I am both honored and flattered to learn that I have been nominated for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award by Four Blue Hills (A repository, of sorts). I am also a bit tickled by all of this because until I received notification of my nomination I didn’t even know such an award existed. How cool! Bloggers recognizing inspiring members of their own community, nominees Paying it Forward! I love it!
The rules of the award require that I do three things:
Thank the person who nominated me and link back to her blog.
Share seven things about myself
Nominate seven bloggers for the award
So let me get to it!
A BIG THANKS TO FOUR BLUE HILLS Four Blue Hills was one of my first subscribers and loyal supporters. FBH is a wonderfully inspiring blog –the home to a potpourri of interesting posts on everything from photography and politics to human rights. There is something there for everyone so drop by and have a look around!
SEVEN THINGS ABOUT MYSELF
I can identify the flags of all the countries in the world.
I collect US $2 bills and foreign currency.
My first car was pink and the vanity plate read “2PINK4U”
I am an amateur astronomer, actress, and poet (but not at the same time)
Here are the names of the last five books to make “My Favorites” list, in no particular order: (a) E=MC2: A Biography of the World’s Most Famous Equation by David Bodanis & Simon Singh; (b) Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer; (c) The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding From You by Eli Pariser; (d) The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander & Cornel West; and (e) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
I’d like to travel to outer space and explore the Mariana Trench…the sooner, the better
My blog is dedicated to my mom who passed away on July 15, 2007.
MY NOMINATIONS FOR THE VERY INSPIRING BLOGGER AWARD (Drum roll, please…)
The health of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, one of the 14 imprisoned activists in Bahrain, has deteriorated as he passes his 64th day on hunger strike. The authorities refused to release him and the other 13 opposition activists waiting for a hearing before the Court of Cassation on 23 April. Amnesty International and other human rights activists are concerned that Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja might die in detention.
The Court of Cassation was scheduled to review the verdict and sentences imposed last year by a military court on 14 opposition activists on 2 April. However on that day the court decided to postpone the hearing until 23 April and rejected the request from their lawyers to release the 14 on bail. They are all prisoners of conscience held for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association: they were sentenced in June 2011 after an unfair trial by a military court to up to life in prison.
One of them, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, a dual Bahraini-Danish national, is continuing the hunger strike he started on 8 February 2012. His health has deteriorated dramatically since he decided on around 29 March to start reducing the doses of glucose and minerals he was taking until he was drinking water only. During the last week he was first transferred to the Ministry of Interior Hospital and then to the Military Hospital, where he remains. The authorities have not allowed visits from his family or lawyers since 5 April, although he was allowed to speak briefly to his wife on the phone on 10 April and a group of medical experts mandated by the authorities visited him some days ago.
The Danish ambassador also announced he visited him on 10 April for 20 minutes and that he was very weak but conscious, he also added his condition was critical. Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja‘s lawyer asked to visit him on several occasions, most recently on 10 April, but has received no answer. Because any decision to release him might have to wait until his next hearing before the Court of Cassation on 23 April, and because he intends to pursue his hunger strike until he is released, Amnesty International fears that he might be at risk of death.
HOW YOU CAN HELP Please write immediately in English or Arabic: Urge the Bahraini authorities to grant Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja immediate access to his family and lawyer; Urge them to release all 14 opposition activists immediately and unconditionally, since they are prisoners of conscience, held solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly; Urge them to order an immediate independent investigation into the 14′s allegations of torture, publish the results and bring those responsible to justice.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 11 MAY 2012 TO:
King Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa Office of His Majesty the King P.O. Box 555 Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama BAHRAIN Fax: 011 973 176 64 587/ 011 973 17664587 Salutation: Your Majesty
Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Prime Minister Office of the Prime Minister P.O. Box 1000, al-Manama BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 973 175 33 033 Salutation: Your Highness
Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khlaifa Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Khalifa P.O. Box 450, al-Manama BAHRAIN Fax: 011 973 175 36 343 Salutation: Your Excellency
** Please note that faxes are most usually available in the morning (GMT+3) **
Also send copies to:Ambassador Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo, Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain ǀ 3502 International Drive. NW, Washington DC 20008 Tel: 1 202 342 11111 202 342 1111ǀ Fax: 1 202 362 2192 ǀ Email: ambsecretary@bahrainembassy.org -OR- ambassador@bahrainembassy.org
The International Day for Street Children was launched in 2011 by the Consortium for Street Children (CSC), the leading international network dedicated to realizing the rights of street children worldwide, and is supported by Aviva, the world’s 6th largest insurance group. The day is celebrated by street children, NGOs, policy makers, celebrities, corporates and individuals across the globe.
2012
In 2012 the theme for the International Day for Street Children is ‘Challenging Perceptions’ – we are encouraging people to question what they think they know about street children. Challenge your perceptions by watching our film or reading about some common myths.
Key messages
Across the globe there are large numbers of children surviving on the streets – it’s time we all took action to address this issue.
Whether they are a runaway from Derby or a street child in Delhi, the factors that drive children to the streets are similar (and include family breakdown, poverty, and violence).
One of the greatest challenges faced by a street child is being recognized and treated as someone with rights.
We must recognize that a street child has the same potential as any other child, given the opportunity.
Although street children are vulnerable to the dangers of life on the street, they are also resilient and resourceful.
Street children see themselves as able to make a positive contribution to society despite often negative attitudes towards them.
We are calling for governments and society to join together and stand up for the rights of street children all over the world. Being a street child is not a crime.
Street children adopt many tactics necessary to survive on the streets, such as begging, loitering and rough sleeping.
Heavy handed treatment by authorities – such as violence and round-ups - is all too common and must be stamped out.
Rather than treat them as criminals authorities should understand the reasons for street children’s behavior and provide support.
MEXICO CITY — A video “mockumentary” that shows children as kidnappers, corrupt cops and drug traffickers has sparked a fierce debate in violence-torn Mexico, with some people calling it a needed wake-up call while others described it as political manipulation or even child abuse.
Kids playing the role of businessmen, criminals and corrupt officials are seen robbing, paying bribes and shooting it out in a mock Mexico made up entirely of children, all to the deceptively laid-back tune of the 1970s ballad “Una Manana,” or “One Morning.”
Produced by a foundation supported by private companies and universities and distributed over the Internet,the video ends with a direct message to the candidates in the Mexico’s July 1 presidential race
A little girl faces the camera and says: “If this is the future that awaits me, I don’t want it. Enough of working for your political parties instead of for us. Enough of cosmetic changes.”
‘Discomforting Kids’ Dubbed “Ninos Incomodos,” roughly “Discomforting Kids,” the four-minute video opens with a pudgy kid-businessman waking up in the morning dragging on a cigarette, and closes with a kiddie-version of alleged drug lord Edgar Valdez, aka “La Barbie,” being dragged off to an overcrowded jail full of children by junior cops.
Little girls carrying purses scream and scurry for cover as boys their own age spray machine guns from huge SUVs and assault-rifle toting little cops run to detain them at gunpoint.
Despite the video’s grim images of knife-wielding, migrant-smuggling, gun-toting kids, all the major candidates had praise for it. Leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called it “well done, it’s tough but it’s the truth.”
Earlier, the candidate of the former governing Institutional Revolutionary Party, Enrique Pena Nieto, wrote in his Twitter account: “I support the message of Discomforting Kids. I hear it all the time on the campaign trail; that ‘time is running out.’ It’s time to renew hope and change Mexico.”
Josefina Vazquez Mota, the candidate of President Felipe Calderon’s conservative National Action Party, tweeted that “the video of Discomforting Kids is a call that can’t be ignored. I accept the challenge, I want to join you.”
Countries that carried out executions in 2011 did so at an alarming rate but those employing capital punishment have decreased by more than a third compared to a decade ago. Only 10 percent of countries in the world, 20 out of 198, carried out executions last year.
People were executed or sentenced to death for a range of offenses including adultery and sodomy in Iran, blasphemy in Pakistan, sorcery in Saudi Arabia, the trafficking of human bones in the Republic of Congo, and drug offenses in more than 10 countries. Methods of execution in 2011 included beheading, hanging, lethal injection and shooting.
Some 18,750 people remained under sentence of death at the end of 2011 and at least 676 people were executed worldwide.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender or the method used by the state to carry out the execution. The death penalty violates the right to life and is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.
(Hartford, Conn.) — After years of failed attempts to repeal the death penalty, Connecticut lawmakers in both the House and the Senate have passed legislation that abolishes the punishment for all future cases.
As expected, members of the House voted 86-62 in favor of the bill after a floor debate that lasted nearly 10 hours on Wednesday.
The legislation, which would make Connecticut the 17th state to abolish the death penalty, awaits a signature from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who has said he would sign the bill into law. “Going forward, we will have a system that allows us to put these people away for life, in living conditions none of us would want to experience,” the Democratic governor said in a statement following the vote. “Let’s throw away the key and have them spend the rest of their natural lives in jail.”
The bill would abolish the death penalty and replace it with a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of release.
Lawmakers were able to garner support by making the legislation affect only future crimes and not the 11 men currently on death row.
Four other states have abolished the death penalty in the past five years: Illinois, New Jersey, New York and New Mexico.
Facts worth noting: In Connecticut, seven out of 10, or 70 percent, of death row inmates are African-American or Latino, whereas only 9 percent of Connecticut’s population is African-American and 10 percent is Latino, according to theAmerican Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut.
Studies have shown the most important factor in levying the death penalty is race. Those who kill a white person are shown to be more likely to receive the death penalty than those who kill a Black or Latino person.
George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain who admits he shot unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, was charged with murder on April 12 and taken into custody.
The charge of second degree murder was announced by Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey at a news conference this evening. If convicted of the charges Zimmerman could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
WARNING: The video below contains graphic footage and images. Viewer’s discretion is advised.
Cenk Uygur discusses a video recently released by Harper’s Magazine that shows private contractors from Blackwater in Iraq hitting cars in traffic and running over a woman then fleeing the scene.
Blackwater is the mercenary firm founded as Blackwater USA in 1996 by former Navy SEAL and fundamentalist Christian Erik Prince. It received no-bid contracts from the Bush administration in Iraq, Afghanistan, and post-Katrina New Orleans. In 2009, Prince resigned as CEO. Amid scandals over misbehavior by Blackwater employees in Iraq, the company renamed itself Blackwater Worldwide in 2007, Xe Services in 2009, and Academi in 2011. Subsidiaries include Paravant LLC. nndb.com
America’s prisons are overflowing, but many who are kept behind bars, are just children. Thousands of youths are tried as adults in the U.S. every year – and some are given life sentences in the country’s harshest jails. Many then find themselves becoming victims of sexual violence, and suicide.
Scotland Yard is facing a racism scandal after a black man used his mobile phone to record police officers subjecting him to a tirade of abuse in which he was told: “The problem with you is you will always be a nigger”.
The recording, obtained by the Guardian, was made by the 21-year-old after he was stopped in his car, arrested and placed in a police van the day after last summer’s riots.
The man, from Beckton, east London, said he was made to feel “like an animal” by police. He has also accused one officer of kneeling on his chest and strangling him.
In the recording, a police officer can be heard admitting he strangled the man because he was “a cunt”. Moments later, another officer – identified by investigators as PC Alex MacFarlane – subjects the man to a succession of racist insults and adds: “You’ll always have black skin. Don’t hide behind your colour.”
The Independent Police Complaints Commission referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service on the basis that three officers, including MacFarlane, may have committed criminal offences.
The CPS initially decided no charges should be brought against any of the police officers. However on Thursday, the service said it would review the file after lawyers for the man threatened to challenge the decision in a high court judicial review. MacFarlane has been suspended.
The inquiry began after the victim handed his mobile phone to a custody desk in Forest Gate police station and told officers he had been abused.
Earlier, he had been driving through Beckton with a friend when he was stopped by a van containing eight police officers from Newham borough. London’s streets were flooded with police who had been drafted in to contain the rioting.
The officers arrested the man on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and told him he was being taken to a police station to be searched. After being taken into the van, the man was also arrested for missing a previous magistrates court appearance. No further action is to be taken in relation to the suspected driving offence.
It was once inside the van and handcuffed that the man said he was assaulted by police. He described having his head pushed against the van window and said one officer placed his knees on his chest and began strangling him. “I couldn’t breathe and I felt that I was going to die,” he said.
The man said he decided to turn on the recording facility of his phone after MacFarlane allegedly made sexually explicit references about his mother and telling him he would be “dead in five years”.
In the recording, the man sounds agitated; he raises his voice to complain about his treatment and in places insults the arresting officers. The verbal exchange lasts several minutes.
When the man tells an officer: “you tried to strangle me”, the officer replies: “No, I did strangle you.” The officer adds that he strangled him “‘cos you’re a cunt” and that the man had been “kicking out”. In relation to the strangling, the officer says: “Stopped you though, didn’t it?”
Minutes later MacFarlane, who is white, begins abusing the man. After a period of silence, he can be heard telling him: “The problem with you is you will always be a nigger, yeah? That’s your problem, yeah.”
The man reads out MacFarlane’s badge number and complains that he had subjected him to racist comments: “I’ll always be a nigger – that’s what you said, yeah?”
MacFarlane replies: “You’ll always have black skin colour. Don’t hide behind your colour, yeah.” He adds: “Be proud. Be proud of who you are, yeah. Don’t hide behind your black skin.”
Shortly before the recording ends, the man can be heard saying: “I get this all the time.” He then tells the officer: “We’ll definitely speak again about this … It’s gonna go all the way, it’s gonna go all the way – remember.”
The man’s lawyer, Michael Oswald, said: “By his own efforts our client has put before the CPS exceptionally strong evidence and we share his astonishment that the CPS have reached a decision that no police officer should be prosecuted on the basis of that evidence. We do welcome their agreement to review that decision and we now await the outcome of that review.”
The CPS initially said charges should not be brought against MacFarlane because the remarks did not cause the man harassment, distress or alarm.Grace Ononiwu, deputy chief crown prosecutor for CPS London, said: “Lawyers for [the complainant] have written to the CPS and asked us to review our decision. I have considered the matter personally and directed that all the evidence should be reconsidered and a fresh decision taken by a senior lawyer with no previous involvement in this matter.”
Speaking to the Guardian, the 21-year-old was visibly shaken when recounting the ordeal. “It’s hard to explain, but it makes you feel like a piece of shit – it makes you feel not even human,” he said.
“I was glad that I had it on the recording. I knew that if I had it saved I could show that I had been abused. It’s not right. We’ve just got different skin colour – underneath it we’re all the same.”
The Metropolitan police confirmed in a statement that it received a complaint on 11 August about alleged “racial” remarks and oppressive conduct.“These are serious allegations; any use of racist language or excessive use of force is not acceptable.” The force said it had referred the case to the IPCC and that one officer had been suspended.
MacFarlane’s solicitor, Colin Reynolds, said: “The officer has been the subject of an investigation, has co-operated in that and been advised he is not to be the subject of criminal proceedings.”
Estelle du Boulay, director of the Newham Monitoring Project, said: “Sadly, the shocking treatment of this young man at the hands of police officers – both the physical brutality he describes and the racial abuse he claims he suffered – are by no means unusual; it compares to other reports we have received. What makes this case different is the victim had the foresight and courage to turn on a recording device on his mobile phone.”
She compared the incident to the case of Liam Stacey, a student who was jailed for 56 days for posting offensive comments on Twitter after the on-pitch collapse of the Bolton Wanderers footballer Fabrice Muamba.
When the student was sentenced in a magistrates court on Tuesday a senior lawyer at the CPS, Jim Brisbane, said: “Racist language is inappropriate in any setting and through any media. We hope this case will serve as a warning to anyone who may think that comments made online are somehow beyond the law.”
Jackie and Mike Bezos have donated a personal gift of $25,000 to "The RaiseForWomen challenge," a fundraising initiative supporting nonprofits doing work to empower women and girls around the world. The donation, combined with $75,000 from The Skoll Foundation, brings to $100,000 the total in prizes going to the causes that raise the most funds. Ja […]
We are thrilled to announce a very successful first week in the RaiseforWomen Challenge, with over $126,000 raised! We would like to thank everyone who has participated in the challenge so far. We have under five weeks left –– until June 6 –– to raise as much as possible! Half the Sky Movement will be giving out weekly prizes to individuals participating in […]
I remember reading Betty Harragan’s Games Mother Never Taught You when it first came out over thirty years ago. As a woman entrepreneur, that book had a huge impact on me — both in how to navigate at work, a new universe that felt like I had been dropped onto Mars, and how I saw myself as an agent of change. This was long before cell phones, the Internet, an […]
Just over a year ago, the Senate Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on racial profiling in over a decade on the heels of the murder of 17-year-old Florida resident Trayvon Martin. His death gave a face to the terrible practice of racial profiling and brought new media scrutiny to the issue. Over the years, many of our political leaders have recognize […]
Earlier this week, in a case brought by the ACLU, the ACLU of Arizona, and the Center for Reproductive Rights, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit struck down an extreme Arizona law that bans abortion care starting at 20 weeks. The court called it "per se unconstitutional." That's judicial-speak for "are you kidding me with this […]
As the Supreme Court takes up affirmative action once again, the word "diversity" has found its way into many legal briefs. For me, it is not an abstract concept. If today I am a supportive colleague, a successful civil rights lawyer, a good citizen in the broadest and best sense, it is thanks to affirmative action. I arrived at the University of C […]
Headline Title: Syria’s conflict, felt from afar 24 May 2013 “The tragedy is not only inside, but also outside Syria,” says a London-based Syrian human rights activist. Media Node: Husam Helmi Twitter Tag: AIR2013 Story Location: Syria 33° 27' 34.9452" N, 36° 14' 18.2508" E “The hardest thing has been to watch while the country I grew […]
Headline Title: Report 2013: World increasingly dangerous for refugees and migrants 23 May 2013 Global inaction on human rights is making the world an increasingly dangerous place for refugees and migrants, Amnesty International said today as it launched its annual assessment of the world’s human rights. The organization said that the rights of millions of […]
Headline Title: Surviving the world’s most dangerous journey 23 May 2013 This is part of a special ‘People on the Move’ series, highlighting the human rights violations faced by migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers in every part of the world. These profiles are being published around the launch of Amnesty International's Annual Report 2013.When he lef […]
Tweet Widget Facebook Like Email Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should make improving the human rights situation in Burma a top priority during his visit to the country this week. (Tokyo) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should make improving the human rights situation in Burma a top priority during his visit to the country this week, Human Rights Wa […]
Tweet Widget Facebook Like Email Many of the 1,429 households resettled to make way for Vale and Rio Tinto’s international coal mining operations in Tete province, Mozambique have faced serious disruptions in their access to food, water, and work. The Mozambican government’s speed in approving mining licenses and inviting billions of dollars in investment ha […]
Tweet Widget Facebook Like Email Ukrainian authorities should allow the Kiev Pride Equality March, scheduled for May 25, 2013, in Kiev, to proceed and protect its participants from violence, Human Rights Watch said today. In a letter sent to Kiev’s city administration on May 21, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International urged the office not to ban the Equ […]
Today is a historic day for Boy Scouts across the country who want to be a part of this great American institution, but the new policy doesn't go far enough.
Just moments ago, the Nevada State Assembly approved SJR13, by a vote of 27 to 14, with Republican Assemblymember Michele Fiore joining the Democratic majority.
Support for loving, committed same-sex couples is at a record high 59 percent – a 19 percentage point increase in the last 12 years, according to a Gallup poll released today.
Few female immigrants have enjoyed the benefit of the travel ban on people with HIV lifted three years ago Financial hardships, fear of stigma in their homelands and uncertainties about their U.S. legal status all block the way.
Critics say federal wage protections for these workers will drive elderly and disabled people into institutionalized settings. Advocates say that hasn't happened in states that currently extend the minimum wage to home care workers.
Tabitha Waugh, a registered nurse in a West Virginia hospital, can't complain about the pay. But it's tough finding time with her kids and the work takes a toll, physically and mentally. "I just don't want to do direct patient care forever," she said.
This week, the President continued his Jobs & Opportunity tour, this time highlighting bold new efforts in education and manufacturing in Baltimore, gave the commencement address at Morehouse College, invited the President of Myanmar, eight immigration reform advocates and DREAMers themselves, and Gershwin Prize winner Carol King and friends to the White […]
President Barack Obama delivers a speech at the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., May 23, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) Today at National Defense University, President Obama laid out the framework for U.S. counterterrorism strategy as we wind down the war in Afghanistan. President Obama discussed how the threa […]
Go behind the scenes at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue by checking out The White House Photo Office’s latest photo gallery. The gallery highlights some of the major events that occurred in April – from the Easter Egg Roll to the opening of the George W. Bush Library and Museum. Check out some of our favorite images below, and then see the full set on our Flickr ga […]
“Ahora el video de la Cascada de Tratamiento de VIH también está disponible en español” Recently we shared an animated video about the HIV treatment cascade in the United States that has quickly become one of the most-watched videos ever on the AIDS.gov YouTube channel . We’re pleased to share the Spanish language version of this...
Today marks one year since we released the Digital Government Strategy (PDF/ HTML5), as part of the President’s directive to build a 21st Century Government that delivers better services to the American people. The Strategy is built on the proposition that all Americans should be able to access information from their Government anywhere, anytime, and on any […]
Last week, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a nearly $1 billion initiative that will fund grant awards and evaluation to build on the Obama administration’s work to transform the health care system by delivering better care and lowering costs for taxpayers and patients. The Health Care Innovation Awards are funded by...
Four Blue Hills was one of my first subscribers and loyal supporters. FBH is a wonderfully inspiring blog –the home to a potpourri of interesting posts on everything from photography and politics to human rights. There is something there for everyone so drop by and have a look around!
