Simon's Blog

In Islamic adoption law, "Kafala" refers to the adoption of children. It has its origins in pearl hunting where the industry was dominated by slave labor. In early 21 st  century, the migrant worker system became known as the "Kafala system." The system is used to monitor migrant work ers   primarily in construction and domestic se rvice industries.  The system requires workers to have a sponsor (employer), who is responsible for their visas and legal status. The practice is seen as abusive and has been  criticized  by human rights organizations for creating easy opportunities for the exploitation of workers. According to The Economist, "  The m igrant worker  circumstance is  unlikely to improve until the re’s  reform s to  the entire system .   There are about 1.2 million foreign workers in Qatar, mostly from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and the Philippines, m...

In 2015, Seattle declared a State of Emergency for homelessness. But since that time, the homelessness has only grown worse. In Seattle King County, there are an estimated 12,000 homeless people with roughly 6,000 unsheltered. From 2006 to 2020, King County population grew 1.7% per year but homelessness grew twice as fast with the unsheltered exploded to nearly 13.4%. In 2021, there was a voter initiative known as Compassion Seattle, proposed to amend the Seattle charter and resolve the homeless problem. But it was seen as political and unempathetic towards the homeless, so it never saw the light of day.   The causes of homelessness are vast: mental illness, drug addiction, poverty, high cost of housing, etc. To resolve the problem, interventions must be individualized and with a wide range of support. The first part of the work has already been done by the creation of the Regional Housing Authority (RHA), which seeks to centralize and organize various orga...

Karen Tribe The Karen is the largest of the hill tribes’ group in Thailand. Originated from Tibet the Long neck tribe, otherwise known as the ‘giraffe women’ are famous for the long brass coils they wear around their necks. They are animists with a strong belief in the spirit world. Karen traditionally wears tunics and sarongs, handwoven by the females of the family. They also like to wear turbans of wrapped cloth on their heads. The costumes vary slightly between the sub-groups, but the difference between a married woman’s dress and an unmarried woman’s dress is significant.  An un-married woman’s costume is a long dress with white tunic down to her ankles. A married woman wears sarong and a brightly colored style shirt with elaborate patterns and seeds sewn on them. They are the only tribe in Thailand to own and work with elephants. They are famous as highly skilled mahouts. The Karen grow rice, corn, soybeans,...