Daily Archives: July 27, 2014
Melanie Safka – Peace Will Come – YouTube
(7) Humans of Singapore
Moving from a corporate job to be a lecturer was definitely a 360 degree change, but it was definitely a lot more meaningful. In a corporate environment, after work you feel good. But after school, every day, you feel like you’ve done something right. And that made a huge difference to me, because my life suddenly became a lot more about empathy. Empathy towards students, towards guiding them, and towards helping them become more like their role models.”
“Is there one such situation that you can recall in particular?”
“This one time, there was a student who had just finished her O levels. I was talking to her, and after speaking with her for over half an hour, my instinct told me that she would fit well within human resources. So that’s what I suggested to her as well. One year later, I got a long message from her, telling me how happy she was with her course, and that she had no regrets going about it. And that made me happy. So yes, it has its challenges, and there’s a lot of implications and commitments that come with this job – but it also has its rewards.”
Meshaal: We are ready to coexist with Jews, but not ‘occupiers’ | Maan News Agency
Hamas continued to insist that any lasting ceasefire must be based on an Israeli lifting of the blockade on Gaza, with leader Khaled Meshaal warning that Palestinians cannot coexist with their neighbors while their land is occupied in an interview broadcast on Sunday.
On Saturday, Meshaal was interviewed by US broadcaster PBS in the Qatari capital Doha while in Gaza the party was under assault from Israeli forces in renewed fighting.
A full version of the interview will be broadcast late on Monday, but excerpts were revealed on Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”
Asked by veteran interviewer Charlie Rose whether he could foresee living beside Israelis in peace, Meshaal said only a future Palestinian state could decide whether to recognize Israel.
“We are not fanatics, we are not fundamentalists. We are not actually fighting the Jews because they are Jews per se. We do not fight any other races. We fight the occupiers,” he said.
“I’m ready to coexist with the Jews, with the Christians and the Arabs and non-Arabs,” he said. “However, I do not coexist with the occupiers.”
Pressed on whether Palestinians could recognize the state of Israel as a Jewish state, Meshaal reiterated Hamas’ position — the group does not recognize Israel.
“When we have a Palestinian state then the Palestinian state will decide on its policies. You cannot actually ask me about the future. I answered you,” he said.
“But Palestinian people can have their say when they have their own state without occupation.”
via Meshaal: We are ready to coexist with Jews, but not ‘occupiers’ | Maan News Agency.
And so goes the dance of words and few deeds other than hurling bombs and rockets at each other Mr. Meshaal speaks for his party and not for all Palestinians. Israel is pretending that everyone in Gaza – part of Palestine – is a Hamas member/supporter – not true. Everyone – quit dancing and start doing peace!
Obama speaks to Netanyahu, stresses need for ‘immediate’ ceasefire | News , Middle East | THE DAILY STAR
27 SUNDAY
JULY 2014
Agence France Presse
WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday, and stressed the need for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire.
In a statement, the White House said Obama “made clear the strategic imperative of instituting an immediate, unconditional humanitarian ceasefire that ends hostilities now and leads to a permanent cessation of hostilities based on the November 2012 ceasefire agreement.”
Tory Party declares war on British servicemen and women
(not satire – it’s the Tories!)
The Tories seem to have declared war on British servicemen and women.
Here’s some evidence:
Anger as record number of maimed troops are denied disability benefit
Troops made compulsorily redundant close to pension point
Soldier left suicidal after DWP accused him of faking injuries
Former soldier tells of humiliating Atos medical assessment
Ex-soldier with one kidney to lose benefits
War veteran reduced to living on £5 a day after bedroom tax nightmare
Diabetic former soldier dies after benefits sanction
Family of serving soldier sent bedroom tax bill of £13,500
Ex-soldier on hunger strike after benefits axed
Disabled Soldier Taking DWP To Tribunal Over Carers Allowance Cut
Tory council’s cold shoulder to servicemen denied pensions
MoD announces details of 4,200 job cuts
.
There was a time when the Tories would have considered themselves to be the biggest supporters of our servicemen and women.
Now it seems their obsession with…
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Cinderella Palestine
Mama, habibti mama
When you hold me in your arms
Don’t you cry
Hold your tears, show me your smile
Where I am now, there are no bombs
No bullets shooting, no guns
No more fear and no more pain
All quiet and serene
Mama, habibti mama
When you search where my room once was
If you find my Eid dress
Never to be worn, for I am gone
Don’t be sad, for I am really fine
When you kiss my favourite pink shoes
Don’t cry, the stains on them
My shoes in heaven are rainbow and clean
I can put them on all by myself, now
Then I jump, I float and fly
Mama, habibti mama
If you find baba, when dust and smoke settles down
Tell him not to cry
Hold his hand and say: “your daughter is fine”
Her translucent wings are made of stars
Her dress has no blood stains, no more
Silk with sparkles, her favourite…
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Baba Stop Sobbing
Baba habibi
Don’t hide your eyes in pain
Don’t bow your head down in sorrow
Lift it up, hold it high
look up, look up
You may see my grin and twinkly eyes
Baba, I kiss your heart, stop sobbing, don’t cry
If you could see me now
You would wipe your tears
and jump of joy
Now, I go to bed with no fear
No longer do I need to block my ears to sleep
No longer do I wet my bed at night
Up there, where I now reside
No F16 fly above
No drones, no gas, no smoke
No bombs fall from sky
Only the face of Most loving
Angels humming
Stars shimmering
and dancing butterflies
“Please stop!”: Pope makes plea for peace | News , World | THE DAILY STAR
With his voice appearing to crack with emotion, the pope broke off from his scripted remarks to make a direct appeal for fighting to end.
“Please stop! I ask you with all my heart, it’s time to stop. Stop, please!”
While he made no direct reference to the situation in the Gaza Strip, the comments came after a humanitarian truce broke down Sunday with the resumption of fighting in which more than 1,000 people, mostly civilians including dozens of children, have been killed.
“Brothers and sisters, never war, never war! I am thinking above all of children, who are deprived of the hope of a worthwhile life, of a future,” he said.
“Dead childen, injured children, mutilated children, orphaned children, children whose toys are things left over from war, children who can’t smile any more,” he said.
via “Please stop!”: Pope makes plea for peace | News , World | THE DAILY STAR.
Hamas announces 24-hour humanitarian ceasefire | News | DW.DE | 27.07.2014
(Deja vu WWl where opposing armies bombarded each other as truces came closer just to show they could – we laugh or wonder “what the…?” but more people die and truces falter, just because those controlling the fighters but not on front lines want to “look” strong – fail. Hamas says yes, Israel says no, then Israel says yes and Hamas says no. You put your right foot out, you pull your right foot back, you put your left foot in and pull your left foot back and shake it all about – that’s hokie-pokie war!)
The militant group Hamas has announced that it has agreed to a 24-hour humanitarian truce. This came as heavy fighting raged in the Gaza Strip after Hamas broke a previous humanitarian ceasefire observed by Israel.
via Hamas announces 24-hour humanitarian ceasefire | News | DW.DE | 27.07.2014.
Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News 