Thursday, February 28, 2013
ROSA PARKS - MOTHER OF CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people. - Rosa Parks
If Rosa Parks, the Mother of Civil Rights Movement, were alive, it would have been her 100th birthday on February 4th. She died in 2005 aged 92. To commemorate her 100th birthday, the U.S. Postal Service issued a postal stamp in her honor. In 1999 she was the recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal. On Wednesday 27 Feburary 2013, a 2700 pound bronze statue of Rosa Parks was unveiled by U.S. President Barack Obama at Capitol Statuary Hall, Washington D.C. to honor her memory. President Obama stated that Parks statue was an enduring reminder of what true leadership requires, "no matter how humble or lofty our positions."
Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955 for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger in the bus she was travelling in Alabama. According to the city ordinance passed in Alabama, Montgomery, the bus drivers were allowed to segregate passengers by race. The black citizens were to sit or stand at the back portion of the buses they would travel. When the bus driver asked her why she did not get up and move and she told him that she did not feel that she should have to. The bus driver called the police, who then arrested Rosa.
In her autobiography Rosa Parks stated :
"People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was forty-two. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in. I knew someone had to take the first step and I made up my mind not to move. Our mistreatment was just not right, and I was tired of it."
In an interview Rosa Parks gave at the National Public Radio in 1992, she said, "I did not want to be mistreated, I did not want to be deprived of a seat that I had paid for. But when I had to face that decision, I didn't hesitate to do so because I felt that we had endured that too long. The more we gave in, the more we complied with that kind of treatment, the more oppressive it became."
Her arrest led to Montgomery Bus boycott by 17,000 black citizens for 381 days. The boycott was led by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., that sparked the struggle for racial equality in the form of civil rights movement. The boycott came to an end when the U.S. Supreme Court found segregation in the bus unconstitutional. In the years that followed African Americans continued their fights for equal rights and finally, in 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed.
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| Rosa Parks received the Congressional Award in 1999 |
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| Rosa Parks commemorative stamp by U.S. Postal Services |
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| Unveiling of Rosa Parks Statue on Wednesday 27 Feburary 2013 at Capitol, Washington D.C. |
DESIGUAL NEW COLLECTION AT 360 MALL
I was at 360 Mall last on Saturday and noticed that Desigual has creatively displayed at the entrance to their outlet, a lovely a collection of fashion wear hung from the clothes line suspended by clips! They had an equally beautiful window display as well with their new arrivals. I am always enchanted by the bold and expressive colors in their clothes range.
McLAREN CARS AT 360 MALL
Here are a few photos I took of the McLaren Cars that were displayed at 360 Mall last week and throughout the holidays.
British automotive manufacturer, McLaren Automotive produces high performance elegantly designed vehicles. Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive Co. is the sole dealer of McLaren Automotive Ltd.
MY PHOTO FOR THE DAY - CELEBRATION AND WATER GUNS
Did you realize wherever you looked around during the National and Liberation day celebrations, there were children with huge water guns ready to shoot liters of water and drench passersby and motorists. And getting wet is not everyone's idea of fun. I had to keep my eyes open to watch out for kids who catch you unawares. Well, good, no one sprayed on me. There was this one time while I was in Ahmadi busy clicking pictures of the beautiful lights, I had to tell a young child a big 'Noooo', when he began to aim his water gun at me. And he turned his gun away! The last thing I want was get drenched. Oh when we walking around looking at the lights, there were these bunch of kids who were spraying water at the motorists and suddenly one the cars stop, the man gets out of his vehicle,he was clearly upset, scolds the kid, seizes the water gun from him and drives away!
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| The water gun is almost as big at the child ! Imagine the amount of water that gun could contain. A huge splash of water from that gun and you'll need a change of clothes!!!!! |
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
WHEN YOU FIND YOUR BLOG POST REPUBLISHED AS SOMEONE ELSE'S WORK
This morning I was checking my personal facebook account and by chance I happened to come across something shocking. My recent blog posts on Ahmadi Lights and Hala February Carnival 2013 were republished in a facebook page Namaste Kuwait, without seeking my permission nor having the courtesy to give my blog name and blog link as reference or source.
The photos I take and the posts I put up in my blog have a huge amount of my time and effort invested behind it, fueled by my love for writing and photography. I would appreciate that those who seek to re-publish my work to do the following.
* Do not publish my work as 'yours'.
* If you like my posts and want to 'share' on your 'site', magazine, facebook, whatever, I'd appreciate you seek prior permission from me through my comments column or email me at kuweight64@gmail.com. When you share my blog posts, please ensure to give my blog link and blog name as 'source'.
KUWAIT LIBERATION DAY 2013 - MORE PHOTOS OF AIRSHOW AT MARINA CRESCENT
Yesterday, I had posted some photos of the airshow that was held at Marina Crescent. Today being Liberation Day of Kuwait, there was another airshow held at 4pm today. It lasted for about 20 minutes and it was really nice to see (from my balcony). There were different fighter aircrafts that went up in the air in formations and creating patterns in colored smoke depicting the National Flag of Kuwait. There were other acrobatic stunts as well by the fighter planes. After the air show, I did see some colored smoke rising high from the ground level, which means, there would have been land and/or water based army/navy/marine activities perhaps? Wish we could have been there at the venue, only thing was I wasn't keeping well for past two days. Anyways, I managed to take some photos of the airshow that was held today.
MY PHOTO FOR THE DAY - KIPLING WINDOW DISPLAY FOR NATIONAL DAY AND LIBERATION DAY
A nice window display at Kipling outlet in 360 Mall
BRITISH FIGHTER AIRCRAFT SPITFIRE AT 360 MALL
We were at the 360 Mall on Saturday to see the one of the oldest British fighter aircraft, Spitfire, which was brought to Kuwait as a part of National Day and Liberation day celebration. The British single-seat fighter aircraft was produced in great numbers and used by the British Royal Air force and other allied nations throughout World War II.
Those who visited the Mall on Friday would have had the opportunity to see the plane being assembled right in front of them. Here are some photos I took.
KUWAIT NATIONAL DAY AND LIBERATION DAY LIGHTS AT RAWDA
A visit to Rawda promises you a lovely time filled with lights. As soon as you enter Rawda, you cannot miss the tall tree structures built around the lamp posts, in green, pink and red lights. The rows of date palm tree trunks are decorated with tiny bright singular lights and leaves are decorated with hanging lights of different colors. The bridge across the Rawda cooperative society are fitted with lights that keep changing color. It's really lovely. Here are some photos I took when we passed by Rawda two days ago.
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