Peruvian indigenous leader Alberto Pizango made headlines today after being arrested on charges of sedition, conspiracy and leading a rebellion. Last summer, Pizango led months of protests which prompted Peruvian President Álan Garcia order police to “use force” to remove a road bock near Bagua Grande. About 50 people were killed, according to Amnesty International. [...]
Entries Tagged as ‘Human Rights’
April 30, 2010
Crisis Averted? Arizona Legislature Changes Immigration Bill Language
The Washington Examiner reported this morning that some of the language has been changed in the new AZ immigration bill, defining the context in which law enforcement can ask for documentation and limiting the possibility of racial profiling. Now, Arizona lawmakers have made some changes intended to clarify their intent and, perhaps, silence some of the [...]
April 27, 2010
Can Arizona’s Immigration Law Withstand Legal Challenges?
UPDATE: The American Civil Liberties Union, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the National Immigration Law Center are set to announce in Phoenix on Thursday plans to challenge the measure. U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric Holder said this week that he was considering a possible legal challenge to the law. [More here] Despite concerted [...]
March 23, 2010
Immigration: Arizona Debates Anti-Immigrant Bill
Thousands marched on Washington this past weekend to demand that the administration turn its attention to immigration reform, in order to ensure that the basic human rights of immigrant workers and their families in the United States are upheld. But, meanwhile, legislation is quietly making its way through the Arizona State Legislature which would make [...]
March 17, 2010
Turkish PM Counters Armenian Genocide with Threats of Expulsion
Turkish Prime minister Erdogan’s proposed course of action regarding the Armenian genocide is painfully ironic. The logic goes something like this: “Our nation did not systematically round up and murder over one million Armenians during World War I. And to prove it, I will now systematically round up and expel hundreds of thousands of Armenians living [...]
January 26, 2010
Map of the Day: Congressional Districts
Neil Freeman at fakeisthenewreal.org has this interesting map of what the United States would look like if states were divided equally by population. He has all populations equal populations of 5,617,000. He lists his advantages below: Ends overrepresentation of small states and underrepresention of large states in presidental voting and in the US Senate. [...]
January 25, 2010
Monsanto: Genetically Modified Food and the Need for Reforming Food Safety Laws
A recent study has found that genetically modified food is linked to organ damage in rats. The study published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences found that genetically modified corn produced by Monsanto “induce a state of hepatorenal toxicity.” Monsanto is a seed producing and chemical company with a rich history of controversy. There [...]
January 11, 2010
Cell phones and Statistics
The Commonwealth Fund released a report in December on young people’s views of health insurance. Most of the results were relatively unsurprising, however the survey methodology would make any statistician excited. Traditionally, public opinion surveys have been conducted over the telephone. However, young people typically don’t have landline telephones. Many, if not most, use cell phones [...]
January 5, 2010
Atheism and Politics
Americans want to see their politicians have values, ethics, and morality. It is not enough to see them giving back to the community or fighting for the less fortunate. On the weekends they must attend a church.
December 10, 2009
Human Rights Day: A Glimpse at the Issues
It has been over sixty years since the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) was ratified on December 10, 1948. Since then, all 192 UN member nations have signed on to the declaration which guarantees universal protection against slavery, torture, and discrimination, and many other human necessities. In honor of Human Rights Day, let’s reflect [...]
