Treasures of Wonderment

(Version française ci-dessous) Tunisia -  Rached Trimèche, a Tunisian decides to go on a crusade against 50 million plastic bottles! "A project for the environment: five million bottles to recycle" is the name of this environmental project that saw light in January 2010 at Ben Arous and has expanded throughout the entire country of Tunisia.

Version française de l'article ci-dessus "Give Us A Hand, Please!'  WMC, Tunisia - Un Tunisien part en croisade… contre 50 millions de bouteilles en plastique. «Un geste pour l'environnement : cinq millions de bouteilles à recycler» est le nom d’une campagne nationale sanitaire qui a vu le jour à Ben Arous en janvier 2010 et qui s’étend depuis sur toute la Tunisie.

Hedgebrook - Women Authoring Change. 5 questions asked to Hedgebrook alumna Ruth Forman, Poet, Novelist and Screenwriter. How do you describe yourself as a writer? How did you discover poetry? What is the special power of poetry? What are you working on now? Are there themes that you keep coming back to as a writer?

August 28, 2010 - In Iran, shackling the Bahai' torchbearers by Roxana Saberi. For several weeks last year, I shared a cell in Tehran's notorious Evin prison with Mahvash Sabet and Fariba Kamalabadi, two leaders of Iran's minority Bahai faith. I came to see them as my sisters, women whose only crimes were to peacefully practice their religion and resist pressure from their captors to compromise their principles. For this, apparently, they and five male colleagues were sentenced this month to 20 years in prison.

While on our journey of recording and filming musicians in Brazil, someone told us that all we needed to do was "shake a tree, and musicians would fall out like fruit."  That couldn't have been more true. It was one of our last days in Salvador da Bahia when we discovered this band, Sangue Brasileiro.  Wow!  They are super fun and I guarantee you will want to dance to this jam and smile at the screen.

Hundreds horticulturists take part in this fourteenth magnificent Flower Carpet displayed on the Market Square in the heart of Brussels, Belgium. This summer, the magnificent design of its Flower Carpet has drawn inspiration from 18th century French patterns. And yet, it was the armies of Louis XIV that had bombed the city in 1695, destroying 5,000 houses! But one must not confuse art with war.  Stretching out over 21 square feet (2,000 m2), the fresh flower carpet will glow with its beautiful design.

(Version française ci-dessous)  Tuesday, August 24, 2010 - Carla Sarkozy urges clemency for Iranian sentenced to stoning. French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy published a letter Sakineh Ashtiani today in three national media outlets supporting an Iranian mother sentenced to death by stoning after being convicted of adultery.

Wednesday 25 August 2010 - Cherie Blair says "When a mother of two can be sentenced to death by stoning on the basis of a disputed confession of adultery and without proper legal representation, there is little reason for faith in the fairness or mercy of Iran's judicial system. But as in the appalling case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the 20-year jail sentences just handed out to seven Bahá'í leaders must provoke an international outcry in the hope that the Iranian government can be shamed into thinking again."

Version française de la lettre de Carla Bruni-Sarkozy -  Campagne Chaque jour, Sauvons Sakineh : La premère-dame Carla Bruni-Sarkozy signe aujourd’hui, aux cotés de Valéry Giscard d’Estaing et de Ségolène Royal., une lettre à la femme iranienne condamnée à mort par lapidation.

World Humanitarian Day - 19 August 2010. The purpose of humanitarian action is to protect life and health and ensure respect for human beings. "Better acceptance of humanitarian work by state and non-state actors alike is desperately needed. The vast majority of aid workers come from the countries in which they work. Preventing them from doing their work harms no-one more than the most vulnerable. Today is a good time for a renewed commitment to humanitarian principles by all concerned." (See below, a film shot in over 40 countries)

What happens when a small town, Montana woman decides to jump, without a net, into a new life in tropical paradise and a foreign world of unknown parameters? It’s surprising, it’s scary and it’s a whole lot of fun! This time Lisa takes us into the making of pure chocolate on the South Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, Central America. Cacao is Spanish for cocoa. It grows on a tree, which bears a fruit containing seeds that look similar to coffee beans. That’s where chocolate comes from.

(Version française ci-dessous)  23 July, 2010 - A special interview with Geneviève Labbé, singer and songwriter extraordinaire conveying a message of hope, love and unity to all the children. Geneviève who lives in Québec has traveled around the the world to share her message of peace. An artist who wishes to offer all she can using her music and voice.

Version française de l' Entretien spécial avec Geneviève Labbé, 23 juillet 2010 - Geneviève offre des spectacles empreint d’amour et de solidarité. Ses chansons s'inspirent de plusieurs pays et de genres musicaux.

A House Divided:  flash movie

Around the world, as we assemble, In every mosque and church and temple
We intone our dedication; To become one congregation
Now the sun of truth has risen; We will break out of this prison
God of mercy, God of thunder; Help us tear the walls asunder