Need jewelry? Indulge yourself without feeling the guilt by going to Annabelle’s Jewelry and Accessories. Annabelle’s is featuring beaded necklaces and bracelets from Envision Kenya, a non-profit committed to expanding educational opportunities in Kenya. 85% of your purchase will go toward funding tuition scholarships for underprivileged children in Kenya.

Envision Kenya was founded by Michigan alumna […]

With news that U.S. commanders in Iraq plan to free more than half of the 23,000 detainees held by American forces, this begs the question, just who are we fighting in Iraq, citizens who view us as unjust occupiers, or Al Qaeda?

The New York Times has an excellent read about the general sentiments of the Chinese youth towards Tibet. In essence, these youth are mostly establishment supporting patriots with an unwavering sense of pride in their government. For the most part, their concerns with Tibet range from nonchalance to outrage against the western media for their […]

Good Magazine has an interview with the oft-forgotten prime minister (in exile) of Tibet, Samdhong Rinpoche.
(HT: Matthew Yglesias)

The New York Times published a world briefing today noting that the United States was cutting it’s embassy staff in half over a long standing dispute with Belarus.
The rift between the Bush Administration and Belarus began from the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko, in which most independent sources stated that the election did not meet […]

Vaclav Havel in The Guardian argues:
“Unless these conditions are fulfilled, the International Olympic Committee should seriously reconsider whether holding this summer’s Olympic games in a country that includes a peaceful graveyard remains a good idea.”
Te-ping Chen links to a graphic photo gallery from Tibet.
Two hundred protesters demonstrate outside the Chinese embassy in Vienna.
The Economist […]

You may remember the atrocity that was the Libyan imprisonment of 6 foreign medical workers accused of giving patients AIDS. While their release was excellent news, there is even more good news from this case. Nature is now reporting (subscription only) a significant improvement in the health of the hundreds of children accidentally infected […]

From The Economist 
If you’re looking for one of the few media outlets with an official press pass into Lhasa, keep up to date with The Economist’s coverage. From the article:
Your correspondent, the only foreign journalist with official permission to be in Lhasa (which was applied for and granted well before the unrest erupted) is still […]

With much welcomed news about the release of human rights lawyer Teng Biao in China on Saturday, I really cannot ascertain as to what effects the Olympics had on creating a more open China. In theory, the Olympics were a tool to focus the spotlight on a nation notorious for civil rights crackdowns. With such […]

Every month, Amnesty International asks for you to take action on specific human rights cases to improve the condition of those imprisoned for no other reason than expressing their personal beliefs in a peaceful manner.
Directly from their website, these month’s cases are:
RWANDA
François-Xavier Byuma
Long-standing human rights defender Francois-Xavier Byuma was sentenced to 19 years’ imprisonment on […]