Troy Davis’ last attempt to save his life – Dernière tentative de Troy Davis pour sauver sa vie

Troy Davis ©Georgia Department of Corrections
Troy Davis made today a last attempt to save his life before his scheduled execution on Tuesday July 17. His lawyers asked Georgia state officials for clemency. Davis, who was convicted of killing a police officer in 1989 and sentenced to death, has acknowledged being at the scene of the [...]

First execution in South Dakota in 60 years – Première exécution dans le Dakota du Sud en 60 ans

Elijah Page. ©DR
Weird week for the death penalty in the US. On Wednesday night, Elijah Page, 25, was executed in South Dakota. He was the first man to be put to death in that State in 60 years. The day before, Rolando Ruiz, a hitman set to die, won a last-minute reprieve in Texas. “I [...]

In the ashes of the first “official” US shantytown – Dans les cendres du premier bidonville “officiel” des Etats-Unis

Timothy Fuller (jcde)
I met Timothy Fuller one morning of January of this year in Miami. He was angry. The 50-year old man had just lost everything: his wife, his job and his car he was desperately trying to start in order to leave Miami. Timothy had ended up at Umoja (Unity in swahili), the first [...]

Never try to rob a Texan lawmaker – N’essayez jamais de cambrioler un élu texan

The title of this post says it all. Don’t ever try to rob a Texan lawmaker. Even if that elected official is a democrat, who voted against a law giving Texans the right to use deadly force when somebody tries to break into their home. On Sunday, Representative Borris Miles shot an intruder in the [...]

Boeing, the Dreamliner and the green plane – Boeing, le Dreamliner et l’avion vert

One of my colleagues in Geneva made a good point this morning. Two days ago, we watched Live Earth, Al Gore’s mega concerts around the world. We listened to the bands and thought: what can we do for the earth. We all have our modest solutions to do our part. The next day, Boeing [...]

Of dinosaurs and men – Des dinosaures et des hommes

I hope John Steinbeck will forgive me but the temptation to (ab)use the title of his most famous book for this post was too tempting. I am going to tell you about an intriguing world made of dinosaurs and men. Early May, I was in Cincinnati to cover the opening of the Creation Museum [...]