April, 2009

Amnesty International invites the Athens community to a film festival that will open your eyes to issues from around the world. Our five award-winning films take an uplifting approach to fighting for human rights, and we hope these stories encourage all of us to "become citizens of the world." The festival will be hosted at Cine from April 24-28.

By Stephanie Jackson

Stephanie Jackson, Stand Up's own editor in chief, wrote this as a follow up to Harper Bridgers' "NORML Behavior" from issue 4. For this article, Stephanie spoke with NORML members involved in the battle with the University Judiciary over an image on the organization's t-shirts as well as with a local law enforcement officer.

By Devin Smith

During a walk home from a family picnic in Afghanistan, a young boy spots what he thinks is a can of food. He decides to pick it up to carry home for his family. Immediately, it explodes. The “bombie” mutilates the boy and instantly kills his cousin. Other members of the boy’s family carry him to a hospital where both of his legs must be amputated. His wounds are so bad that doctors consider euthanizing the child. The child’s name is Soraj Ghulam Habib, and now, seven years after the accident, he works with the Cluster Munition Coalition convincing governments to ban the weapons that forever crippled him - cluster bombs.

An Open Letter to Michelle Obama

By Kallie Mathis

America has a new first lady, and so far, Michelle Obama seems to be rewriting the role of the president’s spouse. In November, Americans witnessed one of this nation’s most historic moments, the election of the first African-American president, Barack Obama. In the ominous shadows of economic devastation and national feelings of uncertainty, then-candidate Obama sailed to victory on his platform of change, and change and hope are what this country is desperate for right now. Homes are being foreclosed, plans for higher education are being postponed, and pink slips are being doled out by the thousands. The trust we bestow on our leaders has been severely shaken over these last eight years, and we need the new administration to help us find that trust again.

Poem by Zachary Dillard

I was confronted today with how alone I actually am in this world:

Perhaps this "I AM" should be redefined as a "WE ARE".

By Denechia Powell

Every woman dreads the clear menace. It kills dreams and crushes hopes. It is the infamous glass ceiling, a term first introduced to popular culture in a 1986 Wall Street Journal article. Today, almost any media consumer knows the glass ceiling refers to an invisible barrier that hinders women from advancement in traditionally patriarchal fields. It became a buzzword in this year’s historical presidential race, with New York Sen. Hillary Clinton’s pant suits and Gov. Sarah Palin’s alleged $150,000 wardrobe gracing our television screens on a daily basis. Athens-Clarke County’s female politicians watched closely as Clinton contended she left “18 million cracks” in the “highest, hardest glass ceiling in America” during her concession speech and Palin claimed she would shatter that same glass ceiling “once and for all” at a stump speech in Dayton, Ohio.

By Ashley Strickland

In the world of music, what’s old is new again.

The original boys of rock are still here and better than ever. The reigning kings haven’t lost their touch and continue to make innovative music.

By Josh White

The Al Huda Islamic Center sits on South Milledge Avenue, tucked between a car wash and a shopping center. The single-story building is a mosque, the house of worship for Muslims, and it’s the only one in Athens. This is the place for local Muslims to attend prayer services with their fellow worshippers, people who work, pray and live in the famed college town.

A look at the history of marijuana in the U.S. through the lens of film

By Jessica Cole

The masterminds behind the Golden Globe nominations inadvertently pleased the pot culture this year, as James Franco was announced as a nominee for his role as lovable stoner Saul Silver in the hit comedy “Pineapple Express.” The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards were held on January 11th, and though Franco did not take home the statue for Best Actor in a Comedy or Drama, the nomination alone spoke volumes about the ever increasing popularity of the stoner movie. It is incredible to think that only 40 years ago, there was no such thing as a marijuana-based movie genre. So what happened within these few years that sparked this “reefer revolution?” The answer can only be found by looking to the past to see which films breathed life into this genre. Inhale deeply, you’ll get more out of it.

By Imann Gad

It is 2009, and the world of fashion is going green. Who would have imagined that organic cotton, pesticide-free cotton, and bamboo would become popular amongst fashion designers today? The “Go Green” campaign is going strong, and many are trying to get in where they can fit in.

By Courtney Holbrook

It begins with the harassment of a naïve woman by her middle-aged lover in a small hotel room. It ends with intense brutality as private conflict evolves into the public devastation of war.

A birthday party for a guest ends with a man broken by the rhetorical dominance of others. The downfall of a guest reiterates the destruction of the individual by the authoritarianism of civilization.

A woman in a Brazilian village acts out her anger against her abusive husband. Through improvisation, she is able to take control and fight.

Whether they are works by Sarah Kane or Pinter, or an artistic form with a definite social bent, theatre in all its forms is on the front line of activism.

By Emily Yeager

I am a proud Democrat, but I have a dirty little secret: I love our political slurs. (They crack me up: tree-huggers, bleeding-hearts, hippies. Let’s review. They’re saying we want to conserve the resources we need, help others, and voice our opinions.) That’s right – quite the band of nefarious hooligans are we. Still, as much as I love a good ignorant bumper sticker, the political atmosphere is too polluted with sweeping generalizations and blind epithets that serve only to choke off any inclination toward bipartisanship. Even the word “liberal” itself has been cast off; “progressive” is the term now. We can keep re-labeling ourselves, or we can work harder to demonstrate what’s good about what we believe. I admire our new president for many reasons, not the least of which is that I believe he is restoring the good name of the political Left. His views on religious pluralism, education and volunteerism demand respect, if not universal approval.

The untold story of how the anti-war movement took on the country’s most powerful foreign policy lobby -- and won.

By Zaid Jilani

On an otherwise unremarkable day last May, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met a 13-member U.S. Congressional delegation led by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in Tel Aviv for talks concerning U.S. and Israeli policy toward Iran. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported a few days later that Olmert suggested to Pelosi that the U.S. should “impose [a] naval blockade on Iran.”

Cutting A Clear Path Through the Social Stigma of Living with HIV / AIDS

By Jennifer Johnson

Duwayne Carter wrapped his spindly legs around the Uga on Broad Street and leaned over the statue’s massive head to ask a University student for a dollar. The well-dressed blonde walked past without responding, but when Carter shouted that the money wasn’t for booze, but for his AIDS meds, she quickened her step.

The response isn’t unusual.

By Stephanie Jackson

Writing these things – these letters from the editor – is hard. Seriously. Most editors save it until the last night, writing about whatever comes to mind. I've been thinking it over all semester, but one thing keeps presenting itself to me: dissident media. That's what Stand Up is, after all, or at least what we like to consider ourselves. In February, our parent organization, Campus Progress, and The Nation, a leftist magazine that was around when our grandfathers were protesting, held the first ever Southeastern Regional Conference for activism and journalism. The opening speaker could not have been more perfect for tying the two causes together: Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! whose sole message was the rebirth of the dissident press.

By Seung Song / Kit

Who hasn’t felt cheated? Even to a minor point, who hasn’t wondered if the balance was tipped against their favor? The United States has been called the “Land of Opportunities,” and no one can deny that there is an implication for monetary gain and comfort as the gateway to such promised happiness. And it infuriates us when the country tries to take and not give. However, no one can deny the call for moral tendencies inherent in the American dream. Few are likely to want to make their living ducking authorities and judgment for the rest of their lives to build their dreams out of America’s underbelly- even criminals commit crimes to achieve a better state of living.

By Cathryne Keller

The University of Georgia campus provides a diverse learning environment with students, faculty and staff from all over the state, country and world, each bringing their unique backgrounds and perspectives to the university community. The university emphasizes this diversity in its mission statement, which states that UGA “provides for cultural, ethnic, gender and racial diversity in the faculty, staff, and student body.”

While this commitment to diversity is a major point of pride for UGA, students Naila and Samia Ansari feel that it needs to be consistently supported in the classroom by providing students with a learning environment that nurtures openness and understanding.

By Lilly Workneh

“UGA, shame on you!” preached Linda Lloyd, director of the Economic Justice Coalition, who, along with former UGA professor Dr. Ray McNair and a handful of students, began the Living Wage Coalition in 2003.

This year’s Living Wage Rally on February 12 attracted approximately 150 supporters as the crowd chanted, “What’s outrageous? Georgia’s wages!” Meanwhile, members of the Economic Justice Coalition stood on stage at the Tate Center and voiced their opinion on Athens’ current poverty ratings.