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SEAGA 2008
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

With enthusiasm and pleasure, we are inviting you to join us in celebrating an international

event which will be participated in by renowned academics, entrepreneurs, researchers,

educators, college students, government officials, volunteers of non-government institutions,

and members of advocacy groups in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world. This is the

2008 Southeast Asian Geographers Association International Conference. The SEAGA 2008

will be held in the SEAMEO Innotech on June 3-6, 2008. It is being organized by the Philippine

Geographical Society, together with the Department of Geography of the University of the

Philippines-Diliman and the Southeast Asian Geography Association (SEAGA).



SEAGA 2008 is paving the way for an international gathering of Southeast Asian scholars and

practitioners from the field. The SEAGA 2008 International Conference will bring together

scholars, businessmen and women, social science researchers, college professors, high school

teachers, students from various universities, and representatives from government and non-

government institutions, advocacy groups, and other organizations of diverse political and

cultural backgrounds in Southeast Asia. The SEAGA members believe in the importance of

exchanging and sharing of knowledge and experiences among scholars and field practitioners.

This is crucial in addressing the many pressing issues that are brought about by the political

events, economic concerns, environmental problems and other social issues that simultaneously

affect the diverse population groups of Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos,

Cambodia, Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Past SEAGA conferences were

held in the following venues:Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei Darussalam (1990)



University of Jogjakarta, Indonesia (1992)
University of Malaya, Malaysia (1994)
Chiang Mai University, Thailand (1996)
National Institute of Education/NUS, Singapore (1998)
Universiti Bangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia (2001)
Khon Kaen University, Thailand (2004)
National Institute of Education, Singapore (2006)


The Philippines is finally hosting this distinguished event in June 2008. We are expecting the

participation of over 200 individuals from different countries across the globe. We recognize that

your institution maintains a tradition of supporting events that allow spaces for discussions of

pressing problems that affect local population groups in the Philippines and in other countries as

well. We share the goal of arriving at workable solutions to effect changes that may lead to the

improvement of life conditions of many population groups not only in our country but in other

places in Southeast Asia. In connection with this, we are delighted to invite you to participate

in this four-day conference. Your presence will greatly helping in the facilitation of exchanges of

experiences among scholars and other stakeholders to address similar environmental, economic,

political, and socio-cultural concerns that affect the nations of the Southeast Asian Region.



Should you have other inquiries regarding the event, you may contact Ms. Yany Lopez at

(02)-9818500 local 2125/2377 or 09284128396, or email her at yanylopez@gmail.com. You can

also visit the website: http//seaga2008.googlepages.com. Thank you very much for recognizing

the importance of this international event. We look forward to your positive response.



Respectfully yours,



Professor Doracie B. Zoleta-Nantes, PhD (Signed)

Asia Research Fellow

and

President, the Philippine Geographical Society

April 26, 2008 | 9:54 AM Comments  0 comments



Free Books!
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

For bookworms like me, check this:

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

There are over 25,000 free books in the Project Gutenberg Online Book Catalog.

A grand total of over 100,000 titles are available at Project Gutenberg Partners, Affiliates and Resources.

If you don't live in the United States, please check the copyright laws of your country before downloading or redistributing a book.

April 25, 2008 | 11:51 AM Comments  0 comments

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Call for Contribution
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Message from PeaceChild


Hello,

My name is Oliver O'Callaghan, I am Publications Manager at Peacechild
International, a charity for youth education about development, human rights
and the environment. Our latest project is to convert the United Nations
Human Development Report into a format accessible to young people. This is
especially crucial because this year's theme is climate change, the greatest
challenge to our generation.

You can become involved!

We are looking for contributions to the publication from young people all
over the world. These can range from articles and stories to poems and
pictures.

If you want to become a member of the Project Task Force email me at-
publications@peacechild.org

Here is a link to the project page-
http://www.peacechild.org/www/pci/index.php?id=134

and here are links to the full call out letter in

English-
http://www.peacechild.org/climate/pdfs/pci_climate_call_en.pdf

French-
http://www.peacechild.org/climate/pdfs/pci_climate_call_fr.pdf

Spanish-
http://www.peacechild.org/climate/pdfs/pci_climate_call_es.pdf

Please read it and pass it on to as many of your friends as possible. The
more submissions we get the better.

Here is a link to the publication we produced last year that which gives an
idea of the type of contribution we find most useful-

http://hdr.undp.org/external/hdr2006/water/

Thank you and good luck!

--
Oliver O'Callaghan

Publications Manager, Peace Child International.

publications@peacechild.org

April 25, 2008 | 10:01 AM Comments  0 comments

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GREENPEACE WATER PATROL INVESTIGATES...
Related to country: Philippines

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

ADAPTED FROM THE WEBSITE: http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/en/news/greenpeace-water-patrol-invest#

Greenpeace Water Patrol investigates polluting garbage dump in Laguna Lake
Calls for strict enforcement of waste laws to protect water sources

Manila, PHILIPPINES — Greenpeace Water Patrol activists today investigated a dump site in Angono, Rizal which has taken over the banks of Laguna Lake, and called on the government for the strict enforcement of waste laws to protect the country’s threatened freshwater sources.

As part of the investigation, the activists procured water samples in the vicinity, and placed a signpost with the words "Our trash. Our water. Protect our water sources!" to also remind the public, in time for Earth Day tomorrow, that waste dumped on land eventually ends up in the water that we use. The theme for this year’s Earth Day in the Philippines is water protection.

"Illegal, open dump sites have remapped the banks of Laguna Lake, creating reclaimed areas built on the filthy refuse of towns and cities, and slowly killing one of the major freshwater bodies in our country. How have we come to this? Clearly there is a serious shortcoming in the government's enforcement of its own environmental laws," said Greenpeace Toxics Campaigner Beau Baconguis.

"But Greenpeace would also like to highlight this Earth Day that this should be a call to action for all Filipinos to adopt a more responsible attitude toward the waste they generate and dispose. Through the simple practice of responsible waste management at home, such as segregation and composting of organic waste, we can be part of the solution to the problem of garbage and water pollution."

The Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) disclosed last December that dumpsites in four municipalities—Paete and Biñan, Laguna, and Angono and Taytay, Rizal—are located close to Laguna Lake’s shores. Meanwhile fourteen dumpsites various other nearby towns compound the lake's water pollution problem. Although the LLDA has asked the concerned local government units to implement the Ecological Waste Management Act of 2000 (RA 9003) the dumps continue to pollute the lake. oxic leachate from the said garbage dumps are expected to ooze into the lake for years to come, even after the dumps are successfully closed.

The dumps in Angono and Taytay, in particular, occupy the lake's waters in blatant violation of the Clean Water Act of 2004 (RA 9275), and RA 9003. The Angono dumpsite was supposedly declared closed by Mayor Aurora Villamayor last January 2008, but Greenpeace Water Patrol investigations encountered garbage trucks delivering fresh garbage to the site just a week ago. The Taytay dumpsite, on the other hand, is still fully operational.

Laguna Lake, also known as Laguna de Bay, is the country's largest lake, and the 2nd largest freshwater basin in Southeast Asia. It is being eyed as a potential source of potable water for Metro Manila. However, according to the LLDA, the lake is in danger of dying in five years if no steps are taken to improve its fast deteriorating water quality.

"Starting with the Angono dumpsite, Greenpeace is taking samples of water within the lake as part of our larger campaign, Project Clean Water, launched last October 2007. The project aims to bring people together toward a common goal of safeguarding our water sources. We intend to examine and expose the pollution levels of various freshwater sources around the country. Through this, we hope to catalyze much-needed action to reverse the continuing decline of our water resources," said Baconguis. Greenpeace expects to release the partial results of its investigations later this year.