From joanne at gn.apc.org  Fri Apr  4 17:47:28 2003
From: joanne at gn.apc.org (Joanne Doyle)
Date: Wed Feb  1 23:43:29 2006
Subject: [alternet-l] THE ALTERNET NEWS - ISSUE # 90
Message-ID: <5.0.2.1.0.20030404174327.00a26220@pop.gn.apc.org>

THE ALTERNET NEWS - ISSUE # 90

This issue:

HOT SITES/
APC STATEMENT/
ELECTROHIPPIE ACTION/
MEDIA MONITORING/
GREEN RIGHTS/
THIRD WORLD ORIGINS/
EVERYONE COUNTS/
ROMA STERILISATION/
US EXEMPTION?/
VIRTUAL EXHIBITION/
CONTENT FILTERING/
QUOTE/UNQUOTE/
JOBS/
DIARY/

*****************************************************************

Please don't send news to the AlterNet address. Send items for inclusion,
including a web link if possible, to actnow@gn.apc.org. Items may need to
be edited. Plain text e-mail is preferred.

Back issues are on-line at:
---> http://www.gn.apc.org/news/alternet/index.asp

*****************************************************************

HOT SITES

"I am proud to be a pacifist, that is to make it my life's work to
struggle for justice and peace through non-violent means." From a GreenNet 
user
whose peace work website is now online.
The English version is at:
--> http://eireni.gn.apc.org/CVENPX.HTM
... and the Greek version at:
--> http://eireni.gn.apc.org/CVGRPX.HTM

*****************************************************************

APC STATEMENT - ENDORSED BY GREENNET

APC opposes actions against the online presence of Al-Jazeera. The Internet
must be allowed to freely perform its unique and vital role as a promoter
of "freedom of expression" and content diversity, especially in times of
conflict.

APC opposes censorship on the Internet and states in its Internet Rights
Charter that "the Internet must be protected from all attempts to censor
social and political debate". The Internet Rights Charter argues that "the
Internet is an ideal space for the recording and promotion of culturally
and politically diverse content".

This is consistent with Article 19 of the UN International Covenant on
Civil and Political
Rights which states that the right to freedom of opinion and expression,
including the right to seek, receive and impart information is a recognised
human right and must be protected.

The Case of the Al-Jazeera Website:
APC is concerned to note that a prominent online Middle Eastern news and
information source - the Al-Jazeera website - has been the target of hacker
attacks, domain name hijacking and the withdrawal of hosting services all
within the first few weeks of the war on Iraq led by the United States.

As online information and communication pioneers, APC and APC members -
groups which have facilitated the use of the Internet for social justice,
development and peace to civil society since the late 1980s - believe that
the Internet must be allowed to freely perform its unique and vital role as
a promoter of "freedom of expression" and a multiplier and diversifier of
information sources, especially in times of conflict.

Read the full statement here:
--> www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=10848

*****************************************************************

ELECTROHIPPIE ACTION

The Electrohippie collective have encouraged Iraq online sit-ins, targeting 
both the Downing Street website and the official White House website.

They have produced a statement in defense of their actions:

"Since launching our online protest action against the Downing Street and
Whitehouse web sites nearly two weeks ago, the electrohippie collective has
received lots of communications encouraging and supporting the online
campaign. We have also receive a far smaller number of communications
objecting to the protest as 'hacking', or as an 'infringement of free
speech'.

The collective has decided to respond, outlining our case for why the dDoS
actions against Blair and Bush's web sites are valid. We appreciate that this
is a VERY long text. But we urge all to read it before they respond.

What we have sought to do is address the terse 'it restricts freedom of
speech' argument by looking the issue from the position of the design of the
action, International law, and whether there is such as thing s freedom of
expression or communication online."

Read the statement here:
--> www.fraw.org.uk/ehippies/iraq/critique.html

More about the actions here:
--> www.fraw.org.uk/ehippies/index.html

*****************************************************************

MEDIA MONITORING

Women in bikinis and tangas posing on a beach, heart attacks and snoring.
To most there would seem to be no obvious connection between these
disparate items, but in one Turkish television news report in February 2001
it was deemed appropriate to illustrate a serious story on research into
the link between heart attacks and snoring in women with video footage of
scantily-clad women posing on a beach. What message does this deliver about
women in the news?

It was stories like these that came under the microscope in the Global
Media Monitoring Projects (GMMP) carried out in 1995 and 2000. The idea for
a one-day study of the representation and portrayal of women in the media
worldwide was conceived at the international conference 'Women Empowering
Communication' organised by WACC in Bangkok in 1994. Media Watch Canada
co-ordinated the first study which was conducted on 18th January 1995. Five
years on, as part of its research and advocacy work, the WACC Women's
Programme decided to co-ordinate a second more extensive and qualitative
GMMP. So it was on 1st February 2000 that hundreds of participants in 70
countries monitored the days news on radio, television and in print,
resulting in a massive 50, 853 data records. The monitoring day was marked
by tremendous excitement and solidarity among participating groups. The
preliminary results of GMMP 2000 were released in time for Beijing + 5
events in June 2000. The final results including detailed country tables
and qualitative analysis by region, based on more than 16,000 new stories,
were published in a book entitled Who Makes the News?

More here:
--> www.wacc.org.uk/publications/mgm/12/gmmp.html

*****************************************************************

GREEN RIGHTS

Should a good environment be our human right? To date, recognition has been
given to civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. This study
examines the background to current discussions and argues that the
environment should be added to the list.

Many of the initiatives of the Earth Summit in Rio have not been
successful. This paper by, the Northern Alliance for Sustainability
(ANPED), Capacity Global (Capacity), EcoPravo-Kyiv and the Environment
Liaison Centre International (ELCI) suggests that the failure of these
initiatives makes it appropriate to consider new approaches. It argues that
these should be rooted in the recognition of an inalienable right to a safe
and healthy environment. It considers the need for environmental human
rights and looks at what such rights might be. It includes perspectives
from different nations and regions and highlights the UN Draft Principles
from 1994. It also considers the issue of globalisation and suggests that
environmental human rights could play an important part in this debate.

The study finds that:

The linking of human rights to environmental priorities is an
acknowledgement that conservation will not be successful without human
development.
A range of diverse actions is required at both national and international
levels, with
inalienable human rights providing the basis for such action.
Such an approach requires a new focus on governance and accountability, and
provides the underlying principles to support that focus.

The links between human welfare and resource exploitation are strong. These
links need to be addressed openly to provide a common base under
international law for all future action on sustainable development.
While rights issues have been divisive in the past, the multiplicity of
national actions in this field suggest that this may be a common basis for
action.

The full report here:
--> www.id21.org/society/s8bma1g1.html


*****************************************************************

THIRD WORLD ORIGINS

Cornerhouse have produced a briefing which chronicles the first of several
nineteenth century famines in India and China. This briefing examines
imperial policies at the
time and explores the ways in which Europe and North America created India
and China as "peripheries" in the world economy. It considers how the
decline of irrigation and the enclosure of common resources interacted with
household poverty and state policies to create a "Third World" that was so
much more vulnerable to monsoon failure. A revised understanding of these
famines illuminates how many of the current challenges of so-called
"development" came about, and calls into question the wisdom of development
policies still pursued today and the justifications for them.

Three waves of drought, famine and disease devastated agriculture
throughout the tropics and northern China at the end of the nineteenth
century. Fifty million people died. Researchers have since attributed these
catastrophic climate disasters and crop failures to El Ni?o. But nature
alone is rarely so deadly. Millions of peasants and farmers in India and
China had recently turned to cash-crop cultivation and been incorporated
into webs of world trade, making them dramatically more vulnerable to
natural disasters such as extreme climate events. Many contemporary policy
makers ascribed nineteenth-century famines not just to bad weather but also
to Malthusian pressures -- too many people, too little land, too little
food -- an explanation which survives today. But absolute scarcity of food
was never the issue, and Malthusian explanations in fact contributed to the
deaths.

The briefing in full is available at their website:
-->www.thecornerhouse.org.uk

*****************************************************************

EVERYONE COUNTS

The 'everyone' campaign is an initiative from Scottish Environment LINK,
the umbrella body for Scotland's environmental organisations. Some 25
organisations with nearly half a million supporters are combining forces
for the first time ever to push the environment up the political agenda in
the run up to the Scottish Parliamentary elections on May 1st.

The groups unveiled a series of key election demands they wish political
parties to address this election. Each demand would also bring positive
benefits to Scotland's health and economy. Speaking on behalf of the
'everyone' campaign, WWF Scotland's Simon Pepper said:
"The campaign is encouraging voters to send a clear message to candidates
of all parties - we care about the environment, what are you are going to
do if elected? This is not a 'green agenda' it is an agenda for a better,
healthier Scotland. The value of the environment to the economy, the health
of the nation and the quality of all our lives has been neglected for far
too long.
Politicians have got away with saying the right words and not matching them
with specific actions."

The everyone campaign "Manifesto for a Sustainable Scotland" promotes six
key tests of political commitment to the environment. The six demands for a
better environment are: clean air, healthy seas, safe food, less landfill,
protection for wildlife and wild places, reduction in climate changing
gases. The full text and background briefings on the six demands are
available on request.

All information and background materials are also avaiable at their website:
--> www.everyonecan.org

*****************************************************************

ROMA STERILISATION

Romani women in eastern Slovakia have been subject to at least 110 forced
and coerced sterilizations in government health care facilities since the
fall of communism in 1989, according to a recent report by human rights
investigators in New York and Slovakia. The report also says that Romani
women have experienced physical and verbal abuse as well as segregated
health care services, showing a pattern of ethnic bias in Slovak medical
facilities.

Since the release of the report on Jan. 28, 2003, Slovak police have
harassed some Romani women who had reported that they had been sterilized
without their consent. The report's authors, based in Slovakia and New
York, have had their records subpoenaed and have been subject to
interrogations and threatened with criminal charges.

The report, "Body and Soul: Forced Sterilization and Other Assaults on Roma
Reproductive Freedom," is based on 230 in-depth interviews conducted in 40
Roma settlements in eastern Slovakia, according to the report's authors,
the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights (formerly the Center for
Reproductive Law and Policy) and the Centre for Civil and Human Rights in
Kosice, a Slovak non-governmental organization.

Police and Government Harassment Has Increased as a Result of the Report.
After being
interrogated by police, at least one Romani woman has recanted her story
that she was sterilized without her consent, said Barbora Bukovska,
executive director of the Counseling Center for Citizenship, Civil and
Human Rights, and co-author of the report.

Full story here:
-->www.womensenews.com/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1243

The report "Body and Soul: Forced Sterilization and Other Assaults on Roma
Reproductive Freedom" is online at:
--> www.crlp.org/pub_bo_slovakia.html

*****************************************************************

US EXEMPTION?

The inauguration of the first eighteen judges at the new International
Criminal Court (ICC) will help to thwart U.S. efforts to undermine the
court, Human Rights Watch said today. The judges are the first officers of
the court to take up their duties. The court's 89 members, known as States
Parties, will select a prosecutor at the end of April.
"The judges' inauguration makes this court more unstoppable than ever,"
said Richard Dicker, director of Human Rights Watch's international
justice program.
The U.S. State Department is increasing pressure on many governments to
obtain what are known as "bilateral immunity agreements", exempting all
U.S. citizens from the authority of the court. The fifteen member states of
the European Union and the overwhelming majority of other States Parties
have refused to sign agreements invalidating their obligations to the court.

More than twenty states have signed immunity agreements with Washington,
but only eight of them are parties to the treaty. Many of these agreements
have not yet been enacted into law. A number of states that initially
signed are now considering whether the agreements unlawfully amend the
jurisdiction of the ICC and are hesitant to formally ratify them.

"We urge all States Parties to resist pressure to enter into these illegal
contracts", said
Dicker. "The U.S. government should not be allowed to undermine the
legitimacy of the court. U.S. officials are claiming the American
Servicemembers? Protection Act (ASPA) will cut off military assistance to
states that have not signed an agreement by July 1, 2003. The same law,
however, allows the Bush Administration to waive this prohibition on
grounds of 'national interest'," said Dicker.

"U.S. officials are double dealing," said Dicker.  "They are pointing to
the part of the ASPA that makes withdrawal of military assistance look
threatening and real. But they conveniently ignore the law's provisions
empowering the administration to continue giving assistance."

In 1998, 120 states approved the treaty to establish the ICC. The treaty
came into force on July 1, 2002, after 60 countries had ratified it. As of
March 11, 2003, 89 countries have joined the ICC. Once a prosecutor is
selected, the court will be able to investigate and prosecute those
individuals accused of crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes.
The ICC complements existing national judicial systems and will step in
only if national courts are unwilling or unable to investigate or prosecute
such crimes. The ICC provides a remedy to those victimized by these crimes,
very often women and children.

More from HRW on the ICC here:
--> www.hrw.org/campaigns/icc/

*****************************************************************

VIRTUAL EXHIBITION

Virtual maps reflecting women's concerns about breast cancer and the
environment have been created, the launch coinciding with the first
anniversary of WEN?s health project,  'Women Taking Action for a Healthier
Planet', which was launched last month.
WEN is a national charity and membership organisation that campaigns on
environmental and health issues from a women's perspective.  It educates,
informs and empowers women and men who care about the environment.

Women throughout the UK drew the maps to express concerns and highlight the
perceived links between their experience of breast cancer and the
environment, during an earlier project, Putting Breast Cancer on the
Map.  While the maps are not geographically accurate, they illustrate, in a
variety of styles, the journeys some women made through their lives and
potential sources of environmental pollution they were exposed to.

The maps are a small representation of over 300 that were received and are
the result of a ground-breaking project to raise awareness about breast
cancer and the urgent need for prevention.

Helen Lynn, WEN's Health Project Co-ordinator says the mapping project
'identified a need in women to take part in positive action to bring about
change in the minds of the government and medical establishment, as well as
society at large, about the way in which breast cancer is viewed, treated
and politicised in the UK.  This exhibition is an inspiring record of the
valid contribution individuals can make to our understanding of why breast
cancer is becoming more common.  It shows how mapping can be used as a tool
by other groups wanting to raise awareness about an issue and make
connections between people?s environment and their health.'

WEN believes that the rising incidence of breast cancer reflects the
increasingly polluted environment in which we live. Steps to clean up our
environment and reduce levels of contaminants linked to breast cancer will
have beneficial effects on all environmentally linked illnesses and disease.

Visit their exhibition online at:
--> www.wen.org.uk/health/Mapping/index.htm

*****************************************************************

CONTENT FILTERING

FITUG (Foundation for Information Technology and Society) is calling all
netizens and NGO's to help defending against B?ssow's assault on our
freedom. Pushed by the B?ssow as the head ofadministration of the region of
D?sseldorf, three courts out of four have decided to maintain the
immediate execution of the order requiring ISP's to block foreign content.

"All our attempts to enter into a constructive dialog have so far been
ignored. As a consequence, we call all our supporters and all Civil
Liberty Organizations to help us with actions, to act themselves and
coordinate efforts with all relevant groups.

"The ISP's concerned started court-action against the blocking order and
the order of immediate execution. Three out of four decisions confirmed the
immediate execution. In a rough analysis, the VG D?sseldorf, VG Arnsberg
and the VG Gelsenkirchen decided that blocking two hate-speech sites (out
of more than 3000) in an inefficient manner was of higher value than our
freedom to receive information from other cultures. The action is directed
not against hate-speech sites, but against all netizens inside. The
citizens rights to receive information were not taken into account by the
court decisions. Finally, the sanctioning and execution of administrative
orders,
including the costs for those, is privatized without adequate saveguards
for human rights. The opinions in those decisions do not contain sufficient
explanations about the infringement on our human rights."

FITUG calls on all civil liberty organizations to help with concerted political
actions. FITUG itself will now start actions and will try to coordinate
them nationally and internationally. Offers to help can be sent to:

--> email: lutz@fitug.de

More links to further information here:
--> www.fitug.de/news/pes/21012003_en.html

*****************************************************************QUOTE/UNQUOTE

"Remember this: We be many and they be few. They need us more than we need 
them. Another world
is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her 
breathing."
- Arundhati Roy

*****************************************************************

JOBS

*Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme*
in Palestine & Israel (EAPPI)

Based: West Bank, Gaza Strip and Israel
11 vacancies, 3-6 month contracts only, living allowance plus benefits paid
The EAPPI is an initiative of the World Council of Churches whose mission is
to accompany Palestinians and Israelis in non-violent actions and concerted
advocacy efforts to end the occupation.

EA requirements: mature (preferably over 25), able to cope with insecurity,
self- motivating, computer literate, committed to non-violence, and involved
with ecumenical and/or peace networks in Britain or Ireland.
Recruitment is continuous until all posts have been filled.

Shortlisting:
Monday 28 April
Monday 16 June
Monday 28 July

Interviews:
8 May (& 7 May if 2 days are necessary)
23 (& 24) June
7 (& 8) August

Application packs available from: www.quaker.org.uk/eappi/index.html

Or contact: Eleanor Chowns / Lynda MacInnes, QPSW, 173 Euston Road, London,
NW1 2BJ, UK.  Tel: (00 44) 20 7663 1144.
E-mail: eappi@quaker.org.uk

*****************************************************************

DIARY DATES

***Please add your events directly to the GreenNet calendar, here:
--> www.gn.apc.org/calendar/add.shtml

More Diary Dates on GreenNet (although not as many as we'd like so please 
add to):
--> www.gn.apc.org/calendar/calindex.shtml

APRIL

*All Faiths open Service for PEACE AND JUSTICE.*
Sunday 6th April 10.30am.
Preparation for nonviolent resistance to the war on Iraqi people at 
Permanent Joint Head Quarters of the British Armed Forces, Northwood.

Based in silence but  bring readings, prayers and meditations. Themes;
- Mourning for all the victims of war .
- Repentance for our part in not preventing the  war on Iraq.
- Nonviolent action for a just peace.

Assemble: Pretty Corner, Corner of Watford Road, (A4125) and Sandy Lane.
Travel:  Northwood Metropolitan Line Tube station (20 min walk).
Bus 8 between Northwood Tube and Watford Junction Rail Station.
Accommodation:  In Watford Friends Meeting House.  07739906710 Bring 
sleeping bag etc..

*ENDEMIC & ENDANGERED - LEMURS & KOALAS*
Dr. Bill Ellis, University of Queensland, Brisbane, & Dr. Pat Wright, State
University of New York, Stony Brook

Earthwatch lecture, Thursday 10th April at 7pm, at the Royal Geographical
Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR

Dr. Ellis?s fascinating account of his research into the population dynamics
of koalas on St. Bees Island off Queensland will be complemented by Dr.
Wright?s talk on her studies of two of Madagascar?s most highly endangered
lemurs. Admission free, but by ticket only.

*THE 'LEGALISATION' OF HUMAN RIGHTS*
School of Public Policy (University College London) conference
25th - 26th April
Key contributors to the study of human rights have been gathered at this 
conference to discuss the balance sheet of human rights practice, studies 
and research, in the light of the dominance of legal approaches to human 
rights questions.
Speakers include: Jack Donnelly, Michael Freeman, Stanley Cohen, Francesca 
Klug, Ratna Kapur.

Further details can be found at:
--> www.ucl.ac.uk/spp/hr

*Jeremy Hardy versus The Israeli Army*
a film by Leila Sansour

Playing for the first time at The Bloomsbury Theatre on the 23rd and 24th 
of April
Presented by the Palestinian Ambassador Mr Afif Safieh
with Q&A from Jeremy Hardy and Leila Sansour

 From the stand-off at Yasser Arafat?s compound to the siege of the Church 
of the Nativity, ?Jeremy Hardy v The Israeli Army? captures the birth of a 
new kind of political engagement.
Jeremy is struck by the commitment of people who pack their bags for 
Palestine to stand in the way of guns and tanks. He never expected the 
scale of the phenomenon that came to be known as the International 
solidarity Movement.

?Jeremy Hardy v The Israeli Army? (75 mins.)
Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th April, 8pm.Tickets ?6.50
The Bloomsbury Theatre, UCL, 15 Gordon Street, London
Box Office: 0208 3888822

MAY

*3 day festival in Clun, Shropshire*
3rd, 4th & 5th
For more information about the event, see:
--> www.clun.org.uk
If you are interested in having a stall at the festival,
Phone 01547 510343 or 01588640167, Email Verdeletclun@aol.com

JULY

*CHALLENGING GLOBALISATION:  ALTERNATIVE MODELS*
Led by Vandana Shiva, Juliet Schor & Prasannan Parthasarathi
July 6-25, 2003 at Schumacher College, Devon, UK

In the streets of Seattle, Genoa, Jakarta and many other places, citizens
have mobilised against the global economy, the neo-liberal trade regime and
the spread of Western consumer culture.  What are they opposing?  What are
they proposing?  What better, more sustainable future might be possible if
we reject Western consumerism?  This course examines the debates about the
globalisation of economy and culture, and considers practical, humane
alternatives to the current system of control and domination.

For more information, please contact the Administrator, Schumacher College,
The Old Postern, Dartington, Devon TQ9 6EA, Tel: 01803 865 934
Email: admin@schumachercollege.org.uk
Website: www.schumachercollege.org.uk

***Please add your events directly to the GreenNet calendar, here:
--> www.gn.apc.org/calendar/add.shtml

More Diary Dates on GreenNet (although not as many as we'd like so please 
add to):
--> www.gn.apc.org/calendar/calindex.shtml

There is a new UK wide environmental magazine 'Greenscene'.
It's a monthly magazine and the deadline is the 17th of every month, with a 
free listing
section and is for the whole UK.
Please send events to:
--> greenscene2003@yahoo.co.uk

*****************************************************************

The AlterNet News is edited by Joanne Doyle for GreenNet:
---> www.gn.apc.org

Please note that opinions expressed in AlterNet are those of the
contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the GreenNet 
Collective.
To subscribe or unsubscribe see:

http://news.gn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/alternet-l
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joanne@gn.apc.org

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From joanne at gn.apc.org  Thu Apr 24 17:40:53 2003
From: joanne at gn.apc.org (Joanne Doyle)
Date: Wed Feb  1 23:43:29 2006
Subject: [alternet-l] THE ALTERNET NEWS - ISSUE # 91
Message-ID: <5.0.2.1.0.20030424173059.009f2e30@pop.gn.apc.org>

THE ALTERNET NEWS - ISSUE # 91

This issue:

WOMEN WITH MEGABYTE/
HOT SITES/
DIARY FROM IRAQ/
EU ACCESSION/
GN MEMBER UPDATES/
ISM ACTIVISTS DEMAND INQUIRY/
CHILD ABDUCTION/
FOREST MONITOR TERMINATED/
WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY/
INTERNET IMPACTS/
QUOTE/UNQUOTE/
JOBS/
FUNDING/
DIARY/

*****************************************************************

Please don't send news to the AlterNet address. Send items for inclusion, 
including a web link if possible, to actnow@gn.apc.org. Items may need to 
be edited. Plain text e-mail is preferred.

Back issues are on-line at:
---> http://www.gn.apc.org/news/alternet/index.asp

*****************************************************************
Changing the format a little this issue, GreenNet would like to be first to 
annouce a conference we are organising entitled:
WOMEN WITH MEGABYTES

Women with MegaBYTE is a national Conference on Women's Organisations and ICT
20th - 21st May
London School of Economics
9.30am - 5.30pm

The GreenNet Educational Trust (GET) and WomenConnect present a two-day 
workshop for women and women's organizations in the UK.  The event will 
look at how women's organizations in the UK were using, are using and could 
be using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to sustain their 
work, challenge inequality and bring about social change. The event is open 
to those working in the UK women's voluntary sector and promises to be an 
exciting learning experience.

Themes covered in the two-day multimedia programme will include:
? A display of how women's organisations are using ICT in their work
? An introduction to 'blogging' as a tool for women to publish their 
experiences and stories on the Internet
? A review of ICT policy developments and their impact on the women's 
voluntary sector
? An update on the World Summit on the Information Society
? A debate on how to use the Internet creatively to promote a stronger, 
more united voice for women's issues in the UK

Please send expressions of interest with the following details to 
joanne@gn.apc.org by 9 May. The event aims to draw together existing 
expertise and knowledge and to build a strong network to guide future work.

More about GreenNet Educational Trust's Internet Rights project:
--> www.internetrights.org.uk

More about WomenConnect here:
--> www.womenconnect.org.uk

Please see section 'Diary' for other upcoming events.

*****************************************************************

HOT SITES

The APC members BlueLink Information Network (Bulgaria) and StrawberryNet 
(Romania) have newly launched a regional South Eastern Europe (SEE) content 
sharing platform.
Through this platform 8 environmental NGOs networks from the SEE share
information from their web sites and publish special materials on a 
regional level. The
initiative aims at strengthening the environmental information exchange in 
the SEE region through online content sharing and joint information flow. 
The content sharing platform allows the NGOs to find news, campaigns and 
announcements and aids their distributing information through their local 
electronic network.

The content exchange process is possible due to the methodology, developed 
by APC. The content exchange automatically pulls information from various 
web sites using ActionApps.
--> www.see-environment.info

More about APC Content Management Systems (at GreenNet) here:
--> www.gn.apc.org/services/webdesign.html#actionapps

*****************************************************************

DIARY FROM IRAQ

Former voices delegate Jo Wilding has just returned from a six-and-a-half
week stint in Iraq - including 12 days under US/UK bombardment.

Jo is eager to speak to groups around the country about her recent
experiences in Iraq, where she was able to collect witness statements from
many ordinary Iraqis who have been wounded - or had friends and relatives
killed - by the bombing. Her passionate eyewitness testimony might be just
what your local group needs to energise it at this time when the 'Coalition'
has all but declared 'victory', and the true horror of the war has receded
even further from public view.

Jo is willing to travel the length and breadth of the country provided folk
can cover her train / coach fare! If you would like to try and organise a
speaker meeting with her please contact me here at the voices office on 0845
458 2564 (local rate call) or voices@viwuk.freeserve.co.uk.

Extracts from Jo's Iraq diary - a sample of which is reproduced below - have
been widely circulated on e-mail, have appeared on the Guardian's web-site
and can be viewed on-line at:

--> www.bristolfoe.org.uk/wildfire/iraq/index.htm

*****************************************************************

EU ACCESSION

The 10 countries due to join the European Union next year must turn their 
attention from adopting EU environment laws to implementing them, 
Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom ordered. She was addressing the 
ninth and last annual informal meeting with accession country environment 
ministers. Wallstrom, together with Enlargement Commissioner, Guenther 
Verheugen, and Vasso Papandreou, Greek Environment Minister and Chair of 
the Environment Council met environment ministers from the 13 candidate 
countries in January 2003. Ten countries will sign up to join the European 
Union in April 2003. When their accession process is complete in 2004, the 
bloc will expand to 25 countries, and three more have begun the accession 
process. The 10 countries joining the EU in 2004 are: Cyprus, Czech 
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and 
Slovenia. Wallstrom said, "We are now entering a critical phase. The rules 
must be fully applied on the ground and important nature sites safeguarded. 
This is paramount to ensuring sustainable development in an enlarged EU." 
The Commission estimates that the 10 countries have already transposed 
around 80 percent of the EU's 149 environmental laws. But observing them in 
practice would be a ""tougher nut to crack," Wallstrom said. "It isn't 
enough to have the laws on your books, you have to implement them."

Upon accession the level of EU cash for environmental projects will rise 
three-fold as the 10 new member states become eligible for cohesion and 
structural funds, the commissioner explained. But this would still fall 
well short of the total needed, which the Commission puts at two to three 
percent of the accession countries' Gross Domestic Product. Six months 
before they officially join the EU, the Commission will report on how well 
the accession states are implementing the bloc's environmental laws. 
Wallstrom underlined the importance of this assessment, hinting that the 
Commission might even launch legal action against new member states if this 
were warranted. Source, "A Larger Europe Will Be a Greener Europe," 
Environment News Service (ENS), Brussels, Belgium, January 21, 2003.

See the full story at:
http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2003/2003-01-21-01.asp

If anyone is looking at the impact of legislative changes in accession 
countries on the environment and, or ICTs (information communication 
technologies) in relation to civil rights, please get in contact with us at 
GreenNet. We are interested in starting up a discussion around this area.

Please email: joanne@gn.apc.org

*****************************************************************

GN MEMBER UPDATES

*

SGR BRIEFING
'Why the war on Iraq is a warning for the planet' is a new briefing/
discussion document from Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR). Its aim
is to present some of the underlying policies and strategies that appear to
have led to the war on Iraq, and to provide a preliminary assessment of
their wider implications.

The briefing argues that the stated justifications for the war (namely the
prevention of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction through
terrorism, and the protection of human rights) are not entirely credible,
and that the war has more to do with extending US political, economic and
military influence, including increasing its control of the planet's limited
oil resources. The briefing also summarises the likely impacts of the war,
in both human and environmental terms. It concludes with a suggestion for
political alternatives to the current US strategy, advocating much greater
support for poverty alleviation measures and renewable energy development.

The briefing is available from:
--> www.sgr.org.uk/ArmsControl/Iraq_planet_warning.htm

*

DTE FACTSHEETS

DOWN TO EARTH the International Campaign for Ecological Justice in 
Indonesia has produced a factsheet on Water privatisation.

According to the UN declaration of November 2002, access to clean water is 
a fundamental human right. Therefore the 145 countries that have signed 
this international agreement, including Indonesia, should guarantee every 
citizen access to clean water.

In practice, around 1 billion of the world's inhabitants do not have access 
to clean water, 2 billion do not have adequate sanitation, and every year 3 
million people die of water-borne diseases. During the Stockholm Water 
Symposium in August 2000, which discussed the world water crisis, there was 
concern that by 2025 two-thirds of the world's population would suffer from 
a shortage of water.

In response to this water crisis, the World Bank formulated a water 
privatisation policy which was included in a paper entitled "Improving 
Water Resource Management" issued in 1992. This paper argued for a pricing 
policy as an incentive for consumers to be more efficient in their water 
use. The price paid for water by the public must cover the operational 
costs of the water company so that the government no longer has to provide 
subsidies.

NGO concerns centre on the fact that privatisation - which, in effect, 
means treating water as a commodity - together with the commercialisation 
of water, will result in ever-higher water costs for the poor. How can the 
principles of privatisation be in accordance with increased access to water 
resources for the poor?

More information from Down to Earth:
--> http://dte.gn.apc.org/

*****************************************************************

ISM ACTIVISTS DEMAND INQUIRY

International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activists met the foreign office to 
demand full inquiry into Gaza shooting of Tom Hurndall. Tom Hurndall, an 
unarmed British peace activist in Gaza, was shot in the head by an Israeli 
sniper as he attempted to escort three children to safety. Prior to this a 
number of British peace activists and humanitarian workers have been 
injured by Israeli troops and settlers, and have
contacted the Foreign Office. In April 2002 alone, four Britons from ISM 
were injured by shrapnel in Bethlehem after being fired upon by soldiers in 
an Israeli tank. In November 2002, Iain Hook, a British UN volunteer, was 
shot and killed by Israeli soldiers in Jenin. However none of these 
instances have yet resulted in a formal condemnation by the Foreign Office 
to the Israeli government.

The Foreign Office has been contacted several times to ask that warnings be
given to travellers concerning danger from Israeli soldiers and settlers,
but to date there has been no such recognition. The FO website implies that 
the only threat to British citizens is from Palestinian terrorism and 
violent incidents at checkpoints but this does not give fair warning of the 
threat from soldiers and settlers. We consider that there is direct and 
deliberate violence being perpetrated against international peace 
activists. This is a deliberate policy on the part of some military units, 
and certainly on the part of the settlers, to deter (scare off) 
internationals from witnessing crimes against Palestinians in the occupied 
territories.

ISM have urged for a full inquiry into the shooting and demanded that the
Foreign Office assume their full responsibilities towards British Citizens 
in the Occupied Territories by condemning all instances of injury to 
British citizens by Israeli soldiers and settlers.

For more details contact:

Leonie Nimmo        07732 087 546
Karen Blake     email: 117502@soas.ac.uk
Joy Green           07734 050 721
Mortaza Sahibzada  07946 351 319, email: m.sahibzada@imperial.ac.uk

*****************************************************************

CHILD ABDUCTION

Children are being abducted in record numbers
in northern Uganda by the rebel Lord?s Resistance Army (LRA), Human
Rights Watch said in a recent report. The children are
subjected to brutal treatment as soldiers, laborers and sexual slaves.

Since June of 2002, an estimated 5,000 children have been abducted?a
striking increase from 2001, when fewer than 100 children were abducted.
In total, an estimated 20,000 children have been abducted during the
16-year conflict between the LRA and the Ugandan government.

?The increase in abductions is dramatic and alarming,? said Jo Becker of
the Children?s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch. ?More children
have been taken in the last 10 months than in any previous year of the
conflict.?

The surge in abductions followed the return of the LRA to Uganda after
the Ugandan government launched a military offensive, ?Operation Iron
Fist,? against the LRA?s bases in southern Sudan in March of last year.
The LRA uses brutal tactics to demand obedience from abducted children.
Children are forced to beat or trample to death other children who
attempt to escape, and are repeatedly told they will be killed if they
try to run away.

The 31-page report, ?Stolen Children: Abduction and Recruitment in
Northern Uganda? draws on interviews with children who have recently
escaped from LRA captivity. The majority of those interviewed were
abducted after the escalation of the conflict last year.

Uganda?s government also recruits children. Human Rights Watch
documented the recruitment of children as young as 12 into Local Defense
Units, also known as home guards. These children are trained, and
sometimes fight, with the Ugandan army. Boys who manage to escape from
LRA captivity, particularly those with combat experience, are also
pressured to join the UPDF while in UPDF custody for debriefing.

The full report is online at:
http://hrw.org/reports/2003/uganda0303/

*****************************************************************

FOREST MONITOR TERMINATED

The Cambodian Government has, with effect from today, terminated Global
Witness' role as the official Independent Monitor of the forest sector in
Cambodia.  Meanwhile the Cambodian government seeks to convince 
international donors that it is managing its forests responsibly.  It cites 
the existence of an
independent monitor as the basis for this claim, while simultaneously doing
whatever it can to prevent the monitor from actually operating.

"The decision to dispense with independent monitoring leaves the Government,
the international donor community and, most importantly, the public without
any credible source of information regarding illegal logging in Cambodia,"
said Jon Buckrell of Global Witness.

Chan Sarun, the Cambodian Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
wrote in a letter to Global Witness on 22 January that the organisation's
role as official independent monitor would be terminated in three months.
Neither the Minister nor any other Government official has communicated with
Global Witness since this letter.  The Minister's letter followed threats of
expulsion and legal action by the Government, after Global Witness reported
on police violence against peaceful demonstrators on 5 December 2002.  In
March the Government filed a criminal complaint against Global Witness's
Cambodia Co-ordinator on baseless charges relating to this incident.  The
complaint was only withdrawn after intense pressure from international donor
countries.

"Global Witness' most vocal critics tend to be the same individuals who
organise and profit most from illegal logging.  These individuals at the
heart of government and the public administration no doubt see the
termination of Global Witness' official role as the surest way to maintain
their illicit revenue streams and thereby their power," said Buckrell.

Full story at the Global Witness website:
--> /www.globalwitness.org/press_releases/display2.php?id=190

*****************************************************************

WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY - report by Katharine Mieszkowski

The computing world mourns the passing of technologist Anita Borg who dies 
earlier this month. A Silicon Valley computer scientist, Borg was an
influential advocate for the involvement of women in technology.

The founder of the Systers mailing list, the Grace Hopper Celebration of
Women in Computing and the Institute for Women and Technology, Borg was
just 54 years old.

"She was the first woman who really said that women should create the
tools of society, not only technology, but machinery, every kind of
tool, because the people that design those tools determine how they
should be used, and ultimately control society," said Sylvia Paull, the
founder of GraceNet, an organization for women in technology.

"What if only 30-year-old women developed technology?" Borg told me in
an interview in 1999. "All of it -- and that technology was geared
mainly for 13-year-old-girls? Technology would be out of whack, out of
balance. But that's the world we live in: Men hold the power, and boys
drive the market.

"Technology is not neutral," she added. "Every invention reflects the
values, perspective, background, and needs of its inventor. The variety
and impact of new digital technologies will depend on the extent to
which women are involved and their needs are taken into account.
Technology is going to change our political, economic, social and
personal lives. Women need to be there saying: 'This is how we want
things to change.'"

In the late '90s, when it seemed as if everyone in Silicon Valley was
fixated on stock option millions and dazzling IPOs, Anita Borg went to
Xerox PARC, the venerable research facility, to found a nonprofit -- the
Institute for Women and Technology. There, she strove to change how new
technological ideas were created, not just by encouraging women to
become computer scientists, but also by finding novel ways for the
"nontechnical" to influence technological development.

"Being a visionary is kind of easy, but to be a visionary and execute
that vision is very rare, and she was one of those rare people," said
John Seely Brown, then director of Xerox PARC.

"She believed that anything was possible, and she created environments
where that was true," says Denise Brosseau, co-founder of the Forum for
Women Entrepreneurs.

*****************************************************************

INTERNET IMPACTS

Again and again we hear about the potential environmental benefits
of information technology with respect to the substitution of motorways
by data highways, about dematerialisation etc...

But in reality we observe an increase of transportation of goods and
persons, we have mountains of poisonous electronic waste. Why is there
such a difference between theory and reality?

A more realistic assessment of the chances and the environmental,
social, economic and cultural problems related to the new technologies
is necessary. In a new study an effort was done to identify the main
risks.

This study "The Sustainable Information Society" can be downloaded in
the "background" section of the website:
--> www.global-society-dialogue.org

There are also paper copies available which can be ordered free of
charge via: info@faw.uni-ulm.de

*****************************************************************

'INJUSTICE' CENSORED
9.00 pm THURSDAY 1st MAY 2003

Venue: Channel Four Television, 124 Horseferry Road, London, SW1P.

Injustice is a feature length documentary film about the struggles for 
justice by the families of black people that have died in police custody in 
the UK. On its release two years ago the police tried to censor the film by 
threatening cinemas. Months of fighting, by the film makers & families in 
the film, ended in victory with the police backing off and the film on 
release in cinemas across the UK & internationally.

Injustice is an award winning film that has been critically acclaimed and 
has been seen across the world. But Channel Four still refuse to broadcast 
the film because they won't take on the Police Federation. C4 are not only 
banning the film they are telling the police 'It's ok to kill, we won't 
turn our cameras on you'. Injustice exposes a number of human rights abuses 
that have taken place in the UK over the past 30 years and which successive 
governments, including the present one, have been responsible for. It is a 
matter of public interest that Injustice is broadcast in this country.

Protest against the ban - since C4 won't screen Injustice then we are going 
to screen it on C4.
Injustice will be projected onto the Channel Four building on: 9.00 pm 
THURSDAY 1st MAY 2003
Venue: Channel Four Television, 124 Horseferry Road, London, SW1P.
Tube: St.James Park.

If you can't make the protest then the telephone number for Channel Four is
020 7396 4444 or 020 7306 8333

More information here:
--> www.injusticefilm.co.uk

*****************************************************************

QUOTE/UNQUOTE

Learning is finding out what you already know. Doing is demonstrating that 
you know it.
  - Richard Bach

*****************************************************************

DIARY DATES

*INTRAC*
The International NGO Training and Research Centre have just released their 
new training programme, for the period April 2003 to March 2004.
See their website for a full listing:
--> www.intrac.org

*Setting Standards for Peace and Conflict Work*
co-hosted by RedR and Peaceworkers UK
Wednesday, 30 April 2003, 4.30pm

A UK Civilian Peace Service will be managing the recruitment, training and 
assessment of civlian personnel for mission in conflict areas and 
Peaceworkers UK is involvedin developing appropriate training and 
assessment criteria for this purpose. This seminar will look at the skill 
requirements for staff on international missions and will discuss ways of 
defining standards and assessing competence for different types of peace 
and conflict work.

Spaces are limited so please RSVP to Peaceworkers UK by Friday 25 April 2003
--> Email: seminars@peaceworkers.org.uk

*WILD at HEART: the philosophy and psychology of wild places*
Glenmore Lodge, Aviemore, Scotland May 3 and 4, 2003
Keynote speaker: DOUG SCOTT mountaineer, author and community activist

Workshops by: COLIN MORTLOCK, KAYE RICHARDS (adventure therapist)  WILL
BOYD-WALLIS (John Muir Trust) BRENDAN HILL (ecopsychologist)
ROBBIE NICOL(outdoor eco-educator) JO ROBERTS (Wilderness Trust)  ANNIE HART
(expressive artist & group facilitator) ALASTAIR MCINTOSH (activist and
author of Soil and Soul) ANNE-MARIE CULHANE (dancer/performance artist)
MARY-JAYNE RUST (Jungian therapist and ecopsychologist) DAVID KEY (outdoor
eco-educator and tgo columnist)
BOOK NOW on 01479 861256 (?105 residential, ?45 non-residential)
Email: enquiries@glenmorelodge.org.uk

*The CMA festival 2003*
May 8th -10th in Sheffield. This will be the biggest and (hopefully) the 
best yet to help
celebrate CMA's 20th birthday.

Planned events include:
*3 days of screenings of work produced with support from the Commedia 
Millennium Awards scheme
*Workshops and training sessions
*Debate on hot topics in the sector
*lots of opportunities for socialising and networking
*exhibition of up to date equipment and services to the sector

Further information from: nicky@commedia.org.uk
*Spring Awakening 2003 @ Eridge, East Sussex*
22-26 May 2003
Earth Spirit is a family orientated friendly festival, there is always a 
large children's area
and many people spend quite a lot of their time sitting round campfires 
chatting and making music. Earth Spirit welcomes all wood nymphs, pixies 
and fairies that like dressing up and wandering around the woods 
entertaining people.
--> www.earthspirit.me.uk

*The second Day of Action Against Depleted Uranium*
29th May.

Last year saw the First International Day of Action Against Depleted 
Uranium, with
actions taking place in six different countries. This year the day is 
expected to be even bigger after the outrageous recent use of depleted 
uranium by Britain and the US in Iraq.

CADU can provide information on targets and leaflets for you. By working 
together we can ensure that the British and US governments are held 
responsible for the suffering they have inflicted.

For more details please contact CADU via email:
info@cadu.org.uk or through their website: www.cadu.org.uk

*Introduction to Renewable Energy Weekend Course*
4 - 6 July 2003
Centre of Continuing Education, University of Wales, Aberystwyth

The course will give an overview of the technology of renewable energy and 
outline the basic principles of solar electricity, small-scale wind power 
and microhydro-power and their applications for homes, businesses and farms.

Visit the Green Dragon website at
--> www.greendragonenergy.co.uk/

*DRUID PEACE SYMPOSIUM*
CONCURRENT TO THE 2003 WELSH EISTEDDFODD
WEDNESDAY 6 AUGUST - HIROSHIMA DAY - 10AM - 6PM - WELSHPOOL, POWYS

This special gathering is chance for all those interested in Druidry 
throughout the British Isles to gather and discuss their ideas and faith 
traditions. Druids were the original Priests and Priestess of the ancient 
British Isles before the Romans arrived; after the Roman conquest they 
lived on in Ireland the Mountain wildernesses of Wales and Scotland. As 
part of the Celtic revival, interest in Druidry has blossomed over the past 
100 years, and several flourishing Druid Orders are alive and well in 
today's British Isles.

More information via email: iipsgp@educationaid.net

*More Diary Dates on GreenNet*
--> www.gn.apc.org/calendar/calindex.shtml

Please add your events to the calendar here:
--> www.gn.apc.org/calendar/add.shtml

****************************************************************

The AlterNet News is edited by Joanne Doyle for GreenNet:
---> www.gn.apc.org

Please note that opinions expressed in AlterNet are those of the 
contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the GreenNet 
Collective.
To subscribe or unsubscribe see:

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