Troy Davis faces execution in Georgia in two weeks

We will be writing letters this Friday to ask for clemency for Troy Davis. You can help! Sign the petition on Amnesty USA's website.

http://blog.amnestyusa.org/deathpenalty/dont-let-georgia-kill-troy-davis/

Troy Davis Information

http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/cases/usa-troy-davis/watch-videos-examining-the-troy-davis-case?msource=W1108EADP01&tr=y&auid=9376725

Amnesty USA has created a four-part video series explaining the background of the Troy Davis case and the need for clemency.

My Fellow American

We will be viewing and discussing this short video at our meeting today, feel free to comment here or on their website!

http://myfellowamerican.us/

Maquiladora (film screening Thursday Dec. 2 7:30 PM) What is a Maquiladora?

A maquiladora (Spanish pronunciation: [makilaˈðoɾa]) or maquila (IPA: [maˈkila]) is a concept often referred to an operation that involves manufacturing in a country that is not the client's and as such has an interesting duty or tariff treatment. It normally requires a factory, that may import materials and equipment on a duty-free and tariff-free basis for assembly or manufacturing and then "re-exports" the assembled or manufactured product, sometimes back to the originating country. A maquila is also referred to as a "twin plant", or "in-bond" industry. The principal examples of this sort of operation occur in Latin America, but also occurs in other countries in the world, that have adequate legislation. Currently about 1.3 million Mexicans are employed in maquiladoras.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maquiladora

The Maze of Injustice

A link to the full report can be found here:

Human Rights Abuse in the USA

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/10/fbi-tracking-device/all/1

Well, I guess this answers the question of whether the FBI is still illegally spying on American citizens.

This week, a California college student named Yasir Afifi found a battery-powered tracking device on his car. His friend thought it was suspicious, and posted a picture of it online. Two days later, the FBI showed up at his house to collect the device that they claimed was "expensive." As Brian Alseth from the ACLU puts it, "It seems very frightening that the FBI have placed a surveillance-tracking device on the car of a 20-year-old American citizen who has done nothing more than being half-Egyptian."

Flood in Pakistan

Photo Credit: journeyfish.com

If you were at the last meeting, you will remember that we decided our first action this year will take the form of a fundraiser to aid victims of the floods in Pakistan. The human rights aspect of the Pakistani crisis is underscored in these articles from the NY Times and the BBC:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/24/world/asia/24pstan.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-10981230

"Nearly five million people have been displaced from the worst flooding ever recorded in Pakistan. Hundreds of thousands are being housed in orderly tented camps set up in army compounds, schools and other public buildings, but thousands more are living on roadsides and canal embankments, spreading out mats under the trees or making shade over the simple rope beds they brought with them.

The town of Sukkur is overflowing with displaced people. On the edge of the town, a group of 15 families with scores of children are camped along the Dadu Canal. Their mood is edgy, and they race in a horde after any vehicle that slows in the hope that it bears food or assistance. One woman showed her fractured arm, the result of a tussle for food.

“People are looting,” said Shad Mohammad, 28, a shopkeeper and father of five, who came here after his town, Ghospur, was flooded 15 days ago. “People run after trucks snatching things. People come, sometimes the government comes, or charities with food. Sometimes you get something, sometimes not.” "

The Genocide Behind Your Smart Phone

Here is an informative Newsweek article about conflict minerals (similar to blood diamonds) that have been sneaking into supply chains for major technology companies in the US. As technology users, we should be concerned about where these materials come from; it seems they often come from Congo, and sometimes the money supports militia operations.

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/16/the-genocide-behind-your-smart-phone.html

Activist in Residence from Ghana - Co-hosted by the Women's and Gender Studies and African and African American Studies Programs

The Women’s and Gender Studies Program and the African and African American Studies Program present Franciska Issaka, an activist, organizer, former elected and appointed government official from Ghana next week. She is the Activist-in-Residence for this fall and also the first speaker part of Dr. Irvine’s Women and World Politics Presidential Dream Course.

She is an inspiring and interesting figure with amazing experience. You can find the event on facebook. Please feel free to email, post, distribute, and encourage everyone to attend these awesome events.

Her schedule is as follow:

September 23 2.30pm Workshop “How To Change the World” lessons learned from everyday activism in Ghana, Traditions Room OMU

September 23 7pm Public Lecture “Realizing Women’s Rights in Africa: The Interface between Cultural and Universal Rights,” Scholars Room OMU

September 25 10am Breakfast “From One Activist To Another” meet and greet Franciska Issaka, a human rights activist from Ghana, Women’s and Gender Studies Lounge PHSC 531

Groovefest Fundraiser April 21st at 10pm