News & Views - March 2020 Blanca San German: Reunión de XUNICEF De 2017 En México Y Cuba (F or English version click here - translation courtesy of Oscar Fernandez) Una actividad muy atractiva para los jubilados de Unicef, es la Reunión Anual de XUNICEF, en la cual tenemos la oportunidad de encontrarnos con ex colegas y sus familiares, amigos y crear nuevas amistades en un ambiente de convivencia cordial y ameno. La intención es visitar un país o región en grupo, siguiendo un Programa de Actividades Culturales, Sociales y Recreativas organizado por un grupo de ex colegas nativos o viviendo en el país. México ganó, por votación, ser la sede de la Reunión Anual en el año 2017. Para dicho fin, se integró el Comité Organizador formado por Isabel Crowley, María Elena Solano, Miguel Ugalde y Blanca San German. La Reunión se programó para el mes de octubre, sin embargo, la naturaleza nos sorprendió con un devastador temblor de 7.2 grados el 19 de septiembre de ese año. A pesar de los graves daños estructurales sufridos en gran parte del país, los prestadores de servicios respetaron los contratos, así que finalizamos los preparativos para la Reunión ya que habían confirmado y pagado 72 participantes provenientes de todo el mundo! Un inconveniente a vencer, fue decidir la ciudad sede, ya que a pesar que la cd. De México tiene la mejor infraestructura turística del país, la altura de 2,500 mts., no es favorable para muchas personas mayores, por lo que se decidió llevarla a cabo en la cd. De Puebla (a 2 horas). 1) En vista del interés por las zonas arqueológicas de las culturas Maya y Azteca, y la facilidad de la cercanía con la isla de Cuba, se propuso hacer la reunión en 3 Paquetes:D el 8 al 13 de Octubre, visita a la Riviera Maya en el Estado de Yucatán incluyendo la visita a las ruinas de Chichén Itzá, una de las maravillas del mundo, y al Gran Museo de la Cultura Maya en la capital Mérida, con su tradicional estructura colonial y deliciosa gastronomía, entre otras. 30 Participantes. 2) Del 13 al 17 de Octubre, Sede de la Reunión Oficial en la ciudad de Puebla, donde se recibieron y hospedaron a los 72 participantes en el Hotel Quinta Real de 5 estrellas, finamente renovado, con frecuentes visitas a la Cd. De México; 3) Del 17 al 21 de Octubre, viaje a los sitios emblemáticos en La Habana, Cuba con extensión a las provincias del 21 al 25 de octubre del 2019. 32 Participantes. 50
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News & Views - March 2020 El Programa de Actividades en cada paquete se describe en los flyers anexos. Se incluyen también fotos del Comité Organizador, de algunos momentos memorables de 52
News & Views - March 2020 los grupos que participaron en los diferentes viajes y, por último, una foto grupal teniendo como marco la famosa y admirada Pirámide del Sol de la cultura Teotihuacana cerca de la Ciudad de México Las actividades que más disfrutaron los participantes fueron : - La Cena de Gala, dando la bienvenida a los participantes, elegantemente ataviados con vestidos típicos, - Las visitas turísticas y culturales en los 3 destinos; - Visita a La Fundación JUCONI, con sede en Puebla con proyectos financiados por UNICEF México, que trabaja en el fortalecimiento de familias protectoras para brindar un apego seguro a niños, niñas y adolescentes en situaciones de violencia y maltrato; - Entrevista con los Representantes de UNICEF en México y Cuba - Los talleres de manualidades típicas de la región como fueron: la elaboración de piñatas, diseño y preparación de piezas de porcelana de Talavera, clases de baile latino y veladas musicales, entre otras; - Las visitas al Palacio de Bellas Artes para la presentación del famoso Ballet Folklórico de México, mundialmente reconocido y al Museo del Tequila y el Mezcal donde se explicó la técnica de extracción de estas bebidas de la planta del agave y su posterior destilación, sin faltar la cena tradicional amenizada con grupos de baile y mariachis (grupo musical ataviados con trajes de charro y sombreros de gala). Agradecemos altamente el entusiasmo e interés mostrado por los participantes, la comprensión por los cambios de último momento que debimos hacer por los daños causados por el terremoto y el reconocimiento por el Programa de Actividades preparado para cada destino. Quedamos muy satisfechos con el éxito de la reunión ya que sabíamos que para muchos ésta sería la primera o única vez que nos visitarían y quisimos brindarles un abanico de lo que México y Cuba pueden ofrecer. Reconocemos la valiosa y constante ayuda del personal de la Agencia de Eventos Mundovisión, así como el apoyo incondicional de los miembros del Comité Organizador. 53
News & Views - March 2020 Miguel A. Ugalde: My Life As A Traveler My wife and I married in 1970 in New York. We decided to spend our honeymoon in Europe. Along the way we got carried away by the hippie wave that has been masterfully described in James Michener’s novel “The Drifters“. Thus the honeymoon became A THREE YEAR ADVENTURE - not only through Europe,, but also through North Africa and eventually to Israel. A charter flight to Dublin cost us only $78.00. As the plane stopped first at Shannon Airport, we requested the pilots to drop us and our backpacks there, instead of Dublin. We originally wanted to hitchhike to Dublin. Actually, the lifts that we got instead led us to Londonderry and Belfast in Northern Ireland in the middle of the fiercest and most violent period of the conflict between Catholics and Protestants. I remember at one point, after taking a picture of a barbed wire police station, I was detained and questioned for two hours: what was a Mexican doing in Northern Ireland taking pictures of the violent situation? Another day, I was caught with my camera in the middle of a battlefield between a crowd of Catholics on my left with a human barrier of women and children in front of them, throwing rocks at fully armed soldiers on my right. As a souvenir, I collected a rubber bullet that bounced off several walls and finally fell near me. After the unforgettable Giant Steps Causeway in Northern Ireland, our adventurous hitchhiking continued through Scotland, England, and Wales up to the English Channel. 54
News & Views - March 2020 Once we crossed into Calais in France our hitchhiking luck disappeared. It was frustrating and difficult to get a ride in France. It took us two days to reach Paris. At the American Express office (a meeting point for all drifters who needed to cash travelers checks) we saw two college girls who desperately wanted to sell their 1964 VW van equipped with a bed, closets and stove. We bought their van. We then drove to visit friends in Germany, traveled through Switzerland, then into beautiful Italy and rested in Rome’s Borghese Gardens. There, we met two other drifter couples with vans and we agreed to travel together to Sicily. We stopped at Santo Stefano, a small town full of ceramic factories. We were lucky to be allowed to park and use their bathrooms in exchange for work... We learned quickly and started to produce plenty of ashtrays, plates, bowls, flowerpots, etc. 55
News & Views - March 2020 A remarkable picture of that period was the eruption of the Stromboli volcano at night. We watched the eruption from the nearest island. After 4 months in Sicily, searching for more hippie excitement, we took the 11-hour ferry from Sicily to Tunis. Sidi Busaid, one of the most picturesque cities on the whole Mediterranean coast, prompted us to take many photos . Disappointed by the total westernization of Tunis, we headed south, enjoying views of Matmata (where Star Wars was filmed) and finally reached the edge of the Sahara at Chenini Foum Tatahouine, a small town carved into a rocky mountain. The ladies became experts at cooking Camel meat and all sorts of teas. It was then that we made a daring decision to enter Socialist Algeria, dressed in ‘Jebba’ gowns. The challenge was to cross the Sahara… with no highways or roads, just a trail left by huge cargo trucks. Pictures of camels were abundant. The most remarkable is a series of 16 slides called “Camels Humping”. I captured the process from the beginning of their courtship rituals, the female camel with foam out of its mouth, all the way until the Arab helps the male with his hand to insert the penis. 56
News & Views - March 2020 We had a chance to photograph and talk with the Tuareg women in French, because they stay behind while the men travel in caravans of up to 96 camels loaded with 50 kilo packs of salt. The men only speak Tamahaq. When we reached Tamanrasset, in the middle of the Sahara, thanks to some Missionaries, Les Petite Freres de Jesu, who live in the Assekrem Mountains Hermitage, we were able to spend a few days in tents with two 57
News & Views - March 2020 Tuaregs families. It is usually very difficult to take a picture of a Tuareg without his nose and mouth covered, but not at all living with them. The exit from the desert leads to Morocco. Fes and Marrakech which were even more picturesque than Tunisia, with the huge markets, the dyeing of clothes, the Mosques and the white domes of the houses and plenty of legal marijuana! By the time we reached Spain, it was July, and I had a chance to visit and photograph the Bull Run in Pamplona. We drove quickly through France, Italy, and Yugoslavia with a stop to take in the sight of Dubrovnik and the sea. In Athens, as my wife had to be hospitalized, I became a dedicated tourist guide at the Parthenon and Acropolis. We sold the “famous” VW van that still carried a drawing of a camel on the rear and took a plane to Tel Aviv. It was December and we went to Bethlehem on the 24t h, before joining Kibbutz Shefayim for a full year. Stay tuned for another chapter of Miguel’s adventures. Photo of the Author Photographer Hippie, 1971 58
News & Views - March 2020 Franziska von Vietinghoff: Icon painting in Bethlehem During Eastern Orthodox Christmas 2020 Arrival The group met at the Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport from where a Palestinian cab loaded us for the one-hour drive to Bethlehem. A Palestinian driver was suggested, rather than an Israeli driver, for the latter could only drop us to the Israeli-Palestine border checkpoint, and we would have to walk across the separation stretch with our luggage, and once on the other side, find a bus to Bethlehem. This information was good. 59
News & Views - March 2020 Dar al Majus During those two weeks in Bethlehem we lived at the Dar al Majus, or, the House of the Magi. Its central location on Star Street close to the Manger Square was perfect. Those Magi - the Three Wise Men - may well have taken their night quarters in the Dar al Majus when they came to Bethlehem to bring precious gifts of myrrh, frankincense and gold to the newly born Christ-child. The Dar al Majus historical setting of stone buildings and inner courtyards, recently transformed as a Palestinian guest house, welcomed us with warm hospitality. Some were accommodated with caring Palestinian families. We were all struck by the warmth the people showed us at all times. The Dar al Majus is linked to a social community development project, Pro Terra Sancta www.proterrasancta.org. Another project we noted is The Arab Women’s Union, www.bethauw.org, a non-profit that promotes Palestinian arts like music and traditional embroidery. This of course translates to much needed income-generation. 60
News & Views - March 2020 Icon painting workshop The icon painting workshop at the Bethlehem Icon Centre was intended for experienced icon students. Even so, it is not for the faint-hearted to prepare, lay down gold, paint and complete a large Orthodox icon over the short span of time we had available. It is more for those who have the dedication and stamina to apply themselves in what must be one of the most rewarding experiences imaginable. As it was the Eastern Orthodox Christmas season our chosen theme had to be a scene of the Nativity. The drawing we selected was created by the 15th century Russian master Andrei Rublev. Its richness required daily early morning starts. A brief prayer to collect our thoughts was followed by concentrated work, as much as daylight allowed. Whenever blackouts occurred, the work continued with torch light. Hats, gloves and coats at times were necessary for warmth. The seasonal bronchial flu nonetheless took its toll on a few of the icon painters. Yet there was no talk of stopping. The wooden boards on which the icons were painted were ordered from specialists in Serbia. Students were asked to bring booklets of 24 ct square leaf gold to be used for the expression of divine light on the icon. Most other needed materials, like a vast gamut of breathtakingly beautiful pigments, and brushes, came along from Moscow. Since the Bethlehem Icon Centre suffers a shortage of funding, we also brought useful materials for the Centre to keep, particularly pigments and sheets of gold but also books on Orthodox iconography for the library. 61
News & Views - March 2020 The painting work progressed satisfactorily and over the days with increasing intensity. As is usual in icon painting workshops, reflective time was set aside. Gratitude pervaded me for being part of the icon painting realm. When we paint or pray to the Mother of God, or other heavenly images represented, the icon IS the image it represents. In our prayers, it will intercede with God. Bethlehem and the Nativity Church Bethlehem’s population of 32.000 live on a mountainous plateau about 800 meters above sea level. The town’s universal fame stems not really from its beginnings as a Canaanite settlement around 2.000 B.C. Rather, it is due to Bethlehem’s status as the birthplace of Christ. While the Nativity Church is the main sacred site, pilgrims also visit nearby holy sites, such as the Shepherds’ Field and the Milk Grotto. The majestic Nativity Church rises in the centre of Bethlehem. Emperor Constantine constructed the Church and inaugurated it in the year 339 A.D. Its location marks the grotto – crypt, cave – where it is said that Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. The Church building intended to provide a sacred passage to the holy site. The often turbulent history of the Nativity Church reflects the movements and callings over the centuries of the many peoples who lived and still live in the Middle East. Over time, the interior of the Nativity Church has become beautifully decorated. For example, the 12th century Crusaders embellished several walls with mosaics made with gold and mother-of-pearl. The gold tesserae of these mosaics glowingly recast the daylight that flows in from the row of upper windows, typical of a church’s design as a basilica, as this is. Floor mosaics show intricate geometric patterns of delicate flowers and lively birds, regrettably but for a good purpose now mostly covered by wooden boards. 62
News & Views - March 2020 However, the stunning splendour of the Nativity Church is contrasted by one particular element. The small size of the main entrance door seems unlikely, but ’speaks’ directly to the pilgrim in that its rectangular and low shape forces the visitor to enter this Door of Humility with a bowed head and bent back. This is a powerful concept. Yearly, millions of pilgrims from all corners of the world, including Ethiopian Coptic Christians, come here to worship. This is testimony that the Nativity Church is a living church that serves the needs not only of the ancient Christian communities in and around Bethlehem but also reaches out around the world and welcomes all. 63
News & Views - March 2020 The Wall and Banksy An interest in iconography does not of course preclude knowing current art expressions. Thus, one day we walked the 30 minutes to the very high wall that separates Bethlehem from Jerusalem. Amid powerful protest art on the wall is that of well-known Banksy, the anonymous street artist and political activist. Banksy’s iconic work ’Children Playing with Barbed Wire’ appears on the wall, as do others of his works satirizing oppression in Palestine. Across a narrow street from the wall, we visited Banksy’s hotel called the Walledoff Hotel. It is home to a museum depicting the precarious life in Palestine. Peace Bell Since January 2020 the Bethlehem Icon Centre rings its own Peace Bell. The bell was cast in bronze and gold lettering on its outer side calls for peace and justice. The bell-artist, one of our icon painters, had hand-carried the Peace Bell from the Valamo Monastery in Eastern Finland. On the last day of the workshop, our fellow icon painter, Orthodox Father Silouan from Holland, blessed not only our Nativity icons but also the Peace Bell. Its creator added the words ”I so hope that the gentle sounds of this Peace Bell will bring together people of different faiths and heal divisions between religions so that as a result together we all may become stronger.” 64
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News & Views - March 2020 Kunio Waki: My fly fishing journeys I observed that my UNICEF colleagues transitioned very smoothly into retirement when they had some hobbies or something to which they looked forward to. Since I had no hobbies, I decided to take up fly fishing while still working in New York. Fly fishing is considered to be the most difficult way to catch trout and salmon and requires skill in casting the fly line accurately with knowledge of aquatic insects and their hatching. So I went to a fly fishing school in Manchester, Vermont. They taught us the basics of fly fishing and upon conclusion of the school program, I requested one of the instructors to guide me one morning at the famous Battenkill river. I was thrilled to catch one brown 66
News & Views - March 2020 trout and a brook trout with flies for the first time in my life. This was the start of my fishing expeditions into different parts of the world. White River in Vermont, Flathead River, Madison River and Bighorn River in Montana, Colorado River and South Platte River in Colorado, small rivers in the Rocky Mountain National Park where I was allowed to catch protected greenback trout, Snake River and Palisade Creek in Idaho and rivers in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Trout is found in cold water and the rivers where I fished were often surrounded by snow covered mountains and wild forests. For me coming from New York City, it was a therapy to plunge into nature and breathe fresh air. I got a lot of exercise casting a line and sometimes wading in water the whole day. At fishing lodges, we meet fly fishermen/women from all over the world sharing information. Also, it is very nice to spend the whole day with a local fishing guide who teaches me a lot about nature, informs me about what is happening in the local community as well as sharing their experiences in encountering bears. I also tried saltwater fly fishing to catch bonefish and tarpons. It is sight fishing which requires accuracy when casting the flies which look like shrimp and crab in front of moving fish. My saltwater fishing journeys have taken me to Ambergris Caye and Turneffe Islands in Belize and Andros Island in the Bahamas. It is very hot in the lagoons and the small boat we use has no roof. I had to keep applying sunscreen and drink a lot of water to prevent dehydration. After the XUNICEF reunion in Dublin, Ireland, I went to Cork to fly fish Atlantic salmon at Bandon River. I stayed for a week at the annex building of the landlord who owns farms. Due to lack of rain, salmon was not moving, but one day it rained upstream and I managed to catch two Atlantic salmon. I was allowed to keep one fish. My host arranged to have it smoked so that I could take it back to Tokyo. Considering how difficult it is to fish salmon, I was taken to a nearby cove where I had a 67
News & Views - March 2020 memorable experience catching a sea bass with a heavy lure. In recent years, I have been going to British Columbia, Canada. I went to a remote fishing lodge on the Sustut River to catch big steelhead. We flew from Smithers by Cessna arranged by the lodge. We flew very close to the mountains and landed in a rough open field. For the first time I managed to catch a big steelhead. The guide keeps pepper spray on his belt and one guide took a wise “bear dog” from Finland to protect us. I fished Sockeye and Coho salmon at Pitt River and Pink salmon and Steelhead at Copper River and Skeena River. I am planning to go back to Skeena River and its tributaries at the end of August 2020. Another favorite location is the South Island of New Zealand where I can catch big brown trout. I will be there at the end of October. I go regularly to the gym to stay fit and make sure I do not get washed away in the big rivers in Canada and have the stamina to walk long distances while fishing upstream in NZ. For me fly fishing means adventure and romance, and helps me keep alive and fit. 68
News & Views - March 2020 READERS’ CORNER We have two new reviews of publications about UNICEF staff and family, plus a review of a book about public health in the Middle East. The first two were already included in our previous \"Bibliography\" listings , but were not reviewed. Incidentally, these are two of three publications provided by Monika Proko from the late Heino Wittrin's collection; they are now included in my personal library. I hope to review a third, a memoir by Louis Gendron, in a future edition. \"Journey Among Warriors\" by Eve Curie; Halcyon House , NY, 1943 - currently out of print This book by the wife of our second UNICEF Executive Director, Henry Labouisse,was the product of several months of travel by Eve Curie on assignment from the Herald Tribune Syndicate in New York, and the Allied Newspapers Limited in London. It was written when Eve was a war-time journalist and is based on her extensive travels on behalf of both newspapers to various countries involved in or affected by the Second World War. This book follows the noteworthy success of her first book,\"Madame Curie\" , the biography of her illustrious mother, and the laureate of two Nobel prizes, and is in fact dedicated to her. The trip taken by Eve Curie took her from the US to Africa, to the Middle East, to the Soviet Union and on to Asia and the Far East. Among other interesting aspects it describes the difficulty and travails of traveling, during the war and in a time when air transport was rather limited in locations and areas served. For example, to get to the Middle East, she flew from New York to Bermuda, then to South America (Brazil), followed by a crossing of the Atlantic Ocean to Bathurst , Lagos and Sudan, before ending in Cairo, Egypt. Along the different locations where she stopped Eve always was keenly interested in the local situation as well as how matters were being dealt with by the different factions of the warring nations. She was especially concerned with how the Free French movement was doing, as opposed to the Vichy government. 69
News & Views - March 2020 A very touching and most emotional part of the book is centred on her visit to the Soviet Union, where she describes in detail the enormous costs in human life that were being paid by the Russians in their courageous fight against the Nazis. This was a time when the Russian government had moved its capital temporarily to Kuybyshev in order to ensure that things were being managed if Moscow was to fall to the advancing Germans. The Asian part of the book is concerned mainly with the Allies fighting to prevent the Japanese from crossing into India through Burma. Her travels take her also to China where she visits Chongqing and Chengdu and meets with General Chiang Kai-shek and his wife. The book ends with her return to the US and with the Americans having entered the war and helped turn the tide in the Pacific and the Far East . What is most striking about Eve's journal of this remarkable trip was the access she had everywhere she went to the highest military and political personalities, including generals, governors, ministers, prime ministers, and presidents and even kings. Obviously her family name was an important asset which opened many doors, but it is also noteworthy how much importance was given at that time to war correspondents in general. It is notable that this book was written after her first one about her mother, which apparently was well known to people all over the world.In addition to the VIP's she meets and writes about, Eve also lists a great number of names of many \"ordinary people\" she came across in her journey, sometimes too many! But that is probably due to her journalistic demands. A very informative book, especially for those interested in various aspects of the Second World War. Fouad +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 70
News & Views - March 2020 \"Lou Remembered; The Life Of H. Louis Shapiro\", Undated but probably 2009?, Private Publication This charming small publication is about a very special UNICEF staffer whom many colleagues used to call \"Uncle Lou\". It is a collection of letters written mainly by a large number of his family members who individually recount various aspects of Lou's life. Another section of the book includes a series of letters written by Louis to his wife Elsa during his UNICEF mission in India. Hyman Louis Shapiro was born in South Africa in 1919, the third of nine children born to parents who had come from Lithuania. He studied pharmacy and started work in that profession. After the War in 1945 Lou went to London and to Paris to work as a medical supply officer with the American Joint Distribution Committee. He joined UNICEF in 1956 and was 71
News & Views - March 2020 appointed as a supply officer in India ,especially involved with disease control and other health projects. In 1964 he was transferred to the newly opened UNIPAC in Copenhagen where he contributed to the development of a variety of UNICEF standard health kits for projects around the world. From 1967 to 1973 Shapiro worked with the UNICEF regional office in Paris as head of the Greeting Card operation. His last assignment was in NYHQ where he reverted to his original expertise in medical supplies, especially as related to emergency relief actions. During the period 1973-1981 in New York, one of his main contributions was writing a manual for disaster relief for which he was commissioned by the WHO. My personal recollection of Lou was during my first stint in NYHQ as Chief of the MENA Section in Programme Division from 1976-1980. He was always ready to give colleagues any help he could related to many aspects of supply work, especially related to health and disease control activities. On numerous occasions I consulted with him on technical aspects of our health projects. I did not know it until much later but it seems Lou was the person who helped develop the ORS packets that became such a great success story with the advent of GOBI and the Child Survival Revolution. Lou passed away in March 1981. Fouad “Fifty years of Public Health through my diaries” by Dr. Nabil Kronfol The following review of a forthcoming publication on Public Health in the Middle East appeared in the journal “HUMAN & HEALTH | N°50 - Winter 2020”. The book was written by one of my first cousins, Dr. Nabil Kronfol, who has been one of the more active proponents of public health, PHC and health training activities in the region. Nabil has had extensive work as a consultant with governments and WHO, and I have followed his career throughout those decades. He is 72
News & Views - March 2020 still very committed to public health in general and continues to provide advice on the subject to many in government and in the medical profession. It could be of particular interest to our UNICEF colleagues in the MENA region, as well as elsewhere. Fouad “Over the past few years, I have been asked to write chapters in several books on the development of health systems in the Arab world during my professional career that spanned over fifty years. These chapters focused on historical perspectives, health workforce, the delivery of medical care, “medical tourism” and social policies. All through the preparation of these chapters, I came to realize how little has been published on the development of health systems over this period. The purpose of this book is an attempt to document these developments, lest they become effaced with the passage of time. As I go over those fifty years of my professional life, I cannot but feel a stronger attachment to Lebanon and to our region, for having provided me with an opportunity to serve, to learn and to develop professional and personal friendships. I suspect that such feelings abound as well in many of my colleagues, mentors and friends. A lot has happened over 50 years, yet the values and the ethics of Public Health remain as they should and the hope rests in the future generations. 73
News & Views - March 2020 BITS & PIECES By Fouad Kronfol In this issue we have two \"interactive\" items which we hope will elicit interest and participation from our XUNICEF members. Both items deal with topics that are undeniably closely related to our careers in UNICEF as well as beyond. Your effective participation will ensure that we can continue to share topics and items that reflect on our collective culture of involvement and camaraderie. ***************************************************************************** Longevity in UNICEF Careers As former staff members we have all served for various lengths of time with UNICEF. It used to be that most of us entered service with a goal of making it a lifelong career. It was not surprising that many of the \"old timers\" have served 25, 30, 35 or more years with the Organization. In recent times, for a variety of reasons, it seems that there is much more turnover among staff so that UNICEF careers spanning decades are becoming rarer than before. You can help us find out if this is in fact the new reality. In an effort to find out more about this aspect of our relationships with UNICEF we would solicit your cooperation and participation in letting us know how many years of service you have individually totalled during your respective careers. It would be interesting then for us to determine how many of the XUNICEF members have served in each of the following cohorts: 25-29 years; 30-34 years; 35 and more years. In your responses please add any other relevant information such as where you served, in what capacities, in which years, in which fields. or any other relevant information. Please send your replies to : x [email protected]. We hope to be able to make a compilation for the next Newsletter in June 2020. Here are two photos marking my own longevity in UNICEF - p hotos taken in the summer of 1993 - I believe for the Staff News. The cumulative service of Evelyne Farquarson, Sylvia Roth, 74
News & Views - March 2020 and myself topped 100 years in UNICEF. Evelyne and Sylvia were on the verge of retirement, and I was two years away from my early retirement in 1995. Do you have similar photos marking your years in UNICEF? If so, please share them. Are You Among the \"Centennials''? \"Join UNICEF and See the World\" This could well be one of the mottos related to our work with UNICEF. As staffers we have all travelled extensively for meetings, for workshops, for field visits, for conferences, on vacations and home leaves and so on. We have used airplanes, cars, possibly boats, trains, or even animals for our transportation. One can safely say that staff movements, both official and personal, have been an important part of our careers. Even after retirement we have continued to be bitten by the\" travel bug\" and many of us have been and are continuing to crisscross the globe for a variety of reasons. It is interesting to know how many localities our members have travelled to - both during their careers and for personal reasons over their life-times. It is certain that there are many XUNICEF members who have been to at least 100 countries or territories around the world. These members we could categorize as an elite \"CENTENNIAL CLUB\". We therefore ask each of you to draw up a list of the countries and other localities you have visited, and we will eventually find out who our most-travelled members are. For your information, here are three sites/links that will facilitate your listing exercise: 1. travelerscenturyclub.org : this is an internationally known group of world travellers. They have drawn up an official listing of 325 localities that qualify as destinations. They also consider a \"visit\" any length of time a person has been at a particular location, even a stop-over of a few hours. 75
News & Views - March 2020 2. mosttraveledpeople.com : is another grouping of world travellers who exchange information about places and localities that they consider are qualified as destinations. 3. cigv-online.com : this site is probably the easiest one to work with. They have a list of destinations that is simpler to work with because you only have to check off the localities and the site will give you the total number that you have visited. On this list my latest total came to 125 countries and localities!!! It is an amusing exercise and one that I am sure many members will enjoy doing. Let us know you personal totals and we can then draw up our\" XUNICEF CENTENNIAL CLUB\" and post it in our News &Views Newsletter. Remember Them? Click here to start the slideshow. Patience - each slide takes @ 15 seconds. If the slides fail to load, try https://xunicefupdates.blogspot.com/2020/03/blog-post.html Enjoy ! 76
News & Views - March 2020 Fouad Kronfol: Think Gasoline is Expensive? Whatever Gas Costs, It Sure Beats Walking. All these examples do NOT imply that gasoline is cheap; it just illustrates how outrageous some prices are. You will be really shocked by the last one (at least, I was)!!! Diet Snapple, 16 oz. , $1.29 ... $10.32 per gallon! Starbuck's Reg. Coffee 16 oz., $2.10... $16.80 per gallon! Lipton Ice Tea, 16 oz. , $1.19 ... $9.52 per gallon! Gatorade, 20 oz. , $1.59 .... $10.17 per gallon! Ocean Spray, 16 oz. , $1.25 .. $10.00 per gallon! Brake Fluid, 12 oz. , $3.15 .... $33.60 per gallon! Vick's NyQuil, 6 oz. , $8.35 ... $178.13 per gallon! Pepto Bismol, 4 oz., $3.85 . $123.20 per gallon! Whiteout, 7 oz. , $1.39 ........ $25.42 per gallon! Scope, 1.5 oz. , $0.99 ....$84.48 per gallon! And this is t he REAL KICKER. Evian water, 9 oz. , $1.49 ..$21.19 per gallon! $21.19 for a gallon of WATER!! and the buyers don’t even know the source!! (Evian spelled backwards is Naive.) Ever wonder why computer printers are so cheap? So they can hook you for the ink. Someone calculated the cost of the ink; you won't believe it but it's true: $5,200 a gal. $5,200 A GALLON!!! So, the next time you're at the pump, be glad your car doesn’t run on water, Scope, Whiteout, Pepto Bismol, NyQuil or, God forbid, Printer Ink!!!!! 77
News & Views - March 2020 BEFORE YOU GO A quick reminder - News and Views needs your help - as contributors of articles, stories and photos, but also a s editors. We lost two of our editing team earlier this year, as they took up other duties. Now we need your help to keep the newsletters and updates going through this year. Join us, please. One more thing - in this very difficult time of pandemic, we need each other’s support. Reach out to your friends and colleagues. Help overcome any feelings of fear, anxiety, boredom and loneliness. Leave nobody behind. Remember - we are all in this together and we need each other’s support - now more than ever !! Your volunteer editors, Doreen Lobo Fouad Kronfol Gianni Murzi Ian MacLeod Nuzhat Shahzadi Sree Gururaja Tom McDermott Contact us by email anytime at [email protected] Visit our website often x unicefnewsandviews.blogspot.com 78
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