i am feminist. activist. woman. vegetarian. pansexual. queer. human. smith college junior. i prefer female pronouns.
i love people. rwanda. love. human rights. learning. africa. exotic animals. photos. beauty. dancing. LGBT rights. the ocean. heat. sun. my boyfriend roth.
“After learning that Seema’s family were planning an early marriage for her, Rumi and other club members began a concerted campaign of visits to her parents and grandmother. The teenagers’ well-informed arguments convinced the family to let Seema complete her education and wait till she was emotionally and physically ready to become a wife and mother.”
Such a beautiful article. Teenage girls take control of their own lives!
Who Knew? Ramen was Invented to Solve World Hunger.
(via The Humble Origins of Instant Ramen: From Ending World Hunger to Space Noodles)
To understand the complexities of the international food market—and how traders in Chicago can cause Africans to starve—you could get a Ph.D. in economics, or read a 400-page report from the World Bank. Or you watch this superb nine minute video, directed by Denis van Waerebeke.
Though ostensibly created for a science show in Paris for 12 year olds, it’s actually probably waaaay over a kid’s head. Just watch—it’s excellent, and very well illustrated.
[Trigger warning: genocide]
Language is as follows:
SECTION 1. Chapter 15 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-
Section 67. Genocide, shall be included in the Massachusetts history and social science curriculum frameworks for United States and world history. Case studies of at least 2 such genocides may be used to demonstrate the concept of genocide. Such case studies may include, but are not limited to, the genocide of Armenian Christians, the Holocaust and Nazi concentration camps, the genocide of Cambodians by the Khmer Rouge, the genocide of Bosnian Muslims, the genocide of Rwandan Tutsis and the genocide of Darfurians by the Sudanese government.
The department shall recommend curricular materials detailing the underlying causes, international reaction, progression and aftermath of the aforementioned genocides, including those recommendations established by chapter 276 of the acts of 1998.
The department may provide trainings, seminars, conferences and materials for educators to use in the teaching of genocide.
—-
I’m going to suggest they omit the word “Tutsis,” first, because it is grammatically incorrect. The plural is “Tutsi” not “Tutsis”. Second, it is not reflective of who the victims were in the genocide. Many moderate Hutu also were killed in the genocide, and many Twa, as well. We can not teach only what the Rwandan government portrays the reality to be. Both Hutu and Tutsi were killed during the genocide, and both Hutu and Tutsi committed atrocities.
The Malaysian authorities announced yesterday that President Al-Bashir will participate in the Langkawi International Dialogue, an economic forum being held in Malaysia from 19 to 21 June 2011.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Al-Bashir for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur.
“Malaysia should not turn itself into a port of call for fugitives from international justice” said Donna Guest, Deputy Asia Pacific Director at Amnesty International. “The Malaysian government should bar Al-Bashir from its territory, and arrest him if he turns up.”
