New Internationalist articles from November 2008

New Internationalist archives from November 2008

Good. You're doing the obvious thing.(Afghanistan conflict)
November 1, 2008... 'Good. You're doing the obvious thing.' said Zubra Bahman, one of the contributors to this month's New Internationalist. The 'obvious thing' in question was getting the main theme - on Afghanistan - written and illustrated by Afghans. I...

Fuel taxes.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... Nicola Liebert says that 'governments find it difficult in times of soaring oil prices to defend even existing fuel taxes' ('Why ecotaxes may not be the answer', Tax Justice, NI 416). In point of fact, when oil prices are high the case for...

Gender benders.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... In NI 415 the findings of the Sarnia Occupational Health Clinic survey are discussed and reference made to 'gender bending pollutants' and the reduced rate of male births (Keynote, Drowning in plastic). Gender is determined by the sex...

Too harsh.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... The analysis and rating in your Country Profile of Botswana (NI 415) is disappointing. You ignore major accomplishments in international diplomacy and peacekeeping. You fail to distinguish, appreciatively, in the really tremendous strides to...

Melanesia, not Polynesia.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... Re: your review of 'Dancing, dying crawling, crying' (Mixed Media, NI 415). If Tikopia is in the Solomon Islands it is in Melanesia, not Polynesia - the islands of the Western Pacific, primarily Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu...

Taking the piss.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... Marvellous, brilliant issue on toilets and their problems (We need to think about toilets, NI 414). But why choose to use the word 'pee' instead of 'piss'? You liberally scattered 'shit' about, but when you got to the liquid matter, it was...

Toilet omissions.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... The otherwise excellent issue on toilets (NI 414) made some fundamental omissions. The cursory mention of the internationally famous World Toilet Organization run by Jack Sim from Singapore, which is working on all sorts of toilet projects in...

Dr Shit.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... In your article on the great men who stand up for toilets (NI 414), you could have added Trevor Mulaudzi of South Africa, aka Dr Shit. I met him a couple of years ago and was impressed by his personality and personal story. Back in 1996, he was...

Toilet marathon.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... Thanks for highlighting the enormous problems associated with human sanitation. A friend, Frances Lee, first brought the work of the World Toilet Organization to my attention in 2005. During May this year, Fran went on an alphabet toilet...

Preserving the web.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... Your article on the Mudumulai nutrino project ('Tigers or neutrinos', NI web feature, 4 August 2008) was well presented. It is tragic to see the manner in which scientists get sucked into programmes that harm the environment. Science must seek...

The lightest touch; A reluctant Florence Nightingale, Maria Golia reaps some healing wisdom from her neighbours..(Letter from Cairo)
November 1, 2008... Among my neighbours I've acquired a reputation as an amateur doctor. I guess as an American, I'm considered effective in administering Western medicine in the same way an Italian might be expected to make a better plate of pasta than a Pole....

Afghanistan on the edge; Vanessa Baird on why it's crucial that the West listens to Afghans.(Afghanistan KEY NOTE)(Viewpoint essay)
November 1, 2008... Living on the edge is nothing new to Afghanistan. The country and its people are familiar with extremes of most kinds - geographic, political, religious. But today they are well and truly on the brink. During 2008 the conflict in...

Losing Afghans; Bush, Obama, McCain - they all think that Afghanistan needs more foreign troops. Such a policy, argues Afghan journalist Khabaryal, would be a disaster.(Afghansitan SECURITY)
November 1, 2008... There is an Afghan proverb that goes: 'The power of the people is equal to God's power.' It's a way of saying: 'Ignore people power at your peril.' It was due to this power that seven years ago the Afghans, supported by only a few thousand...

1 Roundabout of the ancient world.(A brief history of Afghanistan)
November 1, 2008... Due to its location, Afghanistan has been a hub of diverse cultures, prompting one historian to dub it the 'roundabout of the ancient world'. Those who settled included the Persians, under Darius the Great (522-486 BCE); and the Greeks, led by...

Beyond the burqa; Zhra Bahman looks at how her fellow Afghans are managing the struggle between modernity and tradition.(Afghansitan SEX & SOCIETY)
November 1, 2008... During the Taliban era, many in the liberal world saw the burqa as the symbol of Taliban oppression. Now the Taliban are ousted from power, yet the burqa remains firmly on the heads of all sorts of Afghan women. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Afghanistan the facts.(Country overview)
November 1, 2008... 1 THE BASICS PEOPLE [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Population: 22 million (est); 14 million are under 18 (1) * More than 2 million Afghans live in Iran and Pakistan * Main ethnic groups: Pashtun (45%), Tajik (25%), Hazara (10%),...

The blight of impunity: traces the progress of Afghanistan's new 'democracy'.(Viewpoint essay)
November 1, 2008... It started well. During 2003, consultations began on a new Constitution. It was drafted and approved by more than 500 people's representatives in early 2004. The Constitution stated that the men and women of Afghanistan were entitled to equal...

Theatre of justice; Hadi Ogal writes about a groundbreaking drama project in which he has been involved.(Afghanistan DEMOCRACY)(AH5787)
November 1, 2008... A group of women wearing burqas sits in a courtyard, Looking at a man on stage who is crying out for justice, peace, revenge and reconciliation. He does not know what to do, which way to choose. They are watching AH5787 - the title refers...

Hearts and minds.(Afghanistan conflict)(Survey)
November 1, 2008... It goes by the unpropitious name of WHAM - 'Winning Hearts And Minds' - and it's a key strategy in the coalition forces' war against the Taliban and other insurgents. Teams of soldiers and some civilians - called PRTs or 'provincial...

Where has the money gone?(international donors for Afghanistan)
November 1, 2008... 'At almost every conference since 9/11, international donors pledged billions of dollars to Afghanistan. We don't know what happened to that money. We don't even know if it has been paid. There is almost nothing to see for that amount of...

The opium bank.(drug traffic in Afghanistan)
November 1, 2008... Though drug trafficking is increasing insecurity in Afghanistan and involves some pretty unsavoury characters at its upper echelons, the opium poppy remains, in some respects, the perfect cash crop. Its value per weight is high and growers tend...

NGOs and campaign groups.(nongovernmental organizations)(List)
November 1, 2008... AFGHAN ORGANIZATIONS Co-operation for Peace and Unity (CPAU) works to promote peace, social justice and awareness of human rights. Their Fight for Peace project teaches women and girls to box. www.cpau.org.af Humanitarian Assistance...

Pedal power.(bicycles)
November 1, 2008... Bikes have come a long way since French carriage-maker Ernest Michaux hammered together the first modern bicycle in 1861. Whether it's a sturdy mountain bike or a streamlined racer, bikes have got a lot going for them-they may be the most...

Bamboo bikes.(Interview)
November 1, 2008... Bamboo is so tough and so plentiful it's used for construction scaffolding all aver Asia. So why not use it to build bikes? It seemed like a good idea to design maestro Craig Calfee and to the Earth Institute at Columbia University in New York...

Death camps: UN negligence is killing child refugees in Kosovo.(HUMAN RIGHTS)
November 1, 2008... 'There is no acceptable lead level for children,' announced the World Health Organization in response to the recent recall of millions of lead-painted toys made in China by Mattel, America's largest toy manufacturer. Yet the world's worst case...

Moving to militancy.(OIL)(Nigerian rebels in Niger Delta)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... The Nigerian Government will this year receive as much as $66 billion in oil revenues from the Niger Delta region. Yet the people of this region remain impoverished. The results were explained to news agency IRIN in September by rebel leader,...

Fair trade magic.(VANUATU)
November 1, 2008... Women profit from new ways of doing business [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Doing business in Vanuatu is a struggle at the best of times. But a group of illiterate women basket-weavers on one of its remote islands, with no market, no business...

Peace calling.(US ELECTION)(youths of Gaza Strip on Barack Obama)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... 'Hello! I am here, living in the Gaza Strip, in a miserable situation, and we need peace. We are a group [working to make] the US people elect Senator Obama. We think he is a man of peace, so please kindly support us by electing him.' So...

Votes for women.(RWANDA)(national parliament elections)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... For the first time ever women will outnumber men in a national parliament. The landmark results came not in Sweden (where 47 per cent of seats are held by women) or Cuba (43 per cent) but in Rwanda, where September's election results gave 44...

Money talks: China uses free trade to dominate Tibetans.(TIBET)(Lhasa Economic and Technical Development Zone)
November 1, 2008... It's official: neoliberalism is claiming the clouds. Tibet, one of the highest and most spiritual countries on Earth, now has its very own 'free trade strip' offering special economic benefits to investors who develop there. On the road leading...

True tales of a mixed-up world.(Seriously...[TM])(2008 presidential election)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... A 2008 US Election Hijinks As the US elections are almost upon us, our team is watching intently to find out who is going to be the next source of Seriously column fodder for the next four years. In the meantime, there is a rich vein of...

Gort and Klaatu's intergalactic health & safety inspectorate.(ONLY PLANET)(Cartoon)
November 1, 2008... ALL this planet's basic LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS are going into MELT-DOWN, Gort - and I can see WHY! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Take a look at these PICTURES of...

Alan Greenspan Worldbeaters taking aim at the rich and powerful.
November 1, 2008... Of course it's not possible to blame any one individual for the current meltdown of the global financial system. After all, scandal and speculation are as old as capitalism itself. Greed drives the price of everything from roses and real estate...

Everything that happens will happen today.(Mixed Media)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... by David byrne and Brian Eno (Everything that Happens, download) In 1981, David Byrne, singer and spokesperson for the Talking Heads, huddled up with Brian Eno, polymath and producer, and released My Life in the Bush of Ghosts...

In the House of Mirrors.(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... by Hector Zazou and Swara (Crammed Discs, CRAW47 CD) Hector Zazou, who recently died suddenly, was an artist falling into a category that might be defined as a composer-enabler. Yes, he composed, but a significant component of his art...

9/11 Contradictions.(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2008... by David Ray Griffin (Arris Books, ISBN 9781844370733) Seven years is perhaps too short a time to develop an historical perspective on the events of 11 September 2001. It has been, however, ample time for the criminally incompetent...

Hunger.(Movie review)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... directed and co-written by Steve McQueen (95 minutes) This is awesome, horrific and unforgettable. In 1981, Bobby Sands and other IRA prisoners went on a hunger strike. Leading up to this, hundreds went on a year-long 'dirty protest' in the...

A Certain Woman.(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2008... by Hala El Badry translated by Farouk Abdel Wahab (Arabia Books, ISBN 9781906697075) This novel, by Egyptian author Hala El Badry, first published in Arabic in 2001 and winner of the best novel prize at the Cairo International Book...

Good Dick.(Movie review)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... written and directed by Marianna Palka Glasgow film-maker Palka stars in her own, off-beat LA-based comedy as a solitary, hostile young woman with a porn addiction. When the guy in her local video shop takes a fancy to her, he has to take...

A River Called Time.(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2008... by Mia Couto translated by David Brookshaw (Serpent's Tail, ISBN 9781846686719) This is the fourth of Mozambican author Mia Couto's novels to be published in translation by the estimable Serpent's Tail, following Under the Frangipani,...

NI prize crossword 136 by AXE.(New Internationalist)
November 1, 2008... Win a copy of the latest World Guide reference book... All correct solutions received by the 25th of the cover month will be put into a draw-though only the winner will be notified. Post your entry to: NI Crossword, 55 Rectory Road, Oxford,...

BiG bad world.(Cartoon)
November 1, 2008... I- I CAN'T BEAR IT BEING OVER! WHY? WHY?! WHY DID IT HAVE TO END..?! C'MON... YOU NEED TO MOVE ON, AND FIND SOMEONE ELSE... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I DON'T WANT ANYONE ELSE-I WANT GEORGE W BUSH..! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Waiting in line.(View from Havana)(United States Interests Office in Havana)
November 1, 2008... The most nettlesome and persistent institution established in Cuba over the last five decades is the queue. From the first years of the triumph of the Revolution, when scarcity started to be a daily presence, the queue began to generate its own...

A meltdown primer: the current financial crisis is not just about greed and deregulation. Leading Asian economist Walden Bello explains.(Essay)
November 1, 2008... Is the worst over? No. There's no strategy to deal with the crisis, just tactical responses. It's like the fire department's response to a conflagration. The recent multi-billion bailouts are mainly desperate efforts to shore up confidence...

Country profile.(Saint Kitts and Nevis)(Country overview)
November 1, 2008... The St Kitts Scenic Railway circles the island's cloud-covered peak, Mount Liamuiga, carrying hordes of tourists, its schedules revolving around the near-daily influx of giant cruise ships. The railway used to transport the island's lucrative...

At a glance.(Saint Kitts and Nevis)(Country overview)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Leader: Prime Minister Denzil Douglas; head of state Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor-General Sir Cuthbert Montroville-Sebastian. Economy: GNI per capita $8,840 (Dominica $3,960, UK $40, 180). Monetary unit: Eastern...

Star ratings.(Saint Kitts and Nevis)
November 1, 2008... INCOME DISTRIBUTION * * * Tourism is providing employment and a way out of poverty for some, but majority profits are made by foreign companies and local elites, and the tourism wealth and culture gap remains largely along racial lines....

Save Yasuni!(Ecuador's rainforests)
November 1, 2008... 'The biggest issue today is climate change. By helping Yasuni, you will be helping the world.' This is the message delivered powerfully to British Ministers, MPs and government officials by Anita Rivas, mayor of Orellana in the Yasuni region....