Archive for the ‘Human Rights’ Category
An open application to join Kofi Annan’s speech writing team
Because I’d make a few tweaks to his op-ed on Holocaust education and genocide prevention. I’d clean up some sloppy language and some bad metaphors. And lest you think that’s just snotty writer talk, here’s the point up front: The metaphors we use about genocide tell us what we think causes it. And I think [...]
After war, who’s not a ‘vulnerable population’?
I’m up to my ears in UN project reports about peacebuilding activities in various countries, and I continue to see language like this, a recommendation about what a small business should do were it to receive UN financial support: “Give more jobs to vulnerable persons affected by the conflict (ex-combatants, women, youth, disabled, …)” Ex-combatants. [...]
Boozing it up in the ‘third world’?: The mix tape
Update, after I got out from under my rock In one of the very active comments sections on the blogs that have taken this up, someone accused Nick Kristof of living under a rock. Accused is a strong word. ‘Asked if he did’ is better. I have been the cyber equivalent of living under a [...]
Tastes like terrorism!
“As another day passed with Mr. [Faisal] Shahzad talking to investigators about the car bomb he had admitted driving into Times Square on Saturday, details emerged on Wednesday about [Mr. and Mrs. Shahzad] and their life together, along with speculation about his radicalization…. A Pakistani man said that an acquaintance of his who was a [...]
Why a “girl” can’t “change her mind” about rape
“can a girl change her mind about rape”? Dear Internet surfer who put that into Google and ended up on my blog: No. Rape is not a state of mind. It is not a “mood.” It is not a choice by the fickle feminine species to decide that sex was rape and not consensual sex. [...]
Obama names Director of War Atrocities, croons to advocates, “Baby, it’s not how it sounds, I swear!”
It’s a mini-round up of the two most recent things I’ve read: One, Obama now has a war atrocities czar — formally known as the Director of War Atrocities and Civilian Protection. At least that’s what the Daily Beast is calling David Pressman’s new job, in an article that I found pretty confusing. Let’s hope [...]
I am a freelance journalist and multimedia producer who covers human rights, Africa and foreign affairs. [