Hathor the mother goddess who protects the newly born child for seven successive days until he/she becomes
healthy and safe. The myth of the seven protective Hathors is often repeated in almost every birth-chapel and always
ends with the seventh-day party where gods all are invited then Hathor would present her rattle-toy to the child.
Modern Egyptians had inherited many of these traditions as they still to celebrate the seventh-day birth party and
invites all families and neighbors, then the seven grain-seeds should be scattered on floor of the child's house. Also
the rattle-toy is presented to the children. Probably the division of the week to be just seven days world wide is after
Hathor patronage.
The most charming figure for Hathor is the one that represent her melting with a woman face her
triangular face, elongated eyes and ears next to a woman cheeks, chin and mouth.
It's like a tale straight out of Disney. An abandoned baby monkey, close to death, is revived by the love of a bird.
The 12-week-old macaque was rescued on Neilingding Island, in Guangdong Province, China, after being abandoned
by his mother. Taken to an animal hospital, he was weaned back to physical health but still showed little appetite for life.
It was not until a fellow patient, a white pigeon, took him under her wing and showed him love and affection that he
perked up.
The blossoming relationship helped to revive the baby macaque who has developed a new lease of life, say staff at the
sanctuary. Now the unlikely duo are never far from each other's side.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
From Dominic. Wilayah Persekutuan Malaysia
Antoni Guadi i Cornet.
1852-1926
Born in 1852 in Reus (Camp de Tarragona) and son of a copper maker from Riudoms, from childhood Gaudí was an
attentive observer of nature and felt attracted to its forms, colours and geometry. In 1868, he decided to study
architecture in Barcelona , in a college dominated by neo-classical and romantic trends. Thus, his first architectural
production swung between a reinterpretation of historical canons with oriental influence and the recovery of medieval
events.
Despite his youth he received the first assignments from the ecclesiastic world and the bourgeoisie, who would always
be his main clients. Among these, the Association of Devotees of Saint Joseph stands out as they commissioned him
with the Expiatory Temple of the Sagrada Família (the cathedral of the modern Barcelona ). Of equal importance
was the industrialist Eusebi Güell, the best client and essential patron, who entrusted him with the construction of a
palace, the church for an industrial colony, some pavilions for his summer residence and a city-garden.
It appears that Gaudí achieved his greatest fame and renown in 1910, gaining the attention of some Americans who
asked him to build a hotel in New York. An exhibition on Gaudí's work, promoted by Eusebi Güell, was held in the
Grand Palais in Paris, from April to June of 1910, and some of the plans and photographs exhibited there were also
taken a year later to the I Salón de Arquitectura (First Annual Architecture Show) in Madrid.
In 1911, he had Maltese
fever, and stayed for a time in Puigcerda, where his condition worsened and, believing his time had come, he made
out his will. To the day of his death, he worked exclusively on the Sagrada Família, and in 1925 moved his residence
to the studio he had on the premises.
Old Gaudí and his death
In his old age, Gaudí was a man that was conformed with little and dressed without much care; so much so that the
day of his accident nobody recognized him as he lay on the ground. On June 7, 1926, he was run over by a tram at the
intersection of Carrer de Bailén and the Gran Vía, and the taxi drivers refused to take a poor vagabond to the hospital
(the municipal police fined them later for not assisting an injured man). He did not seek out contact with journalists
and he avoided cameras, so there are few photographs of the architect.
This change in attitude may have been caused by a series of events that took place beginning in 1912. That year, his
niece, Rosa Egea, who lived with him in Barcelona, died. In 1914, his faithful collaborator, Francesc Berenguer Mestres,
died, and for matters of professional fees, he was confronted with the Milà family in litigation. In 1915, the continuity
of the construction of the Sagrada Familia was endangered by a serious economic crisis. En 1914, construction of the
Colonia Güell was definitively interrupted. Two years later, his friend, Doctor Torras i Bages, Archbishop of Vic, died. In
1918, his best friend and patron, Eusebi Güell, passed away. They were sad events that affected him but did not limit
his energy and desire to see his greatest work, the Sagrada Família, come into being.
Gaudí died at the age of 74 (June 12, 1926), but if it hadn't been for the tram he may have lived many more years,
since his father had lived to the age of 93, with all his vigor. Half of Barcelona dressed in black to give final homage to
a man that had become very popular, although few had ever met him personally. His body was buried in the crypt of
the edifice where he had worked for the last 43 years of his life, the Sagrada Familia. After his death in 1926, he and his
work entered a period of ostracism until the avant-gardist trends and the international movement recuperated his
figure while presenting him as an example of modernisation and renewal of 20th century architecture.
Sent in by L Stephens. Wales.
Dear Friends.
I founded Peace One Day in 1999 to document my efforts to create an annual day of global ceasefire and
non-violence with a fixed calendar date. In 2001, POD achieved its primary objective. United Nations General
Assemblyresolution (A/Res/55/282) was unanimously adopted by UN member states, formally establishing an
annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence on the UN International Day of Peace, fixed in the global calendar on
21 September – Peace Day.
With the Day in place, POD’s main aim is to raise awareness of Peace Day 21 September. POD is a non-profit
organisation, impartial and independent of any government, political persuasion, corporation or religious creed.
Last year on 21 September, 27.6 million people from 200 countries did something for Peace Day. I hope you’ll make
your own commitment for Peace Day and log it on this website. By working together there will be Peace One Day.
We look forward to hearing from you.
With thanks and best wishes
In peace
Jeremy Gilley
Sent in by
C. Jones-Sullivan. Wales UK
Irish Luck.
His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard
a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black
muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could
have been a slow and terrifying death.
The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman
stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved. I want to repay you," said the
nobleman. "You saved my son's life." No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied waving off
the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel. Is that your son?" the nobleman
asked. "Yes," the farmer replied proudly "I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own
son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of." And that
he did.Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical
School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the
discoverer of Penicillin.
Years afterward, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia. What saved his
life this time? Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.
Someone once said: What goes around comes around. Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never
been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching. Sing like nobody's listening. Live like it's Heaven on Earth.
An Irish friendship wish:
May there always be work for your hands to do; May your purse always hold a coin or two; May the sun always shine
on your windowpane; May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain; May the hand of a friend always be near you;
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
World Harmony Run.
Pictured with Mr, Mrs Nelson Mandela is the founder of World Harmony Run, Sri Chinmoy is 74 and currently lives in
New York. He is internationally renowned for many initiatives which promote global harmony. As well as sporting
activities Sri Chinmoy is also a prolific poet, artist, musician and philosopher. He has dedicated his life to serving the
ideal of world harmony and oneness.
The World Harmony Run started in 1987 with the hope of bringing people together from all over the world in a spirit
of friendship, and harmony. Since its inception the World Harmony Run has crossed many geographical and social
barriers to touch the lives of many 1000s who have participated in the Run.
Sri Chinmoy believes sports can play a vital role in promoting good health and also understanding between different
peoples. A global relay run is therefore a very dynamic and practical initiative to bring the ideals of harmony and
understanding to many people.
The late Pope John Paul.
"I salute the runners... who are carrying a torch to the
destination of peace through the streets of the world.”
Sent in by C
, Jones-Sullivan. Wales UK
Transformation.
Normally most of what I write is a way of venting negativity, however, on this page, everything is positive.
About a week ago (8/23/07) I got sick and tired of how things were going for me. I found I had fallen into what
I now call SSI Syndrome. SSI Syndrome is simply one who grows lazy, unmotivated, and complacent. You know the
type, they sit home with their free living, watch their T.V. programs all day, eat and snack all day. Most drink their
beer, or coffee, smoke their cigarettes and complacently watch their life go by not doing a thing about it, but piss
and moan that their life ain’t what they wanted. A week ago I had had enough.
I went to limewire.com and searched self-help, and motivation. Little did I know that what I had intended would
actually work. The first thing I did was make up my mind I had to change things. Not, had to have things change,
but I had to change things. I started with the subliminal stuff, I had also downloaded a sleep/meditation.
I had no idea what was to come. A couple of days of listening to these things, I started to stretch out. I was also tired
of not being able to touch my toes; not because I’m too fat to reach, but just not limber enough to reach them.
I also started a regiment of typing affirmations. All positive things; like ‘I can do what I will’, ‘I will find peace and
happiness from within’, ‘I can be a positive thinker’, and many more things. I type fifteen lines of each affirmation.
A couple of days of doing this, and I got the notion that I wanted to take up jogging. I had never had the
motivation to do that before. I always wanted to, but just never did. But after listening to those recordings for a few
days, I actually felt I could do anything. So, I went to the local park, and started to jog the mile long track around the
park. The first day I jogged the majority of it, walking about a third of it. The next day I jogged the whole two laps,
and the day after as well. I still have no clue where this power of motivation came from.
Now, I get up in the morning, start the recordings, and start stretching. I go for my jog; which is up to three laps,
come home, stretch out again, do my affirmations. I put on the subliminal recordings and let them repeat all day.
While I shower, while I cook, while I watch TV. I have listened to them well over a hundred times, and I listen to
them while I sleep. I don’t know if this motivation really came from the recordings, or if it was just me wanting to
change, but things changed none-the-less. If you are having any motivational problems, I would recommend this
regiment, but first you got to want it!!!Today, I like myself like I have never loved myself before. I am proud of who I
am, and am willed to continue to take better care of myself. I have finally found I am worth it. I value myself now.
The affirmations are important. If you do them, make sure you use no negative words. No; no’s, nots, won’ts.
If you say “I won’t be negative.” You have used two negative words and your mind knows it. So use, “I wills”, “I cans”.
Let
me know if this works for you.
Proudly,
Joseph J Boyle New
York. USA.
An extract from Joseph's website
People with Disabilities.
People with disabilities should be judged as individuals and not merely on being disabled. - By: Lynda Appell.
I have a disability myself. I am being treated for a mood disorder, plus I have a learning disability. Last I was diagnosed
about five years ago with Adult ADD. So I suppose you could say I'm an addult. So this is also a personal essay.
I discovered many aspects of the world of people with disabilities. The most important fact in my humble opinion,
I learned that disabled people don't want people feeling sorry for them. At least the persons I discovered on the net
definitely do not pity themselves. They emphasize the positive, the things they can do. In other words the disABILITY.
The HandiCAPABLE. Instead of whining on what one can't do, these people concentrate on what they can. They also
stress the importance of rights for people with disabilities and self-empowerment. There's a say in the disability rights
movement. "Nothing about us without us. That is disability professionals and those they serve need to work together.
By this I mean disabled people must have their say in any policy, program, law that affects them. This includes people
with developmental disabilities.
There is a local group where I live called "Speaking for Ourselves." It is an organization where the higher functioning
mentally retarded can and do decide what is right for them in their community. People with psychiatric disabilities
are included too. Unless someone is completely psychotic, people who are mentally ill are capable of making
decisions. At the very least they should be listened to by mental health professionals, families and not presumed they
don't know how to handle their situations. I work in an agency for such persons and most, if not all are perfectly able
to decide for themselves. They also like to be as independent as possible. They are also all individuals. They are people
with disabilities. That is they are people first. Their disability is just one part of them. The issues of independent living,
inclusion, mainstreaming are ones that can't be compromised. Independent Living is living in the community as
independently as possible. That is without assistance. Inclusion is being involved in one's community. Mainstreaming
is being as much a part of the community as any person who is not disabled is. Even if a person is severely disabled
that person has the right to be able to do whatever they can do. Anybody, everybody should be able to contribute
and do as much as they are capable of. That is how I feel about my disability. My conditions do not define me who I am.
They are some of many facets that make up Lynda Appell This is of course, true of anyone and every one who has a
disability. Of course this goes for everyone in the world People with a disability for the most part, do not want to be
seen as just their disability but as having abilities as well. After all people with disabilities are and should be seen as
individuals and their disability should NOT be the sole defining factor of anyone. Bottom line, Be emphasizing the
positive. I have been a disabled disability activist for over 12 years. Mostly for my local Community Support Program.
CSP helps disabled persons access local services so they can be as independent as possible. Also involved with Artists
for Recovery.
Sent in by Lynda Appell Philla PA. USA
A Tribute.
In my hand is a Stars and Stripes flag which was flown above one of the mortuary sites at Ground Zero .
It was given to me at the memorial by a member of the First Response Paramedics team for FDNY and I
was asked to put it safe. On return from New York I contacted South Wales Police and donated the flag for
safe keeping . It has now been displayed in the Foyer area of the South Wales Police HQ in Bridgend for all
future visiting police officers through the world to see when they visit South Wales Police.
Standing there in the morning sun,
Three Forty Bobbies there as one
All very proud and left to enter,
The scared ground of the
World Trade Centre.
For on that day we all did pray
For all lives lost a year that day.
But hope is there on Nine Eleven
As we pray for those who art in heaven.
For South Wales Police, I was one of seven
To mourn the loss of Nine Eleven.
Many lost, as our greatest heroes
We mourn their loss there at Ground Zero.
As heroes they died, at the World Trade Centre
Most knowing the risks as they did enter
Many lives saved, on that fateful day
By our rescue friends for you to pray.
We stood there whilst they read their names
For candles flicker ember flames.
For all lives lost we will remember
On the eleventh day, every September.
Written by Sc 7061. Dave Boyce
On behalf of South Wales Police. UK
At the Memorial, New York. 2002.
In Loving Memory
Diana Frances Spencer
July 1st 1961 - August 31st 1997
To dream... The impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe,
To beat with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try..
When your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star
This is my quest to follow that star
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To fight for the right, Without question or pause
To be willing to march into hell..
And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest...
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest.
And the world will be better for this
That one soul, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with her last ounce of courage...
To reach the unreachable star....
... And the
world will be better for this
That one soul, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with her last ounce of courage
To reach the
unreachable star
To fight the unbeatable foe
To dream the impossible dream
From:
Man of LaMancha
Music by Mitch Leigh
Lyrics by Joe Darion
Sent in by L Stephens.Wales. UK
The Smell of Rain.
A cold March
wind danced around the dead of night in Dallas as the doctor walked into the
small hospital room
of Diana Blessing. She was still groggy from surgery. Her husband David held
her hand as they braced themselves
for the latest news. That afternoon of March 10, 1991, complications has
forced Diana, only 24-weeks pregnant,
to undergo an emergency Cesarean to deliver the couples new daughter, Dana Lu
Blessing.
At 12inches long and weighing only one pound nine ounces, they already knew
she was perilously premature,
Still the doctor's soft words dropped like bombs. " I don't think she's
going to make it," he said, as kindly as he
could. There's only a 10-percent chance she will live through the night, and
even then, if by some slim chance she
dos make it, her future could be a cruel one," Numb with disbelief, David
and Diana listened as the doctor
described the devastating problems Dana would likely face if she survived. She
would never walk, she would
never talk, she would probably be blind, and she would certainly be prone to
other catastrophic conditions form
cerebral palsy to complete mental retardation, and on and on.
"No! No!" was all Diana could say. She and David with their 5-year -old son Dustin, had long dreamed of the day
they would have a daughter to become a family of four. Now, within a matter of hours, that dream was slipping
away , But as those first days passed, a new agony set in for David and Diana, because Dana's underdeveloped
nervous system was essentially "raw" the lightest kiss to caress only intensified her discomfort, so they couldn't
even cradle their tiny baby girl against their chests to offer the strength of their love, All they could do as Dana
struggled alone beneath the ultraviolet light in he tangle of tubes and wires was to pray that God would stay
close to the precious little girl.
There was never a moment when Dana suddenly grew stronger. But as the weeks went by, she did slowly gain and
ounce of weight here and an ounce of strength there, At last when Dana turned two months old, her parents were
able to hold her in their arms for he very first time. And two months later, though doctors continued to gently but
grimly warn that her chances of surviving, much less living any kind of normal life, were next to zero, Dana went home
from the hospital, just as her mother had predicted.
Five years later, when Dana was a petite but feisty young girl with glittering gray eyes and an unquenchable zest for life,
She showed no signs whatsoever of any mental or physical impairment, Simply, she was everything a little girl can be
and more. But that happy ending is far from the end of the story.
One blistering afternoon in the summer of 1996 near her home in Irving Texas, Dana was sitting in her mother's lap in
the bleachers of a local ball park where her brother Dustin's baseball team was practicing. As always, Dana was
chattering nonstop with her mother and several other adults sitting nearby when she suddenly fell silent, Hugging
her arms across her chest, little Dana asked, "Do you smell that?" smelling the air and detecting the approach of a
thunderstorm, Diana replied, "Yes. it smells like rain." Dana closed her eyes and again asked, "Do you smell that?" once
again her mother replied, "Yes, I think we're about to get wet. It smells like rain." Still caught in he moment, Dana shook
her head, patted her thin shoulders with her small hands and loudly announced, "No, it smells like Him. It smells like God
when you lay your head on his chest. Tears blurred Diana's eyes as Dana happily hopped down to play with the other
children.
Before the rains came, her daughter's words confirmed what Diana and all the members of the extended
Blessing family had known, at least in their hearts, all along. During those long days and nights of her first two months
of her life, when her nerves were too sensitive for them to touch her, God was holding Dana on his chest and it is
His loving scent she remembers so well.
"I can do all things in Him who strengthens me."
Sent in by N Caulfield. Wales UK
WRISTBANDS A SIMPLE WAY TO SPREAD PEACE
A Swansea teacher's plea for tolerance
in the wake of the September 11 attacks is now being heard worldwide, as KAY
BYRNE reports
Religious studies teacher Pam Evans was only trying to help stop some of her Muslim pupils from being bullied
after the 2001 terror attacks on New York. She came up with the idea of a bracelet of coloured beads - each one
symbolising a major world faith - and a simple message: "Treat others how you would wish to be treated yourself."
Little did she realise then that the Peace Mala, as she named the bracelet, would end up being worn by children and
adults all over the globe. Peace Mala has now grown from a little group of pupils in Coedcae Comprehensive School in
Llanelli to an organisation respected worldwide and endorsed by religious leaders like the Pope, the Dalai Lama
and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
It has just become registered as a charity too and has won a £25,000 grant from the Community Development
Foundation."Being a registered charity will help us access more funding," said Pam, who has so far run the
organisation with only the help of volunteers from her base in Morriston."As we get busier we need more
professional help. This grant will enable us to employ a part-time administrator and co-ordinator, and that is
something we desperately need."The money will also help fund the training of around 60 more volunteers to run
workshops and help spread the word."
Pam, of Morriston, has retired from teaching and has been busy taking the Peace Mala message of religious tolerance
out to schools and community groups all over Britain."The enthusiasm is tremendous, particularly in ethnic communities.
The children always come up to me afterwards and thank me for pointing out the true meaning of their faiths."Adults
love it too. I had an email from a couple in Scotland who were getting married and planning to give away a hundred
Peace Malas to their guests."
The Peace Mala message will soon be reaching an even larger audience, thanks to another grant of nearly £5,000 to
produce a DVD showing schools and other organisations how they can get involved. The bracelet is now being used as
a teaching aid in schools all over the UK. It has even inspired a London interfaith forum to launch an interfaith football
team, and all the players wear one of the bracelets.
The charity's website is also winning Pam fans from all over the world."When we launched the annual Peace Mala youth
awards last year we had entries mainly from South Wales," she said. "For this year's awards in September we have already
received entries from all over the UK and even from as far afield as America. Peace Mala will also reach a global audience
when it takes part in the Llangollen International Eisteddfod this summer. "Llangollen was set up after the Second World
War as a gesture of friendship from the people of that town to the people of Europe," said Pam."It has grown and grown
and is a wonderful eisteddfod, sending out messages of peace and goodwill through dance, drama and song.
"Peace Mala is doing the same sort of work but in a different way and we have been invited to have a presence on the
field on International Children's Day and International Family Day."
Pam's vision, and her determination to see it through, was recognised recently when she was presented with an award
at the launch of the Swansea Interfaith Forum. The Noble Soul Award for 2006 was presented by Racial Attacks &
Harassment Monitoring Association in recognition of Pam's outstanding contribution to challenging Islamaphobia in
schools. "Midway through the ceremony, I was called on stage and presented with the award. It was completely
unexpected. I was honoured and humbled and absolutely thrilled.
"But what pleases me most of all is the way Peace Mala is growing. Something that I started for my own students is
now helping marginalised youngsters all over the world."
Article from the South Wales Evening Post.UK
Sent in by C
. Jones-Sullivan. Wales UK
A Statue made with Love.
This statue currently stands outside the Iraqi palace, now home to the 4th Infantry division. It will eventually be
shipped home and put in the memorial museum in Fort Hood , TX The statue was created by an Iraqi artist named
Kalat, who for years was forced by Saddam Hussein to make the many hundreds of bronze busts of Saddam that
dotted Baghdad .
Kalat was so grateful for the Americans liberation of his country; he melted 3 of the heads of the fallen Saddam and
made the statue as a memorial to the American soldiers and their fallen warriors, Kalat worked on this memorial
night and day for several months. To the left of the kneeling soldier is a small Iraqi girl giving the soldier comfort as
he mourns the loss of his comrade in arms.
Do you know why we don't hear about this in the news? Because it is heart warming and praise worthy. The media
avoids it because it does not have the shock effect. But we can do something about it.
We can pass this along to as many people as we can in honor of all our brave military who are making a difference.
