Read Across America: Read To Succeed Buffalo: NEA

On March 2, the National Education Association calls for every child to be reading in the company of a caring adult.

 

 

Read Across America!

Celebrate Reading and the Birthday of Dr. Suess
March 2, 2011 

 

Read To Succeed Buffalo will:  Register your site with "Read Across America", provide a lesson plan to help with structuring your day, give away a unique bookmark for children to take home, and assign a "Celebrity Reader" to read a Dr. Seuss Book to children.

The National Education’s (NEA) "Read Across America" is an annual program celebrated on March 2, the birthday of Dr. Seuss, to motivate reading and literacy awareness.



For the first time, Buffalo is on the National Education Association map as a host site of “Read Across America.” Readers of all ages are encouraged to celebrate. Participating Buffalo Public Schools include:  School #90,  Dr. Charles R. Drew Science Magnet, and School #53.



Motivating children to read is an important factor in student achievement and creating lifelong successful readers. Random House have put together a terrific Read Across America resources page featuring a teacher's guide, activities, games and so much more. 


"Read to Succeed" works with nearly 50 coalition partner organizations to create a culture of literacy within our community.  They spearhead initiatives that give children the literacy and language tools necessary for success in kindergarten and beyond.

    

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"Read to Succeed Buffalo" is determined to give every child a strong start when entering kindergarten. More than 4 in 10 children entering kindergarten in Buffalo Public Schools are behind in literacy skills.  With the help of Buffalo's three largest foundations and nearly 50 organizational partners, we give children a fighting chance to succeed in school.  

For more information: Deborah Ann Porter: Community Outreach Coordinator: Read to Succeed Buffalo at 843-8895 and porterd@rtsb.org 

 

 

Great Public Schools for Every Student  

© 2009- 11 Read To Succeed Buffalo, 392 Pearl Street, Buffalo, NY 14202 Office: (716) 843-8895  

Tracy Diina Communications and Susan Marie Public Relations. 

Susan Marie Public Relations
My Radio Show
New York USA 2011

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New Date: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for Flood Victims: Tues, March 22 8pm

	New date for event: Tuesday, March 22 at 8:00pm March 23 at 1:00am

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for Flood Victims

After making 39 deliveries to 29 locations, having raised and disbursed relief items over 52 Million PKR (just from streets, only for flood victims. Over 120 Million PKR till date for various initiatives) since 3rd August, 2010, 

 

Pakistan Youth Alliance now vows to rebuild and renovate schools destroyed by floods. As donations dwindle, we are arranging a fundraiser-charity concert in Islamabad to raise enough funds to renovate 2 schools in Nowshera and Kot Addu respectively. 

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan shall weave magic by his music and mesmerize Islamabad live. 

PYA, in continuation of its widely acknowledged flood relief efforts shall rebuild 2 schools through funds raised by this concert. 

Shake your souls and help students who cant go to schools as their schools were destroyed by floods. 

Top businessmen, diplomats and politicians will be in attendance. 

Event Managed by: Miradore Productions

Venue: TBA

Donation Tickets: Rs. 5000 per head for single entry
VIP table of 10 including buffet dinner starting from Rs. 300,000

For details:
0333-4532030
0333-5578006
0345-5323808

EMAIL PYA HERE

info@pya.org.pk

Pakistan Youth Alliance remains to be the ONLY non-partisan youth organization to be acknowledge at UN Headquarters. New York City for its selfless and continuous work, whenever needed. 

Click below for press conference at UN HQ's mentioning PYA:

 

For complete international, local media coverage, reports and documentaries; see our facebook albums and our youtube channel 

 HELP US, HELP THEM!

Regards,
Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi
Chair/Founder Pakistan Youth Alliance
Central Executive Committee --  Khudi Pakistan
Coordinator for Youth Pages of The Islamabad Dateline

BB Pin: 25698CBD
Twitter @Ali_Abbas_Zaidi
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aliabbaszaidi
Blog: Plastic Tearz: An Insight

Susan Marie Public Relations
Think Twice Radio
This is NOT the Apple
New York USA 2011

Contact Me

Grace Stumberg: Millennium Music Conference: 7 City Tour

Buffalo, NY’s next musical offering aiming for the national stage merges strengths of that city’s best known musical exports, Ani DiFranco and the Goo Goo Dolls. In fact, one of her mentors is Goo Goo Dolls founding member, Robby Takac.

It’s 21-year old acoustic rock, singer songwriter Grace Stumberg that holds the hope for Buffalo making another in-road to the mainstream. She is the top graduate of the high school Music in Action program co-authored by Takac and is gaining critical support for her debut CD & live performances.

Stumberg’s sound is a blend of difranco’s acoustic snap, the pop vibes of the Goos with echos of Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Ingrid Michaelson, and Grace Potter.

She is fresh off a 7 city tour in support of NYC-based duo Left on Red on The Chocolate Revolution Tour 2011 that visited high school classrooms during the days and clubs in the evenings, sharing music, career stories, and global business lessons about "Fair Trade" chocolate as a smarter alternative to Valentine's Day. "Fair Trade" purchases, like coffee and chocolate, support small farmers and also reduce child-exploitation.

 © Erica Eichelkraut

At 21, Stumberg is gathering a strong network of industry fans that have opened invitation-only doors at America’s Got Talent, Roadtrip Nation, the 15^th annual Millennium Music Conference (Feb. 19, 2011), a talent agent at CAA (Creative Artists Agency, LA), and others. She also coordinates the Buffalo-based “tunes4food” food bank campaign that has raised over 40,000 meals since June 2009.

"She is the real thing... Stumberg has tapped into something

deep and meaningful..." - Jeff Miers - BUFFALO NEWS, June 4, 2010

"Grace Stumberg is a supernova! ...debut CD is what the world needs right now..."

- Susan Marie, NIGHTLIFE MAGAZINE, August 2010

"Stumberg has it all - songs, sounds & smarts...everything she needs to go all the way."

- Anthony Casuccio, THE GRAMMYS, September 2010

“Genuinely refreshing, lyrically astounding… Grace’s music deserves to be

heard by the masses. Lovely and wonderfully superb.” - IAE Magazine, December 2010

MUSIC, PRESS, PHOTOS & more: www.sonicbids.com/gracestumberg

CONTACT: Bob James, 716-912-6656 or bobjames1@aol.com

--
Bob James,
Creative Director
www.studentvoices.org
716.912.6656 (cell)

Susan Marie Public Relations
Think Twice Radio
This is NOT the Apple
New York USA 2011

Contact Me

U.S. Boat To Gaza: Report from Madrid

We have recently returned from the Madrid meeting of the international flotilla and want to take this opportunity to bring you up to date on the U.S. Boat to Gaza campaign.  Enthusiasm and support for the international flotilla has continued to build with representatives from 22 countries at the meeting.  Current plans are for the flotilla to sail in the second half of May. Of the 22 countries, only a handful have a boat and are ready to go now, others have raised substantial amounts of money and will either have their own boat or will be ready to join up with others to float an international boat.  We are thrilled by the success of the people's revolution in Egypt.  Over time, we think this could be a tectonic shift in the environment in the Middle East and change the situation in Gaza as well.  Right now, though, we are not expecting major changes in the siege of Gaza.  Israel has, in fact, stepped up its attacks on fishermen and workers along the land border and has been bombing urban areas in the strip.  Our mission, to break the siege of Gaza, is as necessary as ever.  Hedy Epstein, human rights activist and Holocaust refugee:  "It's important to break the siege of Gaza which has been imposed by Israel for so many years.  People in Gaza have the right to travel.  People in the world have the right to visit Gaza.  Gaza needs a two way street for its economy." Medea Benjamin, co-founder CodePink Women for Peace:  "When governments and international institutions fail to pressure Israel to lift the siege of Gaza, it's up to civil society to act.  The flotilla is a lifeline between 1.5 million imprisoned people and the world community." Anna Baltzer, author, human rights activist and organizer:  "The US Boat to Gaza and the rest of the flotilla exemplify true international solidarity that refuses to wait for permission from Israel to do the right thing and support freedom for the men, women, and children in Gaza.  These defiant boats show that creative people of conscience united around a just cause can be stronger and more resilient than a military superpower." The U.S. Boat to Gaza has raised more than $300,000 to date.  We are working  in Europe to find the right boat.  Boats we have looked at would accommodate 40-60 passengers and our applications committee has been very busy working through the large number of wonderful people who want to be passengers. The challenges of organizing and managing the U.S. Boat campaign have led us to create a decision making council comprised of representatives from the active working groups.   Those groups are:  Applications, Outreach, Legal, Media, Endorsers, Fund raising, Boat/International, Trainers, Webwork, and Finance.

This is a huge effort and, to date, entirely a volunteer effort.  We are hoping to hire one paid staffer as a coordinator.   We welcome participation from anyone who wants to help.  We could use help particularly on fund raising, planning support actions, and working on local media across the country but we would welcome support and ideas in any of the committees.   To help with the campaign,  contact Nell Hirschmann-Levy at nellhl@gmail.com.  US Boat to Gaza Council Members Nic Abramson Laurie Arbeiter Lisa Fithian Felice Gelman Jane Hirschmann Nell Hirschmann-Levy Abdeen Jabara Ismail Khalidi Gail Miller Hannah Schwarzschild Brad Taylor Sarah Wellington Brandon West Ann Wright PURCHASE A SHIRT WHICH WILL HELP SUPPORT THE U.S. BOAT FINANCIALLY AND WEAR IT OFTEN TO SPREAD THE WORD FAR AND WIDE ABOUT THE U.S. TO GAZA CAMPAIGN. GET ON BOARD THE U.S. TO GAZA CAMPAIGN VISIT WWW.USTOGAZA.ORG TO ENDORSE AND CONTRIBUTE Thank you for your support.       Susan Marie Public Relations Think Twice Radio This is NOT the Apple New York USA 2011 Contact Me

Live From Tunisia: Hind Houas: Jasmine Revolt: La Revolution

Five days prior to the release of this interview, 

if Hind Houas has spoken to me, she would have been killed.

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

 © Hind Houas

Think Twice Radio Promo for Interview

Hind Houas, a 22 year old university student, part of the first revolution, The Jasmine Revolt, sparked nations to overthrow authoritarian regimes.  Tunisia is the northernmost part of Africa, bordered by Algeria and Libya, by the Mediterranean Sea. Tunisia is home to Carthage,  the Roman province of Africa, later by Byzantines then Arabs, then to the French under The Ottoman Empire. In 1956, Habib Bourguiba became 1st President of Tunisia.  Hind resides in Tataouine, the Southern Part of Tunisia.  

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

 © Hind Houas

From 1987 to 2011, The Kingdom of Tunisia operated as a republic under the authoritarian regime of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.  For all of her life, Hind has never experienced basic human rights. In Tunisia, under Ben Ali, if one were to speak, report as media or search online independently; they were interrogated, beaten, tortured, sexually abused, and often killed. 



Part One of the interview below:



 


Hind and I speak of life in Tunisia under Bourguiba, history of politics, and a typical day in the life of the Tunisian people before and after Habib.  

Hind stated, "Habib Bourguiba was a very decent and respectful man.  He was the first Tunisian president after we got independent from France in 1956. He was the man who made education free from fees for all boys and girls with no discrimination. He helped improve the condition of Tunisian women by guaranteeing her many advantages in almost all the fields. We all love him so much. He also tried his best to make sure that our Tunisian Army will always be independent from what happens in the political arena.  Bourguiba made sure that the main role of the Army is to protect the people, and thanks to the Tunisian Army, we managed to stay safe after Ben Ali's fleeing to Saudi Arabia." 

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

© Haythem Hawass

The horror that occurred when Ben Ali became President in 1987 is indescribable.  The Tunisian people have led a life for 23 years dominated by severe oppression.  Imagine not being able to speak your mind, to search the internet, to talk about politics, humanity, human rights, to have any extra curricular activity, or an opinion.  Imagine waking, eating, attending school or work, if available, coming home, studying, eating then going to sleep. That has been a typical day for all Tunisians under the regime of Ben Ali.  For all of Hinds existence, she has only known this life.  A bleak monotonous oppressive fear filled existence. 

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

 © Haythem Hawass

Part Two of the interview below:


 


Hind speaks of  the the absolute non existence of all human rights. Under Ben Ali, they did not exist except for those who knew Ben Ali or were his friends. Hind speaks in depth of the true defining moment where the revolution began, how Tunisians were treated, what they experienced and how she has found a rebirth by simply being able to exist, finally, as a human being. 

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

   

© Haythem Hawass

Through Hind, we learn how mentally challenging it has been to retain sanity in a bleak existence while holding onto an optimistic attitude for change. 

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

  © Haythem Hawass

The Jasmine Revolution, beginning with peaceful protests in 2010, eventually led to the extreme revolt and horrific experiences that successfully removed in January of 2011, Ben Ali and his regime. 

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

  

  © Haythem Hawass

Amnesty International, Freedom House and Protection International have documented "that basic human and political rights are not respected.  President Ben Ali's speeches were full of references to the importance of democracy and freedom of speech that cut all Tunisians from the rest of the world." 

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

 

  © Haythem Hawass

Amnesty also reports: "the Tunisian government is misleading the world as it conveys a positive image of the human rights situation in the country while abuses by its security forces continue unabated and are committed with impunity".  In January 2010, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton mentioned Tunisia and China as the two countries with the greatest internet censorship. 

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

 

  © Haythem Hawass

According to the Committee To Protect Journalists,  "97% of newspaper campaign coverage was devoted to President Ben Ali amid severe restrictions on independent reporting.  Ben Ali’s government went after the country’s journalist union, bringing down its democratically elected board, while his police bullied and harassed critical reporters. Two journalists, one of them a leading critic of the president, were in jail later in the year.  State owned 'Publinet' internet network monitored and filtered all internet traffic. 

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

  © Haythem Hawass

When demonstrations began in Tunisia in Dec 2010, they constituted the most dramatic wave of social and political unrest in Tunisia in three decades. The brave story of Mohamed Bouazizi and self immolation, sparked the people to finally take a stand. Ben Ali declared a state of emergency in the country. The revolt began.  

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

 

  © Haythem Hawass

Through these rare interviews, the real story of a global revolution sparked by the Tunisian people tired of living under the greatest abomination of all human rights is told.  On January 14, 2011, new legislative elections were promised within six months. President Ben Ali has indeed fled, and on January 26 2011, INTERPOL confirmed that its National Central Bureau (NCB) has issued a global alert via INTERPOL's international network to seek the location and arrest of former Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and six of his relatives.

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

  © Haythem Hawass

The Tunisian Revolution, started by the Tunisian people, sparked a global wave of revolutions across this world including yet not limited to: Yemen, Algeria, Jordan, Syria, Macedonia and now Egypt.  Tunisians are a brave people with immense courage that it humbles me to have met Hind.  The strength of one nation teaches us to never allow oppression, to exercise correctly the rights we do have, to respect such rights and those of others, and to be grateful for existing in a world where we are at least able to voice an opinion. 

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

  © Haythem Hawass

Hind is a strong young woman. At 22 years old, she has taught me the true definitions of strength and courage. For the first time in 23 years, the Tunisian people are now free.  

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

   

© Haythem Hawass

To Hind, my humble gratitude to a fellow human being, sister and lifelong friend, one nation and all oppressed people of this world, I thank you.  May the rest of humanity follow in your footsteps. 

Upon writing this, Hind sent me a message. 

"I listened to the whole interview twice. God, it was so moving for me to listen to it. Though skype was not so clear for us, but I liked it. What matters is that my people's story and mine too, is told as it is  About that, I wrote a poem and if you are interested I can send it to you to read it . So, I'm happy cause I did something I wanted to do since so long, *smile*

Writing about Tunisia would be great cause that would help bring tourists to Tunisia to revive the economy which we really are going to need in future days. By the way, I would love to invite you here one day to Tataouine. That would be great *smile* If ever you need anything about Tunisia, just let me know and I'll do my best to help you."

- Hind Houas, 2011 


Peace,


Sue 

Susan Marie Public Relations
Think Twice Radio
This is NOT the Apple
New York USA 2011

Contact Me