Rights of the Child

China ratified the الأمم المتحدة Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1992. In 1996 and then in 2001, the Ministry of Education published guidelines for public early education that specifically and intentionally integrated Article 31 "the right to play" as a national educational priority. These guidelines state that "play should be the fundamental activity" of the kindergarten. We are pleased to share this poster that states the Rights of the Child in child-friendly language. We hope that you will share it, and honor and protect the rights described therein.

PDF version: https://www.unicef.org/rightsite/files/uncrcchilldfriendlylanguage.pdf

القاهرة ١٩٠٦

موكب الخديوي عباس حلمي الثاني في شارع ابراهيم باشا قرب ميدان باب الحديد - ميدان رمسيس حاليا - بالقاهرة حوالي عام 1906

المسجد الذي تظهر مئذنته في الصورة هو مسجد أولاد عنان وبني علي انقاضه مسجد الفتح حاليا

لعلي أنشر هذه الصورة في سياق الترتيب العمراني للمنطقة
Urban Classification of MENA

61171 آمنه

Yes, I met her in my dreams.. 

A Tuareg rebellious woman.. 

Despite her AK47, she manages media.. 

Got along in seconds, some inner chemistry.. 

These are what I heard from her cell phone number..!

The Power of One Book

الحنة السودانية

الحنة : واحدة من عديد من العادات السودانية التي ترسم علاقة تاريخية مع بلاد الهند والسند ؛ للأسف لم ينبري أحد لدراستها تاريخيا وفلكلوريا ؛ لكي يكشف النقاب عن أحد مفردات الشخصية السودانية ؛ مثلها مثل الثوب النسائية والقرمصيص والعنقريب وغيرها مما تقنياتها ومفردات إنتاجها لا توجد في السودان

التعليم في ألمانيا

إعلامية مغربية في ألمانيا

 تكتب عن سر تقدم دولة ألمانيا

تقول

سأخون ألمانيا اليوم و أخبركم عن سبب تقدمها

سبب تقدم ألمانيا ليس الفوسفات أو الثروات السمكية أو البترول أو المعادن أو المقالع

سبب تقدمها هو النظام التعليمي ، نظام تعليمي يتساوى فيه الغني مع الفقير ، التعليم الخاص ممنوع وهو في حكم الجريمة في ألمانيا

ابن رئيس الشركة يجلس على نفس الطاولة التي يجلس فيها ابن رجل النظافة ، هكذا  اسمه وليس الزبال.. لأن الزبال من يرمي الزبالة

هذا النظام مقسم كالآتي

المرحلة الابتدائية ومدتها أربع سنوات

بعدها يبدأ تقسيم الأطفال إلى

مجتهدين جدا

 ومجتهدين

 ولا بأس به

 ومتوسط

 وضعيف

 المجتهدون جدا والمجتهدون يتم إرسالهم إلى الثانوي (gymnasium)

 لا بأس بهم يتم إرسالهم الى الإعدادي الثانوي (realschule)

المتوسطون يتم إرسالهم إلى المدارس الرئيسية أو المهنية (hauptschule)

الضعفاء يتم إرسالهم إلى مدارس خاصة (sonderschule)

Taking a Stand

This amazing photo won the Special Award of the Jury at the Alfred Fried Photography Awards, which goes to those photographs that best express the idea that our future lies in peaceful coexistence. What do you think of it?

"Taking a Stand in Baton Rouge" by Jonathan Bachman

Read the story of this photograph here: https://www.friedaward.com/index.php/winners/winners-2017/taking-a-stand-in-baton-rouge-w

Price of a Smile

يقول أحد الفقراء

بكينا الدهر كله ، وعندما ابتسمنا ، التقطوا لنا صورة ، وكتبوا عليها

السعادة لا تحتاج إلى مال

هل تعلمون من نحن

هل تعلمون من نحن.......؟؟

نحن جيل المشي الى المدرسة ذهاباً وإياباً طوال ايام السنة الدراسية (٩) شهور

جيل إمتحن بالمنهج كاملاً من الجلاد الى الجلاد لا ملازم ولا مدرس خصوصي ولا خيارات

جيل "إكتب القطعة ١٠مرات "...وحل المسائل على السبورة أمام الطلبة

نحن جيل لم ينكسر نفسياً من عصا المعلم...ولم يتأزم عاطفياً من ظروف العائلة

ولم تتعلق قلوبنا بغير أمهاتنا ..ولم نبك خلف مربيات عند السفر

نحن جيل لم ندخل مدارسنا بهواتفنا النقالة

ولم نشكوا من كثافة المناهج الدراسية ..ولا حجم الحقائب المدرسية

ولا كثرة الواجبات المنزلية

نحن جيل لم يستذكر لنا أولياء أمورنا دروسنا ولم يعلمنا أب أو أم أو أخ

ولم يكتبوا لنا واجباتنا المدرسية

وكنا ننجح بلا دروس تقوية.. وبلا وعود دافعة للتفوق والنجاح

نحن جيل كنا ننهزم عندما نرى المعلم من بعيد

نحن جيل لم نرقص على أغاني السخف

وكنا نٌقبل المصحف عند فتحه وعند غلقه

نحن جيل كنا نلاحق بعضنا في الطرقات القديمة بأمان

ولم نخش مفاجآت الطريق .. ولم يعترض طريقنا لص ولا مجرم ولا خائن وطن

نحن جيل كنا ننام عند إنطفاء الكهرباء في فناء المنازل . ونتحدث كثيراً ..ونتسامر كثيراً ..ونضحك كثيراً..وننظر إلى السماء بفرح ..ونعد النجوم نجمة نجمة حتى نغفو

نحن جيل كنا نحرك كفوفنا للطائرة بفرح .. ونٌحيي الشرطي بهيبة

نحن جيل تربينا على المحبة والتسامح والصفح .. نبيت وننسى زلات وهفوات بع

نحن جيل كان للوالدين في داخلنا هيب .. وللمعلم هيبة .. وللعِشرة هيبة .. وكنا نحترم سابع جار .. ونتقاسم مع الصديق المصروف واللقمة والأسرار

إهداء لمن عاش تلك اللحظات الجميلة

الصورة من امام احدي المدارس الابتدائية في مركز اسنا سنة 1986

Chat

“In much public space, wherever your eye lands—from the back of the toilet door, to the handrail on the escalator, or the hotel key card—an ad is trying to grab your attention, and does so by triggering the oldest instincts of the human mind: fear, sex, and food. Public places become dominated by people trying to sell you something. In his tirade against this commercialization, Crawford cites advertisements on the backs of school report cards and on debit machines where you swipe your card. Before you enter your PIN, that gap of a few seconds is now used to show adverts. He describes silence and ad-free experience as “luxury goods” that only the wealthy can afford. Crawford has invented the concept of the “attentional commons,” free public spaces that allow us to choose where to place our attention. He draws the analogy with environmental goods that belong to all of us, such as clean air or clean water.

Some legal theorists are beginning to conceive of our own attention as a human right. One former Google employee warned that “there are a thousand people on the other side of the screen whose job it is to break down the self-regulation you have.” They use the insights into human behavior derived from social psychology—the need for approval, the need to reciprocate others’ gestures, the fear of missing out. Your attention ceases to be your own, pulled and pushed by algorithms. Attention is referred to as the real currency of the future.”

Sound of Ancient Languages

Switch on Sounds

The Tale of Love

Nigerian Boy Who Almost Starved to Death 
Now Thrives in School Just One Year Later

By Sara Barnes on February 8, 2017

  

On January 30, 2016, a Danish aid worker named Anja Ringgren Loven came across a harrowing sight on the streets of Nigeria. There, the DINNødhjælpfounder discovered a young boy named Hope in a dire situation—the starving child was certainly on the edge of death. Abandoned by his parents, the 2-year-old was emaciated after fending for himself for eight months; a fact captured in one heartbreaking photograph. In it, Loven is bending down to give him water from a bottle. After that scene, she wrapped him in a blanket and took him to the nearest hospital.

The road to recovery involved extensive medical treatments, but thanks to generous donations from people around the world—more than one million dollars—Hope has since made an amazing recovery. Eight weeks after being found, he had gained weight and was smiling, making him nearly unrecognizable from the same boy just two months prior.

Hope has continued to move upward and onward from his rough start in life. Loven recently posted an update—almost a year to the day—of him clad in bright red pants and a plaid top as he was off to his first day of school. The two recreated their now-famous photo, but the circumstances are totally different. Now, Hope lives in the DINNødhjælp orphanage, looking happy and healthy, surrounded by people who love and care for him. It’s amazing what a difference this type of compassion makes.

Here is aid worker Anja Ringgren Loven and a boy named Hope on the day they met. The then-2-year-old was on the brink of death

It is a tale of a woman worth loving..! 

The Keys of Paradise

‘These are the keys of this paradise’: 

how 700 years of Muslim rule in Spain came to an end

By Elizabeth Drayson | (The Conversation)

It was the moment which set Spain on a course to become the greatest power in early modern Europe. On January 2, 1492 Abdallah Muhammad bin Ali, or Muhammad XII, known as Boabdil, the last Moorish sultan of Granada and head of the Nasrid dynasty, surrendered his city and handed over the keys of the Alhambra to the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. The Christian rulers had approached Granada accompanied by the cardinal of Spain, Francisco Cisneros, and a brilliant retinue of courtiers and noblemen, among whom was Christopher Colombus.

The Capitulation of Granada.
Francisco Pradilla Ortiz

All the Christian royalty and knighthood wore Moorish dress, brocade and silk tunics and the waist sash or marlota, in a gesture of apparent respect, a visual statement to placate, reassure and suggest commonality. In reality, it was more an act of insolent appropriation and absorption of what was Moorish by the enemy. It was a gesture that epitomised the aggressively hostile ethos of the Reconquest, which manifested itself in a latent desire to usurp and eliminate that culture and religion. That desire finally became a reality in 1609, when all Moriscos or converted Muslims were expelled from Spain.

Boabdil rode out to meet them, departing from the Gate of Seven Floors at the Alhambra, down steep slopes offering magnificent views of the city he was about to leave forever. At this official, public surrender of Granada to the Christian enemy, Boabdil handed the keys of his city to Ferdinand, and was recorded as saying in Arabic: “God loves you greatly. Sir, these are the keys of this paradise. I and those inside it are yours.”

Goats

A Boy & A Girl with their goats!
Gaurav Chauhan
ISO 100, 79mm, f/5.6, 1/250 Sec
India, 2018

Her inspirations stay alive

ARADA appoints Zaha Hadid Architects to design Aljada's Central Hub following global competition

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates: 7 March 2018 - 

ARADA has announced that one of the world's most prominent architecture practices, Zaha Hadid Architects, will design the Central Hub, the centrepiece of Aljada, the developer's iconic Sharjah megaproject. UK-based Zaha Hadid Architects was awarded the contract following a competition featuring some of the most acclaimed architects from around the globe.

Designed with environmental considerations integrated throughout the masterplan to minimise the consumption of resources, the winning entry conceptualises the first moment a water droplet strikes the earth's surface, captured in an array of elliptical buildings designed to channel prevailing winds into civic spaces and courtyards to facilitate cooling during the summer months.

The central observation tower is surrounded by vibrant public squares that incorporate water features irrigated by recovered and recycled water, while tensile canopies will sustain a microclimate at ground level for verdant gardens featuring species native to the region. The first phase of the Central Hub, which will include the opening of ARADA's hi-tech experiential sales centre, will be launched in the last quarter of 2018.

HE Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of ARADA, said: "Zaha Hadid Architects is globally renowned for forward-thinking and transformational urban design. While all of the companies in this design competition offered outstanding designs, Zaha Hadid Architects' integrated design approach matched our vision for Aljada's Central Hub as an interconnected destination. This approach is synonymous with ARADA's mission to develop rewarding and engaging communities, building the Sharjah of tomorrow."

Our Genetic Thrist for Blood

The Teutoburg Forest;

In the first decade CE and the previous few decades the Roman Empire had experienced expansion east, past the River Rhine (in modern day Germany). As they looked to consolidate the land from the Rhine to the Elbe river the Romans found stiff opposition from Germanic tribes who would not so easily be brought in line. 

In 9 CE Roman General Publius Varus led the 17, 18th, and 19th legions on operations within the region. This force was accompanied by German auxiliaries (troops made up of natives) which was not uncommon. These auxiliaries navigated through the forest leading the way. Their commander was a prince from his tribe, Arminius, who had served under Roman command for some years gaining the trust of those around him. 

By the end of the summer as the legions marched back to their winter stations along with large amounts of supplies and their families. During the march through the Teutoburg Forest Arminius and his forces disappeared leaving the Romans to fend for themselves. These troops once “loyal” to the cause began harassing the long and encumbered force and escaping to the deep woods over the next few days with hit and run tactics. When finally deemed weak enough the legions were ambushed and totally overrun. Almost all 15,000 Romans were killed in this deadly attack never to leave the forest. 

When returning to the forest some years later, there are Roman accounts of bones and weapons strewn across the floor with skulls nailed to trees. Germanic resistance would take heavy beatings from the Romans and were mostly suppressed this did indicated the potential limit of Roman imperial might. The land east of the Rhine would stay outside the realm of the Empire.

Buying Into an Urban Retirement

TONY LUONG

Julie Hatfield and Tim Leland moved to downtown Boston.

More boomers are packing up and heading downtown for a major change of pace

by Ronda Kaysen, AARP

 Maddalena, an interior designer, tells her clients that if they want to shake up their lives, they need a new window to look out. In September she took her own advice and swapped the three-story home in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., where she'd lived for 33 years, for a three-bedroom apartment in a new luxury tower in downtown Detroit.

"I just needed something different," Maddalena said. "Now, in the morning, I go out to the great room and pull up the shades and have this magnificent sunrise. Everything just sparkles."

In the suburbs, her neighborhood had no sidewalks, and the streets were empty. But in downtown Detroit, "everybody is so friendly. I get calls on a late Sunday morning saying, ‘How about lunch?’ "

From her apartment, which overlooks Capitol Park, Maddalena can walk to the opera, take the QLine streetcar to the symphony or see rock concerts at Little Caesars Arena. "I wouldn’t have seen Paul McCartney if I still lived in the burbs," she noted.

Maddalena is among a growing number of boomers who are trading their suburban homes for smaller apartments in city centers across the country. Gone are the days when the golden years meant playing bridge in Boca Raton. Instead, these boomers are moving into neighborhoods that have been revitalized with a different demographic in mind: millennials.

"New urbanism was conceived for millennials, but it is affordable to boomers," said Jonathan J. Miller, president of Miller Samuel Real Estate Appraisers and Consultants in New York.

Saddled with student loan debt or a marathon job search, many millennials cannot afford the upscale developments that have been built since the end of the Great Recession.