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President Obama Should Act Fast on Cuba
Several years ago, during my first visit to Cuba to attend a health-related meeting I was witness to an unusual event. As friends and I walked into the Bodeguita del Medio, a traditional restaurant famous because of the number of illustrious visitors who had dined there over the years, a young Cuban man was discretely asked to leave. Seeing my friends and myself and realizing we were not Cuban, he began ranting against the restrictions placed on Cubans by their government. “I have the money to spend here,” he told us. “But they prefer to have foreigners eat here. I...More
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Add to NewsvineMy voice will not reside in my chest… It's a cry that will reach the furthest of the world
We were returning from university talking with my friends about International Women's Day in last year and in years before, we wondered what should we do this year. On our way before we reach Vali-e-Asr intersection we saw a young girl maybe a high school girl. Three surly women wearing chador and two bearded men with guns were surrounding her like hyenas surrounding their bait. They were harassing her and the poor innocent girl was horrified; her eyes looking for help. She was quiet at first but talking with her eyes she asked: what have I done? What have I...More
Violence against Women: A Hidden Pandemic
That violence against women is considered accepted behavior in many countries does not diminish its seriousness or its negative impact on the physical and mental health of women worldwide. Its persistence throughout the world — despite other obvious social measures of progress — indicates the need to confront it with more effective policies. Some studies conducted in the United States reveal that each year approximately 4 million women are physically attacked by their husbands or partners. In every country where reliable studies have been conducted, statistics show that between 10% and 50% of women report that they have been physically...More
Whiteboard Report: Take to the Streets
Before becoming a school teacher, I was not a fan of the public school K-12 system. I did not enjoy this system as a child, and my disillusionment only worsened as I grew older, culminating with my leaving the 10th grade and attending junior college full time instead. I adored junior college, loved my classes, tried my hardest, got good grades, and completed an Associates degree by 18. As far as I could tell, high school was just some terrible lie that adults told adolescents in order to make them suffer unnecessarily. I felt I missed nothing by opting out...More
2010 Academy Awards
Tonight the 2010 Academy Awards are announced! Some of my favorite films that I reviewed for The WIP are in contention. I'm so excited to see if An Education, The Cove, or Burma VJ wins an Oscar! The Documentary Features category is so competitive, but I'm rooting for The Cove! In anticipation of the Oscars, I will be on KRXA AM 540 tomorrow at 5 p.m. PST talking about the Academy Awards and my favorite films of 2009! If you don't live on the Central Coast, you can listen online!...More
Whiteboard Report: The Act of Giving Human Traits to Non-Living Objects
I'm still mulling over this issue of how the government can evaluate teacher performance from afar because, like it or not, this is the direction we are moving. My student assessments are based on a panacea of techniques that I am constantly developing and improvising depending on my students and the varying levels of their needs. Sometimes my assessment is based on an particular academic task: i.e. one of my students just turned in a paper that uses all complete sentences, when previously she had been unable to do so. Sometimes my assessment will be based on something much simpler,...More
Consequences Of The War
The recent article by Melissa Hahn on Veteran Suicides really touched a nerve in me. Like the Edwin Starr song says, War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing, nothing rings more true now. This situation is really unfortunate. I really feel for these soldiers and his families. I pray that God in his infinite mercies will comfort and compensate them for their loss. It is really a shame to lose another life, this time not in combat but in a self inflicted suicide death. I remember when the decision was made for America to go to war, I was...More
Challenges of Providing Water and Sanitation in Modern Urban and Suburban Settings
The rapid urbanization if our planet, which began in the 19th century, is one of the most notable changes in modern times. While in 1950, 29% of the population lived in cities, that figure is estimated now in 50% and by 2030 that proportion will be 61%. In Africa, urbanization has followed a similar trend: it experienced a rapid shift from 15% in 1950 to 41 percent now. It is estimated that by 2030 54% of the population in that continent will be living in cities. Not only are more people living in cities but the cities themselves are becoming...More
Whiteboard Report: Someone Who Cares
Recently a teacher friend of mine made an interesting point. All of this talk about "bad teachers", she said, about getting rid of the "bad teachers", as if this will solve the problem and enable all of our students to learn. In every profession, she pointed out, there are people who aren't very good at their jobs. We have bad contractors, bad police officers, bad taxi drivers, bad doctors -- but the nation doesn't get all worked up about those. But a few bad teachers, and it's suddenly a national crisis. Shoot, we even have bad Presidents. You'll never have...More
Killer Whales Shouldn't be in Captivity
I have always been against animals in circuses, in amusement parks and any other place where they are held captive and made to perform. More often than not, they are exploited and abused in order to keep the show going so the owners can reap the profits. Jason Hribal wrote a compelling article on killer whales in amusement parks in this week’s edition of the online counterpunch.org, in which he describes the history of these animals in the captivity of these parks. He also describes the nature of killer whales – they live in a matriarchal society in their natural...More
Lawyers' Misconduct Demands Inquiry
The recent statement by the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility that the lawyers who wrote the so called “torture memos” exercised “poor judgment” in writing legal opinions related to the use of torture techniques is a disservice to justice. It is a topic that should be properly addressed by a serious inquiry to establish if there were any violations of the law. According to the Justice Department’s ethics watchdog, lawyers John Yoo and Jay Bybee wrote opinions on the subject that “contained significant flaws.” In addition, investigators found that Yoo had “violated his duty to exercise independent legal judgment...More
Whiteboard Report: Teacher Assessment
Today, a news headline in my inbox reads: Rhode Island District Superintendent To Fire Entire Staff At Underperformed High School. According to the article, this high school is the lowest performing in the State, and their test results have continued to drop too many years in a row. The teachers have refused to adopt the changes mandated by government program improvement, and so the Superintendent must choose the only other option given by No Child Left Behind legislation, and fire them all. Next I read an article by Melinda French Gates, published in the Washington Post. Ms. Gates seems to...More
Bulgaria imprisons foreigners, including mothers with children
In the parts of the world that pretend to be civilized, strict laws are imposed to define who is locked in prison and for how long. Unfortunately, even these countries often practice arbitrary and indefinitely long detention, as long as the building where detainees are kept is not called prison. This includes orphanages, psychiatric wards, "care homes" for the disabled and - this will be my subject now - facilities for "temporary accommodation" of refugees and illegal immigrants. I recently described one such facility in Bulgaria in my blog post "Prison by any other name": http://mayas-corner.blogspot.com/ 2010/02/prison-by-any-other-name.html I advise you,...More
How a Simple Procedure is Saving Thousands of Lives
A simple procedure is saving thousands of lives. Although it has been known for many years it has not been not widely used. This approach shows how sometimes simple ideas which respond to real needs can have a dramatic impact on people’s lives and health. The rationale behind the development of this procedure was based on the several steps doctors have to follow when treating people in intensive care units, also known as “critical care”. It is estimated that, on a given day, some ninety thousand people are in intensive care, almost five million a year. During a typical stay...More
Join The WIP for Our 3rd Anniversary & International Women's Day Celebration!
The Women's International Perspective and The Women’s Fund of Monterey County, in association with the MIIS National Association of Women MBAs, invite you to our International Women's Day Celebration: "Women and Leadership: The 30% Solution." Monday, March 8th 2010 5:30 pm | Informational Fair and Reception Browse local organizations' informational tables. Enjoy appetizers, drinks, and music. 6:30 pm | Keynote Speaker and Panel Discussion Linda Tarr-Whelan, Demos Distinguished Senior Fellow, President Clinton’s ambassador to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, and author of Women Lead The Way: Your Guide to Stepping Up to Leadership and Changing the World...More
Ending the Civil War in the Senate
President Obama's State of the Union description of the Cantor/McConnell Republican Faction of NO as "playing short term politics" and failing to display “leadership” was an understatement. The Faction of NO poses a profound threat to the United States. They, like their nineteenth century confederate counterparts, have seceded from constitutional government and declared a civil war. On Main Street that war is waged with racist hate speech spectacles. In the media it advances from the mouths of Limbaugh and Beck. In the Senate of the United States the Faction of NO’s civil war is waged with Rule 22 that establishes...More
Whiteboard Report: Interview with Mr. Klein
Recently, I spoke with an educator who is employed at a high school under "government improvement" -- this is what happens to a school when their student scores fail to improve on the yearly STAR assessment exams. I've talked with teachers who work at these "failing" schools and actually drive door to door during testing time, rounding up kids and dragging them in so that the school can meet the mandatory quota for student participation. And once the kids get there, well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out exactly how hard they try. This educator likened the...More
Why Education is Healthy
by Dr. Cesar Chelala (New York) and Dr. Manuel Peña (Lima, Peru) Poverty cannot be defined solely in terms of lack of income. A person, a family, even a nation is not deemed poor only because of low economic resources. Little or no access to health services, lack of access to safe water and adequate nutrition, illiteracy or low educational level and a distorted perception of rights and needs are also essential components of poverty. Poverty is one of the most influential factors for ill health, and ill health — in a vicious cycle — can lead to poverty. Education...More
The Impact of Rapid Urbanization on Health
Movements of people whether from rural to urban areas or from one country to another often alter the characteristic epidemiological disease profile, and at the same time new diseases appear or old ones reemerge. Such is the case of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, yellow fever, dengue, and Lyme disease. For example, large-scale migrations to Costa Rica in the 1980s, stemming from conflicts in other Central American countries, produced a palpable increase--especially along border areas--in the prevalence of malaria and other infectious and parasitic diseases. At the same time, urbanization is associated with changes in diet and exercise that increase the prevalence of...More
Those American Missionaries in Haiti
I have been very curious about those American missionaries who are currently locked up in a Haitian prison for allegedly trying to kidnap 33 children from that country, and take them to the Dominican Republic. It is said that everything is the fault of the leader Laura, and that the other nine didn't know that she didn't have the proper paperwork. Supposedly, they blindly followed her. Did they think it was possible to just go into a poor and devastated country, round up a bunch of children and take them across the border? I believe Laura does bear the major...More
Whiteboard Report: Schools that Work
As the re-haul of the tragically misguided No Child Left Behind fiasco begins -- or begins, at least, in theory -- I increasingly hear the words "Our educational system IS NOT WORKING" being bandied about by politicians and theorists across the country. This has given me pause for thought. Since first being tossed into the public school educational ring at the vulnerable age of five-years-old, I have been pondering this question in one form or another. What am I doing here? Why am I doing this? What does this all mean? I still don't know the answer, but it...More
Sundance 2010 Comes to an End: What I Saw and What I Missed
This year’s Sundance Film Festival officially ended yesterday. The winners were announced on Saturday night, final screenings were held, and then everyone left town until January 2011. At this year’s festival I saw 14 films. Not too shabby, but I would have like to see more. I’ve long given up trying to see every film, and each year I carefully plan out my days to see as many films as possible (scheduling over five each day is impossible, and three is more realistic). So, here are the top ten films I wish I would have seen. 1. Howl 2. happythankyoumoreplease...More
Urban Migration: Searching for a Better Life
In 2008, the world reached an important milestone: For the first time in history more than half of its human population - 3.3 billion people - were living in urban areas. By 2030, their number is expected to swell to almost five billion. Many of the new urbanites will be poor and their future will depend, to a large extent, on decisions made now. Rapid urbanization is related in part to population growth and also to migration--both domestic and external--that many countries are experiencing. Frequently, the causes are rural poverty, the search for better social and employment opportunities, or flight...More
Is There a Future for Haiti
“Did you see this?” My colleague asked me in a hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, in 2005. Regrettably, I had seen it. She was referring to a dead child covered by a sheet, flies buzzing around the corpse, seemingly abandoned in a hospital hallway. For days afterwards that sight was a recurring nightmare for me. It also was proof of the already desperate state of Haiti’s hospitals. I went to Haiti twice, first in 1993 as head of a UN mission to determine the effects of the UN embargo on the population, and again in 2005 to assess the Pan...More
Las Lágrimas de Haiti
¿Has visto esto? me preguntó mi colega Mariela Cánepa en un hospital en Port-au-Prince, la capital de Haití, en el 2005. Lamentablemente, lo había visto. Se refería a un niño muerto cubierto por una sábana, mientras las moscas zumbaban alrededor del cadáver, al parecer abandonado en un pasillo del hospital. Durante los días posteriores a la visita, esa imagen fue una pesadilla recurrente para mí. También fue una prueba de la situación ya desesperada de los hospitales en este injustamente castigado país. Fui a Haití en dos oportunidades. La primero en 1993 como jefe de una misión de las Naciones...More
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