Welcome

Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. Everything has been figured out, except how to live. One always dies too soon or too late. And yet, life is there, finished. The line is drawn, and it must all be added up. You are nothing other than your life. There is only one day left, always starting over. It is given to us at dawn and taken away from us at dusk. We do not know what we want and yet we are responsible for what we are, that is the fact. When you live alone you no longer know what it is to tell a story: the plausible disappears at the same time as the friends. You let events flow by too.Suddenly you see people appear who speak and then go away; you plunge into stories of which you can't make head or tail. You'd make a terrible witness. It is true that people who live in society have learned how to see themselves in mirrors as they appear to their friends. Luckily, I only have a few...

Dr Shaw is a lecturer in Further Education at Edge Hill University, Ormskirk. She also offers philosophy courses at the School of Continuing Education, Lifelong learning, at the University of Liverpool. In 2015, she has completed her Doctorate in philosophy with a focus on existentialism, the equilibrium doctrine and narrative. She has worked as a teacher of English and Comparative literature and Philosophy at The American University in Cairo, Egypt where she also obtained her BA (Hons). Dr Shaw has an MA in Philosophy and Literature from the University of East Anglia where she also taught on a number of humanities subjects. Whilst working in North Wales in Further education, she gained a PGCE aimed at teaching in FE and HE sectors. Dr Shaw moved to Liverpool in 2010 where she now resides.

Interests: Existentialism, Narrative, Comparative Literature, Feminist Thought, Public Speaking, Arab Existentialism, Philosophy of Education, Art, Music, Film and Theatre, Greek Mythology, Existential counsellor and psychotherapist.

https://liverpool.academia.edu/ShereenHamedShaw


Friday 20 April 2012

Egypt women to demonstrate in Cairo for representation in new constitution

I could not help today but notice in this article titled " Egypt women to demonstrate in Cairo for representation in new constitution" the image in support of the article with a crowd of women who are all veiled- some of them holding their mobile phones trying to take a picture (I wonder whose picture though)

Image link:

http://bikyamasr.com/66701/egypt-women-to-demonstrate-in-cairo-for-representation-in-new-constitution/#

To a person from outside Egypt, the first impression of an Egyptian woman would be a veiled oppressed woman who is hardly heard in society and whose demands are long lost throughout history. This, however, is not the case.

Egyptian women are not all veiled, and even those who are, certainly are not bound to any oppressive law or tradition. It is a huge mistake to believe that the veil is the cause for such an oppression- women are exposed to oppression directly or indirectly all over the world, whether in the work place or at home, it is up to a woman to allow the oppressor to be part of her life. Women, whether Egyptian or not, have the ability to voice their feelings loud and clear.

It is sad that the media chose this picture specifically because it conveys the wrong message to the world. The picture used in the article does not represent correctly the majority of Egyptian women, so why is the media using it, I wonder.


Thursday 19 April 2012

15 Things my Mum keeps telling me

1. Never, never give up!

2. Wake up smiling

3. Be the first to say Hello

4. Be a good listener

5. Always call people with their names

6. Deal with another person as if he/she is the most important person in the world.

7. Keep a note of birthday dates

8. Start with a compliment

9. Surprise the one you love

10. Keep your loved ones close

11. Make someone smile every day

12. Dress every day as if it is the most important day

13. Forgive yourself and other will forgive you

14. Always say please and thank you

15. Live every minute in life as if it is your last.