Tuesday 13 January 2015

Solidarity - Hope - and "By Invitation Only"


By Invitation Only

 January 2015

Coty of Coty Farquhar Styling in Australia 

is the author of this month's topic:



BARTERING

How could/would I survive, what are my "skills"....

I could tell you about sewing, growing vegetables, 
having hens, milking cows and goats etc...,
cooking, housekeeping.....painting walls, restoring furniture....
trading with my old linen and hemp....
and if necessary I could even survive without electricity - just about.

But - having still in mind the recent incidents -
in this moment I would like to exchange my pens and pencils 
against all the kalachnikovs and weapons in the world
to turn them into ploughshares by our blacksmith.



Or.....
breeding "Peace Pigeons"....


....and sending them off to the world.


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Sorry for being rather short and serious this time.
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Please visit Marsha's blog to
read and see everyone's idea about "Bartering"
certainly more interesting than my one.


By Invitation Only
here
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SOLIDARITY

 At least 1.5 million people have marched in the centre of Paris last Sunday.
 They marched “for the Republic”, “against hatred” and  “for history”.

 Charlie Hebdo Demonstration, Paris

The Old and the Young, 
The White, The Brown and The Black; 
The Left and the Right.

There were old men in berets; 
young black people in baseball hats; 
Jewish people in yarmulkes; 
Muslims in headscarves.
They marched to say “I am Charlie” 
but also “I am Jewish” 
and 
“I am a flic

 42-year-old Ahmed Merabet

who was he?
 Merabet worked at a police station in Paris' 11th Arrondissement,
near the location of Charlie Hebdo's offices.
Merabet was himself Muslim

Merabet, then, died at the hands of one of his own.
He gave his life to protect Charlie Hebdo's right to ridicule his religion

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Another two million marched in more than 60 similar demonstrations 
in towns and cities across the country. 

 Charlie Hebdo Demonstration, Paris

In the centre of the square, the statue of Marianne,
the woman who symbolises the French Republic,
was festooned with banners and French, Tunisian, Algerian and Moroccan flags.

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HOPE

Who would have thought 
that the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu
would walk through Paris four places away from 
Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority?

Charlie Hebdo Demonstration, Paris

there is certainly HOPE!

Forty-four world leaders linked arms and walked down the Boulevard Voltaire,
 pausing for a minute’s silence 
and then again when the names of the 17 victims were broadcast over a loudspeaker. 
The victims were listed alphabetically, 
anarchist cartoonists, 
Jewish supermarket shoppers 
and police officers all mixed up together.

 Charlie Hebdo Demonstration, Paris

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Let me take this opportunity to remember also the Journalists 
 who have been killed/murdered worldwide 
only during the last three years:

74 Journalists Killed in 2012

70 Journalists Killed in 2013

61 Journalists Killed in 2014






Embedded image permalink
"Passing the pencil"
by Iranian cartoonist Mana Neyestani

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"Je suis Ahmed"
'Charlie' ridiculed my faith and culture
and I died defending his right to do so


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"I do not agree with what you have to say, 
but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."

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“Je pense, donc je suis Charlie”. 

“I think, therefore I am Charlie.”

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Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt - Hope dies last

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10 comments:

  1. Yes, yes, yes to this beautiful post.

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  2. I agree with DA! Beautiful post.

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  3. THAT WAS VERY POWERFUL.....................BRAVO YOU!

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  4. Dear Karin,
    You so clearly describe the events of this past week. Thank you for shining the light of hope.
    Helenx

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  5. Dear Karin I so agree ....!! Thankyou for the post...solidarity is the only way forward.
    Sending you much love ...Gail x

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  6. Dear Karin,
    What a clever and poignant post for our BIO topic this month. You have applied the recent atrocities to the subject so well and, of course, we are all whole-heartedly in agreement with you. Sending much love to you and to France. XXXX

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  7. What a beautiful post. I hope it doesn't take another tragedy to continue to bring people together in peace and solidarity.

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  8. such a hearting warming post! xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

    ReplyDelete