Are you sure you're in the right place?

Hello there, readers and bloggers:

http://www.amnestyusa.org/all-countries/iran/unite-for-human-rights-in-iran-on-february-11th/page.do?id=1011702&ICID=E1002A01&tr=y&auid=5906889 The following text in italics is from the above Amnesty International USA website. Everyone, please read this.

Please do all that you can. The people of Iran have been oppressed and terrorised by their own government for too long.They fight for freedoms that many of us take for granted. Thank you.

February 11th is Victory of the Revolution Day in Iran.  Equivalent to the Fourth of July in the United States, it is a day commemorating liberty, independence and freedom.  But the Iranian government has long violated these rights and is responsible for numerous abuses including torture, arbitrary arrests, censorship and the most recent execution of two activists accused of inciting the post-election protests on June 12th – even though these men had been held in detention long before the violence erupted. 

Since blogs and websites like Twitter and YouTube were virtually the only way the Iranian people could expose the horrific treatment being inflicted on them in the days following the contested Presidential election, we expect that Iranians will turn to the Internet once again to carry their messages. That is why we are asking everyone to show their solidarity online on February 11th – whether it’s on your blog, website, or social networking profile.

Stand with us to ensure that Victory of the Revolution Day signifies an end to these abuses!

 

• Bloggers Unite: Join our network of blogger's covering Iran and the events on February 11th.
• Twitter Followers: The hashtag #iranelection was one of the most widely-used in the post-election aftermath.  Since the violence is still unresolved, we’ll continue to tweet using this hashtag. Make sure your related tweets include: #iranelection
• Will you be in New York on Feb. 11th? If you know someone or if you, yourself, expect to be in New York on February 11th, then be sure to wear black and join our coalition of activists as they stand in a silent vigil for the people of Iran.

Hello everyone,

Please sign the petition below urging the President of Burkina Faso to save women from dying from pregnancy and childbirth complications:

http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/burkinafaso/bfpetition.php?ICID=P1002A01&tr=y&auid=5894030

 

From the Amnesty international website:

More than 2000 women die in Burkina Faso each year due to childbirth or pregnancy complications. Most of the deaths could have been avoided. Sadly, the poor quality of medical services has not changed much. This has understandably made many women wary of going to health facilities to give birth. Health facilities are often unhygienic and understaffed. Doctors and nurses are underpaid and sometimes treat women with no respect or demand unofficial payments.

The petition asks the President to:

• Allocate resources to maternal and reproductive health care equitably, prioritizing the poorest regions with highest mortality ratios.
• Systematically reduce economic, physical and cultural barriers that prevent poor rural women from accessing life-saving reproductive and maternal health care.

I strongly encourage you to join in and sign. Any effort to help will be appreciated so much.

 

Happy Brithday, suburban_spleen! What are you planning to do on your big day? :D

Hello everyone,

Human services workers (social workers, welfare and community workers) in NSW Australia may find the links below invaluable (especially if you're interested in law). The links are also handy for anyone who works in child protection in Australia, or deals with homeless people.

Law Access NSW: http://www.lawaccess.nsw.gov.au/ Site with free legal help for Aussies in NSW. Contains valuable legal information and contact details of legal services. From the Law Access NSW website: Be careful! The information on this site is not legal advice. If you have a legal problem you should talk.  to a lawyer before you decide what to do. The information on this site is only for people affected by the laws of NSW, Australia.


Homelessness Street Count: http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Community/HomelessnessServices/StreetCount.asp

From the Street Count website: The regular collection and comparison of data gives policy makers and service providers the means to measure the impact of existing responses to homelessness.

Counting the numbers of people experiencing primary homelessness is only one method of collecting data to inform policy development but it is an important one.

Keep Them Safe: http://www.keepthemsafe.nsw.gov.au/resources/factsheets

From the Keep Them Safe website: Keep Them Safe is a five-year Action Plan that aims to re-shape the way family and community services are delivered in NSW to improve the safety, welfare and wellbeing of children and young people.

Hi there everyone,

Learn about how much GLBTIQ rights are respected or ignored in different parts of the world. The link below has a chart about which rights are protected, to what extent.

From wikipedia:

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) related laws vary greatly by country or territory – everything from legal recognition of same-sex marriage or other types of partnerships, to the death penalty as punishment for same-sex sexual activity or identity.

LGBT-related laws include but are not limited to: government recognition of same-sex relationships, LGBT adoption, sexual orientation and military service, immigration equality, anti-discrimination laws, hate crime laws regarding violence against LGBT people, sodomy laws, anti-lesbianism laws, and higher ages of consent for same-sex activity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_Rights

A must read.
 

Hi there all,


Learn how to make an effective apology here: http://norah.livejournal.com/266481.html Of course, part of what makes an apology effective is actually meaning what you say. But the link has vital information on what else you can do to apologise effectively.

My favourite bit is this:

Those are the three most basic steps. Once you've got those, you can improvise a bit more, and negotiate, explain, or dialogue in addition to your apology, using the same basic structure.

• "I know you feel terrible when I do this, and I don't want to make you feel terrible. But this is really important to me. How can we compromise?"
• "I'm sorry I've made such a mess of this. I can see that it's making you miserable, but when I made my choices I wasn't aware of some really important facts. Now that I know, I can make better choices; let's work on our communication to make sure it doesn't happen again."
• "I'm sorry I did that. I didn't know it would make you so angry, and I apologize. But I'm not sure I understand why you are so angry. Can we talk about this a little more so I can keep from doing that inadvertently in future?"

As long as you're still taking responsibility, acknowledging the consequences of your actions, and trying to make it better, you should still be able to craft an effective apology.

Oh! And read this. Inappropriate (and hurtful) apologies you shouldn't ever make: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-apology

Hi there all,

Please consider posting about/sending gifts or donations to help out the Hughes family, who are now homeless. You can read more on how you can lend a hand at the links below:

http://ladycatherina.livejournal.com/346766.html

From ladycatherina's lj blog:

Update on the Hughes family, homeless mother and daughter living in their car in Campbell (South San Francisco Bay Area.) Good and very bad news - they've apparently got someone helping them look for work and trying to get them settled in Pennsylvania. But they have to come up with moving costs themselves, and are back in their car for the time being.

From Elizabeth Barone's blog site, Letters for Katy: How You Can Help.
http://my.lettersoflove.net/lettersforkaty/2010/01/26/thursday-is-moving-day/#comments
Liz and Katy’s last day at their cottage is this coming Thursday. Liz sent me an update email saying that she still isn’t sure how much it will cost for them to move. Their priority, she said, is to get everything in storage and to have enough money for food, as they aren’t sure if they will be able to afford the move right away and will stay in their car until they can get to Pennsylvania.You can mail Visa and MasterCard gift cards to:

Elizabeth and Katy Hughes
PO Box 111525
Campbell, CA 95011

Thanks so much if you do choose to aid the Hughes in any way.

Hi there all,

Learn about the milestones and setbacks made on human rights of indigenous peoples around the world here:

http://aboriginalrights.suite101.com/

The information is readable and a must for anyone.

http://australian-indigenous-peoples.suite101.com/article.cfm/a_change_of_date_for_australia_day Why the date of Australia should be changed: so that all Australians are included and respected. A day of mourning should not be a day for celebration.

http://australian-indigenous-peoples.suite101.com/article.cfm/historic_maori_land_compensation_agreement - a historic land compensation agreement for the Maori people. Because of this agreement, transfers 176,000 hectares of forestland worth $319NZ million will return to its rightful owners and be placed into Maori hands.

http://aboriginalrights.suite101.com/article.cfm/bad_living_conditions_for_aboriginals Appalling living conditions are still rife for Aboriginal people around the world (There are still heartbreakingly high death rates for Aboriginal infants compared to non Aboriginal infants worldwide. This is just plain wrong).

Hi there all and sundry,

Fantastic link on passing and transphobia (I strongly recommend that people read this. Yes, even LGBTIQ people):

http://questioningtransphobia.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/passing/

Best parts:

Passing is a system used by cissexist cultures to control trans people, to ostracize, and to justify violence perpetrated against them.

1. Don’t bring it up first. It’s up to the trans person, and you should never expect that eventually having that conversation is a guarantee, no matter how well you know the person you think is trans. 
2. If a trans person outs themselves to you, don’t assume that means the conversation is about whether or not you knew. When I tell someone about my trans-ness, I do so because I want to make it clear I consider them someone I trust to know me in a more significant way.   
3. Your perspective is not universal. Gender perception varies with individuals, cultures, and any number of factors.  While some might be 100% certain the world must see a trans person’s gender the way they do, this is cis chauvinism.  In the process of making my own gender less clear I have grown used to being confidently sir-ed or ma’am-ed, often within seconds.
4. Defer to the trans person’s wishes as to how open they want to be...Outing someone can get them killed!  Combined with a strong sense of entitlement to ignore point #3 because they’re queer, this behavior is infuriating and dangerous.

The Straight Person's Guide to Gay Etiquette (what to do (and NOT do)  if someone comes out to you):

http://chronos-tachyon.net/mirror/io.com/

It's a guide that's very easy to understand (and hilarious!).

Hello everyone,

Please strongly encourage President Obama to back the Rule of Law at Guantanamo Bay. A US Justice Department-led task force recently suggested that the U.S. continue to detain about 50 Guantanamo detainees indefinitely. This is an outrage. Obama has previously promised to close Guantanamo and stop indefinite detention. We need an independent 2 party commission that will examine and report its opinions about the rules and practices linked to the detention, treatment, and transfer of Guantanamo detainees.
 Urge Obama to keep his promise and restore the US' reputation.

Sign the petition here:

http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/index.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=2590179&template=x.ascx&action=13645&ICID=T1001A03&tr=y&auid=5842965

Thanks so much if you sign or raise the heads up about this.

Hello everyone,

I strongly recommend that you read and sign. Tell others, tell as many people as you can about this.

The text below is from the website below from Amnesty International:

On January 27th, President Obama will deliver his State of the Union address. He has many serious topics to cover, but we need to make sure that accountability for U.S. torture is one of them. Send a message to President Obama urging him to announce in his State of the Union address that he will work with Congress to set up an independent commission of inquiry to tell the truth about torture committed in our names. Remind him that he is required by law to investigate U.S. torture, prosecute those responsible and ensure remedy for victims.

Take a stand. Sign here:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/c.jhKPIXPCIoE/b.5738421/k.C90A/10_Against_Torture__State_of_Union/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?ICID=T1001A02&tr=y&auid=5833515

Thank you so much if you signed or spread the message. People need to hear this, and to tell Obama to take a stand. Torture doesn't work in gaining life saving accurate information.We need to speak out against it for the sake of security and upholding human rights.

This post was edited to fix a spelling error.

Hello there everyone,

Here are easy ways you can help people devastated by the earthquake in Haiti.

Click here to donate: http://www.care2.com/click-to-donate/haiti/

Each click will help fund donations to Oxfam America. Oxfam America will use the funds to provide urgently needed water and sanitation to Haiti's survivors.

Help Haiti. Ask global creditors to drop Haiti's 1 billion dollar debt. Do it now by signing this petition here:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/196437118

By doing this, you are making sure that more money is being used where it's needed the most - to rebuild the lives and futures of people in Haiti. Paying back old debts would only delay and reduce the chances of aid, food, medical aid, shelter reaching people. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. I can't imagine how long it'd take for Haiti to rebuild itself if its debts weren't dropped.

Thank you so much.

Hello everyone,

 I am offering ficlets in exchange for donations for the "lightning round" at help_haiti.

My thread is here: http://community.livejournal.com/help_haiti/2706.html?thread=2555794#t2555794

I know Hannah (rosehiptea) is also offering ficlets in exchange for donations too. Please check out her thread - she's a fantastic writer. You won't regret it.

ETA: The winter_queen email address listed in the thread is my alternate one (my hotmail address with my actual name is only given to a few work colleagues, really close friends and family to protect my privacy).

2nd ETA : I am also offering 10 ficlets or a 1000-1500 word fic in exchange for donations here:

http://community.livejournal.com/help_haiti/6394.html?thread=3653114#t3653114

Hello everyone,

Below is a sample of my fanfiction (Hellsing based) which was written as a meme present for Rachel (systemaurora). I'm just starting out as a fanfiction writer. I'm planning to take part in the help_haiti lj community (for the fic exchange). Will definitely keep you updated.

 

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Hello everyone,

You can offer to exchange fic, art, food, toys etc in exchange for donations here at help_haiti lj community:

http://community.livejournal.com/help_haiti/profile

Information in italics below is from the userprofile of the help_haiti lj community:

This Journal was created in the morning of January 13, 2010, as a place for fandomers to help raise money to help in the rescues, recoveries and rebuilding of Haiti following the tragic earthquake on January 12, 2010.

How do the auctions work?

Standard Auctions:
Go through the posts where people have offered their skills at creating fics, art, vids, podcasts, foods, toys, jewelry, clothing and more - just follow the links from the list here in the sidebar.

When you see an item you're interested in, reply to that comment with the amount you will donate if you are the winning bidder. You can bid up until noon (Eastern Standard Time) on January 20, 2010; new items can be added until 6:00 AM (EST) on January 20, 2010.

Go long - the people of Haiti need your help!

Hello everyone,

A horrifying earthquake has killed many people in Haiti (Action Aid says there's an unconfirmed death toll of around 50,000 people). About 3 million people have had their way of life and homes destroyed by the earthquake (source: Action Aid). This is absolutely heartbreaking and terrible beyond belief. Along with the countless number of people killed, there are many who have badly injured and disabled by this disaster.

You can help donate to various charities to send much needed relief to people in Haiti. Salvation Army has an Appeal for the Haiti Earthquake (where you can donate) here:

https://salvos.org.au/donate/secure-online-donations/?appeal=drhaiti

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Learn more here:

http://www.actionaid.org.au/index.php/Make-a-donation/actionaid-responding-to-haiti-earthquake.html


Aussies can donate by ringing 1300 66 66 72

You can also act to save animals injured by the earthquake. Do this by contacting the WSPA on 1300 13 97 22.

I can't express enough in words how much volunteers and donations are seriously needed and appreciated. Thank you so much if you do help. Every bit helps.

Don't have least favourite book genres. But I do have least favourite books. Liiike...Mills and Boon books. Chock load of sexism and racism in a lot of the Mills and Boon novels I've read - ugh. Hatehatehate the exoticised ethnicity romances (which are chock full of racist stereotypes). Seriously, it wouldn't hurt for authors to do their own research on other cultures.

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Least favourite movie genres: uh...hm. Bigoted and brainless movies like My Super Ex Girlfriend, and Killer Lesbian Vampires (where lesbian vampires are attacked with phallic symbols like stakes). Crappy sexist Horror films like Dracula 2000 and Scream - where the girls who have sex are portrayed as weak/bad and get killed, whereas the virginal girl is the 'good one' who lives. And Sacha Baron Cohen's (of Ali G fame) movies (like Bruno and Borat). Racist stereotypes suck, they hurt and they're not funny.

Helloooo there interested readers,

Is anyone willing to beta Les Liaisons Dangereuses (novel, not movie) fanfiction that I am planning to write?

Eh, it won't be long. Probably just 2-4 pages size 12 font?

This will be the second time I've tried to write fanfic (the first time was as a present for systemaurora, who is awesome and writes awesome fic. Go read her fics. Especailly her Lara Croft centric stuff. Like, now.) So any constructive and civil feedback (whether it's on grammar, plot or characterisation, or whether I need more references/footnotes) is appreciated.

I can explain the gist of the book to you if needed (You don't need to have read de Laclos' novel, but it helps a lot if you have read it).

Hello everyone,

I saved this post as one of my favourites. Worth checking out. even if you are religious, it has invaluable advice on how anyone can cope with grief and loss:

http://community.livejournal.com/atheism/2181004.html

The post has information targeted at how agnostics and atheists can deal with grief and help anyone else who is grieving.

Best advice (in my opinion - although most of the advice was helpful):

I honour their life, talk about them and remember them. Comfort their family, and help out where I can.

When my best friend died this year - friends who had not seen each other in a decade gathered to share memories, put his ashes in the ground (no "moving on to better places" - but many teary hugs). We expressed regrets at distance over the years in a group. We drank to a good man (the night before the service, the day after, and the following night).

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What's healthy in mourning is to take your own time dealing with things, neither trying to put on too strong a face nor cowering in fear because it's too hard to deal with.

Although I'm not religious, I disagree with one of the posters saying that tacking on a religious message to someone's death cheapens it.