reading journal 2/11/11

"Afghan Proposal Would Clamp Down on Women's Shelters"
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/11/world/asia/11shelter.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
By: Alissa J. Rubin


This article begins with an anecdote of 18-year-old Sabra in Afghanistan who was thrown out of her parent's house and desperately needed food and a place to stay. Her story is harrowing and she is not alone. There are many other stories of young women in Afghanistan who need help and shelter. When they do find it, it is at a women's shelter. Through these little vignettes, the author is able to show just how important functional women's shelters are to Afghani women. These stories, "sources" if you will, demonstrate the main, underlying point of this article, that women's shelters are of extreme import to all people of Afghanistan. These compelling anecdotes elicit an emotional reaction and make the article all the more persuasive.

Later in the article, the author draws on professional sources, like Manizha Naderia, who is the director of Women for Afghan Women. The association runs 3 women's shelters and 5 family counseling services in Afghanistan. Naderia comments on the government's recent changes to the law that would require women to justify "running away from home" (interesting, all of the women mentioned were kicked out) to a panel that would either send her to a shelter, to jail, or back home (where she would likely be beaten). Naderia and the other sources like her provide essential insight into what exactly is going on in Afghanistan. They interpret these changes (and rightfully so) to be signs of the many ways the government is struggling with the tension between the old, conservative world (and pressure from the Taliban) and a more modern world where women are becoming empowered, free-thinking individuals rebelling against social norms and values. Naderia is the source that we spoke of in class that helps the author to make sense of the news. She provides perspective, she is the expert and knows more than the author, she lends her knowledge and her point of view as a person affected by the new laws. This is, quite literally, her business.

So the article begins with women directly affected by the new laws, who would have to face this panel and justify their need for shelter. Then it moves up to the women that run these shelters, like Naderia. The next step up is people who run the organizations, like the Human Rights Commission, than oversee women's shelters in Afghanistan.

The third type of source is also represented in this story. The author also quotes Hajji Neyaz Mohammed, a lawmaker from Ghanzi Province who is one of the new makers. His words provide the argument for these law changes and against women's shelters, namely that they inspire girls to leave their families (when in reality they are being kicked out or cannot return home fearing punishment). Silly man.

"Switzerland to vote on gun law reform"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/11/switzerland-vote-gun-reform-suicide
By: Helen Pidd

This Sunday, Switzerland hopes to pass gun law reforms that will attempt to lessen the prevalence of firearm related suicide. The first two quotes, one from Elsa Kurz of Stop Suicide and the other from Dora Andres who is a member of a gun club, reveal the tension surrounding these gun reforms. There are two different voices against the gun reforms. Markus Muller of the Swiss military comments on the affect that such reforms would have on the Swiss military. It's a short article, but its purpose is to report on some of the main opinions on the Swiss gun reform laws.