United for Peace and Justice, the largest antiwar coalition in the U.S., is seeking summer interns for organizing, outreach, research, and more. The main focus of UFPJ's work is on ending the Iraq war and bringing U.S. troops home now.
The organization is seeking articulate, politically aware individuals with good critical thinking skills and a demonstrable committment to peace and justice. Candidates should support UFPJ's campaign goals. People of color, women and lgbt people are encouraged to apply.
The internship will include contacting their many member groups and/or organizing other volunteers to do the same. Interns may participate in recruiting new member groups, particularly in key underrepresented constituencies; they may also organize and/or participate in street outreach in New York City. Other tasks may inlcude designing leaflets, developing educational materials, and maintaining their database. Interns will work with organizers on staff and potentially with members of the national Steering Committee.
How to apply:
Please submit a resume and cover letter to interns@unitedforpeace.org, with the subject line "Summer Internship Application from E-Mail". You should include why you are interested specifically in UFPJ, and briefly describe any relevant experience. UFPJ encourages applicants to peruse the campaigns section of UFPJ's web site www.unitedforpeace.org before applying.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Cash Dollars!
The 2005 David W. Miller Award
for Student Journalists
The award consists of a $2,000 prize and a certificate, and is presented annually. The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2005, and the winner will be announced in the fall.
Candidates may apply for the award by submitting up to three samples of published work accompanied by a one-page letter describing the articles and why they were chosen for submission.
The samples of published work must have appeared in a campus publication during the 2004-5 academic year. Each piece of writing should be journalistic, using expository, explanatory, narrative, or other techniques to report evenhandedly on a topic of intellectual interest. Examples include a new trend, discovery, or theory; an important scholarly debate; an issue with both scholarly and public-policy implications; or a researcher who is as interesting as his or her scholarship. Applicants may bolster their candidacies by submitting articles on a variety of topics or in a range of genres.
Opinion essays, personal columns, scholarly or research papers, and articles that present the author's own research findings are ineligible.
Candidates for the award must have been undergraduate students at the time their articles were published. Applicants may be students in any country, but their submissions must be in English. Employees of The Chronicle and their families are ineligible.
Applicants should send their materials, including an address or addresses at which they can be reached in the fall, to:
David W. Miller Award
The Chronicle of Higher Education
1255 23rd Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037
milleraward@chronicle.com
Applications may be submitted on paper or by e-mail. Writing samples may be original clippings, photocopies of clippings, printouts from publications' Web sites, or links to such Web sites. Applicants seeking the return of their materials should include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Electronic-only submissions should be sent as straight-text e-mail messages, not as attachments.
for Student Journalists
The award consists of a $2,000 prize and a certificate, and is presented annually. The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2005, and the winner will be announced in the fall.
Candidates may apply for the award by submitting up to three samples of published work accompanied by a one-page letter describing the articles and why they were chosen for submission.
The samples of published work must have appeared in a campus publication during the 2004-5 academic year. Each piece of writing should be journalistic, using expository, explanatory, narrative, or other techniques to report evenhandedly on a topic of intellectual interest. Examples include a new trend, discovery, or theory; an important scholarly debate; an issue with both scholarly and public-policy implications; or a researcher who is as interesting as his or her scholarship. Applicants may bolster their candidacies by submitting articles on a variety of topics or in a range of genres.
Opinion essays, personal columns, scholarly or research papers, and articles that present the author's own research findings are ineligible.
Candidates for the award must have been undergraduate students at the time their articles were published. Applicants may be students in any country, but their submissions must be in English. Employees of The Chronicle and their families are ineligible.
Applicants should send their materials, including an address or addresses at which they can be reached in the fall, to:
David W. Miller Award
The Chronicle of Higher Education
1255 23rd Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037
milleraward@chronicle.com
Applications may be submitted on paper or by e-mail. Writing samples may be original clippings, photocopies of clippings, printouts from publications' Web sites, or links to such Web sites. Applicants seeking the return of their materials should include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Electronic-only submissions should be sent as straight-text e-mail messages, not as attachments.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Hey- Somebody Noticed!
What do you know? We’ve been noticed again.
This issue of ‘Around the Quad’ mentions us in a feature story about blogs. We (the staff) are pleased that anyone is paying attention, and flattered at the nod. Since the article discusses blogs that are published by professors here on campus, we thought it might be nice to provide some links to those published by professors in the English Department here at BC.
Professor of Jounalism Eric Alterman's blog will keep you up to date on issues in the media.
Poet Lisa Jarnot’s blog is a funny romp about her own life and views.
If you’re feeling hungry, Mondern Languages and Literature’s Fabio Girelli-Carasi can show you how to whip up a gourmet meal.
If any BC students out there have blogs or websites they’d like posted here, you can email a link to: brklynwriter@yahoo.com
It might be a great way to keep the conversation going all summer.
This issue of ‘Around the Quad’ mentions us in a feature story about blogs. We (the staff) are pleased that anyone is paying attention, and flattered at the nod. Since the article discusses blogs that are published by professors here on campus, we thought it might be nice to provide some links to those published by professors in the English Department here at BC.
Professor of Jounalism Eric Alterman's blog will keep you up to date on issues in the media.
Poet Lisa Jarnot’s blog is a funny romp about her own life and views.
If you’re feeling hungry, Mondern Languages and Literature’s Fabio Girelli-Carasi can show you how to whip up a gourmet meal.
If any BC students out there have blogs or websites they’d like posted here, you can email a link to: brklynwriter@yahoo.com
It might be a great way to keep the conversation going all summer.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Brooklyn Review Publication Party
The Brooklyn Review is celebrating this year's publication
at The Community Bookstore at 143 7th Avenue in Park Slope
this Friday, May 20 from 7-9 p.m.
Contributors (including some BC students) will be reading their work,
and refreshments will be served.
The Brooklyn Review is a literary magazine published annually
on campus by English Graduate Students.
They will be accepting submissions for next year's publication beginning
in Fall 2005.
at The Community Bookstore at 143 7th Avenue in Park Slope
this Friday, May 20 from 7-9 p.m.
Contributors (including some BC students) will be reading their work,
and refreshments will be served.
The Brooklyn Review is a literary magazine published annually
on campus by English Graduate Students.
They will be accepting submissions for next year's publication beginning
in Fall 2005.
Monday, May 16, 2005
International #20/ The Boylan Brief
Our newsletter has a new name - The Boylan Brief.
It also has a new look in hard copy. You can pick
one up at our office - 3416 Boylan. Or, of course,
you can just read it here!
This is the last official newsletter until next fall.
The blog will be here all summer, though, so keep checking in
for information about jobs, writing programs and anything
else we think you might find interesting.
St Lucia Brings Back Executions
St. Lucia’s National Security Minister, Calixte George announced he wants to execute convicted murderers rapidly as an attempt to decrease crime rates. “Speedy executions will serve as a deterrent to violent crime,” said George. The country’s annual Jazz festival is held this week and attracts tourists as well as gangs out to rob the foreign visitors. George says that he wants to set an example in order to save the festival from bringing violence – many of which leads to murder – by executing large numbers of convicts.
"Criminals are becoming bolder and we need to raise the bar in terms of punishment,” said Police Commissioner Ausbert Regis. He wants to emphasize that the need for executions correlates with the increase in crimes. A young woman was recently chased and gunned down by three men in broad daylight in the capital Castries. No one witnessing the event did anything to help the young woman. George and Regis are actively trying to change the federal law, which is difficult since St Lucia is under rule of the United Kingdom where capital punishment is difficult to justify.
-Emma
http://www.caribbeantimes.co.uk/
FACTORY FARMS and BIOTECH CROPS
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), today’s “factory” farms, which crowd thousands of animals into tightly confined areas, give factory smokestacks a run for their money when it comes to polluting the air with ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and other potentially dangerous substances. The livestock sector, for example, produces 73% of our nation’s ammonia emissions, and factory farms contribute the lion’s share of this pollution. One industrial egg-producing facility in Ohio released 800 tons of ammonia into the air in one year. Federal law requires factory farms to report when toxic chemicals are released in quantities large enough to pose health and environmental risks. Last November, however, Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) pushed to exempt factory farms from these reporting requirements. Major resistance from farmers, activists, and public interest organizations including UCS helped defeat Sen. Craig’s proposal in the last session of Congress, but he is likely to reintroduce it in the year ahead.
For years, the biotechnology industry has claimed reduced pesticide use as a major benefit of genetically engineered (GE) crops, which comprise more than half the corn, soybeans, and cotton grown in the US. However, a recent study found that the most widly planted GE crops use more pesticide than conventional crops. The study, commissioned by UCS and conducted by agricultural economist Dr. Charles Benbrook, found that herbicide-tolerant crops (the predominant GE crops) require significantly more pesticide than conventional varieties. Since 1996, when GE crops were first introduced, herbicide-tolerant crops have required 122 million pounds more pesticide than what would have been used if conventional varieties had been grown instead. This amount was only slightly offset by lower pesticide use on crops engineered to produce their own insecticide. To read Genetically Engineered Crops and Pesticide Use in the United States: The First Nine Years, visit www.uscusa.org/food_and_environment.
Jane Stafford
www.ucsusa.org
Band-Aid for a Crack in the Dam
The Roman Catholic Diocese of St. George’s in eastern Canada will sell up to 150 of its properties, including churches, parish houses and missions, in order to pay the debt owed as part of a settlement in a sexual assault case.
The Reverend Kevin Bennett admitted to sexually assaulting hundreds of boys during his time as a priest. 39 of his victims filed a lawsuit 16 years ago and accepted a settlement in May of last year. The former priest is currently collecting a church pension.
There is still no word on whether the Catholic Church has accepted its role in the overwhelming number of abuses perpetrated against its young parishioners, or if there are measures being taken to ensure that the silent practices that kept these heinous acts secret for so long are abolished.
-Robert Jones, Jr.
ap.tbo.com
Temperature Risings in Europe
According to CNN, global warming could lead to a dramatic cooling of
Britain and northern Europe. Scientists have recently acquired evidence
that changes are occurring in the Gulf Stream, “the warm and powerful
ocean current that tempers the western European climate.” The changes
were a result of shifting activity in the Greenland Sea, which acts an
oceanic “global conveyer belt.” Now, less heat is reaching northern
Europe.
The slowing of the Gulf Stream could also contribute to other severe
effects on the planet, such as the complete melting of the Arctic ice
cap in the summer months. That could eliminate the habitat and lead to
the extinction of Arctic wildlife, including the polar bear. Current
predictions indicate that could happen as early as 2020 or as late as
2080.
-Christine Choi
www.cnn.com
Cuba Rejects Calls to hand Over Fugitive
Cuban President Fidel Castro has refused to hand over an accused
militant, who was tried and found guilty in the U.S. for killing a New
Jersey police official. Assata Shakur, 53, formerly known as Joanne
Chesimard was convicted in 1973 for killing State Trooper Werner
Foerster. Shakur escaped prison in 1979 before she fled to Cuba.”
Castro defended Shakur, citing she was “an innocent victim of racial
persecution.” Castro further stated these accusations were merely a way
of diverting attention from a former CIA worker, Luis Posada, who set
off a bomb in “a civilian Cuban jetliner in 1976, killing 73 people.
Castro’s attorney confirmed that Posada is currently residing in the
U.S. seeking political asylum. Posada denied taking part in any
killings.
-Pavel Zomb
news.yahoo.com
It also has a new look in hard copy. You can pick
one up at our office - 3416 Boylan. Or, of course,
you can just read it here!
This is the last official newsletter until next fall.
The blog will be here all summer, though, so keep checking in
for information about jobs, writing programs and anything
else we think you might find interesting.
St Lucia Brings Back Executions
St. Lucia’s National Security Minister, Calixte George announced he wants to execute convicted murderers rapidly as an attempt to decrease crime rates. “Speedy executions will serve as a deterrent to violent crime,” said George. The country’s annual Jazz festival is held this week and attracts tourists as well as gangs out to rob the foreign visitors. George says that he wants to set an example in order to save the festival from bringing violence – many of which leads to murder – by executing large numbers of convicts.
"Criminals are becoming bolder and we need to raise the bar in terms of punishment,” said Police Commissioner Ausbert Regis. He wants to emphasize that the need for executions correlates with the increase in crimes. A young woman was recently chased and gunned down by three men in broad daylight in the capital Castries. No one witnessing the event did anything to help the young woman. George and Regis are actively trying to change the federal law, which is difficult since St Lucia is under rule of the United Kingdom where capital punishment is difficult to justify.
-Emma
http://www.caribbeantimes.co.uk/
FACTORY FARMS and BIOTECH CROPS
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), today’s “factory” farms, which crowd thousands of animals into tightly confined areas, give factory smokestacks a run for their money when it comes to polluting the air with ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and other potentially dangerous substances. The livestock sector, for example, produces 73% of our nation’s ammonia emissions, and factory farms contribute the lion’s share of this pollution. One industrial egg-producing facility in Ohio released 800 tons of ammonia into the air in one year. Federal law requires factory farms to report when toxic chemicals are released in quantities large enough to pose health and environmental risks. Last November, however, Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) pushed to exempt factory farms from these reporting requirements. Major resistance from farmers, activists, and public interest organizations including UCS helped defeat Sen. Craig’s proposal in the last session of Congress, but he is likely to reintroduce it in the year ahead.
For years, the biotechnology industry has claimed reduced pesticide use as a major benefit of genetically engineered (GE) crops, which comprise more than half the corn, soybeans, and cotton grown in the US. However, a recent study found that the most widly planted GE crops use more pesticide than conventional crops. The study, commissioned by UCS and conducted by agricultural economist Dr. Charles Benbrook, found that herbicide-tolerant crops (the predominant GE crops) require significantly more pesticide than conventional varieties. Since 1996, when GE crops were first introduced, herbicide-tolerant crops have required 122 million pounds more pesticide than what would have been used if conventional varieties had been grown instead. This amount was only slightly offset by lower pesticide use on crops engineered to produce their own insecticide. To read Genetically Engineered Crops and Pesticide Use in the United States: The First Nine Years, visit www.uscusa.org/food_and_environment.
Jane Stafford
www.ucsusa.org
Band-Aid for a Crack in the Dam
The Roman Catholic Diocese of St. George’s in eastern Canada will sell up to 150 of its properties, including churches, parish houses and missions, in order to pay the debt owed as part of a settlement in a sexual assault case.
The Reverend Kevin Bennett admitted to sexually assaulting hundreds of boys during his time as a priest. 39 of his victims filed a lawsuit 16 years ago and accepted a settlement in May of last year. The former priest is currently collecting a church pension.
There is still no word on whether the Catholic Church has accepted its role in the overwhelming number of abuses perpetrated against its young parishioners, or if there are measures being taken to ensure that the silent practices that kept these heinous acts secret for so long are abolished.
-Robert Jones, Jr.
ap.tbo.com
Temperature Risings in Europe
According to CNN, global warming could lead to a dramatic cooling of
Britain and northern Europe. Scientists have recently acquired evidence
that changes are occurring in the Gulf Stream, “the warm and powerful
ocean current that tempers the western European climate.” The changes
were a result of shifting activity in the Greenland Sea, which acts an
oceanic “global conveyer belt.” Now, less heat is reaching northern
Europe.
The slowing of the Gulf Stream could also contribute to other severe
effects on the planet, such as the complete melting of the Arctic ice
cap in the summer months. That could eliminate the habitat and lead to
the extinction of Arctic wildlife, including the polar bear. Current
predictions indicate that could happen as early as 2020 or as late as
2080.
-Christine Choi
www.cnn.com
Cuba Rejects Calls to hand Over Fugitive
Cuban President Fidel Castro has refused to hand over an accused
militant, who was tried and found guilty in the U.S. for killing a New
Jersey police official. Assata Shakur, 53, formerly known as Joanne
Chesimard was convicted in 1973 for killing State Trooper Werner
Foerster. Shakur escaped prison in 1979 before she fled to Cuba.”
Castro defended Shakur, citing she was “an innocent victim of racial
persecution.” Castro further stated these accusations were merely a way
of diverting attention from a former CIA worker, Luis Posada, who set
off a bomb in “a civilian Cuban jetliner in 1976, killing 73 people.
Castro’s attorney confirmed that Posada is currently residing in the
U.S. seeking political asylum. Posada denied taking part in any
killings.
-Pavel Zomb
news.yahoo.com
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Now what?
Classes may be ending this week, but The Magner Center for Career Development and Internships still has workshops coming up that can help you in a job search. To see their schedule of different workshops on resume writing and interviewing techniques go here.
The Magner Center has several different ways of helping you with your career. To learn about all that they do go here.
You can also stop by their office at 1305 James Hall.
Their Senior Rectuitment program is open to students graduating in January, June or August of 2005. To qualify for Fall 2005 interviews three workshops are required: Resume Writing, Effective Interviewing, and SR Orientation/eRecruiting. Here is the webpage that explains Senior Recruitment.
Whether you're looking for an internship or a job, the Magner Center is there to
help you find one!
The Magner Center has several different ways of helping you with your career. To learn about all that they do go here.
You can also stop by their office at 1305 James Hall.
Their Senior Rectuitment program is open to students graduating in January, June or August of 2005. To qualify for Fall 2005 interviews three workshops are required: Resume Writing, Effective Interviewing, and SR Orientation/eRecruiting. Here is the webpage that explains Senior Recruitment.
Whether you're looking for an internship or a job, the Magner Center is there to
help you find one!
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Summer Writing Courses
One of the best and most highly recommended summer writing courses is
offered at the West Side YMCA. The Writer’s Voice Program offers
courses in fiction, poetry and screenwriting taught by published
authors. (BC’s own Michael Cunningham once taught there.)
The West Side Y is at 5 W. 63rd Street between CPW and Broadway.
Unfortunately, they do not have information about the program available
online. You have to go there and pick up a program.
offered at the West Side YMCA. The Writer’s Voice Program offers
courses in fiction, poetry and screenwriting taught by published
authors. (BC’s own Michael Cunningham once taught there.)
The West Side Y is at 5 W. 63rd Street between CPW and Broadway.
Unfortunately, they do not have information about the program available
online. You have to go there and pick up a program.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Story Slams
Here’s something that sounds like it’s worth checking out-
The Moth, an organization dedicated to storytelling, is holding bi-weekly story slams. It’s something like a poetry slam, except of course with stories.
The organizers choose a theme, which contestants learn prior to the show, and 10 contestants are chosen by pulling their names out of a hat. Those chosen have 5 minutes to tell their story to an average audience of 175 people. The stories are scored by teams of judges in the audience, and a winner is selected at every StorySLAM. Twice per year, the StorySLAM winners face off in a GrandSLAM championship.
You can check out their calendar of events here
Tuesday, May 17 is the next GrandSLAM Championship at Crash Mansion, 199 Bowery
(at Spring)
The next open StorySLAM is actually tonight, Tues. may 10 at Nuyorican Poets Café,
E. 3rd Street btwn. B & C
To learn more about The Moth, go to:
www.themoth.org
The Moth, an organization dedicated to storytelling, is holding bi-weekly story slams. It’s something like a poetry slam, except of course with stories.
The organizers choose a theme, which contestants learn prior to the show, and 10 contestants are chosen by pulling their names out of a hat. Those chosen have 5 minutes to tell their story to an average audience of 175 people. The stories are scored by teams of judges in the audience, and a winner is selected at every StorySLAM. Twice per year, the StorySLAM winners face off in a GrandSLAM championship.
You can check out their calendar of events here
Tuesday, May 17 is the next GrandSLAM Championship at Crash Mansion, 199 Bowery
(at Spring)
The next open StorySLAM is actually tonight, Tues. may 10 at Nuyorican Poets Café,
E. 3rd Street btwn. B & C
To learn more about The Moth, go to:
www.themoth.org
Saturday, May 07, 2005
International Newsletter #19
Tuskegee Experiment 2005
Recalling the clandestine experiments by the U.S. government on African-American men with Syphilis between the 1930’s to the 1970’s, it is being reported that the U.S. is once again using citizens of color as guinea pigs for drug treatment.
Here in New York City the Administration of Child Services (ACS), in conjunction with the Incarnation Children’s Center, a Christian-based, foster care facility, has been treating primarily Black and Latino children with experimental HIV drugs that cause serious side effects. Dr. David Rasnick, a visiting scholar from the University of Berkeley said, “These children are going to be absolutely miserable. They're going to have cramps, diarrhea, and their joints are going to swell up. They're going to roll around the ground and you can't touch them.” Rasnick also added that some of these drugs, produced by major drug manufacturers, including Glaxo SmithKline, are lethal.
It’s hard to believe that in the 21st century, in the most civilized nation in the world, such archaic, cruel, and inhumane practices could be taking place. Although, given our country’s history, given that our nation was built at the expense of millions of kidnapped Africans, perhaps it isn’t too hard to believe.
-Robert
news.bbc.co.uk
Muslim Women Games
The Fourth Muslim Women Games, the Muslim equivalent to the Olympics, are taking place in Tehran, Iran, between September 23-29, of 2005. Thirty-one countries have already expressed interest in participating in the event, including Syria, Albania, and Tajikistan, and still more are being recruited. So far, the event has received an “enthusiastic welcome” from Islamic countries, according to Soheila Qassemi, head of the Technical Committee of the event.
The games are being held in 18 different categories, some of which include basketball, tennis, golf, taekwando and swimming. Iran is the only country with participants in every field. Thailand and Albania, each with one team, thus far, have the least participants.
-Emma
www.muslimnews.co.uk
Political Scandal in Peru
Alejandro Toledo, the president of Peru, has been accused of taking part in a criminal scheme to forge signatures in order to register his political party in the 2000 elections.
According to three Peruvian congressmen, Toledo and his sister oversaw the systematic forging of names in 1997 and 1998, violating the law and "plotting against the public faith." Still, some question the validity of these allegations. The report will not be official until the full Congress accepts it, and there is a dispute in Congress on whether approval by at least four members is needed to present the document to the legislature.
As president, Toledo has general immunity from prosecution. But, while it’s not recommended by the report, impeachment is not out of the question. It’s up to Congress to determine what action, if any, should be taken.
-Christine
news.yahoo.com
Ugandan Referendum on Democracy
For nearly two decades, Uganda has been operating under a single-party system headed by President Yoweri Museveni. The strict political system was enforced in response to a series of conflicts between various tribal groups. At present, political parties are allowed to exist, but candidates cannot officially run as representatives of a particular party. The tides, however, are changing.
According to BBC News, “Uganda's parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favor of holding a referendum on the country returning to a full multi-party democracy.” In addition, both the Ugandan government and opposition parties are backing the motion, which hopefully will be granted prior to next year’s elections.
-Pavel
news.bbc.co.uk
Kuwaiti Women Blocked from Voting by Lawmakers
Conservative lawmakers in Kuwait’s Parliament created a constitutional roadblock on Tuesday, effectively killing a measure that would have allowed women to participate in city council elections for the first time.
The motion bans any chance for women to take part in elections for the next four years. Further, it contradicts the promises made by Kuwaiti’s prime minister to push for full political rights for women during his current parliamentary term.
Women’s participation in politics has been a divisive issue in Kuwait for years, while countries like Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman have all allowed women to vote in recent elections.
Even though the Kuwaiti Constitution gives equal rights to men and women, the country’s election law bars women, along with men in the police and military, from voting. This limits the voting base to only 15 percent of the total population of 950,000 Kuwaitis. Women would essentially double that base and redraw the country’s political map in the process. But conservative and tribally backed members of Parliament say Islamic and Kuwaiti customs bar women from holding that much power.
-Jane
www.nytimes.com
Recalling the clandestine experiments by the U.S. government on African-American men with Syphilis between the 1930’s to the 1970’s, it is being reported that the U.S. is once again using citizens of color as guinea pigs for drug treatment.
Here in New York City the Administration of Child Services (ACS), in conjunction with the Incarnation Children’s Center, a Christian-based, foster care facility, has been treating primarily Black and Latino children with experimental HIV drugs that cause serious side effects. Dr. David Rasnick, a visiting scholar from the University of Berkeley said, “These children are going to be absolutely miserable. They're going to have cramps, diarrhea, and their joints are going to swell up. They're going to roll around the ground and you can't touch them.” Rasnick also added that some of these drugs, produced by major drug manufacturers, including Glaxo SmithKline, are lethal.
It’s hard to believe that in the 21st century, in the most civilized nation in the world, such archaic, cruel, and inhumane practices could be taking place. Although, given our country’s history, given that our nation was built at the expense of millions of kidnapped Africans, perhaps it isn’t too hard to believe.
-Robert
news.bbc.co.uk
Muslim Women Games
The Fourth Muslim Women Games, the Muslim equivalent to the Olympics, are taking place in Tehran, Iran, between September 23-29, of 2005. Thirty-one countries have already expressed interest in participating in the event, including Syria, Albania, and Tajikistan, and still more are being recruited. So far, the event has received an “enthusiastic welcome” from Islamic countries, according to Soheila Qassemi, head of the Technical Committee of the event.
The games are being held in 18 different categories, some of which include basketball, tennis, golf, taekwando and swimming. Iran is the only country with participants in every field. Thailand and Albania, each with one team, thus far, have the least participants.
-Emma
www.muslimnews.co.uk
Political Scandal in Peru
Alejandro Toledo, the president of Peru, has been accused of taking part in a criminal scheme to forge signatures in order to register his political party in the 2000 elections.
According to three Peruvian congressmen, Toledo and his sister oversaw the systematic forging of names in 1997 and 1998, violating the law and "plotting against the public faith." Still, some question the validity of these allegations. The report will not be official until the full Congress accepts it, and there is a dispute in Congress on whether approval by at least four members is needed to present the document to the legislature.
As president, Toledo has general immunity from prosecution. But, while it’s not recommended by the report, impeachment is not out of the question. It’s up to Congress to determine what action, if any, should be taken.
-Christine
news.yahoo.com
Ugandan Referendum on Democracy
For nearly two decades, Uganda has been operating under a single-party system headed by President Yoweri Museveni. The strict political system was enforced in response to a series of conflicts between various tribal groups. At present, political parties are allowed to exist, but candidates cannot officially run as representatives of a particular party. The tides, however, are changing.
According to BBC News, “Uganda's parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favor of holding a referendum on the country returning to a full multi-party democracy.” In addition, both the Ugandan government and opposition parties are backing the motion, which hopefully will be granted prior to next year’s elections.
-Pavel
news.bbc.co.uk
Kuwaiti Women Blocked from Voting by Lawmakers
Conservative lawmakers in Kuwait’s Parliament created a constitutional roadblock on Tuesday, effectively killing a measure that would have allowed women to participate in city council elections for the first time.
The motion bans any chance for women to take part in elections for the next four years. Further, it contradicts the promises made by Kuwaiti’s prime minister to push for full political rights for women during his current parliamentary term.
Women’s participation in politics has been a divisive issue in Kuwait for years, while countries like Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman have all allowed women to vote in recent elections.
Even though the Kuwaiti Constitution gives equal rights to men and women, the country’s election law bars women, along with men in the police and military, from voting. This limits the voting base to only 15 percent of the total population of 950,000 Kuwaitis. Women would essentially double that base and redraw the country’s political map in the process. But conservative and tribally backed members of Parliament say Islamic and Kuwaiti customs bar women from holding that much power.
-Jane
www.nytimes.com
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
International Newsletter #18
Moore’s Law
In 1965, the visionary Gordon Moore wrote, “The future of integrated electronics is the future of electronics itself. The advantages of integration will bring about a proliferation of electronics, pushing this science into many new areas. Integrated circuits will lead to such wonders as home computers.”
This prediction set the pace for the chip industry, which has become a significant driver of the global economy. “Moore’s Law,” which it came to be known, set a guidepost for technologists around the world for over four decades—and it’s still going strong. Plotting curves on graph paper, Moore saw that the number of components on an integrated circuit doubled every year and figured that rate would continue for a decade, since transistors were being made much smaller. He also saw that the per-component costs would fall as manufacturing improved. “The accuracy of the plot was not my principal objective,” Moore said in a recent interview. “I just wanted to get the idea across that integrated circuits were the route to much lower-cost electronics.”
The implications have been huge, not just for computing but for everything touched by computers. All is now faster, better and cheaper—from desktop PCs with processing capabilities that required spacious components to feature-packed cell phos and portable music players the size of a pack of gum. Let’s not forget all the silicon on factory floors, in automobiles, and advanced weapons.
-Jane
news.yahoo.com
Voices Singe in China
In an attempt to relive the vigor of past nationalistic movements, this May 4th, Chinese student protesters are planning a massive demonstration to take place in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and in other major Chinese cities.
For many Chinese, May 4th is a day full of significance. On that date in 1919, students in China launched a massive public protest after the terms of the Versailles Treaty were announced, giving Japan territorial and other rights in the German-occupied parts of China. It was an upheaval stoked by intense nationalism, which current Chinese student protestors are trying to revive.
Fueled by a series of recent events, including a Japanese bid to gain a permanent seat on a revamped U.N. Security Council (see Newsletter #17), a territorial dispute between Tokyo and Beijing over oil drilling rights, and newly approved Japanese textbooks that underplay the war atrocities Japan inflicted on the Chinese, Chinese student protestors are unwilling to let past Japanese aggressions simply burn out like a waning flame. For them, the fire is still raging, and they are eager to have their voices heard.
Armed with the many technologies of today, including the Internet and text messaging, protestors are now able to organize and mobilize more freely and anonymously. Apparently no one, including authorities can identify who is organizing the May 4th protest. Moreover, modern Chinese students are more sophisticated than ever, with increased access to information from outside the country. “They want to think for themselves -- and they want their voices to be heard, just as they were on May 4, 1919.”
-Christine
news.yahoo.com
Hitler (The Bad Boy Remix)
In a shocking turn, Israeli politicians and rabbis expressed their support for the newly appointed Pope Benedict XVI after he made strong statements against anti-Semitism––ironic comments, considering the new Pope’s former ties with the Nazi party.
As a teenager, Pope Benedict served in an organization known as Hitler’s Youth. His supporters claim that he has been atoning for that past aggression his entire life. He is not the same youth who once ascribed to Nazi ideals.
The show of support is an attempt to focus on the future rather than the past, particularly the Pope’s approach to leadership, which will affect Christians everywhere. Bishop Theophilos, the top Greek Orthodox official at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, stated: “If ever the pope had the courage or the will to say he is the bishop of Rome, not the vicar of Christ, then the road to unity is opened. As long as the office of the pope remains untouchable, the Christian Church remains divided.”
-Robert
story.news.yahoo.com
Israel to Warn Russia on Missiles
Russia’s President, Vladamir Putin, made a deal with Syria in the selling of anti-aircraft missiles, a move that has raised concern from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Putin and Sharon are expected to meet shortly to address Sharon’s fear regarding the sale of weapons, which can pose a great threat to Israeli security if they get into the wrong hands.
Putin said the missiles would be mounted atop vehicles that would prevent them from being shoulder-fired, the way insurgents use the missiles in attack. He also stated that the sale of missiles to Syria was to “make more difficult the possibility of flying over the residence of the president of Syria,” who has been irritated when Israeli planes circled the palace of Syria’s president. Syria supports the Islamic militant groups Jihad and Hezbollah, which is why Israeli officials have such great concern.
-Pavel
news.bbc.co.uk
In 1965, the visionary Gordon Moore wrote, “The future of integrated electronics is the future of electronics itself. The advantages of integration will bring about a proliferation of electronics, pushing this science into many new areas. Integrated circuits will lead to such wonders as home computers.”
This prediction set the pace for the chip industry, which has become a significant driver of the global economy. “Moore’s Law,” which it came to be known, set a guidepost for technologists around the world for over four decades—and it’s still going strong. Plotting curves on graph paper, Moore saw that the number of components on an integrated circuit doubled every year and figured that rate would continue for a decade, since transistors were being made much smaller. He also saw that the per-component costs would fall as manufacturing improved. “The accuracy of the plot was not my principal objective,” Moore said in a recent interview. “I just wanted to get the idea across that integrated circuits were the route to much lower-cost electronics.”
The implications have been huge, not just for computing but for everything touched by computers. All is now faster, better and cheaper—from desktop PCs with processing capabilities that required spacious components to feature-packed cell phos and portable music players the size of a pack of gum. Let’s not forget all the silicon on factory floors, in automobiles, and advanced weapons.
-Jane
news.yahoo.com
Voices Singe in China
In an attempt to relive the vigor of past nationalistic movements, this May 4th, Chinese student protesters are planning a massive demonstration to take place in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and in other major Chinese cities.
For many Chinese, May 4th is a day full of significance. On that date in 1919, students in China launched a massive public protest after the terms of the Versailles Treaty were announced, giving Japan territorial and other rights in the German-occupied parts of China. It was an upheaval stoked by intense nationalism, which current Chinese student protestors are trying to revive.
Fueled by a series of recent events, including a Japanese bid to gain a permanent seat on a revamped U.N. Security Council (see Newsletter #17), a territorial dispute between Tokyo and Beijing over oil drilling rights, and newly approved Japanese textbooks that underplay the war atrocities Japan inflicted on the Chinese, Chinese student protestors are unwilling to let past Japanese aggressions simply burn out like a waning flame. For them, the fire is still raging, and they are eager to have their voices heard.
Armed with the many technologies of today, including the Internet and text messaging, protestors are now able to organize and mobilize more freely and anonymously. Apparently no one, including authorities can identify who is organizing the May 4th protest. Moreover, modern Chinese students are more sophisticated than ever, with increased access to information from outside the country. “They want to think for themselves -- and they want their voices to be heard, just as they were on May 4, 1919.”
-Christine
news.yahoo.com
Hitler (The Bad Boy Remix)
In a shocking turn, Israeli politicians and rabbis expressed their support for the newly appointed Pope Benedict XVI after he made strong statements against anti-Semitism––ironic comments, considering the new Pope’s former ties with the Nazi party.
As a teenager, Pope Benedict served in an organization known as Hitler’s Youth. His supporters claim that he has been atoning for that past aggression his entire life. He is not the same youth who once ascribed to Nazi ideals.
The show of support is an attempt to focus on the future rather than the past, particularly the Pope’s approach to leadership, which will affect Christians everywhere. Bishop Theophilos, the top Greek Orthodox official at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, stated: “If ever the pope had the courage or the will to say he is the bishop of Rome, not the vicar of Christ, then the road to unity is opened. As long as the office of the pope remains untouchable, the Christian Church remains divided.”
-Robert
story.news.yahoo.com
Israel to Warn Russia on Missiles
Russia’s President, Vladamir Putin, made a deal with Syria in the selling of anti-aircraft missiles, a move that has raised concern from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Putin and Sharon are expected to meet shortly to address Sharon’s fear regarding the sale of weapons, which can pose a great threat to Israeli security if they get into the wrong hands.
Putin said the missiles would be mounted atop vehicles that would prevent them from being shoulder-fired, the way insurgents use the missiles in attack. He also stated that the sale of missiles to Syria was to “make more difficult the possibility of flying over the residence of the president of Syria,” who has been irritated when Israeli planes circled the palace of Syria’s president. Syria supports the Islamic militant groups Jihad and Hezbollah, which is why Israeli officials have such great concern.
-Pavel
news.bbc.co.uk
Monday, May 02, 2005
English Majors' Tea Tomorrow!
It's just like the Oscars, but different.
Tomorrow, Tuesday May 3, from 1:30-3:30 in the Gold Room, SUBO, the English Department gives out awards and scholarships to the best and the brightest.
Lunch will be served. Arrive early to get a good seat!
-The English Majors' Office
Tomorrow, Tuesday May 3, from 1:30-3:30 in the Gold Room, SUBO, the English Department gives out awards and scholarships to the best and the brightest.
Lunch will be served. Arrive early to get a good seat!
-The English Majors' Office
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