The above words were spoken by Brigadier General Carmelo Burgio, the Italian officer responsible for developing the Afghan police force, as The New York Times reported yesterday. Recruiting is going well, if we just focus on the numbers. The target size for the Afghan National Army for October 2010 – 134,000 – was reached in […]
I am crazy jealous not to be able to vote in South Sudan’s upcoming referendum after seeing this video: [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/Hz2HObYuO9A” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
Earlier this month I served as a member of the US delegation to the election observation mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (overseeing presidential, parliamentary and cantonal elections held on October 3). The observation was implemented by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODHIR) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) […]
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) there are estimated 165 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 actively involved in child labor. Children are often forced to work long hours and are often forced to work in harsh and dangerous conditions. Child labor has a direct link to poverty, and provides a […]
Notorious Rwandan war criminal Callixte Mbarushimana was arrested today in Paris after sixteen years of impunity. He was arrested after a sealed arrest warrant was issued by the ICC in late September. French authorities cooperated fully. Mbarushimana faces five counts of crimes against humanity (murder, torture, rape, inhumane acts and persecution) and six counts of […]
Over at Parabasis, where I used to post periodically, friend of mine, Isaac Butler, has an interesting post about Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part I that is extremely relevant to modern events. Isaac writes that at the heart of the play lives a Machiavellian lesson: The thing is, Shakespeare uses all sorts of means– including his […]
The venerable Matt Wald has been covering nuclear power and renewable energy technology at the NY Times since Hector was a pup. He has the lead story today: Offshore Wind Power Line Wins Backing. A high-voltage cable, costing $5 billion and with a 6 GW capacity, would run offshore connecting wind farms from Virginia to […]
NPR this morning had a great spot on a new music Web site that showcases underground music from across the Middle East. The site, Mideast Tunes, is in English, and offers a gateway into jazz from Palestine, punk rock from Saudi Arabia, hip-hop from Lebanon and metal from Iran. Check it out here.
We were in Cambridge this past weekend having a fine time, very much including getting out for Honkfest. The best band we saw was the Seed & Feed Marching Abominable, “Atlanta’s wildest community band,” but they were all pretty anarchically blessed. Meanwhile, 350.org was staging it’s 10/10/10 Global Work Party. We saw some evidence of […]
The State University of New York announced that Ambassador Robert R. Gosende has been named the John W. Ryan Fellow in International Education for 2010-2011. Here is the official SUNY press release: SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher Announces Robert Gosende as 2010-11 John W. Ryan Fellow in International Education September 10, 2010 Albany – State […]
The much discussed and fretted over rainy season has arrived in Haiti. No, you didn’t miss it—there hasn’t been an official hurricane yet, and all fingers are crossed that it does not arrive. But storms too small to be named, but big enough to tear down trees and tents and scatter rubble and garbage have […]
The use of child soldiers continues to be a plague on our global society, as thousands of children continue to be recruited into armed conflict by both government forces and armed rebel groups in spite global efforts to combat the continued use of children. UNICEF estimates there are some 300,000 child soldiers globally, while Human Rights, with […]
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