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China hits back on U.S. human rights

Beijing, China (CNN) -- China criticized a "woeful" human rights record in the United States on Friday, a day after a U.S. report said Beijing's own record is getting worse, with harsh crackdowns on dissidents.

"The United States' tarnished human rights record has left it in no state -- whether on a moral, political or legal basis -- to act as the world's 'human rights justice,' " China said in an annual report on U.S. human rights.

Book interview provides a history of 'human rights'. Who made up the definitive list, who is the keeper of the list, where does the concept come from?

You will be surprised to know that the concept of 'human rights' is a very young one, what started in the 1970's and re-emerged in the 1990's has deep historical, religious and legal roots. Samuel also weighs in on current events in North Africa and Europe from his perspective as a historian.

NRA: Stop Helping Human Rights Abusers Get Weapons!

Children -- no matter where they live -- must be kept safe from gun violence. The United Nations is preparing to finalize a treaty that would help to do just that by helping to stem the flow of weapons to human rights abusers. The National Rifle Association (NRA) leadership is standing in the way of these efforts by waging a campaign of misinformation and lies to force the U.S. government to oppose the treaty.

In an op-ed for the New York Times, Vint Cerf writes that civil protests around the world, sparked by Internet communications, 'have raised questions about whether Internet access is or should be a civil or human right.' Cerf argues that 'technology is an enabler of rights, not a right itself,' and contends that for something to be considered a human right, it 'must be among the things we as humans need in order to lead healthy, meaningful lives, like freedom from torture or freedom of conscience.

The top United Nations investigator on Palestinian human rights is calling for a boycott of all companies linked to settlements in the occupied West Bank. Richard Falk, the special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, said firms including Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, Volvo and Caterpillar are complicit in the Israeli occupation.

Full Text of Human Rights Record of the United States in 2009.

Gathered here in Bonn this week are some eighty Right Livelihood Award laureates, including the Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser, who has battled the biotech giant Monsanto for years. When Monsanto seeds blew into Schmeiser’s property, Monsanto accused him of illegally planting their crops and took him to court. Ultimately his case landed in the Canadian Supreme Court. He was awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 1997 for fighting to defend the rights of farmers and the future of seeds.

This article has multiple references listed and discusses the continued oppression of the american people by the abuse of government power. Property rights have been continually eroded since the drafting of the bill of rights. Many of those rights we no longer have, because of this It is important to educate the voter base on how their rights are being eroded. It also brings the question what can we do to protect our rights?

Canadian Grants for Property Owners – Are You among the Top 10 Advantage Takers?

It is a general view that Canadian housing and property grants are beneficial only for the first-time home buyers. The fact is that there are many other categories of home and property owners who can take advantage of these government loans. By extending this financial help, the governments in various parts of Canada have made life easier and more comfortable for different homeowners. Go through the top 10 homeowner types who can make the best out of these grants; a list you will find nowhere else