When: Thursday June 10, 2010

Address: My House
7080 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028

Time: 9 PM to 1 AM

Host: Comedian Ben Morrison with special guests at 10:30 PM

DJs:

REFLEx
Grant Shapiro
Gavin O’Connor
Jason Kramer of KCRW
Darrel Adams of KIN

Proceeds from this event will benefit the June Port au Prince missions to rescue and restore dignity to the women and children of Haiti (bringing clean water, solar energy, Human Rights workers, child rescue, rehabilitation, education, and disaster relief). To donate to this rescue mission, please click the donate button:

Corporate Sponsors:

Black Card Circle Foundation, ECoEfficiency.org, Blue Angel Vodka, Living Green, World Trust, Events 11, Airline Ambassadors, Seldon Water, FTL Solar Technologies, Green Galaxy, Global Green

PHOTOGRAPHER TASYA VAN REE TO DEBUT THE STILL LIFE AT CELEBRITY VAULT

Proceeds from this event go to AbolishSlavery.org which is targeting
human trafficking in Haiti.

Date: Thursday, February 11, 2010
Time: 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Host: Amber Heard
Address: 345 North Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Phone: (310) 858-7875

BEVERLY HILLS, CA On Thursday, February 11th, photographer Tasya van Ree
will debut a charity photo exhibit at Celebrity Vault in Beverly Hills.
The event will be from 7-10pm. Proceeds from the event will go to AbolishSlavery.org.

Tasya’s latest collection of original work,‘The Still Life’, exhibits the inanimate aspect of the motionless lives trafficked children face. Van Ree uses dolls and props to subliminally express the growing severity of the human trafficking issue of the children worldwide. Her photography captures the unmoving, lost, silent and transfixed life in an immobile state of mind, body and soul.

Abolish Slavery is a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating human trafficking and restoring dignity to victims. They organize and coordinate investigations and field operations to find, identify, and retrieve people from slavery, providing for their safe aftercare and rehabilitation. Human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery in which people, mostly women and girls, are abducted, deceived or coerced into situations of forced labor. Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world.

Slavery in Haiti, pre-earthquake, was the worst in the Western Hemisphere. Since the devastating earthquake that took place on January 12, 2010, its the worst human rights pandemic in the world today. The children of Haiti are at even greater risk due to destruction of infrastructure and increase in vulnerability of the population. AbolishSlavery.org is taking immediate action to identify predators and actively protect the children of Haiti.

Contact:

Courtney Knittel
Patricola Public Relations
310.860.9770
courtney@plpr.com
Facebook
Twitter

More information:

The Celebrity Vault
Tasya van Ree

About the Artist:

Visual interpretation of feeling has always been an implicit subject of photography, and in Tasya van Ree’s movingly beautiful still-lifes it becomes explicit, visible, as never before. Her photographs demonstrate that objects can bear witness to invisible ideas and emotional truths. This exhibition of photographs, rightfully titled ‘THE STILL LIFE” visits a new series of original work done by celebrated Los Angeles based photographer Tasya van Ree. This powerful and important set of photographs documents the severity of this growing issue affecting children across the world. Using dolls to represent children, Tasya exhibits the inanimate aspect of the motionless lives that these children face. Unmoving, captured, lost, silent, transfixed in an immobile state of mind, body, and soul. These images express their captivity, and presents them to the human eye in an extraordinary attempt to unravel the human heart. These dolls document the imprisonment of life within the world of deception, exploitation, prostitution, pornography, along with other detrimental acts of involuntary servitude. Every photo tells a story, encapsulated in one image, a tale of children trafficked in inhumane ways. The startling truth of what goes on in the world today.

Tasya van Ree has always been intrigued by the everyday wonders of the visual world. The sense of expansive awareness that for van Ree is a prerequisite to photography enables her to capture the small everyday flashes of insight that come when we are open to them and often go before we can fully grasp or appreciate them. Her extraordinarily vivid images are also a testimony to her eye for form and composition. Her photographs are infused with romanticism, darkness, intimacy, and a certain lyrical quality. They also capture the essence of the people, the landscape, and the intricacies of both the animate and inanimate worlds, and are a sort of meditation in seeing the powerful testaments between the relationship of human presence and transitory nature. Van Ree’s works are both formally vigorous and eternally evocative. Van Ree has consistently produced a highly compelling body of work on varied subjects. Her photographs have been exhibited widely, and are included in numerous private collections.

If you are unable to attend the event, and would like to make a donation, please click on the donate button. You can also text to give. Text Freedom (plus $ amount) to 27138. Please Click here for the invitation.

PHOTOGRAPHER TASYA VAN REE TO DEBUT THE STILL LIFE AT CELEBRITY VAULT

Proceeds from this event go to AbolishSlavery.org which is targeting
human trafficking in Haiti.

Date: Thursday, February 11, 2010
Time: 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Host: Amber Heard
Address: 345 North Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Phone: (310) 858-7875

BEVERLY HILLS, CA On Thursday, February 11th, photographer Tasya van Ree
will debut a charity photo exhibit at Celebrity Vault in Beverly Hills.
The event will be from 7-10pm. Proceeds from the event will go to AbolishSlavery.org.

Tasya’s latest collection of original work,‘The Still Life’, exhibits the inanimate aspect of the motionless lives trafficked children face. Van Ree uses dolls and props to subliminally express the growing severity of the human trafficking issue of the children worldwide. Her photography captures the unmoving, lost, silent and transfixed life in an immobile state of mind, body and soul.

Abolish Slavery is a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating human trafficking and restoring dignity to victims. They organize and coordinate investigations and field operations to find, identify, and retrieve people from slavery, providing for their safe aftercare and rehabilitation. Human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery in which people, mostly women and girls, are abducted, deceived or coerced into situations of forced labor. Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world.

Slavery in Haiti, pre-earthquake, was the worst in the Western Hemisphere. Since the devastating earthquake that took place on January 12, 2010, its the worst human rights pandemic in the world today. The children of Haiti are at even greater risk due to destruction of infrastructure and increase in vulnerability of the population. AbolishSlavery.org is taking immediate action to identify predators and actively protect the children of Haiti.

Contact:

Courtney Knittel
Patricola Public Relations
310.860.9770
courtney@plpr.com
Facebook
Twitter

More information:

The Celebrity Vault
Tasya van Ree

About the Artist:

Visual interpretation of feeling has always been an implicit subject of photography, and in Tasya van Ree’s movingly beautiful still-lifes it becomes explicit, visible, as never before. Her photographs demonstrate that objects can bear witness to invisible ideas and emotional truths. This exhibition of photographs, rightfully titled ‘THE STILL LIFE” visits a new series of original work done by celebrated Los Angeles based photographer Tasya van Ree. This powerful and important set of photographs documents the severity of this growing issue affecting children across the world. Using dolls to represent children, Tasya exhibits the inanimate aspect of the motionless lives that these children face. Unmoving, captured, lost, silent, transfixed in an immobile state of mind, body, and soul. These images express their captivity, and presents them to the human eye in an extraordinary attempt to unravel the human heart. These dolls document the imprisonment of life within the world of deception, exploitation, prostitution, pornography, along with other detrimental acts of involuntary servitude. Every photo tells a story, encapsulated in one image, a tale of children trafficked in inhumane ways. The startling truth of what goes on in the world today.

Tasya van Ree has always been intrigued by the everyday wonders of the visual world. The sense of expansive awareness that for van Ree is a prerequisite to photography enables her to capture the small everyday flashes of insight that come when we are open to them and often go before we can fully grasp or appreciate them. Her extraordinarily vivid images are also a testimony to her eye for form and composition. Her photographs are infused with romanticism, darkness, intimacy, and a certain lyrical quality. They also capture the essence of the people, the landscape, and the intricacies of both the animate and inanimate worlds, and are a sort of meditation in seeing the powerful testaments between the relationship of human presence and transitory nature. Van Ree’s works are both formally vigorous and eternally evocative. Van Ree has consistently produced a highly compelling body of work on varied subjects. Her photographs have been exhibited widely, and are included in numerous private collections.

If you are unable to attend the event, and would like to make a donation, please click on the donate button. You can also text to give. Text Freedom (plus $ amount) to 27138. Please Click here for the invitation.

Education includes events, speakers, literature, media, film, still images and music that will inform the public about the genocide and slavery in the Sudan. Speakers at our events include three time World Press award winner Ron Haviv, New York Legislators, leaders of Save The Children, Amnesty International and other partner organizations. Artists that have participated at our events include George Clinton &P-Funk, Talib Kweli, Immortal Technique, Rejectionist Front, Women of the Calabash and others.

Advocacy includes utilizing the education component as a mean to prompt action that can end the suffering in Sudan such as divestment from all public and private entities doing business in the Sudan, targeted sanctions on members of the Sudanese government, enforcement of UN resolutions to provide a robust peacekeeping force and a no-fly zone.

Rock To Save Darfur provides financial support to the following organizations: Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, Christian Solidarity International, Jewish World Watch, Darfur Peoples Association of Greater New York, American Jewish World Services, SaveDarfur.org and others.

RTSD has a special earmarked program with Christian Solidarity International to continue their critical work to liberate slaves from the Sudan. Hundreds of men, women and children have been liberated through this program. Fund donated to our partner organization provide water, food, mosquito nets and medicine that have helped save thousands of lives. Additional donations provide clothing and school supplies.

RTSD produces concert benefit events and empowers Student Take Action Now in Darfur chapters, university student activities programs, other not for profit organizations and concerned individuals to co-produce events by providing resources as required including artists, speakers, audio/visual materials, literature, promotion, funding and/or other support.

In addition to RTSD’s work for Sudan, Rock To Save Darfur co-produces events that help other humanitarian efforts including Haiti, Burma and The Congo.

For more information about Rock To Save Darfur:

How to help end the genocide and slavery in the Sudan
How to join the community
How to create your own event with RTSD

Please go www.rocktosavedarfur.com for music videos of the band Rejectionist Front performing
“Fifty Dollars” about slavery in Sudan that intermixes live performance with footage of slave liberation. Also, visit www.world2be.com for more information on the film “Tibet: Beyond Fear and Eyes of the World.”

Contact Information:
go to: www.rocktosavedarfur.org
contact@rocktosavedarfur.org or call (201) 863-1010 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (201) 863-1010 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Rock To Save Darfur is sponsored by World2Be Productions

IMG_8187One of Burma’s main rebel groups has pledged to stop using child soldiers in return for outside aid in an effort to enhance its international credibility.

Leaders of the Shan State army (SSA), one of several ethnic insurgent groups battling the country’s military junta, have signed a memorandum of understanding with Abolish Slavery and International Operations Centre for Children (IOCC), two western non-governmental organisations, to prevent minors serving in its forces.

Burma has the highest number of child soldiers in the world – about 70,000. A Human Rights Watch report in 2002 found widespread forced recruitment of boys as young as 11. Subsequent reports say the number of child soldiers in Burma is largely unchanged despite international condemnation.

International law prohibits the recruitment of children under 15 and the use of child soldiers has been recognised as a war crime under the statute for the international criminal court.

In Burma, the national army is the biggest culprit. Flouting the country’s own laws that prohibit any recruitment of under 18s, the army apprehends boys at public places such as markets and bus stations, using threats and violence to force them to join. Once trained, children as young as 12 have been sent to fight against ethnic insurgent groups.

Rebel groups also forcibly conscript children. The United Wa State army, the biggest rebel force, has the largest number. The Kachin Independence army is the only armed group to recruit girls. The SSA and the Karen National Liberation army have policies against recruiting children under 18, but do not turn away children who actively seek to join.

Christian Elliott, of the IOCC, who signed the agreement with Lieutenant Colonel Kon Jern, a SSA commander, said the reason behind the insurgents’ anti-child soldiers pledge was international credibility.

“They are looking for brownie points any way they can and in return we will provide them with educational material for teachers and children, including books writing materials, computers and distant education opportunities,” Elliott said.

The Shan area once used to be a major producer of heroin but the rebel groups have made an effort to stamp out production as part of the drive for international respectability.

Elliott, who made the arduous trek into Burma to sign the agreement, said the SSA has between 2,000 and 3,000 soldiers.

The rebel group has also agreed to provide evidence of human rights abuses by the Burmese army in the form of video and photographs. The material is to be displayed on the Abolish Slavery website in support of the SSA’s to help the people of the Shan state, in the east of the country.

Home to several ethnic armed groups, Shan remains largely outside central government control.

“Burma Rebels Vow to Stop Using Child Soldiers”
Shan insurgents get foreign aid in return for halting use of children in country with highest number of underage conscripts.
Guardian.co.uk
By U.K. Columnist, Mark Tran

One of Burma’s main rebel groups has pledged to stop using child soldiers in return for outside aid in an effort to enhance its international credibility.

Leaders of the Shan State army (SSA), one of several ethnic insurgent groups battling the country’s military junta, have signed a memorandum of understanding with Abolish Slavery and International Operations Centre for Children (IOCC), two western non-governmental organisations, to prevent minors serving in its forces.

Burma has the highest number of child soldiers in the world – about 70,000. A Human Rights Watch report in 2002 found widespread forced recruitment of boys as young as 11. Subsequent reports say the number of child soldiers in Burma is largely unchanged despite international condemnation.

International law prohibits the recruitment of children under 15 and the use of child soldiers has been recognised as a war crime under the statute for the international criminal court.

In Burma, the national army is the biggest culprit. Flouting the country’s own laws that prohibit any recruitment of under 18s, the army apprehends boys at public places such as markets and bus stations, using threats and violence to force them to join. Once trained, children as young as 12 have been sent to fight against ethnic insurgent groups.

Rebel groups also forcibly conscript children. The United Wa State army, the biggest rebel force, has the largest number. The Kachin Independence army is the only armed group to recruit girls. The SSA and the Karen National Liberation army have policies against recruiting children under 18, but do not turn away children who actively seek to join.

Christian Elliott, of the IOCC, who signed the agreement with Lieutenant Colonel Kon Jern, a SSA commander, said the reason behind the insurgents’ anti-child soldiers pledge was international credibility.

“They are looking for brownie points any way they can and in return we will provide them with educational material for teachers and children, including books writing materials, computers and distant education opportunities,” Elliott said.

The Shan area once used to be a major producer of heroin but the rebel groups have made an effort to stamp out production as part of the drive for international respectability.

Elliott, who made the arduous trek into Burma to sign the agreement, said the SSA has between 2,000 and 3,000 soldiers.

The rebel group has also agreed to provide evidence of human rights abuses by the Burmese army in the form of video and photographs. The material is to be displayed on the Abolish Slavery website in support of the SSA’s to help the people of the Shan state, in the east of the country.

Home to several ethnic armed groups, Shan remains largely outside central government control.