Dr. Michael R. Kraig was in Iowa City to moderate a panel on "Civil Society and Terrorism" at the University of Iowa. He believes there's a knowledge gap between "what the public believes our foreign policy should look like in broad terms and the specifics of what our legislators are doing on capitol hill." http://iowaindependent.com http://www.stanleyfoundation.org

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Stanley Foundation director of policy analysis and dialog Dr. Michael R. Kraig was in Iowa City last week to moderate a panel on Civil Society and Terrorism at the University of Iowa Provost's Forum on International Affairs. http://iowaindependent.com http://www.stanleyfoundation.org

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Stanley Foundation director of policy analysis and dialog Dr. Michael R. Kraig was in Iowa City last week to moderate a panel on Civil Society and Terrorism at the University of Iowa Provost's Forum on International Affairs. He sat down for a video interview with the Iowa Independent where he explained his views on three different types of terrorism: local, state-sponsored, and transnational. http://iowaindependent.com http://www.stanleyfoundation.org

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Iowa City Bike Library customer gets his ride. http://iowaindependent.com http://bikelibrary.org/

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The Iowa City Bike Library has been fixing and distributing bikes for several years. In this video, volunteer Jen Bedet talks about the ICBL and how it works. They are sponsored by Environmental Advocates. http://environmental-advocates.org/ http://bikelibrary.org/ http://iowaindependent.com

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Lou Licht patented a process using poplar trees for phytoremediation. On Tuesday, the North Liberty entrepreneur was a keynote speaker at a "Bioeconomy" conference called "Keep it Small Keep it All: Cultivating the Bioeconomy at the Local Scale." Licht's introductory address at the University of Iowa's Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination conference was a rapid-fire run-down of his personal history including: a run-through of synectic brainstorming and problem-solving; an abbreviated history of his family's farm in Lowden, Ia.; the backstory on his company, Ecolotree; and some application examples of Ecolotree's phytoremediation methods using poplar trees grown in Iowa. http://www.ecolotree.com http://www.cheec.uiowa.edu/ http://iowaindependent.com

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As a former Air Force police officer, Jason Munford has had to use bodily force to bring a peaceful resolution to some violent events. But it was the death of a seven-year-old Iraqi girl that became the "crystallization" of his conscientious objection to serving in Iraq. Munford told a story about a friend, stationed in Iraq, who had been ordered to use a vehicle-mounted machine gun on an unresponsive civilian car. The car was later revealed to contain a seven-year-old Iraqi girl, killed by a soldier's bullets. Not wanting to be put in the same position as his friend, to be ordered to fire on Baghdad motorists, Munford submitted a letter of intent to become a conscientious objector (CO). http://objector.org

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As a medic Andrew Duffy served at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison, 20 miles from Baghdad. He was part of a trauma team there and some of the experiences left a powerful mark on him. In this video, he talks about some of the racism he's found as a member the U.S. military. He also explains the definition of the Arabic word "hajji." It means a "pilgrim" who has visited Mecca and is also a common family name. http://iowaindependent.com

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Tanya Austin served in the U.S. Army from 2002-2004 and testified at the recent Winter Soldier hearings in Silver Spring, Maryland. http://ivaw.org

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Iowa City native and Iraq War veteran Andrew Duffy suffers from PTSD, but that didn't stop him from founding the Iowa City chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War. He is still serving in the Iowa Army National Guard and said he has taken some abuse for opposing the War in Iraq and has filed congressional complaints for harassment he has received. Duffy served as a medic at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison from 2005-06. He listed many factors that have led to his opposition to the war including: improper equipment, insufficient training, bad intelligence, poor cultural training and overt anti-Iraqi racism. http://ivaw.org

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Tanya Austin was an Arab linguist in military intelligence serving with the U.S. Army. Describing the situation in Iraq, she said "It's not a war anymore, its an occupation." She is a student at Illinois State University pursuing a degree in Middle Eastern studies. She served from 2002-2004 and testified at the recent Winter Soldier hearings in Silver Spring, Maryland. The Iowa City chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War hosted a local version of the Winter Soldier hearings Wednesday. Four Iraq veterans discussed their opposition to the war at a panel at the University of Iowa before a crowd of over fifty people, including some Vietnam veterans. http://ivaw.org

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http://localfoodsconnection.org Monika Ratner pointed out the financial benefit to CSA farmers who take a risk with each seed planted. The subscriptions they take at the beginning of the season are the up-front money that helps cover any crop blights. She said she can't wait to start working outside growing food this summer. http://iowaindependent.com © 2008

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Food activist Jonathan Kohls wants to start an organic goat farm. He talks about his farm plan, the benefits of locally-grown food, and some of the politics of food in this clip. http://iowaindependent.com © 2008

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Mark Armstrong talks about his farm and the reverence he pays to each animal life. Armstrong runs the Acoustic Farm in Springville, Iowa. http://iowaindependent.com © 2008

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As the executive director of non-profit Local Foods Connection, Laura Dowd helps to bring locally-grown fresh food produce to low-income families. More at http://localfoodsconnection.org http://iowaindependent.com © 2008

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Over fifty people gathered to pray, sing and listen at a service marking five years since start of the U.S. invasion in Iraq. Sister Janice Cebula opened the prayer vigil at the Clinton County Courthouse. She spoke with the Iowa Independent after the event. Cebula is the president of the Sisters of St. Francis in Clinton, Iowa. http://iowaindependent.com

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Mohammed Asaadi of the Clinton Islamic Society in Clinton, Iowa, translated Islamic prayers of peace at a prayer vigil March 19, 2008. http://iowaindependent.com

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Protester Craig Johnson supports the War in Iraq. He talks about the prayer vigil he attended where he carried a large double-sided sign at the Clinton County Courthouse. http://iowaindependent.com

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At 5pm Wednesday in Clinton, Iowa, church bells around the city were rung to mark five years of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

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Maria Ramirez recited the Prayer of St. Francis at an event in Clinton, Iowa. The prayer vigil marked the end of the fifth year of the Iraq War. http://iowaindependent.com

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