Democracy Center Named in Top 10 of Groups Using the Internet for Activism: New Video
The Democracy Center On-Line
Volume 86 - October 22, 2009
Two Big Announcements from the Democracy Center!
Dear Friends,
Okay, it has been a long while since our last newsletter, and I apologize. I could name a long list of excuses, ranging from work to family to moving our Internet server, but let's leave it at – The Newsletter is Back!!In this issue we have two big announcements to make.The first is about an award that the Democracy Center is receiving Friday in Paris, named by Politics Online as one of the top ten groups in the world changing the world of Internet and politics. This includes a great, short new video (which you can see here) on the Democracy Center's Internet advocacy over the last decade. Our second announcement is the launch of a new global project to take on the injustices of international trade courts – the Network for Justice in Global Investment.So read on, tune in, and get ready for much more in the months ahead!
Jim Shultz
The Democracy Center
Two Big Announcements from the Democracy Center!
Democracy Center Awarded for Helping Bring Activism to the InternetOn Friday, at a ceremony in Paris, the Democracy Center will be named by Politics Online as one of the Top Ten Groups in the World Changing the Internet and Politics. Our company in that top ten includes Google, a prominent Middle East human rights organization and others. The award to the Democracy Center is based on more than a decade of work pioneering the use of the Internet for social justice activism, including the landmark global campaign that forced the Bechtel Corporation to drop its $50 million lawsuit against the people of Bolivia following the Cochabamba Water Revolt.
Due to the stellar excuse that this week also marks two of my children's birthdays, I am not able to travel to Paris to accept the award on behalf of the Democracy Center, but in my place we sent something much better – a wonderful new three-minute video chronicling the Democracy Center's Internet activism since 1997. Have a look at the video here!
Announcing: The Network For Justice In Global Investment
In 2006, people and organizations worldwide won an enormous victory in the fight to bring justice to the secretive world of global trade courts. Working together in more than forty countries we forced the powerful Bechtel Corporation to drop its World Bank legal case against the people of Bolivia following the Cochabamba Water Revolt – the first time that a corporation had ever dropped such a major case in response to public pressure.
Now the Democracy Center and the Institute for Policy Studies are joining together to launch a new global project aimed not at just one corporation or one case, but to challenge and change the system in which these trade courts operate. At stake is our ability as citizens to protect our environment, control our natural resources, and preserve the rights of nations to freely enact policies in the public interest.
The Network for Justice in Global Investment is a joint effort by groups across Latin America, the U.S. and Canada that have been working on these trade cases and on reform of the global trade court system. The Network's new site (which you can see here) offers a wide library of materials and information about how corporations use these trade panels to thwart the public interest and opportunities to get ongoing updates and get involved.The Web site is also a space for debate – including a new electronic forum that features a debate on these global trade rules between Chevron, the Democracy Center and others.
Have a look today!
_____________________________________________
The Democracy Center
Founded in San Francisco in 1992, The Democracy Center works globally to advance social justice through a combination of investigation and reporting, training citizens in the art of public advocacy, and organizing international citizen campaigns.The Democracy Center On-line is an electronic publication of the Democracy Center, distributed on an occasional basis to more than 7,500 organizations, policy makers, journalists and others, throughout the U.S. and worldwide.
Please consider forwarding it along to those who might be interested. People can request to be added to the distribution list by sending an e-mail note to: contact@democracyctr.org.
Newspapers and periodicals interested in reprinting or excerpting material in the newsletter should contact The Democracy Center at contact@democracyctr.org. Suggestions and comments are welcome. Past issues are available on The Democracy Center Web site.
The Democracy Center:
Bolivia: Casilla 5283, Cochabamba, Bolivia / Tel: (591-4) 451-1525
US: PO Box 22157, San Francisco CA 94122 / Tel: (415) 564-4767
E-Mail: contact@democracyctr.org
Web: http://www.democracyctr.org/
Volume 86 - October 22, 2009
Two Big Announcements from the Democracy Center!
Dear Friends,
Okay, it has been a long while since our last newsletter, and I apologize. I could name a long list of excuses, ranging from work to family to moving our Internet server, but let's leave it at – The Newsletter is Back!!In this issue we have two big announcements to make.The first is about an award that the Democracy Center is receiving Friday in Paris, named by Politics Online as one of the top ten groups in the world changing the world of Internet and politics. This includes a great, short new video (which you can see here) on the Democracy Center's Internet advocacy over the last decade. Our second announcement is the launch of a new global project to take on the injustices of international trade courts – the Network for Justice in Global Investment.So read on, tune in, and get ready for much more in the months ahead!
Jim Shultz
The Democracy Center
Two Big Announcements from the Democracy Center!
Democracy Center Awarded for Helping Bring Activism to the InternetOn Friday, at a ceremony in Paris, the Democracy Center will be named by Politics Online as one of the Top Ten Groups in the World Changing the Internet and Politics. Our company in that top ten includes Google, a prominent Middle East human rights organization and others. The award to the Democracy Center is based on more than a decade of work pioneering the use of the Internet for social justice activism, including the landmark global campaign that forced the Bechtel Corporation to drop its $50 million lawsuit against the people of Bolivia following the Cochabamba Water Revolt.
Due to the stellar excuse that this week also marks two of my children's birthdays, I am not able to travel to Paris to accept the award on behalf of the Democracy Center, but in my place we sent something much better – a wonderful new three-minute video chronicling the Democracy Center's Internet activism since 1997. Have a look at the video here!
Announcing: The Network For Justice In Global Investment
In 2006, people and organizations worldwide won an enormous victory in the fight to bring justice to the secretive world of global trade courts. Working together in more than forty countries we forced the powerful Bechtel Corporation to drop its World Bank legal case against the people of Bolivia following the Cochabamba Water Revolt – the first time that a corporation had ever dropped such a major case in response to public pressure.
Now the Democracy Center and the Institute for Policy Studies are joining together to launch a new global project aimed not at just one corporation or one case, but to challenge and change the system in which these trade courts operate. At stake is our ability as citizens to protect our environment, control our natural resources, and preserve the rights of nations to freely enact policies in the public interest.
The Network for Justice in Global Investment is a joint effort by groups across Latin America, the U.S. and Canada that have been working on these trade cases and on reform of the global trade court system. The Network's new site (which you can see here) offers a wide library of materials and information about how corporations use these trade panels to thwart the public interest and opportunities to get ongoing updates and get involved.The Web site is also a space for debate – including a new electronic forum that features a debate on these global trade rules between Chevron, the Democracy Center and others.
Have a look today!
_____________________________________________
The Democracy Center
Founded in San Francisco in 1992, The Democracy Center works globally to advance social justice through a combination of investigation and reporting, training citizens in the art of public advocacy, and organizing international citizen campaigns.The Democracy Center On-line is an electronic publication of the Democracy Center, distributed on an occasional basis to more than 7,500 organizations, policy makers, journalists and others, throughout the U.S. and worldwide.
Please consider forwarding it along to those who might be interested. People can request to be added to the distribution list by sending an e-mail note to: contact@democracyctr.org.
Newspapers and periodicals interested in reprinting or excerpting material in the newsletter should contact The Democracy Center at contact@democracyctr.org. Suggestions and comments are welcome. Past issues are available on The Democracy Center Web site.
The Democracy Center:
Bolivia: Casilla 5283, Cochabamba, Bolivia / Tel: (591-4) 451-1525
US: PO Box 22157, San Francisco CA 94122 / Tel: (415) 564-4767
E-Mail: contact@democracyctr.org
Web: http://www.democracyctr.org/
posted by The Democracy Center at 7:08 AM
