January 4, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
In this 2007 TED talk, the novelist Isabel Allende speaks about passion as a guiding, even humanizing principle, about the “best four minutes” of her life, walking the Olympic stadium at the Torino Games, Rose Mapendo’s amazing story of struggle and survival, and the tragic inequity women suffer across the global economy. “Although women do two-thirds of the world’s labor, they own less than one percent of the world’s assets. They are paid less than men for the same work, if they are paid at all.”
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October 5, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
In Brazil’s hotly contested presidential election, to decide the successor to the hugely popular Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, founder and leader of the Workers Party of Brazil (PT), the failure of any candidate to win more than 50% of the vote has set up a second round between the two leading candidates. But for many, the big news is that the Green Party (PV) candidate, Marina Silva, won nearly 20% of the vote, which means neither of the two leading candidates has a lot of freedom to govern without her support. Silva will now clearly demand that whichever candidate she backs for the runoff agree to enact much of the Green Party’s sustainability platform.
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June 5, 2010 :: Carmen Visna :: 3 Comments
The environmental catastrophe resulting from BP’s blown-out deepwater oil well in the Gulf of Mexico is the worst seen in the US, but Ecuador’s ongoing battle with pervasive, persistent toxic contamination relating to Texaco’s operations in the remote Amazon is the worst oil-related environmental disaster the world has ever seen. In a once-pristine corner of the Ecuadoran Amazon rainforest, Texaco dumped billions of gallons of petroleum waste byproduct, contaminating groundwater and ruining the local environment irreparably.
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May 31, 2010 :: Carmen Visna :: Comments Off
Tropical Storm Agatha has become one of the top ten deadliest tropical storm systems on record, behind 6 full-force hurricanes, dropping nearly two feet of rain on central America in two days, flooding multiple nations’ low-lying areas and creating havoc across the region. At least 142 people have been killed, mostly in flooding and landslides, and coffee growers and farmers are preparing for potential long-term impact on agriculture across the region.
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May 31, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: One Comment
Facing challenges in the courts and nearly ready to reach its effective date, Arizona’s immigrant ID law —which allows local police to demand immigration documents from anyone based on “reasonable suspicion” of being undocumented— is now facing a nationwide wave of protest. Arizona is facing official boycotts from cities, businesses and individuals around the country, and claims the law is necessary.
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May 30, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: One Comment
The Deepwater Horizon undersea oil well is now the source of the worst oil spill on record. The spreading slick continues to threaten coastal communities throughout the Gulf of Mexico region, and could destroy delicate wetland ecosystems. Rep. Melancon (D-LA) was choking back tears yesterday as he explained the grave long-term harm he fears will be done to Louisiana’s coastal wetlands, saying “everything I know and love is at risk”. BP, it appears, has not been able to determine whether or not its “top kill” operation has succeeded in stopping the flow of oil.
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May 28, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
In Florida and elsewhere, migrant workers who do not enjoy the legal protections that come with legal paperwork are easily subjected to abuses, near zero pay and even violence. Conditions on some farms amount to slavery, and the US Justice Department has prosecuted at least 7 such farms in the last decade.
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April 29, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
El estado de Arizona —antiguamente parte del territorio español que vino a ser México, y uno de los estados de mayor población de ascendencia hispana— ha legalizado el perfilamiento racial y la persecución sistemática de los inmigrantes. La ley denominada como propuesta SB1070 no sólo permite, sino exige, a los agentes de policía estatales y municipales pedir los documentos migratorios a cualquier individuo que se les parezca “razonablemente” sospechoso de ser indocumentado.
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April 25, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: One Comment
The governor of Arizona has signed into law a measure that would allow police to demand proof of legal residency in cases where they believe an individual might be an undocumented immigrant. The same law would also require people to carry proof of legal residency. It is unclear how the law would be enforced without racial profiling and whether or not US citizens would be subject to legal penalties if caught not carrying proof of citizenship.
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March 11, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
Even as Haiti grapples with the deep and lasting devastation of the earthquake that left tens of millions dead, millions homeless and destroyed vital infrastructure needed to maintain routine food distribution and medical care, hundreds of thousands of people are now vulnerable to catastrophic flooding expected to hit the low-lying camps where they are struggling to maintain makeshift tent cities. As many as one million people need to be relocated and/or given viable shelter, to avoid the rapid spread of infectious disease.
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February 27, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake has hit central Chile, the epicenter estimated about 200 miles southwest of the capital Santiago, roughly 70 miles from the city of Concepción, the nation’s second most populous city. The tremor lasted about 90 seconds and caused serious damage to roads and bridges. 122 people are confirmed dead, according to Chilean authorities, and a tsunami warning has been issued for the entire Pacific Ocean basin (including Hawai’i, Japan and the Philippines).
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February 27, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
‘Psychic numbing’ is a relatively new term, assigned to the phenomenon which shows people tend to feel less urgent compassion, and tend to give less, when the suffering in question is shown to be more systemic and more pervasive, or affecting larger numbers of people. Some psychologists believe it is linked to our intuitive sense that if one suffers alone, the suffering is worse, but if one is accompanied, there might be some security in numbers, not just emotionally, but practically.
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January 18, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
The bottleneck problem is center stage, as the volume of aid appears to outpace the remaining transport infrastructure for getting it where it needs to go. Today, Haitian authorities have complained there may be too exclusive a focus on the capital Port-au-Prince, causing some heavily devastated population centers to be left unattended, by comparison.
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January 18, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
Apple has set up a special section of its iTunes Music Store to allow users to donate directly to the Red Cross. The funds are charged through the user’s iTunes account, billed to the same bank account or credit card on file, and use the same process as for buying a song, video or iPhone app. The move is the latest in a series of high-profile actions designed to help expedite the delivery of charitable donations to the Haiti relief effort.
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January 16, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
The following is a list of updates on the situation in Haiti, including resources for people searching for missing loved ones: List of Disaster Relief Efforts for Haiti … Haiti plans massive evacuation of quake-hit homeless – Xinhua … Sec. of State Clinton reviews Haiti relief efforts – Washington Post … UN: Haiti quake catastrophe poses unprecedented relief problems – Monsters & Critics … Haiti Earthquake : Photos (Some very graphic images) – CNN … Canada to speed up immigration requests from Haiti – Washington Post … L’aide internationale se déploie dans un climat tendu en Haïti – Le Monde … A l’appel d’Obama, Bush rejoint Clinton pour aider Haïti – Le Monde … Google lance un outil de recherche des victimes – Le Monde … Haïti. J+4 Distribution d’eau potable pour 35000 personnes – Ouest-France … Le Sénégal octroie un soutien de 500.000 dollars à Haïti – Agence de Presse Africaine …
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January 15, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
Pres. Obama has asked former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to join together to help oversee the administration of the massive relief effort now descending on Haiti. The Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund is now online at ClintonBushHaitiFund.org, with a mission to ensure that funds coming in are directed to where they are most needed.
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January 15, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
Fully three days after the catastrophic earthquake that struck the region of the Haitian capital, the bodies of thousands of dead are reported to be arrayed in the streets and being moved into mass graves, with likely no way to trace who is buried there. While massive amounts of international aid are moving into the disaster zone, and the Haitian government continues to function and is meeting every morning and afternoon to coordinate relief efforts, the sheer scale of the destruction is hampering the delivery of aid to neighborhoods blocked off by rubble and filled with dead and injured.
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January 14, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
Pres. Obama outlined today a wide array of search and rescue, relief aid and security efforts his administration is sending to Haiti to assist the Haitian people in dealing with the worst recorded earthquake to strike their nation. The US president promised Haiti’s people that the US will not forget the victims of the Haitian quake and that “more search and rescue teams” are on their way. He also said his administration will invest an initial amount of $100 million to support its relief efforts in Haiti, and that this investment will grow.
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January 14, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
The disaster response for the Haitian earthquake has been swift and coordinated, channeling massive international resources to the affected area. But the logistics of deploying the resources, personnel and technology needed to deliver comprehensive disaster assistance, are beyond complicated, with roads and transport overwhelmed, and means of contacting the wounded almost non-existent.
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January 14, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti two days ago has left an unknown number of thousands of people dead or missing, destroyed the service infrastructure in the capital and left a precarious situation for millions of survivors. The disaster response effort has been swift and international, with rescue and relief teams scrambling from across the world to get to Haiti.
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January 14, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
Red Cross (ICRC) relief & rescue efforts in Haiti
Haïti : le CICR intensifie ses efforts pour venir en aide aux victimes du séisme
UNICEF Emergency Relief Effort for Haiti
L’UNICEF déploie son aide d’urgence après le tremblement de terre
Doctors without Borders: Setting up clinics to serve the wounded
MSF: Haïti: des centaines de blessés reçoivent les premiers soins
USAID Haiti Earthquake Disaster Response …
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January 13, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
I have directed my administration to respond with a swift, coordinated, and aggressive effort to save lives. The people of Haiti will have the full support of the United States in the urgent effort to rescue those trapped beneath the rubble, and to deliver the humanitarian relief — the food, water and medicine — that Haitians will need in the coming days. In that effort, our government, especially USAID and the Departments of State and Defense are working closely together and with our partners in Haiti, the region, and around the world.
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January 13, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
The president of the island nation of Haiti, René Preval, has told CNN’s Sanjay Gupta in an interview conducted on the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince that the situation on the ground is “incredible”, adding that “you have to see it to believe it”. The destruction is widespread and the human suffering inestimable. Small health clinics are overwhelmed by massive numbers of casualties, as public health infrastructure has collapsed.
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January 12, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, is described tonight as in a state of disaster, with some reports suggesting there are more buildings destroyed than left standing, after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake at 4:53 this afternoon. The epicenter of the quake is reported to have been just 10 miles away from Port-au-Prince, with the most severe tremors and violent shaking felt across an area 70 miles in diameter. There are no reliable estimates so far of loss of life, but thousands are feared killed.
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November 8, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
The Spanish-language blog Belascoaín y Neptuno is reporting that on 6 November 2009, three bloggers in Havana, Cuba, were summarily detained, beaten and threatened by security forces. Yoani Sánchez, Claudia Cadelo and Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo, and other unnamed individuals were allegedly forced into security agents’ vehicles, detained without charge, beaten and intimidated, in an apparent effort to crack down on political dissent.
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September 22, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
The UN General Assembly, which brings together every head of government in the world, to offer their country’s position on issues, their country’s demands regarding trade and conflict negotiations, their country’s hopes for a more harmonious world, this year truly grapples with issues of global consensus. Economic recovery, for many parts of the world, will require an unprecedented expansion of women’s rights and sustained attention to responsible environmental stewardship.
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August 19, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
The interim president of Honduras, who came to power after the disputed ouster of Pres. Manuel Zelaya, says the former president will be arrested if he attempts to re-enter Honduras from neighboring Nicaragua. Micheletti says he is the legitimate president of Honduras and will not agree to a plan being negotiated by Costa Rica’s Pres. Oscar Arias, which would have Zelaya return to finish the rest of his term in office.
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August 15, 2009 :: Denver Lessing :: Comments Off
The British government has ordered the UK-appointed governor of Turks and Caicos to suspend the ministerial government and assembly and institute direct rule, after an investigation turned up evidence of systemic official corruption. The order of direct rule will also suspend the right to jury trial in the Turks and Caicos, and the UK says the imposed rule could last up to 2 years.
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August 13, 2009 :: staff :: One Comment
Pres. Barack Obama yesterday hosted 16 new Medal of Freedom recipients at the White House, honoring their lifelong contributions to the expansion of human understanding and the promotion of individual liberty and human dignity. Among the recipients were scientists and activists, soldiers and political leaders, preachers and athletes, native Americans, African Americans, Latin Americans, Africans and Asians. The 16 laureates exemplify not only rare talent and indomitable spirit, but also a devotion to human dignity and understanding.
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July 29, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Para lograr la reconciliación y fortalecer la democracia, conformaremos un Gobierno de Unidad y Reconciliación Nacional, integrado por representantes de los diversos partidos políticos, reconocidos por su capacidad, honorabilidad, idoneidad y voluntad para dialogar, quienes ocuparán las distintas Secretarías y Subsecretarías de Estado, de conformidad con el artículo 246 y siguientes de la Constitución de la República de Honduras.
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July 29, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Pressure is mounting by the day on the government that replaced Manuel Zelaya, under the presidency of Roberto Micheletti. Zelaya remains camped just inside the Nicaraguan border, planning to re-enter Honduras and demanding he be restored to the presidency. The US has revoked diplomatic visas for four Honduran officials linked to Zelaya’s ouster, which is widely seen as an illegal coup in the international community. The Organization of American States (OAS) bars any use of military power to remove an elected government.
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July 24, 2009 :: Severino Villalonso :: Comments Off
This afternoon, the ousted president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, was reported to have crossed “one step” into Honduran territory, only to retreat a couple of steps back into Nicaraguan territory. The Honduran military, with orders to arrest Zelaya upon his setting foot inside the country, did not respond, apparently waiting to see if Zelaya would push further into the country. US Sec. of State Hillary Clinton has said Zelaya’s actions are “reckless”.
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July 24, 2009 :: staff :: One Comment
“Estoy en la zona intermedia en la frontera de Nicaragua” declared ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya, on video broadcast around the world, while speaking with someone reported to be from his family, whom he had hoped to meet at the border. Zelaya is, as of 15:55 EDT, today, about to re-enter Honduras from the territory of Nicaragua, amid a “caravan” of supporters. It is thought to be possible he is communicating with Honduran security forces.
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July 19, 2009 :: Webb Tisch :: Comments Off
Sami al-Haj, a reporter working for TV news network al-Jazeera, was jailed for six years at the Guantánamo Bay prison camp, before being cleared and released. He is now setting up a team to file suit against former Pres. George W. Bush and other officials within his administration for damages related to his imprisonment.
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July 8, 2009 :: staff :: One Comment
The Hot Spring Network has opened a discussion, in collaboration with Café Sentido, on the need to diversify the global wheat crop in order to prevent an evolved crop fungus, Ug99, from destroying as much as 80% of the global wheat harvest.
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July 3, 2009 :: staff :: One Comment
Police departments around the US are calling for comprehensive immigration reform, saying fears over deportation and document status exacerbate security risks in major cities and hamper law enforcement. With police chiefs meeting in Miami to discuss issues relating to immigration reform, Miami police chief John Timoney said “Immigrant victims and witnesses of violent crimes will not come forward if they fear their local police will deport them”.
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June 30, 2009 :: staff :: One Comment
A military coup that ousted democratically elected Honduran president Manuel Zelaya has come under increasing criticism across the world. The US administration of Pres. Barack Obama said the coup was illegal and called for the democratically elected president to be reinstated. Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of the capital Tegucigalpa, demanding Zelaya’s return, only to be confronted by heavily armed military and police deployments.
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June 18, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
The Bush administration made a name for itself finding ways to obscure information about its activities by claiming the right to “state secrets” under the “sources and methods” rule, protecting active intelligence operations. The entire scope of the “enhanced interrogations” regime was justified under the need to use detainee interrogations not for criminal prosecution but as sources of militarily “actionable” intelligence. The use of “national security letters” comprehensively erasing certain citizens’ First Amendment rights regarding specific government activity proliferated wildly during the Bush years, threatening criminal prosecution in secret courts should the relevant “sources and methods” be compromised.
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June 11, 2009 :: Severino Villalonso :: 4 Comments
The new multi-reassorted strain of flu, Influenza A H1N1, also called “swine flu”, has been officially declared a global pandemic, with over 28,000 confirmed cases of infection across 74 nations. The classification is a geographical judgment, referring to the flu strain’s spread on multiple continents, but does not related to severity. Officials said the pandemic appears to be of moderate severity.
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May 24, 2009 :: staff :: 2 Comments
The influenza A H1N1 virus outbreak of this spring is alleged to have surfaced in a little town in rural Mexico called La Gloria, which happens to be next to one of the world’s most massive industrial scale pig farms. While humans cannot contract the virus by eating pork, the dire conditions and poor sanitation [...]
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May 15, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
As we made our way around the world we encountered love, hate, rich and poor, black and white, and many different religious groups and ideologies. It became very clear that as a human race we need to transcend from the darkness to the light and music is our weapon of the future. This song around the world features musicians who have seen and overcome conflict and hatred with love and perseverance.
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May 4, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: 2 Comments
Yi Guan —who gained worldwide fame as a virologist when he isolated the SARS virus in the masked palm civet, in specimens being sold at a feral animal market in Guangdong province, China— says the World Health Organization (WHO) was slow in responding to the outbreak of influenza A H1N1, otherwise known as swine flu. Yi has devoted most of his career to flu virology and has a doctorate in swine flu virology.
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May 4, 2009 :: Webb Tisch :: One Comment
The outbreak of a new strain of flu, influenza A H1N1, in April 2009, has set the gears of global public health policy in motion, with aggressive quarantine efforts in Hong Kong, a blanket culling of pigs in Egypt (despite zero human or swine cases), and a ‘Phase 5′ warning from the World Health Organization that the outbreak constituted an imminent pandemic threat. But now there are hints the H1N1 outbreak may be largely contained in North America.
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May 4, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: 2 Comments
As the world marked international Press Freedom Day yesterday, there was growing concern about the conditions facing journalists around the world. Reporters without Borders (RSF) has expressed concern a Tibetan editor jailed in China may be suffering torture, the American journalist Roxana Saberi is said to be frail due to an ongoing hunger strike in protest of her 8 year sentence for ‘espionage’ in Iran, and numerous heads of state are listed as ‘predators’ working against press freedom.
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May 2, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: One Comment
El gobierno de México ha ordenado cuarentena de 5 días, para interrumpir la extensión masiva del virus de influenza A H1N1, la gripe porcina. La cuarentena, si la población la sigue, tendrá el efecto de silenciar no sólo la fiesta del ayer, de la celebración del día mundial de trabajador, sino también del 5 de mayo, día de la independencia y celebración de la nación.
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May 2, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
El taller literario Pinzón Nueve, fundado hace 17 años por el gran poeta chileno Carlos Trujillo (chilote de Chiloé), hoy estrena el primer número de su nueva revista, Naufragios, en colaboración con el Departamento de Lenguas Modernas de Villanova University, en Pennsylvania, EE.UU.
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April 30, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
The World Health Organization has questioned the global tally for confirmed deaths from the H1N1 “swine flu” outbreak, saying only 7 deaths from the virus have been confirmed, not the 149 to 159 previously reported. All 7 deaths took place in Mexico. The WHO, which yesterday raised its pandemic alert level to Phase 5 for the outbreak, says it has confirmed only 40 cases in the Americas, 26 in Mexico, resulting in 7 deaths.
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April 30, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Countless families and communities touched by our auto industry still face tough times ahead. Our projected long-term deficits are still too high, and government is still not as efficient as it needs to be. We still confront threats ranging from terrorism to nuclear proliferation, as well as pandemic flu. And all this means you can expect an unrelenting, unyielding effort from this administration to strengthen our prosperity and our security in the second hundred days, in the third hundred days and all of the days after that.
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April 29, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
Dr. Margaret Chan, director of the World Health Organization (WHO), today announced that the global public health alert for the H1N1 flu outbreak from Phase 4 to Phase 5. Phase 5 means there is a genuine risk of a global pandemic, but the outbreak does not yet constitute a global pandemic.
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April 29, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was today confirmed by the US Senate as Secretary of Health and Human Services, and sworn in as the latest member of Pres. Barack Obama’s cabinet. This White House photo by Peter Souza shows Sebelius being briefed today on the US response to the 2009 H1N1 flu virus outbreak, reported to have begun in Mexico City.
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