Humanosphere

New media saves old media, Bush Radio, in Africa

Tom Paulson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:47:39 +0000

This is a cool story. And it shows that new media technologies or approaches, such as social media tools like Twitter or Facebook, can be used even in poor countries to save valuable “old media” like community radio. Source: Globalissues The advent of social media has been a welcome development for Radio Zibonele. – Davison … Continue reading →

Human rights, labor claims against Apple in China heating up

Tom Paulson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:47:22 +0000

Pressure on Apple to respond to labor and human rights abuse allegations in China appears to be increasing. In a related article, Kimberly Ann Elliott at the Center for Global Development writes about “corporate social responsibility” (CSR) as a marketing tool. Source: Change We typically don’t think about the people who make our iPhones, computers … Continue reading →

Highest levels ever of drug-resistant TB found, in Europe

Tom Paulson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:41:27 +0000

People are always surprised by this one basic fact about tuberculosis: One out of every three people on the planet are currently infected with this airborne bacterium. That’s why the problem of increasing outbreaks of drug-resistant strains of TB is so worrisome to health officials. Tuberculosis spreads a lot easier than many other diseases globally … Continue reading →

WHO rejects bigger malaria death toll reported by Seattle scientists

Tom Paulson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:11:48 +0000

There’s a history here. Seattle’s gang of health statisticians at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation routinely challenge the World Health Organization’s numbers, as they did a while ago on maternal mortality. In that case, WHO eventually had to eat crow and accept the Seattle analysis. Source: Voanews The World Health Organization disputes a … Continue reading →

Ethiopia’s human rights record poses awkward questions for donors

Tom Paulson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:11:30 +0000

The United States is a big supporter of the Ethiopian government. So are many donors and humanitarian organizations. The Guardian asks if donors, NGOs and others need to be asking Ethiopian officials some tough questions about democracy, freedom of expression and human rights. Source: Guardian UN human rights experts have expressed their dismay at what … Continue reading →

News Rounds: Global land rush to spark civil wars, dictators like Twitter’s new policy & more

Tom Paulson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:11:11 +0000

Global land grab could trigger conflict, report says (Guardian) The global rush for land in developing countries around the world could trigger a new wave of civil unrest if governments fail to recognize the rights of those using land without formal legal titles, according to new studies. Dictators like Twitter’s new censorship policy (Reporters Without … Continue reading →

Study: Malaria death toll nearly twice the official count, kills many adults

Tom Paulson — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:30:36 +0000

A new global estimate of malaria deaths by researchers in Seattle has revealed the death toll is much greater than most experts had thought — and is not, as had been universally assumed, mostly a killer of children. The study found more than 1.2 million people died from malaria in 2010, nearly twice the official … Continue reading →

Ask Bill Gates questions today – live and online

Tom Paulson — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:11:22 +0000

If you’ve ever wanted to directly ask Bill Gates a question, now’s your chance. He will be taking questions live, online at Facebook and LiveStream today at 2:15 Pacific Standard Time. At his GatesNotes blog, Bill says he hopes for: A conversation on poverty, development and other topics discussed in my 2012 annual letter. This … Continue reading →

Video: Melinda Gates describes the purpose of new visitor center

Tom Paulson — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:53:21 +0000

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Gates Foundation opens the doors, a crack, with new visitor center

Keith Seinfeld — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:30:10 +0000

If you’ve ever been past the huge new Gates Foundation campus near Seattle Center and wondered what goes on inside – your time has come. The foundation is opening up its doors, at least a little bit. This weekend, a new visitor center opens to the public. The new center is directly across the street … Continue reading →