ONLINE CRAFT MARKET: Soft & beautiful felt Christmas decorations made by hand with natural sheep's wool from Bethlehem...

PERFECT for celebrating the holiday season

Shepherd watching his sheep is an excellent advent decoration on its own, that then blends in quite well with the felt Holy Family Nativity Scene

Sunbula is a Jerusalem-based nonprofit Fair Trade organization that supports Palestinian craft producers -- women‘s groups, artisan cooperatives and disabled people‘s organizations. By promoting traditional handicrafts locally and internationally, we support economic self-help efforts of those living in difficult conditions in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, and the Palestinian minority inside Israel.

Sunbula is Arabic for "spike of wheat," the flower that makes bread. As the name symbolizes, Sunbula helps people provide themselves with the gift of a more dignified life.

Each one of our product is made by hand with care, and in the spirit of preserving Palestinian craft traditions.

ORDER SOME TODAY... they are perfect for the home, can be tucked most anywhere and then after Christmas, because they are lightweight and yet durable, they are easily stored for another year. Don't forget to buy extras for friends as they make a perfect gift and most any one who touches one wants one!

Delicate Ornaments Handcrafted in Olive Wood

Assorted colors of hand stitched camels and donkeys

Palestine entry wins UN poster competition: Jericho , City of the Moon- 10.000 years of Civilization

Jericho , City of the Moon- 10.000 years of Civilization

Palestine entry wins UN poster competition

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=437771

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Palestine has been selected as a winner in a poster competition conducted by the United Nations world tourism organization's biannual Vettor Giusti Prizes.

UNWTO's secretary-general Taleb Rifai announced Palestine's win over Saudi Arabia for the Mideast region during a session of the organization's General Assembly in late October.

The winning poster depicts Jericho's St. George Orthodox Monastery in Wadi Qelt, a West Bank oasis that is also home to one of the oldest synagogues. George is considered the patron saint of Palestine.

Palestinian Authority minister of tourism Khuloud Deibis said she was pleased with the achievement. She expressed hope it would shine a spotlight on tourism in Palestine and in Jericho in particular.

The posters competition is held every two years on the occasion of the sessions of the UNWTO General Assembly, to showcase the posters used to promote tourism around the world.

UN member countries submit one entry per region. In the Middle East, Palestine and Saudi Arabia submitted entries, according to a 2011 competition list on the Vettor Giusti Prizes website.

UN official urges greater support for Palestinian refugees

http://www.americantaskforce.org/daily_news_article/2011/11/29/1322542800_10

UN official urges greater support for Palestinian refugees

United Nations News Service (Opinion)
November 29, 2011 - 12:00am
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40534&Cr=palestin&Cr1
The head of the United Nations relief agency for Palestinian refugees today urged the international community to strengthen support for the refugees, particularly the youth who constitute an increasingly significant segment of the population.

Filippo Grandi, the Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said that at a time of growing demands for fundamental freedoms and better living conditions across the Middle East, the world must redouble its efforts to find a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue, in consultation with the refugees.

In an address to the opening session of UNRWA’s Advisory Commission, Mr. Grandi urged delegates to consider the agency’s continuing relevance and its mission of human development and humanitarian support.

UNRWA is the only UN agency directly providing essential services in education, health, microfinance and social safety-net support to Palestinian refugees.

Mr. Grandi highlighted the dire situation many Palestinian refugees face, particularly those in the in the occupied Palestinian territory of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

He said that the issue of Israeli settlements expanding “relentlessly on Palestinian land, including in the East Jerusalem periphery,” had implications for a future Palestinian State. He voiced UNRWA’s grave concern over the humanitarian consequences of settlement expansion and the demolition of Palestinian homes and property.

“This deepens the isolation of Palestinians and creates fresh displacement,” he said.

Mr. Grandi pointed out that there are an estimated 3,000 demolition orders pending in the West Bank.

“The worst is yet to come, unless much more urgent and effective pressure is exercised to stop these abuses,” he warned.

He expressed gratitude to UNRWA’s donors, including Arab countries, for their support for the agency. Pledges from Arab donors this year stand at $144 million, including $44 million from the Gulf Cooperation Council through the Islamic Development Bank.

Mr. Grandi, however, voiced concern over the future funding of UNRWA, particularly resources urgently needed to sustain food and cash assistance to refugees most affected by poverty.

He appealed to Arab donors in particular to continue their trend of donating to the agency’s General Fund, which finances core services in education, health and support to the poorest refugees.

The news on the Middle East appears totally bleak- per usual, and the cynics and naysayers are persistent- per usual...

Dear Ziad,

Thank YOU for your lovely Thank Yous with the photo- email & snail mail, as well as the reminder of the tax deductible portion of our gift. We very much appreciate your attention to detail, as well as your positive attitude.

The news on the Middle East appears totally bleak- per usual, and the cynics and naysayers are persistent- per usual... but rather than be totally turned off by all the negativity (and pervasive stupidity) cluttering up the information highway what a relief it is to have ATFP's admirable efforts hopefully helping lead the way towards an actual end to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Sincerely,
Annie

A Wonderful Gala: ATFP 2011 Honoring Heritage & Embracing Originality

American Task Force on Palestine President Ziad J. Asali: "The pursuit of peace, independence and reform is not a project for cowards..."

Help Build A Golden Rule Peace for the Holy Land

Growing Gardens for Palestine

Naomi Shihab Nye, like her father, still holds out hope that the Israeli-Palestinian can be resolved one day and "we can all have dessert together."

http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20111126/APN/1111260537?p=1&tc=pg

Poet's notepad always handy

By CHARLES LUSSIER
The Advocate

Published: Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 6:01 a.m.

BATON ROUGE, La. - Naomi Shihab Nye always keeps on her person a small pad of paper and a sharpened pencil.

That habit came in handy when she and her husband, Michael, were robbed on a bus during their South American honeymoon. One of the only things she had left was her paper and pencil. She sat down on a park bench and a poem, "a gift," flowed out of her, Nye said.

The resulting poem, "Kindness," - "Before you know what kindness is you must lose things". it starts - is among the best loved in a much decorated and recognized career as a professional poet.

The poem, which she read recently for students and faculty at Episcopal High gathered in the school's performing arts center, recently gained new currency during the financial downturn, appearing in two books.

"I never thought that poem would be quoted by Bernie Madoff victims," she said, shaking her head.

Nye has published several collections of poetry, winning several honors. She was elected a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets in 2010.

Nye, a personal friend of Episcopal's Head of School Hugh McIntosh, visited Episcopal on her way back home to San Antonio from a reading at Tulane University in New Orleans.

She read for an hour to grades eight to 12, then spent another hour conducting a workshop with the senior class.

In the workshop, Nye said not just "Kindness" but many of her poems come from observations and scraps of dialogue she hears as she goes through life...READ MORE

BADIL Announces Al-Awda Award for the year 2012, promoting the principles of a rights-based approach to the plight of Palestinian refugees

BADIL Announces Al-Awda Award for the year 2012

http://www.badil.org/en/press-releases/138-2011/3320-press-ara-31

Bethlehem, 22/11/2012 – BADIL Resource Center announces the 2012 Al-Awda Award. Badil has changed the award program in 2012 with regard to the procedure, conditions, categories and prices. This development and changes are based on BADIl’s annual plan which is aiming at strengthening programs and projects in order to promote the principles of a rights-based approach to the plight of Palestinian refugees and Internally Displaced Persons as well as promoting a creative public discourse about the ongoing Nakba (displacement) of Palestinians since 63 years.

Procedure
Instead of organizing a one day award ceremony, BADIL divided the prize ceremony into three separate phases, each one ending with a national public event. This partition comes to activate and strengthen the overall efforts and common popular activities throughout the year. By such distribution, BADIL hopes to ensure an increase the opportunities of participation, quality and variety of the entries, as well as raising the level of interaction and fruitful results.

The program has been divided into 3 stages:
Phase I: "Commemoration of the Nakba 64 " (May 2012) which includes two categories: "Best Poster of the Nakba Commemoration", and "Best Photographic Story".

The deadline for submitting entries is March 30, 2012. The names of the winners will be announced during the " Commemoration of the Nakba 64 ", by mid of May 2012.

Phase II: "World Refugee Day" (20 June 2012); consisting of two main categories: "Best Caricature" and "Best Photo for Youth under 18 Years Old."

The deadline for submitting entries is May 10, 2012. The names of the winners will be announced at the activities linked to the World Refugee Day on June 20th, 2012, at a popular event which will be organized by Badil.

Phase III: “Anniversary of UNGA Resolution 194" (December 11th, 2012). This phase includes 2 categories: "Best Documentary Film" and "Best Children Story."

The deadline for submitting the children stories is the 1st of September 2012 and the deadline for the submission of documentary films is on the 15th of October 2012. The names of the winners of both categories will be announced during a cultural and literary event which will be organized by Badil on 11th of December 2012.

Categories
Two new categories were added. The first category is photographic story (4 photos that tell a story about a particular topic) for the age of over 18 years. The second category is a documentary film with the duration of maximum 5 minutes.

Prizes
Although the value of the award is not intended to be of monetary value, BADIL reconsidered the amounts of each prize and rank in a manner that ensures a fair distribution within the different categories as much as possible.

More information concerning the categories and/or conditions of the Al-Awda Award 2012 can be found on the BADIL’s website at: www.badil.org

Project Peace on Earth: An iconic peace message from young Palestinians

http://www.unrwa.org/etemplate.php?id=1161

An iconic peace message from young Palestinians

Tags: children | Peace Starts Here
25 November 2011 West Bank

Photo credit: Photo by John Quigley / Spectral Q

Hundreds of students from United Nations schools near Jericho have created a massive aerial image of the dove of peace in conjunction with the world-renowned artist, John Quigley. Directed by Quigley, who has created mass aerial images from large groups of people for over a quarter of a century, they gathered in the dove formation at the foot of the Mount of Temptation in Jericho, reputed to be the oldest and lowest city on earth.

"This is a mirror image of Picasso's famous 'Peace Dove'. Palestinian youth are sending the message to 'love one another' and 'love all' so we can find a path to peace,” said Quigley. “These kids are planting seeds of hope into the heart of the Middle East conflict. They deserve the kind of positive future we wish for all children."

The students are from schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, which educates half a million children across the Middle East.

“The world needs to sit up and listen to the youth of this region,” said UNRWA Commissioner-General, Filippo Grandi. “Their message of peace is essential. It is the voice of the next generation.”

The image is being created as part of “Project Peace on Earth”, founded by Steve Robertson, which will stage a globally broadcast Musical Prayer for Peace concert from Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Christmas Day. "Our soul is defined by the music of our heart,” said Robertson. "When we listen towards that divinity and choose to express that joyful wisdom, the result is always peace."

UNRWA is grateful to the sponsors aund donors of this event:

Visitpalestine.ps, the Ambassador Hotel, the Jericho Resort Village, the Jericho Cable Car, Kamar Productions

Watch a video of the event

Palestinian Refugees Canvas Peace

http://www.visitpalestine.ps/loveall

Palestinian Refugees. Canvas Peace
Event Day: Palestinian Youth Form Picasso

Hundreds of Palestinian refugee students from UNRWA schools in Jericho formed Picasso's 'Peace Dove' and "LOVE ALL" at the foot of the Mount of Temptation in Jericho. The youth are demanding a peaceful future. The initiative was a partnership with international artist John Quigley and was supported by UNRWA, Project Peace on Earth and visitpalestine.ps

Hundreds of Palestinian students from United Nations schools in the Jericho area have created a massive aerial image of PICASO’s famous Dove of Peace in conjunction with the world-renowned artist, John Quigley.

Directed by Quigley, who has created mass aerial images from large groups of people for over a quarter of a century, they gathered in the dove formation at the foot of the Mount of Temptation in Jericho, reputed to be the oldest and lowest continuously inhabited city on earth.

"This is a mirror image of Picasso's famous 'Peace Dove'. Palestinian youth are sending the message to "Love One Another" and "Love All" so we can find a path to peace”, said Quigley. “These kids are planting seeds of hope into the heart of the middle east conflict. They deserve the kind of positive future we wish for all children."

The students that participated in the event are from schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, which educates half a million children across the Middle East. “The world needs to sit up and listen to the youth of this region”, said UNRWA Commissioner General, Filippo Grandi, “their message of peace is essential. It is the voice of the next generation.”

The image is being created as part of “Project Peace on Earth,” which together with visitpalestine.ps and UNRWA are working to stage a globally broadcast Musical Prayer for Peace concert from Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Christmas Day (December 25th 2011).

Project Peace on Earth: Students spell out peace message in Jericho desert

"Palestinian youth are sending the message to "Love One Another" and "Love All" so we can find a path to peace," a UN statement quoted Quigley saying.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=439526
Students spell out peace message in Jericho desert

Hundreds of Palestinian refugee students from UN schools sit in the shape of Pablo Picasso's 'Peace Dove' and write "LOVE ALL" at the foot of the Mount of Temptation in Jericho on Nov. 25, 2011, in a UNRWA/Project Peace on Earth project in partnership with international artist John Quigley. (MaanImages/ John Quigley, Spectral Q, HO)

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Hundreds of students gathered in the Jericho desert on Friday to create a massive aerial image of Pablo Picasso's Dove of Peace, in a project by British artist John Quigley and UNRWA.

"Palestinian youth are sending the message to "Love One Another" and "Love All" so we can find a path to peace," a UN statement quoted Quigley saying.

It took some 1,000 children from schools run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees to draw out the image at the foot of the Mount of Temptation in Jericho.

"The world needs to sit up and listen to the youth of this region, their message of peace is essential. It is the voice of the next generation," UNRWA Commissioner General Filippo Grandi said.

The initiative is part of Project Peace on Earth, which will stage a "musical prayer for peace concert" from Bethlehem's Manger Square on Christmas Day, the release said.

"These kids are planting seeds of hope into the heart of the middle east conflict ...they deserve the kind of positive future we wish for all children," Quigley said.

Palestinian pupils (hundreds of children) at UNWRA schools near Jericho form group image of the Peace Dove created by the artist Pablo Picasso

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40520&Cr=palestin&Cr1=

Palestinian pupils at UN schools form group image as dove of peace

Pablo Picasso’s Peace Dove

25 November 2011 – Hundreds of children from United Nations-run schools in the Jericho area of the occupied Palestinian territory today created a massive aerial image jointly with the renowned artist John Quigley to send out a peace message to the world.

The children, who attend schools run by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), gathered at the foot of the Mount of Temptation, outside Jericho, to form the shape of the Peace Dove created by the artist Pablo Picasso. They were directed by Mr. Quigley, who has created mass images from groups of people for over a quarter of a century.

The image by the Palestinian schoolchildren was created as part of the Peace on Earth project, which will stage concert that will be broadcast across the world from Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Christmas Day.

These kids are planting seeds of peace into the heart of the Middle East conflict. They deserve the kind of positive future we wish for all children

“These kids are planting seeds of peace into the heart of the Middle East conflict. They deserve the kind of positive future we wish for all children,” said Quigley.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi said: “The world needs to sit up and listen to the youth of this region. Their message of peace is essential. It is the voice of the next generation.”

Meanwhile, UNRWA has entered a partnership with the Spanish football club Real Madrid under which eight Social Sport Schools will be established in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank for the benefit of 10,000 Palestinian refugee children.

“The education of new generations, who constitute the future, is the essential axis of peacebuilding in the Middle East,” said Mr. Grandi at the signing yesterday of the partnership agreement with Florentino Pérez, the President of Real Madrid Foundation and Real Madrid FC.

“With about 700 schools across the Middle East, UNRWA emphasizes quality education; access for all refugee children to a sound education; the learning of the principles of tolerance and respect, gender equality and self-improvement. This joint project that UNRWA and Real Madrid Foundation have undertaken… promotes all these things,” he said.

The project is intended to give Palestinian refugee children the opportunity to practise sports and learn values such as teamwork and to increase their self-esteem.

Thanksgiving Was Meant to Be a Fast... TIME MAGAZINE: Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About Thanksgiving

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1862503_1862505_1862507,00.html

Thanksgiving was initially meant to be a fast, not a feast. The devout settlers at Plymouth Rock mostly recognized "giving of thanks" in the form of prayer and abstaining from food. But the Wampanoag Indians, who joined the pilgrims for their 3-day celebration, contributed their own harvest traditions — dancing, games and feasting — from their ancient festival, Nickommoh, meaning "to give away" or "exchange."

TIME MAGAZINE: Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day Here in America...a poem by Anne Selden Annab

Thanksgiving Day Here in America

Thanksgiving Day here in America
is the freedom to choose: The
freedom to have turkey
or tofu
The freedom to invite guests
or not
The freedom to decorate your home
however you want to-
or not
The freedom to get dressed up
or down
The freedom to watch TV
and/or listen to music
and/or sing
or internet shop
or reading a good book
and sharing a great recipe
or talk about team sports

The freedom to celebrate
home and family
and friends
counting our blessings

The freedom to have a day off
with apple or pumpkin or pecan pie
or a hike on the Appalachian trail

The freedom to sleep in
or get up early

Uniting with people we tend to like
every where- each in our own way

poem & photo copyright ©2011 Anne Selden Annab

*********
NOTESThe word MERITOCRACY was born in 1958. It means a system in which the talented are chosen and moved ahead on the basis of their achievement.

Americans in 1776 embraced a view of the world in which a person's position was determined, not by birth, rank, or title, but by talent, ability, and enterprise...

The Declaration of Independence

The Constitution of the United States

The Bill of Rights

The expansion of rights and liberties has been achieved over time, as people once excluded from the protections of the Constitution asserted their rights set forth in the Declaration of Independence.