Mountains Behind Haiti’s Protests
Haitian proverb: “Dèyè mòn, genyen mòn.” (Behind mountains hide more mountains.) Haiti’s most populous cities erupted in marches, sit-ins, strikes, and barricades throughout September 2012. This revolt began with the teachers during the first week of the month. By Monday, September 10, the country’s educators were protesting, not only in Port-au-Prince, but also in Jeremie, […]
Colonialism of the Mind – Part II
Of all the campaigns to undermine Haitian culture, the one to discredit restavek adoption — in which a biological parent collaborates with a respected adult to care for a child — enjoys the most zealous support from the west’s non-governmental organizations (NGO) and alternative press. This campaign reached fever pitch after Haiti’s Prime Minister […]
Colonialism of the Mind – Part I
“Les intellectuels ont toujours été des courtisans. Ils ont toujours vécu dans le palais.” | “Intellectuals have always been courtesans. They have always lived in the palace.” – Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975) Western journalists increasingly assume the voices of subjugated countries’ natives while muzzling them by denying them access to the press. In the United […]
Data Mining: The Price to Pay for Our “Free Parking” in Cyberspace
I can hear him now: “Come one, come all. Enter my parking lot and spend as much time as you want and it is free.” So says the P.T. Barnum of cyberspace. Welcome to the biggest parking lot in the world. At one time that parking lot grew so big it threatened to eat itself. […]
The War in Afghanistan: A Monumental Waste
We have all seen the latest headlines about the war in Afghanistan. As of now more than two thousand American troops are dead. Innumerable others suffered wounds. More deaths and injuries will occur over the next weeks and months as America and the NATO forces wind down and mostly get out of the country by […]