Tom, last night you got me thinking about the positive side of social issues. I see cultural diversity as a positive social issue. It has to do with not just where we're from but also differences in religion, sexual orientation, race, socioeconomic background, etc. We need to learn to understand and appreciate what makes us all different, and then find a way to bridge the those differences and find commonalities. IMHO, if we are all just accepting of one another as individuals who are a part of the human race, that's the first step toward peace and harmony.

Attached Link: http://web.ukonline.co.uk/maya/html/photogall.htm

this is a pic i took of kemal and miguel. miguel is a native Guatemalan Indian. He's in the U.S. right now, along with many other Guatemalan Indians, to try to make some money to send home to their families who are living in poverty and in terrible conditions. He and the other Guatemalan Indians we've met are truly wonderful people. A link is included if you want to see some really wonderful pictures which represent Guatemala. (i'm NOT submitting this photo or any of the following images to the challenge)

here's a picture of a really great friend of mine, Jeramie, who's from the Phillipines. She's been in the U.S. two years now. She and and her mother came here so she can go to school here to become a nurse. She can't afford to go to college in her country. She wants to return to the Phillipines when she's finished her academic training. I'm gonna miss her like hell!!!! She's 21 years younger than i am, but i've learned so much from her. I have several pictures of her in my gallery.

here's another one of me and Jeramie. she's a very special friend!!! oh the pic above these next 2 were taken by kemal. i did the postwork on them.

here's a pic of me and my friend, Rosa, who's from Portugal. She's a sweet, sweet lady, and i love her to death.

here's our totally wonderful, nutty, and crazy friend, Carlos, who's from Honduras.

kemal and i both so much enjoy getting to know people from other countries. We've gotten to know many wonderful people from Mauritania, Africa; Iraq, the Ukraine, and China. And of course, Bosnia and other parts of the ex-Yugoslavia.

Who would think there would be so much cultural diversity in Louisville, Kentucky? People from all over the world come to our city, and i so much enjoy getting to know them.

And cultural diversity is what makes RR a very special and exciting place.

thanks for reading and looking at these photos which are special to me! hugz edit: kemal took this pic of Carlos too.

Message edited on: 03/09/2005 22:08

Now this is a cool thread Sheila!! And I agree with u, totally! I myself live in a country other than my own for work reasons and even so it's still the European community, there's so many cultural differences! It's fun and very annoying too at times! But always fascinating!

Thx for sharing those pics too btw! So nice to see u with ur friends, happy and smiling! :D It did put a smile on my face too! :) And now I'm off to bed cos it's 4.30am over here! Crap!

oh, i forgot to post this image i took today. well, you guys know i cook for a livin'. i find that food brings people together. food and art..universal languages! here's our favorite store, owned by a wonderful Russian couple. Kemal loves being able to purchase different foods, drinks, and spices from his country. we also buy all kinds of Polish and Russian foods there. and some mighty tasty German sausage!!! yummmmmmmmmy!

I'm glad they made you smile, Pascale!!! where are you from? This spread represents cultural diversity in our "breakfast" we ate tonight at 7:30 pm. we just didn't have time to eat today so we were starvin' by the time we got home!!! The Ajvar (from Macadonia) didn't come out looking right. it's the red stuff on the right. it's a vegetable spreading (contains eggplant, peppers, spices & oil). The stuff in the middle is a Hungarian salad mix. the cheese is Bulgarian feta cheese. the meats are veal loaf, chicken bologna (not like American bologna), and different types of salami. the meat comes from Germany, Russia, and i don't remember where else. the pickles are also Bulgarian. We piled all this stuff on French bread and went to town!!! Dessert...i had a couple of Polish candies...pineapple gels.

Sheila...magnificent idea! Magnificient heart touching thread you have here. If in some small part I contributed, that is not me but my soul deserving any mention at all when none is sought or needed.

Rosa and Jeramie are lovely ladies and the food looks tasty, considering I had a "lean cusine (tm)" tonight!

I have a dear friend I have not met who lives in Russia. We started as teacher/student in jewelry work when he contacted me on www.allexperts.com. From then came social issues, family, other needs and the same things all of us feel and share even in different places and conditions.

One statement he made to me was strong and simple, obviously refering to the Stalin times: "Thomas, my friend, country is not built on bones of dead men." Indeed, it is not. That is not a firm foundation but one of decay and fear. The images you have show hope and joy and really some GOOD SMILES in diversity. Hurrah!
My Russian friend would like these pics, too. He has a big heart and a poet spirit. (May I send to him? I won't download unless you say it is ok.)

I am thankful for getting to know folks "even only in a whisper of all they are" through Rosity and other Internet connections. Common ground does exist.
Good stuff. Tom.

Message edited on: 03/09/2005 23:56

You are a saint..and pretty too. Looks like you have some cool friends. :-) -Peace/Jeff :-)

I remember your pic of Jeramie on the dock dreaming & sleeping... wonderful diverse group of friends... much like here at RR! :]

tom, your Russian friend sounds like a wonderful person!! sure, you're more than welcome to download and show these to him. i'm glad your positive and wonderful soul is here!!! and i'm glad you challenged me to think about the positive side of social issues!!!!! jeff...yeah, i have some really cool friends!! They're awesome people!!! me a saint??? LOL!!! not even close!!! but thanks for your nice words, jeff!!! peace.

we crossed cindy. yeah, that pic of jeramie dreaming and sleeping. she dreams of her life back in the Phillipines!! yeah, i love the diversity here at RR!!!! it's fantastic!

Ah yes!! I adore international supermarket! I love testing all kind of different food from all over the world as long as it's vegetarian of course! ;) And I'm French my dear Sheila! But I live in England! :)

Darn, we have no cultural diversity here at all - apart from Eastern shop owners and one of our drivers who is also Indian... now I'm in no way racist, but over here quite a few of they do have a habit of using their colour/religion in negative ways. For instance, the driver recently came in to use the toilet when a (female) member of desk staff was already in there. She shouted out to wait, but he actually UNLOCKED the door and went to go in! Obvioucly there was a minor uproar and he backed down just by saying he was sorry, he didn't understand.... and this is someone who's been in the country a few years.... Thankfully most of them are not like this, and to be honest I love meeting people from different backgrounds! Shee, Gherkins for brekkie? I like gherkies myself, but THAT is SICK!!! (",)

Pascale, we make a lot of vegetarian dishes. Kemal and i both love veggies & beans more than meat. wish you could come over and have dinner!!! Mike, oh boy...that guy just barging in the bathroom...jeesh!!! that's ridiculous! Well, there are all kinds of problems here in the US too. When i was in college, i was one of 2 people selected to represent my campus by participating in a cultural diversity retreat. The universities wanted people on campus with leadership potential and who demonstrated a certain attitude to attend this retreat. After attending, they wanted us to come back to campus to promote tolerance, acceptance, and understanding, and peace. Campuses and communities have issues in regards to racial tensions, religious intolerance, etc. Violence is a big problem. We were just trying to make a difference on our campus & community, and i think we did. i've also written an article on the diversity which was published in our local newspaper. Nowadays, I really don't know how to make a difference though except by example. By embracing people's differences, accepting them for who they are and trying to get to know people, well, it can go a long way toward achieving peace. Maybe we can't make the entire world a peaceful place to live, but at least we have peace in our workplace. And we do. For me, cultural diversity just comes down to seeing people as human beings. Despite our differences, we're really so much alike. We just gotta love and accept each other. ya know.

Nice thread and pics Shiela. Genetics will proove (eventually) that we are all just one big quarrelsome family :)

And every one said, 'If we only live,
We too will go to sea in a Sieve,---
To the hills of the Chankly Bore!'
Far and few, far and few, Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue, And they went to sea in a Sieve.

Edward Lear
http://www.nonsenselit.org/Lear/ns/jumblies.html

LOL Richard!!! Yep...i believe you're right! just wish those quarrels wouldn't escalate to violence!!! sigh. i must admit though there was violence in my family. my brother was ALWAYS yankin' on my pig tails and i was always kickin' him in the butt to keep him in line!!! LOL!

btw, Shee, really good to see you! I gotta admit I don't get half the time in the forum as I'd like to have, so I haven't been into any galleries yet, so it's the first time I saw ya! You is cute AND intelligent ;-) (",)

what's that, Mike????? did you say something about my "intelligence?" And it was positive????? LOL!!! I think I'm gonna have to print and frame that!!!!! :) seriously...thanks for the nice words. i've never seen your mug...only the top of your head in that one totally cool self-portrait you had in your Jordy gallery. you're not gonna wimp out when ya get Dandi are ya?

Of course I'm not!!! I'm not I'll kepp all my cloths on mind... he he he.... btw, don't tell anyone but Reborne is my 3rd incarnation at RR... when I first came on I was known as mjshepherd - if I'm not mistaken there's still a pic in the artists' gallery of me that my workmates at the time.... created... But keep it to yourself! (",)

don't be gettin' fresh with Dandi, Mike!!!! Keep your clothes on!!!! She's still a virgin!!!!!! She's never even been kissed!!!!! where's the artists' gallery?

Woohoo!!! Running there! ;)

Pascale, Mike, send me a link. i can't find it!

I can't find it either!! I went there and there's nothing! I think he's taking the piss! ;)