Lucky cookies, which are the classic decoration of bills at Chinese restaurants in the United States are the perfect well-wishing-device: totally unknown in China, where the New Year is celebrated in February they contain wisdom, good luck and … well, take whatever you need …
(c) NYTimes
The Annual Austrian Income Report by the Federal Auditors reveals more of the same: women earn significantly less than men, even in the public sector where – officially – equal pay for equal work is “implemented.” Even more worrisome: the gap between rich and poor is widening considerably: While the lowest 10% are loosing compared to ten years ago, the highest 10% have added some 24% during this time.
The economic crisis is starting to show its ugly face pretty much everywhere. One indicator reported by the WP: the cases of child neglect in the District of Columbia area have gone up significantly. In some cases as much as 150% compared to autumn 2007.
The NYTimes features a portrait of Alberto Cairo, an Italian physiotherapist who has run the Red Cross’ orthopedic rehabilitation center in Kabul since 1990. The Center has provided protheses to nearly 90.000 people who have mainly been disabled due to injuries sustained from the decades of warfare, which have also left behind some 10 milion mines. “Mr. Cairo, slim, affable and an energetic enthusiast of tennis, rarely shows the edginess that wears away at the most courtly of foreigners under stress in foreign lands. But a rare impatience shows when the people who know what he has accomplished suggest that he has become a legend here. Rather, Mr. Cairo says it is he, more than his Afghan patients, who has been the greatest beneficiary of his years in Kabul,” reports the Times.
As many flock to celebrate Christmas, it is obvious that an increasing number of people cannot put food on the table, let alone a festive dinner. Ireland, which knows deep-seated poverty too well is tackling one side of the increasing crisis: begging. The WP reports that “aggressive” begging can now be fined with € 700. Civil society representatives are squarely criticising the questionable attempt to curb begging without addressing the root causes.
As the year comes to an end, some of the human rights issues that should have been tackled and were regrettably not:
E. Benjamin Skinner highlights the growth of slavery and points out that the focus on human trafficking – as pressing as this human rights violation of epic proportions is – has narrowed the issue. “The idea that all prostitutes are slaves and all slaves are prostitutes belittles the suffering of all victims.” And: “for every one woman or child enslaved in commercial sex, there are at least 15 men, women, and children enslaved in other fields such as domestic work or agricultural labor.” Read “A World Enslaved” here.
In a year that saw important elections and a lot of results that were not followed – see Zimbabew below as a stark example – it is interesting to see that the famously infamous decision of the US Supreme Court eight years ago on George W. Bush v Al Gore, despite the Court’s own pledge that it shall not constitute precedent, is increasingly making the rounds as a reference case. Read Adam Liptak’s NYTimes piece here.
A country that will be high up on the political agenda over the next year(s), Afghanistan, has an independent human rights commission, which just published a series of caustic reports.
The crisis in Zimbabwe is going from really bad to worse. The NYTimes reports with this picture of children picking up corn that a passing truck had lost:
Scathing criticism by the Council of Europe’s GRECO on corruption patterns in Austria.
As Jonathan Freedland reflects on the death of “Deep Throat”, Mark Felt, who was the major piece in a puzzle that has become known as “Watergate”, “it was thanks to Felt that America finally reasserted, with Nixon’s forced resignation, that no one – not even the president – is above the law.”
The methods of whistleblowers have evolved since the early 70ies and internet fora such as wikileaks – compare blog post 8 July 2008 – are facing criticism, mainly for the speed they can provide.
In an Editorial the NYTimes responds to the Report by the US Senate’s Armed Services Committee and calls for an independent panel to look at the egregious violations of both national and international law to restore the rule of law to adequate levels: “It said these top officials, charged with defending the Constitution and America’s standing in the world, methodically introduced interrogation practices based on illegal tortures devised by Chinese agents during the Korean War.” The officials “issued legally and morally bankrupt documents to justify their actions, starting with a presidential order saying that the Geneva Conventions did not apply to prisoners of the “war on terror” — the first time any democratic nation had unilaterally reinterpreted the conventions.”
A helpful insider’s look on the Bombay attacks by Indian author Arundhati Roy in the Guardian:
“There is a fierce, unforgiving fault-line that runs through the contemporary discourse on terrorism. On one side (let’s call it Side A) are those who see terrorism, especially “Islamist” terrorism, as a hateful, insane scourge that spins on its own axis, in its own orbit and has nothing to do with the world around it, nothing to do with history, geography or economics.” (…) “Side B believes that though nothing can ever excuse or justify terrorism, it exists in a particular time, place and political context, and to refuse to see that will only aggravate the problem and put more and more people in harm’s way. Which is a crime in itself.”
Nicholas Kristof makes a strong case for the outdated nature of an administrative branch devoted to agriculture as opposed to food.
As the Guardian reports the likelihood of children from economically marginalized backgrounds are dramatically less likely to have access to higher education in the United States. According to the cited report college tuiton has risen 439% since 1982, while median family incomes rose by 127% during that time span.
The economic down turn is not going to assist efforts to stem against this development. Chances that the next two generations will see the likes of president-elect Barack Obama receive the kind of higher education he was able to enjoy based on scholarships are less than slim.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted 60 years ago today.
Australian newspapers are reporting that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will utilize the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to announce the creation of a panel to discuss a bill of human rights for Australia. The Age refers to a statement made by attorney-general McClelland in Sydney on Tuesday evening. Stating that the treatment of indigenous Australians was the most pressing human rights issue, the attorney-general said that a three member committee would be called in, receiving contributions from all Australians – one would hope that this is not meant literally and will actually also include state-less and other persons much in need of human rights protection.
The Australian reports that the 1998 UK Human Rights Act is one of the inspirations for the latest human rights move by the Australian government. It cites Jack Straw, the former British minister and enacter of the UK Bill as being “greatly frustrated” with the Bill, particularly the interpretation provided by judges.
In a rare interview, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mohamed ElBaradei tells the LATimes he is “talking more and more about poverty, HIV-/AIDS” because the “nuclear issue is the tip of the iceberg” and world leaders need to address “broader unease about security, poverty and perceived injustice.”
I understand that even in such international places as Frankfurt journalists are having a hard time reporting that Germany’s own Lufthansa is buying a stake in “Austrian Airlines” without stumbling over the old Austria – Australia confusion line.
Meanwhile as an Australian-Austrian customer of Austrian Airlines I am being reassured that “particularly we will continue to emphasise our biggest strength: our employees, who will continue to make you smile with their cordialness and Austrian charm.”
Last time I took Physics it took more basic forces to get you from A to B by aircraft.
An interesting piece on the decreasing caseload of the US Supreme Court. Apparently it is ten times easier to get admitted to Harvard than have your case heard by “the nine,” according to Adam Chandler. Curiously, a timely letter from civil society organizations can sway things towards a writ of certioari – a hearing at the Supreme Court.
The Convention on Cluster Munitions was opened for signature today. In use since World War II, cluster bombs contain a number of smaller bombs that, once spread by the wind, cover a much larger area. Cluster bombs endanger civilians much in the way that land mines do. Therefore, the early halt on their usage has both a pacifist but also a clear protection of integrity aspect to it.
The US, Russia and China, all of which are stockpiling cluster munitions were not among the first 107 countries reported to sign the Convention.
In a surprise move, the Afghan government decided to sign despite alleged pressure to the contrary from the US government.