Monthly Archives: August 2011

Political Graffiti (152): Anarchy

(source) More on riots. More political graffiti.

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Human Rights Maps (146): Income Inequality

(source) Well, it’s not really a map, or not really a real map, but I found it telling. And this is what the “map” looks like when we use some actual figures about U.S. corporate profits and compensation (but a … Continue reading

Posted in economics, human rights maps, poverty | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Human Rights Ads (67): Child Marriage

(source) More on child marriage here. More human rights ads here.

Posted in activism, culture, human rights ads | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Self-Defeating Human Rights Policies (6): The Social Effects of Incarceration

(source) [T]he effects of [the] change in the imprisonment rate [in the U.S.] … have been concentrated among those most likely to form fragile families: poor and minority men with little schooling. Imprisonment diminishes the earnings of adult men, compromises their … Continue reading

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Political Graffiti (151): Love and Peace Riot

(source, by Banksy) More Banksy. More political graffiti.

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Racism (20): Racial Discrimination in Marijuana Arrests

Marijuana use by black residents of Washington DC is only slightly higher than among white residents. Given that blacks are slightly more numerous in DC than whites, we should – if criminal justice were fair – also see only slightly … Continue reading

Posted in data, law, racism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Ironic Human Rights Violations (10): Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, Surveillé

(source, source) More on CCTV and privacy. More ironic human rights violations.

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Human Rights Nonsense (29): The Link Between Porn and Terrorism

(source) Pornography is not a necessary cause of terrorism. The abolition of pornography would not lead to the cessation of terrorism in the world. Terrorism existed well before graphic pornography and its mass spread via the internet. Likewise, pornography is … Continue reading

Posted in human rights nonsense, international relations, terror, war | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Terrorism and Human Rights (32): What is Torture?

(source) This question has to be answered, and not just because answering it is intellectually satisfying. Those who engage or want to engage in torture are constantly trying to redefine the word downwards. Nobody wants to be a torturer, but … Continue reading

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When Human Rights Leave a Bad Taste in Your Mouth, Ctd.

(source) Following up on a previous post, here’s one additional example of things human rights defenders normally reject but still feel forced to accept as the better one of two terrible options: in some cases, life in prison seems to … Continue reading

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