Goro Rivera's Place

I came across an interesting article in a January issue of The Economist . Western Theory states the following: on the grounds on going to war, ( jus ad bellum ) , the cause must be important enough to justify force: in other words the good that follows must outweigh the death, injuries, and destruction of said war. In the conduct of war, ( jus in bello ), any action must weigh the military gains against the harm to civilians. How can we measure this? In the Israeli-Palestinian context does this conflict begin in 1948 with the displacement of the Arab people of the Palestinian region and the subsequent occupation by Israel? I don't think Israel or the west will ever look at this issue in this way. If the crude rocket firing is the starting point then surely Israel has the right to defend its borders. But does the firing of rockets into Israel by Hamas warrant the barrage that followed? If so was it in line with jus in bello ? Will there ever be a sit down with the leaders o...

A photographer risks his life to capture what most of the world refuses to see. The idea that every minute could be your last is a concept that most of us rarely think about. While we may sometimes reflect on our own mortality, it is usually done in the comfort of a safe environment . The people of the Congo experience a living hell on earth, if lucky , not only dodging bullets from their own brothers, but also some of the most heinous of crimes . For them, in the here and now, they have already been condemned to a life in Hell. How they have the strength to believe in something better is beyond me. Their faith must come from something much deeper. The realization that they have already experienced the worst that mortal life could offer, with something measurably better when in God's hands.