Author: admin
theweekmagazine: How a Palestinian turned airstrikes into art A young artist chooses to see hope amid the ongoing crisis between Gaza and Israel
statedept: Today, August 19, is World Humanitarian Day. Last year alone, 155 aid workers were killed, 134 were kidnapped and over 170 were seriously wounded. World Humanitarian Day commemorates the aid workers who have lost their lives helping others in need – and recognizes the commitment to the life-saving work humanitarians carry out around the world every day. World Humanitarian Day is a time to recognize those who face danger and adversity in order to help others. The day was designated by the General Assembly to coincide with the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq. …
“Action now will save lives, build a solid foundation for sustainable development far beyond 2015 and help lay the groundwork for lasting peace and human dignity. We have 500 days to accelerate MDG action. Let’s make every day count.” /Secretary General Ban Ki-moon/ There is only 500 days left to reach the Millenium Development Goals. 500 Days of Action, that is. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations celebrated the momentum along with 500 young people including Malala Yousafzai. Check the link clicking the picture to learn more about the MDGs, what’s left for these 500 days…
Hey Everybody! Hope all your weekends are going fine and you can take a few minutes to check out this week’s posts. With Maliki Gone, Can Iraq’s New Prime Minister Put His Country Back Together? That we’re going to have to wait and see. What You Need to Know about the UN Human Rights Council’s Gaza Investigation Sadly, it is probably true that the investigation will be no use in improving the situation. I have to insert one of my favorite quotes from Henry Kissinger’s Diplomacy here. He writes that fact-finding missions are “the standard device for diplomats signaling that…
The theme of International Youth Day 2014 is “Youth and Mental Health”. The mental health of young women and men is important for the health of society as a whole. Irina BokovaUNESCO Director-GeneralInternational Youth Day 2014 The 2014 observance of International Youth Day will raise awareness on this important topic, as well as highlight the experiences of brave, young individuals who have chosen to speak out about these issues with the objective of overcoming stigma and discrimination to ensure that young people with mental health conditions can lead full and healthy lives free from isolation and unnecessary shame, and openly…
Happy Sunday, everybody! This is a pre-scheduled post from Friday, so I hope nothing has happened during the weekend that could make it inappropriate. While you are reading I am probably somewhere out there trying to catch up with this summer I almost missed altogether. We are having an incredibly boring down time in my workplace recently (usual August in the public sector I guess), I am constantly joking that if I did not have all these writing and learning to do, I would probably have started looking for a new job already. But seriously. Summer is my favorite season,…
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples Since 1995, August 9 is the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Who are they? There is no concurrent definition of the term, but indigenous peoples are ethnic groups practicing unique traditions, retaining social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live. Check out this great UN fact sheet for more. The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is an opportunity to highlight the challenges facing indigenous peoples, and the importance of preserving their cultural heritage and identity. This year’s theme is…
Obama’s “Limited” Mission in Iraq newyorker: John Cassidy examines President Obama’s decision to launch targeted airstrikes in Iraq: http://nyr.kr/1r05ZVT “Once the U.S. bombing starts, when will it stop? That is one of the many tough questions that Obama and his colleagues will have to answer. Are the sole goals of the mission to…
huffpostworld: If it looks like a war crime and feels like a war crime, is it a war crime?
Happy August, everybody! I can’t help repeating myself, but how can it be August already? It means 2/3 of this summer went by almost unnoticed by me. I need to speed up on doing all my favorite summer things before it’s really over. By the way, may I now call your attention to an interesting quotation from Hillary Clinton’s Hard Choices? On one of the first pages she cites advices she received from former US Secretaries of State when she got appointed. One of those is from Warren Christopher: “Don’t plan vacations in August because something always seems to happen…
