Humans of New York

“Doesn’t she look like an American? The lady who did our interview said that she looks like an American. She’s very excited. She’s young, so I know she’ll be able to learn English very easily. She’s a very smart girl. She’s already decided exactly what her room will look like in North Carolina. She won’t stop talking about it. She says that she’s going to do a lot of swimming and learn how to use the computer. Someone at her school told her that kids in America can do whatever they want and never get yelled at. So whenever I try to punish her, she tells me: ‘That won’t be allowed in America.’”

Source: Humans of New York

#YouAintNoMuslimBruv: the voice of defiant unity | Remona Aly

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From Leytonstone to Paris, such hashtags trending on Twitter give comfort to peace-loving Muslims, creating a global alliance of coexistence and solidarity

After the knife attack on three people at Leytonstone underground station in east London on Saturday, a bystander shouted “You ain’t no Muslim, bruv” at the alleged perpetrator. As footage of the incident emerged, this phrase quickly became a hashtag symbol of defiant unity.

Among the 100,000 tweets and rising, you find sentiments that distance the attacker from religion. Most are full of pride for the diverse embrace of London: “Soo proud to be a Londoner. True Muslims don’t try and kill innocent bystanders. Peace to true Muslims”; and “I love that #YouAintNoMuslimBruv is trending. The best response possible. So proud to be a Londoner.”

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Wampis nation establishes the first autonomous indigenous government in Peru

For most Peruvians it was a Sunday like any other; but in the Wampis community of Soledad, it was a historic day. On November 29, the Wampis nation declared the formation of the first Autonomous Indigenous Government in Peru.Spanning a 1.3 million hectare territory – a region the size of the State of Connecticut – the newly elected government brings together 100 Wampis communities representing some 10,613 people who continue to live a traditional subsistence way of life through hunting, fishing and small scale agriculture.While the newly-formed government does not seek independence from Peru, its main role is to protect Wampis ancestral territory and promote a sustainable way of life that prioritizes well-being, food security and a healthy harmonious existence with the natural world.

Source: Wampis nation establishes the first autonomous indigenous government in Peru

German vice chancellor warns Saudi Arabia over Islamist funding in Germany | News | DW.COM | 06.12.2015

Gabriel’s comments on Sunday followed a report released by the German foreign intelligence agency (BND) on Wednesday, which suggested that Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy was becoming more “impulsive.”In an unusual move, however, the German Foreign Ministry rebuked the BND for accusing Saudi Arabia of being a destabilizing influence in the Middle East, insisting that the oil-rich kingdom is a key business partner.Time to look away is pastIn an interview with the German newspaper “Bild am Sonntag,” Gabriel said that Saudi Arabia needed “to solve the regional conflicts,” but added that it was also necessary to “make clear that the time to look away is past.””Wahhabi mosques are financed all over the world by Saudi Arabia. In Germany, many dangerous Islamists come from these communities,” Gabriel said.Saudi Arabia follows the ultra-conservative Wahhabi form of Islam and is regarded by some outsiders as a cause of the international jihadist threat.Public concern about the growing number of Salifists in Germany is on the increase. According to the BND, the number of Salafists has risen from 5,500 to 7,900 in just two years. The terrorist attacks in Paris last month have also heightened fears of an attack on German soil.

Source: German vice chancellor warns Saudi Arabia over Islamist funding in Germany | News | DW.COM | 06.12.2015

Children drive 35km for help after mother falls into well trying to save father overwhelmed by gas – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Police said the 29-year-old man was installing a water pump at the bottom of the well near Weilmoringle — about 225 kilometres north west of Lightning Ridge in north-western NSW — when he was overwhelmed by fumes, about 5:30pm on Saturday.He died at the scene.The man’s 28-year-old partner started climbing down the well to help, but fell about 30 metres after the rope ladder broke.Police said the couple’s two children, aged 12 and 13, drove 35 kilometres to a nearby road, where they flagged down a passing driver, who phoned emergency services.Superintendent Jim Stewart from the Castlereagh Local Area Command said the incident demonstrated the skills of people in the bush and their ability to survive.

Source: Children drive 35km for help after mother falls into well trying to save father overwhelmed by gas – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

‘You Ain’t No Muslim, Bruv’: Response to London Attack Inspires Hashtag – The New York Times

A knife attack that injured three people on Saturday in a London subway station was being investigated as a “terrorist incident,” the police said. But the words of a bystander who shouted at the suspect as officers held him down are what have captured public attention.“You ain’t no Muslim, bruv,” a man can be heard calling out to the suspect on videos of the arrest posted on YouTube. “You’re no Muslim, bruv. You ain’t no Muslim.” “Bruv” is London slang, similar to “bro” in the United States.

Source: ‘You Ain’t No Muslim, Bruv’: Response to London Attack Inspires Hashtag – The New York Times

Former President Jimmy Carter Says He Is Free of Cancer – The New York Times

The disease is often accompanied by a poor prognosis, but experts said Mr. Carter appeared to have benefited from early detection. He began an innovative treatment regimen in August that involved a highly targeted form of radiation therapy and pembrolizumab, which has been shown to help some melanoma patients live months or even years longer than expected.In November, Mr. Carter said he was responding well to the treatment and that the cancer was showing no signs of further growth.His announcement on Sunday was reported in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Mr. Carter was said to have told the Sunday school class he was teaching at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown Plains, Ga., according to the newspaper.Jill Stuckey, a close friend of the Carters and a church member, told the newspaper that about 350 people, many of them visitors, were in attendance on Sunday.“The church, everybody here, just erupted in applause,” she said.Mr. Carter is the second-oldest living president, behind George H. W. Bush, the 41st commander-in-chief, who is also 91 but almost three months older than Mr. Carter.

Source: Former President Jimmy Carter Says He Is Free of Cancer – The New York Times

(¼) “I had a very brilliant teacher in elementary…

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(¼) “I had a very brilliant teacher in elementary school. She was my role model. I don’t remember deciding to be a teacher so much as I remember deciding that I wanted to be just like her. My whole life became about studying. I’d learn every lesson early so that I could participate in class. When my siblings were playing games around the house, I’d plug my ears and work on my homework. Education was my passion. It was all I thought about. I didn’t even want to get married. I finished at the top of my class in both high school and university. I got a scholarship to pursue my Masters at a German university. Then I met a man who was very supportive of me going to school, so I decided to marry. But four months later he was killed in a car accident. And I was pregnant.”

(Amman, Jordan)

Humans of New York

“I knew immediately after my husband’s death that I would have to let go of my dreams. I fell into a deep depression. I was going to be a single mother so I’d have to focus everything on raising my child. I thought that I would never be able to do anything in my life again. I skipped the orientation for the German university. I missed my German language lessons. Everything seemed to be slipping away. I gave birth to my daughter and moved in with my parents. When I saw my daughter, I realized that I needed to get my life back on track. She’d already lost her father. I didn’t want her to lose her mother too. So I enrolled at the University of Damascus and continued with my studies. I graduated once again at the top of my class. I began to work as a professor while I applied for my PhD. My daughter was getting bigger. Everything seemed to be getting back on track. Then the war came.”

Source: Humans of New York