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      AUM 2010 Dana Cloud<br/>(Operation Raindrop)
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    <p>
      This is the AUM (Active Understanding Matrix) 2010 (Final) Dana Cloud, mind-map documentation of donations made to active conscience organisations, or active conscience interdiction dimensions, in the financial year FY2011, from 1st July 2010 until 30th June 2011.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      It is also known as &quot;Operation Raindrop&quot; given the fine granularity of donation - myriad micro-donations - like rainfall.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The active conscience interdiction dimensions are organised into, in this 2010 version, twelve logical stewardship domains.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Of course, many active conscience interdiction dimensions exhibit multi-dimensional modal agency and can be observed to operate in multiple logical stewardship domains, however, usually, a primary, or dominant, domain of operation, or agency, can be identified.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Hence for clarity in this mind-map representation, a primary logical stewardship is chosen for each active conscience interdiction dimension.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      These twelve extant logical stewardship domain definitions or instances are not intended to be either comprehensive or complete, or indeed even canonical or fully orthogonal, the concept of &quot;logical stewardship domain&quot; is key notion to understand and exercise in the design of the mind-map documentation.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In the full generality there are myriad logical stewardship domains each of which is comprised of a panoply of active conscience interdiction dimensions, each of which exhibit multi-dimensional modal agency.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The totality of all the active conscience interdiction dimensions comprise the general governance orchestral vector.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Each logical stewardship domain and it's component active conscience interdiction dimensions can also be regarded as a specific governance orchestral vector - the sum of all specific governance orchestral vectors comprising the general governance orchestral vector.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The general space of all governance orchestral vectors is the active understanding matrix.
    </p>
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<node TEXT="Environmental Sanity" POSITION="right" ID="ID_399570242" CREATED="1320628364671" MODIFIED="1320668313905">
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    <p>
      This is the logical stewardship domain of environmental sanity.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Of course, many active conscience interdiction dimensions exhibit multi-dimensional modal agency and can be observed to operate in multiple logical stewardship domains, however, usually, a primary, or dominant, domain of operation, or agency, can be identified. Hence for clarity in this mind-map representation, a primary logical stewardship is chosen for each active conscience interdiction dimension.
    </p>
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<node TEXT="TAG - The Australian Greens (AUS)" ID="ID_1459781136" CREATED="1320635936759" MODIFIED="1320636014241" LINK="http://greens.org.au/">
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    <p>
      http://greens.org.au/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Greens - Peace and Non Violence,
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Grassroots Democracy,
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Social and Economic Justice, Ecological Sustainability
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      History:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Australian Greens is a federation of eight state and territory parties which grew out of Australian environment movements in the 1970s and 1980s. The campaign to save Lake Pedder led to the formation of the United Tasmania Group in 1972. This was the first 'green party' in the world.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The 1980s were a time of enormous growth and professionalism in green movements, resulting in the election of Australia's first green member of parliament. In 1984 a national conference was called and Greens parties were formed in Queensland and New South Wales. The NSW Greens stood candidates in the 1984 state election. In the same year Jo Vallentine was elected to the Senate for Western Australia as a member of the Nuclear Disarmament Party, before leaving to form her own. In 1990 this group merged with others to form the WA Greens.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Throughout the 1980s forest campaigns in Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania strengthened and developed the green movement. At the end of the decade, the Wesley Vale Pulp Mill campaign saw three more Greens (Christine Milne, Di Hollister and Lance Armstrong) elected to the Tasmanian Parliament in 1989. With Bob Brown and Gerry Bates (who had been elected in 1986) they formed an alliance called The Green Independents. They held the balance of power, and the ALP governed with their support as a minority government until 1992.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The 1990s began with serious efforts to form a national Green political party. By the end of 1992, both the Australian Greens and a Victorian Greens party were established. In the national parliament, Jo Vallentine retired in 1992 and Christobel Chamarette filled her WA Greens Senate seat. In the 1993 federal election another WA Greens senator, Dee Margetts, was elected to the Senate, and she and Christobel Chamarette held the balance of power.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The new century brought increasing promise. The 2001 federal election saw Bob re-elected in the Senate for Tasmania and joined by Kerry Nettle for New South Wales. In a federal by-election in 2002, Michael Organ from Illawarra, NSW, became the first Greens member of the House of Representatives, but he lost the seat at the next general election.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In 2004, the Greens increased their Senate representation to four when Bob Brown and Kerry Nettle were joined by Christine Milne from Tasmania and Rachel Siewert from Western Australia.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      At the 2007 Federal election, more than a million Australians voted Green. Bob Brown was resoundingly re-elected, but Kerry Nettle was not, despite an increase in her vote. Sarah Hanson-Young (SA) and Scott Ludlam (WA) will join Bob, Christine and Rachel in the Senate in July 2008.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      At state level, the Greens have fifteen elected members of parliament: four in Tasmania, four in New South Wales, three in Victoria, two in Western Australia one in South Australia and one in the ACT. More than 80 Greens have been elected to local councils around the country.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Australian Greens is part of the Global Greens network, with around 70 Greens parties established world-wide. In 23 nations Greens have been elected to public office, and in European countries such as Germany, Latvia and France, Greens parties are part of governing coalitions. Find out more about the Global Greens at http://www.globalgreens.org
    </p>
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<node TEXT="BZE - Beyond Zero Emissions (AUS)" ID="ID_1675856355" CREATED="1320636016534" MODIFIED="1320636086985" LINK="http://beyondzeroemissions.org/">
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    <p>
      http://beyondzeroemissions.org/about
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our core goal is to develop blueprints for the implementation of climate change solutions that will rapidly reduce emissions and give our society and global ecosystems a chance of surviving into the future. We also run broad-based education campaigns based on this research.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our group
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Beyond Zero Emissions Inc. is an award-winning, not-for-profit, volunteer based organisation.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our core goal is to develop blueprints for the implementation of climate change solutions that will rapidly reduce emissions and give our society and global ecosystems a chance of surviving into the future. We also run broad-based education campaigns based on this research.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In partnership with the University of Melbourne Energy Research Institute we are undertaking the award-winning Zero Carbon Australia 2020 Project, which is putting together fully costed transition plans for getting Australia to zero emissions in ten years using commercially available technology.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We are involved in the following activities:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - research
    </p>
    <p>
      - education
    </p>
    <p>
      - transition planning
    </p>
    <p>
      - corporate education
    </p>
    <p>
      - political education
    </p>
    <p>
      - network building
    </p>
    <p>
      - solutions development
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We accept the findings of the most current science, which shows that we have already allowed climate change to go too far, and must act immediately to reduce our levels of greenhouse gas emissions to zero and below.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      How our goal differs
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The broader climate action movement, climate scientists and many large environment groups now agree with this zero goal. Some other major environment groups whose goals differ to Beyond Zero Emissions will see atmospheric greenhouse gases continue to rise and consequently cause more devastation from global warming.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://beyondzeroemissions.org/about/history
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Beyond Zero Emissions was established in 2006 out of a concern that the stated climate change goals of other environmental organisations at the time contradicted the scientific literature. Policies these organisations were calling for if realised would see atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise, thereby causing devastation from global warming.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Luckily, this has now begun to change, with the grassroots climate action movement, made up of over 200 groups across Australia adopting a policy of 100% renewable energy for Australia by 2020, and recognising that the current science is explicit in saying that there is already to much carbon in the atmosphere. Some of the bigger environment groups are also moving in this direction.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      From its inception, Beyond Zero Emissions' goal has been to help facilitate a timely transition to a zero carbon future where atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations are reduced to a safe threshold. The group focuses on the research, education and promulgation of scientifically-based policy and technology solutions in order to realise this transition.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The group was established by Matthew Wright and Adrian Whitehead with the guidance of Phillip Sutton. At the same time Matthew and Adrian established the Zero Emission Network which Adrian Whitehead now coordinates. The Zero Emission Network provides a platform for an independent alliance of groups to share ideas, coordinate campaigns and offer mutual support. Beyond Zero Emissions is proudly a member of the Zero Emissions Network.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In 2008 the Climate Emergency Network was formed by a number of climate groups in Melbourne concerned that groups taking climate change science and solutions seriously needed a way to coordinate. Beyond Zero Emissions is a proud member of the Climate Emergency Network.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Beyond Zero radio
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In 2007 Beyond Zero Emissions started broadcasting a weekly radio show called Beyond Zero on 3CR Community Radio in Melbourne. With a strong science and solutions focus, the program interviews specialists from around the world, live from 8.30 - 9am, Friday (Aust EST). Our guests are specialists in fields such as climate science, renewable energy, energy efficiency, transport, forestry and land use change, climate change politics and policy. Guests have included:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - James Hansen, Director of the Goddard Institute of Space Studies, NASA
    </p>
    <p>
      - Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Director the Potsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research
    </p>
    <p>
      - Ken Caldeira, Dept. of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution of Washington
    </p>
    <p>
      - Wieslaw Maslowski, Dept. of Oceanography, Naval Post Graduate School
    </p>
    <p>
      - David Karoly, Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Melbourne
    </p>
    <p>
      - Amory Lovins, Co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute
    </p>
    <p>
      - S. David Freeman, former head of the Tennessee Valley Authority
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      and more...
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In 2008, Beyond Zero began broadcasting a second weekly radio program on 3CR with the introduction of our community show, broadcast from 5-6pm, Monday (AUST EST). The community show provides up-to-date news about community campaigns, actions and events from around Australia, including interviews with members of the climate action group community.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Monthly discussion group
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      As a result of our endorsement of the latest scientific findings that there is already too much atmospheric greenhouse gas and that it must be reduced to below current levels in order
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      to decrease the probability of sudden, irreversible and catastrophic global warming, Beyond Zero Emissions initiated and runs a monthly discussion group that allows for the exchange of information and ideas to transform Australia into a zero carbon economy as quickly as possible.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      On Monday the 7th of April, 2008, we presented our inaugural discussion group meeting entitled, 'Transition to a Zero Carbon Future' where we outlined our &quot;Coal Switch&quot; philosophy in which the state of Victoria's greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by 50% in 3 years.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Held on the first Monday of each month at 6.30pm at Kindness House, 288 Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, Victoria, the discussion group hosts presentations by experts in climate science and solutions, with each presentation followed by a Q&amp;A session with audience members.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Guests have included:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Ian Dunlop, former head of the Australian Coal Association
    </p>
    <p>
      - Dr. Geoffrey Will presents Dye solar cells - the next generation in solar technology
    </p>
    <p>
      - Brendan Mackey, Director of the ANU Wild Country Research and Policy Hub
    </p>
    <p>
      - Dr. Keith Lovegrove, Head of the ANU Solar Thermal Group
    </p>
    <p>
      - Phil Hart, member of the Australian Association for the Study of Peak Oil (ASPO)
    </p>
    <p>
      - Adam Bandt, federal member of parliament
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      and more...
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Zero Carbon Plans
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      From Beyond Zero emissions preliminary working paper &quot;Coal Switch&quot;, a plan to reduce Victoria's greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in 3 years, a decision was made to both broaden and deepen the scope of the emissions reduction plan by developing a blueprint for the transition to a decarbonised Australian economy by 2020.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      This plan is called Zero Carbon Australia 2020 (ZCA) and it was started as an initiative of Beyond Zero Emissions and the Climate Emergency Network, (CEN) with generous support from Climate Positive. ZCA is now a research collaboration between Beyond Zero Emissions and the University of Melbourne Energy Research Institute.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Work on the plan commenced in early 2009 and encompasses stationary energy, transport, housing and construction, land use, industrial processes and replacing coal export revenue. Version one of the stationary energy plan has been published.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The plan draws on the enormous wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise of like-minded individuals from the community.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Politician and Corporate Education
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Since 2007, Beyond Zero Emissions has widened the scope of its education with an ongoing series of meetings with state and federal politicians, and their representatives, to educate on existing solutions for the decarbonisation of the Australian economy. The organisation also regularly does presentations for corporate groups, such as the CEO Institute and many public and community group talks.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We have an active media team that enables our work to be accessed by the public.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="GPA - Greenpeace Australia (AUS)" ID="ID_64483101" CREATED="1320636088868" MODIFIED="1320636148344" LINK="http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/">
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    <p>
      http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/about/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our Mission:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Greenpeace is an independent campaigning organisation that uses non- violent direct action to expose global environmental problems and to force solutions which are essential to a green and peaceful future.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Greenpeace's goal is to ensure the ability of the earth to nurture life in all its diversity.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Greenpeace believes that violence in any form is morally wrong and accomplishes nothing. No one gets hurt during a Greenpeace non violent direct action because activists are fully trained prior to any direct action involvement.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Greenpeace's core values are:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Independence: we do not accept money from governments, corporations or political parties because it would compromise our core values.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Bearing witness: we follow the Quaker tradition of bearing witness. Philosophically and tactically. Our peaceful protests work to raise awareness and bring public opinion to bear on decision-makers.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Non-violent direct action: we strongly believe that violence in any form is morally wrong and accomplishes nothing. Greenpeace takes non-violent direct action at the point of an environmental crime to expose an environmental problem.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="TWS - The Wilderness Society (AUS)" ID="ID_1955757816" CREATED="1320636178387" MODIFIED="1320636257971" LINK="http://www.wilderness.org.au/">
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    <p>
      http://www.wilderness.org.au/about-us
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Wilderness Society is a community-based environmental protection organisation. We work to safeguard our sources of clean water and air, to tackle devastating climate change, to create a safe future for life on Earth, and to give a better world to our children. The majority of our work is in Australia, with a strong focus on natural environments and the role they play in keeping our world safe.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We were born in 1976, and our first major victory was Australia's most famous environmental campaign - saving the Franklin River. Since then, with the support of thousands of concerned people across the country, we've worked to protect millions of hectares of our greatest wild places.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      How does The Wilderness Society achieve its goals?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Do not be fooled into thinking that governments save the environment. Almost without exception, they will be dragged, kicking and screaming, to the right decision, by a concerned, determined community.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Wilderness Society has a long history of encouraging and empowering the community to have a say in the future protection of Australia's natural environment.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We undertake a range of peaceful activities to protect our wild places. These include:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Research:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Work with scientists to determine what nature needs to survive for the long term.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Understand environmental impacts of activities such as logging, clearing, mining, fishing, and the nuclear industry.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Study the industries which rely on using natural resources and identify ways to avoid or reduce their impact .
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Document problems and solutions through reports, photos and videos.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Raising community awareness:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Prepare materials to explain issues easily.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Talk to people on the streets, at stalls, markets, community events.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Create activities and events to publicise the issues such as marches and rallies, street theatre, parades and festivals, art exhibitions and media stunts.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Work with the media:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Influence the community and decision makers through the media.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Issue news releases, launch reports, provide media comment, hold press conferences, run community radio shows, make films.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Brief journalists.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Run ads on television, radio and newspapers.
    </p>
    <p>
      Use government processes and the legal system
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Prepare submissions and provide advice to governments.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Promote new and improved laws to help protect the environment.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Use the courts if companies or governments are not complying with the laws.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Lobby politicians and other decision makers:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Visit and speak with members of parliament.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Encourage people to write, phone or visit through letter writing stalls, postcards, phone ins, actions outside offices of members of parliament.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Attend shareholder meetings of relevant companies.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Meet with unions involved in industries of interest.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Build alliances with like-minded organisations and industries.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="ACF - Australian Conservation Foundation (AUS)" ID="ID_57903950" CREATED="1320636272913" MODIFIED="1320636310296" LINK="http://www.acfonline.org.au/">
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    <p>
      http://www.acfonline.org.au/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.acfonline.org.au/default.asp?section_id=231
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) is committed to inspiring people to achieve a healthy environment for all Australians.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      For 40 years we have been a strong voice for the environment, promoting solutions through research, consultation, education and partnerships. We work with the community, business and government to protect, restore and sustain our environment.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ACF is Australia's leading national not-for profit environment organisation and is funded almost entirely by individual membership and donations.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Since 1966, we have focussed on the most important and urgent environmental problems, seeking change with lasting political, economic and social support. ACF has played a key role in increasing protection for some of Australia's most outstanding natural assets including the Franklin River, Kakadu, the Daintree Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.acfonline.org.au/articles/news.asp?news_id=339
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Philosophy
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Australian Conservation Foundation:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Reveres the enormous sweep and splendour of life on earth which has evolved over billions of years.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Values and promotes in all Australians a love for this ancient island continent, its seas and waters and its unique life forms and landscapes.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Recognises that we share the earth with many other living things that have intrinsic value and warrant our respect, whether or not they are of benefit to us.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Seeks to protect biological diversity; the different plants, animals and microorganisms, the genes they contain, and the ecosystems of which they form a part and their potential to evolve.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Recognises that human society and economic activity depends upon the sustainability of the planet's natural systems.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Seeks a society that changes our relationship to the earth to one of harmony with the environment: from one of dominance to partnership; from fragmentation to connection; from insecurity to interdependence.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Believes that each generation holds the earth's natural values in trust for present and future generations.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Values and respects the custodianship and the continuing and special relationship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples to their traditional lands and waters.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Values and works co-operatively with those who advocate for and take action to protect the environment.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Believes that social equity and justice are fundamental to sound environment outcomes. Believes that strong environmental policies help to achieve society's goals of improved quality of life, good health and a sound economy.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Values participatory democracy and will work to defend the rights and enhance the role of all people in protecting the environment.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Will pursue positive solutions to environmental issues, which include consideration of social and cultural impact.
    </p>
  </body>
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</node>
<node TEXT="TEC - Total Environment Centre (AUS)" ID="ID_839113621" CREATED="1320636328633" MODIFIED="1320636409469" LINK="http://www.tec.org.au/">
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    <p>
      http://www.tec.org.au/what-we-do
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is TEC?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      TEC has been campaigning for environment protection in the city and country, changing government policy, advising the community and challenging business - since 1972.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Campaigns to date [2010, 79KB]
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.tec.org.au/component/docman/doc_download/351-campaign-history-2010
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Established in 1972 by pioneers of the Australian environmental movement, TEC is a veteran of more than 100 successful campaigns. For over 30 years, we have been working to protect this country's natural and urban environment, flagging the issues, driving debate, supporting community activism and pushing for better environmental policy and practice.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      TEC is a hub - a resource and support base - for environmentalists working on a wide range of issues. With our years of experience in lobbying, campaigns, media and research, we have helped hundreds of community groups in their struggle to protect their local environment. We are fearless critics of government - local, state and federal - but we will also work constructively with governments and business for positive environmental outcomes.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Total Environment Centre (TEC) is an independent, non-profit group run by a Management Committee of professionals from diverse fields and an executive of experienced environmentalists.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Rather than servicing a large public membership, TEC chooses to concentrate its resources on direct campaign activity, lobbying and research. This enables us to focus on our core business - the protection of the environment and the active promotion of sustainable systems and technologies - spending only a small portion of our funds on marketing and overheads.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We use targeted research, publications, forums, persistent lobbying and community action to work for long-term solutions, addressing the cause as well as the symptoms of environmental stress.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      TEC's funding generally comes from donations (30%), philanthropic trusts (25%), independent projects financed by government (25%), events (10%) and bequests (10%). We are registered under the NSW Charities Act and donations of $2 and more are tax deductible.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      During 2010-11 we received the support of the Advocacy Panel (AEMC), Purves Environmental Fund, Pratt Foundation, NSW and Commonwealth governments.
    </p>
  </body>
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</node>
<node TEXT="EEG - Environment East Gippsland (AUS)" ID="ID_476265387" CREATED="1320636424711" MODIFIED="1320636467693" LINK="http://eastgippsland.net.au/">
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    <p>
      http://eastgippsland.net.au/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About Us:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Environment East Gippsland Inc. is the longest running community forest group working solely for the protection of Victoria's last and largest area of ancient forest and surrounding natural environment.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      EEG has been working to protect East Gippsland's natural areas and wildlife for almost 30 years. As a locally based group we play a vital role in information gathering on the local logging industry and badgering our 'forest managers'.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We also network closely with both regional, state an national environment groups, feeding vital information as far and effectively as possible.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      History of EEG:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Environment East Gippsland:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Began in 1982 in response to a proposal to build a large pulpmill in Orbost. (it would have required over 1 million tonnes of wood a year)
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Has a membership of over 400 and a supporters base of over 700.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Is a non-profit group which operates on donations and memberships only. It is run by volunteers. (membership is $15 concession and $20 waged)
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Has an annual operating budget of about $12,000.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our Objectives:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Environment East Gippsland aims to:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Promote conservation values and environmental awareness about East Gippsland
    </p>
    <p>
      - Promote sustainability in environmental, economic and social terms
    </p>
    <p>
      - Make representation to Government re land use and management
    </p>
    <p>
      - Undertake research relevant to the above
    </p>
    <p>
      - Adhere to and promote principles of non-violence
    </p>
    <p>
      - Cooperate with other groups having similar objectives.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What We Do:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - We began by writing letters to government ministers, writing submissions and dealing with government departments and processes. We realised that many of these processes were set up to legitimise what the government intended to do anyway. Public opinion was often held in contempt but the government had to be seen to be 'consulting'. There was a disproportionate amount of valuable time spent 'playing nice' in these processes compared to the often poor and predictable outcomes.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - We now focus more on exposing things like mismanagement, econimic insanity of logging, the woodchip 'mafia', climate links and so on.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - We liaises closely with larger state and national groups such as TWS, EV, ACF.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - We carry out wildlife surveys to identify threatened species in areas due for clearfelling.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - we do on-ground work assessing logged coupes, analysing local information, showing up inconsistencies, documenting breaches of environmental codes etc.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - We campaign to make the logging industry truly sustainable which to a large degree involves a shift into existing plantations.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - We help in the wider campaigns of company boycotts.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - We are involved in legal challenges when funds permit.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - We constantly challenge the government and logging/woodchip industry to come clean.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - We hold an annual Easter Forests Forever Ecology camp which attracts over 100 people. Botanists, ecologists and conservationists lead walks and discussions about natural history and the threats to our forests.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - We publish a highly regarded, no-holds barred, satirical and clearly spoken 12-16 page quarterly newsletter covering issues relevant to East Gippsland's environment and wider forest related stories.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - We assist where possible with blockades of controversial areas, by doing such things as sending out media releases, talking to journalists, speaking on radio etc.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Environment East Gippsland is unique in that it does not rely on government funding to pay for staff, rent, phones etc. So we don't have to worry about biting the hand that feeds us. We are regional but are big enough and well organised enough to have a significant influence on the forest debate.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Due to this our independence and professionalism, we're able to target government with more gusto than many mainstream groups who rely on funding from governments.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We are neither 'feral' nor super-professional. We are local people rather than city-based giving us the ability to carry out work city groups are not able to; speaking with foresters, hearing the local 'goss' about the industry, being able to document evidence of environmental breaches and so on. We can then feed this onto larger groups who have a better ability to gain media attention on forest issues.
    </p>
  </body>
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</node>
<node TEXT="GEA - Gene Ethics, Australia (AUS)" ID="ID_1529023188" CREATED="1320636491837" MODIFIED="1320636553186" LINK="http://www.geneethics.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.geneethics.org/about
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About Us
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our Vision
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Gene Ethics envisages a safer, more equitable and more sustainable GM-free society.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Mission Statement
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Gene Ethics is a non-profit educational network of citizens and kindred groups. We want the precautionary principle, scientific evidence and the law rigorously applied to all proposed uses of genetic manipulation (GM) technologies and their products.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Gene Ethics generates and distributes accurate information and analysis on the ethical, environmental, social and economic impacts of GM. Our education programs critically assess GM for the public, policy-makers and interest groups.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Campaigns:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.geneethics.org/campaigns/display/4
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Keep Australia GM Free
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In 2002, the Commonwealth Office of Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) gave Bayer and Monsanto licences to sell commercial GM canola seed throughout Australia. The licensed varieties are herbicide tolerant so the canola crop would be sprayed more often and at higher doses with toxic weed killer. They also contain foreign genes and proteins, never in the food supply before.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      State governments agreed with widespread warnings that GM canola would adversely impact markets and trade in Australian food products. They used their reserve powers under national laws to protect the economy by banning commercial GM canola for five years and keeping their states GM-free.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The marketers of wheat, barley and milk products were among the many food businesses that added their voice to the effective public protest.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The state bans on GM canola are now being reviewed. Bayer, Monsanto and the US government formed an agribusiness coalition to overturn the bans. They would begin selling GM canola seed throughout Australia from 2008.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The release would be irreversible as several weeds (wild radish, wild turnip and charlock) to which canola is related grow widely in our environment. Canola and these weeds can exchange pollen and genes so the weeds would soon acquire GM herbicide tolerance and become a permanent reservoir of contamination.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Public interest groups and affected GM-free businesses are working hard to keep the bans in place and need your support. A multitude of unresolved problems - health, environmental, social, and economic - require the bans to be extended for five more years, at least.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Your engagement with this campaign is essential to its success - to protect the integrity and security of the human food supply from GM contamination.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Please join in, on this website and in your own community. Future generations - your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren - will thank you for the GM-free future that we can create together.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.geneethics.org/campaigns/display/6
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Terminator Technology
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Terminator would be a GM tool with enormous power. A plant patent is restricted to 20 years but, once released, Terminator may be forever. The technology owner would retain exclusive control of the chemicals and genetic techniques necessary to restore fertility in the seeds created for sale. Melvin Oliver of the USDA who first conceived of Terminator said, &quot;The new technique is to protect US technology and seed patents.&quot; Seed company Delta &amp; Pine Land is now glasshouse testing what they aptly named their &quot;Technology Protection System&quot;. Monsanto now owns Delta. The US government's commitment to project power around the world on behalf of corporations was confirmed by George Bush's remarks on arriving in Sydney for the APEC summit, which included a reference to intellectual property rights as a key topic on his agenda.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      If Terminator were commercialised, farmers would be prevented from using the ancient practices of harvesting, saving and replanting seed, used since agriculture began at least 13,000 years ago. Farmers rely on using these processes to adapt their local varieties to unique environmental, soil and management conditions. As climates change globally local crop development will become even more crucial, especially for the 1.4 billion indigenous people and peasant farmers who depend entirely on farm-saved seed.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We are all custodians, for future generations, of a wonderfully diverse array of food and fiber crops, developed in the public domain by generations of farmers and seed savers. But patents, plant breeders rights and terminator technologies are being used to privatise the global biological commons without our consent
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Monsanto, the largest GM company, is already suing many North American farmers for alleged GM crop patent infringement. The farmers are charged with saving and replanting seeds that contain the company's patented GM genes, without paying a technology fee. In at least some cases, the genes may have arrived through cross contamination but that has been judged irrelevant by North American courts. If commercialised, Terminator would enable Monsanto to enforce its patents without the costly lawsuits, bad publicity and opposition created by suing hundreds of farmers.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Following global public protests in 1999, Monsanto said, &quot;We are making a public commitment not to commercialise sterile seed technologies, such as the one dubbed 'Terminator'.&quot; But now its revised policy, &quot;does not rule out the potential development and use of one of these technologies in the future. The company will continue to study the risks and benefits of this technology on a case-by-case basis.&quot; Monsanto's new and old pledges can be compared at http://www.banterminator.org.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Although the Australian government says it does not have an official public policy on Terminator, Monsanto's case-by-case approach resonates with its position. The Department of Environment and Heritage (DEH) claims they 'do not have a ban on, or overtly support' Terminator, but also says that any proposals to release Terminator crops in Australia would be assessed 'on a case by case basis by the Office of Gene Technology Regulator'.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      This position compromises Australia's commitment to the de facto global moratorium on Terminator, agreed to in 2000 by all the parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The CBD recommended that all governments prohibit field-testing and commercialisation of GURTS.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Since early 2005, Australia, Canada and New Zealand have worked with the US government and industry to overturn the moratorium. For instance, at a CBD meeting in Spain in January 2006, the Australian delegation argued that the precautionary approach be removed from the agreement and that Terminator technologies be assessed on a case-by-case basis. US delegates advised our delegation how to argue for Terminator, since the US - not a party to the convention - has no official standing or vote at the CBD.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The global moratorium on Terminator will again be under threat when the CBD meets early in 2008.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The only certain defense against suicide seeds is a complete and permanent ban, supported by over 400 civil society groups worldwide - farmers, indigenous, religious, and environment groups, etc. See:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      www.banterminator.org/endorsements.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      National governments can ban Terminator technology. Brazilian law prohibits the use, sale, registration, patenting and licensing of Terminator technology and India has banned the registration of Terminator seeds. Australia should also totally and permanently ban Terminator now, to protect food security, farm incomes, crop diversity and the environment, for this and all future generations.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="CFS - The Centre for Food Safety (USA)" ID="ID_1913050197" CREATED="1320636574677" MODIFIED="1320636652408" LINK="http://truefoodnow.org/">
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    <p>
      http://truefoodnow.org/about/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our Mission: The Center for Food Safety works to protect human health and the environment by curbing the proliferation of harmful food production technologies and by promoting organic and other forms of sustainable agriculture. CFS has offices in Washington, DC and San Francisco, CA
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The True Food Network is CFS's grassroots action network, with over 180,000 members across the country. The True Food Network is where concerned citizens can voice their opinions about critical food safety issues, and advocate for a socially just, democratic, and sustainable food system. Join the Network to receive free action alerts and stand up for True Food!
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://truefoodnow.org/campaigns/genetically-engineered-foods/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The genetic engineering of plants and animals is looming as one of the greatest and most intractable environmental challenges of the 21st Century. Already, this novel technology has invaded our grocery stores and our kitchen pantries by fundamentally altering some of our most important staple food crops.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      By being able to take the genetic material from one organism and insert it into the permanent genetic code of another, biotechnologists have engineered numerous novel creations, such as potatoes with bacteria genes, &quot;super&quot; pigs with human growth genes, fish with cattle growth genes, tomatoes with flounder genes, and thousands of other plants, animals and insects. At an alarming rate, these creations are now being patented and released into the environment.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Currently, up to 85 percent of U.S. corn is genetically engineered as are 91 percent of soybeans and 88 percent of cotton (cottonseed oil is often used in food products). It has been estimated that upwards of 70 percent of processed foods on supermarket shelves&#8211;from soda to soup, crackers to condiments&#8211;contain genetically engineered ingredients.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      A number of studies over the past decade have revealed that genetically engineered foods can pose serious risks to humans, domesticated animals, wildlife and the environment. Human health effects can include higher risks of toxicity, allergenicity, antibiotic resistance, immune-suppression and cancer. As for environmental impacts, the use of genetic engineering in agriculture will lead to uncontrolled biological pollution, threatening numerous microbial, plant and animal species with extinction, and the potential contamination of all non-genetically engineered life forms with novel and possibly hazardous genetic material.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Despite these long-term and wide-ranging risks, Congress has yet to pass a single law intended to manage them responsibly. This despite the fact that our regulatory agencies have failed to adequately address the human health or environmental impacts of genetic engineering. On the federal level, eight agencies attempt to regulate biotechnology using 12 different statutes or laws that were written long before genetically engineered food, animals and insects became a reality. The result has been a regulatory tangle, where any regulation even exists, as existing laws are grossly manipulated to manage threats they were never intended to regulate. Among many bizarre examples of these regulatory anomalies is the current attempt by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate genetically engineered fish as &quot;new animal drugs.&quot; Yet, at the same time, the FDA claims it has no jurisdiction over genetically engineered pet fish like the Glofish.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The haphazard and negligent agency regulation of biotechnology has been a disaster for consumers and the environment. Unsuspecting consumers by the tens of millions are being allowed to purchase and consume unlabeled genetically engineered foods, despite a finding by FDA scientists that these foods could pose serious risks. And new genetically engineered crops are being approved by federal agencies despite admissions that they will contaminate native and conventional plants and pose other significant new environmental threats. In short, there has been a complete abdication of any responsible legislative or regulatory oversight of genetically engineered foods. Clearly, now is a critical time to challenge the government's negligence in managing the human health and environmental threats from biotechnology.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CFS seeks to halt the approval, commercialization or release of any new genetically engineered crops until they have been thoroughly tested and found safe for human health and the environment. CFS maintains that any foods that already contain genetically engineered ingredients must be clearly labeled. Additionally, CFS advocates the containment and reduction of existing genetically engineered crops.
    </p>
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</node>
</node>
<node TEXT="Civil Liberties" POSITION="right" ID="ID_1810622900" CREATED="1320628379422" MODIFIED="1320668318962">
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    <p>
      This is the logical stewardship domain of civil liberties.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Of course, many active conscience interdiction dimensions exhibit multi-dimensional modal agency and can be observed to operate in multiple logical stewardship domains, however, usually, a primary, or dominant, domain of operation, or agency, can be identified. Hence for clarity in this mind-map representation, a primary logical stewardship is chosen for each active conscience interdiction dimension.
    </p>
  </body>
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<node TEXT="ACLU - American Civil Liberties Union (USA)" ID="ID_1105844307" CREATED="1320636675011" MODIFIED="1320638177333" LINK="http://www.aclu.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.aclu.org/about/index.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      &quot;So long as we have enough people in this country willing to fight for their rights, we'll be called a democracy.&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      -- ACLU Founder Roger Baldwin
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The ACLU is our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The ACLU Mission:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The American system of government is founded on two counterbalancing principles: that the majority of the people governs, through democratically elected representatives; and that the power even of a democratic majority must be limited, to ensure individual rights.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Majority power is limited by the Constitution's Bill of Rights, which consists of the original ten amendments ratified in 1791, plus the three post-Civil War amendments (the 13th, 14th and 15th) and the 19th Amendment (women's suffrage), adopted in 1920.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The mission of the ACLU is to preserve all of these protections and guarantees:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Your First Amendment rights - freedom of speech, association and assembly; freedom of the press, and freedom of religion.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Your right to equal protection under the law - equal treatment regardless of race, sex, religion or national origin.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Your right to due process - fair treatment by the government whenever the loss of your liberty or property is at stake.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Your right to privacy - freedom from unwarranted government intrusion into your personal and private affairs.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We work also to extend rights to segments of our population that have traditionally been denied their rights, including Native Americans and other people of color; lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people; women; mental-health patients; prisoners; people with disabilities; and the poor.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      If the rights of society's most vulnerable members are denied, everybody's rights are imperiled.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The ACLU was founded by Roger Baldwin, Crystal Eastman, Albert DeSilver and others in 1920. We are nonprofit and nonpartisan and have grown from a roomful of civil liberties activists to an organization of more than 500,000 members and supporters. We handle nearly 6,000 court cases annually from our offices in almost every state.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The ACLU has maintained the position that civil liberties must be respected, even in times of national emergency. The ACLU is supported by annual dues and contributions from its members, plus grants from private foundations and individuals. We do not receive any government funding.
    </p>
  </body>
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</node>
<node TEXT="BBV - Black Box Voting (USA)" ID="ID_1548624775" CREATED="1320638191894" MODIFIED="1320638227835" LINK="http://www.blackboxvoting.org/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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  </head>
  <body>
    <p>
      http://www.blackboxvoting.org/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ABOUT BLACK BOX VOTING
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Black Box Voting is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan elections watchdog group.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Founded: 2004
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - A national organization based in Renton, Washington (suburb of Seattle)
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Closest network TV taping location: Fisher Pathways, Seattle WA
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Mission: The mission of Black Box Voting is to ensure fair and accurate elections through citizen oversight.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Black Box Voting investigates election problems, communicates the problems to the citizenry, and teaches citizens how to manage their own government -- which means teaching citizens how to identify elections problems and providing citizens with the tools to oversee elections. Black Box Voting takes the position that being a citizen means taking an active role in government oversight.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Elections procedures must be fair, they must be inclusive, they must prevent voter disenfranchisement, they must protect each individual's vote by reducing the ability to tamper or miscount. Systems do not achieve quality automatically -- citizen oversight is the key ingredient to fair and accurate elections.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Because We, the People are the owners of our government, we citizens should expect to take an active role in managing the quality of the government systems we have created.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Citizen's Tool Kit: Black Box Voting provides a concise Citizen's Tool Kit to help citizens learn how to oversee elections.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - One-on-one consultation: Black Box Voting provides individualized one-on-one assistance to citizens throughout the U.S. to help them learn to oversee their own elections.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - National Hand Count Registry: Black Box Voting hosts a national registry for citizens willing to volunteer to hand count elections, should their services be needed in any jurisdiction.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Research: Black Box Voting is the first organization to sponsor &quot;hack&quot; research and demonstrations using real voting machines under the supervision of local election officials. Research on voting machine security by Black Box Voting has been validated by a GAO Report, a report by the Brennan Center for Justice, and reports by the EAC and the state of California. procedures.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Evidence collection: Black Box Voting helps citizens collect evidence in the form of videotaped, public records, internal documents and photographic evidence pertaining to election integrity issues.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Annual budget: Approximately $350,000 per year, funded entirely by small citizen donations. Black Box Voting does not accept funding from any voting machine manufacturer, political party, or government agency.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Founded by: Bev Harris, author of the book Black Box Voting (an expose on electronic voting).
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
</node>
<node TEXT="NSWCCL - NSW Council For Civil Liberties (AUS)" ID="ID_1896463222" CREATED="1320638241325" MODIFIED="1320638285558" LINK="http://www.nswccl.org.au/">
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    <p>
      http://www.nswccl.org.au/about/index.php
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About the NSW Council for Civil Liberties
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The NSW Council for Civil Liberties (NSWCCL) was founded in 1963 and is one of Australia's leading human rights and civil liberties organisations. Our aim is to secure the equal rights of everyone (as long as they don't infringe the rights and freedoms of others) and oppose any abuse or excessive power by the State against its people.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      To this end NSWCCL attempts to influence public debate and government policy on a range of human rights issues. We try to secure amendments to laws, or changes in policy, where civil liberties are not fully respected.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We also listen to individual complaints and, through volunteer efforts, attempt to help members of the public with civil liberties problems. We prepare submissions to government, conduct court cases defending infringements of civil liberties, engage regularly in public debates, produce publications, and conduct many other activities.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our achievements
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Recent projects and activities include:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Federal Court cases on the rights of asylum seekers, including Australia's obligations under the Convention against Torture.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Many submissions to federal and state parliaments on issues such as human rights, anti-terrorism legislation, same-sex marriage and Australia's mandatory detention system.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Campaigns for prisoner exchange programs with foreign countries.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Organisation of a national Bill of Rights campaign in association with other interested parties.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
</node>
<node TEXT="CLA - Civil Liberties Australia (AUS)" ID="ID_1407809268" CREATED="1320638307440" MODIFIED="1320638343722" LINK="http://www.cla.asn.au/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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  </head>
  <body>
    <p>
      http://www.cla.asn.au/page/about.php
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Background:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Civil Liberties Australia (CLA) is a national organisation based in Australia's capital city, Canberra, which &quot;stand(s) for people's rights, and go(es) in to bat for everyone's civil liberties&quot;. It is non-party political and independent of other organisations, as well as being funded by its members and donations.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CLA monitors police and security forces, and the actions and inaction of politicians. It reviews proposed legislation to make it better, and keeps watch on government departments and agencies, according to its website, www.cla.asn.au
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The organisation aims to &quot;keep Australia the free and open society it has traditionally been, where you can be yourself without undue interference from 'authority'.&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CLA was formally registered on 10 December 2003 as Civil Liberties Australia (ACT) Incorporated, Association Number 04043 in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) register of associations. Current office bearers are located under the 'The Board' tab associated with this page.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      At 30 June 2007, CLA had approximately 200 members. There were about 160 full members and 40 student members.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In 2004 through 2006, CLA concentrated on ensuring civil liberties and human rights were affected as little as possible by more than 50 pieces of anti-terrorism legislation introduced by the Australian Government as a result of the 11 September 2001 aircraft attacks on the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, USA.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CLA is analysing the civil liberties/human rights status of 12 Pacific Island nations, including Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste, with a view to offering help to form civil society groups if requested.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      A major internal project is to identify and promulgate the precise rights of Australians to protest outside their national Parliament House, and other Parliament and executive buildings.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CLA has proposed a worldwide 10/10 For Life campaign, asking nations to declare a 10-year moratorium on the death penalty from 10 October 2010. It is asking the Australian Government, which is opposed to state execution, to lead an anti-death penalty campaign in the Asia-Pacific region.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Within Australia, CLA is campaigning for more community involvement in setting guidelines for police, in particular in use of Taser stun guns and 'hot'pursuits in vehicles. The organisation is also lecturing to Australian Defence Force cadets on human rights and working with others to establish better safeguards for 'whistleblowers' (people who make 'public interest disclosures').
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CLA has facilitated ANU Law School internships studies on emerging issues in recent years:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - 2006: an analysis of international human rights law in relation to climate and environment change; and
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - 2007: an analysis of the impact of the post-11 September 2001 laws on Australian society, and recommendations for how the nation can return to the traditional rule of law.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - 2007: analysis and recommendations on personal and proxy medical consent laws;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - 2007-8: research and recommendations for new national laws and regulations in relation to DNA.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      History:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CLA is the second civil liberties group formed in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). From about the mid-1970s to the late 1990s, a locally-based organisation called the ACT Council for Civil Liberties (ACTCCL) held regular meetings under the presidency for many years of barrister Laurie O'Sullivan, and then in its final years of lawyer Jon Stanhope, who later was elected to the ACT Legislative Assembly and subsequently became Chief Minister, introducing on 1 July 2004 the first Human Rights Act ('Bill of Rights') in any Australian jurisdiction.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Other noted personalities involved in the earlier ACTCCL were Forbes Gordon, a lawyer and grazier from Braidwood who was instrumental in the founding of the group, and Jennifer Saunders, a prominent female barrister who was President when it ceased to operate around 2000-2001.
    </p>
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</html></richcontent>
</node>
<node TEXT="STJEC - St James Ethics Centre (AUS)" ID="ID_1232844877" CREATED="1320638359815" MODIFIED="1320638402146" LINK="http://www.ethics.org.au/">
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    <p>
      http://www.ethics.org.au/content/about-st-james-ethics-centre
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About St James Ethics Centre
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      St James Ethics Centre is a fully independent, not-for-profit organisation which provides a non-judgemental forum for the promotion and exploration of ethics.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Ethics Centre's mission is to encourage and assist individuals and organisations to include the ethical dimension in their daily lives, and thereby help to create a better world.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      St James Ethics Centre has no political or religious affiliations. Learn more about the Ethics Centre's history and how its name came about:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.ethics.org.au/content/history-st-james-ethics-centre
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Ethical Framework (our values and principles)
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      As befits a responsive organisation, the Ethics Centre is continually evolving. However, underlying its creative and open-ended framework is a considered and consistent approach. This approach is founded on the application of a few core principles:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - We are a centre for applied ethics serving as an independent reference point in the ethical landscape.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Our role is to help inform and enable responsible decision making as part of an examined life.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Our practices are based on respect for the intrinsic dignity of all persons.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - We have a passionate concern to make a constructive contribution to the world in which we live (even when disturbing conventional wisdom).
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - We offer an open forum for dialogue within which thought leadership might emerge &#8211; our own included.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - We offer practical support in cooperation with those with whom we work.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - We offer an example of reflective practice and a refinement of the creative spirit that animates the 'art of doing'.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - We aim for excellence in all that we do. Should we fail to meet our own ideals (as we will surely do from time to time) we will acknowledge this and learn.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - We will act in good conscience with moral courage and compassion. And we will not take ourselves too seriously.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our services
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      St James Ethics Centre uses this approach to provide a secure space for individuals and organisations to explore ethical reflection and decision-making. It provides this space by way of its ethics services:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Ethics Advocacy
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - allows the Ethics Centre to encourage active discussion on the ethical dimension of life and how it relates to specific issues of immediate interest and concern.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Ethics Consulting
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - assisting organisations determine the 'gaps' between their espoused and lived ethical commitments; review or develop their codes of ethics and conduct and we also facilitate discussion on ethical issues.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Ethics Counselling - Ethi-Call
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - providing a space for reflection and the exploration of ethical dilemmas, challenges and issues. Our Ethi-Call Ethics Counselling service - 1800 672 303 - is free, confidential and as anonymous as the client wishes it to be.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Leadership Development
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - providing opportunities for those involved in leadership to develop practices for addressing the central question of ethics - &quot;what ought one to do?&quot; - in their decision-making processes. An important platform in this regard is the Vincent Fairfax Fellowship.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Ethics Training
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - our three core programs, which can be customised to clients needs, are Ethical Intelligence &amp; Good Decision-Making, Business Ethics and Requisites for a Sound Ethical Culture. We also offer accreditation for prospective ethics officers and in-house ethics counsellors as well as train-the-trainer programs.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Responsible Business Practice project
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The aim of this project is to promote responsible business practice in Australia which aligns with key themes emerging from the 2020 Summit. The Australian Federal Government, through Treasury is providing funding to St James Ethics Centre of two million dollars over a period of three years for this project.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      St James Ethics Centre works with individuals, the business world, the professions, governments, community groups and many other diverse organisations. It is widely recognised as the leading organisation of its kind in Australia. Its reputation is also growing in the international arena.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
</node>
</node>
<node TEXT="Human Rights" POSITION="right" ID="ID_960981370" CREATED="1320628402705" MODIFIED="1320668323408">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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    <p>
      This is the logical stewardship domain of human rights.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Of course, many active conscience interdiction dimensions exhibit multi-dimensional modal agency and can be observed to operate in multiple logical stewardship domains, however, usually, a primary, or dominant, domain of operation, or agency, can be identified. Hence for clarity in this mind-map representation, a primary logical stewardship is chosen for each active conscience interdiction dimension.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
<node TEXT="AI - Amnesty International (AUS)" ID="ID_303621245" CREATED="1320638470995" MODIFIED="1320638508599" LINK="http://www.amnesty.org.au/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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  <body>
    <p>
      http://www.amnesty.org.au/wiki/Brief_History/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our Mission
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We are part of the global movement defending human rights and dignity. We work with people in Australia and our region to demand respect for human rights and protect people facing abuse. To do this, we mobilise people, campaign, conduct research and raise money for our work. We are promoting a culture where human rights are embraced, valued and protected.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Amnesty International Australia's vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments. Amnesty International is concerned solely with the impartial protection of human rights.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Brief History
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people campaigning to protect human rights. We have a vision of a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. When those human rights are violated, we:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Search out the facts
    </p>
    <p>
      - Expose what is happening
    </p>
    <p>
      - Mobilise people to put pressure on governments and others to stop the abuse
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Around the world we play a vital role, protecting people and communities who come under attack, encouraging governments and others to respect human rights and raising awareness of the international standards that protect us all.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Amnesty International was founded in 1961 by Peter Benenson, a London barrister. He was outraged at reports that a group of students in Portugal had been jailed for raising a toast to &quot;freedom&quot; in a caf&#233;. So he issued an appeal for the &quot;forgotten prisoners&quot; who were languishing in jails around the world for their non-violent beliefs. And he called on people everywhere to join a mass letter-writing campaign to pressure governments to set them free.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Within months, people in Australia formed groups and joined the worldwide movement, helping create Amnesty International.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Today, it is the world's largest human rights organisation: a global movement of 2.7 million people across 150 countries - 82,000 in Australia - working to defend human rights and dignity.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Traditionally, Amnesty International worked to defend civil and political rights, focused on prisoners of conscience, torture and the death penalty. We have responded to changes in the world, and in the human rights environment around the world, and expanded our area of work to encompass work on economic, social and cultural rights.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In 1977 Amnesty International was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its work.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      &quot;I count the number of times you have saved my life and made our work possible.&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      -- Wangari Maathai, leader of Kenya's Greenbelt Movement and winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. Amnesty International members have taken action to defend her on five separate occasions.
    </p>
    <p>
      In Australia
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Amnesty International Australia is part of this global movement. We work with people across the country and throughout Asia and the Pacific, defending the victims of human rights violations and promoting a culture where all of our human rights are protected.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Across Australia, our members and supporters donate their time, money and expertise to build a stronger voice for human rights. They take part in campaigns, write letters, join groups and networks, have their democratic say in the organisation's direction and raise awareness of human rights in their communities.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
</node>
</node>
<node TEXT="Digital Rights" POSITION="right" ID="ID_1484094297" CREATED="1320628418078" MODIFIED="1320668329958">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
<html>
  <head>
    
  </head>
  <body>
    <p>
      This is the logical stewardship domain of digital rights.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Of course, many active conscience interdiction dimensions exhibit multi-dimensional modal agency and can be observed to operate in multiple logical stewardship domains, however, usually, a primary, or dominant, domain of operation, or agency, can be identified. Hence for clarity in this mind-map representation, a primary logical stewardship is chosen for each active conscience interdiction dimension.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
<node TEXT="EFF - Electronic Frontier Foundation (USA)" ID="ID_625706628" CREATED="1320638546934" MODIFIED="1320638587422" LINK="http://www.eff.org/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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  </head>
  <body>
    <p>
      http://www.eff.org/about
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About the EFF:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      From the Internet to the iPod, technologies are transforming our society and empowering us as speakers, citizens, creators, and consumers. When our freedoms in the networked world come under attack, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the first line of defense. EFF broke new ground when it was founded in 1990 - well before the Internet was on most people's radar - and continues to confront cutting-edge issues defending free speech, privacy, innovation, and consumer rights today. From the beginning, EFF has championed the public interest in every critical battle affecting digital rights.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Blending the expertise of lawyers, policy analysts, activists, and technologists, EFF achieves significant victories on behalf of consumers and the general public. EFF fights for freedom primarily in the courts, bringing and defending lawsuits even when that means taking on the US government or large corporations. By mobilizing more than 50,000 concerned citizens through our Action Center, EFF beats back bad legislation. In addition to advising policymakers, EFF educates the press and public.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      EFF is a donor-funded nonprofit and depends on your support to continue successfully defending your digital rights. Litigation is particularly expensive; because two-thirds of our budget comes from individual donors, every contribution is critical to helping EFF fight -and win-more cases.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      A History of Protecting Freedom Where Law and Technology Collide:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Electronic Frontier Foundation was founded in July of 1990 in response to a basic threat to speech. The United States Secret Service conducted a series of raids tracking the distribution of a document illegally copied from a BellSouth computer that described how the emergency 911 system worked, referred to as the E911 document. The Secret Service believed that if &quot;hackers&quot; knew how to use the telephone lines set aside for receiving emergency phone calls, the lines would become overloaded and people facing true emergencies would be unable to get through.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      One of the alleged recipients of the E911 document was the systems operator at a small games book publisher out of Austin, Texas, named Steve Jackson Games. The Secret Service executed a warrant against the innocent Jackson and took all electronic equipment and copies of an upcoming game book from Steve Jackson Games's premises. Steve Jackson panicked as he watched the deadline come and go for his latest release and still hadn't received his computers back. He was forced to lay off nearly half of his staff. In the end, the Secret Service returned all of Steve Jackson's computers and decided not to press charges against the company, since they were unable to find any copies of the E911 document on any of the computers.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In the meantime, Steve Jackson's business was nearly ruined. And when he and his employees had the opportunity to investigate the returned computers, they noticed that all of the electronic mail that had been stored on the company's electronic bulletin board computer, where non-employee users had dialed in and sent personal messages to one another, had been individually accessed and deleted. Steve Jackson was furious, as he believed his rights as a publisher had been violated and the free speech and privacy rights of his users had been violated. Steve Jackson tried desperately to find a civil liberties group to help him, to no avail. Unfortunately, none of the existing groups understood the technology well enough to understand the import of the issues.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In an electronic community called the Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link (now WELL.com) several informed technologists understood exactly what civil liberties issues were involved. Mitch Kapor, former president of Lotus Development Corporation, John Perry Barlow, Wyoming cattle rancher and lyricist for the Grateful Dead, and John Gilmore, an early employee of Sun Microsystems, decided to do something about it. They formed an organization to work on civil liberties issues raised by new technologies. And on the day they formally announced the organization, they announced that they were representing Steve Jackson Games and several of the company's bulletin board users in a lawsuit they were bringing against the United States Secret Service. The Electronic Frontier Foundation was born!
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Steve Jackson Games case turned out to be an extremely important one in the development of a proper legal framework for cyberspace. For the first time, a court held that electronic mail deserves at least as much protection as telephone calls. We take for granted today that law enforcement must have a warrant that particularly describes all electronic mail messages before seizing and reading them. The Steve Jackson Games case established that principle.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Electronic Frontier Foundation continues to take on cases that set important precedents for the treatment of rights in cyberspace. In our second big case, Bernstein v. U.S. Dept. of Justice, the United States government prohibited a University of California mathematics Ph.D. student from publishing on the Internet an encryption computer program he had created. Years before, the government had placed encryption, a method for scrambling messages so they can only be understood by their intended recipients, on the United States Munitions List, alongside bombs and flamethrowers, as a weapon to be regulated for national security purposes. Companies and individuals exporting items on the munitions list, including software with encryption capabilities, had to obtain prior State Department approval.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Encryption export restrictions crippled American businesses and damaged the free speech rights of individuals. Critical for ecommerce, companies use encryption to safeguard sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, which they send or receive over electronic networks. Companies also secure access to software programs and provide system security using encryption. By limiting the export of encryption, technologies and methods, the U.S. government drove development of security software overseas, where American companies were unable to compete.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The State Department was unsympathetic to Bernstein's situation and told Bernstein he would need a license to be an arms dealer before he could simply post the text of his encryption program on the Internet. They also told him that they would deny him an export license if he actually applied for one, because his technology was too secure.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Electronic Frontier Foundation pulled together a top-notch legal team and sued the United States government on behalf of Dan Bernstein. The court ruled, for the first time ever, that written software code is speech protected by the First Amendment. The court further ruled that the export control laws on encryption violated Bernstein's First Amendment rights by prohibiting his constitutionally protected speech. As a result, the government changed its export regulations. Now everyone has the right to &quot;export&quot; encryption software -- by publishing it on the Internet -- without prior permission from the U.S. government.Once again, the Electronic Frontier Foundation led the charge to establish important cyberspace rights.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Today's Issues:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      While early threats to our right to communicate came from the government, current threats come also from industry, as it seeks to control and expand current revenue sources at the expense of traditional fair use. The trend has been for industry to use a combination of law and technology to suppress the rights of people using technology. Nowhere is this more evident than in the world of copyright law, where the movie and recording studios are trying to dumb down technology to serve their &quot;bottom lines&quot; and manipulate copyright laws to tip the delicate balance toward intellectual property ownership and away from the right to think and speak freely.
    </p>
  </body>
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</node>
<node TEXT="EFA - Electronic Frontiers Australia (AUS)" ID="ID_1713881503" CREATED="1320638643683" MODIFIED="1320641669576" LINK="http://www.efa.org.au/">
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    <p>
      http://www.efa.org.au/about/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Who We Are:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Electronic Frontiers Australia Inc. (EFA) is a non-profit national organisation representing Internet users concerned with on-line freedoms and rights. EFA was established in January 1994 and incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act (S.A.) in May 1994.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      EFA is independent of government and commerce and is funded by membership subscriptions and donations from individuals and organisations with an altruistic interest in promoting online civil liberties.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our major objectives are to protect and promote the civil liberties of users and operators of computer based communications systems such as the Internet, to advocate the amendment of laws and regulations in Australia and elsewhere (both current and proposed) which restrict free speech and to educate the community at large about the social, political, and civil liberties issues involved in the use of computer based communications systems.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      EFA members and supporters come from all parts of Australia and from diverse backgrounds. They are people who recognise that preserving freedoms and rights always depends on the willingness of people to defend them and that combatting the threats posed by the anti-civil libertarian forces, the radical right agenda and ill-informed reports in the media requires constant vigilance and support.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What we do:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      EFA has the honour of serving an aspiration both timeless and immediate in working for online freedoms and rights. It is a timeless aspiration because the defence of liberty is a daily endeavour, history demonstrating that freedoms and rights lost are hard to regain. It is an immediate aspiration because the global Internet offers all people the right to communicate without interference, and governments have the chance to embody Internet freedoms and rights into law, custom and practice for generations to come.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Since 1994, on a shoestring budget and without business premises, EFA has led campaigns within Australia and overseas. Each year EFA spokespersons respond to hundreds of media and public enquiries about Internet regulation.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      They present oral testimony to Parliamentary Committees; attend meetings with members of Parliament and political staffers to explain the need for policy reform and have been keynote speakers and lecturers in Australia and overseas.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Given the limited understanding of politicians and bureaucrats regarding Internet issues when EFA was formed in 1994, EFA can be justifiably proud of achieving a change in Government opinion in relation to censorship, ISP liability and telecommunications policies, and widespread support for EFA's views among key stakeholders and the general public.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      For detailed information about EFA's activities and work (present and past), see the Annual Reports of the EFA Board and/or the chronological listing on the EFA Projects page.
    </p>
  </body>
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</node>
<node TEXT="FSF - Free Software Foundation (USA)" ID="ID_1868109539" CREATED="1320641579317" MODIFIED="1320641640825" LINK="http://www.fsf.org/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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    <p>
      http://www.fsf.org/about/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Free Software and the GNU Operating System:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a 501(c)3 donor supported charity founded in 1985 and based in Boston, MA, USA. The FSF has a worldwide mission to promote computer user freedom and to defend the rights of all free software users.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is free software and why is it so important for society?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Free software is software that gives you the user the freedom to share, study and modify it. We call this free software because the user is free.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      To use free software is to make a political and ethical choice asserting the right to learn, and share what we learn with others. Free software has become the foundation of a learning society where we share our knowledge in a way that others can build upon and enjoy.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Currently, many people use proprietary software that denies users these freedoms and benefits.If we make a copy and give it to a friend, if we try to figure out how the program works, if we put a copy on more than one of our own computers in our own home, we could be caught and fined or put in jail. That's what's in the fine print of the license agreement you accept when using proprietary software.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The corporations behind proprietary software will often spy on your activities and restrict you from sharing with others. And because our computers control much of our personal information and daily activities, proprietary software represents an unacceptable danger to a free society.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The GNU Operating System and the Free Software Movement:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What if there were a worldwide group of talented ethical programmers voluntarily committed to the idea of writing and sharing software with each other and with anyone else who agreed to share alike? What if anyone could be a part of and benefit from this community even without being a computer expert or knowing anything about programming? We wouldn't have to worry about getting caught copying a useful program for our friends-because we wouldn't be doing anything wrong.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In fact, such a movement exists, and you can be a part of it. The free software movement was started in 1983 by computer scientist Richard M. Stallman, when he launched a project called GNU, which stands for &quot;GNU is Not UNIX&quot;, to provide a replacement for the UNIX operating system-a replacement that would respect the freedoms of those using it. Then in 1985, Stallman started the Free Software Foundation, a nonprofit with the mission of advocating and educating on behalf of computer users around the world.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      There are now many variants or 'distributions' of this GNU operating system using the kernel Linux. We recommend those GNU/Linux distributions that are 100% free software; in other words, entirely freedom-respecting.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Today, free software is available for just about any task you can imagine. From complete operating systems like GNU, to over 5,000 individual programs and tools listed in the FSF/UNESCO free software directory.Millions of people around the world - including entire governments - are now using free software on their computers.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our Core Work
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The FSF maintains the Free Software Definition - to show clearly what must be true about a particular software program for it to be considered free software.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The FSF sponsors the GNU project the ongoing effort to provide a complete operating system licensed as free software. We also fund and promote important free software development and provide development systems for GNU software maintainers, including full email and shell services and mailing lists. We are committed to furthering the development of the GNU Operating System and enabling volunteers to easily contribute to that work, including sponsoring Savannah the source code repository and center for free software development.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The FSF holds copyright on a large proportion of the GNU operating system, and other free software. We hold these assets to defend free software from efforts to turn free software proprietary. Every year we collect thousands of copyright assignments from individual software developers and corporations working on free software. We register these copyrights with the US copyright office and enforce the license under which we distribute free software - typically the GNU General Public License. We do this to ensure that free software distributors respect their obligations to pass on the freedom to all users, to share, study and modify the code. We do this work through our Free Software Licensing and Compliance Lab.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The FSF publishes the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL), the worlds most popular free software license, and the only license written with the express purpose of promoting and preserving software freedom. Other important licenses we publish include the GNU Lesser General Public License (GNU LGPL), the GNU Affero General Public License (GNU AGPL) and the GNU Free Document License (GNU FDL). Read more about our free software licensing and related issues.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The FSF campaigns for free software adoption and against proprietary software. Threats to free software include Digital Restrictions Management (DRM), Software Patents and Treacherous Computing. Find out more about our campaigns, and ways to volunteer.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The FSF also provides important resources to the community including the FSF/UNESCO free software directory.
    </p>
  </body>
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</node>
<node TEXT="STI - Save The Internet (USA)" ID="ID_1554861476" CREATED="1320641682595" MODIFIED="1320641724145" LINK="http://www.savetheinternet.com/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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    <p>
      http://www.savetheinternet.com/about
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The SavetheInternet.com Coalition is two million everyday people who have banded together with thousands of nonprofit organizations, businesses and bloggers to protect Internet freedom.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Coalition believes that the Internet is a crucial engine for economic growth, civic engagement and free speech. We're working together to preserve Net Neutrality, the First Amendment of the Internet, which ensures that the Internet remains open to new ideas, innovation and voices.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Because of Net Neutrality, the Internet has always been a level playing field. People everywhere can have their voices heard by thousands, even millions, of others online. The SavetheInternet.com Coalition wants our leaders in Washington to pass strong Net Neutrality protections. We're calling on the president, Congress and the Federal Communications Commission to stand with the public and keep the Internet open.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.freepress.net/about_us
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Free Press and the Free Press Action Fund
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Free Press Basics
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Free Press is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to reform the media. Through education, organizing and advocacy, we promote diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media, quality journalism and universal access to communications.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Free Press was launched in late 2002 by media scholar Robert W. McChesney and Josh Silver, who served as the organization's longtime president and CEO. Craig Aaron, Free Press' former managing director, succeeded Josh Silver as president and CEO in April 2011. Today Free Press is the largest media reform organization in the United States, with nearly half a million activists and members and a full-time staff of more than 40 based in our offices in Washington, D.C., and Florence, Mass.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Free Press and the Free Press Action Fund, our advocacy arm, are nonprofit organizations that rely on the support of our members.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our Purpose
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Media play a huge role in our lives. TV, radio, the Internet, movies, books and newspapers inform and influence our ideas, opinions, values and beliefs. They shape our understanding of the world and give us the information we need to hold our leaders accountable. But our media system is failing.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      This failure isn't natural. For far too long, corrupt media policy has been made behind closed doors in the public's name but without our informed consent. If we want better media, we need better media policies. If we want better policies, we must engage more people in policy debates and demand better media.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      That's why Free Press was created. We're working to make media reform a bona fide political issue in America. Powerful telecommunications, cable and broadcasting companies have plenty of lobbyists to do their bidding. We're making sure the public has a seat at the table, and we're building a movement to make sure the media serve the public interest.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Free Press believes that media reform is crucial not just for creating better news and entertainment, but to advancing every issue you care about. A vibrant, diverse and independent media is the cornerstone of a healthy democracy.
    </p>
  </body>
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</node>
</node>
<node TEXT="Cognitive Liberty" POSITION="right" ID="ID_553813056" CREATED="1320628459147" MODIFIED="1320668334484">
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    <p>
      This is the logical stewardship domain of cognitive liberty.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Of course, many active conscience interdiction dimensions exhibit multi-dimensional modal agency and can be observed to operate in multiple logical stewardship domains, however, usually, a primary, or dominant, domain of operation, or agency, can be identified. Hence for clarity in this mind-map representation, a primary logical stewardship is chosen for each active conscience interdiction dimension.
    </p>
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<node TEXT="EGA - Entheogenesis Australis (AUS)" ID="ID_210278349" CREATED="1320641759926" MODIFIED="1320641815767" LINK="http://entheo.net/">
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    <p>
      http://www.entheo.net/aboutEGA
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ABOUT THE ENTHEOGENESIS AUSTRALIS CONFERENCE
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In its 8th year, EGA hosts an annual conference consisting of lectures, workshops, discussion panels, cinema, performance and art. The event hosts an array of speakers from across Australia and abroad, and aims to address the issues relating to drug use from social, cultural and traditional perspectives. The EGA-11 program will draw on the backgrounds of therapy, biology, pharmacology, psychology, neuroscience, anthropology, botany, visionary art, culture, politics, law and more, to provide a realistic context of the role drugs and altered states play in the modern world.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ABOUT THE ENTHEOGENESIS AUSTRALIS ASSOCIATION
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Entheogenesis Australis (EGA) is a not-for-profit association that exists to create a supportive environment that fosters mature, open discussion about psychoactive plants and chemicals. We seek to explore ways to assess societal impacts and examine the positive applications of plant-based psychoactives and entheogens through our conferences and journal publications, our email announcement list and other psychedelic research initiatives.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Altered states of consciousness have long been a fundamental part of human culture, and as our world becomes increasingly fast-paced, alternative modes are becoming ever more significant and consciously explored. If you've ever asked yourself &quot;Has the 'War on Drugs' created more problems than it tried to solve?&quot; or &quot;is MDMA really a more dangerous drug than alcohol?&quot; &#8211; then EGA is the place for you.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Entheogenesis Australis is a collection of thinkers from all walks of life. We come together to share knowledge about sacred plants, alchemy and states of consciousness.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We hope you will join us on this exploration.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Entheogenesis Australis exists to:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - foster an awareness of the subject of psychoactive plants and chemicals (entheogens) of all kinds, and their roles &#8211; existing and potential - in contemporary society;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - encourage broad acknowledgement of the historical, cultural, medicinal and religious significance of psychoactives for diverse sectors of the community;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - facilitate access to information regarding the history, science and culture of the human cultivation, production and administration of psychoactives, and co-ordinate the establishment of a repository of information on the subject for access by members and interested individuals;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - provide an effective forum for individuals in the academic and public arenas to share their broad-ranging knowledge and understanding of psychoactives, and raise the profile of relevant research and academic discourse in, inter alia, the fields of anthropology, physiology, pharmacology, psychology and the neurosciences;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - promulgate a mature and responsible approach to psychoactives by encouraging communication, peer support and interaction with community on various levels and in diverse contexts.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      HISTORY OF ENTHEOGENESIS AUSTRALIS
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Entheogenesis Australis (EGA) has grown organically over the years, starting out as a Victorian based ethnobotany interest group who were inspired by attending the Ethnobotanica conference - ethnobotanica.org - in Northern New South Wales in 2002. After this event, a small Victorian network develop and started holding mini ethnobotany meetings in Ringwood library. The meetings grew over the years and eventually underwent a formal transformation to become Entheogenesis Australis [EGA] in 2004. The first formal EGA conference, held at Ruby's Lounge in Belgrave, introduced us to a wider audience and move our internet more towards the lecture / panel / workshop format, also introducing arts, music and a spiritual dimension. In 2004 the current core group - Martin, Michael, Carl, Jonathan and Tim - came together and started to chart a more conscious and intentional direction, leading to incorporation as a non-profit association in 2008.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      EGA currently holds an annual conference, alternating between an indoor event at the University of Melbourne, and a larger outdoor conference in Swanpool nestled in the beautiful Strathbogie Ranges in North East Victoria.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      By 2009, a dedicated group of thirty part time volunteers were working on the annual conference, and EGA introduced an annual journal publication to supplement the conference presentations.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      EGA launched an online Drug Policy discussion group in 2010. This is the first of such groups EGA wishes to establish to promote informed dialogue and information sharing. As EGA has grown so too has its commitment to providing a supportive environment for mature and open discussion about psychoactive plants and chemicals.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CONFERENCES [SO FAR]:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      2003: Meetings in Ringwood Library, Melbourne
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      2004: Ruby's Niteclub, Melbourne
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      25-26 June 2005: Gumnet Camp, Grampians, Victoria
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      2-5 June 2006: Opoeia, Otways, Victoria
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      30 Nov - 3 Dec 2007: Strathbogie Outdoor Education Centre, Swanpool, Victoria
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      6 December 2008: Copland Theatre, University of Melbourne
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      6-9 November 2009: Strathbogie Outdoor Education Centre, Swanpool, Victoria
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      14 November 2009: Basement Theatre, Spot Building, University of Melbourne
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      4-5 December 2010: Basement Theatre, Spot Building, University of Melbourne
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      2-5 December 2011: Strathbogie Outdoor Education Centre, Swanpool, Victoria
    </p>
  </body>
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</node>
<node TEXT="NHE - Nimbin HEMP Embassy (AUS)" ID="ID_1436872566" CREATED="1320641845720" MODIFIED="1320641875452" LINK="http://www.hempembassy.net/">
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    <p>
      http://www.hempembassy.net/hempe/index.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      JUST SAY NO TO PROHIBITION
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      1.0 Introduction
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Nimbin Hemp Embassy was established in 1992. The Embassy's prime activities are promoting drug law reform by educating the community in general, and promoting a more tolerant and compassionate attitude to people in general.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Embassy supports other various community groups. The Hemp Embassy is supported by many influential community figures. We try to remain a &quot;grass roots&quot; organisation, and try to avoid being compromised in our message by any sponsorship arrangements or agreements. Naturally this means we are often &quot;running on empty&quot; and are definitely open to spontaneous donations.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      2.0 Finance and Management Structure
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Nimbin Hemp Embassy in a non-profit association incorporated under the name &quot;Nimbin Hemp&quot;. The Embassy is under stable and reliable management. Accurate and honest bookkeeping is maintained, and may be viewed by arrangement.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Tomato Sauce, a heritage building, has been kept in good repair by the Embassy, and regular inspections are made to ensure the building remains so. There is close to 24-hour presence on the property for security.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      3.0 The Hemp Embassy Shop
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Hemp Embassy generates some of its operating costs by running the Hemp Embassy Shop. We provide a retail outlet for local clothing designers, artists, candle makers, soap makers, potters and woodworkers. We aim to support local arts and crafts people in our promotions, and provide drug information to those who seek it. The Embassy does not sell any drugs. That trade is quite adequately catered for on the street. We are drug law reform advocates.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Hemp Embassy actively participates in watching the street outside for disturbances and emergencies. A stretcher is kept on the premises for transporting drug overdose victims to the hospital, but its use has declined in the last couple of years as patterns of street drug behaviour have shifted.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We provide a phone service for drug education and referral.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      4.0 MardiGrass
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Nimbin Hemp Embassy sponsors the annual Nimbin MardiGrass festival. MardiGrass is one of the best organised and most peaceful festivals in Australia. MardiGrass has become a respected forum for seminars on industrial hemp, medicinal cannabis, and drug law reform. MardiGrass is a major boost to the local economy and a huge drawcard for Australian and international tourists.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      5.0 Historical considerations:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Nimbin Hemp Embassy provides the Nimbin community with a tangible presence of the Aquarius Age which initially brought so many to live and visit our community. Tourists and local people alike have a colorful and dynamic reminder of the origins of counter-culture and the plethora of other socio-political issues that have evolved as a result of the increase in awareness.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Tomato Sauce building has been part of alternative Nimbin since the Aquarius Festival. It was inhabited by Graeme Dunstan and Vi Tourle for a period during and after the Aquarius festival, which it also figured in, and was later sold to the Community School at a nominal price. It became the Community School Annexe, and then a Youth Club. Since the Nineties it has been the Nimbin HEMP Embassy. Many people who were involved in Aquarius also support the Embassy's aims, and some are members.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The downstairs room, having been the Hemp Embassy and MardiGrass headquarters for many years, is wallpapered with irreplaceable posters and newspaper articles, and is in fact a historical site for drug law reform activism in Australia.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      6.0 Educational Projects:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Hemp Embassy is constantly adding to an already large and definitive reference library on a range of issues such as: industrial hemp, medicinal usage, law reform issues.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Medicinal Cannabis
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Embassy runs Seminars on medicinal cannabis, supported by doctors and psychiatrists like Dr David Helliwell and Dr Harry Freeman. During Mardi Grass '99 the Hemp Embassy sponsored the visit of Dennis Peron, leading Californian politician and medical cannabis activist.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Hemp Embassy is actively researching medicinal cannabis use in collaboration with Dr David Helliwell, and Andrew Kavasilas has published &quot;Medical Uses of Cannabis -Information for Medical Practitioners&quot;.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Multi-media learning facility
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Hemp Embassy provides visitors and researchers of all ages a variety of sources with current information and networking facilities. This information is accessed via books, an extensive video/DVD library, an up-to-date news clipping collection and computer-based learning facilities such as the Hemp Embassy website, which is constantly updated and disseminates information locally and internationally.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
</node>
<node TEXT="TEC - The Erowid Centre (USA)" ID="ID_1033652016" CREATED="1320641928899" MODIFIED="1320641965932" LINK="http://www.erowid.org/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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  <head>
    
  </head>
  <body>
    <p>
      http://www.erowid.org/general/about/about.shtml
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our Mission:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Erowid is a member-supported organization providing access to reliable, non-judgmental information about psychoactive plants and chemicals and related issues. We work with academic, medical, and experiential experts to develop and publish new resources, as well as to improve and increase access to already existing resources. We also strive to ensure that these resources are maintained and preserved as a historical record for the future.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our Vision:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We imagine a world where people treat psychoactives with respect and awareness; where people work together to collect and share knowledge in ways that strengthen their understanding of themselves and provide insight into the complex choices faced by individuals and societies alike. We believe that truth, accuracy, and integrity in publishing information about psychoactives will lead to healthier and more balanced choices, behaviors, and policies around all psychoactive medications, entheogens, herbs, and recreational drugs. Erowid's vision is to facilitate and create resources that are part of the evolution towards this goal.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.erowid.org/general/about/about_faq.shtml
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      THE ORGANIZATION
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is Erowid?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Erowid is a small non-commercial organization that operates in the controversial and politically challenging niche of trying to provide accurate, specific, and responsible information about how psychoactives are used in the United States and around the world. We are committed to protecting the privacy of contributors and reporting on the topic non-judgmentally. Although our primary focus is on the Erowid.org web site, we also provide research and data for other harm reduction, health, and educational organizations.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Who runs Erowid?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Erowid was founded in October 1995 by Fire and Earth Erowid. The site was a part-time project until October 1999 when it became large enough for Fire to begin working on it full-time. Earth joined her working full-time in March 2000. The site was run as a non-commercial business through 2007. As of January 2008, operation of the site was taken over by the newly formed non-profit Erowid Center. Erowid Center now has four primary staff members, two part-time staff, and dozens of valuable volunteers who help process incoming data, seek out new resources, and/or help keep the site up-to-date.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What does &quot;Erowid&quot; mean?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The word Erowid is a created word based on indo-european roots meaning approximately &quot;Earth Wisdom&quot;. This question was answered more fully in the article The Etymology of Erowid published in Erowid Extracts No 2, from December 2001.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Where is Erowid located?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Erowid does not have an office but is generally based in Northern California. The server is in San Francisco, California and all of the work is done remotely from staff and volunteers' homes in various parts of the world.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is Erowid's History?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The word Erowid was created in late 1994 / early 1995. The Erowid domain name (Erowid.com at the time) was registered in April 1995. We began building webpages about &quot;entheogens&quot; in the late summer of 1995. By October, we had developed a small site which was publicly available, but hadn't yet been announced or submitted to search engines. In March 1996, we began submitting the site to search engines and the traffic began to grow.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      THE SITE
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is Erowid.org?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Erowid.org is an online library of information about psychoactive plants, chemicals, and related topics. The site is cross between a library and a journal, both archiving older historical documents and information as well as publishing new articles.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Why was Erowid started?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Although the risks and problems of psychoactives are widely discussed, it's also clear that psychoactive plants and chemicals have played a positive role in many people's lives. Unfortunately, there is a serious lack of balance in the information provided by many resources.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      As our culture struggles with integrating the increasing variety and availability of these substances into its political and social structures, new educational models are clearly needed. Erowid is founded on the belief that a healthy relationship with psychoactives is one grounded in balance, where use is part of an active, intellectual, physical, and spiritual life. We believe that access to information is key to creating these healthier relationships with psychoactives.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Is Erowid legal?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The short answer is &quot;yes, of course.&quot; Erowid does not violate any federal or state law and we work to be as meticulous with our financial accounting as we can be. Some people are concerned that simply providing controversial and diverse information about controlled substances (aka 'illegal drugs') could be a violation of the law. The issues are more complicated that a simple yes-no answer can provide, but generally there are two major components: first, 'illegal drugs' are not 'illegal' in all cases, and second, it is legal to talk about them as long as one is not otherwise committing, facilitating or encouraging the commission of a specific criminal act.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Many people need information about psychoactive drugs including doctors, lawyers, law-enforcement personnel, parents and educators, not to mention those most likely to be affected by their use. Controlled substances such as LSD, cocaine, and heroin are used for research and in a variety of other circumstances (drug testing, forensic analysis, etc.). Many substances are illegal in some cases and not in others: GHB is currently listed as a Schedule I drug (only allowed for highly-controlled licensed research) and also a Schedule III medicinal drug (currently being investigated as a treatment for narcolepsy). The issue of when and how drugs are actually illegal is something we try to educate the public about.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The First Amendment of the United States is a very strong shield against censorship. Just because the content we publish is disliked by some does not make publishing it a violation of the law. The main thing that we strive to avoid and try to train all our volunteers to avoid is providing specific advice to individuals that could be used in the commission of a crime. Although this limits our ability to offer direct harm reduction recommendations, we believe that it is important for our staff to conservatively follow the laws of the United States.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
</node>
<node TEXT="SSDP - Students For Sensible Drug Policy (USA)" ID="ID_167567768" CREATED="1320641978270" MODIFIED="1320642019510" LINK="http://ssdp.org/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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    <p>
      http://ssdp.org/about/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Mission Statement:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Students for Sensible Drug Policy is an international grassroots network of students who are concerned about the impact drug abuse has on our communities, but who also know that the War on Drugs is failing our generation and our society.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      SSDP mobilizes and empowers young people to participate in the political process, pushing for sensible policies to achieve a safer and more just future, while fighting back against counterproductive Drug War policies, particularly those that directly harm students and youth.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Values Statement:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Students for Sensible Drug Policy neither encourages nor condemns drug use. Rather, we seek to reduce the harms caused by drug abuse and drug policies. As young people, we strive toward a just and compassionate society where drug abuse is treated as a health issue instead of a criminal justice issue.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We recognize that the very real harms of drug abuse are not adequately addressed by current policies and we advocate measures that would effectively help those who develop drug problems. Yet, we also believe that individuals must ultimately be allowed to make decisions for themselves as long as their actions do not infringe upon anyone else's freedoms or safety.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Because the War on Drugs has historically been justified as necessary to protect youth, it is our responsibility as young people to stop this harmful war from being waged in our names any longer. As scholars, we seek solutions to society's drug problems through focused research, honest dialogue, and informed debate, instead of unquestioned extremism, punishment, and propaganda.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      SSDP's Structure as a Grassroots Organization:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      SSDP is comprised of student chapters all across the country. Any student anywhere can start a chapter. While SSDP has a variety of national campaigns and actions that everyone can participate in, chapters are also encouraged to work on those issues that have the most traction in their own communities.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Annually SSDPers convene for a national conference. There, students acquire essential activist knowledge and skills. Also, chapters elect students to serve on SSDP's Board of Directors. The Board in turn selects and oversees SSDP's executive director, who is responsible for tending to both the day-to-day operations of the organization, as well as its long-term direction.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      An important duty of the executive director is to hire and manage staff. Currently, besides an executive director, SSDP has a government relations director, a national field director, a national outreach director, and a webmaster. Ultimately, the SSDP staff exists to serve and represent SSDP's chapters and activists.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Legally, SSDP consists of two separate, distinct entities - Students for Sensible Drug Policy Foundation and Students for Sensible Drug Policy Inc.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The former, as a 501(c)3 organization, engages in education and outreach. Donations to SSDP Foundation are tax- deductible.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      SSDP Inc, as a 501(c)4 organization, engages in advocacy, or attempts to effect change to law and policy. Accordingly, donations to SSDP Inc are not tax-deductible.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
</node>
<node TEXT="SDW/DRC - Stop The Drug War - DRCNet (USA)" ID="ID_454357069" CREATED="1320642040069" MODIFIED="1320642086316" LINK="http://stopthedrugwar.org/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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  </head>
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    <p>
      http://stopthedrugwar.org/about
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About DRCNet:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About the Drug Reform Coordination Network:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Stop the Drug War (DRCNet) calls for an end to drug prohibition (e.g. some form of legalization), and its replacement with some sensible framework in which drugs can be regulated and controlled instead.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Founded in 1993 by executive director David Borden, DRCNet has from the beginning called unambiguously for an end to prohibition; we are the largest &quot;full-purpose&quot; national membership organization with a wide range of programs to hold that position.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      DRCNet is the acknowledged leader in the field of online educational publishing in drug policy reform. Our educational programs are global in scope; currently the primary ones include the acclaimed weekly online newsletter Drug War Chronicle, and now the &quot;Stop the Drug War Speakeasy&quot; blogosphere network. Drug War Chronicle is a major resource used extensively by activists, media and leaders in a range of relevant professions to empower their work.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      DRCNet's &quot;Prohibition in the Media&quot; campaign, which is organized as a part of the &quot;Speakeasy,&quot; seeks to have mainstream media outlets recognize the consequences of prohibition as such in their reporting.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In 2003 DRCNet organized an educational Latin American drug legalization summit in Mexico, in which legislators from six nations including a Colombian senator and former supreme court chief justice participated, a record level of high-level political participation for a drug reform conference.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      DRCNet is also a &quot;support&quot; organization that uses our 32,000+ online network and publishing venues to build, support and amplify the work of all the other organizations in the movement -- DRCNet in fact directly started or enabled the founding of three other organizations, including Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Flex Your Rights and Drugsense.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Finally, DRCNet is an advocacy organization that works for concrete policy reform in the US at both the federal and state level. DRCNet is the organization that launched the campaign to repeal the drug provision of the Higher Education Act, a law which delays or denies financial aid to would-be students because of drug convictions. This campaign scored a major victory with the scaling back of the law in February 2006. DRCNet founded and coordinates the Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform, which has broadened the effort to also target the inadvertent denial of state financial aid that this federal law has caused.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In 2002 DRCNet organized a CHEAR press conference outside the US Capitol which set another record for drug policy reform by drawing the participation of ten members of Congress. DRCNet also disseminates &quot;action alerts&quot; urging our supporters to lobby Congress and other policymaking bodies in support of positive reforms such as sentencing reductions, medical marijuana and needle exchange and in opposition to new mandatory minimum sentences and escalation of the drug war in Colombia, and many other issues.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      A DRCNet program that straddles advocacy, education and charity is the John W. Perry Fund, a program assisting students who have lost federal financial aid because of drug convictions with scholarships. The Perry Fund has distributed more than $20,000 in scholarships to 15 students, several of whom have gone on to do interviews with major media outlets.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      DRCNet's National Perry Fund Campaign has held receptions featuring several members of Congress as well as other political leaders, celebrities and prominent advocates. The Perry Fund was responsible for locating two of the three student plaintiffs in a pending lawsuit organized by the ACLU that is challenging the drug provision on constitutional grounds.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      DRCNet opposes the prison-building frenzy and supports rational policies consistent with the principles of peace, justice, freedom, compassion and truth. Each of these has been compromised in the name of the Drug War.
    </p>
  </body>
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</node>
<node TEXT="VH - Vote Hemp (USA)" ID="ID_1815362819" CREATED="1320642306963" MODIFIED="1320642342544" LINK="http://www.votehemp.com/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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  <body>
    <p>
      http://www.votehemp.com/about_overview.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Mission and Goals:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Vote Hemp is a national, single-issue, nonprofit organization dedicated to the acceptance of and free market for low-THC industrial hemp and to changes in current law to allow U.S. farmers to once again grow this agricultural crop. We educate people on the issues surrounding hemp, register voters, and build coalitions to fulfill our mission.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Vote Hemp is working to shift federal regulation of industrial hemp farming out of the hands of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and back to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) or get hemp farming regulated on the state level.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Vote Hemp also works to defend against any new laws, regulations or policies that would prohibit or restrict hemp commerce or imports.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Vote Hemp was founded in May 2000 by members of the hemp industry and was incorporated in the District of Columbia as a non-profit 501(c)4 organization. Since then Vote Hemp has emerged as the unquestionable lead political activist organization of the hemp industry. We have demonstrated that Vote Hemp is a strategic organization working for meaningful change in Washington, DC, a necessary precursor to expanding the hemp industry in the U.S. and worldwide.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      To get a deeper understanding of the mission of Vote Hemp please read The Vote Hemp Treatise: A Renewal of Common Sense: The Case for Hemp in 21st Century America, written by Erik Rothenberg, President of Atlas Corporation and a former Director of Vote Hemp.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.votehemp.com/overview.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Overview
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Vote Hemp seeks the full normalization of and a free market for industrial hemp in America. Vote Hemp's mission is to educate consumers, business owners, farmers and legislators about the many benefits of industrial hemp and to mobilize voters to elect pro-hemp politicians.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Hemp is one of the few issues on the national debate that enjoys tremendous bipartisan and cross-cultural support. Democrats and Libertarians, Greens and Republicans, farmers and hippies, global corporations and small mom-and-pop businesses are all part of the broad coalition in favor of industrial hemp.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      They all have one thing in common: an education in the facts.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
</node>
<node TEXT="MAP/DS - Media Awareness Project - DrugSense (USA)" ID="ID_372331394" CREATED="1320642370274" MODIFIED="1320642408399" LINK="http://www.drugsense.org/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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  </head>
  <body>
    <p>
      http://www.drugsense.org/pages/mission.htm
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Goals and Objectives:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      DrugSense and its largest project MAP combine to form a 501 c3 non-profit corporation. We exist to provide accurate information relevant to drug policy in order to heighten awareness of the extreme damage being caused to our nation and the world by our current flawed and failed &quot;War on Drugs.&quot; We aim to inform the public of the existence of rational alternatives to the drug war, and to help organize citizens to bring about needed reforms.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      To further those objectives, and in recognition of the critical role played by the media and the public, we:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Call attention to factual errors and excesses of policy as reported by the working press and broadcast news organizations.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Promote debate and discussion by encouraging citizens to communicate their views directly to the media and the public.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Provide on-line and technical support for a wide range of reform organizations, large and small, including but not limited to providing free email chat lists, news information feeds, and web site creation and support. See our site map for a list of the organizations we support.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Create and maintain a growing, easily searched, library of news and opinion as a research and educational tool.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We believe that public policy has nothing to fear from the truth. Effective policies require a clear understanding of their results.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We believe that prohibition is a system which unleashes powerful forces, most notably the illegal drug markets, that inevitably make the underlying drug problem worse while adding a series of costly unintended side effects, including damage to the very values upon which free nations have been founded.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We believe that a public well informed about the death, disease and social blight produced by current US drug policy must inevitably seek to reform it.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
</node>
<node TEXT="NORML - National Organisation Reform Marijuana Laws (USA)" ID="ID_720818961" CREATED="1320642422439" MODIFIED="1320642463137" LINK="http://norml.org/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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    <p>
      http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3379
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      NORML Mission Statement
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      NORML's mission is to move public opinion sufficiently to achieve the repeal of marijuana prohibition so that the responsible use of cannabis by adults is no longer subject to penalty.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Adopted by the NORML Board of Directors, February 27, 1999.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is NORML and what does the organization stand for?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      NORML is a nonprofit, public-interest lobby that for more than 30 years has provided a voice for those Americans who oppose marijuana prohibition. We represent the interests of the tens of millions of Americans who smoke marijuana responsibly and believe the recreational and medicinal use of marijuana should no longer be a crime.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      NORML supports the removal of all criminal penalties for the private possession and responsible use of marijuana by adults, including the cultivation for personal use, and the casual nonprofit transfers of small amounts. This model, similar to that recommended to Congress by President Nixon's esteemed Shafer Commission in 1972, is called &quot;decriminalization.&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      NORML additionally supports the development of a legally controlled market for marijuana, where consumers could purchase it from a safe, legal and regulated source. This model is referred to as &quot;legalization.&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      NORML believes that marijuana smoking is not for kids and should only be used responsibly by adults. As with alcohol consumption, it must never be an excuse for misconduct or other bad behavior. Driving or operating heavy equipment while impaired from marijuana should be prohibited.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      NORML strongly supports the right of patients to use marijuana as a medicine when their physician recommends it to relieve pain and suffering. NORML has advocated for the legal use of medicinal marijuana since 1972.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Lastly, NORML supports the right of farmers to commercially cultivate the non-psychoactive strain of cannabis known as hemp for industrial purposes, such as food and fiber production.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What does NORML do?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      NORML lobbies Congress and state legislatures for more rational and cost- effective marijuana policies. We provide expert witnesses for legislative hearings in support of marijuana reform legislation and to provide testimony to assist defendants charged with marijuana offenses.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      NORML also serves as a marijuana-law reform advocate with the media nationwide, publishes a periodic newsletter, and maintains a comprehensive web site, which includes a 50-state legislative tracking system, where visitors can inform themselves about the issue and send a free fax or an e-mail to their state and federal elected officials.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In addition, we maintain a legal committee comprised of 350 criminal defense attorneys nationwide who specialize in the defense of individuals charged with marijuana-related offenses.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Because NORML lobbies state and federal elected officials, contributions to the organization are not tax deductible.
    </p>
  </body>
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</node>
<node TEXT="MPP - Marijuana Policy Project (USA)" ID="ID_170458034" CREATED="1320642521421" MODIFIED="1320642560658" LINK="http://www.mpp.org">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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    <p>
      http://www.mpp.org/about/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About the Marijuana Policy Project
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Someone is arrested for a marijuana offense every 36 seconds.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - 89% of these are for marijuana possession - not for sale or manufacture.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - In the U.S., there are more arrests for marijuana possession each year than for all violent crimes combined.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Marijuana prohibition has failed. It's time for a new approach, and MPP is leading the way. Since our founding in 1995, we've been making real progress in reforming U.S. marijuana laws, by:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ... lobbying for legislation and running ballot initiative campaigns to allow seriously ill patients to use medical marijuana with their doctors' recommendations
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ... lobbying for legislation and sponsoring ballot initiatives to replace marijuana prohibition with a sensible system of regulation
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ... garnering widespread media coverage of the need to change marijuana policies
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ... lobbying Congress to reduce the White House drug czar's budget for his deceptive ad campaigns
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ... building coalitions of supportive individuals and organizations to advocate on behalf of marijuana policy reform
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ... and much more.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Because MPP believes that the greatest harm associated with marijuana is prison, we focus on removing criminal penalties for marijuana use, with a particular emphasis on making marijuana medically available to seriously ill people who have the approval of their doctors.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We know that real change takes more than good ideas, and so MPP is all about getting results - changing policies and laws. Please learn about some of our major accomplishments.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      And if you are one of the millions of Americans who agrees that it's time to stop arresting marijuana users, please consider donating to our work. We are making real progress - but we are 100% reliant on donations from people like you to push forward in our work.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
</node>
<node TEXT="ISCD - Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs (GBR)" ID="ID_1728813004" CREATED="1320642590220" MODIFIED="1320642625871" LINK="http://www.drugscience.org.uk/">
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    <p>
      http://www.drugscience.org.uk/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Welcome to the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Drugscience.org.uk offers impartial objective information on drugs and drug harms to the public, to educators and to academics.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs receives no government funding so is able to provide scientific findings free from the constraints of policy making and politics.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      All information given is based on the best available evidence especially scientific studies and peer-reviewed papers. Each page is designed to be easy to understand for everyone with links given to the evidence that it's based upon.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.drugscience.org.uk/about-us.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About us
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs has been founded to investigate and review the scientific evidence relating to drugs, free from political concerns.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Committee will provide accessible information on drugs to the public and professionals.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      It will address issues surrounding drug harms and benefits; regulation and education; prevention, treatment and recovery.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We will also be using social networking sites: follow us now on Twitter at @ProfDavidNutt and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/professordavidnutt.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
</node>
<node TEXT="ICEERS - The International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service (NLD)" ID="ID_140240730" CREATED="1320642640212" MODIFIED="1320642686879" LINK="http://iceers.org/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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    <p>
      http://iceers.org/about/why-we-exist.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Societal Epidemic
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      A society has emerged in which worldwide 450 million people suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder, which translates to an estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older - about one in four adults - and approximately 11 percent of the population in the Europe.. According to the WHO by 2030 depression will be the most important health problem in first world countries, only preceded by AIDS and prenatal death in third world countries More than 200 million people worldwide have a drug dependence, which in the US alone carried an economical price tag of $246 billion in 1992. Beyond these statistics lay the quiet suffering of millions, perhaps even the majority of our society, who live under the radar of official, medical prognoses; those with unresolved trauma, damaged self esteem, unhealthy relationships, social anxiety and a vast spectrum of neuroses accumulated through personal history. Each of these factors has the capacity to generate a host of emotional distresses, self-limiting defense mechanisms and self-destructive behaviors, all of which stand as an obstacle to personal growth and well being.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      These mental and behavioral problems stretch beyond the individual and slowly tear at the fabric of society's primary support structure: The family. While we all bear witness to the gradual breakdown of relationships amongst friends, neighbors and family members, we also see the toll these pressures extend to the communities in which we live. As individuals retreat into their own, isolated &quot;bubbles&quot; of electronic sound bites incidents of road-rage, school shootings, domestic violence continue to rise at an unprecedented rate. In response to these factors, our towns', our cities' social resources, public health services, education, economy and labor markets all suffer under the weight of this swiftly growing epidemic of disorder.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Over-Medicalization
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In this fast-food, throw-away world, society has fallen prey to the &quot;quick-fix&quot; approach to every dilemma, both big and small. This has led to the convenient belief that all psychological conditions we are currently facing stem from a concrete, neurobiological or genetic origin. The attractiveness of this practice is the promise of a quick and easy solution.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Personal responsibility for one's condition is now a thing of the past as our health care systems would have us believe that genetics, brain malfunctions or chemical imbalances are the primary sources of such disorders. The race to drown complex symptoms under a barrage of labels (ADHD, borderline personality and eating disorders) evokes the illusion that these are isolated syndromes, problems in and of themselves that can, and should, be merely suppressed.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      This brings us to the major shortcomings of a purely medical approach that lacks the tools and resources to address these complex, multilayered problems at their root.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      To the root of the problem (Pitfalls of Psychotherapy)
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In addition to the medical industry's difficulty to effectively address these obstacles to personal growth, the therapeutic model is one that often requires years of dedication and patience before any visible progress can be made. For example, it is estimated that therapeutic interventions for alcoholism offer little more hope than a 20 percent success rate, among which nearly 80 percent fall to relapse within 2 years time. In our fast paced society, this poses an obvious dilemma to the newer generations who demand effective, immediate solutions. It is imperative that new strategies of intervention are applied to detect and heal the recurrent psycho-social problems we face today.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Beyond the ever growing need for efficient strategies in psycho-social problem solving, family and social structures would greatly benefit from effective methods for maximizing personal and career growth in 'healthy' individuals. Existing disciplines show to be only available to a limited amount of people and not suitable to catalyze the growth process on all levels - mental, emotional, physical, behavioral, social and spiritual. The interrelation of all these levels, each level participatory and interactive with others, demand methods that are designed as such.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Environmental Crisis
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We can no longer comfortably ignore humanity's snowballing array of malfunctions as our lack of awareness progressively threatens the very planet which supports us. Never before have our resources been so carelessly disregarded; from the pollution in the water we drink, the toxins in the air we breathe, to the systematic destruction of our rainforests. And the forecasts for our near future offer even less comfort. And in the process of trampling over our natural resources, the ones who are most currently affected are the indigenous peoples of the rainforests, in the Amazon and elsewhere.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Along with the millions of native lives that are threatened, our assault on their lands is slowly annihilating thousands of years of ethnobotanical knowledge and practice as well as delicate, botanical resources. Over eighty percent of our pharmaceuticals originated from the very lands we are plowing over today. With every new species of plant we trample into extinction, we may very well be destroying potential solutions for the world's growing list of incurable diseases.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://iceers.org/about/our-mission.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ICEERS' Mission Statement
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research &amp; Service is a philantropic, tax-exempt, non-profit organization based in the Netherlands.
    </p>
    <p>
      I
    </p>
    <p>
      CEERS is dedicated to integrating indigenous ethnobotanical knowledge with a modern framework, for the advancement of today's society.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      MISSION
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Working on three fronts: Education, Research and Service - ICEERS is dedicated to marshal the forces of ancient, indigenous ethnobotanical knowledge and modern therapeutic practice for the purpose of answering the desperate cry for efficient tools for personal and social development.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      VISION
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Through addressing problems related to personal growth, family and social structures, the integrated, ethnobotanical practice empowers the intellectual, therapeutic and spiritual advance of today's society and generates an increased awareness concerning the importance of protecting indigenous cultures, their habitat and botanical resources.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      VALUES
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Maintaining the highest professional standard and ethics.
    </p>
    <p>
      - The dissemination of only factual, science-supported information.
    </p>
    <p>
      - Adherence to a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach.
    </p>
    <p>
      - Imparting respect to indigenous traditional practice.
    </p>
  </body>
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</node>
<node TEXT="DEA - Drug Equality Alliance (GBR)" ID="ID_1201636579" CREATED="1320642699187" MODIFIED="1320642739054" LINK="http://www.drugequality.org/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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    <p>
      http://www.drugequality.org/index.htm
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Mission Statement
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Drug Equality Alliance (DEA) is a UK based not for profit organisation whose purpose is to transform the &quot;War on Some People who use Some Drugs&quot; from its subjective historical and cultural roots into a rational and objective legal regulatory framework that secures equal rights and equal protection to all those who are concerned with dangerous or otherwise harmful drugs.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our mission is to use domestic and international legal jurisdictions to interrogate the law and its application to those who produce, commerce, possess and consume such drugs. We believe governments have failed to administer drug law in an evidence-based manner. This failure contributes to hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths and imprisonments each year. The Drug Equality Alliance seeks to remedy this.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
</node>
<node TEXT="ICSDP - International Centre for Science in Drug Policy (CAN)" ID="ID_342430865" CREATED="1320642741307" MODIFIED="1320642775987" LINK="http://www.icsdp.org/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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    <p>
      http://www.icsdp.org/aboutus.aspx
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Who We Are
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The International Centre for Science in Drug Policy (ICSDP) is an international network of scientists, academics, and health practitioners committed to improving the health and safety of communities and individuals affected by illicit drugs.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The network includes leading experts from around the world who have come together in an effort to inform illicit drug policies with the best available scientific evidence.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ICSDP aims to be a primary source for rigorous scientific evidence on illicit drug policy in order to benefit policymakers, law enforcement, and affected communities. To this end, the ICSDP conducts original scientific research in the form of systematic reviews, evidence-based drug policy guidelines, and research collaborations with leading scientists and institutions across diverse continents and disciplines.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.icsdp.org/aboutus/mission.aspx
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our Mission
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The mission of the ICSDP is to improve community health and safety by conducting research and public education on best practices in drug policy while working collaboratively with communities, policy makers, law enforcement and other stakeholders to help guide effective and evidence-based policy responses to the many problems posed by illicit drugs.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.icsdp.org/network.aspx
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About the Scientific Network
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The ICSDP is an international network of scientific, medical, and academic experts in fields related to illicit drug policy who have come together in an effort to ensure that illicit drug policies are informed with the best available scientific evidence. Members of the ICSDP must hold either a PhD (or equivalent) or MD degree, or be an academic or Professor affiliated with a university or established research centre, and be working in a field related to illicit drug policy.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The scientific network joins a range of community groups, public health agencies, and non-governmental organizations already speaking out about the harms associated with conventional drug policies. Within this spectrum of voices, the ICSDP builds on the research conducted on the effects of illicit drug policies and works towards the goal that scientific evidence be incorporated into local, national, and international policies. The ICSDP conducts original research in the form of scientific reviews, evidence-based drug policy guidelines, and research collaborations with leading scientists and institutions across diverse continents and disciplines.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Like many other agencies and organizations working to address drug-related harms, the ICSDP is committed to improving the health and safety of communities and individuals affected by illicit drugs by helping to guide effective policy responses, including the implementation of alternative evidence-based tools.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      If you are interested in joining the ICSDP and are a scientific, medical, and/or academic expert in a field related to illicit drug policy and hold either a PhD (or equivalent) or MD degree, or are an academic or Professor affiliated with a university or established research centre and working in a field related to illicit drug policy, we invite you to apply to the network.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      NOTE: The decision to limit membership on the above criteria comes as a result of extensive discussions with our community partners about how the ICSDP can best serve the broader interests of those working towards evidence-based illicit drug policies. Our collaborators have indicated to us that what is missing from the drug policy debate is a strong, collective scientific voice. It is with this mandate in mind that the ICSDP Scientific Network eligibility criteria has been set.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.icsdp.org/aboutus/science_drugpolicy.aspx
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Science and Drug Policy
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      1. The Problem
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      There remain critical areas in public health where the gap between evidence and public policy persists. Few areas suffer from this concern more than society's response to the illicit drug problem.1,2 Despite the wealth of scientific evidence that drug law enforcement may be associated with increases in violence and homicide3 (figure 1), policymakers continue to focus energy on police and prisons at the expense of effective public health and regulatory approaches4 (figure 2).
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Figure 1 - Click to enlarge
    </p>
    <p>
      Figure 2 - Click to enlarge
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      As a result, some scientists have become increasingly critical of the 'War on Drugs' approach as scientific data continue to demonstrate that this approach has failed in its primary objectives of reducing the supply and use of illegal drugs.5 Despite an estimated $2.5 trillion spent on drug control efforts since the 1960s,6 drug prices have declined while drug purity has often risen (figure 3). Studies have also clearly shown that drug control efforts over the past 30 years, particularly in the United States, have not had a meaningful impact on the availability of illicit drugs among young people.7 In fact, illicit drugs are sometimes more widely available to youth than alcohol and tobacco.8
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Figure 3 - Click to enlarge
    </p>
    <p>
      Figure 4 - Click to enlarge
    </p>
    <p>
      Figure 5 - Click to enlarge
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Beyond failure to curb drug availability and use,9 drug control efforts have also produced a range of unintended consequences, including the emergence of an international illegal market worth an estimated $320 billion annually.10 These massive drug profits are entirely outside the control of government; they fuel crime, violence, and corruption in countless urban communities and have destabilized entire countries such as Columbia, Mexico and Afghanistan.11-13 In some countries, an over-reliance on law enforcement has also led to unprecedented incarceration rates (figure 1), particularly within ethnic minority communities. For instance, an estimated one in nine African American men aged 25 to 29 is incarcerated on any given day in the United States, primarily as a result of drug law violations, despite the fact that ethnic minorities use illicit drugs at the same rate as other US populations.14
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      While drug policies are having harmful effects internationally, the negative effects of drug control efforts in the US recently led to a unanimous resolution at the 2007 annual United States Conference of Mayors, which stated that &quot;the United States Conference of Mayors believes the War on Drugs has failed and calls for a New Bottom Line in US drug policy, a public health approach that concentrates more fully on reducing the negative consequences associated with drug abuse, while ensuring that our policies do not exacerbate these problems or create new social problems of their own.&quot;15
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      2. Scientific Silence
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Although the failure of conventional drug control efforts has become obvious to many, it is not well understood why governments do not acknowledge these limitations and the unintended harms and consequences of certain illicit drug policies.16 In this context, it is important to identify the role that non-scientific lobby groups play in maintaining the drug policy status quo. These include lobbying for mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes, as well as ignoring scientific evidence demonstrating that drug control efforts have been unsuccessful at reducing drug related harms. Such activities have been undertaken by certain vested interests, including prison and law enforcement lobby groups, which also continue to fight to prevent the implementation of more effective regulatory and public health approaches.17,18
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      While researchers from across scientific disciplines have demonstrated that drug law enforcement is ineffective and potentially harmful from a public health perspective, this research has been denied by those with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.19,20 Efforts have also been made to discredit public health models that have been proven to reduce drug-related harms.17,21 Unfortunately, some of these strategies have been successful, and there are many examples of politicians moving to cut off research funding to scientists who wish to research and promote policy alternatives.18,22 These issues have contributed to a reluctance among individual scientists to speak out.23
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      3. Scientists Speaking Out
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Because drugs and harmful policies continue to hurt communities, scientists, academics, and health practitioners have an ethical imperative to speak out.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The ICSDP is an organization founded to create a strong scientific voice to ensure that illicit drug policies are grounded in the best available scientific evidence. The ICSDP includes an international network of scientists, academics, and health practitioners committed to improving the health and safety of communities and individuals affected by illicit drugs by conducting research and public education to help guide effective and evidence-based responses to the harms of illicit drugs.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      References
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      1. Reuter P. Why does research have so little impact on American drug policy? Addiction 2001;96:373.
    </p>
    <p>
      2. Skolnick AA. 'Collateral Casualties' Climb in Drug War. JAMA 1994;271:1636.
    </p>
    <p>
      3. Miron JA. Violence and the US prohibitions of drugs and alcohol. American Law and Economics Review. 1999;1(1):78.
    </p>
    <p>
      4. Schrag P. A quagmire for our time: The war on drugs (Reprinted with permission from The American Prospect, vol 12, pg 28-33, 2001). Journal of Public Health Policy 2002;23:286.
    </p>
    <p>
      5. Wood E, Werb D, Marshall BDL, Montaner JSG, Kerr T. The war on drugs: a devastating public-policy disaster. Lancet 2009;373:989-90.
    </p>
    <p>
      6. Suddath C. A brief history of the War on Drugs. Time 2009.
    </p>
    <p>
      7. Johnston LD, Bachman JG, Schulenberg JE. Monitoring the Future: National Results on Adolescent Drug Use. Overview of Key Findings, 2006. Report. Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse; 2007.
    </p>
    <p>
      8. Johnston LD, O'Malley PM, Bachman JG, Schulenberg JE. Monitoring the future: National results on adolescent drug use--overview of key findings, 2005. Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse; 2005.
    </p>
    <p>
      9. Reuter P. The unintended consequences of drug policies. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Europe; 2009.
    </p>
    <p>
      10. UNODC. World Drug Report 2005. Vienna: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; 2005.
    </p>
    <p>
      11. Cornwell S. Rice to Mexico for talks on drugs. Reuters. October 21, 2008.
    </p>
    <p>
      12. Morris SK. Colombia: Prohibition's frontline. International Journal of Drug Policy 2003;14:209.
    </p>
    <p>
      13. Schweich T. Is Afghanistan a narco-state? The New York Times. July 27, 2008.
    </p>
    <p>
      14. Sabol J, Couture H. Prison inmates at midyear 2007. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice; June 2008.
    </p>
    <p>
      15. USCM. Adopted resolutions. San Francisco: United States Conference of Mayors; 2007.
    </p>
    <p>
      16. Blendon RJ, Young JT. The public and the war on illicit drugs. JAMA 1998;279:827.
    </p>
    <p>
      17. Wood E, Montaner JS, Kerr T. Illicit drug addiction, infectious disease spread, and the need for an evidence-based response. Lancet Infectious Diseases 2008;8:142-3.
    </p>
    <p>
      18. Vlahov D, Des Jarlais DC, Goosby E, et al. Needle exchange programs for the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus infection: epidemiology and policy. American Journal of Epidemiology 2001;154:70.
    </p>
    <p>
      19. Des Jarlais DC, Sloboda Z, Friedman SR, Tempalski B, McKnight C, Braine N. Diffusion of the D.A.R.E and Syringe Exchange Programs. American Journal of Public Health 2006.
    </p>
    <p>
      20. Schechter MT, Strathdee SA, Cornelisse PG, et al. Do needle exchange programmes increase the spread of HIV among injection drug users?: an investigation of the Vancouver outbreak. AIDS 1999;13:F45.
    </p>
    <p>
      21. Des Jarlais DC. Research, politics, and needle exchange. Am J Public Health 2000;90:1392.
    </p>
    <p>
      22. Health Canada. No new injection sites for addicts until questions answered says Minister Clement. Ottawa: Health Canada; 2006.
    </p>
    <p>
      23. Pearson H. Science and the war on drugs: a hard habit to break. Nature 2004;430:394.
    </p>
    <p>
      24. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. WMO/UNEP, 2009. (Accessed at www.ipcc.ch)
    </p>
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</node>
</node>
<node TEXT="War Munitions" POSITION="right" ID="ID_1976576910" CREATED="1320628477743" MODIFIED="1320668339101">
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    <p>
      This is the logical stewardship domain of war munitions.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Of course, many active conscience interdiction dimensions exhibit multi-dimensional modal agency and can be observed to operate in multiple logical stewardship domains, however, usually, a primary, or dominant, domain of operation, or agency, can be identified. Hence for clarity in this mind-map representation, a primary logical stewardship is chosen for each active conscience interdiction dimension.
    </p>
  </body>
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<node TEXT="CLPA - Clear Path International (USA)" ID="ID_1916560864" CREATED="1320643890740" MODIFIED="1320643938329" LINK="http://www.cpi.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.cpi.org/index.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our mission is to assist individuals who have been injured, disabled or displaced by war. We operate with the intention of helping survivors regain dignity and establish a solid footing on the path to self-sufficiency.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What We Do
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Clear Path International (CPI) delivers survivor assistance, mine risk education and capacity building programming to people and organizations living and working in conflict-affected communities located throughout the world. Our mission is focused; our commitment steadfast - CPI works to bring lasting improvement to the daily lives of people injured, disabled, or displaced by war.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CPI has offered its services in support of internationally recognized integrated mine action objectives since 2000. Based on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, the organization currently operates programs in five locations. These include Afghanistan, Cambodia, Laos, along the Thai-Burma border, and Vietnam.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CPI offers a complete range of rehabilitation, accessibility, and socio-economic reintegration programming implemented either directly or through the services of qualified local partners. Management, monitoring and financial support is provided to those programs and organizations we believe address the greatest need and offer the most meaningful benefit.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CPI's programming approach often includes bringing local partners together to pursue assistance opportunities on a collaborative basis. This method has recently proven to be an especially important multiplier in our work. As a result of these and other programming innovations, CPI operations now serve nearly 100,000 beneficiaries worldwide.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.cpi.org/about.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Clear Path History
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Clear Path International was founded in October 2000 by four aid workers active in central Vietnam where accidents from war-time explosives happen every week.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Martha Roben, James Hathaway, Kristen Leadem and Imbert Matthee saw an urgent need for an organization that could provide services for the thousands of accident survivors in this heavily mine-affected region. The group raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from private-sector and, later, government sponsors in the United States for a comprehensive array of medical, socio-economic and psycho-social rehabilitations services for men, women and children injured by peacetime explosions along Vietnam's central coast.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Donor interest to provide similar services elsewhere led CPI to establish programs for landmine accident survivors in Cambodia in 2001 and along the Thai-Burma border in 2002. In 2007, the U.S. Department of State's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (WRA) awarded Clear Path a multi-year subcontract to establish, implement and direct a victim assistance program. CPI is now an independent grant recipient of the Department of State with a growing number of partners and programs in Afghanistan. In 2011, CPI began a micro-lending program benefitting female heads of household in a mine-saturated region of Laos.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="ICBL - International Campaign To Ban Landmines (CHE)" ID="ID_1359751272" CREATED="1320643941002" MODIFIED="1320643967491" LINK="http://www.icbl.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.icbl.org/index.php/icbl/About-Us
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is a global network in over 90 countries that works for a world free of antipersonnel landmines, where landmine survivors can lead fulfilling lives. The Campaign was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of its efforts to bring about the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. Since then, we have been advocating for the words of the treaty to become a reality, demonstrating on a daily basis that civil society has the power to change the world.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Problem
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Antipersonnel mines and cluster munitions are indiscriminate weapons that injure and kill civilians in every corner of the globe, every day. They don't recognize ceasefires and claim victims long after the end of conflicts. They instill fear in communities and are a lethal barrier to development.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Landmines
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is a Landmine?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Placed under or on the ground, antipersonnel mines explode from the contact or presence of a person. When triggered, they kill or cause injuries like blindness, burns, destroyed limbs and shrapnel wounds.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      History of Landmines
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Until the Nineties, antipersonnel landmines had been used by almost all armed forces of the world, in one form or another. Thanks to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, landmine use has dramatically dropped. But the weapon still poses a significant and lasting threat.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Arguments for a Ban
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      There are dozens of reasons to ban antipersonnel landmines and to campaign for this goal. Some of the moral, humanitarian, socio-economic and diplomatic arguments are given here.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="ICBUW - International Coalition To Ban Uranium Weapons (GBR)" ID="ID_132287547" CREATED="1320643986147" MODIFIED="1320644040856" LINK="http://www.bandepleteduranium.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.bandepleteduranium.org/en/i/7.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The problem - Overview:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      A concise guide to uranium weapons, the science behind them and their threat to human health and the environment.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Introduction
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Depleted Uranium (DU) is nuclear waste. Uranium naturally occurs as three different isotopes U234, U235 and U238. Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons but the same number of protons. This means that they behave in the same way chemically, but different isotopes release different amounts and kinds of radiation. The radioactive properties of DU, which is chiefly uranium 238, differ from those of uranium 235. Unlike U238, U235 is fissionable.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      This means that it U235 so unstable that firing neutrons at it can produce a self-sustaining series of nuclear reactions, releasing huge amounts of energy. This is the basis of nuclear weapons and nuclear power. However, before U235 is used, it needs to be concentrated as it only makes up a small proportion of naturally occurring uranium, around 0.7%. U238 makes up more than 99% of natural uranium and is less radioactive. After natural uranium has had most of the U235 removed from it, it is called 'depleted uranium' i.e. uranium depleted in the isotope U235. Each kilo of reactor ready enriched uranium produced leaves you with about seven kilos of DU.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Depleted uranium weapons
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Depleted Uranium itself is a chemically toxic and radioactive compound, which is used in armour piercing munitions because of its very high density. It is 1.7 times denser than lead, giving DU weapons increased range and penetrative power. They belong to a class of weapons called kinetic energy penetrators. The part of the weapon that is made of DU is called a penetrator: this is a long dart weighing more than four kilograms in the largest examples: it is neither a tip nor a coating. The penetrator is usually an alloy of DU and a small amount of another metal such as titanium and molybdenum. These give it extra strength and resistance to corrosion.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In addition to armour-piercing penetrators, DU is used as armour in US M1A1 and M1A2 battle tanks and in small amounts in some types of landmines (M86 PDM and ADAM), both types contain 0.101g of DU in the resin cases of the individual mines. 432 ADAM antipersonnel landmine howitzer shells were used on the Kuwaiti battlefields during the 1991 Gulf War. Both M86 PDM and ADAM mines remain in U.S. stockpiles. Patents exist for the use of a 'dense metal' as ballast in large 'bunker busting' bombs; such weapons have been deployed but it is unclear whether they contain DU, tungsten or a third high density substance, as their contents remain classified.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Where has DU been used and when?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Governments have often initially denied using DU because of public health concerns. It is now clear that DU was used on a large scale by the US and the UK in the Gulf War in 1991, then in Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo, and again in the war in Iraq by the US and the UK in 2003. It is suspected that the US also used DU in Afghanistan in 2001, although both the US and UK governments have denied using it there. However, leaked transport documents suggest that US forces in Afghanistan have DU weapons. The continued use of A10 'Warthog' aircraft in support of NATO ground troops indicates that DU may be being used there.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Why is it a problem?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The DU oxide dust produced when DU munitions burn has no natural or historical analogue. This toxic and radioactive dust is composed of two oxides: one insoluble, the other sparingly soluble. The distribution of particle sizes includes sub-micron particles that are readily inhaled into and retained by the lungs. From the lungs uranium compounds are deposited in the lymph nodes, bones, brain and testes. Hard targets hit by DU penetrators are surrounded by this dust and surveys suggest that it can travel many kilometres when re-suspended, as is likely in arid climates. The dust can then be inhaled or ingested by civilians and the military alike.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      It is thought that DU is the cause of a sharp increase in the incidence rates of some cancers, such as breast cancer and lymphoma, in areas of Iraq following 1991 and 2003. It has also been implicated in a rise in birth defects from areas adjacent to the main Gulf War battlefields.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Soft target impacts, typical of aircraft strikes, tend to leave the penetrators partially intact as the vast majority miss their targets. In the Balkans more than 31,000 30mm penetrators were fired; UNEP reported that these corroding penetrators were likely to contaminate groundwater and drinking water supplies and should be removed.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      While we have a reasonable idea how much DU was used in the Balkans (12,700kg) and the 1991 Gulf War (290,300kg), there is little data on the extent of its use following the 2003 invasion in Iraq. One estimate put the total at 140,000kg by early 2004; with far more being used in urban areas than in 1991. This was chiefly a product of a move towards asymmetric warfare but also an increasingly casual approach to DU's use. The US consistently refused to release data on the locations of DU strikes to UNEP and post-conflict instability has made assessing the true extent of contamination virtually impossible.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Hazards of uranium weapons: Radioactivity
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The chief radiological hazard from uranium 238 is alpha radiation. When inhaled or ingested, alpha radiation is the most damaging form of ionising radiation. However, as U238 decays into its daughter products thorium and protactinium, both beta and gamma radiation are released, increasing the radiation burden further. Therefore DU particles must be considered as a dynamic mixture of radioactive isotopes.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Inside the body alpha radiation is incredibly disruptive. The heavy, highly charged particles leave a trail of ionised free radicals in their wake, disrupting finely tuned cellular processes. In one day, one microgram, (one millionth of a gram), of pure DU can release 1000 alpha particles. Each particle is charged with more than four million electron volts of energy; this goes directly into whichever organ or tissue it is lodged in. It only requires 6 to 10 electron volts to break a DNA strand in a cell and these emissions cover a sphere with a radius of 6 cells.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Novel effects from internal emitters are highlighting the hazards posed by exposure to internal alpha radiation. This includes the Bystander Effect - whereby cells adjacent to those struck by alpha particles also exhibit signs of radiation damage, and Genomic Instability, where the descendants of radiation damaged cells show increased rates of mutations: the precursor to cancer growth. Ionizing radiation is a human carcinogen at every dose-level, not just at high doses; there is no threshold dose and any alpha particle can cause irreparable genetic damage.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Hazards of uranium weapons: Chemical toxicity
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Detailed research into uranium's chemical toxicity began in the 1940s, since then it has become clear that, like many other heavy metals, such as lead, chromium, nickel and mercury, uranium exposure can be damaging to health. While many studies have only investigated the possibility of kidney damage, since 1991, and triggered by concerns over DU, dozens of papers have highlighted other, more worrying effects of uranium toxicity. Repeated cellular and animal studies have shown that uranium is a kidney toxin, neurotoxin, immunotoxin, mutagen, carcinogen and teratogen. Compared to the uranium naturally present in the environment and the ore in mine workings, DU dust is a concentrated form of uranium.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Uranium has been shown to cause oxidative damage to DNA. Recent studies in hamsters found that uranium formed uranium-DNA adducts (bonds),these make it more likely that the DNA will be repaired incorrectly. If this occurs, adducts can lead to genetic mutations that may be replicated leading to carcinogensis. In mice, uranium has been shown to irreparably damage white blood cells and alter gene expression. In 2007 DU compounds were shown to damage experimental human lung cells and disrupt DNA repair.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Such findings, and others, suggest that not only is DU highly toxic, but that its toxicity and radioactivity may combine to create a synergistic effect,amplifying each other, and thereby increasing the damage caused to cellular structures and mechanisms - which in turn express themselves as tumours or a range of whole-body symptoms.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      International Commission on Radiological Protection
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The ICRP is an undemocratic, self-sustaining body, which issues recommendations to governments and supranational bodies on radiological protection. They make political choices between dose received and the benefit obtained to society; a job that many would say should be left to politicians. While its members appear strong on radiation physics, they have been criticised for being significantly weaker on radiobiology.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The ICRP uses data from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki blasts to estimate radiation health risk. Japanese bomb victims were mainly exposed to an acute burst of external gamma rays and neutrons. As has been shown, long-term environmental DU contamination leads to chronic internal exposure from alpha radiation, thus rendering the ICRP's whole body and organ dose rates largely irrelevant. Furthermore, their dose estimates are based on the 'average man' in spite of the fact that young children and pregnant mothers are at a much greater risk from ionising radiation.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      World Health Organisation
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In 2001 the WHO released a report claiming that, except in exceptional circumstances, DU exposure was not a public health concern. Subsequently it has emerged that key papers by the US Department of Defence on DU's genotoxicity were excluded from the report. Dr Keith Baverstock, who worked with the WHO's Radiological Protection Unit believes that pressure to ignore the research came from the highest levels. It is clear that the WHO is only as strong as it is allowed to be by the member states that financially support it.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Further confusion comes from its relationship to its sister agencies, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency, whose remit is to promote the use of nuclear power. The report used the same ICRP models that have been shown to be incapable of accurately modelling the effects of internal radioactive emitters.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      US Armed Forces Radiobiology Institute
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Between 2000 and 2003, Dr Alexandra Miller of AFFRI was at the forefront of US Government sponsored research into DU's chemical toxicity and radioactivity. Through a series of peer-reviewed papers, Dr Miller and her colleagues demonstrated for the first time that internalised DU oxides could result in &quot;a significant enhancement of urinary mutagenicity&quot;, that they can transform human cells into cells capable of producing cancerous tumours in mice with suppressed immune systems and that DU was capable of inducing DNA damage in the absence of significant radioactive decay, i.e. through its chemical toxicity alone. In one study, 76% of mice implanted with DU pellets developed leukaemia.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      International response
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      There is increasing worldwide support for a DU ban. In 2007 Belgium became the first country in the world to ban all conventional weapons containing uranium with other states set to follow their example. Meanwhile the Italian government agreed to a 170m Euro compensation package for personnel exposed to uranium weapons in the Balkans.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Later that year the UN General Assembly passed a resolution highlighting serious health concerns over DU and in May 2008, 94% of MEPs in the European Parliament strengthened four previous calls for a moratorium by calling for a DU ban treaty in a wide-ranging resolution. In December 2008 141 states in the UN General Assembly ordered the World Health Organisation, International Atomic Energy Agency and United Nations Environment Programme to update their positions on the long-term health and environmental threat that uranium weapons pose.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The solution
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      With more than 100 member organisations worldwide, ICBUW represents the best opportunity yet to achieve a global ban on the use of uranium in all conventional weapon systems. Even though the use of weapons containing uranium should already be illegal under International Humanitarian, Human Rights and Environmental Laws, an explicit treaty, as has been seen with chemical and biological weapons, landmines and cluster bombs, has proved the best solution for confirming their illegality. Such a treaty would not only outlaw the use of uranium weapons, but would include the prohibition of their production, the destruction of stockpiles, the decontamination of battlefields and rules on compensation for victims.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ICBUW has prepared a draft treaty, which contains a general and comprehensive prohibition of the development, production, transport, storage, possession, transfer and use of uranium ammunition.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      There is a growing consensus among civil society groups, scientists and
    </p>
    <p>
      some military organisations that the health risks from DU have been seriously underestimated. Establishment scientific bodies have been slow to react to the wealth of new research into DU and policy makers have been content to ignore the claims of researchers and activists. Deliberate obfuscation by the mining, nuclear and arms industries has further hampered efforts to recognise the problem and achieve a ban. The past failure of the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons to deal with landmines and cluster bombs suggests that an independent treaty process is the best route to limiting the further use and proliferation of uranium weapons.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      As enshrined in the Geneva Conventions, the methods and means of warfare are not unlimited. We must not allow the short term military advantage claimed for uranium weapons to override our responsibility for the long-term welfare of people and planet.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      References
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      1. Leaked US Army transport letter: www.bandepleteduranium.org/en/a/113.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      2. United Nations Environment Programme Recommends Precautionary Action Regarding Depleted Uranium In Kosovo UNEP press release, March 2001.
    </p>
    <p>
      http://tinyurl.com/26pfck
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      3. Bertell, Dr R: Depleted Uranium: All the Questions About DU and Gulf War Syndrome Are Not Yet Answered, International Journal of Health Services, Volume 36, Number 3 / 2006.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      4. Committee Examining Radiation Risks of Internal Emitters (CERRIE), Final Report, www.cerrie.org sponsored by the UK Dept. of Health and DEFRA.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      5. &quot;Uranium induces oxidative stresss in lung epithelial cells&quot;, A. Periyakaruppan et al., Arch. Toxicol. 8, 389-395 June 2007
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      6. Uranyl acetate induces hprt mutations and uranium&#8211;DNA adducts in Chinese hamster ovaries. Stearns et al. Mutagenesis.2005; 20: 417-423
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      7. &quot;In Vitro Immune Toxicity of Depleted Uranium: Effects on Murine Macrophages, CD+T Cells, and Gene Expression Profiles&quot;, Bin Wan et al., Environmental Health Perspectives 114, 85-91, January 2006.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      8. Particulate Depleted Uranium Is Cytotoxic and Clastogenic to Human Lung Cells. Wise et al, Chemical Research in Toxicology; 20 (5), 815 -820, 2007.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      9. Uranyl Acetate as a Direct Inhibitor of DNA-Binding Proteins. Hartsock et al, Chemical Research in Toxicology; 20 (5), 784 -789, 2007.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      10. Presentation at European Parliament by Dr Keith Baverstock, formerly of the WHO. Full text: www.bandepleteduranium.org/en/a/24.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      11. WHO Guidance on Exposure to Depleted Uranium for Medical Officers and Programme Administrators. http://tinyurl.com/aegbx
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      12. Interview, BBC Radio 4 Today Programme, Nov 2006. http://tinyurl.com/2do8yw
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      13. Leukemic transformation of hematopoietic cells in mice internally exposed to depleted uranium. Miller et al. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Volume 279, Numbers 1-2/ November, 2005.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      14. Belgium Bans Uranium Weapons and Armour, www.bandepleteduranium.org/en/a/118.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      15. Italy agrees compensation package: http://www.bandepleteduranium.org/en/a/154.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      16. UN General Assembly passes DU Resolution: http://www.bandepleteduranium.org/en/a/152.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      17. European Parliament passes DU resolution: http://www.bandepleteduranium.org/en/a/181.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      18. 141 states back second DU resolution http://www.bandepleteduranium.org/en/a/215.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      19. Draft Convention on the prohibition of development, production, stockpiling, transfer and use of uranium weapons and on their destruction. http://www.bandepleteduranium.org/en/a/2.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      20. EUROMIL - The European Military Union Call for Global DU Ban, http://www.euromil.org/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=91&amp;Itemid=50
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.bandepleteduranium.org/en/i/70.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About the Coalition:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      An introduction to our aims and objectives and guide to our Steering Committee members.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons (ICBUW) campaigns for a ban on the use of uranium in all conventional weapons and weapon systems and monitoring, health care, compensation and environmental remediation for communities affected by their use. ICBUW represents more than 100 NGOs worldwide and seeks to do for uranium weapons what the International Coalition to Ban Landmines and Cluster Munition Coalition did for landmines and cluster munitions respectively. In essence the development of a uranium weapons treaty.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The main focus of ICBUW has been to inform and advise policy makers and governments on the threat to human health and the environment of uranium weapons. In the past this has taken the form of international conferences and seminars, and workshops for politicians and diplomatic staff at the United Nations, European Parliament and national parliaments. ICBUW also produces and disseminates information, offers advice to its member groups and encourages domestic and regional coalition building and skills sharing. ICBUW is grateful to the Polden-Puckham Charitable Foundation for supporting its educational outreach work and to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its sponsorship of three ICBUW research projects.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Formed in 2003 in Berlaar Belgium, ICBUW is based in Manchester UK and has one part time member of staff coordinating work on behalf of its 12-strong Steering Committee. The position of Chair is rotated among its members. The ICBUW office is housed by the UK Campaign Against Depleted Uranium.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="Animal Rights" POSITION="left" ID="ID_1981851399" CREATED="1320628583646" MODIFIED="1320668368804">
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    <p>
      This is the logical stewardship domain of animal rights.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Of course, many active conscience interdiction dimensions exhibit multi-dimensional modal agency and can be observed to operate in multiple logical stewardship domains, however, usually, a primary, or dominant, domain of operation, or agency, can be identified. Hence for clarity in this mind-map representation, a primary logical stewardship is chosen for each active conscience interdiction dimension.
    </p>
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<node TEXT="GSDS - The Good Samaritan Donkey Sanctuary (AUS)" ID="ID_1895138673" CREATED="1320644624580" MODIFIED="1320644699728" LINK="http://www.donkeyrescue.org.au/">
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    <p>
      http://www.donkeyrescue.org.au/index.php
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Good Samaritan Donkey Sanctuary Inc (GSDS) is a non-profit charity devoted to the welfare of donkeys by rescuing and caring for the abused and unwanted ones.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We're Australia's original refuge and have over 37 years experience. Our sanctuary provides professional 'seven-day' care and has saved many hundreds of these endearingly gentle animals from appalling conditions. By only using professional equine and veterinary practitioners, dentists, farriers and chiropractors.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We ensure the very finest of attention is available to the many labouring against starvation, deafness, loss of vision and deliberate cruelty.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We don't receive government support so we rely entirely on the kindness of people like you. Without such aid we cannot survive and these most loving of animals will be left to suffer in silence.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Thank you for visiting our site. Unfortunately, due to our intensive workload, the sanctuary is open only on advertised open days or by appointment.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.donkeyrescue.org.au/ourdonkeys.htm
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Good Samaritan Donkey Sanctuary Inc (GSDS) is dedicated to helping needy donkeys enjoy a very healthy, happy life. We offer donkeys a safe haven while they recover from ill treatment - which is all too often deliberate.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The GSDS is dedicated to providing professional and intensive care for injured and traumatised donkeys while also creating a refuge for these orphaned, abandoned, starved and unwanted creatures.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our sanctuary covers 300 acres and we typically have around 130 donkeys on property and another 80 with our registered foster homes.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Caring for rescued donkeys since 1972, the GSDS was officially established in 1990-making us the first donkey sanctuary in Australia.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Managed by a committee of donkey-knowledgeable members, GSDS has many decades of experience in handling, managing and caring for donkeys.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Through a combination of rehabilitation, education and TLC we ensure all our donkeys live happy, secure and carefree lives. And we exist purely on the support of people like you for the funding of our work.
    </p>
  </body>
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</node>
</node>
<node TEXT="Prisoner-Industrial Complex" POSITION="left" ID="ID_1224723504" CREATED="1320628550768" MODIFIED="1320668363416">
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    <p>
      This is the logical stewardship domain of the prisoner-industrial complex.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Of course, many active conscience interdiction dimensions exhibit multi-dimensional modal agency and can be observed to operate in multiple logical stewardship domains, however, usually, a primary, or dominant, domain of operation, or agency, can be identified. Hence for clarity in this mind-map representation, a primary logical stewardship is chosen for each active conscience interdiction dimension.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
<node TEXT="CR - Critical Resistance (USA)" ID="ID_781659499" CREATED="1320644703153" MODIFIED="1320644739996" LINK="http://www.criticalresistance.org/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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    <p>
      http://www.criticalresistance.org/article.php?list=type&amp;type=5
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our Mission:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Critical Resistance seeks to build an international movement to end the Prison Industrial Complex by challenging the belief that caging and controlling people makes us safe. We believe that basic necessities such as food, shelter, and freedom are what really make our communities secure.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      As such, our work is part of global struggles against inequality and powerlessness. The success of the movement requires that it reflect communities most affected by the PIC. Because we seek to abolish the PIC, we cannot support any work that extends its life or scope.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our Vision:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      THE CRISIS OF THE PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Prisons and policing are destroying us. In the past two decades, the number of people in prison in the U.S. has risen 400%. The system is filled with 68% people of color. One in three Black males born today will end up in a cage. And an additional 4 million former prisoners in the U.S. are left without hope or resources - barred employment opportunities, disenfranchised, and often prohibited from getting federal loans, applying for public housing, or getting services.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In neighborhoods where people are most affected by mass imprisonment and policing, we see the direct effects of our society's $50 billion per year investment in prisons and policing: schools are closing, homelessness is rampant, basic health care remains out of reach, and poverty remains an entrenched reality in the richest country on earth.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The prison industrial complex, or PIC, affects everyone. There have been huge increases in police and court powers over all our lives. Poor people of color continue to lose power. And prisons have failed to cut crime. They have instead led to more racism, poverty, and sexism. Our communities only become weaker when we use punishment to solve our problems.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CRITICAL RESISTANCE'S VISION
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Critical Resistance's vision is the creation of genuinely safe, healthy communities that respond to harm without relying on prisons and punishment.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We call our vision &quot;abolition&quot;, and take the name purposefully from those who called for the abolition of slavery in the 1800's. Abolitionists believed that slavery could not be fixed or reformed - it needed to be abolished. As PIC abolitionists today, we also do not believe that reforms can make the PIC just or effective. Our goal is not to improve the system; it is to shrink the system into non- existence.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We don't believe that we need the PIC to keep us safe. Instead, we work to build safe and healthy communities, where the basics are provided, such as food, shelter, and self-determination. We also work to create and promote alternatives to the current system.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Critical Resistance (CR) is building a member-led and member-run grassroots movement to stop using punishment to &quot;cure&quot; complicated social problems. We know that more police and prisons will not make our communities safer. Instead, we know that things like food, housing, and freedom are what creates lasting safety. We work to prevent people from being arrested or locked up in prison. In all our work, we organize to build power and to stop the devastation that the reliance on prisons and policing have brought to ourselves, our families, and our communities.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CREATING ALTERNATIVES
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Even today, when so many rely so heavily on the prison industrial complex to respond to harm, alternatives are being tested inside and outside the U.S. Within the US, neighbors are setting up alternative neighborhood watches (or shifting the agendas of existing ones) to support each other and provide safe living environments without involving local police.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Conferencing circles and mediation are increasingly being used to resolve disputes. Some organizations that work closely with survivors of sexual violence have begun to reject intervention by the police while developing their own community- based alternatives for safety and conflict resolution. Alternative schools have been established that provide practical alternatives to the juvenile justice system.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The goal of abolition pushes us to broaden our options in responding to harm. Creating a wider spectrum for economic and political participation; making affordable, quality housing for everyone a priority; or understanding substance use as a health issue can help us challenge some of the assumptions on which the prison industrial complex is based upon.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      While in the long run we seek abolition; in the short run we seek alternatives to cage based punishment and to reduce the number of prisoners and prisons. Today, we are taking practical, small steps that will move us toward abolition.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Not So Common Language:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      THE PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The United States uses prisons and policing as a failed &quot;solution&quot; to social, political and economic problems. We call this system the &quot;prison industrial complex,&quot; or PIC. As a result our communities are being destroyed.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The PIC depends upon the oppressive systems of racism, classism, sexism, and homophobia. It includes human rights violations, the death penalty, industry and labor issues, policing, courts, media, community powerlessness, the imprisonment of political prisoners, and the elimination of dissent.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The United States currently imprisons around 2 million people. About 6.5 million people are presently under some form of supervision within the criminal justice system. Women represent the fastest rising prison population. Since 1980, the number of women imprisoned in the U.S. has risen by almost 400 percent.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Racism continues to be a major factor in the United States, illustrated by policies and programs that sustain white supremacy. Racism, as it is used through criminal laws that target people of color, is essential to the PIC, not accidental.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The PIC is also fueled by dramatic and racist reporting about &quot;crime,&quot; &quot;delinquency,&quot; and &quot;rebellion,&quot; creating a culture of fear. As a result, people (primarily people of color, youth, and the economically disadvantaged) are locked in cages for longer and longer in the interests of &quot;public safety.&quot; The way the many parts of the PIC interact is exactly what makes it so powerful and destructive. In order to fight this system, we have to recognize what drives and shapes it.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ABOLITION
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Critical Resistance's vision is the creation of genuinely safe, healthy communities that do not rely on prisons and policing to respond to harm. We call our vision &quot;abolition&quot;. We take the name &quot;abolitionists&quot; purposefully from those who called for the abolition of slavery in the 1800's.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Abolitionists believed that slavery could not be fixed or reformed - it needed to abolished. We believe that prison is not an answer to drug addiction, poverty, or the harms our communities suffer. This system of locking people in cages cannot be fixed or reformed; it must be abolished.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The end goal of abolition is to reduce harm in our communities by creating lasting alternatives to punishment and prisons, investing in the things that truly build safe communities such as education, housing, and employment, thus eliminating the &quot;need&quot; for the prison industrial complex.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Organizing against the PIC is as much about building something as it is about fighting what is destroying our communities. Our organizing is also an ongoing effort to create alternatives, not only to imprisonment, but to the culture of punishment with which we've become familiar.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We know that abolition is a long term goal, one we may not see in our lifetimes. Today, that means we work to develop practical strategies for taking small steps toward abolition. These steps include shrinking the system by stopping prison expansion and promoting policies that reduce the number of people in prison or the reliance on policing; creating alternatives such as the Plan for a Safer Oakland or our reprinting of the book Instead of Prisons; shifting public onion and public policy through media and public education; and building and supporting leadership by the people prisons impact most. Ultimately, we hope to build a grassroots movement for abolition.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      HARM
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is considered a crime is determined by the societies in which we live. Because we have seen over and over again that locking more people in cages does not reduce crime, we must understand the power relationships that lead society to lock up only certain people.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Since prisons do not stop problems like poverty, racism, or drug addiction, we cannot expect them to stop crime. In fact, we see the impact prisons make on particular communities as harmful, or in the vocabulary of the PIC, criminal.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We define harm both as something one person does to hurt another, and as the oppression or violence caused by the prison industrial complex in our communities. We see our work as harm reduction: recognizing that the prison industrial complex has failed to reduce harm in our communities, we seek to reduce the harm caused by the prison industrial complex.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ACCOUNTABILITY
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      As abolitionists, we nonetheless believe in accountability. However, we do not believe that locking people in cages produces accountability. True accountability means that individuals and society must be held accountable for harms that occur and for providing community needs.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Accountability means providing support for both the persons harmed and the persons who cause harm. It means repairing the harm that has been done and preventing future harms.
    </p>
  </body>
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</node>
<node TEXT="LEAP - Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (USA)" ID="ID_183466088" CREATED="1320644763230" MODIFIED="1320644790940" LINK="http://www.leap.cc/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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    <p>
      http://www.leap.cc/about/who-we-are/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Who We Are
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Founded on March 16, 2002, LEAP is made up of current and former members of the law enforcement and criminal justice communities who are speaking out about the failures of our existing drug policies. Those policies have failed, and continue to fail, to effectively address the problems of drug abuse, especially the problems of juvenile drug use, the problems of addiction, and the problems of crime caused by the existence of a criminal black market in drugs.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Although those who speak publicly for LEAP are people from the law enforcement and criminal justice communities, a large number of our supporting members do not have such experience. You don't have to have law enforcement experience to join us.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      By continuing to fight the so-called &quot;War on Drugs,&quot; the US government has worsened these problems of society instead of alleviating them. A system of regulation and control of these substances (by the government, replacing the current system of control by the black market) would be a less harmful, less costly, more ethical, and more effective public policy.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Please consider joining us and helping us to achieve our goals:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      1) to educate the public, the media and policy makers about the failure of current policies, and
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      2) to restore the public's respect for police, which has been greatly diminished by law enforcement's involvement in enforcing drug prohibition.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.leap.cc/about/vision-mission/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Vision Statement
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      LEAP envisions a world in which drug policies work for the benefit of society and keep our communities safer. A system of legalization and regulation will end the violence, better protect human rights, safeguard our children, reduce crime and disease, treat drug abusers as patients, reduce addiction, use tax dollars more efficiently, and restore the public's respect and trust in law enforcement.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Mission Statement
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The mission of LEAP is to reduce the multitude of unintended harmful consequences resulting from fighting the war on drugs and to lessen the incidence of death, disease, crime, and addiction by ending drug prohibition.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      LEAP's goals are:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (1) To educate the public, the media and policy makers about the failure of current drug policy by presenting a true picture of the history, causes and effects of drug use and the elevated crime rates more properly related to drug prohibition than to drug pharmacology and
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (2) To restore the public's respect for police, which has been greatly diminished by law enforcements involvement in imposing drug prohibition.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      LEAP's main strategy for accomplishing these goals is to create a constantly growing speakers bureau staffed with knowledgeable and articulate current and former drug-warriors who describe the impact of current drug policies on: police/community relations; the safety of law enforcement officers and suspects; police corruption and misconduct; and the excessive financial and human costs associated with current drug policies.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.leap.cc/about/leap-statement-of-principles/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      LEAP Statement of Principles
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      1. LEAP does not promote the use of drugs and is deeply concerned about the extent of drug abuse worldwide. LEAP is also deeply concerned with the destructive impact of violent drug gangs and cartels everywhere in the world. Neither problem is remedied by the current policy of drug prohibition. Indeed, drug abuse and gang violence flourish in a drug prohibition environment, just as they did during alcohol prohibition.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      2. LEAP advocates the elimination of the policy of drug prohibition and the inauguration of a replacement policy of drug control and regulation, including regulations imposing appropriate age restrictions on drug sales and use, just as there are age restrictions on marriage, signing contracts, alcohol, tobacco, operating vehicles and heavy equipment, voting and so on.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      3. LEAP believes that adult drug abuse is a health problem and not a law-enforcement matter, provided that the abuse does not harm other people or the property of others.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      4. LEAP believes that adult drug use, however dangerous, is a matter of personal freedom as long as it does not impinge on the freedom or safety of others.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      5. LEAP speakers come from a wide divergence of political thought and social conscience and recognize that in a post-prohibition world it will take time to strike a proper regulatory balance, blending private, public and medical models to best control and regulate &quot;illicit drugs.&quot; LEAP speakers are free to advocate their view of better post-prohibition stratagems without towing a LEAP &quot;party line.&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      6. LEAP recognizes that even in a post-prohibition world, still, drugs can be dangerous and potentially addictive, requiring appropriate regulation and control. Even in a free-market economy, reasonable regulation for the purposes of public health is a long-standing, accepted principle. Such regulation must not allow casual, unfettered or indiscriminate drug sales.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      7. LEAP believes that government has a public health obligation to accurately ascertain the risks associated with the use of each &quot;illicit drug&quot; and a duty to clearly communicate that information to the public by means of labeling and warnings similar to what is done regarding food, tobacco, alcohol and medicine.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      8. LEAP believes that an inordinate number of people have been misguidedly incarcerated for violation of zero-tolerant, nonviolent, consensual &quot;drug crimes.&quot; The end of drug prohibition will allow those persons to be promptly released, to have their record of conviction expunged, and their civil rights completely restored. However, the repeal of drug prohibition does not imply the exoneration from charges for connected offenses, such as violent crimes, gun crimes, theft, or driving under the influence of drugs. Furthermore, LEAP believes that people using alcohol or other drugs must be held accountable for any misbehavior, which harms other people or property of others, while under the influence of mind-altering substances.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      9. LEAP believes that persons suffering from drug abuse afflictions and addiction, who want help, should be provided with a variety of help, including drug treatment and drug maintenance, even for uninsured addicts. LEAP believes that with an end to drug prohibition and regained control of criminal justice expenditures, a fraction of those savings would be more than sufficient to pay for expanded addiction services.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      10. LEAP recognizes that different &quot;illicit drugs&quot; pose differing risks of harm. As such, in a post-prohibition world, LEAP recognizes that an appropriate set of regulations and control for one substance may not be a suitable or sufficient regulation and control for another substance. LEAP believes that the nation states of the world and various states within the United States must be given the regulatory latitude to try new models that wisely balance the notions of freedom over one's own body with the need for common sense regulation of drugs to reduce death, disease, addiction and harm.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="Independent Journalism" POSITION="left" ID="ID_997465270" CREATED="1320628536668" MODIFIED="1320668359320">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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    <p>
      This is the logical stewardship domain of independent journalism.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Of course, many active conscience interdiction dimensions exhibit multi-dimensional modal agency and can be observed to operate in multiple logical stewardship domains, however, usually, a primary, or dominant, domain of operation, or agency, can be identified. Hence for clarity in this mind-map representation, a primary logical stewardship is chosen for each active conscience interdiction dimension.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
<node TEXT="ICH - Information Clearing House (USA)" ID="ID_381809404" CREATED="1320644815976" MODIFIED="1320644844497" LINK="http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/">
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    <p>
      http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/who.htm
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What and Who is Information Clearing House
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      This web site is:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - An independent media source.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - One person's effort to correct the distorted perceptions provided by commercial media.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - This web site is non-commercial (no advertising no pop-up windows) and funded byreaders contributions.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - This web site grew out of my personal frustration and anger at the failure of traditional commercial media to inform the American public, especially as it relates to US foreign policy.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - A source of unreported (or under reported) news from around the globe.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - An effort to provide more depth and understanding to current issues.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - This web site is the work of one person.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - I am a private individual.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - I am not affiliated with any particular political party.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - I am not funded by any group.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - I pay for all services associated with this site from my personal funds and readers' donations.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - I am not independently wealthy.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - I work and live in Southern California.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Please consider becoming a monthly supporter.A monthly contribution will enable me to plan for improved web site hosting on a more secure server and reduce the number of successful hacking attacks on the website.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/intent.htm
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Purpose and Intent of this website:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      This website does not suggest that it contains the &quot;truth&quot;. The truth is a combination of all information and all facts relating to a topic. It is therefore unachievable (in my opinion) for anyone to say &quot;I know the truth.&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      If you came to this site in search of &quot;the truth&quot; you will be disappointed. That is also true of CNN, FOX , ABC etc. If you came to gather information you may find it a useful resource.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Gibran says in the &quot;Prophet&quot;Say not, &quot;I have found the truth,&quot; but rather, &quot;I have found a truth.&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      That brings me to my first point:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      John Adams said &quot;Liberty can not be preserved without general knowledge among people&quot; this statement points to the absolute necessity of an informed citizenry if our nation is to remain a functioning free society.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      This means that each citizen has a civic responsibility to inform himself and share that information with others. The corporate media pumps information into our homes and does a great job of providing the information that our government wants us to know. It has in my opinion become the propaganda arm of government, and a great number of those who call themselvesjournalists are in fact nothing less than presstitutes.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Those who wish to inhibit free access to information are in my opinion a great danger to our nation. Why would any adult interfere with the right of fellow citizens to inform themselves?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      There is a war going on for the minds of America, those waging this war are determined to control the American people by taking possession of our minds and by controlling our sources of information.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Truth is indefinable. Information is unlimited.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      PUBLIC RELATIONS = PROPAGANDA
    </p>
  </body>
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</node>
<node TEXT="DN - Democracy Now! (USA)" ID="ID_92995939" CREATED="1320644857425" MODIFIED="1320644891104" LINK="http://www.democracynow.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.democracynow.org/about
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Democracy Now! is a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. Pioneering the largest public media collaboration in the U.S., Democracy Now! is broadcast on Pacifica, NPR, community, and college radio stations; on public access, PBS, satellite television (DISH network: Free Speech TV ch. 9415 and Link TV ch. 9410; DIRECTV: Link TV ch. 375); and on the internet. DN!'s podcast is one of the most popular on the web.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Democracy Now!'s War and Peace Report provides our audience with access to people and perspectives rarely heard in the U.S.corporate-sponsored media, including independent and international journalists, ordinary people from around the world who are directly affected by U.S. foreign policy, grassroots leaders and peace activists, artists, academics and independent analysts. In addition, Democracy Now! hosts real debates&#8211;debates between people who substantially disagree, such as between the White House or the Pentagon spokespeople on the one hand, and grassroots activists on the other.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      New stations are adding Democracy Now! to their programming schedules all the time, and there are several movements going on around the country right now to bring Democracy Now! to new communities. To find out more about these efforts, and how to get involved, click here.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      WHY INDEPENDENT MEDIA ?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      For true democracy to work, people need easy access to independent, diverse sources of news and information.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      But the last two decades have seen unprecedented corporate media consolidation. The U.S. media was already fairly homogeneous in the early 1980s: some fifty media conglomerates dominated all media outlets, including television, radio, newspapers, magazines, music, publishing and film. In the year 2000, just six corporations dominated the U.S. media.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In addition, corporate media outlets in the U.S. are legally responsible to their shareholders to maximize profits.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      And U.S. &quot;public&quot; media outlets accept funding from major corporations, as well as from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which has attempted in the past to exert political and editorial influence on public news producers.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Democracy Now! is funded entirely through contributions from listeners, viewers, and foundations. We do not accept advertisers, corporate underwriting, or government funding. This allows us to maintain our independence.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.democracynow.org/about/history
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman began her career in community radio in 1985 at Pacifica Radio's New York Station, WBAI. She produced WBAI's Evening News for 10 years.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In 1990 and 1991, Amy traveled to East Timor to report on the US-backed Indonesian occupation of East Timor. There, she and colleague Allan Nairn witnessed Indonesian soldiers gun down 270 East Timorese. Indonesian soldiers beat Amy and Allan, fracturing Allan's skull. Their documentary, &quot;Massacre: The Story of East Timor&quot; won numerous awards. The Indonesian military banned Amy and Allan from returning to the country, and in 1994 the two were arrested as they attempted to enter. In 1999, they deported Amy as she attempted to cover the referendum, in which East Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence. In May of 2002, Democracy Now! returned to East Timor to cover the founding of the new nation. The 5-day series, From Annihilation to a New Nation, was the most comprehensive coverage of East Timor's transition to independence broadcast in the United States.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Pacifica Radio's Democracy Now! began on February 19, 1996 as the only daily election show in public broadcasting. Due to popular demand, Democracy Now! continued beyond the presidential elections, soon becoming Pacifica's flagship news and public affairs program.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In 1998, Amy Goodman and producer Jeremy Scahill went to Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, to investigate the activities of U.S. oil companies in the Niger Delta. The radio documentary &quot;Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship&quot; exposed Chevron's role in the killing of two Nigerian villagers who were protesting yet another oil spill in their community. The documentary won the 1998 George Polk Award.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Democracy Now! team headed to Seattle in November of 1999, for an eight-day special on the Battle of Seattle, documenting the action in the streets and in the suites, and the explosion of anti-corporate globalization activism onto the world stage. Democracy Now! continues to bring the voices of the streets to the airwaves, with on-the-ground coverage from Washington to Prague, Quebec City to Porto Alegre, Brazil.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In 1999, Amy Goodman traveled to Peru to interview American political prisoner, Lori Berenson. It was the first time a journalist had ever gotten into the prison to speak to her.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In 2000, Democracy Now! pioneered an unprecedented multi-media collaboration involving non-profit community radio, satellite and cable television, and the internet. Democracy Now! broadcast, live two-hour daily specials at the Republican and Democratic national conventions, direct from the Independent Media Centers in Philadelphia and Los Angeles.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      On Election Day in 2000, Amy and WBAI's Gonzalo Aburto conducted a memorable half-hour interview with then-President Bill Clinton. The two asked hard-hitting questions the President wasn't used to hearing. By the end, Clinton called Amy &quot;hostile&quot; and &quot;combative&quot; and at times &quot;disrespectful&quot;. Amy said she was just doing her job.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Shortly after September 11, 2001, Democracy Now! began broadcasting on television every weekday. It is the only public media program in the country that airs simultaneously on radio, satellite and cable television, and the internet.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Democracy Now! became an independent non-profit organization in June, 2002. The program is currently broadcast on nearly 800 radio and television stations and is growing daily.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="FAIR - Fairness And Accuracy In Reporting (USA)" ID="ID_889297641" CREATED="1320644901318" MODIFIED="1320644932423" LINK="http://www.fair.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=100
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      FAIR - Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What's FAIR?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      FAIR, the national media watch group, has been offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986. We work to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      As an anti-censorship organization, we expose neglected news stories and defend working journalists when they are muzzled. As a progressive group, FAIR believes that structural reform is ultimately needed to break up the dominant media conglomerates, establish independent public broadcasting and promote strong non-profit sources of information.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Uniquely, FAIR works with both activists and journalists. We maintain a regular dialogue with reporters at news outlets across the country, providing constructive critiques when called for and applauding exceptional, hard-hitting journalism. We also encourage the public to contact media with their concerns, to become media activists rather than passive consumers of news.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      FAIR publishes Extra!, the award-winning magazine of media criticism, and produces the weekly radio program CounterSpin, the show that brings you the news behind the headlines. In addition, we have a thriving listserv through which we distribute regular Action Alerts to our international network of activists -- as of September 2004, the FAIR list has over 55,000 recipients, with more signing on every day.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=101
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What's Wrong With the News?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Independent, aggressive and critical media are essential to an informed democracy. But mainstream media are increasingly cozy with the economic and political powers they should be watchdogging. Mergers in the news industry have accelerated, further limiting the spectrum of viewpoints that have access to mass media. With U.S. media outlets overwhelmingly owned by for-profit conglomerates and supported by corporate advertisers, independent journalism is compromised.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Ultimately, FAIR believes that structural reform is needed to break up the dominant media conglomerates, establish independent public broadcasting, and promote strong, non-profit alternative sources of information.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Check out these links for more of FAIR's analysis of the media business:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Corporate Ownership
    </p>
    <p>
      - Advertiser Influence
    </p>
    <p>
      - Official Agendas
    </p>
    <p>
      - Telecommunications Policy
    </p>
    <p>
      - The PR Industry
    </p>
    <p>
      - Pressure Groups
    </p>
    <p>
      - The Narrow Range of Debate
    </p>
    <p>
      - Censorship
    </p>
    <p>
      - Sensationalism
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="ML - Media Lens (GBR)" ID="ID_1759872655" CREATED="1320644945722" MODIFIED="1320644971579" LINK="http://www.medialens.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.medialens.org/about/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Correcting the distorted vision of the corporate media
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is Media Lens?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Media Lens is a response based on our conviction that mainstream newspapers and broadcasters provide a profoundly distorted picture of our world. We are convinced that the increasingly centralised, corporate nature of the media means that it acts as a de facto propaganda system for corporate and other establishment interests. The costs incurred as a result of this propaganda, in terms of human suffering and environmental degradation, are incalculable.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In seeking to understand the basis and operation of this systematic distortion, we flatly reject all conspiracy theories and point instead to the inevitably corrupting effects of free market forces operating on and through media corporations seeking profit in a society dominated by corporate power. We reject the idea that journalists are generally guilty of self-censorship and conscious lying; we believe that the all-too-human tendency to self-deception accounts for their conviction that they are honest purveyors of uncompromised truth. We all have a tendency to believe what best suits our purpose - highly paid, highly privileged editors and journalists are no exception.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Media Lens has grown out of our frustration with the unwillingness, or inability, of the mainstream media to tell the truth about the real causes and extent of many of the problems facing us, such as human rights abuses, poverty, pollution and climate change. Because much modern suffering is rooted in the unlimited greed of corporate profit-maximising - in the subordination of people and planet to profit - it seems to us to be a genuine tragedy that society has for so long been forced to rely on the corporate media for 'accurate' information. It seems clear to us that quite obvious conflicts of interest mean it is all but impossible for the media to provide this information. We did not expect the Soviet Communist Party's newspaper Pravda to tell the truth about the Communist Party, why should we expect the corporate press to tell the truth about corporate power?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We believe that media 'neutrality' is a deception that often serves to hide systematic pro-corporate bias. 'Neutrality' most often involves 'impartially' reporting dominant establishment views, while ignoring all non-establishment views. In reality it is not possible for journalists to be neutral - regardless of whether we do or do not overtly give our personal opinion, that opinion is always reflected in the facts we choose to highlight or ignore. While we seek to correct corporate distortions as honestly as possible, our concern is not to affect some spurious 'objectivity' but to engage with the world to do whatever we can to reduce suffering and to resist the forces that seek to subordinate human well-being to profit. We do not believe that passively observing human misery without attempting to intervene constitutes 'neutrality'. We do not believe that 'neutrality' can ever be deemed more important than doing all in our power to help others.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We accept the Buddhist assertion that while greed and hatred distort reason, compassion empowers it. Our aim is to increase rational awareness, critical thought and compassion, and to decrease greed, hatred and ignorance. Our goal is not at all to attack, insult or anger individual editors or journalists but to highlight significant examples of the systemic distortion that is facilitating appalling crimes against humanity: the failure to communicate the truth of exactly who is responsible for the slaughter of 500,000 Iraqi children under five; the silence surrounding the motives and devastating consequences of corporate obstruction of action on climate change; the true nature, motives and consequences of 'globalisation'; the corporate degradation and distortion of democratic society and culture. Our hope is that by so doing we can help all of us to free ourselves from delusions. In the age of global warming and globalised exploitation these delusions threaten an extraordinary, and perhaps terminal, disaster - they should not be allowed to go unchallenged.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We have to acknowledge the debt we owe to Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky, and in particular to their brilliant (and largely ignored) text, 'Manufacturing Consent - The Political Economy of the Mass Media'. (Pantheon, 1988) We recommend Herman and Chomsky's &quot;propaganda model of media control&quot; as a basis for understanding the manner in which truth is filtered from, rather than consciously obstructed by, the modern media system.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We hope that this website will help to turn bystanders into compassionate actors. As historian Howard Zinn has written:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      &quot;Society has varying and conflicting interests; what is called objectivity is the disguise of one of these interests - that of neutrality. But neutrality is a fiction in an unneutral world. There are victims, there are executioners, and there are bystanders... and the 'objectivity' of the bystander calls for inaction while other heads fall.&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      &quot;I recommend a new website edited by... [writers David Edwards and David Cromwell], whose factual, inquiring analysis of the reporting of Iraq, Afghanistan and other issues has already drawn the kind of defensive spleen that shows how unused to challenge and accountability much of journalism, especially that calling itself liberal, has become. The address is www.Media Lens.org.&quot; John Pilger, New Statesman, March 22, 2002)
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="SW - Source Watch (USA)" ID="ID_788392074" CREATED="1320644983406" MODIFIED="1320645010826" LINK="http://www.sourcewatch.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      SourceWatch is a free encyclopedia of people, issues, and groups shaping the public agenda that is being written collaboratively on this web site. It catalogues descriptions and details of PR firms, activist groups and government agencies as well as the criticisms that are made of these groups from different perspectives.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      You may not agree with all of the criticisms, and if you think something that appears here is unfair, you can fix it! The site is a Wiki, meaning that anyone, including you, can edit any article right now by clicking on the edit this page link that appears in every article in SourceWatch. As more and more people edit the articles, they improve in quality all the time.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      All of our articles are covered by the GNU Free Documentation License, to ensure that they can remain freely available forever.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Purpose:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is &quot;disinformation&quot;?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Disinformation is deliberately misleading information announced publicly or leaked by a government, intelligence agency, corporation or other entity for the purpose of influencing opinions or perceptions.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Unlike misinformation, which is also a form of wrong information, disinformation is produced by people who intend to deceive their audience.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      A group might plant disinformation in reports, in press releases, in public statements or in practically any other routine, occasional or unusual communique. Disinformation can also be leaked, or covertly released to a source who can be trusted to repeat the false information.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      A common disinformation tactic is to mix truth, half-truths, and lies. Disinformants sometimes seek to gain the confidence of their audience through emotional appeals or by using semi-neutral language interlaced with threads of disinformation.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      It may be easier to ask and answer questions like &quot;at what point does opinion or advocacy become disinformation?&quot;, &quot;can history or ideology remain simplified without being disinforming?&quot;, and &quot;what concept equals what other concept in this opinion, advocacy, history, or ideology?&quot; Such distinctions are studied in the fields of conceptual metaphor, information warfare, psychological operations, scientific method, historical method and the sociology of knowledge.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      One distinction that most students of these topics accept is that someone with an economic self-interest is rarely, if ever, a neutral observer.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Is disinformation just lying?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      No. The word &quot;lying &quot; usually implies an awareness of spreading untruths. Long study in psychology, e.g. false memory syndrome, groupthink, suggests that honest advocates of a view can rarely tell when they have accepted some questionable premise or evidence along with the valid evidence for that view. This suggests a constructive role for their opponents in 'culling' that evidence and moderating extreme points of view among front groups, and industry experts. Such views may reflect not a desire to disinform, but rather a biased mind-set or paradigm where some central dogma has become accepted as true.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Why are PR firms a threat?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Public relations, the profession that trades in influence and in altering mind-sets and conceptual metaphors in public life, often has both economic self-interest and a commitment to a point of view. Thus an extreme scrutiny on activities and ethical codes of such professions is advised: the statements it produces must usually be considered disinformation by definition, at least by opponents, until proven otherwise.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      How can the public fight back?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      When such activities are genuinely against the public interest, wise members of the public seek tools to regain mindshare for what they see as 'truth'. Holding disinforming groups up to scrutiny is an ongoing process, a process far more important than labeling any particular point of view, or metaphor, or idea, as &quot;disinforming&quot;. It is a cornerstone of any democracy.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is this project's role in increasing public scrutiny?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Because of its global scope and experience with prior projects like Wikipedia and others by PRwatch, hopefully a project like SourceWatch can support the public scrutiny process more effectively than was possible with prior methods. If not, then also hopefully, that will become obvious and a more effective successor that will serve public purposes better can evolve, learning from this project's flaws and successes. So this project will likely serve as it is, and inspire successors. Our hope is based on use of very open and simple tools that have proven capable of attracting mass public participation:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Who owns SourceWatch?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The owner of the server and the domain names is the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD). However, the articles are released by their authors under the GNU Free Documentation License, so the articles are open content. Therefore, it cannot be said that the owner of SourceWatch articles is CMD. See SourceWatch:Copyrights and SourceWatch:Readers' FAQ for information on how you can use SourceWatch content. (Please note, however, that other sections of the PR Watch web site remain copyrighted property of the Center for Media and Democracy and should not be used without permission.)
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Who is responsible for the articles on SourceWatch?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      This is a collaborative endeavor. Many people have contributed to different parts of this project, and anyone can do so. Including you! All you need to know is How to edit a page. It would also be good to know what you are talking about.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      You can learn who is responsible for the most recent versions of any given page by clicking on the &quot;History&quot; link. But remember, if you spot an error in the latest revision and you don't correct it, then you share responsibility for the error. So be bold in updating pages!
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      If you are uncertain or find the wording confusing, quote the material on the associated talk page and leave a question for the next more knowledgeable reader or editor. This helps eliminate errors, inaccuracies or misleading wording more quickly and is highly appreciated by the community. Thank you!
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="PC - Project Censored (USA)" ID="ID_424573574" CREATED="1320645021842" MODIFIED="1320645068889" LINK="http://www.projectcensored.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.projectcensored.org/about/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ABOUT
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The mission of Project Censored is to teach students and the public about the role of a free press in a free society &#8211; and to tell the News That Didn't Make the News and Why
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      WHAT IS MODERN CENSORSHIP?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      At Project Censored, we examine the coverage of news and information important to the maintenance of a healthy and functioning democracy. We define Modern Censorship as the subtle yet constant and sophisticated manipulation of reality in our mass media outlets. On a daily basis, censorship refers to the intentional non-inclusion of a news story &#8211; or piece of a news story &#8211; based on anything other than a desire to tell the truth. Such manipulation can take the form of political pressure (from government officials and powerful individuals), economic pressure (from advertisers and funders), and legal pressure (the threat of lawsuits from deep-pocket individuals, corporations, and institutions).
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      WHAT IS MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In our view, the only valid justification for declining a news story is that in a medium limited by time and space, another news story was simply more important to the people of the community, whether local, national or international. While admittedly a subjective process, it is nonetheless, a process to be undertaken by the news people themselves (the investigative journalists and editors), NOT by the managers and CEOs of their &quot;parent company.&quot; No professional journalist or researcher should ever have to face the destruction of his or her career (or life) simply because they wanted to tell the truth. While no two people will always agree on what story is more important than another, a system where the working reporters and editors run the newsroom would at least provide a fertile environment for debate, dissent and critical thinking.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The growth of independent media and journalism in recent years shows that people throughout the world yearn to hold not only their leaders accountable, but their media sources as well. For that reason, the Project Censored research program continues, in its small way, to support and highlight those who tell the truth about the powerful (no matter the consequences) and are relentless in their quest to hold Big Media accountable for their decisions.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      PROJECT CENSORED OVERVIEW
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Project Censored was founded by Carl Jensen in 1976, and is a media research program working in cooperation with numerous independent media groups in the US. Project Censored's principle objective is training of SSU students in media research and First Amendment issues and the advocacy for, and protection of, free press rights in the United States. Project Censored has trained over 1,500 students in investigative research in the past three decades.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Through a partnership of faculty, students, and the community, Project Censored conducts research on important national news stories that are underreported, ignored, misrepresented, or censored by the US corporate media. Each year, Project Censored publishes a ranking of the top 25 most censored nationally important news stories in the yearbook, Censored: Media Democracy in Action, which is released in September. Recent Censored books have been published in Spanish, Italian and Arabic.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Project works in cooperation with SSU academic classes Sociology of Media and Sociology of Censorship, where students earn credit for their research and participate in writing the annual yearbook. Additionally, Project Censored sponsors and supervises over 60 student interns a year who do in depth investigative research, sponsor campus events and speakers, and organize a series of Modern Censorship Lectures each fall semester. Students also participate in writing the Project Censored quarterly newsletter (circulation 9,000) and assist with maintaining the Project Censored website www.projectcensored.org, which receives over a million views a month from all over the world.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Between 700 and 1000 stories are submitted to Project Censored each year from journalists, scholars, librarians, and concerned citizens around the world. With the help of more than 200 Sonoma State University faculty, students, and community members, Project Censored reviews the story submissions for coverage, content, reliability of sources and national significance. The university community selects 25 stories to submit to the Project Censored panel of judges who then rank them in order of importance. Current or previous national judges include: Noam Chomsky, Susan Faludi, George Gerbner, Sut Jhally, Frances Moore Lappe, Michael Parenti, Herbert I. Schiller, Barbara Seaman, Erna Smith, Mike Wallace and Howard Zinn. All 25 stories are featured in the yearbook, Censored: The News That Didn't Make the News.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Project Censored is administered through the SSU Sociology Department with financial support from the SSU Instructionally Related Activity Fund, School of Social Science, Media Freedom Foundation Inc. and donations from thousands of supporters around the country.
    </p>
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<node TEXT="WL - WikiLeaks (AUS)" ID="ID_1890412725" CREATED="1320645080045" MODIFIED="1320645111330" LINK="http://wikileaks.org/">
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    <p>
      http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Wikileaks:About
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      &quot;The first ingredient of civil society is the people's right to know, because without such understanding no human being can meaningfully choose to support anything, much less a political system. Knowledge is the creator of every political process, every constitution, every law and every regulation. The communication of knowledge is without salient analogue. It demands recognition as the founding guide of civilization.&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Wikileaks is developing an uncensorable Wikipedia for untraceable mass document leaking and analysis. Our primary interest is in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub- Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to people of all regions who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their governments and corporations. We aim for maximum political impact. Our interface is identical to Wikipedia and usable by all types of people. We have received over 1.2 million documents so far from dissident communities and anonymous sources.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We believe that transparency in government activities leads to reduced corruption, better government and stronger democracies. All governments can benefit from increased scrutiny by the world community, as well as their own people. We believe this scrutiny requires information. Historically that information has been costly - in terms of human life and human rights. But with technological advances - the internet, and cryptography - the risks of conveying important information can be lowered.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Wikileaks opens leaked documents up to stronger scrutiny than any media organization or intelligence agency can provide. Wikileaks provides a forum for the entire global community to relentlessly examine any document for its credibility, plausibility, veracity and validity. Communities can interpret leaked documents and explain their relevance to the public. If a document comes from the Chinese government, the entire Chinese dissident community and diaspora can freely scrutinize and discuss it; if a document arrives from Iran, the entire Farsi community can analyze it and put it in context. Sample analyses are available here.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In its landmark ruling on the Pentagon Papers, the US Supreme Court ruled that &quot;only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government.&quot; We agree.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We believe that it is not only the people of one country that keep their government honest, but also the people of other countries who are watching that government. That is why the time has come for an anonymous global avenue for disseminating documents the public should see.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Volunteer to help. Almost everyone can be of some assistance.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is Wikileaks? How does Wikileaks operate?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Wikileaks is an uncensorable version of Wikipedia for untraceable mass document leaking and analysis. It combines the protection and anonymity of cutting-edge cryptographic technologies with the transparency and simplicity of a wiki interface.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Wikileaks looks like Wikipedia. Anybody can post comments to it. No technical knowledge is required. Whistleblowers can post documents anonymously and untraceably. Users can publicly discuss documents and analyze their credibility and veracity. Users can discuss the latest material, read and write explanatory articles on leaks along with background material and context. The political relevance of documents and their veracity can be revealed by a cast of thousands.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Wikileaks incorporates advanced cryptographic technologies to ensure anonymity and untraceability. Those who provide leaked information may face severe risks, whether of political repercussions, legal sanctions or physical violence. Accordingly, sophisticated cryptographic and postal techniques are used to minimize the risks that anonymous sources face.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      For the technically minded, Wikileaks integrates technologies including modified versions of MediaWiki, OpenSSL, FreeNet, Tor, PGP and software of our own design.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Wikileaks information is distributed across many jurisdictions, organizations and individuals. Once a document is leaked it is essentially impossible to censor.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Why &quot;wikify&quot; leaking?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      See also Why is Wikileaks so important?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Principled leaking has changed the course of history for the better; it can alter the course of history in the present; it can lead us to a better future.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Consider Daniel Ellsberg, working within the US government during the Vietnam War. He comes into contact with the Pentagon Papers, a meticulously kept record of military and strategic planning throughout the war. Those papers reveal the depths to which the US government has sunk in deceiving the population about the war. Yet the public and the media know nothing of this urgent and shocking information. Indeed, secrecy laws are being used to keep the public ignorant of gross dishonesty practiced by their government. In spite of those secrecy laws and at great personal risk, Ellsberg manages to disseminate the Pentagon papers to journalists and to the world. Despite criminal charges against Ellsberg, eventually dropped, the release of the Pentagon papers shocks the world, exposes the government, and helps to shorten the war and save thousands of lives.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The power of principled leaking to embarrass governments, corporations and institutions is amply demonstrated through recent history. The public scrutiny of otherwise unaccountable and secretive institutions forces them to consider the ethical implications of their actions. Which official will chance a secret, corrupt transaction when the public is likely to find out? What repressive plan will be carried out when it is revealed to the citizenry, not just of its own country, but the world? When the risks of embarrassment and discovery increase, the tables are turned against conspiracy, corruption, exploitation and oppression. Open government answers injustice rather than causing it. Open government exposes and undoes corruption. Open governance is the most effective method of promoting good governance.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Today, with authoritarian governments in power around much of the world, increasing authoritarian tendencies in democratic governments, and increasing amounts of power vested in unaccountable corporations, the need for openness and transparency is greater than ever.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Wikileaks is a tool to satisfy that need.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Wikileaks reduces the risks of truth tellers and improves the analysis and dissemination of leaked documents.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Wikileaks provides simple and straightforward means for anonymous and untraceable leaking of documents.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      At the same time, Wikileaks opens leaked documents up to a much more exacting scrutiny than any media organization or intelligence agency could provide: the scrutiny of a worldwide community of informed wiki editors.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In place of a couple of academic specialists, Wikileaks provides a forum for the entire global community to examine any document relentlessly for credibility, plausibility, veracity and validity. The global community is able to interpret documents and explain their relevance to the public. If a document is leaked from the Chinese government, the entire Chinese dissident community can freely scrutinize and discuss it; if a document is leaked from Somalia, the entire Somali refugee community can analyze it and put it in context.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In an important sense, Wikileaks is the first intelligence agency of the people. Better principled and less parochial than any governmental intelligence agency, it is able to be more accurate and relevant. It has no commercial or national interests at heart; its only interest is the revelation of the truth. Unlike the covert activities of state intelligence agencies, Wikileaks relies upon the power of overt fact to enable and empower citizens to bring feared and corrupt governments and corporations to justice.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Wikileaks will aid every government official, every bureaucrat, and every corporate worker, who becomes privy to embarrassing information that the institution wants to hide but the public needs to know. What conscience cannot contain, and institutional secrecy unjustly conceals, Wikileaks can broadcast to the world.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Wikileaks will be the forum for the ethical defection and exposure of unaccountable and abusive power to the people.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Who is behind Wikileaks?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Wikileaks was founded by Chinese dissidents, journalists, mathematicians and startup company technologists, from the US, Taiwan, Europe, Australia and South Africa.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our public Advisory Board, which is still in formation, includes courageous journalists, representatives from refugee communities, ethics and anti-corruption campaigners, including a former national head of Transparency International, human rights campaigners, lawyers and cryptographers.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      There are currently over 1,200 registered volunteers, but we need more people involved at an organizational level.
    </p>
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<node TEXT="Civil Society" POSITION="left" ID="ID_972260106" CREATED="1320628524380" MODIFIED="1320668308136">
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    <p>
      This is the logical stewardship domain of civil society.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Of course, many active conscience interdiction dimensions exhibit multi-dimensional modal agency and can be observed to operate in multiple logical stewardship domains, however, usually, a primary, or dominant, domain of operation, or agency, can be identified. Hence for clarity in this mind-map representation, a primary logical stewardship is chosen for each active conscience interdiction dimension.
    </p>
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<node TEXT="CW - Corp Watch (USA)" ID="ID_129010569" CREATED="1320645447444" MODIFIED="1320645478759" LINK="http://www.corpwatch.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=11314
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CorpWatch - Holding Corporations Accountable
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our Mission
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CorpWatch: Non-profit investigative research and journalism to expose corporate malfeasance and to advocate for multinational corporate accountability and transparency. We work to foster global justice, independent media activism and democratic control over corporations.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We seek to expose multinational corporations that that profit from war, fraud, environmental, human rights and other abuses, and to provide critical information to foster a more informed public and an effective democracy.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our guiding vision is to promote human, environmental, social and worker rights at the local, national and global levels by making corporate practices more transparent and holding corporations accountable for their actions.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      As independent investigative researchers and journalists, we provide critical information to foster a more informed public and an effective democracy.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We believe the actions, decisions, and policies undertaken and pursued by private corporations have very real impact on public life &#8211; from individuals to communities around the world. Yet few mechanisms currently exist to hold them accountable for those actions. As a result, it falls to the public sphere to protect the public interest.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In many cases, corporate power and influence eclipses even the democratic political process itself as they exert disproportional influence on public policy they deem detrimental to their narrow self-interests. In less developed nations, they usurp authority altogether, often purchasing government complicity for unfair practices at the expense of economic, environmental, human, labor and social rights.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Yet despite the very public impact of their actions and decisions, corporations remain bound to be accountable solely to their own private financial considerations and the interests of their shareholders. They have little incentive, nor requirement, for public transparency regarding their decisions and practices, let alone concrete accountability for their ultimate impact.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Guiding Principles
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CorpWatch is part of a diverse global movement for human rights, social justice, environmental sustainability, peace, corporate transparency and accountability.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We believe that all people deserve:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - The power to make decisions over their own resources, environment and working conditions
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Fair and sustainable trade that rewards workers with just wages and a clean, sustainable environment
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Public services such as education, healthcare, water or electricity available at an affordable price. No institution should be allowed to profit unjustly out of the provision of such basic services
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Access to local jobs and services
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We oppose:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Violations of human rights such as torture, discrimination, political repression, or union-busting
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Ecologically unsustainable business practices, including those that have an adverse impact on local communities or the global environment
    </p>
    <p>
      Secret and unaccountable corporate and government activities
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Economic rules that adversely impact communities, national governments and entire regions of the world, such as free trade, privatization and outsourcing of local jobs.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Finally, we support the right of people, communities and countries to be compensated for human rights violations, and environmental and economic impacts caused by damaging corporate, government or multi-lateral institutional behavior. Corporations must abide by international law and be directly accountable to those directly impacted, whether a local community or a national government to redress damage.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Crocodyl -- Collaborative Research On Corporations
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In September 2007, we launched the Wiki project http://Crocodyl.org, in partnership with the Center for Corporate Policy and the Corporate Research Project.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Crocodyl.org puts the power of public oversight into the hands of the people themselves. As a public platform for change and accountability, it serves as a global resource to aggregate research among NGOs, journalists, activists, unions, whistleblowers and academics from from around the world in order to develop publicly available profiles of the world's most powerful corporations, particularly multinationals.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The result is an evolving compendium of critical research, posted to the public domain as an aid to activist campaigns and anyone working to hold corporations increasingly accountable.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Crocodyl's goal is to create social change through democratizing often hard to find and disparate information on corporations and the impacts of their operations.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Historical Highlights
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Since 1996, San Francisco Bay Area-based CorpWatch has been educating and mobilizing people through the CorpWatch.org website, articles and publications, and numerous action-campaigns.The organization is a project of the Tides Center and it is guided by a six-member Executive Committee of our Advisory Board. In addition, we are an affiliate member of Friends of the Earth International.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Throughout its history CorpWatch has provided journalists, activists, policy makers, students and teachers with key informational resources on issues related to corporate accountability.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The foundation from which the organization emerged and evolved was the book, The Corporate Planet: Ecology and Politics in the Age of Globalization, written by CorpWatch's founder Joshua Karliner, and published by Sierra Club Books in 1997. The scope of our investigations reflects our commitment to pursuing issues of corporate accountability and malfeasance in any manifestation, anywhere in the world -- whether the rights in question are economic, environmental, human, political or social rights.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Human Rights, Economics, the Environment and Transparency
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      * Corpwatch launched its first major shot across the corporate bow in 1997 when it blew the whistle on working conditions in Nike's operations in Vietnam, ultimately leading to greater oversight of their factories and changes in their corporate practices.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      * In 1998, CorpWatch had the foresight to start investigating the Enron Corporation, three years before the company's collapse.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      * Our Climate Justice Initiative, organized from 1999-2002 around the CorpWatch report, Greenhouse Gangsters vs. Climate Justice, successfully redefined climate change as an environmental justice and human rights issue, and helped mobilize communities already adversely impacted by the fossil fuel industry.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      * In 1999, we broke the story of the United Nations growing entanglement with corporations, known as the UN Global Compact.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      * We published &quot;Earth Summit.biz: The Corporate Takeover of Sustainable Development,&quot; in collaboration with Food First Books in 2002.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      * We also co-produced five live one-hour radio broadcasts from the WTO Ministerial meeting and protests in Seattle in 1999 and from Cancun in 2003.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      * In May 2007 we exposed the human and environmental cost of gold mining with Barrick's Dirty Secrets: Communities Respond to Gold Mining's Impacts Worldwide.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      * In September 2007 we launched the Wiki project Crocodyl.org, in partnership with the Center for Corporate Policy and the Corporate Research Project.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      * In May 2009 we contributed to The True Cost of Chevron: An Alternative Annual Report, led by author Antonia Juhasz. This jointly-produced report documents negative impacts of Chevron's operations around the globe, in stark contrast to the message sent by the company's ubiquitous &quot;Human Energy&quot; advertising campaign.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      War and Disaster Profiteering: Afghanistan, Iraq and Katrina
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      * In the spring of 2002 and 2003, CorpWatch began to track companies like Bechtel, Dyncorp and Halliburton, profiting out of the so-called &quot;war on terrorism.&quot; This has led to our fielding several investigative journalistic teams to investigate the out-sourced reconstruction in Iraq. Some of the footage CorpWatch obtained in Iraq was used in Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 9-11.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      * In May 2004, CorpWatch began a series of alternative annual reports on Halliburton, along with Global Exchange, HallibutonWatch and others. The first was dubbed Houston, We Have a Problem. The 2005 alternative annual report was titled, Houston, We Still Have A Problem, and one in 2006, Hurricane Halliburton: Conflict, Climate Change and Catastrophe. We published the fourth and final in the series in spring 2007, as Halliburton off-shored its headquarters Dubai in the United Arab Emerites, called Goodbye, Houston.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      * In November 2004, CorpWatch released Iraq, Inc., A Profitable Occupation - the first book-length on-the-ground account of Year One of the occupation of Iraq. Authored by executive director Pratap Chatterjee, and published by Seven Stories Press, Matt Swibel of Forbes Magazine said, &quot;Iraq, Inc. will introduce you to the entrepreneurs who really understand war profiteering and the price the rest of us will have to pay.&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      * In May 2006, CorpWatch published Afghanistan, Inc., authored by Afghan-American writer Fariba Nawa, which details the bungled reconstruction effort in Afghanistan.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      * Turning our sights closer to home, next was Big, Easy Money: Disaster Profiteering on the American Gulf Coast by Rita J. King, published in August 2006, on the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's devastation.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      * We followed this up with Casualties of Katrina: Gulf Coast Reconstruction Two Years after the Hurricane in September 2007, written by Eliza Strickland and Azibuike Akaba.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      * In late April, 2008, we released a ground-breaking report on the impact of U.S. intelligence and translation contracting, Outsourcing Intelligence in Iraq: A CorpWatch Report on L-3/Titan. Authored by Pratap Chatterjee, we released the report on the eve of L-3's shareholder meeting. We re-released this report in December 2008, with recommendations from Amnesty International.
    </p>
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<node TEXT="HW - Halliburton Watch (USA)" ID="ID_575862711" CREATED="1320645501241" MODIFIED="1320645525706" LINK="http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/">
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    <p>
      http;//www.halliburtonwatch.org/
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    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Halliburton Watch covers the Halliburton corporation's (The ex Bush-Era Vice President Dick Cheney's Corporate Vehicle) practices including cronyism and corruption.
    </p>
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<node TEXT="CPI - Centre For Public Integrity (USA)" ID="ID_733221603" CREATED="1320645551924" MODIFIED="1320645581797" LINK="http://www.publicintegrity.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.publicintegrity.org/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About the Centre for Public Integrity
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Investigative Journalism in the Public Interest
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our Mission:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - The mission of the Center for Public Integrity is to produce original investigative journalism about significant public issues to make institutional power more transparent and accountable. To pursue its mission, the Center:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Generates high-quality, accessible investigative reports, databases, and contextual analysis on issues of public importance.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Disseminates work to journalists, policymakers, scholars, and citizens using a combination of digital, electronic, and print media.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Educates, engages, and empowers citizens with the tools and skills they need to hold governments and other institutions accountable.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      O- rganizes and supports investigative journalists around the world who apply the Center's values, mission, and standards to cross-border projects.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Remains independent by building a strong and sustainable financial base of support, including a community of committed individuals and foundations.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our Organization
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Center for Public Integrity is a nonprofit organization dedicated to producing original, responsible investigative journalism on issues of public concern. The Center is non-partisan and non-advocacy. We are committed to transparent and comprehensive reporting both in the United States and around the world.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Center is located at 910 17th Street NW, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20006. The telephone number is (202) 466-1300.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our People
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Bill Buzenberg is the Center's fourth executive director, joining us in December 2006. He has been a journalist and news executive at newspapers and in public radio for more than 35 years. Most recently, as senior vice president of news at American Public Media / Minnesota Public Radio, Buzenberg launched such programming initiatives as American RadioWorks, public radio's major documentary and investigative journalism unit, and Speaking of Faith, public radio's signature program on religion.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      He also began Public Insight Journalism, an innovative use of technology to draw knowledge from the audience. As vice president of news and information at National Public Radio from 1990 to 1997, he was responsible for launching Talk of the Nation, as well as the expansion of All Things Considered and the extension of NPR's newscasts services to 24 hours a day.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      During his tenure, the NPR News Division was honored with 9 DuPont-Columbia Batons and 10 Peabody Awards. He has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award, public radio's highest honor.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/our_organization/faq/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Frequently Asked Questions:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is the Center for Public Integrity?What does it do?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Center's mission is to produce original investigative journalism about significant public issues to make institutional power more transparent and accountable.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      How is the Center organized?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Center is a nonprofit digital news organization; it is nonpartisan and does no advocacy work.The Center is exempt from income taxes. Contributions to the Center are tax-deductible.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Center is governed by a board of directors, who in turn hires and supervises its executive director.The executive director leads an executive team comprised of the managing editor, development director, chief operating officer, and communications director.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Center's editorial staff consists of journalists, FOIA experts, copy editors, researchers, fact-checkers, and data experts who work on the Center's investigative projects and stories. The Center's development department manages the Center's fundraising and outreach programs.The communications department is responsible for media and web development.The chief operating officer handles all internal support functions, including information technology, human resources, administration, and finance.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      How does the Center choose its investigations?(See also How the Center Does its Work)
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Project and story ideas come internally from across the organization and from meetings with external parties.The stories are vetted by the executive director and managing editor who then give preliminary approval for initial investigation.A go or no-go decision is made on the basis of preliminary research.If the decision is a go, then the Center provides full resources, including staffing and funding, to pursue the story to its end.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What types of investigations does the Center choose and does the Center handle submissions from whistleblowers?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Center has conducted investigations into many topics; the environment, public health, public accountability, federal and state lobbying, war profiteering, and financial disclosure, all of which have a public integrity component.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Some of the Center's most notable investigations were a result of information passed on by whistleblowers.If you believe, after reviewing the Center's work and mission, that the information you have falls along the lines of what the Center is about, please send your information to editorial@publicintegrity.org.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      How does the Center distribute its work to the media and other groups such as Congress, NGOs, and other organizations?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Center distributes its press releases and news advisories to all forms of media; broadcast, print, online, and blogs, throughout the U.S. and around the globe. If there are Center investigations that involve issues with a federal government agency, the respective congressional committees with jurisdiction over that agency will be included in that distribution. The Center also shares its press releases with a variety of NGOs and advocacy groups when there is interest expressed in the Center's work. The Center keeps its member subscribers and other constituents updated with the latest Center news by e-alerts.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      If you are a member of the media and would like to be added to the Center's distribution list, please contact the Center's communications department.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is the role of the Center's advisory council?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Center's advisory council members lend their expertise to the executive director about trends in journalism, technology, and nonprofit best practice.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      DEVELOPMENT
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Why contribute to the Center for Public Integrity?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Center conducts investigative projects that explore the interaction between private interests and government officials and its effect on public policy involving matters of public integrity. By providing thorough, thoughtful, and objective analyses, the Center serves as a provider of factual information to inspire a better-informed citizenry to demand a higher level of accountability from its government, elected leaders, and corporations. Your contribution is vital to the work of the Center.Please note that your contribution is tax-deductible.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      How does the Center's recurring giving program work?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Center encourages donors to support us through our recurring giving program.By making a pledge to give on a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual basis, you will receive a confirmation letter or e-mail.Thereafter the credit or debit card you provide will be charged for your pledge amount at the increments you selected, beginning on a date of your choosing.You may alter or cancel your pledge at any time by contacting development@publicintegrity.org via e-mail or calling us at (202) 466-1300.Every January, the Center will send you an acknowledgment of your total contributions for the preceding year.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Sustaining gifts provide a reliable, flexible source of support for the Center's ongoing projects, investigations, and operations.They allow us to spend more time pursuing and distributing hard-hitting stories and less time fundraising, and they make the best use of time and resources by minimizing processing fees and paperwork.Your small contributions, month after month, can add up to a significant difference for the Center, and we urge you to consider this among your giving options.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      How is the Center for Public Integrity funded?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Center for Public Integrity is supported by foundations and individuals.It does not accept contributions from labor unions, governments, or anonymous donors.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      If I make a donation to the Center, how much goes to fund investigative projects?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      According to our most recent annual tax filing, the Center's combined costs for all fundraising and administration were 27 percent of our total budget.Thus, 73 percent of every contribution goes directly to investigative projects.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Does the Center for Public Integrity lobby?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Center is strictly nonpartisan. It does not lobby, endorse any legislation, political candidates, or parties.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      :
    </p>
    <p>
      :
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="CMD - The Centre For Media and Democracy (USA)" ID="ID_1877172757" CREATED="1320645595517" MODIFIED="1320645623437" LINK="http://www.prwatch.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.prwatch.org/cmd/index.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About CMD
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Center for Media and Democracy was founded by John Stauber in 1993 as an independent, non-profit, non-partisan, public interest organization. CMD's mission is to promote transparency and an informed debate by exposing corporate spin and government propaganda and by engaging the public in collaborative, fair and accurate reporting.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      To see what journalists say about CMD, including the late Molly Ivins, Bill Moyers, Eric Schlosser, Amy Goodman and others, click on -
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://prwatch.org/node/5965
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Center for Media and Democracy is run by a Board of Directors whose current members are Deborah Bey, Ellen Braune, Joseph Mendelson, David Merritt, Jan Miyasaki, John Stauber, Inger Stole, and executive director Lisa Graves (in a non-voting capacity). The Center serves journalists, researchers, policymakers and citizens at large in the following ways:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Countering propaganda by investigating and reporting on behind-the-scenes public relations campaigns by corporations, industries, governments and other powerful institutions.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Informing and assisting grassroots citizen activism that promotes public health, economic justice, ecological sustainability and human rights.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Promoting media literacy to help the public recognize the forces shaping the information they receive about issues that affect their lives.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Sponsoring &quot;open content&quot; media that enable citizens from all walks of life to &quot;be the media&quot; and to participate in creating media content.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Toward these ends, the Center sponsors the following projects:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - SourceWatch, an Internet-based &quot;open content&quot; encyclopedia of people, groups and issues shaping the public agenda. SourceWatch is the home for a growing number of collaborative partnerships currently including portals on Global Corporations; Front Groups; Climate Change and COP15 and interlocked issues of Coal and Nuclear power; Election Protection in the U.S.; and, the Tobacco Industry.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Original Investigations including CMD's historic 2006 exposure of widespread FakeTV News.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - PR Watch quarterly, which investigates and exposes how the public relations industry and other professional propagandists manipulate public information, perceptions and opinion on behalf of governments and special interests.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Spin of the Day, which offers web-based daily reporting on public relations, propaganda and media spin.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Blogs, which offer original CMD reporting and analysis.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - CMD's Resource Center, through our staffed office which answers inquiries from journalists and other members of the public seeking to understand the forces and influences behind current issues.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Skills training to share best practices and success stories with citizen journalists and activist groups, through workshops and CMD's publications.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Books including the following by CMD staff:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      -- The Best War Ever: Lies, Damned Lies and the Mess in Iraq
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      -- Toxic Sludge Is Good For You: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      -- Mad Cow USA, which documents the PR coverup of human and animal health risks from mad cow disease
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      -- Trust Us, We're Experts: How Industry Manipulates Science and Gambles With Your Future
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      -- Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      -- Banana Republicans: How the Right Wing is Turning America Into a One-Party State
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Public education campaigns, including public speaking and organizing activities such as CMD's successful 2007 Defend The Press campaign with the National Press Club and other partners.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="CREW - Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (USA)" ID="ID_986622044" CREATED="1320645638889" MODIFIED="1320645670224" LINK="http://www.citizensforethics.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.citizensforethics.org/pages/about
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About CREW
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Many Americans have given up on our political system, writing off our elected leaders as crooks. At CREW, we believe politicians must be held accountable for their actions. Day in and day out, we work to ensure government officials -regardless of party affiliation- act with honesty and integrity and merit the public trust.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting ethics and accountability in government and public life by targeting government officials who sacrifice the common good to special interests.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CREW advances its mission using a combination of research, litigation and media outreach. CREW employs the law as a tool to force officials to act ethically and lawfully and to bring unethical conduct to the public's attention through:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Litigation
    </p>
    <p>
      - Freedom of Information Act Requests
    </p>
    <p>
      - Ethics Complaints
    </p>
    <p>
      - Internal Revenue Service Complaints
    </p>
    <p>
      - Federal Election Commission Complaints
    </p>
    <p>
      - Requests for Investigations
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.citizensforethics.org/pages/mission
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Mission
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CREW uses high impact legal actions to target government officials who sacrifice the common good to special interests.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Many Americans have given up on our political system, writing off our elected leaders as crooks. At CREW, we believe politicians must be held accountable for their actions. Day in and day out, we work to ensure government officials - regardless of party affiliation - act with honesty and integrity and merit the public trust.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CREW accomplishes this by marrying in-depth research and investigation with hard-charging legal action and an aggressive communications strategy. We augment these efforts by building coalitions to push for policies favoring transparency and accountability. To garner support for our efforts, we use all mediums of the modern media - television, radio, print, and social networking -to maximize coverage of our work.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      It's always easier to tear something down than to build it up, and building a better Washington is no different. CREW firmly believes, however, that a small group of committed citizens can change the world; it is the only thing that ever has.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="POGO - Project On Government Oversight (USA)" ID="ID_467271733" CREATED="1320646136725" MODIFIED="1320646172396" LINK="http://www.pogo.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.pogo.org/about/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About Us
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Project On Government Oversight is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that champions good government reforms. POGO's investigations into corruption, misconduct, and conflicts of interest achieve a more effective, accountable, open, and ethical federal government. Founded in 1981, POGO (which was then known as Project on Military Procurement) originally worked to expose outrageously overpriced military spending on items such as a $7,600 coffee maker and a $436 hammer. In 1990, after many successes reforming military spending, including a Pentagon spending freeze at the height of the Cold War, POGO decided to expand its mandate and investigate waste, fraud, and abuse throughout the federal government.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Throughout its history, POGO's work has been applauded by Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, federal workers and whistleblowers, other nonprofits, and the media.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      30th Anniversary
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      POGO was founded in 1981, and is celebrating it's 30th anniversary. Follow the link to view a very special anniversary video and annual report.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Methodology
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      While some groups are staffed with scientists or experts who focus on a single issue, POGO is an investigative organization with an expertise for working with sources inside the government and whistleblowers to document evidence of corruption, waste, fraud, or abuse. Many of our nation's most dedicated citizens work in and around the federal government. When they come across information revealing serious misconduct, they rightfully believe that they would risk losing their job if they came forward and &quot;blew the whistle&quot; on the wrongdoing they see. According to government surveys, one out of every 14 federal employees reported being retaliated against in a two-year period for making disclosures concerning health and safety dangers; unlawful behavior; and/or fraud, waste, and abuse.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      POGO's investigators and journalists take leads and information from insiders and verify the information through investigations using the Freedom Of Information Act, interviews, and other fact-finding strategies. We then report on our findings to the media, Congress, and public interest groups through alerts, statements, and studies. At the same time, we protect the identity of our insider partners the way that reporters in the mainstream media do, ensuring that they are not punished for their patriotism.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      How POGO Works
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - IDENTIFY systemic corruption or other misconduct in federal government
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Launch independent INVESTIGATIONS
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Work with whistleblowers, insiders, and other knowledgeable individuals to RESEARCH AND CONFIRM findings
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Recommend COMMON-SENSE SOLUTIONS for positive change
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - INFORM PUBLIC of findings
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Work with government officials to INITIATE SYSTEMIC POLICY IMPROVEMENTS
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Continue to work towards a more EFFECTIVE, ACCOUNTABLE, OPEN, AND ETHICAL federal government
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Mission Statement
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Founded in 1981, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that champions good government reforms. POGO's investigations into corruption, misconduct, and conflicts of interest achieve a more effective, accountable, open, and ethical federal government.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="IPS - Institute for Policy Studies (USA)" ID="ID_686766663" CREATED="1320646243799" MODIFIED="1320646273872" LINK="http://www.ips-dc.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.ips-dc.org/about
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About the Institute
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      IPS is a community of public scholars and organizers linking peace, justice, and the environment in the U.S. and globally. We work with social movements to promote true democracy and challenge concentrated wealth, corporate influence, and military power.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      As Washington's first progressive multi-issue think tank, the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) has served as a policy and research resource for visionary social justice movements for over four decades - from the anti-war and civil rights movements in the 1960s to the peace and global justice movements of the last decade. Some of the greatest progressive minds of the 20th and 21st centuries have found a home at IPS, starting with the organization's founders, Richard Barnet and Marcus Raskin. IPS scholars have included such luminaries as Arthur Waskow, Gar Alperovitz, Saul Landau, Bob Moses, Rita Mae Brown, Barbara Ehrenreich, Roger Wilkins and Orlando Letelier.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Today the Institute's work is organized into more than a dozen projects, reflecting our public scholars' diverse areas of expertise. In practice, these projects collaborate strategically to pursue three overarching policy goals:
    </p>
    <p>
      Peace
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Every human being has the right to security, both economic and social. From China to Palestine to Afghanistan to the borders of our own nation, IPS scholars believe that such security is only possible when governments deal with their citizens and with each other based on principles of mutual respect, human rights, and international law.
    </p>
    <p>
      Justice
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The world's wealth derives in large part from resources that belong to all of us. Extreme income inequality is both unfair and unsustainable. The Institute's work explicitly links the welfare of people in the United States to the welfare of people in impoverished countries and emphasizes the need to reverse the global and national policies accelerating inequality.
    </p>
    <p>
      Environment
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Each of us has the right to clean air, land, water, and food. We have a responsibility to keep the planet habitable for future generations of humans and other living things. IPS scholars monitor the negative role of the World Bank and other international financial institutions in climate-altering fossil fuel investment. We collaborate with international efforts to keep the alternative economy and energy movements focused on truly sustainable solutions.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="OS - Open Secrets (USA)" ID="ID_1183776020" CREATED="1320646339116" MODIFIED="1320646511934" LINK="http://www.opensecrets.org/">
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      http://www.opensecrets.org/about/index.php
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Open Secrets: Centre for Responsive Politics
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our Mission: Inform, Empower &amp; Advocate
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Celebrating our 25th anniversary in 2008, the Center for Responsive Politics is the nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy. Nonpartisan, independent and nonprofit, the organization aims to create a more educated voter, an involved citizenry and a more responsive government.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In short, CRP's mission is to:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Inform citizens about how money in politics affects their lives
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Empower voters and activists by providing unbiased information
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Advocate for a transparent and responsive government
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We pursue our mission largely through our award-winning website, OpenSecrets.org, which is the most comprehensive resource for campaign contributions, lobbying data and analysis available anywhere. And for other organizations and news media, CRP's exclusive data powers their online features tracking money in politics-counting cash to make change.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CRP relies on financial support from a combination of foundation grants and individual contributions. The Center accepts no contributions from businesses, labor unions or trade associations. You can support the work of the Center directly by contributing through OpenSecrets.org.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="TET - The Equality Trust (GBR)" ID="ID_33187915" CREATED="1320646553895" MODIFIED="1320646580423" LINK="http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/">
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    <p>
      http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/about/aims
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About Us
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Equality Trust is an independent, evidence based campaign working to reduce income inequality in order to improve the quality of life in the UK.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      UK income inequality is among the highest in the developed world and evidence shows that this is bad for almost everyone.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      People in more equal societies live longer, have better mental health and are more socially mobile. Community life is stronger where the income gap is narrower, children do better at school and they are less likely to become teenage parents. When inequality is reduced people trust each other more, there is less violence and rates of imprisonment are lower.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      If we want to build a better society, it is essential we take action now to reduce the gap between rich and poor. The Equality Trust is working with others to build a social movement for change. We analyse and disseminate the latest research, promote robust evidence-based arguments and support a dynamic network of campaign groups across the country.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/about/history
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      History
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Equality Trust was founded in 2009 by Bill Kerry, Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The idea for the Trust was developed in 2007, after Richard and Kate secured a publishing deal for The Spirit Level: Why more equal societies almost always do better and Bill recognised the potential for a campaign based on their evidence. They established an Advisory Group to help them shape the organisation and worked with the Sheila McKechnie Foundation to develop their vision and strategy.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In 2008 the Trust was awarded two-year funding by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) which enabled the founders to commission a new website from e-campaigning experts Advocacy Online and employ their first member of staff, Kathryn Busby, as Policy &amp; Campaigns Manager.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Kathryn started work in February 2009 and The Equality Trust's launch coincided with publication of The Spirit Level on 5th March 2009.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Trust is still primarily funded by JRCT, with additional support from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, the Amiel and Melburn Trust and many generous individuals.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In November 2009, a new campaign called One Society was set up in association with The Equality Trust and funders the Network for Social Change. One Society's main focus is promoting policies that would take us towards a more equal society; and responding to political developments relating to top pay and income inequality.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/why
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Why More Equality?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our thirty years research shows that:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      1) In rich countries, a smaller gap between rich and poor means a happier, healthier, and more successful population. Just look at the US, the UK, Portugal, and New Zealand in the top right of this graph, doing much worse than Japan, Sweden or Norway in the bottom left.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      2) Meanwhile, more economic growth will NOT lead to a happier, healthier, or more successful population. In fact, there is no relation between income per head and social well-being in rich countries.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      3) If the UK were more equal, we'd be better off as a population. For example, the evidence suggests that if we halved inequality here:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Murder rates could halve
    </p>
    <p>
      - Mental illness could reduce by two thirds
    </p>
    <p>
      - Obesity could halve
    </p>
    <p>
      - Imprisonment could reduce by 80%
    </p>
    <p>
      - Teen births could reduce by 80%
    </p>
    <p>
      - Levels of trust could increase by 85%
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      4) It's not just poor people who do better. The evidence suggests people all the way up would benefit, although it's true that the poorest would gain the most.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      5) These findings hold true, whether you look across developed nations, or across the 50 states of the USA.
    </p>
    <p>
      More questions?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We might have answered some of them already, and we are continuing to add further analysis as it becomes available. We also go into much more detail on all the evidence. And if you're convinced, and would like to help us promote the importance of equality, please join us in taking action.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="CIW - Coalition of Immokalee Workers (USA)" ID="ID_1629197673" CREATED="1320646595014" MODIFIED="1320646620300" LINK="http://www.ciw-online.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.ciw-online.org/about.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Consciousness + Commitment = Change: How and why we are organizing
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      For a list of CIW's selected national and international recognitions, click here.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The CIW is a community-based organization of mainly Latino, Mayan Indian and Haitian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout the state of Florida.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We strive to build our strength as a community on a basis of reflection and analysis, constant attention to coalition-building across ethnic divisions, and an ongoing investment in leadership development to help our members continually develop their skills in community education and organization.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      From this basis we fight for, among other things: a fair wage for the work we do, more respect on the part of our bosses and the industries where we work, better and cheaper housing, stronger laws and stronger enforcement against those who would violate workers' rights, the right to organize on our jobs without fear of retaliation, and an end to involuntary servitude in the fields.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      From the people, for the people: Who we are
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Southwest Florida is the state's most important center for agricultural production, and Immokalee is the state's largest farmworker community. As such, the majority of our approximately 4,000 members work for large agricultural corporations in the tomato and citrus harvests, traveling along the entire East Coast following the harvest in season. Many also move out of agriculture and into other low wage industries that are important in our area, including the construction, nursery, and tourist industries.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We are all leaders: Our history
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We began organizing in 1993 as a small group of workers meeting weekly in a room borrowed from a local church to discuss how to better our community and our lives. In a relatively short time we have managed to bring about significant, concrete change.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Combining three community-wide work stoppages with intense public pressure - including an unprecedented month-long hunger strike by six of our members in 1998 and an historic 230-mile march from Ft. Myers to Orlando in 2000 - our early organizing ended over 20 years of declining wages in the tomato industry.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      By 1998 we had won industry-wide raises of 13-25% (translating into several million dollars annually for the community in increased wages) and a new-found political and social respect from the outside world.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Those raises brought the tomato picking piece rate back to pre-1980 levels (the piece rate had fallen below those levels over the course of the intervening two decades), but wages remained below poverty level and continuing improvement was slow in coming. At the same time, the phenomenon of modern-day slavery was establishing a foothold in Florida's fields.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our Anti-Slavery Campaign
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      While continuing to organize for fairer wages, we also turned our attention to attacking involuntary servitude in our state. Our Anti-Slavery Campaign has earned national and international recognition, based on its innovative program of worker-led investigation and human rights education, and a track record of real success.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our latest victory against involuntary servitude came in December of 2008, when employers C&#233;sar and Geovanni Navarrete were sentenced to 12 years each in federal prison for their part in what US Attorney Doug Molloy called &quot;slavery, plain and simple.&quot; Since 1997, a total of nine such slavery operations in Florida have been prosecuted. The CIW has been involved in the discovery, investigation, and prosecution of seven of those operations, helping to liberate a total of well over 1,000 workers.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The CIW is a co-founder of the national Freedom Network USA to empower Enslaved and Trafficked Persons. We are also co-founders and Southeastern U.S. Regional Coordinator for the Freedom Network Training Network Training Institute, in which we conduct trainings for law enforcement and social service personnel in how to identify and assist slavery victims, as well as advocate for the full prosecution of all traffickers, including corporations and their sub-contractors. At the state level, we are members of the U.S. Attorney's Anti-Trafficking Task Forces for Tampa and Miami, as well as Florida State University's statewide Working Group Against Human Trafficking, through its Center for the Advancement of Human Rights. In June 2010, CIW's Anti-Slavery Campaign Coordinator Laura Germino was recognized as a Hero Acting to End Modern- Day Slavery by the US Department of State for &quot;determination to eliminate forced labor in supply chains&quot; &#8211; the first time that the recognition was awarded to a US citizen.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Campaign for Fair Food
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In 2001, we turned a new page in our organizing, launching the first-ever farmworker boycott of a major fast-food company - the national boycott of Taco Bell - calling on the fast-food giant to take responsibility for human rights abuses in the fields where its produce is grown and picked. The corporate food industry as a whole &#8211; including corporations such as Publix, Ahold, Kroger and Wal-Mart &#8211; purchases a tremendous volume of fruits and vegetables, leveraging its buying power to demand the lowest possible prices from its suppliers, in turn exerting a powerful downward pressure on wages and working conditions in these suppliers' operations.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Over its four years, the Taco Bell Boycott gained broad student, religious, labor, and community support, including the establishment of boycott committees in nearly all 50 states and a fast-growing movement to &quot;Boot the Bell&quot; from college and high school campuses across the country. Large scale national actions also helped move the boycott forward.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In March 2005, amidst this growing pressure, Taco Bell agreed to meet all of our demands to improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers in its supply chain. The boycott victory was widely celebrated by observers including the 21 members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, who said of the accord, &quot;This is a truly historic agreement, marking perhaps the single greatest advance for farmworkers since the early struggles of the United Farm Workers. To the workers and organizers of CIW, we express our deepest gratitude for their determined work for their own dignity and their historic contribution to advancing the cause of labor rights.&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Following the Boycott's successful conclusion, the national network of allies that had helped carry that campaign to victory consolidated to form the Alliance for Fair Food, signaling to the corporate fast-food industry that the Campaign for Fair Food would not stop at Taco Bell. In the years since, the AFF has become a powerful new voice for the respect of human rights in this country's food industry and for an end to the relentless exploitation of Florida's farmworkers.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In April of 2007, in the culmination of a two-year battle with the largest restaurant chain in the world, McDonald's, the Campaign for Fair Food took an important new step forward. With an announcement at the Carter Center in Atlanta, McDonald's and the CIW reached a landmark accord that not only met the standards set in the Taco Bell agreement, but also committed the fast-food leader to collaborate with the CIW in developing an industry-wide third party mechanism for monitoring conditions in the fields and investigating abuses.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Following a persistent, year-long campaign, Burger King became the third fast food giant to agree to work with the CIW. Later that year, the campaign broke new ground with its first agreement in the super- market industry when leading organic foods retailer Whole Foods agreed to do the same. By the end of 2008, Subway, the largest fast food purchaser of Florida tomatoes, had also come to the table.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We then turned our focus to the food service provider industry, and agreements with Bon App&#233;tit Management Co., Compass Group, Aramark and Sodexo followed in 2009-2010.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Immokalee today: Nothing is impossible
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In late 2010, we signed an agreement with the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange to extend the CIW's Fair Food principles &#8211; including a strict code of conduct, a cooperative complaint resolution system, a participatory health and safety program, and a worker-to-worker education process &#8211; to over 90% of the Florida tomato industry. This watershed moment ended a 15-year impasse and followed the establishment, just weeks earlier, of two direct agreements between the CIW and two of the largest growers in the industry, Pacific and Six L's.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      As a result of these agreements, we are on the cusp today of an unprecedented transformation of farm labor conditions in Florida's tomato fields, but the pace, depth and breadth of that transformation will ultimately depend on the participation of all the major purchasers of Florida's tomatoes.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Despite widespread support for the innovative, collaborative solution at the heart of the Campaign for Fair Food, the supermarket industry (with the lone exception of Whole Foods) has yet to do its part, and is thus the only remaining obstacle in the way of long-awaited, urgent change in the fields.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Over the past several years, through the Campaign for Fair Food and our anti-slavery work, Immokalee has evolved from being one of the poorest, most politically powerless communities in the country to become today an important public presence with forceful, committed leadership directly from the base of our community &#8211; young, migrant workers forging a future of livable wages and modern labor relations in Florida's fields.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In recognition of their work, three CIW members were presented the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, the first and only time the award had gone to a US-based organization. In recent years, the CIW and the Campaign for Fair Food have also been recognized as 2010 &quot;People of the Year&quot; by the Ft. Myers (FL) News-Press and by the 2009 Salem Award for Human Rights and Social Justice; the 2008 Sister Margaret Cafferty Develop- ment of People Award by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development; the 2007 Anti-Slavery Award by Anti-Slavery International (the oldest international human rights organization in the world); World Hunger Year's 2006 Harry Chapin Self-Reliance Award; the Freedom Network's 2006 Wellstone Award; and the Business Ethics Network's 2005 BENNY Award.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="NLC - The National Labour Committee (USA)" ID="ID_710758052" CREATED="1320646632838" MODIFIED="1320646660778" LINK="http://www.nlcnet.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.nlcnet.org/aboutus.php
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Mission Statement:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Transnational corporations now roam the world to find the cheapest and most vulnerable workers. The people who stitch together our jeans and assemble our CD-players are mostly young women in Central America, Mexico, Bangladesh, China and other poor nations, many working 12 to 14-hour days for pennies an hour.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The lack of accountability on the part of our U.S. corporations--now operating all over the world, and the resulting dehumanization of this new global workforce is emerging as the overwhelming moral crisis of the 21st century.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The struggle for rule of law in the global economy--to ensure respect for the fundamental rights of the millions of workers producing goods for the U.S. market--has become the great new civil rights movement of our time.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The mission of the National Labor Committee is to help defend the human rights of workers in the global economy. The NLC investigates and exposes human and labor rights abuses committed by U.S. companies producing goods in the developing world. We undertake public education, research and popular campaigns that empower U.S. citizens to support the efforts of workers to learn and defend their rights.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      As they fight for the right to work in dignity, in healthy and safe workplaces and to earn a living wage, we will work with them to provide international visibility and backing for their efforts--and to press for international legal frameworks with effective enforcement mechanisms that will help create a space where fundamental internationally recognized worker rights can be assured.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The NLC's work is helping to coalesce a new and diverse coalition that includes religious, labor, women's, student, civil rights, solidarity, policy and grassroots groups to catalyze popular campaigns based on our original research to promote worker rights and pressure companies to end human and labor abuses. With a database of over 22,000 organizations and individuals, we serve as an information center, distributing our literature and videos. In just the last few years the NLC has:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Helped bring massive and widespread media coverage to worker and human rights issues, raising them to a national level of public debate;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Established groundbreaking models for independent monitoring of factories by local human rights and religious groups;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Successfully pressured dozens of companies - including the Gap, Kathie Lee Gifford/Wal-Mart, and the Walt Disney Company - to improve conditions in supplier plants and to respect human and worker rights.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The National Labor Committee views worker rights in the global economy as indivisible and inalienable human rights and we believe that now is the time to secure them for all on the planet.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="COHA - Council On Hemispheric Affairs (USA)" ID="ID_1560756056" CREATED="1320646672085" MODIFIED="1320646708467" LINK="http://www.coha.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.coha.org/about-coha/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About COHA
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Founded in 1975, the Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA), a nonprofit, tax-exempt independent research and information organization, was established to promote the common interests of the hemisphere, raise the visibility of regional affairs and increase the importance of the inter-American relationship, as well as encourage the formulation of rational and constructive U.S. policies towards Latin America. In 1982, COHA's board of trustees voted to expand its mandate to include monitoring Canadian/Latin American relations.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Since its inception, COHA has been one of the most active and broadest-based U.S. private bodies dealing with the entire spectrum of political, economic and diplomatic issues, as well as responding to the economic and political challenges confronting the nations of this hemisphere.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      From its beginnings, COHA's board consisted of the leadership of some of this country's most important trade unions, professional organizations and religious groups, as well as distinguished civic and academic figures, who joined together to advance their common belief in support of representative government and pluralistic institutions throughout the hemisphere.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      COHA subscribes to no specific political credo nor does it maintain partisan allegiances. It supports open and democratic political processes just as it consistently has condemned authoritarian regimes of any stripe that fail to provide their populations with even minimal standards of political freedoms, economic and social justice, personal security and civic guarantees.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In recent years, COHA has directed a good deal of its research energies to such issues as unproductive U.S. pressure on President Aristide which eventually led to his ouster and Washington's replacement with a hapless interim regime. COHA also has condemned Washington's unexamined and reflexive policy towards Cuba and Venezuela, and the negative impact of neo-liberal reforms on the average Latin American.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      COHA was opposed to the adherence of the U.S. to NAFTA under the thesis that it shouldn't have been initiated until basic Mexican institutions were truly democratic, its trade unions free enough to negotiate as equals, and the government purged of endemic corruption. COHA also is a critic of the indiscriminate application of structural adjustment formulas that end up negatively affecting the poorest stratum of Latin America's population.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      COHA is staffed by a small professional core, who contributes their services to the organization, supplemented by a large number of volunteer graduate and undergraduate students who often receive academic credit from their home institutions for the experience gained through their work with it. Over the years, retired government employees also have cooperated with COHA in preparing monographs on such topics as regional development, trade policies, and the controversial development strategies of the international lending agencies.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The staff is assisted by a number of COHA senior research fellows from the United States, Latin America and elsewhere, who are generally considered to be leaders in their respective fields of expertise. It has been described on the Senate floor as &quot;one of our nation's most respected bodies of scholars and policymakers.&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      COHA's analyses are frequently sought after by the major media, with its long-time director, Larry Birns, as well as other of its senior personnel regularly being called upon by the major national and international press, along with network radio and TV public affairs programs, to provide commentary on breaking regional issues.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      COHA contributors also appear regularly in the opinion columns on editorial pages throughout the country, and its findings frequently have been heard and seen over the BBC, NPR Voice of America, CBC, Radio Marti, Radio Havana, and other television and radio networks in a number of overseas countries.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      COHA personnel have appeared several times on CNN, C-Span, Firing Line, CrossFire, Nightline, as well as over the CBS, ABC and NBC evening news, as well as the network Larry King and Oliver North programs, &quot;Good Morning America&quot; and the &quot;Today Show.&quot;
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="GAP - Government Accountability Project (USA)" ID="ID_84636761" CREATED="1320646720825" MODIFIED="1320646745981" LINK="http://www.whistleblower.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.whistleblower.org/about/index.cfm
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Mission: The Government Accountability Project (GAP) is a 30-year-old nonprofit public interest group that promotes government and corporate accountability by advancing occupational free speech, defending whistleblowers, and empowering citizen activists.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We pursue this mission through our Nuclear Safety, International Reform, Corporate Accountability, Food &amp; Drug Safety, and Federal Employee/National Security programs. GAP is the nation's leading whistleblower protection organization.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About GAP
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Government Accountability Project's mission is to protect the public interest by promoting government and corporate accountability through advancing occupational free speech and ethical conduct, defending whistleblowers, and empowering citizen activists. Founded in 1977, GAP is a non-profit, public interest organization that receives funding from foundations, individuals, and legal fees.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      GAP is the nation's leading whistleblower organization. GAP promotes accountability by advocating occupational free speech, litigating whistleblower cases, publicizing whistleblower concerns, and developing policy and legal reforms of whistleblower laws.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      GAP's major program initiatives focus on both government and corporate accountability related to nuclear oversight, food and drug safety, worker health and safety, international reform and national security. We develop whistleblower laws and policy reform domestically and internationally.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      GAP also conducts an accredited legal clinic for law students, and offers an internship program that for undergraduates and law students year-round. GAP's national office has been located in Washington, D.C. since the institution's inception. We opened a Seattle office in 1992, subesquently the office broke off as an independent organization earlier this year, and GAP will continue to operate its national Nuclear Oversight Program out of its Washington, D.C. office .
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      GAP is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with an operating budget of slightly over $2 million. Gifts to GAP are tax-deductible. The majority of our funds come from grantmaking foundations such as the Ford Foundation, the CS Fund and the Rockefeller Family Fund and from as many as 8,000 generous individuals.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The rest of GAP's budget comes from legal fees, settlement awards, and services provided. We are grateful for this widespread recognition of the critical importance of our work. Please click below to view our current Internal Revenue Service 990 Report.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is a Whistleblower?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Every year, thousands of Americans witness wrongdoing on the job. What they witness may jeopardize the health, safety or lives of others. They may see managers at a nuclear facility violate a safety code, a chemical company dump hazardous waste unlawfully, or a food processing plant attempt to sell contaminated and dangerous meat to consumers.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Most employees remain silent. Others choose to bear witness and speak out. They seek to make a difference by blowing the whistle on unethical conduct in the workplace. Our composite definition of whistleblower taken from combined state, federal and international cases is an employee who exercises from speech rights to challenge corporate and government abuses of power that betray the public trust.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Blowing the whistle may include:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (a) reporting wrongdoing or a violation of the law to the proper authorities such as a supervisor, a hotline or an Inspector General
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (b) refusing to participate in workplace wrongdoing
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (c) testifying in a legal proceeding
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (d) leaking evidence of wrongdoing to the media
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Is all retaliation by an employer whistleblowing?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      No. Whistleblowing seldom includes an employer's retaliation for complaints about personal dislikes or issues that affect only a single person (However, laws governing equal employment and prohibiting discrimination do address personal discrimination).
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Rather, whistleblower complaints focus on conduct prohibited by a specific law and that may cause damage to public safety, waste tax dollars, or violate public trust in an honest, accountable government.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Under the Whistleblower Protection Act, whistleblowing is defined as disclosing information that an employee reasonably believes is evidence of illegality, gross waste or fraud, gross mismanagement, abuse of power, or a substantial and specific danger to public health and safety.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="IPA - Institute for Public Accuracy (USA)" ID="ID_1124553517" CREATED="1320646767051" MODIFIED="1320646793439" LINK="http://www.accuracy.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.accuracy.org/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Background on the Institute for Public Accuracy:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Institute for Public Accuracy was founded in mid-1997 by Norman Solomon with the support of a two-year $100,000-per-year Public Interest Pioneer grant from the Stern Family Fund. IPA opened its national office in San Francisco in October 1997. Several months later, IPA established its media office in the National Press Building in Washington, D.C. It is a 501(c)(3) organization.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      IPA increases the reach and capacity of progressive and grassroots organizations (at no cost to them) to address public policy by getting them and their ideas into the mainstream media. IPA gains media access for those whose voices are commonly excluded or drowned out by government or corporate-backed institutions. As a national consortium of independent public-policy researchers, analysts and activists, IPA widens media exposure for progressive perspectives on many issues including the environment, human rights, foreign policy, and economic justice.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      IPA has developed a detailed set of constantly updated databases of producers, commentators, and journalists at media institutions across the country. Generally, IPA news releases are most effective when they address breaking news stories. We've reached wide audiences by using major news developments as pegs for quickly providing accurate information and alternative analysis.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      While regularly making it possible for numerous policy analysts, scholars and other independent researchers to be heard in mass media, IPA boosts many progressive grassroots groups with scant resources for media outreach. Since 1998, IPA news releases have promoted analysts from more than 1000 different organizations doing work on a wide variety of public-policy issues.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Views and links appearing in material published or distributed by the Institute for Public Accuracy do not necessarily represent the opinions of the board or staff of IPA.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Funders of the Institute for Public Accuracy include:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock
    </p>
    <p>
      - Susan Adelman and Claudio Llanos
    </p>
    <p>
      - Park Foundation
    </p>
    <p>
      - Bydale Foundation
    </p>
    <p>
      - Stewart Mott Charitable Trust
    </p>
    <p>
      - Rockefeller Brothers Fund
    </p>
    <p>
      - Streisand Foundation
    </p>
    <p>
      - Wallace Global Fund
    </p>
    <p>
      - Lucy and Isadore B. Adelman Foundation
    </p>
    <p>
      - Caipirinha Foundation
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      IPA also receives financial support from individuals.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
</node>
<node TEXT="TI - Transparency International (DEU)" ID="ID_289136347" CREATED="1320646803493" MODIFIED="1320646831143" LINK="http://www.transparency.org/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
<html>
  <head>
    
  </head>
  <body>
    <p>
      http://www.transparency.org/about_us
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About Transparency International
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is Transparency International?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Transparency International, the global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption, brings people together in a powerful worldwide coalition to end the devastating impact of corruption on men, women and children around the world.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      TI's mission is to create change towards a world free of corruption.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Transparency International challenges the inevitability of corruption, and offers hope to its victims. Since its founding in 1993, TI has played a lead role in improving the lives of millions around the world by building momentum for the anti-corruption movement. TI raises awareness and diminishes apathy and tolerance of corruption, and devises and implements practical actions to address it.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Transparency International is a global network including more than 90 locally established national chapters and chapters-in-formation. These bodies fight corruption in the national arena in a number of ways. They bring together relevant players from government, civil society, business and the media to promote transparency in elections, in public administration, in procurement and in business. TI's global network of chapters and contacts also use advocacy campaigns to lobby governments to implement anti-corruption reforms.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Politically non-partisan, TI does not undertake investigations of alleged corruption or expose individual cases, but at times will work in coalition with organisations that do.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      TI has the skills, tools, experience, expertise and broad participation to fight corruption on the ground, as well as through global and regional initiatives.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Now in its second decade, Transparency International is maturing, intensifying and diversifying its fight against corruption.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is corruption?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It hurts everyone whose life, livelihood or happiness depends on the integrity of people in a position of authority.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Why does fighting corruption matter?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Corruption hurts everyone, and it harms the poor the most. Sometimes its devastating impact is obvious:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - A father who must do without shoes because his meagre wages are used to pay a bribe to get his child into a supposedly free school.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - The unsuspecting sick person who buys useless counterfeit drugs, putting their health in grave danger.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - A small shop owner whose weekly bribe to the local inspector cuts severely into his modest earnings.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - The family trapped for generations in poverty because a corrupt and autocratic leadership has systematically siphoned off a nation's riches.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Other times corruption's impact is less visible:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - The prosperous multinational corporation that secured a contract by buying an unfair advantage in a competitive market through illegal kickbacks to corrupt government officials, at the expense of the honest companies who didn't.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Post-disaster donations provided by compassionate people, directly or through their governments, that never reach the victims, callously diverted instead into the bank accounts of criminals.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - The faulty buildings, built to lower safety standards because a bribe passed under the table in the construction process that collapse in an earthquake or hurricane.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Corruption has dire global consequences, trapping millions in poverty and misery and breeding social, economic and political unrest.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Corruption is both a cause of poverty, and a barrier to overcoming it. It is one of the most serious obstacles to reducing poverty.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Corruption denies poor people the basic means of survival, forcing them to spend more of their income on bribes. Human rights are denied where corruption is rife, because a fair trial comes with a hefty price tag where courts are corrupted.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Corruption undermines democracy and the rule of law.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Corruption distorts national and international trade.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Corruption jeopardises sound governance and ethics in the private sector.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Corruption threatens domestic and international security and the sustainability of natural resources.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Those with less power are particularly disadvantaged in corrupt systems, which typically reinforce gender discrimination.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Corruption compounds political exclusion: if votes can be bought, there is little incentive to change the system that sustains poverty.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The conclusion - Corruption hurts everyone.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
</node>
<node TEXT="GETUP - GetUp! Action For Australia (AUS)" ID="ID_594359898" CREATED="1320646909135" MODIFIED="1320646937977" LINK="http://www.getup.org.au/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
<html>
  <head>
    
  </head>
  <body>
    <p>
      http://www.getup.org.au/about/faq/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      GetUp is an independent, grass-roots community advocacy organisation giving everyday Australians opportunities to get involved and hold politicians accountable on important issues.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Whether it is sending an email to a member of parliament, engaging with the media, attending an event or helping to get a television ad on the air, GetUp members take targeted, coordinated and strategic action.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      GetUp does not back any particular party, but aims to build an accountable and progressive Parliament - a Parliament with economic fairness, social justice and environment at its core.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      GetUp is a not-for-profit and receives no money from any political party or the government. We rely solely on funds and in-kind donations from the Australian public.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      FAQ:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Why do we need GetUp?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Political parties and institutional politics have too often failed to inspire people or offer meaningful opportunities for participation, yet despite years of economic good times, many Australians remain deeply concerned about the political direction of our country. It has not been a good decade for Australia's progressives - those of us who share a commitment to the values of social justice, cultural diversity, ecological sustainability and economic fairness.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      GetUp.org.au is providing Australians with the tools to fight back, and take innovative and effective action on important issues facing our country. GetUp members are building a ground-up movement of real people who are putting the participation back into our democracy.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What do GetUp.org.au members do?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      GetUp.org.au members take action. By signing up for updates, GetUp.org.au members receive emails alerting them to new campaigns and providing ways of affecting positive change. Whether it is sending an email to a member of parliament, engaging with the media, attending an event or helping to get a television ad on the air, GetUp members are always only ever asked to take targeted, coordinated and strategic action.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Who runs GetUp?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      GetUp has a core team of staff and volunteers in Sydney, who conduct research on new campaigns, develop the website, prepare GetUp email updates and raise awareness of our campaigns in the media.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In September 2008, after two years as Executive Director, Brett Solomon left GetUp to move to Avaaz.org and a new National Director, Simon Sheikh was appointed alongside a Director of Operations, Meredith Turnbull to take GetUp into 2009.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      GetUp was founded in 2005 by Jeremy Heimans and David Madden, two young Australian graduates of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government who have worked at the intersection of technology, new media and politics in the United States. David and Jeremy are now co-founders of Avaaz.org, a new global online political community inspired by the success of GetUp and the US group MoveOn.org.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      GetUp has a board that advises the staff. The board includes GetUp's co-founders, community organiser Amanda Tattersall, and environmental leader Cate Faehrmann. GetUp will soon announce additional board members to replace entrepreneur Evan Thornley and union leader Bill Shorten who recently stepped down as they are now pursuing their own party-related political activities.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Ultimately, the real work and impact of GetUp is achieved through our members, who make the calls, send the emails and supply the financial support.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      How can I volunteer or work at GetUp?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      GetUp has volunteers and interns in our Sydney office assisting with a range of tasks such as research, administration, website work, and event coordination. If you're interested, please check out or Volunteers section of the website or send us a short email at volunteer@getup.org.au explaining how you think you could help and attach a brief resume.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Who funds GetUp?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      GetUp receives no government or political party funding. Instead we're largely supported by thousands of individuals who may not have a lot of time or money, but who care about the issues and want to have a say. We also receive support from organisations, unions and community groups. With a secure online credit card transaction you can instantly donate to our campaigns, or designate an amount to chip in automatically on a regular basis.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      When you donate to GetUp, you're joining thousands of everyday Australians who are working together to make progressive voices, values and priorities heard again.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      How does GetUp decide what issues to campaign on?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      GetUp identifies campaigns based on the interests and input of our members, and we welcome your feedback and ideas to help shape GetUp's direction. All GetUp campaigns are focused around shared progressive values such as social justice, economic fairness and environmental sustainability. Because there are many important issues facing our country at any given time, GetUp looks for opportunities to focus national attention and action where our contribution will be most effective.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Can I suggest an issue to campaign on?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Yes, we welcome the ideas and suggestions of GetUp members to help shape our actions on important national issues. We receive a large volume of emails, so to help us consider your suggestion, please write to campaigns@getup.org.au and tell us briefly:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - In one or two lines, what is your campaign about (what problem are you seeking to address)?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - What is the desired political outcome (what, specifically, are you trying to achieve)?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Who has the power to make change happen, or at least influence the political result (should we be targeting dissenting MPs, the media, the Prime Minister)?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - What's the campaign's message (i.e. Fund our ABC, or No child belongs in detention)?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - What should the campaign ask GetUp members to do (sign a petition, call talkback radio, attend a rally, email their Federal MP)?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Is there a target audience for this campaign (university students, mums and dads, Australians affected by drought)?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - What is the timing of this issue (why should we run a campaign about this now, or later)?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What has GetUp achieved?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In its 3 years of operation, GetUp has grown to over 300,000 members and achieved a considerable number of successes from bringing David Hicks home, changing the laws on media ownership, continued campaigning for equal rights for same-sex couples and supporting the Parliamentary Apology to the Stolen Generations.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      For the full details of campaigns achievements both current and past, see our Achievements page.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Does being a GetUp member mean I endorse all your specific campaigns?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      No. For each campaign we operate, GetUp will send out a message alerting members to the issue at hand and an opportunity to take action, but we respect every member's choice to &quot;opt-in&quot; on campaigns as you see fit.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      How do I contact GetUp for an interiew for a media story?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Please contact us by phone at (02) 9264 4037 or on 0408 662 575 (strictly media calls only), or by email at media@getup.org.au
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Are you a non-profit organization?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Yes, GetUp is registered as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. Our ABN number is 99114027986.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Are donations to GetUp tax-deductible?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Under the current laws, similar to other political campaigning organisations, donations to GetUp are not tax-deductible as we wish to remain independent of government funds for our advocacy and campaign work.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Are you affiliated with any political parties?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      No. GetUp has no affiliations with any political parties.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      GetUp brings together progressive people from all political backgrounds and parties, but is independent of all parties. It is GetUp's political independence that allows us to work with and critique all political parties without fear or favour.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      :
    </p>
    <p>
      :
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
</node>
<node TEXT="BWP - Bretton Woods Project (GBR)" ID="ID_1595418304" CREATED="1320646950104" MODIFIED="1320646988349" LINK="http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
<html>
  <head>
    
  </head>
  <body>
    <p>
      http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/project/about.shtml
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is the Bretton Woods Project?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Bretton Woods Project works as a networker, information-provider, media informant and watchdog to scrutinise and influence the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). Through briefings, reports and the bimonthly digest Bretton Woods Update, it monitors projects, policy reforms and the overall management of the Bretton Woods institutions with special emphasis on environmental and social concerns.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Created as an independent initiative by a group of British non-governmental organisations (NGOs), it works with an extensive network to press for increased transparency and civil society participation in World Bank and IMF policies and interventions. This includes over 7000 non-governmental organisations, policy-makers, journalists, researchers and parliamentarians worldwide.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      By encouraging information exchange and debate, it seeks to move the Bretton Woods institutions (World Bank and IMF) away from simplistic approaches to development. Priority areas include:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - World Bank and IMF roles
    </p>
    <p>
      - structural adjustment &amp; poverty reduction strategies (PRS)
    </p>
    <p>
      - the environment
    </p>
    <p>
      - social issues
    </p>
    <p>
      - the World Bank as a knowledge bank
    </p>
    <p>
      - governance and accountability
    </p>
    <p>
      - Publications and services
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Bretton Woods Update is a bimonthly digest of key World Bank and IMF initiatives, controversial policy trends, projects and debate. The Update is read by nearly 10,000 key officials, journalists, NGOs and researchers and is respected as a reliable source of information on the Bretton Woods institutions. It is available on the web, in print or can be emailed as plain text. The Update is also available electronically in Spanish. The results of the 2006 survey of Update readers is also available.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Briefings and reports are produced to clarify issues in-depth in non-technical language. To be alerted about new briefings see our subscription page.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Networking
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Networking and information exchange among the wide range of people and organisations interested in the World Bank and IMF is one of the key functions of the Bretton Woods Project. We are are a founding member of IFIWatchnet and are a supporting organisation of IFIwatch.tv.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In addition to NGOs, academics, parliamentarians, journalists and activists worldwide, the Project facilitates contacts with staff of the Bretton Woods institutions and decision-makers in bilateral aid ministries. It is often asked to advise NGOs in Europe, North America and the South planning meetings, reports and campaigns. Many from governmental and intergovernmental organisations also contact the Bretton Woods Project for briefings or to find out about NGOs working on particular issues.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Organisational structure and origins
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Bretton Woods Project was established in 1995 by the Development and Environment Group (DEG), a network of UK-based NGOs, to facilitate monitoring of the social and environmental impacts of World Bank and IMF policies and projects.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Project coordinates and consults with the UK BWI network, over 50 organisations working in development, environment and human rights. The Bretton Woods Project Steering Group, meets on a regular basis to advise and review Project activities. The Project is funded by the NGOs in the UK BWI network, the CS Mott Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Polden Puckham Charitable Foundation. Publication of the Bretton Woods Update is supported by Oxfam-Novib.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Support is received from the European Union to support UK work in the Counterbalance coalition which monitors the European Investment Bank and a European civil society project on the inpact of the financial sector on development. Under no circumstances should our work be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      At present, the Bretton Woods Project is an ActionAid-hosted project (Registered chartity no. 274467).
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
</node>
<node TEXT="CCR - Centre For Constitutional Rights (USA)" ID="ID_94528739" CREATED="1320646990803" MODIFIED="1320647016840" LINK="http://ccrjustice.org/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
<html>
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  <body>
    <p>
      http://ccrjustice.org/missionhistory
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Mission and History
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Center for Constitutional Rights is dedicated to advancing and protecting the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Founded in 1966 by attorneys who represented civil rights movements in the South, CCR is a non-profit legal and educational organization committed to the creative use of law as a positive force for social change.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CCR uses litigation proactively to advance the law in a positive direction, to empower poor communities and communities of color, to guarantee the rights of those with the fewest protections and least access to legal resources, to train the next generation of constitutional and human rights attorneys, and to strengthen the broader movement for constitutional and human rights. Our work began on behalf of civil rights activists, and over the last four decades CCR has lent its expertise and support to virtually every popular movement for social justice.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Since our founding, CCR has provided legal skills in a unique and effective manner and always with a progressive perspective. We use daring and innovative legal strategies which have produced many important precedents. CCR is often &quot;ahead of the curve&quot; in both identifying a problem and in suggesting novel or radical legal responses which, over time, become accepted and respected precedents and theories.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CCR accepts cases and projects based on principle and the value of the struggle itself, not solely by using a calculus of victory. There are cases which CCR has worked on tenaciously for decades before success was achieved, yet we stood by the cause and the client. We will continue to take these types of cases because justice demands it.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      As we look to the future, CCR will continue to be at the forefront of legal thinking, using the law creatively in the service of justice.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Through our human rights work, we will strengthen the international rule of law to promote justice and oppose armed and other forms of aggression.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Through our racial justice work, we will strive to complete the unfinished civil rights movement, targeting racial profiling and other modern-day manifestations of racial repression.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We are dedicated to restoring the fundamental right to habeas corpus and will continue to combat the illegal expansion of executive power and the American torture programs that have undermined fundamental rights in the name of the so-called &quot;war on terror.&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      History has repeatedly taught us that the hard-won victories of yesterday can never be taken for granted. As society changes, new threats to our rights arise, even as old ones are defeated. CCR will continue defending progressive movements for social change and devising new strategies to ensure that fundamental rights are the rights of the many and not just the few.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://ccrjustice.org/movement-support
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Movement Support is a crucial element of CCR's education and outreach work. Its primary function is to complement CCR's legal work by linking the Center to various movements, projects and initiatives. CCR engages in movement support in order to: facilitate networking and the regular flow of communication and information between progressive organizations, agencies and constituencies; strategically undertake collaborative efforts around issues, campaigns and initiatives and facilitate the exchange of information between organizations and agencies about issues.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      CCR's movement support is comprised both of assisting grassroots allies and participating in coalitions.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
</node>
</node>
<node TEXT="International Aid" POSITION="left" ID="ID_3929277" CREATED="1320628510420" MODIFIED="1320668347874">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
<html>
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  </head>
  <body>
    <p>
      This is the logical stewardship domain of international aid.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Of course, many active conscience interdiction dimensions exhibit multi-dimensional modal agency and can be observed to operate in multiple logical stewardship domains, however, usually, a primary, or dominant, domain of operation, or agency, can be identified. Hence for clarity in this mind-map representation, a primary logical stewardship is chosen for each active conscience interdiction dimension.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
<node TEXT="WVA - World Vision Australia (AUS)" ID="ID_1768165436" CREATED="1320644562231" MODIFIED="1320644602208" LINK="https://www.worldvision.com.au/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
<html>
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  <body>
    <p>
      http://www.worldvision.com.au/AboutUs.aspx
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About us
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      World Vision is Australia's largest charitable group. World Vision helps over 20 million people every year, thanks to the support of more than 400,000 Australians.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      World Vision provides relief in emergency situations and works on long-term community development projects. Together, these address the causes of poverty and help people move towards self-sufficiency.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.worldvision.com.au/AboutUs/FAQsAboutWorldVisionAustralia.aspx
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      What is World Vision and what does it do?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organisation working to create lasting change in the lives of children, families and communities living in poverty.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Inspired by Christian values, World Vision is dedicated to working with the world's most vulnerable people. We provide help on the basis of need and serve all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Over a billion people in poor countries around the world live in poverty and struggle every day simply to survive. World Vision's work helps improve the lives of those children, families and communities living in poverty.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      World Vision is Australia's largest charitable group. More Australians entrust more money to World Vision than any other charity in the country. With the support of over 400,000 Australians, World Vision helps over 20 million people every year. As well as providing relief in emergency situations, we work on long-term community development projects that address the causes of poverty and help people move towards self-sufficiency.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We depend on the support of the Australian public for funding, with the majority of income coming from child sponsorship. Other avenues include emergency relief appeals, Government grants, cash donations and the 40 Hour Famine Appeal.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our History:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      World Vision was founded in the USA by Bob Pierce during the 1950s. It all began after a life changing trip to China and Korea in 1947. A missionary, he saw that words alone were not necessarily good news to those without food, clothing, shelter or medicine.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Bob's concern for children was strengthened by his experiences in Korea during the Korean war (1950-54). Orphanages were set up in South Korea to look after children who were abandoned or orphaned.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      When he returned to the US, Bob started to raise money to help other families and orphans in Asia. The response was so great that he could not administer it alone, so in September 1950, World Vision was established with Bob Pierce as its president.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In the 1960s World Vision expanded its operations to meet the needs of refugees in Indochina and of people recovering from disasters in Bangladesh and in several African countries. Where long-term assistance was needed, children began to be sponsored by Americans, Australians and others. World Vision Australia began in 1966.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In the 1970s World Vision's focus broadened from assisting the individual child to include community development. Since the 1980s, the &quot;welfare&quot; approach has gradually changed to a more collaborative relationship. Poor, marginalised people and communities work with World Vision to improve their lives and take control of their futures.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
</node>
<node TEXT="AAA - ActionAid Australia (AUS)" ID="ID_339591033" CREATED="1320644506420" MODIFIED="1320644534461" LINK="http://www.actionaid.org.au/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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  <body>
    <p>
      http://www.actionaid.org.au/learn/about-actionaid
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About Actionaid
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ActionAid Australia is part of an international anti-poverty agency active in over 40 countries across Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We work in partnership with over 2,000 organisations - from small community groups to national alliances and international networks - to address the root causes of poverty, not just the effects.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Poverty is a violation of human rights
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Poverty is a denial and violation of human rights. At the heart of ActionAid's work lies the core belief in each human being's fundamental right to food, shelter, work, education, health care and a voice in the decisions that shape their lives.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Poverty and injustice can only be eradicated when the world's poor and vulnerable people are able to claim their rights and take charge of their own lives.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      For this reason, we do not impose solutions. Our approach is unique. We work with communities over time, using our resources, skills, knowledge and networks to strengthen their own efforts to end poverty.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ActionAid also gives a voice to the poor and marginalised by taking their fight to those in power. We campaign at the local, national and international level to achieve lasting change.
    </p>
    <p>
      Accreditation
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Austcare is fully accredited with the Australian government aid agency AusAID, a member of the International Council of Voluntary Agencies and the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), and abides by the ACFID Code of Conduct.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.actionaid.org.au/learn/about-actionaid/rights-based-approach
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Rights Based Approach
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      At the heart of ActionAid's work is the belief that each of us - rich or poor - is entitled to the same basic human rights.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In fact, securing rights is the missing link between the world's rich and poor. It's the key to ending poverty.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      People living in poverty are often treated as less than human. Robbed of their dignity and sense of equality, they often feel they have no rights.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We believe people who live in poverty should understand their experiences in terms of human rights abuses and violations - not as a result of their own failings.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      By taking a rights based approach to development, we are better positioned to help poor people stand up and claim their rights and put an end to poverty in their own lives.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The most effective way for people living in poverty to claim, secure and enjoy their human rights is to organise and mobilise with others, have a voice and develop their power to negotiate.
    </p>
    <p>
      ActionAid's work, therefore, centres around six priority areas:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - womens and girls' rights
    </p>
    <p>
      - the right to education
    </p>
    <p>
      - the right to food
    </p>
    <p>
      - the right to just and democratic governance
    </p>
    <p>
      - the right to human security in conflict and emergencies
    </p>
    <p>
      - the right to life and dignity in the face of HIV and AIDS
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://www.actionaid.org.au/learn/about-actionaid/history
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      History
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ActionAid Australia was first established in 1967 as a national association dedicated to the rights of refugees called Austcare.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Austcare's initial goal was to raise awareness among the Australian community and government of the needs of the growing number of displaced people around the world.
    </p>
    <p>
      Growth and expansion
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In the 1980s, Austcare began to select, fund and administer its own projects through a global network of partner agencies in the field.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Following the deadly legacy of war in Cambodia, Austcare broadened its focus to landmine action. It was also in Cambodia that Austcare established its first permanent overseas office in 2001.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      By 2008, Austcare had established offices in Timor-Leste, Indonesia and the Middle-East.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our work had also broadened in scope to initiatives such as income generation for rural communities, agricultural support as well as education and health programs.
    </p>
    <p>
      Transition to ActionAid
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Austcare first started working with global anti poverty agency ActionAid in 2005, responding to the South Asian earthquake in Pakistan and the Boxing Day Tsunami in Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Austcare also partnered with ActionAid to provide emergency relief in response to Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, floods in Pakistan, Uganda and Nepal and Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      After four years of working together around the world, in April 2009 Austcare formalised its relationship with ActionAid by becoming a full affiliate of the global network.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Finally, on 1 June 2009 Austcare changed its name to ActionAid Australia, thus completing the transition.
    </p>
    <p>
      History of ActionAid Internationally
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ActionAid has been fighting poverty worldwide for over 30 years.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ActionAid started life in 1972 as British charity Action in Distress, which based its activities on educating children.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      By 1984, ActionAid was reaching over 40,000 children in Asia and Africa and had set up fundraising affiliates in Ireland, Italy, France and Spain under the ActionAid name.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In the late 1990s ActionAid expanded its work to include peace building and conflict resolution and started to take a more active role lobbying financial institutions such as the World Trade Organisation.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ActionAid International, headquartered in Johannesburg, was launched in 2003, with all fundraising affiliates and country programs given voting rights on the ActionAid International board.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Today, ActionAid reaches 25 million people in over 40 countries worldwide.
    </p>
  </body>
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</node>
<node TEXT="APHEDA - Union Aid Abroad, Australia (AUS)" ID="ID_1733896632" CREATED="1320644458722" MODIFIED="1320644486121" LINK="http://www.apheda.org.au/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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    <p>
      http://www.unionaidabroad.org.au/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Help to Make Life Fair Everywhere
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      &quot;It is no longer possible to protect workers' rights in one country, while in neighbouring countries with whom we trade, workers face exploitation and sweatshop conditions. The fight for workers' rights in one country has to be a fight for workers' rights in every country. I urge you to sign up as a regular donor to Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA, as a part of the Make Life Fair Everywhere campaign.&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      -- Sharan Burrow, ACTU President.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Australian People for Health, Education and Development Abroad (APHEDA) was created in 1984 as the overseas aid agency of the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA was established to contribute directly to countries and regions of the world where men and women workers are disadvantaged through poverty, a lack of workplace, denial of labour and human rights, civil conflict and war.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Union Aid Abroad is committed to justice and solidarity and to self reliance, not charity. It builds self-reliance through support to educational and training projects for workers and their organisatons in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East, Southern Africa and the Caribbean.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA is supported by individual union members, the ACTU, unions, workplaces, AusAID and the Australian public.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA is an Incorporated Association (Y1103419) and endorsed as a deductible gift recipient with the Australian Taxation Office, (ABN 76 425 451 089). Donations of $2 or more to the &quot;APHEDA Overseas Project Fund&quot; are tax deductible. Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA is fully accredited with the Australian Government's overseas aid agency, AusAID, and is a signatory to the Australian Council for International Development's Code of Conduct.
    </p>
  </body>
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</node>
<node TEXT="MSF - M&#xe9;decins Sans Fronti&#xe8;res Australia (AUS)" ID="ID_1113153698" CREATED="1320644407899" MODIFIED="1320644441808" LINK="http://www.msf.org.au/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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    <p>
      http://www.msf.org.au/about-msf.html
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      M&#233;decins Sans Fronti&#232;res is the world's leading independent organisation for medical-humanitarian aid. Annually, more than 3,000 volunteer doctors, nurses and support staff work in trouble spots around the world helping those living on the edge of human tolerance.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      M&#233;decins Sans Fronti&#232;res teams are currently in over 60 countries, working with more than 25,000 locally recruited national staff in conditions that are always challenging, sometimes dangerous.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Wherever our teams are working their goal is the same: to provide essential medical-humanitarian aid to those who need it most, regardless of race, religion, gender or political affiliation.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We provide relief after natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes. We help victims of conflict. We run emergency feeding programs during nutritional crises. We tackle neglected diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and Kala Azar; and we organise mass vaccination programs to prevent epidemics spreading. We are also involved in health projects that train local medical staff and put in place safe drinking water and sanitation facilities.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      M&#233;decins Sans Fronti&#232;res was formed in 1971 by a group of French doctors who had previously worked with famine victims caught in the Biafra conflict (the civil war of Nigeria 1967-1970). The doctors were frustrated by the bureaucracy they encountered and by the degree of government interference in humanitarian aid.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      They aimed to establish a lean, independent organisation that would focus on emergency medicine, speak out about the causes of human suffering and cut through red tape to deliver aid fast and effectively. And so M&#233;decins Sans Fronti&#232;res was born and, with it, a new vision for humanitarian response to crises and a new voice to speak out on behalf of the people in need of our assistance.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      M&#233;decins Sans Fronti&#232;res is an international movement with a network of sections in 18 countries. Our teams on the ground are made up of people with backgrounds that include everything from: medicine, nursing, logistics, engineering and administration &#8211; all skills essential in restoring health care to communities torn apart by natural disasters, epidemics, famine or conflict.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In 1999 M&#233;decins Sans Fronti&#232;res was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      INDEPENDENT MEDICAL-HUMANITARIAN AID
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      M&#233;decins Sans Fronti&#232;res, or MSF. is as much about a specific attitude to aid work, as it is about emergency medical care. Of crucial importance is the organisation's independence.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Because we wish to remain as independent as when we first began, we limit the amount of funding we accept from governments. More than 80% of our budget internationally comes from private donations, and in Australia 100% of our budget comes from private sources.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      This funding structure is not just a symbolic expression of our independence; it also means that MSF teams on the ground can be free to define operational priorities. Our interventions are based on needs alone, not on political, economic, religious or social agendas. MSF does not take sides or intervene according to the demands of governments or warring parties.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Thanks to our independence and impartiality, we are able to provide health care to people who otherwise would not receive it.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Another feature of MSF is our willingness to speak out and express publicly positions on the plight of the people we help, and to describe our experiences in the field.This has become one of our trademarks, to the point that the separation of &quot;t&#233;moignage&quot; from our operations has now disappeared. T&#233;moignage is a French term that means, &quot;to bear witness&quot;, and today this is a core function of MSF's medical- humanitarian operations.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      ABOUT THE TERM &quot;VOLUNTEER&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The recruitment and deployment of human resources is a crucial element of our field operations at M&#233;decins Sans Fronti&#232;res.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The quality of our programs is directly related to our capacity to identify, recruit, train and subsequently retain both medical and non- medical professionals with the skills and experience required to go on assignment in one of the nearly 70 countries worldwide in which we work and where populations are in crisis.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      MSF Australia seeks and recruits individuals in Australia and New Zealand who are medical and non-medical professionals of the highest calibre and who go beyond the minimum essential requirements.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      They must also embody the principles of independent medical- humanitarian action and adhere to the fundamental MSF value of voluntarism.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      It is in that spirit of voluntarism that as a rule in MSF publications our staff deployed in the field are referred to as volunteers.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Although other terms are sometimes employed, the practice of using the term &quot;volunteers&quot; is maintained on this website.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      MSF volunteers frequently work in the most remote or dangerous parts of the world. When crises unfold, they make themselves and their skills available on short notice, usually dedicating six to twelve months to each assignment.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Their expenses are covered and they receive a modest monthly salary.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Among the additional benefits offered are comprehensive insurance, transportation and accommodation for the mission and reimbursement of mission-specific vaccinations.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      MSF teams in the field are composed of international volunteers and skilled national staff.
    </p>
  </body>
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</node>
</node>
<node TEXT="The Iraq-Afghan Wars" POSITION="left" ID="ID_85079918" CREATED="1320628492955" MODIFIED="1320668343337">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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    <p>
      This is the logical stewardship domain of the Iraq-Afghan wars.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Of course, many active conscience interdiction dimensions exhibit multi-dimensional modal agency and can be observed to operate in multiple logical stewardship domains, however, usually, a primary, or dominant, domain of operation, or agency, can be identified. Hence for clarity in this mind-map representation, a primary logical stewardship is chosen for each active conscience interdiction dimension.
    </p>
  </body>
</html></richcontent>
<node TEXT="IVAW - Iraq Veterans Against War (USA)" ID="ID_768630169" CREATED="1320644201167" MODIFIED="1320644288828" LINK="http://ivaw.org/">
<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">
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    <p>
      http://ivaw.org/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About IVAW
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) was founded by Iraq war veterans in July 2004 at the annual convention of Veterans for Peace (VFP) in Boston to give a voice to the large number of active duty service people and veterans who are against this war, but are under various pressures to remain silent.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      From its inception, IVAW has called for:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces in Iraq;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Reparations for the human and structural damages Iraq has suffered, and stopping the corporate pillaging of Iraq so that their people can control their own lives and future; and
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - Full benefits, adequate healthcare (including mental health), and other supports for returning servicemen and women.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our membership includes recent veterans and active duty servicemen and women from all branches of military service, National Guard members, and reservists who have served in the United States military since September 11, 2001.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      IVAW's strategy is to mobilize the military community to withdraw its support for the war and occupation in Iraq. Therefore, IVAW is leading the movement of veterans and GIs who are working to bring the troops home now.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Today, IVAW members are in 48 states, Washington, D.C., Canada, and on numerous bases overseas, including Iraq. IVAW has chapters around the country and in Canada. IVAW members educate the public about the realities of the Iraq war by speaking in communities and to the media about their experiences. Members also dialogue with youth in classrooms about the realities of military service. IVAW supports all those resisting the war, including Conscientious Objectors and others facing military prosecution for their refusal to fight. IVAW advocates for full funding for the Veterans Administration, and full quality health treatment (including mental health) and benefits for veterans when they return from duty.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://ivaw.org/faq (Many more links at site!)
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Q: Why are veterans, active duty, and National Guard men and women opposed to the war in Iraq?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (1) The Iraq war is based on lies and deception.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Bush Administration planned for an attack against Iraq before September 11th, 2001. They used the false pretense of an imminent nuclear, chemical and biological weapons threat to deceive Congress into rationalizing this unnecessary conflict. They hide our casualties of war by banning the filming of our fallen's caskets when they arrive home, and when they refuse to allow the media into Walter Reed Hospital and other Veterans Administration facilities which are overflowing with maimed and traumatized veterans.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (2) The Iraq war violates international law.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The United States assaulted and occupied Iraq without the consent of the UN Security Council. In doing so they violated the same body of laws they accused Iraq of breaching.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (3) Corporate profiteering is driving the war in Iraq.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      From privately contracted soldiers and linguists to no-bid reconstruction contracts and multinational oil negotiations, those who benefit the most in this conflict are those who suffer the least. The United States has chosen a path that directly contradicts President Eisenhower's farewell warning regarding the military industrial complex. As long as those in power are not held accountable, they will continue...
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (4) Overwhelming civilian casualties are a daily occurrence in Iraq.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Despite attempts in training and technological sophistication, large-scale civilian death is both a direct and indirect result of United States aggression in Iraq.Even the most conservative estimates of Iraqi civilian deaths number over 100,000. Currently over 100 civilians die every day in Baghdad alone.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (5) Soldiers have the right to refuse illegal war.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      All in service to this country swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. However, they are prosecuted if they object to serve in a war they see as illegal under our Constitution. As such, our brothers and sisters are paying the price for political incompetence, forced to fight in a war instead of having been sufficiently trained to carry out the task of nation-building.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (6) Service members are facing serious health consequences due to our Government's negligence.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Many of our troops have already been deployed to Iraq for two, three, and even four tours of duty averaging eleven months each.Combat stress, exhaustion, and bearing witness to the horrors of war contribute to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a serious set of symptoms that can lead to depression, illness, violent behavior, and even suicide. Additionally, depleted uranium, Lariam, insufficient body armor and infectious diseases are just a few of the health risks which accompany an immorally planned and incompetently executed war. Finally, upon a soldier's release, the Veterans Administration is far too under-funded to fully deal with the magnitude of veterans in need.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (7) The war in Iraq is tearing our families apart.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The use of stop-loss on active duty troops and the unnecessarily lengthy and repeat active tours by Guard and Reserve troops place enough strain on our military families, even without being forced to sacrifice their loved ones for this ongoing political experiment in the Middle East.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (8) The Iraq war is robbing us of funding sorely needed here at home.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      $10.3 billion per month is spent on a war which could have aided the victims of Hurricane Katrina, gone to impoverished schools, the construction of hospitals and health care systems, tax cut initiatives, and a host of domestic programs that have all been gutted in the wake of the war in Iraq.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (9) The war dehumanizes Iraqis and denies them their right to self-determination.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Iraqis are subjected to humiliating and violent checkpoints, searches and home raids on a daily basis.The current Iraqi government is in place solely because of the U.S. military occupation.The Iraqi government doesn't have the popular support of the Iraqi people, nor does it have power or authority.For many Iraqis the current government is seen as a puppet regime for the U.S. occupation.It is undemocratic and in violation of Iraq's own right to self-governance.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (10) Our military is being exhausted by repeated deployments, involuntary extensions, and activations of the Reserve and National Guard.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The majority of troops in Iraq right now are there for at least their second tour.Deployments to Iraq are becoming longer and many of our service members are facing involuntary extensions and recalls to active duty.Longstanding policies to limit the duration and frequency of deployments for our part-time National Guard troops are now being overturned to allow for repeated, back-to-back tours in Iraq.These repeated, extended combat tours are taking a huge toll on our troops, their families, and their communities.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Q: Why do Iraq Veterans Against the War call for the immediate withdrawal from Iraq?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (1) The reasons and rationale given for the invasion were fraudulent.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      There were no Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq during the time of the invasion according to US officials and former chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix. The idea that Al Qeada and the 9/11 terrorist attacks were connected to Saddam Hussein and the Baath party were proven false in the 9/11 Commission Report. Members of the Bush Administration have admitted that they &quot;misspoke&quot; in the run up to the war.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (2) The presence of the US military is not preventing sectarian violence.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The US occupation of Iraq has proven to be unable to prevent sectarian violence and halt an escalation towards a civil war. Despite having an average of 140,000 troops in country since the occupation began, internal violence and attacks against civilians and Iraqi security forces have been on a steady incline.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (3) The occupation is a primary motivation for the insurgency and global religious extremism.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The insurgency can be broken down into many individually named factions with various goals, beliefs, and techniques. However, our membership of veterans believe that the occupation of Iraq is the primary thing encouraging the insurgency and giving it legitimacy in the eyes of many Iraqis. Likewise, other people of the Islamic faith are encouraged to resist America's policies internationally based on how they perceive our military operations in the Middle East.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (4) We can no longer afford to fight this war of choice.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The financial burden is destroying our domestic programs that could be used to protect us from natural disasters, provide medical programs, or help improve education. We are jeopardizing the US economy and putting strains on the budgets of important government agencies like the Veterans Affairs Department.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (5) National security is compromised.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Funds that could be used to protect our ports and transportation are being stripped away while our National Guard units are on constant deployments instead of being used to protect and defend us here at home.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (6) The world is becoming more dangerous.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      International terrorist attacks have increased and it has become more dangerous for Americans to travel abroad. Approval for US policy has decreased and the dislike of Americans has increased.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (7) Our national &quot;moral authority&quot; is being undermined.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The US has lost credibility to much of the world as the defender of liberty and freedom and our national identity is eroding. We can no longer deploy our armed forces for peace keeping measures with the good faith of the international community. We need to regain the respect and faith of the global community. This begins by withdrawing our troops from Iraq and helping the Iraqi people rebuild their country and society.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (8) The majority of American citizens, Iraqi citizens and US military would like to see an immediate end to the war in Iraq.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      If we are truly a democracy and we aim to create a democracy in Iraq our leaders will represent the will of the citizens and lead according to their wishes.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      (9) The military is broken.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      We are abusing the small population of armed service members with multiple deployments while using inadequate vehicles and equipment. Less than one half of a percent of the American population is serving in the active armed forces, which is the least amount in the last century. Only 25% of the troops in Iraq are there for their first tour, while 50% are there on their second tour, and the remaining 25% are there three times or more. We continue to involuntarily extend soldiers with Stop-Loss, recall them repeatedly for additional service using the Individual Ready Reserve, and send soldiers with diagnosed medical problems into combat.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="IBC - Iraq Body Count (GBR)" ID="ID_579555620" CREATED="1320644148731" MODIFIED="1320644181659" LINK="http://www.iraqbodycount.org/">
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    <p>
      http://www.iraqbodycount.org/about/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About the Iraq Body Count project
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Iraq Body Count (IBC) records the violent civilian deaths that have resulted from the 2003 military intervention in Iraq. Its public database includes deaths caused by US-led coalition forces and paramilitary or criminal attacks by others.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      IBC's documentary evidence is drawn from crosschecked media reports of violent events leading to the death of civilians, or of bodies being found, and is supplemented by the careful review and integration of hospital, morgue, NGO and official figures.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Systematically extracted details about deadly incidents and the individuals killed in them are stored with every entry in the database. The minimum details always extracted are the number killed, where, and when.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Confusion about the numbers produced by the project can be avoided by bearing in mind that:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - IBC's figures are not 'estimates' but a record of actual, documented deaths.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - IBC records solely violent deaths.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - IBC records solely civilian (strictly, 'non-combatant') deaths.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      - IBC's figures are constantly updated and revised as new data comes in, and frequent consultation is advised.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      IBC builds on innovative uses of new technologies without which this citizens' initiative would be impossible. The project was founded in January 2003 by volunteers from the UK and USA who felt a responsibility to ensure that the human consequences of military intervention in Iraq were not neglected.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Finally, IBC could not exist without the journalists and media support workers, Iraqi and international, who labour to report war's daily carnage at the risk, and all too often the cost, of their health or their lives.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      For more on IBC's principles and objectives see the Rationale.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      For a more detailed description of IBC's working methodology and inclusion criteria, see the Methods section.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      For technical, research and media contacts, conditions of use, as well as a listing of IBC personnel, see Contacts/Staff.
    </p>
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</node>
<node TEXT="AWC - AntiWar.Com (USA)" ID="ID_748264475" CREATED="1320644069998" MODIFIED="1320644135472" LINK="http://antiwar.com/">
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    <p>
      http://antiwar.com/who.php
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      About Us
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      MISSION
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      This site is devoted to the cause of non-interventionism and is read by libertarians, pacifists, leftists, &quot;greens,&quot; and independents alike, as well as many on the Right who agree with our opposition to imperialism. Our initial project was to fight against intervention in the Balkans under the Clinton presidency. We applied the same principles to Clinton's campaigns in Haiti and Kosovo and bombings of Sudan and Afghanistan. Our politics are libertarian: our opposition to war is rooted in Randolph Bourne's concept that &quot;War is the health of the State.&quot; With every war, America has made a &quot;great leap&quot; into statism, and as Bourne emphasized, &quot;it is during war that one best understands the nature of that institution [the State].&quot; At its core, that nature includes an ever increasing threat to individual liberty and the centralization of political power.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Antiwar.com is one project of our parent foundation, the Randolph Bourne Institute. It is a program that provides a sounding board of interest to all who are concerned about U.S. foreign policy and its implications.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In 1952, Garet Garrett, one of the last of the Old Right &quot;isolationists,&quot; said it well:
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      &quot;Between government in the republican meaning, that is, Constitutional, representative, limited government, on the one hand, and Empire on the other hand, there is mortal enmity. Either one must forbid the other or one will destroy the other.&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      This is the perception that informs our activism and inspires our dedication. Non-interventionism abroad is a corollary to non-interventionism at home. Randolph Bourne echoed this sentiment: &quot;We cannot crusade against war without implicitly crusading against the State.&quot; Since opposition to war is at the heart of our philosophy, and single-issue politics is the only avenue open to us, Antiwar.com embodies the politics of the possible.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Our dedication to libertarian principles, inspired in large part by the works and example of the late Murray N. Rothbard, is reflected on this site. While openly acknowledging that we have an agenda, the editors take seriously our purely journalistic mission, which is to get past the media filters and reveal the truth about America's foreign policy. Citing a wide variety of sources without fear or favor, and presenting our own views in the regular columns of various contributors, we clearly differentiate between fact and opinion, and let our readers know which is which.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The pressing need for &quot;citizen experts&quot; is the reason we set up Antiwar.com. In this process, the site evolved very quickly into an online magazine and research tool designed to keep the American people and the world informed about the overseas plans of the American government. The history of our site and of American foreign policy demonstrates the demand for such experts.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The founders of Antiwar.com were active in the Libertarian Party during the 1970s; in 1983, we founded the Libertarian Republican Organizing Committee to work as a libertarian caucus within the GOP. Today, we are seeking to challenge the traditional politics of &quot;Left&quot; and &quot;Right.&quot; At present, none of the existing parties or activist groups offer an effective vehicle for principled libertarian politics. Yet even in the absence of a party of liberty, we cannot abstain from the struggle. We strive to lead the non-interventionist cause and the peace movements that many respected institutions have forgotten.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Forged in the experience of the first Balkan war, Antiwar.com has become the Internet newspaper of record for a growing international movement, the central locus of opposition to a new imperialism that masks its ambitions in the rhetoric of &quot;human rights,&quot; &quot;humanitarianism,&quot; &quot;freedom from terror,&quot; and &quot;global democracy.&quot; The totalitarian liberals and social democrats of the West have unilaterally and arrogantly abolished national sovereignty and openly seek to overthrow all who would oppose their bid for global hegemony. They have made enemies of the patriots of all countries, and it is time for those enemies to unite &#8211; or perish alone.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Antiwar.com represents the truly pro-America side of the foreign policy debate. With our focus on a less centralized government and freedom at home, we consider ourselves the real American patriots. &quot;America first!&quot; regards the traditions of a republican government and non-interventionism as paramount to freedom &#8211; a concept that helped forge the foundation of this nation.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      THE FUTURE
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Antiwar.com is already fighting the next information war: we are dedicated to the proposition that war hawks and our leaders are not going to be allowed to get away with it unopposed and unchallenged. The War Party is well-organized, well-financed, and very focused. They know what they want: a renewal of the Cold War, increased military spending, and a globalist mission that would project American power from the Middle East to the Korean peninsula and all points in between. And they know how to get it: mobilizing special interest groups and key corporate allies in a propaganda war designed to win the hearts if not the minds of the American people. The antiwar forces, on the other hand, are not so well-positioned. Everyone is for peace, in theory at least, but there is no one group of Americans especially disposed to work for it, outside of small religious groups such as the Quakers and the Catholic Worker movement.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Lacking a centrally coordinated leadership, without financial resources of any significance, and incredibly diverse, the organized opposition to the first Balkan war was unfocused and of limited effectiveness. Currently, the antiwar movement against a war on Iraq is considered anti-American and left-wing. However, we are changing this perception by leading the cause of the patriotic peace movement, which understands the true costs of war. Unfortunately, the organizations pushing for actions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other areas around the world are stronger and better focused. Antiwar.com has become an integral part of the movement against these groups and for peace by disseminating accurate news and commentary.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Antiwar.com is dedicated to building an awareness of the globalist and interventionist forces that would enslave us all in a New World Order on which the sun never sets. But we can't do it without you. Tell your friends about Antiwar.com, and also help us do our job by bringing items to our attention. We are always looking for material, and we welcome your suggestions, whether of links or in the form of original articles submitted to the editors.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Antiwar.com is a ward of the nonprofit Randolph Bourne Institute. Your contribution to Antiwar.com is tax-deductible. Your contributions, whether a one-time donation or a monthly pledge, will make the difference between success and failure. While the propaganda machine of the War Party is well-oiled with money, Antiwar.com carries on the fight with little in the way of resources &#8211; except the intellectual resources to bring the facts to light. But we can't do it without your material support. To find out how, just click on the secure credit card form at the bottom of this page. You can strike a blow against the War Party and cast your ballot for peace by making a contribution today.
    </p>
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<node TEXT="SNS - Sir! No Sir! - Winter Soldier 2008 (USA)" ID="ID_1976559699" CREATED="1320644307524" MODIFIED="1320644335585" LINK="http://www.sirnosir.com">
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    <p>
      http://www.sirnosir.com/BuyForGI.html
    </p>
    <p>
      http://thisiswherewetakeourstand.com/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Eye witness accounts of the occupation
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      This year, a scrappy, determined band of soldiers and veterans turned this country on its head.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      On March 13-16, Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) held Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan / Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations in Washington, DC. Over one hundred active duty soldiers and veterans publicly testified-from their own experience&#8211;about what they consider to be the immoral and illegal nature of those occupations. They demanded immediate and unconditional withdrawal, and intend to force this issue onto the national stage.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Displaced Films and Northern Light Productions are producing the only documentary film that will be made about this historic moment, and the intense battle leading up to it. If you liked Sir! No Sir! you will love this new film. Winter Soldier/Iraq and Afghanistan will answer the question &quot;Can a new GI Movement happen today?&quot; with a resounding &quot;Yes!&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      The Winter Soldier Investigation was by any account a powerful, explosive, and controversial antiwar event, timed to mark the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq five years ago. No one who witnessed it could come out the same. But just as importantly, it transformed everyone involved in profound and unexpected ways. That transformation, both large-scale and deeply personal, is the subject we explore in our film.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      http://thisiswherewetakeourstand.com/
    </p>
    <p>
      http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier/
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Veterans reveal the truth about Iraq and Afghanistan in a six-part web series by
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      David Zeiger, Director of Sir! No Sir!, and Bestor Cram, Director of Unfinished Symphony.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      For the first time in history, women have combat and other front-line roles in the U.S. military, yet the military today is rife with sexual harassment, as Wendy Barranco reveals. Is this progress? Is it inevitable?Human nature? Or perhaps it's the sign of a deeper malignancy. For Wendy, her treatment was &quot;the last thing I would have imagined from my own peers and comrades.&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      This is Where We Take Our Stand - The Series
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Where's the debate?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Are we watching passively while Barack Obama carries out the same policies as George W. Bush?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      When an American bombing raid this May killed over two hundred civilians in a village in Afghanistan, it was met with a deafening silence. When Obama's promised &quot;withdrawal&quot; from Iraq leaves 130,000 troops there for at least two more years and 50,000 permanently, it's hailed as an end to the occupation. And who is demanding to know just what the mission really is when 30,000 more troops are sent to Afghanistan?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Where's the debate?
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      In March of 2008, two hundred and fifty veterans and active duty soldiers marked the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by gathering in Washington, DC, to testify from their own experience about the nature of the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. It was chilling, horrifying, and challenging for all who witnessed it. Against tremendous odds, they brought the voices of the veterans themselves into the debate. That was then.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      This is now.Today, we present to you This is Where We Take Our Stand, the inside story of those three days and the courageous men and women who testified. And we present this story today, told in six episodes, because we believe it is as relevant now as it was one year ago. Maybe more.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      Here is our challenge to you: Watch the series; spread it far and wide; and ask yourself is this about the past, or the present and future. Then add your voice.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      If you are a veteran or active duty, present your own testimony. If you are not, but you are still a living, breathing member of the human race, then do whatever you can to join and fan the flames of debate.
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    <p>
      David Zeiger, Director of Sir! No Sir! http://www.sirnosir.com
    </p>
    <p>
      Bestor Cram, Director of Unfinished Symphony http://www.nlprod.com/
    </p>
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