Dead Silence…

Nothing has happened here for quite a while, and I apologize. Leaving Japan, moving back home, and getting settled has taken some energy and getting used to. And to be honest, since I have returned to Canada I havent felt passionate about my interests the way I did before that could inspire me to really push on with my research. When classes begin again mid-May, I hope that I will get back into the swing of things - so until then! Jeremy AWOL Editor

The Clear Act (Cap & Dividend)

So I read the Clean Act, also known as Cap and Dividend,  is gaining momentum in the US thanks to Senators Maria Cantwell (Democratic Washington State) and Susan Collins (Republican Maine). Through this plan the government will (a) cap the carbon supply, then (b) auction permits to companies, and out of this (c) Pay back dividends to citizens. Every year there is a reduction in permits so supply declines and prices increase. The idea is that once this begins clean technology will become c...

War v. Justice: Part I

This is part one in a series dealing with questions of constitutional and international justice as a result of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq through a case study of Omar Khadr, an enemy combatant currently in US custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Part I: Introduction The last ten years have raised many important questions not only regarding the legal rules of war, but the application of law and justice at home, too. There are many reasons for this. When you think about it, there are no mor...

Emily in the News – Reporting from Haiti

Our fellow UN Citizen Ambassador Emily Troutman has spent the past several weeks in Haiti offering her help, recording her experiences and photographing the destruction and now the recovery of the nation. Recently she has been featured on AOL News (here) describing some of the medical issues now being faced by thousands. The admirable work of hundreds of doctors and nurses working tirelessly in makeshift hospital camps has already been the focus of numerous international headlines due ...

Tricks and Toxic Waste in Ivory Coast

Is this for real? I cannot find any other sources than Wiki leaks. UPDATE: Its real. Also covered (and solicited by Trafigura's lawyers) on UK's Guardian, BBC NewsNight, Huffington Post,and Greenpeace. According to Business Respect, Trafigura has offered 1,000 British Pounds ($1624 USD) as compensation to each of the 30,000 people affected. SOURCE: WIKILEAKS This file contains a deleted BBC news article on the toxic-waste dumping of commodities giant Trafigura. According to a Septe...

A little carried away? Perhaps.

My thoughts on the recent AIU Lecture Symposium and another uneventful night of studying for exams has resulted in a fun (that's debatable) mini-project as I ended up creating my own mock Security Council resolution referring Israel and Palestinian Human Rights violations to the International Criminal Court. Why? Well, first of all I have a feeling I will have to explain how Israel and the PA may be held accountable for violations of international law on my upcoming exam. Secondly, ...

West Bank student’s deportation upheld

BBC News - West Bank student Berlanty Azzim's deportation upheld Berlanty has a Gaza ID card. She went to the West Bank under a visitors permit but instead stayed for four years to study Business Management - which she would be finishing this coming month. At the end of October, she was stopped at an Israeli checkpoint, detained for six hours, then blindfolded, handcuffed and told she would be taken to a detention centre in the southern West Bank. When her blindfold was removed hours l...

Looking back on the AIU Symposium

Again, great thanks to Saul Takahashi for taking the time to conference with us last night and for helping shed some light on the real situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Some points from the discussion: UN security agenda has proven itself a tool of most-powerful nations UN's actions have been not to stop Human Rights violations, but to establish accountability following conflict resolutions through Tribunals, the ICC, etc. With Palestine there has been no movement...

Breno’s COP15 submission

The request is to Raise Your Voice and be part of COP15 to contribute to a meaningful discussion about our world’s future. The most popular video submissions are to be aired globally during the COP15 CNN YouTube debate on December 15, and the top two submissions will win a trip to Copenhagen. With only 14 days left and little positive news from world leaders, we have to do our best to not only spread awareness but to encourage all global citizens to raise their voices and tell world l...

For our American friends

Something to think about: “Last year 750,000 Americans filed bankruptcy, over half of those bankruptcies were because of medical expenses. Over half of the people who filed bankruptcy because of medical expenses had health insurance. Don’t we need to do something on health insurance reform? Of course we do.” -Harry Reid