It is fascinating the way the human character works in justifying actions committed either for or against humanity. Is it fascination or abhorrence,that a country can stand up for the rights of the oppressed in the name of free speech yet at the same time oppress people by the same token? Is it strange today that an individual at his/her workplace is not allowed to express negative opinions about others for the fear of humiliation or loss of income? Or stranger yet, that as a society we are ever so careful in how we communicate with others be it in the work place or at home or at our social gatherings for the fear of hurting the feelings of others? How about the feelings of those who have passed away? Is there not uneasiness when speaking ill of those in their graves? So what right does this so called "freedom of speech" have when it comes to denigrating, and tarnishing the name of our beloved Prophet Muhammad? Accord...

Kenya Is In Trouble, Serious Trouble By Thomas C. Mountain Faced with a combination of body blows ranging from spiking prices for maize, import dependent Kenya's staple food, IMF mandated food subsidy cuts, a foolhardy USA instigated invasion of Somalia, election triggered ethnic warfare and a simmering independence movement by the Muslims in the Mombasa coastal region Kenya is in trouble, serious trouble. Hunger speculators lead by financial terrorists such as Goldman Sachs  are using the drought in the USA, the world's largest producer of  maize/corn to drive prices to what are predicted to be record levels,  more than doubling by early 2013 forcing Kenya's imported maize  dependent population's malnutrition rate into meltdown status. It was record food prices that triggered the so called "Arab Spring" in Tunisia and Egypt and Kenya stands on the brink of a similar explosion. Compounding the hunger factor in Kenya is "Queen Christi...

Asian expulsions from Uganda by Idi Amin 40 year ago.   Here attached is a well balance story on Indian expulsions from Uganda by Idi Amin. In my forthcoming book, few people who have read Idi Amin’s Chapter think I am defending Idi Amin. I was beginning to get worried until I read this story you sent this morning. The last paragraph is very revealing for me. is a credible man when he writes about his last meeting with Idi in Saudi Arabia where he said –Tell the Asians to go back. He was not apologising for having expelled Asians. He knew Uganda economy has crumbled.   Then what is the truth? The truth is Idi was bad enough without exaggerations like number of people killed are highly exaggerated but some killings took place without his knowledge, like some people close to him were against him some finding a chance to damn him, undermine him  even to eliminate him, there had been many attempts on his life and he was afraid of his own shadow. Id...

Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) | International Labour Organization (ILO)

Summary Overview:  The International Labour Organization’s (ILO’s) Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) program is a system of interrelated training packages and supporting materials for small-scale entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses. SIYB aims to increase the viability of small and medium enterprises through sound management principles suitable for the environment of developing countries. SIYB is comprised of four modules: Generate Your Business, Start Your Business, Improve Your Business, and Expand Your Business . Each module is adapted and translated to specific country needs. Generate Your Business (GYB) is the first in the series and is intended for people without a...

This Policy Inventory has been conceived as both a learning exercise and a didactic one. The impact of the various government interventions during the crisis remains unknown, and there are many questions regarding the design and implementation of macroeconomic and sectoral policies, active labor market and social protection programs, the practice of social dialogue, and the enforcement of international labor standards. In this environment of uncertainty, a database with an inventory of policies enacted during the height of the financial crisis, the years 2008–2010, offers a tremendous analytic tool to learn more about what policies countries relied on, what interventions appear to be more successful, and what the implications are for the design of policy packages to deal with future downturns. http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/---emp_elm/documents/publication/wcms_186324.pdf  

The objective of the Handbook is to provide conceptual and technical guidance to enable "development practitioners" to : Become better equipped to effectively support the anti-corruption work in development co-operation Acquire useful tools to analyze the governance situations by using tools like governance assessments (GAs) and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and thus, to fulfil the potential provided by these tools, and promote political dialogue and operational activities Better contribute to the design and implementation of development programmes by mainstreaming governance and anti-corruption (GAC) issues and to better design and follow-up on specific anti-corruption programmes , NGO support, general budget and sector support http://zunia.org/uploads/media/knowledge/Anti-corruption_handbook_for_development_practitioners_20121346830237.pdf  

  In recent years, microfinance institutions are seen as beacons of hope to help eradicate poverty through, among others, providing credit to poor rural households. Availability of small but repeated loans is, in the long-term, expected to impact on poverty. However, decades after the introduction of microfinance institutions into many rural areas, there are still questions as to what extent such long-term benefits are realized. http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/esspwp43.pdf  

A Government is a Public Institution (place or body) where basic fundamental needs of public interest (mandate) are logistically facilitated, evaluated, debated, processed, exercised and are executed through political legislative policy process (in a Parliamentary system) that provide guidelines or regulations to fairly administer and share for mutual common good of all under favorable (good) democratic principles of accepted governance by the majority public. Leaders of the Government are therefore formed and made through public consent, voting and through a referendum.   Test of times have taught us not to take Government services for granted. That Fundamentals of a Government deliberations is primarily rendering fair and balanced services to people without discrimination. Yes, Corporation are also people, and therefore all must pay fair share of taxes. Government is the backbone institution that provide a balance for livelihood and survival and it is the r...

There can be no prosperity without infrastructure, but infrastructure projects don’t necessarily benefit the poor. Past energy, water and transport strategies have neglected the poorest population groups, and taken a heavy toll on affected people and the environment. Will the new infrastructure strategies of the World Bank and the Group of 20 address the needs of the poor, or will they entrench the power of privileged groups? After hundreds of billions of dollars have been invested in the infrastructure sectors of poor countries, at least one billion people remain cut off from the basic services that would allow them to lead healthy, productive lives. About 13% of the world population has no access to clean water, 19% has no access to electricity, and 39% has no access to improved sanitation. Infrastructure projects have impoverished millions of people who lived in their paths, and contributed to climate change and the degradation of ecosystems on which present and...

We provide fellowship programs that are open to all young peace activists who believe that INNER PEACE + OUTER PEACE = SUSTAINABLE WORLD PEACE. The main venues are both in Thailand and in Europe. Fellowship Program in Thailand The fellowship in Thailand consists of 14 days of Inner Peace Retreat, which focuses on meditation, peace and Buddhist studies. Presently, the fellowship will take place at Mooktawan Sanctuary in an island at the southern part of Thailand. Participants will enjoy meditating in a serene and peaceful near-forest environment. Well, many people say it′s a celestial hideaway on Earth. Following video is taken from Global Peace on the Move V event at Mooktawan. Global Peace on the Move V (Youth Fellowship in June 2011) The Thailand fellowship includes: full or partial sponsoring of airfare*, free accommodation, free catering, free local transportation, free meditation retreat fee. * Everyone is welcome to join the fello...

On Monday 26 September 2011, the world woke up to the news of the death of Nobel laureate Professor Wangari Muta Maathai, a Kenyan environment, gender and political activist. At age 71, Maathai succumbed to ovarian cancer, the sixth most common cancer for women. As I searched for quotes by Maathai on the Internet, I came across one that says “African women in general need to know that it’s OK for them to be the way they are – to see the way they are as a strength, and to be liberated from fear and from silence.” For me, this is the quote that resonates most with Maathai’s life that defied the patriarchal values of our global village. In 2004, Maathai became the first African woman to receive the coveted Nobel Peace Prize “for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.” In her acceptance speech of the prize, in Oslo, Norway she said: “As the first African woman to receive this p...

The Association for Progressive Communications' campaign Connect Your Rights, focused on human rights and the internet. The campaign is still active until the end of 2012, especially around the Internet Governance Forum and the UN's Universal Periodic Review of human rights records of several countries. The campaign website is at http://rights.apc.org Many of you have tried to measure the impact of the internet on human rights. Human rights play out differently on the streets than on the internet. This has been true for years, but today, not only are ‘internet rights’ being promoted — they are also being violated at an astounding speed. Researcher David Souter has investigated the internet’s impacts on human rights. Check out our infographic < http://www.apc.org/en/irhr/internet-human-rights > and his comprehensive research < http://www.apc.org/en/pubs/human-rights-and-internet-review-perceptions-human >. We are always interested in your comments, especially on our ...

How Much Money Does Bill Gates Make? 2012 Income Salary

Why we own part of Lake Nyasa Send By Songa wa Songa, The Citizen Reporter Dar es Salaam. The Anglo-German Treaty of 1890 that gave Malawi sole ownership of Lake Nyasa was flawed and Tanzania has every reason to demand it be corrected, says President Jakaya Kikwete. In his month-end address to the nation, the head of state said the Heligoland Treaty – an agreement between then-colonial powers Germany and Britain –denies Tanzanians living on the shores of Lake Nyasa their given right to utilize proximate water and marine resources to earn their daily living. The President argued the colonial treaty set an unfortunate precedent for Tanzanians while on the border between Malawi and Mozambique boundaries were duly readjusted to give citizens of those countries equal rights of access. He said the treaty is erroneous because it contravenes international law that requires riparian states to share adjoining water resources. According to ...