Hi everyone! Long time no see...
Today I'm going to talk about the organization called ODW, or OD in Norwegian.
ODW means Operation Day's Work, and in Norwegian it means Operasjon Dagsverk. What we do in ODW is to work for a day, and earn money, and then we send the money to ODW so that they can invest the money in their yearly projects. We have ODW once a year, and it's voluntary.
This is what ODW is based on, according to ODW () :
In summary, ODW bases itself on the following:
■ The principle of solidarity in which equality between all groups is central
■ Working on the ODW Day is voluntary
■ ODW supports educational and training projects in Africa, Asia or Latin- America.
■ ODW always supports and concerns marginalised groups and contribute towards girls and boys having equal rights to education.
■ ODWs projects are always carried out through local partners in the South.
■ ODW-supports long-term projects
■ ODW is always targeting youth and the campaign is always carried out by youth.
This year's project is Malawi and Etiopia. Malawi and Etiopia is this year's project, because ODW wants to secure girl's rights. Girls in Malawi and Etipia meet a lot of challenges when it comes to independence and education. The fact that they are girls becomes the reason to not give them rights that boy's have, and therefore ODW is fighting for equality in these countries.
ODW-project 2014 will ensure that:
- Girls complete primary school
- Girls have education
- Girls have job and income
- Girls' rights are respected
- Youngsters take care of the environment
- Youngsters are involved in taking decisions that will affect their future
Why are Ethiopia and Malawi this year's project?
Ethiopia and Malawi are this year's project, because the literacy rates (% of people ages 15 and above) in Ethiopia is 39 and in Malawi it's 74,77 (Source: , but 53,6% of all the illiterates in Malawi are female and 57,3% illiterates are females in Ethiopia. These are just numbers. Researches show that girls are forced to stay home only to get water, make food and to clean the house, while boys are allowed to attend the school, even though the numbers don't disclose that there are more boys than girls who go to school, because some of the boys who go to school are illiterates.
Why? Do boys have special rights?
Not at all! All humans are born with equal rights regardless of religion, nationality, sex, language, location, ethnic origin or sexual orientation.
ODW wants to make people understand this fact in Malawi and Ethiopia so that the illiteracy rates sink, because if the illiteracy rates sink in these countries it will be beneficial for the populations.
Why is it extremely important to be educated?
1. Overcoming Superstitions
2. Keeping up with the world
3. To have good knowledge about healthcare and diseases (major problem among illiterates)
4. To be respected in the society
5. To understand the world we are living in
6. To know the difference between right and wrong
7. Gain confidence
8. Unwritten rules of the society
9. For economic growth of the nation
10. Saves one from being fooled or cheated
11. Turns your dreams into reality
12. Makes you self dependent
13. Equality
14. Money
15. For a happy and stable life
I hope that I have made people more aware, and that more people know about this organization called ODW.
So, if this post, somehow, has made you believe that everything is possible, then spread the word, because it's possible
-Ritika Jaswal
lørdag 8. november 2014
onsdag 3. september 2014
Back to School
Hello everyone!
Long time no see :)I hope that you all had a great summer.
First of all I want to thank our 2000 readers from Norway, USA, India, Germany, Greece, UK, Taiwan, China, Singapore and Indonesia for constantly reading our posts. It means a lot to us!
I have had a great summer with a lot of fun. My summer vacation started at Oslo Summer School.
Oslo Summer School is a free service to students who attend school in Oslo.
Courses are offered in week 26, 27, 32 and 33 of the 37 bases and training sites in the city. Each course runs from Monday to Friday for a week.
Oslo Summer School is a learning environment for students who wish for academic challenges for students who want to practice more on basic skills.
All courses are related to one of the subjects Norwegian, mathematics, science, English, foreign languages, IT and vocational programs.
Common objectives for all courses is that students learn something new, get professional challenges and great experiences in a safe and social learning.
I had two courses, one in Mathematics and the second course was Science in English. We got teachers from the UK to teach us Science in the second course and that was so cool to have British teachers with beautiful accents. It was both enjoyable and motivating to be there.
In the first course, we visited radiumhospitalet which is a special hospital to all cancer pasients. We learnt how to give a radiotherapy to kill cancer (it doesn't kill cancer compeletly, but it reduces cancer).
I watched a lot of bollywood movies like Ek Villain, Kick, Heropanti, Holiday and Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania My favorite movies are Ek Villain, Holiday and Kick.
Later, we (my family and I) went to Rhodes, Greece! It was fantastic! We stayed in Ialysos, which is one of Rhodes major cities. We have seen the butterfly valley, Mandraki, Old town, New town, Lindos and Tsampika. It's so many things to say about these places. The butterfly valley and Mandraki/Old town are the best places I have ever visited. The butterfly valley is a valley with a lot of butterflies flying here and there. Catch the butterflies if you can! Trust me, I tried, but they just flew when I came near them. Old town is actually a fortress, but it's actually shops in it. Yes, you heard me right! There are many different types of shops there f.ex. clothes, souvenir shops, Turkish shops, frozen yogurt shops, leather shops and many more. The thing that surprised me was 15-20 Jewellery shops were placed in the same row, and that too in a fortress! My God!
There are plenty of topics to talk about this school year! I am looking forward to post.
Stay tuned I will be right back!
- Ritika Jaswal
Long time no see :)I hope that you all had a great summer.
First of all I want to thank our 2000 readers from Norway, USA, India, Germany, Greece, UK, Taiwan, China, Singapore and Indonesia for constantly reading our posts. It means a lot to us!
I have had a great summer with a lot of fun. My summer vacation started at Oslo Summer School.
Oslo Summer School is a free service to students who attend school in Oslo.
Courses are offered in week 26, 27, 32 and 33 of the 37 bases and training sites in the city. Each course runs from Monday to Friday for a week.
Oslo Summer School is a learning environment for students who wish for academic challenges for students who want to practice more on basic skills.
All courses are related to one of the subjects Norwegian, mathematics, science, English, foreign languages, IT and vocational programs.
Common objectives for all courses is that students learn something new, get professional challenges and great experiences in a safe and social learning.
I had two courses, one in Mathematics and the second course was Science in English. We got teachers from the UK to teach us Science in the second course and that was so cool to have British teachers with beautiful accents. It was both enjoyable and motivating to be there.
In the first course, we visited radiumhospitalet which is a special hospital to all cancer pasients. We learnt how to give a radiotherapy to kill cancer (it doesn't kill cancer compeletly, but it reduces cancer).
I watched a lot of bollywood movies like Ek Villain, Kick, Heropanti, Holiday and Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania My favorite movies are Ek Villain, Holiday and Kick.
Later, we (my family and I) went to Rhodes, Greece! It was fantastic! We stayed in Ialysos, which is one of Rhodes major cities. We have seen the butterfly valley, Mandraki, Old town, New town, Lindos and Tsampika. It's so many things to say about these places. The butterfly valley and Mandraki/Old town are the best places I have ever visited. The butterfly valley is a valley with a lot of butterflies flying here and there. Catch the butterflies if you can! Trust me, I tried, but they just flew when I came near them. Old town is actually a fortress, but it's actually shops in it. Yes, you heard me right! There are many different types of shops there f.ex. clothes, souvenir shops, Turkish shops, frozen yogurt shops, leather shops and many more. The thing that surprised me was 15-20 Jewellery shops were placed in the same row, and that too in a fortress! My God!
There are plenty of topics to talk about this school year! I am looking forward to post.
Stay tuned I will be right back!
- Ritika Jaswal
Summer and back to school!!
Hello guys!!!
How are you, and how was your summer-vacation?
First I just wanna say that I had a grat summer with friends and family. I was in Denmark and Englad.
I wachd alot of movies also:)
The first week of the summer vacation I went to "summer school" in Norway! Fun to meet new people! Little bit about the school:
Oslo Summer School is a free service to all students who attend school and / or living in Oslo.
Courses are offered in week 26, 27, 32 and 33 of the 37 bases and training sites throughout the city. Each course runs from Monday to Friday for a week.
Oslo Summer School is a learning environment for pupils wishing academic challenges for students who want to practice more on basic skills.
All courses are related to one of the subjects Norwegian, mathematics, science, English, foreign languages, ICT and vocational programs.
Common objectives for all courses is that students learn something new, get professional challenges and great experiences in a safe and social learning.
All courses have physical activity daily and weekly cultural activity or outing. 5,500 training places have swimming training exercise.
Employees in Oslo Summer School teachers, students from universities and colleges and students in high school. There are between 25 and 30 students and a teacher and an assistant in each group.
All staff have first aid course. Teachers and assistants in science courses, as is the walk to the water, also have life support courses.
But we went to Denmark with the car and was there in 6 days, we rented a little house near Lego Land and Lalandia. It was so fun there! After we spend 6 days there we drove back to Norway (Denmark->Sweden->Norway) 13 hours in the car! (trust me I've been in a car longer)
Some few weeks later we was in London (for the 100th time, hahaha) on a wedding. And it was my father's cousin's wedding. It was so cool with alot of energy! The bride (my new aunt) was so pretty! I swear Indian weddings are the best (I'm not going to shear any photos)
(sorry that I wrote little)
Tnx. M.K
How are you, and how was your summer-vacation?
First I just wanna say that I had a grat summer with friends and family. I was in Denmark and Englad.
I wachd alot of movies also:)
The first week of the summer vacation I went to "summer school" in Norway! Fun to meet new people! Little bit about the school:
Oslo Summer School is a free service to all students who attend school and / or living in Oslo.
Courses are offered in week 26, 27, 32 and 33 of the 37 bases and training sites throughout the city. Each course runs from Monday to Friday for a week.
Oslo Summer School is a learning environment for pupils wishing academic challenges for students who want to practice more on basic skills.
All courses are related to one of the subjects Norwegian, mathematics, science, English, foreign languages, ICT and vocational programs.
Common objectives for all courses is that students learn something new, get professional challenges and great experiences in a safe and social learning.
All courses have physical activity daily and weekly cultural activity or outing. 5,500 training places have swimming training exercise.
Employees in Oslo Summer School teachers, students from universities and colleges and students in high school. There are between 25 and 30 students and a teacher and an assistant in each group.
All staff have first aid course. Teachers and assistants in science courses, as is the walk to the water, also have life support courses.
But we went to Denmark with the car and was there in 6 days, we rented a little house near Lego Land and Lalandia. It was so fun there! After we spend 6 days there we drove back to Norway (Denmark->Sweden->Norway) 13 hours in the car! (trust me I've been in a car longer)
Some few weeks later we was in London (for the 100th time, hahaha) on a wedding. And it was my father's cousin's wedding. It was so cool with alot of energy! The bride (my new aunt) was so pretty! I swear Indian weddings are the best (I'm not going to shear any photos)
(sorry that I wrote little)
Tnx. M.K
onsdag 7. mai 2014
UN and Syria- What's going on?
Hello :)
It's been a long time now. I didn't get the chance to post on the blog.
I have been very busy these days...
I'm sure you know about the civil war that is going on in Syria. The news have been in the limelight of the media since March 2011. It started with peaceful demonstrations against Bashar al-Assad's Baath-regime. The uprising became a part of the Arabic Spring, but this uprising became more and more brutal. The demonstrations started due to corruption, inflation, unemployment and due to ineffective consitution.
21. december 2013 was the Syrian army of having massacred an entire village, Kfar 'Uwayd, near the border of Turkey, and hundreds of people died and the attack lasted in several hours.
Then why isn't UN doing anything?
"The Security Council impasse severely cripples the UN in its search for conflict resolution,
but it does not immobilize its completely: the other UN bodies and offices do everything in their might to fill in the void. Each in their own way, the UN General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights as well as the Special Envoy for Syria (Lakhdar Brahimi) and the Commission of Inquiry for Syria try to inform, warn and engage the international community into doing something to stop the Syrian bloodbath. Though the UN’s traditional “naming, blaming and shaming”-tactic is only marginally working in trying to budge the different conflict actors towards resolution, it seems the international community is now at least fully informed about and confronted with the disaster that is taking place in Syria, an achievement which is definitely partly attributable to the different UN offices in New York and Geneva.
UN negotiation attempts are being made continuously, with Kofi Annan’s six-point plan as a notable, but unfortunately failed endeavour. The Geneva peace talks are another UN-facilitated initiative, though their success has depended and will continue to depend largely on the willingness of both the United States and Russia – the principal initiators – as well as the parties to the conflict to participate in the talks. What concerns the long-announced Geneva II conference, the opposition groups in particular seem not interested to participate in more talks, delaying the taking place of the conference itself once more""
(Source: )
The UN Council consists primarly of five countries: France, Russia, The U.K., The U.S. and China, and therefor the actions depends solely on them. The thought of several humans living in refugee camps...without enough food or water...it just saddens me. Several youngsters are employed. I don't know what to say. I can't do anything even if I want to do.
Nevertheless, I'm glad to know that it's people there to help these people.
MSF
MSF is operating five makeshift hospitals inside Syria. The teams are also running mobile clinic programmes in some areas when security conditions allow, and we are running comprehensive routine vaccination programmes for children in the areas where we are operating.
In areas where MSF is not able to work directly, we have an extensive programme of remote support for Syrian medical networks, both in opposition-controlled and in government-controlled areas. Through this programme we are supporting 18 hospitals and 34 medical posts in seven governorates. On average around three tons of medical supplies or basic relief items such as blankets, mattresses, soap or cooking sets are supplied per day.
MSF activities inside Syria up till end of February 2014:
•ER consultations – 53,377
•Out-patient consultations – 88,505
•Surgical procedures – 7,190
•Maternity deliveries – 2,018
•Emergency measles vaccination campaign – 75,000 children (April to June 2013)
(Source: http://www.msf.org/syria)
Red Cross
In March and April 2014, the ICRC:
-supplied food to over 900,000 people, mainly IDPs;
-supplied essential household items such as hygiene kits, blankets, mattresses and kitchen sets to over 180,00 IDPs;
worked with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to provide equipment and water treatment chemicals to water treatment plants and stations in several governorates;
-worked with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to provide dozens of tanker trucks that brought water to more than 100,000 people;
-Upgrades to 54 IDP centres, ensuring clean water, proper sanitation and decent housing for 15,500 people;
-provided five health facilities with surgical instruments, medicine and medical consumables;
-provided seven SARC mobile health units with material and financial support
Don't be satisfied by hearing all this.
Don't think that this is enough.
Don't think that they don't need help, because they do.
There's a war going on!
Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.
John F. Kennedy
Read more at
-Ritika Jaswal
UN and Syria
Hey!
So today I'm going to talk about why The UN do not involve in the war in Syria.
The UN Charter states that the use of military force , or threat of use of force is prohibited , albeit with two exceptions. One is self defense , and the second is if the Security Council decides that something is a big threat to the peace , the need to use military force to remove the threat .
A resolution from the Security Council could facilitate the use of such instruments , but Russia and China will therefore not accept such a decree and has previously vetoed three times against resolutions criticizing the Assad regime . Russia also criticized the West for supporting the rebels in Syria with weapons.
But unless the Security Council to agree on Syria , even after the use of nerve gas , is it that we still should intervene with military force , although it is a violation of international law to enter without a mandate from the Security Council ?
The problem with this thinking is that the only "we" that exist internationally , the UN Security Council. No other organ has similar legitimacy to make decisions on behalf of the world community. But unless , of course , one defines the global community to not include China and Russia , which would effectively excluded 1.5 billion people . In addition , such a breach of international law opened the way for other countries to take their place in the future.
Each violation of the UN Charter and international law is a step towards a world where big countries take their place and power are entitled . It is not a recipe for a peaceful world.
The problem in Syria is rather too much foreign interference , than too little . While Russia supports the regime of resources and weapons , supports a number of other countries like USA, Saudi Arabia and Quatar different parts of the rebel movement . All based on their own interests and concerns.
This drives the conflict continued , and the civil war has got its own logic, where the interests of parties outside Syria driver conflict on. The worst thing one can do in this situation is to initiate illegal military operations that will raise the level of conflict and potential spread to the rest of the region considerably.
The way forward should be to continue negotiating track in the United Nations, as the most optimistic believe may be revived by Russia's initiative to get Syria to sign the Convention against chemical weapons. Maybe this could open the way to negotiations where both parties set up unconditionally.
This solution will be far less emotionally satisfying than bombing the regime because " we must do something" , but will have far greater chances to contribute to a lasting peace in Syria and the Middle East.
Today , more than two years later , the conflict has evolved into a brutal civil war with conflicts that go far beyond Syria's borders.
After what was probably an attack with nerve gas in August , the demands for foreign intervention in the civil war come fully . Very many, both in and outside Syria , asking the right : Why does not the UN more to stop the conflict in Syria ?
The conflict in Syria has been up in the UN Security Council a number of times . But the Council has failed to agree on a resolution condemning the regime , because Russia and China have vetoed . Russia is afraid that a resolution on Syria to be an opening for regime change and Western intervention in the civil war , as was the case in Libya.
Against this backdrop , several advocated bypassing the UN and use military force against the Syrian regime , although this would be a clear violation of international law.
The main argument revolves , as it often does, that the situation is so horrendous that we have an ethical and moral responsibility to do something, and if the Security Council fails to give us a mandate to use force to stop the suffering in the Civil War , so must we do it anyway...
And what I think is that if the UN gets involved in the war, it is actually a bit difficult for them because Russia and China are major powers and I even think they support Syria
M.K :)
So today I'm going to talk about why The UN do not involve in the war in Syria.
The UN Charter states that the use of military force , or threat of use of force is prohibited , albeit with two exceptions. One is self defense , and the second is if the Security Council decides that something is a big threat to the peace , the need to use military force to remove the threat .
A resolution from the Security Council could facilitate the use of such instruments , but Russia and China will therefore not accept such a decree and has previously vetoed three times against resolutions criticizing the Assad regime . Russia also criticized the West for supporting the rebels in Syria with weapons.
But unless the Security Council to agree on Syria , even after the use of nerve gas , is it that we still should intervene with military force , although it is a violation of international law to enter without a mandate from the Security Council ?
The problem with this thinking is that the only "we" that exist internationally , the UN Security Council. No other organ has similar legitimacy to make decisions on behalf of the world community. But unless , of course , one defines the global community to not include China and Russia , which would effectively excluded 1.5 billion people . In addition , such a breach of international law opened the way for other countries to take their place in the future.
Each violation of the UN Charter and international law is a step towards a world where big countries take their place and power are entitled . It is not a recipe for a peaceful world.
The problem in Syria is rather too much foreign interference , than too little . While Russia supports the regime of resources and weapons , supports a number of other countries like USA, Saudi Arabia and Quatar different parts of the rebel movement . All based on their own interests and concerns.
This drives the conflict continued , and the civil war has got its own logic, where the interests of parties outside Syria driver conflict on. The worst thing one can do in this situation is to initiate illegal military operations that will raise the level of conflict and potential spread to the rest of the region considerably.
The way forward should be to continue negotiating track in the United Nations, as the most optimistic believe may be revived by Russia's initiative to get Syria to sign the Convention against chemical weapons. Maybe this could open the way to negotiations where both parties set up unconditionally.
This solution will be far less emotionally satisfying than bombing the regime because " we must do something" , but will have far greater chances to contribute to a lasting peace in Syria and the Middle East.
Today , more than two years later , the conflict has evolved into a brutal civil war with conflicts that go far beyond Syria's borders.
After what was probably an attack with nerve gas in August , the demands for foreign intervention in the civil war come fully . Very many, both in and outside Syria , asking the right : Why does not the UN more to stop the conflict in Syria ?
The conflict in Syria has been up in the UN Security Council a number of times . But the Council has failed to agree on a resolution condemning the regime , because Russia and China have vetoed . Russia is afraid that a resolution on Syria to be an opening for regime change and Western intervention in the civil war , as was the case in Libya.
Against this backdrop , several advocated bypassing the UN and use military force against the Syrian regime , although this would be a clear violation of international law.
The main argument revolves , as it often does, that the situation is so horrendous that we have an ethical and moral responsibility to do something, and if the Security Council fails to give us a mandate to use force to stop the suffering in the Civil War , so must we do it anyway...
And what I think is that if the UN gets involved in the war, it is actually a bit difficult for them because Russia and China are major powers and I even think they support Syria
M.K :)
mandag 17. mars 2014
CHARITIES, Charite, Caridad, Nächstenliebe - Save the Children and MSF
Hi!
All good? That's good!
But do you know how many people live in unimaginable horrors and terrors?
Even I don't know, but an incident made me think about it...
What happened is that I went to a high school/college, because we had to have a "bite" of which line we are going to choose in the future. I was over the moon...the day couldn't be better in any ways. I was going from the college to home then I suddenly saw a beggar. apparently, she wore a torn old jumper, trouser and a hat. She had a picture of Christ in her 7 eleven glass. "It is something different with her", I thought. I usually don't look at beggars. I just look forward, but this time it was different. Usually, the beggars look at you and beg in their language, but she didn't. Instead of doing that, she looked down. I saw her once and moved on. And then I stopped. "I won't become poor if I give her some kroners", I thought. I checked my pocket and found 10 kroners. I went back and gave her 10 kroners. She looked up and became so happy as if I have given her 1 million kroners. She touched my head and said something in her language that I didn't understand. My already happy day became happier.
I went home and did my homework. I had to read a chapter before my English class. Coincidently, the chapter's name was "helping hands". It was about organizations and people who help people in need. The first site of the chapter is about:
MSF - Médecins Sans Frontières
MSF(French: Médecins Sans Frontières, English: Doctors Without Borders) is a French-founded non-profitable, neutral and an independent organization. People who critically need help get help no matter what country, political party or religion they belong to. Approximately, 32 000 people work for MSF. They are doctors, nurses and psychologists, as well as people who work in laboratories and administration. These people are there, in the middle of catastrophes.
MSF provided help in 71 countries in 2012.
MSF spent 944 million euros:
81% - was spent on humanitarian activities
19% - was spent on management and fundraising
Numbers taken from www.msf.org
Many people question that where did the money go? Well, here is the statistics.
I asked my teacher about how much the workers get, for being there, sometimes without electricity, in countries where it's so warm. And where it's big chances to get sick or even be killed! My teacher said that they get approximately 20 000 kroners or 2410 euros and it's enough to survive.
Save The Children
This is what war does to children:
Stand #WithSyria
Save The Children was established in the United Kingdom in 1919. Save The Children is an international non-governmental organization that promotes children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries. They want to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic opportunities, as well as providing emergency aid in natural disasters, war, and other conflicts.
Save The Children give children in 120 countries support for health, education and protection.
Hats off for changing 125 millions lives.
"Emergency Responnders, Save the Children would like you to join our global team of highly skilled Humanitarian Professionals whose passion and mission is to deliver rapid, high-impact programming in emergency response to achieve inspiring and dramatic change for children. Standard deployments include individuals with functional expertise in Operations, Logistics, Media, Proposal & Grants, Human Resources, Finance, Communications, Security, Technical Programmes, Education and Monitoring and Evaluation"
- Save The Children
"Our life of poverty is as necessary as the work itself. Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor people for helping us us to love God better because of them"
- Mother Teresa
There are many organizations who work for humans, and I'm extremely sorry, because I couldn't write about them. I did more Research than this! So, the story I told you in the beginning was a very, very, very small contribution in front of what these great people do. I wish that I can do a little more to make a difference.
-Ritika Jaswal
All good? That's good!
But do you know how many people live in unimaginable horrors and terrors?
Even I don't know, but an incident made me think about it...
What happened is that I went to a high school/college, because we had to have a "bite" of which line we are going to choose in the future. I was over the moon...the day couldn't be better in any ways. I was going from the college to home then I suddenly saw a beggar. apparently, she wore a torn old jumper, trouser and a hat. She had a picture of Christ in her 7 eleven glass. "It is something different with her", I thought. I usually don't look at beggars. I just look forward, but this time it was different. Usually, the beggars look at you and beg in their language, but she didn't. Instead of doing that, she looked down. I saw her once and moved on. And then I stopped. "I won't become poor if I give her some kroners", I thought. I checked my pocket and found 10 kroners. I went back and gave her 10 kroners. She looked up and became so happy as if I have given her 1 million kroners. She touched my head and said something in her language that I didn't understand. My already happy day became happier.
I went home and did my homework. I had to read a chapter before my English class. Coincidently, the chapter's name was "helping hands". It was about organizations and people who help people in need. The first site of the chapter is about:
MSF - Médecins Sans Frontières
MSF(French: Médecins Sans Frontières, English: Doctors Without Borders) is a French-founded non-profitable, neutral and an independent organization. People who critically need help get help no matter what country, political party or religion they belong to. Approximately, 32 000 people work for MSF. They are doctors, nurses and psychologists, as well as people who work in laboratories and administration. These people are there, in the middle of catastrophes.
MSF provided help in 71 countries in 2012.
MSF spent 944 million euros:
81% - was spent on humanitarian activities
19% - was spent on management and fundraising
Numbers taken from www.msf.org
Many people question that where did the money go? Well, here is the statistics.
I asked my teacher about how much the workers get, for being there, sometimes without electricity, in countries where it's so warm. And where it's big chances to get sick or even be killed! My teacher said that they get approximately 20 000 kroners or 2410 euros and it's enough to survive.
Save The Children
This is what war does to children:
Stand #WithSyria
Save The Children was established in the United Kingdom in 1919. Save The Children is an international non-governmental organization that promotes children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries. They want to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic opportunities, as well as providing emergency aid in natural disasters, war, and other conflicts.
Save The Children give children in 120 countries support for health, education and protection.
Hats off for changing 125 millions lives.
"Emergency Responnders, Save the Children would like you to join our global team of highly skilled Humanitarian Professionals whose passion and mission is to deliver rapid, high-impact programming in emergency response to achieve inspiring and dramatic change for children. Standard deployments include individuals with functional expertise in Operations, Logistics, Media, Proposal & Grants, Human Resources, Finance, Communications, Security, Technical Programmes, Education and Monitoring and Evaluation"
- Save The Children
"Our life of poverty is as necessary as the work itself. Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor people for helping us us to love God better because of them"
- Mother Teresa
There are many organizations who work for humans, and I'm extremely sorry, because I couldn't write about them. I did more Research than this! So, the story I told you in the beginning was a very, very, very small contribution in front of what these great people do. I wish that I can do a little more to make a difference.
-Ritika Jaswal
lørdag 8. mars 2014
Celebrities-Bad role models?
Hi readers!
How are you?
Well, we all have our role models, our idols. In today's post, we are going to talk about celebrities who are bad rolemodels for youngsters.
When our young celebrities start their carrier, they are themselves, but when they start "growing up"...then some of them get messed up! They start consuming drugs and so on. WHY? Is it so difficult to be in the limelight? What is happening to our new generation? Are these celebrities capable of being our rolemodels?
From Miley Cyrus to Justin Bieber, good role models can go bad. Sometimes celebrities attract headlines in such a negative fashion that it's really hard to explain their wild antics to kids who've looked upon them.
Positive Influences
Teens who idolize a celebrity who doesn't give in to such pressures as weight and drugs will likely benefit from their obsession. If your child chooses someone who gives to charity, dresses appropriately, is on television or the news because of her good deeds and doesn't get caught drunk in public, the influence on your child is probably positive. The celebrity might motivate and inspire him to give back to his community, do well in school and stay out of trouble.
Negative Influences
While a celebrity can have a good influence on your child, negative impacts are pretty likely, too. In fact, some teens are more likely to listen to the words of their favorite celebrities than their own parents, according to an article in "Renew" magazine by Barbara Theodosiou, founder of the Addict's Mom organization. Many celebrities don't make a secret of alcohol or drug abuse and the glamorization of dying due to an overdose in the media might make your child feel that using these substances is acceptable. Celebrities who are super skinny and always dressed to the nines can alter your child's self image and might contribute to an eating disorder or low self-esteem.
Source: http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/effects-celebrity-role-models-kids-teens-3521.html
I have made a top 3list which is called "Celebrities-bad role models?"
Miley Cyrus
We have listed Miley Cyrus as the worst role model. Miley Cyrus was once Disney's most loved character (Hannah Montana). Miley Cyrus's fan base was big when she played the leading role in Hannah Montana, but now it's the opposite.she is a terrible influence. Here are some reasons:
1. She Has No Respect For Rules Or Guidelines
Miley reportedly parked in a handicap parking space while out to buy milkshakes. Not only is this against the law, but it shows great lack of character and concern for those who might need that spot! This is just one example of many that proves Miley Cyrus has no respect nor bothers to worry about others feelings or needs.
Source: http://allwomenstalk.com/7-reasons-why-miley-cyrus-is-not-a-good-role-model
2. Miley Cyrus' performance at VMA awards
The "things" at the VMA Awards was inappropriate of her to do.
3. She dresses inappropriately
Miley Cyrus' dresses were once modest, fashionable and cute. And now, her dresses are not "respectable".
4. She consumes marijuana, but hasn't confessed it yet!
The reasons are many, but the point is that Mile Cyrus is not a good role models.
Chris Brown
We listed Chris Brown as the second worst role model. Chris Brown beat his girlfriend Rihanna after an argument in 2009.
This is something that is just not acceptable! Respect for women is something everyone should learn in their upbringing.
We don't want people to show disrespect towards women! And therefor we don't want any singer or celebrity to teach small kids or youngsters such things!
Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber has been arrested because of drug use and drunk driving. It's sad to see a star with so many fans be such a bad person! The scary part is that he has many young fans (under 9) who really see upon him. What will they think about him? The one who should be concerned about it is Justin Bieber! He ruined himself. He was on the top, but now...
I was never a beliber, but I respected him for making me believing that dreams can come true, but I don't think that I will respect him if he continuous to do such stupid mistakes, and I'm not the only one who thinks so.
Many people say that he's doing what a 19-year-old boy would have done. Excuse me, I know many people who are 19 and even older than that who have never acted in that way.
- Ritika Jaswal
How are you?
Well, we all have our role models, our idols. In today's post, we are going to talk about celebrities who are bad rolemodels for youngsters.
When our young celebrities start their carrier, they are themselves, but when they start "growing up"...then some of them get messed up! They start consuming drugs and so on. WHY? Is it so difficult to be in the limelight? What is happening to our new generation? Are these celebrities capable of being our rolemodels?
From Miley Cyrus to Justin Bieber, good role models can go bad. Sometimes celebrities attract headlines in such a negative fashion that it's really hard to explain their wild antics to kids who've looked upon them.
Positive Influences
Teens who idolize a celebrity who doesn't give in to such pressures as weight and drugs will likely benefit from their obsession. If your child chooses someone who gives to charity, dresses appropriately, is on television or the news because of her good deeds and doesn't get caught drunk in public, the influence on your child is probably positive. The celebrity might motivate and inspire him to give back to his community, do well in school and stay out of trouble.
Negative Influences
While a celebrity can have a good influence on your child, negative impacts are pretty likely, too. In fact, some teens are more likely to listen to the words of their favorite celebrities than their own parents, according to an article in "Renew" magazine by Barbara Theodosiou, founder of the Addict's Mom organization. Many celebrities don't make a secret of alcohol or drug abuse and the glamorization of dying due to an overdose in the media might make your child feel that using these substances is acceptable. Celebrities who are super skinny and always dressed to the nines can alter your child's self image and might contribute to an eating disorder or low self-esteem.
Source: http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/effects-celebrity-role-models-kids-teens-3521.html
I have made a top 3list which is called "Celebrities-bad role models?"
Miley Cyrus
We have listed Miley Cyrus as the worst role model. Miley Cyrus was once Disney's most loved character (Hannah Montana). Miley Cyrus's fan base was big when she played the leading role in Hannah Montana, but now it's the opposite.she is a terrible influence. Here are some reasons:
1. She Has No Respect For Rules Or Guidelines
Miley reportedly parked in a handicap parking space while out to buy milkshakes. Not only is this against the law, but it shows great lack of character and concern for those who might need that spot! This is just one example of many that proves Miley Cyrus has no respect nor bothers to worry about others feelings or needs.
Source: http://allwomenstalk.com/7-reasons-why-miley-cyrus-is-not-a-good-role-model
2. Miley Cyrus' performance at VMA awards
The "things" at the VMA Awards was inappropriate of her to do.
3. She dresses inappropriately
Miley Cyrus' dresses were once modest, fashionable and cute. And now, her dresses are not "respectable".
4. She consumes marijuana, but hasn't confessed it yet!
The reasons are many, but the point is that Mile Cyrus is not a good role models.
Chris Brown
We listed Chris Brown as the second worst role model. Chris Brown beat his girlfriend Rihanna after an argument in 2009.
This is something that is just not acceptable! Respect for women is something everyone should learn in their upbringing.
We don't want people to show disrespect towards women! And therefor we don't want any singer or celebrity to teach small kids or youngsters such things!
Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber has been arrested because of drug use and drunk driving. It's sad to see a star with so many fans be such a bad person! The scary part is that he has many young fans (under 9) who really see upon him. What will they think about him? The one who should be concerned about it is Justin Bieber! He ruined himself. He was on the top, but now...
I was never a beliber, but I respected him for making me believing that dreams can come true, but I don't think that I will respect him if he continuous to do such stupid mistakes, and I'm not the only one who thinks so.
Many people say that he's doing what a 19-year-old boy would have done. Excuse me, I know many people who are 19 and even older than that who have never acted in that way.
- Ritika Jaswal
onsdag 26. februar 2014
Winter Olympics in Sochi!
Hey,
Long time no see...
Today, Manmeet and I (Ritika) are going to share this post together about the Olympics in Sochi. We are going say postive and negative things about it.
2014 Winter Olympics were held in Sochi in Russia from 7 to 23 February 2014 and was the 22 Olympic Winter Games. There were competing in 98 medal disciplines in 15 sports.
Positive:
- Many people follow the Olympics!
- Sportsmen get their chance to show their talent and win for their country.
- All paralympians are united by their life storiesof overcoming, that embody the Paralympic values - courage, equality,determination and inspiration.
-More than 1500 torchbearers and 4000 volunteerswill participate in the Torch Relay. The Torch Realy motto "Overcoming. Winning. Inspiring." was chosen for a good reason.Paralympians, in spite of everything, find the strength to overcome all the difficulties!
- The way the Paralympic flame will be lit in different regions will also differ and surprise as every torch lighting ceremony is unique-from rays of sun, from hammer and anvil, from the Russian stove and even from the volcano spark!
Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
1. Russia 13 11 9 33
2. Norway 11 5 10 26
3. Canada 10 10 5 25
-One more positive thing is that it's encouraging more and more Norwegians to participate in the Olympics.
Negative:
There have been controversies and concerns affecting the 2014 Winter Olympics. There are disputes with Circassians, who demand the events be cancelled or moved unless Russia apologises for the 19th-century deaths that the Circassians regard to be a genocide, environmental and economic issues, lack of political stability and governance and the safety and human rights of LGBT athletes and journalists, in light of Russia's "gay propaganda" laws, which have sparked Olympic-focussed protests.
-Forced evictions
The Russian government is resettling some 2,000 families to make way for Olympic venues and infrastructure. But not all of those evicted received fair compensation for their properties and in some cases, homeowners were forced out with no compensation at all. Many resettled residents lost a portion of their livelihoods because they depended on agriculture or income from seasonal rentals in their seaside homes.
- Migrant worker abuses
The transformation of Sochi from a small resort town to international Olympic host has been made possible by more than 70,000 workers, including tens of thousands of migrant workers from outside of Russia. Many of these migrant workers face exploitation – with employers failing to pay their wages, confiscating workers’ passports, and forcing them to toil up to 12 hours a day with only one day off each month – all in violation of Russian law.
- Press and civil society crackdown
Russia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for independent journalists, who face threats, harassment, and lawsuits. As reported by CPJ, 56 Russian journalists have been murdered since 1992. Some journalists have been told that reporting on Olympics-related environmental concerns or evictions is taboo. In the past year Russian authorities have not only clamped down on the press by passing new laws on Internet content, they also targeted civil society with laws restricting public assemblies and nongovernmental organizations.
- Environmental destruction
Environmental experts warn that the construction of a new road and a high-speed railway has damaged Sochi’s Mzymta River and the fragile local ecosystem of the surrounding Sochi National Park. The dumping of illegal construction waste and the construction of power lines have resulted in landsides, causing homes to sink and partially collapse, threatening residents' health and safety. In one village, Olympic construction destroyed local drinking wells, leaving villagers with no reliable drinking water source for years.
- Anti-LGBT discrimination
On June 29, 2013, President Vladimir Putin signed into law a discriminatory bill banning the promotion of information about “non-traditional” sexuality. This law clearly violates the Olympic Charter, which states that “any form of discrimination… on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement” (6th Fundamental Pinciple of Olympism) and that the IOC’s role is, among other duties, “to act against any form of discrimination affecting the Olympic Movement” (article 2-6).
The lead-up to the Games were affected by numerous controversies and concerns; primarily concerning workers engaged in Olympic construction; allegations of the illegal dumping of construction waste threatening residents' health and safety; evictions and displacement of residents to make way for Olympic venues; economic issues; and harassment of environmental and human rights activists and journalists who criticise Olympic preparations or the government's anti-LGBT policies;and disagrees with Circassian nationalists, who demanded that the events be cancelled or moved unless Russia apologises for the 19th-century deaths, which Circassians regard to be a genocide.
Immediatelly after the games during paraolympics Moscow court sentenced eight protestors to prison based on protests in anti-Putin rally in May 2012. On Monday when the games were over, as the judge announced the sentences, over a thousand people rallied by the court building and in vicinity of the Kremlin to support of the Bolotnaya prisoners. Over 600 of them have been delayed and are now crowded at police districts across Moscow.
Well, this is the facts! We know that many of our readers are from Russia, so please don't mind...
(Couldn't upload any pictures due to som technical problems).
-Ritika Jaswal and Manmeet Kaur
Long time no see...
Today, Manmeet and I (Ritika) are going to share this post together about the Olympics in Sochi. We are going say postive and negative things about it.
2014 Winter Olympics were held in Sochi in Russia from 7 to 23 February 2014 and was the 22 Olympic Winter Games. There were competing in 98 medal disciplines in 15 sports.
Positive:
- Many people follow the Olympics!
- Sportsmen get their chance to show their talent and win for their country.
- All paralympians are united by their life storiesof overcoming, that embody the Paralympic values - courage, equality,determination and inspiration.
-More than 1500 torchbearers and 4000 volunteerswill participate in the Torch Relay. The Torch Realy motto "Overcoming. Winning. Inspiring." was chosen for a good reason.Paralympians, in spite of everything, find the strength to overcome all the difficulties!
- The way the Paralympic flame will be lit in different regions will also differ and surprise as every torch lighting ceremony is unique-from rays of sun, from hammer and anvil, from the Russian stove and even from the volcano spark!
Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
1. Russia 13 11 9 33
2. Norway 11 5 10 26
3. Canada 10 10 5 25
-One more positive thing is that it's encouraging more and more Norwegians to participate in the Olympics.
Negative:
There have been controversies and concerns affecting the 2014 Winter Olympics. There are disputes with Circassians, who demand the events be cancelled or moved unless Russia apologises for the 19th-century deaths that the Circassians regard to be a genocide, environmental and economic issues, lack of political stability and governance and the safety and human rights of LGBT athletes and journalists, in light of Russia's "gay propaganda" laws, which have sparked Olympic-focussed protests.
-Forced evictions
The Russian government is resettling some 2,000 families to make way for Olympic venues and infrastructure. But not all of those evicted received fair compensation for their properties and in some cases, homeowners were forced out with no compensation at all. Many resettled residents lost a portion of their livelihoods because they depended on agriculture or income from seasonal rentals in their seaside homes.
- Migrant worker abuses
The transformation of Sochi from a small resort town to international Olympic host has been made possible by more than 70,000 workers, including tens of thousands of migrant workers from outside of Russia. Many of these migrant workers face exploitation – with employers failing to pay their wages, confiscating workers’ passports, and forcing them to toil up to 12 hours a day with only one day off each month – all in violation of Russian law.
- Press and civil society crackdown
Russia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for independent journalists, who face threats, harassment, and lawsuits. As reported by CPJ, 56 Russian journalists have been murdered since 1992. Some journalists have been told that reporting on Olympics-related environmental concerns or evictions is taboo. In the past year Russian authorities have not only clamped down on the press by passing new laws on Internet content, they also targeted civil society with laws restricting public assemblies and nongovernmental organizations.
- Environmental destruction
Environmental experts warn that the construction of a new road and a high-speed railway has damaged Sochi’s Mzymta River and the fragile local ecosystem of the surrounding Sochi National Park. The dumping of illegal construction waste and the construction of power lines have resulted in landsides, causing homes to sink and partially collapse, threatening residents' health and safety. In one village, Olympic construction destroyed local drinking wells, leaving villagers with no reliable drinking water source for years.
- Anti-LGBT discrimination
On June 29, 2013, President Vladimir Putin signed into law a discriminatory bill banning the promotion of information about “non-traditional” sexuality. This law clearly violates the Olympic Charter, which states that “any form of discrimination… on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement” (6th Fundamental Pinciple of Olympism) and that the IOC’s role is, among other duties, “to act against any form of discrimination affecting the Olympic Movement” (article 2-6).
The lead-up to the Games were affected by numerous controversies and concerns; primarily concerning workers engaged in Olympic construction; allegations of the illegal dumping of construction waste threatening residents' health and safety; evictions and displacement of residents to make way for Olympic venues; economic issues; and harassment of environmental and human rights activists and journalists who criticise Olympic preparations or the government's anti-LGBT policies;and disagrees with Circassian nationalists, who demanded that the events be cancelled or moved unless Russia apologises for the 19th-century deaths, which Circassians regard to be a genocide.
Immediatelly after the games during paraolympics Moscow court sentenced eight protestors to prison based on protests in anti-Putin rally in May 2012. On Monday when the games were over, as the judge announced the sentences, over a thousand people rallied by the court building and in vicinity of the Kremlin to support of the Bolotnaya prisoners. Over 600 of them have been delayed and are now crowded at police districts across Moscow.
Well, this is the facts! We know that many of our readers are from Russia, so please don't mind...
(Couldn't upload any pictures due to som technical problems).
-Ritika Jaswal and Manmeet Kaur
lørdag 1. februar 2014
Laugh, Smile, Live and be ONE OF A KIND!
Hi,
Today's post is about, as the suggests about happiness.
Have you ever considered about what happiness actually is? or what gives you happiness?
Well, everybody has their definitions. Like wikipedia...
Happiness is a fuzzy concept and can mean many different things to many people. Part of the challenge of a science of happiness is to identify different concepts of happiness, and where applicable, split them into their components. Related concepts are well-being, quality of life and flourishing. Some commentators focus on the difference between the hedonistic tradition of seeking pleasant and avoiding unpleasant experiences, and the eudaimonic tradition of living life in a full and deeply satisfying way.[2]
The 2012 World Happiness Report[3] stated that in subjective well-being measures, the primary distinction is between cognitive life evaluations and emotional reports. (Emotional reports can be distinguished as of positive or negative affect. Many but not all commentators regard positive and negative affect as carrying different information, and needing to be separately measured and analyzed). Happiness is used in both life evaluation, as in “How happy are you with your life as a whole?”, and in emotional reports, as in “How happy are you now?,” and people seem able to use happiness as appropriate in these verbal contexts.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happiness#Definition
Don't you think that some definitions are without emotions?
Well, this week I learnt to be happy :) It's been a long time since I was really, really very happy. I don't know why, but I suddenly accepted that nothing is Perfect not even a "perfectly" made circle. I'm no longer scared to laugh out loud in the classroom, to be funny, to go.because I'm who I am. I have always been that kind of a girl who doesn't care about what others say. But, in the last few weeks I have forgotten myself. I felt like that because I have almost forgotten how to smile or laugh freely. I have found myself after a very long time so I'm very happy so therefore I want to Write about how to be yourself! How to be one of a kind :) First to be happy you have to be confident about that you are one of a kind!
There's no person who is exactly identical to you. You can have a look alike. You won't see any other you go walking around. We all have out own features who will set us apart from the next person. Are your eyes blue? Brown? Hazel? Green? Maybe both? What about your hair? Is it straight? Curly? wavy? Remember it's not all about looks. Perhaps, you are very patient? or you can crack a joke like no one else. Maybe, you are a good listener, And you always have the right Words to Cheer somebody up.
The gift of uniqueness! That was given to us from birth. Sometimes, we forget that the very thing that makes us unique is right in front of Our face. Literally!
Remind yourself that you are unique
Every morning when you Wake up I want to look in the Mirror...even the imperfections you think you have...I want you to remind yourself that People near you like Family and friends think that you're beautiful as you are! And doesn't see that as an imperfection but perfection. So, whenever you think that you are alone or you don't feel that you belong...It's nothing wrong With that, because it's so many just like you who are just trying to figure it out too. Remember it's all about part of the Journey.
Having a good self-esteem is like having good muscle. You have to work out on a daily basis to maintain it, right? Well, the same goes With the self-confidence. You have to remind yourself that you are beautiful! Keep exercising that in your head. It may not happen overnight, but you are going to feel your confidence grow stronger and stronger each passing day. Just like the physical exercise does good to the body. Mental exercising will strengthen your mind. And we all know a strong mind can do just about anything.
Find your talent! Everyone has a talent! You don't have to be a gold medalist to know that you're talented. Talent means to have the ability that allows you to do something well. And that can be anything!
If you want to be perfect be a robot! If you want to be one of a kind just be you! because no one else can do it better!
- Michelle Phan
Well, being one of a kind is really an awesome feeling. It's like cycling very fast, feeling the air, swimming like a mermaid or dancing like no one is watching.
When I'm myself the small little things don't affect me...I don't know why but it is like that.
Maybe what I wrote makes one feel that when you are yourself you are perfect! It's not like that at all! It's just that you have found yourself and accepted your flaws and imperfections. Sometimes you have to pay a price to be yourself. People will maybe criticize you or point out your flaws, believe me it will happen, but it's just because they think that they are perfect, but nobody is perfect or because they are jealous to see you being yourself so fearlessly. I just want to say that no matter what people say a part of being one of a kind is to learn to answer people who will point out your flaws. If you like someone's quality then try to learn it, but don't be someone else just because you like that one quality!
Be yourself...be one of a kind!
-Ritika Jaswal
Today's post is about, as the suggests about happiness.
Have you ever considered about what happiness actually is? or what gives you happiness?
Well, everybody has their definitions. Like wikipedia...
Happiness is a fuzzy concept and can mean many different things to many people. Part of the challenge of a science of happiness is to identify different concepts of happiness, and where applicable, split them into their components. Related concepts are well-being, quality of life and flourishing. Some commentators focus on the difference between the hedonistic tradition of seeking pleasant and avoiding unpleasant experiences, and the eudaimonic tradition of living life in a full and deeply satisfying way.[2]
The 2012 World Happiness Report[3] stated that in subjective well-being measures, the primary distinction is between cognitive life evaluations and emotional reports. (Emotional reports can be distinguished as of positive or negative affect. Many but not all commentators regard positive and negative affect as carrying different information, and needing to be separately measured and analyzed). Happiness is used in both life evaluation, as in “How happy are you with your life as a whole?”, and in emotional reports, as in “How happy are you now?,” and people seem able to use happiness as appropriate in these verbal contexts.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happiness#Definition
Don't you think that some definitions are without emotions?
Well, this week I learnt to be happy :) It's been a long time since I was really, really very happy. I don't know why, but I suddenly accepted that nothing is Perfect not even a "perfectly" made circle. I'm no longer scared to laugh out loud in the classroom, to be funny, to go.because I'm who I am. I have always been that kind of a girl who doesn't care about what others say. But, in the last few weeks I have forgotten myself. I felt like that because I have almost forgotten how to smile or laugh freely. I have found myself after a very long time so I'm very happy so therefore I want to Write about how to be yourself! How to be one of a kind :) First to be happy you have to be confident about that you are one of a kind!
There's no person who is exactly identical to you. You can have a look alike. You won't see any other you go walking around. We all have out own features who will set us apart from the next person. Are your eyes blue? Brown? Hazel? Green? Maybe both? What about your hair? Is it straight? Curly? wavy? Remember it's not all about looks. Perhaps, you are very patient? or you can crack a joke like no one else. Maybe, you are a good listener, And you always have the right Words to Cheer somebody up.
The gift of uniqueness! That was given to us from birth. Sometimes, we forget that the very thing that makes us unique is right in front of Our face. Literally!
Remind yourself that you are unique
Every morning when you Wake up I want to look in the Mirror...even the imperfections you think you have...I want you to remind yourself that People near you like Family and friends think that you're beautiful as you are! And doesn't see that as an imperfection but perfection. So, whenever you think that you are alone or you don't feel that you belong...It's nothing wrong With that, because it's so many just like you who are just trying to figure it out too. Remember it's all about part of the Journey.
Having a good self-esteem is like having good muscle. You have to work out on a daily basis to maintain it, right? Well, the same goes With the self-confidence. You have to remind yourself that you are beautiful! Keep exercising that in your head. It may not happen overnight, but you are going to feel your confidence grow stronger and stronger each passing day. Just like the physical exercise does good to the body. Mental exercising will strengthen your mind. And we all know a strong mind can do just about anything.
Find your talent! Everyone has a talent! You don't have to be a gold medalist to know that you're talented. Talent means to have the ability that allows you to do something well. And that can be anything!
If you want to be perfect be a robot! If you want to be one of a kind just be you! because no one else can do it better!
- Michelle Phan
Well, being one of a kind is really an awesome feeling. It's like cycling very fast, feeling the air, swimming like a mermaid or dancing like no one is watching.
When I'm myself the small little things don't affect me...I don't know why but it is like that.
Maybe what I wrote makes one feel that when you are yourself you are perfect! It's not like that at all! It's just that you have found yourself and accepted your flaws and imperfections. Sometimes you have to pay a price to be yourself. People will maybe criticize you or point out your flaws, believe me it will happen, but it's just because they think that they are perfect, but nobody is perfect or because they are jealous to see you being yourself so fearlessly. I just want to say that no matter what people say a part of being one of a kind is to learn to answer people who will point out your flaws. If you like someone's quality then try to learn it, but don't be someone else just because you like that one quality!
Be yourself...be one of a kind!
-Ritika Jaswal
onsdag 22. januar 2014
How much should we share on the internet?
Hey,
I'm now going to talk about how much we should share on the net.
Everyone has difference views about sharing for example pics on the internet,
but I think that it should be limited. What I mean is like sharing a pic of someone feeding her baby. It's nothing wrong about it. What is wrong is that the pic can be misused, and people can edit the photo. One more thing can be that the baby wouldn't like it when he/she becomes a teenage. The photo will always be there! So, please think about it twice and then upload photots.
The photos can affect the people around the world for example a selfie. I mean ten years ago nobody knew what selfie means! This is a word which belongs to the new generation.
I get frustrated when I open my facebook and see "Name Surname is feeling sad". I mean I'm not being judgemental, but one should know that one shouldn't do that, because when you spread negative viberation the person who recieve it gets ten times worse feeling. I share my feelings too, but it's always "blessed","happy" and "excited", so that when I publish it people will get a good feeling. One should always think how others will react to it.
I think that people should take the age limit more seriously. It's always a reason behind everything. Most of the social networks have age limit 13, but still kids create a facebook account while knowing the truth. It's for their security! But, even grown-ups can share pictures which can be criticized.
I don't really want to be judgemental, but sharing naked pictures...
Look, as I said before I don't want to be judgemental, but for spreading awareness, i just have to say this. That person is proud of her body. I get it! But, that person doesn't need to share it with the whole world. That person will never get anything else, but hate Messages/comments. Everything has a limit.
On facebook, and twitter can share, what I call, "dangerous information". "Sharing dangerous information" means to share private information, such as: Where you live. What school you go to. Where you are right now. The type of information can be dangerous if you share it with strangers, because strangers can abuse the information. On facebook you can choose what information you want to share with the people. there are three options, and you can choose who to share the information; "public", "friends" or "friends of friends". it is a very big advantage for those who want to be social, and safe.
My conclusion is that it is good to socialize and have friends around the world, but we never know who's the behind computer screens, so you should think about what they should publish and what not to publish. We should practice netiquette rules more often, and we should spread awareness among family, friends and acquaintances for a safer and better online community. Now that you know what the consequences may be, if you do not follow the netiquette rules can the you teach those who are not familiar with them or those who have forgotten these rules.
-Ritika Jaswal
Hello!
Like Ritika said, I'm going to talk about how much we should share on the net.
Like everyone can share eyerything they want, but we have to be carefull with that. If some girls or boys are posting like a naked photo on instagram, snapchat or facebook the person is going to get many jugmt, and many will take "screenshot" and send it to others. But in mine opinion it's better to share pictures of your self (not naked or enything like that) that is nice to look at for other people.
On snapschat many takes pictures of other, but they not know that. When that person are taiking that pic, I probobly think that they are sending to their friends but not to others or to the people they know. I don't have much to say, because Ritika have already said what I wanted to say...
-Manmeet Sond
I'm now going to talk about how much we should share on the net.
Everyone has difference views about sharing for example pics on the internet,
but I think that it should be limited. What I mean is like sharing a pic of someone feeding her baby. It's nothing wrong about it. What is wrong is that the pic can be misused, and people can edit the photo. One more thing can be that the baby wouldn't like it when he/she becomes a teenage. The photo will always be there! So, please think about it twice and then upload photots.
The photos can affect the people around the world for example a selfie. I mean ten years ago nobody knew what selfie means! This is a word which belongs to the new generation.
I get frustrated when I open my facebook and see "Name Surname is feeling sad". I mean I'm not being judgemental, but one should know that one shouldn't do that, because when you spread negative viberation the person who recieve it gets ten times worse feeling. I share my feelings too, but it's always "blessed","happy" and "excited", so that when I publish it people will get a good feeling. One should always think how others will react to it.
I think that people should take the age limit more seriously. It's always a reason behind everything. Most of the social networks have age limit 13, but still kids create a facebook account while knowing the truth. It's for their security! But, even grown-ups can share pictures which can be criticized.
I don't really want to be judgemental, but sharing naked pictures...
Look, as I said before I don't want to be judgemental, but for spreading awareness, i just have to say this. That person is proud of her body. I get it! But, that person doesn't need to share it with the whole world. That person will never get anything else, but hate Messages/comments. Everything has a limit.
On facebook, and twitter can share, what I call, "dangerous information". "Sharing dangerous information" means to share private information, such as: Where you live. What school you go to. Where you are right now. The type of information can be dangerous if you share it with strangers, because strangers can abuse the information. On facebook you can choose what information you want to share with the people. there are three options, and you can choose who to share the information; "public", "friends" or "friends of friends". it is a very big advantage for those who want to be social, and safe.
My conclusion is that it is good to socialize and have friends around the world, but we never know who's the behind computer screens, so you should think about what they should publish and what not to publish. We should practice netiquette rules more often, and we should spread awareness among family, friends and acquaintances for a safer and better online community. Now that you know what the consequences may be, if you do not follow the netiquette rules can the you teach those who are not familiar with them or those who have forgotten these rules.
-Ritika Jaswal
Hello!
Like Ritika said, I'm going to talk about how much we should share on the net.
Like everyone can share eyerything they want, but we have to be carefull with that. If some girls or boys are posting like a naked photo on instagram, snapchat or facebook the person is going to get many jugmt, and many will take "screenshot" and send it to others. But in mine opinion it's better to share pictures of your self (not naked or enything like that) that is nice to look at for other people.
On snapschat many takes pictures of other, but they not know that. When that person are taiking that pic, I probobly think that they are sending to their friends but not to others or to the people they know. I don't have much to say, because Ritika have already said what I wanted to say...
-Manmeet Sond
lørdag 18. januar 2014
Dance, dance and dance!
Hey everyone!
As you know I love dancing! Dance is my passion. I can't live without dance, but for the last weeks I didn't get the chance to dance for myself. I become restless if I don't get time to dance. Dance isn't something I HAVE TO DO, but my NEED. So, what happened is that I haven't danced since my cousin's wedding. I became a little bit depressed, but thanks to my friend, she invited me to her aunt's "Ladies Sangeet". Ladies Sangeet ceremony as the name suggests is all about dance and music. It is one of the most enjoyable ceremonies before the wedding and is exclusively for women. She also said that she wants me to dance with her and her friends, and I said yes for some obvious reasons. She also told me that the dance perfomance was a surprise for her aunt so nobody is supposed to say it to her aunt.
We practised in my house in 6 hrs. I finished my homework on Saturday so it wasn't a problem for me to practise on Sunday. But, we weren't finished with the rehersal. We had 9 songs to dance on, and we had only learned 5 out of 9 songs, so we decided to have the rehersal on Tuesday at my friend's place. The funniest part is that her mother kept her aunt away from her house, so she gave her extra work in their shop. We had the rehersal in her house for 4-5 hrs, but we had only 1 song to work on now. I told them that I couldn't come for the 3rd rehersal, because I had some essays. Thursday night, I was awake till 12 pm. I wrote my essays till 9 pm, and from 9 till 12 pm I danced and tried to remember all the 9 songs. Friday was the day of Ladies Sangeet. I danced from the bottom of heart, and I got many compliments. And the most important thing, my friend's aunt loved our performance, and she was quite surprised.
So, today is Saturday and I feel much better after dancing yesterday.
I really want to watch a movie called "Cool kids don't cry". It's a Strong, Norwegian movie about soccer girl Anja who become seriously ill and admitted to the hospital.
Anja is a lively and tough girl who loves soccer. Classmate Jonas does not like girls playing soccer and especially when they're as good as Anja . Jonas tries to make life miserable for Anja and her friends , but she thinks he is stupid and being silly over teasing his without understanding that Jonas really love her. Then Anja seriously ill. She refuses to be crack while making plans for the football team, coach school tournament and attending school camps . Anja also detects that it tingles a little extra in the stomach and Jonas is so stupid that she really thought. Gradually Anja too ill to participate in the soccer tournament, but then Jonas had a very special surprise in store for her.
The movie got 5 out of 5 from the Norwegian newspapers.
"Cool Kids don't cry" is based on the Dutch book and movie success Achtste - Groep Huila niet . The book is written by writer Jacques Vriens and is based on a true story.
What is cancer? Cancer is known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a broad group of diseases involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invading nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the body through the lymphatic system or bloodstream. Not all tumors are cancerous; benign tumors do not invade neighboring tissues and do not spread throughout the body. There are over 200 different known cancers that affect humans.
Cancer can be detected in a number of ways, including the presence of certain signs and symptoms, screening tests, or medical imaging. Once a possible cancer is detected it is diagnosed by microscopic examination of a tissue sample. Cancer is usually treated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. The chances of surviving the disease vary greatly by the type and location of the cancer and the extent of disease at the start of treatment. While cancer can affect people of all ages, and a few types of cancer are more common in children, the risk of developing cancer generally increases with age. In 2007, cancer caused about 13% of all human deaths worldwide (7.9 million). Rates are rising as more people live to an old age and as mass lifestyle changes occur in the developing world.
I want to watch the movie, because it's about how one can forget all the sorrows and live the life to its fullest! We have something to learn from this movie.
Dear cancer,
if you ever kill someone, then I will come and kill you!!
"Dance to the tunes of life"
-Ritika Jaswal
As you know I love dancing! Dance is my passion. I can't live without dance, but for the last weeks I didn't get the chance to dance for myself. I become restless if I don't get time to dance. Dance isn't something I HAVE TO DO, but my NEED. So, what happened is that I haven't danced since my cousin's wedding. I became a little bit depressed, but thanks to my friend, she invited me to her aunt's "Ladies Sangeet". Ladies Sangeet ceremony as the name suggests is all about dance and music. It is one of the most enjoyable ceremonies before the wedding and is exclusively for women. She also said that she wants me to dance with her and her friends, and I said yes for some obvious reasons. She also told me that the dance perfomance was a surprise for her aunt so nobody is supposed to say it to her aunt.
We practised in my house in 6 hrs. I finished my homework on Saturday so it wasn't a problem for me to practise on Sunday. But, we weren't finished with the rehersal. We had 9 songs to dance on, and we had only learned 5 out of 9 songs, so we decided to have the rehersal on Tuesday at my friend's place. The funniest part is that her mother kept her aunt away from her house, so she gave her extra work in their shop. We had the rehersal in her house for 4-5 hrs, but we had only 1 song to work on now. I told them that I couldn't come for the 3rd rehersal, because I had some essays. Thursday night, I was awake till 12 pm. I wrote my essays till 9 pm, and from 9 till 12 pm I danced and tried to remember all the 9 songs. Friday was the day of Ladies Sangeet. I danced from the bottom of heart, and I got many compliments. And the most important thing, my friend's aunt loved our performance, and she was quite surprised.
So, today is Saturday and I feel much better after dancing yesterday.
I really want to watch a movie called "Cool kids don't cry". It's a Strong, Norwegian movie about soccer girl Anja who become seriously ill and admitted to the hospital.
Anja is a lively and tough girl who loves soccer. Classmate Jonas does not like girls playing soccer and especially when they're as good as Anja . Jonas tries to make life miserable for Anja and her friends , but she thinks he is stupid and being silly over teasing his without understanding that Jonas really love her. Then Anja seriously ill. She refuses to be crack while making plans for the football team, coach school tournament and attending school camps . Anja also detects that it tingles a little extra in the stomach and Jonas is so stupid that she really thought. Gradually Anja too ill to participate in the soccer tournament, but then Jonas had a very special surprise in store for her.
The movie got 5 out of 5 from the Norwegian newspapers.
"Cool Kids don't cry" is based on the Dutch book and movie success Achtste - Groep Huila niet . The book is written by writer Jacques Vriens and is based on a true story.
What is cancer? Cancer is known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a broad group of diseases involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invading nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the body through the lymphatic system or bloodstream. Not all tumors are cancerous; benign tumors do not invade neighboring tissues and do not spread throughout the body. There are over 200 different known cancers that affect humans.
Cancer can be detected in a number of ways, including the presence of certain signs and symptoms, screening tests, or medical imaging. Once a possible cancer is detected it is diagnosed by microscopic examination of a tissue sample. Cancer is usually treated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. The chances of surviving the disease vary greatly by the type and location of the cancer and the extent of disease at the start of treatment. While cancer can affect people of all ages, and a few types of cancer are more common in children, the risk of developing cancer generally increases with age. In 2007, cancer caused about 13% of all human deaths worldwide (7.9 million). Rates are rising as more people live to an old age and as mass lifestyle changes occur in the developing world.
I want to watch the movie, because it's about how one can forget all the sorrows and live the life to its fullest! We have something to learn from this movie.
Dear cancer,
if you ever kill someone, then I will come and kill you!!
"Dance to the tunes of life"
-Ritika Jaswal
lørdag 11. januar 2014
Ghost stories!
Hey,
I found some really scary ghost stories!!
Black Aggie
When Felix Agnus put up the life-sized shrouded bronze statue of a grieving angel, seated on a pedestal, in the Agnus family plot in the Druid Ridge Cemetery, he had no idea what he had started. The statue was a rather eerie figure by day, frozen in a moment of grief and terrible pain. At night, the figure was almost unbelievably creepy; the shroud over its head obscuring the face until you were up close to it. There was a living air about the grieving angel, as if its arms could really reach out and grab you if you weren't careful.
It didn't take long for rumors to sweep through the town and surrounding countryside. They said that the statue - nicknamed Black Aggie - was haunted by the spirit of a mistreated wife who lay beneath her feet. The statue's eyes would glow red at the stroke of midnight, and any living person who returned the statues gaze would instantly be struck blind. Any pregnant woman who passed through her shadow would miscarry. If you sat on her lap at night, the statue would come to life and crush you to death in her dark embrace. If you spoke Black Aggie's name three times at midnight in front of a dark mirror, the evil angel would appear and pull you down to hell. They also said that spirits of the dead would rise from their graves on dark nights to gather around the statue at night.
People began visiting the cemetery just to see the statue, and it was then that the local fraternity decided to make the statue of Grief part of their initiation rites. "Black Aggie" sitting, where candidates for membership had to spend the night crouched beneath the statue with their backs to the grave of General Agnus, became popular.
One dark night, two fraternity members accompanied new hopeful to the cemetery and watched while he took his place underneath the creepy statue. The clouds had obscured the moon that night, and the whole area surrounding the dark statue was filled with a sense of anger and malice. It felt as if a storm were brewing in that part of the cemetery, and to their chagrin, the two fraternity members noticed that gray shadows seemed to be clustering around the body of the frightened fraternity candidate crouching in front of the statue.
What had been a funny initiation rite suddenly took on an air of danger. One of the fraternity brothers stepped forward in alarm to call out to the initiate. As he did, the statue above the boy stirred ominously. The two fraternity brothers froze in shock as the shrouded head turned toward the new candidate. They saw the gleam of glowing red eyes beneath the concealing hood as the statue's arms reached out toward the cowering boy.
With shouts of alarm, the fraternity brothers leapt forward to rescue the new initiate. But it was too late. The initiate gave one horrified yell, and then his body disappeared into the embrace of the dark angel. The fraternity brothers skidded to a halt as the statue thoughtfully rested its glowing eyes upon them. With gasps of terror, the boys fled from the cemetery before the statue could grab them too.
Hearing the screams, a night watchman hurried to the Agnus plot. To his chagrin, he discovered the body of a young man lying at the foot of the statue. The young man had apparently died of fright.
The disruption caused by the statue grew so acute that the Agnus family finally donated it to the Smithsonian museum in Washington D.C.. The grieving angel sat for many years in storage there, never again to plague the citizens visiting the Druid Hill Park Cemetery.
Wasn't it scary? Do u want something scarier?
Axe Murder Hollow
Susan and Ned were driving through a wooded empty section of highway. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, the sky went dark in the torrential downpour.
“We’d better stop,” said Susan.
Ned nodded his head in agreement. He stepped on the brake, and suddenly the car started to slide on the slick pavement. They plunged off the road and slid to a halt at the bottom of an incline.
Pale and shaking, Ned quickly turned to check if Susan was all right. When she nodded, Ned relaxed and looked through the rain soaked windows.
“I’m going to see how bad it is,” he told Susan, and when out into the storm. She saw his blurry figure in the headlight, walking around the front of the car. A moment later, he jumped in beside her, soaking wet.
“The car’s not badly damaged, but we’re wheel-deep in mud,” he said. “I’m going to have to go for help.”
Susan swallowed nervously. There would be no quick rescue here. He told her to turn off the headlights and lock the doors until he returned.
Axe Murder Hollow. Although Ned hadn’t said the name aloud, they both knew what he had been thinking when he told her to lock the car. This was the place where a man had once taken an axe and hacked his wife to death in a jealous rage over an alleged affair. Supposedly, the axe-wielding spirit of the husband continued to haunt this section of the road.
Outside the car, Susan heard a shriek, a loud thump, and a strange gurgling noise. But she couldn’t see anything in the darkness.
Frightened, she shrank down into her seat. She sat in silence for a while, and then she noticed another sound. Bump. Bump. Bump. It was a soft sound, like something being blown by the wind.
Suddenly, the car was illuminated by a bright light. An official sounding voice told her to get out of the car. Ned must have found a police officer. Susan unlocked the door and stepped out of the car. As her eyes adjusted to the bright light, she saw it.
Hanging by his feet from the tree next to the car was the dead body of Ned. His bloody throat had been cut so deeply that he was nearly decapitated. The wind swung his corpse back and forth so that it thumped against the tree. Bump. Bump. Bump.
Susan screamed and ran toward the voice and the light. As she drew close, she realized the light was not coming from a flashlight. Standing there was the glowing figure of a man with a smile on his face and a large, solid, and definitely real axe in his hands. She backed away from the glowing figure until she bumped into the car.
“Playing around when my back was turned,” the ghost whispered, stroking the sharp blade of the axe with his fingers. “You’ve been very naughty.”
The last thing she saw was the glint of the axe blade in the eerie, incandescent light.
So, my brave readers! Do you still want more? Here comes the last one!
Black Magic
Mad Henry was a hermit who lived alone in a decrepit mansion at the edge of town. Rumors were rife about the wild-eyed man. Some folks said that he was a magician who called upon the powers of darkness to wreck havoc upon his neighbors. Others called him a mad doctor who could restore life to foul corpses from the local cemetery. No respectable citizen in town had anything to do with Mad Henry
Then one year a new family moved to town with a lovely daughter, Rachel, who caught Mad Henry’s eye. He showered the maiden with gifts—goblets of pure gold, necklaces of pearl, and a pot of daisies that never dropped a single petal. Despite the gifts, Rachael fell in love with another, Geoffrey, a handsome young man just home from university. A week after meeting they eloped, leaving behind a stunned Mad Henry.
When Rachael and Geoffrey returned from the elopement, they threw a big ball and invited everyone in town. While Rachel was waltzing with her father, she heard a clap of thunder. Lightning flashed again and again. Suddenly, the double doors blew open and a breeze whirled in, bringing with it the smell of dead, decaying things. Mad Henry loomed in the doorway, pupils gleaming red with anger. He was followed by the grotesque figures of the dead, who came marching two by two into the room. Their eye sockets glowed with blue fire as they surrounded the room.
Two of the corpses captured Geoffrey and threw him down at the feet of their lord. Red eyes gleaming, Mad Henry drew a silver-bladed knife and casually cut the bridegroom’s throat from ear to ear. Rachel screamed and ran forward, pushing through the foul, stinking corpses of the dead, and flung herself upon her dying husband.
“Kill us both,” she cried desperately.
But Mad Henry plucked the lass out of the pool of blood surrounding her dead husband and carried her out into the thundering night. Behind him, the army of the dead turned from the grizzly scene and followed their master. The sounds of thunder and lightning faded away as the alchemist and his dead companions disappeared into the dark night.
Geoffrey’s father and Rachael’s father gathered a small mob and followed the evil hermit, intent upon saving Rachel. When they searched Mad Henry’s house, they found it completely empty save for a light, which shone from a series of mysterious globes that bobbed near the ceiling of each room. Mad Henry had vanished.
Search parties scoured the countryside for days, but turned up nothing. Geoffrey was buried in the local cemetery, and the dance hall was torn down. No one in town spoke about what had happened, and no one dared imagine what had become of poor Rachel.
A year to the day after the ball, a timid knock sounded upon the door of Rachael’s parents’ home. When her father opened it, he saw a gaunt, gray figure on the stoop. Her eyes were dull with exhaustion and pain. It was Rachel! Her tongue had been cut out so she couldn’t speak. But when she produced a knife from her tattered garments—the knife with a silver blade that they had last seen in the hands of Mad Henry— the gleam of satisfaction in Rachel’s eyes told them that the streaks of blood that coated the knife were those of Mad Henry. That night, Rachel died in her sleep with a peaceful smile upon her ravaged face.
Sleep well, my readers! Hahahahaha!
-Ritika Jaswal
I found some really scary ghost stories!!
Black Aggie
When Felix Agnus put up the life-sized shrouded bronze statue of a grieving angel, seated on a pedestal, in the Agnus family plot in the Druid Ridge Cemetery, he had no idea what he had started. The statue was a rather eerie figure by day, frozen in a moment of grief and terrible pain. At night, the figure was almost unbelievably creepy; the shroud over its head obscuring the face until you were up close to it. There was a living air about the grieving angel, as if its arms could really reach out and grab you if you weren't careful.
It didn't take long for rumors to sweep through the town and surrounding countryside. They said that the statue - nicknamed Black Aggie - was haunted by the spirit of a mistreated wife who lay beneath her feet. The statue's eyes would glow red at the stroke of midnight, and any living person who returned the statues gaze would instantly be struck blind. Any pregnant woman who passed through her shadow would miscarry. If you sat on her lap at night, the statue would come to life and crush you to death in her dark embrace. If you spoke Black Aggie's name three times at midnight in front of a dark mirror, the evil angel would appear and pull you down to hell. They also said that spirits of the dead would rise from their graves on dark nights to gather around the statue at night.
People began visiting the cemetery just to see the statue, and it was then that the local fraternity decided to make the statue of Grief part of their initiation rites. "Black Aggie" sitting, where candidates for membership had to spend the night crouched beneath the statue with their backs to the grave of General Agnus, became popular.
One dark night, two fraternity members accompanied new hopeful to the cemetery and watched while he took his place underneath the creepy statue. The clouds had obscured the moon that night, and the whole area surrounding the dark statue was filled with a sense of anger and malice. It felt as if a storm were brewing in that part of the cemetery, and to their chagrin, the two fraternity members noticed that gray shadows seemed to be clustering around the body of the frightened fraternity candidate crouching in front of the statue.
What had been a funny initiation rite suddenly took on an air of danger. One of the fraternity brothers stepped forward in alarm to call out to the initiate. As he did, the statue above the boy stirred ominously. The two fraternity brothers froze in shock as the shrouded head turned toward the new candidate. They saw the gleam of glowing red eyes beneath the concealing hood as the statue's arms reached out toward the cowering boy.
With shouts of alarm, the fraternity brothers leapt forward to rescue the new initiate. But it was too late. The initiate gave one horrified yell, and then his body disappeared into the embrace of the dark angel. The fraternity brothers skidded to a halt as the statue thoughtfully rested its glowing eyes upon them. With gasps of terror, the boys fled from the cemetery before the statue could grab them too.
Hearing the screams, a night watchman hurried to the Agnus plot. To his chagrin, he discovered the body of a young man lying at the foot of the statue. The young man had apparently died of fright.
The disruption caused by the statue grew so acute that the Agnus family finally donated it to the Smithsonian museum in Washington D.C.. The grieving angel sat for many years in storage there, never again to plague the citizens visiting the Druid Hill Park Cemetery.
Wasn't it scary? Do u want something scarier?
Axe Murder Hollow
Susan and Ned were driving through a wooded empty section of highway. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, the sky went dark in the torrential downpour.
“We’d better stop,” said Susan.
Ned nodded his head in agreement. He stepped on the brake, and suddenly the car started to slide on the slick pavement. They plunged off the road and slid to a halt at the bottom of an incline.
Pale and shaking, Ned quickly turned to check if Susan was all right. When she nodded, Ned relaxed and looked through the rain soaked windows.
“I’m going to see how bad it is,” he told Susan, and when out into the storm. She saw his blurry figure in the headlight, walking around the front of the car. A moment later, he jumped in beside her, soaking wet.
“The car’s not badly damaged, but we’re wheel-deep in mud,” he said. “I’m going to have to go for help.”
Susan swallowed nervously. There would be no quick rescue here. He told her to turn off the headlights and lock the doors until he returned.
Axe Murder Hollow. Although Ned hadn’t said the name aloud, they both knew what he had been thinking when he told her to lock the car. This was the place where a man had once taken an axe and hacked his wife to death in a jealous rage over an alleged affair. Supposedly, the axe-wielding spirit of the husband continued to haunt this section of the road.
Outside the car, Susan heard a shriek, a loud thump, and a strange gurgling noise. But she couldn’t see anything in the darkness.
Frightened, she shrank down into her seat. She sat in silence for a while, and then she noticed another sound. Bump. Bump. Bump. It was a soft sound, like something being blown by the wind.
Suddenly, the car was illuminated by a bright light. An official sounding voice told her to get out of the car. Ned must have found a police officer. Susan unlocked the door and stepped out of the car. As her eyes adjusted to the bright light, she saw it.
Hanging by his feet from the tree next to the car was the dead body of Ned. His bloody throat had been cut so deeply that he was nearly decapitated. The wind swung his corpse back and forth so that it thumped against the tree. Bump. Bump. Bump.
Susan screamed and ran toward the voice and the light. As she drew close, she realized the light was not coming from a flashlight. Standing there was the glowing figure of a man with a smile on his face and a large, solid, and definitely real axe in his hands. She backed away from the glowing figure until she bumped into the car.
“Playing around when my back was turned,” the ghost whispered, stroking the sharp blade of the axe with his fingers. “You’ve been very naughty.”
The last thing she saw was the glint of the axe blade in the eerie, incandescent light.
So, my brave readers! Do you still want more? Here comes the last one!
Black Magic
Mad Henry was a hermit who lived alone in a decrepit mansion at the edge of town. Rumors were rife about the wild-eyed man. Some folks said that he was a magician who called upon the powers of darkness to wreck havoc upon his neighbors. Others called him a mad doctor who could restore life to foul corpses from the local cemetery. No respectable citizen in town had anything to do with Mad Henry
Then one year a new family moved to town with a lovely daughter, Rachel, who caught Mad Henry’s eye. He showered the maiden with gifts—goblets of pure gold, necklaces of pearl, and a pot of daisies that never dropped a single petal. Despite the gifts, Rachael fell in love with another, Geoffrey, a handsome young man just home from university. A week after meeting they eloped, leaving behind a stunned Mad Henry.
When Rachael and Geoffrey returned from the elopement, they threw a big ball and invited everyone in town. While Rachel was waltzing with her father, she heard a clap of thunder. Lightning flashed again and again. Suddenly, the double doors blew open and a breeze whirled in, bringing with it the smell of dead, decaying things. Mad Henry loomed in the doorway, pupils gleaming red with anger. He was followed by the grotesque figures of the dead, who came marching two by two into the room. Their eye sockets glowed with blue fire as they surrounded the room.
Two of the corpses captured Geoffrey and threw him down at the feet of their lord. Red eyes gleaming, Mad Henry drew a silver-bladed knife and casually cut the bridegroom’s throat from ear to ear. Rachel screamed and ran forward, pushing through the foul, stinking corpses of the dead, and flung herself upon her dying husband.
“Kill us both,” she cried desperately.
But Mad Henry plucked the lass out of the pool of blood surrounding her dead husband and carried her out into the thundering night. Behind him, the army of the dead turned from the grizzly scene and followed their master. The sounds of thunder and lightning faded away as the alchemist and his dead companions disappeared into the dark night.
Geoffrey’s father and Rachael’s father gathered a small mob and followed the evil hermit, intent upon saving Rachel. When they searched Mad Henry’s house, they found it completely empty save for a light, which shone from a series of mysterious globes that bobbed near the ceiling of each room. Mad Henry had vanished.
Search parties scoured the countryside for days, but turned up nothing. Geoffrey was buried in the local cemetery, and the dance hall was torn down. No one in town spoke about what had happened, and no one dared imagine what had become of poor Rachel.
A year to the day after the ball, a timid knock sounded upon the door of Rachael’s parents’ home. When her father opened it, he saw a gaunt, gray figure on the stoop. Her eyes were dull with exhaustion and pain. It was Rachel! Her tongue had been cut out so she couldn’t speak. But when she produced a knife from her tattered garments—the knife with a silver blade that they had last seen in the hands of Mad Henry— the gleam of satisfaction in Rachel’s eyes told them that the streaks of blood that coated the knife were those of Mad Henry. That night, Rachel died in her sleep with a peaceful smile upon her ravaged face.
Sleep well, my readers! Hahahahaha!
-Ritika Jaswal
fredag 10. januar 2014
"It's wedding time" - Ritika Jaswal
Hey everyone :)
I'm sorry I couldn't blog for a while, and the reason behind it is that I was in India. I know that you missed me...
I had a great time there! I was there to attend my cousin's wedding.
We had only three days to buy our clothes for the wedding when we came to India. We had to travel from Delhi to Chandigarh and it used 6 hrs to arrive in Chandigarh by car. Chandigarh is a beautiful place made by French architects and is known internationally for its architecture and urban design. The day started with breakfast, and then nobody got time to feel hungry untill the night. But, thankful to the salesmen in the shops ask you what you want to drink or eat (that only happens in well reputed shops). The first three days were spent in the big showrooms.
The next day, we were off to Ludhiana (where the wedding was about to take place). Ludhiana is located 100 km west from state capital Chandigarh. I met my family there.It felt nice to be with my family again. I met some of my family members I never met. All the youngsters in the family made one group...I was in the that group. We had discussions about, philosophy, God and universe, and many other things. The wedding process started with a "Cocktail-party".Music,Cocktails,Dance and dinner to celebrate the forthcoming wedding of my cousin. It was an open place, but our dinner was inside the Palace. When we entered the open place, then I felt like I was in a labyrint, because of the beautiful decoration. In the middle of the place it was a bar, and behind the bar it was a dancefloor with an amazing DJ. We danced "freestyle" all night. It were stalls there
where you could find any type of snaks or drinks. From Kashmiri tea to the crispy chickens...Yum Yum!
And if you didn't want to stand up from Your seat! No proplem! The waiters did go around those who didn't want to move from his/her place. They served all type of Food from around the world. Delicious! The party ended 05.00 am.
The other day, We all were exhausted and most of us didn't wake up before 1.00 pm, however the ones with hangover didn't get up before 05.00 pm. My feet hurt, but we were going to have DJ in my cousin's house. My poor feet were tortured once again...
7.00 pm started the DJ. The garden was transformed to something that looked like something,something, something...okay I can't find the right words. See it for yourself!
The next day, we got a break from partying, eating, dancing and for some of the family members drinking. So we put on some "henna" on our hands, and I took it on my feet for the very first time.
The fashion of "Bridal Mehndi" in North India diasporas is currently growing in complexity and elaboration, with new innovations in glitter, gilding, and fine-line work. Recent technological innovations in grinding, sifting, temperature control, and packaging henna, as well as government encouragement for henna cultivation, have improved dye content and artistic potential for henna.
I will just skip some days...
And then comes the "chunni chadana"from the bride's side. I met the bride on the ringceremony (in 2011), and on the Cocktail from the groom's side and on the DJ day. She's very nice, and very sweet. "Chunni Chadana" means to take the chunni on the bride's head.
On the occasion of Chunni chadana, groom's parents and close relatives visit the bride’s house. The groom’s sister or sister in law presents the girl a red sari, as a token of acceptance of the girl in their family. Thereafter, the girl is dressed in the clothes given by the boy’s family. The main ritual of the ceremony is when the girl’s would be mother-in-law places a red chunni on the girl’s head and gives her some traditional jewelry. Following this is a ritual in which the girl is fed boiled rice and milk by all the relatives of the boy that are present at the time. The ceremony comes to an end with the exchanging of rings between the prospective bride and groom.
And finlly, THE WEDDING!As the sun rise and birds play the "Shehnai"(an instrument) of the wedding ceremony, the hands of nature puts "Tilak" of the sun on the forehead of the sky and the day becomes memorable when my cousin accepts my sister-in-Law as his wife. The day started With a yellow powder "war"(not literally) with the groom. the groom's relatives also apply batna, more as a jest than a serious ceremony. This is followed by a puja, after which his mother ties a "Sehera" on his turban, praying that his life ahead will be as beautiful and fragrant as the flowers. (And if the groom is ugly, the more of his face covered, the better!) He is then seated on a female horse and his sisters tie a mauli (sacred thread) on the reins of his horse. They also detain the horse in the tradition known as baagpakdai, saying that they won't leave it's reins unless their brother bribes them. Once they are satisfied with the cash or jewellery bribe, they release the reins.
Unfortunately, I didn't get the wedding pictures or the "batna" pictures.
-Ritika Jaswal
I'm sorry I couldn't blog for a while, and the reason behind it is that I was in India. I know that you missed me...
I had a great time there! I was there to attend my cousin's wedding.
We had only three days to buy our clothes for the wedding when we came to India. We had to travel from Delhi to Chandigarh and it used 6 hrs to arrive in Chandigarh by car. Chandigarh is a beautiful place made by French architects and is known internationally for its architecture and urban design. The day started with breakfast, and then nobody got time to feel hungry untill the night. But, thankful to the salesmen in the shops ask you what you want to drink or eat (that only happens in well reputed shops). The first three days were spent in the big showrooms.
The next day, we were off to Ludhiana (where the wedding was about to take place). Ludhiana is located 100 km west from state capital Chandigarh. I met my family there.It felt nice to be with my family again. I met some of my family members I never met. All the youngsters in the family made one group...I was in the that group. We had discussions about, philosophy, God and universe, and many other things. The wedding process started with a "Cocktail-party".Music,Cocktails,Dance and dinner to celebrate the forthcoming wedding of my cousin. It was an open place, but our dinner was inside the Palace. When we entered the open place, then I felt like I was in a labyrint, because of the beautiful decoration. In the middle of the place it was a bar, and behind the bar it was a dancefloor with an amazing DJ. We danced "freestyle" all night. It were stalls there
where you could find any type of snaks or drinks. From Kashmiri tea to the crispy chickens...Yum Yum!
And if you didn't want to stand up from Your seat! No proplem! The waiters did go around those who didn't want to move from his/her place. They served all type of Food from around the world. Delicious! The party ended 05.00 am.
The other day, We all were exhausted and most of us didn't wake up before 1.00 pm, however the ones with hangover didn't get up before 05.00 pm. My feet hurt, but we were going to have DJ in my cousin's house. My poor feet were tortured once again...
7.00 pm started the DJ. The garden was transformed to something that looked like something,something, something...okay I can't find the right words. See it for yourself!
The next day, we got a break from partying, eating, dancing and for some of the family members drinking. So we put on some "henna" on our hands, and I took it on my feet for the very first time.
The fashion of "Bridal Mehndi" in North India diasporas is currently growing in complexity and elaboration, with new innovations in glitter, gilding, and fine-line work. Recent technological innovations in grinding, sifting, temperature control, and packaging henna, as well as government encouragement for henna cultivation, have improved dye content and artistic potential for henna.
I will just skip some days...
And then comes the "chunni chadana"from the bride's side. I met the bride on the ringceremony (in 2011), and on the Cocktail from the groom's side and on the DJ day. She's very nice, and very sweet. "Chunni Chadana" means to take the chunni on the bride's head.
On the occasion of Chunni chadana, groom's parents and close relatives visit the bride’s house. The groom’s sister or sister in law presents the girl a red sari, as a token of acceptance of the girl in their family. Thereafter, the girl is dressed in the clothes given by the boy’s family. The main ritual of the ceremony is when the girl’s would be mother-in-law places a red chunni on the girl’s head and gives her some traditional jewelry. Following this is a ritual in which the girl is fed boiled rice and milk by all the relatives of the boy that are present at the time. The ceremony comes to an end with the exchanging of rings between the prospective bride and groom.
And finlly, THE WEDDING!As the sun rise and birds play the "Shehnai"(an instrument) of the wedding ceremony, the hands of nature puts "Tilak" of the sun on the forehead of the sky and the day becomes memorable when my cousin accepts my sister-in-Law as his wife. The day started With a yellow powder "war"(not literally) with the groom. the groom's relatives also apply batna, more as a jest than a serious ceremony. This is followed by a puja, after which his mother ties a "Sehera" on his turban, praying that his life ahead will be as beautiful and fragrant as the flowers. (And if the groom is ugly, the more of his face covered, the better!) He is then seated on a female horse and his sisters tie a mauli (sacred thread) on the reins of his horse. They also detain the horse in the tradition known as baagpakdai, saying that they won't leave it's reins unless their brother bribes them. Once they are satisfied with the cash or jewellery bribe, they release the reins.
Unfortunately, I didn't get the wedding pictures or the "batna" pictures.
-Ritika Jaswal
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