31st October 2015 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)
“There are Palestinian
women, who defy Israeli occupation”
“Lidia Rimawi wanted a
son. Her husband was a political
prisoner serving a 25 year sentence in an Israeli prison”
“He would be fifty years
old when he was finally released”
“To have a child, she
took her husband’s sperm in a plastic bottle and smuggled it out of the prison”
“Lidia took a taxi
straight to the Razan Medical Centre in Ramallah, where she was inseminated”
“It worked and months
later her son Majd was born”
“Her husband was
punished for smuggling his sperm to her”
“His sentence was
extended by two months and he was fined 5,000 shekels (about $1,300) as a
punishment”
“The Israeli prison
authorities still refuse to allow Majd to visit his father, so he has had to
see him by photographs”
“It is women like
Lidia, who make up the backbone of the resistance movement in Palestine”
“They are the givers
of life, keepers of family tradition and the culture bearers”
“They continue to
resist in often unreported and unacknowledged ways!”
“Palestinian women
believe in being mothers and martyrs, sisters of fighters and daughters of
hunger strikers”
“Fulla Jallad does not
consider herself to be an artist, but she became inspired to paint the portrait
of Samer Huisawai”
“He was a prisoner on
an eight month hunger strike at the time”
“She was touched by
his act of resistance and she felt compelled to honour him”
“Her paintings have
become a powerful tool for resistance”
“Fulla held the
painting next to his mother, in front of the Red Cross in Ramallah”
“Samer Huisawai is
starving himself, because he is being held with no charge. All he wants is to
be treated as a human being”
“Fulla works as a town
guide at the Natar Resort, the largest museum in the West Bank”
“This is one part of
her struggles to free Palestine”
“She says she shows
the world that Palestine always existed. In the war of existence, to exist is
to resist”
“In the city of
Silwan, which has been renamed the City of David, Wadid refuses to move”
“Her house sits with
three others fenced off from what some call Jewish Disneyland”
“Tour guides parade
outside her window and tourists from all over the world see the historic areas”
“In her small
well-kept home there hangs a painting above the table”
“It shows a young man
on the ground with a stab wound in his chest”
“It is Wadid’s son,
Yusef, who was murdered by a settler”
“An artist took a
photograph of his body and painted the likeness for Wadid and her family”
“Her son’s killer
remains free and lives just a few houses away”
“The boy who stabbed
her son was not charged or anything as he was a minor”
“Wadid knows the
family well”
“The Israeli state
tries to offer Wadid cash to move, but she insists she is staying unless they
kick her out!”
“Wadid is 78 years
old. She was born there and will remain so”
“Her husband’s dying
wish while in hospital was, “Never take
money for the house””
““If they kick you out, that’s one thing, but don’t take money””
“Her son’s body was
taken to the Abu Khbir Forensic Institute”
“There, all his
organs, even his tendons, were taken out without the family’s permission”
“They even took his
eyes. Wadid later buried what was left of her son!”
““It is very difficult to live in this place”, Wadid says, “but we do not move from here””
““I stay here because it is our land. It is Palestinian land!””
“They live to raise
children, teaching the young about the history and all forms of resistance and
demonstrations”
“Palestinians have to remain
steadfast!”
30th October 2015 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)
“China these days has
many more women than men due to the one child policy”
“As a result it has
caused women, who are still in their late thirties to remain unmarried”
“The parents of these
women are extremely worried about their children being single”
“The mothers in
Beijing are doing what they call ‘Marriage
Markets’”
“Here the mothers of
single children gather in the city’s Zhongshan Park in the hope of matching
their child up with another desperate parent”
“Twice a week around
30-60 parents meet up in the same spot carrying pieces of paper which hold the
relevant information about their child”
“It contains their job
information, level of education and salary as well as their physical
attributes”
“When these ‘Marriage Markets’ first started, it was
primarily the mothers doing the work, now they are dragging their single
children along”
“Out of duty, single
women accompany their mothers twice a week and stand beside them silently for
over an hour at a time”
“This is most
humiliating for the single women”
“A term, which depicts
single women of a certain age, is ‘Leftover’”
“It was first
mentioned in the Chinese Women’s Federation in 2007. It describes young females
in their late 20’s that are not married”
“While the label is
new, the message isn’t!”
“Marriage in China has
less to do with romantic love and more to do with duty and social stability”
“Today, China’s women
still face harsh judgements for remaining unmarried past a certain age”
“The stigmatism is
that these women have failed and therefore there must be a problem with them”
“A young woman of 27
years old was so desperate to rid herself of the label ‘Leftover’ that she practically stopped eating”
“Chinese men prefer
thin women”
“This young woman just
wanted to be normal, get married and have a baby”
“Another young woman,
now 36 and still not married, spent her life studying and making money and
sending that money back home”
“By the time she was
30, she still had no idea about relationships or how to put on make up to make
herself look beautiful”
“She had stopped going
back home, as her family and the community saw her as a monster because she was
single”
“Today, a Chinese
journalist called Roseann Lake, who spends most of her time now in the US,
travelled for three years all over China”
“There she met and
interviewed over 100 women for her book called the ‘Leftover Phenomenon’”
“Lake has made a film
getting both men and women to share their stories”
“It gives an insight
to the complexities of love, sex, marriage and relationships in China”
“This film also
emphasises the unrealistic social pressures and expectations that accompany all
these issues”
“The tragedy that
makes women feel discriminated against, because of their unmarried status, is
that they are made to feel like weirdos”
“It has been said that
they cannot do their jobs properly, because they do not have a husband”
“More and more women
are slowly changing their minds, especially in the big cities”
“China is becoming
more open and the people are starting to talk about being ‘Leftover’ – they can begin to actually laugh about it!”
“There is an article,
which sheds light on the human rights issues that surround China regarding
their own people especially the young women”
“They are so cruelly
stigmatised, just because they cannot get married by a certain age”
“What chance is there
for other situations, where the Chinese people are unable to perform in the
right way through no fault of their own?”
29th October 2015 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)
“The world’s first
‘Indigenous Olympics’ are being held in Brazil”
“Palmas is Brazil’s
Amazon city”
“Here the event is
held, where archers, wrestlers and runners from ethnic groups from around the
world take part”
“This sporting event
brings together athletes from over 20 countries and the games opened on 23rd
October and run until 1st November”
“These athletes are
competing in ten sports, which range from running, swimming, wrestling and
football”
“There are also the
traditional games like spear-throwing and racing with heavy logs”
“This is Brazil’s
first year in opening up what will be an annual Indigenous Games for foreigners
to come and experience this amazing event”
“It has been said that
it’s a low key version of what will be next year’s Summer Olympics, which are
being held in Rio de Janeiro”
“It was the indigenous
people from the various ethnic groups and countries that danced during the
opening ceremony”
“All danced in their
native colourful costumes”
“This multisport event
has over 2,000 participants from 23 countries and is a triumphant for the
organisers”
“It is also a triumph
for the participants, who take part in this glorious event”
“Brazil is home to
nearly 900,000 indigenous people that speak a total of 274 languages”
“It has been estimated
that there are 370 million indigenous peoples making up more than 5% of the
world’s population”
“The number of
privileged spectators watching these games is between 10,000 and 30,000 each
day”
“We, as people, are
privileged to have such rich cultures in our world”
“These games continue
to highlight the need to embrace all and to learn from them”
“Everybody the world
over has something to offer, either through experience, skills or the gifts we
can share with one another”
“We should never fear
another’s race, but embrace them as we strive to learn more”
“Then we can become
enriched by their knowledge of life, which we all share”
“These Indigenous
Olympics will flourish and all will come to enjoy them with an open heart and
mind!”
28th October 2015 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)
“As we live in an
ever-changing world, we have to start to see things differently and to
understand that we are all human”
“We are all created
from the same source of intelligence that is the balance in all things”
“We, as a human race,
are joined together by our spiritual life-force, which is inside all of us”
“It only departs from
our physical being at the point of brain death”
“We all arrive from
the same creative force and all return to it when it is our time to leave this
earthly plane”
“It is important to
recognise and understand that we are all people together”
“We all bleed. We cry when we are upset, we get ill and we
all strive to reunite with each other to feel and experience love”
“We must, as a human
race, stop looking at our colour, where we came from and where we are going”
“We must start to look
within and see the God force in each and every one of us and to understand we
are all one in his creation”
“Love is the powerful
experience, which all understand and desire.
To this we all gravitate”
“It is the power of
that love that binds us in goodness and is the reason we can all grow and
thrive”
“Accept each and every
one of you that you were created in love”
“We are watched over
in love and will be united in the next dimension in everlasting love after our
earthly life is over!”
27th October 2015 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)
“The University of
Mississippi has stopped flying the state flag on its campus, because it
features the Confederate battle emblem”
“Students are mainly
young people of conscience and they have come together as a student body, which
voted to remove the flag”
“These students were
joined by two other student groups reinforcing the same theme”
“It was the University
of Mississippi that came to the realisation years ago that the Confederate
battle flag did not represent their core values”
“These core values are
civility and respect for others”
“The murder of nine
parishioners at the historical black church in Charleston, South Carolina
renewed their debate”
“This was on the place
the flag had in US culture”
“A month after the
tragedy, the Confederate flag was removed from South Carolina’s capital
grounds”
“At the time of the US
Civil War, the Confederate flag became a symbol for southern states fighting to
break away from the union”
“Many now see the
Confederate flag as an icon of slavery and racism”
“While the US is still
coming to terms with its past…”
“…any attempt to bring
in reform of togetherness and integration of all its citizens is welcomed”
“It must be remembered
that black slaves were brought into the US by force”
“Many were subjected
to horrific injustices, which have been well documented”
“It is high time that
white people realised that black people have standards, are human with feelings
and have their pride”
“Many of the African
people came from high places of office in their communities”
“They were treated
like less than dogs when they arrived on US soil”
“It is high time that
respect was given to these souls and for the white man to be reminded of their
hand in all the sufferings that went on”
“In order for the US
to survive and thrive, it must move forwards and recognise all its citizens are
equal under the law”
“This includes their
first nation Americans”
“All must be given
equal rights for their advancement and not just for the select few”
“A nation is only
great by the reduction of poverty within its subjects”
“Those standards of
education should be enjoyed for all, furthering the US in all areas where its
citizens can benefit”
“Anything less than
that is pure dereliction of the State’s own duty”
26th October 2015 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)
“An Indian woman
stranded in Pakistan for a decade has finally returned to India”
“Geeta, who has speech
and hearing impairments, was about eleven years old when it was believed she
strayed into Pakistan”
“Her plight emerged
following a Bollywood film, which told the story of a Pakistani girl, who could
not speak and was trapped in India”
“All this time Geeta
had been looked after by the Edhi Foundation charity”
“It was they who
accompanied her from Karachi to Delhi”
“There she was
received by officials from the Pakistani High Commission and India’s Foreign
Ministry”
“Efforts have been
made to find Geeta’s family since August, after India accepted her as one of
their citizens”
“Geeta will need to
undertake a DNA test to match her up with her real family and where at last she
can be reunited with them”
“The Pakistani media
have been closely following Geeta’s journey back home”
“Geeta’s homecoming is
being seen as a rare example of humanitarian cooperation between the two hostile
neighbouring countries”
“Geeta was presented
with flowers and gifts before she left Pakistan”
“Faisal Edhi runs the
charity that has cared for Geeta all this time”
“He said, “Geeta is not really separating from us. We
will keep in touch with her”
“When love, right
thinking and action are performed new life is born”
“Then there is a
better understanding that we are all human and need help at times”
“It is to be commended
that the Edhi Foundation charity has a lot of love in their hearts & are able
to help so many people with this love”
“Geeta won’t be the
only one who has benefitted from them!”
25th October 2015 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)
“Dr Edith Kariko and
her colleagues in Papua New Guinea have dedicated their lives to bringing
information about family planning options”
“They bring it to the
villages in the highland regions”
“It is from these
remote villages that the people have to travel long distances to find family
planning assistance”
“This results in
families being far larger than they can cope with”
“At present having
four children is already too many and it increases the risks of maternal
mortality”
“It also means that
women are less able to get paid work”
“It becomes harder for
their children to go to school, as money is needed for this to happen”
“Dr Kariko’s family
planning techniques use comedy theatre to get their messages across and to show
what options are available to them”
“As a result many of
the men end up choosing to get a vasectomy – a simple five minute operation”
“In the past few years
there has been a 7,000 % increase in vasectomies”
“Dr Kariko is forging
ahead bringing in long term relief to many families, who are already
overstretched”
“With her methods it
allows families to take an active role in just how many children they are
capable of comfortably affording”
“This family planning
project has already had an impact on the wider community and the country at
large”
“Again it is women
fighting for women & to bring in salvation where all are able to gain &
that includes the wanted children of this world”
24th October 2015 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)
“Thousands of students
gathered outside President Zuma’s Pretoria offices saying theirs was a hollow
victory”
“It was a peaceful
crowd of demonstrators, mainly students”
“But there were others
who were black and white, rich and poor, who demonstrated against the rise of
student fees”
“The South African
Police Services as always go in heavy-handedly spraying tear gas and shooting
rubber bullets into the crowd”
“This was shortly
after the announcement that President Zuma would not increase student fees”
“This protest is
taking the country in a new direction of popular protest, likely to play a part
in next year’s local government elections”
“The student protest
flourished from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg”
“It grew to a
nationwide shut down of the higher education institutions”
“Many students cannot
afford the registration fees, never mind the school fees themselves”
“The desperation for
these students is unimaginable”
“Protests were the
only vehicle that the students had to stem the annual escalation of fees at the
higher education institutions”
“This protest had been
the biggest student protest to hit the country since apartheid ended in 1994”
“Today’s protest
lasted for a whole week”
“As the protests
mounted, it forced the Education Minister to issue a 6% cap on all fees for the
coming academic year”
“The University
administrators thought this was a healthy compromise, the students disagreed”
“The President of
Witwatersrand Student Representative Council said the students had three
demands”
“These were the
outsourcing of labour on university campuses, an end to discrimination of
workers on university campuses…”
“…and zero percentage
increase in fees for 2016”
“This was to be a step
forwards in achieving a free education”
“President Zuma chose
to speak on national television rather than to address the students first”
“This showed his
political manipulation of the situation”
“This made the
students very angry indeed”
“ANC members, who
voted for the increase in student’s fees, later join in the student
demonstrations in Pretoria”
“They were celebrating
the student’s victory”
“This is absurd, as
ANC members are responsible for policy decisions advocating the increase in
student fees”
“They then proceeded
to join the students against the increases”
“These contradictions
points to the failings of the ANC identity”
“The ANC enjoy the trappings
of their political party with all the decision makings”
“But at the same time
they want to be seen as a social movement”
“The student victory
in the student’s eyes is already a hollow one and maybe short lived”
“Education for
students is the most important tool to addressing inequality and should be
accessible and affordable for all!”
“They now have to see
if their demands are noticed by the present Government”
“What is for sure is
that they will have their voices heard until victory is finally won!”
23rd October 2015 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)
“Forty years tomorrow,
24th October 1975, signifies what Icelandic people call ‘The Long Friday’”
“On that day the women
of Iceland went on strike and they refused to work, cook and look after the
children for the day”
“It was a moment in
history that changed the way women were seen in the country”
“It helped to put
Iceland at the forefront of the fight for equality”
“In November 1980, a
divorced single mother won Iceland’s Presidency, her name was Vigdís
Finnbogadóttir”
“Called Vigdís, she
became Europe’s first female President and the first woman in the world to be
democratically elected as head of state”
“She held this
position for sixteen years”
“As a result many
Icelandic children had grown up thinking that being President was a women’s
job”
“Vigdís’s Presidency
set Iceland on a course to become known as “the world’s most feminist country””
“On that day, 90% of
the women in the country decided to demonstrate their importance by going on
strike”
“Instead of going to
the office and doing the housework or childcare they took to the streets in
their thousands”
“They went to rally
for equal rights with men”
“It is known in
Iceland as the Women’s Day Off”
“The women’s strike
completely paralysed the country and opened up the eyes of many men”
“Banks, factories and
some shops had to close, as did schools and nurseries”
“This left the fathers
no choice, but to take their children to work and later to take them back home
to feed them”
“It was a real baptism
of fire for some fathers; literally the men had to take care of everything”
“Children’s voices
were heard in the background while the newsreaders read the news on the radio”
“It is high time that
women start to believe in their own self-worth and the very important
contribution they make to all societies”
“It is at times of war
when the men are away fighting that women become the back bone of countries”
“They are doing all
the jobs that men used to do”
“Women need to stand
and unite together in strength to bring about changes, without that unity
changes will be slow and protracted”
“It is now that women
must gather momentum and believe in their own power and effectiveness in their
roles as equals around the world”
“Until this is done
collectively, then women’s power will not be sustained and will be seen as a
sign of weakness”
“The world is changing
and women are starting to realise that they are able to go forwards without the
constant battering by men”
“It is the men that continue
to put them in their place”
“This change cannot
come in soon enough, as many women are subjected to immense cruelty by the
dominance of men”
22nd October 2015 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)
“Benjamin Netanyahu
has been mocked and condemned”
“He has claimed that
Hitler did not intend to kill the Jews until he was convinced to do so by a
Palestinian mufti”
“Hitler was already
massacring Jews many months before he even met with Haj Amin Husseini”
“As always Netanyahu
continues to incite hatred and revenge against the Palestinians for what he
sees as his right to do”
“It is now time that
world leaders stand united to bring about positive action”
“They must not allow
for a hatred deranged person to continue shouting his mouth off”
“Germany’s Chancellor
Angela Merkel needs no reminder of the holocaust undertaken by Hitler at that
time”
“Germany’s efforts to
bring about solutions to make amends for their failings at that time are
ongoing”
“It is high time that
Netanyahu learnt from International leaders”
“Israel must start
dealing with their own ethnic cleansing that they continue to do in their
apartheid state”
“Hatred in this world
will never win out”
“The destruction
caused by Netanyahu’s extreme hatred is being felt by all Jews around the
world”
“It is they who feel
the repercussions of his despicable behaviour”
“The hatred of Jews
worldwide continues to increase year on year, because Netanyahu refuses to
change”
“He thinks he can win
by obliterating Palestinians from this world”
“This will never
happen and Palestinians will continue to survive”
“This in spite of the
International communities shameless burying their heads in the sand and
continuing to do nothing”
“As we have said
before, it is Israel that rules this world”
“The genie in the
bottle has been released and is now so powerful none will stand up to it”
“Even America is
embarrassed but does nothing, again shame on them”
“Henry Kissinger once
said “Israel won’t exist in 20 years,
because they refuse to change their apartheid rogue ways””
“Those words will come
true!”
21st October 2015 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)
“Both North &
South Koreas have come together to allow for families who have not seen each
other for 60 years to have a family reunion”
“A young woman Lee
Soon-kyu married at the age of 19”
“She was pregnant and
her husband, who worked in the fields of South Korea, simply disappeared”
“The young man, Oh
In-she, was supposed to be off for a week’s military training, but he never
returned”
“Decades passed and
Lee Soon-kyu thought her husband had died”
“She looked after her
in-laws and paid annual rites to her husband and kept a pair of his shoes”
“Lee Soon-kyu raised
their son, Jang-kyun, as a single mother, never remarrying”
“When Jang-kyun heard
his father was still alive in North Korea, he wanted to see him”
“At 64 years old he
felt at last he had a father and felt a sense of pride”
“It was arranged for
the families to gather together in an immigration building south of the border”
“From there they went
on buses to the North Korean resort”
“Lee met her husband
with a compassionate smile. He had remarried and has another family in the
North, which did not worry Lee Soon-kyu”
“There was little time
for these meetings, with only six meetings of two hours each before they all
had to say their goodbyes”
“Jang-kyun gave his
father a deep bow out of respect to a man he had never met, but still was able
to recognise him from across the room”
“Later husband and
wife sat at a table feeding each other crackers and laughing like newlyweds”
“This is one story
amid tens of thousands of around 66,000 South Koreans, who remain on the
register of applicants”
“They wanted to meet
up with their families, but many had already died in the waiting”
“The North/South
Korean conflict, which shows no signs of abating, has caused deep wounds and
scars to its people”
“Perhaps one day
sanity will be recognised and peace will finally come to this divided people”
“As with the Berlin
Wall, time moves on and a new way of operating becomes possible”
“We all pray for that
to happen”
20th October 2015 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)
“A story of immense
courage and conviction by a movement of 6,000 barely educated women labourers”
“They took on one of
the world’s most powerful companies and won!”
“Indian women tea
pickers challenged the male dominated world of trade unions and politics”
“They refused to allow
men to take over their campaign”
“The women tea pickers
work for a huge plantation company Kannan Devan Hills Plantations that is part
owned by Tata, the owner of Tetley Tea”
“An incident sparked
off this outrage, which had been building up over a long period of time”
“The workers were to
have their bonuses cut”
“Tea workers in India
are treated appallingly anyway with living conditions of a one bed hut with no
toilets or amenities”
“The families are all
malnourished and vulnerable to fatal illnesses”
“The women earn only
£2.3p a day, which is half of what other tea workers get in Kerala”
“These women accused
the male trade unions of being in cahoots with the company’s management”
“They said they were
denying the women their entitlements, yet saving their own plum jobs”
“When 6,000 women
occupied a main road leading to the headquarters of the plantation company, it
was organised entirely on their own”
“They chased away all
the trade union leaders and politicians, who tried to support their cause”
“They also pulled down
the flag posts outside the trade union offices”
“The women insisted
they would continue with their protests until their demands were met
“The plantation
company of course were defiant, but after nine days of protests and marathon
negotiations the company finally gave in!”
“The women represented
the workforce and forced management to accept their demand to bring back the
20% bonus”
“Their pay rise was
negotiated by them separately and their increase was not met!”
“Then the unions
launched an indefinite campaign to raise the rates from 232 rupees to 500
rupees a day”
“Yet again the women
refused to be a part of this union effort and launched their own independent
demands for higher wages”
“As they already had
nothing to lose, they felt they could hold out even if it meant starving to
death”
“They said they would
never be exploited again, enough was enough! They have since won again”
“What is so alarming
is the abject greed and exploitation by big companies who continue to ride
roughshod over people”
“These women tea
pickers only wish to earn a living wage”
“Their dignity is
taken away by those who sit in luxury in high office drinking their tea”
“They have no qualms
about the constant misery they are bringing to their work force”
“Workers the world
over are now fighting for their rights”
“These are the women
who feel that unless they take a stand nothing in their lives will ever change”
“The global movement
of women against injustice imposed on them by their male counterparts is
growing”
“Their voices are
being heard and nothing will ever stop them, as they have been suppressed for
long enough”
“We must congratulate
all women who do stand up for their rights”
“They begin to change
the male dominated injustice that goes on throughout this world”
19th October 2015 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)
“Many children around
the world are gaining mentally and physically by playing rugby”
“They not only gain
physical fitness, they gain strength and coordination”
“The sport enables
children to test themselves, as they must learn to play by the rules, which
helps them form a child’s moral attitude”
“Playing in a team,
helps them learn social skills like sportsmanship, team spirit and cooperation”
“It allows children to
develop self-esteem, which is especially important for those who are not
academically minded”
“Children will improve
their body image and will come to understand the importance of physical health
and fitness”
“By playing rugby it
also enhances a child’s concentration, which is a part of life’s skills”
“The sport gives the
opportunity for children to develop their own personality and gives them an
insight into their own strengths”
“No matter what size a
person is, there will always be a position within the team allowing for all
shapes and sizes to participate”
“With rugby it shows children
how they must respect their opponents on the field, so creating a healthy
conflict”
“Children, who play
rugby, will benefit throughout their lives with mental and psychological
advantages”
“These will be with
them throughout their lives”
“Organisations are
being formed around the world to help children learn about rugby and to give
those children a sense of belonging”
“When you are
initiated into a rugby team, you become a part of a family”
“This is supportive
and gives the individual a sense of belonging and worth”
“Many children now in
North America are being taught the sport of rugby”
“These children often
come from deprived areas, where they only have one parent in their lives”
“Anger and a sense of
being disenfranchised goes once they become a part of a rugby team”
“These children are
able to channel their anger & frustration into this physical game; it’s
always positive & enables them to learn from it”
“They become at peace
in their hearts and minds and so stronger in their learning that rugby gives to
all who play it”
18th October 2015 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)
“World leaders are
coming together to try to break the deadlock on ideas of self-interest and
purposes”
“We are all entering
dark and horrific days, as the dogs of war gather momentum and begin to
encircle the civilised world”
“There are no winners
in these conflicts only hardship, disgrace and discourse”
“A coming together of
intellectual minds, who have nothing to gain but can see the broader picture
and will express their views to be debated”
“So many solutions
need to be found, where history has shown repeatedly that conflict is useless”
“Consideration for
Mankind’s welfare must now be taken into consideration”
“There is no longer a
so called master race. We are all
brothers and sisters together”
“We are united by a
common theme of love and expectancy of a life lived in peace”
“All leaders must now
look to their own hands in these conflicts and to finally own up to their part
in the constant mayhem that pursues”
“The constant warring
factions will in time be tamed as one begins to realise the futility of what
they have been fighting for”
“At the end of the day
there are no winners, nothing is ever gained or resolved”
“The dawn is breaking
on a new form of leadership, where the need for power is no longer the
objective, but the needs of the people are!”
“Mankind starts to
come into his own as the superpowers lose their will and aggression over the
people”
“Power is being taken
away from all superpowers by The Great Intelligence that sees over us and
guides us all forwards”
“No country is great
anymore”
“All are vulnerable to
earthly/global conditions be it climatic, financial or civil unrest”
“The tide is already
turning, whereby enemies of various countries will have to come together in
order to secure their own futures”
“Their futures are
crumbling around them, exposing them to the elements of uncertainty and fear”
“This is slowly
growing and exposing their power-loss, allowing for extreme negotiations to
take precedent over their needs for control”
“The hardliners of
this world will fall in all directions”
“It will be those
whose wisdom and overall forward-thinking will steer this world forwards”
“No one will judge
another as all must come to the table collectively to reach concrete agreements
towards world safety”
“The new dawn on
dialogue is being established where arms no longer play their part, but where
trade and common sense is finally realised”
“Peace always comes at
a price, but with war the price is always higher and always devastating”
“This world cannot
afford any longer to prop up the dictators of war, as their power-loss becomes
self-evident”
“It will be those
stable countries that will be able to pave the way and where trust and goodwill
are once again established”
“A new world order
will be formed and this will take many years in the making, but its seeds are
already taking root”
“Mankind will
eventually rise again from the destruction of the old world order and into the
new!”
“For the people it
really can’t come in quick enough!”
17th October 2015 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)
“How far must Mankind
go before it says enough is enough?”
“Fighting on every
level is a worldwide disease and there is no let up to this monster of one
nation or ideal wanting to crush another”
“In 1937 Pablo Picasso
read about the thousands of incendiary bombs dropped by Hitler and Mussolini’s
planes”
“They reduced the city
of Guemica to ashes. An incalculable number died and were wounded”
“Picasso’s masterpiece
evolved under his repugnance of aerial bombing”
“Guemica became the
emblem to the horrors of war”
“Picasso’s tapestry
facsimile was placed in the lobby of the United Nations in 2003”
“When Colin Powell
went to the UN to present the US case for military intervention in Iraq, the
tapestry was covered up by a blue curtain”
“Mr Powell couldn’t
try to seduce the world into bombing Iraq…”
“…while having the
background of the tapestry shrieking with mutilated women, men and children”
“The latest horror is
the MSF hospital in Afghanistan by the US’s aerial attack”
“The MSF’s President
Joanne Liu has called for a full investigation”
“It has been stated at
the Geneva Convention, where the organisation announced that ambulances and
military hospitals…”
“…were recognised as
neutral and so protected, because they housed the wounded and the sick”
“Despite all the wars
this legal situation regarding MSF has not been diluted”
“All know that
attacking neutral medical staff and facilities without notifying them in
advance are guilty of a war crime”
“It is vital that
President Liu’s appeal for an independent investigation by the US’s attack is
acted upon and any proven war crimes ensue”
“Our present world
crisis is a result of the assault on this world over the last seventy years”
“There has to be an
international consensus to bring about judicial process to restore sanity in
these global affairs”
“Allowing for this to
happen may give the young people of this world hope”
“Especially in Iraq,
Syria, Afghanistan and Palestine that the world is not entirely lawless and
senseless”
“A strong collective
international leadership is required that is bound by due law and process and
not by individual country’s interests”
“Just rules on any
society worth its weight will be bound by these same rules/laws as the weak”
“It has been said that
when Pablo Picasso was living in Nazi occupied Paris, he had his studio
searched by the Gestapo”
“Coming across the
Guemica the German officer asked the artist, “Did you do this?””
““No,” replied Picasso. “You did!””
16th October 2015 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)
“Sport is a powerful
tool for progress and development”
“In the post-genocide
Rwanda, Felicite Rwemalika’s work is an embodiment of this idea”
“Felicite has made
opportunities, which have brought increased wealth and skills to women and
families”
“All this is done by
women playing football”
“Felicite, who ran a
beauty salon, came across women who were traumatised by the genocide”
“Women were raped
several times, their husbands left them and were killed and sometimes their
children were killed”
“They did not have any
hope for the future”
“Felicite decided to
do something to change these women’s mind-sets.
Before the genocide football for women was unthinkable”
“In Rwanda the
authorities wanted to support change and so an agreement was made for the city
of Kigali to support girls’ football teams”
“The authorities were
even willing to pay them a wage which enabled them to stay at school”
“Felicite’s project,
AKWOS (the Association of Kigali Women in Sports) is more than just football”
“Rwanda has only 15%
of girls attending secondary schools. It has enabled girls to continue with
their education”
“Football has given
women and girls a safe space to meet and talk and has given them all
confidence”
“Women have grouped
together to start farming & open up other co-operatives & they are now
earning a significant income for the first time”
“Evidence has shown
that once women have control over household spending they soon invest in their
children and economic growth”
“Far more than men
do!”
“Felicite has
travelled with a head coach Grace Nyinawumuntu to the town of Gashanda to get
more women to start up football teams”
“They also get local
primary schools girls to play”
“Football has
empowered women in Rwanda”
“It has impacted on
the different communities and their benefits have spread across the entire
country”
“The AKWOS women now
have 1,200 women playing football, with 60 AKWOS teams in the country”
“From that, fifteen
players have started co-operatives”
“There have been 200
women who have joined the Rwandan Women’s National Football League since this
all began in 2008”
“The city of Kigali
supports AS Kigali players coached by an AKWOS graduate to stay in schools
furthering their education”
“It is this team sport
that has built up the social networks and has successfully built up women’s
confidence”
“Rwanda owes all this
to the amazing foresight of Felicite Rwemalika, who is an inspiration to so
many women”
“It is all about women
empowering women in this world, which makes the difference
“It brings them up to
what they are worth, which is so much!”
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