Probably the one ad produced in Africa that has taken the world by storm.
There's the "original" African ad (that was filmed in Zanzibar and South Africa), few regional derivatives (mostly seemingly running in South America, parts of Asia and Eastern Europe) and then the usual cultist one-person derivates see
Forums have been set up where different views and opinions are aired (see http://www.bizcommunity.com/Forum/196/12/15438.html )
Fascinating...
Tuesday, 27 November 2007
Monday, 26 November 2007
Wednesday, 21 November 2007
The case of missing data in the UK...
This been characterized as the biggest security breach ever in the UK.
The UK Guardian reports...
In a world that is increasingly relying on computer technology, this serves an ominous warning.
The UK Guardian reports...
Computer discs holding sensitive personal data on 25 million people and 7.25 million families have gone missing, Chancellor Alistair Darling has admitted to MPs.
He said the details included names, addresses, dates of birth, Child Benefit numbers, National Insurance numbers and bank or building society account details.
Paul Gray, chairman of her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), which lost the discs containing the Government's entire Child Benefit database, has resigned over the affair.
The staggering scale of the loss means information on senior politicians, police officers and leading industrialists will be included in the missing data, which contains records on nearly half the UK's 60.5 million population. MPs gasped as Mr Darling revealed the scale of the loss in an emergency statement to the Commons.
The Metropolitan Police is now leading the hunt for the two password-protected discs and trying to discover how they went astray in transit from benefit headquarters in Newcastle to the National Audit Office (NAO) in London.
For more see
In a world that is increasingly relying on computer technology, this serves an ominous warning.
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
Zim's former Prime Minister Ian Smith
So he has passed on (according to some reports because of a stroke)... Reuters reports
For more see news reports
* Born a farmer's son in the Southern Rhodesian mining town Selukwe in April 1919, Ian Douglas Smith was educated locally and at Rhodes University in South Africa, gaining a bachelor of commerce degree.
* A fighter pilot in Britain's Royal Air Force in World War Two, he was shot down twice and underwent plastic surgery.
* In 1962, the farmer/politician co-founded the right-wing Rhodesian Front, which won white elections in Southern Rhodesia, part of the British-ruled Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
* In April 1964, Smith became prime minister of Rhodesia and opposed moves to majority rule by 5 million black Rhodesians.
* In November 1965 he made a unilateral declaration of independence from Britain, defied international trade sanctions and fought an intermittent 14-year war against black guerrillas trying to overthrow his regime.
* Under mounting pressure from the West and from guerrilla forces, Smith accepted negotiations which led to a ceasefire, elections in 1980 and independence for Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe and his ZANU party.
* Smith remained a harsh critic of Mugabe's government, first as an opposition MP and later in retirement on his farm.
(Writing by Tim Pearce, Editing by Michael Winfrey)
For more see news reports
Thursday, 15 November 2007
what does a carnival show in Barbados look like?
sorry, i couldn't record any sound...but it's still worth viewing...
Wednesday, 14 November 2007
Monday, 12 November 2007
Sunday, 11 November 2007
A tale of three countries...and their colonial masters
Over the last couple of weeks, three countries have had very different experiences dealing with nations that, several decades ago, were their colonialist masters.
The Venezuelan President Chavez had to be told to "shut up" by the King of Spain after an outburst where he accused a former Spanish Prime Minister of being fascist. Some commentators consider Chavez very brazen standing up to the Spanish
In Chad, something very different happened. Several French and Spanish citizens have been detained, accused of allegedly trafficking children who they purported were from Darfur but are now said to be from Chad. French President Sarkozy flew in to meet the Chadian President Idriss Déby and within a day or two, more than half the number of accused were set free. Some commentators have kept the debate around the issue of trafficking while others simply consider Déby weak.
Of course there's the perennial UK vs. Zimbabwe debate, the latest being the question of the African-EU summit to be held in Portugal. With President Mugabe having being invited, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown threatened not to attend. While some sections of society have appealed to Brown to change his mind, others have accused him of hypocrisy. Regardless, it is interesting to note that in this case, it is the UK and not Zimbabwe that is feeling the heat.
The Venezuelan President Chavez had to be told to "shut up" by the King of Spain after an outburst where he accused a former Spanish Prime Minister of being fascist. Some commentators consider Chavez very brazen standing up to the Spanish
In Chad, something very different happened. Several French and Spanish citizens have been detained, accused of allegedly trafficking children who they purported were from Darfur but are now said to be from Chad. French President Sarkozy flew in to meet the Chadian President Idriss Déby and within a day or two, more than half the number of accused were set free. Some commentators have kept the debate around the issue of trafficking while others simply consider Déby weak.
Of course there's the perennial UK vs. Zimbabwe debate, the latest being the question of the African-EU summit to be held in Portugal. With President Mugabe having being invited, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown threatened not to attend. While some sections of society have appealed to Brown to change his mind, others have accused him of hypocrisy. Regardless, it is interesting to note that in this case, it is the UK and not Zimbabwe that is feeling the heat.
Friday, 09 November 2007
Pakistan state of emergency
It's almost a week to the day that General Musharraf declared a state of emergency. Many are deeply concerned about several key challenges including the extent to which "terrorist" organizations have a free hand, the fact that the country has nuclear weapons (that could fall into the wrong hands) as well as the presence of several religious extremist institutions.
However, measures taken by the administration in clamping down on what would be perceived as moderates including leaders of opposition parties as well as those in the judiciary (considered anything from lukewarm to being hostile to the current administration) seem to be rather extreme.
What seems to cause greatest concern is the extreme measures taken to censor the media. To think that military officers have now been tasked to scan all news, reader's comments and editorials for material against the administration seems totally paranoiac.
I wonder what the General's son in the Silicon Valley in the US (Bilal Musharraf) has to deal with when fielding questions and comments about his father's doings.
However, measures taken by the administration in clamping down on what would be perceived as moderates including leaders of opposition parties as well as those in the judiciary (considered anything from lukewarm to being hostile to the current administration) seem to be rather extreme.
What seems to cause greatest concern is the extreme measures taken to censor the media. To think that military officers have now been tasked to scan all news, reader's comments and editorials for material against the administration seems totally paranoiac.
I wonder what the General's son in the Silicon Valley in the US (Bilal Musharraf) has to deal with when fielding questions and comments about his father's doings.
Thursday, 08 November 2007
On elections...
A couple of weeks to the end of the year yet for some countries, these next couple of weeks are extremely important.
For example, Australia has its federal elections on the 24th of November. It's the first time in a long time that the incumbent John Howard, feels uneasy about retaining his seat. While most of the Commonwealth countries may not consider this election critical (considering that the country has a stable and vibrant democracy), the "coalition of the willing" aka the Bush administration in the US will want to see Howard return to power (considering Gordon Brown isn't as friendly as Blair was).
Then there's Venezuela's constitutional referendum on the 2nd of December. It's interesting to note how determined the administration is create a socialist state. There's concern about the violence that broke out earlier this month opposing that move and one hopes that there will be no such violence on the 2nd of Dec.
Lastly there's South Korea. Having mused about the country before, one is left wondering what will happen should the new administration get in a decide to make radical changes to one those from outside may perceive as rather rational economic, social and industrialization policies.
Elections on interest in other nations Denmark ( 13th of Nov.), Jordan (20th of Nov.), Croatia (25th of Nov.), Switzerland (12th of Dec.), Thailand (23rd of Dec.) and Kenya (27th of Dec.).
For example, Australia has its federal elections on the 24th of November. It's the first time in a long time that the incumbent John Howard, feels uneasy about retaining his seat. While most of the Commonwealth countries may not consider this election critical (considering that the country has a stable and vibrant democracy), the "coalition of the willing" aka the Bush administration in the US will want to see Howard return to power (considering Gordon Brown isn't as friendly as Blair was).
Then there's Venezuela's constitutional referendum on the 2nd of December. It's interesting to note how determined the administration is create a socialist state. There's concern about the violence that broke out earlier this month opposing that move and one hopes that there will be no such violence on the 2nd of Dec.
Lastly there's South Korea. Having mused about the country before, one is left wondering what will happen should the new administration get in a decide to make radical changes to one those from outside may perceive as rather rational economic, social and industrialization policies.
Elections on interest in other nations Denmark ( 13th of Nov.), Jordan (20th of Nov.), Croatia (25th of Nov.), Switzerland (12th of Dec.), Thailand (23rd of Dec.) and Kenya (27th of Dec.).
Monday, 05 November 2007
Sunday, 04 November 2007
How happy are you?
I was pleasantly surprised to hear on Radio Netherlands last night a rebroadcast of a programme stating that the quest for happiness is an international movement!
Upon further investigation, it seems that this all started in the tiny nation of Bhutan more than 30 years ago!
In 2005, a journalist based in Mumbia, Rajni Bakshi, published a report stating...
The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is an unlikely place for the birth of an international trend. Yet Bhutan is emerging as a global leader in the promotion of "Gross National Happiness," a concept it first embraced three decades ago and which is now being fleshed out by a wide range of professionals and agencies across the world.
The term Gross National Happiness (GNH) was coined by Bhutan's King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, when he ascended the throne in 1972. It signalled his commitment to building an economy that would serve Bhutan's unique culture permeated by Buddhist spiritual values.
Today, the concept of GNH resonates with a wide range of initiatives, across the world, to define prosperity in more holistic terms and to measure actual wellbeing rather than consumption. By contrast the conventional concept of Gross National Product (GNP) measures only the sum total of material production and exchange in any country. Thus an international conference on Gross National Happiness, hosted by the Bhutan government in the capital city of Thimphu in 2004, attracted 82 eminent participants from 20 countries.
The evolving concept of GNH could well be the most significant advancement in economic theory over the last 150 years, according to Frank Dixon, a Harvard Business School graduate who is currently managing director of research at Innovest Strategic Value Advisors. Innovest is the largest international financial services firm catering to ethical investment funds.
"GNH is an endeavor to greatly enhance the sophistication of human systems by emulating the infinitely greater sophistication of nature," says Dixon.
Just what would it mean for economic structures to emulate nature? Dixon and others explain it as follows. At present individual companies and entire countries are compelled to keep growing indefinitely. The only parallel for this in the natural world is cancer cells, which by growing exponentially destroy the host body and themselves.
Today it is widely acknowledged that the human economy cannot keep growing at the cost of its habitat. Yet even after two decades of expanding environmental regulation we are still losing the race to save the planet. This is partly because production systems and consumption patterns are out of sync with the carrying capacity of the planet. The pressure for ever higher GNP is merely one manifestation of this.
The concept of GNH is seen as one of several ways in which these imbalances might be rectified. The international gathering at Thimphu reflected a consensus that Gross National Product would still need to be measured and given due importance but in ways that are actually conducive to GNH. So far there has been a tendency to treat GNH as merely the well-intentioned slogan of a small country ruled by an enlightened monarch. The obvious difficulties of defining or measuring happiness have also helped to keep the concept of GNH on the outer fringes of serious discourse.
For more info read the report
Some may think this is pie-in-the-sky stuff but it seems the concept is taken quite seriously and is one of key discussions issues at the Centre for Bhutan Studies. Of course one must remember the "pursuit of happiness" is part of most quoted phrase in the US Declaration of Independence. (not to be confused with the movie Pursuit of Happyness, where Will Smith acted with his son Jaden Smith...definitely worth watching!)
Should one pursue happiness? Should one be in a constant state of happiness? Isn't life about balance of emotive/mental states?
Very many questions...
PS Interesting how some movements/nations had/have tripartite mottos
* Canada - peace, order and good government
* France - liberty, equality, fraternity
* Germany - unity and justice and freedom
* Russian revolution - peace, land and bread
* US - life, liberty and pursuit of happiness
Upon further investigation, it seems that this all started in the tiny nation of Bhutan more than 30 years ago!
In 2005, a journalist based in Mumbia, Rajni Bakshi, published a report stating...
The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is an unlikely place for the birth of an international trend. Yet Bhutan is emerging as a global leader in the promotion of "Gross National Happiness," a concept it first embraced three decades ago and which is now being fleshed out by a wide range of professionals and agencies across the world.
The term Gross National Happiness (GNH) was coined by Bhutan's King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, when he ascended the throne in 1972. It signalled his commitment to building an economy that would serve Bhutan's unique culture permeated by Buddhist spiritual values.
Today, the concept of GNH resonates with a wide range of initiatives, across the world, to define prosperity in more holistic terms and to measure actual wellbeing rather than consumption. By contrast the conventional concept of Gross National Product (GNP) measures only the sum total of material production and exchange in any country. Thus an international conference on Gross National Happiness, hosted by the Bhutan government in the capital city of Thimphu in 2004, attracted 82 eminent participants from 20 countries.
The evolving concept of GNH could well be the most significant advancement in economic theory over the last 150 years, according to Frank Dixon, a Harvard Business School graduate who is currently managing director of research at Innovest Strategic Value Advisors. Innovest is the largest international financial services firm catering to ethical investment funds.
"GNH is an endeavor to greatly enhance the sophistication of human systems by emulating the infinitely greater sophistication of nature," says Dixon.
Just what would it mean for economic structures to emulate nature? Dixon and others explain it as follows. At present individual companies and entire countries are compelled to keep growing indefinitely. The only parallel for this in the natural world is cancer cells, which by growing exponentially destroy the host body and themselves.
Today it is widely acknowledged that the human economy cannot keep growing at the cost of its habitat. Yet even after two decades of expanding environmental regulation we are still losing the race to save the planet. This is partly because production systems and consumption patterns are out of sync with the carrying capacity of the planet. The pressure for ever higher GNP is merely one manifestation of this.
The concept of GNH is seen as one of several ways in which these imbalances might be rectified. The international gathering at Thimphu reflected a consensus that Gross National Product would still need to be measured and given due importance but in ways that are actually conducive to GNH. So far there has been a tendency to treat GNH as merely the well-intentioned slogan of a small country ruled by an enlightened monarch. The obvious difficulties of defining or measuring happiness have also helped to keep the concept of GNH on the outer fringes of serious discourse.
For more info read the report
Some may think this is pie-in-the-sky stuff but it seems the concept is taken quite seriously and is one of key discussions issues at the Centre for Bhutan Studies. Of course one must remember the "pursuit of happiness" is part of most quoted phrase in the US Declaration of Independence. (not to be confused with the movie Pursuit of Happyness, where Will Smith acted with his son Jaden Smith...definitely worth watching!)
Should one pursue happiness? Should one be in a constant state of happiness? Isn't life about balance of emotive/mental states?
Very many questions...
PS Interesting how some movements/nations had/have tripartite mottos
* Canada - peace, order and good government
* France - liberty, equality, fraternity
* Germany - unity and justice and freedom
* Russian revolution - peace, land and bread
* US - life, liberty and pursuit of happiness
Saturday, 03 November 2007
When wildlife moves into your compound...
don't call the neighbour and not even some police...call the wildlife experts!
Friday, 02 November 2007
Land reclamation
It's fascinating to read that the Netherlands will soon be working on building another island. That 20% of all land in the Netherlands is the result of land reclamation is hard to believe particularly coming from a region land is often taken for granted.
Is Holland unique? Not really. Examples include Hong Kong's airport, parts of Cape Town, Singapore, Mexico City, Monaco, Barbados etc.
Some have argued that nature will always want to restore whatever is taken away. In New Orleans for example, while reclaimed land is not seen as the reason why Hurricane Katrina happened, it maybe the reason why the flood protection system failed. Does the argument border luddism? Maybe, maybe not.
Is Holland unique? Not really. Examples include Hong Kong's airport, parts of Cape Town, Singapore, Mexico City, Monaco, Barbados etc.
Some have argued that nature will always want to restore whatever is taken away. In New Orleans for example, while reclaimed land is not seen as the reason why Hurricane Katrina happened, it maybe the reason why the flood protection system failed. Does the argument border luddism? Maybe, maybe not.
Thursday, 01 November 2007
How to be Bajan
Finally managed to finish a relatively small book "How to be Bajan" that I bought a couple of months ago.
Why did it take so long? Well, among other things, it got me thinking about issues that couldn't be answered by the book itself. At the core of these is "where exactly did the Bajan (slang for Barbadian) dialect from?"
What am I talking about? Courtesy of TotallyBarbados.com, here is a taste of some of the things I read in the book
Of course, there's always the temptation to oversimplify the answer. My gut feeling was the fact that there are traces of Irish influences. The author of the book (Harold Hoyte) posits there are traces of Scottish influences. However, experts argue that the Bajan dialect the result of English and West African syntax with pronunciation sharing accents with those in Liverpool, England!
Maybe that's why I often don't get it...
Why did it take so long? Well, among other things, it got me thinking about issues that couldn't be answered by the book itself. At the core of these is "where exactly did the Bajan (slang for Barbadian) dialect from?"
What am I talking about? Courtesy of TotallyBarbados.com, here is a taste of some of the things I read in the book
• Jug is somethin' ya eat and not somethin' ya does put ya food in
• Ya does move scruffy
• Cheese on bread aint got nuttin to do wid being hungry
• Ya uses words like fowl cock, rock stone and ram goat
• Somebody stupid is actually a poppit
• Every childhood game can be played for licks
• Soup is a bit of water and nuff dumplings, potatoes, yams, eddoes and any other ground provision ya could find
• Any hot beverage is considered tea - cocoa tea, coffee tea, tea tea, green tea
• You finish sentences wid de word dennn
• You take sick people to the horsepital
• IMF means I man father
• You have a bad fall and ya either lick up, break up, skin up or catspraddle
• The word horn does not conjure up images of Dizzy Gillespie or Jazz music
• Tek is more than the name of a toothbrush
• Dub is the force, dub is...the.....force!!!!
• Yuh does see the humour in a cartoon named "gumby and pokey"!!!
• De cardinal points is eass, wess norf and sowf!!
• Yuh constantly explaining dat de dolphin you does eat is a fish and not a mammal!
• Nuh fish doan taste like a fish from Baxter's road!! A bread and two is not 3 breads!!!
• De word "foop" is not a "sound word like "voop" and "woosh"!!!
• A cutter is not a sharp utensil
• All de seasons uh de year start wid "C" - Congaline, Crop Over, Cricket and Christmas!!!
• Choice bread doan mean a good selection!
• A snakebite does only mek you drunk or tipsy - depending pun how much bites yuh have!!!
• Liming in front Cave Shepherd is a integral part a growin' up
• Yuh pun a "brasion"!! Even ef yuh only goin' tuh de beech, yuz be dress dung in bare hard
gear
• Yuh doan got tuh be mystical tuh be gypsy
• Yuh just cyant guh town an' doan see someone yuh know
• When somebody call ya pun de phone and sa 'wait you still home?' or when da see ya pun de road and ask ya if ya still living
• Yuh don't have to be drinking to ask for a scotch
• Yuh don't have to be spiteful to be malicious
• Yuh call every stranger either boss man, partner or skipper
Of course, there's always the temptation to oversimplify the answer. My gut feeling was the fact that there are traces of Irish influences. The author of the book (Harold Hoyte) posits there are traces of Scottish influences. However, experts argue that the Bajan dialect the result of English and West African syntax with pronunciation sharing accents with those in Liverpool, England!
Maybe that's why I often don't get it...
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