Ansel Herz – The Seattle Globalist

Our connection to Guatemala’s landmark genocide verdict

by Ansel Herz

Update: Ten days after this post, Guatemala’s high court threw out the verdict. The Nation calls this “the latest blow in what had been a sustained dirty war waged by Ríos Montt’s supporters since his indictment in 2012 to delay, obstruct, divert and otherwise sabotage the genocide case” and “evidence of the persistent and grievous […]

Not “Just Another Towelhead”: A Globalist Q&A with slam poet Hamda Yusuf

by Ansel Herz

Meet Hamda Yusuf: She’s 19, she’s a local slam poetry champion, and she wants to be the US ambassador to Somalia.

Video: #IdleNoMore protests coal trains

by Ansel Herz

In Canada, the birthplace of the “Idle No More” movement, six members of the Cree tribe are nearing the end of a 1000 mile trek to the nation’s capital to protest the enduring poverty of indigenous Canadians. For marchers closer to home, the protest route on Thursday was barely four miles long. But the cause […]

Video: Seattle’s hidden history of Filipino struggle

by Ansel Herz

On Saturday, the Filipino activist group AnakBayan Seattle will celebrate its tenth anniversary as the first overseas chapter of the democratic youth organization, which is based in the Philippines. But the history of Filipinos fighting for dignity and respect in Seattle reaches back further to over a century ago. This history isn’t taught in schools, […]

Seattle start-up Härnu launches social network for Globalists

by Ansel Herz

We coined the term “hyperglobal” here at the Globalist to describe the combination of “local” and “global” in our content – bridging gaps between communities, from neighborhoods to nations, across the planet. Now, a fellow Seattlelite has taken the same approach to social networking. His name is Jason Gowans, and like us, he’s been all […]

The Northwest’s revolutionary Libyans determined to rebuild homeland

by Ansel Herz

Have you ever met a real-life revolutionary freedom fighter – someone who took up arms to overthrow a dictatorial regime? It’s not every day you meet someone who not only talks that talk, but walks that walk. But Libyans who have done just that live here in the Northwest. Last year five Seattleites from Libya […]

It’s a small world: Emirates links Seattle direct to Dubai

by Ansel Herz

In the early 2000s, the global economy was growing and becoming more tightly-integrated. Microsoft and Boeing were on top of their game, and Seattle had just played host to the World Trade Organization (and its critics). Emirates, an up and coming international airline based in Dubai, planned to establish a major route network connecting Seattle […]

Seattle activists hope the Arab Spring will blossom in Tibet

by Ansel Herz

Local Tibetans and supporters marched from Ballard to downtown Seattle on Wednesday to mark Losar, the start of the Tibetan new year. But instead of celebrating, the marchers carried cardboard coffins draped in Tibetan flags, to symbolize the estimated 25 monks and nuns who have self-immolated in the past year in protest of Chinese rule […]

Blaming China for economic woes is nothing new in the Northwest

by Ansel Herz

The angry mobs entered Chinatown and went door-to-door, rounding up Chinese immigrants and herding hundreds of them down to the docks. But the mobs of white workers, who blamed Chinese immigrants for the poor economy, didn’t have enough money to pay the fares for all the passengers to ship them away by boat. A tense […]

MercyCorps connects geeks from Gaza to Seattle

by Ansel Herz

Seattle is a veritable technology hub. It’s home to two of the biggest tech companies on the planet, Microsoft and Amazon. Hundreds of geeks are hard at work in Seattle offices, creating the next-generation of computer and web products. But we can’t claim geeks as our own. Anywhere there’s electricity and a connection to the […]

Is the Gates Foundation’s new visitor center inspiring, or insulting?

by Ansel Herz

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s six-floor headquarters, across from the Seattle Center, is an imposing complex of glass and curved architecture. Hence the need for an inviting, accessible new visitor center! Opening to the public this Saturday, the visitor center’s high-tech interactive exhibits invite participation, not just passive observation. But how exciting is philanthropy […]

Want to work overseas?: Quick tips on taking your career global

by Ansel Herz

Do you dream of living or working abroad, but don’t know how to get there? A panel of globally-connected communications professionals took on the topic and shared some inside advice on Monday, as part of the UW Department of Communication’s Professional Development Month. If you didn’t make it to the event, no need to fret. Below, […]

Seattle Egyptians celebrate revolution, but keep up fight for freedom back home

by Ansel Herz

In the Egyptian capital of Cairo, thousands have flooded into Tahir Square to mark the one-year anniversary of the revolution which overthrew dictator Hosni Mubarak. This photo of the packed square is getting heavy play on Facebook profiles worldwide. Despite the celebration, it’s been a long year for Egypt. When Mubarak left, the military took […]

Bhangra parties at Chop Suey quench Seattle’s thirst for dance

by Ansel Herz

Sometimes people do a little happy dance when they hear some good news. Bhangra is like a big happy dance. It started as a folk dance by Punjabi farmers in India to celebrate the harvest. It’s done together in a big group – guys with guys, girls with girls, guys and girls.You don’t have to try to […]

Look around the world and face it Seattle, we’re snow wimps.

by Ansel Herz

It’s hard not to be dismissive of being called “snow wimps” when it comes from journalists at the Los Angeles Times. Yes, that Los Angeles. The one in sunny Southern California. Over at KPLU’s website, an angry hive of commenters are defending Seattle’s handling of this week’s snow storm. Light snow is still falling here […]

DREAM activist facing deportation speaks out on MLK Day

by Ansel Herz

Update 1/19: An Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Agency spokeswoman has given this statement to the Globalist: “At this time, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is reviewing Mr. Okere’s case to determine the appropriate next steps.” This means, she clarified, that ICE has not decided to deport Okere as of yet. Around 1000 people gathered […]

Ethiopians show there’s more than one way to celebrate Christmas

by Ansel Herz

Not feeling the commercialization of Christmas in America? Take a trip to Ethopia. The country’s large Orthodox Christian community traditionally observes the day with fasting and processions, not gift-giving. They also have a different calendar, so they celebrate on January 7, when the rest of us are well into our post-holiday doldrums. Last Saturday’s Ethopian […]

5 questions for Water 1st, Seattle’s million-dollar water NGO

by Ansel Herz

The Northwest is a hub for what has been variously called the nonprofit-industrial complex or aid-industrial complex. The multi-billion dollar Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is just opened a huge new campus across from Seattle Center. From Federal Way, the evangelical behemoth World Vision coordinates its operations around the world. The health group PATH works […]

Seattle Filipinos take a community-to-community approach to disaster relief

by Ansel Herz

Tropical storms and flooding in the Philippines have killed 1,500 people and displaced hundreds of thousands more in recent weeks. The United Nations issued a desperate appeal for nearly $30 million in relief funds late last month. Last Thursday BAYAN-NW, the Filipino Community of Seattle, and the Ihaw Ihaw Band responded to the crisis, holding […]

ICE exaggerating number of people deported, says transparency group

by Ansel Herz

A Syracuse University-based transparency group released the results today of a two year long Freedom of Information struggle with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The startling data, based on case-by-case numbers of immigrants apprehended, detained and deported by ICE in 2005 appears to show that agency vastly over-reported these numbers in official statements. The new records show […]