SANATU ZAMBANG STUDIOS (Podcast)

"The reality is people don't abuse me just because I'm a woman or because my name is Mariam or because I'm Middle-Eastern. They abuse me because I have a scarf on my head and because I'm a Muslim," Veiszadeh told CNN.  The Internet is a dangerous place for Mariam Veiszadeh right now. It's where death threats lurk and vile messages appear faster than they can be deleted. But it's also a place where support is growing in a Twitter counter-campaign -- #IStandWithMariam -- to the urgings of a U.S.-based white supremacist website, the Daily Stormer, to "be as nasty, hurtful, hateful, offensive, insulting and 'vilifying' as you possibly can." And they have been. "Leave now before we behead your mother and bury you all with pigs..." said one tweet from an account, which has since been suspended. Many of the messages include extremely offensive hashtags. Veiszadeh, an Australian lawyer and founder of the Is...

I Am Not Spock proclaimed the title of Leonard Nimoy's 1975 autobiography, in which the veteran actor tried to distinguish himself from his most iconic role, as Star Trek 's emotionless half-human, half-Vulcan science officer. Twenty years later, he published a follow-up entitled, I Am Spock , in which the actor-director warmly embraced his pointy-eared alter ego. Like it or not, Nimoy — who passed away on Feb. 27 at the age of 83 from end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — was Spock to generations of sci-fi fans, so much so that when J.J. Abrams rebooted the franchise in the 2009 blockbuster, Nimoy was the one original cast member he made sure to bring back. Even though the role defined his career for those of us watching him at home and in theaters, Spock was only one small part of Nimoy's overall life. An actor from childhood, the Boston-born Nimoy worked steadily on television before and after Star Trek , appearing on such disparate shows as...

A Quebec judge told a woman appearing in her Montreal courtroom she would not hear her case until she removed her hijab. In an audio recording of the proceedings obtained by CBC News, Judge Eliana Marengo is heard telling Rania El-Alloul on Tuesday that the courtroom is a secular place and that she is not suitably dressed. "Hats and sunglasses for example, are not allowed.  And I don't see why scarves on the head would be either," Marengo says in the recording.  "The same rules need to be applied to everyone. I will therefore not hear you if you are wearing a scarf on your head, just as I would not allow a person to appear before me wearing a hat or sunglasses on his or her head, or any other garment not suitable for a court proceeding." In an interview, El-Alloul said she couldn't believe what was happening. "When I came the first day when I made landing in Canada, I was wearing my hijab," she recalled.  "When I swore by God to be a good Ca...

Minutes after President John Dramani Mahama finished delivering his State of the Nation address on Thursday, popular actress Yvonne Nelson took to social media to say Ghanaian leaders have failed the nation. The beautiful and talented actress posted on twitter, “Our leaders have failed us.” But there were doubts as to whether she was reacting to the President's speech as she preceded her comment with a tweet saying, “I can never get used to this power problem! To be honest, what she said is nothing but the truth. Nowadays electricity is like water, it plays a key role in our daily lives. We need electricity to power our electronic devices, which i believe everyone is using in this 21 century. Dumsor is killing the Ghana movie industry slowly, people don't buy films because they have less time to watch because of dumsor. 24 hours light off and 12 hours light on. How can one possible have time to watch a film and the economy is also in crisis. Film makers buy f...

Clean and plentiful water provides the foundation for prosperous communities. We rely on clean water to survive, yet right now we are heading towards a water crisis. Changing climate patterns are threatening lakes and rivers, and key sources that we tap for drinking water are being overdrawn or tainted with pollution. NRDC experts are helping to secure safe and sufficient water for people and the environment by: Promoting water efficiency strategies to help decrease the amount of water wasted; Protecting our water from pollution by defending the Clean Water Act and advocating for solutions like green infrastructure ; Helping prepare cities, counties and states for water-related challenges they will face as a result of climate change; and Ensuring that waterways have enough water to support vibrant aquatic ecosystems Dirty water is the world's biggest health risk, and continues to threaten both quality of life and public health in the United States. When water fro...

Men, women and children with HIV/AIDS infection are highly susceptible to other diseases. Most of these are related to poor water supply, sanitation and hygiene. Diarrhoeas and various types of skin diseases are common secondary (or 'opportunistic') infections. The risk of getting malaria is also greater, and is worsened by poor drainage creating extra mosquito breeding places in and around communities. According to WHO estimates, HIV/AIDS killed over 3 million people in 2002, malaria over 1 million and TB 1.9 million. When infected people have better access to treatment and basic services and hygiene education, they can live longer and continue to help their family and nation. Unfortunately, 95% of those infected do not know about their being HIV positive and most do not want to get tested because of stigma and lack of access to treatment. People can stay healthy for a very long time if they ensure that they live ...

Every day 4,000 children die from illnesses like diarrhea, dysentery, and cholera caused by dirty water and unhygienic living conditions. We can’t fight malnutrition without tackling the diseases that contribute to it. As part of our integrated approach to hunger, we’re getting safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services to communities in need all over the world.  During emergencies, we truck water into affected areas and installs storage tanks and reservoirs. Where water is scarce or unsafe, we drill and decontaminate wells, install hand-pumps, protect natural springs, tap aquifers, rehabilitate damaged infrastructure, and pipe water into hard-to-reach villages and health centers.  To prevent outbreaks of disease during a crisis, our teams distribute hygiene kits and build latrines and hand-washing stations. In communities at risk, we construct water filters made from basic materials and teach healthy practices like hand-washing, cooking with clean utensil...

"Water and Sanitation is one of the primary drivers of public health. I often refer to it as “Health 101”, which means that once we can secure access to clean water and to adequate sanitation facilities for all people, irrespective of the difference in their living conditions, a huge battle against all kinds of diseases will be won." Dr LEE Jong-wook, Director-General, World Health Organization. Diarrhoea 1.8 million people die every year from diarrhoeal diseases (including cholera); 90% are children under 5, mostly in developing countries. 88% of diarrhoeal disease is attributed to unsafe water supply, inadequate sanitation and hygiene. Improved water supply reduces diarrhoea morbidity by 21%. Improved sanitation reduces diarrhoea morbidity by 37.5%. The simple act of washing hands at critical times can reduce the number of diarrhoeal cases by up to 35%. Additional improvement of drinking-water quality, such as point of use disinfection, would lead to a ...

The status of women in Islam is often the target of attacks in the secular media. The ‘hijab’ or the Islamic dress is cited by many as an example of the ‘subjugation’ of women under Islamic law.  There are many benefits or advantages of hijab in islam. Before we analyze the reasoning behind the religiously mandated ‘hijab’, let us first study the status of women in societies before the advent of Islam 1. In the past women were degraded and used as objects of lust The following examples from history amply illustrate the fact that the status of women in earlier civilizations was very low to the extent that they were denied basic human dignity: a. Babylonian Civilization: The women were degraded and were denied all rights under the Babylonian law. If a man murdered a woman, instead of him being punished, his wife was put to death. b. Greek Civilization: Greek Civilization is considered the most glorious of all ancient civilizations. Under this very ‘glorious’ sy...

    "Birdman" is flying high! The film had the biggest night and took home the biggest prize: best picture. The film's director, Alejandro González Iñárritu, also won the directing Oscar, and the film was honored for cinematography and original screenplay, too. In the acting categories, "Whiplash" star J.K. Simmons won the first Oscar of the night, for actor in a supporting role, while Patricia Arquette won for actress in a supporting role -- the only award for "Boyhood." Oscars 2015: Top 5 Moments From the Show Toward the end of the night, Eddie Redmayne won for best actor for playing Stephen Hawking in "The Theory of Everything," and "Still Alice" star Julianne Moore took home the award for best actress. Other winners included Common and John Legend for their original song "Glory" from the film "Selma," the Polish film "Ida" for best foreign film, and "Big Hero...

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actor. Called the King of Pop , his contributions to music and dance, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades   in 1964, and began his solo career in 1971. In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music . The music videos for his songs, including those of " Beat It ", " Billie Jean ", and " Thriller ", were credited with breaking down racial barriers and with transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool. The popularity of these videos helped to bring the then-relatively-new television channel MTV to fame. With videos such as " Black or White " and " Scream ", he continued to innovate the medium throughout the 1990s, as well as forging a reputation as a touring solo artist. Through stage and video p...