that's My World, 8 March, International Women's Day

This post is dedicated to International Women's Day! We commemorate all women who became victims of brutal oppression, and all women who haven't got the same rights as men. Just realise that the fight is not over yet!


World Press Photo of 2010 was taken by a South-African photographer Jodi Bieber. She took a portrait of the the 18 years old Afghan woman Bibi Aisha who featured the cover of Time Magazine.

According to the jury this photo of the woman with a mutilated face is a symbol, which is significant for the situation in which many women still live.

Women displaced by armed conflict – often living alone with their children – are frequently exposed to sexual violence, discrimination and intimidation. Many face poverty and social exclusion as well. International humanitarian law therefore includes specific provisions protecting women, for example when they are pregnant or as mothers of young children.

When Aisha was 12, her father promised her in marriage to a Taliban fighter to pay a debt. She was handed over to his family who abused her and forced her to sleep in the stable with the animals.
When she attempted to flee, she was caught and her nose and ears were hacked off by her husband as punishment.

Left for dead in the mountains, she crawled to her grandfather's house and her father managed to get her to an American medical facility, where medics cared for her for ten weeks.

They then transported Aisha to a secret shelter in Kabul and in August she was flown to the U.S. by the Grossman Burn Foundation to stay with a host family.

This month, she had a prosthetic nose fitted at the non-profit humanitarian Grossman Burn Center at West Hills Hospital in California as part of her eight-month rehabilitation.


As long as there are women who are surpressed, abused, forced to marry men they don't love, and whose rights are not the same as those of men, we have to fight for them and observe 8th March as International Women's Day.

That's my World is hosted by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and Sylvia - a Team of experienced bloggers, whom we thank for this wonderful meme. You can see more of the world of other bloggers by clicking on the logo in the side bar or on that's My World

Psalms Challenge, Psalm 10

Psalm 10

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

 

German concentration camp.

10 The helpless are crushed, sink down,
and fall by his might.
11 The enemy says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

 

Japanese concentration camp for women and children. Boys older than ten were sent to a camp for men.


12 ARISE, O LORD; O GOD, LIFT UP YOUR HAND;
FORGET NOT THE AFFLICTED.
13 Why does the wicked renounce God
and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?
14 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
you have been the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
call his wickedness to account till you find none.

16 The Lord is king forever and ever;
the nations perish from his land.
17 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.


The verses from Psalm 10 are contributed to Robert's new Psalms Challenge meme at Daily Athens. To read more psalms click on Robert

Weekend Reflections, The Netherlands,

 
 

In our polders there is a lot of water, and where there is water, there is REFLECTION!

Weekend Reflections was started on 27 September 2009, by James. You can join this meme at some time during the weekend. Just post your photo and go to James to tell him that you are on, or click on the logo in the sidebar.This meme is created for any type of reflection.

ABC Wednesday, G for Greenman

A Dutch Greenman.
The photos are borrowed from Wikipedia.Except for the Dutch Green Man. This was taken by one of my daughters.

Wikipedia says: "A Green Man is a sculpture, drawing, or other representation of a face surrounded by or made from leaves. Branches or vines may sprout from the nose, mouth, nostrils or other parts of the face and these shoots may bear flowers or fruit. Commonly used as a decorative architectural ornament, Green Men are frequently found on carvings in churches and other buildings (both secular and ecclesiastical). "The Green Man" is also a popular name for English public houses and various interpretations of the name appear on inn signs, which sometimes show a full figure rather than just the head.

The Green Man motif has many variations. Found in many cultures around the world, the Green Man is often related to natural vegetative deities springing up in different cultures throughout the ages. Primarily it is interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, or "renaissance," representing the cycle of growth each spring. Some speculate that the mythology of the Green Man developed independently in the traditions of separate ancient cultures and evolved into the wide variety of examples found throughout history".


I wonder if you ever saw a "Green Man"in your surroundings. From now on I am going to be more attentive and I am going to look for Green Men!!

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.We started round 8 of the fascinating meme of ABC. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with G.

Psalms Challenge, Psalm 9

 

1.I will give you praise, O Lord, with all my heart; I will make clear all the wonder of your works.
2 I will be glad and have delight in you: I will make a song of praise to your name, O Most High.

9 The Lord will be a high tower for those who are crushed down, a high tower in times of trouble;

 

10 And those who have knowledge of your name will put their faith in you; because you, Lord, have ever given your help to those who were waiting for you.
11 Make songs of praise to the Lord, whose house is in Zion: make his doings clear to the people.
***********************************************************************************

In spite of all his troubles and misfortunes, David kept praising God. Once there was a major disaster in the Netherlands. Somebody asked a man:"so where is your God now?"
His answer was :"There he is", pointing at a rescue worker helping the wounded people where and whenever he could.

The verses from Psalm 9 are contributed to Robert's new PsalmsChallenge meme at Daily Athens. To read more psalms click on Robert

Sky Watch, Weekend Reflections in New Zealand

In January 2005 we were staying in a holiday park in Richmond, South Island, New Zealand. At the end of a day of walking and enjoying the summer weather we saw this beautiful goodbye of the sun, reflecting in one of the windows of a holiday home. Every day the sun goes down and leaves us with the good or bad memories of what happened that day.


Sky Watch is hosted by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and Sylvia
Thank you so much for this great meme, it's always a pleasure to participate, and see all the other skies around the world. If you want to see some other skies please click on the logo in the side bar.

Weekend Reflections was started on 27 September 2009, by James. You can join this meme at some time during the weekend. Just post your photo and go to James to tell him that you are on, or click on the logo in the sidebar.This meme is created for any type of reflection.

Our thoughts are for New Zealand

 
 
 
 

The 6.3-magnitude quake struck Feb. 22, killing at least 75 people. About 300 remain missing, Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker told reporters. The quake and more than 30 aftershocks have toppled buildings in Christchurch’s central business district. The city’s tallest building, the Grand Chancellor Hotel, is unstable and may be moving, police said.


In January and February my Australian daughter and her children went with me to the South Island. Our first day and our last day we spent in Christchurch. I was impressed by the beauty of this city. The cathedral was magnificent and I am so sorry that this grand building is destroyed now. But I am worried about the fate of one of our bloggers, who lives there. I hope that she and her family survived this terrible ordeal. Let's think of all those people. If you can pray, please do!


 

The Cathedral in February 2005. My granddaughter was admiring the Silver Lady!

that's My World, ABC Wednesday, F for Ferry

Please click on photos to enlarge.

Top photo: Ferry to Texel, an island in the north of Holland on a winter's day.Taken by my Dutch daughter
Second photo: The same ferry to Texel on a summer's day.
Third photo : Ferry to Rotterdam.
Fourth photo: Ferry across the river Lek to Kinderdijk, where the windmills are.

The ferry to Kinderdijk was always popular with my children.We used to walk to the wind mills when the children were little. I even went there when the youngest was lying in the pram and his sisters were five and two. They were always excited to be on that ferry. It takes a few minutes to cross the river Lek. When I have visitors I always walk with them to Kinderdijk.

In a country with so much water like ours, we need ferries and bridges. Somehow I prefer ferries, because there is so much to see on the river.
Our Dutch ferries are but small in comparison to those we need to travel to Great Britain or Scandinavia. Besides the Dutch ferries need only a short time to cross a river and not more than half an hour to travel to one of the islands.

That's my World is hosted by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and Sylvia - a Team of experienced bloggers, whom we thank for this wonderful meme. You can see more of the world of other bloggers by clicking on the logo in the side bar or on that's My World



With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.We started round 8 of the fascinating meme of ABC. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with F.

Psalms Challenge, Psalm 8

O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.


Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.

 

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
.

 

You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth.

The verses from Psalm 8 are contributed to Robert's new PsalmsChallenge meme at Daily Athens. To read more psalms click on Robert

Weekend Reflections, Netherlands

 

Three weeks ago my friend and I were taking a walk in an area that had been flooded by the river not long ago, which is natural for this region. There were still some pools left. And they were frozen over. The reflections in the frozen water I showed last week!Here's another icy reflection. We had to go down these stairs and try to find a dry piece of land. The way was very slippery and big chunks of mud stuck on our shoes, but the weather was great on this first day of February 2011.

Weekend Reflections was started on 27 September 2009, by James. You can join this meme at some time during the weekend. Just post your photo and go to James to tell him that you are on, or click on the logo in the sidebar.This meme is created for any type of reflection.