There are now more than 2,200 political prisoners in Burma

TAKING ACTION TOGETHER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

Dear Supporter, 'Please use your liberty to promote ours' Aung San Suu Kyi There are now more than 2,200 political prisoners in Burma, more than at any other time since the mass pro-democracy uprising in 1988. Among the people imprisoned are those arrested for one small act of defiance and for protesting peacefully. As the first elections in Burma in 20 years approach will you act today to stand in solidarity with Burma’s political prisoners and in defiance of Burma's oppressive military regime? In Burma the open palm is a gesture of fearlessness, so we're asking you to write the name of a Burmese political prisoner on your hand, take a photo and upload it to our site.  By adding your photo to our collection, you won't just be offering much needed solidarity to Burma's political prisoners. You will also be joining the brave individuals (featured in the video below) who, having been imprisoned in the past for peaceful political action, are risking their freedom to take part in this action. These activists are using this small act of defiance to show that they cannot truly be free while 2,200 fellow activists continue to be punished for their peaceful protests. All the photos will be taken to Brussels for October's Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM ) of leaders from Asia and Europe. We'll use this opportunity to ask these leaders to demand both freedom for Burma's political prisoners, and real human rights improvements across the country. This photo action has been inspired by the work of James Mackay, a London-based documentary photographer who has photographed more than 160 former Burmese political prisoners – some in exile and some still in Burma. I do hope you’ll join in by uploading your photo today and asking your friends to do the same. Thank you. Verity Coyle Burma Campaign Coordinator Want to do more? Share this action on Facebook and Twitter. Once you've taken your picture upload it to your favourite social networking site to show your friends that you support political prisoners in Burma – then encourage them to take action too by updating your status to 'I've changed my profile picture to support Burma's political prisoners. Find out more atwww.amnesty.org.uk/hand'. Read more about Burma at amnesty.org.uk/burma

During a medical civic action program

U.S. Navy Lt. Stacy Dodt, a doctor embarked aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), examines an Indonesian child during a medical civic action program in Ambon, Indonesia, on July 27, 2010. The Mercy is participating in Sail Banda 2010, a series of events hosted by Indonesia to promote the future of small islands. The Mercy?s participation features medical and dental care clinics and construction projects in and around Ambon, as well as on Seram Island. DoD photo by Sgt. Craig Anderson, U.S. Army. (Released)

Face of Defense: Soldier Overcomes Difficult Childhood

By Dijon Rolle 
U.S. Army Garrison Baden-Wuerttemberg Public Affairs
HEIDELBERG, Germany, Aug. 5, 2010 - While saying Army Spc. Ekaterina Volsky's childhood was difficult is accurate, it doesn't even begin to describe the poverty, abuse and neglect she has overcome in her short lifetime.

Army Spc. Ekaterina Volsky has overcome several obstacles in her 23 years few would ever imagine. She says her difficult childhood has motivated her to use her talents and time to serve others and to share her story of hope. U.S. Army photo by Dijon Rolle  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

The U.S. Army Europe human resources specialist was born near the Ural Mountains in Perm, Russia, 23 years ago. Her birth mother struggled with alcoholism and bouts of mental illness, and eventually committed suicide.
At age 2, Volsky was sent to an overcrowded orphanage where, she said, she was raised primarily by the other residents living there - some only a few years older than she was. And she was abused during her time at the orphanage, she added.
Over the next seven years of her life in Russia, Volsky poured her pain and her passion into the performing arts to escape the hell she faced on a daily basis.
"I grew up just learning how to be focused on music and art. That's how I learned to survive," she said. "I would study singing, poetry and history to try to be as normal as possible."
At age 9, Volksy met Joyce Sterkel, an American woman who later would become her adoptive mother.
As a nurse, Sterkel spent time working with humanitarian organizations in Russia and later founded "Ranch for Kids," a facility in rural Montana specializing in helping children suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome, mental illness, abuse and reactive attachment disorder.
A moratorium on Russian adoptions prevented Sterkel from adopting Volsky at the time.
"I really had no contact with her during that year, but she left some gifts, and that was helpful ... when it was time to be adopted and I came to America. It was quite a shock for me," Volsky said.
The family moved to Wyoming before setting up shop in Eureka, Mont., the future home of "Ranch for Kids."
As she tried to adjust to her new life in the United States, Volsky learned English by watching American television and movies and engaging in conversations with her new friends and family. She also picked up her U.S. citizenship, attended Utah State University, worked as an Americorps volunteer and nurse's aide, and helped out around the ranch.
Volsky and Sterkel returned to the orphanage in 2000 for a visit and to find out more about Volsky's biological family, including the whereabouts of her biological brother. She was told he worked in a factory in Siberia, but the two were not able to connect during her visit.
"It was very heartbreaking and shocking. I couldn't stop crying," Volsky said. "I wanted to bring everyone with me to America because it was so sad to see children that cannot go anywhere. They do not have families, and that's pretty sad to me, because they have to be stuck here."
In 2008, Volsky, with her family's blessing, decided to take on a new challenge - this time as a soldier in the U.S. Army. Heidelberg is her first duty station.
"I feel very proud and very appreciative, because I can live and serve in a normal country where I do not have to be violated or abused," Volsky said.
"The United States Army is not something that you have to do; we are volunteers here to serve, and that is the greatest opportunity, I think, without looking at the benefits," she added. "But just looking at trying to get out and do something different. I feel very proud."
Volsky does admit there have been some challenges.
"Being in the Army as a soldier from where I come from it is hard, because I have to learn to adapt in a different way from how I used to be, and I think most people have that," she said. "A lot of soldiers who have family members in the military can kind of grasp what it's like, because they've been around military people, but for me I have to take an extra step, ask questions, and find my way. "[I have to] learn much more to get to where I want to be."
Volsky's supervisor, Army Sgt. Amanda Jordan, said she's definitely on the right track.

"It's pretty amazing she is where she is now," she continued, "knowing where she came from and that she's had such a hard life. I just think that she is such a great person. She's one person that you can learn from, ... and now to be so happy and to be where she is now, she's also a person to look up to."
In her free time, Volsky enjoys singing, dancing, drawing, playing the piano, and performing community service, which she often does as a member of Heidelberg's Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program.
"Specialist Volsky is a person that you can truly see has a servant heart and tries very hard to ensure others are taken care of," said BOSS president Army Spc. William Perkins. "She sets the example for others."
Another passion Volsky has is acting, and she had the opportunity to hone her chops with a part in a commercial for USAREUR's diversity campaign that aired on American Forces Network. Most viewers will recognize her from her memorable delivery of the line "I am USAREUR."
Volsky admitted she was a little surprised by the attention she has received after the commercial began airing.
"At first I wasn't used to it, and it was a little much for me, but then I went on autopilot and so it doesn't bother me at all. Sometimes I even laugh. It's good that people recognize it," she said.
Despite the struggles she's overcome and the many different activities and hobbies that now consume her schedule, Volsky said there is one thing that remains a constant quest in her life.
"I really enjoy community service, and I really enjoy meeting people and communicating," she said. "I've found when I help other people, I am helping myself. I know that I'm going to make a difference, and when I can make people smile, that's one thing that I appreciate about the talents and the gifts that I have. I am able to share them and to give something in return."
These days, Volsky continues to weather the stormy seas of life while helping to raise others up to stand on the mountains she was able to conquer years ago in a Russian orphanage.
"There's always a bright side to a challenge. That's one of the things my mom has always said. Without the bad, there could be no good," Volsky said. "We are just human beings, and we have to strive forward no matter what, and that's why I'm here."
In October, Volsky will head to Washington, D.C., to compete in the U.S. Army 10-Miler. She was one of four runners from Heidelberg to earn a spot on the U.S. Army Europe 10-miler team last month in a qualification race in Grafenwöhr.

Social Security’s 75th birthday spurs “Hands off” campaign

by: JOELLE FISHMAN

august 4 2010

tags: retirees, seniors, economy, deficit

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The hot summer is heating up even more as the fight to preserve and extend Social Security becomes a front-burner issue in the 2010 elections. As Medicare turns 45 and Social Security turns 75, birthday parties in support are being organized across the country.

In Connecticut, the 35,000-member CT Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA) is hosting two events with congressional representatives, as part of a national effort across the country. Birthday postcards will be sent to Congress warning against any recommendations to cut Social Security as a solution to the national debt.

"It is important to have a good turnout to show that Social Security is something we all believe is so important to the American way of life, that it needs to be preserved, not threatened," says Connecticut ARA organizer Mary Elia.

The ARA is one of 60 national groups that formed a "Strengthen Social Security - Don't Cut It" coalition this week aimed at educating the public about the benefits of our nation's most successful social program. It is estimated that without Social Security, 47 percent of elderly households, 55 percent of disabled workers, and 1.3 million children would be thrust into poverty.

On Wednesday, Aug. 11, at 1:30 p.m. at the New Haven Peoples Center participants will share cake and ice cream with Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and get prepared to spread the message that Social Security is not to blame for the deficit and should be preserved and strengthened.

One week later, on Wednesday Aug. 18 ,at 12:30 p.m., participants will enjoy a luncheon buffet with Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., at the West Hartford Senior Center. Larson will deliver a keynote address followed by questions and answers at the ARA co-sponsored event.

At the conclusion of each program, those present will tell their stories on video camera to be posted on the national ARA website.

In a resolution prepared for the upcoming political convention of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, the ARA emphasizes that Social Security, self-financed through payroll contributions, "is not part of the nation's deficit and debt problem." The resolution pinpoints "trillions of dollars in tax cuts for the rich and corporations" as a cause of the budget crisis and calls for a large-scale information campaign.

Larson, whose district includes Hartford, one of the poorest cities in the nation, spoke on the House floor this week with passion "to stand firmly behind Social Security and its benefits to all of the American people." Referring to Republican proposals to return to former President Bush's plan to privatize Social Security, he said, "Can you imagine, had the Bush tax cuts gone through, had the Bush proposal for Social Security gone through, what would have happened to so many of our citizens during this great recession? People who rely solely on Social Security would not have anywhere to turn to."

National ARA Executive Director Ed Coyle, speaking at the press conference of the Strengthen Social Security coalition, emphasized, "We are united against any cuts in benefits, such as increases in the retirement age, and to any form of privatization of Social Security." Referring to the president's bi-partisan budget deficit commission, he said, "We will stand united if the commission calls for any cuts to Social Security. We are launching a major lobbying campaign for Congress to block their recommendations."

At the Peoples Center here, while planning for the birthday parties, two retired union members recalled how Social Security was the lifeline for their family after the loss of a parent. Others spoke of the fact that their Social Security check, for which they paid into the fund during their working life, is their only means of income. The Peoples Center was formed in 1937 by leaders in the struggle for Social Security, just two years after the bill was enacted into law. For more information call 203-624-8664.(Courtesy:PeoplesWorld.org)

Photo: PW 

Farmworkers fight for rights in the tobacco fields

by: JOHN BACHTELL

august 4 2010

tags: farmworkers, immigrants, North Carolina, agriculture, food

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The late summer sweltering heat in the North Carolina tobacco fields can literally kill a man. Over the past few years, nine migrant farm workers have died in fields across the state from heat stroke.

That's not all. Migrant farmworkers also suffer from the "green monster" - nicotine poisoning and exposure to deadly pesticides and herbicides.

The Rev. Carlton Eversley of Winston-Salem, N.C., was part of a religious delegation that visited a migrant camp in Winston in 2008. He told the Hattiesburg American he would never forget what he saw.

"It was mind-boggling: 125 guys in wooden barracks, seven guys in a room with no windows, no ventilation, no linen, no bed sheets, no closets, very hot, very unsanitary, swarms of gnats ... You felt like you were leaving the United States and going to some kind of Third World situation," said Eversley.

Migrant workers have been called modern day slaves, who labor long hours far from home at low pay and horrendous conditions. Because many are undocumented immigrants, they live in fear and won't speak up or protest the harsh conditions.

The farmworkers here are mainly immigrants from Mexico who go to Florida, then Ohio to pick fruits and vegetables, and then to North Carolina during tobacco season. In addition many immigrant workers are working now in the state's giant hog industry, swelling the number of Mexican American residents.

This is why the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), based in Toledo, Ohio, has mounted a campaign with religious and community allies to organize the 40,000 immigrant farmworkers. While 10,000 workers are here on the H2A guest worker program, another 30,000 are undocumented immigrants who harvest tobacco leaves and enrich billion dollar corporations.

R.J. Reynolds, the second largest U.S. tobacco company, makes one out of every three cigarettes smoked domestically, pulling in annual profits of $2 billion. The company had revenues of $8.5 billion worldwide in 2006, blood money extracted through super-exploitation of immigrant workers here and elsewhere.

Diego Reyes, Jr., is an organizer for FLOC. He came to the U.S. from Mexico as a migrant worker with his father in search of work after NAFTA pushed the family off the land. Farmworkers "have been having this oppression throughout the generations," says Reyes. "North Carolina is an agricultural state and labor is needed in the fields. If it is not other races, it is now Mexicans picking tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet potatoes and cutting tobacco and Christmas trees."

R.J. Reynolds won't acknowledge there is a problem in the fields and refuses to even meet with FLOC. It says the workers are happy and never complain and besides, they don't employ the workers - farmers do.

But Reyes says there's no problem between the farmworkers and local farmers, who are also struggling and being oppressed in the procurement system created by the company.

Because R.J. Reynolds refused to meet with FLOC, the union enlisted the support of the religious community. Wesley Morris, an organizer with the Beloved Community Center of Greensboro, was part of a delegation that met with the company on FLOC's behalf.

"The talks went on for several months, but got nowhere," said Morris. "So we started grassroots organizing to build community support. There were a lot of tensions between the African American and Mexican communities. We tried to deal with it by finding common ground. First, we held a Black-Brown conference and began a process of building mutual understanding."

"When Section 278G of the Immigration and Nationality Act passed (allowing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to federalize local police departments in immigration enforcement), we equated it with the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act," he said. "African Americans had to endure a similar thing and understood."

"You have two very oppressed communities who are pitted over few resources like jobs," said Morris. "The communities internalize oppression and are turned against each other. Meanwhile, the R.J. Reynolds executives are making millions and happy to see us fighting."

FLOC is also attempting to apply pressure on R.J. Reynolds in other ways. A national campaign has been initiated to get pledges from Chase customers to withdraw millions of dollars from the bank by Labor Day. JPMorgan Chase is the biggest lender to R.J. Reynolds. http://supportfloc.org/default.aspx

FLOC organized a march on the bank's offices in Detroit during the U.S. Social Forum in June, joining with the United Auto Workers union, community organizations and churches fighting foreclosures. That's where we caught up with Reyes.

"The farmworkers are afraid of being deported and fired, afraid of doing something for themselves because of their immigration status. So this is a fight for workplace rights and immigration reform to allow these workers to speak up and improve their conditions," Reyes said. "We'll keep fighting until we get justice."(Courtesy:PeoplesWorld.org) 

Watch this :Fighting for Migrant Justice in North Carolina.

Announcing the Recipients of the Citizens Medal

Good morning, Later today, I will host a ceremony and reception at the White House to honor the recipients of the 2010 Citizens Medal, but I wanted you to be the first to know who will receive this prestigious award: The Citizens Medal is the second highest civilian honor in our nation.  For over 40 years, some of America's most respected heroes and public figures like Muhammad Ali, Colin Powell and Bob Dole, and everyday heroes like Oseola McCarty, a washerwoman who left her entire life savings to establish a scholarship for students in need, have received this award. This year, we decided to try something a little bit different.  We asked you, the American public, to tell us about the heroes in your community -- the folks who may not always get the recognition they deserve, but whose selfless work is making a real difference. We received over 6,000 outstanding nominations from around the country.  It was a tough choice, but we were able to narrow it down to 13 recipients of the 2010 Citizens Medal: http://www.whitehouse.gov/citizensmedal This year's Citizens Medal recipients should serve as an inspiration to all Americans: A widow who lost her husband on 9/11 and turned her grief into a message of hope for Afghani women whose husbands were lost to the Taliban; a school bus driver who delivers hot meals and coffee to New York City’s homeless and forgotten 365 nights a year; a North Chicago nurse and childcare professional who opened a  live-in resource center that has given help and hope to hundreds of pregnant teenagers.  They are all powerful reminders of the impact individuals can have on their community and on the world. Congratulations to this year's Citizens Medal recipients, and thank you to the millions of Americans who strive to make their communities better every day. Sincerely, President Barack Obama P.S. If you want to make a difference in your own community, but aren't sure where to start, check out Serve.gov, your one-stop shop for finding and creating service opportunities in your community.

Violent Sky

STORMY SKIES....§ In the past several months, powerful storms have wreaked havoc in many places, torrential rains in central Europe and parts of China, tornadoes in Australia, Montana and the American Midwest, and strong thunderstorms across the northeast. Now, as Tropical Storm Bonnie makes landfall in Florida and heads into the Gulf of Mexico, oil cleanup is being suspended, and the final "kill" operation is delayed for at least one more week. These storms have been destructive and deadly, but beautiful and awe-inspiring at the same time. Collected here are a handful of photographs of stormy skies, lightning strikes and storm damage from the past several months. Please wait while the images Loads A large storm cell moves over farmland between the towns of Ross and Stanley, North Dakota on Monday July 12, 2010. A tornado was reported to have touched down for a few minutes from the cell. Lightning flashes across the sky over Maquoketa, Iowa Friday June 18, 2010. Lightning streams across the sky towards downtown Chicago, on Wednesday, June 23, 2010. Storm clouds clear over Cook Inlet about 27 miles southeast of Anchorage, Alaska on Monday, July 5, 2010. The photo was taken around 9:48 pm Alaska Daylight Savings Time with the sun still high on the horizon. Severe thunderstorms moved through the bluegrass region of Kentucky late Monday, July 19, 2010. This lightning strike was captured near Maysville, Kentucky. A farmer works in a field southwest of WaKeeney, Kansas with ominous clouds looming overhead on Sunday, June 20, 2010. Severe weather battered parts of northwest Kansas with heavy rain, wind, hail and isolated tornadoes. Chris Dickey of Commerce city police department holds golf-ball-sized hailstones on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 in Commerce City, Colorado. Thunderstorms swept along the Front Range and eastern Colorado plains on Wednesday with several reports of tornadoes and strong winds that demolished a barn. This photo provided by Harry Gillway, the Kimball County Sheriff, shows hail damage to the rear window of a car in Kimball, Nebraska on Monday, May 24, 2010. Storms dumped heavy rain and hail on Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. Storm clouds gather over the skyline of Bangkok, Thailand on July 22, 2010. Lightning strikes Bangkok, Thailand on May 24, 2010. A funnel cloud forms near Grand Forks International Airport Thursday afternoon June 17, 2010. A number of tornadoes were reported in the northern Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota into the evening Thursday. Debris flies through the air as a freak tornado tears through the coastal town of Lennox Head, Australia on June 3, 2010. The storm leveled 12 homes and damaged another 30, with twisting winds carving out a 300 meter-wide path of destruction, injuring six people and leaving thousands without power. An aerial view of Wadena, Minnesota, seen on Friday June 18, 2010 shows homes destroyed after tornadoes ripped through the area Thursday night. Debris lies scattered along Main Street in Millbury, Ohio, Sunday, June 6, 2010. Authorities say tornadoes and thunderstorms that swept through the Midwest overnight killed a number of people in Ohio, destroyed 50 homes and damaged a high school gymnasium where graduation was to be held Sunday. Lightning strikes in Poyang county in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province on July 20, 2010. Much of China has been suffering flooding and landslides after weeks of torrential downpours. At least 146 people have died since the start of this month, as a result of the rains, and another 40 are missing. A large funnel cloud touches down west of Albert Lea, Minnesota, early evening Thursday, June 16, 2010. Several tornadoes were reported in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa Thursday evening, some causing major damage. Lightning lights up the night sky of Roswell, New Mexico as a thunderstorm passes through town on July 14, 2010. Main Street Casino staff members watch a second thunderstorm approach after they just survived a tornado in Billings, Montana on Sunday, June 20, 2010. Buildings were heavily damaged after a tornado touched down near the corner of Main Street and Lake Elmo Drive. A child's bicycle is shown, impaled into the side of a home after a tornado hit part of Millbury, Ohio on Sunday, June 6, 2010. Darlene Sheehy collects items from her kitchen, Monday, June 7, 2010, after a tornado destroyed her home in Millbury, Ohio. Lightning strikes west of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, Ontario on Wednesday, May 26, 2010. Waves batter a merchant vessel stranded along the coast during a heavy storm in Valparaiso City, Chile, 121 km (75 miles) northwest of Santiago on July 6, 2010. Lightning strikes near the Hilton Hotel during a storm in Mexico city May 23, 2010. A storm rolls in above New York City at sunset on June 17th, 2010. Multiple lightning strikes above New York City during a storm on on May 2nd, 2010. Photo taken from West New York, New Jersey, looking across the Hudson River. A severe thunderstorm with a rotating wall cloud is seen over Texas County, Oklahoma near the community of Eva, Oklahoma on Monday, May 31, 2010. Paul Verheyen looks over the damage to his house caused by a severe storm and possible tornado in Leamington, Ontario on Sunday, June 6, 2010. Verheyen and his family were luckily not home during the storm. The tree that crashed through the house landed on his son's bed. ( Volunteer workers remove items from a field, Monday, June 7, 2010, after a tornado destroyed at least 50 homes in Millbury, Ohio. Lightning strikes the Antelope Valley near Pearblossom, California on Thursday, July 15, 2010. Southern California faces more ferocious heat coupled to the threat of thunderstorms and lightning strikes that could ignite more desert wildfires. Clouds form a tropical storm over Havana, Cuba on July 2, 2010. A flash of lightning illuminates the sky over the 2,500-year-old Ancient Parthenon temple, at the Acropolis hill during a heavy rainfall in Athens, Greece early on Monday, June 28, 2010. image of a large thunderstorm made up of two photographs taken in sequence from the International Space Station above Malaysia in December of 2009. Lightning bolts light the sky above Rosenblatt Stadium where South Carolina plays Oklahoma in an NCAA College World Series baseball game in Omaha, Nebraska on Sunday, June 20, 2010. A damaged home along State Route 109 in Swan Creek Township in Fulton County, Ohio, Sunday, June 6, 2010, that burned apparently after being struck by lightning during a storm Saturday night. Lightning strikes the top of a building in Foshan in south China's Guangdong province on Monday, June 21, 2010. A plane flies near a rainbow above Ankaroa bay off Easter Island, 3,700 km off the Chilean coast in the Pacific Ocean, on July 12, 2010. Beneath a lightning storm to the north, Robert Morgan fishes along the banks of a marsh near Lake Boudreaux May 28, 2010 near Cocodrie, Louisiana. sanskriti

Sent by: Sanjeev Batra