Category Archives: Uncategorized
Triggs was attacked for defending the powerless – and one day another PM will apologise for it | Richard Flanagan | Comment is free | The Guardian
The only accusation of Gillian Triggs with the ring of truth is that she has lost the confidence of the government – but then so too has Tony Abbott. Gillian Triggs’s real crime is that as human rights commissioner she spoke up for human rights with a government that has no respect for them.
Two Languages Spoken Here #poetry #photography

I couldn’t ascertain the jumble
her lips moved rapidly
conveying a nervous nothing
hard and dark were the etchings
that scored her jeweled beauty
*
his pockets were empty
evidenced by the ragged attire
but worse was what wasn’t in his mind
his hands filled with nothing
he clung to baggies to satisfy
*
strange languages spoken at the ocean
when you aren’t looking and when you are
the conch shell strives to moan a warning
bearing witness to retreating tide
but it was silenced in a museum
*
a dog wears an empty backpack
as he begins his predawn duty
he proudly returns with a filled sack
lacking his master’s understanding
how many children will get hooked today?
*
I’ve never spoken the language
born in guilty bloodshot eyes
I see them as they dart about the shadows
the words are meaningless
promises seldom unbroken
*
I chose to walk…
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Waiting for a friend
Still waiting after all these years
MERS in KSA: Updated Charts
As many of y’all know, my pre-doctoral thesis (which will likely comprise the first several chapters of my dissertation) is on the epidemiology and transmission dynamics of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in Saudi Arabia. I’ve been following MERS pretty closely for the past year, and with the help of my colleagues at HealthMap (including two incredible interns!) and my wonderful thesis advisor, I’ve been able to curate a pretty incredible data set using publicly available data streams in both Arabic and English. We’re working on a few pretty awesome studies right now, but for the time being I wanted to share some high-resolution versions of our most up-to-date exploratory data visualizations.

A couple of notes:
1) February 2015 cases have already surpassed counts from March 2014. Given that March 2014 signaled the start of last year’s outbreak, this current uptick in cases might indicate a larger surge in the…
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No words needed
Taking the Samoa Pathway: Second Caribbean Green Economy Conference in Kingston, February 23 – 25, 2015
I will be writing, tweeting and reporting from this very special and important conference hosted by the Jamaican Government in Kingston this week. Below is the official press release. For more information, do contact Alison Christie Binger: Tel: 876-330-1155(cell); email: achristie@illuminartecommunications.com
I DO hope that the local/Caribbean media will report on more than the Minister’s keynote speech, and that there will be substantive, in-depth reporting on this meeting. By the way, you can follow me @petchary on Twitter.
Jamaica will host the second Caribbean Green Economy Conference (CGEC) on February 23-25, 2015 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston. Robert Pickersgill, Jamaica’s Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, will be the keynote speaker at the official opening.
The Conference is a collaborative initiative of The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the University of the West Indies (UWI) with support from the European Union. It will be held under the theme “Implementing…
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How Republicans Will Govern – HATE, FEAR and LOATHING – ‘Kansas Republicans Strip LGBT Workers Of Anti-Discrimination Protection’
‘Never underestimate the power of right wing bigotry. It’s the core of their ideology’.
‘Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) on Tuesday unilaterally rescinded rules that had protected state workers from discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation’.
‘Brownback said an anti-discrimination order issued in 2007 by then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D), should have been done through legislation’.
“This Executive Order ensures that state employees enjoy the same civil rights as all Kansans without creating additional ‘protected classes’ as the previous order did,” Brownback said in a statement’.
“Protected classes”. So everyone does’t qualify for ‘equal protection under the law”?
“Any such expansion of ‘protected classes’ should be done by the legislature and not through unilateral action. The order also reaffirms our commitment to hiring, mentoring and recognizing veterans and individuals with disabilities.”
‘Translation’:
“I destroyed Kansas’ economy and everyone is SUPER pissed off at me so I’ll do some loud…
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Jann Arden – I Would Die For You
What I’ve been working on lately: Project BQ
Motivation on my fridge. The Boston Marathon magnet was a gift from my friend Lindsay, who also got me the rubber bracelet I reference in the post. The postcard was designed by Rya Lauber, the wife of my friend and local race director Chris Lauber.
Several years ago, when Brian and I were about to graduate from college, we were at an awards banquet where he was being honored for having a GPA of, like, eight million or something, and they asked all of the honorees to say a few words about their goals when they were recognized. Brian got up and accepted his certificate, and then said, “I have two goals in life: to qualify for Boston, and to be useful.”
I liked that. I still like it. In fact, I like it so much I ended up stealing those goals for myself. And even though we’re only about…
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