Please join BlazeSports as we honor the veterans that have served our country.  Whether their service came in times of peace or in times of war, those in the military make numerous sacrifices so that the rest of us can live our lives devoid of the burden of fighting for our freedoms.  This year Veterans Day falls on Sunday, November 11th with the federal holiday being observed on Monday, November 12th.  The 2012 Georgia Veterans Day Parade will take place on Saturday, November 10th.  Click HERE for information on the parade time and route.

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In Uganda thousands of women are rebuilding their lives after being held captive, used as sex slaves and solders by Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army. Although Invisible Childrens' Kony2012 video showed the different sides of child solders and violence in Uganda, this video shows how the women of Uganda are slowly bring their communities together after years of conflict.  Woman must not [...]

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We've said it before and we'll say it again: autumn always offers the best events in the capital - so after combing through a number of fun and curious going-ons, we've curated a weekend that features sausages, Ferris Bueller, international street art, a 20-year-old film fest, dinosaurs, democratic storytelling - and the chance to check out the most innovative writing this side of the Thames. Godspeed friends, godspeed.

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A Somali analyst, Abdul Ghelleh, takes direct aim at the harmful Wahhabi influence in Somalia in a 8 November 2012 piece in Pambazuka News. He draws parallels with the situation in northern Mali and northern Nigeria. He is also critical of U.S. policy to contain extremism in the region.

Click here to read the analysis.

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Auburn University is the latest addition to the National Wheelchair Basketball Association's (NWBA) Intercollegiate Division.  After two years of competing in Division III of the NWBA the Auburn University program has joined the American Conference of the NWBA Intercollegiate Division that also includes the University of Alabama and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.  Rounding out the Intercollegiate Division in the National Conference are the University of Illinois, University of Missouri, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Southwest Minnesota State University, and the University of Texas-Arlington.

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The Institute for Security Studies published on 5 November 2012 a report on the role of the Somali diaspora. Written by Mashaka Lewela, it focuses on the Somali community in Kenya and the role the diaspora can play in rebuilding the country.

An estimated 14 percent of Somalia's population now lives outside the country. Annual remittances to Somalia may now reach $1.6 billion and to Somaliland $700 million.

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Tadias Magazine ran an article on 8 November 2012 titled "What Does the Re-election of Obama Mean for U.S.-Ethiopia Relations?" It contains some of my thoughts on the subject.

Click here to read the article.

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We totally missed this one, and it's actually quite a major miss! But thankfully, it didn't go completely unnoticed by us. The film is called Simon Killer, a mystery/suspense/drama directed by Antonio Campos that centers on a recent American college graduate who travels to France, where he becomes involved with a prostitute. A recent college graduate goes to Paris after breaking up with his girlfriend of five years. His life should be open-ended and full of promise, but he can't shake his feelings of loss. Being a stranger in a strange land only aggravates his situation. When he falls in love with a young mysterious prostitute, a fateful journey begins. Though we soon...

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Big congrats to Kenyan director David Tosh Gitonga, as his feature film debut, Nairobi Half Life, which S&A has covered plenty, has been awarded the Audience Breakthrough Award at the AFI FEST 2012, presented by Audi. The award comes with a $5,000 cash prize. And Student Academy Award winner Narcocorrido which stars Nicki Michaeux, directed by Ryan Prows also picked up an award for Honorable Mention for Performance: fir co-star Raul Castillo. Also, winning the award for Special Mention for Performance, for her contribution to the suspense/drama Simon Killer as both an actress and screenwriter, is Mati...

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A reminder that the Middle East Institute's Annual Conference is Tuesday and Wednesday. The conference itself, on Wednesday, is free, but please register here; the banquet on Tuesday and luncheon on Wednesday do require tickets, also available through the link.

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In early October this year, PBS released the documentary 'Half the Sky', based on the book by frequent AIAC target and New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn (a former Times journalist) focusing on the lot of girls and women in the Global South. As part of Kristof's mission to replace [...]

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This is a guest post by Mohamed Jallow, program development specialist at IntraHealth International. He was previously a program associate...

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