tatue Of Liberty Construction,

A wonderful inside look at the construction of New York’s most iconic landmark.

The photo absolutely screams hard labour.

Ali And Malcolm X Kidding Around

A pretty self explanatory snap of boxing great Muhammad Ali with human rights activist, Malcolm X.

The handsome chaps seem to be fooling around in this shot, which was taken in New York City.

Tank Man 2.0,

We’re all familiar with one of the world’s most famous photos, ‘tank man’, right?

Well, here is a rare ground view of the incident, in which the tank is further away and a digger intrudes.

Outside The Mecca

This early photograph shows a packed camp just outside of Mecca, in 1889.

Pilgrims made and still to this day make the journey to Mecca in vast numbers.

CAREERS

NDI’s staff of approximately 1,200 works with people across the globe to support and strengthen democratic institutions and practices - helping citizens to monitor their elections; training youth and women to take their first political steps; and assisting parliaments, political parties and civic organizations to instill more transparency and accountability in government. If you believe, as we do, in the indispensable role that democracy plays in improving social and economic well-being and safeguarding human rights, consider a career with NDI.

Careers at NDI can take you around the world. With programs in nearly 70 countries and a staff of nearly 100 nationalities, the Institute offers opportunities to grow within the organization, and to learn from the diverse experience of our international staff.

DEMOCRACY DIALOGUE

Support for democracy has been a priority of U.S. foreign policy since the earliest days of the republic, and its advantages over other forms of government have come to be accepted globally. But there are many manifestations of democratic governance – how it is achieved and how it delivers for its citizens – that are the subject of continuing debate. To help illuminate this debate, NDI has collected commentary from its own experts and others along with some of the key documents upon which democracy programs are based.

WHAT WE'VE LEARN

For centuries, dictators, despots and kings justified repression by insisting that stability could be achieved only with an iron hand. More recently, new rationales for autocracy were developed, suggesting that democracy was solely a product of the West and inconsistent with the values of other traditions. Even today, some proclaim that democracy in poor societies must first be preceded by development, as if democracy were not itself an essential ingredient of prosperity. 

However, the human desire for freedom is both universal and unquenchable. For the first time in history, more than half the world's population lives under elected governments. Scores of countries have adopted the system, particularly since 1975, and opinion research consistently finds that a majority of people in every region of the world now believes that democracy is the best form of government. 

NDI has supported the advancement of democracy in nearly every corner of every continent, monitoring elections, training political leaders, supporting civic engagement, promoting opportunities for women and helping build democratic institutions. Every country is different, and embarks on its own unique path to a democratic outcome. But throughout our 30 year history, certain truths come up again and again — lessons that we apply to all our programs.

WHERE WE WORK

©CCBYSA 2010 OpenStreetMap.org contributors

NDI works on five continents with political parties, governments, parliaments and civic groups to establish and strengthen democratic institutions and practices. The Institute uses a multinational approach that reinforces the message that while there is no single democratic model, certain core principles are shared by all democracies. That philosophy has been applied in more than 110 countries since NDI’s founding in 1983. More information about NDI's individual country programs can be found by clicking on the map above or, by region, using the menu below.

Supporting-Victims-Sexual-Violence-Syria

Widespread sexual violence has characterized the conflict in Syria since its inception. The threat of rape, sexual slavery, and forced marriage impacts every aspect of the lives of Syrian women and girls, and such violence has continually worsened as the country’s civil war heads into its sixth year.

In order to better understand the challenges that women face as a result of the current conflict in Syria, raise awareness of sexual violence, and brainstorm solutions to address the issue at the local level, NDI-trained activists led discussions inside Syria on the topic of sexual violence. Three local partner organizations trained and deployed facilitators across the country, engaging over 1,000 activists in the discussions since the program began in June.

On January 28, as the culminating event of the program, representatives from NDI’s local partner organizations, civil society, women's networks and high-level political opposition figures gathered in Gaziantep, Turkey to discuss potential policy solutions to sexual violence in Syria. At the forum, civil society representatives shared the recommendations developed during the in-country discussions with government representatives and political stakeholders.

“Sexual violence is a real problem anywhere, but in Syria the matter is further complicated by the fear of continuous shelling, the risk of detention and the utter lack of timely and safe assistance - including health services, psychosocial, legal support services - in liberated areas,” said a civil society leader in attendance.

Victims of sexual violence also face intense stigma, as cultural norms prevent women and victims from speaking out about their experiences and becoming active participants in addressing the issue within their communities. Compounding the problem, as observed in a March 2015 United Nations report on the conflict, is a lack of reliable data on conflict-related sexual violence “owing to prevailing insecurity...the lack of specialized, safe and confidential services and challenges in accessing services where they are available.”

At the end of this day-long forum, key participants representing decision-making bodies and civil society signed a Declaration on Ending Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls in Syria. The Declaration acknowledges “the grave impact” of sexual violence inside Syria and emphasizes “the need for survivors of sexual violence to be supported and not stigmatized to prevent their further harm and suffering.” The forum sets local leadership down a new path where sexual violence in Syria will not be tolerated.

“We can ensure this Declaration makes a difference in the lives of Syrian women and girls by addressing impunity, setting up services for survivors and raising awareness,” said Elvis Zutic of NDI. “Further, this activity sets a valuable precedent for establishing democratic practices at the local level, and for involving women in policy debates and decision-making processes.”

Live for others

I

Nobody told you that quitting smoking would mean your body only lets you sleep two hours a night. You are both so sleepy you can barely move, and so angry that you are literally seeing red. Together, this means that you are at the brink of non-functioning, but smoking withdrawal symptoms don’t seem to be a legitimate reason to take a sick day. People would help you, but you already screamed at them for bringing you chocolate buttons when you specifically said you wanted a Freddo.

Suddenly Homicid

You might murder someone. Like, it just might happen. You don’t have the control here. Smacking someone in the face for walking past you seems like a really logical thought, and you don’t understand why people have started hurriedly leaving the room when you enter.

smoking harms

smoking harms

Problems Only People From South Shields

Sandwiched between Newcastle and Sunderland, South Shields is all too often dismissed as ‘that town by the sea with the Roman fort and all the curry houses’. And while those are indeed two of our main attractions, there’s a lot more to South Shields than just our rich history and delicious food (not so humble brag intended).

We may not have anything as iconically North Eastern as the Tyne Bridge or Angel of the North, but us Sanddancers have our own local customs and traditions, mostly focused around drinking, that make our little coastal town distinct from its Geordie and Mackem neighbours.

Madonna And Child

‘Madonna and Child with the Infant St John’ is a round painting of unknown authorship that dates from the sixteenth century AD. The painting currently resides in the town hall of Florence but is believed to have originated from an old convent named, Sant’Orsola. Interestingly, this convent has another link to the world of art as it is believed to be where Lisa Gherardini, the women more commonly known as Mona Lisa, was buried.

The painting’s foreground depicts the Virgin Mary praying as she kneels over the baby Jesus and a young saint John. However, it is the unrelated and seemingly random event portrayed in the paintings background that sets it aside from other religious renaissance artwork. To the right of the Virgin Mary, a shepherd can be seen looking towards the sky and pointing up at a strange object. The object appears to be a dark flying disk with a dome like shape on its top.

The disk is depicted as having light shining from within it and closely matches the flying saucer image that has become commonplace among reported U.F.O

9 Historical Moments That Prove Aliens Have Visited Earth

While the term U.F.O. and the widespread reporting of alien sightings are a relatively modern phenomena, there are theories that extraterrestrials have been visiting Earth since the early days of mankind.

Ancient astronauts are not only believed to have journeyed to Earth but are also believed to have made contact with early humans and aided their technological and cultural advancements.

Mom

Arshi

Its my picture

Life

Life is examition

You might murder someone. Like, it just might happen. You don’t have the control here. Smacking someone in the face for walking past you seems like a really logical thought, and you don’t understand why people have started hurriedly leaving the room when you enter.