I remember the local bus stations, the restaurants I dined at and, more vividly, the faces of generous and easy-going people I had crossed paths with. What I don’t remember are the scenes of carnage, the decapitated heads and Mexican armed forces patrolling the streets in diesel-belching vehicles.

It was the end of Spring Break, in 2008, when I had crossed the Texas-Mexico border on foot at three in the morning. The streets were desolate and quiet except for the faint banter of taxi drivers trying to hustle lone travelers like myself. One guy offered me a lift to the consulate for my tourist visa, even though it was still closed, for an above-average rate. I declined. Another guy offered me hookers. I declined that as well. As seedy as that sounds, it was actually a peaceful time along the border. Nowadays, those taxi drivers are probably not faring too well, because no one wants to be out and about when the Zetas, Sinaloa and other drug cartels are splattering the streets with blood in the most gruesome fashion.

Photo by Michael Mira. Bridge connecting Brownsville, Texas and Matamoros, Mexico.

When the first major outbreaks of violence erupted along the Mexico-U.S. border, they were generally limited to certain hot spots, or stomping grounds of different drug cartel factions, but after an arson attack at a casino last August, in Monterrey–a city which hosts many large companies and a relatively low crime rate–the illusion of safety was shattered.

It also doesn’t help that corruption is rampant within the government, both local and federal levels. According to a report by the BBC, about 1,000 police officers in the state of Veracruz failed lie-detector tests. The average salary of men in uniform below the border are lower than their counterparts in the United States, making it enticing to bite money baits by criminal organizations. The government has also been criticized for plumping up the facts when it came to the statistics it used in victory declarations, claiming that most casualties in armed scrimmages with the cartels are criminals when the sobering figures actually show that civilians also make up a good percentage of casualties. They’re trying to show the citizens and, more importantly, the United States, that their war against the cartels is effective.

My friends and fellow writers in Reynosa tell me a different story, or rather the same old story: it’s still pretty bad over there.

This is not to take anything away from the armed forces of Mexico. I commend those who truly fight for their beautiful country’s future and resist corruption, but they are outgunned and outfunded by the various cartels, and this makes it more difficult for them to do their job. There have been major victories, such as the arrest of Jose Antonio Torres, an affiliate of the Sinaloa, and the capture of Louis Jesus Sarabia Ramon, a leader of the deadly Zetas cartel. But just as with the Taliban, when one leader goes down, another is appointed replacement almost immediately. The other problem with arresting leaders is that this creates a vacuum within the organization and thus can spark a power struggle, which of course will lead to more violence.

No. This is not the Mexico I remember. It has only been three years since I’ve stepped foot on to Mexican soil, but the changes have been drastic. I remember the taco vendor near the Matamoros park. My stomach and taste palette praised him like a god. I remember the hardworking man who gave me coins for a bus fare because I didn’t have Mexican pesos yet; giving me, an American from the suburbs, his hard-earned money with a smile, just because it was the decent thing to do for a stranger. I remember the bartender in Barrio Antiguo who lavished me with stories and enough salsa to send me to gastronomy heaven. That’s the Mexico I remember—the kind, tough, lively people who are unfairly caught between the bullets.

The United States government to shift their plans for their elite units in Paktika Province, Afghanistan, to play a bigger role. They want to lower down its combat role in Afghanistan a year earlier than expected relies on shifting responsibility to Special Operations forces that hunt insurgent leaders and train local troops.

This news is according to senior officials and military officers from the Pentagon. The US armed forces could remain in Afghanistan after the NATO mission ends in late 2014. This plan was already approved by the president Obama. He also sent 32,000 more troops in Afghanistan last week.

American conventional forces will be the first to leave, while thousands of American Special Operations forces remain, making up an increasing percentage of the troops on the ground. The number of troops to be assigned in Afghanistan will relatively grow in the months to come.

Officials and military planners from the Pentagon say the new plan for Afghanistan is not a direct action to the deteriorating conditions in Iraq. The planned shift could give Mr. Obama a political shield against attacks from his Republican rivals in the presidential race who have already begun criticizing him for moving too fast to extract troops from Afghanistan.

The officials from the White House confirmed in broad terms the shift to a Special Operations mission, and said a formal announcement on the future of the mission was expected at the May summit meeting of NATO leaders in Chicago.

Currently, the U.S. has around 90,000 troops in Afghanistan, with 22,000 of them expected to leave by this fall. No schedule has been set for the pace of withdrawal for the 68,000 American troops who will remain in Afghanistan. Some administration officials are advocating for Mr. Obama to order another reduction by the summer of 2013.

“The worst drought in 60 years has thrown some 13 million people across the Horn of Africa into crisis. In Somalia, ravaged by two decades of conflict, the consequences have been disastrous. We ask if aid in this region of the world has become politicised? And has Washington’s pre-occupation with terrorism in the Horn of Africa contributed to the deadly consequences of this disaster?”

-Al Jazeera English

Photo courtesy of David Axe.

The answer to the first question is, “Duh.”

Aid work in Africa has been tied to politics since the first time outside governments decided to step in. I think the grassroots Christian groups and other non-profit organizations (like Doctors Without Borders) do a better job at maintaining aid. OK, so there are some bible-thumping on the part of the Christian groups and the other NPOs tend to lean left, but this does not affect the fact that they are helping out in practical terms. When it’s a government involve, not just Washington in this example, the rice and anti-malaria kits come with diplomats. Famine should never be used as a pawn in a political chess game. The only benefit of a government body bringing aid is that they are backed up by millions of tax payer money and logistical resources.

Now, this goes deeper than that. In the book “Dead Aid”, which I read a while back and is a book worth checking out at your local library, the author, economist Dambisa Moyo, states that aid actually harms Africa more than it helps them. What you get (and this is obvious) is a system of dependence. Dependence on outsiders is what set Africa back to begin with, like colonialism for instance, in which they had no choice but to depend on their European colonizers. You see, food is politics. Famine is one of the best ways to gain power over a region politically.

On to the second question. Pirates, Muslim militants and warlords have been conducting a bloody orgy in the Horn for some time now. It doesn’t help that western-made guns end up there either. The U.S., I think, still remembers the Blackhawk incident in Somalia. But if top officials are found in the Horn, the U.S. will go there and destroy them. And it has been conducting operations there, even if just intelligence gathering.

So, what you have now is an imbalance of priorities. Do we go after terrorists or aid the civilians? There are really no one-way options here. It’s like a branch with an intricate set of twigs protruding out. You can’t have access to the civilians without dealing with the political elements of the country. In this case, before you can even bring aid you need to do some politicizing, which may contradict with my first argument, but in this circumstance you have no choice but to give in to the push-pull mechanism of political bargaining.

The West is good at setting up sanctions and that may work well for countries like Iran and North Korea, because they’re major players in the global stage, but a nation in the Horn won’t flinch a nerve over threats of sanction. To them this is nothing new. When was the last time anyone had truly done anything in Africa that affected the region? Oh, right, Libya. But when it comes to sub-Saharan Africa, it’s as if these government suits show a kind of guilt. Oh dear, we made a mess of that continent. Let’s just throw them money from afar. Stepping into a sub-Saharan African country is like stepping back into your own crime scene.

Quelling terrorism anywhere is an important priority, but the local governments in that area need to step their game up as well. American/NATO operations are still in Af-Pak. We don’t need another front. We just pulled our troops out of Iraq; Let’s give them a rest. Washington should focus more on humanitarian efforts (with as less politics involved if possible) and diplomatic missions than military actions. This can be done by taking a more regulatory role, in that making sure aid money and supplies actually get into the hands of civilians and the non-profit organizations already working there. The U.S. and the EU needs to make sure that medicine and canned foods don’t end up being filtered through local governments and are used for their personal profit. Helping with economic programs might also work. Tell the local government to either get with the program or face a larger crisis. If aid—medical, food and educational—isn’t put to use properly, the country could sink deeper into a death pit. The links between terrorism and poverty has been well-studied in developing countries. I’d rather see people being fed than being blown up in a guerrilla war between western forces and militants.

Philippines is one of the countries in Southeast Asia that is amazingly blessed with rich natural resources. White sand beaches, crystal clear lagoons, virgin forests that houses endangered species of various animals and even the recently claimed as one the 7 wonders of world Puerto Princessa Underground River can be found in the country. These natural wonders are more than enough to lure tourists to visit the country.

That’s why when reports came out that the country’s Department of Tourism (DOT) has been promoting the Philippines as the best destination for broken hearted or divorcees to move on with their lives, a lot of eyebrows were raised disapproving the marketing scheme.

“The Department of Tourism is treading on dangerous waters. Marketing the Philippines as a destination for divorcees is practically synonymous to marketing the Philippines as a destination for sex tourists,” says Luz Ilagan, a representative of a Filipino women’s group Gabriela.

“How exactly does the tourism department envision its role in promoting our country? You cannot promote the country as a place to comfort and console the broken hearted without bringing in Filipino women in the equation,” Ilagan added.

All of these started when DOT’s Assistant Secretary Domingo Ramon Enerio III was quoted saying that among the targeted markets of the country’s tourism are those running away from domestic turmoil. “If we can be a wedding or honeymoon destination, we can also become a destination for those in search of personal fulfillment, including those… in flight from domestic turmoil,” Enerio said.

Gabriela strongly disagrees with Enerio’s point of view as they are much concerned on the protection of Filipinas who have become victims of the sex industry. Ilagan challenged the department to rethink its strategies as this divorcee marketing highlights their role in the perpetuation of sex tourism in our country.

Chris Bech once visited the country as a tourist. He married a Filipina and settled in the Philippines for good. He stayed not only because his wife is living here but he just fell in love with the country’s beautiful beaches. Chris Bech now promotes the Samar Islands and has been encouraging his fellow expats to stay in the country for a comfortable retirement. He is just one of those tourists who were encouraged to stay and invest simply because of the country’s natural resources and not because of the presence of its beautiful women.

On Friday, the U.S. embassy in Harare voiced its concern over the failings of Zimbabwe’s police in reducing political violence in the country. Though it recognized the efforts of police officers, prosecutors and other court officials who have worked hard in eradicating corruption and crime, the U.S. embassy is becoming more worried about the officials who exercise political bias.

On September 23, four individuals were allegedly beaten to death by police officers after they were transported from their village by private security guards. There have also been reports by human rights groups that local activists are being harassed and targeted by officers, such as leaders of the group Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA). Extortion and intimidation tactics by politically aligned gangs also seem to be prevalent in Harare.

All of these reports and allegations have caused a stir within the U.S. embassy, who emphasized that such level of corruption will only perpetuate further violence in the country.

The Government of Zimbabwe has made a pledge to uphold and protect human rights and, to show its commitment, it is to appear before the Human Rights Council’s Universal Period Review on October 13. The U.S. embassy states that it wishes for the government to fulfill these promises and show more effort in exercising human rights principles.

I looked at the grainy photo included in the ad. A plain-looking building made only of the bare essentials stood in the dead center of the frame. A tall man wearing a pristine white button down shirt smiles at the camera and behind him is a small rag-tag army of schoolchildren. Most are smiling, some look bored and one is picking his nose with intense concentration. I sent a reply to the advertisement. I told him that I wanted to volunteer at his tiny, underfunded school. I’m technically not qualified to teach. I don’t have a degree in English. I don’t even have a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate—the piece of paper that says you were “professionally trained” in indoctrinating the English language upon your subjects—but I speak English and I speak it quite well when sober.

English is like the gold bar of languages: if you speak it, you can cash in your nouns, verbs, adjectives and “The cat kept clawing the car salesman from Kansas…remember, kids, you pronounce it kan-zuhs.”

The export of English is a multi-billion dollar industry. Japan alone employs more than 60,000 English teachers. There are platoons of English teachers being deployed overseas to train students in the language that will allow them to snag a good job; students like Raj in New Delhi—an IT specialist—who is getting ready to fly to Seattle to work for a software design firm. He tells me that he wouldn’t have landed the job if the recruiter didn’t have confidence in his English. Raj’s parents had hired a private English tutor for him when he was 16 . Six years later, he has almost mastered the language, although he’s still self-conscious about his accent.

Times are changing though. An American kid would probably benefit in learning Spanish and Mandarin the way an Indian student would benefit in learning English. The shifting of economic and, therefore, political tectonic plates is reshaping the landscape of international communication. Some schools in the U.S. are now teaching Mandarin along with Spanish, especially on the West Coast where there is a large and steadily-growing Asian population. It is both immigration trends and an expanding global market that is shaping the way we speak.

I asked my friend, who is a Spanish teacher at a local high school, if I have a better chance at finding a job as a Spanish instructor in the U.S. than landing a gig as an English teacher in South Korea. She told me that English is still the most desired language to be taught in schools abroad. It’s probably true. I remember we were forced to speak only English at one private high school I had attended in the Philippines. The teachers were actually instructed to write up students caught speaking the native language, Tagalog. This was an advantage for me, but I rebelled against it, because I felt that it was a totalitarian approach to teaching English. If you want to foster a habit of speaking a secondary language among students, you do so in a holistic way, not through an enforcement-and-punishment system.

But like old empires, language trends are ephemereal in nature. First it was Latin that was considered the universal language (though it was really only limited to the Roman Empire), and even Arabic made a dent in the countries the Caliphate had covered, especially in North Africa and Central Asia where the people still speak Arabic as their primary language or are fluent in it. The Philippines was ruled by Spain for over three-hundred years and I’m sure Spanish was the official language then, but how many fluent Spanish speakers do you know in the Philippines today? Besides the old folks pushing for 100 and those who have a direct lineage to Spanish heritage, it would be a accomplishment to find even a handful of Spanish wordsmiths in the archipelago.

50 years from now, I wouldn’t be surprised if the global community winds up speaking a kind of mixed language, like the ‘Singlish’ that has evolved in the linguistic lab that is Singapore. With the rise of Brazil in South America as a major economic player in the world stage, you might as well add Portuguese to your list of languages-I-want-to-learn-this-year-but-will-probably-only-end-up-learning-creepy-sexual-innuendos.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to Tanzania to trade in my nouns for some goat milk.

The ultra-secretive Catholic organization is perhaps popularly known through its fictional depiction in The Da Vinci Code, but the slavery charges that were slapped on some of its members in a Paris court, on Thursday, is definitely real. The plaintiff, Catherine Tissier, claimed that she was forced to work as a servant for no pay in return. She says that her labor consisted of cleaning and serving for 14 hours per day, every day of the week.

This recent case is the culmination of a nine-year investigation into the group’s inner-workings. The defendants in the case are high-ranking officials from a school and religious retreat near Paris. The defendants deny the allegations and claimed that the plaintiff was paid fairly.

Opus Dei is backed by the Catholic Church and has an estimated 85,000 members worldwide. The group has received much criticism from the public due to their secretive nature and is accused of conspiratorial acts. More information about the group, through their own words, can be found at their website.

When protesters stormed into the Israel Embassy in Cairo last Friday, it became increasingly obvious to the Israeli government that the few allies they have left in the Middle East are dwindling. Egypt has had good relations with Israel since they signed The Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty on March 26, 1979. The treaty was a diplomatic band-aid after the Yom Kippur War. Egypt was the first Arab nation to extend a hand to Tel Aviv, which led to them being booted out of the Arab League. The late President Anwar Sadat and Prime Minister Menachem Begin were both given the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in establishing the treaty, but Sadat was later assassinated as a result. For all the oppression Hosni Mubarak has bestowed upon his own people, he had at least maintained the peaceful relations between his country and Israel. And now he’s out the picture.

Israelis are not only worried about post-Mubarak Egypt, but the “Arab Spring” in general. There are concerns, both in Israel and in the U.S., that anti-Israeli Islamic fundamentalists will swoop in to perch themselves on newly vacant thrones. I had read a comment on a forum about how Al Qaeda, or less extreme entities like the Muslim Brotherhood, wouldn’t dare hijack the Arab revolution and so far he’s been correct, but you cannot deny that there are racist elements within some of the Middle Eastern countries. Those who are viciously anti-Israeli may be in the minority, but as we all know it only takes a minority with a great strategy to “capture hearts and minds” to put their own agenda into effect.

Take Hitler’s Nazi Party, for example. Though there were anti-Semitic feelings in Germany at the time—mostly due to the pressures of job competition in a bad economy—no one ever thought of electing a leader who believed in systematically eradicating “the problem” (Jews) in order to elevate the nation back to its glory days. But that’s what happened—though it wasn’t much of an election but more of a gradual takeover through strong-arming and political assassinations.

I wouldn’t say that this sort of thing will repeat itself (fingers crossed), and disregarding the fact that Iran’s president fantasizes about wiping Israel off the map, which may or may not mean warfare, but if the protesters throughout the Spring have one thing in common, it’s that they’re inspired by a new sense of fierce nationality. Revolutions create an overwhelming sense of unity, because you suffered through the dictatorship together and, in the end, pushed the dictator out together. Storm the palace, wave the flag, hugs and kisses all around. The war-cry is, “For the people, by the people.” And what if the majority of the people suddenly want to cut ties with Israel, or even take on a more aggressive approach towards them?

Turkey, another Tel Aviv ally, has also recently began voicing discontent over its relations with Israel, downshifting diplomatic and economic ties with the country. This all stemmed from Israel’s refusal to apologize for raiding a flotilla last year, in which eight Turks were killed. The UN said that, though excessive in force, the armed raid was legal. Turkey doesn’t care about the legality, but just wants Israel to apologize. Replace the words ‘Turkey’ and ‘Israel’ with ‘Mister’ and ‘Missus’, and it’ll sound like a marriage rapidly falling apart.

Oh, and who can forget about the Palestinian issue? The Palestinian Authority is looking to get a vote from the U.N.’s General Assembly on the possibility of statehood, specifically comprising the areas of Gaza Strip, West Bank and parts of Jerusalem. If passed, and it looks like it might, this will not officially give Palestinians their own country, but it will legitimize their fight for independence and maybe pressure Israel in withdrawing from occupied territories. China and France stated they would support the proposal. This will certainly be a milestone for the Palestinians if granted. After intifadas; suicide bombings; bloody counter-attacks by Israel; and a long track-record of broken promises, we’ve come to this point in the current chapter of the Palestinian-Israeli saga.

Last, but not least, but may also be the last of Israel’s Arab allies: Jordan. King Abdullah had recently highlighted the fact that Israel is deep in the mud and that as Jordan and the Palestinians are on the rise, so are Israel’s problems.

How can Israel mend ties and take themselves out from a vulnerable spot? Prime Minister Netanyahu can try to alleviate the problem by being more open to options presented to him by the international community. I like that he’s malleable enough to at least consider a two-state solution, but he had set so many conditions in his proposal that it makes a book contract look like a piece of flash fiction. I get that he wants the Arab states, and especially the Palestinians, to recognize Israel as the Jewish state, but Israel has to see them as equals in the peace process negotiations. What happens when you instruct two architects with two different styles to design a house, but only give one of them the majority of the power in making decisions? Probably something Gaudi-esque, but with less pizzazz and eccentric charm.

Another thing that Israel can do is start fresh with the new government in Cairo and, in this case, Egypt has to show that it truly wants to maintain its peaceful relationship with its neighbor across the Sinai Peninsula, by securing the said peninsula and making sure extremists can’t operate there. The embassy break-in was a response to the inadvertent killing of three Egyptian security officers after a firefight between Israeli forces and the terrorists who initiated the whole thing by killing eight Israelis in an attack. Weapons trafficking and the smuggling of terrorists in the Sinai have also increased since Mubarak was ousted. It is Cairo’s responsiblity to keep this happening since the Sinai Peninsula is their territory. If not, they’ll expect a swift response from Israel militarily every time a terrorist attack was traced back to Egypt, which will only strain their relations even more.

In this long, winding road to harmonious relations between Israel and the Arab states, it’s safe to say that the Arab Spring is sowing landmines along the way, even if unintentionally, despite the good things that the wave of revolutions stand for.

For the millions of Muslims in the world, Ramadan is considered to be one of the most important happenings in their lives. It is the ninth (9th) month of the Muslim Hijrah calendar which lasts 20-30 days. For the Muslims, it is the Holy Month of fasting. They refrain themselves from eating and drinking even swallowing their own saliva during daylight hours (from dawn till dusk). This thing is said to be done to teach them the value of patience, spirituality, humility and submissiveness to Allah (God).

Ramadan starts differently from the common Gregorian Calendar as it is based on the cycle of the moon. Sightings of the crescent moon would mark its official start. This year it falls in the 1st day of August. However, some countries would start it on the sighting of the crescent moon. The announcement of the start and end of the Holy Month of Fasting is made by the Darul Ifta (organization of Islamic scholars).

Aside from refraining oneself from eating and drinking, a fasting Muslim would also keep his thoughts pure, his actions desired and his words nice, kind and gentle. It should be observed in the fixed the number of days (29-30). However, in cases of sickness or the person is a journey, the number of days skipped should be made up in the succeeding days. For those Muslims who are ill or those old people who can’t sustain the long days of fasting, they have the choice of having the ‘fidyah’ which means “feeding the needy”. They have the option to feed at least two needy persons for one month.

Ramadan is also the time in the lives of the Muslims which would provide them with spiritual overhaul which would include moderation of worldly and carnal desires. It would also provide an intense whole month training of offering purification for the body and soul.

This year’s Ramadan has been more challenging to a lot of Muslims in the world because of the current crisis happening in the Islam countries like Syria, Yemen and Libya. They are all praying for their brothers and sisters to surpass their difficult times.

After a United Nations declaration officially stating two parts of Somalia in East Africa is under a state of famine, and then followed by a wave of media interest and coverage, more of the world is being informed of the dreadful condition that is unfolding in that part of the globe.

And Canadians are stepping up in helping to bring aid to our famine-stricken fellowmen. Although this urge is essentially an innate response, it is helped by the federal governments pledge to match donations within a period of 10 weeks. After just a week, donations are already up at $2.9 million. And it’s still counting.

“The cause may be just, but Canadians need to actually know about it before they are able to donate anything,” said Nicolas Moyer, the coordinator of the Humanitarian Coalition which includes Care Canada, Save the Children, Plan Canada, Oxfam Canada and Oxfam-Quebec

All donations must be given only to recognized Canadian charities that are responding to the famine.