Showing posts with label Human Rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Human Rights. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Between the Veterans and the Rookies

Looking for a unique group of covers played by some top performers?

Check out War Child Presents Heroes, compiled as a benefit for the human rights group War Child International.

The nonprofit's mission is "to advance the cause of peace through investing hope in the lives of children caught up in the horrors of war."

According to the organization's founders,
Children are amongst the first casualties of any armed conflict, always the most vulnerable and innocent of victims. In the last decade alone 1.5 million children have died in wars. Four million have been disabled and a further 10 million traumatised.

The severe psychological wounds that war inflicts on children can scar them for life, crippling the very generations that must one day rebuild their devastated countries. For the future peace of the world we must do everything in our power to help these war children.
An important project, certainly.

Instead of the usual angle of young artists picking their favorite tracks to perform, the producers asked senior artists to select their juniors.

My favorites include Beck's stomping take on Bob Dylan's "Leopard-Skin Pillbox Hat," Franz Ferdinand's propulsive "Call Me" by Blondie, Estelle grooving through Steve Wonder's "Superstition," and The Like's charming "You Belong to Me" by Elvis Costello.

Great music for a good cause!

Friday, July 17, 2009

Equality and the Domain of Faith



Author Greta Christina examines the inherent struggles of being both an atheist and gay in the United States:
I am both an atheist and a queer. I feel like I'm one of the bridges between the two communities, and that makes me happy: I think the two movements are natural allies, and I think there should be bridges between them ...

But lately, I'm feeling like this bridge is a lot more strongly supported on one side than it is on the other. I'm feeling like the people on one side of the bridge are heartily cheering me on and welcoming me with open arms, and the people on the other side of the bridge are a whole lot more conflicted about me, with a fair number of them heartily wishing that I'd just shut up.

And I'm finding--sadly, but not entirely surprisingly--that I'm feeling more strongly identified with my new friends who are cheering me on.

I'm feeling more like an atheist than I am like a queer.
"Coming Out Atheist vs. Coming Out Gay," by Jacqueline Lavache, tackles the issues in a similar way.