Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Photo courtesy of Franklin D. Roosevelt Library via Wikipedia Commons.

 Eleanor Roosevelt once said,

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that th

… Read full post »

For his senior project, my talented college friend Dave Saltzman wrote and illustrated a children's book.  He did this during a time when he was being treated for cancer.  Dave was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma during the fall of our senior year; he died a year and a half la… Read full post »

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I had a bad feeling when Adam Yauch was a no-show for the Beastie Boys' induction into the Rock n' Roll Hall o' Fame in April. So, while I was not surprised, I was saddened to learn of his death from cancer at the age of 47.

The… Read full post »

 Folksinger Lillebjørn Nilsen and a crowd of 40,000 sing Barn av regnbuen (Children of the Rainbow) at the trial of Anders Behring Breivik in Oslo

Source NRK 

I thought I would write about the Charles Taylor verdict today.  The verdict by the Special Court for Sierr… Read full post »

Pet Graveyard

The recent demise of Fat Stanley was met with far fewer tears than that of Kevin Bacon (the gerbil) and definitely far less anguish than that of Tub-Tub, our first dearly departed rodent pet.  It did however, necessitate a discussion about death with my three children. &nbs… Read full post »

Skulls of Khmer Rouge Victims ( Image source)

Monoram Hang was just 9 years old in April 1975 when Khmer Rouge soldiers forced his family from their home in Phnom Penh. His mother, weak from giving birth two days earlier, fell to her knees and begged for permission to wait for… Read full post »

Demonstrations in Morocco after the suicide of Amina Filali 

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Amina Filali was only 16 years old when she took her own life.  According to media reports, Amina was raped last year at the age of 15 by a man 10 years older than her, but that crime alone… Read full post »

Recently, I met with some Syrian human rights activists to help them strategize on raising awareness in the United States about the ongoing human rights abuses in Syria.  In addition to the horrific crimes against humanity being carried out by the Assad regime - including, they told me,… Read full post »

 ...And Other Lessons from the Field

Ever notice that human rights lawyers are almost never characters in comedies? Probably not.  Given my chosen profession, however, I do pay attention to these things.  So I can tell you that Hollywood has produced precisely two human rights law/… Read full post »

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My oldest son is studying the life of Rosa Parks in his 6th grade history class.  "I actually met Ms. Rosa Parks once," I say.  He's already halfway up the stairs, heading back to the sanctuary of his room. "Did I ever tell you about that?"  On the… Read full post »

 There was a time in my life when I felt naked without a pair of knitting needles. Yes, I was the obsessive girl who knit in class, on the bus, walking down the street, in front of the TV during Star Trek: Next Generation. I didn't learn how to knit… Read full post »

Usually, when I travel for work, I stay in a hotel.  It's different when I travel to Nepal. Here, I stay with a family at their home in Kathmandu.  I could never give you directions to their house on an unnamed street in the warren of hundreds of small streets… Read full post »

Conventional wisdom holds that to survive in Minnesota,  you must embrace winter.  Perhaps that explains the view from my kitchen:

In case you are wondering: that is a hockey rink. That's right - a backyard rink. This winter, we decided to build a hockey rink in our backyard.

You mi… Read full post »

Kids in Pampamarca, Peru 

It was November 2002 and I was sitting in a small conference room in Lima, taking notes as a woman tearfully related the story of her years in detention. She spoke, low and soft, eyes cast down. In her lap, the woman (who I'll call… Read full post »

The sunset at this time of year, in these northern climes, lasts approximately four minutes.  I was reminded of that on my run around Lake Harriet tonight.  That, and the transient and precious nature of our lives here.  So please - don't hesitate to ask for help… Read full post »

It all began, as so many things do, with a misunderstanding. I was putting my son Simon to bed one night when he said,

“Mommy … What’s it like to be a human rights warrior?”

“But sweetie, I’m not a human rights warrior. I’m a human rights lawy

… Read full post »

 "Why yes, I do know both Wallace AND Gromit.  Why do you ask?"

It's that time of year again, when the "Best of" lists are rolling out. Sadly, I am not Time's 2011 Person of the Year. You won't find me in the NFL's Top 100 Players, Rolling Stone's 50 Best Album… Read full post »

This time of year always reminds me of George Winston's December.  I used to listen to it in college when I was studying for finals.  I'd play it on my cassette deck, rewind, then press play again.  But the music often made me visualize things that weren't on t… Read full post »

(Photo from www.365twincitiesmn.com) 

 The first thing you notice about Wild Rumpus is the door – or doors, rather.  An independent children’s bookstore in Minneapolis’ Linden Hills neighborhood, Wild Rumpus is entered two ways. The adults go in through the re… Read full post »