Meeting Summary - December 14th

Darfur Action Committee Meeting Agenda
December 14, 2007

- We decided that I would update the blog with meeting summaries but perhaps in the future, other people may be able to do this as well.
- We received a very generous donation from Mrs. Judy Elias - $440.85
- Thank you letter for Mrs. Elias was written by Debbie which we all need to sign and the picture that we will give to her of our club together will be in Room F203 on Tuesday right after school. Please wear green.
- Paperwork is in the process of being made out for our $1000 donation to HelpDarfurNow.org
- Press clippings from the Smithtown News about the Darfur Rally were discussed.
- Update on the "Darfur Now" movie showing and discussion with the Darfur People's Association of New York
- Movie Showing of "Sand and Sorrow" along with a Pizza Sale simultaneously was talked about along with a possible date in either January or February. The movie showing being a PIG hour for the seniors was also mentioned.
- Our Bulletin Board is a lot smaller now but we may have to use it anyway.
- No meeting next week on Friday.
- Flyers need to be put up right after break to promote the club because new members are always welcome.
- AJC Solar Cooker Campaign, A Donation of $30 to buy one solar cooker, for more information go to www.ajc.org. We may do a donation in the future where we buy a certain amount of these solar cookers so we know that we are helping specific people in the refugee camps.
- Postcards "Protect Darfur Now"
- The Doors for Darfur Idea was also mentioned and should be discussed further.
- Bracelets from the Save Darfur Coalition.
- Instant Messaging Donations were also brought up.

Great meeting guys. A lot of good ideas were passed around.

Meeting Summary - December 7th

Another great turnout this past Friday - you are a dedicated committee and it is so nice to see! Here's what we discussed:

- Brainstormed a list of organizations to donate the money that was raised from the Comedy Hypnosis show. Many contributed ideas and the ultimate decision was to donate $1000 to HelpDarfurNow.org. We liked that their overhead costs were low. From their website:

Help Darfur Now, Inc. is a non-profit organization formed by New Jersey high school students, committed to providing much-needed financial aid to refugees and refugee camps. The charity is an all volunteer organization with no payroll expenses. Approximately 98% of all proceeds contributed to the organization go toward Darfur relief efforts.

- Reminder about the upcoming showing of "Darfur Now" at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington on Tuesday night, Dec. 11th. Show starts at 7:30pm. Members of the Darfur People's Association of NY will be there speaking as well.

- Ben informed us that showing on HBO is a documentary called "Sand and Sorrow."

- Future activity ideas:
- movie showing after school coinciding with a pizza sale
- Car wash in the spring
- Pop-tops being looked into for legitimacy
- Tents of Hope

- We need to re-do the bulletin board.

"Sand and Sorrow" Documentary on HBO West

Sorry for this late night post but for anyone who's interested, Paul Freedman's documentary about the genocide in Darfur which is narrated by George Clooney is on HBO West (Channel 306) right now and should be replayed many times on the HBO and HBO West channels throughout the next few weeks.

"The documentary, which is set to premiere on the premium cable channel in December, chronicles the historical events that led to the rise of Darfur's Arab-dominated government that allows its people to be killed and displaced, provides an inside look at the situation on the ground and examines the international community's "legacy of failure" to respond to such profound crimes against humanity in the past."

Meeting Agenda Summary - November 29th

Debriefed Comedy Hypnosis Event:
- Raised $1300
- We need to decide where the money is going. We discussed some organizations and asked people to do some research and thinking and be prepared to dialogue at next week's meeting.
- An article appeared in the Smithtown News about the event
- Keep in mind that at the events that we plan, you must be willing to work and possibly forfeit being a participant

Preparation for Darfur Rally:
- Update on speakers - Senator Flanagan is speaking, as is Mr. Menendez and Harrini and Daniella
- Harrini and Daniella gave a run through of their speech and it floored us. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
- We have items for a table - trifold board, display for our committee, water jug for donations, flyers, and pamphlets. Ally graciously agreed to take all of this to the rally.

Darfur Now at Cinema Arts Centre:
- Tuesday, December 11th at 7:30 pm at the Cinema Arts Centre in huntington (www.cinemaartscentre.org)
- People from the Darfur People's Association of New York will be there.

Next Friday, December 7th, we have a meeting. We will discuss new campaign ideas.

Things to do next week! - Time Sensitive

The Darfur Rally is coming soon....it is Saturday, December 1st. We have flyers run off that need to be hung up on Monday. Can someone or multiple people stop by F206 on Monday to get this done? Also, we should get an announcement submitted to E Administration informing students that such a rally is taking place. It is saturday, Dec. 1st at High School East's football field from 12-2pm. There will be speakers, educational information, and more. Can someone submit an announcement? Thanks.

I've been having alot of people ask me if we're going to be selling tapes from the comedy hypnosis night. I'm curious, are we going to do this?

Invitations to Post

Many of you have not accepted the invitation that was sent to you to be a "posting" member of this site.......please do so even if you have nothing to say at the moment!

Ricky, I cannot read your email address so you may not have gotten the email!

This Friday's Meeting Is Cancelled

I need to cancel this Friday's meeting as I will be on a plane to Seattle. Unfortunately, I cannot meet any other day this week either. Next Friday we don't have school due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

This is just bad timing. I really did want to debrief the Comedy Hypnosis show and we also need to move forward with plans for the Darfur Rally being held at East on Saturday, December 1st. Please try to plan accordingly now to be able to go to that event. We will have a table and will need people to be at that table. We now have a nice tri-fold information board and we have a new board already to be done up! Stasia has some great color images that we can add to it and also add some information. We also have the brochures and the flyers all ready that we can use. In addition, we can have the jug on the table. The big things are getting people to show up, maybe making up that one other tri-fold board, and helping Harrini and Daniella who agreed to speak at the event! Also, I cannot go to the event so all of the materials need to be taken on the Friday before by those who will be attending.

Long story short, no meeting this Friday or next Friday. The Friday after that is November 30th, the day before the rally. We will meet. If anyone is able to help ahead of time with any of the tasks mentioned, please stop by F206! Thanks.

Comedy Hypnosis Show a Great Success!

Great job to all who helped pull of the Comedy Hypnosis show! The night was a great success in terms of awareness building, our teamwork, monetarily, and in creating a positive all-around fun night! Dan has secured a potential story with the Smithtown News about the event. If anyone took pictures, please email them to me or put them on a disc so that we can get them to the newspaper. Thanks.

YEARBOOK PICTURES - TOMORROW (Thursday)

Thursday, November 8th
Period 8 - come right at the beginning of the period please
Auditorium
Try to wear green

(For real this time!)

Free Rice

www.freerice.com

Everyone should go on this website and play the vocabulary game- it is extremely addicting, and for every word you guess right 10 grains of rice are donated through the UN to World Hunger charities, including some in Darfur. 10 grains doesn't sound like a lot, but I really doubt anyone would be able to play this game for only one round- I constantly find myself donating hundreds of grains each time I go on. As far as I can tell, the site is reputable and honest, you can get to it through links on various websites of World Hunger charities. And it's educational! What more could you ask for?
PS- Watching the bowl of rice fill up as you donate is very amusing. I find it hard to stop playing because whenever I see that bowl empty, I just want to fill it back up!

Meeting Recap - November 2nd

Since the Comedy Hypnosis show is a week away we spent a good deal of time discussing the event. Flyers have been made and posted at West and given to East to put up. A few students called Middle School principals and we have permission to get flyers to teachers in those buildings. We will be doing our best to get the copies made ASAP. The video in the commons is great and at Safe Halloween we made sure it was playing and added a sign that addressed parents stating that this is a "family fun night!" We will also be sending an email out to faculty to try to encourage them to go. The committee decided that we would not print tickets since there are no advanced ticket sales. We will use a stamp at the door. Next Friday after school we will schedule tasks for people to do the night of the show (door, concessions, information table, etc.) Between now and then please feel free to make display boards for information tables and/or pamphlets. Communicate via the blog so we don't have 10 of the same thing!

The Darfur Rally scheduled for December 1st at East is proceeding. Some speakers have been contacted and a flyer has been made. After the hypnosis show we will start helping to hype this event.

We also watched a 10 minute video that provided an overview of the conflict in Darfur. A handout was distributed that had some facts as well.

See you all next Friday and talk up the hypnosis show to everyone you know!!!!

Flyers to Middle Schools

We need to get flyers about the comedy hypnosis show out to each of the middle schools. If you live near one of the middle schools and would be willing to take flyers to put into teachers mailboxes please see me or Mrs. Donohue as soon as possible.

Me Again - Need 3 people to attend a meeting

We need three representatives to attend a meeting on Thursday, November 1, at 2:00 pm in the faculty dining room. The subject of the meeting will be a fundraising campaign. Every club is asked to send reps. Can three people reply that they could do this or stop in to see me about this? Thanks.

Darfur Rally - December 1st

Saturday, December 1, 12noon-2pm the Darfur Rally will be held on the football field at East. We need to help with publicity over at West. Also needed are pamphlets, posters, flyers, etc and student groups (both high school and college) to sponsor informational tables and answer questions of the attendees. Also, speakers are being organized, but if you can think of groups or organizations to contact, it would be a big help.

Immediate Help Needed

We need to publicize that we are meeting this Friday. Flyers anyone? Also, can someone go to E-administration sometime on Wednesday and fill out a slip requesting that an annoucement be made on Thursday and Friday? Simply state that "the Darfur Action Committee will be meeting on Friday after school in room F206. All are welcome to attend."

Also, we need someone/people to hang the Comedy Hypnosis flyers.

October 25th Meeting Recap

Meetings – Will be Fridays – this was the exception
Someone needs to take care of announcements in E
Others need to make flyers
Others need to hang them up

Blog Site (www.darfuractioncommittee.blogspot.com)
- All from last week have been officially invited. If you did not get the email it may be because your email address was not clearly written or, obviously, if you didn’t provide your email address last week.

Comedy Hypnotist – November 9th
- We need to decide on ticket price and if we are selling in advance. My recommendation was not to sell tickets in advance even though I had wanted to and that is because I tried to reserve a table outside of E-Cafeteria to do so for lunch periods on Nov. 7, 8, and 9. Only the 7th, Wed., would be available because school rings will be there on Thurs. and Fri. I did complete the paperwork in case the committee decided they wanted to do this but I don’t think it makes much sense to do it just on Wednesday. - The decision of all present on Thursday was just to sell at the door - no advance ticket sales.


- Ben made a flyer which is nice for this event. Copies will be ready to be hung up on Tuesday morning. Stop by F206 if you can hang these up.

- Tickets need to be made

- Other ways to promote it?

- Concession sales

- Information Table

- Sign up to work the event

400,000 Pennies campaign – on hold for now

Darfur Rally being planned for Dec. 1st (Saturday) at East. When we know more information we’ll share.

Ben went to the 5k walk this past Sunday in Huntington

- Historic overview of the conflict will be part of next Friday’s meeting.

I am a knucklehead

In case you haven't heard by now, the yearbook pictures are not until November 8th!

Program on Channel 13

"In On Our Watch (Nov. 20) Frontline asks why the genocide in Darfur has been allowed to unfold. It has been meticulously chronicled, mapped by satellite, enlessly debated at the UN, and yet allowed to proceed undebated for four years. As governments failed to act, it fell to private citizens and celebrities to raise awareness of the carnage. The documentary profiles some of the activists, including actress Mia Farrow, as she travels through the refugee camps to chronicle the human cost of the world's failure in the face of evil" - Thirteen WNET New York

Reminder: Yearbook Photo

Remember, tomorrow - Thursday, October 25th - we have our yearbook photo scheduled for 8th period in the auditorium. Wear green!

First Meeting of 2007-2008 School Year: Summary

What a great turnout we had for our first meeting of the school year. It was nice to see so many who care about making a difference! The following items were addressed:

- We will meet on Fridays (EXCEPTION: The next meeting will be Thursday, October 25th)
- We need volunteers to take care of getting announcements made on the PA to remind students of our meetings. One person needs to go to E Administration every Thursday to write a brief announcement that would be read on Friday.
- We need volunteers to make flyers for the club. These could be dropped off in F206 and I will make copies.
- We need volunteers to hang the flyers.
- We discussed this blog site and invitations for members to be able to post are forthcoming.
- We would like to continue the 400,000 pennies campaign this year.
- We will be hosting a Comedy Hypnotist fundraiser on November 9th. Planning on this needs to move quickly.
- We shared the news that there was a 5K walk called "Drumbeat for Darfur" on Sunday, October 21st in Huntington. Did anyone go? Let us know!
- An idea to have an assembly program for students was discussed. We are restructuring Holocaust Remembrance Day for this year to become "Holocaust Remembrance and Genocide Awareness Day" and will be looking for speakers about Darfur.
- The next meeting we would like to do a brief historical overview on the crisis in Darfur to provide background for those who might not be aware.
- We need to fix our bulletin board.

Again, great start and I am really looking forward to working with everyone this year!

FIRST MEETING IS SCHEDULED!!!

We really are going to meet this year. The first meeting is scheduled for this Friday, October 19th. Ginny made flyers and I had them copied. Could someone come by F206 ASAP to hang these up?

School Has Begun!

How was everyone's first day? I miss 9th period AP World with Mrs. Donohue. =[ Do we have any plans on when our meetings will be (when the first one will occur and what day we think we'll meet on)? Tomorrow during my free period I am going to try to get in contact with Mrs. Donohue. By the way, how was China? Did you convince them to do something about Darfur? Haha, just kidding but I hope you had an awesome time!

Israel's Darfur Refugee Policy Causes Uproar

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER | Washington Post
August 26, 2007

CAIRO, Egypt - Israel's decision to close its doors to asylum-seekers from Darfur and all other non-Jewish refugees has Israelis and Jews around the world struggling with their distinct identities of Israel: a Jewish state with a Jewish people or, alternatively, a state born from the Holocaust with a determination to challenge future genocides and succor their victims.

Israeli refugee groups said that they would challenge in court Israel's new policy of blocking Africans who enter the country from Egypt. International and Israeli rights groups maintain that returning the would-be refugees without assessing their claims for asylum violates international accords, including the 1951 U.N. Refugee Convention, as well as Israeli law and government commitments.

In its decision announced a week ago, Israel also said it would expel to Egypt all but 500 people from Darfur already in the Jewish state. Since 2003, an Arab militia linked to the Sudanese government has led a campaign of violence in the western region of Sudan that has left as many as 450,000 African villagers dead and displaced 2.5 million, rights groups say.

Turning back the Darfur refugees "is unconscionable by any standard," columnist Evelyn Gordon wrote in the Jerusalem Post.

The issue has posed a quandary for many of the groups heading efforts to stop the killing in Darfur. Jewish groups in the United States have taken a leading role in raising awareness about the killing and in urging the United States and other entities to take action against Sudan. The American Jewish World Service and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum founded the Save Darfur Coalition, the biggest raiser of private funds for Darfur in the United States.

However, international Jewish organizations that have spoken out against Sudan and against China, the United States and other governments for not doing more to help Darfur's people have remained silent on Israel's decision to shut its borders to the Darfur asylum-seekers. Some have defended the action.

"We don't have to solve every problem of the world," Efraim Zuroff, director of the Israel office of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said by telephone. "This is creating all sorts of pressure on Israel which is really not justified.

"I'm 1,000 percent in favor of doing everything possible to stop the genocide," Zuroff said. But "Israel can't open the gates and turn this into a free-entry zone."

The Wiesenthal Center is promoting an Internet petition urging the U.N. Human Rights Council "to focus its attention away from resolutions bashing Israel and rather on what the U.N. itself has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis: Darfur."

Ruth Messinger, president of the American Jewish World Service and a member of the executive committee of the Save Darfur Coalition, said she and others would begin an advocacy campaign encouraging the United States to take in more Darfur refugees. Immigration records indicate that the United States accepted fewer than 2,000 refugees from all of Sudan last year.

For Israel's part, she said, the country had an obligation to follow the law regarding refugees but needed more assistance from the U.N. refugee agency to do so.

Avner Shalev, chairman of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, said Israel had taken the "moral approach" by allowing 500 of the refugees to stay. European countries with more room should take in more refugees, Shalev said.

At least 1,700 African refugees, an estimated one-third of them from Darfur, have streamed into Israel this year.

Most Darfur refugees outside Sudan live in camps in Chad, where they have been attacked. Some of the refugees have gone to Libya, which has deported them, leaving them to face persecution, according to Human Rights Watch.

At least 2 million Sudanese, including many from Darfur, have come to Egypt, where they have found little support and occasional discrimination. Twenty-seven Sudanese died in 2005 when Egyptian riot police charged a protest by the Sudanese, beating some refugees to death and causing a stampede that killed others, rights groups and medical officials said.

This summer's influx presented Israel with its largest arrival of non-Jewish migrants in its history. Israeli officials said Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert jointly had agreed that none returned to Egypt would be sent back to Sudan, where the migrants say they risk death.

Israel has sent the first 48 Sudanese to Egypt. Egyptian officials said the expelled refugees included some from Darfur.

Sudanese community leaders in Cairo and an Egyptian official said they believed the 48 remained in Egyptian custody. The Egyptian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, denied that Egypt had agreed not to return any refugees to Sudan.

"We interpret what we said in a different way," the official said.

Egypt accepted the 48 Sudanese on humanitarian grounds, without committing to take more, the official said.

Sudanese in Egypt protested Israel's decision.

"How can Israel send them back?" asked Mohammed Adam, a Darfur community leader in Cairo. "They have escaped from an Egyptian reality of suffering very similar to that of Sudan - racism in the Egyptian street, killing by the authorities, and ... receiving a deaf ear from UNHCR," he said, referring to the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

Rights groups in Israel accused the U.N. refugee agency there of failing in its responsibilities as the number of African refugees surges.

Michael Bavly, the current head of the U.N. refugee agency in Jerusalem, confirmed that Israel had returned the group of 48 to Egypt without giving them interviews or hearings regarding asylum. A former Israeli diplomat, Bavly has approved roughly 1 percent of asylum requests in Israel, according to Israeli media, and rights groups and refugee activists question his impartiality.

Bavly defended Israel's action.

"It's something we understand, to stop the flow that brings about 50 newcomers a night," he said. "Sinai is the only land passage from Africa to Europe. There's a strong desire to use it by people not necessarily seeking asylum in Israel. ... Israel is not capable of receiving all those who want to come in."

Israel and the U.N. agency share responsibility for the lawful handling of the refugees, Bill Frelick, refugee policy director at the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch, said by telephone this week. But "the responsibility is on UNHCR to try to find a permanent solution on that person's behalf so that Israel is not left with having to provide a permanent home for that person," he said.

Central Park Reading of Winter Miller's "In Darfur"

On July 9th, The Public Theater will be holding a one night only FREE reading of Winter Miller's play, "In Darfur".

Here are the details:

What: Winter Miller's "In Darfur" - FREE READING IN CENTRAL PARK
When: Monday, July 9 at 8 pm - ONE NIGHT ONLY
Where: At the Delacorte Theater in Central Park

For more information, visit www.publictheater.org.

Ask Secretary RIce

Next Monday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will have an unprecedented opportunity to help end the genocide when she attends a meeting about Darfur with top officials from the U.S., China, France and other key nations.

China, France, and the U.S. all have great influence over Sudan, but acting individually, none has yet been able to put enough pressure on the Sudanese government to stop the violence.

Ask Secretary Rice to use this one-of-a-kind opportunity to urge China and France to join forces with the U.S. on Darfur diplomacy.

The Bush administration took a desperately-needed first step last month when it announced its "Plan B" sanctions against the Sudanese government. Now Secretary Rice must use this meeting with French, Chinese and other leaders to increase the pressure on Sudanese President Bashir.

The people of Darfur have waited more than four years for world leaders to make a concerted effort to end the violence. Secretary Rice must make sure Monday's meeting in Paris marks the beginning of sustained, unified world diplomacy.

Click here to send your message to Secretary Rice today.

NYS divests money from China

Hey Guys!
I thought you would think this was interesting
http://www.newsday.com/search/ny-stdina125252661jun12,0,7638720.story
Enjoy the rest of the Summer
From Dan

Smithtown News Article

Check out the June 14th issue of the Smithtown News. We are on the cover of the "Living" section. It is a well-written piece. Congratulations to everyone!

The Devil Came On Horseback

Check out the site for this documentary called "The Devil Came On Horseback." Watch the trailer, it's quite powerful.

http://www.thedevilcameonhorseback.com/home.html

PHOTO OF OUR GROUP

The Smithtown News is writing a piece about the work of our committee. We would like to provide them with a picture of our members. Please stop by F206 right after 9th period on Thursday to smile pretty!

Meeting?

Are we meeting this Friday, too, or was this past meeting our last one for the year? I'm really proud of all we've accomplished in such a short period of time, I just wish we had more. I guess we just have to look on the bright side- if we did so much in the last quarter of the school year, imagine what we can do next year! In case we don't have a meeting this Friday, I'd like to wish all of the DAC-ers a wonderful summer and i hope we can keep in touch through this blog. =]

The Verdict Is....

2 Golden Susan B. Anthony's
351 Quarters
240 Dimes
239 Nickels
1,335 New Pennies
526 Old Pennies

You do the math!!! What I will say, is I lost by a lot!!!!

"Penny" Competition (as a goof!!!!)

Just for fun, we decided to take guesses on how much change we had collected in the jugs. Mr. Cone will be taking it to a change machine this weekend. Based on weight and appearance, here were our estimates:

Donohue - $36.00
Ricky - $43.00
Erin - $50.00
Cone - $63.97
Deb - $72.35
Dave - $97.00
Brittany - $147.83
Dan - $150.00

Whoever is closest without going over gets the prize of being closest!!!! We all anxiously await the results!!!! Stay tuned.....

Meeting Summary - June 1, 2007

- We had representation at the Activity Fair today
- We are now an "official" chapter of STAND
- We boxed up clothes to send to the Darfur People's Association in Brooklyn. We tried to make telephone contact with the organization and also sent an email.
- We drafted a press release/article about the committee and its work (with mention of the clothing drive) for the newspapers
- We counted the change in the 400,000 pennies jugs so far and started making a thermometer display.
- We discussed ideas for next year - holding events in the fall such as the Dine In, scavenger hunt fundraiser, "Dunk for Darfur," Comedy Hypnosist, and education/awareness campaigns at other LI schools and/or connecting with other local chapters.

This has been a great couple of months (remember, we really just started at the end of March). We have done an excellent job of starting to raise awareness, working well together as a group, and getting things in motion that will carry over to the next school year. I am really proud of the commitment that everyone has shown and am looking forward to picking things up in the fall. Until that time, please do use this blog as a form of communication over the summer.

China Must Act

We must keep the pressure on the Chinese government, which is not just the majority shareholder in PetroChina, but also Sudan's largest foreign investor, a major political supporter, and a key arms provider.

In fact, the Chinese government recently demonstrated its support of the Sudanese regime by providing a $13 million loan to build Omar al-Bashir a new presidential palace. Most disturbingly, China sells arms to Sudan, weapons which are used by government forces and the Janjaweed militia to maim and kill innocent Darfuris.

It's time for China to fully invest itself in ending the genocide by using its unmatched influence to convince Sudan to cooperate with international efforts to end the violence and build a lasting peace in Darfur.

While Fidelity's announcement is a positive step, victory will be achieved only when the people of Darfur are safe.

And China has the power and influence to help make that possible.

China must lead the world in pressuring Sudan to follow through on its commitments to cooperate with international efforts to end the violence.

Pressure the Chinese government here: http://ga6.org/campaign/china_must_act/i35nwgg40bk5mxk?

UN Peacekeeper In Darfur Fatally Shot

U.N. peacekeeper in Darfur fatally shot Sat May 26, 11:34 AM ET


A United Nations peacekeeper who was among a small group of reinforcements sent to Darfur was shot to death at his residence — the world body's first casualty since its long-negotiated arrival in the troubled region, officials said Saturday.

Gunmen looted the home of the U.N. peacekeeper — an Egyptian lieutenant colonel — in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, and fatally shot him.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070526/ap_on_re_af/sudan_darfur_2;_ylt=ApWthVJjRLmmet3L_w_eBOAF1vAI

Guess whose birthday it is!

Happy Birthday Mrs. Donohue!

Have a happy
Have a happy
Have a hap-hap-happy Birthday!
You may be getting older
But so much wiser along the way!
So have a happy
Have a happy
Have a hap-hap-happy Birthday!

Music from Rudolph's Shiny New Year (goes along to the tune "Have a Happy New Year)
Adapted Lyrics by Ricky

China creates special post to handle Darfur crisis

BEIJING, China (AP) -- China appointed a special envoy dedicated to the Darfur crisis after facing international pressure to do more in the war-ravaged Sudan region.

The issue is becoming increasingly associated with the Olympics -- a source of immense national pride.

The move Thursday came after a group of U.S. politicians demanded China step up its efforts to persuade Sudan's government to stop the bloodletting in Darfur.

"We hope to solve the issue by political means," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said. "We are ready to make joint efforts with the international community, including the U.S."

China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, buys two-thirds of Sudan's oil exports and sells the African country weapons and military aircraft.

Jiang said Thursday that Liu Guijin, a former ambassador to Zimbabwe and South Africa, was appointed to the newly created post of Special Representative to African Affairs, and for the foreseeable future he would focus on Darfur because the situation there had "drawn significant international attention."

More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million made homeless in four years of bloody attacks from Arab militias allegedly sponsored by President Omar al-Bashir's government.

The attacks began after black African Sudanese rose to demand autonomy for the vast western Sudan region.

A letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao from 108 members of the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday suggested that unless China changes its policies in Sudan, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games could become a disaster for the Chinese rather than the image enhancer Beijing is expecting.

French politicians already floated the idea of a boycott during their recent presidential race and American actress Mia Farrow has also called on corporate sponsors of the Games to pressure China to do more to help stop the violence in Darfur.

China bristles at such attempts to tarnish the Games. Last month, China's Assistant Foreign Minister Zhai Jun said anyone who advocated an Olympic boycott over Darfur would have to be "either ignorant or ill-natured."

China's leadership has been widely criticized for not using its influence to do more to stop the Darfur crisis. It has blocked efforts to send U.N. peacekeeping forces to Darfur without Sudanese consent.

Now, it is trying to carefully calibrate its actions on Darfur by demonstrating to critics a willingness to help in the region while not overly embarrassing or alienating Khartoum.

Thursday's move also followed the release of an Amnesty International report this week claiming that China and Russia were breaching a U.N. arms embargo by letting weapons into Sudan. Both countries denied the allegations.

Article Courtesy of CNN.com

Plan B

Nearly a month has passed since President Bush gave Sudan another "last chance" to cooperate with international efforts to end the genocide. Unfortunately, the Sudanese government has once again failed to end the violence in Darfur.

The time is up. The Bush administration must move ahead with a strong multi-tiered and multi-lateral plan of tough sanctions and effective measures to press Sudan to cooperate with the international community.


The people of Darfur simply cannot afford any more "last chances" for the government sponsoring the violence against them. Plan B (which was originally supposed to launch in January) has been delayed long enough.

Tell the White House to stick to its deadline and finally implement - and enforce - tough U.S. sanctions against Sudan, and to introduce a tough Security Council resolution at the UN.

Go to: http://ga6.org/campaign/where_is_planb/i35nwgg49be83nm? and urge Bush to enforce Plan B!

Divest for Darfur

Have you heard of divestment? It's one of the key tactics that
was successfully used to end apartheid in South Africa and it
can help end the violence in Darfur, too.

To "divest" means to withdraw investments from companies who are
supporting the genocide in Darfur by doing business with the
government of Sudan.

Join me in fighting the genocide by urging Fidelity and other
investment institutions to divest their holdings from any and
all companies doing business with the government of Sudan.

Click the link below to sign the Divest for Darfur petition now
and help cut off financial support for the government-sponsored
violence in Darfur!
http://ga6.org/campaign/fidelitydivestment

Diplomacy is crucial, but economic pressure may prove an even
more powerful way to force Sudan to cooperate with international
efforts to end the genocide.

Sudan has been very responsive to economic pressure in the past
so we have reason to hope that they will pay heed to the
divestment efforts.

Please do not stand by while the violence continues - you can
make a difference.

Click below to add your name to the Divest for Darfur petition
to Fidelity now.
http://ga6.org/campaign/fidelitydivestment

Then please forward this message to your friends and family and
ask them to join you in supporting divestment.

If you'd like to make a donation to support the campaign, visit
the link below now.
http://www.SaveDarfur.org/Donate

Thank you for your help.

Bowling Event on Saturday, May 12th

Join Long Islanders on May 12, 2007 from 1-4pm at Farmingdale Lanes bowling alley. Bring your friends and family to this fun-filled event aimed to raise awareness and charity to Darfurians in need. With your support you can help us reach our goal of $10,000. Attendance fee is $10 pp.(lunch is included.) Time is running out. Together we can help "Strike Out Genocide!"

Hosted by: Long Island Darfur Action Group.

LIE to exit 49S or Northern State to exit 40S. Travel south on Rt. 110 for 2 miles. Make a right onto Conklin St. Farmingdale Lanes is 1/2 a mile on the right at 999 Conklin St. (516/631)-249-4300

May 4th Meeting Summary

Great attendance at the meeting on May 4th and I felt that we really are beginning to take action!

- Announcement that a request to "officially" host this committee has been submitted for the 2007-2008 school year.

- Update on the 400,000 pennies project. Decision needs to be made about the charitable organization the money will go towards.

- Public Service Announcement writing. Each committee may want to write one for their activity. We could record them in the radio studio and/or have them scripted on index cards and read/played at WUSB, 90.1FM.

- Discussion about how to structure future meetings: announcements, committee updates, then committee break-out sessions....

- Committees then got to work. From my understanding the following occurred (feel free to add/correct any of this!):

400,000 Pennies - discussion as to where to put more water jugs, need for signage to promote the project, possible letters to teachers asking for them to announce in class.

New committee - Street Market Idea - Sell tables to vendors in the gym, possibly arts and crafts. More is being looked into.

Pizza Sale - Possibly scheduled for Monday, May 21st.

Comedy Hypnosis - Contacted High School East to arrange for a date to use the Little Theater. Should hear back soon.

April 20th Meeting Update

Committees were decided upon to start putting together events:
- 400,000 Pennies Campaign
- Dine-In
- Cool beans
- Comedy Hypnosis

The bulletin board was started (and finished on Monday 8th period!). It looks great!!!

We will meet again on Friday, May 4th.

Students pressure schools to pull endowment-fund investments out of companies doing business in Sudan

Read the story from BusinessWeek Online.

Summary of April 13th Meeting

We held our second meeting on Friday, April 13th and discussed the following:

- Informed all members present about the existence of this blog
- Heard from Brittany regarding the past events and future plans of the now defunct Human Rights Club
- Mentioned the upcoming Darfur Awareness week and the possibility of wearing green all week and selling "Save Darfur" buttons for a $1. I will try to make the buttons but cannot guarantee that I'll have them done in time.
- Recapped fundraising ideas that were discussed at the last meeting
- Decided on focusing on the 400,000 pennies project and a possible Dine-In.
- Dan was charged with speaking with the librarian to see if we could use space for the penny collection and a display.
- Discussed making the bulletin board and will aim to do so next Friday.
- Hung up flyers throughout the building.

Next meeting is Friday, April 20th.

Google Earth maps out Darfur atrocities

Google Earth maps out Darfur atrocities - view article at http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/04/10/google.genocide/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Story Highlights
• Google Earth highlights atrocities in Darfur region of Sudan
• Google official: Tool can be "catalyst for education and action"
• Google Earth has 200 million users
• Official: Technology will make it harder to ignore genocide

By Elise Labott
CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- If you Google the word Darfur, you will find about 13 million references to the atrocities in the western Darfur region of Sudan -- what the United States has said is this century's first genocide.

As of today, when the 200 million users of Google Earth log onto the site, they will be able to view the horrific details of what's happening in Darfur for themselves.

In an effort to bring more attention to the ongoing crisis in Darfur, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has teamed up with Google's mapping service literally to map out the carnage in the Darfur region.

Experts estimate that 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million more have been displaced since the conflict flared in 2003, when rebels took up arms against the central Sudanese government.

The new initiative, called "Crisis in Darfur," enables Google Earth users to visualize the details in the region, including the destruction of villages and the location of displaced persons in refugee camps. (Interactive: See how the new technology works)

Elliot Schrage, Google's vice president of global communications and public affairs, joined museum director Sara J. Bloomfield to make the official announcement about the new feature.

"At Google, we believe technology can be a catalyst for education and action," Schrage said. " 'Crisis in Darfur' will enable Google Earth users to visualize and learn about the destruction in Darfur as never before and join the museum's efforts in responding to this continuing international catastrophe."

The Google Earth mapping service combines 3-D satellite imagery, aerial and ground-level maps and the power of Google, one of the Internet's most widely used search engines, to make the world's geographic information user friendly. Since its inception in June 2005, nearly 200 million people have downloaded the free program.

Using the high-resolution imagery of Google Earth, users will be able to zoom into the Darfur region for a better understanding of the scope of the destruction. (Interactive: See where Darfur is located)

More than 1,600 damaged and destroyed villages will be visible, as will the remnants of more than 100,000 homes, schools, mosques and other structures destroyed by the Janjaweed militia and Sudanese forces.

The Holocaust museum also has compiled a collection of photos, data and eyewitness testimony from its archives and number of sources, including the U.S. State Department, nongovernmental organizations, the United Nations and individual photographers. That material also will be available when Google Earth users visit the Darfur site.

The "Crisis in Darfur" initiative is the first of what is expected to be several collaborations between the museum and Google Earth to highlight the dangers of genocide around the world.

The museum also announced Tuesday the creation of a mapping project with Google Earth on the Holocaust, when Nazis killed 6 million Jews during World War II.

That project will use Google Earth to map key Holocaust sites, such as Auschwitz, Dachau, Bergen-Belsen, Treblinka, Warsaw and Lodz with historic content from its collections to illustrate the enormous scope and impact of the Holocaust. Each place links to a featured article with related historical photographs, testimony clips, maps, artifacts and film footage.

"Educating today's generation about the atrocities of the past and present can be enhanced by technologies such as Google Earth," Bloomfield said.

"When it comes to responding to genocide, the world's record is terrible. We hope this important initiative with Google will make it that much harder for the world to ignore those who need us the most."

What is the What

I just finished reading an excellent book called What is the What.
This book, written by Dave Eggers, is the novelized autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng, from his pre-war life in Marial Bai, to his resettlement in the United States. Separated from his family, Valentino becomes a refugee in war-ravaged southern Sudan. His travels bring him in contact with enemy soldiers, with liberation rebels, with hyenas and lions, with disease and starvation, and with deadly murahaleen (militias on horseback)—the same sort who currently terrorize Darfur. More information can be found at http://www.valentinoachakdeng.com/



Preface by Valentino Achak Deng

This book is the soulful account of my life: from the time I was separated from my family in Marial Bai to the thirteen years I spent in Ethiopian and Kenyan refugee camps, to my encounters with vibrant Western cultures, in Atlanta and elsewhere.

As you read this book, you will learn about the two and a half million people who have perished in Sudan's civil war. I was just a boy when the war began. As a helpless human, I survived by trekking across many punishing landscapes while being bombed by Sudanese air forces, while dodging land mines, while being preyed upon by wild beasts and human killers. I fed on unknown fruits, vegetables, leaves, animal carcasses and sometimes went with nothing for days. At certain points, the difficulty was unbearable. I hated myself and attempted to take my own life. Many of my friends, and thousands of my fellow countrymen, did not make it through these struggles alive...

CNN Report on the Darfur Awareness Conference

It can be viewed at:
http://edition.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/ireports/2007/03/28/ireport.darfur.awareness.cnn

Darfur PowerPoint - up until December 2005

First Meeting Summary

We held our first meeting on Friday, March 30th. The following is a brief summary of what we accomplished:

- Agreed upon the name of the club/committee
- Discussed being affiliated with S.T.A.N.D. (we will be but with our own name)
- Decided that we would stick with meeting every other Friday.
- Had two people take charge of new flyers to advertise the committee meetings
- Chose a volunteer to be in charge of getting PA announcements written and submitted
- Shared news articles and overview sheets
- Watched the CNN clip produced by James at Smithtown High School East
- Discussed the upcoming Holocaust Remembrance Day and that there will be an overview of the conflict in Darfur in every 10th grade students folder.
- Talked about doing a petition and letter writing campaign
- Discussed how P.I.G. classes are doing a clothing drive for the refugee camps
- Brainstormed TONS of good fundraising ideas:
- 400,000 pennies project
- Comedy Hypnosis show
- Bands of the Bull for next year
- Dine Out (similar to Human Rights Club event last year)
- Movie screening at Deepwells Mansion
- Chinese Auction
- Donation cans in the cafeteria
- Bagging groceries for donations (with signage of our cause)
- Other ideas discussed:
- Getting profile pages on savedarfur.org to network with others
- Working with neighboring school districts
- Hosting an awareness event at the community library (with guest speakers)
- Writing articles for local newspapers

At the next meeting, we will form committees - bulletin board, fundraising, public relations, and whatever else we deem necessary. Also scheduled for the next meeting will be a brief presentation by Brittany, formerly of the Human Rights Club.

Next Meeting - Friday, April 13th.

Welcome to the Darfur Action Committee

We are the recently formed Darfur Action Committee of Smithtown High School West. Our mission is to increase awareness of the genocide that is currently taking place in the Darfur region of the Sudan and to work to stop the crisis. All are welcome and encouraged to help.