Former French Colony Marks Break with Brutal Past
Marking their 50th anniversary of independence, Algerians have been looking back at the triumphs and tragedies that finally led to their pyrrhic victory. In the uprising against French rule that began in 1954, some 150,000 Algerians and 18,000 French troops died. But one thing kept the Algerian nationalists going. Read More Read More
A Glimpse of Street Justice
It’s a cool, calm evening so far, just past 2am. I’ve parted ways with friends who are moving on from the bar to a club, and I find a Velib rent-a-bike to ride home. Something catches my eye as I head through Belleville. A man is swinging an object that looks like a long stick or a branch at people on the side-walk. Read More Read More
Absence of Empathy
As the latest memorial of mass murder recedes into our collective calendar’s crossed out dates, we should look back…at how we look back, and peer beyond the grief and suffering, into the rank hypocrisy of America’s leaders who make a mockery of it all. When President Barack Obama read scriptures and saluted the armed forces on Sunday, little was said of the injustice... Read More
Riot Crackdown was Cack-handed
You would be forgiven for thinking that 30 years after the last major round of riots in London, the government had learned a thing or two from its (Conservative) predecessor. But you would be wrong. Read More Read More
UK Riots: An English Pantomime
The belated, arthritic response to England’s riots is a tragicomedy whose main players seem to embody long-cherished caricatures of Englishness. Even as windows shattered and buildings blazed, looters formed an orderly British queue to steal from JD Sports – stopping to try on shoes before leaving. Read More Read More
Baby Steps taken to reduce Child Mortality
Not far from the beaches and cafés of seaside Cape Town, is the township of Du Noon, where children play in rubbish-strewn streets near pools of stagnant water and lop-sided rows of outdoor toilets. “They play and eat without washing their hands, so it’s not healthy,” says local health care worker, Nontuthuzelo Debesse, who is paying home visits. “That’s why there’s... Read More
Look, America – That’s Real Democracy in the Making
As America, the world’s loudest democracy disgraces itself with gridlock and obstructionism, it’s ironic we must look to the Middle East to recall the promise of real democracy. It may well take years before it flourishes in the rocky soils of Tunisia and Egypt, but it makes for more interesting viewing than the bizarre showcase of constitutional texts on American television.... Read More
Why Surrender your gun when you can Lobby for More?
The shooting rampage in Tucson, Arizona, in which six people were killed and 13 injured, prompts us in other countries to ask why we don’t kill each other quite as much Americans do. The sheer number of guns in the streets of US cities would seem a good place to begin – but that would be naïve. Read More Read More
Muscular Oratory vs. Christian Cant
At Toronto’s Roy Thompson Hall on Friday, mining tycoon and host Peter Munk’s meandering introduction finally gave way to what was billed a battle of ideas. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair debated with ardent atheist Christopher Hitchens, over whether religion is a force for good in the world. Read More Read More
Now Showing in the Theatre of Public Apology
I’m at the local café, glaring across the counter at an increasingly sheepish cashier. “I can make you another one,” she says, trying to avoid eye contact. She had forgotten I wanted my café latte not up to the rim, but three-quarters up. “No,” I hissed, leaning in, “I want an apology.” My day was already ruined, and only public penance would placate me. Read More Read More
