I had a blog lined up for my 38th birthday (two more years to a milestone), but am, as usual, busy. When not working, I'm stuck in traffic. When not, I'm cooking, cleaning, washing, scolding, helping with assignments, visiting the principal's office (hehe)... so I suppose this should suffice.

I do wish my friends will join this-- I wish I'd have the time to do so myself... (birthday wish).

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INFORMATION FOR SOCIAL CHANGE (ISC)

ISSN 1364-694X

CALL FOR PAPERS (please feel free to forward to other lists) --

The Summer 2009 issue of the online journal Information for Social Change (ISC) will focus on the theme of SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FOR UTOPIAS.

This issue of ISC aims to document 21st century science and technology initiatives designed for utopian societies. The intended audience is hands-on Utopian makers, as well as those individuals and groups who share in the vision of Utopian futures.

ISC seeks submissions in the following two areas aimed at encouraging adaptations, constructive intercultural dialogue, and international participation:

1) General action research, development based participatory action research, case studies, and DIY (do-it-yourself) aspects of creating low cost, long term science and technology solutions to our present ecological mess, which also make for viable long term social justice (e.g., ethical aid, alternative transportation, living labs, green housing, and slow food movements) and the role of library and information workers and work therein.

2) Thoughts on information ecology, sharing, and recycling as they relate to the production of human and natural resources and how best to achieve egalitarian societies in which there is free flow of information (e.g., social, cultural, communication, and information systems which combine ICT within egalitarian decision making processes in the context of non-proprietary systems and free information movements).

Anyone interested in contributing work related to the above expressed theme is invited to share their ideas with issue co-editors Martyn Lowe martynlowe%40usa.net) & Toni Samek (toni.samek%40ualberta.ca).

Whilst encouraging rigorous debate, the journal exists primarily for workers and practitioners, so simple and clear English is preferable.
Articles should, where possible, be between 500 and 2500 words. This is to ensure a wide coverage of topics in each issue. However, longer articles may be excerpted in the journal and the full text made available from the author(s), if you wish. As well as articles we are also interested in shorter pieces (including letters, review articles, and poems).

The closing date for final submission is December 10 (HUMAN RIGHTS DAY), 2008.

For more information about ISC, see: http://libr.org/isc/

About the image, visit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:New_Harmony_by_F._Bate_%28View_of_a_Community%2C_as_proposed_by_Robert_Owen%29_printed_1838.jpg

A friend sent this through the mail:

Hello, I thought you should know about this:

Burma is ruled by one of the most brutal military dictatorships in the world. For decades the Burmese regime has fought off pressure--imprisoning elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and democracy activists, wiping out thousands of villages, imposing forced labour, creating refugees-

But last Tuesday Buddhist monks and nuns, revered in Burma, began marching and chanting prayers. The protests spread as hundreds of thousands of ordinary people and public figures joined in, finding the hope they’d lost. Now they’re facing crackdown – so please, show your solidarity to this movement towards reconciliation and democracy and sign the emergency petition supporting the Burmese people -- it'll be delivered to United Nations Security Council members and international media all week:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/tf.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK

In the past, Burma's military rulers have massacred the demonstrators and crushed democracy. The world must stand with the Burmese people at this time, to show the military rulers that the world will not tolerate repression and violence.

Right now, global leaders are gathering in New York for the annual United Nations summit. In speeches, press interviews but also in real actions, we need them to show Burma's military junta that the global community is willing to act in solidarity with the protesters.

Show your solidarity to this movement for peace and democracy and sign the emergency petition supporting the Burmese people. It'll be delivered to UN Security Council members and the UN press corps all week:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/tf.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK

Thank you for your help!

This photo was taken this date in Burma, a year ago, by Eric Sales, ADB photographer, Baguio Boy and friend of the Cordilleras. (visit his blog from my contacts sections)

Top photo from The Guardian

On October 17, millions of concerned citizens around the world will commemorate the International Day to Eradicate Poverty. By Standing Up and Speaking Out, they aim to remind world leaders (of 189 countries) about the world commitment to meet the Millennium Development Goals --particularly to cut the incidence of poverty and hunger by half by 2015.

Filipinos are active in the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP). This movement involves civil society organizations, faith communities, trade unions, and other likeminded people.

Together, the GCAP hopes to pressure governments and institutions to achieve the eight Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Among the activities slated is a whole-day Anti-Poverty Fair, which will be held at the Quezon Memorial Circle.

Inaanyayahan namin ang inyong organisasyon na makiisa at makisama sa amin sa araw na ito.

Church, NGO leaders move to prevent mining bloodshed

I  am certain there are Ibalois here, possibly some even related by blood to us.

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—Leaders of the Catholic Church and non-government organizations have stepped into a broiling mining controversy in upland Kasibu town here involving tribal folk who have been blocking the entry of a foreign mining firm into the village.

They have raised concerns over a possible face-off between 1,000 villagers and 50 policemen involving the implementation of a court order that allows the entry of equipment to be used by Oxiana Philippines Inc., an Australian firm.

On Friday, provincial sheriff Voltaire Garcia and Senior Supt. Segundo Duran, provincial police director, travelled to the site to implement the injunction order, which prohibits villagers from further barricading the road leading to the exploration site in Pao Village.

In a statement, Bishop Ramon Villena assailed Oxiana for refusing to listen to the sentiments of the oppositors who have been barricading the road since July 12.

“Yes, Oxiana claims they have in their possession legal instruments that would legitimize their entry to Pao. But what about the voice of the people? Will we close our ears to their cry and continue with the mining activities in utter disregard of their voice?” Villena said in a statement.

From 300 in the last few days, the number of protesters has grown to about 1,000, mostly tribal villagers from Pao, Paquet, Kakidugen, Biyoy, Cataraoan, Camamasi and Dine who continued to guard the barricade after learning of the court’s issuance of an injunction order.

Their leaders, who asked not to be named for fear of being cited in contempt of the court, said they would continue to block the road because it traverses a private land, the owner of which was opposed to mining.

“If it becomes necessary that we will go back to our headhunting practices, then so be it,” a Bugkalot chieftain said in the dialect.

The villagers, composed of Bugkalot, Kalanguya and Ifugao, have been opposing the entry of Oxiana, citing possible hazards that its operations would bring to their environment. (Dani's comment: May Ibaloi dito)

They have also been questioning Oxiana’s exploration permit issued in 2000, the period of which was extended without consultation with the affected local communities.

read the rest of the story
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=84596

for background with a video
http://www.pcij.org/blog/?p=1865

your donations, in cash and kind, are welcome. contact philippine human rights information center. (+63 2) 433 1714, prights@tri-isys.com

New Photos Indicate Arms Flow to Darfur

By Nora Boustany
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, August 24, 2007

Recent photographs purportedly showing Sudanese soldiers in the Darfur region moving containers from a Russian-made Antonov cargo plane onto military trucks reinforce suspicions that Sudan continues to violate a U.N.-imposed arms embargo, the London-based human rights group Amnesty International said.

The photographs, taken in July and released today by the rights group, also purportedly show Russian-supplied Mi-7 and Mi-24 military helicopters in the town of Geneina in Darfur.

A Russian-supplied Mi-24 helicopter, bearing No. 928, is shown in July at an airport in Geneina, a town in Sudan's Darfur region. Russia provided 12 such aircraft to Sudan in 2005. (Amnesty International)

Eyewitnesses in Darfur and the International Peace Information Service, based in Antwerp, Belgium, sent the photographs to Amnesty. The images bolster evidence published in a May report by Amnesty that accused Russia and China of having broken the arms embargo, according to a news release from the human rights group.

Read the rest of the story at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/23/AR2007082302088.html?hpid=moreheadlines

On the ground:

Touma, a young refugee woman held against her will in a Janjaweed camp, broke down in tears as, three years on, she told her story.

"I had my child on my back and was running. The Janjaweed hit me and I fell. They took the baby off my back and killed the baby," she said.

"They took me to their camp, I spent three months there. I did their cooking and washing and took care of their animals. Every night 10 or 11 men would come to rape me - I would cry but nobody would come."

It has been more than three years since the 230,000 Sudanese refugees who are living along Chad's eastern border with Darfur fled their homes, and their pain shows little sign of abating.

At least 200,000 people have died since 2003, and most refugees have horrific accounts of rape and murder by the Janjaweed, an Arab militia armed by Khartoum to help crush a non-Arab uprising seeking greater autonomy for Darfur.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=8f1a9c56-052f-44f2-b57d-b74f814026db

for more in-depth coverage:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/interactives/sudan/