Jun 26, 2009

“The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.”

- Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)

Quote of the Week

6/26/2009 06:33:00 PM , , , ,

Jun 22, 2009

John Hodgman delivers one of the funniest roasts ever delivered. A classic example of how to be pleasantly funny without being offensive. Many of today’s shock jocks could use a lesson or two from Hodgeman. Enjoy!

The John Hodgman Raost

6/22/2009 11:36:00 PM , ,

Jun 14, 2009

Aid agency says international mission puts civilians at risk by joining government attacks on Rwandan Hutu rebels

Mark Tran
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 14 May 2009 09.10 BST

A UN-backed offensive against Hutu rebels in eastern Congo is likely to lead to civilian deaths and widespread suffering, Oxfam warned today. The warning from the aid agency came as Monuc, the UN-led peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, prepares to support the Congolese army in a new offensive against Hutu militias who fled Rwanda after the 1994 genocide that killed almost 1 million people.

The UN mission is providing logistical and military backing for the Congolese army as it seeks to contain a rebel resurgence in North Kivu and prepares to extend operations into neighbouring South Kivu. Oxfam said the previous joint offensive, launched in January, had already created immense suffering for thousands of civilians, with an estimated 250,000 people still unable to return to their homes. Villagers have reported that thousands of homes have been burned to the ground in reprisal attacks mainly by the FDLR (Hutu rebels)," the agency said. "Rape and looting by all sides, including government forces, has also been reported. According to recent reports, 100,000 people have already fled their homes in South Kivu, even before the new offensive has started. Aid agencies are planning for the possible displacement of a further 400,000 people in South Kivu.".

Oxfam said any military action should follow international law and ensure that risks to civilians were kept to an absolute minimum. It called for appropriate sanctions for any violations of international humanitarian law. Troops from Congo and neighbouring Rwanda launched a joint operation in January against the Rwandan Hutu rebels, whose presence in eastern Congo has been a major source of regional tension and instability for 15 years.

After Rwandan forces pulled out a month later, the Hutu rebels stepped up reprisals against civilians and regained territory they lost during the offensive. The 17,000-strong UN force – already one of the UN's biggest operations – has requested a temporary increase of 3,000 troops and police to help it deal with renewed fighting in the area.

The offensive had caused "untold death and suffering that continues to this day", said Marcel Stoessel, the head of Oxfam in the DRC. "By any yardstick it has been a humanitarian disaster, and one the world has ignored. The UN force's top priority in Congo must be to protect the lives of innocent civilians. The UN needs to be aware of the full implications of continuing to support military action in the present circumstances."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/14/un-congo-offensive-deaths-oxfam

Oxfam criticises UN for joining Congo war

6/14/2009 06:47:00 PM , , , ,

Apr 30, 2009

An interesting news story about genetic variation in Africa and its implications for the global study and cure of diseases.
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By Randolph E. Schmid
The Associated Press Thursday, April 30, 2009

Africans have more genetic variation than anyone else on Earth, according to a new study that helps narrow the location where humans first evolved, probably near the South Africa-Namibia border.

The largest study of African genetics ever undertaken also found that nearly three-fourths of African-Americans can trace their ancestry to West Africa. The new analysis published Thursday in the online edition of the journal Science. "Given the fact that modern humans arose in Africa, they have had time to accumulate dramatic changes" in their genes, explained lead researcher Sarah Tishkoff, a geneticist at the University of Pennsylvania. People have been adapting to very diverse environmental niches in Africa, she explained in a briefing…..

Read more here….

Africans have world's greatest genetic variation

4/30/2009 07:08:00 PM , , ,

Apr 26, 2009

On behalf of the Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace (CCTP) and the McMaster Centre for Peace Studies, we are pleased to announce this year's 8th Annual Peace Education Conference in Canada focusing on the important theme of "bringing greater peace to our schools". Within this context, we will also be exploring the role of "gender and sexuality" and "social, spiritual and emotional intelligence" in advancing our goals towards a universal culture of peace.

Continuing our tradition from past years, this conference will be an opportunity for those passionate about educating for peace to converge, connect and reflect upon our commitments to peace and justice in this world. The core conference, hosted at McMaster University, will begin in the evening on Thursday, November 12th and come to a close in the afternoon on Sunday, November 15th. Together, we will explore how we can infuse the mainstream school system with peace education and peaceful educators. Through engaging workshops, inspiring speakers and focused reflections, we will learn new ways of being and teaching that better serve ourselves and our fellow learners.

See http://www.peace-education.ca/pec-2009 for more information.

8th Annual Peace Education Conference in Canada

4/26/2009 10:22:00 PM ,

Apr 18, 2009

There appears to be more to the problem of piracy off the Somali coast than the media would want us to believe. I am strongly opposed to piracy in any form and think that the international community needs to come together to find a lasting solution. That solution must of course begin with addressing the decade long chaos on the land in Somalia. It is ironic that the Somalia has once again come on our radars not because we now care about the plight of the long suffering people in that country but because the chaos there now threatens international commerce and by extension the lifestyles of those who can make a difference. Reminds me of the truism that what goes around comes around!

In a recent article in The Independent of London, journalist Johann Hari argues that we are being lied to about pirates. Some of these AK 47 wielding Somali men, he argues, are clearly just gangsters. But others are trying to stop illegal dumping and trawling. Not everyone agrees with Johann Hari but I think his effort to present the other side of this story, one that is clearly missing from the mainstream media narrative is commendable.

Johann Hari: You are being lied to about pirates
Some are clearly just gangsters. But others are trying to stop illegal dumping and trawling

Who imagined that in 2009, the world's governments would be declaring a new War on Pirates? As you read this, the British Royal Navy – backed by the ships of more than two dozen nations, from the US to China – is sailing into Somalian waters to take on men we still picture as parrot-on-the-shoulder pantomime villains. They will soon be fighting Somalian ships and even chasing the pirates onto land, into one of the most broken countries on earth. But behind the arrr-me-hearties oddness of this tale, there is an untold scandal. The people our governments are labelling as "one of the great menaces of our times" have an extraordinary story to tell – and some justice on their side.

Pirates have never been quite who we think they are. In the "golden age of piracy" – from 1650 to 1730 – the idea of the pirate as the senseless, savage Bluebeard that lingers today was created by the British government in a great propaganda heave. Many ordinary people believed it was false: pirates were often saved from the gallows by supportive crowds. Why? What did they see that we can't? In his book Villains Of All Nations, the historian Marcus Rediker pores through the evidence...

Read more here...

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-you-are-being-lied-to-about-pirates-1225817.html

Pirates and Piracy on the Somali Coast: It shouldn’t only be about commerce

4/18/2009 11:54:00 PM , , , ,
Excerpts from a documentary on the challenges of Economic Development and Nation Building in Africa (Producer: Andrew Younger, 2002)

From Dust to Gold

4/18/2009 11:10:00 PM , , ,

Mar 26, 2009

"Race Culture and Society" A public talk marking Black History Month at McMaster University organized by the African Caribbean Students Association and the African Students Association.
Watch video of the talks

Race Culture and Society

3/26/2009 08:26:00 PM , , ,

Mar 25, 2009

Should an institution dedicated to the study of peace be providing a forum for a “man of war” to express his views on war? This is a question that I have been confronted with in recent weeks following my decision in my capacity as Director of the Centre for Peace Studies at McMaster University to invite Brigadier-General Thompson of the Canadian Armed Forces to our campus for a talk on the Afghanistan war.

I don’t really think that a University as an academic institution should be justifying its invitation to an individual to debate topical issues. This is exactly what universities are for. Even where we do not agree with the views expressed by others, we have a responsibility to provide an intellectual space to engage and interrogate their ideas.

As an academic discipline dedicated to the study of conflict and conflict transformation, Peace Studies should be engaged with all perspectives on the subject of war and peace. An increasing number of students in Peace Studies programs in many universities including ours are active-duty military personnel who have come to Peace Studies with the hope that it can have some relevance to their chosen careers.

Besides, Brigadier-General Thompson is eminently qualified to speak not only on the subject of war but also on the subject of Peace. Apart from his recent posting as commander of Canadian and NATO Forces in Afghanistan, h hase served in the Canadian Foreign Affairs ministry as Director of Peacekeeping Policy. His insights on Canada’s role in international peace building will be particularly relevant to our students. As several scholars have pointed out, security is integral to sustainable Peace building in post-conflict societies.

Our commitment to peace should include a willingness to be open to ideas and providing an intellectual space to debate them even when we do not agree with them.

Of Peace Studies and “Men of War”

3/25/2009 09:21:00 PM , , ,

Mar 21, 2009

Obama’s message to the Iranian people marks a refreshing break from the adversarial and belligerent rhetoric that has characterized US-Iranian relations for over three decades. Hopefully this marks a small but significant first step in breaking the cycle of distrust and cynicism that has undermined peaceful and cordial relations between these to countries for so long.

President Obama Message to the Iranian People

3/21/2009 07:28:00 PM , ,
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