So this is my preseason preview 2010. I’m sending it out after the first preseason games, but really most of it was written before that. As a result, there are plenty of inaccuracies or things that I didn’t mention in my preview (injuries for instance, or any serious preseason breakouts will probably not be there [...]

In this series I’ve attempted to present a critique of the theory and practice of human rights work, even against the common minimalist defense presented by Michael Ignatieff. I’ve argued that even a worker who defends their work on the grounds of “solely providing food to people who need it, and what could be wrong [...]

All this leads to the final section of this series: the role of governments in universal human rights. In point of fact both international organizations and the communities they serve have to accept the relationships they have with the states involved. The hypothetical aid worker I began this essay with fits into a system where [...]

Linked to foisting what I’m referring to as “culture” upon local populations in the name of human rights is the breaking of “tradition.” What I mean by tradition are the standard practices of the people aid workers come to help. Talal Asad notes that “most human rights theorists don’t address seriously enough the thought that [...]

My first argument is that a set of cultural values is sold under the auspices of human rights aid. Language, food, and broader features (such as television, sports, etc.) all are presented as part of the package that leads to “getting human rights.” I’ve outlined already how human rights aid is almost exclusively provided in [...]

I believe that many of the problems of “universal human rights” are sufficiently evident to approach the issue from a somewhat different angle. Talal Asad’s argument that the supposedly “universal” notion of human rights comes out of “natural law in Latin Christendom,” or the arguments over what exactly constitutes “universal human rights” (health care? property? [...]

Istanbul: a city of dilemmas Baher Ibrahim 21 February 2010 in Travel ISTANBUL: Misconceptions of Turkey make it seem like a backward society where women cannot walk around uncovered, mixing between sexes is forbidden and alcohol is unavailable. Good, this isn’t clichéd at all. Incidentally, misconceptions most places tend to be “far from the truth”  [...]

So… the crushing Bears defeat is meaning that these picks may become more and more … ummm… lazily done, especially if the Bulls turn out to be the best team of all time (I’m writing this on the heels of their demolition of the Spurs at home on opening night) Houston (-3.5) over BILLS: This [...]