Ovi magazine; Monday May 29th, 2023

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems, the thoughts, the reviews, the photos, the paintings and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Monday May 29th, 2023

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The United Nations Peacekeeping Forces, Weak but Necessary. by Rene Wadlow

29 May is the International Day of the United Nations Peacekeepers. The day was chosen in memory of the creation of the first UN interposition force in the Middle East. In the years since, 3,800 have lost their lives. Today there are 14 operations. The most difficult are in Africa where there has been large scale breakdown of State structures such as the Central African Republic, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The deployment of U.N. peace-keeping forces is only one aspect of conflict resolution and peace building.  However U.N. peace-keeping forces are the most visible (and expensive) aspect of the U.N. peace-building efforts. Thus our attention must be justly given to the role, the financing, and the practice of U.N. peace-keeping forces.

How effective are U.N. peacekeeping operations in preventing and stopping violence? Are there alternatives to the ways that U.N. and regional organizations currently carry out peacekeeping operations?  How effective are peacekeeping operations in addressing the root causes of conflicts?  How does one measure the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations?  We must ask questions of their effectiveness and if these military personnel should  not be complemented by other forms of peace-building. 

Continue reading HERE!

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I will not fade away #poem by Amir Khatib

“I will not fade away, as they say,
Rather, I will be absent for a long time,
I do not return to homeland like a refugee dreams,
It emerged in another place,
And a sheep may come across me in a pasture, and bite me,
And re-ruminate”

Continue reading HERE!

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Ghostin’ #65 by Thanos Kalamidas

For more Ghostin’ HERE!

For more Ovi Cartoons, HERE!

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Ovi magazine; Sunday May 29th, 2022 – International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Sunday May 29th, 2022 – International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers

The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, May 29, is “an international day to pay tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in United Nations peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication, and courage and to honor the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.”

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Wild Flowers, And ‘You’re Not The Boss of Me’ Horses, Sunflowers and U-Necked Cranes by Leah Sellers

“Mama ! Mama ! Uncle E.L. and I drove by a Hysterical Cemetery when he took me fishin’ today !”

“Excuse me ?” Cheyenne’s Mama queried as she hugged her returning precocious seven year old.

“You know, Mama, a Hysterical Cemetery. You’re always pointing’ them out to me when we’re travelin’ around in the car.”

“Honey, the Cemeteries I point out to you are Historical, not Hysterical.”

“Oh, I got the word wrong. That’s why Uncle E.L. laughed at me !”

Cheyenne’s Mama chuckled. “More than likely, Baby.”

“I’m glad to know that, ‘cause I thought he was bein’ rude to all of the Dead People, and you’re always telling’ me that must Respect and Honor our Dead.”

Continue reading HERE!

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“Reflections” #poem & #painting by Nikos Laios

“I see my reflection in the mirror,
I see your reflection in the mirror,
A brief sketch or vignette
Ephemeral colours and shadows
Flickering and quivering
Like reflections in a pond.”

Continue reading HERE!

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The United Nations Peacekeeping Forces, Weak but Necessary by Rene Wadlow

29 May is the International Day of the United Nations Peacekeepers. The day was chosen in memory of the creation of the first UN interposition force in the Middle East. In the years since, 3,800 have lost their lives. Today there are 14 operations. The most difficult are in Africa where there has been large scale breakdown of State structures such as the Central African Republic, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The deployment of U.N. peace-keeping forces is only one aspect of conflict resolution and peace building.  However U.N. peace-keeping forces are the most visible (and expensive) aspect of the U.N. peace-building efforts. Thus our attention must be justly given to the role, the financing, and the practice of U.N. peace-keeping forces.

Continue reading HERE!

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Ephemera #057 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

For more Ephemera, HERE!

For more Ovi Cartoons, HERE!

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Peacekeepers abusing children

Children as young as six are being sexually abused by peacekeepers and aid workers, says a leading UK charity.

Children in post-conflict areas are being abused by the very people drafted into such zones to help look after them, says Save the Children. After research in Ivory Coast, southern Sudan and Haiti, the charity proposed an international watchdog be set up.

Save the Children said it had sacked three workers for breaching its codes, and called on others to do the same. The three men were all dismissed in the past year for having had sex with girls aged 17 - which the charity said was a sackable offence even though not illegal.

The UN has said it welcomes the charity's report, which it will study closely. Save the Children says the most shocking aspect of child sex abuse is that most of it goes unreported and unpunished, with children too scared to speak out.

There is only one word for that …shame!!!

High-ranking Finnish peacekeepers involved in bribes?

The state prosecutor is charging two high-ranking Finnish peacekeeping officers with turning a blind eye to bribes collected by two junior peacekeepers in Afghanistan.

Furthermore, they are accused of neglecting to disclose information during the preliminary investigation. I suppose they did so respecting the fact that Finland is ranking on the top of the less corrupted countries!!!

Two other high-ranking Finnish officers working in Afghanistan, who were previously named in the case, were not charged. Recently, the two junior peacekeepers were sentenced to unconditional prison sentences. The men accepted bribes worth tens of thousands of Euros from Afghan companies from the years 2004 to 2006 in exchange for lucrative construction deals.

According to the sentenced men, taking money for such deals is the custom in Afghanistan. However, they said they did not demand payment.

So it was bribe for the non-corrupted Finns, it was …multiculturalism!