International #Women's Day 2014: Mothers and daughters around the world - in #pictures

On the eve of International Women’s Day, Reuters presents a set of portraits of mothers and their daughters from around the globe

Rosaura Realsola, 51, with her daughter Alexandra Yamileth, 13, in front of their home in Tepito in Mexico City. Rosaura is a domestic cleaner who finished her education at 16. She says that when she was a child she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up. Rosaura hopes her daughter Alexandra will become a nurse. Photograph: Henry Romero/Reuters

Adetola Ibitoye, 39, sits with her daughter Iteoluwa, 9, in their home in Omole, Lagos. When Adetola was growing up, she wanted to run a fashion business. Now she is a clothes designer. Adetola says she wants her daughter to be the best at whatever she sets her mind to. Iteoluwa says she wants to grow up to be a university teacher. Photograph: Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters

Hala Tanmus, 40, and her daughter Maya, 10, pose in the living room of their home in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Hala is a secretary who finished her education at age 20. When she was younger she wanted to become a lawyer. She hopes that her daughter Maya will become an interior designer. Maya, who says she will finish education age 20, would also like to become an interior designer. Photograph: Ammar Awad/Reuters

Charlotte Stafarce, 49, and her daughter Scarlett, 9, pose in the living room of their home in Zebbug, outside Valletta, Malta. Charlotte is an actress and freelance drama teacher who finished her education at 17. Charlotte hopes her daughter will be a scientist when she grows up. Scarlett says she would like to be a vet. Photograph: Darrin Zammit Lupi//Reuters

Vered, 43, poses with her daughter Alma, 13, in their home in Kibbutz Hukuk near the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. Vered got a degree in design at the age of 27 and currently runs educational art projects in local communities. Vered hopes her daughter Alma will find a profession that brings her happiness and satisfaction. Alma will graduate from high school in five years, at the age of 18, and says she would like to be a part of the film industry as a director, camerawoman, editor or actor. Photograph: Nir Elias/Reuters

Lucy Oyela, 42, poses with her daughter Abber Lillian, 14, at their home in Onang, near Gulu town in northern Uganda. Lucy is a farmer who finished her education at age 18. She said that when she was a child she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up. Lucy says that she really wants for her daughter to become a nurse. Her daughter Abber says she is not sure what she wants to do when she grows up, but thinks she might like to become an accountant. Photograph: James Akena/Reuters

Zhang Haijing, 41, and her daughter Zhu Nuo, 11, pose for a photograph outside their apartment building in Lanzhou, Gansu province, China. Zhang Haijing is a mid-level manager for Xinhua Bookstore Group. When she was a child, she wanted to become a pre-school teacher. Zhang says she wants her daughter to have a stable job, but does not mind what she does so long as she is happy. Zhu Nuo says she wants to get a doctoral degree and become a professor. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

Alicia Chiquin, 43, and her daughter Fidelina Ja, 18, stand together at their home in Pambach, Guatemala. Alicia has no education and has always worked the land. Her daughter Fidelina also has no education and when she grows up she says she will continue to work at home and on the land. Photograph: Jorge Dan Lopez/Reuters

Raimunda Eliandra Alves, 45, poses for a photograph with her daughter Ana Paula Leonardo Justino, 10, at their home at the Pavao-Pavaozinho slum in Rio de Janeiro. Raimunda is a supermarket cashier who finished her education at age 19. When she was a child, she wanted to become a maths teacher. She hopes her daughter will become a veterinarian. Ana Paula says that she will go to high school and then finish college in 2025. She also wants to be a vet when she grows up. Photograph: Sergio Moraes/Reuters

Niculina Fieraru, 39, poses with her daughter Flori Gabriela Dumitrache, 13, in their room in Gura Sutii village, Romania. Niculina Fieraru is unemployed and has two children. She hopes that her daughter will become a seamstress. Flori Gabriela wants to become a pop singer and she hopes to go to high school in a town 14 miles away. Her family cannot afford to pay for it, but a Romanian NGO has offered a scholarship to make this possible. Photograph: Bogdan Cristel/Reuters

Claire Coyne, 43, poses with her daughter Ella, 10, at their home in Shepshed, England. Claire, an assistant banker at Coutts, studied until she was 15. Her ambition as a child was to be a PE teacher. She says she doesn't mind what her daughter becomes, as long as she enjoys herself. Ella hasn't thought about when she will finish education yet, but says she might like to go to university. She does not know what job she would like to do yet, but thinks she might like to be a dance teacher. Photograph: Darren Staples/Reuters

Manami Miyazak, 39, and her daughter Nanaha, 13, pose at their home in Tokyo. Manami, who is a housewife, studied until she was 20. Her ambition was to work somewhere where she could meet lots of people. She hopes that her daughter will build a loving home with a happy marriage. She says it would be great if her daughter could find work that makes use of her abilities and interests. Nanaha wants to be either a designer, musician or a nurse. Photograph: Toru Hanai/Reuters

Sulochna Mohan Sawant, 23, poses with her five-year-old daughter Shamika Sawant inside their home in Mumbai, India. Sulochna, who works as a maid, wanted to become a doctor when she was a child., but could only study until the age of 14. Sulochna wants her daughter to become a teacher. Shamika also wants to become a teacher. Photograph: Mansi Thapliyal/Reuters

Oumou Ndiaye, 30, and her daughter Aissata Golfa, 9, pose for a picture in their house in Bamako, Mali. Oumou, who is a housewife, did not go to school. As a child she hoped to marry a local businessman. She hopes her daughter will marry someone from their ethnic group when she grows up, and that she will stay in education until she is 20 years old. Aissata says that she will finish school when she is 18, and hopes to be a schoolteacher when she grows up. Photograph: Joe Penney/Reuters

Lucia Mayta, 43, and her daughter Luz Cecilia, 12, pose for a photograph inside their bodega in La Paz, Bolivia. Lucia studied until the fourth grade of primary school, and knows how to read and write and do basic maths. She runs a bodega, and the family live in a back room. She hopes to build a house in the future. Luz Cecilia is in seventh grade and wants to be a singer. Photograph: David Mercado/Reuters

Denise Arthur, 52, and her daughter Linnaea Thibedeau, 13, stand together at home near Blackhawk, Colorado. Denise Arthur is a restoration ecologist. She has a PhD and finished her education at 34. Her ambition as a child was to be an animal behaviorist. Denise hopes her daughter Linnaea will become a biologist when she grows up. Linnaea would like to get a PhD and become a marine biologist. Photograph: Rick Walking/Reuters

Noor Zia, 40, poses with her daughter Saba Ahmadi, 11, at their home in Kabul, Afghanistan. Noor, who is a teacher, studied until she was 28. Her ambition was to become a doctor, but she couldn't afford the fees. She hopes her daughter will become a well-known, highly skilled doctor. Saba wants to go to university, and would like to become a renowned lawyer. Photograph: Omar Sobhani/Reuters

Bidaa Mhem Thabet al-Hasan (Um Suleiman), 39, poses with her daughter Mariam Khaled Masto, 9, outside their home in Deir al-Zor, Syria. Bidaa is the director of a school founded by a group of teachers and volunteers. Her ambition was to become a gynaecologist. She hopes her daughter will join the pharmacy school, but says that she will let her follow her own ambitions and that her success will make her happy. Mariam will finish her education in 13 years, and would like to become an Arabic teacher in Deir al-Zor. Photograph: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters

Susana Maria Cardona, 33, and her daughter Alejandra Ruby Cardona, 12, pose for a photograph inside their home in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Susana Maria, who is a housewife, finished school at 17. Her ambition was to become a lawyer. She hopes that her daughter will become a doctor. Alejandra Ruby will finish education in 11 years and hopes to be an agronomist. Photograph: Jorge Cabrera/Reuters

Saciido Sheik Yacquub, 34, poses for a picture with her daughter Faadumo Subeer Mohamed, 13, at their home in Hodan district IDP camp in Mogadishu. Saciido, who runs a small business, wanted to be a businesswoman when she was a child. She studied until she was 20. She hopes that Faadumo will become a doctor. Faadumo will finish school in 2017 and hopes to be a doctor when she grows up. Photograph: Feisal Omar/Reuters

Father demands 'one million likes' dowry for daughter Yemen Facebook

Father demands 'one million likes' dowry for daughter

A Yemeni young man who sought to marry his sweetheart was shocked when her father demanded “one million likes” on Facebook as a dowry for her.

The father, Salim Ayyash, asked the would-be husband he must write the word “like” one million times over a period of one month in all his tweets and contacts with friends on Facebook. But the father quickly assured the daunted young man, identified as Osama, that he might consider cutting that number before the end of the deadline.

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Ayyash, a well-known Facebook personality in the western Yemeni province of Taizz, also told the suitor that he would be watching his Facebook and Twitter activity to check whether he was making progress.

“Ayyash said he was watching Osama’s online activities as he set off to accomplish that dowry task



…he also told him that before the end of the month, he would evaluate his achievement and could reduce the dowry if he is satisfied with his achievement,” the Saud Arabic language daily Sada said in a report from Yemen.

It said the rare request by Ayyash came amidst soaring wedding expenses and dowries (money paid by grooms to their brides under Islamic law) in Yemen.

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Post by ‎نقطة حوار‎.

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True Love

 Love is when you fight to be with your special someone even when everything and everybody is pulling you apart. 

When we love someone it isn't always easy to see, but we have to be willing to fight hard for it. Love is something that many people are so cynical about, because they often don't understand the importance of being as willful as you can in a relationship. Love is something that you fight for, something that you act courageously for, and something that you will risk it all for. 

Without love, and without all of its risks, life will certainly be dull. Love is given to us to help deal with the hardships of life, and a real love will help to pick you up when you fall. In this same sense, we have to love others when they are falling, and we have to love others in our lives even when it seems as though they may not deserve it. Keep loving, always, keep fighting for love.

اعترافات آدم: هذا ما أحب في المرأة

 

عندما يبحث الرجل عن شريكة حياته فإنه لا يسعى فقط وراء الشكل، بل هناك معايير أخرى تجذبه نحو هذه المرأة تحديدا دون غيرها.
صحيح أن ما يلفت الرجل في المرأة أولا هو شكلها، لكن جمالها وجاذبيتها لا يكفيان أبدا ليختارها كشريكة لحياته، فهناك مجموعة معايير أخرى يجب أن يضعها الرجل في حسبانه عند اختيار المرأة التي يتمنى أن يحيا بجوارها للأبد، فما هذه المعايير؟
1- قدرتها على الاستماع إليه:
يحب الرجل المرأة التي تنصت جيدا إلى كلامه بحماس وتعاطف واهتمام، وتقرأ أفكاره وتستمع إلى ما في قلبه، دون أن ترتدي نظارة الناقد الإجتماعي لتصرفاته، او تقوم بلومه وتأنيبه.
يتمنى الرجل المرأة التي تستمع إليه وهو يسرد أخطاءه ومشاكله دون أن تلقي على مسامعه محاضرة أو تباغته بعبارة "لقد حذرتك في البداية".
كما يريد الرجل من زوجته أن تدرك انه اذا رفض الحديث معها فذلك معناه أنه يحتاج وقتا لاستجماع أفكاره ولا يعني تجاهلها.
2- تلقائيتها:
لا يحب الرجل المرأة "القائدة" أو التي لديها حلول وخطط لكل شئ، يحبها تلقائية شفافة لا تخجل من القيام بأفعال مجنونة أحيانا، فهو لا يحتاج لامرأة جادة صارمة، بل يحتاج شريكة تخرجه من الهم والتوتر بتصرفات ممتعة بعيدة قليلا عن الواقع.
3- نجاحها:
على عكس ما يظن البعض بان الرجل لا يحب المرأة الناجحة الطموح التي تمكنت من بناء حياتها بشكل لافت للإنتباه، فإن الرجل في الواقع يميل كثيرا إلى هذا النوع من النساء، لأن هذه المرأة ليست مدللة ولا تبحث عمن يدير لها حياتها حتى تتفرغ هي للتسوق والمرح، بل هي امرأة مسئولة تقدر ما وصلت إليه وتسعى للحفاظ عليه في ظل زوجها.

4- طبيعتها:
يحب الرجل المرأة التي تتواصل معه بشكل عفوي، ولا تفكر كثيرا قبل أن تقول ما تشعر به حقا، ولا تحيك الخطط للإيقاع به.
كما يكره الرجل المرأة التي تنشغل كثيرا بأزيائها ووزنها للدرجة التي تحرمهما من الجلوس سويا لتناول وجبة غذائية معا. فالرجل يحب تناول الطعام، ويحب أن تشاركه زوجته هذه العادة.
5- قدرتها على الطهي:
مهما كانت المرأة ناجحة في حياتها العملية، فهي في النهاية منوطة ببعض المهام المرتبطة بطبيعتها، ومنها الطهي، فالرجل يحب أن يأكل من يد زوجته، وأن تفاجئه زوجته من وقت لآخر بطهي الأصناف التي يحبها خصيصا من أجله. فهذا دليل على الحب في رأيه.
6- مدى قدرتها على التنازل والمساومة:
في كل علاقة زوجية هناك قدر معين من التنازل والمساومة من جانب الزوجين، ويحب الرجل أن يكون مطمئنا لأن زوجته قادرة على تقديم التنازل اذا كان هناك حاجة لذلك - كأن تتخلى عن عملها مثلا ولو بشكل مؤقت من أجل أبنائها-
7- الاهتمام به:
الرجل لن يتزوج الفتاة لأنها جميلة أو مثيرة فقط، فهو لا يحتاج لقطعة ديكور في منزله، بل يحتاج لشريكة محبة عطوفة مسئولة تعتني به وتتحمل معه أعباء الحياة.
8- حس الفكاهة:
يحب الرجل المرأة المرحة التي تجعله مبتسما أغلب الوقت، والتي لديها القدرة على تحويل لحظات التوتر وبدايات الشجار إلى نكتة مرحة.
9- قوتها واعتناؤها بنفسها:
الرجل لن يكون أبا لزوجته، لذلك فهو لن يتزوج ليكون ممولا لمصروفاتها وحارسا شخصيا لها، بل يريد المرأة التي تعتمد على نفسها ويمكنها اتخاذ القرارات المفاجئة وحل المشكلات التي تظهر على الأفق دون الرجوع إليه اذا لم يكن هناك حاجة لذلك.
كما يريد الرجل أن يرتبط بالمرأة القوية التي لا تنهار في المواقف الصعبة، ولا تتركه في عثراته، بل تقف بجانبه وتتحمل معه حتى يخرج من كبوته.

30 Gift Ideas for Valentine’s Day

 

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Valentine’s day is a lovely event where roses are sent from a secret admirer, gifts are exchanged between lovers and couples enjoy romantic candle-lit dinners. Apart from the traditional bouquet of roses and box of heart shaped chocolates, the couple’s gift is a great exchange that both can cherish and enjoy for as long as they’re together.

We define a couple’s gift as a set of two gifts that fit each other like a glove, symbolizing the perfect match. And just for the fun of it, we threw in a few personalized gifts that are just primed for Valentine’s Day. Here are 30 gifts for loving couples you can buy this Valentine’s day. Name your favorite!

Recommended Reading: 50 Exquisite Gifts For This Valentine’s Day (2011)

Blown Away By Love Personalized Mugs [$24.95]

We Belong Together Coffee Mugs [$27]

His And Her Key Holder [$34.95]

Key To My Heart Couple Necklace [$35]

The Smitten [$39.29]

BoldLoft “A Big Kiss” Couple Pillowcases [$36.00]

‘My Side Your Side’ Pillowcases [$40.19]

Tunes For 2 [$18]

2 Device Battery Charger [$89.99]

LEGO Heart Keychain & Necklace Set [$12]

Sterling Silver Heart Couple Rings [$100]

Etched Couple Wine Glasses [$30]

Mario Game Over Couple T-Shirts [$42.95]

Custom Together Since Couple T-Shirts [$40]

Complete My Heart Couple T-Shirts [$38]

I’m Hers He’s Mine Couple Hoodie [$84.95]

Disney Soulmate Couple T-Shirts [$48]

His & Hers Chromosome Towels [$18.99]

Swarovski Crystal IPhone Case [$69.99]

Bride & Groom Personalized iPhone 4 Case [$56]

iPhone 5 Clear Case with Mouse Couple Kissing [$17.99]

Two Person Packable Hammock [$69.99]

Two Person Folding Chair [$89.99]

Personalized Wooden Photo Cube [$24.95]

Snapdot Photo Holder [$12]

Stoneware Heart Plates [$60.79]

Nintendo Love Tester [$53.00]

Get Lucky Dice [$39.95]

Mr Right and Mrs Always Right Spoons [$24.95]

Mr. & Mrs. Personalized Apron Set [$45.90]