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International Affairs

Throw out your Samsung TV – And Other Thoughts on CIA Spying

By Pedro Leave a Comment

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What Happened?

Wikileaks recently released another treasure trove of information concerning the U.S. Governments powerful hacking tools which it calls “Year Zero”. This potentially takes surveillance right into the homes and pockets of billions of individuals worldwide. Not only affecting household electronics, but also penetrating Apple iPhones and Google Android phones. Google and Apple have the two largest market shares of the smart phone industry worldwide. There are over 1.4 Billion Android users worldwide. These documents outline far reaching capabilities. This is a massive set of documents totaling over 8,700 in all. It includes hacking secrets that have the possibility of embarrassing American and foreign intelligence agencies across the world as well as undermining or killing spying efforts in some circumstances.

[Read more…] about Throw out your Samsung TV – And Other Thoughts on CIA Spying

March 11, 2017Filed Under: International Affairs, Security

What is happening in South Sudan?

By Pedro Leave a Comment

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What is happening in South Sudan?

The world hasn’t seen a famine in almost 6 years since Somalia. That’s now changed. The United Nations just officially confirmed famines in two regions of South Sudan. South Sudan also happens to be the world’s youngest nation. The United Nations is also warning of possible famines in parts of Nigeria, Somalia, and Yemen. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that 4.9 million people, or 40% of South Sudan’s population, will be severely affected over the coming months, and possibly another 15 million people more across the region if the famine worsens.

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March 11, 2017Filed Under: International Affairs, Security

A Yemeni Muslim, Israeli Muslim, and Palestinian Christian Face Off – Not a Joke, it’s Arab Idol

By Pedro 12 Comments

 Palestinians celebrate Yaqoub Shaheen’s victory in Bethlehem on Saturday night. Photograph: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

Palestinians celebrate Yaqoub Shaheen’s victory in Bethlehem on Saturday night. Photograph: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

On Saturday, February 25, thousands of Palestinians gathered in Manger Square, across the street from the Church of the Nativity commemorating the location of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, Palestine. There, in Manger Square, a large screen was erected so Bethlehemites can cheer on their local hero, Yacoub Shaheen, who was competing against other Arabs in a show called Arab Idol.

What’s Arab Idol?

Arab Idol is the successor of a previous Arab rendition of the British Pop Idol series called Super Star. This British show, Pop Idol, is also where we also get our American Idol television show.

Arab Idol first premiered in Beirut, Lebanon on December 9, 2011. Since then it has had four seasons and is broadcast worldwide on the Arabic television channel, MBC.

The concept is similar to American Idol. It starts off with numerous young contestants from all over the Arab world who are selected after auditions. They perform in front of judges and viewers can vote for their favorites via SMS or phone call. Whoever receives the least amount of votes is voted off until there is one winner.

The winner receives a recording contract, a car, and the equivalent of $50k USD.

The first season saw Carmen Suleiman from Egypt be crowned as the winner. Season two’s winner was Mohammed Assaf from Gaza, Palestine. The third season’s winner was Hazem Shareef from Syria. Season four just wrapped up on February 25. The winner was Yacoub Shaheen from Bethlehem, Palestine. He beat out Ameer Dandan from Israel and Ammar Mohammed from Yemen.

What’s an Israeli Arab?

Ammar is an Arab Muslim from Yemen. Pretty simple.

Ameer is an Arab American Muslim from Israel. Confused?

Let me explain. Ameer is an Israeli Arab from Majd al-Krum in Israel. His religion is Islam, his ethnicity is Arab, his nationality is Palestinian, his citizenship is Israeli. On top of that, he lives in the United States. Still confused? Majd al-Krum is an Arab village in Northern Israel, in the Galilee area. Majd al-Krum village was conquered by Jewish militias in 1948 and therefore is part of Israel. Its Arab inhabitants are Muslims who are Israeli citizens.

Although most of Majd al-Krum’s residents in 1948 stayed, Arab residents of other Israeli towns who fled the fighting in 1948 were never allowed to return. To this day, they, their children, and their grandchildren are refugees in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine. Although Israeli, Ameer identifies as Palestinian, it’s a fine line that many Israeli Arabs walk. It’s a line between Israeli Jews, who are the dominant force in Israel, and the Israeli Arab’s Palestinian relatives, who live under occupation by Israeli Jews.

Who is Yacoub Shaheen?

Palestinian singer Yaqoub Shaheen after winning the final of Arab Idol in Beirut. Photograph: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters

Palestinian singer Yacoub Shaheen after winning the final of Arab Idol in Beirut. Photograph: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters

Yacoub Shaheen is a Palestinian Arab Christian from Bethlehem. Yacoub was born in Bethlehem on February 27, 1994. He’s a descendant of Syriac Christians and currently serves as a Deacon in the Syriac Church in Bethlehem and as a Scout Leader through his church’s club. He learned to play various instruments as a child and attended the Edward Said Music Conservatory in Palestine. Yacoub grew up participating in school festivals and singing competitions.

He studied at Palestine Polytechnic University in Hebron and owns a fashion shop in Bethlehem. His father crafts Christian olive wood souvenirs and his mother works at Bethlehem University. In 2005, he won the title of Star of Palestine and in 2012 he won first place in Palestinian New Star, both are Palestinian television shows similar to Arab Idol.

Yacoub is not only known in Bethlehem for being a talented singer, but also for being a humble servant. He spends a lot of time volunteering his musical skills and abilities to teach orphans and disabled children and gives a significant amount of money to charities in Palestine. His humbleness was shown to the entire Arab world when he fully accepted harsh critiques from judges without becoming defensive. At one point in the show, a particularly harsh judge apologized for her unnecessarily sharp words on an earlier episode. Yacoub told her that no apology was necessary and that her words and advice pushed him to be better.

“Yacoub won with his voice, his education, his good manners, as well as his love for his people, Bethlehem and Palestine,” she said. – Norma Shaheen

Why is this important?

This is important because Arab Idol, the most viewed show in the Arab world, showed two cross sections of the Middle East that are rarely ever seen.

First, an Israeli Arab/Palestinian, competed on stage against Arabs from all over the Middle East.

Second and more profoundly, Yacoub, a Palestinian Christian who was born and raised under Israeli occupation in Bethlehem, won the title of Arab Idol.

It’s profound because not only have Arab Christians been under assault in the Middle East but because the Arab world voted for him. In other words, there aren’t enough Christians in the Arab world to have enabled Yacoub to win if he only received votes from Christians.

Not only did Muslims cheer him on via social media, but they also voted for him to win. This has served as a unique opportunity to unite Arabs across the Middle East in rooting for a Christian, and also has had the affect of uniting Muslim and Christian Palestinians themselves as brothers and sisters.

Congratulations, Yacoub, the newest Arab Idol!

February 28, 2017Filed Under: International Affairs

Risky Leadership with Kat

By Pedro Leave a Comment

What would you do if you knew you could never fail? That’s one of those cheesy business motivation pictures that I noticed in someone’s office years ago, but it’s stuck with me. What would I do if I knew I could never fail? Does that mean that by not taking a risk on something, I’m allowing fear to dominate my life? I don’t know but I do know this, there are people that take big risks, and I respect them greatly for it.

Leadership is risky. Moving into the unknown or putting yourself on the line can have terrible consequences, or great ones.

I think the riskiest thing you can do is stay within your comfort zone – Kat

I recently corresponded with a friend of mine who is doing something pretty risky and pretty incredible! Her name is Kat Sotolongo and she’s a Videographer for Mercy Ships.

Here’s our Q&A….

[Read more…] about Risky Leadership with Kat

February 5, 2017Filed Under: International Affairs, Leadership, Risky Leadership

The Women’s March Co-Coordinator and Sharia Law

By Pedro Leave a Comment

linda sarsour-pedrocarrion.com
What if I told you that one of the co-coordinators of the Women’s March has advocated for Sharia Law when certain states in the US banned? What if I told you that she has said that Sharia Law is “reasonable” and “makes a lot of sense”?

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January 23, 2017Filed Under: International Affairs

1,000 Days since Our Girls Went Missing

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Nigeria just marked 1,000 days since the Chibok girls’ abduction by Boko Haram fighters on April 14, 2014. Some of them have been released, 21 have managed to escape since their abduction, however, 200 girls still remain in captivity.

For a background on this story, read Boko Haram – Bring Back More of Our Girls.

Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari has repeatedly said that he remains committed to ensuring the schoolgirls will be reunited with their families’ soon.

The tears never dry, the ache is in our hearts – President Buhari

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January 8, 2017Filed Under: International Affairs, Security

Top 10 Most Read Posts of 2016

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2016

When you think of 2016, you may think of Harambe, Trump, exploding phones, stock market breakthroughs, or ISIS. You may laugh or cry, probably cry. But one thing is for sure, thousands of you have visited this site for one reason or another, and I thank you.

These are the Top 10 most read posts of 2016. This list takes into account all pageviews from January 1, 2016 until today, December 30, 2016. Most of these posts focus on organizational development of volunteer organizations. Some are random. Still, here they are. Number 1 is the most read post of the year, three years running, and it surprises me to see this every time.

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December 30, 2016Filed Under: Children's Ministry, Church Lessons, International Affairs, Leadership, Life's Lessons, Missions and Outreach, Productivity, Samaritan's Purse, Security, Wifeless Survival

Trump, Clinton, and the decades old Culture Clash between the FBI and the CIA

By Pedro Leave a Comment

comey

October 28, 2016, less than two weeks before the presidential election, FBI Director Comey announced in a letter to Congress that additional emails related to the Clinton email controversy had been found and that the FBI will need to further investigate.

About a week ago, well before the Electoral College votes for President of the United States on December 19, a CIA employee leaked the results of an assessment ordered by President Obama investigating whether Russia attempted to influence the presidential election. The result, yes, Russia wanted a Trump victory and did intervene in the election.

Are we now seeing a clear manifestation of a decades old culture clash between the FBI and the CIA?

[Read more…] about Trump, Clinton, and the decades old Culture Clash between the FBI and the CIA

December 16, 2016Filed Under: International Affairs

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