The Louvre museum challenged for its sponsorship by oil companies

Activists arrested in the Louvre secretly sent this message fr...
Ten performers were arrested today at the Louvre for challenging its sponsorship by oil companies Total and Eni. But they managed to smuggle a phone into their cell to get this message out. Performance by End oil-sponsorship of the arts, BP or not BP?, G.U.L.F. Liberate Tate, Not An Alternative Occupy Museums, Platform London, Science Unstained, Shell Out Sounds, No Tar Sands, Stopp oljesponsing av norsk kulturliv, The Natural History Museum alongside other artists and activists from around the world. Film supported by 350.org and Real Media.
Posted by New Internationalist Magazine on Wednesday, 9 December 2015

Ten performers were arrested today at the Louvre for challenging its sponsorship by oil companies Total and Eni. 

In honor of the victims of the Paris terror attacks

Graffiti in honor of the victims of the Paris attacks made by a Kazakh artist called "ChemiS" in Prague.

White Protesters Form Human Shield To Protect Black Protesters From Police

Recently, a large group of white student protesters stepped to the front of a rally and formed a human shield to protect black protesters from the police.
The rally took place in South Africa, where police officers had previously used brutal force against the predominantly black demonstrators who turned out to peacefully protest rising university fees.
More HERE

This Artist Is Erasing The U.S.-Mexico Border Fence With Blue Paint

Mexican-born artist Ana Teresa Fernández is painting a portion of the border fence between the U.S. and Mexico blue so that it blends in with the sky.

Altruism or Selfishness: How Meditation Can Change our Brains

TED talk by French Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard: why Empathy is not enough...
Ph.D. degree in molecular genetics at the Pasteur Institute under French Nobel Laureate François Jacob, Matthieu Ricard is the son of renowned French philosopher the late Jean-François Revel.

Knowledge is the Beginning

"The Ramallah Concert - Knowledge is the Beginning" is the story of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, where young Arabs and Jews perform and live side by side. It is a film about what music can do; the way it can transcend cultural barriers, bring people together, defeat prejudice and overcome religious and political differences. It also demonstrates the problems that crop up occasionally and how music can help people from different points of view find common ground. For Daniel Barenboim, founder of the ensemble, the orchestra is a symbol for what could be achieved in the Middle East.

Activists occupy British Museum over BP sponsorship

Activists occupy British Museum over BP sponsorship
Read my BP Portrait Award: where are the “Rembrandts”?

Artwork by Brian David Braun 2011

Artists Around The World Respond To Tragic Death Of 3-Year-Old Syrian Refugee Aylan

People dressed in red t-shirts and demin shorts lay down on a beach to recreate the moment tragic Syrian refugee Aylan Kurdi was found dead. Around 30 people recreated the discovery of three-year-old's body in tribute in Rabat, Morocco.

More  HERE.

Operation Wheelchair

How American Muslims Are Helping Black Churches Rebuild After Spate Of Fires

“ALL houses of worship are sanctuaries, a place where all should feel safe, a place we can seek refuge when the world is too much to bear,” the campaign organizers wrote on their fundraising page. “We want for others what we want for ourselves: the right to worship without intimidation, the right to safety, and the right to property.”

Source HERE 

When Faatimah Knight reached out to her Muslim friends and acquaintances to try and help black churches that had been destroyed by fire, she had no idea how much they could collect.
Today, they have managed to raise just under $30,000 - money that will be used to help up to seven churches that were destroyed in the American south in the aftermath of the Charleston shooting and the campaign against the Confederate flag.
"We have been overwhelmed by how generous people have been," Ms Knight, 23, told The Independent. "We will stop it today...We will figure out how to distribute the money."

Source: Meet the muslim student, Faatimah Knight who raised $30,000 to help fix black churches destroyed by fire

When Politics Meet Art: President Obama Sings 'Amazing Grace'

Susie and Alice

Oil and acrylic, 59 x 50 cm, (2015).
© Yves Messer

BP Portrait Award: where are the “Rembrandts”?

The BP Portrait Award is an annual portraiture competition held at the National Portrait Gallery in London, England. "BP" stands for "British petroleum" now "BP plc", one of the world's six "supermajor" oil and gas companies.

Rembrandt's laughing self portrait as Democritus.

A recent Guardian's article  Sad face: doom and gloom at the 2015 BP portrait award by Jonathan Jones. says:

The best portrait painters capture emotion, but there aren’t any Rembrandts in this competition – just a lot of badly daubed tattoos and very serious expressions.

Jonathan Jones writes on art for the Guardian and was on the jury for the 2009 Turner prize. He had these interesting comments on the BP National portrait Gallery award:

The best portrait painters capture emotion, but there aren’t any Rembrandts in this competition – just a lot of badly daubed tattoos and very serious expressions. […] Why should I care about all these people? The sheer battering misery of it all produces callousness and cynicism. Too much po-faced portraiture makes a stone of the heart. This is because art is not a simple conduit of feeling. Only in the hands of a Rembrandt can the brush directly communicate the soul’s truth. The reality of the BP portrait award is that it does not attract the best painters around, but instead is a magnet for mediocrity. This leaves the judges with an impossible task – I know, I have been a judge myself – of trying to find meaning in what are really very uninspired daubs.

From Sad face: doom and gloom at the 2015 BP portrait award

I agree with these comments. Being an artist myself, immensely inspired by a Rembrandt (I am from Belgium a country which was in Rembrandt’s times part of the same “geographic entity” and cultural tradition) and having attempted to modestly be selected to the BP National portrait Gallery award,

I however differ with Jonathan Jones’s analysis as to why there are “no Rembrandts” any more… He says “the BP portrait award is that it does not attract the best painters around.” The reality is that the BP National portrait Gallery award jury does not (pre-) select artists based on real talents. Each time I look at the selected portraits, I am puzzled and wonder why and how?

I agree that these portraits and faces look very gloomy every year I tried to participate to the competition. My strategy was probably doomed as I submitted happy portraits such as this one in 2007:

These portraits were shortlisted that year:

 

More intriguingly, I am almost not impressed by their technique, skills and ability to convey (not) somebody’s soul and emotions via this medium called painting.

In my view, art is about conveying and sharing emotions, or it is not art. This is why I am a great fan of Rembrandt: emotions are “communicated”, hundred of years later, thanks to his unique skills. I also try to share with Rembrandt joyful and daring personality. None of these characteristics are seen among the BP National portrait Gallery award selected artists.

Don’t blame the artists! I know there are contemporary “Rembrandts” out there. I blame the selection committee’s biased blindness. If the selected portraits look gloomy and sad, this is because they reflect the jury itself.

I am more optimistic than the jury and know there are "striving Rembrandts" out there.

When I learned that Kate Middleton official portrait was commissioned to Emsley, a BP 2007 winner the same year I submitted my smiling friend's portrait (see above) and when I saw his result (and the outcry in the country) I felt I had to give it a go. This was one of the reasons I decided to do my “own” Kate Middleton portrait, being selected for the BP award or not. This country is still free after all!

My "Kate Middleton" was done in a rush therefore her outfit looks unfinished. There are two reasons to this:

1. lack of time (ie money)
2. being a Republican I chose to focus on her face/ personality rather than on her official outfit. 

I was insulted and even threatened for this here on the internet!



In a way my portrait of Kate Middleton is “unfinished”… on purpose because she was and still is an “unknown”.

Rembrandt's latest portraits such as this one look "unfinished" too. He probably would never been selected to the BP award today. I am happy to share this with him ;) lol.

ps: it is without saying I will never submit any of my portraits to the BP award again.

Rembrandt's laughing self portrait as Democritus (Heraclitus in background).

Pussy Riot

Shamsia Hassani: Afghan graffiti artist

• Afghan graffiti artist Shamsia Hassani shortlisted for Artraker Award - but she still has to dodge landmines to create her work
• She Is Afghanistan's First Street Artist, and She Might Actually Change Our Views
• “Art is stronger than war”: Afghanistan’s first female street artist speaks out – interview

Lennie and Mum

Oil and acrylic, 60 x 50 cm, (2015).

© Yves Messer 

1975: 90% of women went on strike in Iceland for equal rights

1963: Valentina Tereshkova. first woman in Space.

Why homeless Britons are turning to the Sikh community for food

Homeless people in the UK are getting free meals thanks to a centuries-old Sikh tradition. Why, asks Rajeev Gupta.

"We come here because we get food... A hot meal. It's a luxury for me." John Davidson is 55 and homeless. He is one of 250 people who have just received a hand-out of hot soup, drinks, chocolate bars and other supplies from the Sikh Welfare and Awareness Team van parked up on the Strand in central London on a cold Sunday evening. The Swat team, as they're known, park at the same spot every week so a group of volunteers from the Sikh community can hand out vital supplies. Homeless people, who overwhelmingly are not Sikh, patiently wait in line to be served.

For the volunteers handing out food here, this is more than just good charitable work. For them this is a religious duty enshrined by the founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak, over 500 years ago.


More at BBC, RT.

Muslim Chechen boys Movsar Zyamaev and Rustam Daudov tried to stop Anders Behring Breivik’s Utøya massacre

Two Chechen youths did their best to save children’s lives from the terrorist rampage.

When 32-year-old Anders Breivik started killing people at a youth camp on July 22, three teenagers reportedly made an attempt to stop him by throwing stones at the murderer, but once one of them was shot dead, the other two had to retreat in order to save their own lives.

Seventeen-year-old Movsar Zyamaev and 16-year-old Rustam Daudov not only survived the massacre, but also managed to save many innocent lives and even attacked Breivik, pelting him from behind with stones, reports Norway’s Dagbladet newspaper.

When they first saw a shouting man who was running after a group of youths, they at first thought it was a joke, but after they witnessed the man shooting three people dead, including one of their friends, they retreated to the woods.

Some time after that, a man dressed in police uniform appeared and called them to come to him, but Movsar and Rustam chose to stay where they were  – only to see how the man, who was none other than Anders Breivik, shoot on the spot those who were trusting and unfortunate enough to approach him.

Movsar called his father, who instructed his son to stay calm, help others and try to stop the killer somehow – which the boys attempted without much luck, though reportedly one stone did hit Breivik’s head, making the latter curse the teenager who did it.

Once the teenagers understood they were unable to neutralize the terrorist, Movsar and Rustam began to gather those who had so far escaped the massacre into a sort of cave they discovered near the shoreline. Thus, they managed to save 23 people; three of whom were pulled out of the water by Movsar, who rightly considered they would not make it to the far shore because the water was too cold.

More from rt.com NBC.

More than 1,000 Muslims form 'peace ring' around Oslo synagogue

Norwegian Muslims create a human peace ring around a synagogue
in Oslo, Norway, on February 21, 2015 (AFP Photo/Fredrik Varfjell)

REUTERS - More than 1,000 Muslims formed a human shield around Oslo's synagogue on Saturday, offering symbolic protection for the city's Jewish community and condemning an attack on a synagogue in neighboring Denmark last weekend.

Chanting "No to anti-Semitism, no to Islamophobia," Norway's Muslims formed what they called a ring of peace a week after Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein, a Danish-born son of Palestinian immigrants, killed two people at a synagogue and an event promoting free speech in Copenhagen last weekend.

Source: http://haaretz.com

Norwegian Muslims volunteer to protect synagogue

In the wake of a deadly shooting attack at a synagogue in Denmark last week, a group of Norwegian Muslims intends to hold an anti-violence demonstration at an Oslo synagogue this coming weekend by forming a “peace ring” around the building.

One of the event organizers, 17-year-old Hajrad Arshad, explained that the intention was to make a clear statement that Muslims don’t support anti-Semitism.

Read more HERE.

Faith leaders show solidarity after US Islamic school defaced

Jews, Christians and Muslims say Rhode Island community won't be divided by whoever tagged local school with offensive graffiti. (Associated Press and ynetnews.com
The community won't be divided by whoever tagged the Islamic School of Rhode Island with offensive graffiti, local faith leaders said Tuesday. [...] Mufti Ikram, the resident imam in North Smithfield, said the person responsible "failed miserably" because "we stand together as a community in our prayers, and we stand shoulder to shoulder." [...] More than 20 faith leaders and law enforcement officials gathered at the school Tuesday in a show of solidarity. Rabbi Sarah Mack, president of the Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island, said local Muslims have supported the Jewish community during trying times so she wanted to do the same.

RESTORING FAITH IN HUMANITY

"Righteous Among the Nations": José Arturo Castellanos Contreras

He was El Salvador's equivalent of Oskar Schindler, a man who was given a chance to do something about the Holocaust - and took it.

Now, six decades after José Castellanos helped to save Jews by granting bogus nationality certificates, the story of the central American nation's consul general to Switzerland during the second world war has been rediscovered.

José and "Jorge" went on to prepare 13,000 fake Salvadoran citizenship papers that saved 40,000 Central European Jews.

The so-called "freedom papers" afforded protection against deportation to Nazi extermination camps and gave meaning to the name El Salvador, which means The Saviour.

In 2010 José Arturo Castellanos Contreras was recognized as "Righteous Among the Nations" by Yad Vashem.

Awards honour the inspirational Westminster event for 28 medal winners

The inspiring stories behind individuals whose work will be recognised at the inaugural British Citizen Awards (BCA) tomorrow can be revealed by i. From hundreds of nominations, 28 extraordinary people were chosen to be recipients of the new awards, celebrating the selfless and often vital work they do for others. Each of them will be presented with a medal at a ceremony in Westminster. More HERE.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words...

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly...

The reverse couch potato effect: the impact of inspirational movies on aspirations and expectations

Source HERE.

Do people believe that they are in control of their future outcomes? And how do expectations of what can be achieved affect behaviour? And can we influence this? As the first speaker in the new season of the weekly CSAE Lunchtime Seminar, Stefan Dercon from DFID and Oxford University presented the first exciting results of a field experiment that addresses these questions. The study, conducted in 64 villages in rural Ethiopia, is joint work with Tanguy Bernard (IFPRI), Kate Orkin (University of Cambridge), and Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse (IFPRI). Their first results show that a simple intervention has an impact on people’s aspirations and behaviour, and that interaction with peers plays an important role in this. This research is part of the iiG research programme, funded by DFID, and was supported by CSAE and the IFPRI Development Strategy and Governance and Markets, Trade and Institutions divisions. Funding for the documentaries was provided by Seven, as part of the Open Enterprise Solutions to Poverty.




Self-image, hopes and dreams matter, not only as part of well-being, but also for the choices that people make. The authors present results from earlier surveys that seem to suggest that a substantial number of poor people tend to choose the fatalistic options when asked whether they think each person is primarily responsible for his or her own success or failure in life or that success or failure is determined by destiny or fate. Furthermore, several studies have shown people fail to invest even though returns are sometimes very high. Aspirations and expectations seem to matter in whether the poor make the most optimal choices. But can aspirations and expectations be influenced?

This study tries to answer this question with a simple field experiment. As part of the experiment, six households in each of the 64 villages were shown four inspirational fifteen minute documentaries. These documentaries showed success stories of people with a similar background as the audience and a crucial element in each of these documentaries was that people made a choice that led to success. To control for effects associated to just viewing a movie on a projector screen (and the associated excitement), six households were shown an ordinary (less inspirational) soap instead as a placebo treatment. Finally, in each village six households that were not shown anything were surveyed as well, functioning as the control group. In the first two cases, participants received a bag of sugar after the screening, as an incentive to participate. In half of the villages, 18 extra households were selected to watch either the inspirational video or the placebo video, to assess the effect of having a larger group of peers that have watched the video.

Do people believe that they are in control of their future outcomes? And how do expectations of what can be achieved affect behaviour? And can we influence this? As the first speaker in the new season of the weekly CSAE Lunchtime Seminar, Stefan Dercon from DFID and Oxford University presented the first exciting results of a field experiment that addresses these questions. The study, conducted in 64 villages in rural Ethiopia, is joint work with Tanguy Bernard (IFPRI), Kate Orkin (University of Cambridge), and Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse (IFPRI). Their first results show that a simple intervention has an impact on people’s aspirations and behaviour, and that interaction with peers plays an important role in this. This research is part of the iiG research programme, funded by DFID, and was supported by CSAE and the IFPRI Development Strategy and Governance and Markets, Trade and Institutions divisions. Funding for the documentaries was provided by Seven, as part of the Open Enterprise Solutions to Poverty.

Self-image, hopes and dreams matter, not only as part of well-being, but also for the choices that people make. The authors present results from earlier surveys that seem to suggest that a substantial number of poor people tend to choose the fatalistic options when asked whether they think each person is primarily responsible for his or her own success or failure in life or that success or failure is determined by destiny or fate. Furthermore, several studies have shown people fail to invest even though returns are sometimes very high. Aspirations and expectations seem to matter in whether the poor make the most optimal choices. But can aspirations and expectations be influenced?

This study tries to answer this question with a simple field experiment. As part of the experiment, six households in each of the 64 villages were shown four inspirational fifteen minute documentaries. These documentaries showed success stories of people with a similar background as the audience and a crucial element in each of these documentaries was that people made a choice that led to success. To control for effects associated to just viewing a movie on a projector screen (and the associated excitement), six households were shown an ordinary (less inspirational) soap instead as a placebo treatment. Finally, in each village six households that were not shown anything were surveyed as well, functioning as the control group. In the first two cases, participants received a bag of sugar after the screening, as an incentive to participate. In half of the villages, 18 extra households were selected to watch either the inspirational video or the placebo video, to assess the effect of having a larger group of peers that have watched the video.

The results of the experiment are surprising: an intervention that looks perhaps small and insignificant on paper, does seem to have a significant effect on expectations, aspirations and behaviour, according to the preliminary results. On most measures the impact of watching an inspirational movie is significant from not watching anything. In this case we could speak of a reverse couch potato effect: watching a movie could actually activate people. In case of savings and hypothetical demand for credit watching an inspirational movie is also significantly different from watching a presumably less inspiring regular soap (the placebo). Peer effects seem to matter and it would be great to see a further analysis of these in a future version of the paper.

Simon Quinn, the discussant at the seminar, welcomed the paper and raised some questions about the theoretical distinction between aspirations and expectations, and how this can be reconciled with the traditional microeconomic distinction between beliefs and preferences. Stefan Dercon answered that we should see aspirations as an aspect determining the choice set that people consider. Another more practical point raised was the question whether it is useful to increase expectations and aspirations (are people’s expectations and aspirations actually too low?) and whether we should be concerned about Hawthorne Effects: people being overly optimistic, hoping that this will lead to an increase in donor funding. The inclusion of the placebo treatment means that Hawthorne Effects are at least partially controlled for.

The authors have just put up a new version of the paper, in which some of the comments from the seminar have been incorporated. This version can be found here.

This Man Realizes He’s Sitting Beside the People He Rescued From Nazi Death Camps

Before World War II, 669 children who were destined for Nazi death camps were rescued and transported to England by Sir Nicholas Winton. Years later, they came together for a touching surprise tribute to their hero...

Finding Mike: Man searching for kind stranger who stopped him jumping off bridge

He Was About To Take His Own Life — Until A Man Stopped Him. Here He Meets Him Face To Face Again.

By Rossalyn Warren Curator: Rossalyn Warren

Jonny Benjamin was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder when he was 20 years old. He lost hope for a "normal" life and was about to commit suicide.
But thankfully, he was stopped by the kindness of a stranger.
Jonny — now a mental health campaigner — decided to track down the man who stopped him, "Mike," and launched a huge Internet campaign. In two weeks, the campaign went viral and Jonny found him.

Here is what the stranger had to say when he realized he was the man Jonny was looking for:
“I was so pleased to see how well Jonny was doing. I had thought about him over the years and had always hoped he was OK. When we met, it was clear how much that encounter on the bridge meant to Jonny. He told me it was a pivotal moment in his life — which was great to hear. I didn’t feel it was that big a deal. I did what anyone would do. I wasn’t trying to fix his problems that day, I just listened. I can honestly say, hand on heart, that Jonny is one of the nicest people I have ever met. He’s a great bloke and it’s brilliant to see him smiling again. We’ll definitely stay in touch.”
Jonny said:
“That day on the bridge, my life hit rock bottom. But meeting Neil, I felt so happy. It couldn’t be more of a contrast. It’s as though I’ve come full circle and that chapter of my life has now closed. He’s such a warm, genuine person — everyone should have a friend like Neil.”

Source HERE

My Experience Of Citizens' Aid Convoy To Besieged Sarajevo (1992-3)

A Citizens' aid convoy to besieged Sarajevo:
A personal account
© Yves Messer

I (that is the author of this Blog, Yves Messer) was living then in Strasbourg (Alsace, North-East of France), a city famous for its wine and among other things for hosting the European parliament.

It was the time when Europe was watching, impotently, the first war and first crimes against Humanity on its soil since the end of the Second World War: the new strong man of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Miloševic had used “Serbian nationalism” to justify military action against newly independent Yugoslav republics like Slovenia or Croatia. This was 1991, the year that saw the end of Soviet Union. The Yugoslav republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina also declared its independence that year. When they held a referendum for its independence, their vote was boycotted by their sizable Serb population (35% of Bosnian population), which advocated a continued union with Miloševic‘s Yugoslavia. Immediately following the international recognition of the republic's independence in April 1992, the country's Serbs and Croats, backed respectively by Serbia and Croatia, began to claim large chunks of the country's territory. The referendum was however declared valid, the opinion of the Serbs was ignored, and the Bosnian republic's government declared its independence. The Bosnian Serbs immediately declared the independence of their Republika Srpska. Sarajevo, a city famous for hosting the Winter Olympics in 1984, was under siege from Bosnian Serbs and their infamous snipers in the surrounding hills and suburbs. Daily atrocities were committed in front of everybody's eyes...


Being politically involved at the time I had the chance (thanks to common Serbian student friends who were horrified by what was happening to their country) to meet somebody who, like myself, wanted to do something about this tragedy. We wanted to act as Citizens despite the criminal apathy of our governments and institutions. This was December 1992. His name is Yves Dubois, a journalist presenter at the local TV network FR3 and his partner Vera Simic, a former TV presenter from... Sarajevo. He had many, sometimes foolish, ideas but the soundest and most realistic one was to organize and send an Aid convoy to Sarajevo. Such a Citizens' initiative was unprecedented and wasn't to the professional NGO's taste... 

At that point he was desperate because of the lack of response from anyone he had contacted so far, especially "established" persons… and was about to give the idea up altogether. I and my partner at the time, Kathrine, proposed him to start with a demonstration and see the people's reactions from there…

We printed out and distributed some 4,000 small leaflets in Strasbourg calling for a protest demonstration against the massacres in Yugoslavia, to be held in front of the European parliament on the 16th of December...

Despite of the lack of time because of the urgency of the situation (he wanted to reach Sarajevo next month...) and despite of the relatively small size of the demonstration, the event was noticeable enough to be covered by the TV news (obviously) and in the local press

The leaflet
First signs...
. ... and finally some 300 showed up!!

The operation was a success! The day after, we held a meeting to officially create the "Alsace-Sarajevo" association in a room packed with hundreds of people! People of good will, from all walks of life, touched and horrified by what was happening there and angry against their own government (Mitterrand's France was de facto siding with Miloševic's Serbs). They would become the core of the whole operation. Normal citizen would show to the world they do care. They will become one-time heroes of an unprecedented humanitarian operation.

A key person joined us; Ms Anne Schumann who, thanks to her organizing abilities and political connections, helped the operatrion to gear up. Thanks to her, we received the support from a major local political and historical figure and respected from all: Mr Pierre Pflimlin. This was essential for the next stage of the operation: the fundraising. 

The practical decision was that we preferred to collect money rather than goods. Why? Because we know from experience that one could be appalled by what people would literally "get rid of" for "charity." We didn't want that. The other reason was time. It would have required far too much time to pack objects of various sizes, sort them out etc... And we were in an emergency situation. The option was to create one standardized "aid-pack" parcel whose size would optimize the space in the trucks, and also guarantee the quality and necessity of their contents: i.e. nonperishable food, products of hygiene (like soap, toilet paper or make-up set for women...), etc... that is for people living in exceptionally rough conditions.

So, one month later, on January 17, the "City Councils Open Day" operation was launched and announced by all local medias, an operation by which local authorities would help us with their staff to collect people's donations.

People were moved to know they could help doing something about what was happening in Sarajevo, however small their contribution was... I remember seeing on TV an old lady, who remembered the Second World War's atrocities, putting some of her small savings in the box, with tears in her eyes and saying to the camera: "Thank you...!"

In total some €880,000 (about US$1 million then) were raised.

With that money we were able to hire lorries and buy some 350 tons of goods for a city of 200,000 people. One parcel per person....

A month later, on February 17, the convoy finally set off (despite some difficulties which delayed it ten more days). The day before, all the lorries were safe-guarded at the Illkirch-Graffenstaden military base. In all, the column was made up of over 60 vehicles: 34 trucks, 12 vans, 6 coaches, 6 4x4, an ambulance and some



private cars. 130 people were accompanying the convoy: 77 drivers, 40 guides and a dozen of journalists. The convoy would grow bigger progressively: several French and foreign associations would add their trucks to it. A particular effort was made on the safety of the convoy: all the vehicles were in radio connection and a safety leaflet was distributed to all, which detailed attitudes to be adopted in the event of control. Risks exist for this human mission in a country in war, since it wasn't part of the "regular" official aid operations....

The night before, we had a contact with three trucks from Toulouse (South of France), which were like our "scouts". Good news!; they managed to enter to Sarajevo. After Salzburg (Austria), the convoy had to load additional goods at Ljubljana (Slovenia) then to spend the next night to Rijeka, a Croatian port on the Adriatic. Then off to Split, Kiseljak (Bosnia), a station occupied by the UN blue helmets where they would await for the necessary green light to enter to Sarajevo.


Which they did after one week of travel through very hard wheather conditions on February, 24... The drivers were exhausted and sometimes close to mutiny... All of that disappeared at the gates of Sarajevo, the ultimate destination! Now the delivery operation! All of the parcels were stored in 8 different safe places and distributed by local district associations and hospitals. The majority of the drivers were invited in host families, feeling what it is living in cold winter with no running water, no electricity, no heating... The following day we all had to go back to our usual comfort, leaving behind so many emotions from thankful people who realised they weren't completely forgotten... Was that the reason why security was temporarily forgotten? To the exit of Sarajevo, the convoy left without any Bosnian guide and was found itself in ... Dobrinja, the most bombarded and exposed district of Sarajevo!
Eventually they all came back safe on March 1rst...

The local newspapers and medias covered, on a daily basis, the progress and successes of the convoy...

In conclusion:

How is that that in two months time a tiny, unknown, inexperienced association of a handful of dedicated persons have made the dream of an aid convoy to Sarajevo in wartime come true?

The lessons are that sometimes, apparently the impossible can be achieved by people like you or me...

What happened next?

As far as I am aware, people who were involved in this operation kept little contact with each other, all getting back to their normal lives... Anne Schumann, one of the key organizers received recently the medal of the city of Sarajevo by its new mayor, Mrs. Semira Borovac.

As for myself I returned eventually to my home country, Belgium, ... to help organizing yet another demonstration in front of the EEC in Brussels (is this an obsession?). I had then the opportunity to meet somebody who managed to escape from Sarajevo's thanks to his then-Belgian girlfriend (this is another story that was eventually published in a book). He told me he remembered the parcels quite well, "That was good, we were hungry..." he said. He took the chance to study cinema in Brussels (he was one of the Bosnian army cameramen...). In 2002, he won the Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film for his film "No Man's Land". His name is Danis Tanovic.
Now, I am living in the U.K. and hope this will inspire some.



The Alsace-Sarajevo aid convoy announced on National French TV (TF1)

Rosa Parks: the woman's action which sparked the Civil Rights Movement

Tired from a full day's work, Rosa Parks boarded a Montgomery bus on December 1, 1955. When she refused to obey the driver's order to give up her seat in the "colored" section for a white person, she was arrested for civil disobedience. Parks' act of defiance, and the Montgomery Bus Boycott that followed, are recognized as pivotal moments in the Civil Rights Movement.

If You Think You Are Too Small...

1989: Man vs. tank (Tiananmen square, Beijing, China)

Tiananmen Tank Man: Faced Down the Chinese Army. The event took place on June 5, 1989, the morning after the Chinese military had suppressed the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 by force. Despite his anonymity, the image of the lone man in front of the tank has come to symbolize the events at Tiananmen Square in 1989 and is widely considered one of the iconic images of the 20th century.

Frank Wills: The Real Hero of Watergate

Security guard Frank Wills, the man who brought down president Nixon

On June 17, 1972, security guard Frank Wills was making his midnight rounds at the Watergate office building in Washington, D.C., when he noticed tape over the lock of a basement door. Thinking another worker had left it there accidentally, he removed it. Willis later found tape again in the same place. He called the police, and the rest is history. Two years later, President Nixon resigned in disgrace over his involvement in the coverup of the Watergate break-in.

MORE HERE

Frank Wills, an unsung hero of the Watergate break-in scandal suffered the consequences of his actions in 1972

:)

SOURCE HERE

Three Cheers for Tunisia's Revolutionary Constitution!

This week, Tunisia passed a truly historic constitution widely heralded as a progressive and monumental document.

Here's just some of what these brave elected representatives agreed upon in the face of strong pressure from the more extreme factions of their parties:

• Guaranteed equality between men and women 
• A constitutional mandate for environmental protection, only the third country in the world to do so
• A declaration that health care is a human right, with preventative care and treatment for every citizen 
• A democracy with civil laws that respects freedom of religion 
• An established right to due process and protection from torture 

In one stroke, Tunisia's become more democratic than many Western countries have been for years.


This is a revolution of democracy and a great victory for human rights — and the more we recognize that, the more Tunisia can shine as an example for the Western and the Arab world!

SOURCE HERE

Mohamed Bouazizi: the man's action which sparked the Arab Spring Revolution

This Tunisian street vendor never had any dreams bigger than saving enough money to rent or buy a pick-up truck. But when he set himself on fire out of desperation on 17 December 2010, he became a symbol of the suffering of all Tunisians. Bouazizi's death inspired the nationwide unrest that resulted in the overthrow of Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The Tunisian uprising, in turn, led to the Arab Spring Revolution that ultimately toppled dictatures in Libya and Egypt. The Syrian war has to be understood from this historical perspective.

10 Characteristics of Debt-Free People

Whether you’ve resolved to get debt-free in 2014 or you have a long way to go, it’s good to be inspired. Look at people you know who are already living debt-free lives. Whether it’s a friend, family member or co-worker, the person you are thinking of probably shares similar qualities with other debt-free people. Here are 10 common characteristics you can copy to live within your means.

MORE HERE

An anti-poverty scheme invented in Latin America is winning converts worldwide

Brazil's Bolsa Família (“Family Fund”) anti-poverty scheme, the largest of its kind in the world. [...] Brazilian officials were in Cairo this week to help Egyptian officials set up a similar scheme. “Governments all over the world are looking at this programme,” says Kathy Lindert of the World Bank's office in Brasília, who is about to begin work on similar schemes for Eastern Europe. Bolsa Família works as follows. Where a family earns less than 120 reais ($68) per head per month, mothers are paid a benefit of up to 95 reais on condition that their children go to school and take part in government vaccination programmes. Municipal governments do much of the collection of data on eligibility and compliance, but payments are made by the federal government. Each beneficiary receives a debit card which is charged up every month, unless the recipient has not met the necessary conditions, in which case (and after a couple of warnings) the payment is suspended. Some 11m families now receive the benefit, equivalent to a quarter of Brazil's population.

MORE HERE.

Kabul's school of rock

ON FACEBOOK:

Kabul school of rock gains acceptance among Muslims

Compassion Being Rewarded in School

"The children that day weren’t being honored for scholastic achievements or feats of sport aptitude, as is the public-school-aged norm, but for displaying to their teachers and peers characteristics of compassion.

Compassion — what a wonderful thing for teachers to recognize and to teach children to value. What traits the Fox Salute assembly honored vary — such as being responsible, respectful or a good friend — but what doesn’t vary is that the staff and students rally around one another to shine the focus on classmates who exemplify what it takes to make these children not just good students, but good people."

SOURCE HERE.

Twinsters: Adopted, raised on different continents and connected through social media

Adopted, raised on different continents and connected through social media, Samantha and Anaïs realized they might be twins separated at birth.

FROM HERE

MORE AT Twin Sisters Separated At Birth Were Brought Back Together By A YouTube Video

Iranian teacher shaves head in solidarity with bullied pupil

Ali Mohammadian's gesture, copied by his entire class of more than 20 pupils, stops bullying and attracts praise from all over country

When Iranian schoolteacher Ali Mohammadian noticed that one of his students was being bullied after going bald as a result of a mysterious illness, he decided to show solidarity and shave his own hair. In no time, his entire class shaved their heads and the bullying stopped.




Now, Mohammadian, who teaches at Sheikh Shaltoot's elementary school in Marivan, a Kurdish city in the west of Iran, has become a national hero. President Hassan Rouhani has praised him, the government has offered financial support for the pupil's medical treatment and his story has reached the four corners of his country.

"I'm so happy that this has touched many hearts and people reacted enormously positive," the 45-year-old teacher told the Guardian by phone from Marivan. "Everyone in the school now wants to shave their head."

Earlier this month, Mohammadian posted a picture of himself with eight-year-old Mahan Rahimi on Facebook. "Our heads are sensitive to hair," he wrote on the social network in support of his student. "Mahan had become isolated after going bald, smile had disappeared from his face and I was concerned about his class performance. That's why I thought about shaving my head to get him back on track."

Mohammadian's Facebook post soon caught the eyes of hundreds of Iranian web users. "When I logged in to my Facebook the next day, I couldn't believe the number of people who had liked it and shared it," he said.

Iranian media, including national TV, interviewed him and Iran's education minister, Ali Asghar Fani, soon invited both to Tehran for a formal thank-you. The governor of the Kurdistan province, Abdolmohammad Zahedi, also conveyed the president's message to him.

In a matter of days, Mohammadian's 23 other students in the class were inspired by their teacher's action and insisted that they, too, wanted to shave their heads. "I told them to wait until the winter's cold weather was over but when we came back from Tehran, they had all shaved," he said. "This Saturday morning I stepped into the class and everyone had gone bald."

Doctors at the Razi hospital in Tehran told state television that Mahan had problems with his immune system but they were investigating the exact nature of his disease. According to the teacher, medics in Tehran have also sent samples to Germany for a possible diagnosis. "Mahan's classmates have since become supportive of him and a smile is back on his face," said the teacher.

Mohammadian has 23 years of teaching experience and has two daughters and a son. "In places like Syria and Iraq or Sudan, children are being killed every day and in places like Pakistan and India child labour is widespread. I'm extremely worried about the horrific ordeals those children face on a daily basis."

SOURCE HERE.

MORE: President orders devoted teacher to be appreciated