Chilean Student Movement Revival
Written by Elizabeth · Translated by Peter Jones With a massive protest at the national level, the student movement [1] demanding free, quality education returned to the streets of Chile in full force. Using slogans like “and it’s going to fall, it’s going to fall, the education of Pinochet…and Bachelet,” students from throughout the country gathered April 11, 2013 in civic centers of the country's various cities to return to the request that the gov... more
Views: 639Violence is the Last Refuge of the Incompetent
Region: WA
Where does the murderous rage come from? that is the real question. When it is inflicted on another, there is outrage. The fear-based society we live in promotes violence to solve issues. Fear is covered by anger that leads to rage, to hurting others in revenge, to killing others from projecting their inner pain, to killing themselves to escape that inner hopelessness and helplessness. I tried suicide to run away from my inner pain of trauma in a childhood and marriage of domestic ... more
Views: 577Post-election Tension Escalates in Venezuela
Written by Laura Vidal · Translated by Victoria Robertson [Links are to Spanish-language pages except where noted.] The election results [1] [en] following the death of Hugo Chávez, in which Nicolás Maduro and Henrique Capriles Radonski measured the support of their followers, is at the heart of mounting tension. Just as Maduro was being declared the new President of the Republic, calls for public protests and an election recount were multiplying across ... more
Views: 765Bangkok:It's the Temples That Are Most Spectacular
Region: United States
Shopping and gawking at the nightlife are what draw most visitors to Thailand's capital city. But for me, it was Bangkok's history and architecture that were truly spectacular. On the ride into the city from the airport, I was initially unimpressed. The high rises, the new mega shopping centers, even the old neighborhood markets were what one expects in most big Asian cities. However, the charming traditional Thai welcome at the dazzling Shangri-La Hotel, and the view from m... more
Views: 814Ownership of St. Lucia's Beaches in Question
Ownership of St. Lucia's Beaches in Question Written by Matthew Hunte St. Lucians can usually visit any beach they choose [1], but thanks to a recent celebrity wedding, the beach surrounding a local resort was deemed off limits, raising longstanding questions about beach access and the cost benefits of large resorts. The catalyst to the discussion was actor Matt Damon's renewal of his wedding vows to his wife Luciana Barroso. The event, which included several ... more
Views: 816HARTALS AND THE 'DAILY WAGERS' OF KASHMIR
Region: IndiaHARTALS AND THE ‘DAILY WAGERS’ OF KASHMIR If the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Abdul Hamid Punjabi is to be believed, then consequent to the execution of Afzal Guru, Kashmir's economy has suffered an estimated loss of Rs 4,500 crores due to hartals called for by separatists groups as well as curfews imposed by the Police in the Valley. Of course, there is a distinct possibility that these figures could be grossly inflated and may even include ce... more
Views: 686Same Sex Marriage Legalized in Uruguay
Written by Silvia Viñas Uruguay has become the second Latin American country to legalize [1] same-sex marriage. Lawmakers in Congress passed the bill, which defines marriage as “the permanent union between two people of the same or opposite sex,” by a wide margin on April 10, 2013, with 71 of 92 votes in favor. The country's upper house of the Senate approved the proposal last week [2]. President Jose Mujica, who has pushed for the bill, is expecte... more
Views: 642New Avian Flu Outbreak Causes Deaths in China
Written by Owen A strain of avian flu never before seen in humans has so far infected 21 people [1], with six deaths [2], in China, putting health authorities on high alert and prompting fears among many Chinese of the disease spreading. The first reported death associated with the H7N9 virus was an 87-year-old man who died March 4, 2013 in the commercial hub of Shanghai, a city of some 20 million residents. More cases were soon diagnosed in the neighbouring Zhejiang, Anhui, an... more
Views: 818Malawi’s Economy and IMF’s Austerity
Region: TX"Déjà Vu All Over Again." This is the best way I can sum up what is percolating on the beautiful country of Malawi. Remember Africa of 1980s and 90s, when International Monetary Fund (IMF) inundated many cash strapped countries with austerity measures before granting credit lines to them; this is exactly what Malawi is experiencing at the moment. For those who do not know anything about Malawi. It is a landlocked country in southeast of Africa, with a ... more
Views: 946Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart: An agent of Change
Region: TX“Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” – Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe was a revolutionary genius with a descriptive warrior pen. He was ebulliently meticulous; a man of great wisdom and humility, with a rancor-free personality. But his literary approach and expression spearheaded by his novel Things Fall Apart was anything but radical and revolutionary. It was an indeed a velvet revolutionary book. ... more
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