Monday, March 15, 2010

Protests in Thailand

For my entire life I have dreamed of going to Thailand. My parents met in Thailand, my house has always been full of south east asian artwork and since freshman year my roommate and I have planned on spending the summer after our senior year traveling through Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

Hopefully the fact that a separatists group is once again trying to overthrow the current government will not interrupt my flight which leaves June 4th.

Over 125,000 protestors gathered in Bangkok this Sunday and shut down parts of the capital again Monday, in an attempt to force out Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. It is important to note that Vejjajiva came into power after the military coup that ousted former Prim Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. They claim that the economic gap that exists between the urban elite and the rural farmers has only grown since the new administration took power.

The protestors known as redshirts have not exhibited any violence as of yet but let's hope things do not turn towards another military coup or else my summer plans may be seriously hurt.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

'Tis the Season

REALLY COOL BREAKDOWN OF AMERICAN CHARITY WORK FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON

check it out... www.mint.com/blog/trends/charity-who-cares

Friday, December 11, 2009

Climate Action For The Poor

The climate talks currently going on in Copenhagen will hopefully end in an accord that sets out real plans of action to combat climate change on a global level. These projects will cost trillions of dollars over the next few decades.

Does this mean that only countries economically capable of devoting millions or billions of dollars towards combating climate change will be able to reap the benefits of becoming "Green"? - Hopefully not.

According to the NYT, "the European Union will contribute about $3 billion starting next year to help poorer countries deal with climate change, Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain announced on Friday, a move that seeks to improve the chances of reaching an accord next week at climate change talks in Copenhagen".

Specifically these funds would be set aside to help poorer countries to begin planning massive engineering projects like building higher sea walls and converting their electricity systems so they rely on low-carbon sources.

Prime Minister of Britain, Gordon Brown said there were “few moments in history when nations are summoned to common decisions that will reshape the lives of men and women potentially for generations to come.”

No matter what the cost this is an issue that needs to be seriously addressed. I found this quote from a different NYT article about the costs of a Copenhagen Accord to be really moving.

“People often ask about the costs,” said Kevin Parker, the global head of Deutsche Bank Asset Management, who tracks climate policy for the bank. “But the figures people tend to cite don’t take into account conservation and efficiency measures that are easily available. And they don’t look at the cost of inaction, which is the extinction of the human race. Period.”

Thursday, December 3, 2009

A different view of the Afghanistan surge

While America debates Obama's plan to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan there is one group that sees hope in his recent decision. The women of Afghanistan.

Here is a link to a moving piece about the plight of Afghani women and their hopes that the troops will bring them greater freedoms.

And a non-profit that helps these women after they are shunned by their families and forced to live in fear.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

World AIDS Day

December 1st is World AIDS Day.
It's easy to forget the devastation AIDS has inflicted upon the global community. Here are some facts according to UNAIDS, the joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.

Young people account for around 40% of all new adult (15+) HIV infections worldwide.

Since the beginning of the epidemic, almost 60 million people have been infected with

HIV and 25 million people have died of HIV-related causes.


In 2008, $15.6 billion was estimated to be available from all sources for HIV treatment.

UNAIDS estimates that $25 billion will be needed for HIV services in 2010.


According to USAID almost 5,500 people die every day due to AIDS.


Things you can do..

Shop (Product) RED - A portion of profits from each (PRODUCT) RED product sold goes directly to the Global Fund to invest in African AIDS programs, with a focus on women and children.

There will be an event on campus where a controversial film, House of Numbers will be shown. 7pm Smith 120.

Learn. Here is a Google list of a bunch of options you can take to further the cause of ending the spread of AIDS.

Monday, November 16, 2009

The Citizen Interview : Invisible Children

I'm so excited to being posting the first in a series of interviews with people personally connected to some of the topics we have been talking about.

Nate Henn is a former Blue Hen who has spent the last couple of years working with Invisible Children, one of the greatest non-profits in America today. Their goal is to end the suffering of the children of Uganda. Here is his response to a handful of questions.

1. In a nutshell what is going on in Uganda? Who are the LRA? What should the average twenty-something know about this region of Africa?

There is a lot going on specifically with this crisis Northern Uganda.

In the mid 80's President Yoweri Museveni took office in Uganda, he was from the South. The people of the North, the Acoli, revolted behind a rebel army, but this dissipated quickly. A member of this rebel army, Joseph Kony, was angry that the revolt was not working and formed his rebel army the LRA, or the Lord's Resistance Army. Kony was so mad that his people were not fighting the south anymore that he began to attack his own people of the north.

On top of these attacks he had begun to abduct children and use them as child soldiers in his army. For the past 23 years the LRA has continued these abductions and massacres of Acholi people. The situation is getting worse as the LRA has left the borders of Uganda and moved into Southern Sudan, Central African Republic, and largely in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The LRA is attacking multiple times a day, killing hundreds of thousands and abducting thousands of children to this day. We believe if Kony was taken out of the equation the problem would end. A lot of news has been covered about Sudan and Congo however and this crisis is starting to become closely involved with these countries so it is becoming more prevalent in mainstream media.

2. What is Invisible Children? What do you guys do?

Invisible Children Inc. is a non profit based out of San Diego. We are a media based company raising awareness of the current situation in Northern Uganda. We tell the story and struggles of the people through our documentaries. We have rebuilt 11 war torn schools and we have hundreds of scholarships for secondary school in Uganda.

Along with a bunch of other initiatives we also recently partnered with Edun Live and the Wildlife Conservation Society to create our newest program, the Cotton Initiative. With people moving out of Displacement Camps and back into villages job opportunities were needed. Also, since people have been in displacement camps for over ten years the land had not been used and was very fertile. Invisible Children and our partners have bought hundreds of acres of land for these people and hired 800 farmers. These farmers will be growing, harvesting, and selling cotton. The cotton harvested will go directly to factories making t-shirts and these t-shirts will be sent to the states to sell. The best part is that there is no middleman taking the profit from the farmer, it is a direct sale and the farmers are getting the money they deserve for the work that they do.

3. How did you personally decide to take this path, to work for IC?

I had many connections to Uganda. My sister had lived there for half a year doing missions work as well as my aunt and uncle have lived there for 30 years. Also, my sister was in the Roadie position last year for Invisible Children. The Roadie position is someone who volunteers about a half a year of their life to travel around the country and present our films at colleges, high schools, churches, and more.

I was at a point in my life where I needed a change and I wanted to do something with meaning. The opportunity came about last February that Invisible Children needed a new roadie asap to join a team on the road. I had seen the film years ago and was loosely involved, but when I had the opportunity to take action and really get involved with something that could change peoples lives I jumped at it.

Later I received a call about coming back and working in the office. I could not turn this offer down and now I am living in San Diego working for Invisible Children.

4. Can you explain the humanitarian culture in America today? What is it like to be a young, global minded American working to end conflicts overseas?

I believe that the best way to describe 'humanitarian culture' today is simply growing. I think that people are starting to realize that there is a lot of terrible things going on in this world that can be fixed. However, they can not be fixed without people raising their voice about these issues and getting involved.

It's exciting particularly to see, with Invisilbe Children, how involved and how fired up younger generations get about helping end Africa's longest running war.

4. What can every reader do to help end the suffering of Uganda's child soldiers?

First of all, visit the website and learn. Spreading the word about the situation is huge. The more people hear about it the more people are going to get involved.

Also, call your local representatives, congress and senate members, let them know of your concern and ask them to Co Sponsor the "LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act." This bill is huge and the more constituent support we have the better! Visit the website as well and sign the petition that asks Obama's administration to pass the bill.

Also, they can support Invisible Children by donating. A one-time donation is great! We also have TRI which is a 3 dollars a week or 12 a month donation. Continue to spread the word like I said before and take action because this war can definitely come to an end SOON if more people get involved.

5. Other than invisiblechildren.com what are some Web sites to check out?

www.enoughproject.org

www.resolveuganda.org

www.wewantobama.com

http://blog.invisiblechildren.com/

Monday, November 9, 2009

Detained American hikers charged

The three American hikers detained in Iran, mentioned in a previous post, have been charged with espionage by an Iranian judge.

Iranian representative made a statement to Iranian media today, stating that the three hikers would be charged with espionage and that the investigation into their cases was ongoing.

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton spoke out against the charges while in Berlin saying "We believe strongly that there is no evidence to support any charge whatsoever".

While the families of the hikers spoke out today, restating their claims that the hikers were merely lost tourists, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the fate of the hikers was for the judiciary to decide.

He also mentioned that Iranians had spent many years in U.S. jails without sufficient evidence.

How will this issue be resolved with the United States holding onto its stance of zero diplomacy with Iran and while tensions rise between Iran and the UN over nuclear transparency? Once again, to voice your support please visit freethehikers.org and stay up to date on the situation as is unravels.