"Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains."

Former Israeli Air Force Captain Yonatan Shapira reports at least two Israeli fighter pilots have reportedly deliberately missed bombing targets in Lebanon because they were concerned they were being ordered to bomb civilians. Yonatan's brother refused to serve in Lebanon earlier this week, and was sent to jail. Audio & Video here.

One of my favorite sites out there is Kevin Sites' In The HotZone. How can I explain it? The HotZone explains it best: "a nexus of backpack journalism, narrative story-telling techniques, and the Internet, designed to reach a global audience hungry for information...To cover every armed conflict in the world within one year, and in doing so to provide a clear idea of the combatants, victims, causes, and costs of each of these struggles - and their global impact. With honest, thoughtful reporting we'll strive to establish Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone as a forum for information and involvement. Users will not only learn about the scope of world conflict, but will find ways to be part of the solutions- through dialogue, debate, and avenues for action."

The videos on Kevin's site from Lebanon, Cambodia, Syria, Iran, Iraq and other places are incredible, powerful, thought-provoking and keep me glued to my computer for hours. As I watch the images and videos from the Israeli-Hizbullah conflict I feel huge pangs of guilt as the images of bodies of innocent people flicker across my eyes as I sit here on my leather couch, in my home that's intact, the dog beside me snoring, a beautiful summer day outside my window...



Married at the age of four, an Afghan girl (photo at left) was subjected to years of beatings and torture, finally escaping to discover that within all the world's cruelty, there is also some kindness.
+ Child Bride in Afghanistan

+ Kenya and South Africa are among emerging democracies that have done well in guaranteeing freedom, says a new study (Zimbabwe, Azerbaijan, Yemen, Kazakhstan and Bahrain were the five weakest performers on the anti-corruption measure. Zimbabwe was the worst performer of all 30 countries)

+ Israel and Palestinians in Gaza (Israel's destruction of Gaza’s only electrical plant needlessly punishes the civilian population and has created the potential for a serious humanitarian crisis, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch also said that Palestinian militant groups are committing a war crime by using a captured Israeli soldier as a hostage to seek the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.)

+ Early Congo election results

+ Keep on bloggin in the free world: some countries including China, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Iran censor and repress Internet users because of political, religious or cultural reasons. Read more here.


"Apathy isn't it." -- John Lennon