What's been happening at UIW over the last 25 years

Thanks to Mary Henry for sharing these achievements of UIW and the firm of McChesney/Bianco with us.

As a member (representing the sponsoring Congregation) of the Board of Trustees of the University of the Incarnate Word, I was very pleased to learn recently of efforts made by the architectural firm of McChesney/Bianco in the area of sustainability with buildings and landscaping projects over the past 25 years at the University.  Mark McChesney, senior partner, informed the Board of these efforts by means of a PowerPoint presentation; this video is an adaption of that PP presentation.  The University is in the process of establishing a degree program in "sustainability."  This video is shared to inform and encourage others, and to celebrate the achievements of the University and the firm of McChesney/Bianco.

¿Qué pasó con los autos eléctricos? / What happened to electric cars?

ESPAÑOL:  Gracias a Juantia Albracht por este powerpoint.

HAGA CLIC AQUÍ para obtener más información sobre los autos eléctricos: su historia, lo que los fabricantes de automóviles les hizo a ellos, y por eso vemos tan pocos hoy en día.

ENGLISH:  Thanks to Juanita Albracht for sending this powerpoint.  Although it is in Spanish, it is quite easy to comprehend if you read Spanish at all.

CLICK HERE to see the powerpoint about the electric car:  its history, what automakers did to the cars, and why we have so few today.

Who killed the electric car?

Wars have been fought over access to oil, and yet the technology exists to power vehicles without using a limited, non-renewable resource.

CLICK HERE to learn about the documentary film, "Who Killed the Electric Car?"

CLICK HERE to learn about Plug In America, which was formed to raise public awareness of, and to advocate for, plug-in transportation.

CLICK HERE to read about the General Motors EV1, an electric car produced and leased by the General Motors Corporation from 1996 to 1999.

CONFLICTO SOCIAL EN PERÚ

De seguro varias/os de nosotras/os estamos oyendo noticias de los sucesos en Puno (Perú). Reclamos y demandas de grandes sectores de la población,  hechos de violencia, desmanes hasta muertes de pobladores generados por una disputa que no se entiende, o bien, no se quiere entender.

Aquí un vídeo, bastante claro, de lo que necesitamos las y los peruanos pero también todos aquellos que intentan administrar un país multicultural.

Sunday, June 26, 8 p.m. CDT: Watch "Erasing Hate" - a true story of redemption - on MSNBC

From The Southern Poverty Law Center:

Please remember to tune in for or set your DVR to Erasing Hate this Sunday evening on MSNBC.

Erasing Hate is a true story of redemption. This original 1 hr MSNBC documentary chronicles the grueling journey of Bryon Widner, a skinhead "enforcer" who—with the help of the Southern Poverty Law Center—extracted himself from the white power world, only to find that the racist tattoos covering his head and body were a constant reminder to himself and others of his violent past.

With the financial help of the SPLC and its supporters, Bryon submitted to nearly two years of excruciating tattoo removal treatments—a penance of sorts for the hurt he had caused so many others in his past—so that he and his family could start a new life.

Seguridad alimentaria sin transgénicos

Gracias a Maru Noguez por este artículo

Los organismos genéticamente modificados, como las semillas de maíz transgénicas, son un portentoso resultado de la ciencia. Su uso en la agricultura dedicada a producir alimentos, es lo que causa controversia entre los intereses de las empresas de ingeniería genética y quienes advierten el riesgo de contaminación y pérdida de razas nativas de maíz.

Esas empresas, que son Monsanto, Dow-Agrosciences y Phi-México, presionan directamente al gobierno para que autorice más siembras de sus semillas a nivel piloto; también lo hacen indirectamente, por medio de agricultores altamente tecnificados, como la Red de Asociaciones Agrícolas del Norte de México que agrupa a organizaciones de productores de Sinaloa, Tamaulipas y Chihuahua.  

HAGA CLIC AQUI para leer más.

June 26: International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

A special request from NRCAT (National Religious Campaign Against Torture)

One important thing you can you do for "International Day in Support of Victims of Torture" that will help insure that torture does not happen again is to  E-MAIL YOUR SENATORS ABOUT THE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE REPORT.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has carried out a 2 year investigation into the CIA’s interrogation practices. The information in the report on this investigation will be crucial for ensuring that torture does not happen again. We need this information to be made public!  CLICK HERE to take action.

Where Are the White House Solar Panels Obama Promised this Spring?

This article by environmentalist and author Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, was posted on the AlterNet on June 21, 2011

Thirty two years ago today, President Jimmy Carter installed a series of solar panels on the White House roof. He stood up there on the roof that day, and issued an oracular warning: "A generation from now, this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, or it can be a small part of the greatest adventures undertaken by the American people."

We found out the answer in much less than a generation -- it only took six years for Ronald Reagan to rip them off the roof. But we thought we'd gotten a new chance last fall when the Obama administration promised that solar panels would go back up this spring.

Spring ended last night, and...no solar panels. Instead there was a press release from the director of the Department of Energy's Solar Energy Technology Program saying "the Energy Department remains on the path to complete the White House solar demonstration project, in keeping with our commitment, and we look forward to sharing more information -- including additional details on the timing of this project -- after the competitive procurement process is completed." Translated from the bureaucratic, I think this means "we're working on it, just not very hard."  CLICK HERE to read more.

Injusticia Contra Campesinos ecologistas en México

MÉXICO. La resolución de la sentencia de la Corte Internacional de Derechos Humanos  (CIDH) obliga a México a pagar 7,500 dólares por concepto de gastos médicos y de 25,500 dólares por daños a los campesinos ecologistas.

En la entrevista con Carmen Aristegui para CNN en Español, Rodolfo Montiel, uno de los campesinos detenidos el 2 de mayo de 1999 en una comunidad en la sierra de Petlatán, Guerrero,espera que la decisión del gobierno mexicano de acatar (CIDH) y  no quede solamente en un acto de buena voluntad, sino que sea “también un acto de entendimiento, de reconocimiento a nuestra inocencia y que se cumpla con lo que la sentencia dice”.

Cabe señalar, que Montiel se opuso a intereses económicos que afectaban al medio ambiente. Así fue obligado a firmar confesiones auto inculpatorias. 

Cultivating Resilient Communities: Practical Ways to Build Local Economies

Thanks to the Holy Cross International Justice Office for sending this excellent article by Amy Cavender, CSC

The world is getting smaller. It’s possible these days to work with colleagues that we seldom, if ever, see in person, using electronic means of communication and collaboration. It’s far easier today to keep in contact with friends ministering in other countries than it was as little as ten or fifteen years ago. We can even watch history as it’s made half a world away. (How many of us watched live news feeds as events unfolded in Tahrir Square in Egypt in January?)

Though increased ease of communication is one benefit of globalization, we must also recognize that globalization has some drawbacks as well, and it should come as no surprise that these have implications for justice issues. As the Family of Holy Cross, we’ve been working for a long time on issues of economic justice, pressing for both debt relief and fair trade among nations. We’ve been particularly concerned with how domestic and international economic policies impact the most vulnerable among us. We’ve tried to pay attention to where the goods we purchase come from, and to work to ensure that the companies from which we buy act responsibly in the countries where they operate.

CLICK HERE to read more.

How Climate Change Affects Mountain Glaciers

Thanks to Maru Noguez for bringing to our attention this statement from the Pontifical Academy of Science

Workshop on Fate of Mountain Glaciers in the Anthropocene - 2-4 April 2011

We call on all people and nations to recognise the serious and potentially irreversible impacts of global warming caused by the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, and by changes in forests, wetlands, grasslands, and other land uses. We appeal to all nations to develop and implement, without delay, effective and fair policies to reduce the causes and impacts of climate change on communities and ecosystems, including mountain glaciers and their watersheds, aware that we all live in the same home. By acting now, in the spirit of common but differentiated responsibility, we accept our duty to one another and to the stewardship of a planet blessed with the gift of life. We are committed to ensuring that all inhabitants of this planet receive their daily bread, fresh air to breathe and clean water to drink as we are aware that, if we want justice and peace, we must protect the habitat that sustains us. The believers among us ask God to grant us this wish.

Ajai, L. Bengtsson, D. Breashears, P.J. Crutzen, S. Fuzzi, W. Haeberli, W.W. Immerzeel, G. Kaser, C. Kennel, A. Kulkarni, R. Pachauri, T. Painter, J. Rabassa, V. Ramanathan, A. Robock, C. Rubbia, L. Russell, M. Sánchez Sorondo, H.J. Schellnhuber, S. Sorooshian, T. F. Stocker, L.G. Thompson, O.B. Toon, D. Zaelke

CLICK HERE to read the full report.

Por el Respeto a los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas

El Grupo de Trabajo sobre Pueblos Indígenas de la Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos, se pronunció ante la aprobación en el Congreso de la República del Perú expresando lo siguiente:

1.    Lamenta que no se haya respetado los derechos de los pueblos indígenas en la aprobación de la Ley Forestal. No se han respetado los derechos fundamentales de estos pueblos, negándose a buscar los consensos solicitados por importantes organizaciones nacionales indígenas representativas.

2.    Deplora la forma en que se ha llevado a cabo el proceso de aprobación de la Ley Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre, sin una etapa previa de consulta, de acuerdo a los estándares establecidos en el Convenio 169 de la OIT, la Declaración de Naciones Unidas sobre Derechos de Pueblos Indígenas, y la jurisprudencia vinculante, tanto del Tribunal Constitucional como de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos.

3.    Censura el hecho de que el propio Congreso de la República se haya negado a discutir y aprobar el proyecto de ley de Consulta Previa que se encontraba en la agenda legislativa desde hace más de un año.

4.    Declara que resulta una burla a los pueblos indígenas y al país  que se sostenga que la Ley Forestal ha seguido un proceso de consulta cuando no se hizo mayor esfuerzo por aprobar previamente la Ley de Consulta.

Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Justice

Thanks to Cristina Vargas for sending this letter from the Zambia Episcopal Conference.

WHERE THERE IS HATRED LET ME BRING YOUR LOVE

A letter to all Catholics in Zambia on constant attacks directed at Catholics in the public media

"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:44)

1. To All Catholics in Zambia!

2. On behalf of my brother Catholic Bishops in Zambia, I greet you all in the name of

our Lord Jesus!

3. In recent months, we have all witnessed a growing barrage of attacks in the public

media against the Catholic Church in Zambia, its leadership, priests and even its

doctrine. Many of you have made representation to us, your Bishops and spoken of

your pain at these unwarranted attacks. At a recent Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) Executive Board meeting held in Lusaka on May 3, 2011, at Kapingila Guest House, this issue was one of the items on our agenda. It is for this reason that I write you this letter, on behalf of my brother Catholic Bishops, in Zambia.
CLICK HERE to read more.

Sentenced to death: Humberto Leal Garcia

Thanks to Germaine Corbin for sending in this important information.  Germaine has been ministering to Mr. Leal Garcia who is currently on Death Row.

On July 7, Texas is poised to execute Humberto Leal Garcia, a Mexican national who was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death without ever being informed that he had the right to seek assistance from the Mexican consulate – assistance that in his case would have made the difference between life and death.  CLICK HERE to read more and to sign the petition requesting a stay of execution.

Firme la peticion: Suspende la ejecución de Humberto Leal Garcia

Gracias a Germaine Corbin por esta información.  Germaine ha estado ministrando al Sr. Leal García, quien es condenado a muerte en Texas.

Ex Diplomáticos Estadounidenses, Líderes Militares en Retiro, Jueces, Fiscales y Estadounidenses en el Extranjero urgen al Gobernador de Texas a otorgar clemencia a Humberto Leal Garcia.

Firme la peticíon!    Solicitamos al gobernador de Texas, Rick Perry, suspender la ejecución del mexicano Humberto Leal García, programada para el 7 de julio de 2011. El mexicano fue sentenciado a la pena de muerte sin nunca haber sido informado de que tenía derecho a solicitar la ayuda o asesoría legal del Consulado de México --- una ayuda que en su caso habría hecho la diferencia entre la vida y la muerte.  HAGA CLIC AQUI para leer mas y para firmar la petición.

La Promesa de San Francisco de cuidar de la creación y de los pobres

Gracias a Helen Ballew por mandar esta información.

La Promesa de San Francisco es parte integral de un esfuerzo en toda la nación para promover la Alianza Católica por el Clima, y alienta a los feligreses y estudiantes católicos a responder al llamado del papa Benedicto XVI y los obispos a adoptar soluciones al cambio climático conformes con la enseñanza social católica. Esta enseñanza promueve los valores de la corresponsabilidad en el cuidado de la creación de Dios y la solidaridad en nuestra respuesta a los pobres, valores que se encarnaron especialmente en la vida de nuestro querido San Francisco.  HAGA CLIC AGUI para leer más.

The St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor

All across our country, Catholics are taking the St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor and joining the Catholic Climate Covenant. The St. Francis Pledge is a promise and a commitment by Catholic individuals, families, parishes, organizations and institutions to live our faith by protecting God’s Creation and advocating on behalf of people in poverty who face the harshest impacts of global climate change. To join the Covenant, you commit to act on each of the five elements of the St. Francis Pledge.  CLICK HERE to read more.

Biodiversidad en America Latina y el Caribe: No. 253

Gracias a Victor Mendoza por esta información.

Estimadas amigas, estimados amigos: retomamos el contacto para compartir las  Novedades Nº 253 del Sitio Biodiversidad en América Latina y el Caribe  (http://www.biodiversidadla.org/) de la última quincena

Volviendo de dos Foros sobre Acaparamiento de Tierras realizados en Cali y Bogotá, Colombia, junto al Grupo Semillas, experimentamos la alegría de encontrarnos con cientos de personas movilizadas en defensa de sus territorios. Simultáneamente organizaciones de Río Negro rechazan el Acuerdo de entrega de tierras que su Gobernador quiere hacer a China, campesinos e indígenas resisten la aprobación de transgénicos en Bolivia y en Chile se multiplican los rechazos a la aprobación de UPOV 91.   América Latina late al son de los reclamos, reinvindicaciones y construcciones de sus pueblos. Mucho más sobre estas búsquedas podrán encontrar en este Boletín.  HAGA CLIC AQUI para leer más.

Caravan for Peace Arrives in Ciudad Juarez

MEXICO SOLIDARITY NETWORK

WEEKLY NEWS AND ANALYSIS

JUNE 6-12, 2011

"The Caravan for Peace and Justice with Dignity, led by poet and journalist Javier Sicilia whose son died in March at the hands of organized crime, arrived in Ciudad Juarez on Friday. The Caravan began in the central Mexican state of Morelos and travelled 1800 miles before reaching Ciudad Juarez. Subcomandante Marcos sent a letter supporting the caravan on Tuesday. Also earlier in the week, police arrested at least 50 local youths associated with the caravan and trashed a human rights office, but thousands greeted the caravan in this besieged city in spite of the official repression. In an event in El Paso, Texas on Saturday Sicilia invited US organizations to join the protest, calling for preventing easy access to weapons and massive drug consumption north of the border, and stopping violence and political corruption in Mexico. Sicilia also called for an end to the Merida Initiative which channels US$1.4 billion to Mexican security forces. Nearly 500 people signed a pact calling on the Calderon administration to remove military forces from the "war on drugs" and focus law enforcement efforts on money laundering. The Mexico Solidarity Network joins the Caravan and calls for strict controls on international capital and higher corporate taxes for increased social services. Neither Mexico nor the US can continue to live in a capitalist society that places profits above people and creates the conditions for drug abuse and illegal cartel activities."

Gas Drilling: The Story So Far

Thanks to Elizabeth Riebschlaeger for sending in these articles on fracking

The country’s push to find clean domestic energy has zeroed in on natural gas, but cases of water contamination have raised serious questions about the primary drilling method being used. Vast deposits of natural gas, large enough to supply the country for decades, have brought a drilling boom stretching across 31 states. The drilling technique being used, called hydraulic fracturing, shoots water, sand and toxic chemicals into the ground to break up rock and release the gas.  CLICK HERE to read more.

CLICK HERE to read:  "Scientific study links flammable drinking water to fracking." 

Declaracion Pastoral Mapuche: "Por una justicia al servicio de la vida"

Gracias a Victor Mendoza por esta información de Noticias: Iglesia y Sociedad

Estimados Hermanos y Estimadas Hermanas:

Junto con saludarles, les envío a nombre de Mons. Gonzalo Duarte la Declaración de la Pastoral Mapuche "Por una justicia al servicio de la Vida", efectuada el sábado 4 de junio en el Encuentro Anual de la Articulación de Pastoral Mapuche que se realizó en Temuco en el Centro Ceferino Namuncura (Padre Las Casas).

Por una justicia al servicio de la Vida

Declaración de la Pastoral Mapuche

Los Equipos de Pastoral Mapuche de las diócesis de Los Ángeles, Santiago, Valparaíso, Concepción y Temuco -de Chile-; y de Neuquén y Bariloche –de Argentina-, reunidos en el Encuentro Anual de Articulación, animados por las palabras de los obispos de Latinoamérica que nos comprometen en la "defensa de los derechos" y en la "denuncia de actitudes contrarias a la vida plena de nuestros pueblos originarios" (Aparecida, Nº 530), considerando que:

1. Los obispos de Chile, en su declaración "Justicia y Paz con el Pueblo Mapuche" de septiembre de 2010, han afirmado que las justas demandas del pueblo mapuche no se resolverán a través de su criminalización ni de la aplicación de la ley antiterrorista.  LEER MAS.

Sunday, June 12: World Day Against Child Labor

Thanks to Yolanda Tarango and the CSJ's of Orange for this information.

Sunday, June 12th is World Day Against Child Labor
From the International Initiative on Exploitative Child Labor (IIECL): 
Please join in prayer on this day as people around the world gather in solidarity to pray for children who are globally enslaved into labor and exploited.  CLICK HERE for prayer service.

Children continue to be the most vulnerable in our world’s society. While we live in an era of unprecedented global economic integration, competitive pressures feed the need for an ever-cheaper supply of labor, and child labor is the cheapest of all. The work of children ranges from "work" that does not interfere with the education and development of a child to exhaustive, dangerous or illegal "labor" that is abusive and exploitative; including child slavery and trafficking, prostitution, soldiering or hazardous work that places the child’s health, safety or morals at risk.

Watch the video: "Ending U.S.-sponsored torture forever"

June is "Torture Awareness Month."  The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) has provided some excellent resources to raise awareness about the issue of torture.

CLICK HERE to view the 20-minute video, "Ending U.S.-Sponsored Torture Forever."
CLICK HERE for the Catholic version of the discussion guide for the video.
MORE INFORMATION is available for facilitators who plan to show the video to groups of people.

CLICK HERE for the Spanish version of the video text.
HAGA CLICK AQUI para la versión en español del texto del video.

José M. Castillo: La humanidad de Dios

Gracias a Victor Mendoza por esta información del Noticias Iglesia y Sociedad

Hablar de Dios en la Universidad
Como es sabido, en virtud del conocido genéricamente como “Decreto de Libertad de Enseñanza”, de 21 de octubre de 1868, las Facultades de Teología fueron abolidas y, en consecuencia, excluidas de la enseñanza universitaria en España. A partir de entonces, obviamente, no ha sido un hecho normal, en la Universidad de nuestro país, la concesión de un doctorado honoris causa en Teología. Esto no quiere decir que el hecho religioso, y los saberes asociados a él, hayan estado ausentes de nuestras universidades. El fenómeno religioso, como todos sabemos, siempre ha estado (y sigue estando) presente en el tejido social de España y ha sido objeto de estudio en la enseñanza universitaria desde no pocos puntos de vista: la cultura, la historia, la política, la sociología, el arte, la psicología y tantos otros saberes que quedan inevitablemente incompletos si de ellos arrancamos la dimensión religiosa que siempre, de una forma o de otra, ha estado presente en la experiencia humana y en la convivencia social.

HAGA CLIC AQUI para leer mas.

COMUNICADO DE PRENSA, 4 de junio de 2011, Monterrey, N.L.

Gracias a Marichui Bringas por este comunicado de prensa:

La sociedad civil regiomontana se organiza para recibir y ser parte de la Caravana Ciudadana por la Paz con Justicia y Dignidad. Monterrey es una de las nueve ciudades-parada que recorrerán los cientos de mexicanos y mexicanas que hoy salieron de Cuernavaca, para arribar el 10 de junio a Ciudad Juárez, ciudad dolida, dañada por la pérdida de sus hijos más desprotegidos, más vulnerables: sus mujeres y sus jóvenes. Allí se firmará el Pacto Nacional por un México en paz con justicia y dignidad, como simbólico inicio de una larga lucha social, como única salida posible contra la impunidad y la corrupción, contra la injusticia y la pobreza, contra la violencia de las bandas delincuentes y de las fuerzas armadas. Será un compromiso suscrito por ciudadanos resueltos a decir ¡Basta! a una guerra que no pedimos y que hoy nos cuesta miles de muertos y de desaparecidos; de hombres y mujeres hartos de una violencia desatada e incontrolada por la miopía estratégica, la insensibilidad social y la codicia política de una clase gobernante y política que ve nuestro País, “saliendo de la pobreza”, a través de promedios estadísticos y cifras macroeconómicas.  HAGA CLIC AQUI para leer más.

"Justice Without Borders" Welcomes Journalist and Poet Javier Sicilia to Ciudad Juarez on June 10, 2011 and to El Paso on June 11, 2011

Thanks to folks on the border for sending in this press release.

Poet and journalist Javier Sicilia joins the thousands of Mexicans who have become victims of the violence and injustice that plagues the Mexican nation. Sicilia has called for a massive march across Mexico for peace with justice and dignity. He will lead the caravan under the name National Covenant for Peace, which departs from Cuernavaca, Morelos June 4, 2011 and will make its way north, arriving in Ciudad Juárez on June 10, 2011.

Several civic and religious organizations are collaborating to welcome Javier Sicilia under the movement Justice Without Borders. We encourage both El Paso and Ciudad Juárez residents to join the peaceful march on June 10 in Ciudad Juárez. Journalists, educators, artists and other residents of New Mexico, California, Arizona, and Washington, D. C. will also march in both Ciudad Juárez and El Paso to support the covenant for peace. We are inviting the entire borderland community to join us in El Paso on June 11, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. in San Jacinto Plaza, where Javier Sicilia and other speakers will address this all-important issue that is affecting communities on both sides of the border.

It is urgent to show our support for the victims of violence in Ciudad Juárez. Justice Without Borders is asking for the investigation of each crime; for protection for the victims of the War Against Drugs; and an end to the Mérida Plan.

There will be educational booths and activities for the entire family in addition to music, poetry, and art. This event promoting justice and peace will end at 1 p.m.

Mexican Federal Police ransack human rights office in Cd. Juarez

*  Five or six units of the Mexican Federal Police operating without a warrant broke into and entered the offices of the human rights center in Juarez-- the Centro de Derechos Humanos Paso del Norte--last night, June 5, at about 8 PM. They proceeded to conduct an illegal search of the entire facility. Federal Police tried to break in through the Centro's front door. When that proved difficult, they went to the rear of the building and broke in through two doors in the back.

These agents left broken windows in their wake. They searched through the data--including confidential files on human rights abuses, leaving the offices ransacked.

Father Oscar Enriquez, Catholic priest and director of the Center, cannot fathom the motivation of the Federales. The action, described as "very, very violent" during a press conference this afternoon in Juarez, layers a new level of threat on the human rights organization. The Centro de Derechos Humanos Paso del Norte has been very active in the organization for the impending visit to Juarez of Mexican author and poet Javier Sicilia who is leading a caravan calling for peace with justice and dignity in the ongoing Mexican drug war.  CLICK HERE to read more and for photos.

*  Included in the press release issued in El Paso, TX on Monday, June 6, was this statement:
"This forced and illegal entry, without warrant or provocation, is an unprecedented violation of civil society by the Mexican State, and is a direct act of intimidation specifically directed at defenders of human rights. It is additionally intimidating to the multiple organizations across civil society, who like the Paso del Norte Center, are participating in the Caravan for Justice and Peace with Dignity that will take place in Ciudad Juarez on June 9th and 10th. Illegal actions such as this threaten the security and well being of the general population, and threatening in particular citizens who are actively engaging in democratic processes. "

Caravana por la Paz con Justicia y Dignidad denuncian agresión

Las organizaciones civiles que conforman el Grupo de Articulación Justicia en Juárez denuncian  la irrupción –sin orden de cateo-- de la Policía Federal a las instalaciones del Centro de Derechos Humanos Paso del Norte que dirige el sacerdote Oscar Enríquez.

Este acto, "representa una agresión al trabajo que desde hace más de diez años realiza este Centro en favor de los derechos de los y las más pobres y desprotegidos de nuestra comunidad. Dado que el Centro de Derechos Humanos Paso del Norte participa en la organización del Pacto Nacional Ciudadano a firmarse el 10 de Junio" explica el grupo.

"Consideramos este hecho como un acto de amedrentamiento a las organizaciones  que apoyan y recibirán a la Caravana por la Paz con Justicia y Dignidad que acompaña al poeta Javier Sicilia. Alertamos a las organizaciones nacionales que participan en la Caravana sobre este tipo de agresiones y actos de intimidación.  Les exhortamos a pronunciarse públicamente y a denunciar este hecho en todas las redes e instancias nacionales e internacionales", señalan en su pronunciamiento.

Finalmente este movimiento pidió a los organismos de derechos humanos de México y del mundo demanden la activación de los protocolos existentes para la salvaguarda de los defensores y defensoras, y para la protección de las organizaciones de derechos humanos.

"Immigrants for Sale": The video that private prisons don't want you to see

Thanks to David Jackson for sending in this video.

From the YouTube site:

Immigrants are for sale in this country. Sold to private prison corporations who are locking them up for obscene profits!

Here are the top 3 things YOU need to know about the Private Prison money scheme:

The victims: Private prisons don't care about who they lock up. At a rate of $200 per immigrant a night at their prisons, this is a money making scheme that destroys families and lives.

The players: CCA (Corrections Corporation of America), The Geo Group and Management and Training corporations—combined these private prisons currently profit more than $5 billion a year. 

The money: These private prisons have spent over $20 million lobbying state legislators to make sure they get state anti-immigrant laws approved and ensure access to more immigrant inmates.

Be a part of the movement to follow the players, the money and the victims of this money-making scheme:  http://immigrantsforsale.org/

"Inmigrantes a la venta": El video que las cárceles privadas en los EE.UU. no quieren que usted vea

Gracias a David Jackson por mandar este video.

Del sitio de YouTube:

Los inmigrantes están a la venta en los EE.UU. Vendidos a las corporaciones de prisiones privadas por ganancias obscenas!

Aquí están las tres cosas que usted necesita saber sobre el sistema de Prisión Privada:

Las víctimas: A las prisiones privadas no les importa quien está detenida. Reciben 200 dólares por una noche por cada inmigrante en sus prisiones.  Esto es una manera de aumentar sus ganancias, pero destruye familias y vidas.

Los involucadros: CCA (Corrections Corporation of America), el Grupo Geo y Management and Training corporation.  Juntas estas cárceles privadas ganan más de $ 5 mil millones al año.

El dinero: Estas cárceles privadas han gastado más de 20 millones de dolares de cabildeo a los legisladores del estado para asegurarse que reciben las leyes estatales contra los inmigrantes y una garantia de acceso a más inmigrantes por sus prisiones.

SEGUIMOS ACOMPANANDO NUESTRO PUEBLO

Gracias a Victor Mendoza por mandar esta información de Noticias Iglesia y Sociedad.

En este momento de graves dificultades por la huelga entorno a la cuestión minera en la Región de Puno, urge dar a escuchar una palabra desde la fe. Por tal motivo, nosotros los sacerdotes aymaras y quechuas, religiosas, laicos comprometidos e instituciones de las parroquias de Yunguyo, el Collao, Puno, y San Roman, Huancané, Arapa, Chupa, Desaguadero, y Zepita que desde muchas décadas acompañamos al pueblo aymara y quechua, herederos de una milenaria sabiduría comunitaria y voluntad de paz, consideramos deber nuestro pronunciarnos, desde el Evangelio, ya que esta crisis afecta principalmente a los más vulnerables, en quienes vemos preferentemente el rostro de Jesucristo.  HAGA CLIC AQUI para leer más.

Defendiendo las semillas y luchando contra los agrotóxicos y los transgénicos

Gracias a Victor Mendoza por esta información.

Estimadas amigas, estimados amigos: llegamos una vez más a ustedes con las Novedades Nº 252 del Sitio Biodiversidad en América Latina y el Caribe (http://www.biodiversidadla.org) de la última quincena.

Desde Chile, México, Colombia, Panamá, Italia, Argentina llegan los pedidos de acción para acompañar las luchas locales que allí se están dando. Defendiendo las semillas, luchando contra los agrotóxicos y los transgénicos y defendiendo sus ecosistemas, los pueblos del mundo han decidido tomar el futuro en sus manos para responder a las agresiones que reciben. Como siempre estamos junto a ellos y los invitamos a sumarse y protagonizar los nuevos tiempos que corren.

Acción por la Biodiversidad
http://www.biodiversidadla.org
info@biodiversidadla.org

The Ploy to Promote Genetically Engineered Seeds and Pesticides to Poor Mexican Farmers Is Impoverishing Their Communities

By Jill Richardson, AlterNet
Posted on August 6, 2010

The Obama administration's Feed the Future initiative promises a second Green Revolution that will feed a planet of nine billion people by doubling crop yields by 2050. But considering that we produce enough food to feed the planet today and a billion people still go hungry, are yields really the problem? And if they are, are providing Green Revolution technologies like hybrid and genetically engineered seeds, chemical fertilizer and pesticides to subsistence farmers the best way to achieve them? I visited subsistence farmers in Mexico to find out.  CLICK HERE to read more.

Take action and make a difference during "Torture Awareness Month"

Thanks to Yolanda Tarango for this information from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange.

June 26th is United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.

Several years ago, religious and human rights organizations in the United States declared the month of June to be Torture Awareness Month as a way to provide greater visibility to this issue and provide an opportunity for coordinated actions across the country. During the next few months, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is likely to finish the report on their investigation into our past interrogation practices.

We have an opportunity to take action and make a difference by using the resources below provided by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT):

• Sending Postcards

CLICK HERE for the postcard form which asks that the report on our past interrogation practices be made public.  Invite members of your community to join you in signing the postcards which can then be mailed individually or collected and delivered to your Senators’ offices. 

• Collecting Signatures on a Petition

CLICK HERE for the petition form to gather signatures in your congregation and community. Then mail them to:

National Religious Campaign Against Torture

110 Maryland Ave., NE, Suite 502

Washington, DC 20002

• Sending an Email

CLICK HERE to send an e-mail to your Senators asking them to please do what they can to ensure a public release of the report on the Intelligence Committee's investigation into our past interrogation practices. 

• Praying

CLIC HERE for the prayer prepared by the NRCAT to pray with your family, community and friends.

--Adapted from the National Religious Campaign Against Torture

• Taking Action:

CLICK HERE to urge the U.S. government to apologize to torture survivor Maher Arar .

--Adapted from Amnesty International

Las emisiones de CO2 baten récords en 2010 y alientan el calentamiento global

Gracias a Maru Noguez por este articulo de El País.

La crisis ya no afecta a las emisiones de dióxido de carbono (CO2): la industria energética vertió un volumen récord de estos gases contaminantes el año pasado y convirtió en "casi una utopia" la aspiración de la comunidad internacional de limitar el calentamiento global a unos dos grados centígrados, según estimaciones de la Agencia Internacional de la Energía (AIE).

El 44% de las emisiones de CO2, uno de los principales causantes del efecto invernadero que amenaza con incrementar la temperatura media global del planeta, provinieron del carbón. El 36% están vinculadas al sector del petróleo y el 20% al del gas natural. Se trata de las tres industrias que deben comprometerse a reducir sus emisiones para atajar el riesgo del calentamiento global, ha señalado la AIE en un comunicado. 

HAGA CLIC AQUI para leer más.

OBSOLESCENCIA PROGRAMADA - ( COMPRAR, TIRAR, COMPRAR )

Fair Trade: What does it mean?

In the post on May 30, "Africa and Justice," Peter Henriot, S.J. says that justice for Africa requires trade justice.  "Unless free trade is fair trade, there is no just trade for Africa."
The following article on "Fair Trade" is from Sr. Margaret Bulmer, CCVI, director of the Office of Social Concerns for the Houston CCVIs.

Those of you who watched the DVD “The Dark Side of Chocolate” will remember the discussion about Fair Trade. What is Fair Trade?

Fair Trade is a system of exchange that honors producers, communities, consumers and the environment. It is a model for the global economy rooted in people-to-people connections, justice and sustainability. When you make Fair Trade purchases you are supporting:
* A Fair Trade Price for Products:
For Fair Trade Certified “Products”, a base price for the commodity is set by the International Fair Trade Labeling Organization. The price attempts to cover the cost of production and a living wage to cover the basics of food, shelter, clothing, education and medical care.  Importers and retailers are then screened and certified by TransFairUSA to ensure that they are paying the Fair Trade price for products. Crafts, apparel and other noncertified products are sold by members of the Fair Trade Federation, businesses committed to the principles of Fair Trade.  CLICK HERE to read more.