Read the Guide: It Actually Helps

Every day I am more and more aware of the impact my lifestyle has on the environment. Thankfully, more and more resources are making my decision to be more eco-friendly a little easier. Living green has become undeniably necessary and trendy. Green is the hot new color. And it should be, because anyone who doesn’t know what global warming is must be living under a rock.

National Geographic created a user-friendly and convenient Web site for the eco-friendly citizen that is based on its magazine, The Green Guide. On the top tool bar the user finds clearly-marked navigation tools: Home, Current Issue, Tips & Tools, Green Home, Archives, Subscriber Services and Search. Oddly enough, the site is green.

I found the July/August issue to be both helpful for the concerned housewife and exciting for the trailblazing hipster. The Green Guide provides articles on “How To Talk To Your Children About Global Warming” and “Grass Roots: Easy Organic Lawn Care,” which are useful for families. For the younger audience, there was a great article on rock music’s support for the green movement. The Green Home is an entire section that teaches homeowners how to become eco-friendly.

The Green Guide’s Tips & Tools provides advice I use daily: the correct organic brands to buy, an A-Z list of eco-friendly consumer products, product reports, weekly tips, and a question-and-answer section. If all guidebooks were as helpful as this one, I’d never skip reading the instructions.

Israel aids Sudanese Refugees

Israel, a country beset with plenty of its own problems, has been troubled by incoming Sudanese refugees. The Israeli government announced Sunday that 498 refugees from the Darfur region who crossed into the country illegally through Egypt, will be allowed to stay. While this gesture demonstrates Israel’s contribution toward the crisis in Darfur, the country remains determined to deport all other African refugees. Like the Sudanese refugees, many come to Israel from dangerous parts of Africa via the Egyptian Sinai. Not only does the Israeli government want all other African refugees out, it wants them out quickly.  Prime Minister Enud Olmert met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak early this summer to establish a policy of ‘hot return’ under which illegal refugees are deported quickly across the Sinai border.

The Jerusalem Post quoted Olmert in a talk with ministers as saying, “I hope that people who cross into Israel illegally are not given permission by the courts to stay. Most of those arriving are migrant workers and we all know what the social implications would be if we allowed such people and their children to remain.”

However, the United Nations wants to ensure that deported refugees will not be endangered by being sent home. Representatives from Israel’s Interior and Defense Ministries will consult with representatives from the UN High Commission on Refugees before enacting deportations. We’ll see if policy and action work together to meet the desired ends

The Jerusaleum Post Story:

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411468301&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

     

The Christian Science Monitor:  Darfur Conflict Spills Into Chad

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0925/p06s02-woaf.html

  

The Washington Post: Nomads Describe Persecution in Chad

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/23/AR2007092301178.html

 

The Refugee Crisis

More than 200,000 people have been killed in a holocaust that has lasted four years in Darfur, a region in Western Sudan. Militant Arab nomads known as the janjaweed are responsible for the recurring genocide, which has displaced 2.5 million people. What’s worse is that the Sudanese government is accused of initially supporting the janjaweed. Despite peacekeeping efforts by United Nations and African Union forces, the genocide continues. The United Nations Human Rights Council reported today that there has been little improvement in Sudan during recent months.

            Israel is beset with killings and suicide bombings as Arabs and Israelis continue a century-old struggle over religious sovereignty and territories including Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank.  Religious extremist groups, such as the Palestinian Hamas, continue to take desperate actions killing dozens on a far-too-regular basis.

            The death toll in Iraq continues to climb, affecting not only the Middle East but the United States and many European countries as soldiers continue to die.

             

            In addition to the sheer horror felt by the fact that genocide and war are occurring at this very moment, one must also consider the political and economic implications on other countries. Victims fleeing the various war-torn regions have created a refugee crisis that impacts many countries, regardless of whether their governments previously sought to provide aid to the countries in crisis or not.

The New York Times: UN Rights Experts: No Progress in Darfur

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-UN-Darfur-Rights.html

Times Topics: Iraq

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/iraq/index.html?8qa

Information on the Darfur Genocide:

www.darfurgenocide.org/ 

Save Darfur:

www.savedarfur.org/  BBC Country Profile: Israel and Palestine Territorieshttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/country_profiles/803257.stm

Forum Connects the Country Folk

The Forum of Deerfield, N.H. recently received honorable mention for citizen media from the Knight-Batten foundation. Since its inception two years ago, the Web site has become a major news source for a rural area with no previous news source. While the site’s design is not captivating, it is undoubtedly useful for its residents.  The site provides helpful information on local happenings for locals in a clear, concise and easy-to-follow manner. The left-hand column has sections categorized by news, perspectives, ACES, milestones, Deerfield fair, sections and picture gallery. News is broken down into business, youth and geographical area- Candia, Deerfield, Northwood and Nottingham. On the left, there are ads, and in the center, front page news, which is also offered in an RSS feed.

But what really impressed me was the perspectives section. Perspectives allows rural users to form a virtual community by discussing a myriad of issues and opinions- and they definitely do. The section is divided into voices, editorials, opinions, letters, picks & opinions and poll results. The site’s users comment frequently and often on random topics. The unrelated and highly enthusiastic comments were highly enjoyable as a reader, despite my distanced location. Picks is the only time the moderators actually step in and post the top five hits of the week. Even on this portion of the site, users are allowed to comment, supposedly on the picks of the week. But, like the other perspectives sections, the picks’ opinions come at random and in bulk.

http://www.forumhome.org/

How should we remember 9/11 victims?

I woke this morning, Sept. 11, 2007, and asked myself if there was anything left to say or write about what happened six years. I thought of a friend who is turning 22 today and wondered if the day was still bitter or if some of the shadows cast over his birthday have drifted away. Knowing that the national media would be able to find something to write about, I began to sift through various online news sites. New York Times writer Klein asked in his headline “As 9/11 Draws Near, a Debate Rises: How Much Tribute is Enough?” I found the article too impersonal and dry for an issue that is sensitive to so many.   (To its credit, the Times also carried its usual well-produced and informative multimedia pieces on the topic of September 11).

However, CNN responded to the Times’s question with a video showing the viewer if other Americans thought the amount of tribute was enough.  CNN took viewers straight to the emotions, opinions and thoughts of others like themselves. Regardless of the reader’s opinion on the appropriate level of tribute, CNN created a sentimental video showing how survivors around the globe are honoring loved ones lost. The video was well-done without being over-done.

In addition to addressing the tribute question, CNN, in true journalistic fashion, told readers why today is different than 9/11 anniversaries past. This year, firefighters that recovered the dead on 9/11 will read the victims names for the first time.  The image this story created in my mind after reading tugged at my heartstrings, no joke. This was a huge improvement over the Times photo of a woman hugging her deceased son’s picture. Yes, it is sad. But it’s played out. I’ve seen a similar image tens, if not hundreds, of like photos.

 

See The New York Times Story.

Edgie Awards right on: The Post’s City Guide allows readers to take in the best the District has to offer

This summer, I was one of the many summer interns who hopped on the red metro line commuting to work in Washington D.C. Every morning as I entered the metro, latte in hand, I was grateful for the worker that handed me a copy of The Washington Post Express.  On Thursday afternoons, I received an E-mail from Daily Candy describing new hot spots and events for the upcoming weekend. When I needed a hairstylist or some great pad thai, I checked yelp.com for reviews on local businesses.  Little did I know The Washington Post offers its own easy-to-navigate and reliable online city guide.  The guide, along with many other areas of thewashingtonpost.com, received a Digital Edge Award from the Newspaper Association of America in 2007. The Post’s city guide details events and businesses in the District and includes everything from restaurants and bars to shows and museums.  For visitors, there’s advice on “plan-ahead attractions” and a great interactive guide to the National Mall.

But the best thing about The Post’s city guide is “From the Gurus,” cleverly written blogs that offer insight on entertainment and dining in Washington D.C. Like most blogs, “From the Guru’s” allows user commentary so the audience can use readers’ ratings’ to determine whether or not the guru is for real. “Comings and Goings” helps readers ensure they don’t miss events and exhibitions opening and closing that month. “Free and Easy” is published every Monday to give readers, well, free and easy entertainment options for the upcoming week. The Web site has an RSS option, allowing users to electronically personalize the city guide. City living can often be overwhelming and expensive, and The Post’s gurus do their best to make the District enjoyable for residents and visitors.