The rest of the story can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20727127
Thursday, 27 December 2012
Rebuilding Rwanda: The Role of Women
The Rwandan genocide claimed a lot of lives including many men who would traditionally provide financially for their families. After the war this responsibility fell to the women who had to go out and work, many of them starting their own businesses. This has over the years contributed to a sense of independence and empowerment for these women and has in a way encouraged their participation in governing the country: "... women hold 56% of the seats in Rwanda's parliament, by far the highest percentage of female MPs anywhere in the world."
Recognizing some of those who stood up against to corruption in 2012
"Standing up to corruption requires both courage and conviction, often in the face of great personal danger. Again in 2012 we saw how people took on this challenge. This article is a tribute to a few of those from around the world who have made a difference in the fight against corruption, one of whom paid with his life...."
Read more at: http://www.transparency.org/news/feature/2012_a_year_of_courage_and_conviction
Read more at: http://www.transparency.org/news/feature/2012_a_year_of_courage_and_conviction
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Pioneering surgery repairs girl's spine with leg bone
A five-year old girl has had pioneering surgery to repair a large gap in her spine using bone taken from her legs.
Before the operation, Rosie Davies, from Walsall in the West Midlands, was "basically a timebomb", her family said.
Missing bones in her spine meant her upper body weight was unsupported and her inner organs were being crushed.
The lifesaving surgery came at the cost of her lower legs, which she had always been unable to move.
Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20426413
Monday, 10 December 2012
A Breakthrough Against Leukemia Using Altered T-Cells
"Emma Whitehead has been bounding around the house lately, practicing somersaults and rugby-style tumbles that make her parents wince....It is hard to believe, but last spring Emma, then 6, was near death from leukemia. She had relapsed twice after chemotherapy, and doctors had run out of options.
Desperate to save her, her parents sought an experimental treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, one that had never before been tried in a child, or in anyone with the type of leukemia Emma had. The experiment, in April, used a disabled form of the virus that causes AIDS to reprogram Emma’s immune system genetically to kill cancer cells.
The treatment very nearly killed her. But she emerged from it cancer-free, and about seven months later is still in complete remission."
Read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/10/health/a-breakthrough-against-leukemia-using-altered-t-cells.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&hp
Desperate to save her, her parents sought an experimental treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, one that had never before been tried in a child, or in anyone with the type of leukemia Emma had. The experiment, in April, used a disabled form of the virus that causes AIDS to reprogram Emma’s immune system genetically to kill cancer cells.
The treatment very nearly killed her. But she emerged from it cancer-free, and about seven months later is still in complete remission."
Read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/10/health/a-breakthrough-against-leukemia-using-altered-t-cells.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&hp
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
Twitter co-founder puts his energy into clean tech
Article from Financial Times: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/8f75c07e-323c-11e2-916a-00144feabdc0.html
Shortly before going on stage to speak at the opening ceremony of this year’s Climate Week in New York, Evan Williams tweeted a picture of Tony Blair at the podium, using his most famous creation to share a view of the world that he moves in.
As co-founder of two of the most successful social media platforms of the past decade, Twitter and Blogger, Mr Williams has an unassailable status as an internet entrepreneur.
At the age of 40, he is attempting something very different. In the words of the Obvious Corporation, the business incubator firm that is his principal focus, he wants “to make the world a better place”.
Climate change is “the most important issue facing the world”, he says, and since stepping down as chief executive of Twitter two years ago, he has had more free time to address it.
“Unfortunately climate has become a dirty word – obviously in politics, but even to some degree in my world, in venture capital,” he says. “People hesitate if they see something that’s purported to be green. That’s not a reason to invest for many people.”
He is as enthusiastic about the potential of clean technology as any environmental campaigner but believes it has often been sold to people badly.
The way to sell products and services that are good for the environment, he says, is not to say that they are good for the environment.
“You need to bifurcate the message, and appeal to early adopters and people who care about that stuff to prove your technologies, to get scale. But that only works if what you’re offering is a viable alternative. Otherwise you’re just producing guilt, and that turns people off,” he says.
“[Consumers] make their choice on what is the selfish thing for them. The media has been manipulated to such a degree that, even if it is better, you shouldn’t say it’s better and it’s better for the world. Just leave that out, because then they don’t believe the first part. Just say: ‘it’s better for you’.”
The paradigm for this approach, he says, is Beyond Meat, the developer of meat substitutes made from plant protein, which is backed by Obvious. “Moral or health implications aside, turning plant protein into what seems like the very same substance, [rather than] growing a whole bird and then discarding most of it, is just incredibly more efficient,” he says.
Beyond Meat has its chicken substitute on the market, mostly in Whole Foods stores in California, and is planning other products, including substitutes for beef and fish. Far from being resistant to an artificial product, Mr Williams says, consumers are “buying it as fast as we can make it”.
The move into food production is a return to his roots for someone who describes himself as “a Nebraska farm boy”, and who cares about climate change because he understands the significance of threats such as the droughts that hit much of the US corn belt this year.
With Beyond Meat, Obvious is making the leap from processing information to processing matter. It is a step that has proved troublesome for several entrepreneurs who have made fortunes in IT and then stumbled when they tried to achieve similar success in energy and environmental technology.
Mr Williams argues that whether in clean tech or IT, the rules of the start-up game are the same.
“If you look at the internet, the vast majority of start-ups are not successful. But the ones that are, are very very successful. So you can’t point to the unsuccessful ones and say there’s no hope for this field. It’s just that they had the wrong idea or they had bad execution,” he says.
“A lot of the time with clean tech we’ve been trying to solve everything at once, when there’s lots of low-hanging fruit that’s not being addressed today, especially in the area of efficiency.”
His plans for his new home in the fashionable Parnassus Heights area of San Francisco include design features such as insulation and solar panels that will give the house zero net energy consumption.
“The fact that we can now build buildings that use no energy shows that the solutions are available,” he says. “And the benefits of that are not just in energy. They’re healthier, they will feel better – they’re better in every way.”
If some of these technologies can break through to the mass market, the consequences could be profound, for business as well as for the environment. “I think it’s the most important issue facing the world, so that’s what captures my interest,” he says. “But my optimistic and entrepreneurial side says it’s also the biggest opportunity.”
Shortly before going on stage to speak at the opening ceremony of this year’s Climate Week in New York, Evan Williams tweeted a picture of Tony Blair at the podium, using his most famous creation to share a view of the world that he moves in.
As co-founder of two of the most successful social media platforms of the past decade, Twitter and Blogger, Mr Williams has an unassailable status as an internet entrepreneur.
At the age of 40, he is attempting something very different. In the words of the Obvious Corporation, the business incubator firm that is his principal focus, he wants “to make the world a better place”.
Climate change is “the most important issue facing the world”, he says, and since stepping down as chief executive of Twitter two years ago, he has had more free time to address it.
“Unfortunately climate has become a dirty word – obviously in politics, but even to some degree in my world, in venture capital,” he says. “People hesitate if they see something that’s purported to be green. That’s not a reason to invest for many people.”
He is as enthusiastic about the potential of clean technology as any environmental campaigner but believes it has often been sold to people badly.
The way to sell products and services that are good for the environment, he says, is not to say that they are good for the environment.
“You need to bifurcate the message, and appeal to early adopters and people who care about that stuff to prove your technologies, to get scale. But that only works if what you’re offering is a viable alternative. Otherwise you’re just producing guilt, and that turns people off,” he says.
“[Consumers] make their choice on what is the selfish thing for them. The media has been manipulated to such a degree that, even if it is better, you shouldn’t say it’s better and it’s better for the world. Just leave that out, because then they don’t believe the first part. Just say: ‘it’s better for you’.”
The paradigm for this approach, he says, is Beyond Meat, the developer of meat substitutes made from plant protein, which is backed by Obvious. “Moral or health implications aside, turning plant protein into what seems like the very same substance, [rather than] growing a whole bird and then discarding most of it, is just incredibly more efficient,” he says.
Beyond Meat has its chicken substitute on the market, mostly in Whole Foods stores in California, and is planning other products, including substitutes for beef and fish. Far from being resistant to an artificial product, Mr Williams says, consumers are “buying it as fast as we can make it”.
The move into food production is a return to his roots for someone who describes himself as “a Nebraska farm boy”, and who cares about climate change because he understands the significance of threats such as the droughts that hit much of the US corn belt this year.
With Beyond Meat, Obvious is making the leap from processing information to processing matter. It is a step that has proved troublesome for several entrepreneurs who have made fortunes in IT and then stumbled when they tried to achieve similar success in energy and environmental technology.
Mr Williams argues that whether in clean tech or IT, the rules of the start-up game are the same.
“If you look at the internet, the vast majority of start-ups are not successful. But the ones that are, are very very successful. So you can’t point to the unsuccessful ones and say there’s no hope for this field. It’s just that they had the wrong idea or they had bad execution,” he says.
“A lot of the time with clean tech we’ve been trying to solve everything at once, when there’s lots of low-hanging fruit that’s not being addressed today, especially in the area of efficiency.”
His plans for his new home in the fashionable Parnassus Heights area of San Francisco include design features such as insulation and solar panels that will give the house zero net energy consumption.
“The fact that we can now build buildings that use no energy shows that the solutions are available,” he says. “And the benefits of that are not just in energy. They’re healthier, they will feel better – they’re better in every way.”
If some of these technologies can break through to the mass market, the consequences could be profound, for business as well as for the environment. “I think it’s the most important issue facing the world, so that’s what captures my interest,” he says. “But my optimistic and entrepreneurial side says it’s also the biggest opportunity.”
Saturday, 24 November 2012
Pulling children out of Nepal's prisons
Pushpa Basnet doesn't need an alarm clock. Every morning, the sounds of 40 children wake her up in the two-story home she shares with them.
As she helps the children dress for school, Basnet might appear to be a housemother of sorts. But the real story is more complicated.
All of these children once lived in Nepal's prisons. This 28-year-old woman has saved every one of them from a life behind bars.
Read more at: http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/15/world/cnnheroes-basnet-nepal-prisons/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
As she helps the children dress for school, Basnet might appear to be a housemother of sorts. But the real story is more complicated.
All of these children once lived in Nepal's prisons. This 28-year-old woman has saved every one of them from a life behind bars.
Read more at: http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/15/world/cnnheroes-basnet-nepal-prisons/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
Tuesday, 20 November 2012
Inspiration on World Toilet Day
It’s worth reminding ourselves that even an enormous problem like 2.5 billion people who need sanitation does not always require an enormous solution. Small steps help.
As an example (hat tip to the excellent Matt Shipman), consider Tate Rogers, graduate student at N.C. State University, who applied technology no more complex than the Archimedes screw to the age-old problem of what to do once the pit latrine is full.
Read more at: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2012/11/19/inspiration-on-world-toilet-day/
As an example (hat tip to the excellent Matt Shipman), consider Tate Rogers, graduate student at N.C. State University, who applied technology no more complex than the Archimedes screw to the age-old problem of what to do once the pit latrine is full.
Read more at: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2012/11/19/inspiration-on-world-toilet-day/
Monday, 5 November 2012
Women from Azerbaijan, Gaza, Ethiopia win courage in journalism awards
A columnist imprisoned under Ethiopia’s controversial anti-terrorism laws, an Azerbaijani investigative radio reporter who had surveillance cameras planted in her apartment and a Palestinian blogger who has been beaten and tortured for reporting on abuses and protests in Gaza each received Courage in Journalism awards Wednesday from a women’s media group.
Read more at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/women-from-azerbaijan-gaza-ethiopia-win-courage-in-journalism-awards/2012/10/24/be005266-1e13-11e2-8817-41b9a7aaabc7_story.html
Read more at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/women-from-azerbaijan-gaza-ethiopia-win-courage-in-journalism-awards/2012/10/24/be005266-1e13-11e2-8817-41b9a7aaabc7_story.html
Tuesday, 23 October 2012
An Economist Who Saves Lives
"Few economists could honestly describe themselves as life-savers. Professor Al Roth from Stanford University in the United States doesn't describe himself that way either. But he is.
His application of a kind of mathematics developed as a thought-experiment 50 years ago is keeping hundreds - perhaps thousands - of people alive......"
Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20004050
His application of a kind of mathematics developed as a thought-experiment 50 years ago is keeping hundreds - perhaps thousands - of people alive......"
Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20004050
Thursday, 18 October 2012
Imagine Cup Finalists - Student Technology Changing the World
Read the incredible innovations at:
http://www.imaginecup.com/News/announcing-the-imagine-cup-2012-grant-finalists
http://www.imaginecup.com/News/announcing-the-imagine-cup-2012-grant-finalists
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Michaela DePrince: The war orphan who became a ballerina
"I got out of a terrible place," says DePrince. "I had no idea I would be here - I'm living my dream every single day."
She was born in Sierra Leone in 1995. Her parents named her Mabinty, but after they both died during the civil war, she was sent to an orphanage, where she became a number.
"They named us from one to 27," she recalls. "One was the favourite child of the orphanage and 27 was the least favourite."
Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19600296
She was born in Sierra Leone in 1995. Her parents named her Mabinty, but after they both died during the civil war, she was sent to an orphanage, where she became a number.
"They named us from one to 27," she recalls. "One was the favourite child of the orphanage and 27 was the least favourite."
Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19600296
Friday, 5 October 2012
Today is World Teachers' Day
October 5 is World Teachers' Day. Organized by UNESCO in 1994, the day aims to mobilize support for teachers around the world.
Read more at: http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/05/today-is-world-teachers-day/
Check out the official site: http://www.5oct.org/2012/index.php/en/
Read more at: http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/05/today-is-world-teachers-day/
Check out the official site: http://www.5oct.org/2012/index.php/en/
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Coca-Cola and Global Fund Partner to Help Bring Critical Medicines to Remote Region
"The Coca-Cola Company and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria today announced they will expand a project leveraging the Company's expansive global distribution system and core business expertise to help government and non-governmental organizations deliver critical medicines to remote parts of the world, beginning in rural Africa...."
Read more at: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/09/25/coca-cola-and-the-global-fund-announce-partnership/
Read more at: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/09/25/coca-cola-and-the-global-fund-announce-partnership/
Sunday, 30 September 2012
Young, Foo Fighters, others wow thousands at Central Park concert to call attention to poverty
Neil Young, the Black Keys, Foo Fighters and others wowed thousands who turned out Saturday night for a free concert in Central Park to call attention to poverty worldwide.
Dubbed the Global Citizen Festival, the concert also featured K’naan, John Legend and Band of Horses, with Young’s performance capping off the evening.....
The concert was scheduled around the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this month and organizers used an innovative approach to ticket distribution so that many concert-goers were forced to learn about an array of global problems in order to get a ticket.
Anyone wanting free tickets had to register at globalcitizen.org, which then required users to watch videos or read information about poverty-related issues. Each time material was consumed, users could earn points toward a drawing for tickets. Points were also accumulated by sharing information by way of Twitter or Facebook.
Read more at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/tens-of-thousands-attend-central-park-concert-to-call-attention-to-poverty-knaan-begins-show/2012/09/29/c1171a00-0a92-11e2-9eea-333857f6a7bd_story.html
Watch John Legend perform "Imagine" at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZKw0vcj7Ka8#!
Dubbed the Global Citizen Festival, the concert also featured K’naan, John Legend and Band of Horses, with Young’s performance capping off the evening.....
The concert was scheduled around the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this month and organizers used an innovative approach to ticket distribution so that many concert-goers were forced to learn about an array of global problems in order to get a ticket.
Anyone wanting free tickets had to register at globalcitizen.org, which then required users to watch videos or read information about poverty-related issues. Each time material was consumed, users could earn points toward a drawing for tickets. Points were also accumulated by sharing information by way of Twitter or Facebook.
Read more at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/tens-of-thousands-attend-central-park-concert-to-call-attention-to-poverty-knaan-begins-show/2012/09/29/c1171a00-0a92-11e2-9eea-333857f6a7bd_story.html
Watch John Legend perform "Imagine" at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZKw0vcj7Ka8#!
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
Indian PM reclaims title of economic reformer
"India’s Prime Minister has quietly endured months of parliamentary gridlock and unceasing criticism: Time magazine chastised him as an “underachiever” and The Washington Post said his political legacy was destined to be that of a “tragic figure.” Now Mr. Singh has responded with a series of reforms aimed at reviving both economic growth and his image as a vibrant and powerful leader."
Read more at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/indian-pm-reclaims-title-of-economic-reformer/article4568441/
Read more at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/indian-pm-reclaims-title-of-economic-reformer/article4568441/
Friday, 21 September 2012
Kandeh Yumkella: Energy chief on a mission to end poverty
U.N. energy chief Kandeh Yumkella knows first-hand what access to electricity can bring to the developing world.
Growing up in the West African country of Sierra Leone, he would often study by candlelight as frequent blackouts would leave his university dormitory without power supply. Today, as director general of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Yumkella is using his experiences to ensure no one in the world is left in the dark.
Read more at: http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/20/world/africa/kandeh-yumkella-energy-poverty/index.html
Growing up in the West African country of Sierra Leone, he would often study by candlelight as frequent blackouts would leave his university dormitory without power supply. Today, as director general of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Yumkella is using his experiences to ensure no one in the world is left in the dark.
Read more at: http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/20/world/africa/kandeh-yumkella-energy-poverty/index.html
Saturday, 15 September 2012
2012 Social Entrepreneur Awardees
These 26 social entrepreneurs "have created organizations that work in very diverse fields, for instance increasing the agricultural productivity of poor farmers in Myanmar, building village-level hydro power plants in Indonesia, providing unemployed youth in the Middle East with skills training and job placements.......
If you are a journalist, tell their story. If you are in the private sector, reflect on whether you can bring core strategic assets of your business to bear on increasing their impact. Only by working much smarter, faster - and most importantly, together - will we solve the urgent social and environmental challenges of our time."
Read them all at: http://www.schwabfound.org/pdf/schwabfound/seoy/2012_Social_Entrepreneurs_Awardees.pdf
If you are a journalist, tell their story. If you are in the private sector, reflect on whether you can bring core strategic assets of your business to bear on increasing their impact. Only by working much smarter, faster - and most importantly, together - will we solve the urgent social and environmental challenges of our time."
Read them all at: http://www.schwabfound.org/pdf/schwabfound/seoy/2012_Social_Entrepreneurs_Awardees.pdf
Monday, 10 September 2012
16 People Who Worked Incredibly Hard to Succeed
Successful people in every field are often said to be "blessed with talent" or even just lucky.
But the truth is, many worked harder than the average person can even imagine.
From athletes like Michael Jordan to executives like Howard Schultz, these people are known for waking up early and working toward a goal while other people are still in bed, and staying later than everyone else too.
Old fashioned hard work. Anyone can do it. Let these people be an inspiration.
Read more at: http://www.businessinsider.com/16-people-who-worked-incredibly-hard-to-succeed-2012-9
But the truth is, many worked harder than the average person can even imagine.
From athletes like Michael Jordan to executives like Howard Schultz, these people are known for waking up early and working toward a goal while other people are still in bed, and staying later than everyone else too.
Old fashioned hard work. Anyone can do it. Let these people be an inspiration.
Read more at: http://www.businessinsider.com/16-people-who-worked-incredibly-hard-to-succeed-2012-9
Thursday, 6 September 2012
London Paralympics: Profiles of excellence
Ahmed Kelly lives the impossible dream at London Paralympics:
http://www.news.com.au/sport/more-sport/ahmed-kelly-lives-the-impossible-dream-at-london-paralympics/story-fndukor0-1226464881030
Polio survivor dreams of winning medal for Pakistan:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012%5C08%5C28%5Cstory_28-8-2012_pg2_11
Paralympics an inspiration to war-wounded athletes:
http://news.yahoo.com/paralympics-inspiration-war-wounded-athletes-112517668--oly.html
Alex Zanardi takes an emotional gold at Brands Hatch:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/paralympic-sport/9523221/Paralympics-2012-Alex-Zanardi-takes-an-emotional-gold-at-Brands-Hatch.html
http://www.news.com.au/sport/more-sport/ahmed-kelly-lives-the-impossible-dream-at-london-paralympics/story-fndukor0-1226464881030
Polio survivor dreams of winning medal for Pakistan:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012%5C08%5C28%5Cstory_28-8-2012_pg2_11
Paralympics an inspiration to war-wounded athletes:
http://news.yahoo.com/paralympics-inspiration-war-wounded-athletes-112517668--oly.html
Alex Zanardi takes an emotional gold at Brands Hatch:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/paralympic-sport/9523221/Paralympics-2012-Alex-Zanardi-takes-an-emotional-gold-at-Brands-Hatch.html
Wednesday, 22 August 2012
Remembering Jack Layton
"When Jack Layton died on Aug. 22, 2011, parts of the country responded with an unexpected outpouring of grief and affection for the NDP leader.
One year later, it is a legacy felt on multiple levels."
Read more at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/editorials/remembering-jack-layton/article4493941/
Read his open letter to Canadians: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1043428--jack-layton-s-open-letter-to-all-canadians
One year later, it is a legacy felt on multiple levels."
Read more at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/editorials/remembering-jack-layton/article4493941/
Read his open letter to Canadians: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1043428--jack-layton-s-open-letter-to-all-canadians
Monday, 20 August 2012
Somali inspiration battles against the odds
"Similar to her beloved country, [Samia] is working with what she has: pursuing short-term fixes in hopes that long-term solutions will evolve.
No one trains in hopes of taking last place. But perhaps her worth as a runner won't need to be determined by the final results.
No one trains in hopes of taking last place. But perhaps her worth as a runner won't need to be determined by the final results.
The Olympics are based on a tradition that celebrates the struggle as well as the triumphs. For someone who has overcome so much at such a young age, there seems to be no greater testament to this spirit than Samia Yusuf Omar."
Wednesday, 15 August 2012
Beck 'Produces' A Genius Innovation That Appeals To The User-Generated Generation
There are times when I see an idea that is so good, so fresh, so amazing that I:
Become immediately proud to be human.
Stand up to let the energy of the idea fill my body.
Tell everyone I know about it.
Now is one of those times.
Beck (Beck Hansen) is famous for his underground, anti-folk, alternative, dreamy-yet-hook-driven music. His first biggie was “Loser” way back in 1994. But his ability to understand and reach his audience just went cosmic. He released a new album, but it’s not a record or a CD or a series of MP3 files. Something way better.
Read more at:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/willburns/2012/08/09/beck-produces-a-genius-innovation-that-appeals-to-the-user-generated-generation/
Become immediately proud to be human.
Stand up to let the energy of the idea fill my body.
Tell everyone I know about it.
Now is one of those times.
Beck (Beck Hansen) is famous for his underground, anti-folk, alternative, dreamy-yet-hook-driven music. His first biggie was “Loser” way back in 1994. But his ability to understand and reach his audience just went cosmic. He released a new album, but it’s not a record or a CD or a series of MP3 files. Something way better.
Read more at:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/willburns/2012/08/09/beck-produces-a-genius-innovation-that-appeals-to-the-user-generated-generation/
Thursday, 2 August 2012
Bollywood Star Remakes Himself Into TV Conscience
"Aamir Khan spent more than two decades as one of India’s most admired movie stars, appearing in a string of socially conscious but mainstream films.
Now he has gained even more fame as the host of a popular weekly television show that is calling attention to some of the country’s longstanding social problems."
Read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/27/business/media/aamir-khan-a-bollywood-star-remakes-himself-into-tv-conscience-of-social-ills.html?pagewanted=all
Khan briefing Indian MPs: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-18530765
Watch at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18680216
Now he has gained even more fame as the host of a popular weekly television show that is calling attention to some of the country’s longstanding social problems."
Read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/27/business/media/aamir-khan-a-bollywood-star-remakes-himself-into-tv-conscience-of-social-ills.html?pagewanted=all
Khan briefing Indian MPs: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-18530765
Watch at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18680216
Thursday, 26 July 2012
Nigeria's low-cost tablet computer
Nigeria's Saheed Adepoju is a young man with big dreams. He is the inventor of the Inye, a tablet computer designed for the African market.
According to the 29-year-old entrepreneur, his machine's key selling point is its price - $350 (£225) opposed to around $700 for an iPad.
He believes that, because of this, there is a big market for it in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa, particularly amongst students.
He is also hoping to sell his tablet - which runs on the Google Android operating system - to the Nigerian government and plans to have at least one computer in each local government area.
Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18895366
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
Remembering Sally Ride: A Pioneer Who Changed Everything
"By becoming the first U.S. woman—and youngest astronaut—in space, Sally Ride, who died Monday from pancreatic cancer, was a pioneer and a trailblazer.
But it was what she did with the rest of her career that made her a leader."
Read more at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-leadership/post/remembering-sally-rides-leadership/2012/07/24/gJQAIpWw6W_blog.html
But it was what she did with the rest of her career that made her a leader."
Read more at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-leadership/post/remembering-sally-rides-leadership/2012/07/24/gJQAIpWw6W_blog.html
Tuesday, 17 July 2012
Education 'revolution' comes to rural Herat
Walking into the girls high school in Pashtun Zarghun, I was amazed by what I saw - 1,700 students crowded into a school designed to hold no more than 1,000.
Never before in the history of this rural district have this many girls attended school.
Mohammed Daud, the district's education head, calls it a "revolution" of girls' education.
Read more at: blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/asia/education-revolution-comes-rural-herat
Never before in the history of this rural district have this many girls attended school.
Mohammed Daud, the district's education head, calls it a "revolution" of girls' education.
Read more at: blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/asia/education-revolution-comes-rural-herat
Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Amid food crisis, Niger does something right
Niger is suffering its third, and possibly its worst, food crisis this decade. More than 6 million Nigeriens did not have enough food following failed rains and a terrible harvest — a grave situation echoed across the Sahel and reminiscent of last summer’s famine in the Horn of Africa. But unlike that crisis and so many before it, Niger is getting it right.
“It is a success story,” said Cyrille Niameogo, Save the Children’s country director in Niger. And if you ask him, the government of Niger deserves the credit.
Read more at: http://www.devex.com/en/news/blogs/amid-food-crisis-niger-does-something-right?blog_id=the-development-newswire&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRoivqzMZKXonjHpfsX74uwoUK6g38431UFwdcjKPmjr1YEGTst0dvycMRAVFZl5nQhdDOWN
“It is a success story,” said Cyrille Niameogo, Save the Children’s country director in Niger. And if you ask him, the government of Niger deserves the credit.
Read more at: http://www.devex.com/en/news/blogs/amid-food-crisis-niger-does-something-right?blog_id=the-development-newswire&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRoivqzMZKXonjHpfsX74uwoUK6g38431UFwdcjKPmjr1YEGTst0dvycMRAVFZl5nQhdDOWN
Monday, 9 July 2012
Thousands ’choose peace’ on anniversary of South Sudanese independence
Citizens from South Sudan and Sudan have today been joined by human rights activists, civil society organisations and faith leaders from around the world in a united call for peace within and between the two countries. The global campaign - We Choose Peace - is backed by over 150 organisations including the African Council of Religious Leaders, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, the Enough Project, FIDH, IKV Pax Christi, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Refugees International, Reporters Without Borders and Secours Catholique and marks the 1st anniversary of independence of South Sudan.
Read more at: http://www.sudantribune.com/Thousands-choose-peace-on,43204
Read more at: http://www.sudantribune.com/Thousands-choose-peace-on,43204
Saturday, 7 July 2012
Oscar Pistorius Reaches Olympics: Double Amputee 'Blade Runner' To Run Relay, Individual Event
Never count out Oscar Pistorius.
The Blade Runner will be competing in the London Olympics after all, in his favorite event, the 400 meters.
While his selection for the 4x400 relay team was expected, it was a surprise last-minute turnaround by South African sports officials Wednesday that gave Pistorius the chance to run in the 400.
With the decision, the 25-year-old will become the first amputee track athlete to compete at any games.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/04/oscar-pistorius-london-olympics-double-amputee-400_n_1648842.html
The Blade Runner will be competing in the London Olympics after all, in his favorite event, the 400 meters.
While his selection for the 4x400 relay team was expected, it was a surprise last-minute turnaround by South African sports officials Wednesday that gave Pistorius the chance to run in the 400.
With the decision, the 25-year-old will become the first amputee track athlete to compete at any games.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/04/oscar-pistorius-london-olympics-double-amputee-400_n_1648842.html
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
Shelagh was here — an ordinary, magical life
"Wandering around her house one recent afternoon, I fished one of her mud-caked Blundstones from the closet and slipped it on, wondering “What is a life worth?”
In the past, I have often answered this question with achievements — campaigns, masterpieces, spiritual or literal changes to humankind and the world. The measure, I’ve thought, is Sophie Scholl or Charles Darwin or Nelson Mandela.
Shelagh’s life offers another lens. She didn’t change the world forcibly, but she changed many people in it. She lightened them. She inspired them, though she likely didn’t realize it. She touched them in simple ways most of us don’t because we are too caught-up and lazy.
Her life reveals that it doesn’t take much to make a difference every day — just deep, full love —and that can be sewn with many different kinds of stitches."
Read more at: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1146928--shelagh-was-here-an-ordinary-magical-life
And: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/30/your-money/redefining-success-and-celebrating-the-unremarkable.html?pagewanted=all
In the past, I have often answered this question with achievements — campaigns, masterpieces, spiritual or literal changes to humankind and the world. The measure, I’ve thought, is Sophie Scholl or Charles Darwin or Nelson Mandela.
Shelagh’s life offers another lens. She didn’t change the world forcibly, but she changed many people in it. She lightened them. She inspired them, though she likely didn’t realize it. She touched them in simple ways most of us don’t because we are too caught-up and lazy.
Her life reveals that it doesn’t take much to make a difference every day — just deep, full love —and that can be sewn with many different kinds of stitches."
Read more at: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1146928--shelagh-was-here-an-ordinary-magical-life
And: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/30/your-money/redefining-success-and-celebrating-the-unremarkable.html?pagewanted=all
Saturday, 30 June 2012
The Gambian man who made millions without a business plan
The Gambia's Muhammed Jah clearly remembers the day, in the late 1990s, when a friend told him that he was going to the airport to pick up a consultant who was coming to teach his department a word processing application popular at the time, WordPerfect.
"I said: 'How come we have a consultant coming all the way from Europe just to teach our people how to type a letter on a computer?'" Mr Jah told the BBC's series African Dream.
"That was funny but serious to me, and there and then I decided that I was going to start teaching people computing."
Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18602723
Thursday, 28 June 2012
TEDGlobal: Smart city ideas awarded at TED
The City2.0 awards, thus far, feature an eclectic mix of passionate urban entrepreneurs: artists, tech geeks, designers, youth organizers, makers, and professors. They are building amusement parks, DIY community centers, crowdsourced maps of “sonic health,” and citizen-led data collection on unsafe sanitation. They hail from Australia, Brazil, Pakistan, and the U.K.
Read more at: http://www.tedprize.org/first-half-of-the-city2-0-awards-announced/
Read more at: http://www.tedprize.org/first-half-of-the-city2-0-awards-announced/
Monday, 25 June 2012
Paralympic Cyclists Inspire Each Other, And A Documentary
..the Paralympic Games are on the way, as athletes with physical disabilities round into top form for the Aug. 29 opening day.
One of those athletes is Spain's Juan Jose "Juanjo" Mendez, who trains at the Barcelona Velodrome. He's featured in the new documentary Unstoppables, about a team of track cyclists who train and compete together. Many are amputees — Mendez lost an arm and most of a leg in a motorcycle crash, for instance.
Watch more at: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/06/25/155727046/paralympic-cyclists-inspire-each-other-and-a-documentary
One of those athletes is Spain's Juan Jose "Juanjo" Mendez, who trains at the Barcelona Velodrome. He's featured in the new documentary Unstoppables, about a team of track cyclists who train and compete together. Many are amputees — Mendez lost an arm and most of a leg in a motorcycle crash, for instance.
Watch more at: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/06/25/155727046/paralympic-cyclists-inspire-each-other-and-a-documentary
Saturday, 23 June 2012
The Nigerian woman who sold two necklaces and never looked back
Six years ago Nigeria's Abimbola Balogun - affectionately called Bimbo - was a frustrated graduate, trained in petroleum marketing but coming to the sad realisation that it was going to be very difficult for her to get a job in the oil industry.
So at 29 she went out on a bead stringing course. She says that she just wanted something that kept her busy until "the real thing came" and she found a proper job.
"Now the beading has overshadowed the real thing," Mrs Balogun told the BBC series African Dream. And she exploded with laughter. She has, indeed, many reasons to be happy.
Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18535002
Friday, 22 June 2012
Turning around lives of the homeless
A project helping homeless people in a Sydney suburb is claiming impressive
results, by challenging the notion that people living on the streets need to
find the help themselves.
Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18364972
Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18364972
The Unstoppable DREAMers
You can say that Obama was pandering for election-year purposes with his announcement last week that the government will no longer deport undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children. You can say that the new policy does not go far enough in securing thoroughgoing immigration reform. So be it. The change is nevertheless a tremendous advance that will affect some 800,000 young people who have been living in fear and uncertainty about their ability to stay in the country.
And it is worth spending a moment to pay homage to the DREAM Act students whose extraordinary activism made it possible.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-engler/the-unstoppable-dreamers_b_1615159.html
And it is worth spending a moment to pay homage to the DREAM Act students whose extraordinary activism made it possible.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-engler/the-unstoppable-dreamers_b_1615159.html
Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Eddie Mabo, the man who changed Australia
People gathered this week in Townsville, Queensland, to remember a seminal moment in the nation's history, and the efforts of one man to bring it about.
Aboriginal Australians are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their landmark victory over land rights. It was on 3 June 1992 that the Australian High Court overturned more than 200 years of white domination of land ownership.
The victory was largely down to one indigenous man called Eddie Mabo.
Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18291022
Aboriginal Australians are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their landmark victory over land rights. It was on 3 June 1992 that the Australian High Court overturned more than 200 years of white domination of land ownership.
The victory was largely down to one indigenous man called Eddie Mabo.
Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18291022
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Innovative aid or how to get drinking water from a polluted stream
From using sunlight to purify water, to foam houses that can withstand gales, new technologies are helping sharpen responses to humanitarian disasters around the world.
Read more at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/jun/15/innovative-aid-drinking-water-polluted-stream
Read more at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/jun/15/innovative-aid-drinking-water-polluted-stream
Saturday, 16 June 2012
Highlights of Suu Kyi's Nobel Peace Prize speech
Aung San Suu Kyi's Nobel Peace Prize speech explored her views on the ideals of peace, the seeds of war, the bonds of our common humanity, and the rare power of kindness.
Read highlights at: http://news.yahoo.com/highlights-suu-kyis-nobel-peace-prize-speech-114158871.html
Read highlights at: http://news.yahoo.com/highlights-suu-kyis-nobel-peace-prize-speech-114158871.html
Thursday, 14 June 2012
The woman who defied Saudi's driving ban and put it on YouTube
Growing up in Saudi Arabia, Manal al-Sharif was taught in school that listening to music -- just like driving, showing her face in public or making a decision without consulting her male guardian -- was forbidden and sinful.
She believed so strongly in music's satanic powers that she burned many of her father's and brother's cassette tapes so they couldn't play them anymore.
Then one day in 2001, al-Sharif was about to dub over one of her brother's American tapes with a lecture on Islam when curiosity got the best of her. She let herself listen to a few bars. And the first song to touch her ears helped reroute the course of her life
Read more at: http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/10/world/meast/sharif-saudi-women-drive/index.html
She believed so strongly in music's satanic powers that she burned many of her father's and brother's cassette tapes so they couldn't play them anymore.
Then one day in 2001, al-Sharif was about to dub over one of her brother's American tapes with a lecture on Islam when curiosity got the best of her. She let herself listen to a few bars. And the first song to touch her ears helped reroute the course of her life
Read more at: http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/10/world/meast/sharif-saudi-women-drive/index.html
Tuesday, 12 June 2012
James Mwangi: World Entrepreneur Of The Year
Dr. James Mwangi, CEO and Managing Director of Kenya's Equity Bank Limited was tonight named the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012 at an awards ceremony held in Monte Carlo's Salle des Etoiles. James was picked from among the 59 country finalists vying for the title across 51 countries, each of whom had already been named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year in their home country.
"Not only has James really transformed people's lives across Africa by offering them access to funding that they have never had before, Equity Bank continues to grow quickly through a strong financial performance."
Read more at: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/james-mwangi-of-kenyas-equity-bank-named-ernst-young-world-entrepreneur-of-the-year-2012-2012-06-09
Watch a clip at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/ktn/?videoID=2000058303
"Not only has James really transformed people's lives across Africa by offering them access to funding that they have never had before, Equity Bank continues to grow quickly through a strong financial performance."
Read more at: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/james-mwangi-of-kenyas-equity-bank-named-ernst-young-world-entrepreneur-of-the-year-2012-2012-06-09
Watch a clip at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/ktn/?videoID=2000058303
Monday, 11 June 2012
Pakistani villagers learn to rebuild homes destroyed by floods
In 2010, Pakistan was hit by the most severe floods in its history - at least 18 million people were affected.
Two years on, a group of architects is helping villagers in Punjab's district Muzaffargarh to rebuild their homes themselves.
Watch at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18371703
Two years on, a group of architects is helping villagers in Punjab's district Muzaffargarh to rebuild their homes themselves.
Watch at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18371703
Saturday, 9 June 2012
Championing Africa's food revolution
The quick and high returns of Nigeria's oil industry have led to it dominating the economy to the detriment of other sectors.
But Jite Okoloko saw an opportunity in the disarray of the agricultural sector to champion Nigerian farmers.
After seven years living in the United States Mr Okoloko returned to Nigeria and launched Notore Chemical Industries Ltd in 2005
Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18154609
Friday, 8 June 2012
Alfred's Free Press
In Liberia, a country where radios and televisions are luxuries most people cannot afford, one enterprising journalist has found a way to get daily news and information to Liberians. Alfred Sirleaf founded an innovative newspaper, TheDaily Talk.
The paper is Alfred's answer to the misinformation he says caused Liberia's brutal civil war. His innovation is to write it up each day on a blackboard in the centre of the capital, Monrovia, accessible to all.
The paper is Alfred's answer to the misinformation he says caused Liberia's brutal civil war. His innovation is to write it up each day on a blackboard in the centre of the capital, Monrovia, accessible to all.
Thursday, 7 June 2012
Syrian woman blogger gets human rights award
"Razan Ghazzawi is typical of the selfless courage shown by all the human rights defenders nominated for this year's award.
"She has challenged the repressive forces of the Syrian regime and has chosen not to hide behind a pseudonym but to speak out publicly. In doing so she has become a force to be reckoned with," Lawlor said.
Since the start of the Syrian uprising Ghazzawi, an English literature graduate from Damascus University, has become a symbol of the resistance to the repression by the Syrian Government
Read more at: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-woman-blogger-gets-human-rights-award-000819722.html
"She has challenged the repressive forces of the Syrian regime and has chosen not to hide behind a pseudonym but to speak out publicly. In doing so she has become a force to be reckoned with," Lawlor said.
Since the start of the Syrian uprising Ghazzawi, an English literature graduate from Damascus University, has become a symbol of the resistance to the repression by the Syrian Government
Read more at: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-woman-blogger-gets-human-rights-award-000819722.html
Monday, 4 June 2012
32 Innovations That Will Change Your Tomorrow
We tend to rewrite the histories of technological innovation, making myths about a guy who had a great idea that changed the world. In reality, though, innovation isn’t the goal; it’s everything that gets you there. It’s bad financial decisions and blueprints for machines that weren’t built until decades later. It’s the important leaps forward that synthesize lots of ideas, and it’s the belly-up failures that teach us what not to do....
That’s what this issue is about: all the little failures, trivialities and not-quite-solved mysteries that make the successes possible. This is what innovation looks like. It’s messy, and it’s awesome.
Read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/06/03/magazine/innovations-issue.html
That’s what this issue is about: all the little failures, trivialities and not-quite-solved mysteries that make the successes possible. This is what innovation looks like. It’s messy, and it’s awesome.
Read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/06/03/magazine/innovations-issue.html
Sunday, 3 June 2012
Svante Myrick, Ithaca's Youngest-Ever Mayor, Converts Personal Parking Space Into Public Park
Svante Myrick's story is one of incredible grit and perseverance. In February this year, the 24-year-old made headlines when he became the youngest-ever mayor of Ithaca, NY. In an interview with NBC News's Kate Snow, Myrick talked about growing up homeless, his father's drug addiction problem and the challenges he faced on the road to political success.
Now, Myrick is giving us another reason to cheer for him. After giving up his car, he recently converted his personal parking space into a mini park, Grist.org reported. The reserved parking space next to City Hall is one of his mayoral privileges.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/03/svante-myrick-ithaca-mayor_n_1564151.html
Now, Myrick is giving us another reason to cheer for him. After giving up his car, he recently converted his personal parking space into a mini park, Grist.org reported. The reserved parking space next to City Hall is one of his mayoral privileges.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/03/svante-myrick-ithaca-mayor_n_1564151.html
Saturday, 2 June 2012
Formal Opening of AfDB 2012 Annual Meetings: Tanzanian President says Africa is set to become world economic power
Africa is poised to become the world’s new economic power house for the 21st century, provided it continues to embrace the sound economic policies that engendered the progress being witnessed today, Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete said in Arusha on Thursday at the official opening of the 2012 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
“We must strive to maintain macro-economic stability and sustain it through tackling high budget and overall external deficits,” the president suggested, calling for more efforts to lower the high inflation rates in many economies and keep it at single digit level.
In his view, regional integration is a unique vehicle that would enable Africa to build capacities for self-reliance and resilience against the uncertainties presented by the current crisis in the global economy.
Timor-Leste has much to celebrate on its 10th birthday
Asia's newest nation celebrated its 10th birthday this month: 20 May in Timor-Leste was a celebration of freedom that also deserved to be a celebration of development. After centuries of foreign rule, Timor-Leste has readied itself to be a full partner in what is shaping up as Asia's century.
Nation-building is a complex process, and the world's media have documented Timor-Leste's difficulties, from the graphic images of violent uprisings in 1999 and 2006, to the assassination attempts of 2008. These disturbing episodes earned it the moniker of fragile state. What some may have missed, however, is that Timor-Leste has emerged as one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia and the Pacific. Projections by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) show the economy has the potential to sustain a near double-digit rate of growth over this decade and beyond.
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Haitian Student Wins Hearts at Athletic Awards Breakfast with Tale of Courage
When Carl Pierre-Louis addressed an audience of nearly 1,100 at Friday’s All-Dade Athletic Awards, he moved nearly everyone to tears.
The attendees listened in silence to the remarkable journey Pierre-Louis, an 18-year-old senior from Felix Varela High School, took from earthquake-ravaged Haiti to a high school football field in West Kendall.
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Parole Camp
Each year in South Africa's Cape Flats region, more than 1,000 youths are released from prison on parole. Many of these parolees will return to jail within a few weeks - unable to re-integrate into their communities or to avoid being caught up in the vicious circle of gangs, drugs and crime that is life for many in the townships.
But, for a lucky few there is an alternative. Solomon Madikane is a former prison warden who was so frustrated by the endless cycle of law-breaking and incarceration that he left his job and set up the Realistic prisoner reintegration programme in 2004. Based in the Cape Flats townships, Realistic has an extraordinary success rate: 95 per cent of the parolees who complete the programme have successfully turned their back on crime.
Watch documentary at: http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/witness/2012/04/2012499289369603.html
But, for a lucky few there is an alternative. Solomon Madikane is a former prison warden who was so frustrated by the endless cycle of law-breaking and incarceration that he left his job and set up the Realistic prisoner reintegration programme in 2004. Based in the Cape Flats townships, Realistic has an extraordinary success rate: 95 per cent of the parolees who complete the programme have successfully turned their back on crime.
Watch documentary at: http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/witness/2012/04/2012499289369603.html
Afghanistan's supergran crimebuster on wheels
It's unusual for a woman to be a leader in Afghanistan but Zarifa Qazizadah has become the country's only female village chief through force of personality and determination to get things done - even if that means cross-dressing, wearing a false moustache and driving around on a motorbike at night.
"I tell the men of the village, all I want is your prayers," she says. "When you have a problem, I'll speak to the government on your behalf and whenever there is any disturbance at night-time, I'll pick up my gun and come to your house to see what's going on."
Read more at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18145805
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