A First Hand Report from Burma

Today's reports of violence, during which 100 monks and laymen were arrested after a brutal military clash in Yangon, Myanmar (formerly Rangoon, Burma), remind us that a lot of good needs to happen in our world. You can help the Burmese artisans who have been forced to flee their country's brutal dictatorship for crowded refugee camps in Thailand by shopping for Burmese scarves, ornaments, cards and dolls online at One World Projects.

Speaking of good, we'll be attending GOOD magazine's one year anniversary party this Saturday at the Smithsonian's Museum of the American Indian. For those of you who aren't familiar, GOOD is "media for people who give a damn" and according the magazine's founder Ben Goldhirsh, "GOOD exists to add value... [and] provide[s] a platform for the ideas, people, and businesses that are driving change in the world." Check out the magazine’s blog for a behind-the-scenes scoop of this week’s violence from a Burmese staff member.

Thai policy discourages income generation by refugees within the camps, and forbids people to work outside the camp. So One World Projects has partnered with WEAVE (Womens' Education for Advancement and Empowerment), a non-profit organization working within Thailand, to assist refugees in providing for their families by expanding the market for their crafts into other parts of the world. Shopping for finely woven Burmese items gives back to the artisan and her family by paying a living wage for her work, enabling her to feed her family and educate her kids, and makes an excellent holiday gift. Now that’s GOOD.

The Anniversary event is open to any subscriber who RSVPs before 4:00 pm on Sat 29, 2007. For more information about the party, click here. If you're not a subscriber, consider choosing GOOD in order to attend — 100% of your subscription fee (just $20!) goes to support one of twelve charities, including UNICEF, Teach for America, and the World Wildlife Fund USA