While it is commonly said that a picture is worth a thousand words, less often is it said that a picture is worth a thousand actions. A fictitious divide slices through art-activism in an attempt to detach art from action, or engagement with the “real world.” Yet, the point at which art ends and action … Read more
“How could the whole world sit at home and watch this and do nothing to stop it?” I asked myself this question as I was looking through videos of news reports from the Bosnian war during the 1992-1995. As an intern at Sense News Agency that specializes in covering all of the trials at the … Read more
What do Hugh Grant, Mrs. Weasley and custard pies have in common? Haven’t you heard? It is, literally, the News of the World. The phone hacking scandal has captivated the worldwide media, with headline after headline devoted to the twists and turns of this seemingly endless saga. Not only has this scandal rocked the journalistic … Read more
Once a mark of his power, Belarus’ economy, now in near free fall, may finally bring an end to Lukashenko. For the past 16 years, President Aleksandr Lukashenko has quelled movements against his regime by carefully securing Belarus’ regional power and economic prosperity. By procuring lucrative oil deals with Russia and fulfilling his country’s desire … Read more
“We can’t use any of your data!” The first hours of my internship at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland was spent listening to a heated conversation between my supervisor and one of our implementing partners. There was apparently a misunderstanding between reporting based on project year and reporting based on calendar year. … Read more
The announcement of ICC charges against Moammar Gadhafi on Monday comes as yet another sign that the reign of the aged Libyan leader may soon be up. With official warrants for his release now on the table, it is only a matter of time until Gadhafi is safely locked away within the Hague to await an almost certain guilty verdict- … Read more
Two teal eyes peered out from behind a “Welcome!” sign that met me at the mouth of the Charles DeGaulle Airport. The 5’8’’ light-brown-haired 21-year-old fresh university graduate, my host, greeted me with a semi-awkward semi-sweet side-hug and the French traditional two-cheek kiss exchange, leading me to a compact blue-violet compact Renualt Clio. Knees tucked … Read more
Outside the boulevards of Saint Petersburg’s historic center, some serious renovations are underway. The city’s newest housing development project boasts some of the most modern apartments in the city. The million square meters, once fully developed, will provide housing for 35,000 people, including several schools, a mall and two hospitals. It makes sense that such … Read more
On Friday, May 27, I went to Tahrir Square for the so-called “Day of Anger” protests around noon.As Professor Noam Chomsky observed, whereas the Wisconsin protests were centered on impeding the loss of workers’ rights, the Tahrir uprising aimed at securing democratic rights previously nonexistent in Egypt. However, both cycles of contention (against the state … Read more
As horribly small-minded as it is for a foreigner to pass judgment on a culture to which he or she is unaccustomed, while wandering around St. Petersburg, I could not help feeling awfully uncomfortable, even personally affronted. My reaction to the dress of many Russian women was (and still is) prescriptive and culturally insensitive (but … Read more