Amnesty newsletter

Dear Sylwia,

When I took a job in 1976 with a small human rights group called Amnesty International, I had modest expectations. Up to then, I had been a '60s radical dedicated to ending the war in Vietnam and fighting injustice here at home.

But I reached a point where I needed to make some money while I looked for the next big thing. Amnesty International was looking for a press officer, and I signed up.

Early in my career at Amnesty, I had coffee with Pavel Litvinov, a Soviet dissident who had been arrested for demonstrating in Red Square and thrown into the Soviets' brutal gulag prison system for five years. He told me the only thing that kept him going during those lonely years in prison was knowing that Amnesty International was out there working to secure his freedom.




Join me. Become a member of Amnesty International today.
Join amnesty now!

Donate by September 30th, and your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar!

For a young activist like me, it was a startling realization -- that our actions could have real power, that Amnesty could literally open a prison door and save a life halfway around the world.

Amnesty International continues to mobilize thousands of people who have never been tortured or imprisoned for their beliefs to act on behalf of those who have. But we can't do it without you -- become a member today.

The world has changed dramatically since the Cold War, but from Darfur to Burma, people are still being jailed, beaten, even killed for attempting to defend their human rights.

Will you commit to improving human rights worldwide by becoming a member of Amnesty International today? If you contribute by September 30th, your gift will be matched dollar for dollar by a generous Amnesty donor -- up to $130,000.

You'll be joining a movement of 2.2 million people worldwide that produces extraordinary results. Prisoners of conscience are freed. Death sentences are commuted. Torturers are brought to justice. Governments are persuaded to stop their human rights abuses.

We are not waiting for a new administration in Washington, D.C. to reverse U.S. human rights practices. We are the agents of change that will make it happen. And this month, your donation will go twice as far.

If there's one thing I've learned in my 30-year career, it's that no other organization is more recognized for its tireless and effective work to defend human rights worldwide.

Thank you for your continuing commitment to our work.

Sincerely,

Larry Cox
Executive Director
Amnesty International USA

Amnesty US newsletter

Dear Supporter

Welcome to the Autumn 2008 issue of Action. The Beijing Olympics have been a spectacular sporting event but they've taken place against a backdrop of human rights violations. The Chinese authorities have prevented activists from expressing their views, holding many in detention when they have committed no crime and arresting journalists who have tried to report on human rights violations. Read more about the situation in China here

Regards,
Dugald McNaughtan
Activism, Amnesty International UK

Control arms

World is watching Help secure an Arms Trade Treaty. Two years ago 153 governments voted at the UN to develop an Arms Trade Treaty. Act now to ensure they honour this promise and deliver the treaty. Take action

Cluster bomb ban Good news Cluster bomb ban. On Friday 30 May, the UK signed a treaty banning cluster munitions, and in doing so, agreed to drop it's calls for exemptions and ban its two remaining cluster bomb systems. Read more

Loopholes closed in arms export controls Good news Loopholes closed in arms export controls. The UK government has announced several new measures to improve its own arms export controls. It will close loopholes on small arms brokering and trafficking as well as introduce controls on arms that could be used for torture. Read more

Amnesty on the web

ProtectTheHuman.com Amnesty's new socially based activism website ProtectTheHuman.com now features 'groups' functionality. Users can create groups based on Human Rights issues, hold discussions and post related content. Visit the site and provide us with feedback

Business and human rights

A young boy holds a banner which has 'clean up Bhopal now' written on it Good news Bhopal - Survivor organisations claim victory The Government of India announced that it will set up an Empowered Commission on Bhopal, and take legal action on the civil and criminal liabilities of Union Carbide and Dow Chemical. Read more

Stop violence against women

Parvin Ardalan, one of five women's rights activists arrested in connection with a peaceful demonstration on 12 June 2006 demanding equal rights for women in Iran. Image courtesy of www.kosoof.com Women's rights campaigners in Iran. Women in Iran face far-reaching discrimination under the law. They are denied equal rights in marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance. Activists working to defend women's rights continue to face harassment by the Iranian authorities. Take action

Terrorism, security and human rights

Binyam Mohammed, Uk Resident detained at Guantánamo Bay © Private Health concerns for UK resident detained at Guantánamo Bay. Send an appeal to David Miliband to get UK resident Guantánamo detainee Binyam Mohamed moved out to a less harsh environment. Take action

LGBT rights

Turkish LGBT rights Turkish LGBT rights action. A local court in Istanbul ordered the closure of the Turkish lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender solidarity organization, Lambda Istanbul. Such a closure violates the right to freedom of association. Take action

Events

The secret policeman's ball 2008 The secret policeman's ball 2008. Tickets for this year's Secret Policeman's Ball are now on sale. You can buy them here or read more about the event here.

Ways of supporting Amnesty

Join us Join us Amnesty relies on the support of individuals for 94% of our income. Become a member with a one-off payment of £24 or spread the cost through direct debit; concessions available for students and the unwaged. Find out more

Polish moods

Tonight I am resting...thinking of the free ticket I was offered for Sunday concert of Polish music on Wembley...and the fact I was running, celebrating Birthday and was needed somehere else...th more I think of it, waiting for Magda's post with pictures from event on Bar Mleczny (our initiative to open a milk bar in Oxford to promote Polish arts:)), the more I miss bits a pieces like those below...ech...I do miss Poland and Polish language sometimes:)
Raz dwa trzy - Trudno nie wierzyć w nic

Cesaria Evora & Dorota Miśkiewicz - Um Pincelada

Dorota Miśkiewicz - POZA CZASEM

Maria Peszek - Nie mam czasu na seks

justyna steczkowska- grawitacja

Tam, gdzie nie siega wzrok - Anna Maria Jopek


I hope I managed to finish with a less abstract song;) And I hope you enjoyed this short intro to the Polish music.

WATER! you can help too

Check this site and think about it every single time you drink water - sometimes we take it all for granted...

Brand Sustainability - Conference

I was asked by Don Carli, one of the organisers of the Green Media Show planned for the 1-2nd of October in Boston to check the site and share my opinion about the event, but I am in trouble - apart from the fact I understand the importance of green media, I am not really aware of its current situation!
The website sounds promising for any company:

'Attend The Green Media Show and Conference and avoid:

1.	Loss of a major bid with green requirements.
2.	Finding your brand damaged by people or the press calling your bluff on your stated sustainable practices.
3.	The damage to your image when asked for your Sustainability Statement and you don’t have one.
4.	The repercussions when a shareholder asks your CEO hard questions about the sustainability of your media choices and knowing he hasn’t a clue because you haven’t given him answers yet. Or her.
5.	Printing your Sustainability Report in a totally non-sustainable way and posting the pdf on a website powered by coal-burning generators. Way to go.'

And the materials available are impressive. I was hoping to see a link to a blog or a feed where I can follow the event itself since I am rather grounded at the moment - but then I realized there is still time! No rush!
If I could, I would love to attend! I have found a bit info about green media here, but I would be careful saying 'green considerations have become a major factor in our decision-making' - I am not really sure it is happening. Not yet. For some companies it might sound relevant, for some completely out of scope...see this discussion on BrandRepublic...

I would like to have more time to learn where businesses are with green media in the US and in the UK, so I guess a conference is a good call - raising any type of awareness if positive. Good luck with it!:)

Update: I was just informed that the conference will have a Twitter feed and potentially live blogging. Great!:)

InterNations - Women Expats Lives - meet-up

On Saturday, before the run, I was invited to a small meet-up of members of InterNations Women Expat Lives group in one of London's private clubs where I met 7 extremely intelligent and interesting women. I really regret that I had to leave earlier to be able to wake up the next day and complete the run, nevertheless I really enjoyed sharing expat experiences, posting on-line from the club and simply having a chat with newly met women.

I did not however enjoy the situation on the bus on a way there, when I had to stop a robber from taking a wallet out of a girl's bag just in front of me, on a rather empty bus! I was soooo annoyed that this guy even dared to try to do it assuming I will not say a word (scared, trying to blend in, one of a crowd?), that I though I MYSELF will turn into a criminal and hit him! I managed to control myself not to cause myself trouble, still - it did make me very, very angry. I simply have seen enough of this in large cities like Warsaw, Budapest, Barcelona and I do not want to cope with it inhere...it is unacceptable...

Evening turned out to be perfectly pleasant though and I hope to see the ladies again quite soon;)

5K

Despite the rainy morning I managed to get out of bed, have an early breakfast and walk over to Hyde Park (10min from the place where I stayed:)). I must say the atmosphere of the run was brilliant and made me feel very confident! I really enjoyed being a part of a huge event (1900 attendees in London, 2000 in Bristol and 2000 in Liverpool), event promoting charity in general! It's been ages that I have been to a huge event, and I have never ever been an active member of a run or any other sport event (apart from school event, of course) and I realized there is something magical and completely objective in the common interest and common activity...an ancient purity, even though this one was heavily branded!

It was very emotional and very uplifting, so I managed to completed 3km in 30 min, then finished in 40 min even though I did need to walk a bit! Amazing! I honestly did not think I can make it after poor training and 3 years of complete passivity, pregnancy and quite a stretched time of constant nervousness and loss of weight!
Well, it's done, and I am very happy I managed to collect half of my aimed amount - simply because I never thought I will be able to raise money AT ALL! So once again thank you for supporting me and keeping me going! It really means a lot to me and all other women who need support in hard times! It's such a simple thought but truly matters! Thanks!

Buzz marketing

Word Of Mouth Marketing Techniques WOMM
by Kameran

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: consulting napa)

Anna from IKEA

Have you seen this? I had sooooo much fun!!! Just go to IKEA US site, and find Anna - the customer assistant. And just ask! I have learned about her from David Meerman Scott's post, but as far as I can see, Anna has already a few fans on-line. You can find her best quotes here and here.
She is also inspiration for musicians?:

For me, well, fun. made me laugh. I guess it must be frustrating if you are looking for something. Personally I always get lost on IKEA sites , but hey, unlike Anna, I am blond;)

Chrome, enough

OK, we have those topics that everyone is talking about (even about the inspiration behind its logo!), but it really tires me out now to hear about new browsers. I like to have good tools for work, so I do test them all, as I did with Chrome, but I am getting to the stage where only Firefox 3 is suitable for my needs (sorry, Flock - you have a good team, but still need to work on it a bit).
I need to get rig of all others from my laptop, I mean look at this list!

Five different web browsers it way too much!

Firefox 3 stays, decided!
There are few interesting things about the Chrome launch itself though...I liked the idea of the cartoon. I see there are browser themes available already, and Google privacy terms and conditions issue got me interested though.. hm... I wonder if Google will make it to the top three:) Thoughts?

What do you think of death penalty? Please, let me know!

Dear Sylwia,

Troy Davis is scheduled to be executed by the state of Georgia on September 23, even though his serious claims of innocence have never been heard in court.

Take action right now to stop this execution!

Troy Davis was convicted of murder solely on the basis of witness testimony, and seven of the nine non-police witnesses have since recanted or changed their testimony, several citing police coercion. Others have signed affidavits implicating one of the remaining two witnesses as the actual killer. But due to an increasingly restrictive appeals process, none of this new evidence has ever been heard in court.

Take action and then forward this action to ten friends!

On July 16, 2007, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles stayed Troy Davis’ execution, stating that it would “not allow an execution to proceed in this State unless and until its members are convinced that there is no doubt as to the guilt of the accused” (emphasis added). The failure of courts to hear the compelling evidence of innocence in this case means that massive doubts about Troy Davis’ guilt will remain unresolved.

Urge the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles to be true to its words and prevent this execution from proceeding!

In solidarity,

Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn
Director, Death Penalty Abolition Campaign
Amnesty International USA

What an idiot! Forgot my blog's Birthday!

I just realised my blog kicked off a year ago, on the 1st of September!
How could I forget???
Oh yes, maybe by kicking off another blog, hehe... (this time together with Magda, my fellow blogger from Oxford, who loves Polish food and remaining of socialist subculture, in this case milk bars - we want one in Oxford and we want to dig out all the childhood memories - the good ones;))...
....oh well, women do not count the years, right?
Happy 1st Birthday to my UK blog:D


Present? A rainbow.......or two rainbows.....on the way from work.

Update: Well, I had to sleep on it - truth being I have written this on a different engine before, so how does it work now - I have not celebrated blog birthdays yet:/ I am not sure if I should celebrate this one...maybe I should leave it for January? Any advice, anyone?..I'll still think about it:P

Exactly, this whole blog birthday thing reflects how confused I am nowadays...uff..

According to his blog Andy Sernovitz is on vacation now, but I just finished his book today (remember - had time only on the bus:P) and must admit that it is a great study for all companies unfamiliar with WOM Marketing. I somehow assumed I hardly know anything about it and happily concluded the opposite - I recognised all the main rules and tips given in this study. At the same time I was amazed how this book reflects the true nature (can one talk like that about business?:/) of WOM Marketing - transparency, reality and very down to earth Word of Mouth techniques - action>reaction type of thinking which might sound simple, but is the best solution here.
Word of Mouth Marketing is a) giving people a reason to talk about you and b) making it easier for the conversation to take place.' - this is his definition! (can be found on this site committed to the book with quite interesting content, do check it out!)

I would like to leave you with the words of his WOM Manifesto from the same source:
'1. Happy customers are your best advertising. Make people happy.
2. Marketing is easy: Earn the respect and recommendation of your customers. They will do your marketing for you, for free.
3. Ethics and good service come first.
4. UR the UE: You are the user experience (not what your ads say you are).
5. Negative word of mouth is an opportunity. Listen and learn.
6. People are already talking. Your only option is to join the conversation.
7. Be interesting or be invisible.
8. If it’s not worth talking about, it’s not worth doing.
9. Make the story of your company a good one.
10. It is more fun to work at a company that people want to talk about.
11. Use the power of word of mouth to make business treat people better.
12. Honest marketing makes more money.'

I think all WOM marketing consultants should treat it as a starting point. I strongly advice having it on our shelf!

(Actually I think the comments to his materials sound exactly like his preaching about WOM: 'Share This Article! I want you to pass this article on — it’s one of the best ways to generate word of mouth. You can post, copy, forward, or share this article with anyone you want, as much as you want. But you need to follow the rules: 1) Don’t change it, 2) Give author credit to Andy Sernovitz, 3) Mention that it comes from the book Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking, and 4) Link to http://www.wordofmouthbook.com. (c) 2006 Andy Sernovitz. This work is licensed
under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License.')

4 days to day 0

..and I do not feel ready but I want to try it out. If I manage to complete the run without stopping, I actually am good. This will make me feel even better. If I manage to complete the run with stopping (more realistic, since I am really in a shit form and two moths is not enough for me!) I will feel good about the money I have already manage to collect for Amnesty.

You can still donate though;) Click, click...:)

Should I really publish it? Yes.

Today one of my friends from uni sent the link to this add to my inbox - I must admit I had no courage to watch it during my lunch time, I had to stop, I had no nerves for it. I did now...

I could not stop crying...and I guess it's because I have a little boy, and I have a few people I love endlessly...

I think it's a shocking film, as some of the UK TV ads about drinking and driving, but I think we all need to watch them - to remind us about the real danger of our thoughtfulness.

So here you go...(film dedicated to all people who work saving victims of accidents)

Claudina Velásquez, or: when I was 19

Image via Wikipedia This girl was murdered when she was 19.
Let's just stop here for a sec, OK? What did you do when you were 19? Think about it!
When I was 19 I moved to Budapest leaving my parents, friends and my beloved cat, Czuga (quite similar to Manda on my sidebar actually) and head of to study Hungarian language! (do not ask me why, it just happened).
When I was 19 I was young, ambitious and extremely naive, as well as positive about all the opportunities awaiting me in this huge city. I felt I have all the time of the world to enjoy myself, to establish new friendships. I was alone, but happy - crazy, independent, free...I felt in love. I was introduced to Hungarian culture and I became the insider:)
When i was 19 a whole new world of Hungarian language opened to me - we have a saying in Polish according to which every new acquired language is a new soul we are gaining - it's an old, very traditional Slavic thinking, still - there must be something to it. Hungarians originated from the very same area of Asia as my fathers ancestors (I learned about his family, Korsak, history later on) and I always felt more at home in Hungarian standards and mentality, than I did in Polish culture. I learned to compromise, and became half-a-Pole, half-a-Hungarian in temrs of my national mentality. As with this, I was experimenting with almost everything!
I felt so happy and so ful of potential! I was about to begin American Studies, Hungarian and German Major too - I was about to study languages and literature, business and philosophy - all my favourite topics! And I new I will be able to do so much with the knowledge waiting just behind the corner!
When I was 19 I felt in love with Budapest. Did you ever fel in love with a place? Did you love it trully, so blind that even the worst experience would be forgiven? At the end of the day it was us, people, not the city I could blame...
When I was 19 I used to walk all evening long throught the city at night - completely safe - crossing few bridges, visiting my favourite streets and touching my favourite stones in walls; discovering new ones...
I was all new and I was just beginning my own experience of life...I began the happiness never really demolished by anyone so far!

And this girl, who hapens to wear a T-shirt from Budapest, had a chance for the same experience. She was a student of law faculty in Guatemala. She was found dead on the 13th of August 2005. She was not as lucky as we are - born in the wrong country?
'Families seeking help from the authorities are often faced with indifference and discrimination, and a particularly worrying tendency to blame the victim's behaviour or background for their death. Claudina's father told Amnesty International "The investigator said they thought Claudina was a nobody because she was wearing sandals and a belly button ring."
Despite such obstacles, Claudina's family have been'
It is a fact that 'In 2005, 665 women were killed - 25% up on the previous year, 10 times the rate in the UK, and not one killer caught. With no fingerprint or DNA database, no crime or victim profiling and no forensic science, killers go free and witnesses do not talk.'

Claudina was a lovely young girl, full of potential and free to become whoever she wants to be, yet she was deprived her basic right - right to live.

That is the reason why I decided to run the challenge for Amnesty International and chose her story as my own. If you think I am running it for myself, you are wrong. I was misused but I am alive and I kept my faith in law, truth and independence - my own one.

I will do nything I can (and this really DOES NOT COST me a lot!) to help organisations fighting for similiar rights to be established and respected in other countries. Simply, because I am lucky and I can;)

You can help too - just donate the money you plan to spend for your evening pint to my cause instead.:) Thank you!

Claudina Velásquez, 19

PIX: BBC News
See this girl? He name was Claudina Velásquez. I will tell you more about her tomorrow....

Happy Blog Day everyone!

It's your day, so accept my best wishes! Happy Blog Day everyone!
I am happy to have the chance to mention my current the best 5, so here they are:)

1. Chris Brogan - social media guru, whose tips and advice are crucial for my work and my blogging.
2. Blog Till You Drop - Lolly is not only a friendly person, but also a very professional blogger - her insights are always valuable!
3. Cementum - It's amazing to see Rich not only working very hard on his book, but also blogging about the process - it must be so hard to be able to look at yourself and be so disciplined! I am impressed!
4. The Girl - I am very impressed by her work as a blogger and writer too. This one is a must!
5. PR Blogger - good study of current situation in PR, very helpful!

Now, this list reflect my UK, English speakign life. My Polish list was published here.
No Hungarian this time - I am not reading Hungarian blogs (apart from few friends, like Planet Damage) after discouragement of a few Nazi sites, brrr...

I wonder how those lists change in one year time:)
Happy BD again!

Gustav Information Center - site now live

Some of you have probably seen my tweet 'Please retweet: Gustav Ning Site up and running: http://gustav08.ning.com/' and I hope you did so.
Here is the site itself - Andy Carvin's iniciative, so check it out and see how social media can help! Spread the word!

OPACO short movie

I watched a film tonight - short one:)
Check it out yourself! I don't know what is happening to me nowadays - strange things...first of all I find all the stuff I have missed on-line during last few years and it makes me feel...strangely enough...but it makes me feel OLD. (for those who do not know me personally - I do not really are about my biological age, I am just concerned about time left to enjoy the art)...I also feel slow, I loose my breath when nervous (I hope no one noticed so far).. I even brake glasses and plates incidentally!
Whatever is happening, I feel uneasy about my current state of body and soul...this being completely irrational too.
But...OPACO is a short move made with Nikon D50 camera. Amazing story, really well thought trough idea and brilliant technique. I love it!