The 5th Annual English Majors' Conference will be held tomorrow from 1:30-3:00
in Alumni Lounge, SUBO.
This is a unique opportunity to hear students share their academic work.
Presenters include:
*Sara Bonert, "Bounding Over Boundaries: Traversing Social Hierarchy in The Alchemist and The Shoemaker's Holiday"
*Jackie Rosenthal on Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey
*Kristin Gardner, "Learning How to Die" (on Dickens's The Old Curiosity Shop)
*Nirvani Persaud, "Consequences of Desire: Buried Shackles in Cane"
*Elina Bloch, "Where the Angels Fear to Live" (on Marquez's "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings" and David Almond's Skellig)
*Sara Friedman on The Deer Hunter
Lunch will be served. (And rumor has it it's good eats)
All students and faculty are welcome.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
International Newsletter #15
Holocaust's Golden Train
The U.S Justice department has now confirmed that it will pay $25.5
million to the Hungarian Jewish community in America after evidence
indicated that American army officers confiscated a train with Jewish
valuables during WWII and kept most of the goods for themselves.
The train was first seized by the Nazis from Jewish families in
Hungary, but was taken over by American officers after the war ended. The
goods were supposed to be stored and later, item by item, given back to the
families. Its contents were so valuable that it was labeled "the golden
train." Items included works of art, suitcases of gold dust, religious
artifacts, diamonds and silverware.
Not only did many U.S soldiers steal from the train, but it is also
alleged that the U.S government auctioned off remaining treasures in New
York in 1947 to cover refugee costs at the end of the war.
The U.S government has pledged to declassify the documents involved in
the case and have them archived.
-Emma
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news
A Love That Dared Not Speak Its Name
Ahmed al-Enezi and Shahir al-Roubli, two gay Saudi Arabian men, were
executed last weekend after it was discovered that the lovers conspired to
kill Malik Khan in order to keep their relationship secret.
When Khan threatened to reveal their relationship, the two men ran over
Khan with a vehicle, beat him with stones and set his body ablaze in an
effort to make the body unrecognizable to authorities.
Saudi Arabia is certainly not unique among civilized nations in its
institutionalized, religious-based homophobia, but this situation is unique
in that gays were not the victims, but were instead the perpetrators of the violence. They were possessed of such self-loathing that they resorted to murder rather than allow the nature of their love to be discovered.
The two men were beheaded for their murderous actions, although they
may have suffered the same fate if their relationship had been made public.
-Robert
http://story.news.yahoo.com
Malawi's President Hunting Ghosts or Journalists?
Last week several international press organizations picked up the story
that Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika had temporarily abandoned his
controversial palace because he was being haunted by ghosts.
The story read that he had been hearing strange noises that kept him
awake, and that he felt rodents crawling all over his body in the night, but
when he turned on the lights, he saw nothing.
Reverend Malani Mtonga, a senior advisor on Christian affairs to the
president, was quoted as saying, "It's true that the president is no longer
staying there and we have asked clerics from several Christian churches,
including the Roman Catholic, to pray for the new state house to exorcise
evil spirits."
The Malawian President however is not fond of seeing his name in such a
context. Earlier this week, the Roman Catholic told the press that his
political enemies had planted these allegations in the press. He had no
intention to move out of the exclusive New State House in Lilongwe, he
insisted. Also Reverend Malani Mtonga denied the reports after they appeared.
Instead of hunting ghosts, the Malawian government decided to get to
the root of the problem: the press. Journalists Tenthani and Banda were thus
arrested yesterday by police at their homes in the commercial capital of
Blantyre, in southern Malawi. They are currently being detained at police
headquarters in the capital, Lilongwe.
-Kristin
http://www.newindpress.com
http://www.afrol.com
Poll Shows Concern About U.S. Gov't Secrecy
Americans feel strongly that good government depends on openness with
the public, with 7 out of 10 people concerned about gov't secrecy, a new
poll says.
The poll, conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs for Sunshine Week, a
coalition of media organizations and other groups pressing for gov't access,
found that more than half of Americans believe gov't should provide more
access to its records. Even more,70%--are either "somewhat concerned" or
"very concerned" about gov't secrecy. Nearly as many felt access to public
records was "crucial" to good gov't.
Since 1998, many federal departments have been reducing the amount of
information they release to the public?even as the gov?t fields and answers
more requests for information than ever, an Associated Press review has
found. The locations of stores and restaurants that have received recalled
meat, the names of detainees held by the US overseas and details about Vice
President Dick Cheney's 2001 energy policy task force are all among the
records that the gov't isn't sharing with the public.
The tightening began even before the Sept. 11 attacks, and now gov't
defenders say the nation needs protection from its enemies in the war on
terror. But open gov't advocates worry that US citizens' freedom is eroding
with every file they can't access.
-Jane
http://story.news.yahoo.com
Rising Drug Market
It might not come as a surprise that worldwide illegal drug trafficking
is rising to record highs.
Globally, over 200 million people used illegal substances last year.
Although many countries are funding anti-drug measures, the marketplace does
not show signs of decreasing.
Some administrators who advocate a war on drugs are skeptical because
they believe recent events like the war on terror focuses attention away
from the drug problem. Low-cost drugs still pose the greatest threat in over
30 countries where heroin consumption use is on the rise.
Robert Charles, an American official, states that the world should
remain positive as long as there is "steady progress," such as the decline
of cocaine manufacture in South America and opium production in the
far-east.
-Pavel
http://observer.guardian.co.uk
Terror at Sea
Two of the most dangerous al-Qaida-linked groups in Southeast Asia are
working together to train militants in scuba diving for seaborne terror
attacks, according to the interrogation of a recently captured guerrilla.
An Abu Sayyaf suspect in a deadly bus bombing in Manila on Feb. 14,
Gamal Baharan, described how he and other seasoned guerrillas took scuba
lessons as part of a plot for an attack at sea.
Concerns about seaborne terrorist strikes aren?t new. For three years,
the FBI has been investigating whether al-Qaida operatives took scuba
training to help blow up ships at anchor, power plants, bridges, depots or
other waterfront targets.
Authorities fear these scuba divers could target ships with more
accuracy than a small explosive-laden boat like the one used in the USS
Cole blast that killed 17 sailors in 2000 in Yemen.
The report also noted an increased collaboration among the Muslim
militants in other areas, including financing and explosives, as extremists
plot new ways to strike. In the past year, the Indonesia-based Jemaah
Islamiyah has given Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines at least $18.500
for explosives training alone. As a protective measure for the nation?s
ports, the U.S. Coast Guard is developing a sonar system that can
distinguish human swimmers from dolphins.
-Christine
http://www.usatoday.com
The U.S Justice department has now confirmed that it will pay $25.5
million to the Hungarian Jewish community in America after evidence
indicated that American army officers confiscated a train with Jewish
valuables during WWII and kept most of the goods for themselves.
The train was first seized by the Nazis from Jewish families in
Hungary, but was taken over by American officers after the war ended. The
goods were supposed to be stored and later, item by item, given back to the
families. Its contents were so valuable that it was labeled "the golden
train." Items included works of art, suitcases of gold dust, religious
artifacts, diamonds and silverware.
Not only did many U.S soldiers steal from the train, but it is also
alleged that the U.S government auctioned off remaining treasures in New
York in 1947 to cover refugee costs at the end of the war.
The U.S government has pledged to declassify the documents involved in
the case and have them archived.
-Emma
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news
A Love That Dared Not Speak Its Name
Ahmed al-Enezi and Shahir al-Roubli, two gay Saudi Arabian men, were
executed last weekend after it was discovered that the lovers conspired to
kill Malik Khan in order to keep their relationship secret.
When Khan threatened to reveal their relationship, the two men ran over
Khan with a vehicle, beat him with stones and set his body ablaze in an
effort to make the body unrecognizable to authorities.
Saudi Arabia is certainly not unique among civilized nations in its
institutionalized, religious-based homophobia, but this situation is unique
in that gays were not the victims, but were instead the perpetrators of the violence. They were possessed of such self-loathing that they resorted to murder rather than allow the nature of their love to be discovered.
The two men were beheaded for their murderous actions, although they
may have suffered the same fate if their relationship had been made public.
-Robert
http://story.news.yahoo.com
Malawi's President Hunting Ghosts or Journalists?
Last week several international press organizations picked up the story
that Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika had temporarily abandoned his
controversial palace because he was being haunted by ghosts.
The story read that he had been hearing strange noises that kept him
awake, and that he felt rodents crawling all over his body in the night, but
when he turned on the lights, he saw nothing.
Reverend Malani Mtonga, a senior advisor on Christian affairs to the
president, was quoted as saying, "It's true that the president is no longer
staying there and we have asked clerics from several Christian churches,
including the Roman Catholic, to pray for the new state house to exorcise
evil spirits."
The Malawian President however is not fond of seeing his name in such a
context. Earlier this week, the Roman Catholic told the press that his
political enemies had planted these allegations in the press. He had no
intention to move out of the exclusive New State House in Lilongwe, he
insisted. Also Reverend Malani Mtonga denied the reports after they appeared.
Instead of hunting ghosts, the Malawian government decided to get to
the root of the problem: the press. Journalists Tenthani and Banda were thus
arrested yesterday by police at their homes in the commercial capital of
Blantyre, in southern Malawi. They are currently being detained at police
headquarters in the capital, Lilongwe.
-Kristin
http://www.newindpress.com
http://www.afrol.com
Poll Shows Concern About U.S. Gov't Secrecy
Americans feel strongly that good government depends on openness with
the public, with 7 out of 10 people concerned about gov't secrecy, a new
poll says.
The poll, conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs for Sunshine Week, a
coalition of media organizations and other groups pressing for gov't access,
found that more than half of Americans believe gov't should provide more
access to its records. Even more,70%--are either "somewhat concerned" or
"very concerned" about gov't secrecy. Nearly as many felt access to public
records was "crucial" to good gov't.
Since 1998, many federal departments have been reducing the amount of
information they release to the public?even as the gov?t fields and answers
more requests for information than ever, an Associated Press review has
found. The locations of stores and restaurants that have received recalled
meat, the names of detainees held by the US overseas and details about Vice
President Dick Cheney's 2001 energy policy task force are all among the
records that the gov't isn't sharing with the public.
The tightening began even before the Sept. 11 attacks, and now gov't
defenders say the nation needs protection from its enemies in the war on
terror. But open gov't advocates worry that US citizens' freedom is eroding
with every file they can't access.
-Jane
http://story.news.yahoo.com
Rising Drug Market
It might not come as a surprise that worldwide illegal drug trafficking
is rising to record highs.
Globally, over 200 million people used illegal substances last year.
Although many countries are funding anti-drug measures, the marketplace does
not show signs of decreasing.
Some administrators who advocate a war on drugs are skeptical because
they believe recent events like the war on terror focuses attention away
from the drug problem. Low-cost drugs still pose the greatest threat in over
30 countries where heroin consumption use is on the rise.
Robert Charles, an American official, states that the world should
remain positive as long as there is "steady progress," such as the decline
of cocaine manufacture in South America and opium production in the
far-east.
-Pavel
http://observer.guardian.co.uk
Terror at Sea
Two of the most dangerous al-Qaida-linked groups in Southeast Asia are
working together to train militants in scuba diving for seaborne terror
attacks, according to the interrogation of a recently captured guerrilla.
An Abu Sayyaf suspect in a deadly bus bombing in Manila on Feb. 14,
Gamal Baharan, described how he and other seasoned guerrillas took scuba
lessons as part of a plot for an attack at sea.
Concerns about seaborne terrorist strikes aren?t new. For three years,
the FBI has been investigating whether al-Qaida operatives took scuba
training to help blow up ships at anchor, power plants, bridges, depots or
other waterfront targets.
Authorities fear these scuba divers could target ships with more
accuracy than a small explosive-laden boat like the one used in the USS
Cole blast that killed 17 sailors in 2000 in Yemen.
The report also noted an increased collaboration among the Muslim
militants in other areas, including financing and explosives, as extremists
plot new ways to strike. In the past year, the Indonesia-based Jemaah
Islamiyah has given Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines at least $18.500
for explosives training alone. As a protective measure for the nation?s
ports, the U.S. Coast Guard is developing a sonar system that can
distinguish human swimmers from dolphins.
-Christine
http://www.usatoday.com
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Open Mic!
Each semester, the English Majors' Office hosts an open mic for all BC students who want to get their voices heard.
The Spring 2005 Open Mike is just around the corner! We encourage anyone who writes to bring their work and let it be heard by your fellow students and faculty.
You can sign up by stopping by our office at 3416 Boylan Hall. The sign-up sheet is on the door.
The event will be at the State Lounge in SUBO
on Tuesday, April 19th from 1:30 to 3:30.
And- Free Lunch will be served!
We hope to see you all there.
-The Staff
The Spring 2005 Open Mike is just around the corner! We encourage anyone who writes to bring their work and let it be heard by your fellow students and faculty.
You can sign up by stopping by our office at 3416 Boylan Hall. The sign-up sheet is on the door.
The event will be at the State Lounge in SUBO
on Tuesday, April 19th from 1:30 to 3:30.
And- Free Lunch will be served!
We hope to see you all there.
-The Staff
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Students!
Military Recruiters have recently been calling CUNY students at home.
Students may request and file a Directory Information Nondisclosure Form that they may get from the college registrar.
The form states that they do not want the college to give out either their phone number or address.
If you fill out the form, recruiters will not be able to get your information and call you at home.
-The Staff
Students may request and file a Directory Information Nondisclosure Form that they may get from the college registrar.
The form states that they do not want the college to give out either their phone number or address.
If you fill out the form, recruiters will not be able to get your information and call you at home.
-The Staff
Sunday, March 13, 2005
International Newsletter #14
Fear and Loathing in America
African-Americans and women are less likely to join the Army and Marine Corps than in previous years according to the latest unpublicized study for the military. The number of African-Americans that make up the recruitment classes has dropped from 22.7% at the time of the September 11th attacks to 13.9 this past February, while women have dropped 21.6% in 2001 to 17.1% this year.
Researchers cite African-Americans’ moral objection to the war in Iraq and general distrust of the military and government, women’s fear of death and a better economy as the reasons for the decline.
Those who remember their history will recall that from 1932 to 1972 the U.S. government performed experiments on African-Americans to monitor the effects of Syphilis. 399 men who were infected and 201 who were healthy were selected to participate in the study. However, the infected participants were not told that they had the disease. For many African-Americans, this event fuels a continued mistrust (often called paranoia by the less informed) of the government.
Despite some progress, women continue to enjoy a second-class citizenship, lagging behind men in both salary (for the exact same work) and promotions in the workplace.
These declines present an imminent challenge to the Army’s attempt to expand its ranks to 30,000 specifically for its commitment in Iraq. The Army is currently looking to alter its image and revise its recruitment strategy to better appeal to those groups in decline.
-Robert
story.news.yahoo.com
U.S. and Abortion—Update
Last week, the US dropped its contentious demand for a change in a centerpiece document of a United Nations conference on equality that had plunged the gathering of 6,000 women and government ministers into conflict. The meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women was called to review progress since its world conference 10 years ago in Beijing. The document was a one-page statement that delegates had prepared to reaffirm the closing declaration of the 1995 meeting. But the US proposed an amendment with wording saying it would agree to the principles in the declaration only after “reaffirming that they do not create any new international human rights, and that they do not include the right to abortion.” Adrienne Germain, President of the International Women’s Health Coalition, who was also a member of the US delegation in Beijing, said the Beijing statement was a nonbinding declaration, not a treaty, and that no part of it could be construed as creating new human rights or the right to abortion. Last Wednesday, the leader of the US delegation agreed to drop the requirement.
-Jane
http://www.nytimes.com
Keeping Taiwan Chinese
China's leaders introduced a bill on Tuesday that would effectively pre-authorize military action if Taiwan took concrete steps toward formal independence.
Beijing claims Taiwan, split from China since 1949, as part of its territory. The bill, which is expected to be passed by the National People's Congress next Monday, allocates power to China that it has long been assumed to have.
Chinese officials say the new law was prompted in part by Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian's plans for a referendum on a new constitution that Beijing worries might include a declaration of independence. On the other hand, Taiwan officials argue the law gives China's military a blank check to invade Taiwan.
As for the United States, it?s unclear as to where it stands in this debate. While the Bush administration has pledged to protect Taiwan against an attack from mainland China, it has also bluntly warned Mr. Chen to refrain from moves that would legalize Taiwan's independence or otherwise upset the status quo in relations with China.
-Christine
http://www.nytimes.com
Turn-about is Fair Play?
Syria has been the target of an international campaign pushing it to withdraw its 14,000 troops from Lebanon and stop interfering in that country's politics. A withdrawal is demanded by a U.N. resolution, and the United States, France and even Saudi Arabia and Egypt have called for Syria to pull out.
For more than three weeks, Lebanese demonstrators have loudly demanded ``Syria out!'' A rally Monday drew more than 70,000 people; a far larger number -- some 500,000 showed up Tuesday to show their support for Syria at a rally organized by the Shiite Mulsim group Hezbollah.
Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese poured into central Beirut shouting anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans, in a show of strength by the militant Shiite Muslim party Hezbollah, which opposes a withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon.
Syrian state-controlled newspapers on Wednesday covered their front pages with photos of Tuesday's demonstration in Beirut, which they lauded as a ``march of loyalty.'' Syrian newspapers had ignored the previous anti-Syrian protests.
The enormous crowd, in which many had been bused in from the Shiite slums of southern Beirut, was far larger than the anti-Syrian demonstrations of recent weeks that have drawn broad international support. It offered a defiant challenge to the Lebanese opposition forces that have insisted on Syrian withdrawal and exposed fault lines of class and ideology.
-Kristin
http://www.nytimes.com
African-Americans and women are less likely to join the Army and Marine Corps than in previous years according to the latest unpublicized study for the military. The number of African-Americans that make up the recruitment classes has dropped from 22.7% at the time of the September 11th attacks to 13.9 this past February, while women have dropped 21.6% in 2001 to 17.1% this year.
Researchers cite African-Americans’ moral objection to the war in Iraq and general distrust of the military and government, women’s fear of death and a better economy as the reasons for the decline.
Those who remember their history will recall that from 1932 to 1972 the U.S. government performed experiments on African-Americans to monitor the effects of Syphilis. 399 men who were infected and 201 who were healthy were selected to participate in the study. However, the infected participants were not told that they had the disease. For many African-Americans, this event fuels a continued mistrust (often called paranoia by the less informed) of the government.
Despite some progress, women continue to enjoy a second-class citizenship, lagging behind men in both salary (for the exact same work) and promotions in the workplace.
These declines present an imminent challenge to the Army’s attempt to expand its ranks to 30,000 specifically for its commitment in Iraq. The Army is currently looking to alter its image and revise its recruitment strategy to better appeal to those groups in decline.
-Robert
story.news.yahoo.com
U.S. and Abortion—Update
Last week, the US dropped its contentious demand for a change in a centerpiece document of a United Nations conference on equality that had plunged the gathering of 6,000 women and government ministers into conflict. The meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women was called to review progress since its world conference 10 years ago in Beijing. The document was a one-page statement that delegates had prepared to reaffirm the closing declaration of the 1995 meeting. But the US proposed an amendment with wording saying it would agree to the principles in the declaration only after “reaffirming that they do not create any new international human rights, and that they do not include the right to abortion.” Adrienne Germain, President of the International Women’s Health Coalition, who was also a member of the US delegation in Beijing, said the Beijing statement was a nonbinding declaration, not a treaty, and that no part of it could be construed as creating new human rights or the right to abortion. Last Wednesday, the leader of the US delegation agreed to drop the requirement.
-Jane
http://www.nytimes.com
Keeping Taiwan Chinese
China's leaders introduced a bill on Tuesday that would effectively pre-authorize military action if Taiwan took concrete steps toward formal independence.
Beijing claims Taiwan, split from China since 1949, as part of its territory. The bill, which is expected to be passed by the National People's Congress next Monday, allocates power to China that it has long been assumed to have.
Chinese officials say the new law was prompted in part by Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian's plans for a referendum on a new constitution that Beijing worries might include a declaration of independence. On the other hand, Taiwan officials argue the law gives China's military a blank check to invade Taiwan.
As for the United States, it?s unclear as to where it stands in this debate. While the Bush administration has pledged to protect Taiwan against an attack from mainland China, it has also bluntly warned Mr. Chen to refrain from moves that would legalize Taiwan's independence or otherwise upset the status quo in relations with China.
-Christine
http://www.nytimes.com
Turn-about is Fair Play?
Syria has been the target of an international campaign pushing it to withdraw its 14,000 troops from Lebanon and stop interfering in that country's politics. A withdrawal is demanded by a U.N. resolution, and the United States, France and even Saudi Arabia and Egypt have called for Syria to pull out.
For more than three weeks, Lebanese demonstrators have loudly demanded ``Syria out!'' A rally Monday drew more than 70,000 people; a far larger number -- some 500,000 showed up Tuesday to show their support for Syria at a rally organized by the Shiite Mulsim group Hezbollah.
Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese poured into central Beirut shouting anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans, in a show of strength by the militant Shiite Muslim party Hezbollah, which opposes a withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon.
Syrian state-controlled newspapers on Wednesday covered their front pages with photos of Tuesday's demonstration in Beirut, which they lauded as a ``march of loyalty.'' Syrian newspapers had ignored the previous anti-Syrian protests.
The enormous crowd, in which many had been bused in from the Shiite slums of southern Beirut, was far larger than the anti-Syrian demonstrations of recent weeks that have drawn broad international support. It offered a defiant challenge to the Lebanese opposition forces that have insisted on Syrian withdrawal and exposed fault lines of class and ideology.
-Kristin
http://www.nytimes.com
Friday, March 11, 2005
Deadline for Zine submissions
Warning: The deadline for submissions to the English Majors' Zine is this Tuesday, March 15!
Please bring a disk (cd, floppy or zip) with your poetry, story, article
or play to the English Majors' office, room 3416, Boylan Hall during office
hours and drop it in the Zine folder.
Thanks!
-The Staff
Please bring a disk (cd, floppy or zip) with your poetry, story, article
or play to the English Majors' office, room 3416, Boylan Hall during office
hours and drop it in the Zine folder.
Thanks!
-The Staff
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Important Dates!
English Major’s Conference – 3/31, Thurs., 1:30-3:30 pm, Alumni Lounge, SUBO.
Career Day – 4/13, Wed., 10:00 am - 3:00 pm,
Occidental & Oriental Lounges, SUBO.
Open Mic – 4/19, Tues., 1:30-3:30 pm, State Lounge, SUBO.
For more info….Check out our flyer. The sign up sheet is posted now on the door of our office, 3416 Boylan.
James Joyce Lecture – 4/21, Thrs., 1:30-3:30 pm, Occidental Lounge, SUBO. Guest speaker: Isaiah Sheffer, Artistic Director of
Symphony Space and Producer of Bloomsbury on Broadway, the annual reading from Joyce’s Ulysses, which is also broadcast on WNYC public radio.
English Major’s Tea – 5/3, Tues., 1:30-3:30 pm, Gold Room, SUBO.
Faculty Reading – 5/5, Thrs., 2-3:30 pm, 227 New Ingersoll. End of Semester Celebration with Geri DeLuca, Julia Hirsh,
Roni Natov, and Nava Renek.
Career Day – 4/13, Wed., 10:00 am - 3:00 pm,
Occidental & Oriental Lounges, SUBO.
Open Mic – 4/19, Tues., 1:30-3:30 pm, State Lounge, SUBO.
For more info….Check out our flyer. The sign up sheet is posted now on the door of our office, 3416 Boylan.
James Joyce Lecture – 4/21, Thrs., 1:30-3:30 pm, Occidental Lounge, SUBO. Guest speaker: Isaiah Sheffer, Artistic Director of
Symphony Space and Producer of Bloomsbury on Broadway, the annual reading from Joyce’s Ulysses, which is also broadcast on WNYC public radio.
English Major’s Tea – 5/3, Tues., 1:30-3:30 pm, Gold Room, SUBO.
Faculty Reading – 5/5, Thrs., 2-3:30 pm, 227 New Ingersoll. End of Semester Celebration with Geri DeLuca, Julia Hirsh,
Roni Natov, and Nava Renek.
Monday, March 07, 2005
International Newsletter #13
Saddam Tribunal Judge Gunned Down
Iraqi Judge Barwiz Mahmoud Marwani and his son were murdered in front of their residence on Tuesday, March 2nd. Judge Marwani was working on numerous special cases, one that involved the court hearing of Saddam Hussein.
This is the first incident of a tribunal judge being killed. Only one successful trial has been completed since the tribunal was initiated in December 2003, and then with extensive delays due to safety precautions. The names of those who work in the tribunal are kept secret for the protection of the judges. It is unknown when Saddam Hussein’s hearing will begin.
-Pavel
news.bbc.co.uk
Protestors Cheer Resignation
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Omar Karami resigned this week as more than 25,000 prostestors amassed outside Parliament.
After former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated two weeks ago, a small tent village of young Lebanese citizens sprung up near his grave. The protestors were demanding a full investigation of Mr. Hariri's assassination, the resignation of the government, and an immediate pullout of Syria from Lebanon.
The marches culminated in a massive demonstration at Beirut's Martyrs Square in open defiance of an Interior Ministry order against the gathering, and a parliamentary session led by the opposition began deliberations on a confidence vote.
When news of Mr. Karami's resignation reached the crowd, a cheer erupted throughout the square where everyone was gathered waving Lebanese flags.
-Kristin
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/28/international/middleeast/28cnd-lebanon.html
Patriarchal Propaganda
An Iranian girl and two young Iranian men have been sentenced to lashings for having premarital sex. The girl will receive 100 lashes and the young men 30-40 each.
The unnamed girl informed the Iranian court that she was raped, but the court has since dismissed her claim stating that she willingly engaged in the sexual encounter with the two young men. An Iranian newspaper later reported that the girl confessed to having invented the entire story out of vengeance. Oddly, the paper does not inform readers about the girl’s reasons for revenge or the nature of her confession, nor does it report the ages of the girl or the young men involved.
The UN has cited Iran for human rights violations against women and girls, but Iran has rejected the censure as propaganda.
According to the laws of Iran, girls over nine years old and boys over sixteen years of age face the penalty of death for rape or murder, and some sexual relationships considered “illegal” can compel capital punishment.
-Robert
news.bbc.co.uk
US to Women: No Guaranteed Right to Abortion; No Equality
Ten years after a landmark UN conference adopted a platform aimed at global equality for women, the U.S. is demanding that a declaration issued b
y a follow-up meeting make clear that women are not guaranteed a right to abortion, according to Edith M. Lederer of the Associated Press.
Starting Feb. 20, 2005, a two-week high-level UN meeting attended by over 100 countries and 6,000 advocates for women’s causes will be taking stock of what countries have done to implement the platform of action adopted at the 1995 UN women’s conference in Beijing to achieve equality of the sexes.
Even before the meeting began, delegates were wrangling behind closed doors on a draft declaration that the UN Commission put forward on the status of women and hoped to have adopted by consensus before Monday’s opening session. The short declaration would have nations reaffirm the Beijing platform and a declaration adopted with it, welcome progress toward achieving gender equality, stress that challenges remain, and “pledge to undertake further action to ensure their full and accelerated implementation.”
At an informal closed-door meeting, the U.S. said it could not accept the declaration because of its concerns that the Beiging platform legalized the right to abortion as a human right. It proposed an amendment to the draft declaration that would reaffirm the Beijing platform and declaration, but only “while reaffirming that they do not create any new international human rights, and that they do not include the right to abortion.”
-Jane
abcnews.go.com
When Will the Abuse Stop?
According to a study on human rights, tens of thousands of people across the world suffered last year at the hands of repressive governments, proving that "man's inhumanity to man" remains an issue of global concern.
A total of 196 students were monitored by the State Deptartment for its annual human rights report to Congress, which found few and scattered positive developments in overall human rights practices. Some of the bright spots included a decrease of terrorism in post-Taliban Afghanistan and a greater respect for human rights in Ukraine, with its staging of free elections.
Overall, however, the findings were dismal. Summary executions, political killings, disappearances, amputations and floggings, to name a few, were cited among abuses. Iran and China were cited as the worst of the offenders.
-Christine
www.nynewsday.com
Korea Discriminates Against Single Mothers
Single mothers in Korea lack social support because sexual relations outside marriage are considered shameful. The children of unmarried women also face negative attitudes and are treated as secondary citizens.
The majority of these single women are under 20 years of age and often become pregnant because they are denied access to information that would help educate them about prevention.
The families of these young women often demand that these young women give their children up for adoption. If the mother-to-be refuses, the community will most likely
reject and ostracize her.
Many young women run away to centers that care for single mothers. There are 11 of them in Korea. These centers offer medical check-ups, consultations and sex education. Additionally, they provide shelter and job opportunities for the young women. The Korean government didn’t begin supporting these centers until 2003, but its aid isn’t sufficient enough to support the struggling women.
Some of these desperate women turn to theft or prostitution in order to survive. Those who want to get married later in life often face troubles getting through the legal process, since society demands that the woman’s husband also be the biological parent of her children.
While there is evidence that Korean society is progressing towards more enlightened ideas about sex and sexuality, single motherhood is still looked upon as deeply immoral.
-Emma
times.hankooki.com
Iraqi Judge Barwiz Mahmoud Marwani and his son were murdered in front of their residence on Tuesday, March 2nd. Judge Marwani was working on numerous special cases, one that involved the court hearing of Saddam Hussein.
This is the first incident of a tribunal judge being killed. Only one successful trial has been completed since the tribunal was initiated in December 2003, and then with extensive delays due to safety precautions. The names of those who work in the tribunal are kept secret for the protection of the judges. It is unknown when Saddam Hussein’s hearing will begin.
-Pavel
news.bbc.co.uk
Protestors Cheer Resignation
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Omar Karami resigned this week as more than 25,000 prostestors amassed outside Parliament.
After former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated two weeks ago, a small tent village of young Lebanese citizens sprung up near his grave. The protestors were demanding a full investigation of Mr. Hariri's assassination, the resignation of the government, and an immediate pullout of Syria from Lebanon.
The marches culminated in a massive demonstration at Beirut's Martyrs Square in open defiance of an Interior Ministry order against the gathering, and a parliamentary session led by the opposition began deliberations on a confidence vote.
When news of Mr. Karami's resignation reached the crowd, a cheer erupted throughout the square where everyone was gathered waving Lebanese flags.
-Kristin
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/28/international/middleeast/28cnd-lebanon.html
Patriarchal Propaganda
An Iranian girl and two young Iranian men have been sentenced to lashings for having premarital sex. The girl will receive 100 lashes and the young men 30-40 each.
The unnamed girl informed the Iranian court that she was raped, but the court has since dismissed her claim stating that she willingly engaged in the sexual encounter with the two young men. An Iranian newspaper later reported that the girl confessed to having invented the entire story out of vengeance. Oddly, the paper does not inform readers about the girl’s reasons for revenge or the nature of her confession, nor does it report the ages of the girl or the young men involved.
The UN has cited Iran for human rights violations against women and girls, but Iran has rejected the censure as propaganda.
According to the laws of Iran, girls over nine years old and boys over sixteen years of age face the penalty of death for rape or murder, and some sexual relationships considered “illegal” can compel capital punishment.
-Robert
news.bbc.co.uk
US to Women: No Guaranteed Right to Abortion; No Equality
Ten years after a landmark UN conference adopted a platform aimed at global equality for women, the U.S. is demanding that a declaration issued b
y a follow-up meeting make clear that women are not guaranteed a right to abortion, according to Edith M. Lederer of the Associated Press.
Starting Feb. 20, 2005, a two-week high-level UN meeting attended by over 100 countries and 6,000 advocates for women’s causes will be taking stock of what countries have done to implement the platform of action adopted at the 1995 UN women’s conference in Beijing to achieve equality of the sexes.
Even before the meeting began, delegates were wrangling behind closed doors on a draft declaration that the UN Commission put forward on the status of women and hoped to have adopted by consensus before Monday’s opening session. The short declaration would have nations reaffirm the Beijing platform and a declaration adopted with it, welcome progress toward achieving gender equality, stress that challenges remain, and “pledge to undertake further action to ensure their full and accelerated implementation.”
At an informal closed-door meeting, the U.S. said it could not accept the declaration because of its concerns that the Beiging platform legalized the right to abortion as a human right. It proposed an amendment to the draft declaration that would reaffirm the Beijing platform and declaration, but only “while reaffirming that they do not create any new international human rights, and that they do not include the right to abortion.”
-Jane
abcnews.go.com
When Will the Abuse Stop?
According to a study on human rights, tens of thousands of people across the world suffered last year at the hands of repressive governments, proving that "man's inhumanity to man" remains an issue of global concern.
A total of 196 students were monitored by the State Deptartment for its annual human rights report to Congress, which found few and scattered positive developments in overall human rights practices. Some of the bright spots included a decrease of terrorism in post-Taliban Afghanistan and a greater respect for human rights in Ukraine, with its staging of free elections.
Overall, however, the findings were dismal. Summary executions, political killings, disappearances, amputations and floggings, to name a few, were cited among abuses. Iran and China were cited as the worst of the offenders.
-Christine
www.nynewsday.com
Korea Discriminates Against Single Mothers
Single mothers in Korea lack social support because sexual relations outside marriage are considered shameful. The children of unmarried women also face negative attitudes and are treated as secondary citizens.
The majority of these single women are under 20 years of age and often become pregnant because they are denied access to information that would help educate them about prevention.
The families of these young women often demand that these young women give their children up for adoption. If the mother-to-be refuses, the community will most likely
reject and ostracize her.
Many young women run away to centers that care for single mothers. There are 11 of them in Korea. These centers offer medical check-ups, consultations and sex education. Additionally, they provide shelter and job opportunities for the young women. The Korean government didn’t begin supporting these centers until 2003, but its aid isn’t sufficient enough to support the struggling women.
Some of these desperate women turn to theft or prostitution in order to survive. Those who want to get married later in life often face troubles getting through the legal process, since society demands that the woman’s husband also be the biological parent of her children.
While there is evidence that Korean society is progressing towards more enlightened ideas about sex and sexuality, single motherhood is still looked upon as deeply immoral.
-Emma
times.hankooki.com
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