Bystanders to Genocide~an excerpt*

      Assistant Secretary Moose was away from Washington, so Prudence Bushnell, the acting assistant secretary, was made the director of the task force that managed the Rwanda evacuation. Her focus, like Rawson's, was on the fate of U.S. citizens. "I felt very strongly that my first obligation was to the Americans," she recalls. "I was sorry about the Rwandans, of course, but my job was to get our folks out ... Then again, people didn't know that it was a genocide. What I was told was 'Look, Pru, these people do this from time to time.' We thought we'd be right back."

      At a State Department press conference on April 8 Bushnell made an appearance and spoke gravely about the mounting violence in Rwanda and the status of Americans there. After she left the podium, Michael McCurry, the department spokesman, took her place and criticized foreign governments for preventing the screening of the Steven Spielberg film Schindler's List. "This film movingly portrays ... the twentieth century's most horrible catastrophe," he said. "And it shows that even in the midst of genocide, one individual can make a difference." No one made any connection between Bushnell's remarks and McCurry's. Neither journalists nor officials in the United States were focused on the Tutsi.

      On April 9 and 10, in five different convoys, Ambassador Rawson and 250 Americans were evacuated from Kigali and other points. "When we left, the cars were stopped and searched," Rawson says. "It would have been impossible to get Tutsi through." All told, thirty-five local employees of the embassy were killed in the genocide.

      Warren Christopher appeared on the NBC news program Meet the Press the morning the evacuation was completed. "In the great tradition, the ambassador was in the last car," Christopher said proudly. "So that evacuation has gone very well." Christopher stressed that although U.S. Marines had been dispatched to Burundi, there were no plans to send them

      into Rwanda to restore order: they were in the region as a safety net, in case they were needed to assist in the evacuation. "It's always a sad moment when the Americans have to leave," he said, "but it was the prudent thing to do." The Republican Senate minority leader, Bob Dole, a spirited defender of Bosnia's besieged Muslims at the time, agreed. "I don't think we have any national interest there," Dole said on April 10. "The Americans are out and as far as I'm concerned, in Rwanda, that ought to be the end of it."

Us-ism.

Selfishness extended to the person closest to you....

Us-ism!

Culture.

It must certainly be admitted that man always exists in a particular culture, but it must also be admitted that man is not exhaustively defined by the same culture....The very progress of cultures demonstrates that there is something in man which transcends those cultures. This "something" is precisely Human nature: this nature is itself the measure of culture and the condition ensuring that man does not become the prisoner of any of  his cultures, but asserts his personal dignity by living in accordance with the profound truth of his being.

Levanta!!! Levanta....

Levanta que no es tarde y no es vano... Levanta la mañana con tus manos... Levanta si tu gente está cayendo!

Atiende me! si me caigo, levanto otra vez (Siempre)!! Siempre!! 

~~ah how sometimes spanish speaks so much better to me than plain ole english!

-Rise up, its not too late and not in vain... Rise up the morning with your hands... Rise up your people if they are falling!

-Attend to me! if i fall, i will rise up once again. (Always)!! Always!!

Pride, Experience, Reason, vs. Heart

"It's impossible." said pride. "It's risky." said experience. "It's pointless." said reason. "Give it a try." whispered the heart.

Of Wars..

Old men send young men to war.

I hate it when they say, "He gave his life for his country." Nobody gives their life for anything. We steal the lives of these kids. We take it away from them. They don't die for the honor and glory of their country. We kill them.

Of Wars.

There is a fable written by German playwright Bertolt Brecht that goes roughly like this: A man living alone answers a knock at the door. When he opens it, he sees in the doorway the powerful body, the cruel face, of The Tyrant. The Tyrant asks, "Will you submit?" The man does not reply. He steps aside. The Tyrant enters and establishes himself in the man's house. The man serves him for years. Then The Tyrant becomes sick from food poisoning. He dies. The man wraps the body, opens the door, gets rids of the body, comes back to his house, closes the door behind him, and says, firmly,

"No."

....

Today I feel beyond Amazing, Alxamdulillah.

The Difference between Outstanding and Mediocre is not in the Quantity of Effort. The Difference is in the Purpose and Focus.

Bedroom InspirAtions.

Xirsi... Some of my fav that i found. too much to say on each one about wat i love about it. but have a look. n hey maybe ull find ur own inspiration within. but i think u should have loads of photos, paint on the walls, lights, quotes, good clutter(if that even makes sense. lol) n whatever else that inspires you. its ur space, n u should make it something that you cant wait to run to everyday. :)

*i think my room would be a combo of all these! the furniture from some, the ideas of how to post photos, the paint/color, the materials/cloths, the storage spaces, and the lighting, and absolutely the serenity feel of things. good luck sis.

To my bina.

Just tlked to my lil niece in somalia. Lol she's complainin about the bathrooms. haha I truly miss my lil niece Bina. And the joy she brings to my life. I remember when she was just born and now 6 years later, she has only expanded her intelligence and her beauty, Mash'allah. evryday i spent wit her in toronto, reminded me of a childhood i missed out on, but in a way-it was beautiful. she was always looking to dress up, take photos, dance, play with her hair. life to her was all about herself. simple. and always wit a smile on her face. if only children could stay like that. if only we can protect them from the world- so that they are forever joyful.

one of the many photos i took of her in her own world. i wish i couldve focused on them and had the background blurry, but at the same point- i thnk accidents like this happen for a reason. this shows movement and gives more of a feeling than if they were frozen in time-since no one really is ever frozen in one position forever. its amazing what children and spending time with them can teach us. So inspiring!

Barcelona Apartments #partrés

Now- This- brought out the interior designer in me. I swear somedays I wish I would've stuck it out and finished my degree in Interior design. Although I love what I'm doing right now, like absolutely love. I also wish I can pursue design. Mybe one day inshallah, i'll be able to take classes again. In just one short semester I learned how to draw, how to sort of paint, how to compose a building from scratch. lol. all about perspective. n although studio hours killed me, i loved every bit of it. n still do now. so i think i'll wind up taking classes to further my talent in this. anyway i think i love everything about this apartment. no critiques wat so ever. in love <3, i think so!

OMG look at the bathroom. mybe a lil overboard wit the blue tiles. lool. but i would prob live in it! yes, i would. n the pop of color in every room. color is my thing! and also the mix of industrial and modern. perfect mix- n exactly wat i was talking about. ps- i extra love the wall behind the bed. i want a wall for photos/paintings like that in my room. actually i want a whole room dedicated to the arts in my future home, inshallah. *sigh i cant wait to have my own place-oh the things i would do to it!

Barcelona Apartments #partdós

Somethin about this one thatt drew my attention.  I think the industrial look of it all. I had dreams of movin to New York at one point and if that were the case I always wanted to get an industrial loft. n then put a lot of feminine touches on it. bi-polar typa design. i think it would look realy cool. Love the kitchen and the great use of space also. Oh n the water right in front of me ;) i have an obsession with water mybe because the only water you happen to see in arizona are from closed off fountains, water wasting done by people, and fake(man-made) lakes that dry up when they burst. unless of course you drive like 4hrs away to find decent beauty. but when u can have it right in front of ur eyes. well hey, wats to stop you??!

Barcelona Apartments #partone

Apartment located in Barceloneta. Right by the Beach. Which would be my ideal location since I want to take my strolls there everyday n take photos of the sunset and sunrises. And maybe even send a bbm message to loved ones back home of my beautiful lifestyle :) -for a semester :(

Port, Beach, Historic Part of the City: All within walking distance. i'm in love with the living room/kitchen/ TERRACE for this apartment. oh oh n the spiral stairs! could it get any better? n its perfect location overlooking the water. i mean i dont think i would even go to school. lol. just go to barcelona to chill on my terrace n do people watching *creepy; but hey the castillians look like they would be a great group of people to discover :)

*ps i think this would be the perfect situation for my painting dreams/inhibitions. i would be a pro + 1.

How Precious it is...

When I saw this I cried. Especially the ending- you can just see the joy in their faces. Wow! Maybe I'll be able to make this much of a difference in a group of people's lives one day, Inshallah!


Live Drill Day 2 - We Hit Water! from charity: water on Vimeo.

My Friend Gina, The Painter

She takes amazing photos, but does even more amazing paintings. She's gonna be well-known very very soon! in the works. im so proud of you- because I've seen how much you've improved within the short few years i've known you. Keep up the good work love!

*Both Photo and Painting courtesy of Gina Perez