Saturday, March 31, 2007

Burundi's Child Prisoners

As of the end of 2006, about 400 children aged 13 to 18 were imprisoned in Burundi, a nation with no juvenile justice system. Children in Burundi's prisons have almost no access to legal counsel, and torture is commonplace. Further, these children receive inadequate food and education while in jail, and are vulnerable to abuse from adult prisoners. Human Rights Watch recently published a report describing the problem's of Burundi's jails and recommendations to increase human rights protection for child prisoners.

Political Oppression in Nigeria

With elections set for April, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo is blocking opposition candidates from running for state and national office. Currently, many of Obasanjo's notoriously corrupt allies are running for office with almost no opposition, as all of their opponents have been taken off the ballot.

Eat Ice Cream and Help People

Love Coldstone Ice Cream? Want to help a small subsistence farming community in Peru by eating Ice cream? Come to this event and invite all your friends!


Coldstone for Chijnaya!

Thursday, April 5
7-9 pm
Walker Lounge

1 Mix-in = $2
2 Mix-ins = $3
As many Mix-ins as you want = $4

Flavors:
Cake Batter
Mint
Cheesecake
Chocolate
Strawberry
Coffee
Sweet Cream
French Vanilla

Mix-ins:
Butter Fingers
Chocolate Chips
Crunch Bars
Heath
Kit Kat
M&Ms
Snickers
Sprinkles
Macademias
Pecans
Roasted Almonds
Apple Pie Filling
Banana
Blueberries
Cherry Pie Filling
Raspberries
Strawberries
Brownies
Oreos
Cookies
Cake
Graham Crackers
Caramel
Fudge
Marshmellows
Whipped Cream
Cookie Dough

Sponsored by the Women's Union and the Volunteer Center

All funds raised go to the Chijnaya Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides humanitarian aid to subsistence farming communities in southern Peru




PLEASE invite people! If you're willing to invite facebook friends just look up "Joanne Tien" and the event should be posted and then click "Invite People", etc.


Friday, March 30, 2007

Stanford Prison Experiment

I missed Philip Zimbardo last week (Garrison was full), but caught him on the Daily Show the other day. Here's a video on the Stanford Prison Experiment for those who are interested:

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

"South Africa Lowers Voice on Human Rights"

NY Times article on South Africa's reticence on human rights issues in the UNSC. Not exactly what we might hope for from March's Security Council president...

"Human Rights Go Viral"

There is an interesting article on Slate.com about the use of "new media," such as YouTube, to promote human rights. It focuses particularly on a video created to highlight the case of one Guantanamo Bay detainee, a Sudanese named Adel Hamad. Apparently, after the video was posted and viewed more than 70,000 times in one month, the government added Hamad to a list of people slated to be released (not sure about the causal connection between those two things). As the author, a student at Harvard Law School, points out:
YouTube and its ilk mean that today anyone can tell human rights stories. And as Hamad's video shows, if the stories are told with enough brio and skill, the public will pay attention, and the government may be more likely to respond. . . . YouTube goes where the mainstream media can't or won't go. It's visceral. It's story first, message second. And it gives advocates instant access to an audience in a way that press releases and op-eds never can.
Here's the YouTube video about Adel Hamad:

North Korea

Human Rights Watch's background report on North Korea.

North Korea Freedom Week is April 22-29, get involved!

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

This Passover...

remember the 27 million people still enslaved in the world, and make it part of your Passover Seder.

http://www.iabolish.com/project_passover/

Many Rights, Some Wrong

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8888792

Protest this Saturday

Support Immigrants’ Rights

Help Day-Laborers

Protest the Minuteman Presence

in Rancho Cucamonga





Protest: This Saturday at 8:00am

The Corner of Grove and Arrow, Rancho Cucamonga

Informational Meeting and Poster Party: This Thursday at 4:45

Fireplace Lounge SCC


Make Your Voice Heard!

FMI or a ride: eric.haas@pomona.edu; william.downing@pomona.edu

Who Killed Vincent Chin?

The Intercollegiate Department of Asian American Studies (IDAAS)
presents the Academy Award nominated film:

"Who Killed Vincent Chin?" (1987)

Wednesday, March 28 at 7:00 p.m.
Broad Performance Space (in Pitzer College, it is the topmost - farthest
north - building on Mills Avenue before Harvey Mudd)

In 1982, a Chinese American man named Vincent Chin was verbally
assaulted and beaten to death in Detroit. Rob Ebens and stepson Mike
Nitz, the perpetrators, were fined and given 3 years probation. The
lenient sentencing, believed to be an issue of race, caused outrage
among the Asian American community, and pushed a loving mother to speak
up for her son's rights.

Come for the FREE screening and stay for a DISCUSSION with DIRECTOR
Renee Tajima-Pena!!!

South Asian Conference Addresses Police Reform

New Delhi, Mar.23: Fifty delegates from around South Asia will come together in New Delhi over the next two days to share experiences of policing in South Asia and plan for police reform and accountability in the region, at a roundtable facilitated by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI).

Smugglers Toss Hundreds of Africans Overboard

"SANA, YEMEN — Human smugglers sailing from Somalia to Yemen forced hundreds of illegal immigrants overboard in stormy seas in an effort to escape security forces quickly, officials said Monday. Thirty-one bodies were found, and nearly 90 people remained missing." (Los Angeles Times)

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-smugglers27mar27,1,7934852.story?coll=la-news-a_section

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Apologizes for the Suffering of Exploited Women during World War II

According to the Los Angeles Times, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe apologized for the suffering of exploited women during World War II and publically stressed the "violation of human rights." However, critics remain unconvinced of his sincerity, since top-ranking officials continue to deny Japanese military involvement with the brothels that sponsored sex exploitation.

http://http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-abe27mar27,0,1075267.story?track=ntothtml

Monday, March 26, 2007

Liberty in North Korea San Francisco Summit

San Francisco Summit
April 19-22, 2007

Because of LiNK's large geographical stretch it becomes nearly impossible for LiNK's coordinators and activists to meet on a regular basis. To solve this LiNK has held two international summits every year- a Summer and Winter Summit, where the entirety of LiNK, as well as those interested in becoming part of LiNK, get together to look back on the past, catch up on developments and plan for the future. LiNK has held Summits so far in San Diego, California; Englewood, New Jersey; Irvine, California; Washington, D.C.; and Los Angeles, California.

Summits regularly feature prominent speakers (Washington, D.C., for example, had a senior MOFAT official from the ROK, representatives from the office of the US Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights, and David Hawk, NK human rights researcher), off-the-record discussions and debates, presentations by underground field workers and the latest updates on advocacy efforts worldwide.We have not had a Summit for LiNK since the summer of 2006, as LiNK and the movement have been in the thick of some important changes.

Next month, San Francisco will be host to our final LiNK Summit- perhaps our most important! The Summit will feature a special presentation by David Hawk, leading researcher on North Korean human rights, as well as the debut of his new report, presentations on latest developments in the field and for the movement, and intense debates and discussions on future directions. Also, we may be graced with the presence of some very special guests. The NKHR movement of today is different than that of several years ago, and our discussions and presentations will highlight new priorities and targets, and methods of engaging the powers that be.

Participants pay a fee of $125, including three night's lodging, lunch on Friday and Saturday, summit t-shirt, materials and registration.

Applications are found here.

Impediments to Humanitarian Aid in Darfur

According to the New York Times, bureaucratic red tape, escalating violence, and governmental failure to align its practice with its rhetoric have all diminished the capacity of humanitarian aid to reach those who need it most. As Professor Fowler discussed in today's class, there has been increasing violence against aid workers over the past few months. The Sudanese government signed an agreement with the UN to raise restrictions on aid workers in 2004, but has made no efforts at enforcement. The arduous bureaucratic process entails innumerable amounts of paperwork, visa applications, and fees. According to the article, the leading relief NGOs hire five employees to navigate the bureaucratic process. The humanitarian affairs commissioner of Sudan (Does this position seem counterintuitive to anyone?), Kosti Manibe explained, “The procedures are created so as to make it easy, not make it difficult." Sure, that's exactly what the government in Khartoum wants, to make it easier for humanitarian assistance to reach the refugees it would rather have dead.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/27/world/africa/27darfur.html

"Greatest erosion of human rights in 26 years," says Amnesty International

Egyptian referendum

Amnesty International press release

Athenaeum Lecture


Empowering the Poor in the Developing World
FAZLE ABED
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2007
Lunch, 11:45 a.m., Lecture, 12:15 p.m.

In 1972, Fazle Abed founded BRAC (formerly known as the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) to provide relief and assistance to refugees returning from India after Bangladesh’s Liberation War. Over the next 30 years, Abed would transform BRAC into one of the largest development organizations in the world, serving more than 100 million people throughout East Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

BRAC operates major programs in microfinance and income generation, public health, education, and social development. BRAC’s microfinance program currently assists over 5 million borrowers and has disbursed U.S. $3.8 billion to date in loans, with a 98 percent repayment rate. BRAC’s health program, serving more than 80 million people, provides a wide range of preventive, curative, and rehabilitative health services, ranging from basic health and nutrition assistance, to HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, malaria mitigation, early childhood development, and neonatal health. More than one million children, 65 percent of whom are girls, are currently enrolled in over 20,000 pre-primary and 30,000 non-formal primary schools operated by BRAC’s education program. BRAC’s social development program promotes greater awareness of social, political, and economic issues, providing human rights and legal services, legal aid clinics, and platforms to discuss social and political issues affecting poor women in rural areas.

Mr. Abed was born in Bangladesh and educated at Dhaka and Glasgow Universities. Prior to founding BRAC, he spent a number of years in the private sector as an executive with Shell Oil in Chittagong.

Fazle Abed is the recipient of the second annual Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership, which carries a $250,000 award to his organization, for his innovative work, direct impact, and achievement in reducing poverty and empowering the poor. The Prize is administered by Claremont McKenna College, the Kravis Leadership Institute, and Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis ‘67. “The Kravis Prize was established to celebrate [leaders’] vision, boldness, and determination,” Mr. Kravis said. “Fazle Abed is such a leader.”

Reserve a spot for lunch at http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/mmca.

The United Nations Highlights Human Trafficking

The UN recently launched a new campaign, The Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking, to raise awareness of trafficking around the world. At any given time, 2.5 million people are estimated to be victims of trafficking, a number that includes men forced to work dangerous jobs for very little pay, as well as women and young girls forced into sex slavery.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Athenaeum Talk


Beasts of No Nation
UZODINMA IWEALA
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2007

Lunch 11:45 a.m. Lecture 12:15 p.m.

At the age of 23, Uzodinma Iweala published his first novel, Beasts of No Nation, the narrator of which is a young boy conscripted into a ragtag army of guerrilla fighters as civil war engulfs his unidentified West African country.Iweala was born in Washington, D.C., in 1982. From the beginning of his life, his existence was one between cultures. He has spent much of his life traveling between the United States, United Kingdom, and Nigeria.


Iweala considers himself an American, but identifies strongly with his Nigerian roots. Most of his extended family lives in Nigeria. Growing up, his parents stressed the Nigerian aspect of his identity through yearly trips to the villages in which his mother and father grew up, use of the Igbo language in their house, and cooking of Nigerian food, which he claims is “better than you’ve previously ingested.”


When he got to Harvard, Iweala initially thought he would study biology, economics, or government. After taking an introductory English class with Steven Greenblatt, however, he immediately changed his major to English. The writing of Beasts of No Nation evolved out of his senior thesis project. It quickly was selected “A Best Book of the Year” by Time, People, Slate, Entertainment Weekly, and New York Magazine. Salman Rushdie declared, “This is one of those rare occasions when you see a first novel and you think, this guy is going to be very, very good.”


Iweala's lecture is sponsored by the Family of Benjamin Z. Gould Center for the Humanities.
Reserve a spot for lunch at http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/mmca

How Good People Turn Evil


The 2007 Girard Lecture with Dr. Philip Zimbardo at Scripps College


Philip Zimbardo, Stanford University professor emeritus of psychology and designer of the famed Stanford Prison Experiment, will talk on the findings of his latest book, The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil, Monday, March 26, 5:30 p.m., in Garrison Theater, Scripps College Performing Arts Center. Part of the Marion Jane Girard Lecture Series at Scripps College, the event is free and open to the public.


Zimbardo designed his Stanford Prison Experiment, in 1971, to investigate the psychology of prison life. The experiment was a classic demonstration of the power of social situations to distort personal identities and long-cherished values and morality. Originally planning the experiment to last two weeks, Zimbardo called a halt after only six days when the participants became too engrossed in their simulated roles; guards became sadistic, and prisoners became depressed and extremely stressed. A prize-winning DVD, Quiet Rage: The Stanford Prison Experiment, is widely used in classrooms, civic groups, and to train new guards at Abu Ghraib.


Zimbardo’s best-selling introductory psychology textbook, Psychology and Life, is now in its 18th edition. His popular book Shyness: What it is and what to do about it was the first of its kind, as was the shyness clinic he started. He also designed, co-wrote, and hosted the PBS educational series Discovering Psychology.


His current research on the psychology of time perspective focuses on the ways in which individuals develop temporal orientations that parcel the flow of personal experience into mental categories, or time zones, of past, present, and future and also a transcendental future (beliefs about life after one’s death).

Modern Slavery

BBC News reports on modern-day slavery.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Young Girls Enslaved in Nepal

At least 20,000 young girls are enslaved in Nepal. They have been sent by their parents to live with a landlord, who may keep them for years. These girls are not able to go to school, but spend most of their time doing housework and other chores for no pay.

Aid Agencies Forced Out of Darfur

Parts of Darfur have become too dangerous for aid agencies to operate, leaving thousands of people without acess to basic necessities, such as healthcare and sanitation.

Political Oppression and Abuse in Zimbabwe

Last week, the Zimbabwean police arrested and beat opposition party leader Morgan Tsvangirai, along with about fifty other activists, and killed another protester on the spot.

China's Role in Darfur

China refuses to support UN peacekeepers in Darfur and won't apply pressure to Sudan.

Protest Nike in LA

COME JOIN NIKE WORKERS IN SPEAKING OUT!

SUNDAY MARCH 25 AT 12 NOON


THE NIKETOWN STORE ON THE CORNER OF WILSHIRE AND RODEO, BEVERLY HILLS, CA


COME PROTEST NIKE'S CONTINUED DEPENDENCE ON SWEATSHOP LABOR AND HEAR FROM WORKERS WHO LOST THEIR JOBS SIMPLY FOR DEMANDING THEIR RIGHTS


Join Students of Color Alliance and United Students Against Sweatshops for this mobilization.

Transportation and sustenance/snacks provided

Specifics to be determined, but please email if you're interested, so we can plan.

kaj02003@pomona.edu.

WHAT THIS PROTEST IS ABOUT:

Nike, Adidas, and manufacturer, Yupoong, are closing BJ&B, the first unionized garment facility in the free trade zones of the Dominican Republic, BJ&B has long been a symbol within the antisweatshop movement, a concrete testament to the power of student and worker solidarity. In 2003, with strong support from students and other solidarity activists, the workers won their hard-fought struggle for union representation and higher wages, an unprecedented victory. Unfortunately, since the establishment of the union, brands like Nike and Adidas have been attempting to systematically erode these gains by decreasing orders, rather than committing to workers' rights. Because of this, the amazing victory that is BJ&B has been plunged into jeopardy. On February 22, the majority of the workforce was laid off and the factory announced its closure. This closure not only has severe negative repercussions for the workers and the community of Villa Altagracia but for the entire union movement in the Dominican Republic and internationally. Brands such as Nike and Adidas cannot be allowed to systematically undermine workers' basic rights and cut and run from union factories such as BJ&B!

In the Name of Cultural Diversity?

German judge denies abused woman's request for divorce because of Koranic law.