Hair culture in Colombia is something men take very seriously. While the euro mullet has made its impact on Medellín, it isn't the end-all of haircuts. Men here keep it short and trimmed, with barbers often spending more time on sideburns than on the entire haircut. For this reason, haircuts are extremely cheap, often no more than $2-4.

I'm always quick to specify my desire to avoid the "business in front, party in back" style, which this time, elicited a large smile from the elder barber who told me "those kids look like little rat gangsters anyways." He then proceeded to ask me about where I was from, what I was doing, etc. Then the conversation turned to religion. When asked about religion, I always say the religion of my family (historically Protestant), just because Catholicism is so important here and I'd hate to be figured for some Godless gringo. "So what are you protesting?" he chuckled, before quipping some ancedotes about the Pope and Martin Luther.

I asked him if he was Catholic and he laughed, asking what makes one Catholic, appearing to be dissolusioned with mainstream Colombia's interpretation. He then started to talk about the "Pachamama" or Mother-Nature spirit of all living things: "The most true spirits that I have observed are with the indigenas (indigenous peoples) and their ceremonies. They have a profound respect for all things living and a strict adherence to a set of codes that is existent virtually nowhere in Western religion." My barber said he attempts to embody the indigenous respect for nature, while at the same time, deriving morality from history and his own personal experience. "Un humanista secular!" I proclaimed, sharing some of this world view. "Well son, I wouldn't say secular, because whether you think it's one God or twelve, there is a little bit of it influencing the things that are beyond our capacity to comprehend." Not what I was expecting for a $3 hair cut.

- Miles

Popular uprisings against dictators in Middle Eastern countries and ongoing protests by youth and women in Iran has drawn international attention and stirred the human conscience, particularly in the past few weeks. Their steadfastness and courage has stimulated bright hope to attaining freedom in this part of the world. The winds of change of democracy and freedom in Tunesia, Egypt, Libya and Iran are moving ahead. Up until now, women and youth have paid a heavy price for freedom.

• Ms. Sahar Moadab is a 28-year-old American citizen and a young violinist now residing in camp Ashraf. •

In the course of the Iranian people's uprising, I have witnessed the murder of courageous youth in my country such as Saneh Jaleh and Mohammad Mokhtari who was only 22. While I am addressing you today, we witness merciless executions of opponents in Iran daily, including Zahra Bahrami, Mohammad Ali Haj Aghaii, Ali Saremi and Jaafar Kazemi.

I am a 27 year-old woman residing in a beautiful and small city called Ashraf. Ashraf is located in the heart of one of the world's most violent countries, Iraq. I am writing to you from a city in the midst of a desert. Among the 3400 residents in Ashraf, 1000 are women. My Iraqi friends call Ashraf a pearl in the desert. On his visit to Ashraf, Alejo Vidal Quadras, the vice-president of the European Parliament, called this city a candle in the darkness. The last visit by a parliamentary or human rights delegation to Ashraf was in the end of 2009. Subsequently, according to a dual conspiracy by Iran and Baghdad and following the transfer of the camp's protection from US forces to the Iraqi government, all visits including our families, lawyers and human rights and parliamentary delegations to Ahsraf were prohibited and an all-round and inhuman siege was placed upon us. Ashraf is the symbol of a democratic society and a symbol of freedom and co-existence for the Iranian people. This is exactly why the dictators in Tehran and Baghdad cannot tolerate it.

You might be surprised, but I am a US-Iranian citizen who was born in New Jersey. Both my mother and father studied in the US. I have never yet set eyes on my motherland, Iran and just like any other patriotic person, this is like a dream for me. My mother was slain by agents of the Iranian regime because of her opposition to the mullahs ruling Iran when I was only four. I, just like thousands of other Iranian girls and boys whose mothers and fathers were slain by the regime, do no know what it is like to be loved by a mother. However, this feeling is not comparable to what my people suffer under the rule of the dictatorial mullahs. I came to Ashraf to take a step in the liberation of my country. When there are young girls and boys who have nowhere to sleep at night, when girls are smuggled and sold, when there are children who fall asleep alone in streets at night and when freedom-lovers are hung in streets, only my tears can relieve my sorrow. I think to myself and only wish that these were my nightmares and when I wake up everything will have changed. Unfortunately, this is the truth in my wounded country. It may seem as though dictators and those villains who have enchained freedom will rule forever but the events in the past month in the Middle East and North Africa has opened eyes particularly of those who were previously insensitive or blinded to the sacred word of freedom and now have been forced to face truth. But is this sufficient? Isn't the human conscience so moved enough to give priority to these values opposed to power and personal interests?

Yes, I hope. Many have broken their silence and have been drawn to speak-up for those whose rights have been trampled. Mrs. Clinton, the United States Secretary of State on the occasion of international women's day stated: " The Iranian regime has imprisoned more than 100 women for their political views". Mrs. Clinton added, “But despite it all, Iranian women took to the streets once again this week, in greater numbers than anyone expected.”

Hundreds of parliamentary representatives and human rights advocates in countries across the world, in a joint-statement urged for an end to the inhuman siege and torture in camp Ashraf. They expressed their protest to the US Secretary of State in a Congressional Hearing.

Psychological torture of residents of camp Ashraf is carried out by Iraqi forces aided by the mullahs in Tehran. 210 loudspeakers have been placed around the camp and are working in a 24-hour basis, threatening particularly women to murder and rape. It has been over one year that Elham Fardipoor, one of the female residents of camp Ashraf who suffers from thyroid cancer and because of restrictions placed upon us; she is suffering more and more every day. The Maliki government has prevented her from obtaining access to specialists and medical treatment and now, her life is at stake. I reside with Elham and witness her pain. Elham, along with all the other ill residents in Ashraf are condemned to a slow death.

The men and women in Ashraf trusted the US government when they signed an agreement with US forces, guaranteeing them their protection. And now they must respond to their responsibility. They should build up to their confidence. Therefore, to all those conscience minds that see injustice, I call on you to help stop the torture and killings of the sick in Ashraf.

China’s economy has developed significantly in the last decades, lifting millions of people out of poverty and improving their health. One of the consequences of economic progress has been the increase in life expectancy at birth from 69 in 1990 to 74.51 in 2010. Also notable have been the decreases in infant mortality rate (expressed as per 1,000 live births) which declined from 37 in 1990 to 17 in 2009, and under-five mortality rate (also expressed per 1,000 live births) which declined from 46 in 1990 to 19 in 2009.

Despite this progress, however, many health issues remain unresolved. While the wealthier portion of the Chinese population has benefited from advanced health technologies, many among the poor do not have adequate access to even the most essential services. It is estimated that about 80 percent of the health and medical care services are concentrated in cities, while timely medical care is not available to more than 100 million people in rural areas.

Although some progress has been made in underdeveloped rural areas there is still lack of safe water and sanitation, under-nutrition, vitamin and mineral deficiencies and indoor air pollution. It is estimated that 80 percent of rural households have no access to a sanitary lavatory and 20 percent of rural households lack safe drinking water. A 2008 Report on Chinese Children Nutrition and Health Conditions concluded that 7.6 million children in West China lack adequate nutrition.

New threats related to the environment, workplace and lifestyle are also becoming more widespread. Emissions from motor vehicles have increased considerably in the major Chinese cities. Today, 16 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are in China. Coal burning, however, continues to be the number one source of air pollution in China and conditions in the workplaces are an important source of disease, injury and death.

In addition, smoking is a serious problem throughout China and it is estimated that more than half of children in China are exposed to second-hand smoke which may explain increased rates among them of respiratory tract infections and sudden infant death syndrome. Presently, tobacco causes 13 percent of deaths among men. Alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems have also increased steadily in the last decades.

Obesity is increasingly becoming a serious problem. It is estimated that over 25 percent of urban children are overweight. In addition, diseases associated with obesity such as diabetes and cardiovascular problems are on the increase. According to a study by Tulane University researchers 92.4 million adults in China age 20 or older have diabetes, and 148.2 million have pre-diabetes, a risk factor for developing diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have shown that people who have diabetes live an average of six years less than people not affected by the disease.

Like other nations with migrant and socially mobile populations, China has experienced increased incidence of HIV/AIDS, and the stigma against this syndrome remains prevalent in Chinese society. Although the Chinese government has adopted a much more proactive attitude toward the infection, efforts are still hindered by poor baseline data necessary for properly assessing the problem and earmarking needed resources.

The problem is compounded by the fact that in traditional Chinese culture sex and sexuality are not openly discussed. Many young people lack information on sexually transmitted diseases and HIV transmission. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, only 10% of Chinese who have HIV/AIDS know that they are infected.

Mental illness is an underestimated problem in China. According to a recent study 17 percent of the population has some kind of mental illness. In 25 percent of the cases, the severity of their disability causes them to be unable to work. Because of its impact on society, new ways of addressing this problem have to be developed.

The Chinese government’s 850 billion yuan (US $125 billion) health care reform plan is being implemented to help solve some of these problems. According to this plan, primary health care facilities will be improved, an essential drug system will be introduced, there will be equitable access to basic public health services and there will be a pilot reform of state-run hospitals. Public non-profit hospitals will continue to be the main providers of health care services, but more priority will be given to grassroots-level hospitals and clinics.

Although the government has admitted that building a “safe, effective, convenient and affordable” health service will not be easy, these are commendable goals. The government should prioritize the promotion of healthy lifestyles and the prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases.

A critical aspect stressed by WHO and the Social Development Department of China State Council Development Research Center is the need to create a better system of information, accountability and enforcement of health laws and regulations.

With the assistance of the World Health Organization and other international agencies, the Chinese government has improved the health of its population. Although millions have benefited, millions are also lagging behind. The great challenge for China is how to strengthen its health care system to reduce disparities and improve quality health care for the population at large.

As Wagstaff and Claeson from the World Bank have remarked, “It is vulnerable populations in China who need to be empowered, protected from risks, informed and educated, and encouraged to participate in health activities…Public health regulations need to be established and enforced…Public health infrastructure needs to be in place to reduce the health impact of emergencies and disasters. All this needs to be done through a public health system that is transparent and accountable. Thus, the government has responsibilities beyond the provision and financing of health services to improve health outcomes.”

Dr. Cesar Chelala is an international public health consultant.

Facing greater restriction in the USA and other industrialized countries, transnational tobacco companies are increasingly marketing their products in developing countries, particularly among women and adolescents.

While smoking rates in some industrialized countries are decreasing at about 1% a year, those in developing countries are increasing at around 3% per year. It is estimated that, if current trends persist for the next 30 years, seven million people from developing countries will die every year from smoking-related diseases.

For the past several years, corporations such as Philip Morris, RJ Reynolds, and British-American Tobacco have been expanding rapidly in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Tobacco-provoked deaths can only add to the inequities in health of ethnic and minority populations. Jeanette Noltenius, an expert on tobacco and alcohol abuse issues, stated, “In the US, minorities such as Hispanics have been specifically targeted by the tobacco companies since the early 1960s, and have received a double dose of advertising (in Spanish and English).”

According to data from the Bureau of Census, US Department of Commerce, Latino smoking youth will triple in size in 2020 in the U.S., increasing from 9% of the national youth population to 19%.

Since the early 1980s, US trade officials, with help from the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), have led a sustained campaign to open markets in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand among the Asian nations.

In Taiwan, US officials' efforts to force Taiwan to open its markets to US tobacco products have resulted in increased smoking, particularly among women and children. Talking about US government support for American tobacco companies, a corporation executive remarked, ‘We expect such support. That's why we vote them in.’

These actions have prompted the Asia-Pacific Association for the Control of Tobacco to protest strongly at what they consider an invasion of their countries by US companies targeting Asian women and children. The Association has complained about the strong-arm tactics used by US government officials in their countries. A report from the US General Accounting Office established that ‘US policy and programs for assisting the export of tobacco and tobacco products work at cross purposes to US health policy initiatives, both domestically and internationally’.

Several studies have shown that in the poorest households in developing countries 10 percent or more of the total household expenditure is on tobacco. As a result, there is less money to spend on some basic items such as food, education and health care needs, thus increasing malnutrition, illiteracy and premature death.

In China, tobacco companies have been moving steadily inland with intense promotional campaigns. It is estimated that of the world's 1.71 billion smokers, more than 350 million are in China, where lung cancer has been increasing at a rate of 4.75% a year.

The Chinese government is facing the dilemma of promoting tobacco cessation policies while it is heavily dependent on earnings from the state-run monopoly tobacco company. However, researchers with the School of Public Health at the University of California state that raising the tobacco tax fifteen cents per cigarette pack could save more than 13 million lives and generate $9.5 billion in revenue for the Chinese government.

Lured by financial gains from growing tobacco, millions of hectares in China are presently under cultivation. Gains from the sale of tobacco, however, may be just short-term, since the costs of treating lung cancer and other related diseases amply exceed the tobacco profits. According to experts, those excess costs are $200 billion annually on a global scale, one-third of which is incurred by developing countries.

While anti-smoking efforts gather momentum in the USA, those efforts are far less effective in developing countries. Such countries' policies will not be as effective unless transnational tobacco firms are made to limit their aggressive advertisements.

Countries in Asia and Latin America are conducting health-education campaigns and have passed legislation to control smoking. Up to now, several countries worldwide have enacted legislation to control tobacco consumption. Although in general this legislation has been passed at the national level, in the USA, Canada, and in several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean these laws are being enacted by state or local bodies.

Despite increasing condemnation by public health officials and the World Health Organization (WHO), international companies continue with their indiscriminate tobacco-promotional efforts in developing countries, at a high human cost. As things stand now, only a multidisciplinary strategy including education, taxation, legislation, and regulation of trade practices of transnational corporations will be able to control this pandemic.

Dr. Cesar Chelala is an international public health consultant.

Every evening, at the end of the PBS News Hour, one of the most respected news programs in the U.S., one can see the images of the U.S. soldiers killed the previous day. They usually are young men, generally between 20 and 25 years of age. Even the most hardened person cannot but feel a pang of anguish looking at these young people whose lives were cut short by an irrational war. And one can imagine how many vibrant lives were lost and will be lost until the war in Afghanistan ends.

Awful as these losses are, another reality should be considered – the photos of these same soldiers degrading Afghan prisoners. Through these photos we can see that these soldiers’ lives have been compromised by war but, equally terrifying, that war has changed them, has made them lose that essential humanity that makes us respect other people at their most basic level. And thus we suddenly have a vision of the essential evilness of war.

These thoughts are brought to mind after looking at three photographs recently released by the German newspaper Der Spiegel, part of 4,000 photos and videos taken by the soldiers. The photos are among a number seized by U.S. Army investigators investigating the deaths of three unarmed Afghan civilians during 2010.

Twelve soldiers from the Bravo company unit of the Fifth Stryker Combat Brigade in Kandahar province are accused of serious crimes against Afghan civilians. Those accused include Special Sergeant Jeremy Morlock, 22, and three other men who were allegedly following orders from Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs, 25. These soldiers are accused of killing Afghan civilians for sport and collecting their body parts –including a human skull- as trophies.

The first photograph shows Morlock holding the naked corpse of an Afghan civilian named Gul Mudin by his hair and grinning proudly at the camera. The second photograph shows another soldier, Pfc. Andrew Holmes, posing with the same man, whom he is holding by his hair with one hand while holding a cigarette with his other hand. The third photograph shows two Afghan civilians murdered by these soldiers. The victims’ dirty clothing suggests that they were dragged by a vehicle and possibly tortured before being killed.

As reported by Afghans for Peace (AFP) an investigation shows that the military ignored the warnings of a soldier, Spc. Adam Winfield, whose father persistently tried to inform the military commanders of the atrocities only to be turned away. “They planned everything out. I knew about it…I want to do something about it, but I don’t have the courage…” wrote Adam Winfield.

Although many critics have compared these events to those that happened at Abu Ghraib, AFP states that while those incidents occurred with prisoners, the events now described, including murder, occurred publicly in broad daylight.

In another incident described by Der Spiegel, the team apprehended a mullah who was standing by the road, was asked to kneel down in a ditch and a grenade was thrown at him while an order was given for him to be shot.

The army apologized for the distress caused by the photographs which, according to a statement, “depict actions repugnant to us as human beings and are contrary to the standards and values of the United States.”

No amount of apologies, however, can bring back to life these Afghan civilians who were killed. No amount of apologies can give back to these soldiers the humanity they lost in this terrible war. No amount of apologies can eliminate the essential evilness of war.

Dr. Cesar Chelala is a co-winner of an Overseas Press Club of America award for an article on human rights.

Austin is a pretty awesome city that is one part state capital and one part college town. The independent energy of musicians and filmmakers who have strong roots in Austin is a huge part of SXSW (Richard Linklater, please raise your hand.). One thing I really like about SXSW is how local artists are celebrated. On Tuesday night I saw Emily Hagins’ film My Sucky Teen Romance. Hagins is an 18 year old Austin native and this is her third feature film! When I was 18, I wasn’t doing anything nearly as exciting as having my third feature film debut at SXSW to a sold-out theater. My Sucky Teen Romance is a delightful play on the current vampire craze. My favorite part is that the teenagers in the movie are actual teenagers, most of whom attended high school with Hagins. What the film lacks in polish, it more than makes up for in humor and authenticity. And really, it is so much better than many of the comedies that get lucrative distribution deals.

• John Vanderslice on stage at the French Legation Museum. •

As I’m trying to at least experience a taste of the music festival, today I went to a show at my favorite venue in Austin, the French Legation Museum. There are two outdoor stages, lots of lawn space to sit, and food and drink booths. I headed over there to see John Vanderslice play as my friend (and one time WIP audio editor) Jacob Winik is JV’s sound man/tour manager. It was so nice to escape the crowds while working on my tan and listening to a great set! After JV finished, Sean Lennon’s band, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, took the stage. I joked to Jacob that Yoko Ono was at the show as she was at SXSW with her own band. Within minutes, Ono was standing next to the stage watching her son perform while a body guard stood watch. In person she seemed even smaller, but really looked exactly like I thought she would. She was wearing a black hat very similar to Sean Lennon’s hat (which he took off to perform), so now I like to think that they go on mother and son hat shopping trips!

Note: I’m sorry for the lack of blog posts. I’ve been fighting an eye infection and that, combined with the insanity of the festival, has made it difficult to post my blog entries. But I will be making this up to you over the next couple days. Promise.

Yesterday was the second full day of the music festival and St. Patrick’s day. The film festival is still going, but the volume of filmgoers has dwindled so it’s easy to get into almost any movie (save for the indie darling The Dish & The Spoon yesterday). Instead of going to movies or interactive panels, the crowds are hitting the bars on 6th street or seeing a show at one of the many official or unofficial venues.

• Pedicab equals rejection. •

On Tuesday night I saw my friend’s The Wrong Words play at the Burger Records show. The venue was a record store a bit off the main drag, and during the 14 hours of music (I stayed for about 2 hours as in 10 p.m. to midnight), the liquor store across the street literally ran out of beer and change. The mayhem that was Tuesday night was nothing compared to last night. I had an idea that things were going to get crazy when I drove by the line for the Strokes free outdoor show at 11 a.m. and it was already snaking down the street. Really, the Strokes? I cannot understand why people would wait all day to see them, even if it was free. Due to the rabid Strokes fans, by 7 p.m. you could literally not make it across the river to see a movie in less than an hour, approximately 50 minutes longer than the drive had taken all week. After being unable to secure a seat in a movie shuttle and being rejected by a number of pedicabs who didn’t want to go that far, I gave up and saw a movie downtown instead. At some point I saw a horse drawn carriage and tried to get a ride, but alas it was full.

• Yes, you can take a horse drawn carriage around Austin. •

In my effort to avoid 6th street and the hordes of music fans drunkenly making their way down the street while blowing cigarette smoke in my face, I have found some awesome food trucks. Food trucks are very popular in many urban areas, but Austin has an insane number of food trucks serving a diverse selection of food. Almost every open lot or undeveloped space has at least one food truck parked there. And they are all tasty, or at least the 10 or so that I’ve tried. After leaving a movie at around midnight last night I was feeling very tired and overwhelmed…then I met up some friends and walked over to an enclave of about 5 food trucks. Two catfish tacos later I was rejuvenated!

We put this question to numerous Haitians. Below are some responses.

Konpè Filo has been one of Haiti’s most popular journalists since 1974. Arrested, tortured, and exiled by Duvalier in 1980, Konpè lived in numerous countries until he could return home when the dictatorship fell in 1986. Today he runs a widely watched daily TV show on Radio Tele Ginen Haiti.

• Is Haiti poor? "That depends on how you define poverty and wealth," said Konpé Filo. Photo: Ben Depp, www.bendepp.com. •

Monday afternoon I arrived in Austin, Texas for the annual South by Southwest Film Festival. The film festival is in full swing, the interactive festival just ended and the music is just starting. Basically Austin is the place to be this week! I have dreamed of attending SXSW for about 10 years. I first acknowledged how awesome the festival is after I read an article about John Stamos attending with a film, and I do love him from the Uncle Jesse years. During the fall I started researching the process for receiving press credentials so I could cover the festival for the WIP. Now it’s March and I’m here! I’ve heard that SXSW is a week-long party with great films and awesome shows, and my first day at the festival was straight up bananas!

The festival started on Friday, but I didn’t arrive until yesterday as I was busy driving from my home in the Bay Area to Austin. I stopped along the way in Palm Springs; baseball’s spring training in Phoenix, Arizona; and the jewel of east Texas, Marfa. Each day brought a new adventure and lots of time in the car. Once I arrived in Austin I was exhausted and exhilarated!

• The director and cast of Win Win. •

I wanted to make sure I saw a film last night, so I picked a screening in the largest theater just to be safe. The Paramount seats 1,200 people so I easily secured a seat to see Win Win. The film stars Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan as a married couple who befriend a troubled teen who happens to be a wrestling prodigy. To further complicate the interpersonal relationships, Giamatti takes over the kid’s grandfather’s guardianship under shady circumstances. During Sundance I had the chance to see Win Win, but just wasn’t that enthused. The description in the film guide just didn’t grab me despite Director Tom McCarthy's impressive resume (The Visitor and The Station Agent). Having low expectations is sometimes the best thing ever. A quarter of the way into Win Win I realized it was so good! I do love sports movies, and Win Win was well done and touching. Giamatti and Ryan (who were at the screening) had fantastic onscreen chemistry, and Alex Schaffer – who is an accomplished high school wrestler in real life – was impressive in his acting debut.

After the movie, I stopped by the Oscilloscope party for their film Bellflower as they are one of my favorite distribution companies. There were donuts served out of a vintage airstream trailer and plenty of keg beer. While munching on donuts, I watched a cricket eating contest (a reference to Bellflower). I then met up with some of my tech friends at the Zenga (as in the Farmville creator) party. The venue was huge, the crowd was the enthused, the well drinks were free, and TV on the Radio was playing on stage. The party Farmville money can buy! Around 1 a.m. I realized that I was too tired to keep dancing and headed back to the hotel to rest before day 2.

It happens every day, and with alarming frequency. Adolescent suicide is a serious problem in every country. In the United States, teen suicide is the third leading cause of death among teenagers. A U.S. survey found that almost one in five high school students had seriously considered attempting suicide, and more than one in six had already made plans to commit suicide.

Several environmental and social situations can have an impact on adolescents' health. Among those situations are the following: extreme poverty; an unfavorable family situation; factors related to employment possibilities and those that result from a clash between the new life values acquired by the youth and traditional family values.

When adolescents do not adapt to new and challenging situations, they may develop or manifest mental and psychological disturbances that can lead to serious psychiatric problems, such as depression, that may end up in suicide.

Suicide is a tragic but potentially preventable public health problem. In the case of adolescents, they may be prone to "suicide contagion," where the exposure to suicide or suicidal behavior within one family, one's peer group or through media reports of suicide can result in an increase in suicide and suicidal behavior. It is estimated that there may be between eight and 25 attempted suicides for every suicide death.

Although there are no tests to identify those that are going to commit suicide, there are risks factors that should be taken into consideration by parents, friends and teachers. Among those risk factors are the following: a previous history of depression, a family history of psychiatric disorders (particularly depression or suicidal behavior), family disruption, a history of physical or sexual abuse, alcohol and drug abuse, and poor self-esteem.

There are some signals that may alert that adolescents may be attempting to commit suicide. These clear danger signals include sudden changes in behavior, withdrawal from friends, suicide threats, increased irritability and self-destructive behavior, school difficulties or failure, and giving away treasured possessions. Suicidal comments by adolescents should never be considered unimportant.

Parents and educators should be always aware of the psychological needs of adolescents, since their peculiar behavior may indicate that they are going through a difficult period in their lives. They should create conditions (in the family, in the school and in the community) that will adequately respond to the emotional needs of young people.

Suicide-prevention programs should be carefully planned, tested and monitored to make sure they are safe, effective, and worth the effort and the cost of implementing them. Parents and teachers should be aware of danger signals in adolescents, and take appropriate measures when they appear. Schools should increase the number of trained counselors, and teachers should be trained in spotting emotional distress among their students.

The World Health Organization has developed four basic steps as suicide prevention guidelines: limiting accessibility to the means of suicide such as pesticides, toxic drugs and guns; treating mental illness; enhancing social support networks and changing social norms.

They should be complemented by health promotion campaigns focused on mental health and suicide prevention. Through combined efforts it is possible to lower the impact of this most serious threat to adolescents' lives.

Dr. Cesar Chelala is an international public health consultant and the author of "Adolescents' Health in the Americas."

As the mentally ill Libyan dictator takes over one by one the rebellious cities and massacres their freedom-loving residents, I wonder, will the world let him finish his job and reinstate his reign by large-scale terror? Why not impose what the opposition is asking for - a no-fly zone?

Of course, the rebels also made a mistake. They waited for too long before making their plea. Now, they are learning the hard way that having the moral superiority does not guarantee military success, while having an air force does. Anyway. Now, what is the so-called free world intending to do?

I am disgusted by the hypocrisy of politicians of different countries who keep talking about how UN Security Council must approve the no-fly zone, knowing very well that Russia and China would impose their veto. I am saddened by the Americans' abdication from their (purely moral) duty as the world's sole democratic superpower. And I am outraged by the Europeans' inclination just to watch as a genocide is carried out next door, as they did in Srebrenica years ago.

Why don't we, citizens of democratic countries, press our governments towards military action to save the Libyans?

Clad in matching lycra outfits, these titans of vertical cycling are hill conquerors in the mold of local Cochise Rodriguez (of Tour de France fame). Sometimes you can spot them on the flats, but these guys crave the burn and subsequent release of grinding their way up the steep slopes of the hills going out of Medellín and cruising back down in a quarter of the time. Yesterday I found a pack of semi-weekend warriors headed to Caldas and tagged along for the ride.

The city of Caldas is about 20 miles from Medellín, on a windy mountain road. It’s a gradual climb for about 45 minutes with a couple big hills. But the main traffic and buses that whisk around corners are few and infrequent on Sundays. I’d previously been to Caldas to purchase furniture and ceramics for the hostel, but as every trip by car, you end up missing the details of the journey, especially the sights and sounds.

Caldas’ main square was moving at half-speed as the whole town lazily enjoyed a Sunday afternoon. And it was then that I saw him: Moustachioed wrinkled face, as well worn as the cowboy hat he was wearing, a freshly washed pancho slung over his shoulder and a big gold belt buckle catching the suns’ rays. This man was the OG Paisa. He was flanked by an entourage of similar-looking gentlemen with freshly ironed shirts, nice boots and panchos, but his moustache, hat, and demeanor demonstrated that he was the true leader of the pack.

As locals sauntered by, he quipped small jokes about women and the weather and the afternoon seemed to roll on, with every man over the age of forty-five dropping by OG Paisa’s bench. Backing up the whole scene was a troupe of local musicians, cranking out one classic after another and dueling with a duet of indigenous women singing ‘musica folklorica.’ The whole scene was indicative of many of the smaller towns outside of Medellín, but the accessibility by bike is what made it such a great experience to take in; that and the OG Paisa, who I may have to talk to the next time I’m there.

-Miles

“Young women consider feminism passé and believe the fight for equality is over,” The Nation columnist, Katha Pollitt told a packed auditorium of Stanford University students – mostly women – on February 23, 2011. “After all, today the majority of undergraduates – and PhDs – are women, and women’s studies programs continue to flourish on college campuses.”

Pollitt, who was invited by Stanford’s Clayman Institute for Gender Research to kick off its 2011 Jing Lyman Lecture Series, confirmed that women hold jobs today that were unthinkable 40 years ago, including serving on the Supreme Court.

“Women are surging forward. It’s about brains not brawn. Today, a smart, energetic woman believes she can blast her way through just about any obstacle,” Pollitt continued. “And, for the most part, women no longer have to worry about reproductive rights. Plus, birth control has vastly improved so abortions are fewer.”

“The world is more congenial toward women than men,” Pollitt affirmed, and cited examples. Whereas men held the majority of jobs in manufacturing and construction, colleges today are producing women with superior business acumen, more energy and ambition, better verbal skills and a stubborn optimism. Once the bastion of men, women are also formidable negotiators. Women thrive under meritocracy. Moreover, women are less likely to become alcoholics and drug addicts, and commit crimes,” Pollitt chortled.

“However the fight isn’t over,” Pollitt exhorted the audience. “Don’t render feminism obsolete.”

First, women are still paid less than men in just about every field.

“Despite the fact that more men than women lost their jobs early on in the latest recession, they still want to control women whether they’re bringing home the bacon or not,” Pollitt contends. “Men aren’t pitching in at home. In the U.S. a mere 150,000 men are stay-at-home dads compared to 5 million women homemakers.

Even before babies are born the dye is still cast for women. “Women with children and a profession are perceived to be less committed to their jobs, while men who are fathers experience virtually no discrimination,” says Pollitt. “The world is still run as if women are at the world’s disposal.”

Violence and sexual discrimination also still plague women, from physical assault to hate-filled comments and death threats on women’s blog posts.

Bonita Banducci, adjunct professor at Santa Clara University teaches a course to graduate engineering students on gender competencies and communication, and concurs with Pollitt’s perspective on verbally violent in response to women blogging or commenting on the Internet.

“If the subject matter on the Internet is by, about, and for women, vitriolic comments will often drive women to curtail their engagements,” Banducci says. Moreover, contends Banducci, “We still lack women’s voices in the media; we’re not creating enough, varied role models.”

Not only are far fewer women being published in mainstream media, the media still promotes gender propaganda and unhealthy female images. “Anorexia is at an all time high,” Pollitt tells the young women in the audience.

Finally, Pollitt challenged the complacency of young women everywhere. “As a woman, if the world was at your disposal how would you run it? Will you transform society into an equal one?”

Wrinkles have taken over her face now, especially when she smiles the folds gather around her mouth giving away a feeling of warmth and affection. While her frail body have refused for her to move around much now but her hands constantly rise up in prayers for her grandchildren, for her family and for all the human beings. That is why she isn’t called Jiji (granny) just by her family but everyone who knows her calls her Jiji.

Jiji belongs to a small village called Mehon Khan Khoso outside of Johi Tehsil in District Dadu, Sindh, surrounded by her family of about 28 members with countless little children who are always gathered around her, listening to her stories from long ago, stories that belong to her own childhood which according to Jiji was the time when Sindh flourished with endless beauties. When problems seemed to be the last thing to arrive and where, summer, winter, autumn and spring were seasons of celebration.

In those times of great cultural empowerment and merriments Jiji with her family lived a content life working on landlords lands that surrounded their village.

“When I was a little child merely 8, I used to follow around my mother to make sure I do as she says”….Jiji explains. “All those days when I did the smallest of chores I saw my mother running around from dawn to dusk doing hundreds of tasks”….. Jiji stops for a second as if contemplating on her words and says: “I used to wonder why anyone doesn’t ever praise her for her abilities because to me she had hundreds”.

Jiji took after her mother’s abilities and like all the girls in her community she was married off in a very small age to a family who was a hundred times larger than hers and where she like her mother ran around whole day to fulfill her duty of being a woman.

This wasn’t new for Jiji, her fate was like thousands of other girls or perhaps more, who too followed the circle of deprivations not only in decisions that affected their lives but even in eating their daily meals ….because like all families Jiji and the other woman of the house were supposed to eat after all the men in the family ate. And that was perfectly normal for her.

Jiji soon had her own children, time went by and Sindh began to change, a box called TV was seen speaking in each house and people began to talk about health, education, electricity and other essentials, but of course not yet for women and girls because when you listened close they were talking about “schools for boys”.

“One day my husband came home and informed me where he wants our girl to be married”, shares Jiji, this also was perfectly normal for me as my decisions had too been made by my father and not by my mother”.

Marrying her girls off, soon her sons brought home brides and it wasn’t long when little stars began to shine in the surroundings of her home, laughter of little children started to ring through the walls and little feet began dancing in the house premises….these were the years when Jiji began to lose her strength as old age dawned on her, her struggles began to lessen and all that she usually did, was taken up by her daughter-in-laws….while life went on.

But when Jiji’s grandchildren started on their feet, then is when the usual circle of her life was shifted, rather “twisted” from a side when Jiji decided to send her granddaughters to school, combing their golden brown hair each morning, Jiji started to make her own history.

Right in this time of Jiji’s life when it moved like a wheel set on speed, on the 16th of August 2010 Pakistan Floods broke in the district of Dadu, things changed from all aspects. In the matter of hours their whole village residents fled out of Johi as gusts of water climbed on top of the brick houses, breaking through the tall meadows taking the whole area in sea-like waves. The family traveled on already stuffed vans to a long distance in camps of Johi.

“I had never in my whole life seen so many people at move”, shares Jiji “People were running around, clutching their loved ones, some even lost and many women without shoes and dupattas”.

Hot weather, lack of clean drinking water, non availability of adequate food and most of all the suffocating conditions of camps led Jiji to a poor health condition, soon the color in her smiling face drained out and her body already weak from age became almost unable to move.

In 2 months when waters receded, Jiji and her family moved back to her village which had become a sight of complete disorder and the once lively atmosphere had vanished leaving behind fallen walls, washed out belongings and broken tree stems.

That is the time when the team of Participatory Development Initiatives (PDI) with the support of Oxfam arrived for the aid of Jiji’s family along with 8,000 other families in Dadu providing recovery support as well as regeneration of the lost lifestyles by providing cash for work, Clean up campaigns, Winter Kits, Hygiene Kits, establishing latrines and laundry spaces, repairing water sources (hand pumps) and providing cash grants of 12,000 rupees to 3000 families.

Eventually clean-up campaigns began in Jiji’s village in which women, men, boys and girls took part, filling the pits and holes, cleaning the veranda’s, placing dry dirt on clay packed earth, throwing away washed in waste and putting away scattered bricks from fallen walls. Hygiene sessions were carried on, demonstrations on washing up and cleaning up of self were done, sessions on brushing teeth, cleaning nails and keeping the cloths clean were carried out before distributing the kits. People were selected out to be provided 12,000 rupees of cash grants and the construction of toilets and laundry spaces soon began while hand pumps were repaired.

PDI team kept on with all these activities in about 50 villages in Dadu district, keeping the routine visits going where mobilization and other activities were under process.

On their recent visit to her family, Jiji amazed the PDI team by asking if PDI could re-construct the schools so her grandchildren can start on their education once again…..and may this have been Jiji’s blessings or the great luck of those little girls in Dadu that PDI and Oxfam have recently launched their Education Rehabilitation Program to improve the primary education especially girl education conditions in Dadu as well as to re-habilitate a number of schools starting from February 2011!

Sharing this to Jiji was like answering her most needed questions and while she is as happy as others in her community, PDI looks forward to this initiative as a successful endeavor for the lives of little girls and their educational empowerment.

Jiji turned 85 this year; each year that passes steals away some of the strength in her body but her affection still glows far across that village where she lives and today as the world celebrates women’s day in various forms, we at PDI send our heartiest wishes for Jiji and all those women like her who choose to make a dent in the universe, may that be any size: Happy Women’s Day Jiji!

The great number of Afghan women who commit self-immolation (burning oneself to death) is one of the most tragic responses to gender violence in that country. Aside from the horror of dying, surviving this act makes its victims unfit for a normal life. They are often permanently maimed, disfigured, and shunned by their communities. Unless present laws regarding the protection of women are fully implemented, the consequences of gender violence will continue to exact a punishing effect on Afghan women’s lives.

Self-immolation seems to be the only response available to women who want to escape domestic abuse, forced marriage and other misogynistic social customs. Although many Afghans –including some religious leaders- reinforce these social customs based on their interpretation of Islam, these practices are inconsistent with Sharia law as well as with Afghan and international law since they violate women’s basic human rights.

Reliable national statistics on this phenomenon are not available, since many families cover up these acts because of shame. At the same time, lack of good medical care and adequate government services means that such events are never officially recorded. According to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), 106 cases of self-immolation were registered in 2006, 184 cases in 2007 and it is feared that the phenomenon has continued to grow.

What makes the situation even more troublesome is that the police and judiciary do not conduct any formal investigations to determine the causes of suicide and self-burning by women, according to the AIHRC. “There is a culture of impunity for those who push women to self-immolation and suicide,” remarks Homa Sultani, a researcher on women’s rights at the AIHRC.

Women’s self-immolation in Afghanistan is a reflection of their disadvantaged situation in the social and health areas. Some statistics are telling: 87 percent of Afghan women are illiterate, more than one in three women experience physical, psychological or sexual violence, and 70 to 80 percent of women face forced marriages.

Some people feel that marriage in Afghanistan is, in some cases, like a form of sale in which women are traded to solve family disputes or strengthen family bonds. In this context, forced marriages with under age girls often occur in defiance of national law, which stipulates that women must be 16 to be eligible. Some girls are married off to men who are as much as five times their age.

The majority of Afghan women are victims of mental and sexual violence, which compels them to commit suicide or engage in drug abuse. Most of the recorded cases occur in Afghanistan main cities, while those that occur in rural areas remain unrecorded.

There is a way to lower these tragic incidents. In August 2009, the Afghan Government enacted the Law on Elimination of Violence against Women (EVAW), which criminalizes many harmful traditional practices. However, although the passing of that law was a significant achievement, the Human Rights, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA HR) found that law enforcement authorities are often unwilling or unable to apply laws that protect women’s rights. Such inaction is one of the main factors that allow these practices to continue.

What is urgently needed is for the Government of Afghanistan to create the conditions for the full implementation of the EVAW law. As the UNAMA HR has indicated, “Convictions under the EVAW law can result in deterring perpetrators of violence against women.” At the same time, Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai should indicate that respect for women’s rights is at the core of the government’s human rights policy.

Dr. Cesar Chelala, an international public health consultant, is a co-winner of an Overseas Press Club of America award.

Angeleno friends: Go and see a fresh and physical adaptation of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues featuring a diverse cross section of LA's finest female talent from film, TV, commercials and theater.

The Vagina Monologues will have a limited run of benefit performances at the Lyric Hyperion Theater in Silver Lake this March 5th, 12th and 19th to raise funds to end violence against women and celebrate 100 years of International Women’s Day (March 8th).

Produced and directed by Annie Saunders, The Lyric Hyperion shows will raise awareness and funds for the City of Joy, and for the Los Angeles branch of Break the Cycle.

The New York Times has called The Vagina Monologues "probably the most important piece of political theater of the last decade"

WHEN:
Saturday 5th March 8pm Saturday 12th March 8pm Saturday 19th March 8pm
TICKETS:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/155961
$15

Ronel Thelusmond is the director of the technical division of the National Institute for the Application of Agrarian Reform (INARA), which is part of the Haitian Ministry of Agriculture. Extreme concentration of land, giving little to no access to the 60-80% of the population who are farmers, is one of Haiti’s primary challenges. In part II of an interview, Ronel speaks to the barriers and opportunities of agrarian reform. (See also “Haiti Needs a Social Policy for Housing.”)

• Redistributing Haiti's highly concentrated land is essential for the sustenance of agriculture and of farmers. Photo: Ben Depp.•

We’re also supposed to reinforce unity among peasants and define the minimum and maximum amounts of land a person should own. But INARA has never had the necessary means to be able to conduct agrarian reform.

Recent History of Agrarian Reform

[In his first term], President Aristide issued the decree to create INARA. But it was President Préval [during his first term] who took the first action toward agrarian reform in the Artibonite Valley, in 1999 through 2001.

That experience was a modest success, with close to 6,000 families in the Artibonite getting a total of 5,000 carreaux [15,938 acres] of redistributed land. The Artibonite has between 30,000 and 40,000 carreaux [95,629 and 127,506 acres] total. They gave each peasant half a carreaux [1.6 acres], which came out of the holdings of large landowners and also the state. The goal was to see to it that the peasants could earn an income higher than the minimum wage.

The land each family got was practically nothing, but it was the compromise solution given land pressures and the number of people who were demanding land at the time.
But people weren’t made the owners of those small plots. They didn’t get titles to the land, only given a usufruct contract [the right to use the land and own all products from it] with the state. And this made the situation very fragile. It meant that people couldn’t appeal to the justice system. Then other challenges arose, like a blight called black straw which affected rice, plus hurricanes, and droughts and floods.

With time, the government expected to create non-agricultural activity which would allow for more employment in other areas, thus decreasing the pressure put on the land. The hope was that people would come and bring investment and create jobs and transformation. Unfortunately, those complementary measures never took place.

After the [2004] coup d’état which removed Aristide, Latortue came in as Prime Minister and gave land reform the coup de grâce. He disapproved of the reforms which had been taking place in the Artibonite, so [large landowners] started taking land away from the peasants. And that’s when the peasants began to fight back again. In fact, the conflict continues to rage in the Artibonite.

I can tell you that close to 40% of the people who’ve been given land by the government in the Artibonite have had their land outright stolen from them. And unfortunately, up to this point, no concrete actions have been taken to see to it that the government’s authority is respected.

Then came the second administration of President Préval. He came in with a discourse of reconciliation, a mentality of bringing back peace in society, so the land-related problems were set aside. They didn’t deal with them.

Today, INARA has a program with the Inter-American Development Bank to remove obstructions on 28,000 carreaux [89,254 acres] in the Artibonite so peasants currently working that land are legally protected. We have other, smaller programs underway around the country.

Challenges to Land Reform

When we talk about land security, there are three issues we have to take up, with serious problems at each level: Which land are we talking about? What rights do people have to this land? And which people have these rights?

Take the last question. Thirty to thirty-five percent of the population don’t have birth certificates. If people can’t be identified, they can’t establish what relation or rights they have to a plot of land. And as for determining the [boundaries and owners of the] property itself: the documents and titles are non-functional. Furthermore, people don’t have the resources for the extremely high costs of the procedures. The government has failed to create the necessary conditions which would allow people to own the proper title to their land.

All the work is proceeding slowly because the first thing you need for a true agrarian reform is political will. But the political trajectory which is being followed so far is a neoliberal policy, which is more oriented towards private property than state-owned property. For example, we’re seeing more interest in pushing the people towards free-trade zones than towards the land.

Despite all the talk about it, they haven’t even passed an agrarian reform law. The government is playing the role of observer more than really supporting people.

Then we’re talking about a whole group of government institutions which are involved in land matters but that don’t have much of a relationship with each other. Each one is doing something different. So if INARA is only providing plots of land, but the other players aren’t playing their parts, we still won’t get results.

And we can’t fail to take into account the broader political and economic context. Agrarian reform doesn’t just have to do with the land, it has to do with water, credit, technical assistance.

And take people who come from rural areas and go looking for work in the city. The ideal way [to reverse this] would be for the government to create agricultural sources of employment. I mean creating a master plan, mechanisms that would allow people in the countryside to earn money, creating schools and programs which encourage people to leave Port-au-Prince. Unfortunately, there are more people coming into Port-au-Prince than going out.

In summary, for agrarian reform to work, it has to be part of a bigger package of reforms and a broader comprehensive economic development policy. At this time, we don’t have any such plan.

Beyond that, we can’t talk about agrarian reform if we don’t confront the problem of environmental degradation. We can’t talk about agrarian reform if we don’t deal with issues of social injustice, the problem of inequality.

Land Reform and Food Sovereignty

One proposal would be for the government itself to take charge of land in conflict, which means they would do all transactions to allow for a gradual transition of the land. The State is the only party that can take the appropriate measures to put a stop to today’s land insecurity.

If the state doesn’t fulfill its responsibilities, then violence is what comes next. That’s when peasants take matters into their own hands to use force to defend what they have. And if we want to create a society in which the rule of law is respected, we have to allow the institutions whose purpose is to defend people’s rights to play their role.

The only thing that’s going to move the country towards policies that respond to people’s needs is a popular movement. That is, for the peasants who work the land to organize themselves to pressure the government to take responsibility, to play its role as arbiter.

I would say that agrarian reform and food sovereignty have to be pillars in a plan for national reconstruction. People have to be able to eat, and the people who work the land have to be supported. When food is imported, it causes competition with peasants who’re producing food. Look at the problem of rice: the nation certainly has the capacity to produce rice, to be self-sufficient as a rice producer, but rice is freely entering the country without being taxed. This as an illegal exchange, a form of dumping. And that’s what we need to avoid.

If we want to fight against poverty and misery, we need to start by changing our orientation so we, as the Haitian people, take responsibility for our country’s own development.

Thanks to Larousse Charlot for transcribing this interview, David Schmidt for translating it, and Tory Field for helping edit it. Many thanks to Ben Depp for his generosity in sharing his photographs.

Beverly Bell has worked with Haitian social movements for over 30 years. She is also author of the book Walking on Fire: Haitian Women's Stories of Survival and Resistance. She coordinates Other Worlds, which promotes social and economic alternatives. She is also associate fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies.