START FREEDOM - Our Aims
Do you realise that two children are trafficked every minute?
And do you realise that you have the power to help stop it?
START FREEDOM equip young people around the world to become advocates for trafficked people and help those at risk stay safe.
Whether you're a student, teacher, youth leader, club or society member you can be part of START FREEDOM.
Steps to START FREEDOM:
1. SIGN UP!
- Young people, take the lead! Sign up your school / college /club and tell your teachers you want to START FREEDOM!
- Teachers and youth group leaders sign up to gain privileged access to START FREEDOM tool kits, packed with creative lessons and activities to educate and motivate young people to act
- Whatever age you are and whether you are part of a school or not send a letter asking your local schools to get involved. Follow this link for example letter.
All resources are translated into Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish, Dutch and Hindi.
2. The Challenge
The challenge is for young people to creatively express their response to trafficking and take the message into their community. This can be through street theatre, film, dance, art, writing, photography... you name it, the stage is yours!
3. Go to www.startfreedom.org and tell the world how you’ve been STARTing FREEDOM
Half of all trafficking victims are under 18. We want young people all over the world to:
- THINK about it
- LEARN about it
- HELP STOP IT
Thursday, 19 August 2010
STOP THE TRAFFIK
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Petition: Stop the Stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani in Iran
Stop Stoning Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani
Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani is a forty-three year old mother of two children, 16 & 20 year old respectively. Both Sakine's children and her lawyer tried everything they could to stop the stoning sentence, as a result of committing adultery. However, her stoning is finalized by the Iran's court. Sakine is in Tabriz prison awaiting her imminent stoning sentence. The barbaric act of stoning must stop now!
_______________________________________
June 26, 2010
Plea to the world by Skanie's ChildrenDo not allow our nightmare become a reality,
Protest against our mother’s stoning!Today we stretch out our hands to the people of the whole world. It is now five years that we have lived in fear and in horror, deprived of motherly love. Is the world so cruel that it can watch this catastrophe and do nothing about it?
We are Sakine Mohammadi e Ashtiani’s children, Fasride and Sajjad Mohamamadi e Ashtiani. Since our childhood we have been acquainted with the pain of knowing that our mother is imprisoned and awaiting a catastrophe. To tell the truth, the term "stoning" is so horrific that we try never to use it. We instead say our mother is in danger,she might be killed, and she deserves everyone's help.
Today, when nearly all options have reached dead-ends, and our mother's lawyer says that she is in a dangerous situation, we resort to you. We resort to the people of the world, no matter who you are and where in the world you live. We resort to you, people of Iran, all of you who have experienced the pain and anguish of the horror of losing a loved one.
Please help our mother return home!
We especially stretch our hand out to the Iranians living abroad. Help to prevent this nightmare from becoming reality. Save our mother. We are unable to explain the anguish of every moment, every second of our lives. Words are unable to articulate our fear…
Help to save our mother. Write to and ask officials to free her. Tell them that she doesn’t have a civil complainant and has not done any wrong. Our mother should not be killed. Is there any one hearing this and rushing to our assistance?
Faride and Sajjad Mohammadi e Ashtiani
Disseminated by the International Committee Against Stoning
Mina Ahadi +49 177 569 2413
___________________________________
Letter Translation: Mission Free Iran
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
UK Foreign Secrtary William Hague appalled at treatment by Iranian authorities of Baha'is
On hearing this news, the Foreign Secretary said:
"I was appalled to hear of the 20 year prison sentence handed out to the seven spiritual leaders of the Bahá’í faith in Iran. This is a shocking example of the Iranian state’s continued discrimination against the Bahá’ís. It is completely unacceptable. The Iranian judiciary has repeatedly failed to allay international and domestic concerns that these seven men and women are guilty of anything other than practising their faith. It is clear that from arrest to sentencing, the Iranian authorities did not follow even their own due process, let alone the international standards to which Iran is committed. The accused were denied proper access to lawyers, and there is evidence that the trial was neither fair nor transparent. I call on the Iranian authorities urgently to consider any appeal against this decision, and to cease the harassment of the Bahá’í community. I further call on the Iranian Government to ensure that the rights of all individuals are fully protected, without discrimination, and that it fulfils its obligations to its own citizens as set out in the Iranian constitution."-0-
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
Monday, 9 August 2010
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Stunning story about learning alternative to prison | Society | The Guardian
Mitchell Rouse who faced a 60-year prison sentence for drug offences was instead put on probation and sentenced to read. Photograph: Michael Stravato/Polaris
With one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, and the death penalty, the US state of Texas seems the last place to embrace a liberal-minded alternative to prison. But when Mitchell Rouse was convicted of two drug offences in Houston, the former x-ray technician who faced a 60-year prison sentence – reduced to 30 years if he pleaded guilty – was instead put on probation and sentenced to read.
Click on link to read this inspiring Guardian story - why oh why can't we have similar schemes in he UK?
Rocklist.net is asking for ideas on your favourite music
Want some ideas of what to fill that 160 Gb iPod up with?At the end of each year, critics & readers of music publications select their favourite albums and singles of the year.
Lists from publications including: New Musical Express, Melody Maker, Select, Q, Mojo, Rolling Stone, Spin, & Village Voice, various European publications and several independent fanzines from around the globe plus the complete John Peel Festive 50's are included on this site.
There are critic single and album lists from 1974 to 2009, pop poll results from 1952 to 2009, personal lists from critics including Dave Marsh and Robert Christgau plus All Time Best Film Soundtrack and Banned recordings.
They maintain list of favourite music gleaned from a range of periodicals including NME Ne Musical Express - click through and take a look.
Monday, 2 August 2010
Beware unmarked police cars - 112 works from a mobile - from The KempTown Rag
I didn’t know about 112 did you?This is useful advice verified by the Police. The number 112 does work from a mobile.
The following story actually happened to someone. Lauren was 19 yrs old and in college. It was the Saturday night and it was about 1.00pm in the afternoon, and Lauren was driving to visit a friend, when an unmarked police car pulled up behind her and put its lights on. Lauren's parents have four children (of various ages) and have always told them never to pull over for an unmarked car on the side of the road, but rather wait until they get to a service station, etc
So Lauren, remembering her parents' advice, telephoned 112 from her mobile phone. This connected her to the police dispatcher she told the dispatcher that there was an unmarked police car with a flashing blue light on his rooftop behind her and that she would not pull over right away but wait until she was in a service station or busy area. The dispatcher checked to see if there was a police car where she was and finding there wasn't and he told her to keep driving, remain calm and that he had back-up already on the way.
Ten minutes later four police cars surrounded her and the unmarked car behind her. One policeman went to her side and the others surrounded the car behind. They pulled the guy from the car and tackled him to the ground. The man was a convicted rapist and wanted for other crimes.
I did not know that bit of advice, but especially for a woman alone in a car, you do not have to pull over for an unmarked car.
Apparently police have to respect your right to keep going to a 'safe' place. You obviously need to make some signals that you acknowledge them I.e, put on your hazard lights or call 112 as Lauren did. Too bad the mobile phone companies don't give you this little bit of wonderful information.
112 is an emergency number on your mobile that takes you straight to the police. It is also used throughout EU countries.
Pow!
Sunday, 1 August 2010
How can "2.8 on 15" be deeply moving? - Photographer Rena Effendi's best shot | Art and design | The Guardian
'I was paralysed' ... Rena Effendi's Best Shot Photograph: Rena Effendi/INSTITUTE/-
I took this photograph in Mahalla, one of the old neighbourhoods in my hometown of Baku, Azerbaijan.
Click on link to read article.
Saturday, 31 July 2010
Interested in film (movies) - check out Jim Emerson's website (same home as Roger Ebert)
Kristin Thompson, author of "Storytelling in the New Hollywood: Understanding Classical Narrative Technique," a book I can't believe I haven't read and have therefore just ordered, explores her observations and theory of story structure in a blog entry called "Times go by turns," which gets to the heart of how movie storytelling works by showing how familiar structures involve the use of more than the "three acts" we're accustomed to thinking about. She was inspired by the Society for the Cognitive Study of the Moving Image conference in June at the University of Wisconsin in Madison -- and, boy, does that ever sound like something that would be up my street. (Also: See my post "Tell me a story... or don't.")
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
ABOUT 25 Stratford Grove
25 STRATFORD GROVE is a large terrace house with a garden in Heaton, Newcastle where artists can make work, think about work, reflect on work and show their work. 25SG is an ‘incubator’ space for developing new ideas and thinking about fresh ways of creating. This is a supportive environment where artists are encouraged to try, take risks and exchange ideas.
Inside the House, image: Arto Polus
Artist Carole Luby lives in the house and has developed the concept organically over several years. In 2007 and 2008 Carole experimented with the house as a meeting place for artists, a performance space and as a temporary residency centre. Since Spring 2009 the activity has increased dramatically with a number of artists being invited to work in residence and the additional development of critique group meetings.
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
Sunday, 18 July 2010
Living Life From A Sacred Place of Compassion - check out Ken Lauher's story
There is a widely told story that speaks to the value of compassion. It seems that a woman who lived a Tao-centered life came upon a precious stone while sitting by the banks of a running stream in the mountains, and she placed this highly valued item in her bag.
The next day, a hungry traveler approached the woman and asked for something to eat. As she reached into her bag for a crust of bread, the traveler saw the precious stone and imagined how it would provide him with financial security for the remainder of his life. He asked the woman to give the treasure to him, and she did, along with some food. He left, ecstatic over his good fortune and the knowledge that he was now secure.
A few days later the traveler returned and handed back the stone to the wise woman. "I've been thinking," he told her. "Although I know how valuable this is, I'm returning it to you in the hopes that you could give me something even more precious."
What might that more precious thing be?
Want to know how the story ends?
Click on his site - http://www.kenlauher.com/daily-wisdom/bid/34582/Living-Life-From-A-Sacred-Pla...[Living+Life+From+A+S]
Saturday, 17 July 2010
Present moment reminder from Eckhart - nice one!
 |
| I was going for a walk near Los Angeles and there was a collapsed building that had burned down 40 years ago. The roof was gone and trees were growing inside the building and it struck me as beautiful, wonderful to see how form returns to the formless. The city council had put up a sign which to me was a sacred sutra. The sign said: 'Danger, all structures are unstable.' To me, that was a holy sign. I said, 'thank you.' -0-SEE - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eckhart_Tolle |
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