Thursday, January 08, 2009

LIFE Photo Archive Free on the Web?

Now THIS is interesting:
Photos from more than a century of LIFE magazine are now ready for the viewing (thanks to google for hosing) here: http://images.google.com/hosted/life

To the extent that we reason visually, we have just as a species become much smarter. Check it out, it's fun!

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan (CLE)

Friends interested in peace, law and/or Japan may be interested in our next class:
Professor Mark Chinen of the Seattle University School of Law will give a presentation on Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan, from noon – 1 p.m., at the WSBA Offices, 1325 4th Ave., Ste. 600, Seattle, 98101.

Article 9 has stirred controversy since the Constitution came into effect 60 years ago. The provision, which with the rest of the Constitution emerged out of the Allied Occupation of Japan, can be interpreted as prohibiting Japan from using armed force even in self-defense.

Over time, however, Japan has developed a significant military force that has grown in both strength and scope, and Japan is increasingly being asked to expand its participation in international peacekeeping missions and collective security activities, particularly after 9/11. This expansion has sparked intense debate about whether or not Japan is in violation of Article 9, which in turn has raised questions about the meaning and vitality of constitutionalism in Japan, and whether it is possible for a modern nation state to eschew military force.

Professor Chinen will give a brief presentation and lead a discussion on the history and interpretation of Article 9, as well as more recent calls to amend it. The presentation and discussion will focus on how Article 9 provides a unique window into Japan, its self-identity, its views on national security and its relationship with the United States, and more broadly, the relationship between law and peace and security, on both the national and international levels. Section members Ken Ellingwood and Jay Hastings will provide brief comments based upon their personal experiences with Japan.

Cost: WPTL Section members: Free, Non-WPTL Section members: $25, Law students: $10 (includes section membership). Guests ok on space-available basis.

Preregistration will soon be at http://www.wsba.org/lawyers/groups/worldpeace/

1 general Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit applied for. We hope to see you there!

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Female Faces of War Needs You!

"Female Faces of War" (FFOW) is a documentary showing the impact of war today on our women troops, their families and on civilians. Stories shared by the women in this film are compelling and complex, including a mother who lost her son in battle, an advocate for women soldiers affected by Military Sexual Trauma, a female American soldier, and Iraqi women. You can learn more here: http://www.wildirismedia.com/5101.html

The next step is to show FFOW at the Seattle Human Rights Film Festival. It's scheduled for February 7th, 2009 - 5 pm.

The Problem


For the full version of the documentary, we need to purchase stock footage and music. Most of the material has been donated, but music and b-roll has to be paid for.

You can help.

FFOW needs 18 donors to give $50 each (total $900).

Most of the work on FFOW has been by volunteers, giving time, labor and materials. And of course the greatest volunteering has been by the brave women who tell their story to the camera.

Will you help them present their work to the world?

You can donate as easily as buying a book on Amazon.
The donations go throught the 501c3 "Shunpike" for security & accountability: http://www.shunpike.org/about-us/

To donate, go to https://co.clickandpledge.com/advanced/default.aspx?wid=20706 scroll down to "Female Faces of War (Wild Iris Media)", and enter the amount you wish to donate to your shopping cart. It's just like any other online purpose. Please contact me if you would prefer to pay by other means or would like any other information.

I promise you: you will be proud of helping bring this wonderful documentary to the screen.

POSTSCRIPT FROM THE PRODUCER


"About 95% of our visuals have been donated. We need the $900 minimum for licensing rights to footage from Journeyman Pictures. Urban Hammid is an independent videographer who, bravely and at great danger, has been going in and out of Iraq bringing back images of life in the war zone. It includes intimate scenes of daily life such as flooded streets, looking for survivors amidst the rubble of a bombing, teachers with children reading books, women soldiers talking with civilians, and girls in a ballet class (to go with a poignant story about a music teacher and local militias targeting women who work for NGOs). Other footage is from BBC and other broadcast companies.

There is more we'd like to use, but that is the bare bones of what we need to screen on Feb 7. We need to purchase this within the next week two weeks at the very latest, sooner is better."
--- Kiya Bodding