September 2011
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Taking On Big AG—Is Monsanto Useful? →
Encouraging as we think of global food security.
Ira Wallace and other small organic farmers have banded together to challenge an mighty agricultural giant, arguing that Monsanto’s patented transgenic seeds do not benefit society. […] for Ira the lawsuit represents a project with wider impact. “You want to think globally and act locally,” Ira told me in June, “and this is a way to direct...
August 2011
12 posts
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Press Release| Rally at the State Capitol is this...
If you’re in Minnesota, we’d like to see you there! All of you! Your family and friends! We will have representatives from Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, the Brooklyn Park human rights commissioner, as well several local performance artists to keep us inspired.
See you at the Capitol at 3pm. (August 27th, 3-5pm 2011)
Press Release below: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Email...
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Global hunger - the Minnesota connection →
Brilliant analysis, by Allen Levine, on why the famine and drought in the Horn of Africa is part of the global food crisis. And what we can do about it. He is the dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota and is director of the Minnesota Obesity Center.
An excerpt: (to read article in its entirety click on title above):
But by making...
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Today's Reading: Don't forget Djibouti, HRW report...
As the drought and famine crisis in East Africa worsens, we’re learning some frustrating details about why aid isn’t getting into the hands of those who need it most. Human Rights Watch released a chilling report on abuses on civilians by al-Shabaab, the Somali Transitional Government (TFG), the African Union forces, as well as Kenya- and Ethiopia-backed Somali militias. These...
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Over the weekend, we were on Reflections of New...
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Aid to Somalia Fraught with Legal Uncertainty and... →
InterAction, an organization bringing together several non-profit aid groups, sees the potential for legal risk stemming from possible payments, fees, and consultations that al-Shabab may demand in order for the groups to carry out their work. “The realities are, that it is very likely… that these types of interactions will occur,” said Eric Johnson, associate general counsel of...
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Famine Awareness Rally| SATURDAY, AUGUST 27th |...
Our request for a permit to rally at the State Capitol in St. Paul has been approved!
SATURDAY, AUGUST 27th | 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
We will meet at the south steps of the State Capitol Building 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in St. Paul.
The following are our goals for the rally:
Raise awareness on the humanitarian crisis
Lobby the State Department via Congress to remove aid...
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Minnesota's response to famine different for...
“It pains me that the world is watching as Somalia experiences extreme famine. Is the world watching as a country is wiped out? Why is there no outcry?” Daniel Abebe asks. Back in 1984, Abebe saw a dramatically different response when famine hit his home country, Ethiopia. Then he was a graduate student in Minnesota, working at the university hospital. Today he’s a university dean at...
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Donating to Drought and Famine Relief in East...
According to the United Nations, the Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years, and nearly 11 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti are in need of life-saving food assistance. For the first time since 1984, the UN has officially declared a famine in the country. Somalia is hit particularly hard due to conflict and response failure. In Somalia alone, 29,000...
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Encouraging Smart Giving
As you think about organizations to support financially toward humanitarian relief in the regions affected by famine and drought in East Africa, consider the following questions:
Is the organization grass-roots based; and are its administrators and staff local people?
Where is the organization based?
Does the organization have the operational capacity to distribute food and other resources in...
