Category Archives: International Affairs

Fine Company

Posted on March 25, 2009 by

Countries with the highest number of state-sponsored executions in 2008 (Amnesty International): 1) China 2) Iran 3) Saudi Arabia 4) United States of America 5) Pakistan The possibility exists that both Pakistan and Iraq are ahead of the United States, … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, International Affairs | Tagged | 2 Comments

Build a bridge out of her

Posted on March 19, 2009 by

CNN: Around 1,000 people accused of being witches in Gambia have been locked up in secret detention centers and forced to drink a dangerous hallucinogenic potion, according to human rights organization Amnesty International. What kind of people do this? How … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs, Scandal | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Dark Ages

Posted on March 18, 2009 by

International Herald Tribune: YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon: Pope Benedict XVI said before he landed here Tuesday, on his first leg of a trip to Africa, that condoms were not the answer in the continent’s fight against H.I.V., his first explicit statement on … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs, Science | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Slumdog Millionaire 3: Don’t call it a slum

Posted on February 18, 2009 by

After watching Slumdog Millionaire, I was curious about the slums of Mumbai. What are such places like? How do they fit in the urban geography? I remember some of the scenes where the two brothers are in high rise apartment … Continue reading →

Posted in Cities, International Affairs, Movies | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Slumdog Millionaire 2: Religious violence

Posted on February 14, 2009 by

Slumdog Millionaire does not directly take on social issues in India, but there are some scenes that include contexts that are politically explosive. One scene that stands out is when a Hindu mob burns the section of the slum where … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs, Movies, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fidel on Rahm

Posted on February 10, 2009 by

Here’s an editorial penned by Fidel Castro, who is apparently fascinated by Rahm Emanuel. I can’t do it justice just by choosing a section and linking the rest, it needs to be seen in full. From Granma Internacional:

Posted in International Affairs, Politics | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Maybe sic some Cane Toads on ‘em?

Posted on January 14, 2009 by

In order to save the native seabird population of Macquarie from complete destruction, the Australians decided to rid the entire island of its bothersome feral cat problem. This seemed all well and good. With no cats running around killing the … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs, Science | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

What’s the point?

Posted on January 8, 2009 by

Against the admonition of Fletch I’m going to venture into this Israel – Palestine issue. I, too, don’t want to get into a useless argument. I, like a lot of people, am just trying to understand what the hell is … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments