Archive for the ‘Shoptalk’ Category
Today in “diplomats who didn’t answer the question”
US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice’s statement and q&a at the Security Council stakeout: REPORTER: Madame Ambassador, just one follow up, there has been a lot of talk about this possibly turning into renewed civil war, and we have seen this standoff now dragging on for several days. How concerned is the United States [...]
Against universalism, or at least flirting that way
In a NYT article about Bill Gates’ venture into teacher evaluation, I’m stuck on this sentence: Researchers and educators involved in the project described it as maddeningly complex in its effort to separate the attributes of good teaching from the idiosyncrasies of individual teachers. Why Gates investing $335 million in trying to separate those two [...]
How should we measure poverty?
The United Nations is starting to rethink that question. The UN Development Program yesterday unveiles this year’s Human Development Report and the Human Development Index (HDI), the annual statistical extravaganza that offers an alternative to GDP as a measure of well-being. This year, the HDI does something new for the poor: It multiplies them. The report introduces [...]
Happy Birthday 1325, or, Why women in Burundi won’t let me be cynical about (some) UN resolutions
If you’ve never been to a birthday party for a Security Council resolution, well, get out your party shoes. Today is the 10th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, and the party guest du jour is Hillary Clinton, who is slated to address the council today. So what’s 1325, and why all the fuss? [...]
Sometimes, a girl’s gotta stick up for change
Check out what I think will be a debate over at change.org, between me and the new editor of the Human Rights blog. (Awkard alert! I actually write there, and for him. At until Nov 1.) I think this because I disagree mightily, heartily, with his contention that “nothing, zilch, zip, nada” has been done [...]
Media training dollars run amok?
Thanks to @penelopeinparis for highlighting this great opinion piece from Tom Kamara, editor and publisher of Liberia’s New Democrat newspaper. Kamara questions the utility of the media training donors seem so eager to pour money into. He makes some good points: “Journalism is a profession requiring training and skills development. It takes years, not days [...]
I am a freelance journalist and multimedia producer who covers human rights, Africa and foreign affairs. [