How true

A Wise Quote

The most important thing in
Communication
is to hear what ins't being said

Paul Drucker

Uganda .... A beautiful African country

Different types of clouds formation .... fascinating ... particularly the lower transperant layer of clouds.

Different fruits ... natural .... no chemicals .. no fertilisers ... Fascinating colours, types and set up.

Kampala down town fruits market.

Nathem Hamed

Born in 1951 in Iraq. B.Sc degree in Fine Arts from the Fine Arts Academy, Baghdad University 1976. Master degree in Drawing from Baghdad University 1981. One of the most distinguished impressionist artist in Iraq and the Arab world. Studied painting under the great artist Faik Hassan. Renowned for his strong interest in the Arab townscapes and preservation of the urban and architectural heritage. Participated in many solo and joint exhibitions in many countries.

Paul Panossian

Paul Panossian is an American artist of Arminian origin. Born in Los Angeles 1965. His strength is in the composition of his paintings. Panossian displayed an inherent artistic ability. His yearning desire to draw and paint prompted his elementary school teacher to recommend professional painting instruction; his parents gladly provided the needed means and opportunity to learn and grow under the tutelage of professional artists from the age of six and continued private instruction throughout High School.

In 1988, Panossian graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Art from California State University, Northridge where he had the opportunity to study under master artist, Hans Burkhardt. After completing his formal education Panossian went to Europe to study.

Trained in traditional art with an emphasis in oil painting, his personal artwork is characterized by intense colour, sophisticated composition, and a painterly technique that has been immediately widely recognized.

US foreclosures and ...... US-financed Israeli houses

Free Gaza ... "Siege-breaking" boats trip sailing today to Gaza

"Siege-breaking boats". A campaign to attract attention to the siege enforced by Israel on over 1.5 million Gazans. No electricity, no medicine, no fuel, no services, no freedom to travel .... an absolute unprecedented human catastrophy ..... Follow the activities of this brave initiative of the 44 pro Palestinans on 3 boats sailing today to Gaza .... on http://www.freegaza.gov/

Water formations ..... natural art work

Water comes after Space in being a fascinating matter. Water formation are real art work.

Quit smoking

Be Special

Grace by Alice Heath

Hillary Clinton conceding speech

Hillary Clinton conceded the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama yesterday. A truly fine conceding speech. If she has won anything, this graceful speech was her true victory. An exemplary model in descipline, good sport and clear intelligent choice of words.

Ramshackled by Kathryn Stats

فلسطين 1948-2008

سنرجع يوما إلى حينا

ونغرق في دافئات المنى

سنرجع مهما يطول الزمان

وتنأى المسافات ما بيننا

سنرجــع يومـــا
شعر: هارون هاشم رشيد

سنرجع يوماً الى حينا............و نغرق في دافئات المنى
سنرجع مهما يطول الزمان...... و تنأى المسافات ما بيننا
فيا قلب مهلآ و لا ترتم............على درب عودتنا موهنا
يعز علينا غداً أن تعود...........رفوف الطيور و نحن هنا
هنالك عند التلال تلال............تنام و تصحو على عهدنا
و ناس هم الحب أيامهم............هدوء انتظار شجي الغنا
ربوع مدى العين صفصافها......على كل ماء وهى فانحنى
تعب الظهيرات في ظلها.........عبير الهدوء و صفو الهنا
سنرجع خبرني العندليب...........غداة التقينا على منحنى
بأن البلابل لما تزل..................هناك تعيش بأشعارنا
و مازال بين تلال الحنين ..........و ناس الحنين مكان لنا

فيا قلب كم شردتنا رياح.............. تعال سنرجع هيا بنا

Nakba, the Palestinian catastrophe (1948)

Every year Palestinians commemorate the Nakba ("the catastrophe"): the expulsion and dispossession of hundreds of thousands Palestinians from their homes and land in 1948. In 1948 more than 60 percent of the total Palestinian population was expelled. More than 530 Palestinian villages were depopulated and completely destroyed.

To date, Israel has prevented the return of approximately six million Palestinian refugees, who have either been expelled or displaced. Approximately 250,000 internally displaced Palestinian second-class citizens of Israel are prevented from returning to their homes and villages.

560 roadblocks in the West Bank

There are, today, around 560 roadblocks established by the Israeli Occupation forces in the tiny area of the West Bank, which is an incredible number. No roadblocks have been removed; each and every one of them stands in witness to the fact that Israel's promises are not fulfilled and that their declarations and statements on peace are hollow and meaningless.

The $7 billion that were promised at the recent Paris conference to jump-start the Palestinian economy are useless, for without a minimal freedom of movement, there is no way that the economy of the Palestinians can be put on its feet.

The West Bank has an area of 120 km x 50 km.

Brazilian cartoonist Carlos Latuff creates artworks that call on the world to condemn Israeli holocaust of Gaza

Carlos Latuff's statement:

I'd like to beg all viewers to spread this image anywhere, as a way to expose Israeli war crimes against Palestinians. Use it on t-shirts, posters, banners. Reproduce it in zines, papers, magazines, and make it visible everywhere. Here is the high-resolution version for printing purposes.

Thank you in the name of every suffering Palestinian.

Ghassan Abu Laban - A great talent from Palestine

Canterbury - Kent

Sergie Bongart - the art of contrast

Zhaoming Wu - A great Chinese artist

Zhaoming Wu was born in China and grew up in Guangzhou City. He received his BFA from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art China and his MFA from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco.

Since 1983, he has been exhibitng his work in Asia, Europe, the United States and other countries around the world. He has won numerous awards, including the Merit Award at the 6th National Art Exhibition in Beijing, China, the Gustafson Fund Award, the National Oil and Acrylic Painter's Society (US) Award, 1st place in the 9th Biennial National Figure Painting and Drawing Exhibition in Mendocino Art Center, California, Grand Prize Winner in International Artist Magazine (Aug/Sept 2005), the Daler-Rowney Award from the Oil Painters of America 2000, and the Art Distributors Awards of Excellence from the Oil Painters of America 2005.

Confidence by Alice Heath ... a great sculpture artist

... and it was quite a Snow fall

Snow in Amman - expected tomorrow

Quiet ride in Italy by Kathryn Stats

Last five minutes by Marc Hansen

From the Guardian - Gaza

'If you bottle up 1.5 million people in a territory 25 miles long and six miles wide, and turn off the lights, as Israel has done in Gaza, the bottle will burst. This is what happened yesterday when tens of thousands of Gazans poured into Egypt to buy food, fuel and supplies after militants destroyed two-thirds of the wall separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt. It was the biggest jail break in history.'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2245703,00.html

Candles for Gaza - In Solidarity

Photos are courtsy of Alfalasteeniya site.

Blakout in besieged Gaza City

The Gaza Strip’s only power plant has shut down as Israel’s blockade has dried up fuel supplies. Tonight Gazans are living in darkness as the second of the plant's two working turbines was switched off on the third day of a crippling Israeli blockade of the territory. At least 800,000 people are now in darkness.

Sunday’s shutdown has prompted fears of a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.This catastrophe is affecting hospitals, medical clinics, water wells, sewage treatment plants, water facilities, factories, homes— all aspects of life. Palestinians said the worst affected could be the health sector, with hospitals failing to provide services in the absence of electricity.

Food supplies have dwindled, thanks to Israel’s blockade. And now there is no bread. Bakeries stopped operating because they did not have power or flour. Gazans are protesting in the streets—asking for bread.

Israel’s targeting of a Palestinian government office on Jan. 18, which caused serious casualties at a nearby wedding party was a “war crime” and those responsible should be punished, a United Nations official said yesterday. John Dugard, UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied territories, slammed the killing of Palestinians in other attacks and the closing of border crossings.

“The killing of some 40 Palestinians in Gaza in the past week, the targeting of a government office near a wedding party venue with what must have been foreseen loss of life and injury to many civilians, and the closure of all crossings into Gaza raise very serious questions about Israel’s respect for international law and its commitment to the peace process,” Dugard said in a statement.

“Those responsible for such cowardly action are guilty of serious war crimes and should be prosecuted and punished for their crimes,” Dugard said.

Israel seals Gaza, continues attacks on trapped Palestinian popultion

Three days after killing at least 30 Palestinians in helicopter and tank attacks on the Gaza Strip—and just one week after President George W. Bush met in Israel with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other top officials—Israel on Friday, Jan. 18 ordered all border crossings into Gaza temporarily closed as it continued its deadly attacks on more than 1.5 million Palestinians already denied food, clean water, electricity and medical supplies. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced that the transfer of medicines and humanitarian aid into Gaza now will be allowed “only in exceptional circumstances.”

James Neil Hollingsworth art

Is this a real Cherry Can? Are these real Cherries? Wrong. This is Oil on Canvas.

Karen Hollingsworth art

Fantastic. Feel the wind and note the tenderness of the cloth. Observe the light shades. God damn, this is Oil on Canvas.

أجمل الكلام

إذا لم تعلم أين تذهب، فكل الطرق تفي بالغرض

لا تطعن في ذوق زوجتك، فقد اختارتك أولا

من يطارد عصفورين يفقدهما جميعاً

المرأة هي نصف المجتمع وهي التي تلد و تربي النصف الآخر

كلما ارتفع الإنسان ، تكاثفت حوله الغيوم والمحن

The Human Mind

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid! Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Tallulah Bankhead quote

If I could return to youth, I would commit all those errors again, but a bit earlier.

Goldman Sachs says the US is in a recession

This is one of the serious news articles that I read today. It is Goldman Sachs judgement. It might not be correct but such an institution is professioal and the statement will have a number of implications. Goldman Sachs says the US is in a recession

Henry Paulson's old company, Goldman Sachs is yet another high profile, highly successful business that sees a US recession.

"Over the past few months, we have become increasingly concerned that the US housing and credit market downturn would trigger not just a growth slowdown and substantial Fed easing -- our long-standing view -- but also an outright recession," Goldman Sachs said in a note to clients Wednesday. "The latest data suggest that recession has now arrived, or will very shortly."The recent rise in unemployment is particularly worrisome, Goldman indicated.

Inspirational

Inspirational

The Secret of a Happy Life

A walker noticed an old lady sitting on her front step, so he walked up to her and said, "I couldn't help noticing how happy you look! What is your secret for such a long, happy life?"

"I smoke ten cigars a day," she said. "Before I go to bed, I smoke a nice big joint. Apart from that, I drink a whole bottle of Jack Daniels every week, and eat only junk food. On week-ends, I pop pills and do no exercise at all."

"That is absolutely amazing at your age!", says the walker. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-four," she replied.

2008

This is a nice picture I received from a friend on this New Year start.

2007 was a good year on a personal level. However, I am optimistic that 2008 will be a better year than 2007 at least on the World politics level.