It's almost Christmas. You need gifts, and Kiva needs loans! It's the perfect match!

When thinking about giving to your family and friends this year, please consider giving a Kiva micro-finance loan on their behalf. You will be helping not only those in need, but you'll also be contributing to shifting the economic realities of the third world as a whole.

Visit Kiva.org to find out more!

I applaud the Edmonton Journal for publishing Mayes’ cartoon portraying the Israeli settlements as sabotage to the Israel-Palestine peace process.

Not only do the settlements completely undermine the Palestinians rights to self-determination, they completely disregard the international communities consensus on a settlement freeze. Peace will never be achieved if the Israeli government and Israeli settlers continue to bulldoze through Palestinian land, while at the same time preaching of peace and progress

Thus, it is up to the international community to voice their concerns - even in the face of dubious accusations of anti-semitism. Critiquing a countries foreign policy is not illegal, the settlements are.