May 24, 2013

Dispatches from Peru: Revolutionaries, Terrorists, and the Creation of Collective Memory

Hello AIDemocracy network! First and foremost, I hope that you and your loved ones are all doing well in the wake of the crises happening in Japan and other affected areas right now… I have been doing my best to keep up on the situation from here but at times that’s difficult with the lack of information not related to Peru that I can get from here (there were some communities here that were affected by the tsunami on the coast but nothing like what is happening in Japan, Hawai’i, etc). I’d like to focus this blog post on a seminar that … [Read more...]

Facing ‘difficulties’ after brutalizing a population? Obama and David Cameron could learn a lesson from their North African and Arab counterparts

After decades of brutalizing the population, political leaders shouldn’t be surprised to find their authority challenged by violent uprisings. But this plight is not only of political elites in North Africa and the Middle East - European and American leaders face serious dilemmas at the United Nations, after years of ignoring the human consequences of their foreign policy abroad. It is hardly surprising that Gaddafi is able to use mercenaries to suppress a popular uprising, despite outrage from the international community at the (continued) … [Read more...]

Aid for AIDS* – Exporting health and expectations (* political revolution optional)

Protect human rights, empower women, create jobs, strengthen the economy, spread democracy, save children, pipe water, grow crops…the benefits of development are a shining torch that many in the international community use to guide their foreign and domestic policy (or so at least, they would have us believe). A few contentious issues arise when we ask ourselves in which direction we are supposed to be ‘developing’ and tensions run high when foreign powers are accused of buying political influence with aid or investment. America might be used to … [Read more...]

‘Hey Sexy Lady!’ Shouting Back Against the Pervs

“Hey sexy lady! Check THIS out...” [Michael Jackson-esque groin thrust in my direction] ‘Ohh please’ I think 'please wait while I hurry over and give you my phone number, you prehistoric, knuckle-dragging moron’ You may assume that the slimy guy leering at you in the street or beeping his car horn is simply a victim of tragic social ineptitude, but this situation is more sinister. Street harassment ranges from whistles, shouting, and dodgy trouser pocket movements to full blown groping and physical attacks. Where does … [Read more...]

Fair Trade + Social Justice + the winner of ONE Campaign’s Campus Challenge= WKUAID

In Fall 2010 the WKU Chapter of Americans for Informed Democracy (WKUAID) who led WKU to win the ONE Campaign’s Campus Challenge to fight global poverty launched a new campaign to make WKU a Fair Trade University. Fair Trade is a label similar to organic for products from developing countries. Fair Trade guarantees farmers in these countries a fair price for their work. The label also ensures environmental sustainability, empowers women, and eliminates child slavery. The Fair Trade University movement began in 2003 in the United Kingdom with Oxford … [Read more...]

Importing Water: Another Way to Put off the Problem for a Few Years

In a recent conversation with my sister about water usage in the US, I said " We need to realize that taking an extra 5 minutes in the shower means that someone else may not have water." She, quite rightly, attacked my simplification of science (it's not as simple as that, it's a complicated interaction of the water cycle, climate change, and water consumption, and a lot of time to get around the world), and I quickly amended my statement. Until I saw this article. Reserachers in California have proposed building a pipeline from the Columbia River in … [Read more...]

The Greening of Southie: Bringing to Light Issues of Environmental Justice

I recently watched two awesome documentaries relating to the environment.  One was Flow, about the effects of privatization on water resources and communities around the world, was an excellent reaffirmation of how important water issues are.  The other was The Greening of Southie, about the first green building to go up in South Boston.  It is the latter that left me with several questions about the impacts of green building. First, let me start by saying that the film does a great job of explaining what green building is, how one gets the LEED … [Read more...]

Trinidad Dispatch #4: What is a People's Summit?

10 a.m. I arrived at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus, to collect my registration pass and program and join several hundred others for the 4th People's Summit of the Americas.  The official title, "Cultural & Ideological Renewal for Social Justice & People's Development in a Time of Global Crisis." The 4th People's Summit coincides with the Fifth Summit of the Americas, with the premise that the outcome of the later engagement critically depends on the agenda set and actions taken by the region's social movements.  … [Read more...]

International and Transitional Justice News

Recent developments in, and views on, the many courts changing our world. Chile/Transitional Justice: Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet has been placed under house arrest by a Chilean judge on charges including: murder, kidnapping, and torture of political prisoners. Pinochet has been charged with crimes that were committed against prisoners in the Villa Grimaldi Prison. Between 1974 and 177, Villa Grimaldi was the site of unspeakable cruelty against thousands of prisoners. Among those held and tortured at Villa Grimaldi was Chile’s current … [Read more...]

Graduation Pledge

I thought that the "Graduation Pledge Campaign" might be of interest to AID chapters. Please read below for more information! -- "I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work." Students at over a hundred colleges and universities have made this "graduation pledge". From small liberal arts colleges (Colgate and Macalester) to large state universities (Oregon and Utah) to large private research universities … [Read more...]