Employers stop firing your employees NOW!

The global economy is plummeting and thousands of people have been laid off. How unfortunate, but not surprising, that America, one of the world’s most powerful country is going out of business! Overnight people have lost their means of livelihood and all this while there is a way to save the economy? What a shame that the higher ups in the administration have opted for the easy way out. They willingly bailed out large corporations, but ignored the most transparent of the solutions, and they don’t have to look too far; all they need to do is walk into a grocery store and witness the problem and solution for themselves.

The problem is the huge consumerism that has eaten into the wallets of working class Americans taking away huge chunks of their savings.The solution is to cut down on this wastage. After all how many brands of tea is a consumer going to buy during a single trip to the grocery store? And what is the likelihood that this shopper will try half the brands of a particular product that are shelved during his or her lifetime?

I would like to wake American consumers to a reality; all you executives, stop reconsider the termination of your employees, because if the rest of the world can live with a few choices, so can Americans; and this serves the best interest of none other than the American public. You heard me, stop consumer wastage and you will have solved a significant percentage of the problem!

A Student’s Predicament:

A senior in college, I have been waking up to the same dilemma for four years; what am I going to wear today? This is obviously an issue for a majority of high school and college students around the world; in America especially, this has become a major issue for students justified by the emphasis on impressions and an “expected standard.” In India however, that was the least of my concerns, I had a uniform through twelfth grade (junior college according to Indian educational standards) and even on free days, I didn’t pay too much attention on my appearance, it was my deeds and grades that mattered most.

Today, I can’t quit shopping for outfits, and although mandating uniforms in university is an unconceivable goal, I think that having uniforms in schools is imperative towards future discipline and helps avert potential wastage. The wealthy can afford to discard outfits after the first use, but those less fortunate, cannot. Yet, they try to get at par with their wealthy peers. These funds could be put to use elsewhere needed and would eventually shift to ensure that everyone can have equal access to resources.

Salaries of Faculty and Staff cannot be compromised!

300 employees of Georgia State University will be rendered jobless. This step is believed to save $9 million in state funds. Outrageous, bearing in mind that this could have been done by simply reevaluating the school’s energy conservation and hidden wastages! I am not targeting GSU, but also the thousands of schools and colleges in America including my alma mater, the University of West Georgia. If only universities ensured that electricity and air condition unites in buildings were turned off when not in use, they could save $80 per 100-watt bulb at 9 cents per 24 hour day hours. Turning AC units off overnight could save a huge portion on utility bills. This alone would help the institution cut costs and they would not have to terminate any of their employees who have families to feed.

Many universities have taken to cutting pays of their professors and invested their funds elsewhere like in athletic programs. This is not fair considering that many students pursue higher education, and not higher athletics. If this energy wastage is prevented, faculty would not have to pay for the recession. The University of West Georgia’s motto is “Educational Excellence in a Personal Environment,” but somehow I think the administration has voted on replacing the “Educational” with “Athletic”. West Georgia is what it is because of its students and professors, and unfortunately, UWG’s real wealth is being abused.

Athletic coaches receive a higher pay than professors who are most deserving because without their expertise, knowledge, and commitment to their students, West Georgia would not have harbored such shining alumni and programs. They have the state’s only Honors College and an excellent debate program; how can these and other phenomenal programs be compromised for athletics or to meet budget cuts? Athletics are essential no doubt, but so are academics; and if America would like to see their students get at par with their peers from other countries, she should act upon that goal and not compromise this for revenue. The world is shrinking and universities need to evaluate their most important assets, revealed in the quality of faculty and staff.

My search of the keyterm "cutting jobs" generated 45,900,000 entries, many of these from the current recession period. If Ford, GM and Chrysler are closing down dealerhips and manufacturing firms, then why did they have to manufacture so many cars in the first place? Did they expect all these cars to sell? What a wastage of resources that could have prevented the thousands of employees from loosing their jobs?

Dear Presidents, CEOs and Directors firing people, is not the solution, but could be the source of another major problem; people who have lost their jobs, add fewer and fewer dollars in the market and this could adversely affect the economy. So why not work towards preventing the problem, rather than curing the illness?

Rabbis Know Best

It seemed like yesterday was a day of protests at the White House. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the White House to open dialogue about the Palestinian-Isreali conflict and rabbis came by to have their say. We were obviously amused by this group of anti-Israel rabbis.


The Wise


The Opposition


They must know best-Peace for all!

D.C. Rally for Democracy in Burma

More photographs from the rallies in D.C. in support of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners in Burma (Myanmar)

A Sensible Protest for a Senseless Sentence

May 19, 2009

While Aung San Suu Kyi was being tried in Insein prison in Rangoon yesterday, her supporters from around the world led rallies on her behalf. The junta, Burma’s oppressive military regime via torture and rape have silenced the Burmese within Myanmar, but they cannot silence those outside their jurisdiction- Burmese immigrants and others living beyond Burma’s borders.

The U.S. Campaign for Burma (USCB) organized one of the many rallies held yesterday to demand the immediate release of Suu Kyi, unconditionally. “Free Free Free Burma, Free Free Aung San Suu Kyi,” cheered the group that gathered outside the Burmese Embassy in Washington D.C. About 50 Burmese Americans and activists were present to display their support for the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Several attendees took turns at the bullhorn, screaming for those in the Burmese embassy to convey their demands to those in power in Burma. Suu Kyi is the world’s most famous political prisoner. More than 2000 of her peers remain behind bars in the Burmese capital.

“We hope to get the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s only hope to democracy. Her house arrest term ends in two weeks and the junta is only looking for ways to keep her away,” said Co-chair of USCB Tin Maung Thaw. His views are not isolated but are shared by many around the world. “There are other issues too that need to be addressed, like her physician being accused of smuggling letters to her, but how can they accuse him when the guards thoroughly checked him?”

The trial took place behind closed doors, and several western diplomats including German, Italian and French ambassadors were refused entry, but according to BBC reports, the U.S. consul was allowed access, it is believed to meet with the 53-year- old American intruder, who is blamed for the current situation, that is nothing less of a crisis for the many National League for Democracy supporters. There is little doubt however that his visit is being used as an excuse, and that the ruling junta government would have fabricated another excuse to exclude her from the elections next year. This past weekend the government revoked licenses of two of Suu Kyi’s lawyers and she was represented by two others at today’s trial, “sooner or later they will get to them as well,” said Thaw.

Insein prison is infamous for its living conditions and the prisoners are fed in lead containers. Lead is known to be a slow poison; prisoners are also tortured and beaten. I tried to go into the Burmese (Myanmar) Embassy on 2300 S St NW to get their comments, but was denied entry and asked to leave after they threatened to call the law on me.

While the international community has witnessed a harder push from the western world, ASEAN and other Asian countries have stayed aloof, primarily because of their trade interests in Burma. Perhaps the countries vast natural resources are the source of this conflict between the military dictatorship of Sr. Gen. Than Shwe and the Suu Kyi’s opposition party. Burma’s crisis is another prominent paradigm of the curse of natural resources in a weak state. ASEAN countries possess a level of leverage that western countries lack and economic sanctions are key to Burma achieving democracy. Considering China’s history of gross human rights violations, it is difficult to judge how cooperative the neighbor’s leadership will be in demanding justice for Suu Kyi and her nation. India, however, has no excuses.
The Burmese uprising against the junta has so far been non-violent, but many are growing impatient. “If the government does not heed to our requests, we will drive them away from power, by ‘all means possible’,” said rally attendee George Heine. “To put her down for further detention is a very low down scheme.”

With over 82 percent of the population in support of the NLD, the ruling junta clearly considers Suu Kyi as a threat to their regime and would do anything to keep her away from the polls. Heine, believes that things can be changed, referring to President Obama’s massive victory over his competitor. This is the new world order, he said as sounds of “Burma Burma must be free- Freedom, Justice and Democracy” flooded the embassy area.

Others however have a contrasting outlook and believe in Suu Kyi’s philosophy. Shwe Htee lost his mother and brother to this political war in the past year, but says that there is room for negotiation. “Just because I lost members of my family is not a reason for me to hate them. You cannot solve hate with hate,” he said enjoying his lunch sandwich.

Unlike with other conflicts of similar nature, the Burmese top generals cannot alone be held accountable for the situation on the ground in Burma. They are living in a bubble and could care less about who has power. It is their officials on the ground that are significant stakeholders and misinform the higher ups with false and inaccurate accounts of situation on the ground. “It is like this,” Htee explains, “the generals believe what they are told. If a stakeholder fears that his position and wealth will be jeopardized by the NLD coming into power, he will make up any story to coerce the generals into believing that this group of people want to kill the junta. The generals then order him to do anything he pleases, to stop this from happening. This on-the ground person goes on a killing spree.”

Htee believes that we need to petition and target those on the ground rather than their bosses if we wish to see any significant change in the policy in Burma.

The group later protested outside the White House, and were greeted by a group of over 200 Tamil Sri Lankans, who were there protesting the killing of Tamils by the hands of the Sri Lankan government.

Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi detained in Burma

May 14, 2009

The world's most famous political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi has been transferred from her Rangoon residence, where she has been under house arrest since 2003 totaling 13 years of home confinement,to Burma’s most notorious Insein prison today. Her crime is of a bizarre nature and many human rights advocates and her lawyer believe that the Burmese junta is using this as an excuse to keep the popular pro-democracy leader away from the Burmese population until their puppet candidates are elected to office in the upcoming 2010 Burmese election.

Last December a 53 yr old John Yettaw,reportedly swam to her house but left after Suu Kyi convinced him to leave. He re-visited her last week but stayed with her at her residence for two days before being discovered and arrested on May 5 as he was swimming away across Inya Lake; this visit, the junta said is a breach of her sentence which was slated to end later this month. Her trial is set for next week and if found guilty she can be sentenced to about five years imprisonment in Insein, Burma's colonial era jail, where only a few prisoners have known to survive, according to a Burmese national.

Jared Gensher, a lawyer for Ms Suu Kyi who is based in the US, condemned the upcoming trial. "The charge is going to be violating the conditions of her house arrest, and what her lawyer is going to argue is that of course that's ridiculous," he told the BBC. "Under the terms of her arrest she cannot invite people to visit her, but she of course did not invite this person to visit her. If somebody shows up at her door step in violation of Burmese law she cannot be held responsible."

Even the walls of her home could not prevent her popularity from spreading and clearly, the junta government is skeptical of her influence, and is looking for ways to silence Suu Kyi (pronounced Suu Chi), the popular democratic leader of Burma. She is the only living Nobel Peace Prize recipient to be behind bars, bestowed with the honor in 1991 for her work with the Burmese National League for Democracy; her sons accepted the award on her behalf. The United States and other governments including several human rights groups have called for her immediate release and condemed the junta government.

Suu Kyi, 63 is said to be frail and despite her deteriorating health continues to be abused by the ruling junta party according to a report by the BBC. She is considered the to be the living international symbol of peace via non-violent means and justice, and many in Burma and around the world regard the story of her struggle as an inspiration. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, another Nobel Peace Prize recipient has said this about her, “In physical stature she is petite and elegant, but in moral stature she is a giant.”

The story of her arrest may be unusual, but the arrest is typical of Suu Kyi’s story. She has been arrested several times during her struggle for Burmese democracy. Her gaze is powerful and can speak a million words and many journalists and activists have tried to tell her story. But no matter how skilled their writing, no one would ever be able to express in words the extent and impact of her struggle in a comprehensive way; perhaps, some things are better left to the protagonist.

While the war in Iraq and elsewhere make the rounds of the news regularly, very little is known about the oppression that has been part of Burma’s (a.k.a.Myanmar) history. This is because the government controls the press and foreign journalist are strictly unwelcome and if found reporting on the junta’s policies are expelled and their camera and other media equipment confiscated. But human rights and aid organizations have taken to a more valiant stance on her case and are not deterred by the junta’s control and continue to fight for her release. The Human Rights Action Center and the U.S. Campaign for Burma have ongoing campaigns that advocate for her release and the liberation for the Burmese people from the oppressive regime of the junta and are currently promoting the “Arrest yourself” campaign to raise significant awareness and call for signatures before her nineteenth birthday on June 19.

The results of her trial are uncertain, but we can be assured that her story will be the center of discussion on news channels, in rallies, and human rights seminars. Fingers are being crossed, vigils are being held and events are being organized in the hope that she can be saved from the atrocities experienced by other Insein prisoners. The junta can no longer afford to ignore the calls of the international community.

For a developing report on Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial and the Burmese struggle, watch this space.

Internship Diaries

It is day two of my internship with Non-Violence International in the heart of the nation's capital. Today a fellow intern Olivia and I attended the "Peace and Social Issues" class at a local high school, which I later learnt and to my astonishment, is the best public school in the state, and so I gather that public schools in D.C. are not at par with schools from the rest of the nation. I was hoping that the class would be oriented more towards peace, but I was dissapointed that the guest speaker Brian McTigue,Esquire was addressing pension law. Nonetheless, I am glad I got to go because Dr.Colman McCarthy, the professor conducting the class opened the floor and allowed me to speak about my work as Student Activist Corp for AI. Students questioned me about my stance on the Death Penalty and amidst their comments I managed to put my justification across, "I am against the Death Penalty because it is harsh on the innocent and is an easy way out for those guilty of murder."

It wasn't after the class ended that I learnt of McCarthy's interesting background. He is a close acquaintance of Jack Healey,the former director of AI and was delighted to learn of my internship with his Human Rights Action Center(I am pursuing a dual internship this summer). He invited me to speak to his group at the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars this summer! Wow I would be speaking to a group of highly informed college students about human rights and my research on the coltan conflict in the DRC, something I didn't think I would be sucked into doing. But in all honesty I am looking forward to it. I hope this makes Dr. MacKinnon proud of his global studies graduate.




Yesterday, I was oriented into the organization and all their wonderful projects. Non-violence is not small by any means, their branches are far reached and there is plenty to do here. They could use my help with the Iran program translating movies, making PSA's, researching the news and updating websites. Sam Sedaei, a full time employee of the organization is a phenomenal advocate and has surpassed my impressions of an Iranian man. He keeps a blog with the Huffington Post, has translated an entire non-violence curriculum and websites into Farsi. He is exactly as he describes himself,more American than Iranian. Their Youth Advocate Program International is another of program that interests me.

With so much to do, I believe I will be putting in more than the 20-hours they had me scheduled to work. For now I am headed to finish my research paper that is due tomorrow. Stay tuned for more entries of my Internship Diaries.

Is Twitter the new platform for Human Rights Education?

Early this year, a close friend a.k.a my sister from another mother introduced me to this new networking website that had this expanding network of human rights actvists.It took some convincing on her part, but she assured me that this is a great way to network with people who have similar interests; I wasn't sure if this was for me, it seemed quite pointless to express one's thoughts in 140 characters.
But a great sales person that she is, she managed to sell the idea and I registered, although I wasn't too keen on it. Prior to this I had no clue about its existence and was quite content with facebook. But vola, three months into it and I can't stop tweeting!

Like Facebook, Twitter is an online networking site, with its distinctive features and subscribers. The former is more social, while the latter is designed, I believe to cater towards a more professional crowd; although some of my university friends are registered Twitter users. Its simple concept makes it accessible to working people who are pressed for time to post quick tweets, and there are some users who post ten tweets every couple of hours.

The primary reason I tweet more than I facebook now, is because there is this network of human rights organizations and activists that post updates about human rights and politics as they happen. Its almost like a live coverage of an event! With a total of 45 followers, I couldn't be more informed!

I woke up this morning to a tweet about Roxana Saberi that overjoyed me! Yes he sentence has been reduced and she has been freed. There are constant updates about Darfur, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Burma; everything under the sun.

While I am sure there are other topics and groups, my world on twitter revolves around human rights issues and I feel like twitter has been extremely rewarding for the human rights and news networks!

Mamnoon Doneen for expanding my network!

Mothers Day goes deeper than cards and roses

It is Sunday Morning; No, I am not referring to the Maroon 5 song "Sunday Morning", but it is literary Sunday Morning and a very special one indeed! When Anna Javis created the modern Mother's Day holiday, she intended it to become a day where families can honour their mother. But today it is not so much Javis’ holiday, but a Hallmark, Kroger, and Publix holiday! There is nothing wrong with that, however many of us seem to have forgotten the very essence of today and seem to confuse it with a day to shower our mother with lavish gifts; I have been guilty of this charge as well. However, as I have become more mature I realize that there is more meaning in a handmade card, a hug, and the gift of time. This is what many children around the world do, especially those that cannot afford gifts. There is a secret that I would like to share with my readers: If even one person can refrain from giving into their temptation of buying lavish gifts, so can you; no matter what the reason is behind that choice. This applies to other occassions as well. Every time I am in a store battling the choice of gift to buy for my parents and friends on their special occasions, I am reminded of those more unfortunate than myself. There are several billion mothers in the world today, and so many of them are victims of atrocities and abuse. Earlier this morning I was reading an article in the AJC that resonated with my frame of thought. While it is true that I miss my mother terribly and would like more than anything to hug her at this moment, I think she would be more honoured to see me honouring other women like her who are mothers in midst of a conflict; those mothers who aren’t even aware of the existence of such a day and those whose only wish is to see peace be returned to their families. So today, please take a moment and think of those women who are battling for their lives, in some faraway land. Lets bring them home to our families today. Here's wishing all the world's mothers a Happy Mothers Day. Dear children of these strong mothers, there is no strength in the sword or gun, but in the courage of your mother. To Mom:I love you.

But things just get so crazy living life gets hard to do
Sunday morning rain is falling and I'm calling out to you
Singing someday it'll bring me back to you
Find a way to bring myself home to you

Iran has shamed Justice: Abuse of the Death Penalty

I have been busy with finals week and could not devote the time to write, but I did keep abreast of the news.Now that I have completed all my finals, I am back in action.


If the scales of justice were human, they would hide away in shame when a 20-year old artist, Delara Darabi was secretly executed by the Islamic Republic of Iran early Friday morning at the Rasht prison in the nation's capital. Her crime? One, being mislead into taking the blame for her boyfriend under the assumption that she wouldn't receive a harsh punishment; two, her paintings were too dark for the Islamic fundamentalists; or, her feminity? We can go on ranting and raving about the rationale behind the court's decision, but we all know within, that there is no justification for it. The executioners have violated Iranian law by not informing Delara's lawyer about the execution and also for not abiding by the stay of execution. But do they care? Nada, their only concern was to avoid having her become an international media sensation, to prevent human rights organizations from taking notice of her like they had of US- Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi and the last thing they wanted was a protest of international proportions.Today as I sit at my computer investigating Delara's case, I am baffled at the way this was handled by everyone- the media, the Iranian justice system, the government, her evil boyfriend, and at those in support of the death penalty. The Iranian government is notorious for falsely or inaccurately charging people with crimes they haven't commited,for reasons that there is something about the defendant they do not approve, but the media could have done a better job at conveying her story to their viewers, because I believe that had the public been informed, Delara would be alive today. The Iranian government too sat glued to its power throne and watched her transform from a "Prisoner of color" to a "Martyr of color." Pointing fingers at others is easy; the west has always condemned Iran for her conservative beliefs and actions, but they should know better than that. They should know that while they are busy pointing fingers at Iran, three fingers are poiting right back at them. What happened to Delara and others like here is unacceptable and wrong in the highest sense, but what about death penalty in the US? What about Troy Davis?

Delara is gone, but there are lessons we can learn. My heart grieves for her and her family, and the family of those that have loved ones on death row around the world. The Iranian justice system has shamed international law and themselves, lets hope that Roxana will get the justice she deserves. Lets not sit in wake of a miracle, those don't exist but in fairy tales and in bollywood movies. We as citizens have the opportunity and responsibility to take steps to ensure that what happened with this innocent victim doesn't repeated itself. Put yourself in her paintings, wouldn't you want to be saved if you were her? The "yes" is apparent- so why wait sign petitions to save others on death row in Iran and elsewhere.