Monthly Archives: April 2011

Human Rights Stories (16): The Pit and the Pendulum

Excerpt from The Pit and the Pendulum, by Edgar Allen Poe: I was sick — sick unto death with that long agony; and when they at length unbound me, and I was permitted to sit, I felt that my senses … Continue reading

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The Ethics of Human Rights (45): Is There A Right To Do Wrong?

(source) Absolutely, there is. People have a right to vote for incompetent politicians; to express hatred; to organize hate groups; to insult and mock people; to burn books etc. All of these things are wrong in most plausible conceptions of … Continue reading

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Human Rights Maps (132): Democracy, the Difference Between Self-Identification and Reality

First, if you doubt that democracy is a human rights issue, go here. The following map shows the countries of the world that self-identify as a democracy in green, and the tiny minority that doesn’t in red (Vatican, Saudi Arabia, … Continue reading

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Human Rights Facts (61): The Inadequacy of the U.S. Poverty Line

I’ve mentioned some of the problems with the U.S. system of poverty measurement before, but this is much more eloquent: (source, source; the “savings” requirement covers retirement and emergencies and is included because the study wanted to capture economic stability … Continue reading

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The Causes of Wealth Inequality (18): Government Backed Corporate Expropriation

(source) Consider these two commonly accepted ideas: the interests of business and government are incompatible: business wants as little government as possible, and government wants to regulate and tax business for the common good wealth or income inequality is to … Continue reading

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Human Rights Ads (61): Labor Conditions

(source) If you wonder why  labor conditions are a human rights issue, go here. More on labor conditions here. More human rights ads here.

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What is Democracy? (52): Predictability or Uncertainty?

Why would this question be even remotely interesting? Well, I can see several reasons. Maybe not in the West but elsewhere in the world democracy is often rejected because it supposedly undermines predictability and hence economic performance. A strong central … Continue reading

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Human Rights Maps (131): 9-11 and Ground Zero

Here are a few maps depicting the events of 9-11-2001. The first one shows the flight paths of the hijacked planes: (source) This next one shows the impact location in the two towers of the WTC, as well as the … Continue reading

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Iconic Images of Human Rights Violations (64): Heads Claimed by the Guillotine

(source) Some of the heads claimed by the guillotine over the years (left to right, top to bottom): Abel Pollet (1909) Canute Vromant (1909) Albert Fournier (1920) Jean Van de Bogaert (1905) Théophile Deroo (1909) Joseph Vacher (1898) Charles Swartewagher … Continue reading

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Measuring Human Rights (19): Measuring Racism

This blog contains numerous statements similar to this one: There are large and important differences between blacks and whites in nearly every facet of life – earnings, unemployment, incarceration, health, and so on. (source) We can assume that racism and … Continue reading

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