The Next Chapter: Seeking the Stories of Refugees in Europe

Syrian and Libyan refugees crowd on a boat off the Libyan coast, prior to being rescued by an Italian naval frigate. (PRNewsFoto/InterAction)

InterAction Interviews Photographer Behind the "Where Are You?" Project

When Italian photographer Massimo Sestini captured an image during the Mare Nostrum rescue operation in 2014, he didn't know it would go viral. After realizing the impact the photo had on viewers, Sestini began the "Where Are You?" project to raise awareness and find out what became of the hopeful faces captured in the image.

Sestini agreed to a Q&A with InterAction Blog Editor Sarah Siguenza to explain how he captured the photo and what he has learned in the time since. In advance of the "Supporting Syria and the Region" conference convening in London, InterAction has released an excerpt of the conversation:

Why Would Anyone Believe The Earth Is Flat?

The Earth as seen from space – looks curved from up there. 
Flickr/NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, CC BY-NC

By Peter Ellerton, The University of Queensland

Belief in a flat Earth seems a bit like the attempt to eradicate polio – just when you think it’s gone, a pocket of resistance appears. But the “flat Earthers” have always been with us; it’s just that they usually operate under the radar of public awareness.

Now the rapper B.o.B has given the idea prominence through his tweets and the release of his single Flatline, in which he not only says the Earth is flat, but mixes in a slew of other weird and wonderful ideas.

These include the notions that the world is controlled by lizard people, that certain celebrities are cloned, that Freemasons manipulate our lives, that the sun revolves around the Earth and that the Illuminati control the new world order. Not bad for one song.

Even ignoring that these ideas are inconsistent (are we run by lizards, the Freemansons or the Illuminati?), what would inspire such a plethora of delusions? The answer is both straightforward, in that it is reasonably clear in psychological terms, and problematic, in that it can be hard to fix.

Nuclear Experts Are Scared -- 48 Hours To Act

"Doel Kerncentrale 2" by Torsade de Pointes - Own work. Licensed under CC0 via Commons 

Nuclear experts are scared:

Belgium has just restarted two ancient and cracked nuclear power plants that threaten to unleash another Chernobyl disaster right in the heart of Europe!

Treading Water: Flint's Water Crisis and What It Says About America Today

The complicated story how Flint, Mich. is a striking example of American inequity today.
Photo: Flickr user Ken Lund (PRNewsFoto/American Federation of Governme)

AFGE tells the complicated story of how one city is a striking example of a nationwide problem

You get what you pay for. So when officials cut corners to find a cheaper source of water for the financially-strapped community of Flint, Mich., half of its children tested positive for elevated lead levels. Images of brown, rancid water dominated headlines and social media nationwide. Residents are now forced to survive on bottled water with little hope for relief in sight.

 

What you may not know is that it's not just Flint that is suffering.

Donald Trump: Just How Good A Businessman Is He?

Reuters/Aaron P. Bernstein

By Scott Taylor, University of Birmingham 

Demagoguery aside, much of Donald Trump’s bid to gain the Republican Party nomination for the presidency of the United States rests on his success as a businessman. It was his business fortune that meant he could kickstart his bid with $1.8m of his own money. But how credible a business leader is he? And, in light of his track record, should he be trusted to run the US?

Iliza Shlesinger's Latest Record, Freezing Hot, to be Released by Comedy Dynamics

Iliza Shlesinger (PRNewsFoto/Comedy Dynamics)

Iliza: Freezing Hot, will be released by Comedy Dynamics on all digital services January 29, 2016. A special of the same name premiered on Netflix to great reviews January 23, 2015. 

Why Pulling Out Of The EU Won't Give Britain Complete Control Over Its Affairs

And all the invitations just dried up. EPA/Andy Rain

By Eunice Goes, Richmond American International University

For years, crusaders of the Eurosceptic cause have claimed that all the evils of the world will disappear once Britain leaves the European Union. British fishermen and women will be able to fish as much cod as they like and greengrocers will be able to weigh Brussels sprouts in pounds. Britain will regain control of its borders, parliamentary sovereignty will be restored to its former glory and the great brotherhood of English-speaking countries will be rekindled.

But so far these grandiose promises have not been accompanied by any explanation of what exactly will happen after Brexit. No scenarios have been described apart from vague references to remaining part of the European free-trade zone. It’s about time they spelled out their case.

Worldwide Release of the Documentary: Revolution of the Present A Primer for Global Citizenship

Revolution of the Present (PRNewsFoto/Revolution of the Present)

"The Planet is Being Shaped By Human Intention and Action. It is Radically Different Than Anything We've Ever Seen." - Revolution of the Present

Featuring twenty international thought leaders, Revolution of the Present, the documentary feature film by Director Marc Lafia, dares the viewer to begin examining a profound new present, this revolution of the present, so that we can better shape our collective future. 

Just released on Vimeo, iTunes, and Amazon Prime this January (coming soon to GooglePlay), the film unravels the complexity of the contemporary moment, examining western presumptions and narratives. 

In the post colonial world of identity politics, social media, climate change, screen and algorithmic computational technologies, it asks if there is room for the individual and participatory politics in the networked cultures of today. 

Subversive Habits: The Untold Story of Black Catholic Nuns in the U.S.

Sisters of the Holy Family, New Orleans, La., cir. 1899. It is the second order of African American Nuns founded in the United States. (PRNewsFoto/Loyola Marymount University)

Few have heard the epic story of the Catholic church's most hidden members – its black nuns – who faced prejudice both inside and outside of the church.

Although the longstanding practices of racial segregation and exclusion in the U.S. Church kept their numbers statistically insignificant through the 20th century, African-American Catholic sisters pioneered religious life for African-Americans.

Frank D'Angelo's Sicilian Vampire Gets Green Light For Theatrical Release

The news was just released that Frank D'Angelo's feature film Sicilian Vampire will have its theatrical release in Canada and USA at the end of February, with Europe soon to follow.

"Everybody has been asking when Sicilian Vampire is coming to theatres" says Frank D'Angelo. "The film has only been shown at film festivals and it's been the most talked about film everywhere. The anticipation from the public to see this movie in theatres is overwhelming." 

From The Revenant To Mad Max: Why We All Love A Story Of Survival

20th Century Fox

By Catherine Redford, University of Oxford

Quickly scan this year’s film award lists and a strong theme emerges: survival. In fact, the three films with the most Oscar nominations are all about survival. There’s The Revenant (with 12 nominations), in which Leonardo DiCaprio fights to survive alone in a fierce environment after enduring a bear attack and being buried alive. Mad Max: Fury Road (with ten nominations) features Tom Hardy as a weird loner in a post-apocalyptic desert, attempting to avoid being used as a “blood bag” by its vampiric inhabitants. Finally, in The Martian (seven nominations), Matt Damon plays an astronaut who, left alone on Mars, must work out how to survive in an utterly uninhabitable environment long enough to be rescued.

All three films, then, depict figures battling to survive in hostile and seemingly hopeless conditions. Whether isolated mentally by the breakdown of society, or physically in the desolate landscapes of the wilderness and Mars, these men are united by an impulse to live on when hope seems lost.

Notorious Pro-Bernie Sanders PAC Strikes Back with Political Satire Comic Series in New York Times Square

Americans Socially United #VOTEFIREMAN2016 #BETONBERNIE
(PRNewsFoto/Politician Watch Association)

Americans Socially United Director Cary Lee Peterson talks with PoliWatch about 2016 PAC activities leading to Primary Election

Hands down Democratic Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders is leading in the Iowa and New Hampshire polls, which may have Hillary Clinton's team on the edge of their seat. Nonetheless, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) remains abundant with support from a political committee Americans Socially United that started this time a year ago before he announced his official candidacy for the presidential race.