Adieu to a World Icon, Madiba

A lot has been said and heard, written and read and yet we seem to long for more, it’s like it’s never too much when it comes to this ‘MAN’, unarguably one of the greatest men of our time. An embodiment of justice, selflessness, righteousness, I bet words alone cannot describe what he stood for. He was actually one of the truly extraordinary statesmen of the last century. I think using this opportunity to come out of my self-imposed hibernation is not a bad idea, I should at least honour a world icon.

 

Madiba, as he was fondly called left a great void to be filled, even in death, he is still pulling crowd and uniting foes. His memorial today is seen as the largest gathering of world leaders, incidentally, the US President Obama might shake hands with his Iranian counterpart President Rouhani, a feat that would be the first between a US president and an Iranian leader since the two countries' diplomatic relations broke down in the wake of the Iranian revolution. Even those that fought against what he stood for, shall all be in attendance to honour and pay their last respects.

We should take a cue from his life style and see how we can all make the world a better place. May your soul rest in perfect peace MADIBA.

Fundraiser for Kechi Okwuchi — A New Dawn

Help save Kechi's future, the only survivor of the Sosoliso air crash in Port Harcourt, Nigeria in 2005, that claimed the lives of many future leaders. You too can make your donations and put a smile on someone's face. Fundraiser for Kechi Okwuchi — A New Dawn

It's not a sheep, not a goat - it's a geep - Local News - News - Express Advocate Gosford Edition

eh! what is that? It's not a sheep, not a goat - it's a geep - Local News - News - Express Advocate Gosford Edition

Breast ironing tradition targeted in Cameroon - CNN.com

shocking and unimaginable: Breast ironing tradition targeted in Cameroon - CNN.com

“Knights Templar 2083”: why is there so much hatred in the land?

22^nd July, 2011 shall not be forgotten in a hurry. The world watched in shock and disbelief as 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik massacred many people in Norway (in Oslo and on the island of Utoeya).  A relatively peaceful Norway experienced a day of terror. But what could have been the motive behind this gruesome act? I fear for the world we live in today, the world where nowhere is safe, a place where we kill one another with the slightest provocation.

And I ask; why is there so much hatred in our land? Why is the level of intolerance so high in our society today? Why is there sadness across the land? What happened to happiness, peace and love? What happened to morals, virtues and kindness that were the norms in the days of our fathers? I can’t even write any further because my heart is saddened. My condolences go out to the many victims and their families. May the good Lord give them the fortitude to bear the loss.

Lindsay Hawker: All they wanted; they said, was justice for Lindsay

And justice they got in the end. This episode shows the undying love of parents for their offspring (young or old, alive or dead), and the unrelenting efforts they put up to protect them, or to seek justice when they see any injustice upon their ward(s). Though it took two and a half lengthy years for the Hawkers to get the justice they deserved, the verdict given was a succor for grief they suffered for the death of their daughter.

Lindsay Hawker, a young promising lady with a vision to contribute to not just her immediate environment, but the World, left her native country to the Far East. She could as well have stayed in UK and made any positive changes she wished, but she chose to do it in Japan; only for her hopes and wishes to be dashed and not be accomplished, because one animal could not control his sexual libido.

The animal (Tatsuya Ichihashi) thought he could evade justice. (What a thought!) I cannot imagine what he had to go through for the past two and a half years, all in the name of resisting arrest. The self inflicted facial injury, going under the surgeon’s knife several times to change his appearance, self imprisonment, the worst of it all, having to always be on the run. But the saying goes: “you can run, but you can’t hide” from justice forever. In the end, he got what he deserved. Hope this will be a deterrent for others like him.

Lindsay Hawker: your good intentions to make the world a better place to live for all shall be remembered, even though you did not take to arm to fight your cause; you are a true FREEDOM FIGHTER. I believe liberating a fellow human from illiteracy and ignorance is in a way, improving the quality of life of the whole world. I am adding your name to my list of the world’s greatest people. You rank among the likes of Martin Luther king jr., Nelson Mandela et al.  May your soul rest in  perfect peace.

Greece: where is thy ALEXANDER?

A developed country with an advanced, high-income economy, a very high Human Development Index (22nd highest in the world as of 2010) and consistently high quality of life rankings, according to Wikipedia’s definition of Greece. But more recently, news emanating from Greece depicts a country suffering from the mismanagement of an erstwhile vast and robust economy by corrupt politicians. Greece has borne the brunt of the late-2000s recession and related 2010 European sovereign debt crisis.

There have been several riots and protests across Greece in defiance to the planned austerity measure by the government. Politicians are the same everywhere. They are full of deceit, greed, lies and manipulation. They systematically looted the treasury, evaded tax, engaged in bribery and corruption to enrich their selves. The ruling class is being used by IMF (and Goldman Sachs) to suppress the Greek economy, thereby, subjecting the masses to economic  hardship. Greece, where is thy Alexander? The Greeks do not need a figurative savior to fight their cause for them.

They should not allow some people at the Hellenic Parliament to decide their fate, they can force the corrupt politicians to step down, choose and elect a new set of people to lead them through at the upcoming election. Why would the masses carry the burden created by some people? These corrupt politicians should be brought to face the justice of the land. Greece!!! You are known to set examples for others to follow, since the days of the Spartans, the Greek’s resilience and courage are known in history, to have no bound. STAND UP, and fight for JUSTICE, GREECE’S FUTURE.

  

How to Use a Scale - wikiHow

How to Use a Scale - wikiHow

How to Be Nice to Your Brother - wikiHow

How to Be Nice to Your Brother - wikiHow

Ali Abdullah Saleh: The two faces of a ‘KILLER’

President Saleh of Yemen

recent picture of President Saleh

and

Karma is an inevitable fate in human existence, whether you are good or bad, your reward/nemesis will always catch up with you. I hardly could recognize President Saleh the other day on CNN. I believed not in his wildest imagination, could he ever thought or perceived what happened to him. The untouchable turned vulnerable, would never have believed (even a few moments before the attack) that any harm could get into one hundred yards of him, not to talk of getting to him.

 The rage I feel since the beginning of this ruthless killing of harmless protesters, and the compassion for the plight of Yemeni women and children have been so overwhelming that I have no sympathy for this man that has made many fatherless, widow, homeless; many souls have bled for just wishing for a better future. Wishing him quick recovery or condemning the attack on him, will be a slap on all the lost souls and the entire Yemeni citizens clamoring for a change in government.

But I am baffled by how the international community is treating this man Saleh, he is being treated like a statesman and somebody that should be respected. If we continue this way, others like him will not see anything wrong in killing their citizens. He should have been given the same treatment as Charles Taylor, Radovan Karadzic and the likes. This should be a lesson to the likes of Assad of Syria, Kaddafi of Libya. 

      

How to Face Confusing Thoughts - wikiHow

Confusion they say, can weigh you down and left you unproductive, guess this can be of help----How to Face Confusing Thoughts - wikiHow

Christine Lagarde: A proof that IMF can Diversify

Emerging from the recent sex scandal that almost tainted its image, IMF elected for the first time since its existence a female as its next managing director and chairman. This is seen as a welcome development and turnaround from its old male-dominated institution. Although in many quarters, it had been seen as a foregone conclusion after she won the backing of the IMF's heavyweights - the United States, Russia, China and the Europeans. My view on this is, whether her appointment was a selection or an election, this has shown that IMF (in a bid to save its face) can swallow its manly ego and diversify.

Sometime in May, I wrote about IMF’s rigidness to western ideologies, at the expense of the rest of the world. Though I joined in congratulating Christine Lagarde on her new appointment, but I still maintain my stance, that IMF’s board and governing council are racist. Why must the person at the helm of affairs be European? Does it mean the best person for the post can only be found in EU states or the America? Is there no black or Asian or Arab that is as well suited for the job? The list is endless.

African elites should rise up to the task and vie for positions at the helm of affairs in IMF. If the so-called IMF’s policies affect us in one way or the other, then we must be well represented. We should not sit back and allow them to dictate and decide on how to run and manage our resources for us. IMF should do more than just giving a female a chance at topmost level of affairs; they should broaden their horizon and allow other races a level-playing field. 

Rethinking IMF Governance: a former insider 

advocates overhauling the IMF's Executive Board to make it more effective and representative.(International ... An article from: Finance & Development

Summing up by the Acting Chairman.(IMF Executive Board): An article from: World Economic Outlook

How to Create a Stress Ball: 5 steps (with video) - wikiHow

This could really be of help. How to Create a Stress Ball: 5 steps (with video) - wikiHow

Syria and Yemen: The International Community must act now !!!

A lot have been said, heard and written on the crack down on protesters in Syria and Yemen. Every day, we are bombarded with the gory images of hapless civilians killed, maimed, imprisoned and so on, by the so-called military agents of these two ruthless leaders of the two nations. But I cannot come to terms with is the rationale behind this barbaric acts. Do they think killing, maiming, indiscriminately arresting and beating can soften people’s hearts? If they think so, then they are not students of history. The apartheid regime in South Africa fell to the peoples’ resistance and many more like that.

History has shown, time without number that the leader that fails to listen to the wishes of his people is doomed to perish. Where are the Mubaraks and Ben Alis of yesterday? The crackdown might elongate their hold on power for a short while; it cannot keep them there forever. It will also strengthen the cause of the revolution and harden the protesters’ minds and make them more resolute.

The international community should do more than sanctioning these ruthless leaders, or how can sanction be felt when they are sitting on billions of dollars of oil wealth, when they can have practically everything they want at the snap of fingers? Please we should not forget so soon that ‘Defending Democracy and Human Right was America’s reason for the invasion of Panama, also allegation of possession of WMD was enough for Iraqi invasion, and so many like that. But none of these nations carried out what I like to call annihilation of its own people on a daily basis like Yemen and Syria, and yet the international community is sitting back and allowing this insanity to go on.

What more do we need before we take decisive actions. What justification do we need for UN invasion on these nations that are crushing their people with armoured tanks and machine guns?

 Obama's Speech.(Speech): An article from: APS Diplomat News Service

Shocking Sentence: Jewish Court Condemns Dog To Death by Stoning

Wonders will never end, so they say. I cannot imagine a learned judge passing a non-sensical verdict like this, or what could be more absurd. Sentencing a dog to death by stoning; for what crime? The helpless dog wandered into the courtroom while proceedings were in progress and because it was thought to be a reincarnation (a silly superstitious belief) of a secular lawyer, was this sufficient reason to pass a death sentence on the poor dog? Shocking Sentence: Jewish Court Condemns Dog To Death by Stoning

Crude Oil: Blessing or Curse to Africa?

Prior to the discovery of Petroleum, most African countries depended on agriculture for their existence, be it subsistence or large scale farming. Crops like Cocoa, Coffee, Cotton et al, were produced on a large scale for exportation. Things were alright, because an average African man was a farmer and that implied that majority of the people were gainfully employed. 

And then, the so-called Black Gold was discovered in some parts of Africa, and things started to change, because of the huge money involved in oil business, people left their farms and went in search of what they considered a quicker and easier way to wealth. Instead of improving living standard, Petroleum brought to Africa War, Pollution, Corruption, Instability and Inflation e. t. c. many lives were lost, families separated due to war, Lands were polluted as a result of oil exploration and gas flaring, Poverty, inflation and unemployment are now the order of the day.

Every day, my heart is saddened for my Continent Africa… our Africa. We are blessed with so many natural resources and yet we suffer, but we live with dwindling hope of a better tomorrow, just like the biblical Jews waiting for the arrival of a messiah. We should not apportion blames to the west, although they contributed to the declining nature of our economy through the shady and corrupt foreign policies and greedy practices of their Oil firms like Shell, Chevron, and so on. We should blame our inability for proper management of the resources, inept government, lack of transparency and accountability, greedy and corrupt politicians.

Until we start to face and address our self-inflicted problems, we cannot enjoy the blessings that flow from the gifts of Mother Nature. The government, Public Office holders and Politicians should be open to debates and suggestions to sensitize people about the need to diversify to other areas of enterprise. Corruption should be tackled without fear or favour.

At what point did we get it wrong? What did we not avert our minds to? Crude oil is supposed to be some kind of blessing to our lands but it is now more or less a curse. Till date, some African Countries are still discovering oil. Should we be happy for them or should we roll out the burial drums? Will life be better in those countries? Only time will tell!

The 2000 Import and Export Market for Petroleum Bitumen, Petroleum Coke, and Bituminous Mixtures in South Africa (World Trade Report)