Poems by Students from Ricks Institute
1) ON THE NIGHT OF SOUND AND TONESBy Patrick DahnOn the night of sound and tonesMy heart beat like a drumWhen I heard the cry of EBOLALife was at the end of my mindThe city was hot like fireAnd the homes were hot like bowl of waterI was thinking all dayBecause my mother was at riskAnd also my family was at a dead lineTears were like rainPains were almost unbearableWe fasted and prayed all nightMy mother was quarantined like a slaveOh! Oh! LordWhat a terrible pain we boreAs days passed and passedLife also passedBut because God healed our soulsOur lives were planted again2) WHY LIBERIA, WHY AFRICABy Jallah BarbuIf only we knew you were comingTo traumatize our livesIf only we saw the signsWe would have been preparedBut without a sign you cameOh! Ebola Why??You took away our prideBelittled us like ragsMade our lives a stigmaBut God was on our side.People tried to be cautious.Humans died lending a hand.Liberians suffered and died.Africans had a terrible nightmareNobody wanted an African Ebola Friend.Why Liberia, Why Africa?Liberia, Africa our motherlandOh! Sweet land with a terrible historyBut to God be the Glory Great things He has done.3) THE TIME HAS COMEBy Precious S. GbollieDanger has caught up with the daily activities of life.Fear is our source of livelihood.Grief is our utterance.Running away from the bullets of natural weapons.Tears in the eyes of every mammalMy good Liberia, oh whyWhy have you left your children in the hands of unseen enemies?We have cried, till we are thirsty for freedomFreedom! from invisible destroyers.Why? Why?Divisions among citizensAaah ah aah ya!!A cry from an innocent soul.Motherless, fatherlessPreparation for the future is abolished.Life has become unbearable.But now, is the time for peace to reign.Sheep cry for the shepherdNo room for happinessAnimals were rejected.Our future generations are delayed.Wake up! Wake up!!Children of this landPut away your sadness, bitterness, grief, and pains.The time has come.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has expressed the need for full international support to Liberia to ensure free and fair democratic elections in the country in 2017, a dispatch from Washington has said.President Sirleaf made the call on Friday, September 23, when she received an award from the Women’s Democracy Network (WDN) of the International Republican Institute (IRI).She is among 10 women leaders from around the world the IRI honored as part of activities commemorating the 10th anniversary of the WDN. WDN started in 2006 with a goal to increase women’s political and civic leadership.Shortly after she was honored, President Sirleaf noted that Liberia’s next elections will be a defining moment for the country. She added that it will be the first time a democratically elected civilian president, representing the aspirations of a broad section of the Liberian citizenry, will turn over power to another democratically elected president.“I have no intention to manipulate the Liberian Constitution to hold on to power,” President Sirleaf said, with the assurance her government’s full adherence to the constitutional process, adding, “I look forward to a peaceful retirement following the end of my tenure.”She then applauded the IRI for the critical support the organization has provided to build and strengthen Liberia’s democratic system. The President made specific mention of IRI’s support to Liberia during the 2005 elections; the first following the country’s devastating civil war.“IRI, we need you to work with Liberia like in 2005. We need support not only in terms of money, but training and best practices,” she said, adding also that there is a need to encourage the people to vote, and vote wisely.President Sirleaf described Liberians as a resilient people who, faced with tremendous challenges in their recent history such as the civil war and the Ebola epidemic, managed to bounce back with life. “You cannot succeed if you are not prepared to fail,” she told her audience, noting, “Success is failure turned upside down.” President Sirleaf also lauded other organizations, which like the IRI, have contributed to the efforts to strengthen Liberia’s democratic system. Earlier, President Sirleaf was presented the award by IRI’s President Mark Green, who is a former US Ambassador and Congressman, and IRI Board Member, Madam Constance Berry Newman, who is also a former US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa. Both Ambassador Green and Madam Newman described President Sirleaf as an inspiration to the world. In another development on September 23, President Sirleaf also served as a guest of honor when she participated in the special presentation of the Deborah Harding Women of Achievement Award at the National Peace Corps Association Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.Addressing conference attendees, who crowded a large hall at George Washington University, President Sirleaf underscored the significant contributions US Peace Corps have made to the progress of Liberia and its people.She described as “noteworthy” the service that the Peace Corps have rendered to Liberia, adding that Liberians are pleased to receive the recent team of medical Peace Corps, the first batch of medical Peace Corps in the country.The President then used the occasion to commend Dr. Deborah Harding, in whose honor the Deborah Harding Women Achievement Award is named, for her tireless effort towards education. Dr. Harding is the founder and President of the Liberian Education Trust, a transition initiative to help rebuild Liberia’s postwar education system. She is the founding Executive Director of the Peace Corps Institute, and she has served the Peace Corps in multiple roles over the decades as a trainer in 23 African countries, among others.President Sirleaf said that Dr. Harding, who was co-founder of the Network for Human Rights in Liberia in the 1980s, has been close to the cause of women in Liberia, including girls’ education. President Sirleaf congratulated the first recipient of the Deborah Harding Women of Achievement Award, Dr. Sara Goodkind, and admonished her to continue the effort to empower girls and women around the world.Dr. Goodkind is Associate Professor of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Romania in 1995, Dr. Goodkind received a small grant for funding a girls’ empowerment camp with the goals of building leadership skills among girls and facilitating a sense of civic participation and responsibility. Today the “GLOW” program is in Peace Corps countries throughout the world building gender equality, leadership, aspiration, self-esteem, health, and volunteerism.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
0Shares0000Japan’s tactics in Russia were slammed on social media, with some putting the boot into coach Akira Nishino for ordering his team to play keep-ball in their own half © AFP / KAZUHIRO NOGITOKYO, Japan, Jun 29 – Japanese salarymen dashing to work Friday exchanged high fives with bleary-eyed football fans celebrating after the country reached the last 16 of the World Cup — most blissfully unaware of a backlash against their team.Japan lost 1-0 to Poland in Russia on Thursday in a match that ended in farce as the Samurai Blue ran down the clock knowing unless they picked up a pair of yellow cards or Senegal equalised against Colombia in the other Group H game, they would go through. “It was definitely a little bit fishy and it’s not nice to hear a crowd booing like that but, well, we reached the knockout stage — so ‘banzai!’… I guess,” advertising copywriter Ken Yazawa told AFP.“It’s only the third time we’ve got this far,” added the 44-year-old. “Hopefully we can go even further, although now we have to beat Belgium to reach the quarter-finals — nightmare!”Jeered off the pitch, Japan’s tactics in Russia were slammed on social media, with some Japanese Twitter users also putting the boot into coach Akira Nishino for ordering his team to play keep-ball in their own half.One disgruntled fan noted the irony of Japan becoming the first team to advance under the “fair play” rule after collecting fewer bookings than Senegal, posting: “It’s funny how Japan went through playing anti-football but we live to fight another day.”Another blamed football’s governing body for introducing the rule.“I doubt FIFA expected to see their fair play rule being used so unfairly,” he tweeted a little after the final whistle sounded at around 1am local time.– Under fire –Others sought to defuse the row as Japan came under fire from television commentators and pundits around the world who likened the fiasco to the infamous 1982 World Cup match between West Germany and Austria, when both teams played out a mutually beneficial 1-0 win for the Germans.“Let’s continue picking up the rubbish and collecting fair play points,” joked one wag, making reference to Japanese fans who dutifully help clean the stadium after matches.Most commuters pouring off the iconic scramble crossing and into the railway station in Tokyo’s trendy Shibuya district knew or cared little about the stir Japan’s negative tactics had caused.“I don’t really care how Japan got through,” said 28-year-old salesman Takkyu Watari.“I watched the game in a bar and no foreigners came up to congratulate us this time, that’s true. But I don’t think Japan did anything wrong.”Many salarymen, the identikit corporate samurai who formed the backbone of Japan’s post-war economic miracle, were more concerned about facing a sweaty commute with a sore head after only a few hours sleep.“I’ve got a thumping headache,” winced Kenji Kurematsu, a 52-year-old travel agent, clutching an energy drink.“I wish I had skipped the second half. It was boring, and I have a client meeting this morning.”One female commuter did not mince words.“It’s completely embarrassing,” fumed 41-year-old account executive Kumiko Chida. “I’ve no doubt Japan will lose millions of fans around the world.”0Shares0000(Visited 2 times, 1 visits today)
10 Saido Berahino (West Brom) – With the forward, 22, appearing frozen out at the Hawthorns its likely hell try and force a move through before January is out. Tottenham remain in the hunt but it seems Newcastle United and Chelsea are now frontrunners for his signature. 10 10 Bertrand Traore (Chelsea) – The talented 20-year-old from Burkino Faso is likely to leave the Blues on loan before the transfer window shuts. Traore wants first-team football and sides like Marseille, Everton, Ajax and Borussia Dortmund are willing to take him on a temporary deal. Kylian Mbappe (Monaco) – The latest young forward to leave the French side could well be highly-rated Mbappe. Its unlikely hell be sold for anywhere near the amount Anthony Martial left for, but the 17-year-old is still being chased by numerous top clubs, including Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Arsenal. Moussa Dembele (Fulham) – The Cottagers are reluctant to let the French starlet, 19, leave west London in this transfer window. Slavisa Jokanovic wants the player to return on loan if they do sell the player in the last days of the window, but this seems unlikely. Dembele is out of contract at the end of the season, so economically it would make sense to sell him in January, but his employers are willing to play hardball over any transfer. Raphael Guerreiro (Lorient) – Click the right arrow for more young talents who could seal transfers before the window ends… – Portuguese 22-year-old Guerreiro impressed observers last season and is continuing to do so with Napoli, Roma, Juventus and Inter Milan all interested. Its Premier League side Liverpool who lead the race though, Calcionews24 report theyre holding talks with Lorient over a deal for the left-sided star. 10 10 10 10 Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao) – You would think a 21-year-old signing a new deal at his current club, which has a £38m release clause in it, would put off potential suitors. Instead, Manchester City still seem keen to land the Spain starlet and are ready to splash the cash to sign him. 10 Adrien Rabiot (Paris Saint-Germain) – The 20-year-old has been continually linked with switches to Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham over the last year and may well finally push through a move this transfer window. He wont come cheap but may be worth a punt, a loan deal is a possibility too, with that option interesting Marseille. With young and hungry players currently doing brilliantly at several Premier League sides, it’s understandable they’re a wanted commodity in the transfer window.Tottenham’s starlets are firing on all cylinders after Mauricio Pochettino sold off a number of experienced but underperforming players in the summer.Teams are now looking to follow suit which means in the final few days of the January transfer window we could see a number of highly-rated youngsters move club.But who are the players most likely to seal deals away from their current employers.Click the right arrow above to find out which 10 players under-23 could complete transfers in January… 10 10 Sandro Ramirez (Barcelona) – With Tottenham currently training in the Spanish city, there is a chance they could return with a new signing. Mauricio Pochettino has been keeping tabs on the young striker and could move to sign the 20-year-old if he feels he needs to bolster his forward line, despite Heung-Min Sons competent performances as Harry Kanes back up. Dennis Praet (Anderlecht) – Praet successful start to life as a footballer in his homeland could end in the coming days. The 21-year-old is interesting several sides, with Aston Villa and Liverpool being keen in the Premier League, and his agent has already admitted its highly unlikely hell be at the club at the start of next season. Patrick Roberts (Manchester City) – The 18-year-old ex-Fulham winger is a real talent and, having been given just four Premier League minutes so far this campaign, he could leave the club on loan this month. Celtic are reportedly interested in his services and beginning talks over a temporary deal. 
Daniel is taking part in ‘Strictly’ on the BBC.SHOWBIZ EXCLUSIVE: Daniel O’Donnell has signed up for the BBC’s hugely successful ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ television show.The Donegal singer will join other celebrities including pop star Peter Andre, celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott and Eastenders star Kellie Bright in the dance-offs.The series, now in its 11th season, begins on September 7th next.Daniel, who is on a break from touring for 2015, said he was really looking forward to taking part in the show. “I’m very nervous but I’m really looking forward to it. It’ll be a different kind of hard work but I think I’ll enjoy it,” h said.However the star said that while he has danced a lot, his timing would not be the best.“Just don’t ask me to be in a certain place at a certain time. This is going to be very challenging. I’ll be very hard to tie down. God help whoever gets me,” h laughed.Daniel said he was also looking forward to meting his fellow celebrities as h was a big fan of such shows as Eastenders and Coronation Street.“I would never have got to met the people only for the show so I am rally looking forward to it,” he added. He revealed he had ben ask to take part in some of the show’s Christmas Specials in the past but never had the time.He also said he was looking forward to wearing the costumes but added “I hope they don’t ask me to open my shirt as I only have a one pack.”Daniel’s wife Majella took part in last year’s show and it is understood that she encouraged the singer to give the show a try this year.The singer is already a household name in Britain but his appearance the show promises to make him even more popular.He has just finished filming a series for UTV visiting Bed and Breakfasts around Ireland. DANIEL TO TAKE PART IN BBC’S ‘STRICTLY COME DANCING’ was last modified: August 21st, 2015 by StephenShare this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Tags:BBCdaniel o’donnellStrictly Come Dancing