Ever heard Margaret Mead’s famous saying? “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
That’s the story of MoveOn. In 1998, when a Republican Congress was focusing all its efforts on impeaching President Clinton, two people with no political experience started a simple online petition: “Censure President Clinton and Move On to Pressing Issues Facing the Nation.”
They shared their petition with their friends, and within days they had hundreds of thousands of signatures. Today, MoveOn has over 7 million members—mostly folks who got involved by signing an online petition, and have stayed active in helping to fight for a progressive America.
That’s why we’ve just launched a new website where you can start your own online petition and invite your friends to sign it. We’ll send the most popular petitions to other MoveOn members to help build support for your cause.
US ambassador to Kenya Scott Gration has quit diplomatic service in a huff after differing with his masters in Washington.
Gration leaves Kenya after serving barely for one year having taken over from the outspoken Michael Ranneberger in May 2011.
His exit leaves observers wondering as to what kind of differences could have caused his exit from diplomatic service even as a section of leaders immediately welcomed it as good riddance for a diplomat who ‘was slow’ on reforms agenda.
Who Owns the News Media is an interactive database of companies that own news properties in the United States. Use the site to compare the companies, explore each media sector or read profiles of individual companies. It provides detailed statistics on the companies that now own our nation’s news media outlets, from newspapers to local television news stations to radio to digital, and this accompanying summary highlights the major changes of the year. With daily newspapers still providing the majority of original news reporting, what will these new owners mean for the future of our daily news? What is their background? What is the breadth of their news properties and their properties in other industries?
While there were no major ownership changes in ethnic media in the past year, mainstream media organizations made further inroads in the market. Fox, ABC News and Comcast all made moves to create stations and programming geared to Hispanic Americans, bringing in new competition to Univision, the largest Spanish language network and now the fourth largest network overall.
LinkedIn Groups
Group: White House
Subject: What the Supreme Court’s ruling means for your health care
The White House sent the following email to subscribers
The White House sent the following email to subscribers today:
Today, the Supreme Court issued a historic ruling: They upheld the Affordable Care Act and ensured that millions of American families will have access to health care and protection from the worst abuses of the insurance industry.
Lots of people have questions about the Affordable Care Act, the Supreme Court’s decision, and their health care coverage. We’ve pulled together the most useful information — including President Obama’s remarks after the announcement — at WhiteHouse.gov:
Watch the video and get the facts here: http://wh.gov/3bRg
[translates as…] http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/06/28/supreme-court-upholds-president-obamas-health-care-reform?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl
Because the law has an impact on so many Americans, it’s important to understand its basic parts. We’ve also put together a list of facts about the Affordable Care Act: http://wh.gov/3bRg
Will you give it a read, and then pass it on?
Posted By Kori Schulman
– – – – – –
Home • The White House Blog
…The White House Blog
Supreme Court Upholds President Obama’s Health Care Reform
Questions about what the decision means for you? Check out an infographic showing how the Affordable Care Act benefits Americans
Today, the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act ensures hard-working, middle class families will get the security they deserve and protects every American from the worst insurance company abuses. The Court has issued a clear and final ruling on this law.
Congratulation to the Judges for making President Obama Administration with the rest of America proud…….
Although Mitt Romney criticized Obamacare, he has not offered specifics or provided memorundum of what he would do in the White House beyond saying Obamacare was a “bad policy”.
It has taken America’s previous leadership 60 years to re-structure or improve the healthcare that has become a pain and a burden to many disadvantaged Americans.
This is a win-win to President Obama realizing that the President took leadership and provided a balance to steady the economy of the country when America’s economiy had crashed. Romney’s business idiologies including his partners in business were responsible for shipping jobs to China and Pakistan and this contributed heavilly to the down-turn fall of economic crisis of the country.
Although Romney insisted, Obamacare was a “moral failure”, he had no evidence to prove that. The Court rulling has now proved Romney was wrong in criticizing the Obamacare. President Obama demonstrate to the Americans and the world that he truely deserves a second chance so he can put America on top of the world as a mirrow and a show-case of success.
I am so happy and thrilled, this serves as a truely good news………..
Cheers everybody……
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
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Supreme Court upholds Obamacare
If there were cheers or clinking of champagne glasses in the West Wing when the Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama’s landmark health care overhaul, they were awfully quiet. But maybe not for long: Obama “will speak in the next few hours,” an administration official told Yahoo News.
The president had been scheduled to be in the Oval Office with Vice President Joe Biden when the ruling came down, but reporters seeking out press secretary ay Carney shortly after 10 am were delayed by Secret Service in the West Wing as Obama apparently made his way there from the residence section of the White House, according to an aide.
But while Obama kept quiet, Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who drove the law to passage in the House by the narrowest of margins, took to Twitter to declare victory.
“Victory for the American people! Millions of American families and children will have certainty of health care benefits + affordable care,” she tweeted.
Supreme Court upholds Obamacare individual mandate as a tax
By Liz Goodwin, Yahoo! News | The Ticket – 52 mins ago
In a victory for President Barack Obama, the Supreme Court decided to uphold his signature health care law’s individual insurance mandate in a 5-4 decision, upending speculation after hostile-seeming oral arguments in March that the justices would overturn the law. The mandate has been upheld as a tax, according to SCOTUSblog, with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the liberal wing of the court. Tom Goldstein of SCOTUSblog says Roberts’ vote “saved” the Affordable Care Act.
Justice Anthony Kennedy, usually the court’s swing vote, dissented, reading from the bench that he and three conservative justices believe “the entire Act before us is invalid in its entirety.”
The court’s four liberal justices agreed that the individual mandate should be upheld as part of Congress’ power to regulate interstate commerce, but Roberts disagreed, and wrote that the mandate is actually a tax, despite the Obama administration’s reluctance to describe it that way during the bill’s passage.
SUGAR milling companies in Nyanza and Western Provinces have raised complaints alleging that the government through its immigration Ministry is engaged in recklessness of issuing unskilled aliens workers from India and Pakistan with the works permits at the expense f Kenyan worker
Hundreds of unskilled India and Pakistani workers have flooded the sugar factories in the regions, and are engaged in odd jobs such as cane-yard clerks, time-keepers, store-keepers, vehicles mechanics electrical mechanics, boiler-operators, office sweepers, messengers, time-keepers, cooks , welders and penal-beaters, fitters and plant mechanics.
Kenya is not short of these categories of workers after close to 50 years ever since the country attained its political independence in 1963. The country has trained skilled worker n these categories in excess of its labor fore needs.” Said a source a the Awendo-based SonySugar Company.
The CENTRAL Organization of Trade union of Kenya {cotu{k} is silent about this grave situation and appeared to have been compromised.
The outspoken COTU{K} Secretary-General who is also the General Secretary of the Kenya Plantations and Agricultural Workers Union is sleeping on the job and has uttered no word in complaints against this seemingly naked corrupt deals in which some sugar millers are known to be sourcing their worker from foreign sources with impunity against the laws of Kenya that is governing the sourcing f foreign workers.
The sugar mills which are currently flooded by foreign workers included the Ndhiwa based Sukari Industries, kakamega based Butali Sugar Mill, Western Kenya Sugar Company also based in Kakamega district, Kibos Sugar and Allied Industries based at Kibos near Kisumu City, Trans-Mara Sugar Company Limited, which is based in Trans-Mara district within Narok County.
Shortly before he met his untimely death in a helicopter crash in Ngong forest near Nairobi, The Internal Security Assistant Minister Joshua Orwa Ojode whose concerted effort is credited to have been an instrumental tool that yielded in the establishment of the Ndhiwa based Sugar Mills near Oria Market, is said to have warned the management of the Sukari Industry Limited, to remove about half of its Indian and Pakisani workers who are engaged on petty jobs which could be perfectly be performed well by the locals.
The Labor Ministry also stands blamed for not effectively inspecting the job specifications I the Sugar mill with he view o ensure that undesirable aliens were kicked out and their places taken over by local skills.
Unionized workers in the sugar industry tro8gh their union are also contemplating moving to court to have he foreign workers have their illegally and corruptively obtained work permits cancelled.
The workers lad the blames squarely on the MPS representing the sugar growing zones in both Nyanza an Western Provinces for allegedly having compromised and failing to articulate the workers sufferings to the government.
They included the MPs representing Mumias, Muhooni, Nyando, Rono, Uirii, Kiloris,IKOlOMANI, Bunyala, Matungu, and Butere.
COME IN 8:50 TO LOG IN.
APOLOGIES ABOUT LAST TIME’S MEETING. WRONG PLATFORM CAUSED A DELAY OF 25 MINS. WE DID MEET WITH THOSE PRESENT, BUT WILL REDO STUFF AND CONTINUE. KEEP TIME, PRACTICE NEW TECH. IF LET, GIVE IT TIME TO BE LET IN. MEETING STARTS AT 9PM THURSDAY6/28/12. TELL YOUR COUNTRY AND STATE LEADERS TO JOIN. WE WANT TO ELECT AN ULTIMATE TEAM. PUT YOU BEST LEADERS FORWARD TO FEEL POSITIONS. GO THROUGH THE STRUCTURES AND EMAIL ADD ONS OR SUBTRACTIONS TO HELP THE MEETING MOVE FASTER.
To save time, please test your head phones, speakers or mode that you shall use. Here are the options:
1. go online type join.me, hit return key, download app if on smart phone or you do not already have it. then to enter meeting: type in share box: One-Diaspora-Voice as code. We encourage use of smart phones, ipads and pc because we shall be going through visual documents on your screen.
2. Go to www.kenyadiasporadev.org and click on link to join the meeting
Go to Mwakilishishi.com and scroll down to our meeting ad. Hit the link and come to meeting. If you need to download join, it takes few mins. There is also a phone number alternative for various countries. Call in. Join meeting with names you go by.
4. text or call me for number to dial in advance if you know you can not join meeting via internet. Will get it 2o hrs before show.
Hi
You are invited to Diaspora leadership election planning teleconference
Thursday June 28 9pm EST
Agenda
1. Structure of duties, naming the titles to be contested
2. Vision/mission of Diaspora Leadership
3. Election procedures confirmation.
2. Rewards system
Please find attached
2 attachments — Download all attachments
Structure of Diaspora Leadership.docx
17K View Download
REWARDS SYSTEM.docx
29K View Download
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Structure of Diaspora Leadership.docx
17K
Structure of Diaspora Leadership
As someone noted “Diaspora Advisory Council” has taken a certain meaning.
If we use Diaspora Leadership Council—will it create confusion?
Diaspora Leadership Matrix
Structural policies determine the location of decision making power. Structural policies can be divided into four areas:
Specialization: refers to the type of specialists which will be needed to get the work done and their number.
Shape: refers to how many people exist at each level of the organization. Clearly a flat organization will result in lots of people at each level as opposed to a more hierarchical organization.
Distribution of Power: refers to centralization vs. decentralization along with whether we push power down through the organisation to where the issues and information are or whether we want all decisions to go through decision making bodies.
Departmentalization: refers to which departments should be formed.
We can decide to have leaders of
Regional units
Project units
REGIONAL UNITS
Country/city/regions
Possible Areas of Network Operations
Projects
Technical Expert Networks
Diaspora Expert Teams established in strategic areas of focus and direction.
• Concrete action plans provided to implement Diaspora think tank science, engineering and
technology themes.
Investment and Business Promotion Network activities will involve:
• Establishing business and technology incubators .
National initiatives to harness the potential of the Kenyan Diaspora in the country’s development.
Kenyan Diaspora professional groups and associations have been making remarkable contributions in many of the focus areas of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) such as poverty reduction, access to education and health care, and so on, but these are often small scale activities which need to be scaled-up.
Further, Diaspora professionals have ideas, skills and expertise which can be guided with innovation and creativity to break new ground and thereby enhance the quality of development projects.
Governance (enabling policies, rules of engagement, transparency, accountability and management).
communication and interactions among the critical actors; policy influence and change;
conducive and enabling investments environment; and
• Human security, peace and reconciliation initiatives (geared to minimize, prevent or
Eliminate conflicts).
Possible Forms of Financing
Diaspora For-profit Co-op Diaspora Investment Fund Raising; Venture Capital
There are several ways in which the above proposed activities could be financed. These include working with special programs of bilateral partners such as the Faith-Based Initiatives of the USA; seeking contributions and partnerships from other donors and large multi-national corporations;
(a) assessing the potential of establishing Diaspora business investment, management, and service centers in Kenya. Currently, the Diaspora rely on family and friends in business identification and implementation with varied results as these local actors are untrained; often funds get diverted and misused;
(b) facilitating home country banking sector to develop appropriate loan and credit schemes for Diaspora entrepreneurs; and
(c) identifying business development assistance instruments for services to be rendered to Diaspora entrepreneurs, e.g., business identification, global/local market survey, preparation of business plan, starting a business, business capitalization, etc.
The private sector: Partnerships with private sector organizations in the USA and Europe,
especially multi-national corporations with strong business interests in Kenya can be explored.
These partnerships would be linked to a business case for participation rather than being seen as
short-term charitable or pro-bono contributions, and could take many forms such as allowing the use of proprietary technical knowledge, providing opportunities for employees to articulate new Kenyan business opportunities, allowing Diaspora to serve as the organization’s representative in their home country etc. Discussions will be initiated with the US Chamber of Commerce as well as with the Business Action for Kenya in the UK to assess initial interest.
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REWARDS SYSTEM.docx
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KENYA DISPORA LEADERSHIP
REWARDS SYSTEM
Recognition gives top performers a sense of purpose and validation. Optimal recognition
validates life decisions for top performers.
You don’t need to dangle a carrot in front of [top performers],says experts. “That’s not what really gets them excited in the morning. They want to win. So if you look at Maslow’s hierarchy, particularly the top performers are even more recognition-driven than the rest of the population. These are people who want to be recognized for creating success.”
Specific, Meaningful and Timely
Recognition should be:
Specific: The recognition is absolutely linked to specific motivating events (e.g., outreach targets, living organization values, etc.), is clearly defined, and is part of a total recognition system of the organization.
Meaningful: The recognition is of personal importance to the recipient and recognizes the person individually, even to the extent that it allows the recipient to select how to translate the recognition into a reward.
Timely: The recognition is presented, or combined reciprocally with rewards, when the goal is achieved or a reason for the recognition occurs. Recognition at a Town Hall meeting six months after a goal was accomplished isn’t very motivating and is unlikely to ensure that the behavior is repeated.
Recognition for top performers must be “personally meaningful.”
“Sometimes it is praise from a mentor, recognition by colleagues and peers, visible recognition (from an outside entity or board), or perhaps an award from a professional organization,”“There is someone or some group that matters to a high performer, so … find out what form of recognition will truly have an impact.”
Specific, meaningful and timely recognition, on a regular, steady basis, eventually turns the act of recognition into an agent of change within the organization.
To enhance the value of recognition, organizations need a rewards program that, first, aligns with their recognition culture and, second, provides a system of reciprocating recognition with rewards without diluting the power and effect of the recognition. The trend in this is to Web-based online point recognition programs, which ensure that recognition is positive and immediate and that any rewards are of value to the recipient. This is especially crucial for top performers.
“Cash doesn’t do that, because it ends up buying groceries or something expendable, and there’s no brand affiliation with the organization at all,” Suleman says. “A specific thing, chosen by the Member, from points he or she has generated over time, that’s something they relate back to the organization later.”
Even if the reward is relatively small, they are in points that the recipient can “bank” and use later. A key point here is that everything ties back to the values of the organization, which for top performers, reflect their own values.
Finally, a points-based online system is easy to administer regardless of an organization’s size, and it allows any Member to receive recognition – and collect points – across business units and through different kinds of recognition programs within the organization (e.g., referrals, quarterly outreach goals, implementing innovative ideas, recognizing peers, etc.)
Understand what motivates top performers.
Create an environment in which top performers are truly engaged.
Consider a Web-based recognition platform rather than the less-effective “rewards” program.
Best Practices for Designing and Maintaining a Program
Designing Member Recognition Programs
The purpose of a member recognition program is to recognize and reward organization and behaviors that support/further the mission, goals, values and initiatives of the DLC
Get input about the mission, goals and values
Ask Members what behaviors they think should be recognized
Use the criteria for recognition to tie the mission, goals and values to everyday roles
Maximize involvement in program design
Ask Members how they like to be recognized
Involve as diverse a group as possible in the design
Announce the names of program design team members on the website, in an email, or in a memo; encourage Members to share their ideas/input with team members Build into the program methods for Members to give feedback
Be as transparent about the process as possible, build buy-in and excitement
Email/memo announcing that a program is being designed and when to expect roll-out
Share the decision-making process used to develop the program
Give updates on the progress of the design Roll out program as a pilot, leaving room for suggestions and feedback
Create a program that allows for participation at all levels and in all areas of the organization
Peer to peer; team leader to Member; Member to team leader
Recognition for colleagues and collaborators outside of the organization
Make spot award programs easy, informal and accessible
Keep it simple for the user
Keep it simple to administer
When rolling out the program, explain it in person (e.g., at a team meeting) rather than just through email/web site; create a road show
Make nomination processes simple and accessible
Provide examples of what you expect/need to see in a nomination
Offer information sessions
Thank/recognize people for nominating
Seek out recognition champions who will help drum up nominations
Have someone who has written a successful nomination talk about it at a team/organization meeting: “It was easy, was worth every minute it took to write, and boy did I feel great when the person I nominated was selected to receive an award!
Maintaining Member Recognition Programs
Change the membership of your nomination selection committee every year
Include former award recipients
Include all members levels and representation from all areas of the organization
Be transparent about your selection process (communicate it!)
Be creative with logos, themes, designs
Sponsor a design contest, have fun!
Change/refresh the look and feel periodically
Have a different organization of your organization host the annual ceremony each year, creating their own unique event
Generate interest & enthusiasm about the program by talking it up in team meetings and with peers
Include explanation of the program in your new Member orientation
Don’t assume people know how to use the program once you’ve rolled it out; “Train” people to recognize others
Share who is receiving recognition and who has recognized others (so that members can see that it goes in all directions)
Give examples of what is appropriate recognition (set criteria)
Make time in team or members meetings for people to comment on the successes and achievements of their colleagues
Provide the “best practices for delivery”
Encourage/include regular, visible support and participation from senior management
Make sure supervisors know when someone on their members has been recognized and by whom
Keep marketing!
Web, email, paper mail, newsletter, bulletin board
Announce recognition when it happens, as it happens; or provide regular (monthly/quarterly) email, mail, or real-time (at a meeting) update
Periodically send fun reminders to all Members to use the program (use small gifts or a get together)
On-the-spot recognition can take place every day, year round – it’s not something that happens only when a budget has been allocated or when gifts have been purchased
Annual awards ceremonies should be a high point in the year, a culmination of all the other recognition activities and practices that have taken place throughout the year
Appreciation Award
Appreciation Awards (aka “on-the-spot” or “spot” awards) are delivered at the time of achievement. These acknowledgments should be relatively small and can be given to individuals, teams, or organization groups. They may come in the form of thank-you notes, candy, flowers, lunches, group events or outings, movie tickets, etc. As with all awards, they should be tied to a specific message of recognition for a concrete or measurable goal, achievement, or contribution. These awards should not exceed a value of $100 per individual per year.
The types of contributions that might be recognized through appreciation awards are:
staying late to help someone prepare a presentation for the next day
volunteering to cover for a co-member who is sick or busy
going out of your way to help boost morale or create a positive, inclusive organization environment
exceeding expectations for a goal or milestone in a long-term collaborative project
How the local programs are designed
Local areas have the flexibility to design meaningful “thank you’s” to Members in ways that best suit their culture and the type of organization that they do. These awards are administered by the unit’s R& R key contact or by someone else who has been appointed, such as an Administrative Officer or Personnel Administrator.
Acknowledging someone outside of your area
Members are encouraged to recognize co-members outside of their immediate area with whom they collaborate to accomplish their goals. One way of doing this is to send a free e-card. Alternatively, speak to your key contact to find out what is available to you in your organizational area.
Excellence Awards
The Excellence Awards acknowledge the extraordinary efforts made by members of our community toward fulfilling the goals, values, and mission of the Kenyan Diaspora. This is among the highest honors awarded members of the Kenyan Diaspora. Professionalism, commitment to best practices, and high standards of excellence are at the heart of these awards.
Reward Amount
EXAMPLE, Airfare, holiday, Individual recipients receive $2,000; teams receive up to $10,000 ($2,000 maximum per individual). Cash awards are considered pay and will have payroll taxes removed before issuance.
The Ceremony
The Kenya Diaspora Excellence Awards are celebrated annually at a ceremony..
All members of the Kenya Diaspora community should always be invited to attend this special event. Award recipients are encouraged to invite family and friends, as well.
Best Practices for Delivering Recognition
“On-the-spot” recognition
Be timely and spontaneous (“immediate recognition”)
Personalize the message; be sincere
If sending email, cc to supervisors and/or colleagues when appropriate
Encourage everyone participate in on-the-spot recognition
Enhance the recognition by presenting it at a team meeting or informal gathering; for those observing, this also provides an example of how and when to give recognition
Put it in writing
Keep the recognition appropriate in size for the achievement
Commit (not so) Random Acts of Recognition
Recognize people for organization that forwards the mission, goals, initiatives, values of the organization
The organization can (and should!) support, encourage and model recognition for their members.
Recognize others by showing respect, asking for input, giving feedback, providing opportunity or training, just saying “thank you”
Be fair – acknowledge similar achievements with similar types of recognition (the exact same recognition for everyone isn’t necessarily fair recognition)
Beware of “stealth” recognition. Providing donuts and coffee at a meeting may not be understood as recognition. It’s important to be explicit about the “why” of recognition whatever form it may take
Recognize both individual and team efforts
Public vs. private presentation – know the recipient’s preference
Consider carefully who should deliver the recognition. From whom will the recognition have the most meaning and impact?
Define and communicate the criteria for recognition – at all levels (on-the-spot to Excellence to Hall of fame to Lifetime Achievement etc).)
The gift or event is to enhance the recognition, it is not the recognition
Elements to a Successful and Relevant Global Rewards Program
Implement a Culture Portal Bringing a dispersed organization force together and enabling a transparent community can be achieved through the application of a Culture Portal. A Culture Portal is a web-based page, accessible worldwide, that is typically designed into a Global Rewards and Recognition program. Organization updates, announcements, videos, Live Recognition and tweets are consolidated into one user-friendly page.
This feature captures what your people say and do every day—in the organization place and on social media—in one accessible place that shares organization information in an authentic and relevant way.
Locally Relevant Rewards
Providing Members with rewards that are culturally and personally meaningful to them is the first part of the engagement equation.
This ensures that rewards are not only diverse and culturally relevant, but also maximize the effect of the rewards and in turn, continue to drive key positive behaviors that get business results. With Global Rewards, companies make engagement the universal language of their people. Working with a global provider means that your Members receive a meaningful reward in a timely manner, and that the recognized behavior gets repeated.
Remove Administrative Burdens
An effective Global Solution is one that is web-based and accessible anywhere—even on a mobile or tablet device, provided in multiple languages—and encompasses multi levels of fulfillment including virtually fulfilled rewards. An online Rewards and Recognition solution alleviates the transparency issue that dispersed organizationforces battle, and provides Members with a tool to openly see what’s happening at the organization across the globe. An online program allows Members to come together to share relevant information globally, exuding transparency from the top down. As technology continues to prevail and dictate our global communication abilities, an online platform for your Members to recognize each other beyond borders, coupled with locally and culturally relevant rewards, is the most effective way to capture Member engagement and share information that pertains to organization culture.
Hundreds of Locations, One Goal
In worldwide organizations, multiple locations make it difficult to keep Members aligned to one goal. But without a unique reminder of the organization’s vision, not only do Members often lose sight of goals, but they also may not be aware of what the mission is.
Peer to Peer Recognition
Empower Members to reward success with Peer-to-Peer Recognitions.
A formal Peer-to-Peer Recognition tool equips Members to recognize exemplary behavior and hard organization, which further helps teams bond regardless of geographical locations. Peer-to-Peer Recognition unlocks discretionary effort and sends a strong message that both people and performance matter. Peer-to-Peer creates a community where Members can recognize their colleagues easily, whether they organization in the same office or an ocean apart. More and more, organizations are implementing a Rewards and Recognition solution to heighten Member engagement scores and financial performance by recognizing and reinforcing positive behaviors and rewarding results.
An effective, formal Global Recognition solution will provide a Live Recognition Feed, which tells an international organization force about your business’ success in one singular and easily accessible spot. The Live Recognition Feed openly celebrates Member accomplishments, outlining specific details of the success achieved. Furthermore, a proper tool will provide Members with the opportunity to actively participate in meaningful peer-to-peer interaction with commenting and one-click hat tips. Tools like a Live Recognition feed transform your organization into a community by sharing wins and encouraging focused conversation around success—no matter where in the world the achievement has occurred. What gets recognized gets repeated. Public recognition and celebration organization-wide will not only bring a culture together, but it will also drive results and foster knowledge sharing.
Online Recognition is More Than Being Online, More Than
Just Having a Website
Some incentive providers use technology just to provide a rewards platform. Members go online, select their reward (using points or not) and then have it redeemed (i.e., sent to them). Look for a organization that can provide a wider range of rewards and an ability to allow Members choice in the selection and timing of rewards for better merchandise, experiences, gift cards, etc — as well as technology for virtual redemptions (i.e. online gift cards for immediate delivery as well as technology to donate points to a charity of your choice and automatically receive a tax receipt)-all making the recognition and rewards experience more personal and meaningful to Members. Also look for an online solution that offers a more robust recognition and communication platform as well as the capacity and flexibility to integrate a variety of tools into the online solution.
Minimize Upfront Costs and Only Pay for Rewards and Services as They are Used
Select an incentive organization that is invested in your program’s success, e.g., they don’t make money if the program is not used and successful.
AIDS Care China has over the past few months facing closure of their very successful treatment programs for PLHIVs. The Nanning authorities have decided to close the ACC supported clinic creating a gap in services for those PLHIV that it served. The ITPC Global Secretariat condemns this decision by the Nanning health authorities. Their decision has resulted not only in the denial of treatment services for those in need but also has affected AIDS Care China’s work on implementing the WHO/UNAIDS strategy of Treatment 2.0 with a focus on community provided services and support. This is a major setback for community organizations as this community-clinic demonstrated the cost-effectivies of such services.
In solidarity,
Sarah
ITPC
Closure of clinic raises AIDS care costs
Updated: 2012-06-26 05:12
By Shan Juan (China Daily)
The decision to close the first private clinic to treat AIDS patients on the Chinese mainland will create a gap in affordable HIV/AIDS treatment, critics say.
Health authorities decided to close the clinic in Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on May 28 after finding that it was not registered to treat AIDS patients.
They also said the decision was a result of their campaign to regulate medical practices and ensure that Nanning has an orderly healthcare industry.
“If a physician lacks expertise and the appropriate buildings and equipment, there will be the risk of cross-infection and a further spreading of the disease,” Ding Wei, deputy director of the health bureau in Nanning, told Xinhua News Agency.
During its 19 months in operation, the nonprofit clinic, mainly funded by AIDS Care China, an NGO that supports AIDS patients and their families, treated more than 100 full-blown AIDS patients who suffered from tuberculosis, bacterial pneumonia, meningitis and other infections. Medical care at the clinic costs less than at large public hospitals.
Thomas Cai, who leads AIDS Care China, acknowledged that the clinic had defects, but said it had helped save the lives of those who could not afford to be treated at public hospitals.
China’s Five-year Action Plan for HIV/AIDS Control (2011-15) calls for qualified and competent NGOs to get involved in the country’s campaign to control and treat AIDS.
Most anti-AIDS NGOs now help health authorities with HIV/AIDS prevention and behavior intervention, said Jing Jun, a professor in Tsinghua University’s social policy institute.
He said health authorities should pay such organizations to provide services needed to supplement the government’s fight against the disease.
The work of civil societies should be integrated into the country’s comprehensive work in AIDS intervention, the action plan said.
The plan also said treatment costs should be lowered to make medical care less expensive for AIDS patients.
Cai said the cost of treating more than 100 patients was about 220,000 yuan ($34,600). Care in large, State-owned hospitals would probably have cost 10 times that amount, he said.
“Closing the clinic is tantamount to denying poor patients affordable and lifesaving treatment,” he said.
On the Chinese mainland, the government has been offering free antiretroviral treatment to AIDS patients since 2003.
Also, the country’s Infectious Disease Prevention and Treatment Law, promulgated in 2004, classifies HIV/AIDS as a Grade B infectious disease, meaning that those who contract it do not have to be quarantined at designated hospitals.
No regulations or laws now prohibit privately owned clinics on the Chinese mainland from treating AIDS patients.
“Patients should at least have the choice of obtaining cheaper treatment at clinics like the one in Nanning,” said an AIDS patient surnamed Zhao. He said he tends to go to large public hospitals if he can afford to pay for treatment.
A talk by Eric Kimani to the CITAM Leadership Team Retreat on 18th January 2008
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My dear brothers and sisters,
Thank you for inviting me to come and speak to this distinguished leadership team on this very challenging subject. I would like to issue a disclaimer that I am not intending to provide all the answers to career and personal effectiveness but I will only give a few pointers because it is a wide subject with wide application. It can be discussed at many levels and with multiple applications. I am glad you have chosen the very instructive little book “Who Moved my Cheese” as your point of reference for your retreat. My talk will deal more with “When and what to do when the cheese moves”.
I will be speaking from the backdrop of the famous words of Charles Darwin and I quote;
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change”
I will begin with some definitions to allow us to agree on the context within which I speak.
I define effectiveness as “doing the right thing or the right job at the right time” as opposed to efficiency which has been the thrust for much of the past with calls for producing with minimum waste and minimum effort.
The dictionary defines effectiveness as “having a definite and desired effect”.
In the metaphor of the cheese story, effectiveness is about knowing when the cheese is about to move or has moved. It is about knowing and doing the right job in a changing world. How do you do it? In one company I joined as an internal auditor. I later created the position of Internal Audit and Cost Controller for myself and again later one as Financial Controller. Both positions never existed before. When I left as finance director that position was abolished! I was later to work in the position of Finance Director which was abolished with my departure. Personal and career effectiveness is about doing the right things and not about doing things efficiently which is presumed in your job. I tell people that efficiency is good- it will lead to praise and at best a bonus but only effectiveness will earn you a promotion!
Personal and career effectiveness begins with knowing your roles and finding the balance of those roles. You must begin by defining what you are about. I define my life on two levels;
1. My role as a father, husband and family member
2. My role in society as a leader, entrepreneur and business leader.
To perform these roles I need to be;
1. Physically fit
2. Spiritually fit
3. Informed.
Everyday I seek the balance of these roles. I score them daily on my daily journal and repeated failure to achieve an acceptable score on one sends signals of danger. I have found this approach extremely beneficial in fulfilling my roles. To be able to meet the competing needs I am forced to seek a balance of roles. For example I am often called to exercise with my wife or children to fulfill both my parental and marital role and keep physically fit.
Consider what you want to achieve as a mother, father, community leader or employee. Decide what steps you will take daily to fulfill these roles. Mirror yourself that you are on course and not stagnated by scoring daily or every so often. Life is a game of chess and to quote Marcus Buckingham “The key difference between checkers and chess is that in checkers the pieces all move in the same way, whereas in chess all the pieces move differently. Thus if you want to excel at the game of chess you have to learn how each piece moves and then incorporate these unique moves into your overall plan of attack”.
You must begin by defining your mission if you are going to seek personal effectiveness and career growth. The subject of developing a personal mission statement is for another day.
I will now look at a few ways in which you can seek personal and career effectiveness
1. Do not be too comfortable where you are.
In essence we are all happy when things are working out well. When our jobs look secure; our health is good; our families are doing well; our marriages are working. We indeed get to assume that life will always be like this. Many of us take our jobs for granted. We assume that they are our entitlement; we deserve them. We begin to hang the coat on the chair and take off for a while; we begin to take off unnecessary sick-off. When things suddenly change and there is retrenchment we begin to blame the company; the country the government and the leadership. We blame the system as unjust. I have a friend who lost his job as CEO over 15 years ago and he continues to tell the story to any one who cares to listen that his boss unfairly had him sacked. He never got another job. Not long ago a victim of retrenchment in a company I know did not tell his family of the retrenchment until seven months later when the money run out- He woke up every morning and pretended to his family to go to work! Like one of the characters in the cheese story, he did not want to believe that the cheese had moved.
Many of us take our spouses or our children or friends for granted. I know couples whose marriage broke because they did not take care of the “small matters” around them. Two marriages of friends I know well broke because the wife suddenly realized that the husband could not give up drugs. When I asked the wife when she knew that the husband was on drugs, she said she suspected long before they married but hoped he would give up! She refused to smell the cheese & respond accordingly then. Twenty one years into the marriage he never did and the marriage is now broken!
2. The more important your career/spouse/child/friend is to you the more you want to hold onto them.
Many people have lost the opportunity to grow their careers because they want to remain in the known territory. Someone said that you can never discover new lands until you are prepared to leave the shore. I have watched people wait for a company go down with them and then spend all their years in court corridors seeking compensation. They fail to read the signs of the times. Their fear of change often immobilizes them to taking no action. They forget that fear is an ingredient of our lives. They justify their actions with reasons that border on the ridiculous. They do not keep their antennae up to know what is happening and are caught unawares. I know one executive who lost his job and spent the next many years in court fighting that he was wrongly terminated. At the end of it all he was thoroughly “bruised” by the court battle!
Human beings have a streak to want to do the same things over and over- remaining in their known environment. We have a fear of the unknown. Someone described insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Human beings are capable of remaining in denial for years. When we stay in denial our performance and capacity suffers. When we are in denial with our families, we only delay the inevitable with regard to our spouses, our children or our other relationships. Ask yourself this question; Assuming that your current fears are that;
1. You might lose your job
2. You might lose your marriage
3. My son/daughter is on drugs
4. You might be HIV positive
What will you do?
Stephen Covey says “in the space between stimulus and response lies your freedom to chose”.
You must be prepared to leave the comfort zone if you are looking for personal and career growth in a changing world. When I was nearly 40 I decided I needed to read for a degree in Law. For me to get where I am in career I figured that I needed this among other things. It was not easy- I burnt the midnight oil. The opportunity cost was high.
You must recognize fear for what it is –False Evidence Appearing Real!
Like Richard Branson of Virgin says, “If you look at all the miles between, you might not take the first step. Whatever it is you want to achieve in life, if you do not make the effort you won’t reach your goal. Take that first step. What ever your goal you will not succeed until you let go your fears”. Jesus feared so much that he perspired blood and still did it anyway!
The biblical story of digging trenches when not a cloud was in the sky is instructive!
3. It is okay to be afraid and change.
Reasonable fear acted upon is a prerequisite for success. I keep telling people that for myself, bold and fearless as I may seem to many, nothing has made me more anxious than changing career and jobs! Yet I have done it more regularly on average than many. Sometimes I have experienced great fear with regard to my family and my financial security.
Reasonable fear should propel us into action towards desirable positive change.
4. Be alert of your circumstances often to ensure that change is not shifting things around you.
Using the metaphor of the cheese- smell the cheese often so you know when it is getting old. Many people lack the simple skill of knowing when circumstances change: when the job is about to disappear; the spouse is on the wrong tangent; the youngster is on the wrong path! As the saying goes, “if you fail to change change will change you.”
This skill that tells you when circumstances are changing is key to career and personal growth. Sometimes it is as simple as changes in how your immediate boss responds or treats you; changes in how your spouse dress or reacts; changes in the behavior of our young ones. This is almost what people call a gut feeling! I once worked for a company where, for ulterior reasons, my boss was not particularly impressed with how I was working and I noticed that he began communicating with me through third parties. The writing was on the wall. I choose to leave as early as I could and hence on my terms! When your teenage son or daughter begins to lock themselves in their bedroom –begin to smell change and find out what is happening! When your spouse begins to complain about things that have never bothered them in many years, begin to know that change is in the air. A friend of mine has had a marriage problem now for a couple of years. The errant spouse began telling stories of the need to be away in places they never had to go before; they started coming home late. Eventually what was an admirable marriage hit the rocks!
In one of my earlier jobs, my boss once walked into my office and asked me bluntly “now that you have trained your junior to handle what you do so well, what do you propose to do?” I answered him loudly with a resignation in due course that pleased him and that worked out extremely well for me! Learn to smell when the cheese is getting old!
5. Learn Creative imagination.
Imagine that which you would like. Every successful venture begins with a single thought. It begins with dreaming/envisioning. In the metaphor of cheese it begins with you imagining yourself enjoying new cheese even before you find it- It works like self-prophesy and will lead you to it!
I love telling the story of how years ago as I went through the agony of private study as a mature student of law. The easiest way to get me to do more jogging laps without noticing it was to keep thinking myself as a qualified lawyer. I would draw the guest list for my graduation repeatedly in my mind! In 2003 most of those on my imagined guest list attended my party on being admitted as an advocate of the high court of Kenya!
Personal and career growth calls for planning. Plan how you wish to play the game of life. I plan mine in 5 year blocks, changing and amending as necessary as I go along but I notice without fail that I have largely worked towards my plan for the last two or so decades. Plot your life on paper and say to yourself where you wish to be in 5 years and what you need to do to get there. It forestalls failure and builds your confidence. Plan to succeed. Positive thoughts elicit the energy and desire to take action. Dream and envision what you want. Last year I decided I wanted three things in the next five years. I have nearly achieved two! I turned 50 last month. I started work at 23 and therefore reckon I am half way through my life. I am changing my game plan for the second half of my life. I plan to retire from active work at 75! This is creative imagination.
6. Keep life simple.
Do not over-complicate life through detailed analysis and complicated plans. Like Tom Peters says “if there one thing that makes God laugh is to see us plan, and plan and plan”! The rules of life should be Fail; Fast; Forward. Try it and if it fails try again fast and move on! In the metaphor of your cheese story, you need to know and accept when the cheese moves and that it has moved! Do not spend time and energy mourning the fact that it has moved! A lesson from evaluating my life…everytime the cheese moves, it creates an opportunity for me to reach higher heights and achieve greater success but ONLY IF I seize the moment. The same applies for all of us.
7. Nothing changes like change!
Appreciate that change is unstoppable. Adapt to it. Imagine what happened to the gatherer when he saw his neighbor planting food crops- He must have thought they were out of their mind! Imagine what happened in the agricultural revolution- A single tractor wiped out the jobs of hundreds of people in a flash! Imagine what happened during the industrial revolution with a single conveyor doing what 100 men did previously? Do you remember containerization? What about the information revolution? Do you remember the bank queue of not long ago with many cashiers struggling to serve so few customers? And today a single ATM machine stands on every street corner without anyone manning it and 24/7 and 365 days a year! When I hear some people say computers and email are for the young I laugh at their resistance to change! Enjoy change! Be part of change- this way you will never be out of work. I have been a CEO at a tea company; a tyre company and I would not be surprised if tomorrow I am managing a hospital!
Career and personal effectiveness is about belief in yourself; it is about conquering your natural and imagined fears; it is about identifying, anticipating, monitoring and adopting to a changing world!
In my characteristic style I would like to finish with an instructive true story on change….
General Motors was for many years the market leader in automobiles out of Detroit. Their systems were all geared towards selling big cars. So they continued producing big cars to feed their established system.
They did not adapt to change and their systems, style and structure were all unsuitable for the rapidly changing world with its constantly changing needs. Today Toyota is the world’s leading automobile company. Its ability to sense the cheese moving is phenomenal!
The term “economic collapse” in Commerce and Trade is used to describe a broad range of bad economic conditions from a severe, prolonged fiscal bad debts incurred by any Government failed priorities to control or to regulate business activities of Trade and currency flow which equally ends with Depression ratings and hyperinflation which includes increase of human death rates from occurrences of such unregulated imbalances.
Economic collapse is accompanied by dysfunctioning of Government from delivering public service according to Public Mandate which as a result brings about social disintegration, destruction and chaos, civil unrest and many times a breakdown of law and order.
Conspiracies exist all around amongst those leaders who engage in corruption of Public Wealth Resources because of selfishness of self ego who network with the unscrupulous International Corporate Business Community of Special Interest, who care for themselves, their business and mostly killing the poor.
Cases of economic collapse include persistent trade deficits, civil wars, famines and depletion of important fundamental public’s basic resources with stubborn unscrupulous corrupt leaders whose illegality is a driving force that pushes citizens to revolutions by forcing unprincipled, irregular and uncompromised policies that result to unfair Government delivery service to the general Public, which in extend is a failure to democratic principles leading to economic collapse.
These economic collapses are as a result of the educated professional lobbyist and CEOs who network with corrupt politicians and in return take big sums of money which are unrealistic and do not balance with the trade output which becomes main reason why there is no accountability as is required by the constitution.
When a Government system stops providing Public Delivery services for the fundamental basic needs to its Citizen, this creates turbulence to political turmoil and stability then severe hardship sets in and these are signs that progressively develop economic collapse.
The Great Conspiracy For the Scramble for Africa:
Many unscrupulous International Corporate Business Community scramble to Africa to own land for Agriculture, Natural Resources and Minerals in the likes of Diamond, Gold, Titunium, Iron Ore, Coltan for computer chips etc., and the scramble to Africa is to hijack Africa so they can own Africa, but with good Constitution, Africa can be saved and proper favorable deal for Economic Trade and Exchange can be truck in a more conducive balanced and favorable environment where all people mutually gain.
Today Gold is replacing paper money with all other Bills and Promissory notes, if the paper currency is vanquishing, Government debt obligations through bonds are weakening and becoming worthless in the International platform and the Gold takes over, who will own land deposits of Gold in Africa and who will benefit? Considering that the most of Gold and Oil are now coming from Africa, if Africa do not have any proper Constitution laid down with People’s Bills of Right put into consideration, where will Africa be? Who will be in control of Coltan minerals deposits for computer chips and other electronic accessories, if not Africans and if Africans are not cleverly protected under the Constitutional Bills of Rights?
Economic stability requires some sort of providing simple economy educational awareness to public through Constitutional Bills of Rights which Kenya’s Coalition Government under the two Principals have not done. We all believe that, World Bank having released the funds for the same and the Coalition leadership refusing provide the necessary required training, with the anomaly of trashing the Constitution in Parliament, it is clear, both the two Principals in the Coalition Government see this as relatively unimportant because of their involvement in the conspiracy, they are playing with public intelligence to conspire in the sale of Kenya and their auctioning of the Country to the International Corporate Business of Special Interest.
Without Proper Constitution for Public Bills of Rights No business local or international will be considered legitimate.
For Kibaki and PM Raila to go to solicit greener pastures for investment or Aid from the International Business Community, is a case of panic, it is to solicit for a death pill to Kenya.
Main article: 1998 Russian financial crisis:
After more or less stabilizing after the disintegration of the USSR, a severe financial crisis took place in the Russian Federation in August 1998. It was caused by low oil prices and government expenditure cuts after the end of the Cold War. Other nations of the former Soviet Union also experienced economic collapse, although a number of crises also involved armed conflicts, like in the break-away region Chechnya. The default by Russia on its government bonds in 1998 led to the collapse of highly leveraged hedge fund Long Term Capital Management, which threatened the world financial system. The U.S. Federal Reserve organized a bailout of LTCM which turned it over to a banking consortium.
Is the world headed to a massive melt-down, and where will Kenya/Africa be when we remain stuck in the mad after President Obama boosted us with the New Constitution inclusively with an offer to a welcoming Foreign Policy agenda which is for a Mutual Partnership towards a sustainable development agenda where everyone has an opportunity to benefit and improve their lives, but are treated with dignity instead of being made slaves.
This is a serious food of thought that require your weekend moment to digest.
Be prayerful and open your deeper thought and understanding of the value to God’s purpose of creation, to where we are headed in this case-scenario…….
Thank you all for sharing,
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
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FULFORD VS. HAARP
Uploaded by christollinger on May 28, 2008
Benjamin Fulford reports from Tokyo on a mysterious plasma weapon seen prior to the Niigata earthquake in July, 2007 and red, white and blue lights seen prior to the recent earthquake in China. Both quakes targeted nuclear facilities…coincidence?
Dummies’ guide to what went wrong in Europe.
Helga is the proprietor of a bar. She realises that virtually all of her customers are unemployed alcoholics and, as such, can no longer afford to patronize her bar. To solve this problem she comes up with a new marketing plan that allows her customers to drink now but pay later.
Helga keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans).
Word gets around about Helga’s “drink now, pay later” marketing strategy and, as a result, increasing numbers of customers flood into Helga’s bar. Soon she has the largest sales volume for any bar in town.
By providing her customers freedom from immediate payment demands, Helga gets no resistance when, at regular intervals, she substantially increases her prices for wine and beer – the most consumed beverages.
Consequently, Helga’s gross sales volumes and paper profits increase massively. A young and dynamic vice-president at the local bank recognises that these customer debts constitute valuable future assets and increases Helga’s borrowing limit. He sees no reason for any undue concern, since he has the debts of the unemployed alcoholics as collateral.
He is rewarded with a six-figure bonus.
At the bank’s corporate headquarters, expert traders figure a way to make huge commissions, and transform these customer loans into DRINKBONDS. These “securities” are then bundled and traded on international securities markets.
Naive investors don’t really understand that the securities being sold to them as
“AA Secured Bonds” are really debts of unemployed alcoholics. Nevertheless, the bond prices continuously climb and the securities soon become the hottest-selling items for some of the nation’s leading brokerage houses.
The traders all receive a six-figure bonus.
One day, even though the bond prices are still climbing, a risk manager at the original local bank decides that the time has come to demand payment on the debts incurred by the drinkers at Helga’s bar. He so informs Helga. Helga then demands payment from her alcoholic patrons but, being unemployed alcoholics, they cannot pay back their drinking debts. Since Helga cannot fulfil her loan obligations she is forced into bankruptcy. The bar closes and Helga’s 11 employees lose their jobs.
Overnight, DRINKBOND prices drop by 90%. The collapsed bond asset value destroys the bank’s liquidity and prevents it from issuing new loans, thus freezing credit and economic activity in the community.
The suppliers of Helga’s bar had granted her generous payment extensions and had invested their firms’ pension funds in the BOND securities. They find they are now faced with having to write off her bad debt and with losing over 90% of the presumed value of the bonds. Her wine supplier also claims bankruptcy, closing the doors on a family business that had endured for three generations; her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor, who immediately closes the local plant and lays off 150 workers.
Fortunately though, the bank, the brokerage houses and their respective executives are saved and bailed out by a multibillion dollar no-strings-attached cash infusion from the government.
They all receive a six-figure bonus.
The funds required for this bailout are obtained by new taxes levied on employed, middle-class, non-drinkers who’ve never been in Helga’s bar.
Now do you understand?
NOW THIS:
Understanding the Looming World Economic Meltdown
La’Ziramjad
Thursday, 06 October 2011 17:42
After recovering from the Credit Crunch or the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 that has been labeled by many economists as the worst financial crisis since the 1930s Great Depression, the world is now on the brink of another economic meltdown. The rising cost of living and unemployment rate that burdens almost every country in the world today clearly shows that the world may hit the wall again at any time in the near future.
Greece Default
To understand what might happen to Malaysia if an economic meltdown is to happen, it is very easy to just look at Europe and see the troubled Greece, which is now battling against its debt default. Greece is a perfect illustration of a country which had run its economy the wrong way and the repercussions of doing so.
With the European Union (EU) incessantly lending money to Greece while asking its government to cut its budget, many don’t realize that the EU’s help is rather futile. The economic models being used by many nations right now will need alteration at a global level in order to restore Greece and other soon-to-be-affected countries.
But at the moment, with Greece, we are looking into the ‘opposite approach’. EU was telling Greece, “we lend you money, so you must balance your budget, and you need to cut your social welfare programs, sell your investment, sell your transport.” Unfortunately, this will make Greece poorer as the tax in Greece is going to shrink. To put it simply, with no tax money, a nation cannot grow.
When Greece announced its debt default that sees its government no longer able to make out bonds, the banks, especially those in Germany, Spain and England will soon be affected as they were the ones that had lent the money to Greece. This would then ignite a chain-effect in other European countries and later spread to other continents like Asia as the economic models that are being use here are similar to those being used in Europe.
And intriguing enough, The EU is not solving the problem in Greece. Instead, they’ve been driving out from the crisis in reverse. The whole world must understand the current issues and grasp at the fact that the best way to resolve the problem is through collective efforts. The underlining problem is under-consumption and distributing money to the wrong community.
Understanding the Problem
These days, too much of the world’s wealth and income has gone into the corporate sector. That means our capital has flowed out to the likes of CEOs, shareholders of the corporate world and other related party of the corporations. This leaves the ordinary people getting less and less share of the profit.
The consequence of the ordinary people getting fewer shares is that the buying power among the population stop to grow. The capital is growing but manufacturers cannot go on to produce goods and products such as TVs, shoes and other things because people just cannot afford to buy them due to their limited buying power. This then leads to an overhang of supply and demand. This happens as the surplus of the capital cannot produce material anymore due to the slow market. When this happens, the capital goes into speculation, more bonds, foreign exchange and also future derivatives. This will spark a chain effect where the government will fail to produce foods, houses and many more other necessities simply because the people can’t afford to buy them.
In the Europe nowadays, due to the derivative bubbles, most of the governments are now spending a lot of their money to save the banks. The economic environment is so worrisome that government deficits have reached 1.3 times the country’s GDP. What happened to Greece now can happen to any country, as the capitalist economic system is currently ‘eating’ into the value for money while the profits are kept among the corporate.
The Solution
Since it’s all because of the under-consumption, the answer to the problem is to take steps to transfer the wealth of the society to the ordinary people. One of the steps to circulate wealth to the public is by setting up minimum wage. The minimum wages affect will bring the buying power to the people again, and that money can go into the demands again.
The other step is to make all country in the world to start charging tax on all corporate profit financial transactions. This measure will transfer the corporation money to the government. The results of this will see the government having extra money to spread among the organization members, the society. With this, the government can again start to congregate demands.
We must realize that we need to transfer the wealth from the corporate to the government, to the people. If the money from the tax were given to the government then the government can use it for welfares, education, healthcare, and all kind of interventions to help the people. Then there will be demand all over again. This is how the world is going to get out from this current crisis.
What Malaysia Has Done
Malaysia has wooed RM21.3 billion in foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the first half of this year and with prime minster Najib at helm the FDI is getting higher due to government’s hectic lobbying for foreign investors. Not that this is not good, investment is always good. However, we must be aware that, in this current economy, investors will not prosper the country in the right way. With a lot of foreign investors coming down to Malaysia to invest, the locals are getting lesser chance to gain the nation’s capital.
Najib has been saying that his wishes to liberalize the market and create more business people. These will only lead to corporation reaping the nation’s capital and the national income will obviously get smaller. Big businesses, railways, hospitals and education cannot be left to commercial interest, no matter how straightforward we are going with this economy.
The Wise Approach of the South Americans
While Europe and some Asian countries are now on the brink of economic system, countries like Brazil have prospered and managed to avoid themselves from the meltdown. Since the 35th president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took over the government in 2003, Brazil’s minimum wage have been raised three to four times. Brazil’s government has started to realize the importance in uplifting the poor people.
Brazil has started a program called ‘Bolsa Familia’ which gives money to poor family as long as they send their children to school. With such welfare system, the family would not only able to buy themselves foods, but the children would also receive education.
Since 2003, when the program first started, 12 million families have joined the scheme and received small amounts of money (around US$12 a month). Inequality has been cut by 17 percent in just five years, which is perhaps one of the most dramatic achievements in welfare ever recorded. The poverty rate has fallen from 42.7 percent to 28.8 percent.
In Brazil, with the introduction of such system, the corporate world is also started to receive demand again, because the people now have money in their hands, therefore their buying power has been restored. This will automatically encourage production of goods. In Brazil, all parts of the country are reaping something useful to satisfy all parts of the community. The Brazilian government, by giving money and buying power to the poor, has not only increased demand but also promote small local businesses to form.
The money will always stay within the country as the poor communities are not ‘customarily obliged’ to buy that imported US$199 iPhones. They are satisfied with the cheaper local-made mobile phones. The consequence to this is it would boost the local corporate companies.
Greed and Instant Gratification
The people of the world must now realize the situation, not only them; the corporate power on the other hand must be less greedy and help the market first, so that they can receive demands again for production. By adapting this new attitude, the under-consumption problem that we are facing now can be overturned.
Adam Smith was quoted saying that “you can be greedy as you like, but make sure you take care of your community”. This must be practiced by the corporate world. It is understood that the capitalist’s motive is to maximizing profits, but this shortsighted mentality should be chucked out so that more profits can be gained in the future.
Why Can’t People See It?
Understanding the economic situation might prove decisive to the world economy now. Socialists have proven that its economic analysis has found the core problem of the modern era economic meltdown. And to look at it and have a think about it doesn’t bring people closer to communism. This however is not the case as this is an economic analysis, not a political ideology.
So if someone asks why the economy is going to go through a meltdown, just tell them that we, and the rest of the world, have perceived the meltdown in a wrong way and dealing with it in a wrong way. Actually we have been doing the opposite of what we’re supposed to be doing.
Mungiki yaerejea na sura mpya
Published on Jun 19, 2012 by standardgroupkenya
http://www.ktnkenya.tv
Idara ya polisi nchini imetoa onyo kali kwa makundi haramu humu nchini na kuwataka wakenya kufahamu ya kwamba kundi haramu la mungiki limerejea tena na sura mpya. Naibu msemaji wa polisi Charles Owino mapema hii leo mchana alipasua mbarika na kusema kuwa polisi hawatoruhusu kamwe makundi kama hayo kuwahangaisha wakenya hususan tunapokaribia uchaguzi mkuu. Mohammed Ali anatuarifu zaidi.
MPs want losing candidates nominated
Published on Jun 20, 2012 by NTVKenya
http://www.ntv.co.ke
Parliament is on course to amending a key component of the constitution, to allow presidential and deputy presidential candidates who lose in the elections to find their way back into parliament. Garsen MP Danson Mungatana, who is the proponent of the amendment has intimated that the amendment seeks to strengthen the opposition in parliament. Ben Kitilli reports on a matter that is set to receive backlash from Kenyans..
Cheserem: Kenya needs leaders with integrity at all levels
By Luke Anami
The media have been asked to be at the forefront in educating Kenyans about the calibre of leaders required to take the country forward.
Micah Cheserem, the chairman of the Commission on Revenue Allocation, said it was critical that Kenyans understood Chapter Six of the Constitution on Leadership and Integrity.
Lamenting poor leadership, he asked voters to make a break with the past by electing visionary and transformative leaders during the General Election.
“As Kenya turns 50 next year, and given our history, we should have done better. Kenya has performed way below its potential because of many factors. But the major one is poor leadership not at all levels,” said Mr Cheserem.
“And because of that, corruption has crept into every sphere of society, including the media. That is why we thought of Chapter Six given the integrity of the people we are going to elect,” said Cheserem when he visited the Standard Group Centre where he met editors and senior journalists.
Mr Cheserem called on the media to scrutinise those standing for elective posts, especially those gunning for president and governorship, saying the President and the 47 governors held the key to the future.
“Go 20 years back on the lives of these persons (running for office and reveal them) without scandalising them,” said Cheserem.
The Standard Group Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Paul Melly said the media group would not defend corrupt leaders and would proactively engage and facilitate a process that will ensure the defence of the Constitution.
“Our role is to defend public interest and when those who are managing public resources are found to have engaged in activities inconsistent with the existing Constitution, we will be the first to bring it up,” Mr Melly said.
“When the MPs choose to use their privileged position to protect what is clearly vested interest, it is our duty to tell Kenyans to be aware of those involved so that they will never have an opportunity to see the inside of Parliament again,” he said.
“As far as the subject of Integrity is concerned and the implementation of Chapter Six, all of us will play an important role as the media in interrogating our leaders and more importantly setting the agenda,” Melly added.
Melly said Kenyans do not want to see most of the governors taken to court on corruption charges in the first, as happened in Nigeria.
Cheserem said it would be costly if Kenyans did not elect women in line with the constitutional provision that not more than two-thirds of members should be one gender.
“While the number of MPs is pegged at 290, the number of women elected must meet the requirements of Article 27. There is no article that covers Parliament on women but if the women are less, then you must nominate them,” said Cheserem.
Article 27(8) of the Constitution, which is within the Chapter on the Bills of Rights, prescribes that the state shall take legislative and other measures to implement this principle.
“If you fail to elect the required number of women, consequently the wage bill will increase for the additional number of women you will have nominated. That is why is important for Kenyans to know that they must elect women in the coming elections.”
Cheserem said the provision was critical, because it required the state to be proactive in creating the necessary legislative and policy framework to ensure the realisation of the principle.
Fury as ‘selfish’ MPs chop up Constitution
Chairman of the Constitutional Implementation Committee Charles Nyachae. The Commission for implementation of the Constitution petitioned President Kibaki to reject the amendments. Photo/FILE
By NATION TEAM newsdesk@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Thursday, June 21 2012 at 23:30
National outrage broke out on Thursday after MPs diluted laws designed to discourage party-hopping and set high thresholds for qualification to elective office in accord with the new Constitution.
The Commission for implementation of the Constitution petitioned President Kibaki to reject the amendments, while lawyers and civil society groups vowed to challenge the amendments in court and to organise public protests.
MPs had gone into an unusual late session on Wednesday to amend the Elections Act and the Political Parties Act, creating windows to allow persons without higher education to vie for political office.
They also relaxed the provisions barring MPs from defecting from one party to another.
CIC chairman Charles Nyachae, Law Society of Kenya chairman Erick Mutua and International Centre for Peace and Conflict chairman Ndung’u Wainaina argued that MPs had embarked on a journey to mutilate a Constitution that is less than two years old.
Mr Nyachae said his team had petitioned the President to decline to sign the amendments into law.
“We have written to the President pointing out the unconstitutional things and urge him not to assent to them. These amendments are not in the interest of the people of Kenya,” he said.
He said that the commission would seek court intervention to declare the changes unconstitutional if the president gives them assent.
“They are aimed to serve the personal interests of the current MPs which is in direct contravention of Article 16 of the Constitution,” he said.
He also asked Kenyans to rise up and defend their constitution from mutilation by the Legislature.
Mr Mutua concurred that the amendments were illegal. “MPs are engaging in a self-serving mission. We see these amendments as an illegality and a move by Parliament to circumvent the provisions of the constitution which deal with leadership and integrity,” he said in a statement
“We wish to point out that we shall proceed to court to challenge those unconstitutional amendments. We want to urge the public to ignore any unconstitutional law,” he said.
The LSK boss added that lawyers no longer had confidence that MPs will enact laws which are meant to ensure that only persons of integrity are elected to hold political office.
“With what has happened we have no faith that the expected legislation under Chapter Six will accord with the letter and spirit of that chapter,” he said.
Lawyers Atsango Chesoni, Harun Ndubi, George Kegoro, Grace Maingi and activist Ngunjiri Wambugu threatened to move to court to reverse the amendments.
Speaking at the Kenya Human Rights Commission offices in Nairobi, the group further vowed to hold demonstrations countrywide.
Mr Wainaina described the amendments as archaic and retrogressive. “We hope that Judiciary will exercise its judicial authority and powers to review this anti-people amendments and also curtail excesses of Executive and Parliament,” he said.
Saying that MPs had “shamelessly disrespected” Kenyans, he urged the public to collect signatures to file a petition for the dissolution of the coalition government.
Meanwhile, MPs for the second day running continued to make changes to the laws through the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendment) Bill, 2012.
With the amendments to section 14 of the Political Parties Act, MPs and councillors will freely form and join new political parties, while still holding on to their seats.
Also, losing presidential candidates now have a window to get back to leadership through nomination to Parliament or to the Senate.
An amendment suggested by the Narc Kenya MP for Garsen Danson Mungatana overturned the law against losing candidates finding their way back to the legislature.
However, the House rejected a move by Chepalungu MP Isaac Ruto to allow presidential candidates and their running mates to at the same time contest other elective seats.
Mr Ruto, an ODM MP who has moved to the United Republican Party led by presidential aspirant William Ruto, proposed that the presidential candidate and the deputy clinch the top seat, they forfeit the lesser positions and occasion a by-election.
The contentious amendments to allow defections proposed by Gachoka MP Mutava Musyimi were approved during an acrimonious debate pitting mainly ODM MPs who vehemently opposed against the party’s rebel MPs now in URP and their counterparts allied to the PNU alliance.
Similar Amendments to those of Rev Musyimi, a PNU MP and a presidential hopeful on a Democratic Party ticket, had also been suggested by Siakago MP Lenny Kivuti (Safina).
Rev Musyimi’s amendments were opposed by Narc Kenya presidential aspirant Martha Karua and MPs Ababu Namwamba, John Mbadi, and Millie Odhiambo; while Mr Adan Duale and assistant minister Peter Munya supported.
Rev Musyimi argued proposed the changes by the reality that the country was in a transition “and transitions are not easy.”
However, Ms Karua opposed the changes vehemently, described the move as a “great shame”.
Coalition Chief Whip Jakoyo Midiwo accused those seeking to amend the elections laws of killing democracy. “I am opposing the amendment knowing that the people who are used to indiscipline shall win. This country is a democracy and there cannot be a thriving democracy where there is no political party discipline.”
But assistant minister Munya, the PNU for Tigania East, said restricting people to parties they were no longer keen on was an infringement of their rights and freedom of association.
Budalangi MP Ababu Namwamba read to the House a letter from the CIC chairman Mr Nyachae informing House Speaker Kenneth Marende that the amendments were unconstitutional and would be fought in court.
Mandera Central MP Abdikadir Mohammed, who chairs Parliaments Committee on Implementation of the Constitution (CIOC) dismissed Mr Nyache’s assertions, saying it was not the responsibility of CIC to supervise Parliament.
—Reports by Njeri Rugene, Bernard Namunane, Emeka Mayaka and Lucas Barasa
Chuck Watts shared Empathy Surplus Project’s post with you.
Empathy Surplus Project
Ethical businesses are not privateers
Political Private Practice
Privatization can be pretty exciting. It’s true! Just imagine a privatizer as a guy with an eyepatch and a carpet steamer. Let’s talk about it, people!
– – – – – – – – – – –
Op-Ed Columnist
Political Private PracticeBy GAIL COLLINS
Published: June 20, 2012
I know this is not a thrilling topic. I recently wrote a book in which I tried to juice up the subject by suggesting that readers might want to imagine a privatizer as a cross between a pirate and a sanitizer — a guy with an eyepatch and a carpet steamer. This was a desperate attempt at, um, humorization. I am so ashamed.
In the dreary world of the real, privatization means turning over a government function to the private sector. It has such a long history that it’s a wonder we still have any public sector left. The Ancient Greeks did it. The Han dynasty did it. Birds do it. Bees do it. Even Harvard Ph.D.’s do it.
. . .
from: Justin Ruben, MoveOn.org Political Action
Dear MoveOn member,
This past week, we tried a new grassroots strategy to take on Mitt Romney. And it worked, better than we could have ever dreamed!
Right now, President Obama is sinking in the polls, and the race looks very tough. But the more people know about Mitt Romney’s economic plans—tax breaks for millionaires, layoffs and cutbacks for the rest of us—the less support he gets. That’s why we’re launching a huge program to make sure that swing voters realize that Romney isn’t just some rich guy who happens to be running for office—he’s running to raid America for the 1%.
Our first action already had great results: we followed Mitt on his bus tour with our own “Romneymobile”, a Cadillac covered in corporate NASCAR-style decals (with a fake dog strapped to the roof). MoveOn members came out to join the Romneymobile wherever Mitt went, carrying “President of the 1%” signs.
There were so many of us at a WaWa in Pennsylvania where Romney was scheduled to stop that his bus just drove right by, leaving his supporters and reporters baffled.1 Romney’s lavish and carefully orchestrated tour was focused on getting him positive local news stories—but our message about Romney and the 1% made it into much of the tour press coverage!2
In our MoveOn member vote yesterday, 91% of us voted endorse President Obama. It’s time to go all-in to stop Mitt Romney and use people power to counter Super PAC dollars. Our campaign has just gotten off the ground and is already getting great media coverage in key swing states. But we need to raise $350,000 this week to replicate our success everywhere Mitt goes. Can you chip in?
Yes, I can chip in $5 to help keep Mitt Romney on the run.We’ve launched “99Airlines,” our plan to fly a plane overhead at all of Romney’s big events with a message from MoveOn members. Our banners were getting so much attention that Romney got his own plane with a banner in the air. Only his team didn’t quite think it through.
The Romney campaign’s banner read: “Romney for President 2012.” Our plane was following right behind it with one that read “Romney: Every Millionaire Counts Tour.” It looked like the Romney campaign was saying our message himself! The media loved it and wrote tons of stories.
Getting the real truth out about Mitt Romney is priceless. But keeping the planes in the air, funding the “Romneymobile,” and all the other elements of our election program cost money. If we can raise $350,000 we can make sure that swing voters nationwide know that Romney truly would be “President of the 1%.” Can you chip in today?
Yes, I can chip in $5 to help stop Mitt Romney.MoveOn is independent of political parties and politicians, and we know that re-electing the president will not bring progress in itself, but rather is a precondition to progress. We’re going all-in not just to win this election, but to keep building progressive power for the battles to come.
Thanks for all you do.
–Justin, Garlin, Victoria, Emily, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. “Obama supporters disrupt Romney event,” CBS News, June 16, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=276535&id=44263-21095459-6og3tDx&t=5
2. Here’s a list of some of our press hits: http://s3.moveon.org/pdfs/romneytour_press.pdf?id=44263-21095459-6og3tDx&t=6
We’re only just getting started, and we’ve already got Romney literally on the run. But to win the election, we need to go all out to make sure voters know that Romney would be “President of the 1%.”
Can you chip in?
https://pol.moveon.org/donate/onepercentromney.html?bg_id=hpc5&id=44263-21095459-6og3tDx&t=1
The item below is troublesome. Within recent year or two, statutes were passed to claim it may be ok. But it is COUNTER to the tradition of Law and Rights in USA for the past several centuries!
Drones May be Targeting YOU
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
It is the intention of the United States government to destroy privacy in America, and a big part of this evil is the planned deployment of 30,000 drones that will be able to monitor in detail the movement and activities of every citizen of this country. The path to the surveillance state has been paved by the Supreme Court, which has ruled that citizens have essentially no right of privacy from being observed from overhead.
The President has been granted the right to kill American citizens without a trial, and deadly Predator and Reaper drones will be deployed over American soil from Creech Air Force Base (AFB) in Nevada, Holloman AFB and Cannon AFB in New Mexico, Fort Drum in New York, Grand Forks in North Dakota, Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota, Whiteman AFB in Missouri, and the Southern California Logistics Airport, among others.
With one in seven Ohio jobs connected to agriculture, it’s obvious just how vital farming is to our state. That’s one of the reasons I’m honored to represent our state’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities as Ohio’s first senator on the Agriculture Committee in more than four decades. Over the last year, as part of my “Grown in Ohio” listening tour, I’ve had the opportunity to hear directly from farmers, business leaders, and community officials about how we can reform our agriculture policy so that it’s more responsive to the needs of farmers and rural communities and fairer to taxpayers.
That’s why I’m fighting to pass the 2012 farm bill, which reflects locally-identified priorities of Ohio’s rural communities, bolsters Ohio’s number one industry to create jobs, and strengthens our economy while reducing the deficit.
Reauthorized only once every five years, the farm bill offers an opportunity to adjust our farm, food, conservation and rural policies. In addition to continuing natural resource conservation and investments in nutrition, this farm bill includes the most significant reforms to farm policy in decades. It eliminates more than 100 duplicative programs and authorizations, and takes steps to crack down on fraud and abuse to make sure only those who are eligible for benefits receive them. And because this deficit-reducing bill saves some $23 billion in taxpayer dollars, this is a bill for all Ohioans.
The centerpiece of the bill’s reform and deficit reduction efforts is an overhaul of the farm safety net, modeled on a bill I introduced last year with Republican Senator Thune – called the Aggregate Risk and Revenue Management Program (ARRM). Our proposal and the 2012 farm bill eliminate the existing network of direct farm support programs in favor of a less expensive, market-oriented safety net that will kick in only when times are tough. With this bill, the era of direct payments – and paying farmers for crops regardless of need or market conditions – is over. The farm bill makes simple commonsense reforms. The bill also limits the amount of farm program payments any individual can receive.
While directing $23 billion to deficit reduction, the 2012 farm bill also supports the biobased-products industry and continued investment that can create jobs in Ohio. Companies producing biobased products, which are composed wholly or significantly of biological ingredients, are creating jobs in Ohio’s small towns and rural communities, and generating a link between agriculture and manufacturing. Last September at OSU, I held a roundtable with Ohio’s biobased leaders to discuss the need for an Ohio-led, U.S. biobased industry. Ideas from this roundtable helped establish the “Grow it here, Make it Here” initiative, which has been included in the farm bill and will help create new market opportunities for Ohio farmers and some 130 biobased manufacturers in our state.
Similarly, many Ohio farmers explained to me that they see opportunities for growth right in state, selling to Ohioans who want to buy Ohio-grown and Ohio-made goods. These comments contributed to my Local Farms, Foods and Jobs Act, which would forge closer links between Ohio producers and consumers by addressing production, aggregation, marketing, and distribution needs. The bill would also improve consumer access to healthy, fresh food with support for technology and direct sales and many components of my bill are included in the farm bill.
Since our nation’s food and agriculture policy affects all Americans every day, it is crucial to ensure that the 2012 farm bill creates jobs, and provides economic relief to those in need. The 2012 farm bill is a bipartisan reform bill that saves taxpayers billions of dollars while maintaining investments in the economy, the environment, and public health.
There is no excuse to delay its passage. We must act swiftly to pass the 2012 farm bill.
Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown
U.S. Senator
Washington, D.C.
713 Hart Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510
p (202) 224-2315
f (202) 228-6321
Columbus
200 N High St.
Room 614
Columbus, OH 43215
p (614) 469-2083
f (614) 469-2171
Toll Free
1-888-896-OHIO (6446)
Now Kenyan will be moving to join top nations in modern markets.
Central Bank of Kenya has developed guidelines that will allow financial institutions to trade financial instruments called derivatives.
There is need as Kenyans we develop enough manpower that will enable Kenya not only avoid journey that West Nations faced when these instruments almost destroyed their markets but establish how best such instruments can help us especially as we move towards devolved system of government.
I cant wait to see Maasai community trading their Sandals at New york Stock exchange without moving physical having the sandals being shipped to NYSE.
We all know financial instruments of derivatives can help a company develop very fast and grow its market but also can cause within seconds the company to be bankrupt.
Recently JP Morgan Chase and Company led its CEO Jamie Dimon having a rough time to explain why its on its balance sheet we have a hole of usd 2B from saw its London Trading Desk which is over Ksh (87times 2) =Ksh 176B amount that can develop see Kenya pay teachers,etc without stress but all this got wiped in a few months.
We all know that derivatives markets make biggest Investments banks in USA such as Lehman Brothers AIG,Morgan Stanley collapse.
Will Kenya avoid this especial when we shall be having trading of swaps,oil and gas derivatives and even we can have come 2013 Political Derivatives we bet on which politicians are likely to win in 2013
—
Thanks
Gibson Amenya
Level Moja Capital Solutions K Ltd
Skype amenya.gibson
From: People For Peace
Voices of Justice for Peace
Regional News
BY FR JOACHIM OMOLO OUKO, AJ
NAIROBI-KENYA
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012
For more than a decade, advocates for those abused by clergy have been demanding that church leaders in Ireland and at the Vatican accept blame for protecting paedophile priests. The big question here is why such cases do increase almost in daily basis.
[book cover image; An Irish Tragedy
How Sex Abuse by Irish Priests Helped Cripple The Catholic Church; by Joe Rigert]
Joe Rigert’s book, An Irish Tragedy, tries to give the answer to the question. He makes a potentially controversial suggestion that there was something about the background and training of Irish priests that made them more prone to become abusers. Joe adds that apart from the training, social and religious background in Ireland has also contributed to the matter. The story of how Irish immigrants helped to build the Catholic Church, both in Ireland and America. In his investigative reporter Joe Rigert’s search for the roots of the Catholic sex-abuse scandals which led him to Ireland, he found that rigid sexual repression in both society and the priesthood has had the opposite of its intended effect, fostering bizarre and criminal sexual expression. Though a tiny country, Ireland has been a chief exporter of abusers to America, making the Catholic Church’s darkest crisis a true Irish tragedy. Catholic historian Terrance Dosh calls this book “a riveting read with many remarkable insights.” The book details the history of the migration of Irish priests and their unusual penchant to abuse girls and women, and raises questions on the Church’s emphasis on homosexuality as the primary cause of the sex-scandal.
The book is a must-read for those who remain unconvinced of breadth of the scandal; and a useful book for those wanting the history, details and underpinnings of this tragic event. The book suggests that sex abuse by Catholic clergy is not limited to a “church” problem. It is a deeply rooted, complex flaw in society in general because the results impact so many aspects of their daily lives. It is against the background that the problem is not only with priests but nuns as well. In March this year an Irish nun appeared before a special sitting of the country’s Circuit Court on 87 charges of the sexual abuse of primary school girls. Rape and sexual molestation were “endemic” mainly in Irish Catholic church-run industrial schools and orphanages where priests and nuns for decades terrorised thousands of boys and girls in the Irish Republic. According to the report, molestation and rape were “endemic” in boys’ facilities, chiefly run by the Christian Brothers order. The report concluded that when confronted with evidence of sex abuse, religious authorities responded by transferring offenders to another location, where in many instances they were free to abuse again.
[map of Irland]
Some clergy and nuns were considered notorious child molesters. Some of them raped or indecently assaulted over one hundred children, mainly in Dublin where four former archbishops in Dublin – John Charles McQuaid, who died in 1973, Dermot Ryan, who died in 1984, Kevin McNamara, who died in 1987, and retired Cardinal Desmond Connell – were found to have failed to report their knowledge of child sexual abuse to the Garda from the 1960s to the 1980s despite the fact that they were aware of complaints. The Murphy Commission of Inquiry into the abuse of children in Dublin identified 320 people who complained of child sexual abuse between 1975 and 2004. It also stated that since May 2004, 130 complaints against priests operating in the Dublin archdiocese had been made. It is so notorious to the point that the Irish government had to announce the closure of its embassy to the Vatican, starkly illustrating that relations between Dublin and the Catholic Church are at a historically glacial low. The government and the Vatican has always remained in serious disagreement over child abuse by the clergy, with the Irish Prime Minister, Enda Kenny, accusing Rome of trying to sabotage official inquiries. Traditionally, Ireland has been unusually close to the Catholic Church, but its faith was greatly shaken by a series of damning reports on the Church’s alleged indifference to child sex abuse by priests and other clerics. Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJTel +254-7350-14559/+254-722-623-578E-mail omolo.ouko@gmail.comPeaceful world is the greatest heritageThat this generation can give to the generationsTo come- All of us have a role.
The ODM USA CHAPTER’S reloaded caravan starts IN THE DMV area this Saturday June 23, 2012 at Fairland Regional Park
3928 Greencastle Road, Fairland, MD 20904 (See attached flier). We expect to be joined by ODM Organizing Secretary Hon. Ali Hassan Joho, MP for Kisauni Constituency. You are welcome to join and be part of the movement. All are encouraged to be in their ODM attire. Thereafter, we will participate in other planned community events including a funeral fundraiser to help Mr. Sammy Osano following the death of his son. The venue for the fundraiser is yet to be announced.
Orange Democratic Movement – A Movement of the People
ODM.pdf
Together, we’re building a great future
ODM FAMILY PICNIC & RECRUITMENT DRIVE
With Music & Food Fairland Regional Park3928 Greencastle Road, Fairland, MD 20904 On SATURDAY JUNE 23, 2012 from 1:00 pm
Join The Party With An Agenda For The People Of Kenya Register As A Member
The party that is ready to deal with issues such as ;
This report aims to demonstrate how a rapid climate change impact assessment can be used to identify the possible impacts of climate change on a thermal power investment project. For this demonstration, the O MON IV Combined Cycle Power Station Project in Southern Viet Nam is used for illustrative purposes.
From: Comfort Mwangi
Date: Sat, Jun 16, 2012 at 9:03 PM
Subject:
To: “info@mwakilishi.com” , “info@ajabuafrica.com” , harrison maina , “diasporamessengaer@yahoo.com” , “digitalnews@nation.co.ke” , “contact@diasporaspring.com” , “jaluo@jaluo.com” , “jambonews@jambonewspot.com” , “jambonewspot@gmail.com” , “ksomung2007@yahoo.com”
Please release this statement asap.
Thanks for your support.
Finalkenyadiaspora statement-1.doc
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Kenya Diaspora Development Collaborative
2013 Kenya Elections: Out-of-Country Voting (OCV)-Diaspora Press Statement
The Kenya Diaspora Development Collaborative an NGO providing a platform for a global network of organizations representing Kenyans living abroad, is raising its voice and mobilizing concerted Diaspora action to secure the full implementation of the constitutional provisions allowing Kenyans living overseas to vote in the 2013 general elections. The KDDC takes the position that the spirit and letter of the constitution cannot be interpreted and applied in a manner that will have the effect of disenfranchising millions of eligible voters living in the Diaspora. This Press Statement is intended to draw the attention of the relevant authorities and concerned agencies that such violation of the democratic rights of citizens has no place in a modern democracy.
Kenya Diaspora Development Collaborative
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 16, 2012
Calling for Unequivocal Leadership Action on Out-of-Country Voting
Kenyans living in the Diaspora have welcomed with enthusiasm the constitutional provisions that will allow us to vote for the first time in Kenya’s elections. However, we are increasingly concerned about the statements attributed to a growing number of leaders indicating shifting goal posts on the prospects and preparations for the first ever Diaspora vote.
This is a call by the Kenyan Diaspora community to the nation’s leadership to act without equivocation and implement the constitutional provisions allowing out of country voting (OCV) for millions of Kenyans who stand to be disenfranchised if no action is taken.
Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 16, 2012 – The Kenya Diaspora Development Collaborative hereby calls in one voice to the National Leadership to act with urgency to implement the constitutional provisions allowing out of country voting. Urgent action will eliminate the confusion and the possibility of disenfranchising millions of Kenyans during the forthcoming General Elections.
As a singularly important election ushering in new leadership under a new constitution, the historic significance of having every Kenyan exercising his/her democratic rights cannot be over-emphasized. Kenyans in the Diaspora are passionately anticipating exercising our constitutional rights during these historic elections. However, the Kenyan Diaspora community is becoming increasingly alarmed by the streams of political statements that continue to be made by leaders regarding the issue of Out-of-Country voting. These statements appear to be at variance with the expectation based on the constitution’s provisions that Diaspora Kenyans will vote in the March 2013 elections. The Kenya Diaspora Development collaborative is concerned that neither leaders nor the responsible institutions such as the IEBC and the CIC are taking the appropriate measures to clarify and bring this matter to a proper conclusion. It is time to stop the politics and start the development.
The constitutional provisions allowing the Kenya Diaspora to vote in the elections for the first time are clear. We consider the apparent inclination on the part of the government to truncate these provisions on the basis of logistical and administrative considerations as an attempt to deny millions of Kenyans their chance to elect leaders of their choice and to exercise their constitutional rights. We believe that the Kenya Government has the capacity to make budgetary provisions and secure the logistical support for a successful out-of-country voting. For example, the Finance Ministry recently laid out an unprecedented KShs 1.4 trillion finance bill, a clear indication that financial and logistical resources can be mobilized to ensure the Kenya Diaspora community can vote. With a proposed budget of $50 per ballot box we Kenyan’s in the Diaspora want to eliminate this expense by voting electronically and plead with the Finance Minister to allocated the savings from this exercise into other developmental budgeted items . At the same time, the Diaspora community is ready for structured consultations with national and international actors to identify and develop solutions to make the out-of-country vote a reality.
In response to the growing concerns in the Diaspora community, the Kenya Diaspora Development Collaborative has passed a number of resolutions urging our national leaders and relevant institutions to take appropriate measure to address this important issue in a timely manner ahead of the elections.
We take this opportunity to communicate our recommendations to secure the attention of and proactive action by the leadership on this matter. We urge our leaders to take immediate action:
1. To unequivocally state a clear position guaranteeing that the Kenyan Diaspora community will vote in the forthcoming elections;
2. To immediately launch a Diaspora voter education and, subsequently, voter registration exercise in all key locations around the world having a significant concentration of the Kenyan Diaspora populations
3. To enlist the support of the Kenyan Diaspora community, host governments and other international institutions to help effectively leverage the logistical resources necessary for conducting the out-of-country vote.
4. To involve the Kenyan Diaspora community at every stage of planning and implementing the voting exercise including voter education, voter registration and the planning of voter centers
5. To immediately establish at the cabinet level, a joint stakeholders’ commission to develop the framework for and recommend steps towards ensuring Kenyans in the Diaspora can fully participate in the elections as electors, elections officials, and, where possible, as candidates.
6. To prepare and disseminate to the Diaspora community and to all Kenyans planned action and its implementation timeframe within the period of one month.
The Kenya Diaspora Development Collaborative as a platform made up of a network of organizations representing Kenyans living in the Diaspora. KDDC continues its mission to create a climate of productive and structured dialogue between the Kenyan Diaspora community, the Kenya Government, National and International Institutions committed to the broad objective of Diaspora/GOK developmental partnership. Our goal is to nurture productive and sustainable relationships with the Kenya government and engage all members of the Diaspora community in shaping and influencing the developmental decisions that impact their lives. KDDC has representation from locations around the world where Kenyans live and work. Our membership is drawn from several of Diaspora organizations that are in conversations with us.
Contact Information:
Name: Comfort Munoru Mwangi
KDDC Chair
Website: http://kenyadiasporadev.org/
Face book: Kenya Diaspora Development Collaboration
Radio: http://kenyaprogressivevoice.org/
Kenya Diaspora Development Collaborative Press Statement
This 70-page report finds that deep-rooted shortcomings in the design and implementation of key policies have effectively left mine operators to supervise themselves. This has fueled pervasive lawlessness in India’s scandal-ridden mining industry and threatens serious harm to mining-affected communities. Human Rights Watch documented allegations that irresponsible mining operations have damaged the health, water, environment, and livelihoods of these communities.
Read the Press Release
I. Background: “Illegal Mining” in India
II. Goa Case Study: Regulatory Collapse and its Consequences
III. Regulatory Collapse in India’s Mining Sector
IV. Karnataka Case Study: Criminality and Mining
V. Mining and Human Rights: Government’s Duty to Regulate
VI. A Nationwide Problem
VII. Reining in the Abuse: Practical Steps Forward for India’s Government
Acknowledgments
Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. We stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, to uphold political freedom, to protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice. We investigate and expose human rights violations and hold abusers accountable.
We challenge governments and those who hold power to end abusive practices and respect international human rights law. We enlist the public and the international community to support the cause of human rights for all.
. . .
—
Karibu Jukwaa la www.mwanabidii.com
Pata nafasi mpya za Kazi www.kazibongo.blogspot.com
Blogu ya Habari na Picha www.patahabari.blogspot.com