A video campaign titled Sympathy Cards, initially released in 2018, is going viral again.
The chilling video depicts, via hidden cameras, shoppers walking by or browsing the greeting cards section at a shop. Shocked, confused, some visibly upset, shoppers freeze when they notice that, along with the traditional selection of greeting cards, is a section devoted to school shootings.
The solemn black-and-white cards feature large, bold words, which repeat words including “I’m sorry,” and “Sympathy” several times.
Smaller messages of sympathy are written between these words or inside the cards. They include: “I’m sorry your kid got shot at school today,” “I’m sorry your kid was gunned down in gym class,” “Condolences on the shooting of your teacher,” “Sympathy on the shooting of your classmates,” and “Sorry for your terrifying loss.”
Non-profit, gun safety organisation Change The Ref (CTR) is behind the powerful video that has now had more than 1.3 million views on TikTok since it was posted on the platform five days ago.
The Parkland, Florida, non-profit organisation aims to use urban art to raise awareness on mass shootings in America. The group was founded by Manuel and Patricia Oliver after the tragic loss of their son Joaquin, who was one of the 17 students killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018.
CTR’s goal is to reach out to the public and strengthen the voice of a generation of survivors and victims of school shooting for a more peaceful future. Some of their other initiatives include Walls of Demand, a nationwide art project where murals with powerful images are created to force people to think about gun violence.
More recently, there was another campaign called The NRA’s Children’s Museum.
CTR organised for a fleet of 52 empty yellow school busses to drive to the home and office of senator Ted Cruz where they formed the shape of a rifle. The procession of buses had 4,368 empty bus seats to represent the number of children who had died because of gun violence in the US since 2020. The belongings of each school shooting victim were placed on each seat in the bus.
Urban art is a powerful way to bring attention to imperative social issues. The art form encompasses many mediums and techniques including graffiti, public sculptures, poster art, sticker art, 3D wall graffiti, murals, sidewalk chalk art or more performative pieces that involve public interaction, such as Sympathy Cards. These are usually recorded and uploaded online with the hopes of going viral.
Urban art has continued to be a platform in recent times for reflection, collaboration and a means in which to build a community around social issues.
Invisible Homeless by Luke Jerram in 2015 addressed the ongoing issue of the homeless population in the UK in a profound way. Jerram created a glass sculpture of a sleeping body resting on cardboard in the middle of Bristol for the public to see.
New York artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh’s Stop Telling Women to Smile series in 2012, consisted of simply drawn portraits pasted on the streets of the city. The series was created to address the harassment that women faced by the roads everyday. Each of the drawings by Fazlalizadeh was accompanied with a quote by the sitter that spoke of her experience with street harassment.
One of the most recognised urban art pieces is Laundromat by famed Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in 2016. Weiwei strapped 14,000 used life jackets previously worn by refugees traveling from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos, to the pillars of the Konzerthaus concert hall in Berlin. It was a bold installation that made international headlines.
CTR’s Sympathy Cards ends with a very sombre message, “Mass Sympathy Cards. Coming Soon. If we do nothing.”
While the video was released in 2018, the unfortunate fact is the message behind the video is still very relevant today. There have been 119 school shootings since 2018, 27 of those having occurred in 2022 alone.
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What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Ahmed Raza, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Chirag Suri , Zahoor Khan
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
