Donors pledged an estimated $4.6 billion in the aftermath of the earthquake, according to the UN yet, only 43 percent of those relief funds have been disbursed and more than 500,000 Haitians still remain homeless. Part of the problem, watchdog groups say, is that charities spent a considerable amount of money on soaring rents, board members’ needs, overpriced supplies and imported personnel, the Miami Herald reports.
“A lot of good work was done; the money clearly didn’t all get squandered,” Jake Johnston, a researcher at The Center for Economic Policy Research, told the Miami Herald. “A lot just wasn’t responding to needs on the ground. Millions were spent on ad campaigns telling people to wash their hands. Telling them to wash their hands when there’s no water or soap is a slap in the face.”
(Source: cosmopolitan-fascist, via beermuda)
Ever since a member of the Qatari royal family took charge of the network, coverage was getting a bit weird. Don’t get me wrong, Al Jazeera can do some fantastic coverage on various matters in the region, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They also did an amazing job in the initial coverage on the Egyptian revolution. It’s all good. The Stream is also a great show, but only gets 30 minutes a day, which sucks.
Anyways, it’s been getting shady. Especially when they canceled the showing of a documentary on Morocco’s pro-democracy movement for no apparent reason. That was the last straw for me.
So! Here’s a list of English sources on the Middle East and North Africa. Most of them are just publications.
- Jadaliyya: Amazing analysis from the top scholars and academics in every field pertaining to the Middle East and North Africa. Politics, culture, religion, gender studies—you name it. You can’t really be studying MENA politics without having read something from here.
- Al Akhbar: The English version of one of the most prominent newspapers in Lebanon. They cover all things in the region though. Mostly newsy, but there are quality op-ed pieces and weekly blogposts from prominent voices.
- Tunisia Live: They launched after the Tunisian Revolution and cover all things Tunisia. They also occasionally post pieces pertaining to other parts of the region, namely North Africa.
- Arabist: Yes, this is a blog, but an amazing blog. Even if all you’re checking out is the weekly link roundup, that’s enough news to keep you updated. Most of the posts are on Egypt, but there is a sprinkle of other countries.
- Magharebia: Okay, they’re funded by AFRICOM, yes. But they are one of the few sites that consistently publishes content on the Greater Maghreb (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, and the Western Sahara). It’s basic coverage, but if you come across a story that intrigues you, just do some more research.
- Ahram Online: The English version of the “first newspaper in the Middle East.” It’s based in Egypt and provides coverage throughout the region.
This is a very basic list, and I’ll probably add to it. Though, with these alone, I’m confident you’ll stay informed and up to date on the ever-changing stories and situations in the Middle East and North Africa. All of the above sources are based from the region and/or have writers and editors based or are from the region.
(via beermuda)
(via sigmundite)
The new official Trayvon Martin website. Information, ways to take action, media coverage, and the 911 calls without ads.
(via beermuda)
Trayvon Martin’s girlfriend has spoken out. She was on the phone with Trayvon just moments before his murder.
“He said this man was watching him, so he put his hoodie on. He said he lost the man. I asked Trayvon to run, and he said he was going to walk fast. I told him to run but he said he was not going to run. Eventually he would run, thinking that he’d managed to escape. But suddenly the strange man was back, cornering him.
Trayvon said, ‘What, are you following me for,’ and the man said, ‘What are you doing here.’ Next thing I hear is somebody pushing, and somebody pushed Trayvon because the head set just fell. I called him again and he didn’t answer the phone.”
“George Zimmerman’s claim that Martin was suspicious and up to no good is completely contradicted by this phone log, showing all day he was just talking to his friends— like so many teenagers do. Martin was talking to her when he went to the 7/11 and when he came back. Her testimony connects the dots, completely connects the dots of this whole thing.
The friend’s phone call completely blows Zimmerman’s absurd self-defense claim out of the water.
A kid who is up to no good isn’t on the phone constantly calling his friends back. Somebody who’s looking to break in somewhere isn’t on the phone talking to his friend, when she’s in Miami.
Zimmerman wants you to believe he was on drugs and acting suspicious so he can justify killing him in cold blood.”
The girl’s family wishes that she remain anonymous because of the traumatic nature of the event:
“This was her really, really close personal friend. They were dating… She couldn’t even go to his wake. She was so sick, her mother had to take her to the hospital, she spent the night in the hospital.” - Martin’s Attorney”
(Source: , via beermuda)
no seriously let me just break this down
- i am sick of seeing intentional homoerotic “subtext” just like a lot of queer folks are, i am sick of people seeing my sexuality as something that is all right to sell tickets but not all right to actually exist in their narrative, sick enough to start projectile vomiting on everyone that partakes in it tbh
- but can people fucking stop dismissing everyone who likes m/m or f/f as Straight Fangirls
- because first of all i really don’t think it is a coincidence that so many people use fangirl as an insult! nerd culture is pretty into dismissing women, women’s opinions, and things women like (or might like) on that basis alone and it’s pretty fucking gross
- women who enjoy queer ships, whether they are straight or not straight, are extremely fucking capable of critically dissecting material and enjoying the interaction between a couple of characters that happen to be the same gender! including in sexual and/or romantic contexts!
- and second of all a lot of queer people who are in fandom (myself included) use silly shit like shipping/etc as escapism, fandom itself IS inherently escapist for those who choose to participate
- so every single time you scream about how the Straight Fangirls are the only ones who are into m/m and f/f you are ignoring the interest of actual queer human beings who are a lot more important than the integrity of a fictional character who has no feelings because they are not real
- there is no fucking way that straight people who happen to enjoy queer romance are going to internalize hateful bullshit the same way that queer people who actively seek queer relationships due to lack of representation/personal invested interest/etc do
- and every time you scream about people polluting your precious ~BROMANCE~ (this is an awful word) with a queer relationship or reblog things to furiously tag them about how They’re Just Bros Stupid Yaoi Fangirls Ruined Everything you can open your mouth for a bird to poop in it.
This is Richard Hayne, President and CEO of Urban Outfitters. He’s also a supporter of Rick Santorum and donated over $13,000 to him. He’s against gay marriage and abortion.
His company pulled a pro-gay shirt back in 08, they also blatantly ripped off an Etsy designers work, featured a t-shirt for women that said “eat less” and most recently had a card with a “tranny” slur on in.
Why do you shop at this store? I imagine because you weren’t aware of these facts. Now you are, so stop shopping there.
(Source: a-colourfullife, via beermuda)
Sign the petition here
E-mail the school officials here
A mom of a kid with cerebral palsy is gearing up to file a lawsuit against her school district, because a special education director is saying her little girl can’t use her walker. Pick your jaw up off the floor and read on.
LaKay Roberts, who’s 5, uses her walker to, er, walk. You know, as kids with CP often do. She’s been using it for three years, and attends Kings Manor Elementary School in Kingwood, near Houston. Occasionally, she also uses a wheelchair.
Her mom, Kristi Roberts, says that weeks ago the school district, New Caney ISD, told her that LaKay could no longer use her walker at school. Kristi taped a meeting with the district special education director, Gary Lemley; she uploaded part of it to YouTube. An excerpt:this is disgusting in so many fucking ways.
i hate the public education system already as it is thanks to my experiences with being disabled and given the shaft because of it, but hearing shit like this just adds to my anger. shit doesn’t get done in these situations unless we demand it, unless we threaten legal action. i really hope getting the word out about this will do some good for this poor kid and her mom. (and her mom is seriously fucking amazing for all of this, holy shit).
(via beermuda)
Over and over again in “Bully,” we see adults who feel bureaucratically paralyzed, who look the other way, who are unwilling to make judgments between perpetrators and victims, or who actively condone vicious and sadistic behavior as the Darwinian natural order of childhood. In many cases you can feel considerable sympathy for these people. After all, the schools must try to educate bullies as well as victims (and the latter often turn into the former), the distinction between normal horseplay and bullying can be hard to parse, and no adult can protect a child from all possible harm.
Declaring that underage kids can’t even see this film without a grown-up to hold their hands, however, falls somewhere near the nastier end of that spectrum of indecision. With the stated goal of not offending anybody, the MPAA has essentially told the bullied teens in the movie and outside it — gay and lesbian kids, autistic kids, disabled kids, fat kids and nerds and Goths and plain old weird kids who don’t fit in — that their very existence is too upsetting for normal kids to see, and they should crawl back under their rocks.
” —Why the MPAA doesn’t want your kid to see “Bully” - Salon.com (via ladyatheist)(via sigmundite)
PETA AND ASPCA TAKE DOWN CABOODLE RANCH
Caboodle Ranch is a 30 acre 501c3 non-profit cat rescue sanctuary founded by a single individual who cared enough to make a difference in the lives of what are now hundreds of abandoned cats.
This 64 year old man, armed only with a bag of cat food, was taken in by excessive force in early March with a gun held to his head and told at the time of arrest that he was being charged with a misdemeanor. His name is Craig Grant, and before even being given a chance to prove his innocence, he was branded an animal abuser and a hoarder, and his mugshot was plastered across newspapers, websites, and countless social media outlets across the country, by vultures seeking to make a sensation to raise support for their political agenda.
You’d think the ASPCA and PETA would want to help, right?
Keep reading if you want to know more. Click here to sign the petition to return the cats and Craig to Caboodle Ranch.
ASPCA
ASPCA and law enforcement raided Caboodle Ranch just after 9 in the morning when Craig was just beginning his chores for the day. Litterboxes were not just scooped, but emptied completely and continually refilled every morning. Craig was holding a bag of Purina when he was arrested. He was in the process of topping off the food bins. Wet food was given every day around 4pm. Water was constantly being refreshed throughout the day. Floors and counters were scrubbed daily. All these chores were just beginning when he was arrested, but that doesn’t matter because it made for perfect video just the way it was. They trapped cats into the night.
Craig tried his hardest, with the help and advice of a veterinarian, to treat every cat that was sick. He has many cases (with vet records to prove it) where he’s helped bring these sick cats back to perfect health, and he did it out of sheer determination and love. He spent countless nights hand-feeding cats that couldn’t eat for themselves, administered medications that were needed, and watched over these cats throughout the night because he didn’t want one to die as he slept.
Ask them who their poster cat is right now. It’s Tommy, Craig’s cat. He’s sick with FIP, had a lot of bloodwork done, had a feeding tube put in that went from his nose to his stomach and was receiving formula. Dr. Lewis, Caboodle’s veterinarian, was monitoring his health. Tommy had been posted about many times. Take a look back within the last 5+ Caboodle Ranch posts and read his story for yourself. $5000 was just spent on his care at a small hospital in Gainsville. He was starting to gain weight and had even started to eat sliced deli meat before he was taken.
His care at Caboodle Ranch is well documented.PETAPETA knows how to be dramatic with their filming. Ask them why it took them 5 months to get the footage they have. If a place is deplorable, it shouldn’t take longer than a day to get the film evidence needed. But they know the conditions had to be just right… they’ve done this stuff before.
Some of the footage of Caboodle Ranch was taken after a massive downpour of rain swept through the county… the perfect conditons to film cats huddled inside buildings with dirty floors. And as a “volunteer”, part of her job was cleaning… But better to film it instead.
Caboodle cats were not confined to these buildings. They had acres of land in which to roam freely. The property was filled with little cat houses, including a cat sized church, a school, a little courthouse… These weren’t for Craig to play in.
This PETA investigator chased a 3-legged cat to film it falling and sliding across the floor. For what purpose? This cat came to him that way, as so many other unwanted cats do. He came in from West Virginia, very scared, and it took 3 months for them to become friends. He’s a cat with a beautiful personality who was happy and at home at the ranch.
This PETA investigator filmed a refrigerator she knew wasn’t in use, and filmed the inside of a decrepid building that was boarded and closed off to cats. This building is still there on the property for anyone to tour and see for themselves.
But it all made for dramatic footage. Ask how many donations they received after posting it. Ask them how much more support they got for stopping the Animal Rescue Act they’re trying to oppose.
Craig is up against two huge organizations, one especially known for its bullying and deceitfullness. Please help him to defend himself by making a donation for his legal fees. The Paypal link can be found on Caboodle Ranch’s website.
(via faize)
Maggie McNeal Commenting on Chicago Tribune article (via thefumoblu)
So true never thought about that.
(via cuntygrrl)
It’s ridiculous that so many people actually never considered this before.
(via everythingbutharleyquinn)
(via beermuda)
There’s a petition to get her job back. I signed, please consider doing so too.
(via beermuda)
where a chick that threw flour on Kim Kardashian was arrested on site. But the man who KILLED Trayvon Martin is still free
(Source: michelle-mignon, via beermuda)
Evie Shockley adds a new stanza to one of her poems in honor of Trayvon Martin.
(Source: ocean-bright-wine, via cribbywibbles)
Robert Reich (via azspot)
Oh my gosh, yes, this, so much this.
(via ladyogrady)
public morality
(via longlittleness)
(via cribbywibbles)
