Ovi magazine; Friday September 8th, 2023 – International Literacy Day

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems, the thoughts, the reviews, the photos, the paintings and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Friday September 8th, 2023 – International Literacy Day

The International Literacy Day was decided by the UNESCO at 7th of November in the year 1965 to celebrate it at 8th of September every year which was celebrated first time in the year 1966. It was started celebrating all over the world to emphasize the great importance of the literacy to the individuals, society and communities. The day is celebrated specially to rememorize the status of the literacy and adult education to the international community.

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Getting to know the Madani government – By their deeds you will know them by Murray Hunter

The Anwar Ibrahim administration aka the Madani government has been in power for more than nine months now. As a commentator trying to tell the people the reflections I am seeing, these have met push back with a number of standard criticisms.

The most common one has been that Anwar is better than the alternative. This argument was recently used by Anwar himself when replying to a question by a student on the issue of student race quotas, a couple of weeks ago.

Others say, give Anwar a chance, while still more say that Anwar’s government is not a ‘reformasi’ government, and is a ‘unity’ government, sharing power with other political parties. And so, the one liners go on.

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Fallen faces #poem by Bohdan Yuri

“Fallen faces lined on cruel sidewalks
bodies sprawled against the walls.
one disappears, another takes its place,
forgotten under dirt, in man’s lost space.”

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Denis de Rougemont (1906-1985), The Future is within us. by Rene Wadlow

Denis de Rougemont, whose birth anniversary is 8 September,  was an intellectual leader among world citizens often walking on uncharted paths.  A French-speaking Swiss, after his studies of literature at the University of Geneva, at 25, he moved to Paris where he quickly became part of a group of young, unorthodox thinkers who were developing a “Personalist” philosophy.  The Personalists around Emmanuel Mounier, Alexandre Marc, Robert Aron and Arnaud Dandieu were trying to develop an approach based on the ‘Person’ to counter the strong intellectual currents of communism and fascism then at their height in European society. (1)  De Rougemont was one of the writers of the 1931 Manifesto of the New Order with its emphasis on developing a new cultural base for society.

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Screws & Chips #68 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

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Ovi magazine; Thursday April 27th, 2023

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems, the thoughts, the photos, the paintings and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Thursday April 27th, 2023

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How To Find A Good Mental Health Counselor by Stan Popovich

Many people have a difficult time in finding an effective mental health counselor that will help them get their life back on track.

The key is to find someone that you can trust in discussing your anxieties and depression.

With this in mind, here are seven suggestions on how to find a great mental health counselor that works for you.

1. Talk to your doctor or primary care physician: Your medical or family doctor is a great source in finding a therapist. Explain to your doctor your problems and he or she can point you in the right direction in seeking the proper treatment. Your primary care physician may even know of some low-cost services that you can use to your advantage.

2. Go to your local hospital: Your local hospital is another source you can use to find a good counselor and they also know of many different mental health programs in your area. Your emergency center can also handle your situation right away if you are struggling with fear and anxiety. This is just a few examples on the importance of getting mental health assistance in your life.

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I Was the Fireman #poem by Dr. Lawrence Nannery

“he ambulance people called on the Fire Department.
I was the fireman sent in to bring him out.
Mister McKeon. He had not broken 81.”

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Screws & Chips #59 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

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Ovi magazine; Friday March 3rd, 2023

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Friday March 3rd, 2023

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Post-independence governance in Sierra Leone: leadership crisis or a resource curse? by Dr Saidu Bangura

There is a widespread political truism in Sierra Leone: both political parties that have (mis)governed the country since independence have regional and ethnolinguistic strongholds. The SLPP seems to have an edge over the APC in the South-Eastern regions of the country while the APC controls a larger part of the Northern regions and by extension the Western Area, Freetown. No matter how badly they govern, those regional strongholds will always vote for their respective political parties massively. What is responsible for such regional and ethnolinguistic political relationships with these two political parties?

Arguably, the formation of these two traditional political parties and their historical trajectory would definitely answer that question. Their leaning on our regional and ethnolinguistic compositions is all geared towards dividing the electorates and ordinary citizens who deal with one another daily.

These two political parties have sown so many seeds of discord that talking about peaceful co-existence, tolerance and national cohesion to diehard residents and supporters of their regional strongholds is so difficult during election periods. The beauty of our different ethnic affiliations and the appreciation of our cultural heritage and manifestations can hardly have a pass from outsiders of our diverse ethnocultural practices.

Politics has so much put a dent in the things that should have held us together or what we should have celebrated as “beautiful” given the long tradition of intermarriages and intercultural relationships that many people would rather not talk about their ethnic origin or membership, especially if one bears a name that cuts across many ethnolinguistic groups.

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Dawn Rising #poem by Mbizo Chirasha

“I see many voices rising with the sun
sharp spears of the sun ,undulating with coming freedom
mother was there during liberation
i will be there for the other liberation
a revolution of million voices
voices of children of song
children of the soil
children unborn ,children born”

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Screws & Chips #55 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

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Ovi magazine; Sunday February 5th, 2023

 

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Sunday February 5th, 2023

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The Entrance of Humanity Into History #shortstory #fiction by Abigail George

My father, Vernon Aspara and I were vessels. Glass bodies rushing through the air. The line shifts golden. Basking in the sun, legs and hands and face turning brown in the sun. The bridge of the nose turned salmon pink. But then this black and white photograph became ephemera and our summer world turned cold out. Summer turned into winter as if by magic. Dogs bark. Scribbling the pavement and mud with urine and pop. The sun offers warmth. It brightens everything in its sphere. There is no shade. No shadow. Only bodies glistening with the Sheena of oily sweat. The day cries holy. Stems are anointed as much as patients going through cognitive behavioural therapy. Our bodies decay. We wither and die. Dying is an art. Seduction is a dazzling theory. My father is reaching for the light at the end of the tunnel.

am at the end stages of a relationship. What conquistadors regret, mourning after, denial and bereavement are. I hope my mental health improves. There is something pure about the day. My dad’s hair, skin and boots are on fire. Flames of sun licking his ankles. I wish to forget the man and how he made me feel. That he claimed me like the sea claims and has ownership over humanity as individuals live, breathe, and sate their thirst with wine and beer. I think of David Foster Wallace. I think of the time he spent at Amherst. His depression and his suicide. I think of Anne Sexton. I think of her lovely face. I think of Emily Dickinson’s “Master” and her verses. Her religious father the Washingtonian congressman. Her invalid mother. Her sister Lavinia. Her sister-in-law. Her brother. Her Amherst.

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Tequila (V5) #poem by Michael Lee Johnson

“Single life is Tequila with a slice of lime,
Shots offered my traveling strangers.
Play them all deal them jacks, some diamonds
then spades, hold back aces play hardball,
mock the jokers.”

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Screws & Chips #53 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

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Ovi magazine; Friday August 19th, 2022 – World Humanitarian Day

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Friday August 19th, 2022 – World Humanitarian Day

World Humanitarian Day is an international day dedicated to recognize humanitarian personnel and those who have lost their lives working for humanitarian causes. It was designated by the United Nations General Assembly as part of a Swedish-sponsored GA Resolution A/63/L.49 on the Strengthening of the Coordination of Emergency Assistance of the United Nations, and set as 19 August. It marks the day on which the then Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Iraq, Sérgio Vieira de Mello and 21 of his colleagues were killed in the bombing of the UN Headquarters in Baghdad.

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World Humanitarian Day: A Need for Common Actions by Rene Wadlow

The United Nations General Assembly has designated 19 August as “World Humanitarian Day” to pay tribute to aid workers in humanitarian service in difficult and often dangerous conditions.  19 August was designated in memory of the 19 August 2003 bombing of the UN office building in Baghdad, Iraq in which Sergio Vieira de Mello,  UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and at the time Special Representative of the UN Secretary General was killed along with 21 UN staff members. Over 200 UN employees were injured. The exact circumstances of the attack are not known, and why USA and UN security around the building was not tighter is still not clear. A truck with explosives was able to dive next to the building and then blew itself up.

Sergio de Mellow had spent his UN career in humanitarian efforts, often with the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees and at other  times as Special Representative of the UN Secretary General. As an NGO representative to the UN in Geneva and active on human rights issues, I knew him during his short 2002-2003 tenure as High Commissioner for Human Rights.

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The Sweet Embrace #poem & #painting by Nikos Laios

“Your kiss,
Like the dark
Night flooded my 
Soul and we 
Tumbled together 
To the depths of 
Our hearts,
Suspended in time 
And released from 
The fear of death.”

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Screws & Chips #039 #Cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

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Ovi magazine; Friday May 13th, 2022 – World Cocktail Day

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Friday May 13th, 2022 – World Cocktail Day

World Cocktail Day is held annually by Drinkaware, a United Kingdom-based charity that brings awareness to the effects of drinking and aims to reduce the harm that drinking can have on people and families. The website provides facts and information about drinking, alcohol poisoning, and alcohol abuse. The World Cocktail Day page that Drinkaware hosts have events all over the world that you can partake in, a blog you can follow about your favorite recipes, and how you can drink safely while also having fun.

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Renewed Violence in #Darfur: An Unstable #Sudan by Rene Wadlow

24 April 2022 saw renewed violence in the Darfur Provence of Sudan between Arab militias and the indigenous tribes of the area, the Masalit and the Fur.  The violence began in 2003 and has caused some 300,000 deaths and some three million displaced.  While most of the fighting was when General Omar al-Bashir was President, his overthrow by new military leadership has not fundamentally improved the situation.

Darfur is the western edge of Sudan.  Its longist foreign frontier is with Chad, but communication with Libya is easy for camel herders and gunrunners.  To the south lies the Central African Republic – a state with a very unstable government, which feels the fallout from the Darfur conflict.  Darfur served as a buffer area between the French colony of Chad and the English-held Sudan until 1916 when French-English rivalry was overshadowed by the common enemy, Germany, in World War I.  Darfur, which had been loosely part of the Ottoman Empire, was integrated into Sudan with no consultation either with the people of Darfur or with those in Sudan.

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Open Eyes Laid Back #poem by Michael Lee Johnson

“Open eyes, black-eyed peas,
laid back busy lives,
consuming our hours,
handheld devices
grocery store
“which can Jolly Green Giant peas”

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Panic in Kooyong: The Threat to the Australian Liberal Party by Dr. Binoy Kampmark

He has been seen, not always accurately, as the more moderate in an otherwise conservative Liberal Party, which has governed Australia since 2013 in an at times troubled alliance with the Nationals. He has served as party deputy to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and proudly promotes his role as the country’s treasurer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Josh Frydenberg is nervous. There is also reason to suggest that he might even be panicking. The electorate he represents – that of Kooyong – is not quite so warm towards the sitting member as it has been in the past. The sitting MP has resorted to his home party base for comfort. “Incredible sea of Liberal blue at our Kooyong Campaign Launch, with more than 1,000 people present,” he tweeted on May 1. “So much energy in the room.”

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Screws & Chips #031 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

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