Writing letters has long been a feature of campaigning. To illustrate the power of the pen Amnesty International has produced two short videos. The first of these superbly reinforces the point.
Thousands of individuals across the world can in combination make a huge difference, save lives, prevent human rights abuses and obtain the release of prisoners of conscience. Amnesty's UK website contains numerous examples of people from around the world who have benefited from this simple action, who need you and me to take action now.
The second commercial entitled ink reinforces the message of the power of the pen. So it's very clear and very simple, join many others around the world and take action - send a letter, post an email.
A few minutes of our time may save a life the other side of the world.
Paul
Friday, 29 August 2008
Where are the leaders with courage and vision?
How much more leading by the nose do the chief executives of today's energy sector companies need before they decide to seriously invest in renewable energies and sustainable development?
Likewise the leaders of UK Plc in providing many more incentives for companies to invest now.
There is a massive market awaiting those companies who have the courage to grasp the opportunity now. UK companies could develop technologies that we could then sell to the world, instead they hang onto fossil fuels and nuclear energy, whilst making, in their terms, small investments in the renewable sector.
As regards UK Plc, why aren't all new buildings compelled to use renewable energy sources, which would provide a massive kickstart to companies developing those technologies.
The writing is on the wall for the 'dinosaurs' leading companies and countries, wedded to yesterday's technologies, justifying themselves on profit and market share grounds, for their continued refusal to see the light. They are ably assisted in this blinkered view by their boards of directors.
Governments and companies worldwide reinforce each other's behaviour and refusal to break ranks, and be the leaders of a twenty first century revolution, which embraces the realities and challenges of this century and throws their full weight behind the actions needed to address climate change, sustainable development and human rights.
Instead governments and companies blur and obfuscate, hoping to distract people across the world from the coming time when it will be too late to take action.
So we should all take action now and join '100 month and counting' and encourage all your friends and colleagues to join as well. Time is of the essence!
Paul
Likewise the leaders of UK Plc in providing many more incentives for companies to invest now.
There is a massive market awaiting those companies who have the courage to grasp the opportunity now. UK companies could develop technologies that we could then sell to the world, instead they hang onto fossil fuels and nuclear energy, whilst making, in their terms, small investments in the renewable sector.
As regards UK Plc, why aren't all new buildings compelled to use renewable energy sources, which would provide a massive kickstart to companies developing those technologies.
The writing is on the wall for the 'dinosaurs' leading companies and countries, wedded to yesterday's technologies, justifying themselves on profit and market share grounds, for their continued refusal to see the light. They are ably assisted in this blinkered view by their boards of directors.
Governments and companies worldwide reinforce each other's behaviour and refusal to break ranks, and be the leaders of a twenty first century revolution, which embraces the realities and challenges of this century and throws their full weight behind the actions needed to address climate change, sustainable development and human rights.
Instead governments and companies blur and obfuscate, hoping to distract people across the world from the coming time when it will be too late to take action.
So we should all take action now and join '100 month and counting' and encourage all your friends and colleagues to join as well. Time is of the essence!
Paul
Climate change and human rights 'the most important game in town'?
Gradually over recent months I have become more and more convinced that tackling climate change should be the main focus of all human rights activists.
Why? Because unless we tackle climate change, we are in danger of any advances in dealing with other human rights abuses will be wiped out when the footprint of climate change is fully stamped across the world.
What's the evidence for this? Firstly the all pervasive impact of climate change on human rights. To quote from the recently published 'Climate Change and Human Rights – A Rough Guide'
…….climate change is already undermining the realisation of a broad range of internationally protected human rights: rights to health and even life;rights to food, water, shelter and property; rights associated with livelihood and culture; with migration and settlement; and with personal security in the event of conflict.
In addition the worst effects of climate change impact on the poorest, most disadvantaged, marginalised and indigenous communities.
Several years ago in an article in The Guardian, Mary Robinson ex President of Ireland and High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated that
….. Climate change is a subtle form of human rights violation. There is no direct persecution or threat, but combustion of fossil fuels in industrialised nations has jeopardisedthe ability of certain societies to maintain their traditional practices, diminishingtheir cultural identity and their connection with their natural environment. Whilst responsibility is difficult to ascertain, some human rights experts, civil society organisations and indigenous peoples believe that the failure of the highest emitting nations to take action does constitute a breach of human rights law. This is a new challenge, which warrants the attention of the human rights community.
I would argue that since then climate change has moved to the top of the list of human rights priorities.
A few facts and figures to illustrate this point.
In Africa by 2020 between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to increased water stress due to climate change. By 2020 climate change is expected to put close to an extra 50m people at risk of hunger. Globally an estimated 220 to 400 million extra people will be at risk of malaria due to climate etc etc.
Perhaps human rights organisations across the globe should be uniting with envionmental and developmental ngos and campaigning on this issue before it's too late.
Paul
Why? Because unless we tackle climate change, we are in danger of any advances in dealing with other human rights abuses will be wiped out when the footprint of climate change is fully stamped across the world.
What's the evidence for this? Firstly the all pervasive impact of climate change on human rights. To quote from the recently published 'Climate Change and Human Rights – A Rough Guide'
…….climate change is already undermining the realisation of a broad range of internationally protected human rights: rights to health and even life;rights to food, water, shelter and property; rights associated with livelihood and culture; with migration and settlement; and with personal security in the event of conflict.
In addition the worst effects of climate change impact on the poorest, most disadvantaged, marginalised and indigenous communities.
Several years ago in an article in The Guardian, Mary Robinson ex President of Ireland and High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated that
….. Climate change is a subtle form of human rights violation. There is no direct persecution or threat, but combustion of fossil fuels in industrialised nations has jeopardisedthe ability of certain societies to maintain their traditional practices, diminishingtheir cultural identity and their connection with their natural environment. Whilst responsibility is difficult to ascertain, some human rights experts, civil society organisations and indigenous peoples believe that the failure of the highest emitting nations to take action does constitute a breach of human rights law. This is a new challenge, which warrants the attention of the human rights community.
I would argue that since then climate change has moved to the top of the list of human rights priorities.
A few facts and figures to illustrate this point.
In Africa by 2020 between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to increased water stress due to climate change. By 2020 climate change is expected to put close to an extra 50m people at risk of hunger. Globally an estimated 220 to 400 million extra people will be at risk of malaria due to climate etc etc.
Perhaps human rights organisations across the globe should be uniting with envionmental and developmental ngos and campaigning on this issue before it's too late.
Paul
Thursday, 9 August 2007
back to Shi Tao and Yahoo!
At the end of a July a very interesting development arose in connection with the Shi Tao case, a Chinese journalist currently serving 10 years in a Chinese jail for sending an e mail via his Yahoo account http://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions_details.asp?ActionID=202. Yahoo has always claimed they didn't know the context of the request for Shi Tao's e mail account details from the Chinese authorities.
The irrepressible blog, which o occasionally write under the name of Go Lego reveals that Yahoo may have been in the words of a once famous Cabinet Secretary 'economical with the truth'. Read more about the story in 2 blogs on 31 july and 2 august here http://www.amnesty.org.uk/blogs.asp?bid=50 . The new evidence has led to Rep Tom Lantos, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to open an inquiry into What Yahoo! actually knew when the Chinese ordered it to hand over information and whether Yahoo! Counsel misrepresented what Yahoo! knew to a House subcommittee last year. Interesting times. This is the San Francisco Chronicle story http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/04/BUBCRCLTH1.DTL&hw=Tom+Lantos&sn=002&sc=705.
Follow Rebecca MacKinnon's blog Rconversation, who always writes a stimulating blog especially about China and human rights http://rconversation.blogs.com/rconversation/2007/07/shi-taos-case-y.html.
September sees the case being brought by Shi Tao's mother and Wang Xiaoning's wife Yu Ling against Yahoo! under the Alien Tort Claims Act come to court. It will be interesting to see how the case evolves! Until another day.
The irrepressible blog, which o occasionally write under the name of Go Lego reveals that Yahoo may have been in the words of a once famous Cabinet Secretary 'economical with the truth'. Read more about the story in 2 blogs on 31 july and 2 august here http://www.amnesty.org.uk/blogs.asp?bid=50 . The new evidence has led to Rep Tom Lantos, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to open an inquiry into What Yahoo! actually knew when the Chinese ordered it to hand over information and whether Yahoo! Counsel misrepresented what Yahoo! knew to a House subcommittee last year. Interesting times. This is the San Francisco Chronicle story http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/04/BUBCRCLTH1.DTL&hw=Tom+Lantos&sn=002&sc=705.
Follow Rebecca MacKinnon's blog Rconversation, who always writes a stimulating blog especially about China and human rights http://rconversation.blogs.com/rconversation/2007/07/shi-taos-case-y.html.
September sees the case being brought by Shi Tao's mother and Wang Xiaoning's wife Yu Ling against Yahoo! under the Alien Tort Claims Act come to court. It will be interesting to see how the case evolves! Until another day.
Thursday, 21 June 2007
joy of the quick crossword
It's only come to me very recently, the joy of doing a quick crossword in the morning on the commute to work, often resulting a few being leftover to tackle either at lunchtime with colleagues or in the evening with whoever happens to be in! I tackle the guardian quick crossword for my sins http://www.guardian.co.uk/.
Most of the time relatively straightforward but every so often there is a solution and i don't recognise the word e.g. of recent days - acrostic and gnomon!
I have never consistently attempted the cryptic puzzles to begin to understand the setter's thinking.
I shall stick to my quick crosswords until i have more time to sit and contemplate the cryptics. Although they are not considered difficult, i do get a little kick out of finishing one, particularly if i haven't had to resort to the dictionary or internet!
Most of the time relatively straightforward but every so often there is a solution and i don't recognise the word e.g. of recent days - acrostic and gnomon!
I have never consistently attempted the cryptic puzzles to begin to understand the setter's thinking.
I shall stick to my quick crosswords until i have more time to sit and contemplate the cryptics. Although they are not considered difficult, i do get a little kick out of finishing one, particularly if i haven't had to resort to the dictionary or internet!
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
BAE, corruption and uk government complicity
The story runs and runs and almost each day brings a new aspect of the issue. It involves the UK Government, BAE, corruption, Saudi Princes, massive payments apparently sanctioned by the UK Government for such things as an airbus for a prince, weddings, call girls, a honeymoon etc, anger by the US Government and likely action by the US Justice Dept and US Congress against BAE (this is partly because US companies may have lost out on lucrative contracts in competition with BAE because they have tougher laws against corruption), involvement of OECD who are also angered that the UK Government has yet to prosecute anyone successfully under the OECD Anti-Corruption Convention, halting by SFO of its investigation into the Saudi / BAE corruption supposedly for 'national interests' a catch all for governments trying to hide something, although the SFO continues, with a few other fraud offices abroad, to investigate other BAE corruption allegations involving other countries.
The Guardian and BBC have done a lot of digging into the mire - http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/2007/06/ethics_man_at_bae.html and http://www.guardian.co.uk/baefiles .
This story will run and run well beyond Bliar leaving office. It would be apt if one day Bliar, Goldsmith, Hoon and Browne answered for their deeds in a court of law.
The Guardian and BBC have done a lot of digging into the mire - http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/2007/06/ethics_man_at_bae.html and http://www.guardian.co.uk/baefiles .
This story will run and run well beyond Bliar leaving office. It would be apt if one day Bliar, Goldsmith, Hoon and Browne answered for their deeds in a court of law.
Saturday, 16 June 2007
long time no speak
It's been a while since i wrote a blog. Thought it would be good to update on our internet event on 6 june. By the skin of our teeth it was webcast globally, which was great. For those who missed it you can register and watch it here http://www.gginternet1.co.uk/amnesty/irrepressible01/. In addition it would be great if people would visit the campaign website and use the recently launched news hub at http://irrepressible.info/news .
There were a number of great contributions to the evening from the likes of Richard Stallman, Shava Nerad, Ron Deibert, Sami Ben Gharbia, Sina Motelabi, Kevin Anderson, Morton Sklar, Yam Shan-Shackleton, Josh Wolf and others together with podcasts from Jimmy Wales, Cory Doctorow Ethan Zuckerman etc etc. A great evening chaired superbly by Clark Boyd of the BBC!
Many thanks to all those who gave up their time to participate in the event. Also big thanks to the Observer and Guardian for their support for the campaign, which goes on with the Internet Governance Forum in the Autumn. There are a number of media stories about the event and internet repression / censorship on the Guardian/Observer websites http://www.guardian.co.uk/ and http://observer.guardian.co.uk/
There were a number of great contributions to the evening from the likes of Richard Stallman, Shava Nerad, Ron Deibert, Sami Ben Gharbia, Sina Motelabi, Kevin Anderson, Morton Sklar, Yam Shan-Shackleton, Josh Wolf and others together with podcasts from Jimmy Wales, Cory Doctorow Ethan Zuckerman etc etc. A great evening chaired superbly by Clark Boyd of the BBC!
Many thanks to all those who gave up their time to participate in the event. Also big thanks to the Observer and Guardian for their support for the campaign, which goes on with the Internet Governance Forum in the Autumn. There are a number of media stories about the event and internet repression / censorship on the Guardian/Observer websites http://www.guardian.co.uk/ and http://observer.guardian.co.uk/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)