This is the result of an overabundance of vague laws that render otherwise innocent activity illegal. In such a society, we are all petty criminals, guilty of violating some minor law.” Continue Reading…
All of us have seen the figures relating to high prevalence of malnutrition in children in India published on the basis of Hunger and Malnutrition Survey in rural India, HUNGaNA 2010-11. The survey focussed on 100 districts (referred to as focus districts) which were at the bottom of the Child Development Index developed in 2009 by Indicus Analytics for Unicef. Some of the facts are as follows.
42% of under-five children in focus districts are underweight. Although compared to 53% of 2002-04, there appears to be a improvement.
59% of under-five children in focus districts are stunted (being height less than expected)
Even in the six best district (other than the above 100 districts), where Child Development Index was much better, under-weight (33%) and stunting (43%) though lower was still substantially high – suggesting endemic and persistent nature of problem.
An important finding of the survey is that lower the socio-economic background of the family / mother (including lower level of education of the mother), higher the malnutrition %.
One of the conclusions coming out of the survey is that children born to mothers who are undernourished or are not in good health will be at a greater risk of undernourished … //
Published on Dissident Voice, by Peter Rugh, January 12, 2013.
Hundreds of clinched fists were raised Wednesday afternoon at Albany’s Empire Convention Center. Behind a security checkpoint defended by state troopers in rigid-brimmed campaign hats, New York governor Andrew Cuomo delivered the annual State of the State address to a room packed with clapping hands. Continue Reading…
ngoShare is now live! Almost two years in the making, ngoShare is a platform built to connect people and their projects for the developing world. You now have a place to find others doing the kinds of projects in places that are of interest to you. Continue Reading…
4 January 2013 – The United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF today called on the Central African Republic (CAR) to immediately stop child recruitment by rebel groups and pro-government militias amidst reports of increasing use of this practice. Continue Reading…
Published on ZNet (first on Socialistworker.org), Interview by Ben Smith with Renika and Michelene, January 11, 2013.
On December 6, housing justice activists began a campaign to “liberate” an abandoned, bank-owned home in Southwest Atlanta. The action–organized through Occupy Our Homes Atlanta (OOHA)–was staged alongside a nationwide day of action for housing justice and called for M&T Bank to turn over a house in the Pittsburgh community, a Black working-class neighborhood devastated by the housing crisis. Continue Reading…
Mohammed Morsi may be the president of Egypt, but it’s the Muslim Brotherhood that appears to be calling the shots. The Islamist group waited decades for a shot at power in the country and it isn’t about to yield without a fight … //Continue Reading…
Cloud surfing: US surveilance act grave threat to EU sovereignty
Published on Russia Today RT, by Chris Morgan, Jan 9, 2013. http://rt.com/news/fisa-spy-eu-cloud-619/
An intelligence bill has put the frighteners on EU citizens as it allows the US access to their personal data stored in internet clouds like those used on Facebook and Google. The law is a ‘grave risk’ to the rights of EU citizens, says an EU report.
The amendments to Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was signed into law by President Barack Obama on Monday.
US lawmakers passed a five-year extension to 2008 amendments of the FISA at the end of December, allowing the US to keep tabs on phone calls and emails in and out of the country by US citizens.
However, a new EU study entitled ‘Fighting Cyber Crime and Protecting Privacy in the Cloud’ states the real threat lies in the US monitoring of information stored in US-owned public data clouds. The report writes that the legislation has “strong implications for EU fundamental rights” because it allows the US to lawfully extract any information from the clouds without any prior warning or consultation.
All data in the US clouds “becomes liable to mass-surveillance – for purposes of furthering the foreign affairs,” writes the document.
“FISAA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Ammendment Act] can be seen as a categorically much graver risk to EU data sovereignty than other laws hitherto considered by EU policy-makers,” notes the report … //
… Warrantless eavesdropping:
The originally passing of the FISAA in 2008 set a precedent for conducting wiretapping of communication going out of the US without a warrant.
Many civil liberties groups in the US have argued that it goes against amendments in the US constitution that protect Americans from “unreasonable searches and seizures” without “probable cause.”
Tensions have been simmering for some time over the compromising of EU sovereignty by US legislation. Sophia in ‘t Veld, vice-chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs says that EU lawmakers are turning a “blind eye” to the issue, either because they do not fully understand it or “they are afraid to stand up to US authority.”
… is an Act of Congress (signed by President Jimmy Carter) which prescribes procedures for the physical and electronic surveillance and collection of “foreign intelligence information” between “foreign powers” and “agents of foreign powers” (which may include American citizens and permanent residents suspected of being engaged in espionage and violating U.S. law on territory under United States control).[1] The law does not apply outside the US …
Published on Russia Today RT, by Chris Morgan, Jan 9, 2013.
An intelligence bill has put the frighteners on EU citizens as it allows the US access to their personal data stored in internet clouds like those used on Facebook and Google. The law is a ‘grave risk’ to the rights of EU citizens, says an EU report. Continue Reading…
Published on Intrepid Report, by Sohaila Abdulali, January 7, 2013.
I was gang raped three years ago, when I was 17 years old. My name and my photograph appear with this article, in 1983, in Manushi … //Continue Reading…
Watch this video, 10.29 min, uploaded by theRSAorg; Dec 3, 2012: Introspection is out, and outrospection is in. Philosopher and author Roman Krznaric explains how we can help drive social change by stepping outside ourselves. The RSA is a 258 year-old charity devoted to creating social progress and spreading world-changing ideas. For more information about our research, RSA Animates, free events programme and 27,000 strong fellowship, visit RSA.org. See also:
Dear Friends, The European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC) is proud to launch the 17th edition of its European Master’s Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation (E.MA).
E.MA provides students with the opportunity to share knowledge and skills with leading scholars from 41 prestigious European Universities and renowned human rights experts, in the classroom and during a week-long field trip.
You can find a short overview of the Programme below and more detailed application information on our website EIUC.org/E.MA.
Applications for the academic year 2013/2014 are processed on an on-going basis in two rounds:
The failure to punish anyone for carrying out female genital mutilation (FGM) in almost a decade since Labour introduced a new law designed to stamp out the practice is forcing prosecutors to seek alternative methods to tackle the problem. The Government was facing growing criticism from campaigners after an Independent on Sunday investigation into the horrifying practice known as “cutting”, in which the genitals of women and girls are severed by unqualified people in the belief it will preserve the girl’s virginity. Continue Reading…
again, hope you find time for these few minutes – Published on YouTube in several languages:
Ken Robinson – RSA Animate – Changing Education Paradigms:
in english only, 11.41 min, uploaded by theRSAorg, Oct. 14, 2010: This animate was adapted from a talk given at the RSA by Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned education and creativity expert and recipient of the RSA’s Benjamin Franklin award; Continue Reading…
The ceremonial transition to manhood in South Africa’s Xhosa society is time honoured but can have tragic consequences – Watch the video, 24.58 min, published on AlJazeera, Jan 3, 2013.
A week before Christmas, amid increasing anxiety about the state of Nelson Mandela’s health, the international media assembled in Pretoria, South Africa and began asking questions about the iconic former leader’s future wellbeing. Would he ever leave hospital? Would he live to see another year? For domestic South African journalists, however, the story had another angle. In Mandela’s Eastern Cape homeland, the breaking story was that his illness meant he would almost certainly miss his grandson’s initiation ceremony back home in Qunu. Continue Reading…
Publié dans Euro-Med Women Network, North-South Process for the Empowerment of Women, par lepoint.fr, 19 December 2012.
Massivement pratiquées, les mutilations génitales féminines sont interdites depuis 2007. De récentes déclarations inquiètent les associations. L’excision va-t-elle redevenir légale en Égypte ? C’est ce que laisse entendre le documentaire-choc de Paul Moreira Sexe, salafistes et printemps arabes, diffusé récemment sur Canal+. En Égypte, ces mutilations existent depuis longtemps et sont pratiquées en masse, obéissant à une tradition présente en Afrique depuis l’Antiquité – et qui n’a donc pas été importée par l’islam. Continue Reading…
Published on Spiegel Online International, by Marc Hujer, January 3, 2013 (Photo-Gallery): San Bernardino, California, has gone from being the birthplace of McDonald’s, one of the world’s most successful companies, to a mound of unpaid debts. It’s a sad example of what a lack of infrastructure investment and an almost religious aversion to higher taxes have done to cities across the United States … //
Deep scepticism towards government policies, even in academies and free schools seen by ministers as template for future – Published on The Guardian, by Peter Walker and Matthew Taylor, January 2, 2013.
First watch this video, 55.07 min:
The government faces a damaging crisis of morale among teachers, according to a survey which shows the proportion of people in the profession describing their mood as positive has almost halved over the past month. Continue Reading…
Genetic Engineering and the GMO Industry – Pubished on Global Research.ca, by Colin Todhunter, December 30, 2012.
… When rich companies with politically-connected lobbyists and seats on government-appointed bodies bend policies for their own ends, we are in serious trouble. It is then that our democratic institutions become hijacked and our choices, freedoms and rights are destroyed. Corporate interests have too often used their dubious ‘science’, lobbyists, political connections and presence within the heart of governments, in conjunction with their public relations machines, to subvert democratic machinery for their own benefit. Once their power has been established, anyone who questions them or who stands in their way can expect a very bumpy ride. Continue Reading…
Published on IRINnews, le 18 Décember 2012 (also in french and arabic).
Near a swamp of sewage in a slum in eastern Iraq, six-year-old Amir plays soccer with friends, unaware of a fact that may continue to affect him for the rest of his life: His father – killed four months before he was born – was a senior leader within al-Qaeda. Continue Reading…