This is truly amazing. In Brussel, Belgium they have replicated a medeival carpet using begonias. It includes close to a a million flowers and spreads out for 300 square meters. Grass, tree bark, and other materials were added to blend the colors. 1,000 volunteers are needed to put it all together.
In 1971, the first Carpet of Flowers was created in Belgium’s capital. Now, the carpet is recreated every two year. The next display will be created in 2010.
I was rambling around the web today and came across the website of artist, Peter Callesen. He creates the most amazing things out of a sheet of white paper. I’m amazed at such creativity out of a single form.
The earthquake that hit L’Aquila, Italy was devastating. The number of dead keeps increasing and so does the rubble.
A 98 year old woman was trapped within the rubble of her home for 30 hours. How did she survive the ordeal? She crocheted! Maria D’Antuano was rushed to the hospital for further observation.
Well, she didn’t have anything better to do with her time! I can imagine this unflabble attitude in the face of crisis is what has lead her through her 98 years.
What do you think your future would hold if your grew up in Southern Sudan? How about if at the age of 7 you family was torn apart by war? Now what if you were taken away from the violence to another country only to find yourself forced into fighting someone else’s war? Do you think if you escaped you could then make something of yourself and help others in the process?
That is Emmanuel Jal’s story. Jal is a former child soldier who grew up in Sudan. He saw his Aunt raped before his eyes. His Father went off to fight the war and his Mother was murdered. His future was pretty slim.
It gets worse. Jal was was taken to Ethiopia for a chance at a better life. But it didn’t happen. He was forced to join the SPLA (Sudan People’s Liberation Army) and found himself back in in Sudan. He was a soldier at the age of seven. And, that was his life for the next five years.
Emma McCune, an aid worker from England, entered his life in the early 1990s. McCune saved his life by smuggling him to Kenya. He was maybe 13 at the time. She raised Jal and gave him a chance to survive.
Jal saw alot of violence during his childhood years. His exposure to rap music gave him an escape from the horrors of his past.
Jal is now a recording artist. He also speaks before such esteemed bodies as the United Nations. He spends his time making music and spreading the word about his life. There is even a documentary about his life.
In an interview, Jal says he has no choice. In Jal’s own words in a Huffingtonpost.com article, “”The way I look at it, I’m writing down history. I’m bringing what happened in my life to the international community. I feel responsible, I’m like the voice of those people.”
Pedro C. Moreno has penned an insighful article at huffingtonpost.com about the relationship between father’s and daughter’s in the world called “Fathers: Bring Your Daughters to School“. Moreno heads the organization Father and Daughter Alliance (FADA).
For many girls, educational opportunities are non-existent. They are expected to stay home to help their Mothers, take care of other family members, and are often married off young.
The goal of this organization is to teach families the importance of educating their daughters. They do this by raising awareness among Fathers. They hope to help provide a primary education for all girls. By helping Fathers get more involved in educating their daughters they hope to open opportunities for girls worldwide.
FADA has produced this video for YouTube which spells out the problems facing girls and their hopes for providing education to them:
