Hezbollah has taken over the western portion of Beirut the capital of Lebanon. This recent violence stems from the Western-backed (read: US-funded) government’s attempt on Monday to shut down Hezbollah’s telecoms network calling it a threat to state security.

According to eyewitnesses, the takeover occurred on Thursday at 8am with widespread Hezbollah roadblocks. Witnesses report street fighting involving machine guns, RPGs and tanks throughout the city. Civilians, apparently, have been forbidden from exiting their homes or even standing out on their balconies. Foreign nationals are desperately seeking a way out of the city.

It is feared that such violence will spiral the country back into civil war. The first Lebanese civil war occurred from 1975-90.

Meanwhile, the situation in Myanmar (Burma) continues to deteriorate. As many as 100,000 dead or missing and thousands facing homelessness and disease, yet the government remains incredibly reluctant to allow foreign aid into the country.

On Friday, the UN World Food Program suspended operations when its’ first plane was impounded by the government. Aid flights will hopefully be resumed on Saturday.

According to the US government, Myanmar will allow one aid plane to land on Monday. Read More »

All of us girls have played out this scenario in our heads multiple times (and if we haven’t, then our parents have and they’ve been sure to articulate the matter more than once)…

We are walking down a dark alley (why are we always in these dark alleys?) and we get attacked. By a hostile stranger. He wants to steal our purse or rape us or kill us or all three. How do we defend ourselves?

Well, many women have come up with their own protection system. Some don’t walk alone at night. Others have invested time and money into self defense courses. And still others opt for the bad ass route of the knife, the mace, or the…taser gun.

The taser gun has actually been growing in popularity these days…but I have some questions for the women who are orchestrating this new taser marketing campaign: Read More »