Mon, Sep 24, 2007

Peace Primary: Learn About and Support Organizations Working for Peace

The Plowshares Fund has created a new project called the Peace Primary wherein you are asked to vote for one of twelve groups promoting peace. It costs a dollar per vote, which goes toward supporting the organizations, but it also helps one group (the one with the most votes in the end) to win another $100,000 grant from the Plowshares Fund. The site is nicely designed and provides you with an opportunity to learn more about groups committed to the non-violent resolution of conflict. My vote goes to the American Friends Service Committee…but don’t let me bias you. Check it out.

Sat, Sep 15, 2007

Google Earth as a Tool for Visualizing Human Rights Abuses

Google Earth, the free satellite imagery, terrain, 3D buildings and mapping application, is being used in some interesting educational ways. For instance,  according to the Sightseer, Google Earth’s newsletter, International organisations that monitor human rights issues are using Google Earth to illustrate evidence of abuse visible from space.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), for instance, recently released dramatic before/after satellite photos showing villages which have been destroyed in Darfur, (example - turn on/off the layers “March 2006? and “November 2006? to compare the areas marked in red) and similar destruction in Zimbabwe (example - turn on/off the loaded layer to compare areas marked in red). There are also examples of damage from the conflict between Israel and Lebanon (see example of damages in Beirut). The AAAS data involved collaboration with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. Read more on the AAAS web site.

Fri, Sep 07, 2007

How to Stop Fighting: A Seven-Step Tutorial for People Involved in Relationship Conflicts

The good folks over at CRInfo have released a nice new tutorial entitled How to Stop Fighting: A Seven-Step Tutorial for People Involved in Relationship Conflicts. Using flash they have created an opening slide show of a couple engaged in a tug-of-war to set up the tutorial. The tutorial, developed in partnership with the University of Colorado Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies, walks the user through a series of seven steps that can help move the conflict in positive directions. These are illustrated with comic-strip-like views of the couple as they say and think different things as the conflict process unfolds. Along the way the user is invited to choose different options and get more feedback on how that might work and things to consider if you choose that approach. The tutorial is easy to use yet not too simplistic. What a nice addition to the CRInfo collection of resources!

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