In October, I had the opportunity to take part in a unique project; creating a music video for a social action campaign. The project emerged from several conversations with fellow Annenberg graduate student Rotana Tarabzouni, a woman born and raised in Dhahran (an eastern city in Saudi Arabia). As a Saudi woman, Rotana grew up under a system that imposes restrictions on her individual agency.

As the death toll continues to rise in the aftermath of the powerful typhoon that swept through the Philippines last week, Southern California’s local Filipino community has been mobilizing to assist in relief efforts. A 5K Charity Walk was held in Van Nuys early Sunday to help raise funds for victims of Typhoon Haiyan, officials said. The walk was originally planned to help victims of a 7.1 earthquake that rocked the region last month, said Jovena “Bing” De La Vega, a chief organizer of the event.

It is always heartening to hear discussion of historical artifacts not strictly as museum pieces but as instruments that can transmit other cultural messages and interpretations of identity. The Cyrus Cylinder is an example of ancient cultural heritage that resonates with new meanings today. Inspired by the blogs by Jay Wang and Naomi Leight my interest was sparked on this subject.

Colombia`s Santos administration and FARC guerrillas have unveiled an “historic agreement” on “political participation”. Today`s announcement hopes to breathe life back into a year long peace process that faces growing skepticism. The FARC have promised finally after 50 years of conflict to trade the bullet for the ballot box. We`re now a third of way through the talks, with two of the six points on the agenda being signed off. Excellent, you might think.

Abhijit Sanyal is sitting on a beach-chair watching frothy waves roll in from the Indian Ocean. He arrived in Tanzania a year ago after a career in his native India with Unilever, an Anglo-Dutch consumer-goods giant. ChemiCotex, an industrial company in Dar es Salaam, hired him as chief executive to oversee the expansion of its “tooth-and-nail business”, which dominates the Tanzanian market for dental care and metal goods.

A human rights commission in the House of the Representatives will hear testimony this Thursday from the United States government, NGOs, think tanks, and members of civil society on the state of human rights in Colombia. The bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission will discuss the ongoing peace talks in Havana, Cuba, between Colombia’s largest rebel group FARC and the government, the development of land restitution programs, and labor rights issues, according to the hearing brief.