The killing fields of Cambodia might be over, but the killing fields in homes throughout the United States continue to sow blood and destruction. The latest (at least that I read about), was in Metropolitan Washington, DC, this past weekend. Unlike the killing fields of Cambodia created by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, I am talking about killing fields wrought by domestic dictators, for what else could you call a husband and father who kills his own children?

Dith Pran, the photographer who documented much of the horrors of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia died yesterday. And on the same day that I read of his death, and recalled the horrors of the movie that was based on his life, The Killing Fields, I also read of a father in Maryland who killed his three children in a hotel room. Apparently, he and his wife were in the midst of divorce and child custody proceedings which were apparently what brought the father to this horrific act. According to the Washington Post,

“the mother tried to ‘keep them away’ from Mark Castillo [the father], Vanderwalde said. But he said the father fought for custody. In 2006, according to court records, Amy Castillo was granted temporary sole custody on an emergency motion, but Mark Castillo was granted visitation rights shortly afterward. At least twice last year, motions that would have withheld visitation rights were denied. At one point, according to the records, Amy Castillo was fined for refusing visitation rights.”

It seems apparent that someone in the court or family welfare system took the father’s word for more than the mother’s, or discounted the mother’s fears as overblown, or was upholding some absurd right of a father to be with his children regardless of a mother’s well-founded fears. Here is a mother who tried to use the system to protect her children, but it failed her! Why do these stories keep repeating themselves?! Why do we have to continually hear of domestic killing fields? When will the courts stop bending over backward to ensure that a father has the right to kill his children? When will a woman who spends her life trying to ensure her children’s lives finally be taken as seriously as she needs to be? The system has failed yet another family. And the blood of three children, aged 6, 4 and 2, are the latest victims to the domestic abuse and violence fields of the United States.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/30/AR2008033001242_2.html

An aspect of totalitarian regimes is that while there may be voting, there is no choice. The ruling party puts forward "the candidate" to be ratified.

The current effort in the US by the two major parties and the press to limit discussion and reduce the number of candidates early is not a good sign for democracy. The elections are not till November, the conventions are not till summer. Already the "candidates" have been winnowed to three and pressure is mounting on Hillary Clinton to withdraw.

I want to state clearly that I do not personally support Clinton, but I am opposed to the effort to get her to withdraw. In fact, I want to see more candidates and more media coverage of them.

I would love to see a field of candidates going into lively, noisy conventions where issues were debated and views were aired and a final consensus reached. That is what democracy is.

We in the US have allowed the corporate media, who have been in league with the authoritarian Bush regime, to choose our candidates. When are we going to demand real democracy here? Have we completely forgotten what it looks like?

On April 4th, 2008, The Women’s International Perspective is presenting its first public event, a panel discussion on Making Visible the Violence Against Women -- in Iraq and Worldwide. Haifa Zangana, the noted Iraqi activist and author of the recently released City of Widows, An Iraqi Woman’s Account of War and Resistance, will be the featured speaker.

The discussion, presented in sponsorship with The Monterey Institute of International Studies, will start at 7pm at The Institute’s Irvine Auditorium on Pierce Street in Monterey, California.

Joining Haifa will be Riane Eisler, social scientist and author of the international bestseller The Chalice and the Blade; Eva Sohlman, a distinguished Swedish journalist and author of the book, Arabia Felix in the Time of Terror – Journeys in Yemen; and Institute student, Joyce Laker of Uganda, a survivor of the 22 years of conflict in Northern Uganda and activist on sexual violence in her country, now a Fulbright Scholar living in Monterey.

Haifa Zangana will discuss the effects of America’s continuing presence in Iraq on women there, highlighting their long history of political activism and social participation in contrast with their current struggle against religious extremism, which has mushroomed under the occupation. But the struggles of women in conflict zones are not limited to Iraq. Eva Sohlman will comment on oppressive situations for women, especially in the Yemen, while Riane Eisler will add her unique perspectives on the broader issues of violence and oppression against women worldwide. Joyce Laker will add her personal insights on women’s issues in conflict zones.

By presenting the voices of these thoughtful women from around the world, The WIP hopes divergent cultures, opinions, and ideas will come closer together in dialog. As an online news publication providing unique and personal perspectives on global issues, The WIP is honored to host this event. We invite the community to help us welcome these remarkable women. This event is free.

For more information email info@thewip.net.

See you on Friday!

"I will vote.......I will vote,vote,vote and vote until everything falls in place," a man says, drawing the attention of everyone in the commuter omnibus. "I just can not wait to hear the Registrar General shout on-your-marks.....ready.......vote!"

From my seat, I look at the man and like everyone else in the vehicle, I fail to hold back a chuckle. He is quite grown-up. Probably mid-thirties or early forties but certainly not somebody one can mistake for a recent adulthood graduand that he can be so excited about voting. If he has been practising his democratic right to vote, then he surely has several voting experiences to tell tales about.

But I understand him. He is one of the eleven million "election-madmen" in this part of Southern Africa. The whole of Zimbabwe is abuzz with the word election you would think the country is scoring a first in that area. Yet we have been voting all these past years.

Yes, March 29, the much hyped about harmonized election day is finally upon us.

Although we will be casting ballots in four categories – presidential, parliamentary, senatorial and local government – it is the presidentail race that people are most interested in. When they say " I will vote,vote,vote and vote," they deliberately give the impression they will be given numerous chances to cast ballot papers in that one category yet the four ballots they will get will be cast in different categories. But they also know it, the excitement is just part of an election current, which has gripped everyone in the country, including old and young, registered voters and non-voters alike. You would think the whole population was eligible to vote, yet about 5,5 million only will do the X-job.

Almost all the logistics are in place now, what remains is for God to bring March 29. Some are even saying they wish the day's arrival will be fast-tracked. More like President Robert Mugabe's infamous fast-track land reform program which threw the country into its current economic abyss. But again,t hat is just one of the many ways the electorate is using to express its mounting anxiety.

The election administrator, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has since published the longest list of candidates to ever participate in Zimbabwe's polls. In the presidential race, President Mugabe will battle it out with former labour leader and opposition Movement for Democratic Change founder Morgan Tsvangirai, his former finance minister and politburo member Dr Simba Makoni and an obscure independent candidate Langton Toungana. There are 779 candidates for the 210 parliamentary seats and 197 for the 60 elected seats in the senate. Candidates are drawn from a pack of 12 political parties and 116 independents – a real first for a country which is used to a three party race, dotted by not more than 10 independent contestants. Although analysts have said a myriad of candidates and political identities might confuse voters, the electorate donot seem to be that bothered as they continue chanting their "we will vote" slogan. It has emerged most intend to use the three names of Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Makoni as poll guides. Some independents will probably survive by luck as voters "throw away" their vote after failing to find the preffered names since the three dominant candidates are not represented in every constituency.

Still on the logistics, President Mugabe has since declared Saturday a public holiday to enable all workers to practise their democratic right in the box. Representatives of the 47 invited observer teams, including the African Union (AU), Southern African Development Community (SADC), China, Russia and Iran continue to arrive in droves.All these are in good relations with Mugabe hence the invitation. European Union members and the United States were not invited ostensibly to punish them for trying to stage an alleged illegal regime change against Mugabe.

But as we go to the polls,it is still very difficult to predict a result.

Those who sympathise with the people of Zimbabwe will be happy to hear that the country's electorate goes to the polls an enlightened people. Although voter education this year was not as much as that in preceding elections, people's experiences in a difficult economic and political environment has emerged the greatest election educator of all times. In some rallies,you would see people walking away in protest to candidates' speech. Mugabe's ruling Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) has fallen victim to this voter apathy several times. Even in rural constituencies,the party's traditional strongholds, people have shown that they want to hear more about Mugabe's economic revival plan than the party's usual tendency to recite sad tales of the liberation struggle while also delivering long sermons about national sovereignty and black empowerment.

Just this day, I was laughing with a friend as we read about some arrests during the campaign period. In one case,a police detective (part of Mugabe's notorious gang), was arrested on allegations of insulting a Zanu- PF worker for wearing the party's regalia in public. State media reported that the detective poked his finger at Mugabe's picture emblazoned on the worker's dress and advised his victim against going about exhibiting clothes of a party which has brought hunger to the people. Reports say the detective even suggested the worker should wear an MDC shirt instead.

But that does not clearly tip the election to MDC's favour. Just like Mugabe and Makoni, MDC leader Tsvangirai enjoys a huge-turnout at his rallies. But he is yet to woo back some of the supporters he lost on his failure to reconcile with academic Authur Mutambara who leads a break-away faction of the party. Yet that again does not tip the race to Makoni's favour either. On rebelling against Mugabe, it was rumoured Makoni had the backing of so-called big-wigs from Mugabe's party and the electorate rode on that string. Some of the alleged backers have since denounced the rumour in state media while Makoni himself has of late changed his line and said he has no big-wigs. However,even with a few hours remaining to election time,many people are still optimistic the former finance minister will announce his big-wigs even on the eleventh hour. It thus cannot be ruled out that his magnet may disappear should voters go into the booths without hearing the anticipated names.

Another area of speculation has been the after-election period, or the results announcement to be precise. While Mugabe has since warned that voting for the opposition will be a waste of votes as his party will not allow it to rule the country even if it wins, the MDC has said it has some contingency plan to deal with Mugabe should he steal the election. Such statements have raised fears of a replica of the infamous Kenya political turbulence following a disputed election result recently. But some Zimbabweans,especially in the Matabeleland and Midlands Provinces have vowed they will never participate in such type of violence following horrible experiences from 1982 – 1988 political atrocities, which saw Mugabe's Fifth Brigade wiping away more than 20 000 people in those areas in a so-called Gukurahundi. But it remains to be seen, especially given the fact that partaking in such unfortunate occurences is never negotiated.

But Zimbabweans are generally ecstatic ahead of the big day. What with some of them declaring March 29 Independence Day? And others coining yet another new saying, "There will be a new president for Zimbabwe, and a new speech on Independence Day come April 18". The day in question, April 18, is Zimbabwe's independence day and by convention, Mugabe addresses the nation. Over the years, his rhetoric on the day has remained almost the same – ranging from lines of sovereignty to paragraphs of blame on the West.

Back in October, I participated in "Lights Out LA," an evening that I hoped would be a momentous tribute to energy conservation and awareness by turning all non-essential lighting off for one hour. We waited anxiously to see if the rest of our neighborhood would go dark, but from our vantage point up on a hill in Silverlake, we saw that we were perhaps the only people within a half mile radius that were standing in our living room lit only by candles. Though Los Angeles might not exactly be the mecca of environmental awareness I would like it to be, I have higher hopes for the rest of the world.

So it is with much anticipation that I look forward to this Saturday's Earth Hour...

EARTH HOUR 2008

By turning off your non-essential (read: emergency lights and lights for safety) lighting for one hour starting at 8pm on March 29th, 24 global cities will participate in what is the highlight of a major campaign to...

"encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take the simple steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis. It is about simple changes that will collectively make a difference – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty, to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby.

See what a difference an hour can make by joining hundreds of thousands of people for Earth Hour!

Five years ago, when the announcement of the bombing of Baghdad was made, my husband, my two daughters and I were in a garden center in Virginia deciding which flowers to plant in the garden of the home we had purchased and moved into in the fall. Our lives seemed to be on an upward swing. We were hopeful. And for me, even the war seemed, at least initially, that it might accomplish something positive. I had, after all, lived in Israel during the first Gulf War and knew some of the dangers of Saddam’s administration. At the time I had been pregnant with my older daughter. (My mother had given me the book, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, but there was nothing in there about breathing exercises to stay calm in the face of air raid sirens and bombs bursting in air.)

But, in the five years that have transpired, things have not gone as planned—or hoped--either on the home front or the war front. I have gotten divorced in what has won me the “worst divorce story” among friends, and lawyers have claimed that my ex is the “worst” they have dealt with. And Iraq, surely a continual worst case scenario if ever there was one. Iraq’s devastation lays bare the need for a new word that can intimate the chaos, destruction, and failings of the war—of war itself, perhaps.

My mother keeps telling me that there is a light at the end of the tunnel of my life, but I keep telling her that the boulder stuck in the middle needs to move. Is there a light for Iraq? How have all of the vows and intentions failed so completely? How have we created a failed state?

My marriage ended when I finally realized that nothing I can do will change the man I had married into an empathetic and compassionate person instead of the controlling and abusive beast he had become. So, too, must we step out of the beast which Iraq has become (which we have made).

American service members and Iraqi civilians, alike, need to know that there is, indeed, a light at the end of the tunnel—so let’s work on moving the boulder out of the way by getting out of Iraq!

Foreign Policy: Iraq by the Numbers

For a visual person like me, seeing some of the infrastructure indicators and consequences of the war in graph form (plotted along the continuum of invasion to the present day) help paint a picture of the struggle Iraqis have battled since 2003...

I was saddened to hear that the director Anthony Minghella died yesterday. I must watch the English Patient this weekend.

In an effort to use less plastic, I no longer buy water bottles; instead, I have a reusable bottle that I fill with tap water. But drinking the tap water is sadly not an option for many people, especially lower-income rural workers as discussed in this NPR piece. It is unacceptable that children cannot drink out of school drinking fountains, and there are no consequences for the businesses that have contaminated the drinking water.

In honor of Women's History my month, KQED has posted some great content that can all be viewed online.

Since the weekend is almost here, I thought I would mention two documentaries that I can't wait to see:

- Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox - I'm a fan of the almond soap, especially when camping. Who knew there was such a dramatic story behind Dr. Bronner?
- Blindsight - An inspirational story of blind Tibetan teens climbing Lhakpa Ri (a 23,000 foot mountain on the north side of Mount Everest).

Loading the headlines just now the majority coming in from the wire were bombings, blasts, death, and injury. They read: Two dead in Afghan suicide blast near foreign troops; Pakistan bomb kills Turk, wounds 5 Americans; One dead, 13 injured in bomb blast in Thai south; Considerable' number killed, 200 hurt in Albanian munitions blast – and this was all on Saturday.

I’ve made space for all the ‘other’ news in our headlines. But really, these headlines are too dreadful to ignore.

What do we say when:

A suicide bomber blew up an explosives-filled car near international troops in eastern Afghanistan Saturday, killing two Afghan boys and wounding a NATO soldier, officials said.

A series of powerful blasts rocked an army depot housing communist-era munitions near the Albanian capital Saturday, killing at least five people and injuring 200, with many more feared dead, officials said.

A Turkish woman was killed and five Americans were among 11 people wounded in a bomb attack on a restaurant in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Saturday night, police said.

A powerful car bomb exploded at a hotel car park Saturday, killing at least one person and injuring 13 others in Thailand's restive Muslim-majority south, an army spokesman and hospital official said.

Let’s talk.

March 19 marks the anniversary of the illegal invasion of Iraq by the US. Many of us here are planning actions to protest the continued illegal occupation of that country and the aggression of the Bush regime.

Winter Soldier, which I remarked on in a previous post has started in Washington. US veterans of the invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan are providing first hand testimony of war crimes that they both witnessed and participated in. For coverage of that event, you can go to

http://ivaw.org

A large protest is planned for the 19th in Washington as well.

I cannot go to that, but I am joining the Granny Peace Brigade for a Knit-In at the Times Square recruiting center.

The Grannies have been active since the start of this illegal war. They focus on protecting our young people from being enticed into the military service. Sometimes, they demand to be enlisted themselves; sometimes they do what they can to block entrance to the centers. They are arrested, go to jail, get out, and return to their places. The courage and patriotism of these women is inspiring.

The Grannies say that stump socks for service personnel with amputations are needed as well as clothes for Iraqi and Afghani children. I plan to work on a child's sweater as I join them in peaceful, constructive protest against destruction and violence.

I would love to hear what others are doing to protest.

Now I truly know that we're in the 21st century and age of global warming...

"If you are a drug addict, an oligarch, a scientist doing a stem cell research, if you pollute the environment, then it means that you will spend your life after death burning in hell. The Roman Catholic Church decided to expand the list of mortal sins against the background of the era of globalization...

...The list runs as follows: pollution, genetic engineering, obscene riches, addiction to drugs, abortion, pedophilia and social injustice. All these sins join the original seven deadly sins defined by Pope Gregory the Great in the sixth century: pride, envy, gluttony, greed, lust, wrath and sloth."

Here are a few things that have interested me in the last week:

A small story on NPR about non-profits (namely Habitat for Humanity) buying up houses and lots that were out of their price range a year ago. After hearing so much doom and gloom about the American economy, especially the housing market, it was refreshing to hear that at least non-profits can benefit from the downward economy.

Since I am all about D.I.Y. projects and reusing everything, I have long been a fan of ReadyMade magazine. I was very excited to read this interview with the magazine’s founder and editor-in-chief Shoshana Berger. She’s such an inspirational woman!

I exclusively drink milk from the Straus Family Creamery; milk just tastes better in glass containers! Buying milk in glass bottles that I then return to the grocery store also coincides with my plight to use less plastic and create less waste. I was understandably excited when I found Saint Benoît Yogurt in reusable terracotta containers at the grocery store last week. And it is the tastiest yogurt I’ve ever had!

I wanted to end my first blog entry on a feminist note. So, I will mention a new movie that I cannot wait to see: Girls Rock! I only regret that I’m too old to go to rock camp this summer.

Today from Amnesty International...

This past Saturday, with a single stroke of his veto pen, President Bush blocked a tough law forbidding the CIA from using waterboarding and other despicable interrogation "techniques." We can't let him have the last word.

In the face of this brutal affront to human rights, we must show that President Bush does not represent the vast majority of American citizens. This starts with each and every one of us acting in our own communities.

Act Now. Call talk radio stations and write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.

It took thousands of calls, letters and emails from Amnesty activists like you to persuade Congress to pass tough anti-torture legislation. And now, it's going to take just as much energy and determination to counter Bush’s unconscionable veto.

Let's make it clear that torture is wrong everywhere, all the time, no matter the circumstances, and no matter which agency does it. And so is putting people on "trial" based on torture-tainted evidence. Bush acted. Now you have to act. Call your local radio station. Write a letter to the editor. Forward this email to as many people as possible.

Speak out against torture. Don't let Bush have the last word!

President Bush tried today to defeat our efforts to put America on record. But, with spirited protests all across America, we’re going to make it clear that our nation abhors what our President condones.

Please act against torture now.

International Women's Day is special to me and my WIP colleagues for many reasons, not the least of which is that it marks the anniversary of our first year of publication! Launching The WIP on such an important day was just another of the many serendipitous twists we've enjoyed along the way. We were ready, The WIP was ready and off we went! Creating this community of readers and writers, supporters and friends, has been the most rewarding part. And I can't wait to watch it grow.

The past year has been a tremendous adventure and one that we are so grateful for - a true reminder of the incredible power of women's voices and an affirmation that women have the strength to help change and heal the world.

Happy International Women's Day!!!!

I have seen the United States change from a vital and open society and democracy to a closed, repressive, authoritarian one in my life time. Never a perfect place, a nation which has made many errors and done bad things, it was at least a place where people could speak out and be heard on most issues, where there was lively dissent and challenge to vested interests and to authority. Not now.

Tom Paine's famous quotation about the times that try men's souls and the Winter Solder, the example among our forefathers who did not desert Washington and the Revolutionary Army during that dreadful winter when all looked lost, but who stayed on and earned freedom for the rest of us, inspired Viet Nam veterans to speak out about what was really going on in Viet Nam. Widely covered by the media at the time, those brave patriots helped their country by speaking the truth about the very real enemies to US freedom: aggression, government deceit, corporate greed, war profiteering, and injustice.

Veterans told what they had done and what they had seen. Americans were horrified.

This was in a time when the nightly news carried images of violence perpetrated in our name and when protesters where not herded into the Bush regime's egregiously not free "free speech" zones out of sight, and when the media were not the propaganda organs for the administration that the current corporate media have become for this regime.

Later this month, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans will hold a second Winter Soldier event where women and men who have served in those invasions and occupations will tell the truth.

When I was at Camp Casey, I had the privilege of hearing some of those stories from veterans. They tell movingly of being ordered to shoot white phosphorous, a weapon banned by international law, into populations of civilians.

Once a military action is over, the troops muster to assess their victory, count combatants killed, and collect weapons. I heard stories of them finding no combatants at all, just the viciously burned and mutilated remains of unarmed civilians, many of them women and children. A marine I know wept openly when telling about the baby shoes with feet in them, unattached from the rest of the child's body. A huge pile of women's and children's shoes at Camp Casey reminded us all of the many Iraqis who were brutally killed in such actions.

I know these Winter Soldier Patriots will tell about torturing people. I know they will tell about murder and mayhem on a scale I can hardly fathom.

I doubt most Americans will hear about it. The only major media story about this event, titled Patriot Missiles, appeared in the Times in the UK.

Here are links to information about this event for anyone who wants to read about it.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_cheryl_b_080305_winter_soldier_3a_can_.htm

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3444835.ece?Submitted=true

I am grateful to the WIP and other alternative sources of information. If there is hope for the United States to stop its tragic decline, certainly part of that hope lies with institutions like it.

As a reader, it’s been a great year watching you grow. You’ve stayed true to your goal of unbiased news from women all over the world. Before the WIP, I never read news online or participated in any online blogs. I still love reading The New York Times, turning the pages and of course, doing the crossword puzzle, but the WIP is a special extension of my daily newsgathering. When I read your stories, I feel engaged with people from all over the world. I am eager to watch the WIP grow and I feel very lucky to have been on this journey with you guys from the beginning. Thank you!

As their article today reads, RWB asks that we all do our part to support women's voices...

Reporters Without Borders today urged support for women journalists, activists, bloggers and Internet users speaking out for their rights in the face of "increasing repression" by governments and threats from religious groups.

"The imprisonment, torture, prosecution and death threats against them must be exposed," the worldwide press freedom organisation said. "It is unacceptable that today, in 2008, people can still be jailed or threatened with death for raising this rights issue."

...I second that emotion.

I love reading Orion Magazine, both for its diverse content, but also for it's mission...

"It is Orion's fundamental conviction that humans are morally responsible for the world in which we live, and that the individual comes to sense this responsibility as he or she develops a personal bond with nature." - taken from Orion's website

And I love the title of this poem by Amy Dryansky - I read it at the end of my day and felt like sharing it...

Because We’ve Landed on the Moon but Nobody Wants to Live There

It reminded me of the simple pleasures of life, how much I do rush everyday and why expression like poetry is so important to us all.

Sarah McGowan, Content/Photo Editor

The spate of articles about Kenya are very moving. I know Philo Ikonya is correct when she says

"I believe it must be the women who find the solutions."

I heard recently of UN Resolution 1325 that says women must be included in nation building.

At least in principle if not in fact, the world knows that women find the solutions.

Are things changing? In this time of global crisis, will we finally see women take their place?

It is really good to be using this new feature for the first time. I look forward to making more substantive remarks, but maybe it is more important than I realize. A place for people all over the world to dialogue about things that matter is no small achievement.

At this moment, I am away from New York at an artist's residence in Nebraska and thankful for the opportunity to focus on my work away from day to day concerns. This launch today is too important to me to wait a week to try. I look forward to using it and to encouraging others I know to do the same.

A young woman visual artist here, Julia Karll, is doing a moving project about the state of the world. I will review it and see if I can get some photos of it and her before I leave here.

For now, I must get back to my work.

Hats off to all the women at the WIP who made this happen.

This was sent to us this weekend. Please share this shocking story. -Kate

To Those Who Share Our Concern:

Please join us in calling for the immediate pardon and release of FAWZA FALIH , a Saudi Arabian woman who has been sentenced to death by beheading for the alleged crime of "witchcraft. " As Human Rights Watch has declared, the conviction of Fawza Falih is a travesty of justice.

A letter to His Royal Highness KING ABDULLAH has been drafted and signed by clergy and members of various faith traditions all over the world. The letter may be read online where you may also sign it. Please do so as soon as possible at:

http://www.petition online.com/ AIDFAWZA/ petition.html

We would greatly appreciate it if you would also forward this request to whomever else you think will share our concern.

Time is of the essence.

Further information on the case is available at:

CNN Reports Saudi Witch Case http://www.cnn.com/video/ #/video/world/2008/02/15/verjee.saudi.witchcraft.cnn

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Saudi Arabia: Fawza Falih's Case Reveals Deep Flaws in Saudi Justice System http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/02/14/saudia18051.htm

To read the letter from Human Rights Watch to King Abdullah: http://hrw.org/ english/docs/ 2008/02/13/ saudia18046. htm

BBC News Pleas for condemned Saudi 'witch' http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7244579.stm

HuffingtonPost: Saudis to Execute Woman for Witchcraft http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/14/saudis-to-execute-a-woman_n_86642.html

Thank you for your help.

Rev. Phyllis. W. Curott, J.D., Assembly of World Religious Leaders

Mike Mohamed Ghouse, President, World Muslim Congress

Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor of Tikkun Magazine, Chair of the Network of Spiritual Progressives...

Hello to everyone reading this near and far. I am in New York City, USA. Thank you for creating this website. What's so different about the WIP contributions from the regular news is how connected I feel immediately when I am reading one of your articles. I read about these life experiences that are so different from mine, but as I read them, I feel transported, like I am right there with you. I have never got that before from any kind of news source.
I would like to hear more from Iraqi women as well as female American soldiers in Iraq. WIP staff, have you connected at all with any of these people and is it possible to hear some of their stories?

We've heard from some of our readers that the new page has a big white space in the center. This is a cached style sheet. In your browser, try holding down the shift key and clicking refresh at the same time.

This was a great excuse to post the very first blog to The WIP Talk. Now it is your turn! Remember, a blog can be whatever you want it to be - anything from your thoughts on a news story to your favorite recipe for peace...

We are looking forward to hearing from you!

-Kate

There is 'power' in the written, and spoken text. Writers' shouldn't become discouraged when their thoughts/ideas are not immediately accepted. The important aspect of being a 'wordsworth' is to keep at it.