Every year, dedicated high-school students are denied the chance to attend college, based solely on their undocumented status. This website is a place for these students to tell their story anonymously, and an opportunity for you to do something.

Meet six students from diverse backgrounds who have come together to share their stories daily on the blog: Dream Activist, The Dream Advocate, FASH, IAmAShadow, Newsie and Sayuri Jane.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 1.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. {Individuals are rational actors with personal agency}

Article 2.

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
{Rights supersede the sovereignty of states to apply to all individuals}

Human rights films make historical moments, abuses of power, and global inequalities available for scrutiny, debate, and recontextualization.

Human rights films help us to imagine the suffering and pain of others and to recognize the effects of seemingly normative political and economic policies.

Dialogue on human rights films may help us to understand how they are embedded in the same global flows of capital and culture that the films themselves aim to critique.

Center for Social Media: Resources

Center for Social Media: Resources: "What difference can a documentary make? This fact-filled report, with many case studies of successful strategic use of social documentaries, answers that question. The report, written by Center director Pat Aufderheide, analyzes conditions of production and use in four contexts: television channels, alternative media, community media, and nonprofit sponsored production. It also discusses current teaching practices about social documentary, and analyzes key policy issues affecting production of social docs."

Petition to Chinese President Hu Jintao

Avaaz.org - The World in Action: "Petition to Chinese President Hu Jintao:

As citizens around the world, we call on you to show restraint and respect for human rights in your response to the protests in Tibet, and to address the concerns of all Tibetans by opening meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama. Only dialogue and reform will bring lasting stability. China's brightest future, and its most positive relationship with the world, lies in harmonious development, dialogue and respect."

Take a look at your competition at www.fuelthechange.com/sfm.asp
You're the next James Cameron, right? So, it could be like taking candy from a baby.
Students, alumni, educators, amateurs and professionals are all eligible. Go to www.fuelthechange.com/sfm.asp to learn more and submit your video.

International Documentary Association

International Documentary Association: "DOORPOST FILM PROJECT - CONTEST
Inaugural film contest offers aspiring filmmakers the chance to springboard their careers through the Doorpost Film Project, a new contest that will offer monetary awards totaling $300,000 to a fresh wave of talent who produce compelling short films. The inaugural contest, which has two competitive rounds culminating with a Film Festival in Nashville, Tennessee in September 2008, provides a grand prize totaling $100,000 and second and third place awards for $30,000 and $20,000 respectively. Interested filmmakers may register online at www.thedoorpost.com; Early registration closes April 1. Filmmakers may then upload their submitted films between February 1 and May 1. During the first round, each submitted film goes through a two-level judging process: online viewers and a panel of prominent film industry professionals. A group of 15 finalists from round one will each be provided $10,000 to compete in the second round of the contest which begins in June 2008. The Doorpost Film Project is aimed at discovering and developing filmmakers capable of producing films that inspire and influence, rather than simply entertain. The Doorpost invites hopeful filmmakers to tackle topics of love, greed, redemption, pain, forgiveness, freedom or energy in a non-genre specific short (under five minutes), accepted in any format. The $100,000 award will be give"

FRONTLINE: bush's war: introduction | PBS

FRONTLINE: bush's war: introduction | PBS: "From the horror of 9/11 to the invasion of Iraq; the truth about WMD to the rise of an insurgency; the scandal of Abu Ghraib to the strategy of the surge -- for seven years, FRONTLINE has revealed the defining stories of the war on terror in meticulous detail, and the political dramas that played out at the highest levels of power and influence.

Now, on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion, the full saga unfolds in the two-part FRONTLINE special Bush's War. Veteran FRONTLINE producer Michael Kirk draws on one of the richest archives in broadcast journalism -- more than 40 FRONTLINE reports on Iraq and the war on terror. Combined with fresh reporting and new interviews, Bush's War will be the definitive documentary analysis of one of the most challenging periods in the nation's history."

Center for Social Media: Resources

Center for Social Media: Resources: "Social documentaries are funded by individuals with creative strategies including partnering, and by organizations and foundations that know the power of media. They also depend on public resources including public television and arts and humanities council funds."


Several good articles on media and social justice issues.

Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival » About

Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival » About: "Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is one of the world’s largest research and advocacy organizations. It conducts fact-finding investigations into human rights abuses in more than seventy countries around the world and publishes those findings in hundreds of reports each year. By generating press through reporting and advocacy, Human Rights Watch seeks to shame abusive governments, change policies and practices, and inform the public about important human rights issues."

The Fight for Human Rights

The Fight for Human Rights: "The Fight for Human Rights

'I hope that every American, regardless of where he lives, will stop and examine his conscience about this and other related incidents. This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.'
--John F. Kennedy



This site is dedicated to the fight for human rights and the struggle for equality throughout the world. Follow our links to find films, books, and websites about the many men and women who, in the battle against tyranny, have worked to promote freedom for all."

Human Rights Film Foundation » Mission statement

Human Rights Film Foundation » Mission statement: "The Budapest-based Human Rights Film Foundation was set up in 2005 to assist non-governmental organisations and educational institutions in their efforts to integrate film into their advocacy and outreach work.

We also provide consulting services to international organisations and NGOs who wish to outsource some of their communication work. We can advise on media strategy, help establish a stronger presence on the internet, place stories with leading newspapers and online magazines, or publicise upcoming events.

Our educational and creative documentaries deal with issues in the areas of social justice, international development and human rights, and are entirely tailor-made to the needs of our partners. Please get in touch with us here to discuss how we can help your organisation."

Film festival One World 2008

Film festival One World 2008: "Since its inception, one specific facet of One World has been the fact that it is not just a place where filmmakers and people interested in film can come together, but that it is also a meeting place for people working for NGOs and civic initiatives. In order to emphasise this aspect of One World even more markedly on the occasion of its 10th anniversary, we are preparing two distinct new features. A new section focused on video and film productions by NGOswill be included in the festival programme for the first time.

This section is called Film against Injustice and Poverty and it presents the work of renowned global organisations such as Amnesty International, Reporters without Borders, Oxfam, Greenpeace, Transparency International, Witness, Internews and others. The representatives of these organisations will attend the festival and acquaint the Czech public with the work that they are doing. At the same time, as part of the One World festival, we will also offer selected Czech NGOs the chance to present themselves and their activities at the Lucerna palace, which will be the focal point of the festival."

Three Burmese women receive Homo Homini Award from Czech Republic | Asian Tribune

Three Burmese women receive Homo Homini Award from Czech Republic | Asian Tribune: "People In Need (PIN), a Czech Republic based Human Rights Organization, is awarding the Homo Homini Award for 2007 to the Burmese female pro-democracy activists Ma Su Su Nway, Ma Phyu Phyu Thin and Ma Nilar Thein for their contribution in the struggle to restore democracy and human rights in Burma.

This award is presented annually by People in Need at the “One World
Festival”

Human Rights Documentary Film Festival to individuals who have distinctly contributed to non-violent conflict-solutions, promotion of human rights and democracy within the past year.

The award ceremony will took place on March 5, 2008. None of the award recipient was able to attend the ceremony due to the persecution by the Military Regime in Burma. Instead, Mrs. Ma Leah Leah New will accept this recognition on behalf of the three Burmese women. Ma Leah Leah New is a former political prisoner and she now serves as a member of Foreign Affair committee of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)."

5th Annual New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival releases 2008 schedule - Business of Film - NOLA.com

5th Annual New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival releases 2008 schedule - Business of Film - NOLA.com: "The 5th annual New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival has just released its upcoming 2008 festival schedule on its website to be held April 9- 20, 2008 at multiple venues in New Orleans. This year's festival is the largest event to date with 12 event-filled days showcasing with more than 50 award winning local and international films, workshops, five world premieres, music and dance performances, parties and more than 20 film presentations with directors present."

Invisible Children

Transana

Transana: "Transana is software for professional researchers who want to analyze digital video or audio data. Transana lets you analyze and manage your data in very sophisticated ways. Transcribe it, identify analytically interesting clips, assign keywords to clips, arrange and rearrange clips, create complex collections of interrelated clips, explore relationships between applied keywords, and share your analysis with colleagues. The result is a new way to focus on your data, and a new way to manage large collections of video and audio files and clips."

Maquilopolis (City of Factories)

Maquilopolis (City of Factories)
http://www.maquilopolis.com/
Produced and Directed by Vicky Funari and Sergio De La Torre
California Newsreel, 2006, 68 minutes, Spanish with English subtitles/ English with Spanish subtitles.
Reviewed by Stephen J. Sills, University of North Carolina Greensboro

Globalization has been blamed for many of our current social problems: environmental degradation, marginalization of women and children, global stratification, and continued disenfranchisement of the working class. Many of these problems are attributable to shift in the economic structure brought upon by Neoliberal reforms. Production in the neoliberal global economy has changed dramatically since the mid 20th century when most international trade was linked to manufacturing needs of core countries. Natural resources were shipped from low-income countries in the global South to the industrialized North where they were made into finished products. This trade model has all but disappeared in today’s post-industrial global division of labor. Today companies favor outsourcing their manufacturing to assembly plants low-cost labor markets. This has lead to the creation of Export Processing Zones (EPZs) where factories import raw materials and produce finished goods for export without tariffs thus reducing costs and increases profits for transnational corporations like Sanyo, Sony, and Panasonic. In the last twenty years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of EPZs. According to the United Nations International Labour Organization (2006) there were 5,174 EPZs in 116 countries employing nearly 42 million people--about a fifth of the global workforce. The majority of those employed in the EPZs are in China, Bangladesh, and in the maquiladoras (export assembly plants) along the U.S./Mexican border.
Maquilapolis is a film by Vicky Funari and Sergio De La Torre. I first became aware of Vicky Funari’s work at the 2001 Pacific Sociological Association showing of Live Nude Girls Unite! (2000), a film she co-directed and edited on the unionization of exotic dancers at a strip club in San Francisco. Like Live Nude Girls Unite! the focus of Maquiloplis is on the everyday lives of women and their efforts to combat marginalization and exploitation through collective action. The documentary is set in a Tijuana squatter’s camp called Chilpancingo located in a gulch just below the factories. It describes the economic, social and environmental impact of these assembly plants on the residents of Chilpancingo. The difficult, repetitive, and labor intensive work within the factories is shown as well as the hazardous conditions outside where air pollution and water contamination threaten the residents of the areas surrounding the factories.
The film follows two women, Carmen and Lourdes, as they fight for economic and environmental justice. We learn that in the global “race for the bottom” many workers in the maquilas have been abandoned as factories move to even cheaper labor markets in Southeast Asia. Carmen was employed by Sanyo until the company moved its operations to Indonesia, leaving her not only unemployed but without the legally required severance pay. The film follows as she and other workers unite to confront Sanyo through the Labor Arbitration Board and to obtain their unpaid severance. Lourdes participates in the formation of the Collectiva Chilpancingo to challenge Metales y Derivados, an abandoned battery reclamation factory (owned by the San Diego firm: New Frontier Trading Corporation). Lead, acid, and other containments have been found to be seeping out of the factory and into the groundwater used by the residents of Chilpancingo. Through protests at the PROFEPA offices (Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente or Federal Ministry for Environmental Protection) and a binational media campaign they are successful in convincing the US EPA and the Mexican PROFEPA to engage in a clean-up of the site.
The greater part of the film is a series of video diaries and interviews conducted by Carmen, Lourdes, and other members of the collective. These auto-ethnographic accounts are interwoven with background information on the maquilas and artistically shot video montage interludes (no doubt influenced by Sergio De La Torre’s background in performance art). The film’s website (www.maquilapolis.com) provides the back-story on the process of working with several non-profit environmental and women’s rights groups to train the women to document their story.
I have shown Maquilapolis to a third-year undergraduate course on Globalization. The film could easily be used in other social science and humanities courses to discuss social movements and collective action, gender and globalization, poverty, the environment, labor rights, global economics, development, etc. While the 68 minute film leaves little time for discussion in some class formats, students were engaged and curious to learn more. One student noted, “I thought the use of personal life narratives in the film helped connect the audience with life in the Maquilas.” However, several students noted that the artistic montage sequences felt overly manufactured and took away from the reality of the workers’ situations as well as slowing the pace of the film.
While less focused on the macro-structural issues that create situations of global injustice and environmental ruin, the film fits well with other anti-globalization/ labor rights films like: Life and Debt; No Logo: Brands, Globalization & Resistance; and Maquila: A Tale of Two Mexicos. Maquilapolis is engaging and informative, focusing on the human impact of complex international economic relations and the manufacturing zone at the US/Mexico border.

What's Wrong with Immigration?

The global platform for human rights media and action

The Hub: World Water Day 2008 - Over 1 Billion Without Access and Growing "Water is the essence of all life on earth and regular access to safe water is a basic human right. But the UN estimates that over 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and by 2025 it will jump to over 5 billion – two-thirds of the world’s population - unless we dramatically change course. From water privatization in India to mining in Ghana, these videos highlight some of the challenges communities are facing around the world in the struggle for safe, accessible water."

Chinese Calligraphy, Japanese Calligraphy, Korean Calligraphy, Custom Carved Seals, Logo, Stationary Design and Translations by Asian Brush Art

Chinese Calligraphy, Japanese Calligraphy, Korean Calligraphy, Custom Carved Seals, Logo, Stationary Design and Translations by Asian Brush Art

Reporters sans frontières - Handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents

Reporters sans frontières - Handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents: "Handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents

Do something good by creating your blog with us

Blogs get people excited. Or else they disturb and worry them. Some people distrust them. Others see them as the vanguard of a new information revolution. Because they allow and encourage ordinary people to speak up, they’re tremendous tools of freedom of expression.
Bloggers are often the only real journalists in countries where the mainstream media is censored or under pressure. Only they provide independent news, at the risk of displeasing the government and sometimes courting arrest.
Reporters Without Borders has produced this handbook to help them, with handy tips and technical advice on how to to remain anonymous and to get round censorship, by choosing the most suitable method for each situation. It also explains how to set up and make the most of a blog, to publicise it (getting it picked up efficiently by search-engines) and to establish its credibility through observing basic ethical and journalistic principles."

Editing Software Price Cuts - Avid Media Composer Academic $295

Avid announced earlier this week some major changes in pricing....full Media Composer is now half price, $2495. It used to be five grand. Media Composer Academic version is now openly available to all students & faculty for $295.

Upgrade from Avid Xpress to Media Composer for $495. Xpress is now officially discontinued!

Liquid ACAD version is $149. Liquid PRO ACAD is $800.


www.equipmentemporium.com

Tibet Uprising - BBC

Tibet Uprising - BBC

Video | Tibetan Uprising

Video | Tibetan Uprising: "Tibetans living in exile in India have launched a March to Tibet as part of the Tibetan People's Uprising Movement. This historic Movement aims to revive the spirit of the Tibetan national uprising of 1959, and by engaging in nonviolent direct action, bring about an end to China's illegal occupation of Tibet."

Iraq For Sale

Street Life on Mill 2002