@Jack,
> Works really well for thieves....
Nice attempt to deflect the argument by tossing in a point that's totally irrelevant, even it were...
Make that 13 people now - I got refused today at Manchester airport.
I thought I was up to date on this legislation - I knew of the EU ruling from...
Don't forget to check out apps like GoodReader or SlideShark either, they're indispensible for people on the go in presentation situations. Best...
Well it seems there is something a number of us agree on. Why is the Ubuntu Unity launcher so ugly?
I thought perhaps it was something to do with...
Duplicate comments are not made intentionally. Its very good to know that now you are keeping check on this problem because sometimes a commenter...
"the very significant number of users" and "many (most) of us" - you have no evidence for these statements. It is a fact that most users are saying...
Another grammar faux pas is the improper use of "you". When sitting down down in a restaurant, for example, I get cringe when the waitress...
And NOW, folks, for Canonical's next trick...
Kubuntu is late.
Here's a pencil. Draw your own conclusions.
cf.:...
@kevinmchapman. The discussion here reflects the very significant number of users who really do like the traditional menu system and who wish to...
Er, no... It is an efficient means of finding the application/file/setting you need in one place. The icons are a simply a fallback for when you...
Isn't the provision of a text based search an admission by the developers that the mass of icons approach does not work? I don't need to use a...
"Unity and GNOME 3 both abandon the old text-based cascading menus in favour of a graphical icon-driven system."
Point truly missed. Both use a...
whs001 - Thank you, I'm glad you liked the article.
I absolutely agree with you on your first point. I should perhaps have made it clearer that...
If we allow corporate interest to dictate the way our government circumvents due process against foreign entities then we should accept the same...
I totally dislike pirating of works, I fear that artists will be deterred from creating works if they think that they are going to get ripped off....
How dare film makers, artists or anybody that invests in creativity stop us pirating their works for free. I want to be able to walk into my local...
@GrueMaster. I prefer horses for courses rather than one size fits all. I, and I suspect most other computer users, do not really wish to have...
The product that scares me every time I have to use it is the Office 2007 version of Excel.
The first bug that I found was applying the median...
Nice review and very informative. One thing I'd like to add (in reply to whs001's 1st question), the main reason to have the same interface from...
I'be been using Mint 12 since the RC came out, and I am far more happy with the Cinnamon, the Mate, and, yes (with extensions), theGnome 3...
Talkback
Pressure must be put on Ethiopia to respect the International ruling on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The international community looses crediblity as peace negotiators is we can't make sure rulings are enforced. Furthermore, attempts to achieve development in the region will be severly hampered as long as the border dispute is alive. Chances for democratic transitions are also hindered. Pressure on Ethiopia to respect the border ruling should be coupled with pressure on Eritrea to respect the human rights of Eritrean citizens.
First I would like to express my appreciation for Blair's initiative in addressing Africa's problems. We Africans know that the problem with Africa lies on its leaders. Power is monopolized in the hands of the few leaders. There is no genuine democracy, they only talk about it to attract the donor community, otherwise they don't seem to care for their poor uneducated people. They don't give opportunaty for the few educated people to participate in the political and administration affairs of their country; instead they prefer to drive them to exile because they are scared of losing their power to them.
So, I believe and initiative from Blair, EU at large or the US, should try to address the people's interest and not the interest of the very few who are in power and who would like to stay in power forever. I have an objection in UK's choice of Ethiopia as the base for the commission of this initiative. This country was involved in a war with its neigbouring country Eritrea on a pretext of a border claim. The fighting came to an end in 2000 when the two countries signed a cease-fire agreement followed by a comprehensive peace deal in Algies, with Algeria, AU, EU and the US as wittnesses and guarantors of the agreement.
According to their agreement, an international commission was set up to examine the case and pass a final and binding decision on the boundary between the countries. This decision was made in April 2002, and it was accepted by both parties at the time. But as time went by and when the work was about to start for the actual implemenatation of the decision on the ground to mark the boundary between the countries, Ethiopia decided to create obstacles and finally rejected the Boundary commisiion's decision.
It became evident that Ethiopia was not willing for peace in the first place. It accepted the deal initially only to attract the donor community. The country's leaders are playing seek-and-hide game and they are trying to fool the international community, which they appear to succeed in many cases. Over a 100 million people in the region (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti and Sudan) are in danger of another eminnent war, unless the UK and the international community put enough pressure on Ethiopia to accept and abide by the international agreement it signed. It should not be allowed to go by violating the rule of law. The security council and the EU have released statements after statements calling upon Ethiopia to accept the International commissions decision but with no result. What Africa needs at this time is action and not just words.
As a conclusion, I think that Instability and conflict are the major obstacles that prevent Africa from moving forward in the paths of economic and social progress. So a priority task in Blair's commission for Africa should be to push forward and apply all the necessary pressure on the leaders of the continent so that they make peace with eath other, and with their own people. They should give priority to the people in education, health care and other fundamental necessities, than wasting the continent's resources in fighting and corruption for the sake of power and wealth at the expense of their poor people.
Dear Prme Minister Blair,
One of the stated goals of the Commision for Africa is "llI. To help deliver implementation of existing international commitments towards Africa;"
I am not holding my breathe, but I hope this Commission unlike the signatories to the Alger's Agreement that brought, at least, to a halt the fighting between Eritea and Ethiopia will make sure that the decision of the Eritrean/Ethiopian Border Commison's final and binding judgement is impelemented in full even if the implemetation time is so very over due. We all know that African does not suffer from lack of resources, human or materilal, but from lack of peace and use of resource for the benefit of all the people. It is only when international law is respected and peace regins that development takes root and the lives of people will improve.
What is Wrong with the Commission's Approach?
It is no secret thatamong the poorerst of Africa are Eritrea and Ethiopia. They are locked in bitter border conflict.
If these two countries are to avoid future conflicts, shouldn't Ethiopia be required to abide by the decision of the International Border Commission first rather than reward it by holding such a continental meeting on its soil and inviting its leader to be a member of the so-called Blair Commission for Africa?
This sends not only the wrong but a very dangerous message.
The sensible thing to do would have been to get these two countries to resolve their border war so that (a) resources would not be wasted on weapons, (b) able bodied men and women would be
employed in productive sectors, and (c) trade and communication could be promoted between the two countries.
Africa-wide approach is too bland –the needs of Bangor (Wales) aren’t the same as Battersea let alone Brussels.
AIDS is a pandemic; the single biggest problem, but solving it will not solve Africa’s problems. Africa will still be left with orphans with no food and work.
Normal voting within the Commission will be outweighed by the have-nots, without accepting the need for “haves” even within Africa to which “have nots” can strive. Achmat Dangor, when head of Nelson Mandela Childrens Fund said to the effect that “spreading funding too thin doesn’t work; rather invest in a return that can expand and give further help than give hand-outs.”
South Africa is trying to get away from the begging bowl into the ‘teach a man to fish’ syndrome – but it will fail if bureaucrats are the decision-makers for economic return skills training.
South Africa is the role model of Africa – but is on the brink of more serious problems today than it was ten years ago.
60% of South Africa is under 25 years (45% under 20 years); 80% crime is committed by under 20 year-olds; 60% students leave school before Matric – most before even reaching High School.
86% (revealed October 2004) quitting Skills Development training before completing one year Learnership courses, wasting R1, 5 Billion (£125mil) p.a.
Bureaucrats assume they have all answers, spend years in talk-shops convincing themselves, produce ‘perfect’ models out of touch with on the ground needs.
Overseas donor agencies think they know what is needed in Africa – or don’t trust direct investment. Only fund domestic charities to invest in Africa; not direct to African charities.
Alternately, of late, Governments give to Governments and the funding gets bogged down with red tape and bureaucratic decisions that frustrate and kill off worthwhile end-users.
Example (my area): We started structured training at a Technical College, as an NGO, primarily for marginalised youth in all aspects of the Contemporary Music Industry. From donor funding we moved to become a Public-sector Skills Development Pilot. Got it right academically as well as commercially, to the point of being offered a Joint Venture Record Label with one of five multi-nationals. But the Quango withdrew, leaving part-training youth and us to survive on our own. We had to close. The Quango decided all that was needed were the business and technical aspects – a music industry without music; because they misread statistics.
Big Business does not have the answers for SMMEs (the birthplace of corporations like Microsoft); government doesn’t relate to SMME and NGO time-frames, loses momentum and projects die.
Answer: Get your hands dirty – fast-fund worthwhile projects, spending money putting in capacity building structures, rather than expect them up front. Yes, you’ll have some small failures – but so have governments had many big ones (see above). Work from the premiss of trying to help worthwhile situations happen – not put obstacles to trip it up. Africa needs help for a while to learn to work to eat for ever, not beg to eat now and the same for ever more.