Journalism is NOT a crime!

Imagine being a foreign correspondent; only to do your job as a journalist, become falsely accused as a "terrorist", detained for six months and then further imprisoned for another seven years with no real evidence presented against you. Let that sink in for a minute. 

Cause, that is essentially what has happened in the last 24 hours in Egypt to three journalists of Al Jazeera English, including Peter Greste (Australian), Mohamed Fahmy (Canadian-Egyptian) and Baher Mohamed (Egyptian). Unfortunately, Baher received an additional three years for being in possession of a single souvenir bullet. Yes, a single bullet. 

Also, not to mention the convictions also applied to further defendants that included five Egyptian students, additional Al Jazeera staff and other foreign journalists who received 10 year sentences in absentia. 

The verdict came as a result of pretty much no actual evidence to prove the accusations of false news reporting and having links to the terrorist organisation, Muslim Brotherhood. Or in other words, they're innocent. 

Ultimately, the integrity of the whole ordeal from the beginning has been questioned, criticised and caused an international outcry, not only in the name of press freedom but also human rights, justice and politics. 

A worldwide campaign to show support of the release of these journalists and to pressure the Egyptian authorities to overthrow this decision had already begun, with the use of social media along with hashtags #journalismisnotacrime and #FreeAJstaff to help spread further awareness and strengthen support. 

Australian media (image via Australian Broadcasting Corporation) 

Clever way to send out a powerful message on the back page of The New York Times  (image via Daily Sabah) 

This hits me somewhat on a personal level, mainly because there was a time when I was a teenager where journalism was the path I wanted to take, and being a foreign correspondent was the ultimate dream. Even though I have taken a different path, I have found myself on a path that has an interrelationship with journalism and still have an interest in story-telling. So, I am still affected. As dumbfounded as I feel now, I can't imagine what is being felt by their family and friends.  

My thoughts are with all of the journalists, their families, friends, co-workers and everyone in the industry. 

Meanwhile, click here to show support by taking action online via Amnesty International. Also, if you're in Australia, you can email the Egypt Embassy in support of Press Freedom and Peter Greste (email: embassy.canberra@mfa.gov.eg). 

Let's keep fighting! 

Lots o' Love, Linda 

Where Children Sleep

We've all been there; visiting someone's home and being curious about what their bedroom looks like. Whether or not we had our own bedroom as a kid, we remember it as our little place of escape; our private little sanctuary separate from the rest of the world where we were free to be ourselves in our own time and store our little possessions that were most precious to us. It was our "happy" place where feeling comfortable, safe and protected from outside dangers were assured. 

We also know pictures can speak a thousand words and tell a story, and the same thing applies to simply looking at children's bedrooms. By doing so, we're able to understand their life circumstances as their bedrooms are a reflection of their childhood. 

And, this is exactly what the following photographs are doing. These are just some of the photos from the project "Where Children Sleep" by James Mollison. As an idea to engage with children's rights, he went around the world and captured photos of kids and their bedrooms. It's an eye-opener to see the diverse environments in which kids around the world would spend their night to sleep, as well as how they live their lives. 

Alex, 9, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Bilal, 6, Wadi Abu Hindi, The West Bank

Anonymous, 9, Ivory Coast

      

Ahkohxet, 8, Amazonia, Brazil

Kaya, 4, Tokyo, Japan

Li, 10, Beijing, China

Ryuta 10, Tokyo, Japan (all images via My Modern Met) 

So, before I go to sleep tonight in my comfortable bed, I will think about the kids who are not as fortunate as I am. I hope this inspires you do the same.

To see more extraordinary photos, click here. 

Lots o' Love, Linda 

All in on Love

I can't get over at how amazing and inspiring this commencement speech that John Legend delivered at The University of Pennsylvania's 258th commencement ceremony. 

The following is probably my most favourite part of his speech; 

"Think about that. It's a pretty radical notion. It means your daughter or son, your neighbor's daughter or son and the daughters and sons of people who live thousands of miles away, all deserve the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

It means we let go of fear and see each other's humanity. It means we don't see Trayvon Martin as a walking stereotype, a weaponized human. We see him as a boy who deserves the chance to grow into a man, even if he makes boyish mistakes along the way. It means American lives don't count more than Iraqi lives. 

It means we see a young Palestinian kid not as a future security threat or demographic challenge, but as a future father, mother and lover. It means that the nearly 300 kidnapped girls in Nigeria aren't just their problem. They're "our" girls too. It's actually quite a challenge to love humankind in this way.

Professor Cornel West gives us a word for what this kind of love looks like in public. That word is justice.

If you're committed to loving in public, it requires you opening your eyes to injustice, to see the world through the eyes of another. This is not a passive activity. You have to read. You have to travel to other neighborhoods, other parts of the world. You may have to get your hands dirty. You have to allow people to love you, and you have to love them back." 

I love when people try to instill in others to open their minds to someone who speaks, looks, and thinks differently from you. It opens up a whole new world, challenges your assumptions and allows you to see the world through a different lens. Empathy is a beautiful thing. 

On a more personal note, every minute is now a minute closer to the end of my degree (yes, I'm finally finishing sooner than later!). For those who don't know, the decision to go to university at a mature age was a difficult choice on my part (yes, I am quite old), and I definitely sacrificed a lot of other areas of my life just to be here. It was a struggle. And, sometimes I began to wonder along the way if it was a wise choice after all. 

However, time has flown and the most important thing was I DID NOT give up, and that's a huge achievement. I've completely changed from the person I was when I began university in 2011. And, considering how much time I've invested to be here and now that it's finally ending, saying that I will not miss uni is definitely not true.  

Anyway, this speech actually felt like he was personally speaking to me, but this is definitely something everyone should take the moment to take in.

Lots o' Love, Linda