Tag Archives: Human Rights
When terrorism was a women’s issue
Remember when your grandmother told you about her time with the Suffragettes, the women campaigning for voting rights in early 20th-century Britain? But they did not only pass out pamphlets, give speeches and sit around knitting and drinking tea. No, some of … Continue reading
Easily confused (52) Hungarian fences
Hungarian fence in 1989: Helping economic migrants who want to buy better cars and bananas – good. Hungarian fence in 2015: Helping genuine refugees from war-ravaged countries who risk their lives to survive – bad. And just because it rhymes: Hungarian dance
Romania celebrates Same-Sex Marriage
That was quick: On 26 June 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that states must allow same-sex couples to get married. Still on 26 June 2015, responding with their usual speed, efficiency and compassion, all Romanian municipalities and government agencies declared their … Continue reading
When the US Supreme Court sounds like a cheesy romance novel
Justice Anthony Kennedy’s final passage in the majority opinion for the US Supreme Court in Obergefell v Hodges, in which the Court mandated all 50 US states to allow same-sex marriage. A bit too cheesy for my taste, but I welcome … Continue reading
Charlie Hebdo
“Je suis Charlie” – “I am Charlie” – we could read on many Facebook and Twitter profiles after the attack on the French satirical newspaper. That was cheap and maybe a bit presumptuous, even though it was of course intended as a show of … Continue reading
Top 10 Ethical Travel Destinations? I doubt that.
I don’t know why people need lists with suggestions for travel destinations. Do people really sit at home without any idea and wait for “the top 10 travel destinations in 2015”, “the most underrated travel destinations this year” and “the … Continue reading
The Revolutions of 1989
1989, those were the times! With each broadcast of the evening news, the world changed so quickly that most people already lost track back then. Now, 25 years later, only a vague recollection of falling walls, fired shots and popping champagne … Continue reading
Welcome to Serbia!
At the airport in Belgrade, I spotted this poster. That shows a welcoming culture! Two weeks later, it had been removed however.
Europe, still divided
Twenty-five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain, Europe has grown together. Countries which didn’t even exist as independent states back then are now member states of EU and NATO. The European Union reaches all the … Continue reading
Nobel Peace Prize 2014 for Liu Xiaobo
My suggestion for the Nobel Peace Prize 2014: Liu Xiaobo, the Chinese writer and human rights activist. Yes, I know that Liu Xiaobo already won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 and it would be the first time that one person … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 