UCB Amnesty Protests Torture

Fighting to focus the feisty camera and endless hours spent editing on an enigmatic computer program, I have created a piece worthy of its name: CalTV presents UCB Amnesty International's perspective on torture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smJAUYxTIWU

Thanks to all the people that came to the Education Committee's screening of Taxi to the Dark Side and especially to those who made their voices heard on this video.

-Jasmine

$130 Million for "African" health

The newest article in the New York Times is titled Africa: $130 Million from the United States to Train Doctors in a Dozen Countries. For all of you human-rights concerned science or healthcare concerned students out there, this should come as a shock for you. Not the $130 part--the million part. The whole time i read this article, all i could think it what is the continent of Africa going to do with $130 million, build 20 hospitals and be able to pay their staff for 5 years?

The article promotes Obama's generous donation, coming from the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, as a significant gesture. Most of this money will be going towards combating the "brain drain" currently occuring in many countries in Africa by supplementing the salaries of doctors, supporting exchanges between doctors in the United States and various African countries, providing scholarships for "students from poor families" and technology that will let medical students present cases from remote locations.

After this sentence, questions should be running through your head like how can $130 million support ALL of these ambitions in 12 countries? The answer is, it cannot. A better question, how will the money be distributed--through local health NGOs, the WHO, the government? And if it is the government, we must ask who will really be benefiting from this money; my prediction is the urban hospitals of Nairobi and Dar Es Saalam, not the district hospitals in rural parts of Ghana.

This may seem critical, but I do applaud any effort towards improving the health care systems of some of these health-devastated countries, ridden with larger problems than the United States like an AIDS epidemic, chronic schistosomiasis problems and malaria. It is better to do something rather than nothing.

Food for thought.

Petition Drive with UCLA Amnesty

Petition Drive with UCLA Amnesty was a success! The winner of the "petition competition" was UCLA Amnesty--UCLA chapter collected over 800+ signatures, calling for the Global MOMS Act to pass!

The UC Berkeley chapter managed to collect 400+ signatures.

It was great to see both chapters work together for a common cause; it even received some press coverage in the Daily Bruin: http://www.dailybruin.com/index.php/article/2010/10/amnesty_international_clubs_contest_fights_maternal_mortality

If you have any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to email us at ucbamnesty@gmail.com

First General Meeting of Fall 2010

Come to the Amnesty International at Berkeley's first general meeting of Fall 2010!

When: Thursday, September 2 at 8:00 p.m.
Where: 200 Wheeler Hall
What: Learn about what we do and how to get involved, meet amazing people, snack on delicious munchies, and have fun!

Check out our Facebook event! Invite your friends!

Email ucbamnesty@gmail.com with any questions. See you there!

Amnesty Goes to SF! 1st Fall Social!

Join Amnesty International at Berkeley for our first social of the Fall 2010 semester!

We'll be headed across the bay to attend Amnesty USA's free screening of The Glass House, an internationally acclaimed Iranian film. Beforehand, we'll eat dinner together in the Mission District.

The Details:

When: Sunday, August 29 at 4:30 pm
Where: Meet at the Bancroft Way & Telegraph Avenue bus stop, where we'll catch the F line to San Francisco and a second bus to Artists' Television Access (992 Valencia Street)
What to bring: Your bus pass, dinner money, and $4 for the city bus in San Francisco

RSVP to the Facebook event here!

Email ucbamnesty@gmail.com with any questions, or call Stacy Suh at (714) 515-2288 on the day of the social. We hope to see you there!

Happy Summer!

Happy Summer!

We here at UC Berkeley's chapter of Amnesty International hope you're enjoying your summer vacation before the start of the Fall 2010 semester at Cal.

Currently, we're busy working on exciting plans for the fall... Check back for updates soon!

In the meantime, email ucbamnesty@gmail.com to be added to our mailing list and to find out more information about getting involved. Be sure to join our Facebook group and follow our Twitter feed! Lastly, don't forget to find us at Calapalooza, Cal's annual student organization tabling fair, during Welcome Week on Thursday, August 26.

We can't wait to see you all sporting some gnarly tans, brah!

Peace,
Rachel Fryke
Co-Coordinator, Amnesty International at Berkeley

Event in SF Tomorrow: Deadly Delivery

Hi, this is Stacy. I just wanted to let you know more about an amazing event tomorrow in San Francisco! You should definitely check it out! More information below:

Wednesday, April 14^th
5:30-7:30pm
San Francisco Public Library
Koret Auditorium
100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 Please RSVP to wbutkus@aiusa.org (415) 288-1800

Please join Amnesty International in partnership with UC Hastings Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, California OneCare and UCSF Safe Motherhood Program at the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health for a special briefing featuring international and domestic experts on maternal mortality and health care as part of the Global Maternal Mortality Crisis Speaker Tour.

Speakers will also include state and local leaders. Featuring:

Larry Cox, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA
Birma Abdulai Sheriff, Executive Director of Amnesty International Sierra Leone
Silvia Rosario Loli Espinoza, Executive Director of Amnesty International Peru
Yves Boukari Traore, Executive Director of Amnesty International Burkina Faso
Sara Elizabeth Rogers, Office of Senator Mark Leno
Maddy Oden, The Tatia Oden French Memorial Foundation
Moderator - Diana Campoamor, President and CEO of Hispanics in Philanthropy

Every minute one woman dies as a consequence of complications during birth or pregnancy. That’s more than 500,000 women a year, one woman every minute of every day. These women do not die of diseases that can’t be treated or complications that can’t be prevented. They die because societies have yet to determine that their lives are worth saving. Health care is a human right for every woman regardless of her race or income status. Amnesty International will announce their support for Senator Mark Leno’s Single Payer Bill SB 810.

For more information about our report: Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA please visit http://amnestyusa.org/demanddignity

V-Day at Berkeley's Teach-In on the Women of the Congo

Remember last year's Raise Hope for Congo Speakers' Tour, when we brought in leading activists spreading awareness about the Democratic of the Congo's unheard story: the systematic rape of women as a weapon of war? This year, V-Day at Berkeley, a group that presents The Vagina Monologues to help end violence against women and girls, will raise the profile of the DRC through a special spotlight monologue. Before the actual showing of The Vagina Monologues, the group is hosting a teach-in on the current situation in the DRC and how we can help. Be sure to show your support!

V-Day at UC Berkeley's Teach-In on Women of the Congo
Wednesday, February 3 at 8:30p.m.
121 Wheeler Hall
RSVP to the Facebook event here.
vagmonsUCB@gmail.com

Amnesty Social: Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka

Amnesty Social
Monday, February 1
6:30 p.m.
Wheeler Auditorium
RSVP to the Facebook event here.

We will be meeting as a group in front of Wheeler to wait in line for free tickets around 6:30. Bring food or snacks to share, as it doesn't start until 7:30. See you there!

"Rights and Relativity: The Interplay of Cultures"
Monday, February 1, 2010
7:30 pm | Wheeler Auditorium

Writer, playwright and poet, Wole Soyinka is the author of over thirty books. He was also the first African to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. Soyinka has been an outspoken critic of many Nigerian military dictators and of political tyrannies worldwide, including the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe. He has been imprisoned several times for his criticism of the government, and has lived in exile at various points during his life. A consistently courageous voice for human rights worldwide, Soyinka is involved in numerous international artistic and human rights organizations, including the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and the International Parliament of Writers.

Read more about the event here: http://townsendcenter.berkeley.edu/avenali_soyinka.shtml

Flow: For Love of Water Screening

FREE Screening of Flow: For Love of Water
Thursday, February 11
7:00 p.m.
Unit 2 All Purpose Room
RSVP to the Facebook event here!

We are in a global water crisis...

A crisis of inequity: The average American uses 150 gallons of water per day; often, those in developing countries cannot find even five (the daily requirement is 13.2 gallons). Of the 6 billion people on earth, 1.1 billion do not have access to safe, clean drinking water, and every 15 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease.

A crisis of consumerism: Water is a $400 billion dollar global industry, the third largest behind electricity and oil. In 2007, US consumers spent $16.8 billion on bottled water alone, but it only takes $6 to supply 10 liters of safe water per day for a year.

A crisis of sanitation: Between five hundred thousand and seven million people get sick per year from drinking tap water, with 116,000 human-made chemicals found in public supplies.

A crisis of resources: Californiaʼs water supply is running out, with about 20 years of water left in the state.

Learn more about the global water crisis and how YOU can help! Featuring FREE food, a presentation by Professor Darren Zook, interactive discussions, and a FREE screening of the internationally acclaimed documentary "Flow: For Love of Water".

How to stay informed

This is a random blog post, full of tips about staying informed! :)

Websites/blogs to consider:

• UCB Amnesty International Blog! (Haha, shameless plug.)
• http://www.change.org/ : Has A LOT of different issues, both domestic and international. This is probably the most comprehensive and inclusive.
• http://www.amnestyusa.org/take-action-online/page.do?id=1031043: Online actions for Amnesty International. Sign up for the mailing list and you'll get a regular email/actions for AI.
• http://blog.amnestyusa.org/: If you feel up to more reading, this is a great way (more in depth than just the regular emails) to keep track of all things Amnesty and more.
• http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/: If you're interested in the Congo.
• http://www.hrc.org/: Human Rights Campaign, all things LGBT.
• http://www.hrw.org/ Human Rights Watch.

Tips for keeping track of everything:

• If you feel overwhelmed by emails, Twitter feed is an EXCELLENT way to keep track of things. You can just read the headline (140 characters or less) and read more about it, if it intrigues you! Most nonprofits have a Twitter, and you can be informed that way. :)
• Facebook. Join a fan page! Sign up under "Causes" application and receive regular updates, from Invisible Children to Amnesty International. Now you can feel less guilty about being on FB instead of writing that paper due tomorrow.
• Sign up for the emailing list on the above websites! It's a painless way to receive updates without visiting 1235324 websites.
• Reading the newspaper really does help. NY Times and NPR are great. BBC is good, too.
• Come to the meeting. We'll keep you posted.

That's it. I hope that helped. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! Also, creative advocacy ideas? Email them our (Elizabeth's/my) way!

1st General Meeting of 2010!

It's time to wake up from your winter break hibernation and get excited to promote human rights at Cal!

Amnesty International 1st General Meeting of 2010
Tuesday, January 29 at 8:00 p.m.
88 Dwinelle Hall

Check out everything we've accomplished in the past, and what we need your help to do in the future!

RSVP to our Facebook event, and invite your friends!

See you there!

A Jihad for Love Screening

Join Amnesty International, during the ASUC's Spring Welcome Week 2010, for a FREE screening of A Jihad for Love!

What: A Jihad for Love Screening, with director/producer Parvez Sharma
When: Tuesday, January 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Where: 10 Evans Hall, UC Berkeley Campus
Price: FREE

Filmmaker Parvez Sharma will join Amnesty International to introduce his internationally acclaimed documentary A Jihad for Love on Tuesday, January 19 as part of the ASUC's Spring Welcome Week. The film explores the complex global intersections of Islam and homosexuality, and how gay and lesbian Muslims fight to reconcile their faith and their struggle for love. Refreshments will be available.

Check out the Facebook event, the film's website, or email ucbamnesty@gmail.com for more information! Don't miss out on this amazing event!