Story & Video by Vicky Collins

Achan Grace crosses the threshold of the home she built with her own hands, falls to her knees and wails. Moments later, she ululates and dances with joy.

It’s a scene that no one, especially Grace herself, would ever have dreamed possible.

Three years ago, this mother of five begged for work. She feared she would die from sickness and starvation, leaving her children with nothing.

Today, she is one of several hundred women who earn an income making beautiful bead jewelry from recycled magazine paper, and selling it to eager buyers in North America. Now she makes enough money to feed her family and send her children to school.

She feels sufficiently wealthy to take in a baby that someone else has abandoned, even though she already has five children of her own. She has named the rescued infant “Gift from God.”

Susan notes: from sand to snow and back again - an interesting interview with a brave, thoughtful and driven young Emirati woman who has become a heroine to her countrywomen and men in the United Arab Emirates.

I love her quiet determination, her poise, maturity and humility.

Clearly this amazing young woman is going to "go far" in more ways than one. So this won't be the last we'll hear from her...

Anna Baltzer is a Jewish-American activist for Palestinian human rights, author, and public speaker, known for taking positions counter to the Israeli government regarding the Palestinian territories, including the wall/fence and checkpoints. Baltzer’s grandparents survived the Holocaust.

Baltzer first traveled to the Middle East in 2003 while on a Fulbright grant to teach English in Ankara, Turkey. Since then, she has traveled to the West Bank as a volunteer for the International Women's Peace Service to as she describes, document human rights abuses and support nonviolent resistance. Her publications have documented eight months of human conditions while on assignment in the West Bank for the International Women’s Peace Service. ^[3]

Since the summer of 2005, she has been touring around the United States and abroad with a presentation and has written a book (Witness in Palestine) describing her personal experiences, observations, and photographs from eight months of documenting what she described as human rights violations in the West Bank.

Here is a three-part video of one of her fascinating, throught-provoking and to some, controversial, presentations. All together, it's about one hour long and SO worth watching. (Thanks to Essential Dissent where it was originally posted):

Part 1

By Sadaf Shah
May 21, 2010

I met Hafeeza a year and a half ago when she was eight moths pregnant with her third child.

I was desperate to get a massage and found her number from a relative of hers. We set up a time for the next day after I called her on her cell number. She laughingly told me that she was very much pregnant and that I should not worry as she can still do a good massage.

Next day she arrived right on time, my cleaning lady led her by the hand up the stairs and into my bedroom. Hafeeza had a smile on her face she took of her head scarf, put her hand bag in a corner took her cell phone out and put it where she could find it easily in case somebody called.

Later I realized the smile was a permanent feature. I laid out a mattress on the floor and gave her three separate oils one for my hair, one for my face and one for my body. She put them in order and began the most wonderful massage I had ever experienced. On my request she started telling me about herself...

Australians have gathered around Sydney harbour to welcome back teenager Jessica Watson from her record round-the-world sailing adventure.

The 16-year-old is said to be the youngest person to sail non-stop, solo and unassisted around the world.

But her record has been questioned with claims that she has not sailed far enough.

She will also not be recognised by the World Speed Sailing Record Council, as it has ended its under-18 category.

Wearing pink

Ms Watson sailed into Sydney harbour on Saturday, seven months after leaving on an arduous voyage some critics said was too dangerous for someone so young.

Thousands of well-wishers lined the harbour and watched from boats as Ms Watson sailed her pink, 10m (34ft) yacht Ella's Pink Lady over the finishing line.

Family, friends and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd have gathered to greet her. Many of the onlookers wore pink to match the boat.