by Cheery Zahau
- Burma / India -

Burma has become well known to the world, not with good reason but for its worsening human rights violations perpetrated by the military junta ruling the country. According to Amnesty International, the regime now has more than 1,300 political prisoners, 175 of whom are women according to the Burmese Women Union Report. Last summer, the women of Burma showed their courage by resisting the junta’s many injustices during the Saffron Revolution. The regime responded violently to the protesting unarmed women citizens, nuns and monks.

by Jennifer Fenton
- USA -

Imagine what would happen if the nations of the world spent as much on development as on building machines of war. Imagine a world where every human being would live in freedom and dignity. Imagine a world in which we would shed the same tears when a child dies in Darfur or Vancouver. Imagine a world where we would settle our differences through diplomacy and dialogue and not through bombs or bullets. Imagine if the only nuclear weapons remaining were the relics in our museums. Imagine the legacy we could leave to our children. Imagine that such a world is within our grasp. - Mohamed ElBaradei (2005), Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency

Garnering national attention, peace activist Cindy Sheehan is now running for office against incumbent Democrat Nancy Pelosi in California's 8th Congressional district. Cindy promised the House Speaker that if impeachment proceedings against George W. Bush did not start when Pelosi took control of the House last year, she would run against her in the next election.

by Afsaana Rashid
- Indian-administered Kashmir -

October 27, 2008 - Kashmiri separatists and the Pakistani government commemorate "Black Day" the anniversary of the Indian army's forcible entrance into Kashmir 61 years ago. - Ed.

When asked what he likes to do on the festival of Eid-ul-fitr (the celebration ending the month of Ramadan), Ishfaq Ahmad hangs his head. After a brief pause, with his eyes still focused on the floor, Ishfaq recalls nostalgically a time when he lived with his parents in Hangnikote, Kupwara, in the border district. But at the age of four, he and his younger brother lost both of their parents within a period of six months. As there was no one to look after them, the boys moved in with a distant relative, where they lived until Ishfaq was noticed by a volunteer one morning as he sat shivering in the cold.

by Jessica Mosby
- USA -

I vividly remember the 1988 presidential election, or more accurately the months of campaigning that led up to the election. At the time, my family did not have cable television and all that was on the few channels available was election coverage. Throughout the entire summer and fall, my parents forced me and my siblings to watch the Democratic and Republican conventions, and then the nightly news coverage. Once I returned to elementary school in September, someone decided it was a good idea for everyone to gather in the cafeteria and watch more election coverage. I sat there thinking, I had to watch this all summer. Can’t I just get a break? My unending boredom was aggravated by my disinterest in candidates Michael Dukakis and George H.W. Bush. And I couldn’t even vote!

by Emily Rose Herzlin
- USA -

“I'm voting because I care about the future of this country. It's my right as a U.S. citizen [to vote] and it'd be shameful not to; it'd be like a slight to the founding fathers and women like Susan B. Anthony who all believed in the right to vote. If the next four years are terrible and I don't vote, I have no right to complain as I made no attempt to have it be otherwise.” – Nicole Long, 21

“I’m from a swing state. It’s necessary for me to be heard and have my vote counted.” – Dorie Kurtz, 22

“I already have my absentee ballot in hand. This is the first major election year that I can vote, so I'm taking full advantage of that.” – Allison Ahlgrim, 20

“Yes I'm voting – My mom would remove me from the family if I didn't.” – Lily Mundy, 21

by Suad Hamada
- Bahrain -

“Arab and Gulf Banks will be completely safe from the global financial crisis.” That is what many Arab officials are announcing these days, but ordinary people are not reassured and fail to understand how the Arab World, with its average economies, can possibly be insulated from such catastrophe. They expect that the global financial crisis will eventually add new worries to their daily hardships.

Thirty-five year old Bahraini Ali Hassan doesn’t know much about economics but he understands that the world’s financial markets are not stable and is concerned that the instability will affect him and his family. “I don’t have a large savings but the idea of the banks losing their financial credibility or going bankrupt makes me insecure.”

by Melissa Hahn
- USA -

John McCain is the one constant in my life, elected for the first time the year that I was born. Voters from Arizona continue to re-elect him by a landslide, and yet most citizens would be hard-pressed to tell you what, exactly, he has done for the state.

Hardly a public figure, McCain is associated with Arizona by commentators in a way that locals would never consider. Calling himself a Washington outsider, he actually is one in Arizona. McCain moved here upon his second marriage and through Cindy, the daughter of an influential Phoenix magnate, he acquired the connections and resources to fund a political campaign. Residing here barely long enough to qualify for the ballot, he soon returned to his real comfort zone: the Beltway.

by Rosie Kuhn, Ph.D.
- USA -

My husband Todd and I traveled to Colorado recently to facilitate the 2nd Annual Colorado Wonderful Women’s Retreat in Estes Park. But first we went down to Colorado Springs for an overnight visit with my daughter Elissa. We loved the city’s small town feeling. Tucked into the side of the mountains the city is cozy; pockets of neighborhoods, each with their own unique qualities, and the small scale of the downtown area, full of interesting shops, engaged us to be curious about what might be right around the corner.

While having our tea at a local coffee shop, Todd perused the newspaper. What he found almost stopped his heart. In the State of Colorado, Proposition 48 is up for vote, which in essence defines legal personhood at fertilization and gives rights to a zygote, or premature fetus, that supercede those of the woman who happens to be carrying it. If this proposition goes through, a woman in Colorado will be committing murder if she aborts a pregnancy. Not only that, if there is any kind of unusual occurrence in the pregnancy, the woman legally can’t do anything to save her own life until an emergency presents itself. By law, the pregnancy must take its own natural course.

by Jessica Mosby
- USA -

“There are two types of bayonet fighters, the quick and the dead. Which type are you?” This is what a boot camp drill sergeant yells at new recruits, who then reply in unison – “the quick!” During any war, a soldier’s survival depends on this “kill or be killed” mentality. But killing the enemy, even for soldiers who deeply believe in the cause, is not easy. Some soldiers decide they must put down their weapons – even if that means being court-marshaled and imprisoned.

by Handan T. Satiroglu
- Turkey -

Surfing YouTube.com, a favorite global pastime, is anything but a predictable experience within the confines of the Turkish Republic. Before browsing, one has to wonder, “Is it blocked?” “Unblocked?” or “Is the entire site blocked or just a few select videos?”

Turkey first denied access to Youtube in March of 2007 because Greek nationalists had posted derogatory videos of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the much-revered founder of modern day Turkey. After a brief lifting of the ban, in September 2007, a series of anti-nationalist videos incurred the wrath of Turkish authorities once again, and led to Youtube’s subsequent banning. Although the site was intermittently available soon after, once videos defaming Ataturk and the Republic in general resurfaced, the block was promptly reinstituted in January 2008. On this autumn-tinged October morning, the site remains inaccessible from my temporary home in Turkey.

by Elena Ilina
- USA -

My friends and colleagues cannot wait for election day - for many of them, a new administration gives hope that the newly elected leader will address many of the critical issues facing us in domestic policy, especially the economy, and of course, cutting nuclear weapons stockpiles. Indeed, the new U.S. President will have a long laundry list of problems and issues to tackle once in office, but I strongly believe that a deep and comprehensive re-evaluation of the U.S.’ foreign policy should be the top item on the Presidential agenda.

Being a political analyst by education and profession, I have the opportunity to not only learn, but constantly analyze the implications of U.S. foreign policy for the international community, particularly Russia.

by Pilirani Semu-Banda
- Malawi -

Twenty-seven year-old Lima Wochi from Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, looks dejected. She ventured into prostitution at the tender age of 12. She says she is tired of sex work and is looking for a way out of it.

Prostitution is deemed unacceptable in Malawi but the sex trade continues to thrive. Large numbers of women, especially young ones, are seen loitering around street corners, near hotels, bars and other entertainment places.

by Genie Z. Laborde
- USA -

Most people do not see themselves as financial experts. However the strong emotional response we’ve seen lately shows that many people feel the government’s bailout bill reflects the machinations of a Congress that is more focused on propping up big business than securing the financial well-being of U.S. citizens and world markets.

Having experienced a downturn in my business after 9-11, I felt some concern about how the bailout and the predictions of further economic chaos would affect my debt and my income. I was more than a little curious about how others in business around me were dealing with this situation so I began asking questions. First, I asked people who know money and investments, then I asked my friends, and then, their friends.

I asked: “What do you think about the financial fiasco?” Sometimes, I re-phrased it as: “How do you feel about the financial fiasco?” Or “Does the financial crisis affect you?”

by Martín Granada
- USA -

One of the first times I ever saw my mother cry was the night Reagan was elected president. She cloistered herself in her bathroom and drank an uncustomary glass of wine. I found her crying with her face in her hands. After unsuccessfully trying to conceal her wineglass, she sobbed, "Ronald Reagan won! Ronald Reagan, every time I hear his name I think of Donald Duck. Our country has elected Donald Duck as the president!"

At the time I didn't understand what she meant, however, several months later I began to catch on when my mother began dying her hair with a product called Loving Care. Every time it came out too dark, she asked me if she looked like Ronald Reagan.

Shortly after Reagan came into office, my father lost his job as an affirmative action officer and the neighborhood where my mother taught elementary school transformed. Every morning the school janitors began having to sweep away pipes and needles from the playground. My mother transferred me to a private school, closer to home. Though I lived in a safe community, in a four bedroom house, whenever I watched President Reagan speak on the television, I wondered how he could justify that all was well? Didn't he see all that I saw?

by Priti Sehgal
- India -

Across India, the tale of baby Manhji has made headlines and gripped the nation’s attention. Born to a Japanese father and surrogate Indian mother, the two month old is caught in legal limbo. In a way, she has three mothers but none who will raise her, and she cannot return to Japan with her father due to complications of Indian law.

The saga began when Japanese citizens Dr. Ikufumi and Yuki Yamada were unable to conceive a child of their own. They obtained an egg from an anonymous donor and then travelled to India to locate a surrogate mother. In November 2007, the fertilized embryo was implanted into Pritiben of Ahmedabad, and the Yamadas began the nine month wait for their child.

The couple’s dream of completing their happy family was dashed when Ikufumi and Yuki divorced just one month before Manjhi’s birth. Apparently wanting a complete separation from her old life, Yuki took the additional step of disowning the newborn.

by Kimberly N. Chase
- USA -

The issue of corn-based ethanol is getting more complicated by the day, with increasing concern about rising food prices and questions about environmental impact. But researchers are developing ways of producing cellulosic ethanol, which uses woody plant matter rather than starch or sugar to produce energy, and they say the fuel is almost ready for market.

Cellulose is much harder to break down than ethanol from food crops, and companies are using industrial enzymes followed by fermentation with microbes to arrive at a final product. None of the dozen or so companies in the running has reached commercial scale yet, but the race is certainly on.

by Jessica Mosby
- USA -

If you could know that you were at risk for a terminal illness, would you want to know? And then what would you do next if the news confirmed your worst fears? At the tender age of 27, Joanna Rudnick faced this very conundrum when she tested positive for the BRCA genetic mutation. Her chances of developing breast cancer subsequently went from about 11 to 12 percent to a devastating 80 to 90 percent, and her chances of developing ovarian cancer shot from about 1 to 1.5 percent to 50 to 60 percent.

Rudnick, a scientific journalist, chronicles her struggle as she comes to terms with her altered gene and her uncertain future in the very personal documentary In the Family. The film is currently playing on PBS as part of the Point of View series.

by Imelda V. Abaño
- Philippines -

Back in September 2005, the now infamous Danish cartoon of the prophet Muhammad became a worldwide controversy. It was reprinted in newspapers in several countries and led to widespread Muslim protests and violence.

Now the book, The Jewel of Medina, a semi-fictional novel written by American journalist Sherry Jones about the youngest wife of Muhammad, has also led to a firestorm of controversy for its portrayal of the prophet. Many say it could incite similar acts of violence from radical Muslims.

The initial response to the advance edition of Jones’ book was explosive. It was dropped by her publisher Random House because of the anticipated backlash from the Muslim community even though it had paid her a US$100,000 advance. It was also pulled from bookshops in Serbia last August after pressure from Islamic groups.