ABC Wednesday, U for Unicef

UNICEF works with children in over 150 countries around the world. These post is devoted to the work of UNICEF in many of them.
An example of what UNICEF does:
In 2007, an estimated 9.2 million children worldwide under the age of five died from largely preventable causes. Some are directly caused by illness such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria. Others are caused by indirect causes including conflict and HIV/AIDS. Malnutrition, poor hygiene and lack of access to safe water and adequate sanitation contribute to more than half of these deaths. Two thirds of both neonatal and young child deaths — over 6 million deaths every year — are preventable. Half a million women die in pregnancy each year, most during delivery or in the first few days thereafter.

But what can we do?
I always buy UNICEF articles for X-mas or ST Nicholas( 5th December). For my birthday, which is in December too, I like to get things from UNICEF or Oxfam.
Here are a few of the things you can buy in a UNICEF shop.

Apart from toys, there are x-mas cards, calendars, diaries, jigsaw puzzles, candles, candle sticks and lots of other beautiful things.

A box containing Unicef cards.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

United Nations Children's Fund was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II. In 1953, UNICEF became a permanent part of the United Nations System and its name was shortened from the original United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund but it has continued to be known by the popular acronym based on this old name. Headquartered in New York City, UNICEF provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.

UNICEF relies on contributions from governments and private donors and UNICEF's total income for 2006 was $2,781,000,000. Governments contribute two thirds of the organization's resources; private groups and some 6 million individuals contribute the rest through the National Committees. UNICEF's programs emphasize developing community-level services to promote the health and well-being of children. UNICEF was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1965 and the Prince of Asturias Award of Concord in 2006.


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 U.

Monday Doorways, Great Britain, Oxford I

 

This is a doorway of a University building in Oxford which was used as the library of Hogwarts in the books of Harry Potter.


Inspired by a post by Eric Tenin of a Parisian doorway, «Louis» began posting on Mondays photos he had taken of doorways in Paris.To participate click on
Monday Doorways

Psalms Challenge, Psalm 22

A psalm by David, Suffering


1 My God, my God, why have you

deserted me?

Why are you so far away?

Won't you listen to my groans

and come to my rescue?

2 I cry out day and night,

but you don't answer,

and I can never rest.


This psalm ends in praising God. Many people don't come further than the first two verses. I hope that somebody post the praising verses at the end of the psalm.
Jesus on the cross spoke the first verse and when he died he praised God. Amazing!
The song on the video deals with the first two verses and the melody sounds very sad and appeals to me now.



The verses from Psalm 22 are contributed to Robert's Psalms Challenge meme at Daily Athens. To read more psalms click on Robert

ABC Wednesday, T for Tornado and Twister.

How devastating a tornado is and even a mini tornado we can see in this video and photos.We have recently seen how destructive tornadoes are.
A tornado is also commonly referred to as a "twister", and is also sometimes referred to by the old-fashioned colloquial term cyclone.

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with T.

This is what the cyclone Larry caused in Queensland, Australia in March 2006. The two bottom photos are from newspapers. I have no photos of the tornadoes that recently raged over the USA, but it was on TV and I saw the destructions they caused. I am so sorry for the people who live there.
Here is a video of the aftermath of the tornado in Joplin.

Monday Doorways, the Great Gate, Cambridge

 

Click to enlarge!

The Front Gate of St John's College in Cambridge was completed in 1516.
The carving is of the coat of arms of the Foundress, Lady Margaret Beaufort. The curious beasts on either side are yales, mythical animals having elephants' tails, antelopes' bodies and goats' heads, with horns which can supposedly swivel from back to front!
Above is a statue of St. John the Evangelist: at his feet is an eagle, the traditional symbol of the Saint. He holds a poisoned chalice, with a snake representing the legend that he charmed the poison out in the form of a serpent and then drank safely.

Inspired by a post by Eric Tenin of a Parisian doorway, «Louis» began posting on Mondays photos he had taken of doorways in Paris.To participate click on
Monday Doorways or on the logo in the sidebar.

 

Sunday Bridges, Great Britain, London, Tower Bridge

 

Wikipedia says:"Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, which gives it its name. It has become an iconic symbol of London. Work on the bridge started in 1886 and it took 8 years to finish, so in 1894 it was ready.

The bridge consists of two towers which are tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways which are designed to withstand the horizontal forces exerted by the suspended sections of the bridge on the landward sides of the towers".


Thanks to Louis we can participate in this meme!

For more bridges go to Sunday Bridges

 
 
 

Psalms Challenge, Psalm 21

1 O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,
and in your salvation how greatly he exults!
2 You have given him his heart’s desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips.
Selah

3 For you meet him with rich blessings;
you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.
4 He asked life of you; you gave it to him,
length of days forever and ever.
5 His glory is great through your salvation;
splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
6 For you make him most blessed forever;
you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the LORD,
and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.

8 Your hand will find out all your enemies;
your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9 You will make them as a blazing oven
when you appear.
The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,
and fire will consume them.
10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
and their offspring from among the children of man.
11 Though they plan evil against you,
though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12 For you will put them to flight;
you will aim at their faces with your bows.

13 Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power.

Today my eldest daughter is having her birthday. She is 44 years old!


The verses from Psalm 21 are contributed to Robert's Psalms Challenge meme at Daily Athens. To read more psalms click on Robert

ABC Wednesday, S for Sixties

This year I bought a book about the Sixties and put it on the table for all visitors to read. Well "read" is too big a word, it's more a picture book, for even my Danish friends enjoyed viewing it, because they recognized many of the articles from the sixties. I must confess that, with the exception of some crockery and clothes, I never bought anything of those articles. My furniture was more Ikea like. I had a different taste, I think. I didn't like the pastel colours and the asymmetric shapes of, for instance, the alarm clocks, lamps, vases or ashtrays.



With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with S.

Monday Doorways, Blenheim Palace.

 

This is a photo of the doorway to Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

Inspired by a post by Eric Tenin of a Parisian doorway, «Louis» began posting on Mondays photos he had taken of doorways in Paris.To participate click on
Monday Doorways

Sunday Bridges, Great Britain, Cambridge

Borrowed from Wikipedia

The Bridge of Sighs in Cambridge is a covered bridge belonging to St John's College of Cambridge University. It was built in 1831 and crosses the River Cam between the college's Third Court and New Court. The architect was Henry Hutchinson.

It is named after the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, although they have little architecturally in common beyond the fact that they are both covered. The bridge is one of Cambridge's main tourist attractions and Queen Victoria is said to have loved it more than any other spot in the city.

A common myth states that it was the students who named this bridge "bridge of sighs," as the context of its existing within the college grounds means that the "sighs" are those of pre-exam students. This belief probably has much to do with the function of the bridge--linking two quadrangles of St John's College together in a covered path, as opposed to Kitchen Bridge, which is an open-air bridge. Students are rumoured for their sighs on proceeding from their quarters on the Backs to the tutor's offices in the main college quadrangle.

On two separate occasions, students have pulled the prank of dangling a car under the bridge. In the first incident (in 1963), a 1928 Austin 7 was punted down the river using four punts that had been lashed together - then hoisted up under the bridge using ropes. The second incident (in 1968) a Bond or Reliant Regal three-wheeler car was dangled under the bridge. In neither case was the bridge damaged.

See also my post of 15th May about the Bridge of Sighs in the "Other Place"( this is how Cambridge refers to Oxford and Oxford to Cambridge, as both cities are each other's rivals)


Thanks to Louis we can participate in this meme!

For more bridges go to Sunday Bridges