Tolerance

Hungarian Protesters Force Votes

- Nikki Slabbert

After weeks of protesting following a leaked tape which contained a confession by Hungarian Prime Minister, Ferenc Gyurcsany, Hungarian protesters will have the opportunity to express themselves at the ballots. Sunday’s local elections will give the Hungarians a chance to vote for the Prime Minsiter, who was elected in April, or the opposition leader, Viktor Orban.

Protests are expected to continue into their second week, but perhaps will less ferver than before. The opposition party, Fidesz, claims that more than 50 percent of the vote will mean the current government will be ousted. Fidesz has not identified with the protestors after violent clashes last week. The protestors themselves are not aligned with any political group, and there is much dissent among the group, leading to criticism and an uncertainty about the outcome of the ballot. With protests more peaceful, the people of Hungary are looking forward to Sunday’s vote as a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

Wikipedia says no to censoring

- Adam Clare 2 Comments

wikipedia logoWikipedia, that great resource for all sorts of information, is refusing to censor itself to gain an audience in China. The site was censored by China in October of last year because it has bad things to say about the country according to the Chinese leadership.

The founder of Wikipedia has “challenged other internet companies, including Google, to justify their claim that they could do more good than harm by co-operating with Beijing.”

“We’re really unclear why we would be [banned],’ Wales told The Observer. ‘We have internal rules about neutrality and deleting personal attacks and things like this. We’re far from being a haven for dissidents or a protest site. So our view is that the block is in error and should be removed, but we shall see.'”

Help Darfur

- Adam Clare 1 Comment

blue hat dudeDarfur is a region in trouble. For years there have been killings and other tragedies. Obviously this is not good news at all – in fact it’s the opposite of good news. Today’s good news about Darfur comes from people wanting to help the region through action. Show your support online by wearing a blue hat!

The Global Day for Darfurwas originally conceived by a group of NGOs who were concerned about the international communityÂ’s slow response to the crisis in Darfur. ItÂ’s truly global: the day will see peaceful demonstrations, rallies, marches, exhibitions and concerts in cities around
the world including Abuja, Addis Ababa, Berlin, Cairo, Hong Kong, Khartoum,
Kigali, London, Melbourne, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Toronto, Paris and
Vancouver.

Socially Conscious Capitalism

- Adam Clare 2 Comments

The WorldWatch Institute is running an article that asks Is Capitalism Growing More Socially Conscious? It looks like yes, the case is that capitalism is showing a little heart. Corporate Social Responsibility is gaining influence in investment firms and Fortune 500 companies.

I know that this isn’t great news, but as far as I’m concerned, capitalism caring for people is hugely symbolic. I hope that this trend continues.

“The growth of CSR among major corporations has been spurred by a parallel development in social consciousness among investment firms. In April, the United Nations launched its new Principles for Responsible Investment, a series of guidelines on how to integrate environmental, social, and corporate governance issues into the financial industry. As of August 1, the diverse signatories to the Principles together controlled more than $5 trillion in assets. This enormous quantity of money, expected to grow as the initiative wins new adherents, will make SRI central to the practices of the financial investment industry.”

ER for Violence Prevention

- Adam Clare

CIIAN LogoThe Canadian International Institute of Applied Negotiation (CIIAN) has create a new fast-reacting Early Response Unit (ERU). Essentially the ERU takes a holistic approach to analyzing potential conflicts to look for solutions before violence breaks out. This is a really good idea. They follow the thinking that even a little bit of prevention can go a long way to preventing conflict.

CIIAN’s President and the Director of the ER Unit, Dr. Ben Hoffman, states “I believe the new ER Unit is greatly needed in our world of increasingly volatile environments. Ethnic and religious strife, land occupations, labor strikes, dysfunctional workplaces, and troubled schools can become violent unless timely action is taken. We have the expertise to recognize early warning signs that these environments may become violent and the experience to deliver an appropriate response aimed at prevention and stabilization.”

Thanks, Evan!

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