Feb 11, 2011 - exactly 21 years to the day when Nelson Mandela was released from prison - signalling the beginning of the end of Apartheid in South Africa, the people of Egypt got their Valentine's Day present, three (3) days early, when their President- Hosni Mubarak, stepped down from power, today!
Yesterday, in a presidential speech wherein which the Egyptian people expected him to announce his resignation, Mubarak instead handed over most of his presidential powers to his Vice President - Omar Suleiman.
Mubarak finally crumbled under the pressure from his people, the United Nations, the European Union and his bastion of an ally - the United States and gave his people what they wanted - his resignation!
The Egyptians knew that whomever held Tahrir Square, held the seat of power in Egypt, as has been proven time and time again.
Hosni Mubarak, you made your mark in history by being Egypt's last non-democratically elected president, thirty (30) years ago. History will again be kind to you, for finally acceding to the will of your people.
So what started in Tunisia as a people movement for a better life, has now spread to Egypt...
...Egypt - the trend-setter for Middle Eastern politics and culture, has now set the stage for political renewal in the Middle East and Africa.
Hopefully this is a great day for democracy...where the voice of the people will never be stifled again!
Now, which Middle Eastern/African country will be next?
...and the clock goes tick, tock. :)
Gillian
Sources Include
1) BBC Radio February 11,2011
2) Power 106 FM, February 11,2011
3) Article, "Apartheid" - via En.Wiktionary.org, accessed February 11,2011
Instead of trying to save her, some of Simone Back's so-called friends mocked her in cruel messages as she lay dying in her Brighton home.
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Everyone, please take the time to read the above article,ok? :)
Now, the reason why I'm posting my response, below, is that I feel that with the proliferation of social networks like Facebook and Twitter, people have forgotten that what prevails in social relationships offline, also prevails, online...
As our grandmothers used to tell us, not everyone who tells you they're your friend, really are.
It's important, for especially our girls and young women to know this, as many will come to you under the guise of friendship, but in reality, they are not interested in your well-being nor your welfare and hence, cannot truly be called friends.
The earlier you learn this in life, the clearer and less painful your life experiences will be.
Please read my response, to the Facebook post, below...
=====My Response Start=====
Simone was a charity worker in the UK...I thought that people who worked for charity/non-profits in the UK and US are required to have psychological counselling?
Does anyone know about this?
The reason: people who help people for a living (social workers)...do get burdened by the heavy load of dealing with other people's stresses...they can become overwhelmed, if not given psychological counselling, on a regular basis.
Now, I'm not condoning the callousness of Simone's Facebook 'friends'....but what about Simone's "real" friends..outside of Facebook?
Didn't they see the signs?
Let this be a lesson to people who feel they can foster friendships on Facebook and other social networks and keep these friendships solely online.
Friends, by definition, are people who are there for you, when you need them...
They support you through thick and thin.
Online friends, are in many cases, thousands of miles away.
They can send you best wishes...hail you up...but in reality, they aren't there for you.
People, please try to foster true friendships, offline, with people who are near to you...who can check in with you from time to time if you live alone.
True friends are there, touchable and available...'friends' aren't.
===== My Response End=====
What are your thoughts re this entire post?
Do you feel that persons should expect to have true friends on social networks?
Your thoughts are very much welcomed...please comment, below. :)
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