The Harry Potter Alliance, a group of young activists from the Harry Potter fandom, are promoting STAND FAST again this year.


On Wednesday, December 3rd, give up one luxury item--like a latte, candy, beer, the price of a movie ticket--and donate that money to the Alliance


http://thehpalliance.org/civilianprotection


- Just three dollars provides firewood for one Sudanese woman who would otherwise risk her life in the desert.


- Just five dollars grants radio access to one Burmese family, who could be forewarned and flee their village before it is attacked.


It's tragic that so many suffer, but worse that so few care. You can make a difference. Yes, you.

From our friends at enoughproject.org


In a welcome step, today the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court requested an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Darfur.


In a report released today, ENOUGH Executive Director John Norris, Co-Chair John Prendergast, and Research Associate David Sullivan argue that the call to arrest Bashir is not only based on sound evidence, but that it can be a step forward in the path to secure peace. "The status quo in Sudan is one of the deadliest in the world. Until there is a consequence for the commission of genocide, it will continue. This action introduces a cost, finally, into the equation," says Prendergast. Using examples of past indictments of war criminals Slobodan Milosevic during the 1999 Kosovo conflict, and of Charles Taylor in 2003 in Liberia, the report argues that introducing accountability for crimes against humanity can break the cycle of impunity and improve prospects for peace in seemingly intractable conflicts. Norris notes "with more than 300,000 dead and millions displaced in Darfur, it is shocking that these charges are even remotely controversial. President Bashir has orchestrated the Darfur tragedy from day one, and any efforts to sweep his actions under the rug are both shameful and counterproductive."


Read the report here.


In a separate release, ENOUGH provides a rundown of some of Bashir's past comments and behavior. From hosting Osama bin Laden to engineering a famine in southern Sudan that killed hundreds of thousands, Bashir's criminal track record extends well beyond Darfur, and leaves little question as to why the prosecutor is moving forward with charges.


Read "Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir: The Record Speaks for Itself"

If anyone will have the courage to take a stand for peace in Darfur at the Olympic Games in Beijing, it will be Lopez Lomong, a former Lost Boy who is now a world-class distance runner and an American citizen. A July 2 article in the New York Times quoted his coach, John Hayes, saying of Lomong, “He doesn’t fear anyone.” Surely the man who sacrificed a month's worth of training to keep his family safe in Kenya during the recent election strife will trade a piece of gold or silver for his chance to speak out on the stage of the world against this genocide and for the salvation of our collective humanity.

The New York Times article is here.

The July 18 update from the Guardian, "Sudanese 'lost boy' finds joy on US Olympic track team," is here.

Commentary by Jonathan Gurwitz:

Snickers the dog is safe in Las Vegas, you’ll be happy to know. The 11-month-old cocker spaniel was aboard his owners’ 48-foot sailboat in December when it ran aground on Fanning Island, a tiny atoll that’s part of the South Pacific nation of Kiribati.

After two weeks on Fanning, Snickers’ owners hopped on a cargo vessel and made it back to civilization in California. Tragically, the ship’s rules prohibited bringing animals on board. They left the pup behind.

Then began the heroic effort to save Snickers.
Read the rest of the story here.

I went from the ice in Turin to a dusty refugee camp. Now I hope my fellow athletes will speak out for Darfur in Beijing.

By Joey Cheek
washingtonpost.com
Sunday, May 25, 2008; Page B01

I'd actually imagined what it would be like, which is terrible. You're never supposed to plan on winning.

But there I was, the gold medalist in the 500-meter speed skating event at the 2006 winter Olympics in Turin. And with the win came the right to 10 minutes, give or take, at a microphone in front of 60-odd cameras, tape recorders and sports reporters who were waiting to shout in my face: "How does it feel to win?" (It's a pretty short answer, actually: "Good.")

Except, I wanted to talk about something different. "I know you guys all want to do sweet stories about Hallmark and chocolates and butterflies and all that," I said, stepping to the microphone. "But I have a pretty unique experience and a pretty unique opportunity here. So I'm going to take advantage of it while I can."

And then I announced that I was going to donate my winnings from the U.S. Olympic Committee -- $25,000 for that 500-meter victory and another $15,000 when I won the silver in the 1,000 meters a few days later -- to Darfurian refugees in Chad. Though I was just beginning to learn about the conflict in Darfur in February 2006, I knew that more than 60,000 children from Darfur had been displaced in the course of nearly three years of violence and that my donation to the Right to Play Foundation might help send them some small relief.

I was also just beginning to learn what it meant to be engaged with what's happening in Darfur -- a deliberate campaign of atrocities that the U.S. government has called a genocide, launched by the regime in Khartoum and an allied militia known as the Janjaweed -- and what it means to be on an international stage as an Olympian. Now, more than two years after I won my medals in Turin, I'm watching those issues collide as the world prepares for the Olympics in Beijing.

I'm not competing this summer, but I am urging others to think about Darfur and about China's relationship with Sudan. China buys much of Sudan's annual oil output and sells arms to Sudan, helping prop up the government in Khartoum. China is also the genocidal regime's key defender at the United Nations, helping weaken Security Council resolutions that might stem the violence.

I sincerely hope that the newest Olympic champions not only show graciousness toward their Chinese hosts, but also issue a stern call for action in Darfur. With its significant ties to Sudan, China is one of the countries in the world best positioned to do more to stop the killing in Darfur, and it is the responsibility of athletes competing there this summer to say that -- respectfully yet forcefully -- even as they focus on their own athletic accomplishments.

Read the rest of Joey Cheek's article here.