XUNICEF News and Views

Identified by Ptolemy as  the source of the River Nile, the  Lunae  Montes remained shrouded in legends for 2000 years. The Mountains of the Moon are spectacular and unapproachable. In 1980/1981, I circled Lake Victoria  in search of ice on the equator.

by Ken Gibbs Extracts from a personal diary of a visit to Turkmenistan, examining school sanitation. Nejmaddin Kubra and Sultan Ali mausolea in Kuneurgench The buildings date from the XIV to XVI centuries While we were in Kuneurgench: I had suggested to our team that, in view of the very long hours we had worked, we should take the opportunity to do a guided tour of the museum and mausolea complex in Kuneurgench. It was riveting. The museum is set in a neat madressa built in 1907 to train 24 mullahs every 7 years; taken over by the Soviets soon after 1917 - so there can’t have been too many mullahs graduated by then - and they turned it into an office block. Happily, when the Soviets left in 1990 (glasnost and all that jazz), it was turned into a museum - done most tastefully. The only thing I feel may be problematic in the long term is how people are allowed to handle the exhibits. Some of the books may be centuries old and do not take to being handled at all. The guide was a middle a

by Fouad Kronfol Nonagenarians = people who are between 90 and 99 years old . This is the official definition we are told. If our XUNICEF group were to be polled We would be delighted that we hold Amazing individuals made of a special mold. We may suffer from aches and cold And in retirement we are lolled But there are not many others as true and bold Who would fall in this particular fold. On this issue,you and I are totally sold, Our NONAGENERIANS are made of GOLD !! SPECIAL GREETINGS TO.. Dorothy Schleimer Mary Racelis Marco Vianello-Chiodo PLEASE ADD AS MANY OTHERS AS YOU MAY KNOW OF......

Fouad says: Worth watching to the end. A palindrome reads the same backwards as forward. This video reads the exact opposite backwards as forward. Not only does it read the opposite, the meaning is the exact opposite. This is only a 1-minute and 44 second video and it is brilliant. Make sure you read as well as listen… forward and backward. This is a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20-year-old. This video won second place When they showed it, everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause.

This week I conclude this thematic series about philatelic items related to Malaria and to the 1962 WHO Campaign, "The World United Against Malaria", where sixty years have elapsed since that event. For the finale I will feature stamps and covers related to the Africa region. According to WHO data, in 2020 Africa accounted for about 95% of malaria cases and 96% of deaths in the world. Deaths due to malaria among under five children were 80% of the global totals . Four countries in the AFRO region accounted for more than fifty percent of the fatalities; Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Mozambique. Here we have five stamps issued by Francophone countries which are of similar design all issued for the 1962 WHO Campaign. These include; Republic of Dahomey (Benin), Republic of Malagasy (Madagascar), Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Republic of Niger and the Republic of Senegal. All five stamps are semi-postal issues with the surcharges meant for the national

by Nuzhat Shahzadi The title of my column is taken from an advertisement floated in the newspapers (in Great Britain?) at the time of World War I. It was for Premier Vinolia Soap . . . A revolutionary-cultural shift was taking place in the west. Men were fighting at the frontlines while women took over the jobs of mailmen, tram drivers, factory workers, bomb makers . . . the war attempted to uphold the gender norms somewhat by alluring women towards femininity––rouge, talcum powder and lipstick to drown the worn-out look of fatigue in their efforts to keep the normal world rolling. The patriarchal society tried to define a woman’s public appearance. . . "Does your reflection give you quite the same satisfaction it gave you in 1914?" asked the 1916 advertisement by the legendary American cosmetic entrepreneur, Helena Rubenstein. And there was no stopping . . . lipstick, blusher, foundation, kohl and mascara became the integral part of a modern woman’s life style along with her

By Syndicated Content wtvbam.com6 min View Original By Silvia Aloisi, Margaryta Chornokondratenko and Zohra Bensemra LVIV (Reuters) – Nina spent her 16th birthday in a Lviv state shelter for children last week, far from her family and friends in the east of Ukraine, after she fled advancing Russian forces early in the war. One of 23 children evacuated from another childcare centre in Lysychansk, a town more than 1,000 km (620 miles) away near the eastern frontlines, Nina says she misses her friends there and does not know when she will see them again. “They always came to visit. We’ve been through so many things together,” said Nina, who ran away from home in February last year when her mother started drinking and bringing men to the house after her father died. At first, Nina went to live with a friend, but her school found out and she was placed in Ukraine’s extensive childcare system last year. Ukraine has the biggest number of children living in state care in Europe, mostly because

Kyiv mayor says school to resume classes online By Online News Editor  laprensalatina.com 2 min View Original Lviv, Ukraine, Mar 28 (EFE).- Classes for school children will resume Monday online in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, the city’s mayor announced. “On Mar. 28, the educational process will resume in the capital – in online format. It will be more adapted to current conditions. And using different educational platforms for students,” Vitali Klitschko said in a message posted on Telegram late Sunday. “An important task today is for the city to live and work even under such difficult conditions of martial law,” he added. “They (Russians) are trying to intimidate us. That will not work,” he said. More than half of Ukraine’s children have been forcibly displaced due to the war, both outside and inside the country, according to the latest figures of the United Nations’ children’s agency UNICEF. Out of the country’s estimated 7.5 million child population, 4.3 million have been displace

From Patrick Hennessy: Dear Friends, This is to inform you that Ado passed away today at 2.15 pm Bangkok time. I was by his bed as he died. A great man, who will be sorely missed, has left us. The cremation will be on Thursday in Wat Hua Lamphong on Rama IV around 3-4 pm, but I will revert later with exact time. It will be a very brief ceremony in line with Ado's wishes, and any of you who wish to say a few words will be invited to do so. At his request Ado's ashes will be thrown into the Andaman Sea off Phuket at a later date. This list of addressees was put together by me and clearly there are several friends of his in Thailand who I have not had addresses for, or simply missed, so please feel free to forward this to anyone you spot missing from the list. We will also be contacting others on Line App. May Ado Rest in Peace. From Kul Gautam: Dear Patrick, I am so very sorry to learn about the passing away of our dear friend and colleague Ado Vaher in Bangkok.  Thank you Patric

  Please browse our website to read all of the articles that appeared on our website during this and previous weeks. We post new articles nearly every day, so there is no need to wait all week for the Digest to read what is new. Bookmark our website and visit often.   xunicefnewsandviews.blogspot.com Our Travel-story of the Week: Ukraine Maie Ayoub von Kohl shares treasured memories of what has now evolved into a very special visit for her. Her delightful and captivating pictures and narrative offer reminiscences of Ukraine before the tragedy evolved. Our hope is that Ukraine will soon rise like a phoenix. Click here as you will not want to miss Maie's skillfully crafted photo essay.  This week Rohini De Silva has answered our 10 Questions. To see at a glance our members who so far have sent in their responses,  click here . Share your own short answers to the same 10 simple questions, including any advice you may have for the UNICEF Executive Director. Send your own respo

Rohini de silva  commented on  " Beat the COVID Doldrums in Puerto Rico, Land of Enchantment by Ivette Martinez-Rivera " 11 hours ago Beautiful thanks for sharing. Reminds me of my birthplace Sri Lanka with its flora and fauna and similar economic difficulties! Rohini de silva    SDL  commented on  " We All Can Help : Detlef Palm " 13 hours ago Great work by so many. Very sobering article in the Financial Times that suggests that the fact that Ukraine is still holding out, will actually now drive Putin to take the next step to subjugate the brave people of that country by the use of tactical nukes or large scale chemical/biological attacks -- all of this potentially leading to greater conflict between NATO and Russia. The article posits that Ukraine is just the latest in a string of provocations by Putin to upturn the international order and in effect constitutes the beginning of WW III. What are the other options before general hostilities? Will this be fought u