Dear Readers:
In just three months, Our Common Concern has welcomed hundreds of visitors to its site, hosted six great guest blogs, and highlighted Eleven Concerns on everything from companion animals in disasters to global warming.
This is quite an accomplishment indeed, especially for a brand new site like ours. But really, it's your accomplishment, not mine or anyone else's. It's you who read, posted, and commented every week. And it's you who took action for change.
I think three months is a great time to pause for reflection and to plan for what's next. Which is why, starting this week, I'll be taking a short hiatus from the blog.
But in the meantime, I'm asking you to send your thoughts on the site so far. What works, and what doesn't? What needs changing? Send in your thoughts today, or volunteer to guest post.
On behalf of all the guest bloggers and readers, thanks for sharing Our Common Concern. See you soon.
Best wishes -
Jared
Hate Crime Statistics
According to the Uniform Crime Reporting Program in 2005 law enforcement agencies reported 8,804 victims of hate crime.
"Looting" vs. "Finding"
"A young man walks through chest deep flood water after looting a grocery store in New Orleans on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005. Flood waters continue to rise in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina did extensive damage when it made landfall on Monday. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)"
"Looting" vs. "Finding"
"Two residents wade through chest-deep water after finding bread and soda from a local grocery store after Hurricane Katrina came through the area in New Orleans, Louisiana.(AFP/Getty Images/Chris Graythen)"
Imus remarks
The Rutgers basketball team speaks out at a press conference after popular radio show host Imus made racist and sexist remarks about them.
Mel Gibson
Actor and Director Mel Gibson was widely criticized following remarks in which he reportedly said Jews were "responsible for all the wars in the world."
Burma/Myanmar
Burma, a former colony of Britain, attained independence in 1948. Located west of China and east of India, it has since been ruled military dictators, and is a nation of over 47 million. The major language is Burmese and the major religion is Buddhism (CIA Factbook).
Aung San Sun Kyi
Leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Aung has largely been under house arrest since leading the NLD to an election victory in 1990. In February 2006, the military junta extended her house arrest for a year, though she has yet to be released.
Burmese Child Soldiers
By some reports Burma has as many as 70,000 child soldiers in its military, on which the ruling junta spends half its wealth.
Military Rule
The Burmese military reportedly killed up to 1,000 students in a pro-democracy rally in 1988; some have compared the massacre to the Tiananmen Square violence in China.
Zimbabwe
A nation of over 12 million in southern Africa, Zimbabwe officially claimed independence from the United Kingdom in 1980. The nation is the size of Montana and about 75% Christian; the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is nearly 25% among adults, and poverty is estimated at 80% (CIA Factbook).
Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe came to power as President in 1987, originally hailed as a symbol of anti-apartheid leadership. Over the past decade, however, he's been largely viewed as an authoritarian, corrupt figure who uses heavy-handed tactics to consolidate his power.
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
Supporters of the MDC show their trademark open palm salute during a political rally in 2005. The MDC's leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, was recently nearly beaten to death for his opposition to President Mugabe's policies.
Orphaned and Vulnerable Children
According to USAID, Zimbabwe has about 800,000 orphaned and vulnerable children, mostly as a result of HIV/AIDS. USAID has reportedly served about 105,000 of these children through its intervention program called "STRIVE".
Turkmenistan
With Iran and Afghanistan to the South and Uzbekistan to the North, Turkmenistan is a nation of over 5 million people that gained independence from the Former Soviet Union in 1991. Slightly larger than California, Turkmenistan's national language is Turkmen; 89% of its population are Sunni Muslims.
Former President-For-Life Niyazov
A gold statue of the Former President Niyazov contrasts with the extreme poverty in Turkmenistan's capital, Ashgabat, which literally means "City of Love" in Arabic.
Ashgabat
A gold palace in the capital city of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat.
Traditional Dance
Turkmenistanis participating in a traditional dance.
Akwesasne Justice Project
An Akwesasne environmental justice worker cares for Black Ash saplings. The Mohawk of Akwesasne in New York State suffered serious industrial pollution in their area, and efforts were made to re-establish the black ash tree for basket-making and supplemental income purposes.
Justice in Arizona
Residents of South Phoenix, Arizona have been fighting for their justice since 1992, when a fire at a local printing facility released toxins into the air that killed pets and sickened residents. Locals are now working to remove hazardous waste from their neighborhoods. For more, visit: http://www.west.asu.edu/PhxMetroWeb/SouthPhx2003/YSanchez/Project4.htm
March for Justice
Mexican and indigenous peoples march for environmental justice.
Environmental Justice Projects
Map by the National Institute of Environmental Health Services of their environmental justice projects nationwide. For more, visit their website: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/translat/envjust/envjust.htm
Poverty in Honduras
One of many women in Honduras living on less than $1 per day. Honduras ranks fifth among the countries with the lowest human development rates in Latin American and the Caribbean, according to the 2000 Human Development Report prepared by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Kibera, Kenya
Thousands of squatters live in these slums in Kibera, Kenya, arguably one of the poorest places in the world.
Wangari Maathai
Winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. Maathai is credited with lifting thousands of women out of poverty by starting the Green Belt Movement, through which over 30 million trees were planted. She was the first African woman to win the prize and the first to win for work on sustainable development.
The Emergency
Extreme poverty affects millions worldwide.
Hurricane Katrina
With global warming, meterologists predict more Katrinas in even greater intensity.
Glaciar Perito Moreno, Argentina
Juxtaposed images of the glacier show a rapidly retreating ice shelf. Visitors to the Park can reportedly hear the ice shelf cracking.
Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa
Once a significant source of water and rain for local peoples, the ice shelf atop Mt. Kilimanjaro has melted substantially in only a decade.
Island Nations
If sea levels rise the few feet predicted, island nations such as the Marshall Islands, Samoa, and Kiribati may vanish entirely, and Manhattan could similarly be underwater.
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