Join International Orphan Care and Afghan Education for a Better Tomorrow for a very special event!

Join International Orphan Care and Afghan Education for a Better Tomorrow for a very special event! at the Century House and Gardens  37447 Fremont Blvd. Fremont, California 94536 For directions visit Century House website Winter Gala Dear Farhad, Please join us for a special evening to make a difference in the lives of the children that Afghan Education for a Better Tomorrow and International Orphan Care serve in Afghanistan. There are over 700,000 orphans living in sub-poverty conditions in Afghanistan. AEBT and IOC provide education, healthcare, nutrition and vocational training so that these children will be healthy and productive members of their community. Please join us on Friday February 3 at the Century House in Fremont from 6 PM to 10 PM. The evening includes an Afghan buffet dinner, silent and live auctions and raffle, fashion show, inspirational speakers and Afghan music performed by Fawad Roshaan, Khushal Aqmal and Saed Ameir Hashimi.   Ghulam Feda                                                   Mike Whipple Chairman                                                        Chairman Afghan Education for a Better Tomorrow           International Orphan Care PO Box 395                                                      23201 Mill Creek Dr, Suite 130 Tracy, CA 95378                                              Laguna Hills, CA 92654 (925) 418-4030                                                (949) 433-4262 info@AfghanEducation.org                               info@OrphanProject.org   www.AfghanEducation.org                               www.OrphanProject.org   Keynotes Speakers:   Elsie de Laere - Afghanistan Country Specialist for Amnesty International. She has invested much energy and passion on behalf of Afghan women and served as a volunteer teacher trainer in Afghanistan.   Fariba Nawa - journalist and author of Opium Nation - Child Brides, Drug Lords, and one Woman's Journey Through Afghanistan   "An insightful and informative look at the global challenge of Afghan drug trade. Fariba Nawa weaves her personal story of reconnecting with her homeland after 9/11 with a very engaging narrative that chronicles Afghanistan's dangerous descent into opium trafficking, its impact on the U.S. campaign, and most revealingly, how the drug trade has damaged the lives of ordinary Afghan people." -     Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns   Ticket Price: $35 For tickets and information visit: Eventbrite or go to:  www.OrphanProject.org All of the proceeds will benefit the programs of Afghan Education for a Better Tomorrow and International Orphan Care to provide education and health services to out orphan children in Afghanistan.

News & Views | Weekly Top Ten

Week ending Friday January 27, 2012   Do you want to share the news with a friend? Click here to tell your friends about Common Dreams. Readers' Choice / Most Read Views... George Lakey: How Swedes and Norwegians Broke the Power of the ‘1 Percent’ Brian Tierney: Military Intervention vs. Maritime Union Power Jennifer Browdy de Hernandez: Shades of an American Kristallnacht? Yves Smith: Obama to Use Pension Funds of Ordinary Americans to Pay for Bank Mortgage “Settlement” Bill Quigley: Ten Steps for Radical Revolution in the US Bill Moyers & Michael Winship: The Washington-Wall Street Revolving Door Just Keeps Spinning Along Sarah van Gelder: Corporate Rule Is Not Inevitable Jayati Ghosh: Could Ecuador Be the Most Radical and Exciting Place on Earth? Kate Harding: Rick Santorum Thinks Pregnancy Through Rape is God's Gift? Seriously? Matt Taibbi: Is Obama's 'Economic Populism' for Real? Readers' Choice / Most Read News... ACTA: The International Treaty You've Never Heard of That Could Affect Internet Freedom US among countries that have already signed ACTA. After Occupy Arrests, US Global Press Freedom Ranking Dives The United States fell 27 points to No. 47 on the list. FBI Wants New App to Wiretap the Internet 'Scraping' social network postings including Facebook and Twitter. Critics to Obama: Stand with Homeowners, Not Big Banks Progressives "Furious" at Emerging Details of Mortgage Deal. Occupy Davos: Attendees Confront New Wave of Anger Plus: George Soros on the Coming US Class War. Wikileaks Founder to Host New Television Series 10-part series on iconoclasts, visionaries, power insiders, and 'the world tomorrow'. In New Campaign Video, President Obama Shows His Love for Israel The 7-minute long video, titled "America and Israel: An Unbreakable Bond," features President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and others praising President Obama. New EU Oil Embargo; Iran to Shut Strait of Hormuz? Iran oil sanctions spark war of words between Tehran and Washington. Twitter Enables Censorship, Boycotts Begin Reversing its position and heading down a slippery slope. Adbusters' New Call: Occupy Chicago for G8/NATO Summit The world’s military and political elites, heads of state, officials from 80 nations, and more than 2,500 journalists will be there. And so will we. Home About Us Donate Subscribe Archives Common Dreams Breaking News and Views for the Progressive Community. Independent, non-profit newscenter since 1997. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. www.commondreams.org You are subscribed to the Common Dreams Weekly Newsletter as F.Abdolian.blogi@blogger.com. Click here to unsubscribe.

Amnesty International: This album saves lives

	50 years in the making. Worth every minute.
	Dear Farhad, 50 years ago, Bob Dylan started his professional career by picking up his guitar and playing at a coffee house in Greenwich Village. That same year, British lawyer Peter Benenson launched a campaign to stand up for those imprisoned for the peaceful expression of their beliefs. That campaign grew into a human rights movement, Amnesty International. Through the decades, musicians have been among Amnesty's most inspiring and passionate allies in the fight against injustice. That's why I am proud to announce the release of a very special album -- Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International. Listen to Chimes of Freedom. When we started asking musicians to contribute to the album, we weren't sure what to expect -- but the outpouring of generosity from the music community speaks for itself: more than 80 artists donated 76 songs, almost all released for sale for the very first time. Chimes of Freedom has been called "genre-busting" by The New York Times. It's a diverse, inventive album that features musicians who care deeply about human rights. "Music for a good cause. What more beautiful thing could you be a part of?" - Neil Finn with the Pajama Club (Performs "She Belongs to Me") From the civil rights marches of the 1960s to Occupy Wall Street, music has always played a big part in social movements. Music can touch people's hearts and awaken our social conscience. "I think musicians from around the world realize the value of freedom of expression." - Kris Kristofferson (Performs "Quinn the Eskimo") Whether focused on human rights or the human heart, Dylan's songs have consistently spoken to the need for dignity and freedom -- the same ideals that inspire and drive our work at Amnesty International. So even though we chose Dylan for our 50th, you could also say that he chose us. "Bob puts his arms all around humanity, around the world, around the universe in those songs." - Outernational (Performs "When the Ship Comes In") Chimes of Freedom is dedicated to people worldwide who are unjustly imprisoned or threatened for the peaceful expression of their beliefs. Buying this album will help protect human rights around the world. "We all have a role to play. I cannot do it alone." - Angelique Kidjo (Performs "Lay, Lady, Lay") Performers range from Miley Cyrus, 19, to legendary musician and activist Pete Seeger, who, at 92, performs Dylan's poignant "Forever Young" with a children's chorus. We hope that you enjoy Chimes of Freedom as much as we do. Listen to clips and purchase your copy of Chimes of Freedom on the Amnesty website. Sincerely, Helen Garrett Director of Creative Services and Special Projects Amnesty International USA		"Even a partial list of contributors is jaw dropping" - The New York Times Enjoy never-released covers by Adele, Sting, Elvis Costello, My Morning Jacket, Patti Smith, Ziggy Marley, Carly Simon, Pete Seeger, Diana Krall, Seal & Jeff Beck, Maroon 5, K'naan, Pete Townshend and more.     SHARE THIS EMAIL
© 2012 Amnesty International USA | 5 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001 | 212.807.8400

What's Your Passion?

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What's Your Passion? Giving to a cause is a personal choice. People are inspired to give for different reasons. At Orphans' Heroes, the bottom line is that everything we do benefits orphaned and vulnerable children. Our projects are varied; some directly help children who are orphaned and vulnerable, while others address the underlying causes of children becoming orphaned.   Find Your Passion Please select an area of interest to learn more about what we do to improve the quality of life for impoverished children. www.orphansheroes.org Orphans Heroes | P.O. Box 333 | Bedford Hills, NY 10507 | 914.234.4100 Orphans Heroes is a 501(c)3 organization. Contributions to Orphans Heroes are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law.

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Amnesty Internation: Locking up kids for life? - Only in the US

	Children spending a lifetime in prison — only in the USA.
	Dear Farhad, Locked up for life at 16. No possibility of parole. Christi Cheramie is living a nightmare. When Christi was 16 years old, back in 1994, she couldn't vote, drink alcohol, serve on a jury, or buy lottery tickets. She was considered a minor -- a child. But that didn't stop the state of Louisiana from giving this 16-year-old a sentence of life without parole. Ask Louisiana's governor and the state Board of Pardons to grant clemency to Christi Cheramie. Only in the U.S. -- where children as young as 11 have faced life in prison -- are such harsh sentences against juveniles allowed. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child prohibits life without parole for offenses committed under the age of 18. This is not about excusing or minimizing the consequences of crimes committed by children, but about recognizing that children are not yet fully responsible for their actions and have special potential for rehabilitation and change. Christi, now 33 years old, has spent more than half of her young life in prison. She's earned her high school equivalency diploma and an associate's degree in Agriculture Studies, and teaches classes to her fellow inmates. A prison warden who oversaw Christi considers her a "model inmate" who has grown into a "remarkable young woman" deserving of "a second chance in society." But if we don't act, a mandatory sentence of life without parole means that Christi will die in prison. A victim of sexual abuse and depression, and caught in the web of an aggressive and controlling older fiancé, Christi found herself at the grisly murder scene of her fiancé's great aunt. She was charged with murder just for being there -- even though it was her fiancé who wielded the knife. The victim's closest family members are sympathetic to Christi's case. But Christi's fate is now in the hands of Louisiana's governor and Board of Pardons. Our 2011 Write for Rights campaign highlighted Christi's case, and thousands of letters have already poured into Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's office. Next week, the Board of Pardons will meet to decide whether or not to move forward with Christi's clemency application -- a decision that the governor can influence. We must keep the momentum going from Write for Rights -- and the time to act is now! Christi has already changed people's lives through her work at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women, but she will never be able to realize her full potential — and society won't benefit from her potential contributions — if she spends the rest of her life behind bars. It's time for the U.S. to join the rest of the world and end the cruel and unusual punishment of juvenile life without parole. People convicted of crimes while still children -- like Christi Cheramie -- should be given a chance at rehabilitation. They shouldn't be left to grow old in a jail cell. You can make a difference in Christi's case. Sign our petition now calling for clemency for Christi Cheramie. Thank You, Michael O'Reilly Senior Director, Individuals at Risk Campaign Amnesty International USA		Cruel and Unusual Christi Cheramie at age 12 The U.S. is the only country that locks up children for life. Tell Louisiana that Christi Cheramie -- sentenced to life without parole at the age of 16 -- deserves another chance.
© 2011 Amnesty International USA | 5 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001 | 212.807.8400