Ovi magazine; Friday October 20th, 2023

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems, the thoughts, the reviews, the photos, the paintings and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Friday October 20th, 2023

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Israel-Hamas: A Possible Go-Between? by Rene Wadlow

As the Israeli-Hamas conflict intensifies amid growing frustration and anger in much of the Middle East, the situation looks as if it were on a downward spiral.   We see in this armed conflict between Israel and Hamas that in polarized situations of armed conflict and humanitarian crisis, there is a need for a go-between, a third-party mediator who can help to overcome barriers and to start negotiations. Mediation is an effort to change perceptions both of the nature of the conflict and of the enemy to the extent that both protagonists gain some hope of a reasonable resolution and so are more prepared to negotiate seriously.  There is a need to lessen misconceptions and exaggerated fears and to find small realistic steps that can be taken on the long road to transcend a raging quarrel.

There are basically three sources of possible mediators.  One is the United Nations which has provided in some cases leadership opportunities.  However, a U.N. mediator can rarely use threats.  He has no funds to promise aid to back up his efforts and cannot call upon the type of resources that a national government has.  It was only in 2007 that the U.N. set up a Mediation Support Office.  Until then, U.N. staff had to be pulled from other U.N. work.  Seldom have U.N. mediators had offices on the ground constantly monitoring developments.

Continue reading HERE!

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Prayers To God #poem & #painting by Nikos Laios

“A stabbing, 
“God is great”,
A bomb goes off,
“God is great”,
Women are raped,
“God is great””

Continue reading HERE!

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Worming #76 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

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Ovi magazine; Sunday July 23rd, 2023

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems, the thoughts, the reviews, the photos, the paintings and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Sunday July 23rd, 2023

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Peace Planners: Awake! by Rene Wadlow

he recent NATO Summit in Vilnius is an indication that the war planning community is busy at work in the spirit of Von Clausewitz that war is a continuation of politics by other means.  Thus there is a need for the peace planning community to be awake and be equally busy.  The challenges which humanity faces today: armed violence, persistent poverty, mass migration, and the consequences of climate change, require strong collective action at the local, the national, and the world level.

For peace planners, we need to analyse current armed conflicts and the strong tensions which may lead to violence.  Sometimes these tensions start as small localized events, such as tensions between military forces on the India-China frontier, but such tensions contain the seeds for later armed violence.  The recent trip of the 100 year old Henry Kissinger across the Pacific to discuss with the Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu is an indication that tensions in the Indo-Pacific area are being taken seriously.

Continue reading HERE!

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The Invasion by Abigail George

“Into the window of despair that is written all over your
face. What do you know of terror? Walk towards me is
all I asked.  You could not love or rather could not love
me. This is what you would choose over me. The she.
The “she” that lives in an office building and for the men
in her life. I mut forgive myself for stepping into the
nonchalant river. Two vessels of light. You were a body of
water and I floated on my back looking at pictures of
classmates from high school that had no memory of me.”

Continue reading HERE!

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Ant-Biotics #20 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

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Ovi magazine; Wednesday September 21st, 2022 – International Day of Peace

2022 Theme: End racism. Build peace. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire. But achieving true peace entails much more than laying down arms. It requires the building of societies where all members feel that they can flourish. It involves creating a world in which people are treated equally, regardless of their race.

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Amgalan, a Buriat Doctor, Speaks about Buddhism by Valerie Sartor

Buddhism is a great social and cultural tradition. Buddhism has the power to impart to the ordinary people its own characteristic values and attitudes and has a profound influence on the values of the home as well as the nation. Ling also asserts that Buddhism has promoted an unusually high rate of literacy in Asia. The philosophy of Buddhism encourages social opportunity without economic competition.

When I interviewed Amgalan, a doctor trained in Mongolian and Tibetan traditional medicine, he told me that Buddhist practices reflect a “respect for the environment. They also contain a realistic attitude toward the value of material things. This attitude criticizes plundering and extravagant waste. Also, Buddhist cultures are peaceful; they do not encourage ideas of dominance.”

Buddhism is essentially a non-theistic religion, but several types of Buddhism, over the centuries, have evolved and created deities; Bodhisattvas, and gods, including Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhism. For Buddhists, more reliance on heavenly powers means less reliance on earthly factors, less reliance on man’s supreme need for sustained moral effort and mental discipline.

Continue reading HERE!

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Love of my life #poem by Dr. Lawrence Nannery

“If the fights were only playfights
Then what was the lovemaking?
Our hearts just below our breastbones,
We were yes particular friends, puffing our plumage,
And here is our true story, with the texture of cotton candy.”

Continue reading HERE!

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A Day of Deeper Peace by Rene Wadlow

21 September is the U.N. sponsored International Day of Peace chosen to mark the annual start of the U.N. General Assembly.  The General Assembly touches upon all the armed conflicts and tension areas. It can highlight the peace missions of the U.N. peacekeeper troops at work in different parts of the world.  Often, there are informal talks behind the scenes among the representatives of States in conflict.  However, there is little or no avenue for talks with non-State armed groups such as ISIS.  Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have no direct standing with the General Assembly.  Consultative status is granted by the Economic and Social Council.  However, NGO representatives are active in the hallways and coffee bars during the General Assembly, and government representatives become aware of their suggestions.

However, a deeper approach to peace building is necessary, and the Day of Peace is a moment when these deeper approaches can be expressed. Thus, the Association of World Citizens has stressed the peacebuilding approach of Louise Diamond.

Continue reading HERE!

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A fistful of cactus #036 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

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Ovi magazine; Tuesday December 14th, 2021

 

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Tuesday December 14th, 2021

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Steps Toward Security in the Middle East by Rene Wadlow

The U.N. Conference on the Establishlent of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and other Weapons of Mass Destruction took place at the U.N. in New York, 29 November to 3 December 2021. The Conference is open-ended – that is open to those States that wish to attend – with a mandate provided by General Assembly Resolution A/73/546 to continue meeting annually “until the confernce concludes the elaboration of a legally binding treaty establishing a Middle East Zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.”  The first session was held 18-22 November 2019.

The process will not be easy in an area where armed conflicts exist and are undermining stablity. There are very real concerns concerning nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.Regional conflicts could unleash a nuclear war through escalation of a conventional war, miscalculation or delibeate pre-emptive attack. This is the second time that the conference is held.  The 22 countries of the Arab League and Iran participated as did the U.K. and Russia.  Israel and the U.S.A. did not.  While the difficulties are real, the Conference provides opportunities for governments of the region to share perspectives, consider proposals and look at the institutional requirements to establish such a zone.

Continue reading HERE!

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“Black Birds” #poem & #painting by Nikos Laios

“I saw two
Black birds
Fly overhead,
And the wind
Howled through
Dead streets past”

Continue reading HERE!

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Ephemera 21#24 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

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Ovi magazine; Sunday October 31st, 2021

 

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Sunday October 31st, 2021

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Interviewing Prof. Verene A. Shepherd by Dr Elsa Lycias Joel

Q: I’m too much in awe of what you are in totality Prof. Verene Shepherd. This opportunity to chat and get to know you better is an honour. When you decided to research the history of Jamaican women, did you have some kind of an urge to unearth Jamaican feminism, the genesis of it all and tell the world that feminism is nothing new to Jamaica?

A: Thank you for taking the time to explore my work, ideas and influences. First of all, my overall research interest as a Social Historian, is the experiences of historically marginalized people: enslaved Africans, indentured Asians (in particular Indians), left behind men and boys, women (including enslaved women and household workers). My interest in women’s experiences was influenced by the late Historian, Lucille Mathurin Mair, who wrote the first dedicated book on Jamaican women. So she unearthed the history of Jamaican feminism. I simply continued research to show the roots of gender-based violence and the history of women’s activism against all forms of oppression and discrimination. Mair’s work made me a feminist, though.

Continue reading HERE!

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Despair and hardship #poem by Abigail George

“There was a home and a
family that belonged to her. Fragments in a diary. You’ve
    revealed your true self to
    me and now I must do the
same. The mysteries of my sorrows
    are like a constellation beyond

   the trees. Emptiness lingers
    here. It will be hours until
    I sleep. And when that fire
comes I will dream under nightfall. A million stars.
    It will be a quiet victory in”

Continue reading HERE!

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Women as Peacemakers by Rene Wadlow

October 31 is the anniversary of  the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325 which calls for full and equal participation of women in conflict prevention, peace processes, and peace-building, thus creating opportunities for women to become fully involved in governance and leadership. This historic Security Council resolution 1325 of 31 October 2000 provides a mandate to incorporate gender perspectives in all areas of peace support.  Its adoption is part of a process within the UN system through its World Conferences on Women in Mexico City (1975), in Copenhagen (1980), in Nairobi (1985), in Beijing (1995), and at a special session of the U.N. General Assembly to study progress five years after Beijing (2000).

Since  2000, there have been no radical changes as a result of Resolution 1325, but the goal has been articulated and accepted. Now women must learn to take hold of and generate political power if they are to gain an equal role in peace-making. They must be willing to try new avenues and new approaches as symbolized by the actions of Lysistrata.

Continue reading HERE!

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Ma-Siri & Alexa 21#16 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

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Art Bonds Us #4

 

Art Bond Us
An Ovi Magazine ‘Awareness’ Campaign

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“Life is like a piano. What you get out of it depends on how you play it.” -Tom Lehrer

Iran feels ready for dialogue with US

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said he would welcome talks with the US as long as they were based on "mutual respect". Speaking on the 30th anniversary of the Islamic revolution in Iran, he said Iran would welcome change from the US as long as it was "fundamental".

He said: "The Iranian nation is ready to hold talks... in a fair atmosphere." The two nations cut ties in 1979 after the revolution, when the US embassy in Tehran was occupied for 444 days.

Odd how the word dialogue works with dictators especially when they are dressed in cleric uniform!

Gaza Strip – Cease Fire Now!

Israel is now considering a full-scale invasion of Gaza. Avaaz Organization is calling for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal to agree on an immediate cease fire for the region and engage in mature, responsible negotiations for a lasting peace, prosperity of their peoples and a solution for the conflict.

64% of the Israelis support the negotiations’ solution and people on the side of Hamas have suggested it too. Both sides want the world to legitimate their aspirations, so their aspirations will have to meet somehow if the world’s public opinion shows clearly that an one-side pseudo-solution will never be globally accepted.

http://www.avaaz.org

Rice in Mid-East

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in the Middle East for the latest American attempt to advance an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

Shortly after arriving in Jerusalem on Saturday evening, she had talks over dinner with Israeli PM Ehud Olmert. She is due to meet Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad on Sunday.

She will then go on to the West Bank town of Ramallah to see Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Speaking on the aircraft on her way to the region from London, Ms Rice said that everyone wanted to see things move more quickly, and that was why she kept going back to the Middle East.

She’s taking the circus around and around like she doesn’t want to admit that time is up! Over! It has finished for her and her Washington gang! Then again perhaps she’s building up for …five years after!

Erdogan in Syria

Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, as part of efforts to secure a peace deal between Syria and Israel.

Mr. Erdogan said both nations had sought Turkey's help on the issue. Mediation would begin at a low level and, if successful, progress to higher-level officials, he said.

On Thursday Syria said Israel had indicated it would be prepared to withdraw from the Golan Heights in return for peace. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has declined to comment on the reports, but Mr. Olmert has said that he is interested in peace in Syria.

Israel and Syria remain technically at war, although both sides have recently spoken of their desire for peace.

It looks like a holiday advert; dictators from all around the world come to Syria … What’s the matter with Erdogan? He heard that the North Koreans help Syria to build a nuclear reactor and they run to take their share?

Bed-in for peace

During the Vietnam War, in 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono held 2, week-long Bed-Ins for Peace, in Amsterdam and Montreal, which were their non-violent ways of protesting wars and promoting peace.

Knowing their March 20, 1969 marriage would be a huge press event, John and Yoko decided to use the publicity to promote world peace. They spent their honeymoon in Room 702 at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel for a week between March 26 and 31, inviting the world's press into their hotel room every day between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

After their other stunts, such as the nude cover of the Two Virgins album, the press were expecting them to be having sex, but instead the couple were sitting in bed—in John's words "like Angels"—talking about peace with signs over their bed reading "Hair Peace" and "Bed Peace". After seven days, they flew to Vienna, Austria, where they held a Bagism press conference.

Remembering that let’s …give peace a chance!