Category Archives: Uncategorized

Chinatown – A Last Holdout for NYC Smokers | Feet in 2 Worlds

(Last bastion for free smokers in this NYC’s neighborhood! Leave them be.)

Social worker Man Nam Ma is an unapologetic smoker. “I do it outside the office, outside my apartment building,” he said, stressing that his habit, done outdoors, does not compromise other people’s health.

In his Canal Street building, Wilson Lee said residents know of two people who smoke early in the morning outside the apartment complex. But not every smoker in the building follows the example of these two gentlemen, he said.

via Chinatown – A Last Holdout for NYC Smokers | Feet in 2 Worlds.

Young Caribbean Feminists Win Global Grant for Anti-Violence Project

Feminist Conversations on Caribbean Life

ImageAs the CatchAFyah Caribbean Feminist Network celebrates its first year it will be taking a strong anti-violence message to the blocks, board rooms and blackberries across the region with its innovative Eye2Eye project.

The Eye2Eye project will see the production of a regional campaign and activist toolkit to be used across communities and social and mainstream media in the region. Central to the campaign are infographics aimed at visualizing data and stories about gender-based violence.

Zahra Jacobs, the project’s 27-year old Administrator from St. Kitts and Nevis, stated, “The aim of this project is to support the multiple and varied anti-violence efforts across the region by making accurate data about gender-based violence in the Caribbean available to both activists and the general public. It’s time for a shift in the way we talk about violence against women and girls in the region. Gender-based violence is complex and multi-faceted. We want…

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Julie Moss, Diana Nyad and the expansion of what it means to be a female athlete

An inspiration to everyone!

Fit and Feminist

To be a female athlete in these times is to be a living, breathing part of a tectonic shift in the cultural narratives told about what it means to be a woman.  Certainly the path has not always been a straight shot, but progress never is. But make no mistake about it, progress is happening and it continues to happen every single day.

I had the opportunity to reflect on this two weekends ago, when Brian and I settled in to watch a replay of the 2012 Ironman World Championship in Kona.  The Kona special is always inspiring, not just because of the professionals but also because of the age-groupers who found ways to squeeze in training around full-time jobs and families so they could qualify.  I suppose you could say this is what qualifies for fitspo in our household.

One of the most notable aspects of the 2012 special…

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America, Syria And All Those Arab Hypocrites

A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares

It’s funny how many people are suddenly against foreign interference in Syria. I’ve been wondering for the past week, as news of a possible American strike against Damascus surfaced, where all those people who cared about the sovereignty of Syria were for the past two years?

Arabs are interesting people. You only need to say America once in order to get them rallying behind their one common secondary enemy. The United States is the world’s biggest terrorist organization, some of them would say. You can sit back and laugh. The problem is that they firmly believe that the problem is actually the United States.

Media and people have rallied against any possible American strike, against the “imperialistic” regime that has targeted the countries of the Middle East for a long, long time. They started recalling Afghanistan and Iraq. They reminded people of the thousands who are dead because of this…

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Week 35-A Few Thoughts. Egypt’s New Political Map

Nervana

Published in the Daily News Egypt

The political map of Egypt is slowly changing. As events continue to unfold following the June30 and then the July3 coup, there are emerging new realties that may have an impact the future of the country for years to come. Currently, however, there is nothing definitive or clear.

 First, the ongoing crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood did not tame political Islam in Egypt. In fact, the opposite is true. Al-Azhar wants to be the sole guardian of Islam in Egypt, while the anti-Muslim brotherhood Salafis want to be the protector of the Sunni doctrine, and all the while the junta wants to enlist Islamism to serve their nationalist agenda.

 Both al-Azhar figures and Salafis are passionately defending the army, but they are also defending the role of religion in the state. In their opinion, the religion should not be abused in politics, but it…

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An Endangered Rural Getaway in the Heart of Cairo: Stories from Dahab Island

Egyptian Streets

By Laurine Pierre, contributor, EgyptianStreets.com

Scattered with farms and crop fields, Dahab Island (Gezirat Dahab) is one of two islands situated the south of Cairo, and the only one that is inhabited. Contrary to the rest of Cairo and other islands like Zamalek or Manial, Dahab Island has never experienced urban development as the local communities continue to firmly defend their rural way of life against developers who have been trying to purchase lands on the island for many years.

Dahab Island also continues to be forgotten by the state, with the local population lacking basic public services. Spending a few hours on the island amongst the locals, you get to listen to their stories of neglect and the troubles they face on a day-to-day basis. Nevertheless, if you can close your eyes on the surrounding poverty and insalubrity, Dahab Island is a hidden paradise amidst a heavily urbanized and…

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Syria Attack Attacked After Syrian Attack on Syrians Attacked

Pride's Purge

(satire?)

UK and US plans to attack Syria after Syria was attacked for its alleged attacks on Syrians in Syria have been attacked by the British opposition leader Ed Miliband as an attack on democracy and human rights.

The attack came after the British prime minister vowed to attack Syria for the Syrian attack and attacked the Labour leader’s attack on the attack saying attacking the Syrian attack would only give succour to the Syrian leadership and encourage further attacks.

However, the Labour leader continued his attack on the Syrian attack saying any attack on Syria should only be after confirmation that Syria was responsible for the attacks in Syria in order to avoid attacks that an attack on Syria would be illegal.

The accusations come after Mr Miliband accused the prime minister of making accusations against the Syrian government accusing them of accusing Syrian opposition groups of trying to…

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