Raise High the Ajijaak - Native and non-Native Children Book. Monica Whitepigeon in Entertainment. Discussion » FERNDALE, MICHIGAN - A small publishing house has big ideas for revitalizing the Anishinaabemowin language for both Native and non-Native children. 5 year olds and up The company is called Four Colors Productions and already has five published children's books that rely heavily on Ojibwe teachings and language. The books are catered to five year olds and up, however, they do strongly encourage all ages to learn and enjoy.
Currently, the company is developing their sixth project entitled "Ajijaak," or "sandhill crane," and will be written in poetry format with illustrated pictures. The story centers around the personified Ajijaak, who "cares for the water and the land, doesn't want to see it polluted and not cared for," says Ms. Four Colors Productions works with many Natives, encouraging their writing and artistic skills as well as their knowledge of Anishinaabemowin. Emirati women create book lovers' paradise. Their world comprises books and more books. "Our childhood memories were filled with books. We have always been book lovers. " Shaikha Al Shamsi, a MBA graduate from Zayed University, told Gulf News. The same holds true for Mariam Al Khayat, a films studies graduate. The passion for reading brought the two girls, who grew up in Al Ain, together.
Last November, the passionate readers launched ‘The book shelter', a platform where book lovers across the UAE can donate and adopt used books. "Both of us are book collectors, and we have constantly heard family and friends talk about their read and used books and how they'd want to put them to better use," Shaikha said. That's how the website idea occurred to the two girls; an easy-to-use, electronic platform that would bring readers together to donate, share and provide new homes for books. Any interested reader can simply log on to the website, choose a book from the list of books available, and request it for adoption. Why Solutions Journalism Matters, Too. Fixes looks at solutions to social problems and why they work. This is a follow-up to last Friday’s column revisiting social change organizations that grew in 2011. On Friday, I did a recap of stories that we had featured in Fixes over the past year ― and I was surprised to discover that many of the organizations we’d written about had managed to expand their work, even in a difficult economy and political context.
Looking back at the range of changes that had occurred during the past year, I was reminded of the remark by Robert Kennedy: “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
These days, a reader’s role can include action and social responsibility. In this modest sampling of changes, ripples were clearly being sent forth in multiple directions. Without it, society suffers. Tunisia's democracy blooms as model for Arab Spring. On the day that President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali fled from his quarter-century of rule, there were 9,600 associations – nonprofit groups such as charities and sports clubs – across Tunisia. Skip to next paragraph Subscribe Today to the Monitor Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS ofThe Christian Science MonitorWeekly Digital Edition The number looked impressive from the outside; every conceivable corner of society seemed to have a voice. Yet like so many freedoms during Mr. Ben Ali's regime, this pluralism was a facade. “Unfortunately, the grand majority of them were under the control of the regime,” remembers Malek Baklouti, a lawyer who now works for the UN-funded Center of Arab Women for Training and Research.
Now just 10 months since the former president fled and the Arab Spring began, civic life hasn’t just opened – it has erupted. The political side of that story has been well told: more than 110 political parties registered in advance of Tunisia’s first democratic vote on Oct. 23. Smuggled Honey Makes It To American Stores Under Cover Of 'Ultra-Filtration' The next time you find yourself in the honey aisle of your grocery store, debating between a pricy premium, artisanal honey and the store-brand nectar contained in a plastic bear, you might want to think twice before choosing based on price. That's because a searing investigation of the honey market by Food Safety News found that 76% of all honey bought at grocery stores were treated with a process called "ultra-filtration," which removes not only impurities like wax, but also all traces of pollen. And of the types of brands at grocery stores, the ones that were far-and-away the most likely to be ultra-filtered were generic brands.
There are issues with ultra-filtration in general -- many believe that pollen, and other so-called "impurities," are actually beneficial to human health, and make honey a better choice than rival sweeteners like sugar. In the meantime, though, worried consumers do have a good option: buying honey from farmers' markets and natural food stores. World Becoming Less Violent: Despite Global Conflict, Statistics Show Violence In Steady Decline.
WASHINGTON -- It seems as if violence is everywhere, but it's really on the run. Yes, thousands of people have died in bloody unrest from Africa to Pakistan, while terrorists plot bombings and kidnappings. Wars drag on in Iraq and Afghanistan. In peaceful Norway, a man massacred 69 youths in July. In Mexico, headless bodies turn up, victims of drug cartels. Yet, historically, we've never had it this peaceful. That's the thesis of three new books, including one by prominent Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker. In his book, Pinker writes: "The decline of violence may be the most significant and least appreciated development in the history of our species. " And it runs counter to what the mass media is reporting and essentially what we feel in our guts. Pinker and other experts say the reality is not painted in bloody anecdotes, but demonstrated in the black and white of spreadsheets and historical documents.
. _ There were fewer than 20 democracies in 1946. . _ Murder within families. Online: An Open Letter to the Occupy Wall Street Activists. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for making an attempt to improve the situation in what is now called the United States. Thank you for your commitment to peace and non-violence. Thank you for the sacrifices you are making. Thank you. There's just one thing. I am not one of the 99 percent that you refer to. It seems that ever since we indigenous people have discovered Europeans and invited them to visit with us here on our land, we've had to endure countless '-isms' and religions and programs and social engineering that would "fix" us.
Which brings me back to your mostly-inspiring Occupy Wall Street activities. But, fear not my friends. By the way, I'm just one indigenous person. So, here goes. 1) Acknowledge that the United States of America is a colonial country, a country of settlers, built upon the land of indigenous nations; and/or... I hope you find this list useful. Miigwech! JohnPaul Montano. Assassinating al-Awlaki Was Counterproductive. Libya’s War-Tested Women Cling to New Power. Mohammed Salem/Reuters TO ARMS A rebel officer in Benghazi, Libya, taught women how to use various weapons during a training session in June. In the Libyan rebels’ unlikely victory over Col. , women did far more than send sons and husbands to the front.
They hid fighters and cooked them meals. They sewed flags, collected money, contacted journalists. They ran guns and, in a few cases, used them. The six-month uprising against Colonel Qaddafi has propelled women in this traditional society into roles they never imagined. “Maybe I can be the new president or the mayor,” Ms. But in the emerging new Libya, women are so far almost invisible in the leadership. In neighboring Egypt, women have had trouble preserving gains from their own revolution. Still, much as Rosie the Riveter irreversibly changed the lives of American women after World War II, Libyan women say their war effort established facts on the ground that cannot be easily undone. Women helped start Libya’s revolution. Ms. Chomsky: 9/11 - was there an alternative? We are approaching the 10th anniversary of the horrendous atrocities of September 11, 2001, which, it is commonly held, changed the world. On May 1, the presumed mastermind of the crime, Osama bin Laden, was assassinated in Pakistan by a team of elite US commandos, Navy SEALs, after he was captured, unarmed and undefended, in Operation Geronimo.
A number of analysts have observed that although bin Laden was finally killed, he won some major successes in his war against the US. "He repeatedly asserted that the only way to drive the US from the Muslim world and defeat its satraps was by drawing Americans into a series of small but expensive wars that would ultimately bankrupt them," Eric Margolis writes. "'Bleeding the US,' in his words. The United States, first under George W Bush and then Barack Obama, rushed right into bin Laden’s trap ... That Washington was bent on fulfilling bin Laden’s fervent wishes was evident at once.
The first 9/11 Was there an alternative? Crimes of aggression. The Dead, the Dollars, the Drones: 9/11 Era by the Numbers | Danger Room Ever since the Twin Towers fell, the United States has been at war. The costs of that decade of conflict have been unimaginably high: trillions of dollars spent, hundreds of thousands of lives lost. The numbers are almost too big to grasp, let alone quantify. The graphics below are our incomplete attempt to do so. These figures are also a way of showing the radical transformation the U.S. military has undergone during the 9/11 era. Drones, once an afterthought in tactical plans, have become a central component, flying millions of hours in combat. We know how many American troops have been killed in this decade’s wars.
You can dive into the data behind these graphics — and check the sourcing of the numbers we’ve used. The chart below is interactive. Var offsetToTheLeftYears = new Array('07','08','09','10','11'); jQuery(document).ready(function() { jQuery('.spending_div').hover( function () { var target_id = jQuery(this).attr('id'); }); var ms_2001_content = " var ms_2002_content = " Jan 7Gen. Libya Feature: Black Africans Rounded Up by New Government? See Also, Syria, Libya (and Beyond) Liveblog: Cracks in the Regime There are fresh allegations that Libya's opposition fighters have rounded up black Africans and placed them in detention camps, on the suspicion that they are former Qaddafi mercenaries, just on the basis of their skin color.
As other reports of chaos surface after the fall of Qaddafi's government in Tripoli, we ask two questions: Are these abuses systematically executed by Libya's new government, and when will law and order be restored to Libya? The Associated Press is running a story about how opposition forces have been gathering thousands of black Africans and placing them in detention centers, under suspicion that they are fighters for Colonel Muammar Qaddafi. The NTC, for its part, maintains that it is calling for the people of Libya to resist vengeance: James Miller adds that he is highly concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Tripoli.
Revolutionary Street Art & Graffiti in Benghazi, Libya. Graffiti commemorating the Revolution of Feb. 17 Qaddafi with 'Green Book' shackles. Qaddafi has "fucked" Libya and its people for 42 years. Swastikas and Stars of David. Qaddafi and his sons attempt to flee Libya with sacks full of money. Qaddafi gets the Libyan people's boot. Revolutionary graffiti on side reads "Human insecticide. The Libyan people have spoken. Don't fear the dictator! Libyans express themselves freely after 42 years of censorship and dictatorship. Street art by British solidarity activists. Libyan street artists vent their anger towards Qaddafi and his dictatorial regime following 42 years of oppression. Anti-Qaddafi graffiti on pillars. Misspelled message to Qaddafi. Wanted: Dictator Mu'amar Spray-painted image of Qaddafi on the wall of a building which has been converted into the "Tyrant's war-crimes museum. " Libyan victory sign painted on a store front.
Qaddafi's tail gets caught in the mousetrap. bombs fall out of Qaddafi's afro, decorated with swastika. A Muslim Missionary Group Draws New Scrutiny in U.S. One of Al Qaeda's first assignments for Iyman Faris, the Ohio truck driver named last month in a terrorist plot to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge, was to visit a travel agency while he was in Pakistan in late 2001 to have some old airline tickets reissued, federal investigators say.
Because the tickets were not in his name, Mr. Faris needed an explanation to validate his request. Investigators say he used one that other Qaeda recruits have relied on to disguise their intentions: he pretended to be a member of Tablighi Jamaat, a fraternity of traveling Muslim preachers that is well known in Pakistan and other Muslim countries. Founded in rural India 75 years ago, Tablighi Jamaat is one of the most widespread and conservative Islamic movements in the world. It describes itself as a nonpolitical, and nonviolent, group interested in nothing more than proselytizing and bringing wayward Muslims back to Islam. It has been cited either as part of a cover story like Mr. A Renunciation of Politics Mr. London riots point to much wider risks of youth unrest.
In Saudi Arabia, a Resurgence of Sufism. JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- A hush came over the crowd as the young man sitting cross-legged on the floor picked up the microphone and sang, a cappella, a poem about Islam's prophet Muhammad. His eyes shut tight, his head covered by an orange-and-white turban, he crooned with barely contained ardor of how the world rejoiced and lights filled the skies the day the prophet was born. The men attending the mawlid -- a celebration of the birth and life of Muhammad -- sat on colorful rugs, rocking gently back and forth, while the women, on the upper floor watching via a large projection screen, passed around boxes of tissues and wiped tears from their eyes.
The centuries-old mawlid, a mainstay of the more spiritual and often mystic Sufi Islam, was until recently viewed as heretical and banned by Saudi Arabia's official religious establishment, the ultraconservative Wahhabis. "This is one of the blessings of September 11. Wahhabis and Sufis view Islam from opposite directions.