Sign that #$%&!!!

China's current wave of repression and brutal crackdowns threatens its Olympic legacy.

Tell Bush to put pressure on China for human rights improvements before the Olympic Games.

An FYI

Asia Society and The Goldman Sachs Foundation are pleased to announce the 2008 Youth Prizes for Excellence in International Education. Up to five winners will be selected to receive up to $10,000 each as well as an all-expense paid trip to New York City in November 2008 to receive their prize.

The 2008 competition asks students to create an in-depth written essay or multimedia feature examining a social or economic issue that has relevance to them in a global context. In the essay category, students will compare and contrast how the issue affects their community and a community abroad, as well as create recommendations for what lessons the two communities could learn from each other.

In the multimedia category, students will explore how a global problem or challenge affects their life as an individual, as a member of their local community, and/or as a global citizen. Please visit http://askasia.org/students/gsfprizes.html for the contest questions, eligibility rules, guidelines and helpful hints, and submission instructions.

The deadline for applications for the Youth Prizes is Thursday, June 12, 2008.

The 2007 winners of The Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Elementary/Middle Schools, High Schools, States, and Media/Technology Organizations have just been announced!

Please visit http://www.internationaled.org/prizes/ for more information about the 2007 winners and for the announcement of the 2008 cycle of prizes in early autumn.Sincerely,The Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes Team

Remembering Lawrence King

Lawrence "Larry" King was murdered in his school for being openly gay. He was shot to death by a boy he had expressed his feelings to. A few with places more details are located here:

http://www.rememberinglawrence.org/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/02/AR2008040203800.html?hpid=moreheadlines

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.O._Green_School_shooting

In a society that says it represents tolerance and freedom in the world, things like this have to make us stop and wonder.

FOr those of you who use facebook, you may have seen some groups acknowledging the tragedy and this advert on the sides:


http://www.dayofsilence.org/content/getinvolved_FRL.html
April 25th will be a day of silence to remember Lawrence King

Might this be something to get the school involved in? or should we forego it as it risks ridicule due to the immaturity of some students....

Labor Activisit to Speak at Carlow this Wednesday (April 9)

Brothers,

Below is a press release on an event occurring this Wednesday night. I will be coordinating a trip to attend for those who are interested. We will leave from the Central Catholic quad this Wednesday at 5:15 PM. Spread the word.

BRobPeachFSC

Charlie Kernaghan is an internationally known critic of sweatshops and supporter of worker’s and human rights in the global economy

Pittsburgh – Charlie Kernaghan, executive director of the National Labor Committee (NLC), will speak at Carlow University on Wednesday, April 9, 2008. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in Kresge Theater on the fifth floor of Grace Library on Carlow’s campus in Oakland at 6:00 p.m.

Kernaghan advocates for worker’s rights, especially those of children and young women. He is best known for his 1996 exposure of Wal-Mart’s mistreatment of child laborers in Honduras who were making items for the Kathy Lee Gifford clothing line. He has testified before a Senate, the House of Representatives, and the United Nations on the horrific working conditions at factories everywhere from China to South America. Along with the United Steelworkers Union (USW), he is a leading proponent of the Decent Working Conditions and Fair Competition Act, which currently has 23 co-sponsors in the senate, including Senators Clinton and Obama. He was awarded the 2006 Cultural Freedom Award by the Lannan Foundation. Earlier in his career, Kernaghan taught psychology at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.

“We are very excited to have Mr. Kernaghan at Carlow and this is a wonderful opportunity for the University,” said Mary Frances Reidell, director of Health Services at Carlow and an advisor to the Students for Peace and Justice. “He is probably the world’s premier expert on the issue of sweatshops and worker exploitation.”

The event is sponsored by “Sweat-Free Carlow” via a grant provided by the Grace Ann Geibel Institute for Justice and Social Responsibility at Carlow University. The Students for Peace and Justice at Carlow will be co-sponsoring the event.

For more information, please contact: Francesca Lies(liesfm@carlow.edu) Nicole McCandless(mccandlessna@carlow.edu), Mary Frances Reidell(412-578 6174), or Joel Woller(412-578-6336)

***

About Carlow University

Located in Pittsburgh, Pa., Carlow University was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1929. Formerly Carlow College, the institution was granted university status in 2004. Offering both undergraduate and graduate programs, Carlow is the first women-centered university in the state of Pennsylvania.

Demand freedom in CHINA!

Demand the release of 15 Tibetan monks who were detained on March 10 for staging a peaceful demonstration in Barkhor, Lhasa, the capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region. There is no information on their current whereabouts or of any charges brought against them. They are at high risk of torture and other ill treatment.