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  A record number of outbreaks have been reported after droughts, floods and wars have forced large numbers of people to live in unsanitary conditions. Countries reporting new cases are Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, and Zambia. Outbreaks have been reported in the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, putting the health of millions at risk and overwhelming fragile health systems. Untreated, the disease, which is commonly spread through contaminated water, can cause death by dehydration in as little as one day, as the body tries to expel a virulent bacteria in gushes of vomit and watery diarrhea. In Haiti, cholera has broken out as whole neighborhoods of people displaced by violence are packed into small open patches in Port-au-Prince, sharing a single cracked pipe of water that runs through untreated waste. Cholera is also festering in the country’s severely overcrowded prisons.

“ When I paint an abstract picture…….I neither know in advance what it is meant to look like, nor, during the painting process, what I am aiming at and what to do about getting there. ” (Gerhard Richter). Through my short progress in visual art, I find myself, almost by accident, being swayed towards the New York School of Painters, who set the trend for self-expression in some most radical forms of abstract painting. Two visual artists who have continued to inspire me are Gerhard Richter and Jackson Pollock. Their influence is easily perceptible in some of the paintings I have exhibited here. Painting, in the words of Richter, is almost a “ blind, desperate effort, like that of a person abandoned, helpless, in totally incomprehensible surroundings…. ” Continuing in the words of Richter, “ Abstract pictures are fictive models, because they make visible a reality that we can neither see nor describe, but whose existence we can postulate…. ” The motif that inspires evolves during the pr

Welcome to a brief overview of articles that appeared last week on our website. Please don't stop here - be sure to browse the full list of articles that appeared this week. xunicefnewsandviews.blogspot.com Our Artist of the Week - Gautam Banerji A Lonely Walk This week Gautam introduces us to several of his recent works. He tells us that in his exploration of abstract painting he is deeply influenced by Gerhard Richter and Jackson Pollock. He also gives us a sample of his 'alternative photography'. Click here to read "Cyanotype, Lithography and more" .  Gautam is a frequent contributor to News & Views and his work has appeared previously as our Artist of the Week in January 2021 with a gallery of his colorful geometric pencil drawings  and as our Photographer of the Week in July 2021. Our Columnists This Week     Fouad Kronfol - Soliloquy #75 - United Nations Day Commemorations 1951 - 1960  Gianni Murzi - Falling at the Final Hurdle  Nuzhat

Detlef Palm  commented on  " My Non Fungible Token : Detlef Palm " 3 hours ago @Thomas Hae(ä)ttenschwiller: It's a deal! But how can I be sure that your dinars are real?    Sree Gururaja  commented on  " Polio eradication: falling at the final hurdle?/The Lancet " 6 hours ago The foreseen dangers would be regressive in countries such as India. Regrettably, the immunisation coverage is uneven and lower then 60%. As the article points out the pandemic disrupted primary health services and diverted resources of staff and equipment. Therefore, UNICEF needs to continue its support and advocacy to immunization and renew its relationship with Rotary International and other donors. Sree     Sree Gururaja  commented on  " SOLILOQUY OF A POSTAGE STAMP, #75: UNITED NATIONS DAY COMMEMORATIONS, 1951-1960. " 6 hours ago Fouad, outstanding collection as always! thanks for sharing. Sree    Unknown  commented on  " Myanmar: A People No Longer Willing to