It is an oft overlooked fact, but in today's world it can be so easy to forget about the importance of eating well.
Our generation has inherited a highly disfunctional food system, and along with it, poor diet and a global epidemic of diet-related diseases which has led to 43 million children under the age of 5 being overweight, while millions of other around the world go hungry. There is more than enough food to feed our entire global population, but inequal distrobution in our food systems results in a great divide between those who have enough to eat and those who do not.
We have the opportunity to change this system; creating sustained change is not easy, we need a revolution in the way we think about food in order to empower individuals to understand how food contributes to global challenges like obesity, povery, sustainability and human rights.
Starting with Education to better understand all of the ways food has an impact on us and our world is an important first step towards unleashing the change we wish to see.
It is an oft overlooked fact, but in today's world it can be so easy to forget about the importance of eating well.
Our generation has inherited a highly disfunctional food system, and along with it, poor diet and a global epidemic of diet-related diseases which has led to 43 million children under the age of 5 being overweight, while millions of other around the world go hungry. There is more than enough food to feed our entire global population, but inequal distrobution in our food systems results in a great divide between those who have enough to eat and those who do not.
We have the opportunity to change this system; creating sustained change is not easy, we need a revolution in the way we think about food in order to empower individuals to understand how food contributes to global challenges like obesity, povery, sustainability and human rights.
Starting with Education to better understand all of the ways food has an impact on us and our world is an important first step towards unleashing the change we wish to see.
Government Interference Denies Freedom of Assembly, Expression
(Nairobi) – Cameroonian authorities on March 27, 2012, illegally shut down a human rights workshop in Yaoundé that was to include discussion of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and arrested one of the workshop organizers, Human Rights Watch said today. The action violated rights to freedom of assembly and expression under both Cameroonian and international law, Human Rights Watch said.
The workshop, scheduled to be held at a Yaoundé hotel, had been authorized by the local sub-prefect, an administrative official, in accordance with Cameroonian law. But the sub-prefect revoked his authorization as the event was beginning, upon realizing that the “human rights” to be discussed included the rights of sexual minorities. Police arrested Stéphane Koche, an activist working with the convening organizations, and detained him for three hours before releasing him without charge.
“Cameroonians have the right to freedom of assembly and expression, even if their viewpoints are not popular in the eyes of the authorities,” said Boris Dittrich, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “Shutting down a workshop and detaining an activist is no way for Yaoundé authorities to treat people who have come together to talk about human rights.”
The workshop, which was scheduled to take place over three days, was coordinated by three groups – Adolescents against AIDS (SID’ADO), Association pour la Défense de Homosexuel-le-s, (Association for the Defense of Gays and Lesbians, ADEPHO), and Collective des Familles des Enfants Homosexuel-le-s (Collective of Families of Gay and Lesbian Children). It was to include a range of human rights and professional organizations, including women’s rights groups, AIDS organizations, and groups representing pharmacists, doctors, and lawyers. Representatives of the United States and German embassies in Yaoundé were also present.
Participants told Human Rights Watch that shortly after they arrived at the hotel, local youth, described by a participant as “thugs,” arrived. A representative of the Cameroonian Youth Rally – an anti-gay youth organization with no public authority or policing powers – arrived with a group of young men and told participants, “Leave – this meeting is not going to take place.”
Shortly thereafter, police, gendarmes, and civilian authorities, including the prefect of Mfoundi and the Yaoundé sub-prefect who had authorized the meeting, arrived and dispersed participants.
Participants told Human Rights Watch that the sub-prefect claimed that he had authorized a meeting that was to address HIV/AIDS, not a meeting at which homosexuality would be discussed. “They said it was illegal to talk about homosexuality because homosexuality is illegal,” one participant said.
Cameroonian law prohibits “sexual relations with a person of the same sex.” The existing law violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to privacy (article 17) and the right to be free from discrimination (articles 2 and 26). Cameroon has no law that could justify a prohibition on meetings to discuss the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.
Contacted by Human Rights Watch regarding the legal basis for shutting down the meeting, a Justice Ministry official said he was not aware of the incident.
“Using Cameroon’s disputed sodomy law as a pretext to prohibit discussion of sexual rights is unfair and extreme, compounding one human rights violation with another,” Dittrich said. “The Cameroonian authorities should apologize to the workshop organizers and permit them to hold this workshop and others, safely and peacefully.”
Two ministers; the minister of public health, André mama Fouda and the minister of basic education, Youssouf Hadidja Alim were in the government primary school mballa ii this 3rd may to launch the 2012 national campaign to de-worm children of school age.
The two day campaign which targets some 8.5 million Cameroonians has been organized to fight against bilharzias and other intestinal worms.
On the occasion, Minister Andre Mama Fouda expressed gratitude to donor organizations particularly the Hellen Keller International Organization for the support given to Cameroon.
He called on school authorities to help the children respect basic hygienic rules in order to roll back infections.
Au Cameroun, 60% des drogués ont environ 20 ans. Et 15% sont moins âgés.
Ces données statistiques sont l’œuvre du Comité national de lutte contre la drogue. Autres chiffres. Ceux-là émanent d’Emmanuel Wansi, chercheur camerounais. Son enquête menée en 2002 a établi qu’à 15 ans, un jeune sur quatre avoue avoir consommé de la drogue au moins une fois dans sa vie. Une autre étude menée en 2008 auprès de 12000 élèves du second cycle, dans les établissements scolaires de Douala, témoigne de l’addiction croissante des jeunes pour les substances illicites.
Ils sont 60% à y avoir goûté. Leur emploi répété concerne 24% d’entre eux, les filles effectuant une montée fulgurante. Pour ce qui est de la consommation intensive, 8% en font usage plus de 20 fois par mois.
Aujourd’hui, l’âge moyen de la première cigarette est 14 ans, selon les données disponibles auprès de l’Oms. « J’ai allumé ma première cigarette en 4e pour faire comme les copains », se rappelle Melissa S., 19 ans. Aujourd’hui, la jeune étudiante fume un demi-paquet par jour. « Je sais que le tabac est mauvais pour la santé, mais ça me permet de moins manger et de ne pas grossir », assure-t-elle. Philippe Z., lui, c’est en famille qu’il a appris à consommer du cannabis. « Mon père s’est toujours roulé des joints au vu et au su de tous à la maison.
Je n’ai fait que les rejoindre, lui et mes aînés, là-dedans », avoue le lycéen de 17 ans.
Comme pour Philippe et le cannabis, c’est en famille que de nombreux adolescents font souvent la découverte de l’alcool. Puis, les professionnels du secteur des boissons les « confirment », comme qui dirait. En effet, ils séduisent les jeunes à grand renfort de « premix » et « d’alcopops ». Les premix sont des boissons associant des sodas ou des jus de fruit avec des alcools forts (whisky, vodka…). Les alcopops sont composés d’un mélange de boissons alcoolisées (bière et vodka par exemple) ou d’un alcool avec un arôme (vodka au citron). Conditionnés en bouteille ou en canettes, ces produits ont une teneur en alcool qui s’élève à 5 ou 6 % du volume.
Au-delà de l’alcool et du tabac, les jeunes détournent certains produits dont la colle de leur usage. Les médicaments psychotropes et des champignons hallucinogènes ont même fait leur apparition dans les cours de récréation. Les week-ends, les vacances, les activités de décompression après les examens, surprises parties et autres sorties sont des moments propices pour sortir l’arsenal. Avec des conséquences parfois dramatiques : diminution de la vigilance à l’origine d’accidents de la circulation, comportements violents, agressions, viols…
WEST LAFAYETTE — Six Purdue University students are heading to the African nation of Cameroon to make life easier in one rural village with a three-wheeled motorized vehicle they’ll build on the spot.
The students head Monday to Bangang (BONG’-ohn), Cameroon, where they’ll work with local residents to build their so-called basic utility vehicle that’s low-cost, durable and adaptable.
Purdue’s first vehicle designed for Cameroon was made mostly of wood, but the new design features more iron and car parts that can be salvaged from junkyards. Those changes have lowered the vehicle’s cost to about $800, excluding the engine.
The three-wheeled Purdue vehicle is designed to maneuver the village’s narrow and heavily rutted dirt roads. The goal is to allow villagers to move large amounts of water and goods over the rough terrain.
Is peace possible? hmmm I was looking into these words and trying to figure out the fair answer. If i say that seeing peace in terms of extreme ends then it would not be wise to answer it in a good way. Extreme ends i mean either seeing it into possible and impossible, achievable and non achievable or even right or wrong. I would see it in a moderate and rational way, taking a position of in between, like; there are ways that can bring a certain level of peace on certain spaces or areas.
It’s been a long time that I have been thinking and thinking and this process of thinking goes on until I miss myself somewhere into the deep thought of selfless. The world is remarkably a beautiful space, a stunning space to live, share happiness and spread peace but why this beauty is just felt on the surface level and once we try to peep into this by going beyond the surface of this world, we see, feel and observe how disgracing, complex and unwanted the world has been made. Why we, created through love but do not live with love and let others love peacefully? This making of the world from beautiful to disgrace has been reflected into the daily loss of innocent people, children sleeping with no food in their bellies, violence agaisnt women and manmade differences. I am thinking and thinking. If thinking ceased to be stopped I would not be any more coz only corpse does not think!
It was an awsome experince listening to one of the lecture on Research. The lecturer was quite experinced and involved all of us to make the class lively and hence intercative. Everyone poped into the discussion and opined the way they think of research. Few of the ideas were really imperasive to me like:
Stay Small
Stay Focused and
Stay systematic
Few words but were full of insight and meaning. If we think in terms of keeping the aforementioned ideas into our mind before designing or writing any new project then I belive these words can help us alot.
The final suggestion which made all of us laugh was a food for though for a the day:
Whiel you research: Ears opened, Mouth Shut and Nose cleaned:):)
If you ever see
Offspring of Adam fleeing from the mansions they cherished.
Then you will also know what can blow away
Your labour fruits of 5 hundred years.
We are not only noisemakers
We are also talkertives
As you may call us.
But the name of our real self will be laid open to you
On the day you and your offspring become fugitives
In the land your predecessor
Wouldn't like to ever footprint.
We are the messengers of peace
Mending the broken pieces
Of the selfish and the power-drunk world.
When we wail
We become weak
When we smile
We become strong.
But when we love
We live longer than the Angels.
ix à neuf mois pour conduire des opérations qui coûteront environ 20 milliards.
Voici bientôt deux semaines que les cinq opérateurs de biométrie présélectionnés pour mener la refonte des listes électorales ont été auditionnés par des équipes de la direction générale des Elections (DGE).
Les postulants venus de France, du Canada, d’Afrique du Sud, d’Allemagne et du Cameroun ont pu présenter leur savoir-faire en la matière. Ils avaient présenté leurs différentes offres, sur les plans technique, administratif et financier, le chronogramme de la mise en œuvre de leur travail et le plan de formation et de suivi du processus. Outre ces aspects, il a également fallu procéder à une démonstration sur site.
Certains ont ainsi pu démontrer leur capacité à pouvoir travailler dans un environnement qui intègre entre autre, les difficultés d’accès à l’énergie électrique. C’est donc fort de ces critères, que lors de sa descente à Elections Cameroon le 9 avril 2012, Cameroon Tribune a pu apprendre que trois des cinq postulants ont pu émerger. De cette dernière liste, sera connu dans les jours qui viennent, l’heureux élu. Comme le rappelait Mohaman Sani Tanimou à l’ouverture des auditions des soumissionnaires, l’avis du gouvernement sera requis pour cette ultime étape. Avec la signature du contrat dont la mouture est déjà presque prête du côté de la DGE, le soumissionnaire pourra se mettre au travail.
Un travail qui consistera en l’acquisition du matériel, la formation des personnels chargés des opérations d’inscription sur les listes électorales, même si pour des raisons évidentes, l’inscription des électeurs camerounais sur les listes électorales sera effectuée par le personnel d’Elections Cameroon et les membres des commissions mixtes. Tout ceci a un coût. L’on devrait se situer, selon les avis, entre 15 et 20 milliards de F. Pas très loin de ce qui a été fait au Gabon voisin. Le but recherché par Elections Cameroon est la production de documents fiables pour la constitution d’un fichier électoral crédible.
Nos sources parlent de récépissés qui devraient avoir les mêmes informations (photo, état-civil) que la carte proprement dite, même si l’on rappelle que, comme le veut la loi, le récépissé ne remplace pas la carte. Pour la délivrance de cette dernière aux électeurs, l’on ne devrait pas attendre les 40 jours prescrits. Une avancée par rapport à la dernière révision des listes électorales, les cartes seront confectionnées localement et non plus uniquement à la direction générale des Elections à Yaoundé, même si c’est ici que se fera la sécurisation de toutes les données qui seront collectées sur le terrain. Pour boucler l’opération, 6 à 9 mois seront nécessaires pour pouvoir envisager l’organisation des élections attendues.
In a bid to enable visitors to familiarize with the Olympic games this August, stations in London have been renamed after legendary sports personalities in the world including several Africans.
Thus Cameroon striker, Samule Eto’o as well as two-time Olympic gold medalist in the long jump Françoise Mbango have seen two stations renamed after them. According to the organizers of the event, this is to enable visitors familiarize with the tournament as well as identify with the athletes who made history in the Olympic games .
Samuel Eto’o won the gold medal in football at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 in a dramatic final where the Indomitable Lions came from two nil down to defeat Spain 5-4 on penalties. Meanwhile his compatriot Françoise Mbango is a two-time gold medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Transparency international. L’Ong vient de publier son rapport 2011 des pays les plus corrompus.
L’Ong allemande Transparency international a publié le 29 mars dernier, l’indice de perception de la corruption (Ipc) pour le compte de l’année 2011. Le Cameroun y est classé 134ème sur un total de 182 pays évalués.
Il obtient une note de 2,5 sur 10, sachant que les pays dont la note se rapproche de 10 sont les moins corrompus et ceux dont la note se rapproche de zéro sont les plus corrompus. Cette année, la Nouvelle-Zelande est le pays le moins corrompu avec une note de 9,5 sur 10, suivi du Danemark, de la Finlande et de la Suède.
Le Botswana, classé 32ème avec une note de 6,1, est le premier pays africain le moins corrompu. Au bas de l’échelle, la Somalie est le pays le plus corrompu juste devant l’Ouzbekistan, l’Afganistan, Myanmar et la Corée du nord. En 2010, l’Ipc classait le Cameroun au 146ème rang sur 178 pays évalués. Le pays avait alors une note de 2,2 sur 10.
L’Ipc est un classement des pays ou territoires sur la base du degré de corruption perceptible dans leurs secteurs publics respectifs. L’indice s’appuie sur un ensemble de rapports, de données et de sondages réalisés aussi bien par des institutions que des experts installés dans les pays et territoires évalués.
La corruption est entendue ici comme l’abus de pouvoir des agents publics à des fins privées. Selon Transparency international, les sources de données utilisées pour calculer l’Ipc sont relatives à l’abus de la puissance publique, à l’exemple de la corruption des agents publics, des commissions occultes dans les marchés publics, du détournement des fonds publics. L’Ong prend aussi en compte les efforts et l’efficacité des moyens mis en place pour lutter contre la corruption dans le secteur public.
Just after launching YouthMovements.org at Times Square in New York, Francisco and myself journeyed to Miami, Florida for The 2012 Knight Media and Learning Seminar.
This event enabled us to meet and learn from other Knight grantees and to engage with a network of community foundations from across the USA. In addition, we had the opportunity to connect with innovative projects such as Code for America, YouthMovements.org partners like DoSomething.org, cutting edge social technology projects, and mobilization projects like Turbovoteto better understand how new media technologies are transforming the media landscape and our society.
The hashtag to follow the action is #infoneeds which speaks to the Knight Foundations goals of creating democratic, informed and engaged societies. Without access to up to date and relevant information about our social and physical environments, our communities will not flourish.
Three of the take away talks for me were from Eli Perisser – who spoke about the filter bubble and how the internet is becoming an increasingly personalized place, where our search results and friend feeds are tailored (without our implicit knowledge or consent) to display results which are more likely to be clicked on.
Amy web detailed big data, mobile data and how new technologies such as facial recognition, social networking and massive databases of information can be combined to discover potentially way more information about our communities than we would have thought possible. Amy demonstrated how apps like Banjo allow us to glimpse into the shared lives of those around us and gave a few tips about how gamification can be used to incentivise and reinforce processes, education and behaviour change.
I was also very interested in enabling communities to evaluate and map their own information environment through the Community Information Toolkit – a tool which helps community leaders harness the power of information to advance their goals for a better community.
Finally, the event was rounded out by an address by Ethan Zuckerman, Director of the MIT Center for Civic Media. He advanced the proposition that the Internet is the most powerful tool humans have to understand our differences. But we’ve yet to tap this potential, partially due to homophily — the tendency to gravitate toward people with similar traits to our own— which also governs our Web habits and online conversations.
His work with the Center for Civic Media centers on how to map, contextualize and amplify global voices with tools that, he says, can be applied to any community through Zuckerman’s four-step approach :
His four step approach to map, contextualize and amplify global voices are:
1.) Assess your audience.
Figure out who you're hearing from and who you're not hearing.
2.) Learn where people are communicating and what tools they are using.
Use the tools which work for the group you are trying to engage.
3.) Use curation, translation and context to effectively compile what people are saying.
4.) Love makes it go.
People who are successful at engaging their communities using love do it because they love three things: The communities they’re representing, the online medium, and their ability to say, “I can tell you what's going on in my community and I can get heard all over the world.”
It was a super exciting series of meetings and chats, which left us with loads of ideas about how to connect YouthMovements.org to the overall community it serves.
Purdue’s first vehicle designed for Cameroon was made mostly of wood, but the new design features more iron and car parts that can be salvaged from junkyards. Those changes have lowered the vehicle’s cost to about $800, excluding the engine.
