View allAll Photos Tagged responsibilty
Malek comes from the village of Dulhajara which is a few hours away from the city of Chittagong. Fourty years ago, he moved to the city and has been pulling a rickshaw ever since.
With his families responsibilties, he still has to work even on Fridays(national holiday in Bangladesh).
GEC Circle,Chittagong,Bangladesh
This picture is #96 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at www.100Strangers.com
He floats you up and down the Ganga ...
Let's mesmerize with him :
What wonders me most in India,
certainly here in Varanasi
that respires a withered glory,
is the aphaty of the rich
towards 80% of the poor,
hiding himself in his fortress
or fleeing away from it
denying his responsibilty
not aware that
he will have to pay the bill,
hoping that the poor
will maintain their traditions
of believing in their fate,
lucky still having their richness in their heart.
The level of a culture
should be mesured by the way
it takes care of the deprived,
not really by
worldwonders produced by savagism.
The killings by economical wars
still goes on, that's humanity .....
Happy Easter !
People of Varanasi.
(a RAW is only raw, not what we see ...)
Edith Cowan speech to Parliament
copied using NEEWER Macro extension tubes 10=16mm
raised and lowered on Manfroto tripod to focus and Kit lens SELP1650 on 50mm
See this interesting fact..
Australia Prints Millions Of Notes With Major Typo Error
The RBA spelt "responsibility" as "responsibilty" on millions of new Australian 50 dollar banknotes
www.ndtv.com/offbeat/australia-prints-400-million-notes-w...
If you are interested in sponsoring an orphan at Gisimba Memorial Center, direct contact information is listed below.
Ildephonse Niyongana - Director
Damas Gisimba - Founder
gisimbacmg@yahoo.com
Gisimba Orphanage
B.P. 1433 Kigali Rwanda
Ave de la Nyarugenge
Nyamirambo
District of Nyarugenge
tel +250 08524515 or +250 08532596
Bank of Kigali 040-0013914-76
swift BK IG RWRW
Additional information can also be found on www.orphansofrwanda.org
"The warmth of his tiny body snuggled against mine filled me with a peace and serenity that elevated me above the chaos. This child was alive yet terribly hungry, beautiful but covered in dirt, bewildered but not fearful. I made up my mind: this would be the fourth child in the Dallaire family. I couldn't save Rwanda, but I could save this child.
Before I had held this boy, I had agreed with the aid workers and representatives of both warring armies that I would not permit any exporting of Rwandan orphans to foreign places. When confronted by such requests from humanitarian organizations, I would argue that the money to move a hundred kids by plane to France or Belgium could help build, staff and sustain Rwandan orphanages that could house three thousand children. This one boy eradicated all my arguments. I could see myself arriving at the terminal in Montreal like a latter-day St. Christopher with the boy cradled in my arms...
That dream was abruptly destroyed when the young soldier, fast as a wolf, yanked the child from my arms and carried him directly into the bush. Not knowing how many members of his unit might already have their gunsights on us, we reluctantly climbed back into the Land Cruiser. As I slowly drove away, I had much on my mind.
By withdrawing, I had undoubtedly done the wise thing: I had avoided risking the lives of my two soldiers in what would have been a fruitless struggle over one small boy. But in that moment, it seemed to me that I had backed away from a fight for what was right, that this failure stood for all failures in Rwanda.
Whatever happened to that beautiful child? Did he make it to an orphanage deep behind the RPF lines? Did he survive the following battles? Is he dead or is he now a child soldier himself, caught in the seemingly endless conflict that plagues his homeland?
That moment, when the boy, in the arms of a soldier young enough to be his brother, was swallowed by a whole forest, still haunts me. It's a memory that never lets me forget how ineffective and irresponsible we were when we promised the Rwandans that we would establish an atmosphere of security that would allow them to achieve everlasting peace. It has been almost nine years since I left Rwanda, but as I write this, the sounds, smells, and colours come flooding back in digital clarity. It's as if someone sliced into my brain and grafted this horror called Rwanda frame by blood-soaked frame directly on my cortex. I could not forget even if I wanted to. For many years, I have yearned to return to Rwanda and disappear into the blue-green hills with my ghosts. A simple pilgrim seeking forgiveness and pardon. But as I slowly begin to piece my life back together, I know the time has come for me to make a more difficult pilgramage: to travel bcak through all those terrible memories and retrieve my soul...
...That mission, UNAMIR, failed. I know intimately the cost in human lives of the inflexible UN Security Council mandate, the penny-pinching financial mangement of the mission, the UN red tape, the political manipulations and my own personal limitations. What I have come to realize as the root of it all, however, is the fundamental indifference of the world community to the plight of seven to eight million black Africans in a tiny country that had no strategic or resource value to any world power. An overpopulated little country that turned in on itself and destroyed its own people, as the world watched and yet could not manage to find the political will to intervene. Engraved still in my brain is the judgment of a small group of beaurocrats who came to 'assess' the situation in the first few weeks of the genocide: 'We will recommend to our government not to intervene as the risks are high and all that is here is human.'"
Lt. General Romeo Dallaire, Force Commander of the UN Assistance Mission to Rwanda, 1993-1994 in his introduction to _Shake Hands With The Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda_.
The text below is from www.orphansofrwanda.org
"Centre Memorial de Gisimba (Gisimba Memorial Center)
The Gisimba orphanage, located in the Nyamirambo quarter of Kigali, is led by Damas Mutezintare Gisimba. Damas's father founded the orphanage in 1980 with 18 children living in one house. Damas took over in 1986 after the death of his father. During the genocide Damas sheltered over 400 children and adults in the small orphanage compound from the predations of the interahamwe [the Hutu paramilitary squads that carried out much of the genocide]. Though the orphanage was repeatedly menaced, Damas and his colleagues held their ground and did not give in to the genocidaires. He has been honored for his heroism by the Rwandan government and many other organizations.
The orphanage currently houses over 150 children. Ten years ago almost all were genocide victims, but many of the newer arrivals have been orphaned by AIDS. Because their parents were HIV+, a number of them are also infected."
PLEASE DONATE TO GISIMBA MEMORIAL VIA ORPHANS OF RWANDA: www.orphansofrwanda.org/getinvolved.php#donate
How much it's hurting you , how sick this burden give you . Once it was your responsibility , be strong and keep calm doing your promises .
Gisimba Memorial Center
An orphanage on the outskirts of Kigali in Nyamirambo.
Kigali, Rwanda. Afrika.
July 16, 2006.
msun.bluespot.org/2006/07/01/gisimba-memorial-center?comm...
Gisimba Memorial Center
An orphanage on the outskirts of Kigali in Nyamirambo.
Rwanda. Afrika.
July, 4. 2006.
Original image without vestments.
NUESTRA SEÑORA DE GUADALUPE DE CEBU
Patrona de la Ciudad y Provincia de Cebú
The origin of the Cebuano devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe; the origin and history of the image; and the religious practices and oral tradition that are associated with the Virgin of Guadalupe of Cebu.
That sometime in 1880, Ricardo Ramirez, a "Mangangayam" or wild chicken trapper who lived in the forested area of what was then Barrio Banawan (now Barangay Guadalupe), in the course of his trapping activities, one day saw a flashing light coming from inside the cave known as "langub nga duha'y baba" (cave with two mouths). It is near the river called Sapang Diyot of Barangay Kalunasan. Surprised by what he saw, Ramirez called the attention of the other trappers who were near him but when they looked, they could not see anything. Ricardo decided to investigate the source of the light inside the cave. He got inside and saw that the light flashes came from an estampita (Holy Card, usually measuring 2 inches by 3 inches) of Our Lady. The picture was standing atop a naturally formed rock, beside which a slow drip of water cascaded into a basin -shaped rock on the floor. The light and the flashing stopped when Ricardo got inside. He took the holy card and gave it to the teniente del barrio, Eustaquio Abapo, in turn showed the picture to the barrio's "mananabtan" (prayer group leader), Placido "Edo" Datan. Placido advised Eustaquio to keep the unusual find until they would know what to do with it.
Eustaquio Abapo hid the picture somewhere in his house as advised by Placido but soon forgot where, until some years later when Placido, Eustaquio, the barrio catechist Silverio Gonzales and other people in the area thought of building a chapel in Kalunasan, in the property of Eustaquio. This was sometime in 1889.
The four decided to ask permission of Fr. Ceferino Fernandez, parish priest of San Nicolas, who had jurisdiction over Banawan. When they arrived in San Nicolas convent office, they saw a two feet wooden image of Our Lady and they suddenly remembered the estampita given to them by Ricardo Ramirez years back because the image resembled the image in the holy card. Without telling the parish priest about their intention, the three hurried back to Banawan to look for the estampita in Eustaquio's house. They didn't find it then so; they decided to postpone telling the parish priest about their find and their plan until they have the holy card.
A few months later, the estampita was found by Eustaquio lying under a bundle of corn that was harvested from his field. The four immediately decided to go back to Fr. Fernandez and told the priest what Ricardo Ramirez found inside the cave, and what they were planning to do. When the priest saw the estampita, he told the group that it was the picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He asked for it and kept it. He gave his consent for the construction of a small chapel in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in kalunasan, and agreed to lend them the two-foot wooden image they saw in the convent on their yearly novena and fiesta from December 4 to 12. However, he also made them promise that the image should be returned to San Nicolas after the fiesta. According to the narration of Florencio "Noy Rencio" Tabal, who was already 96 years old when I talked to him sometime in 2002, the parishioners from Pasil resented the lending of the image to the Banawan chapel for the first fiesta celebration, and they would always try to prevent the procession from leaving San Nicolas by blocking the path but the people of Banawan, more numerous in number than them, persisted and always succeeded in bringing the image to the chapel in the mountain. During this time, the name of the barrio became Guadalupe because word got around that the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe appeared in a cave in Banawan.
Although there was a story of a sighting by the late Josefa "Nang Sepa" Labra (d. 1948) of a young and beautiful girl who would play in what is now the church plaza which at that time was still full of fruit trees. According to Nang Seap, she would often check on her carrabaos tied in the trees along the plaza at dawn. Often, she would be disturbed by the sight of a young girl playing at dawn. So one day, she decided to spy on the girl, Nang Sepa wend inside the chapel to validate her suspicion that the girl could be no other that the Virgin of Guadalupe. She checked the image and saw amorseco weeds attached to the hemline of its dress, the kind that abounds in the plaza. In addition, the fragrance that accompanies the presence of the young girl when she shows herself to Nang Sepa at dawn also filled the chapel. From then on, word spread that the Blessed Virgin appears as a chubby little girl and plays around the plaza of the chapel at dawn.
From that first Fiesta in 1889 until 1901, Our lady of Guadalupe was just a local barrio devotion. Every year, the image was borrowed from San Nicolas in December, then returned on the Sunday after December 12, because ion the Saturday after December 12, the image would be brought inside the cave where the estampita was found for another Mass. The image would stay inside the cave overnight and would be brought back to San Nicolas the next day, a Sunday. So the Virgin actually stayed longer than nine days in the barrio.
In 1902, there was a cholera epidemic outbreak. The epidemic hit the whole city but hardest hit was Barrio Guadalupe. Probably because the source of our drinking water then was the river, which was also renamed Guadalupe, and some open wells. It was devastating. Hundreds of residents died. It was said that those who buried the dead, did not return as they themselves died along the way or right on the cemetery while grieving for their dead relatives.
The cholera outbreak was so bad in the barrio that there was burial everyday. Later, the burial had to be done en masse on a carabao cart. Death stalked the people of Guadalupe real bad.
It was sometime in the month of May. Anyway, the "mananabtan" Placido "Edo" Datan initiated a move and called on the barrio leaders to hold a penitential dawn procession to invoke the help of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Holy Cross of Jesus, and end the epidemic. The melody for the so-called "Antifon" was written by Silverio Gonzales, the catechist. One of the ardent supporters of the movement was Don Joaquin Labra, who, unfortunately, became one of the victims of the epidemic himself. The "Antifon" is actually the prayer Hail Mary in Spanish (Dios Te Salve Maria) but sung repeatedly in a very plaintive tune.
The Antifon was held for one month, from mid-May to Mid-June. What was placed on the andas (palanquin) and carried during the dawn procession was a small image of the Holy Cross and an estampa of Our lady of Guadalupe (an estampa is a bigger Holy Card, measuring anywhere from 8"x10" to as much 18"x24"
According to Maximo Gabutan, and the other old people of Guadalupe, the Antifon was purely the idea of the local devotees of Our lady of Guadalupe, the likes of Don Joaquin Labra, Don Gervacio Quijada, his brother-in-law Placido datan, the catechist Silverio Gonzales, Eustiquio Abapo, Melchor Abella and others.
The cholera epidemic stopped but not immediately. As the dawn procession went on, the number of deaths decreased until there were no more deaths in the barrio. The devotion and strong faith of our elders to the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe and to the Holy Cross of Jesus saved them from death. If the cholera outbreak did not stop sooner, there would have been nobody left in the barrio. As an act of thanksgiving to God and to the Virgin of Guadalupe, Silverio Gonzales and the other people involved, decided to hold a thanksgiving novena from July 8 to 16 1902, with a grand procession of the Holy Cross and the estampa of the Virgin. Melchor Abella paid for the brass band that accompanied the procession( note: July 16 is the feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross and the Virgin of Carmel) SInce then, July 16 has always been celebrated as the second fiesta of the Virgin of Guadalupe. If not for the Virgin's intercession, probably all our elders would have perished and we would not be here today.
December 12 is the official feastday but July 16 is also a celebrated as a Thanksgiving for her and the Holy Cross. There was a time during Mons. Tosing dela Cerna's time (parish priest 1987 - 1994) when he separated the feast of the Holy Cross and celebrated it on September 14, but the people didn't like it and he was compelled to return it to join feast on July 16.
Only in the 1920's, after the Labra and to lesser extent, the Lopez families, donated a sizable portion of their lot (which is now the present church and plaza) to the diocese, that the chapel was transferred from Kalunasan to the present site. In 1927 or 1928, an inexplicable event occurred that prompted the permanent enshrinement of the image in Guadalupe.
On the Sunday after the December 12 fiesta of that year, the image was, as usual securely tied with ropes to the andas for her return trip to San Nicolas, accompanied by a huge number of people. upon reaching a place we used to call Gucro, short for Guadalupe Crossing, along what was called Calamba road, now V. Rama Avenue, near the corner of M. Velez Street, near the Suzara property, the image suddenly fell from the andas, feet first to the ground but instead of tumbling, it remained standing and made a 180 degree turn by itself, facing the direction of the chapel where she came from. This happened in full view of many people who joined in the procession, including Florencio Tabal and Maximo Gabutan. (an area where a huge acacia tree is, right across Lacto PAFI office, as the place where the image fell. The spot was pointed by Mr. Maximo Gabutan who was an eye witness of the event).
The people secured the image back to the andas and brought it to San Nicolas. There they told the priest who was Fr. Emiliano Mercado (parish priest of San Nicolas from 1910 - 1942) what happend in the procession. Fr. Mercado was the one who decided that the wooden image of the Virgin of Guadalupe should already stay in the newly-built chapel. So in 1929, the image of Our Lady was permanently enshrined in Guadalupe. In 1933, four years later, Guadalupe became a parish with Fr. Emiliano Mercado himself acting as concurrent parish priest until 1936. Then Fr. Sancho Abadia took over in 1937.
During the World War 2, the church was bombed. Fortunately, the image was saved because it was kept in Amado Gabutan's house in a place called Nabongturan, what is now the Petron Gasoline Station along V. Rama Avenue.
During the war, Amado's mother, Andrea, one of the so-called "beatas" of Guadalupe, asked her son to secure the image in his house in Nabongturan. The parish priest then was Fr. Leonardo Arriba (parish priest 1939-1943) who was arrested and imprisoned by the Japanese on suspicions of being a guerilla. When he was released, he did not return to the parish but hid in the mountains and so Guadalupe did not have a parish priest. Andrea took it upon herself to secure the safety of the statue.
Unfortunately, Amado Gabutan’s house was hit by a bomb and burned down. What was really strange and surprising was that the image escaped unscathed from the bomb and the fire, although five people who were in the same area died.
Amado and family then evacuated to Pardo, bringing the image of Our Lady with them. From there he sent word to Maximo Gabutan to pick up the image from his place in Pardo so Maximo Gabutan sent Tranquilino Nacua to retrieve the image for a fee of two pesos "genuine" money , and bring it to where he and his family hid in the mountains of Candomorga, which is already a part of Talisay. The image was placed in a basket surrounded by pillows and was carried as a back-pack.
In early 1945, when my Maximo Gabutan, felt that the war was ending and the Americans were winning, Maximo and his family went back to Guadalupe from Candomorga only to find the church and their own house nearby burned. Maximo Gabutan then requested Don Gervacio Quijada and his wife Doña Teresa Datan, (sister of Placido, the mananabtan) whose big house was left intact after the war, to shelter the image and all of Maximos’s family, until a temporary church could be built, and until Maximo could rebuild our own house. So the Gabutan family and the Virgin stayed in the house of the generous Don Gervacio for about 10 months. The house still looks exactly the same now as it did when we stayed there in 1945. (the house is in Number 1335 V. Rama Avenue, obliquely across Guadalupe Heights subdivision entrance, now under the care of Don Gervacio's great grandson, Mr. Roger Quijada Lim. It was constructed on may May 10, 1932, as evidenced by the carving in a corner "tugas" round post inside)
When Maximo Gabutan passed away in 1974 at the age of 88, Eulogio Gabutan, father of Fr, Henrico and Philip, became the Virgin's caretaker until his death on December 15, 1986. Then it became his son Philip's responsibilty until now.
first hand information about miracles attributed to Our Lady other that half of 1902 was when Maximo Gabutan and the rest of their family were hiding in Candomorga mountain with the Virgin of Guadalupe, there was a Philippine army camp somewhere in Babag that was never penetrated by the Japanese. The stories of Lt. Ambrosio Gacayan and a Capt. Navarro of the Philippine Army, said that every time the Japs would attempt to raid their camp, a vision of a woman would be seen prancing along the hills of Babag mountain. The Japs got scared of the vision because she would just vanish into thin air, then show herself again. The army and the Gabutan Family also believed it was the Virgin of Guadalupe whose image was with them.
A miracle healing happened to Aniana Sacamay. She developed breast cancer but she was miraculously cured after praying to Our Lady of Guadalupe. She was one of our Lady's attendant,working together with Mohing Ibonalo.,
Another was when the image of the Virgin would be brought inside the cave for the post December 12 Mass, it would be placed in the exact place where the estampita was found, where the water drips from the ceiling of the cave. Despite the image is being placed directly in the water's way, it would remain dry.
The slowly dripping water inside the cave reportedly had curative powers. A long queue of people used to wait for their bottle to get full. Some devotees used the water from the cave to cure disease, and that there were a lot of cures that happened.
The water in the cave stopped dripping during the time of Mons. Esteban Binghay as parish priest of Guadalupe (parish priest 1975-1987), after he ordered the renovation of the cave with tiles and an overhead tank of water was placed atop the cave with the tube descending down the cave. People stopped gathering the water because they realized it was already water piped from the river and not from the original source.
The Image always wore a crown, the "rostrillo" around the face and carried a scepter a shorter one than what she carries now, and dressed up like she is dressed now.
During the 16th of July, 2006, the image was canonically crowned through solemn rites held at the Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu at Guadalupe, Cebu City by virtue of a pontifical decree which was issued on May 9, 2006 issued by the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The coronation symbolized the official and formal recognition of Our Lady of Guadalupe as the patroness of the Archdiocese of Cebu.
There are two feast days celebrated in honor of Cebu’s Patroness. The first being held every 16th of July, her feast as Cebu’s Patroness, the anniversary of the ceasing of the epidemic through her intercession, and the anniversary of her canonical coronation. The second is celebrated every 12th of December, her feast which is celebrated by the church all throughout the globe.
I am posting this message here as the power of Flickr has proven
a tremendous social-networking tool to creatively collaborate and
cross-support missions both in the field and at home.
I will be returning to Rwanda and Uganda August - September this year (2011).
Please get in touch with me if you or someone you know might like to
collaborate--I photograph and write and help bring awareness, raise
funds for good work being done by good people for good people.
--Kresta King
Kareem emulates one of so many soldiers he's seen.
Gisimba Memorial Center.
Kigali, Rwanda. Afrika.
June, 2005.
If you are interested in sponsoring an orphan at Gisimba Memorial Center, direct contact information is listed below.
Ildephonse Niyongana - Director
Damas Gisimba - Founder
gisimbacmg@yahoo.com
Gisimba Orphanage
B.P. 1433 Kigali Rwanda
Ave de la Nyarugenge
Nyamirambo
District of Nyarugenge
tel +250 08524515 or +250 08532596
Bank of Kigali 040-0013914-76
swift BK IG RWRW
Additional information can also be found on www.orphansofrwanda.org
39-2006-03-04-1650-topphotoblog.blogspot.com/2006/03/gisi...
The text below is from www.orphansofrwanda.org
"Centre Memorial de Gisimba (Gisimba Memorial Center)
The Gisimba orphanage, located in the Nyamirambo quarter of Kigali, is led by Damas Mutezintare Gisimba. Damas's father founded the orphanage in 1980 with 18 children living in one house. Damas took over in 1986 after the death of his father. During the genocide Damas sheltered over 400 children and adults in the small orphanage compound from the predations of the interahamwe [the Hutu paramilitary squads that carried out much of the genocide]. Though the orphanage was repeatedly menaced, Damas and his colleagues held their ground and did not give in to the genocidaires. He has been honored for his heroism by the Rwandan government and many other organizations.
The orphanage currently houses over 150 children. Ten years ago almost all were genocide victims, but many of the newer arrivals have been orphaned by AIDS. Because their parents were HIV+, a number of them are also infected."
PLEASE DONATE TO GISIMBA MEMORIAL CENTER VIA ORPHANS OF RWANDA: www.orphansofrwanda.org/getinvolved.php#donate
For statistics on Rwanda: www.unicef.org/infobycountry/rwanda_statistics.html
www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ghosts/interviews/...
As the kids take pictures of each other, I take pictures of them!
Gisimba Memorial Center.
Kigali, Rwanda.
Student returning home from school.
Kigali, Rwanda. Afrika.
June, 2005.
(TMAX film.)
(Most favorited.)
Malaria Infection Linked to Rampant Poverty
The New Times (Kigali)
February 2, 2006
Posted to the web February 2, 2006
Joseph Kamugisha
Kigali
Many of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity of children in Rwanda, like in other countries in the Great Lakes Region, are closely related to poverty which suggests that as well as targeting these major causes directly, policy must be focused in ensuring more Rwandans afford to access the health care system.
With the support of multilateral and bilateral donors, the Government of Rwanda has taken a series of measures aimed at decreasing infant and maternal mortality rates through; Improving sanitation and hygiene as well as availing safe drinking water, providing adequate financing for health care and spreading knowledge of child care at family level.
To date, Malaria is the major cause of mortality and morbidity in children followed by acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea and injuries. To respond to such intolerable challenges, the Ministry of reacted by raising child immunization coverage to an acceptable level of 70%.
It should not be forgotten that after the violent events of 1994, the vaccination campaign was restarted with coverage of close to 70% of all young children in the country by 1997. By 1999, it had dropped to less than 50% due to reduced supervision and monitoring efforts.
Of recent, the government of Rwanda has signaled its intentions to pursue policies, to reduce mortality. The main approach to reach these targets includes: Reducing malnutrition and micro nutrients deficiencies in children, increasing financial access to health insurance schemes, improving primary health care.
"Community-based services through new management methods and the deployment of qualified health workers and strengthening preventive care and health promotion," says Dr Florent Senyana, the director of epidemiology in the Ministry of Health
Until now Malaria is one of the leading causes of outpatient attendance, and it leads to 40% of all health centre visits and it is the principal cause of morbidity in every province in Rwanda. It should be noted strongly that during 1999-2002, the percentage of children under five years with insecticide-treated mosquito nets was only 5%. The provinces of Byumba, Butare, Umutara and Gitarama are particularly infected by Malaria mostly.
With 40 % of deaths in children under five years of age due to malaria, it is the most deadly disease for the age group. In 1995, the estimated direct cost per episode of malaria was $2.09 and the indirect cost over $5. After ten years, the cost has reduced gradually during the year 2005 and this shows concerted efforts by the Ministry of health to overcome malaria linked infections.
With Rwanda's population of roughly 8 million inhabitants, most of them suffering an estimated two or three episodes per year, malaria-related costs represent a tremendous financial burden. These high financial costs do not even fully capture the productivity and opportunity costs of the disease. A person suffering from malaria will miss, on average, eight days of work or school to recover. It is well known that malaria presents the most severe health risks to pregnant women and children under five.
Since 1998, severe epidemics of malaria have been observed nationwide every two years. Malaria has widely spread to rural-urban migration. The National Malaria Control Programme in cooperation with WHO has also found that 41% of malaria cases are resistant to Chloroquine.
Malaria is now evident in high attitude areas and other areas, where the disease was not a public health issue before.
Today, Brussels suffered two terrorist attacks.
My thoughts go to the victims and their families and friends.
Innocent people, many just travelling to work on the subway, or flying somewhere, for leisure or business.
But all civilians.
Unaware, minding their own daily business, not expecting a sudden extreme and violent change to their lives.
Or even finishing their lives abruptly.
- - -
ISIS have claimed responsibilty for both attacks.
They think they can scare people and make us fear them
Create chaos, uproar and more fear. Interrupt our lives to become almost like slaves under their random terror regime.
But they are wrong. Deadly wrong.
To some of us, their actions have the diametrically opposite effect.
We´re at war now.
Some of us are trained for war, have experienced war.
All of us are soldiers, proudly serving our country, or any of our allies that call for assistance.
If you´re a terrorist and wants to meet your maker, we´ll arrange the meeting.
Don´t tread on us. We bite back.
Amen.
IMG12068
Our Group Attitude
We love flickr and love to look at the work of other members.
Although we are members of various groups we do not always agree with the rules of the groups.
We appreciate invitations to groups and will gladly display our images in any group if requested to do so.
We can, however, not accept the responsibilty to invite / comment on images prior to us sharing our images with the group.
We see group reactions as voluntary and if we feel to comment on an image or images in the group we will do so but we can not comment on images if we feel we have nothing to say.
A & L
Today is Wednesday.
More than a hundred eager students learn English
in this light-streaked ramshackle room.
Catherine Seventh Day Adventist Primary School.
Outside Jinja. Uganda. Afrika.
June 2006.
Thousands of Congolese refugees have harboured here at Gihembe Refugee Camp for years. So much humanity in such little space.
Gihembe Refugee Camp
UNHCR
Gihembe, Rwanda. Afrika.
July 14, 2006.
This is a photograph of a poster at a traveling exhibition.
(Homage to its instinctive artist.)
The exhibition's name and sponsor escape me.
(Title "Barcode" is mine.)
(Toning, contrast, sharpening, and saturation are mine.)
Lawn of the Univeristy of Arizona campus. Tucson, Arizona.
2005.
This is for all you cowboy builders out there who make peoples life a misery even if you have been paid to do a job.
Why not do it right first time that way I won't have to see you again.
My roofers have agreed to come round once again to deal with the problem but are saying they won't come round again after this time and hold no responsibilty if it's still leaking WTF !
If you fixed the leak the first time like I asked you, you wouldn't have had to come back, and I'm made to feel it's my fault and I'm a nuisance.
Anyway 4th time lucky to get the job done right lol, I'll let you know how it goes ;)
Once again thank you for your amazing comments of support and for helping to put my last picture in Explore.
This was a bit of cabin fever fun.
I painted on honey to my chin with an ickle brush then dipped my chin into a bowl full of sprinkles.
As this was a the first time I tried this I didn't put on the honey thick enough, I would have liked to have had a thicker sprinkly beard with no gaps.
This was a hard shot to take being the model and photographer lol.
I set up a stool and asked my daughter to sit on it whilst I composed the shot and focused.
Then we swapped over and I asked my daugther to look through the viewfinder and tell me how to move to be central in the shot and press the shutter button.
Some came out where my eyes were blurry but thats the beauty of digital, try and try again.
My camera set up in position on my tripod.
I had 2x Jessops 360 AFD flashguns either side of my camera mounted on stands with see through umbrellas attached to both.
My Nikon SB600 was behind me taped to my monopod and attached to the stool pointing directly at the wall.
The Jessops flashguns where set at 1/2 power.
The Nikon SB 600 was set to full power.
The flashes where fired off camera via my Yongnuo RF-602 trigger + recievers.
I held a big silver reflector on my lap trying to direct light up into the shadows.
Taken With
►Nikon D300s
►Nikon 16-85 @55mm
►2x Jessops 360 AFDS
►1x Nikon SB600
►Yongnuo RF-602 trigger + recievers
►Silver reflector
►Cowboy Hat + Sprinkles
Post Processing
►White Balance correction
►Levels to make the whites white
►'S' curve for contrast
►Whitened the whites of the eyes with the dodge tool
To cheer myself up I was thinking of treating myself to the hahnel battery grip for my D300s, if anyone has one feel free to let me know what you think before I take the plunge please.
Thanks for looking and for your ultimate cowboy experience press 'L' on your keyboard :)
Like sisters.
Gisimba Memorial Center.
Kigali, Rwanda. Afrika.
June, 2005.
If you are interested in sponsoring an orphan at Gisimba Memorial Center, direct contact information is listed below.
Ildephonse Niyongana - Director
Damas Gisimba - Founder
gisimbacmg@yahoo.com
Gisimba Orphanage
B.P. 1433 Kigali Rwanda
Ave de la Nyarugenge
Nyamirambo
District of Nyarugenge
tel +250 08524515 or +250 08532596
Bank of Kigali 040-0013914-76
swift BK IG RWRW
Additional information can also be found on www.orphansofrwanda.org
This image is currently (10/18/05) posted on United Children of the World: united-children.blogspot.com/
The text below is from www.orphansofrwanda.org
"Centre Memorial de Gisimba (Gisimba Memorial Center)
The Gisimba orphanage, located in the Nyamirambo quarter of Kigali, is led by Damas Mutezintare Gisimba. Damas's father founded the orphanage in 1980 with 18 children living in one house. Damas took over in 1986 after the death of his father. During the genocide Damas sheltered over 400 children and adults in the small orphanage compound from the predations of the interahamwe [the Hutu paramilitary squads that carried out much of the genocide]. Though the orphanage was repeatedly menaced, Damas and his colleagues held their ground and did not give in to the genocidaires. He has been honored for his heroism by the Rwandan government and many other organizations.
The orphanage currently houses over 150 children. Ten years ago almost all were genocide victims, but many of the newer arrivals have been orphaned by AIDS. Because their parents were HIV+, a number of them are also infected."
PLEASE DONATE TO GISIMBA MEMORIAL CENTER VIA ORPHANS OF RWANDA.
One of the younger children here at the orphanage.
There simply aren't enough mommies to go around, so
the older children serve as surrogates.
Gisimba Memorial Center
An orphanage on the outskirts of Kigali in Nyamirambo.
Rwanda. Afrika.
July, 4. 2006.
Class.
I visited Catherine's Primary School in order to meet
three nephews my friend Hussey supports. Weekly,
he brings his brother's widow's children sugar, and covers their
tuition and living expenses. Hussey's heart doesn't stop there though.
He helps run the Pearl Children Care Center in Jinja.
I you would like to support an orphan, please visit
or
Catherine's Primary School.
Kangulumira, Jinja. Uganda. Afrika.
June 14, 2006.
This is the original image of Our Lady of Guadalupe de Cebu of Barangay Guadalupe. The Virgin was proclaimed Patroness Of Cebu .
the coronation symbolized the official and formal recognition of Our Lady of Guadalupe as the patroness of the archdiocese of Cebu.
The coronation, held at the Our Lady of Guadalupe de Cebu Parish in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City, took place by virtue of a pontifical decree dated May 9, 2006, issued by the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
Rev. Fr. Carlito Pono, the parish priest, explained that there should be no confusion between the feast of the blessed image as a parish and its celebration as the patroness of the archdiocese of Cebu, as well as the Feast of Señor Sto. Niño.
Officially, Pono said the Catholic faithful celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe as the patroness of the archdiocese of Cebu every July 16, while the one being celebrated every Dec. 12 is its feast as a parish.
The prelate said the crowning of Our Lady of Guadalupe also indicated that good triumphed over the forces of evil.
The origin of the Cebuano devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe; the origin and history of the image; and the religious practices and oral tradition that are associated with the Virgin of Guadalupe of Cebu.
That sometime in 1880, Ricardo Ramirez, a "Mangangayam" or wild chicken trapper who lived in the forested area of what was then Barrio Banawan (now Barangay Guadalupe), in the course of his trapping activities, one day saw a flashing light coming from inside the cave known as "langub nga duha'y baba" (cave with two mouths). It is near the river called Sapang Diyot of Barangay Kalunasan. Surprised by what he saw, Ramirez called the attention of the other trappers who were near him but when they looked, they could not see anything. Ricardo decided to investigate the source of the light inside the cave. He got inside and saw that the light flashes came from an estampita (Holy Card, usually measuring 2 inches by 3 inches) of Our Lady. The picture was standing atop a naturally formed rock, beside which a slow drip of water cascaded into a basin -shaped rock on the floor. The light and the flashing stopped when Ricardo got inside. He took the holy card and gave it to the teniente del barrio, Eustaquio Abapo, in turn showed the picture to the barrio's "mananabtan" (prayer group leader), Placido "Edo" Datan. Placido advised Eustaquio to keep the unusual find until they would know what to do with it.
Eustaquio Abapo hid the picture somewhere in his house as advised by Placido but soon forgot where, until some years later when Placido, Eustaquio, the barrio catechist Silverio Gonzales and other people in the area thought of building a chapel in Kalunasan, in the property of Eustaquio. This was sometime in 1889.
The four decided to ask permission of Fr. Ceferino Fernandez, parish priest of San Nicolas, who had jurisdiction over Banawan. When they arrived in San Nicolas convent office, they saw a two feet wooden image of Our Lady and they suddenly remembered the estampita given to them by Ricardo Ramirez years back because the image resembled the image in the holy card. Without telling the parish priest about their intention, the three hurried back to Banawan to look for the estampita in Eustaquio's house. They didn't find it then so; they decided to postpone telling the parish priest about their find and their plan until they have the holy card.
A few months later, the estampita was found by Eustaquio lying under a bundle of corn that was harvested from his field. The four immediately decided to go back to Fr. Fernandez and told the priest what Ricardo Ramirez found inside the cave, and what they were planning to do. When the priest saw the estampita, he told the group that it was the picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He asked for it and kept it. He gave his consent for the construction of a small chapel in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in kalunasan, and agreed to lend them the two-foot wooden image they saw in the convent on their yearly novena and fiesta from December 4 to 12. However, he also made them promise that the image should be returned to San Nicolas after the fiesta. According to the narration of Florencio "Noy Rencio" Tabal, who was already 96 years old when I talked to him sometime in 2002, the parishioners from Pasil resented the lending of the image to the Banawan chapel for the first fiesta celebration, and they would always try to prevent the procession from leaving San Nicolas by blocking the path but the people of Banawan, more numerous in number than them, persisted and always succeeded in bringing the image to the chapel in the mountain. During this time, the name of the barrio became Guadalupe because word got around that the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe appeared in a cave in Banawan.
Although there was a story of a sighting by the late Josefa "Nang Sepa" Labra (d. 1948) of a young and beautiful girl who would play in what is now the church plaza which at that time was still full of fruit trees. According to Nang Seap, she would often check on her carrabaos tied in the trees along the plaza at dawn. Often, she would be disturbed by the sight of a young girl playing at dawn. So one day, she decided to spy on the girl, Nang Sepa wend inside the chapel to validate her suspicion that the girl could be no other that the Virgin of Guadalupe. She checked the image and saw amorseco weeds attached to the hemline of its dress, the kind that abounds in the plaza. In addition, the fragrance that accompanies the presence of the young girl when she shows herself to Nang Sepa at dawn also filled the chapel. From then on, word spread that the Blessed Virgin appears as a chubby little girl and plays around the plaza of the chapel at dawn.
From that first Fiesta in 1889 until 1901, Our lady of Guadalupe was just a local barrio devotion. Every year, the image was borrowed from San Nicolas in December, then returned on the Sunday after December 12, because ion the Saturday after December 12, the image would be brought inside the cave where the estampita was found for another Mass. The image would stay inside the cave overnight and would be brought back to San Nicolas the next day, a Sunday. So the Virgin actually stayed longer than nine days in the barrio.
In 1902, there was a cholera epidemic outbreak. The epidemic hit the whole city but hardest hit was Barrio Guadalupe. Probably because the source of our drinking water then was the river, which was also renamed Guadalupe, and some open wells. It was devastating. Hundreds of residents died. It was said that those who buried the dead, did not return as they themselves died along the way or right on the cemetery while grieving for their dead relatives.
The cholera outbreak was so bad in the barrio that there was burial everyday. Later, the burial had to be done en masse on a carabao cart. Death stalked the people of Guadalupe real bad.
It was sometime in the month of May. Anyway, the "mananabtan" Placido "Edo" Datan initiated a move and called on the barrio leaders to hold a penitential dawn procession to invoke the help of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Holy Cross of Jesus, and end the epidemic. The melody for the so-called "Antifon" was written by Silverio Gonzales, the catechist. One of the ardent supporters of the movement was Don Joaquin Labra, who, unfortunately, became one of the victims of the epidemic himself. The "Antifon" is actually the prayer Hail Mary in Spanish (Dios Te Salve Maria) but sung repeatedly in a very plaintive tune.
The Antifon was held for one month, from mid-May to Mid-June. What was placed on the andas (palanquin) and carried during the dawn procession was a small image of the Holy Cross and an estampa of Our lady of Guadalupe (an estampa is a bigger Holy Card, measuring anywhere from 8"x10" to as much 18"x24"
According to Maximo Gabutan, and the other old people of Guadalupe, the Antifon was purely the idea of the local devotees of Our lady of Guadalupe, the likes of Don Joaquin Labra, Don Gervacio Quijada, his brother-in-law Placido datan, the catechist Silverio Gonzales, Eustiquio Abapo, Melchor Abella and others.
The cholera epidemic stopped but not immediately. As the dawn procession went on, the number of deaths decreased until there were no more deaths in the barrio. The devotion and strong faith of our elders to the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe and to the Holy Cross of Jesus saved them from death. If the cholera outbreak did not stop sooner, there would have been nobody left in the barrio. As an act of thanksgiving to God and to the Virgin of Guadalupe, Silverio Gonzales and the other people involved, decided to hold a thanksgiving novena from July 8 to 16 1902, with a grand procession of the Holy Cross and the estampa of the Virgin. Melchor Abella paid for the brass band that accompanied the procession( note: July 16 is the feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross and the Virgin of Carmel) SInce then, July 16 has always been celebrated as the second fiesta of the Virgin of Guadalupe. If not for the Virgin's intercession, probably all our elders would have perished and we would not be here today.
December 12 is the official feastday but July 16 is also a celebrated as a Thanksgiving for her and the Holy Cross. There was a time during Mons. Tosing dela Cerna's time (parish priest 1987 - 1994) when he separated the feast of the Holy Cross and celebrated it on September 14, but the people didn't like it and he was compelled to return it to join feast on July 16.
Only in the 1920's, after the Labra and to lesser extent, the Lopez families, donated a sizable portion of their lot (which is now the present church and plaza) to the diocese, that the chapel was transferred from Kalunasan to the present site. In 1927 or 1928, an inexplicable event occurred that prompted the permanent enshrinement of the image in Guadalupe.
On the Sunday after the December 12 fiesta of that year, the image was, as usual securely tied with ropes to the andas for her return trip to San Nicolas, accompanied by a huge number of people. upon reaching a place we used to call Gucro, short for Guadalupe Crossing, along what was called Calamba road, now V. Rama Avenue, near the corner of M. Velez Street, near the Suzara property, the image suddenly fell from the andas, feet first to the ground but instead of tumbling, it remained standing and made a 180 degree turn by itself, facing the direction of the chapel where she came from. This happened in full view of many people who joined in the procession, including Florencio Tabal and Maximo Gabutan. (an area where a huge acacia tree is, right across Lacto PAFI office, as the place where the image fell. The spot was pointed by Mr. Maximo Gabutan who was an eye witness of the event).
The people secured the image back to the andas and brought it to San Nicolas. There they told the priest who was Fr. Emiliano Mercado (parish priest of San Nicolas from 1910 - 1942) what happend in the procession. Fr. Mercado was the one who decided that the wooden image of the Virgin of Guadalupe should already stay in the newly-built chapel. So in 1929, the image of Our Lady was permanently enshrined in Guadalupe. In 1933, four years later, Guadalupe became a parish with Fr. Emiliano Mercado himself acting as concurrent parish priest until 1936. Then Fr. Sancho Abadia took over in 1937.
During the World War 2, the church was bombed. Fortunately, the image was saved because it was kept in Amado Gabutan's house in a place called Nabongturan, what is now the Petron Gasoline Station along V. Rama Avenue.
During the war, Amado's mother, Andrea, one of the so-called "beatas" of Guadalupe, asked her son to secure the image in his house in Nabongturan. The parish priest then was Fr. Leonardo Arriba (parish priest 1939-1943) who was arrested and imprisoned by the Japanese on suspicions of being a guerilla. When he was released, he did not return to the parish but hid in the mountains and so Guadalupe did not have a parish priest. Andrea took it upon herself to secure the safety of the statue.
Unfortunately, Amado Gabutan’s house was hit by a bomb and burned down. What was really strange and surprising was that the image escaped unscathed from the bomb and the fire, although five people who were in the same area died.
Amado and family then evacuated to Pardo, bringing the image of Our Lady with them. From there he sent word to Maximo Gabutan to pick up the image from his place in Pardo so Maximo Gabutan sent Tranquilino Nacua to retrieve the image for a fee of two pesos "genuine" money , and bring it to where he and his family hid in the mountains of Candomorga, which is already a part of Talisay. The image was placed in a basket surrounded by pillows and was carried as a back-pack.
In early 1945, when my Maximo Gabutan, felt that the war was ending and the Americans were winning, Maximo and his family went back to Guadalupe from Candomorga only to find the church and their own house nearby burned. Maximo Gabutan then requested Don Gervacio Quijada and his wife Doña Teresa Datan, (sister of Placido, the mananabtan) whose big house was left intact after the war, to shelter the image and all of Maximos’s family, until a temporary church could be built, and until Maximo could rebuild our own house. So the Gabutan family and the Virgin stayed in the house of the generous Don Gervacio for about 10 months. The house still looks exactly the same now as it did when we stayed there in 1945. (the house is in Number 1335 V. Rama Avenue, obliquely across Guadalupe Heights subdivision entrance, now under the care of Don Gervacio's great grandson, Mr. Roger Quijada Lim. It was constructed on may May 10, 1932, as evidenced by the carving in a corner "tugas" round post inside)
When Maximo Gabutan passed away in 1974 at the age of 88, Eulogio Gabutan, father of Fr, Henrico and Philip, became the Virgin's caretaker until his death on December 15, 1986. Then it became his son Philip's responsibilty until now.
first hand information about miracles attributed to Our Lady other that half of 1902 was when Maximo Gabutan and the rest of their family were hiding in Candomorga mountain with the Virgin of Guadalupe, there was a Philippine army camp somewhere in Babag that was never penetrated by the Japanese. The stories of Lt. Ambrosio Gacayan and a Capt. Navarro of the Philippine Army, said that every time the Japs would attempt to raid their camp, a vision of a woman would be seen prancing along the hills of Babag mountain. The Japs got scared of the vision because she would just vanish into thin air, then show herself again. The army and the Gabutan Family also believed it was the Virgin of Guadalupe whose image was with them.
A miracle healing happened to Aniana Sacamay. She developed breast cancer but she was miraculously cured after praying to Our Lady of Guadalupe. She was one of our Lady's attendant,working together with Mohing Ibonalo.,
Another was when the image of the Virgin would be brought inside the cave for the post December 12 Mass, it would be placed in the exact place where the estampita was found, where the water drips from the ceiling of the cave. Despite the image is being placed directly in the water's way, it would remain dry.
The slowly dripping water inside the cave reportedly had curative powers. A long queue of people used to wait for their bottle to get full. Some devotees used the water from the cave to cure disease, and that there were a lot of cures that happened.
The water in the cave stopped dripping during the time of Mons. Esteban Binghay as parish priest of Guadalupe (parish priest 1975-1987), after he ordered the renovation of the cave with tiles and an overhead tank of water was placed atop the cave with the tube descending down the cave. People stopped gathering the water because they realized it was already water piped from the river and not from the original source.
The Image always wore a crown, the "rostrillo" around the face and carried a scepter a shorter one than what she carries now, and dressed up like she is dressed now.
The sun sets as two young refugees quietly share a private and peaceful moment high atop a hill that overlooks thousands of Congolese who live here awaiting the unknown.
Gihembe Refugee Camp
UNHCR
Gihembe, Rwanda. Afrika.
July 14, 2006.
This painting of Director Damas Gisimba's mother and father hangs on the wall
of the orphanage's office. Damas' father started the orphanage in 1980. Damas Gisimba was a hero during the 1994 genocide. He safe-guarded hundreds of neighbors, strangers, and children who otherwise would have been killed, and he risked his life repeatedly in doing so.
Gisimba Memorial Center
Kigali, Rwanda. Africa.
July 26, 2006.
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I know the songs a bit old, but I think that line suits the picture. Though I first thought of Sky Sailing when I saw this. I just can't find a cheesy line. LOLs.
Anyway, I was listening to this song on repeat while editing the picture. Just made me think more of having a relationship. That you two have to meet halfway to have a good one. You have to both meet you're responsibility to make the relationship work. My last one was so wrong. I gave him my all eventhough I don't have something in return. That's the reason why I lost in the end. It shouldn't be 'It's better to give than to recieve', it supposed to be 'Give and take'. I rarely fall for someone, and when I did, it's hard and I wouldn't mind even if I'd get hurt so much. It's not easy being with someone. You couldn't just go on and off on a commitment. Sure, it's cheesy and you're inspired. And I want that. But it's more than just sweet nothings and sex. It's also about the connection, the responsibilty and the understanding. I somehow want something like that. That he would love me for who I am and he'd accept whatever flaws I have and that my looks would just be a bonus. Even though, I'm a superficial, which I hate, a person's personality is the one that gets me. And I have a feeling that I already found him, I just need to show him how much I like him as he does to me. He makes me happy. I don't just smile, my heart doesn't just flutter when we talk. My laughs are real when we talk and just a single thought of him makes me smile all over. If only he could wait for my decision. But he's a pessimist like me. Lol. So... I should stop blabbing about this thing already. =)) Sorry guise, I got caught up in the moment. Hahaha. okay enough.
Do you already have a #Novemberwish? I do. :)
♥
“THE HEART OF A FOOL IS IN HIS MOUTH AND THE TONGUE OF A WISE MAN IS IN HIS HEART.”
HAZRAT ALI.
Name - Ali
Title - Al-Murtaza, Al-Amir-ul-Mo’mineen, Abu-Turab, Asadullah
Kunyat - Abul Hasan
Born - Friday 13th of Rajab, in the Holy Ka’ba
Father’s Name - Abu Talib-ibne-Abdul Muttalib
Mother’s Name - Fatima bint-e-Asad
Died - at the age of 63 years, at Kufa, on Monday, the 21st Ramadan 40 AH, murdered by an assassin who mortally wounded him with a poisoned sword in the Mosque at Kufa during morning prayers on the 19th of Ramadan.
Buried - Najaf, near Kufa.
1. A wise man first thinks and then speaks and a fool speaks first and then thinks. - Hazrat Ali Ibn-e-Abi Talib
3. Be generous but not extravagant,
What is Nahjul Balagha ?
The Nahjul Balagha is a collection of sermons, precepts, prayers, epistles and aphorisms of 'Ali ('a) compiled by al-Sayyid al-Sharif al-Radi about one thousand years ago. However, neither the recorded words of Mawla 'Ali are confined to those collected by al-Sayyid al-Radi, nor was he the only man to compile the sayings of Amir al-Muminin. Al-Masudi, who lived a hundred years before al-Sayyid al-Radi, in the second volume of his work Muruj al-dhahab , writes: "At present there are over 480 sermons of 'Ali in the hands of the people," whereas the total number of sermons included by al-Sayyid al-Radi in his collection is 239 only.
The alienation from the Nahjul Balagha was not confined to me or others like me, but pervaded through the Islamic society. Those who understood this book, their knowledge did not go beyond the translation of its words and explanatory notes on its sentences. The spirit and the content of the book were hidden from the eyes of all. Only lately, it may be said, the Islamic world has begun to explore the Nahjul Balagha , or in other words, the Nahjul Balagha has started its conquest of the Muslim world.
What is surprising is that a part of the contents of the Nahjul Balagha , both in Shi'ite Iran and Arab countries, was first discovered either by atheists or non-Muslim theists, who revealed the greatness of the book to the Muslims. Of course, the purpose of most or all of them was to utilize the Nahjul Balagha of 'Ali ('a) for justifying and confirming their own social views; but the outcome was exactly opposite of what they desired. Because, for the first time the Muslims realized that the views expressed grandiloquently by others had nothing new to offer and that they cannot surpass what is said in the NNahjul Balagha of 'Ali ('a), or translated into action through the character ( sirah ) of 'Ali and his disciples like Salman al-Farsi, Abu Dharr, and 'Ammar. The result of it was that instead of supporting the pretentious views of those who wished to exploit the Nahjul Balagha , 'Ali and his book defeated their purpose. Nevertheless, it must be accepted that before this occurred, most of us had little knowledge of the Nahjul Balagha and it hardly went beyond appreciation of few sermons about virtues of piety and abstinence. Nobody had yet recognized the significance of the valuable epistle of Mawla 'Ali to Malik al-'Ashtar al-Nakh'i; nobody had paid attention to it.
Addressee's of Nahjul Balagha
Imam Ali(a.s) in his sermons addressed several categories and groups of people both in positive and negative sense, we have summarized the groups over here:
1. His Ahlulbayt (a.s) - Preachings , Guidance and Will
2. His sincere followers (a.s) - Guidance Advices (like Hamam, Meesam, Malik-e-Ashtar)
3. First Group of Opponents, the Mushrikeen (infidels, Jews)
4. Second Group of Opponents, those companion of Prophet(s.w) who opposed him.
5. Third Group of Opponents , those companion of Prophet(s.w) who did not oppose directly but remained silent when injustice was done to him and Islam.
6. Fourth Group, the opponents of Battle of Jamal
7. Fifth Group, the opponents of Siffeen (the companions of Muwiyah)
8. Sixth Group, the opponents of Naharwan (the Khwarij who deviated from him)
9. Seventh Group, his own followers who lacked the sense of responsibilty and were condemned by him on several occassions in very harsh language (the Kufis)
The Contents of Nahjul Balagha
Nahjul Balagha comprises various issues that cover major problems of metaphysics, theology, fiqh, tafsir, hadith, prophetology, imamate, ethics,social philosophy, history, politics, administration, civics, science, rhetoric, poetry, literature, etc. Most of the discussions about various theological issues and philosophical notions in Islam have their origin in this very book. Similarly, all the controversies regarding socio-political problems in the Muslim society and state left their echo in Nahjul Balagha ,or rather those were inspired from the utterances of al-lmam 'Ali (as). The book not only reflects the spirit of early Islam and the teachings of the Quran and the Prophet (saw) in the proper perspective, but also serves as a guide to traverse the future in the light of these teachings. It is a matter of regret that Nahjul Balagha was not properly utilized by the Muslims as a source book of Islamic philosophy, kalam, fiqh, and ethics due to misconceptions about its attribution to al-Imam'Ali (as) In the presence of strong and sufficient evidence in support of the contents of the book being authentic, it was sheer prejudice and lack of the spirit of inquiry that was responsible for neglecting such a reliable source of Islamic ideas. In recent times, the Orientalists have spread the unfounded doubts of Ibn Khallikan and al-Dhahabi among Muslim and non-Muslim scholars in the name of objectivity in research, thus giving a respectable appearance to their ignorance, which was, of course, combined and prompted by their motive to ali enate the Muslims from their intellectual heritage. I know many a scholar in India and Pakistan questioning the authenticity of Nahjul Balagha's ascription to Amir al-Mu'minin using lofty words of research-objectivity with a hefty-pose of a dispassionate seeker of truth. None of them, I am sure, ever studied any book about early sources of the sermons and letters of al-'Imam 'Ali (as), nor did any one of them ever try to gain really objective information about the book. Unfortunately none of them bothered to go through even the valuable research done by Imtiyaz 'Ali Khan 'Arshi, a widely read and respected writer in the literary circles of Urdu in the Subcontinent. It was because of my first-hand knowledge of this pitiable situation that I have intentionally devoted the major part of the present article to the issue of the authenticity of the attribution of the contents of Nahjul Balagha , in the light of earlier sources, to 'Ali (as). Those who insist upon denying the veracity of Nahjul Balagha are either suffering from a malady of deep-rooted prejudice spread through the propaganda of the supporters of Banu Umayyah, or their minds and spirits have been blinded by the propagation of falsehood by the Orientalists under the garb of high-sounding academic jargon. If our minds are cured of this jaundiced perception of our own past, Nahjul Balagha can be paid the attention it deserves and its contents will be studied and its meanings will be fully explored and exploited for a better understanding of Islamic ideas and realities. A look at the subjects discussed in Nahjul Balagha will be helpful in ascertaining the wide scope of this invaluable treasure of wisdom. So far a few attempts to classify the subject matter of the book have been made none of which has been comprehensive. A subject-wise index of the contents of Nahjul Balagha has been prepared by 'Ali Ansariyan and published in Arabic under the title al-Dallil 'ala mawdu'at Nahjul Balagha in 1395/1975. It was translated and published three years ago in Persian with the sub-title Nahjul Balagha mawdu'i. The compiler has divided the contents into eight categories, each dealing with a specific subject further divided into various issues pertaining to the main theme.
The main divisions are as follows:
1. Ma'rifat Allah,
2. Ma'rifat al-kawn,
3. Ma'rifat al-hujjah,
4. Ma'rifat nizam al-huqumah wa al-mujtama',
5. Ma'rifat al-'ahkam,
6. Ma'rifat al-'akhlaq,
7. Ma'rifat al-ta'rikh, and
8. Ma'rifat al-ma'dd
Misconceptions about Nahjul Balagha
No scholar of Sunni or Shi'a profession has questioned the genuineness and authenticity of Nahjul Balagha for more than two centuries. The first person to raise doubts about its attribution to Amir al-Mu'minin was Ibn Khallikan (d. 681/1282), who, without referring to any author or source,made the following remarks about the authorship of Nahjul Balagha : People have different opinions about the compiler of Nahjul Balagha , a collection of the utterances of al-'Imam 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) There is difference as to whether it was compiled by al-Sharif al-Murtada or his brother al-Radi. It is also said that it is not at all the composition of 'Ali (as) and that the one who compiled it and attributed it to him made it himself; but Allah knows the truth. These remarks were made in Wafayat al-aya'n in connection with the account of the life and work of al-Sharif al-Murtada, al-Radi's elder brother. Ibn al-'Athir al Jazari (555-630/1160-1232) in Mukhtasar al-Wafayat, Salah al-Din al-Safadi (d. 764/1362) in al-Wafi bi al-wafayat, al-'Allamah al-Yafi'i(d. 768/1366) in Mir'at al Jinan, and Ibn al-'Imad in Shadharat al-dhahab were content just to repeat Ibn Khallikan's conjecture without bothering to substantiate it. Al-'Allamah al-Dhahabi (d. 748/1347) in Mizan ul-'i'tidal was the first person to pick up the audacity to raise the unfounded doubt to a degree of certainty a century after Ibn Khallikan. He wrote in his account of al-Murtada: Al Sharif al-Murtada, who is accused of fabricating Nahjul Balagha , was a scholar of considerable knowledge. Whosoever sees his book Nahjul Balagha would come to believe that it was falsely attributed to Amir al-Mu'minin (as), because it contains open abuse rather than downgrading of the two caliphs Abu Bakr and 'Umar. Contradictions and mean matters have also crept into it, which do not conform with the spirit of the Companions of the Quraysh and our knowledge of the later Companions. One is convinced that the major part of this book is forged and unauthentic. Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani (d. 748/1347) repeated al-Dhahabi's objections without bothering to probe deeper into the matter. The most interesting and at the same time the weakest part of the objections concerns ascription of the authorship of Nahjul Balagha to al-Murtada. The objectors belonged to the Umayyad West and had deep prejudices against Shiii scholars, and perhaps under the impact of Umayyad propaganda their prejudice was so deep-rooted that even their scholarship could not rise above it. Among the four contemporaries of al-Radi and al-Murtada, three, that is, al-Tha'alibi, al-Najashi (d. 450/1058), and al-Khatib al-Baghdadi (d. 463/1071) have given accounts of both the brothers. Al Shaykh al-Tusi did not give any account of al-Radi in al-Fihrist or al-Rijal, but he did not count Nahjul Balagha among the works of al-Murtada, which dispel any conjecture attributing its authorship to him, because al-Tusi was very close to him as his student. Al-Tha'alibi and al-Khatib al-Baghdadi did not mention Nahjul Balagha either in the account of al-Murtada or that of al-Radi.Al-Najashi in unambiguous terms attributed Nahjul Balagha to al-Radi. Al-Tusi's exclusion of Nahjul Balagha from the works of al-Murtada,and al-Najashi's mention of it among the works of al-Radi are sufficient to prove that it was without any doubt a work of al-Radi. The objectors, who could not even determine authorship of the book exactly, depended on nothing but their whim to raise doubts about its authenticity. A more convincing proof of al-Radi's authorship of Nahjul Balagha can be found in his own other works in which he has mentioned it. Those books are the following: 1. Khasa'is al- 'A'immah: A manuscript of this work of al-Radi is in Rida Library Rampur (India) which reveals that Fadl Allah ibn 'Ali al- Husayn al-Rawandi (d. 555/1160) accepted Khasa'is as al-Radi's work. In this book, as quoted above, al-Radi has mentioned his intention of compiling Nahj al-balaghah. 2. Haqa'iq al-tanzil: Only the fifth part of this book is accessible to us. Its authorship is unanimously attributed to al-Radi. On page 167 of this book al-Radi makes this remark: Anybody who needs a proof of our claim should refer to our book Nahj al-balaghah and think upon its contents. We have compiled all forms and genres of the utteranees of Amir al-Mu'minin (as) in this book, which comprises sermons, letters, aphorisms, and admonitions, and is divided into three independent parts, each containing a specific genre. 3. Majazat al-'athar al-Nabawiyyah: Al-Najashi and others have included this book among al-Radi's works. At two places in this book al-Radi has referred to Nah; al-balagha as a work of his own compilation. It is important to note that even Ibn Khallikan, al-Dhahabi and Ibn Hajar did not question the authenticity of the attribution of Nahj al-balaghah in its entirety to'Ali (as). They were mainly skeptical of those parts which were critical of the Caliphs Abu Bakr and 'Umar. But if we find such utterances and writings of Amir al-Mu'minin (as) in both Shi'i and non-Shi'i sources earlier than Nahjal-balaghah,baseless-ness of al-Dhahabi's and Ibn Hajar's objections can be conclusively proved. Let us again refer to Istinad-e Nahj al-balagha by 'Arshi, a contemporary Sunni scholar of India. With respect to the harshest of the sermons concerning the issue of the caliphate, known as al-Khutbat aldhiqshiqiyyah, 'Arshi refers to the following early sources in which the sermon had occurred: 1. Abu Ja'far Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid al-Barqi (d.274/887) has quoted it in full in al-Mahasin wa al-'adab. 2. Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Thaqafi al-Kufi (d. 283/896) quoted it in al-Gharat. In his notes on al-Gharat, Sayyid Jalal al-Din Muhaddith,quoting Imtiyaz 'Ali Khan 'Arshi, says that this khutbah is not found in it; even Ibn Abi al-Hadid and al-'Allamah Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi (1037-1110 or 1111/1627-1698 or 99) did not refer to al-Gharat as an early source of this sermon. 3. Abu 'Ali Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab al Jubba'i al-Basri al-Mu'tazili(d. 303/915 -16) narrated it. 4. Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Qubbah al-Razi (a teacherof al- Mufid and a pupil of Abu al-Qasim al-Balkhi, a Mu'tazili in his youth) quoted it in al-Insaf. 5. Abu al Qasim 'Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn Mahmud al-Ka'bi al-Balkhi al-Mu'tazili (d. 319/931) in al-'Insaf. 6. Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Musa ibn Babawayh al-Qummi, known as alShaykh al-Saduq (d. 318/930), has quoted it in two of his books: Ilal al Sharayi' and Ma'ani al-'akhbar. 7. Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn al-Nu'man, known as al-Shaykh al-Mufid(d. 413/ 1022) inKitdb al-'irshad. 8. Shaykh al-Ta'ifah Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Tusi (d. 460/1068) in al-'Amali. 'Arshi adds that al Shaykh al Saduq has narrated this Khutbah on the authority of two different chains of narrators: Narrated to us Muhammad ibn 'Ali Majalawayh from his uncle Muhammad Ibn al-Qasim, he from Ahmad ibn 'Abd Allah al-Barqi he from his father, he from Ibn Abi 'Umayr, he from Aban ibn 'Uthman he from 'Aban ibn Taghlib, he from 'Ikrimah, he from 'Abd Allah ibn al-'Abbas. ('Ilal al-sharayi' and Ma'anial-' akhbar) Narrated to us Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Ishaq al-Taliqani, from 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Yahya al Jalludi, from Abu 'Abd Allah Ahmad ibn 'Ammar ibn Khalid, from Yahya ibn 'Abd al-Hamid al- Hammani, from 'Isa ibn Rashid, from 'Ali ibn Khuzaymah, from 'Ikrimah, from Ibn al-'Abbas. (Ma'ani al 'akhbar) Al-Sayyid al-Radi has not quoted the entire chain of narrators, and was content to remark that the sermon was popularly known as 'al-Shiqshiqiyyah ', while his teacher al-Mufid narrates both the chain of narrators and the story behind its narration. This is indicative of the fact that this sermon was so famous in those days that al-Radi did not find it necessary to prove its veracity by quoting the chain of its narrators. Surprisingly, the same famous sermon was used by his and 'Ali's opponents to question his veracity and to malign him by accusing him and/or his brother of forging it. The kind of criticism Ibn Khallikan and his followers dabbled in not only discredits them as researchers but also makes their other works suspicious in the eyes of impartial and objective students of history. Those who could not find any of the above-mentioned books to cross-check the veracity of Nahj al-balaghah had failed miserably even in determining correctly its authorship. Al-Shaykh al-Mufid has collected a number of 'Ali's speeches in al-'Irshad concerning the issue of the succession to the Prophet (saw) and 'Ali's criticism of the ways and means adopted by his opponents to deprive him of the caliphate. The famous Khutbah known as al-Shiq-shiqiyyah begins with the following preface: (A group of traditionists report by a variety of chains of authority (turuq) on the authority of Ibn al-'Abbas, who said:) I [i.e. Ibn al-'Abbas, was with the Commander of the Faithful at al-Rahabah I mentioned the [matter of] Caliphate and those who had preeeded him. He breathed heavily and said: "By God, Ibn Abi Quhatah took on...." This khutbah ends with the following words: Then you would have found that your world is more insignificant in my eyes than a goat's snot. At this point 'Ali's speech was interrupted by a man from Kufah. Ibn al-'Abbas, after narrating the text of the speech, adds: I have never regretted anything nor felt such distress like the distress l felt at losing the rest of the speeeh of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him. When he finished reading the letter, I said: "Commander of the Faithful would you continue your speech from the point which you reached?" He answered: "In no way, in no way. It was like foam on the camel's mouth (shiqshiqah) as it opens its mouth to bellow and then falls silent." Apart from al-'Irshad this khutbah, as claimed by 'Arshi, is found in other sources also. In no way can it be dubbed as al-Radi's or al-Murtada's fabrication. Sayyid Hibat al-Din al-Shahristani, in Mahuwa Nahj al-balaghah, has quoted different versions of al-Khutbat al-Shiqshiqiyyah from: Nathral-durar wa nuzhat al-'adab by the vizier Abu Sa'id al-'Abi; al-'Irshad by al- Shaykh ai-Mufid; al-Mahasin wa al-'adab by al-Barqi; al-Saduq in Ila'l al-sharayi';and a book of al-Jalludi. All the versions have minor differences, which indicate that the source from which al-Radi quoted this sermon was other than these four. After enumerating the earlier works containing this khutbah,Hibat al-Din al- Shahristani points out that Ibn 'Abd Rabbih, one of tbe compilers of al-Khutbat al-Shiqshiqiyyah, was a follower of the Banu Umayyah and a staunch admirer of the third caliph 'Uthman ibn writes: 'Affan. Much earlier than Ibn Khallikan made his remark questioning the authenticity of the attribution of Nahj al- balaghah, certain doubts had come to circulate as indicated by Ibn Abi al-Hadid al-Mu'tazili (d. 555/1257), who referred to a discussion concerning the attribution of al-Khutbat al- Shiqshiqiyyah with his teacher Abu al-Khayr Musaddiq ibn Shabib [sic. Shayb] al-Wasiti (d. 605/1208), who said: I read this khutbah in the presenee of Abu Muhammad 'Abd Allah ibn Ahmad, known as Ibn al-Khashshab (493 -567/1099-1172)... and asked him if he considered this khutbah to be a forged one and not of 'Ali (as). Ibn al-Khashshab said: By God, I am convinced that it is from 'Ali and I am as sure of it as I am convineed of your truthfulness. Al-Wasiti said to Ibn al-Khashshab: "A group is of the view that this khutbah was fabricated by al-Radi, may God be pleased with him." Ibn al-Khashshab said: Is it not beyond the eloquence of al-Radi or any other? How could he speak from such a high level of spirituality in such a (forceful) style? We are well acquainted with al-Radi's writings, his style and his technique. I have assessed both his poetry and prose, these words as compared to those of al- Radi are so different that there is no question of confusing them with his writings." He further said: By God, I have read this sermon in books written two hundred years before the birth of al-Radi. Yes, of course, I have seen it written in many books. I can identify this khutbah very well and know that which of the 'ulama' and men of letters quoted it (in his work) mueh before al-Radi's father was born." (Sharh Nahj al-balaghah, vol. I) On another occasion, in his Sharh Nahj al-balaghah, Ibn Abi al-Hadid A group of blind followers of their own whims and wishes is of the opinion that the best part of Nahj al-balagha is fabricated and forged by a group of Shi'i writers and is something new. Most of them consider a part of it to be the product of al-Radi's pen or of others. But this group consists of prejudiced people, whose heart's vision is blocked by partiality and who have deviated from the right and straight path of truth; they have strayed from truth due to perversion, lack of knowledge, and unfamiliarity with literature and poetry. (vol. 1, p. 543) At another place he writes about the words of Amir al-Mu'minin (as): His eloquence is such that he is the leader of the eloquent and the guide and master of orators. It is said about his ulterances that his words are below the Word of the Creator only, but over and above the words of all creatures; and from him the world has learnt the art of speech and rhetoric. There were people in the age of al-Radi himself whose hearts and eyes were sealed in such a manner that they attributed some of 'Ali's utterances to Mu'fiwiyah. Al-Radi's commentary on the following khutbah,is important: His comment, are as follows: People with no ability to understand literature aseribe it to Mu'awiyah whereas these are undoubtedly the words of Amir al- Mu'minin. How can dirt compare with pure gold?... 'Amr ibn Bahr al Jahiz, a critic gifted with insight and a distinct sensibility, has probed the matter minutely. He has included this khutbah in al-Bayan wa al-tabyin, and has mentioned those who attributed it to Mu'awiyah. Subsequently he says: "This speech is very much like the speeches of 'Ali (as) and is in conformity with the great man's classification of people, and it also corresponds with his manner of depicting the people's modes of behaving in anger, under oppression and waywardness, and in the state of dissimulation and fear. Similarly, al-Radi refers to his sources on a number of occasions,and also gives an account of the circumstances that were responsible for the mood and theme of a certain sermon. He has referred to: al Jahiz; al-Waqidi; Abu Ja'far al-'Iskafi; Hisham ibn al-Kalbi; Sa'id ibn Yahya ai-'Umawi, the author of al-Maghazi; Abu 'Ubayd al- Qasim ibn Salam; al-Tabari; Tha'lab; Ibn al-'A'rabi; al-Mubarrad, and many others. How could an author who allegedly forged the utterances and writings of Amir al- Mu'minin (as) be so honest in acknowledging his indebtedness to his predecessors? Those who raised doubts about the contents of Nahj al-balagha were unaware of the high status and prestige of its compiler, both in the society and in the academic circles. A man of his eminence could not even think of fabricating sermons and letters in the name of al-'Imam 'Ali (as). Had any such attempt been made by anybody, Shi'i scholars themselves would have been the first to reject it, as an anthology of poetry attributed to al-'Imam 'Ali (as) (Diwan-e 'Ali) was never accepted by the majority of Shi'i scholars as authentic. Some other such works, for example, the commentary on the Quran attributed to al- Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (as) or Fiqh al-Rida attributed to al Imam al-Rida (as),are at issue among Shi'i scholars. But no one among al-Radi's contemporaries or from the successive generations of Sunni or Shi'i 'ulama' ever questioned Nahj al-balaghah's authenticity for more than two centuries. Regarding the contents of Nahj al-balaghah the Muslim scholars of all shades of opinion never doubted al-Radi's veracity. They were aware of the presence of earlier sources of al-'Imam 'Ali's utterances. There is abundant reliable evidence in support of the existence of such collections in the first and second centuries of Hijrah, from which 'Abd al-Hamid ibn Yahyfi, Ibn al- Muqaffa', and Zayd ibn 'Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Talib had quoted al-'Imam 'Ali's sermons and letters. In the third and fourth centuries, too, several collections of 'Ali's khutab and rasa'il were compiled, some of which have been already referred to above. Ibn Abi al-Hadid (d. 655 or 656/1257 or 58); Taqi al-Din Ahmad, known as Ibn Taymiyyah (661-728/1263-1328); and his pupil Salah al-Din al-Safadi (d.764/1362 -63) accepted Nahj al-balaghah as a genuine collection of al Imam 'Ali's words. The former not only wrote one of the most famous commentaries on it, but also repudiated all doubts about its authenticity. Ibn Taymiyyah and al-Safadi were among staunch opponents and critics of the Shi'ah, but both of them verified the authenticity of Nahj al-balagha and the veracity of al-Sharif al-Radi. Al-Safadi, in the account of al-Radi, writes: People are of the view that Nahj al-balaghah is his own writing. But I heard my teacher, al-'Imam al-'Allamah Taqi al-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah say: "Nahj al-balaghah is not al-Sayyid al-Radi's product. What in this book is the utterance of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) is known, and whatever is from al-Radi that is also known. (al-Wafi bi al-wafayat, vol. 2, p. 375) Instead of going into further details of the controversy about the authenticity of Nahj al- balaghah's ascription and forwarding more evidence against those who created doubts about it, I would recommend the keen reader to consult al-Mu'jam al-mufahras li alfaz Nahj al-balaghah, edited by al-Sayyid Kazim al-Muhammadi and al-Shaykh Muhammad al-Dashti, who have done a commendable job in preparing a very comprehensive bibliography of the sources of the book along with a detailed item- by-item list of the sources of each and every sermon, letter, and saying contained in Nahj al-balaghah. Moreover, since the death of al-Radi scholars of eminence have been always interested in writing commentaries on Nahj al-balagha, which is another very strong proof of its authenticity. So many Sunni, Mu'tazili, and Shi'i scholars would not have taken pains to comment upon al Radi's own fabrications. 'Ali Naqi Munzawi, in the catalogue of the library of Mishkat, donated to Tehran University, has enumerated 33 narrators of al-'Imam 'Ali's utterances before al-Radi and fourteen after him till the tenth Hijrah century. Danish Pizhoh, in his preface to Farman-e Malik Ashtar, edited by Husayn 'Alawi Awi, has given a list of its early commentators. Sayyid 'Abd al-Zahra' al-Khatib, in Masadir Nahj al balagha wa asaniduh, has counted thirty-three books written concerning the sources of Nahj al- balaghah. Hundreds of manuscripts of Nahj al-balaghah in various libraries of the world and even a greater number of the manuscripts of other earlier works containing al-'Imam 'Ali's utterances invite all seekers of truth to trace the sources and ascertain the authenticity of Nahj al-balaghah. There are also numerous documents available which contain certificates and testimonials issued by eminent scholars to their pupils authorizing them to narrate the contents of Nahj al-balaghah along with the permission to narrate ahadith of the Prophet (saw) and the Imams (as). This is enough to show that Nahj al-balaghah has been considered to be of equal value in reliability with the most authentic compendiums of hadith. The narration of Nahj al-balagha's traditions had started during the lifetime of al-Radi. Qutb al-Din al-Rawandi (d. 573/1177) in the preface of his commentary on Nahj al- balaghoh, refers to a daughter of al-Sharif al Murtada, who had studied the book under al-Radi himself and was authorized to narrate its traditions to others, and she used to narrate Nahj al-balaghah on her uncle's authority. Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahim al-Baghdadi has narrated from this learned lady of the family of the Imams (as).
Nahjul Balagha is also known as Peak of Eloquence
NUESTRA SEÑORA DE GUADALUPE DE CEBU
Patrona de la Ciudad y Provincia de Cebú
The origin of the Cebuano devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe; the origin and history of the image; and the religious practices and oral tradition that are associated with the Virgin of Guadalupe of Cebu.
That sometime in 1880, Ricardo Ramirez, a "Mangangayam" or wild chicken trapper who lived in the forested area of what was then Barrio Banawan (now Barangay Guadalupe), in the course of his trapping activities, one day saw a flashing light coming from inside the cave known as "langub nga duha'y baba" (cave with two mouths). It is near the river called Sapang Diyot of Barangay Kalunasan. Surprised by what he saw, Ramirez called the attention of the other trappers who were near him but when they looked, they could not see anything. Ricardo decided to investigate the source of the light inside the cave. He got inside and saw that the light flashes came from an estampita (Holy Card, usually measuring 2 inches by 3 inches) of Our Lady. The picture was standing atop a naturally formed rock, beside which a slow drip of water cascaded into a basin -shaped rock on the floor. The light and the flashing stopped when Ricardo got inside. He took the holy card and gave it to the teniente del barrio, Eustaquio Abapo, in turn showed the picture to the barrio's "mananabtan" (prayer group leader), Placido "Edo" Datan. Placido advised Eustaquio to keep the unusual find until they would know what to do with it.
Eustaquio Abapo hid the picture somewhere in his house as advised by Placido but soon forgot where, until some years later when Placido, Eustaquio, the barrio catechist Silverio Gonzales and other people in the area thought of building a chapel in Kalunasan, in the property of Eustaquio. This was sometime in 1889.
The four decided to ask permission of Fr. Ceferino Fernandez, parish priest of San Nicolas, who had jurisdiction over Banawan. When they arrived in San Nicolas convent office, they saw a two feet wooden image of Our Lady and they suddenly remembered the estampita given to them by Ricardo Ramirez years back because the image resembled the image in the holy card. Without telling the parish priest about their intention, the three hurried back to Banawan to look for the estampita in Eustaquio's house. They didn't find it then so; they decided to postpone telling the parish priest about their find and their plan until they have the holy card.
A few months later, the estampita was found by Eustaquio lying under a bundle of corn that was harvested from his field. The four immediately decided to go back to Fr. Fernandez and told the priest what Ricardo Ramirez found inside the cave, and what they were planning to do. When the priest saw the estampita, he told the group that it was the picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He asked for it and kept it. He gave his consent for the construction of a small chapel in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in kalunasan, and agreed to lend them the two-foot wooden image they saw in the convent on their yearly novena and fiesta from December 4 to 12. However, he also made them promise that the image should be returned to San Nicolas after the fiesta. According to the narration of Florencio "Noy Rencio" Tabal, who was already 96 years old when I talked to him sometime in 2002, the parishioners from Pasil resented the lending of the image to the Banawan chapel for the first fiesta celebration, and they would always try to prevent the procession from leaving San Nicolas by blocking the path but the people of Banawan, more numerous in number than them, persisted and always succeeded in bringing the image to the chapel in the mountain. During this time, the name of the barrio became Guadalupe because word got around that the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe appeared in a cave in Banawan.
Although there was a story of a sighting by the late Josefa "Nang Sepa" Labra (d. 1948) of a young and beautiful girl who would play in what is now the church plaza which at that time was still full of fruit trees. According to Nang Seap, she would often check on her carrabaos tied in the trees along the plaza at dawn. Often, she would be disturbed by the sight of a young girl playing at dawn. So one day, she decided to spy on the girl, Nang Sepa wend inside the chapel to validate her suspicion that the girl could be no other that the Virgin of Guadalupe. She checked the image and saw amorseco weeds attached to the hemline of its dress, the kind that abounds in the plaza. In addition, the fragrance that accompanies the presence of the young girl when she shows herself to Nang Sepa at dawn also filled the chapel. From then on, word spread that the Blessed Virgin appears as a chubby little girl and plays around the plaza of the chapel at dawn.
From that first Fiesta in 1889 until 1901, Our lady of Guadalupe was just a local barrio devotion. Every year, the image was borrowed from San Nicolas in December, then returned on the Sunday after December 12, because ion the Saturday after December 12, the image would be brought inside the cave where the estampita was found for another Mass. The image would stay inside the cave overnight and would be brought back to San Nicolas the next day, a Sunday. So the Virgin actually stayed longer than nine days in the barrio.
In 1902, there was a cholera epidemic outbreak. The epidemic hit the whole city but hardest hit was Barrio Guadalupe. Probably because the source of our drinking water then was the river, which was also renamed Guadalupe, and some open wells. It was devastating. Hundreds of residents died. It was said that those who buried the dead, did not return as they themselves died along the way or right on the cemetery while grieving for their dead relatives.
The cholera outbreak was so bad in the barrio that there was burial everyday. Later, the burial had to be done en masse on a carabao cart. Death stalked the people of Guadalupe real bad.
It was sometime in the month of May. Anyway, the "mananabtan" Placido "Edo" Datan initiated a move and called on the barrio leaders to hold a penitential dawn procession to invoke the help of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Holy Cross of Jesus, and end the epidemic. The melody for the so-called "Antifon" was written by Silverio Gonzales, the catechist. One of the ardent supporters of the movement was Don Joaquin Labra, who, unfortunately, became one of the victims of the epidemic himself. The "Antifon" is actually the prayer Hail Mary in Spanish (Dios Te Salve Maria) but sung repeatedly in a very plaintive tune.
The Antifon was held for one month, from mid-May to Mid-June. What was placed on the andas (palanquin) and carried during the dawn procession was a small image of the Holy Cross and an estampa of Our lady of Guadalupe (an estampa is a bigger Holy Card, measuring anywhere from 8"x10" to as much 18"x24"
According to Maximo Gabutan, and the other old people of Guadalupe, the Antifon was purely the idea of the local devotees of Our lady of Guadalupe, the likes of Don Joaquin Labra, Don Gervacio Quijada, his brother-in-law Placido datan, the catechist Silverio Gonzales, Eustiquio Abapo, Melchor Abella and others.
The cholera epidemic stopped but not immediately. As the dawn procession went on, the number of deaths decreased until there were no more deaths in the barrio. The devotion and strong faith of our elders to the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe and to the Holy Cross of Jesus saved them from death. If the cholera outbreak did not stop sooner, there would have been nobody left in the barrio. As an act of thanksgiving to God and to the Virgin of Guadalupe, Silverio Gonzales and the other people involved, decided to hold a thanksgiving novena from July 8 to 16 1902, with a grand procession of the Holy Cross and the estampa of the Virgin. Melchor Abella paid for the brass band that accompanied the procession( note: July 16 is the feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross and the Virgin of Carmel) SInce then, July 16 has always been celebrated as the second fiesta of the Virgin of Guadalupe. If not for the Virgin's intercession, probably all our elders would have perished and we would not be here today.
December 12 is the official feastday but July 16 is also a celebrated as a Thanksgiving for her and the Holy Cross. There was a time during Mons. Tosing dela Cerna's time (parish priest 1987 - 1994) when he separated the feast of the Holy Cross and celebrated it on September 14, but the people didn't like it and he was compelled to return it to join feast on July 16.
Only in the 1920's, after the Labra and to lesser extent, the Lopez families, donated a sizable portion of their lot (which is now the present church and plaza) to the diocese, that the chapel was transferred from Kalunasan to the present site. In 1927 or 1928, an inexplicable event occurred that prompted the permanent enshrinement of the image in Guadalupe.
On the Sunday after the December 12 fiesta of that year, the image was, as usual securely tied with ropes to the andas for her return trip to San Nicolas, accompanied by a huge number of people. upon reaching a place we used to call Gucro, short for Guadalupe Crossing, along what was called Calamba road, now V. Rama Avenue, near the corner of M. Velez Street, near the Suzara property, the image suddenly fell from the andas, feet first to the ground but instead of tumbling, it remained standing and made a 180 degree turn by itself, facing the direction of the chapel where she came from. This happened in full view of many people who joined in the procession, including Florencio Tabal and Maximo Gabutan. (an area where a huge acacia tree is, right across Lacto PAFI office, as the place where the image fell. The spot was pointed by Mr. Maximo Gabutan who was an eye witness of the event).
The people secured the image back to the andas and brought it to San Nicolas. There they told the priest who was Fr. Emiliano Mercado (parish priest of San Nicolas from 1910 - 1942) what happend in the procession. Fr. Mercado was the one who decided that the wooden image of the Virgin of Guadalupe should already stay in the newly-built chapel. So in 1929, the image of Our Lady was permanently enshrined in Guadalupe. In 1933, four years later, Guadalupe became a parish with Fr. Emiliano Mercado himself acting as concurrent parish priest until 1936. Then Fr. Sancho Abadia took over in 1937.
During the World War 2, the church was bombed. Fortunately, the image was saved because it was kept in Amado Gabutan's house in a place called Nabongturan, what is now the Petron Gasoline Station along V. Rama Avenue.
During the war, Amado's mother, Andrea, one of the so-called "beatas" of Guadalupe, asked her son to secure the image in his house in Nabongturan. The parish priest then was Fr. Leonardo Arriba (parish priest 1939-1943) who was arrested and imprisoned by the Japanese on suspicions of being a guerilla. When he was released, he did not return to the parish but hid in the mountains and so Guadalupe did not have a parish priest. Andrea took it upon herself to secure the safety of the statue.
Unfortunately, Amado Gabutan’s house was hit by a bomb and burned down. What was really strange and surprising was that the image escaped unscathed from the bomb and the fire, although five people who were in the same area died.
Amado and family then evacuated to Pardo, bringing the image of Our Lady with them. From there he sent word to Maximo Gabutan to pick up the image from his place in Pardo so Maximo Gabutan sent Tranquilino Nacua to retrieve the image for a fee of two pesos "genuine" money , and bring it to where he and his family hid in the mountains of Candomorga, which is already a part of Talisay. The image was placed in a basket surrounded by pillows and was carried as a back-pack.
In early 1945, when my Maximo Gabutan, felt that the war was ending and the Americans were winning, Maximo and his family went back to Guadalupe from Candomorga only to find the church and their own house nearby burned. Maximo Gabutan then requested Don Gervacio Quijada and his wife Doña Teresa Datan, (sister of Placido, the mananabtan) whose big house was left intact after the war, to shelter the image and all of Maximos’s family, until a temporary church could be built, and until Maximo could rebuild our own house. So the Gabutan family and the Virgin stayed in the house of the generous Don Gervacio for about 10 months. The house still looks exactly the same now as it did when we stayed there in 1945. (the house is in Number 1335 V. Rama Avenue, obliquely across Guadalupe Heights subdivision entrance, now under the care of Don Gervacio's great grandson, Mr. Roger Quijada Lim. It was constructed on may May 10, 1932, as evidenced by the carving in a corner "tugas" round post inside)
When Maximo Gabutan passed away in 1974 at the age of 88, Eulogio Gabutan, father of Fr, Henrico and Philip, became the Virgin's caretaker until his death on December 15, 1986. Then it became his son Philip's responsibilty until now.
first hand information about miracles attributed to Our Lady other that half of 1902 was when Maximo Gabutan and the rest of their family were hiding in Candomorga mountain with the Virgin of Guadalupe, there was a Philippine army camp somewhere in Babag that was never penetrated by the Japanese. The stories of Lt. Ambrosio Gacayan and a Capt. Navarro of the Philippine Army, said that every time the Japs would attempt to raid their camp, a vision of a woman would be seen prancing along the hills of Babag mountain. The Japs got scared of the vision because she would just vanish into thin air, then show herself again. The army and the Gabutan Family also believed it was the Virgin of Guadalupe whose image was with them.
A miracle healing happened to Aniana Sacamay. She developed breast cancer but she was miraculously cured after praying to Our Lady of Guadalupe. She was one of our Lady's attendant,working together with Mohing Ibonalo.,
Another was when the image of the Virgin would be brought inside the cave for the post December 12 Mass, it would be placed in the exact place where the estampita was found, where the water drips from the ceiling of the cave. Despite the image is being placed directly in the water's way, it would remain dry.
The slowly dripping water inside the cave reportedly had curative powers. A long queue of people used to wait for their bottle to get full. Some devotees used the water from the cave to cure disease, and that there were a lot of cures that happened.
The water in the cave stopped dripping during the time of Mons. Esteban Binghay as parish priest of Guadalupe (parish priest 1975-1987), after he ordered the renovation of the cave with tiles and an overhead tank of water was placed atop the cave with the tube descending down the cave. People stopped gathering the water because they realized it was already water piped from the river and not from the original source.
The Image always wore a crown, the "rostrillo" around the face and carried a scepter a shorter one than what she carries now, and dressed up like she is dressed now.
During the 16th of July, 2006, the image was canonically crowned through solemn rites held at the Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu at Guadalupe, Cebu City by virtue of a pontifical decree which was issued on May 9, 2006 issued by the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The coronation symbolized the official and formal recognition of Our Lady of Guadalupe as the patroness of the Archdiocese of Cebu.
There are two feast days celebrated in honor of Cebu’s Patroness. The first being held every 16th of July, her feast as Cebu’s Patroness, the anniversary of the ceasing of the epidemic through her intercession, and the anniversary of her canonical coronation. The second is celebrated every 12th of December, her feast which is celebrated by the church all throughout the globe.
Jump rope.
Gisimba Memorial Center.
Kigali, Rwanda. Afrika,
June, 2005.
If you are interested in sponsoring an orphan at Gisimba Memorial Center, direct contact information is listed below.
Ildephonse Niyongana - Director
Damas Gisimba - Founder
gisimbacmg@yahoo.com
Gisimba Orphanage
B.P. 1433 Kigali Rwanda
Ave de la Nyarugenge
Nyamirambo
District of Nyarugenge
tel +250 08524515 or +250 08532596
Bank of Kigali 040-0013914-76
swift BK IG RWRW
Additional information can also be found on www.orphansofrwanda.org
The text below is from www.orphansofrwanda.org
"Centre Memorial de Gisimba (Gisimba Memorial Center)
The Gisimba orphanage, located in the Nyamirambo quarter of Kigali, is led by Damas Mutezintare Gisimba. Damas's father founded the orphanage in 1980 with 18 children living in one house. Damas took over in 1986 after the death of his father. During the genocide Damas sheltered over 400 children and adults in the small orphanage compound from the predations of the interahamwe [the Hutu paramilitary squads that carried out much of the genocide]. Though the orphanage was repeatedly menaced, Damas and his colleagues held their ground and did not give in to the genocidaires. He has been honored for his heroism by the Rwandan government and many other organizations.
The orphanage currently houses over 150 children. Ten years ago almost all were genocide victims, but many of the newer arrivals have been orphaned by AIDS. Because their parents were HIV+, a number of them are also infected."
PLEASE DONATE TO ORPHANS OF RWANDA: www.orphansofrwanda.org/getinvolved.php#donate
NUESTRA SEÑORA DE GUADALUPE DE CEBU
Patrona de la Ciudad y Provincia de Cebú
The origin of the Cebuano devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe; the origin and history of the image; and the religious practices and oral tradition that are associated with the Virgin of Guadalupe of Cebu.
That sometime in 1880, Ricardo Ramirez, a "Mangangayam" or wild chicken trapper who lived in the forested area of what was then Barrio Banawan (now Barangay Guadalupe), in the course of his trapping activities, one day saw a flashing light coming from inside the cave known as "langub nga duha'y baba" (cave with two mouths). It is near the river called Sapang Diyot of Barangay Kalunasan. Surprised by what he saw, Ramirez called the attention of the other trappers who were near him but when they looked, they could not see anything. Ricardo decided to investigate the source of the light inside the cave. He got inside and saw that the light flashes came from an estampita (Holy Card, usually measuring 2 inches by 3 inches) of Our Lady. The picture was standing atop a naturally formed rock, beside which a slow drip of water cascaded into a basin -shaped rock on the floor. The light and the flashing stopped when Ricardo got inside. He took the holy card and gave it to the teniente del barrio, Eustaquio Abapo, in turn showed the picture to the barrio's "mananabtan" (prayer group leader), Placido "Edo" Datan. Placido advised Eustaquio to keep the unusual find until they would know what to do with it.
Eustaquio Abapo hid the picture somewhere in his house as advised by Placido but soon forgot where, until some years later when Placido, Eustaquio, the barrio catechist Silverio Gonzales and other people in the area thought of building a chapel in Kalunasan, in the property of Eustaquio. This was sometime in 1889.
The four decided to ask permission of Fr. Ceferino Fernandez, parish priest of San Nicolas, who had jurisdiction over Banawan. When they arrived in San Nicolas convent office, they saw a two feet wooden image of Our Lady and they suddenly remembered the estampita given to them by Ricardo Ramirez years back because the image resembled the image in the holy card. Without telling the parish priest about their intention, the three hurried back to Banawan to look for the estampita in Eustaquio's house. They didn't find it then so; they decided to postpone telling the parish priest about their find and their plan until they have the holy card.
A few months later, the estampita was found by Eustaquio lying under a bundle of corn that was harvested from his field. The four immediately decided to go back to Fr. Fernandez and told the priest what Ricardo Ramirez found inside the cave, and what they were planning to do. When the priest saw the estampita, he told the group that it was the picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He asked for it and kept it. He gave his consent for the construction of a small chapel in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in kalunasan, and agreed to lend them the two-foot wooden image they saw in the convent on their yearly novena and fiesta from December 4 to 12. However, he also made them promise that the image should be returned to San Nicolas after the fiesta. According to the narration of Florencio "Noy Rencio" Tabal, who was already 96 years old when I talked to him sometime in 2002, the parishioners from Pasil resented the lending of the image to the Banawan chapel for the first fiesta celebration, and they would always try to prevent the procession from leaving San Nicolas by blocking the path but the people of Banawan, more numerous in number than them, persisted and always succeeded in bringing the image to the chapel in the mountain. During this time, the name of the barrio became Guadalupe because word got around that the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe appeared in a cave in Banawan.
Although there was a story of a sighting by the late Josefa "Nang Sepa" Labra (d. 1948) of a young and beautiful girl who would play in what is now the church plaza which at that time was still full of fruit trees. According to Nang Seap, she would often check on her carrabaos tied in the trees along the plaza at dawn. Often, she would be disturbed by the sight of a young girl playing at dawn. So one day, she decided to spy on the girl, Nang Sepa wend inside the chapel to validate her suspicion that the girl could be no other that the Virgin of Guadalupe. She checked the image and saw amorseco weeds attached to the hemline of its dress, the kind that abounds in the plaza. In addition, the fragrance that accompanies the presence of the young girl when she shows herself to Nang Sepa at dawn also filled the chapel. From then on, word spread that the Blessed Virgin appears as a chubby little girl and plays around the plaza of the chapel at dawn.
From that first Fiesta in 1889 until 1901, Our lady of Guadalupe was just a local barrio devotion. Every year, the image was borrowed from San Nicolas in December, then returned on the Sunday after December 12, because ion the Saturday after December 12, the image would be brought inside the cave where the estampita was found for another Mass. The image would stay inside the cave overnight and would be brought back to San Nicolas the next day, a Sunday. So the Virgin actually stayed longer than nine days in the barrio.
In 1902, there was a cholera epidemic outbreak. The epidemic hit the whole city but hardest hit was Barrio Guadalupe. Probably because the source of our drinking water then was the river, which was also renamed Guadalupe, and some open wells. It was devastating. Hundreds of residents died. It was said that those who buried the dead, did not return as they themselves died along the way or right on the cemetery while grieving for their dead relatives.
The cholera outbreak was so bad in the barrio that there was burial everyday. Later, the burial had to be done en masse on a carabao cart. Death stalked the people of Guadalupe real bad.
It was sometime in the month of May. Anyway, the "mananabtan" Placido "Edo" Datan initiated a move and called on the barrio leaders to hold a penitential dawn procession to invoke the help of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Holy Cross of Jesus, and end the epidemic. The melody for the so-called "Antifon" was written by Silverio Gonzales, the catechist. One of the ardent supporters of the movement was Don Joaquin Labra, who, unfortunately, became one of the victims of the epidemic himself. The "Antifon" is actually the prayer Hail Mary in Spanish (Dios Te Salve Maria) but sung repeatedly in a very plaintive tune.
The Antifon was held for one month, from mid-May to Mid-June. What was placed on the andas (palanquin) and carried during the dawn procession was a small image of the Holy Cross and an estampa of Our lady of Guadalupe (an estampa is a bigger Holy Card, measuring anywhere from 8"x10" to as much 18"x24"
According to Maximo Gabutan, and the other old people of Guadalupe, the Antifon was purely the idea of the local devotees of Our lady of Guadalupe, the likes of Don Joaquin Labra, Don Gervacio Quijada, his brother-in-law Placido datan, the catechist Silverio Gonzales, Eustiquio Abapo, Melchor Abella and others.
The cholera epidemic stopped but not immediately. As the dawn procession went on, the number of deaths decreased until there were no more deaths in the barrio. The devotion and strong faith of our elders to the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe and to the Holy Cross of Jesus saved them from death. If the cholera outbreak did not stop sooner, there would have been nobody left in the barrio. As an act of thanksgiving to God and to the Virgin of Guadalupe, Silverio Gonzales and the other people involved, decided to hold a thanksgiving novena from July 8 to 16 1902, with a grand procession of the Holy Cross and the estampa of the Virgin. Melchor Abella paid for the brass band that accompanied the procession( note: July 16 is the feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross and the Virgin of Carmel) SInce then, July 16 has always been celebrated as the second fiesta of the Virgin of Guadalupe. If not for the Virgin's intercession, probably all our elders would have perished and we would not be here today.
December 12 is the official feastday but July 16 is also a celebrated as a Thanksgiving for her and the Holy Cross. There was a time during Mons. Tosing dela Cerna's time (parish priest 1987 - 1994) when he separated the feast of the Holy Cross and celebrated it on September 14, but the people didn't like it and he was compelled to return it to join feast on July 16.
Only in the 1920's, after the Labra and to lesser extent, the Lopez families, donated a sizable portion of their lot (which is now the present church and plaza) to the diocese, that the chapel was transferred from Kalunasan to the present site. In 1927 or 1928, an inexplicable event occurred that prompted the permanent enshrinement of the image in Guadalupe.
On the Sunday after the December 12 fiesta of that year, the image was, as usual securely tied with ropes to the andas for her return trip to San Nicolas, accompanied by a huge number of people. upon reaching a place we used to call Gucro, short for Guadalupe Crossing, along what was called Calamba road, now V. Rama Avenue, near the corner of M. Velez Street, near the Suzara property, the image suddenly fell from the andas, feet first to the ground but instead of tumbling, it remained standing and made a 180 degree turn by itself, facing the direction of the chapel where she came from. This happened in full view of many people who joined in the procession, including Florencio Tabal and Maximo Gabutan. (an area where a huge acacia tree is, right across Lacto PAFI office, as the place where the image fell. The spot was pointed by Mr. Maximo Gabutan who was an eye witness of the event).
The people secured the image back to the andas and brought it to San Nicolas. There they told the priest who was Fr. Emiliano Mercado (parish priest of San Nicolas from 1910 - 1942) what happend in the procession. Fr. Mercado was the one who decided that the wooden image of the Virgin of Guadalupe should already stay in the newly-built chapel. So in 1929, the image of Our Lady was permanently enshrined in Guadalupe. In 1933, four years later, Guadalupe became a parish with Fr. Emiliano Mercado himself acting as concurrent parish priest until 1936. Then Fr. Sancho Abadia took over in 1937.
During the World War 2, the church was bombed. Fortunately, the image was saved because it was kept in Amado Gabutan's house in a place called Nabongturan, what is now the Petron Gasoline Station along V. Rama Avenue.
During the war, Amado's mother, Andrea, one of the so-called "beatas" of Guadalupe, asked her son to secure the image in his house in Nabongturan. The parish priest then was Fr. Leonardo Arriba (parish priest 1939-1943) who was arrested and imprisoned by the Japanese on suspicions of being a guerilla. When he was released, he did not return to the parish but hid in the mountains and so Guadalupe did not have a parish priest. Andrea took it upon herself to secure the safety of the statue.
Unfortunately, Amado Gabutan’s house was hit by a bomb and burned down. What was really strange and surprising was that the image escaped unscathed from the bomb and the fire, although five people who were in the same area died.
Amado and family then evacuated to Pardo, bringing the image of Our Lady with them. From there he sent word to Maximo Gabutan to pick up the image from his place in Pardo so Maximo Gabutan sent Tranquilino Nacua to retrieve the image for a fee of two pesos "genuine" money , and bring it to where he and his family hid in the mountains of Candomorga, which is already a part of Talisay. The image was placed in a basket surrounded by pillows and was carried as a back-pack.
In early 1945, when my Maximo Gabutan, felt that the war was ending and the Americans were winning, Maximo and his family went back to Guadalupe from Candomorga only to find the church and their own house nearby burned. Maximo Gabutan then requested Don Gervacio Quijada and his wife Doña Teresa Datan, (sister of Placido, the mananabtan) whose big house was left intact after the war, to shelter the image and all of Maximos’s family, until a temporary church could be built, and until Maximo could rebuild our own house. So the Gabutan family and the Virgin stayed in the house of the generous Don Gervacio for about 10 months. The house still looks exactly the same now as it did when we stayed there in 1945. (the house is in Number 1335 V. Rama Avenue, obliquely across Guadalupe Heights subdivision entrance, now under the care of Don Gervacio's great grandson, Mr. Roger Quijada Lim. It was constructed on may May 10, 1932, as evidenced by the carving in a corner "tugas" round post inside)
When Maximo Gabutan passed away in 1974 at the age of 88, Eulogio Gabutan, father of Fr, Henrico and Philip, became the Virgin's caretaker until his death on December 15, 1986. Then it became his son Philip's responsibilty until now.
first hand information about miracles attributed to Our Lady other that half of 1902 was when Maximo Gabutan and the rest of their family were hiding in Candomorga mountain with the Virgin of Guadalupe, there was a Philippine army camp somewhere in Babag that was never penetrated by the Japanese. The stories of Lt. Ambrosio Gacayan and a Capt. Navarro of the Philippine Army, said that every time the Japs would attempt to raid their camp, a vision of a woman would be seen prancing along the hills of Babag mountain. The Japs got scared of the vision because she would just vanish into thin air, then show herself again. The army and the Gabutan Family also believed it was the Virgin of Guadalupe whose image was with them.
A miracle healing happened to Aniana Sacamay. She developed breast cancer but she was miraculously cured after praying to Our Lady of Guadalupe. She was one of our Lady's attendant,working together with Mohing Ibonalo.,
Another was when the image of the Virgin would be brought inside the cave for the post December 12 Mass, it would be placed in the exact place where the estampita was found, where the water drips from the ceiling of the cave. Despite the image is being placed directly in the water's way, it would remain dry.
The slowly dripping water inside the cave reportedly had curative powers. A long queue of people used to wait for their bottle to get full. Some devotees used the water from the cave to cure disease, and that there were a lot of cures that happened.
The water in the cave stopped dripping during the time of Mons. Esteban Binghay as parish priest of Guadalupe (parish priest 1975-1987), after he ordered the renovation of the cave with tiles and an overhead tank of water was placed atop the cave with the tube descending down the cave. People stopped gathering the water because they realized it was already water piped from the river and not from the original source.
The Image always wore a crown, the "rostrillo" around the face and carried a scepter a shorter one than what she carries now, and dressed up like she is dressed now.
During the 16th of July, 2006, the image was canonically crowned through solemn rites held at the Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu at Guadalupe, Cebu City by virtue of a pontifical decree which was issued on May 9, 2006 issued by the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The coronation symbolized the official and formal recognition of Our Lady of Guadalupe as the patroness of the Archdiocese of Cebu.
There are two feast days celebrated in honor of Cebu’s Patroness. The first being held every 16th of July, her feast as Cebu’s Patroness, the anniversary of the ceasing of the epidemic through her intercession, and the anniversary of her canonical coronation. The second is celebrated every 12th of December, her feast which is celebrated by the church all throughout the globe.
We're looking to buy a house up here, preferably in the village, but prices have rocketed after the pandemic.
But we found this. Suits us perfect.
No neighbors, no drunken tourists.
Just us and the wilderness.
Cheap property, surely, comes with responsibilty, of course, and 14 miles by foot to the nearest grocery store.
A bat in purple-ish skies.
And down here on earth, the POETRY INVASION continues unabated.
WITHOUT TRUST
Without trust, might as well just
Forget it. Without trust, suspicion
And doubt will multiply to feed on
Your well-being until what could
Have been a good thing is over
Before it’s even begun. Without
Trust, it’s just mutual using, fine
Until you have to take responsibilty
For it. Without trust, togetherness
Is just an illustion, beautiful at first,
About as permanent as a raindrop.
We’re like freezers now, forever
Cold and closed. To understand
Why, look at our story from the
Very beginning, look at all that’s
Gone down, and ask yoursellf
How such a complete absence
Of trust could ever come to be.
SINK
Way too deep in the dirty, shitty,
Polluted waters of bad emotions,
And trying not to sink. Swim on,
Keep going – as sure as the waters
Are not supposed to be this way,
There must be something cleaner
Up ahead. Don’t drown because
Another was carelessness with
Their ocean. Swim on, these
Waters are just part of a much
Bigger sea that cleanses itself in
Time and will dissolve all this filth.
BIG EGGY
Eggs came flying from the hens
Like bullets. Hens on a steady
Amphetamine diet in the egg
Factory, meeting the demands
Of America’s breakfast each
And every morning. Till one
Day the hens used the eggs
As their weapons, rebelled,
Shot their way out of slavery.
Hens like Spartacus, a band
Of feathered refugees, on a
Quest to find freedom in the
Land of the free. I thought of
This after a really good omlett.
Maybe there realy are drugs in
The eggs. Or else this freedom
Thing is just contagious.
AN HONOR THING
I can get conflicted about returning
Somewhere I’ve previously been
Declared unwelcome. If you treat
Me like someone you’d rather not
Have around, until I hear differently
That’s how I’ll always see you. It’s
An honor thing. That might sound
Completely outdated in this day and
Age, but I’m talking about honor
Given, not just honor received. If
You’ve asked me for distance, then
The respectful response is to give
You that distance. If you’ve ever felt
Differently, you’ve never so much as
Lifted a finger to show it, so what is
The respectful, honorable thing for
Me to assume? Sorry if I’m sounding
Redundant, but sometimes you look
Upset at me for ignoring you.
NAKED
When a fully clothed man feels
Naked, that’s his problem. When
A naked man feels fully clothed,
That’s our problem. As much as
I try to undress a subject with
Words, without resorting to
Coarseness of speech, we keep
A veil over the unadorned truth
For the sake of public decency.
THE DOGS WHO ARE OUR FRIENDS
I don’t mean to feed the rats. I
Don’t want to feed the rats. But
Then there are the dogs who
Are our friends. The ones who
Belong to no one, no security,
No guarantee of the next meal.
Grateful for the scraps –different
Value system. You feed them and
They’ll guard you. Unlike people –
You feed them and they’ll rob you.
I am not my brother’s keeper and
I know even less about keeping a
Dog. They just stay close because
They want to, I guess.
SPINACH BELIEVER
Speechless – don’t even feel like
Talking. But it’s these moments
When speech eludes me that I’m
Probably closest to the truth, when
My particular state of affairs, state
Of being, state the union makes
Like Popeye, proclaiming, I am
What I am, and there you have it.
You can see clearly now, the rain
Is gone. Ok, Mr. Spinach Believer,
Kindly explain what’s up with this
Not being able to sleep? With this
Nagging feeling something isn’t
Exactly right? That I’m not quite
Where I’m supposed to be? Is
This a never-ending lesson in
Patience? The Buddha, I’m told,
Sat under a tree for years until
He’d transcended attachment
And found enlightenment. I don’t
Have the patience to follow his
Example. I think enlightenment
Hides behind these big questions
And little mysteries that never
Fail to leave me speechless.
SPIRITS IN MANU’A
People here so casually mention
Spirits in Manu’a, I have no doubt
They believe in them. I think it’s
Great there are spirits in Manu’a –
Spirits need a higher visual profile,
For sure, because people will only
Pay lip service to what they can’t
See. It’s high time the spirits kick
Some ass on the legion of stupid
Humans who would dare to mess
With them. I know most people
Here firmly believe Manu’a spirits
Exist. This fills me with fear, not
Because I think the spirits would
Harm me, but because so many
Here know that spirits are real
And still act the way they do.
PRECIOUS THING
Maybe someday when it doesn’t
Really matter, you’ll tell me what
Was going on in your head and I’ll
Tell you what was going on in mine
And we’ll both feel like idiots. We
Both felt the precious thing, and
Proceeded to create conditions
For it that the other couldn’t even
Cognate, never mind live up to.
Having no way to tell which way
Was up, it became more a matter
Of who was trashing it the worst.
I guess that’s the true nature of
The precious thing – it doesn’t
Really teach you that much about
Someone else, just about yourself.
YUM, COMFORTABLE SLUG
Fear reinforces conformity,
But, I’d wager to say, does
Not engender excellence.
For conformity stifles the
Aspirtion to rise above the
Anonymous mediocrity, to
Risk getting noticed out of
Line. Therefore, be a rebel
Or be a slug. Imagine if you
Breathe your last and the
Best thing you can say
About your life is, “It was
Comfortable”. Yep, very
Comfortable in a shell, in a
Mental cell, under the spell
Of mindless conformity.
Content to be just another
Comfortable slug, quietly
Waiting in line to provide
Some bird with breakfast.
SUMMER
We’re both living organisms
And nature made us a layaway
Plan. This is totally organic,
The most popular mechanics,
Encyclopedia Britannica
Defines it as life carrying on.
These cells weren’t meant for
Confinement, and the high
Court of nature recently ruled
In their favor. Time to think
Of future generations and
Whether they’ll remember us.
We leave behind poems and
A long story for others to tell
As summer approaches.
FULL MOON
I was born under the sign ruled by
The Moon. Its fullness has the
Strongest pull on the tides. We’re
Mostly liquid, but not enough for
The Moon to make us levitate.
How strange that would be – the
Bigger you are, the closer you’d
Get to the Moon. Even if we don’t
Float into the sky, the waters inside
Us feel the pull of the Moon. Our
Thoughts, feelings, emotions and
Perceptions all grow more intense.
It’s a time when joys can run high,
Sorrows deep. The stillness of the
Moon throws into contrast all the
Turbulence we carry. Things seem
Slightly distorted, but no, it’s just
The agonies and ecstasies of daily
Existence amplified by the Moon.
In a heightened state, transfixed
By the glow, I sometimes wonder
If floating into the sky might not be
Such a bad idea after all.
CRISES
Emotional crisis, health crisis, plumbing
Crisis – can you blame me if I think life
Has something personal against me?
Am I using too much air? Would the
Food I eat be better allocated to the
Starving in Africa? Do my words add
Irreparable damage to the general
Peace, harmony and understanding
Among mankind? Is even thinking I’m
That significant just another ego trip?
So many questions… Meanwhile, the
Crises need tending to. One by one
I’ll put a band aid on each and carry
On just like any other day.
ETIQUETTE
Look, sorry if you think this is
Strange, but on the planet I
Come from , this would be
Considered good manners.
This would be considered a
Gesture of affection and
Sincere respect. It would
Express appreciation for
All the things so special
About you, for the way you
Make things better just by
Being you. On the planet I
Come from expressions
Such as these are not
Considered in poor taste,
And are given and received
With grace. On the planet I
Come from it’s considered
Important to express such
Things if you feel them. But
On this planet everything
Is the opposite.
I.O.U.
There’s a difference of opinion
Over what my civic duty is. My
Controversial purse strings are
Being called to account. The
Public sticks its nose into my
Business records as if I owe
Them, as if the check is in the
Mail. They’re just jealous of
Success, real or perceived,
And think a high profile gives
Them an excuse for low blows.
NANNIES
Sometimes crimes don’t seem
Like crimes at all at the time,
More like a smart move – too
Bad the other dimwits missed
It – a chance to take advantage
While the tides have turned in
Your favor. So there you sit
Trying to explain what you did
To all the people you hurt, and
Your only defense is no one
Stopped you, as if all the laws
Of the courts and the heart are
Nothing more than nannies,
Derelict in their duty to keep
You from burining inquisitive
Fingers on the hot stove.
FILE
Judas on the computer, forwarding
The Pharisees useful tidbits they
Reward with pieces of silver and
Crumbs of approval. We keep a
File on you. Everything you’ve
Done, all you’ve ever shared with
Anyone, is documented, can be
Used as proof. When good times
Turn bad, good time friends turn
Witness. Think Heaven has issued
You a free pass? It doesn’t apply
Till you expire. Till then, you’re
Liable for an outstanding balance
Here on earth, and we’ll collect
By any means necessary. That’s
Why our meticulous file records
Everyone you ever sold out to get
Where you are. Just call it looking
After Number One, like Judas did.
FOREST
Subtleties of understanding are
One thing, but lacking an idea
In common, you can’t see the
Forest for the trees. The same
Thing looks different from a
Few feet away. The sublime
Just sounds crude unless you
Describe it with the right kind
Of English. It’s simple enough
We’re in a forest, but all the
Subtleties filter the light so
Differently, making the path
Appear a dead end. I left an
Offering of crumbs to mark
Some kind of trail, but now
My knapsack’s out and every
Direction looks no different
From the other. Have to find
My way through this forest
Of understanding on intuition
And faith, which is another
Way of saying I’m lost.
TOOLS IN HAND
Tools in hand, I threaten to carve
In stone a yes or no. Instead, it’s
Something ridiculous engraved
On this unsuspecting rock. I’d
Hate to immortalize anything
Really important on this eternal
Surface. Importance is so often
Nothing more than a response
To a moment. Subject the ages
To it? That would be like waking
Up one morning with a tattoo
You’re not so sure you even
Like anymore. So tools in hand,
Hoping to look important, what
Shall I carve in stone? Try sound
Profound – We need to laugh
At the ridiculous, or else it’s too
Easy to become frightened by it.
TIP THE SCALES
Weigh my flawed actions,
Speech and understanding
To see if they tip the scales
Of blind justice, knowing
Justice is never really blind,
Just suspending plain sight
To avoid judging solely by
How things appear. Blind
Judges use a third eye, feel
Vibes, an otherworldy sense
Of knowing , a logic of the
Subconscious. Still , among
Humans no objectivity is
Pure. At best, there is only
Balance or its absence, and
So the symbol of the scale
To weigh the right or wrong,
Inconsequence or severity
Of our every flawed action,
Speech and understanding.
PAIN
Pain wants to have a conversation,
Making its presence known. Pain
Has the uncanny knack of leading
You to believe it’s moved on, but
Just when you’re basking in the
Sun, a moving shadow distracts
You from your warm imaginings
And you just know. Pain wants to
Powwow, update its files, inquire
Discretely, do a routine service
Check while you’re still under
Warranty. Our relationship is
Purely professional, pain and me.
I don’t exactly relate, just grow
Accustomed to how it comes
And goes. I asked why, how long,
It looked at me thoughtfully and
Replied, sorry, that’s classified.
Not knowing just comes with the
Pain, and vice versa.
STAR AND DIRECTOR
Very few actors can handle being
Both star and director. This leads
To the shocking revelation that
The star isn’t really what’s best
About a movie, only what’s most
Visible. If it’s only the star that
Matters, then how come some
Of them turn out one lousy film
After another? Star, director,
And some mysterious X factor
All combine to make a movie
Memorable. We might both be
Stars in our own way, or even
Directors when someone needs
To take that role. Neither of us
Might require star billing, but I
know we’d both resist taking
Direction from each other. This
Has something to do with self-
Perception, artistic vision and
Who controls either or both.
How dare you presume you can
Direct me??? We two could only
Combine talents were we to cede
Direction to a source that’s bigger
Than the both of us.
LETTERS TO A LOVE
It meant something to try and
Make contact and keep in touch.
I wonder how many great love
Poems are really letters to a love
That never was. Whether you’re
A poet, a house painter, or a
Parking lot attendant, you’ve got
To have hope, do something
With what you know inside, try
To make contact and keep in
Touch, just so someone knows
They’re not the only one who
Feels the same things you do.
CONVENTION
Snub convention or take advantage
Of it, that is the question. I brought
With me the conventions of a
Different location, which renders
Me unconventional in this context
But a leopard can’t change stripes.
Boundaries, social responsibilities
And persona space all have their
Place, but I have two legs, I could
Walk through all that. You’ll notice
I won’t, because that would be
Ignoring the boundaries you set by
Implication. Your actions demarcate
Where the boundaries should be,
Until you indicate differently. That’s
The system, the convention, the
Way things are done among those
For whom doing things right means
More than simply victory or defeat.
True, I have two legs, I could walk
Through all that, but only if I knew
You wanted me to.
ONENESS AND LUST
Oneness, I wish I could bring you
A worthier gift than lust, than an
Admission of my weakness, than
A diagnosis of my disease. Little
Wonder you fail to find these
Attributes attractive. Or is it my
Own shame at the mortal truths
That reduce us to something so
Un-godlike we fear we displease
God who made us this way? You
Can read my intention at a glance,
And I don’t like feeling exposed
Any more than I like feeling alone.
IGLOO
In our polar bear skins, we blend in
With endless white, color of purity.
Since the cold comes so naturally
To you, I’m going to build an igloo
Where we can rendezvous. I don’t
Cherish the thought of killing seals
And walruses, but if we don’t eat
Them, something else will. Please
Let me draw the line at porpoises.
I’d even eat a porpoise for you, but
Only if we have to, and even then
With some regret. Alas, unfortunate
Porpoise, friend of man, it was you
Or me, buddy. That’s life in an igloo -
Not a McDonalds in sight but plenty
Of penguins.
ROPE
Judas, rope is not the answer.
Do you think running away
From what you’ve done will
Inspire compassion? Some
Would say it was all written
Before it happened, that you
Simply acted out your part as
Scripted. What is this, a last
Minute bid for sympathy?
To judge yourself unworthy
Of finding your soul again is
Not your judgment to make.
Who are you or I to shut the
Door to redemption for even
The worst, even ourselves?
It might seem futile atoning
For a crime impossible to
Forgive, but it would have
Mattered if you had at least
Tried. Judas, you’re not a
Bird, you don’t belong in the
Tree until you get your wings.
MENTALS
The mentals at the shopping center
Scare me by making me realize I’d
Like to slap them, report them to
Public Health, call the cops on them,
Complain to center management
(Or customer relations if they even
Bother).They make me realize I’m
Not such a nice guy after all, not so
Tolerant after all, not so forgiving
After all (but you already knew that).
You know you’re really nice, really
Tolerant and really forgiving when
In your heart you can pardon even
The mentals who ruin breakfast for
You with their thespian pleas for
Your extra change, not only those
More level-minded who really know
Better but steadfastly believe they
Can easily atone by simply making
The appropriately pious noises.
(inspired by the song “Royals”.)
TIDES
Our tides go in and out. So
Full at first, always ending
So empty. Nothing but a
Barren reef left sometimes,
But when the tide’s in, it has
A life of its own. Notoriously
Fickle, tides go where they
Will, but curiously, sooner
Or later they always seem to
Lead right back where they
Started. You can almost set
A clock by it. Ever feel like
The tides are trying to tell
Us something?
TWO HUNDRED GRAND
Hillary will give you a speech for
Two hundred grand. Once a price
Is known, it just makes you wonder
How far someone would go. Say the
Boy/Man Love Coalition had two
Hundred grand in the bank from
Bake sales - d’ya suppose she’d take
The gig? Or if a Saudi billionaire
Offered five if she’d read the local
Phone book for fifteen minutes,
Just as some kind of statement,
Would Hillary take it? For eight,
Would she pop out of a cake singing
“Emotions” to oilmen in Texas?
For nine, and an end to famine in
Africa, would Hillary strip down to
A flesh-colored one-piece live on
The web? And of course what they
All want to know – how many
Millions would it take for her to
Promise not to seek the Presidency?
Don’t take up a collection too soon,
Pal. What’s the matter? Afraid of a gal
Who knows her own worth and how
To budget her time?
CURVES
And so our story curves again.
I’m not afraid to comment, but
Taken out of context it might
Cause discomfort, which was
Never my intention in the first
Place. I was just hoping you’d
See the curve of my thoughts
And reconsider. Ideas come to
Me like freeway headlights, all
At once. I can only see them
Clearly for a second before they
Disappear. Sometimes one of
These passing thoughts makes
It all the way to the page. What’s
Inside me filters what’s around
Me and out comes these words.
Just so you’ll know if you have
Thoughts anything like mine.
HOOTENANNY MAN
Hootenanny man learned to use
Language to talk of things beyond
The barnyard. What makes the
World turn or the bar room fall
Silent. What makes schoolboys
Wish they could be president, or
Presidents wish they could spend
Summer at the fishing creek again.
Love growing from the ruins of war,
Our moment face to face with the
Eternal. Ever since we’ve had a
Language we’ve had poets using it
For more than the evening news,
Playing at being serious, seducing
With breathless invocations of the
Sanctified, reducing ageless wisdom
To blithe childishness, elevating a
Moment to eternal importance.
It’s not all contradictions, sings the
Hootenanny man, it’s as natural as
Having two eyes, two ears, two
Hands and two feet instead of one.
(Inspired by Bob Dylan)
LONG, LONG WAIT
Long, long wait for something
That never quite arrives. At the
End of the line, at least you can
Say you did your part. You try
And stay on a path with some
Kind of heart, hoping that if
You try to do right thing you’ll
Find the guidance you need
Whenever you come to a fork
In the road. When things go
Wrong, you try and take the
Knocks with grace, think about
What happened and why, and
How you can do better next
Time. Along the way, you’re
Going to lose a lot of Illusions,
But gain an insight or two that
Might help you make sense of
The long, long wait.
OVERBOARD
Overboard in matters of the heart,
Enthusiasms, passions, likes and
Dislikes, heartaches, suspicions,
Questions and more. Things seem
To resonate a bit deeper with me.
I have something to lose - you
Better take me seriously or take
A hike. But for the few I can trust,
I go overboard in my friendship
And wouldn’t think twice about
Giving whatever I can. I project
Balanced calm for appearances’
Sake, but shake the tree and I’m
Overboard before I can remember
My life vest.
PROFILE
How do you profile me in your
Mind? I’ve noticed how people
Do that – create you in their
Thoughts as whatever kind of
Character is convenient for the
Narrative they’re trying to sell.
Then one day you hear a person
Described who you don’t even
Recognize, and you realize its
Supposed to be you. Perhaps
You heard or saw something
That fit previously established
Prototypes, then constructed
A profile accordingly, but it’s
What you didn’t see or hear to
Factor in to your floor plan that
Brings me sadness.
HOPE AND DOUBT
Hope and doubt are battling it
Out. Emotionally speaking,
Self-protection can get violent.
Ideally, hope and doubt would
Just reach a balance, but mine
Want to get in each other’s
Faces and wreak havoc. Hope
Accuses doubt of having no
Faith in love. Doubt says hope
Is just an unrealistic fool. They
Both look bruised after clashing
Repeatedly. At the end of the
Day, for worse or better, I find
Myself favoring hope, only
Because doubt seems like a
Dead end. But I understand
Doubt’s resentment – just
Trying to look out for me and
Not being listened to.
DETECTIVE
Some people are scarier to think
About than to actually be around
Because they’re not like bank
Statements, easily reconciled
And confidently filed. Leave me
Alone with my thoughts for too
Long and my detective tendencies
Start me analyzing the profile,
Putting evidence together like a
Jigsaw puzzle. The emerging
Image isn’t always pretty which
Makes me question whether
Some pieces might be missing or
That’s it in all its contradictory
Glory. Bizarre as it may sound,
I really want you to be right, but
Can’t relax my guard untill my
Investigation of all the ways you
Could be wrong clears your name.
BUDDHISM 2014
The sins of this life, we pay for
In the next life, like karma is a
Credit card with a set limit to
How much forgiveness we can
Reasonably expect. Clear your
Balance of bad deeds in this
Lifetime and eventually you
Accumulate the bonus points
To transcend the karmic wheel
And buy into a timeshare in
Nirvana. But pass your limit
Too quickly and you’ll find
Your account overdrawn of
Grace, leaving you to a fate
Of paying back your debts to
Humanity while still human
(At least in appearance). All
This reveals why some can
Enjoy a spree of shockingly
Bad behavior and just smile
Like Mona Lisa, while others
Need only think a single bad
Thought and they’re promptly
Squashed like a bug under a
Bicycle. Splat: transcendence.
SILENCER
The national anthem asks, oh say,
Can you see? But some people
See more than they can say.
Like when I know I’ve been sold
Out – saying it aloud would only
Compound a painful absence of
Grace, so silence provides me my
Only solace. Wounds don’t need
Words or even sound to send a
Message, but if you see these
Soundless words, they’ll tell you
That what cuts even deeper than
Feeling sold out by you is the way
You can’t say you’re sorry. If you
Can’t say it, I can’t assume it.
ACCESS DENIED
Access denied because the
Password is some kind of
Family secret. What a fall
From lofty rank, like a big
Shot discovering he’s firing
Blanks. All thanks to the
Collective will of the herd,
Eager to hoof it for greener
Pastures and better friends,
While I fend for myself
Against coyotes. The herd
Heard rumors I know how
To download corrupt DNA
Into the deep end of your
Gene pool, making them
Panic for the sanctity of your
Bovine bloodline. Actually,
I was thinking one small
Small step at a time. What
Nerve of the herd not to
Investigate, just terminate
My access with no warning
Or farewell. If I’m outcast
So ingraciously, then may
It be coyotes instead who
Crack your sacred access
Code and bite you and your
Over-protective herd on
Your collective ass.
OVER-REACTION
Drop an atomic bomb on the mouse.
Oops, you took out the whole house –
Collateral damage. No, it’s not an
Over-reaction. We are the last bastion
Against the mice. It’s them or our
Civilization, like the Alamo defending
Us against Taco Bell.
IN MY OWN WEENIE WAY
It’s not exactly a new idea, some
Joker typing away trying to capture
A voice in his heard. They used to
Do it with pens. When the Marquis
De Sade got thrown in a French
Prison for writing blasphemy,
Pornography and politically
Insulting poetry and prose, they
Took away his pen just to be
Cruel but he continued to write
On the walls of his cell in his own
Blood and feces. This man had
Something to say. So do I, though
I’m just a weenie compared to the
Marquis. I don’t write to you in
Blood, but in my own weenie way,
Believe me, I’m bleeding.
SCRUTINY
Like a frog in biology class, I can
Feel scrutiny bearing down. You
Want to understand my mechanics
Like Japan always striving for a
Better radio. I better copyright
My consciousness, bottle up my
Lightning and sell in on special at
Rip Off Mart. You can buy Beatle
Wigs, Springsteen lunchboxes,
Rolling Stone dildos and Grateful
Dead bongs. Would you like to
Own my itch, or just brag you’ve
Got accurate data, made a factual
Analysis? Anal, yeah sis? I am of
No commercial or academic use.
I don’t even see why you like me
Unless your screws are tinny too.
MILESTONE
They left me to figure things
Out on my own, so I guess it’s
No surprise I soon deduced
What works for me. No one
Insisted I pursue a certain
Direction, so my process of
Self-becoming never involved
Pleasing anyone else. Left to
My own devices, of course I
Quickly intuited my vices of
Choice, but hopefully with a
Virtue or two as well here and
There. This self-reflection bit
Feels perilously close to self-
Promotion, but it’s another
Milestone so I’m supposed to
Tally up where I am and how
I got here. Ok, so where am I
And how did I get here? The
Answer is, I don’t really know,
Which I suppose is what I get
For watching the scenery
More than the signs.
UNCONVENTIONAL COUNSELING
(NOT TO MENTION UNSOLICITED)
When I say they live in the past,
I don’t mean it as an insult to
Their good intentions, but they
Were young in the ‘60s and ‘70s
And you’re young now. In their
Own way, they’re just trying to
Protect you, but some protection
If they force on you a partner
Who’ll beat you, cheat on you
And divorce you. Then what are
They going to do? Say it was your
Fault? Partner selection is a very
Personal thing, not just another
Community undertaking. You
Used to marry whole families
Together – that was all fine and
Good – but nowadays even
Families can’t guarantee if a
Particular pairing will soar like
High flying birds or crash like
A train off the tracks, and
Doesn’t staying together just
For the children’s sake sound
Like a benign form of torture?
Marry for serious love or don’t
Do it, I say, but everyone has to
Decide for themselves.
The feet of Gisimba. #2
Gisimba Memorial Center.
Kigali, Rwanda. Afrika.
June, 2005.
If you are interested in sponsoring an orphan at Gisimba Memorial Center, direct contact information is listed below.
Ildephonse Niyongana - Director
Damas Gisimba - Founder
gisimbacmg@yahoo.com
Gisimba Orphanage
B.P. 1433 Kigali Rwanda
Ave de la Nyarugenge
Nyamirambo
District of Nyarugenge
tel +250 08524515 or +250 08532596
Bank of Kigali 040-0013914-76
swift BK IG RWRW
Additional information can also be found on www.orphansofrwanda.org
The text below is from www.orphansofrwanda.org
"Centre Memorial de Gisimba (Gisimba Memorial Center)
The Gisimba orphanage, located in the Nyamirambo quarter of Kigali, is led by Damas Mutezintare Gisimba. Damas's father founded the orphanage in 1980 with 18 children living in one house. Damas took over in 1986 after the death of his father. During the genocide Damas sheltered over 400 children and adults in the small orphanage compound from the predations of the interahamwe [the Hutu paramilitary squads that carried out much of the genocide]. Though the orphanage was repeatedly menaced, Damas and his colleagues held their ground and did not give in to the genocidaires. He has been honored for his heroism by the Rwandan government and many other organizations.
The orphanage currently houses over 150 children. Ten years ago almost all were genocide victims, but many of the newer arrivals have been orphaned by AIDS. Because their parents were HIV+, a number of them are also infected."
PLEASE DONATE TO GISIMBA MEMORIAL CENTER VIA ORPHANS OF RWANDA: www.orphansofrwanda.org/getinvolved.php#donate
For statistics on Rwanda: www.unicef.org/infobycountry/rwanda_statistics.html
The Binou priest is a spiritualist leader of the animist Binou clan. His responsibilty is also to foster and maintain harmonious relationships between the clan-members and the supernatural world. This role is similarly performed by Hogon priests.
Contrast and compare the fast line to the Midlands in the 1960's and the 2010's.
During their 16 year career, the Westerns had two distinct phases of operation along ex-Great Western metals to Brum, from their 1961 introduction to 1963, the class were frequent performers as far north as Chester General, running from Paddington via High Wycombe, Banbury, Birmingham Snow Hill, Wolverhampton Low Level and Shrewsbury, sharing duties with the diminishing number of Castles and Kings and classes 42 and 43 Warships. In 1963, responsibility for the ex-GW system north of Banbury transferred to the London Midland region of British Railways, steam and hydraulic traction was banned and the ubiquitous class 47's ruled the roost.
The situation remained for 10 years or so, the re-routing of Paddington-Birmingham services from the Wycombe route to the Oxford route meant that the Western largely resumed responsibilty for the service, and with that came the return of the Whizzo.
Despite the diminishing number of Westerns still in service, 1975 and 1976 still saw the class visiting Birmingham on a daily basis, the favourite turns involving Paddington departures at 0645, 0905, 1405 and 1605, returning from New Street at 1025, 1225, 1840 and 2040. The last one of all came early in 1977, headed by D1041 Western Prince. Then they were gone.
And the modern day class 168? Well, it's just a class 168, ya know?
London Marylebone, 9 February 2014.
Rwanda--"It's a story of betrayal, failure, naivete, indifference, hatred, genocide, war, inhumanity and evil. Although strong relationships were built and moral, ethical and courageous behavior was often displayed, they were overshadowed by one of the fastest, most efficient, most evident genocides in recent history. In just one hundred days over 800,000 innocent Rwanda men, women, and children were brutally murdered while the developed world, impassive and apparently unperturbed, sat back and watched the unfolding apocalypse or simply changed channels. Almost fifty years to the day my that father and father-in-law helped to liberate Europe--when the extermination camps were uncovered and when, one voice, humanity said, 'Never again'--we once again sat back and permitted this unspeakable horror to occur. We could not find the political will nor the resources to stop it. Since then, much has been written, discussed, debated, argued and filmed on the subject of Rwanda, yet it is my feeling that this recent catastrophe is being forgotten and its lessons submerged in ignorance and apathy. The genocide in Rwanda was a failure of humanity that could easily happen again."
_Shake Hands With The Devil: The Failure of Humanity In Rwanda_
by Lt.Gen. Romeo Dallaire
The remains of up to 200 corpses are in each coffin.
I'd like to share information about the Rwandan genocide. If you know of a link
that offers reliable, in-depth and educational information about the genocide and its aftermath, please include it in your comment below.
Kigali, Rwanda. Afrika.
June, 2005.
(TMAX film.)
Hillbrow is one of the toughest, most dangerous neighborhoods in Jo'burg.
Hillbrow, Johannesburg. South Afrika.
July, 2005.
www.joburg.org.za/jan_2002/hillbrow.stm
www.iss.co.za/pubs/ASR/6No6/Jenkins.html
pa.essortment.com/historyjohanne_rznr.htm
(TMAX film.)
January 24, 2002
By Lucille Davie
HILLBROW is being made more "feminine" - a place safe for women and children. At the moment it is a "masculine" place in that its parks are places where men play football and basketball, games that can be dangerous for young children.
Hillbrow is South Africa's most densely populated suburb, an area of dozens of high-rise blocks on the ridge above the city centre. It is predominantly a Manhattan-style residential area, with plenty of shops and an entertainment strip crammed with nightclubs. Berea, the suburb next-door, is very similar, but has fewer shops and more open spaces, schools and churches.
The Hillbrow/Berea Regeneration Initiative, launched in March 2001, aims to develop a sense of "community" as well as a vision and an action plan for the regeneration of Hillbrow and Berea. Funding is being supplied by the American aid organisation USAID.
Hillbrow could do with rejuvenation: a quick drive round the suburb reveals buildings with paint and plaster peeling, lots of barbed wire to improve security, hundreds of broken windows, bricked-up shop fronts to prevent squatting, washing drying on balconies and over railings, litter everywhere you look and unemployed residents milling around listlessly.
There are many buildings that look almost beyond repair. Around half a dozen of these have been identified by the city's Better Buildings Programme as worth saving and refurbishing. This Programme finds buyers for these buildings, contractors for the refurbishment, then helps set financial and management criteria for the continued upkeep of the buildings.
On the other hand, there are several well-managed buildings in Hillbrow, says Councillor for the Inner City, Sol Cowan. "In these buildings landlords and tenants have got together and agreed on rules and regulations by which the building is to operate."
Cowan says that it takes an attitude change from both parties to make a difference. The health department has issued warnings to landlords who have lost interest in their buildings and allowed them to become overcrowded.
"But ultimately the onus rests on the owners, who will have to get eviction orders to evict non-paying tenants, then get together with the tenants and develop a code of conduct, which should include minimum standards, and deposit and lease rules," adds Cowan.
Four parks and a waterfall
The suburb still retains some of the trees that were planted decades ago, and the parks are still there, but they are not happy places where you would want to spend time. Pullinger Kop, on the top of Nugget Street, is green and reasonably pleasant, but its fence has become a washing line. Its toilet has been vandalised and is now a squatter shack.
A waterfall down Nugget Hill that used to flow and provide a welcome respite for the overcrowded suburb, has been turned off as residents were using it to do their washing, and blocking the pump.
In 1946 the Johannesburg City Council removed building height restrictions in Hillbrow. For the next thirty years, the area saw an explosion of high-rise buildings, with little consideration to creating a people-friendly place.
Today, most of Hillbrow's population live in rented flats, or in several Hillbrow hotels, or in rooftop rooms, or on the streets.
In a June 2001 report entitled "Social capital and social exclusion in the City of Johannesburg", it was found that Hillbrow's population is relatively young - aged 15-39 - and that two-thirds of the population is male. The 1996 census recorded the population as 30 000. But since 1996 the suburb has seen a huge influx of illegal immigrants - it is believed that almost half the residents are foreigners.
"A survey conducted six months ago found that Hillbrow has approximately 100 000 people, a figure that doubles on the weekends as Hillbrow is considered to be a major centre of entertainment," says Dr Muzi Matse, environmental health co-ordinator of the Hillbrow Community Parnership, another group involved in Hillbrow's regeneration. "We found that there are cases where 7-12 people are living in a bachelor flat," he adds.
Vernon Openshaw, project co-ordinator of the Regeneration Initiative, says: "We are looking at parks which should be passive recreational areas - places where people come to relax. At the same time there is a need for young people to play sports. This means we have to have other places where sports can be played."
Previously, soccer and basketball used to be played at the adjoining Constitution Hill. But with construction of the Constitutional Court taking place on the site, these facilities have been taken up with the building operations. Fortunately, says Openshaw, local schools like the Barnato Park School in Berea have offered their facilities, an offer which has largely been taken up by the soccer teams.
Part of this regeneration approach is to change the names of the four parks in Hillbrow and Berea - Alec Gorschel Park, Donald Mackay Park, JL de Villiers Park and Mitchell Park. "We hope that a name change will help people to identify with new names and take pride in the parks," adds Openshaw.
Rebuilding community
A recently approved budget of R3.3-million will pay for high-mask lighting in the parks. "Although not very friendly to local residents, the lighting will make the parks safer places."
Another plan is to take a square of land just west of Windybrow - the Victorian mansion built in 1896, now a national monument and a theatre - which at present is paved and blocked off, and grass it to make it a tranquil spot in the heart of this land of high-rise living.
The Initiative has started putting its plans in place: it has run a series of workshops and obtained a "fairly good idea of problems - and is now working towards producing solutions".
"We are using interactive murals and developing characters who will say something about rubbish, for instance, and that it should be put into bins, or encourage hawkers to clean up after themselves," says Openshaw.
Other themes will be: mugging, how children in day-care centres are cared for, littering, parks, sex work, and homelessness.
Public performances in the form of a 'forum theatre' are held, mostly at Highpoint. This involves residents on the streets exploring various issues as well as sharing solutions to challenges facing them as a community.
Another plan is to open up several of the alleyways behind blocks of flats, to allow children, especially young children who can't cross roads without adults, to play safely in them.
Openshaw feels the Hillbrow community is keen to see the suburb become a clean, safe area, especially as there are numerous families living in the area.
The area is a mix of nationalities - South Africans, Zimbabweans, Nigerians and Mozambicans. This makes decision-making and community involvement more difficult, particularly as one of the principal aims of the Initiative is to strengthen local democracy.
"But in view of the struggle for survival for a lot of people in the area, we can't expect too much in the way of community involvement. We don't consider it undemocratic to improve things without them," says Openshaw.
First National Bank has just taken offices in Highpoint, which means there are now five banks in the centre, says Openshaw. With this, it is hoped that CCTV will be installed to secure the area. The Metro Police have indicated that they can staff a surveillance centre nearby.
The Metro Police are beginning to make their presence felt - in half an hour five of their vehicles were spotted in Hillbrow. Cowan is hoping that their presence will "bring back a sense of order and people will start respecting rules". This initiative by the City Council will, it is hoped, help change people's attitudes, says Cowan.
CCTV cameras in the city centre have reduced crime there by 48%. Cameras in Hillbrow are also in the pipeline. R1.7-million has been made available to install these cameras in the suburb.
Back in time
This is not the first time Hillbrow has been the focus of people's energy in an effort to clean up and beautify the area. The Hillbrow Greening Committee, formed in 1976, was run by the group of volunteer women and men, headed by Lilian le Roith.
Le Roith says with enthusiasm: "I started the Committee after standing at Golden Oaks, a building designed by my husband in Clarendon Place on the edge of Hillbrow, and looked over at Hillbrow with its high-rises, and wondered whether I could introduce plants to green the area."
"Le Roith came up with the container concept, and the City Council supplied 100 large square concrete containers," says Alan Buff, Committee member and now senior manager: technical support and training at Johannesburg City Parks.
Trees were planted in the containers and shop owners were asked to take responsibility for each planted container outside their premises. Street benches and lamps were put in place to make Hillbrow more people-friendly.
The Committee then looked upward to the blocks of flats and focused on balconies and rooftops. They actively encouraged tenants to green their balconies by getting window boxes, soil and plants at wholesale prices for them.
The Committee encouraged tenants further by holding garden competitions (Le Roith has seven handsome silver trophies in her office), tree planting ceremonies, and holding plant sales which encouraged councillors to come and meet their constituents.
"I remember spending all day judging competitions," says Buff. This co-operation between the City Council and the Hillbrow Greening Committee worked well. "We got fine support from the Johannesburg City Council in all these efforts," says Le Roith.
The Committee closed its doors in mid-1980 when it was felt that Hillbrow had become an unsafe place.
A suburb bordering Hillbrow and closer to town, Joubert Park, also has people putting in time and energy to tackle the Park and its regeneration, in the form of The GreenHouse Project, the Child and Family Resource Service, Lapeng, and the Art Gallery.
And still others are greening the city centre
2013 World Bank Group/Fund Annual Meetings
"Boosting Shared Prosperity By Getting Youth Employment Solutions Meeting". Global growth and poverty reduction over the next 20 years will be driven by todays young people. The global economy will need to create 5 million new jobs each month during the next decade to meet the demands of new entrants. Moderator Nigel Chapman, Chief Executive Officer, Plan International, and speakers: H.E. Lamine Doghri, Minister of Development and International Cooperation, Tunisia; Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Director General, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA); Jill Huntly, Global Managing Director for Corporate Citizenship, Accenture; Jennifer Silberman, Vice President, Social Responsibilty, Hilton Worldwide. Photo by Brangelina Clawson \ World Bank Group
Just bought this autographed copy
of My story by Julie Couillard - 2008
(former girlfriend of Maxine Bernier)
Maxine Bernier resigned from cabinet in 2008 only hours before Couillard described in a television interview how he had left classified briefing documents for a NATO summit at her Montreal home. After all of this Maxine and noted other
M.Ps trash Julie Couillard about her past. Sad how politicians
take no responsibilty for their mistakes especially having
N.A.T.O confidential documents in their personal possession.
Maxime Bernier resigns over missing documents.
May 26 and 27, 2008 - Maxime Bernier resigned as Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs after learning his ex-girlfriend Julie Couillard would reveal he left sensitive documents at her home.
See story below on YouTube :
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfGcybmQYKs
Also found this interview by George Stroumboulopoulos
questioning Maxine Bernier on his mistake of having confidential documents. Instead of just admitting mistake
he tries to smear his girlfriend again but I give credit to
interviewer for stopping him that she was not the issue.
This is about 7 minutes into the interview. See below
on YouTube.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTjLSHSx6Pg&t=458s
Maxime Bernier PC MP (born January 18, 1963) is a Canadian businessman, lawyer and politician serving as the
Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Beauce since 2006. He is the founder and current leader of the
People's Party of Canada (PPC).
Prior to entering politics, Bernier held positions in the fields of law, finance and banking. First elected to
the Canadian House of Commons as a Conservative, Bernier served as Minister of Industry, Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism, which later became the Minister of State for Small
Business and Tourism and Agriculture in the cabinet of then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Following the
Conservatives' defeat in the 2015 election, he served as opposition critic for Innovation, Science and Economic
Development in the shadow cabinets of Rona Ambrose and Andrew Scheer, until June 12, 2018.
Bernier ran for the Conservative Party leadership in the 2017 leadership election, and came in a close second
with over 49% of the vote in the 13th round, after leading the eventual winner, Andrew Scheer, in the first 12
rounds. Fifteen months later, in August 2018, Bernier resigned from the Conservative Party to create his own
party, citing disagreements with Scheer's leadership.[1] His new party was named the People's Party of Canada in
September 2018.
Interview Julie Couillard gave in 2008
JULIE COUILLARD TALKS WITH KENNETH WHYTE ABOUT HER DEAL WITH MAXIME BERNIER, HIS DISLOYALTY, AND HER RESPECT FOR
THE PM
OCTOBER 20 2008
'All of a sudden, I'm a biker’s chick, I'm trash. He ran the other way while I drowned.’
INTERVIEW
JULIE COUILLARD TALKS WITH KENNETH WHYTE ABOUT HER DEAL WITH MAXIME BERNIER, HIS DISLOYALTY, AND HER RESPECT FOR
THE PM
I’m going to start at the beginning of your relationship with Mr. Bernier, and that very first meeting that you
two had.
A: Well, it was actually my real estate broker that invited me to a cinq-à-sept. I had mentioned to him a couple
of days prior that the Conservative party had approached me to maybe present myself as an MP, which really took
me by surprise. But to tell you that I ever took this proposition seriously, no. Still, I was curious about it,
and my broker says, we’re all going for supper afterwards and, by the way, a minister is going to be there, and
maybe you’d like to come and pick his brains, basically, about politics and everything to do with becoming 14
an MP. So I said yeah. He mentioned to me it was the ministre de l’industrie—industry minister—Maxime Bernier.
As a joke, my broker said, “He’s pretty cute, and he’s single, so who knows?” That’s how we first met.
Q: In the course of the evening, Mr. Bernier got a bit forward with you.
A: Well, actually, that was at the beginning of the evening. We had just sat down, and he leaned forward and
gave me a little peck on the cheek. And some people will say, “How come you got shocked by that? Because next
time you saw him you guys ended up being intimate on your first official date.” It’s not the same as if you meet
a guy for the first time, you hit it off well, and then it’s officially a date. First of all, my brokers were
there. It was a business meeting. I mean, I was in a
suit. That’s why it was totally out of place.
Q: You took him outside, gave him a lecture, and said you weren’t there as a little helper.
A: Exactly, yeah.
Q: What did you mean by little helper?
A: Well, that was the English translation. I’m not a girl that some company will introduce you to so that,
basically, if you find her cute you can have your way with her. Because there were other young girls, all of a
sudden, that joined our table, that were not businesswomen. They were there just to party. I wanted to make it
clear to Maxime that, you know, you’re a very nice guy, we get along great, and you’re handsome and all, but I’m
calling the shots and nobody else.
Q: It is kind of offensive for somebody to do that at a first meeting. Why not run from him?
A: Well, because he was very apologetic.
Q: So you don’t think he mistook you for a little helper?
A: No, because I can be very blunt. And he was taken aback.
Q: It wasn’t really a business arrangement he proposed when you started to see each other steadily, but it was
kind of a professional arrangement, right?
A: No. Maxime proposed a personal relationship with a condition attached to it. That’s how, really, it was
presented to me. The first offer was if I wanted to become his girlfriend, and if I would be interested enough
to have a serious relationship with him, there were certain strings attached to the fact that he was a
politician and a public figure. [They would have to go out for a year.] Though I was a bit shocked in the sense
that it’s not the most romantic way to ask a girl to go out with you, after his explanation I had to agree with
him. He was a politician, he was a public figure, and it came with the territory.
Q: Right.
A: I put myself in his shoes. Sometimes you do have to compromise because of your work. And at that point in
time, I didn’t anticipate not getting along with Maxime.
Q: In My Story, you describe some behaviour on his part that wasn’t terribly impressive, his temper tantrums,
throwing an iron across the room, and calling you when you’re at official functions with important people,
summoning you from across the room in a rude way.
A: While I’m talking with the wife of our ambassador nonetheless, yes.
Q: And then there’s the fact that you found out [that there were] other women.
A: There’s one specific event that I found out while I was his girlfriend, the rest I found out after I was just
his friend.
Q: There’s a considerable amount of stuff like this in the book about him, and I have trouble seeing what
attracted you two. Did you like him?
A At the beginning I did. A: Well, he’s easygoing, he’s fun, you’ll enjoy a good supper with a good bottle of
wine. And we did have a very strong attraction for one another, and you have to understand that we had a
longdistance relationship. Four days out of the week Maxime was not there. Every other weekend he had his two
daughters. Most probably, if Maxime would have been living where Fm living, after a month or two I would have
said, “You know what, buddy? This is not working out.” It took me six months because he got promoted and he
started travelling a lot, and sometimes I wouldn’t even see him for two to three weeks, so when we finally did
get together it was like our first date all over again. It wasn’t easy for me to realize that he was lacking
depth.
Q: Regarding the men in your life before Maxime Bernier, Gilles Giguère was murdered, and Stéphane Sirois was
fairly high up in a motorcycle gang.
A: No, he was not.
Q: No? What was he?
A: While I was with him he was not a biker. He gave back his patch, because that was my condition. I didn’t want
to go out with a biker. After I divorced him he went back into that world and eventually turned into a rat.
Q: You’ve been left heartbroken, broke, and embarrassed by various men in your life. Do you feel you have been
unlucky in love?
A: I’ve had my unlucky strikes, I have to admit. You have to understand that I was put in a position where I had
no choice to write a biography to re-establish the facts and my credibility, and had I written that book at 78,
let’s say, there would have been a lot more happy times. At this point in time in my life I made a choice of
keeping the good business ventures and my happy relationships for me, for the little I had left of my private
life.
Q: So you don’t think you have a habit of picking the wrong guy?
A: Well, I could have a better average.
Q: I get a bit confused about the end of your relationship with Mr. Bernier. It was in December 2007 that you
sort of broke up, but you continued to see one another. You were still more than friends, though.
A: Yes, we were. I had nobody else in my life, so j’ai rendu le pratique agréable, I made what was practical
agreeable. I mentioned to Maxime in December that our relationship was not fulfilling me and that I had no time
to waste, at my age, and I knew that Maxime was not the guy. And to tell you the truth, Maxime agreed that it
was better that we remained good friends, you know? I had given
him my word that I would remain his official girlfriend for a year and, to tell you honestly, though you know
that that person is not the person of your life, you still can grow very attached. I certainly didn’t do it
against my own free will or all those things that people implied, that I was paid to be his escort and whatnot.
That’s totally ridiculous. How many people had an ex that they kept seeing until they met someone else that was
more interesting? I think we have all done it. So all of a sudden, because he’s a minister, there’s this hidden
agenda behind it.
Q: Everybody’s trying to impose a story on your life.
A: It was much simpler than that, and a
1 had this image of George Bush as this cold person. He had a great sense of humour. That totally threw me off.’
lot duller than that, if you ask me.
Q: Well, it’s not very dull.
A: Concerning my relationship with Maxime it was. Yes, fine, I did have a fiancé that got assassinated, but that
was 12 years ago, and yes, I ended up divorcing a guy that used to be a biker before he went out with me, or got
married to me, but that was 10 years ago.
Q: Is that one of the things that was so horrifying for you about this? Because you’ve been working, travelling
in different circles, and holding your own with ambassadors and important people around the world. And then all
of a sudden, you’re reading about yourself in the paper.
A: All of a sudden I’m a biker’s chick and I’m this and I’m that and I’m trash and I’m a whore and I’m possibly
sent by bikers. What
the hell? That’s 10 and 12 years ago, so what does that have to do with anything now?
Q: Was it necessary, in order to re-establish your reputation, to go so deeply into Mr. Bernier’s character
flaws and his misbehaviours?
A: I think that it was. When you have a team of people who work 45 hours a week to portray you and to sell your
image in the media, getting to know the real, true person behind this image can’t be easy. It needed to be done
so that people would understand not his actions, but his inaction in this circus that crashed my life. Some
people will say, “Yeah, well, it’s pretty harsh.” Well, I’m so sorry but his silence was basically sending a
message to the public that he was endorsing everything that was being said. That man knew me, he spent a year
with me, six months as his girlfriend, and I was good enough to remain his very good friend for another six
months, and he still wanted me to stick around to keep accompanying him in all his official functions, so I
couldn’t have been such a vulgar woman and a slut and a this and a that and a biker’s chick. Yet he let all
these things be said about me, and he was the politician, he was the one who had all the tools to stand up and
say, “Listen, now, this is not right.”
Q: In March of this year it broke on TV that the minister is dating a biker chick.
Q: May, sorry, and he went underground.
A: Exactly, he started acting like he never even knew me. Do you honestly think that the media, politicians,
[the general] population would have been the slightest [bit] interested in what Julie Couillard did in her life
10, 11 years ago, 12 years ago? Who gave a damn? Nobody. Everybody became interested. Why? Because I was the
official girlfriend of a federal cabinet minister. He ran the other way waving while I was drowning.
Q: What should he have done?
A: Well, he should have at least straightened out the facts, and right from the get-go he could have stopped
this then and there. He could have said that this is all a cheap way of trying to damage his reputation and
damage the party that was in power, and that it had nothing to do with the real issues of our society today and
it was just cheap politics. He had all the tools and all the people. He knew that the RCMP, the Sûreté du
Québec,
la Communauté urbaine de Montréal, all of them, [that] did investigate me back then, came to the conclusion I
had nothing to do with organized crime aside from the fact that I was seeing people that knew people in that
scene, but on a personal level, and I was not implicated in the criminal activities of any sort. This was just a
cheap attempt to damage our government. That’s all it was!
Q: In the book, Stephen Harper comes off better than pretty much anyone else you encountered in that world. You
were impressed with him.
A: Yes, I was. I have to admit that I do not have the same political views as Mr. Harper but I do have a lot of
respect for the man.
Q: George W. Bush impressed you as well.
A: I had this image of this cold, very restrained person, but he was such a friendly and accessible guy, and
very light and funny. He had a great sense of humour. That totally threw me off.
Q: You say in the book that you thought you let Mr. Bernier off too easily. Is there more to the story that you
haven’t written?
A: The only more would be things that I do not think are of any public interest.
Q: He would, when you were together, complain about Mr. Harper being fat or being controlling. Doesn’t everybody
complain about the boss?
A: Maybe. But Maxime doesn’t have just a job, he’s a politician. That’s very different. He shouldn’t have a
right to disrespect our Prime Minister. And what really pissed me off is that Maxime was a guy that two years
before wasn’t even in politics and there you go, all of a sudden, because of Mr. Harper, he ends up, hey, the
minister of external affairs! Come on! The man might not be perfect, we’re all perfectly unperfect, but you
should respect him for giving you that opportunity.
Q: You answered this question already about the men in your life and your batting average. Do you think it’s the
kind of man you’re attracted to or the kind of man who’s attracted to you?
A: Well, I don’t know. I know for my part my flaws are more that I see a good-looking guy and he’s a good talker
and he’s a lot of fun and he makes me laugh, and then I have a tendency of more dreaming an image of that
person, and then I fall in love with that image, but the guy I’m falling in love with does not even exist.
That’s what I would have to watch out for. And because, I guess, of my looks some men are attracted to me for
the wrong reasons, they stop at what they see instead of seeing deeper than that.
Q: When you were travelling with Mr. Bernier and going to official functions, you did meet some people and you
exchanged business cards on occasion. Did any opportunities or any doors open for you because ofthat?
A: I didn’t really exchange business cards at all, to tell you the truth, when I was with Maxime. I’ve had the
pleasure of saying, “I’ve met our ambassador in Paris.” But I was the spouse of Maxime, that’s why I was there.
Q: Are you working now?
A: Oh, no. My life totally stopped. The seventh of May everything stopped.
Q: What are you going to do now?
A: That’s a very good question. I don’t have an answer. I still have a mortgage to pay, and a car payment and so
on and so forth. I concentrated on re-establishing the facts and reestablishing my credibility because nobody
will have anything to do business-wise with me—which is totally understandable—and I do not believe that the
same career is ever going to pick up again.
Q: Real estate?
A: No, real estate and development. I specialized in a very narrow niche, where you always have to be in contact
with the municipalities, with the provincial, even the federal government. M
Gisimba Memorial Center.
Kigali, Rwanda. Afrika.
June, 2005.
If you are interested in sponsoring an orphan at Gisimba Memorial Center, direct contact information is listed below.
Ildephonse Niyongana - Director
Damas Gisimba - Founder
gisimbacmg@yahoo.com
Gisimba Orphanage
B.P. 1433 Kigali Rwanda
Ave de la Nyarugenge
Nyamirambo
District of Nyarugenge
tel +250 08524515 or +250 08532596
Bank of Kigali 040-0013914-76
swift BK IG RWRW
Additional information can also be found on www.orphansofrwanda.org
Please consider making a difference in the lives of orphans in Rwanda
by visiting "Orphans of Rwanda": www.orphansofrwanda.org/getinvolved.php#donate
Rwanda: Hundreds Illegally Detained in Former Warehouse
Detention Center in Gikondo Must Be Closed and Children Released
(New York, May 15, 2006) Hundreds of persons, many of them
children, are being held in deplorable conditions in an unofficial detention
center in the Gikondo neighborhood of the Rwandan capital Kigali,
Human Rights Watch said in a briefing paper issued today.
The 13-page paper, "Swept Away: Street Children Illegally Detained in
Kigali, Rwanda" documents life at the center based on the testimony of
children and young adults formerly detained there.
"Kigali city officials who are running the detention center recognize that it
must be closed," said Alison Des Forges, senior adviser to the Africa
division of Human Rights Watch. "From the perspective of the children
held there, the sooner, the better."
Thousands of Rwandan children eke out a bare living on the streets of
Kigali and other urban areas, many having no adult care as a consequence
of the 1994 genocide, war or the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Since 1997 city
authorities have regularly rounded up street children as well as beggars,
street vendors and sex workers. In 2005 they began detaining many of
these people in a former warehouse in Gikondo, a short distance from the
luxury hotels frequented by international visitors.
Authorities hold the detainees as "vagrants" under colonial-era regulations
but rarely formally charge them, bring them to court, or afford them the
due process rights guaranteed under the Rwandan constitution and
international conventions by which Rwanda is bound. According to
authorities, the site is officially meant to be a "transit center" with persons
detained for no more than three days.
In fact, some detainees have spent weeks or months in detention before
being released without any judicial procedure. Detainees receive
inadequate food, water, and medical care; they sleep on the floor without
blankets or mattresses.
"Detaining children just because they are poor, dirty, and have no one to
care for them violates their rights," said Des Forges. "Under international
and Rwandan law, the state must protect these children, not just sweep
them out of sight."
"Swept Away: Street Children Illegally Detained in Kigali, Rwanda"
is available at: hrw.org/backgrounder/africa/rwanda0506/
-----------
Please help support the research that made this bulletin possible. In order
to protect our objectivity, Human Rights Watch does not accept funding from
any government. We depend entirely on the generosity of people like you.
To make a contribution, please visit donate.hrw.org/member
There is a whole generation of genocide survivors, their stories must be heard.
Gisimba Memorial Center.
The girls' dormitory.
An orphanage on the outskirts of Kigali, in Nyamirambo.
Rwanda. Afrika.
August, 2006
Happiness isn't situational--it's internal.
Gisimba Memorial Center.
Kigali, Rwanda. Afrika.
July, 2005.
If you are interested in sponsoring an orphan at Gisimba Memorial Center, direct contact information is listed below.
Ildephonse Niyongana - Director
Damas Gisimba - Founder
gisimbacmg@yahoo.com
Gisimba Orphanage
B.P. 1433 Kigali Rwanda
Ave de la Nyarugenge
Nyamirambo
District of Nyarugenge
tel +250 08524515 or +250 08532596
Bank of Kigali 040-0013914-76
swift BK IG RWRW
Additional information can also be found on www.orphansofrwanda.org
This is the back view of the cottage, once the living quarters of the gate keeper who controlled the level crossing gates where the A140 crossed the Waveney Valley Line - Tivetshall to Beccles Railway.
When the line was in passenger service, up to 1953, it would have had gates operated by this resident keeper. Later, towards the end in 1963, when only goods traffic used the line, the train crew would have had the responsibilty for opening and closing the gates.
The yellow oval to the right of the cottage shows the position of Pulham Market church. The old railway station laid about half a mile to the South of the village, but the original building no longer exists.
This crossing seen on the North/South trunk road, A140, on this 1946 Ordinance Survey map, See here.
More information about and photos of the Waveney Valley Banch Line:- Beccles to Tivetshall bound or Tivetshall to Beccles bound.