Fears of increased human trafficking during the Fifa World Cup have prompted the Salvation Army to launch a toll-free hotline aimed at helping people trafficked into the country. "We don't want to create a hype around 2010 but we fear it [human trafficking] will increase for purposes of commercial sex work," said Major Marike Venter, national co-ordinator of the Salvation Army anti trafficking task team. She was addressing media at the launch of the toll-free number in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

The number - 0800-RESCUE or 0800-737283 - is expected to operate 24 hours a day.

Callers could be addressed in eight South African languages but there was no capacity to introduce languages like Portuguese, French and Swahili - languages mainly spoken in other African countries, said Brian Adams of Herd, the organisation running the toll-free line for the Salvation Army. "At the moment we don't have capacity but as we get more funding, we'll be able to expand," Adams said.

The toll-free number was for victims of human trafficking to report their cases and to for those wishing to report incidents of human trafficking. Venter urged the government to pass legislation on human trafficking to make it easier for police to deal with traffickers. "We know that the draft bill is being discussed in Parliament so we are adding our voice in support of what other organisation have said," she said. She said the Salvation Army had consulted with government and the SA Police Service in setting up the line.

News info source SAPA via  www.iol.co.za

Wahenga walisema, "ukiona mwenzio ananyolewa, nawe katie zako maji".
Habari kwa mujibu wa tovuti ya BBC Swahili zinasema ifuatavyo kuhusu majirani zetu:

Nchi ya Marekani imesitisha ufadhili wa dola millioni saba za mpango wa Elimu Ya Bure kwa Shule za Msingi nchini Kenya.  Balozi wa Marekani nchini Kenya bwana Michael Ranneberger amesema ufadhili huo utasitishwa hadi pale madai ya ufisadi katika Wizara ya Elimu yatakapochunguzwa.  Hatua Marekani kusimamisha ufadhili huo imechukuliwa mwezi mmoja baada ya Serikali ya Uingereza kuondoa ufadhili wake kwa sekta hiyo ya Elimu. Balozi Ranneberger amesisitiza kuwa ni lazima mpango mzima wa Elimu ya bure nchini Kenya ufanyiwe uchunguzi. Marekani imekuwa ikishinikiza serikali ya Kenya kutekeleza mabadiliko mbalimbali nchini humo.

Gospel Music Channel produced a special 1 hour presentation of Official music video for Kirk Franklin's "Are You Listening: A Love Song for Haiti"

The response has been overwhelming for what Kirk has dubbed the gospel community's answer to "We Are the World," a song and music video with all proceeds to benefit those impacted by the earthquake.

More than 150 participants joined the cause including: Yolanda Adams, Jeremy Camp, Shirley Caesar, Dorinda Clark Cole, Natalie Grant, Fred Hammond, Tamela & David Mann, Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin, Bishop Paul S. Morton, J. Moss, Smokie Norful, Marvin Sapp, Karen Clark Sheard, Kiera "KiKi" Sheard, BeBe Winans, CeCe Winans and Marvin Winans along with other gospel artists featured in the choir including Shari Addison, Kathy Taylor Brown, John Gray, Bishop Darryl Hines, Stephen Hurd, Karima Kibble, Judith McAllister, Nicole C. Mullen, Jessica Reedy, The Neville Sisters, Troy Sneed, Micah Stampley, Melinda Watts and Brian Courtney Wilson.

You can watch the video by CLICKING HERE or on Kirk's photo to go to the video page, also send your contributions to "Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit For Earthquake Relief" through Gospel Music Channel by clicking here.

"Among all married couples, wives contribute a growing share of the household income, and a rising share of those couples include a wife who earns more than her husband," the report said.

I was listening to BBC Radio when I heard about the above quoted paragraph and heading above. I then went online searching for this news article published on NewYork Times. Here are parts of the quoted segments of the analysis report:

"The analysis examines Americans 30 to 44 years old, the first generation in which more women than men have college degrees. Women’s earnings have been increasing faster than men's since the 1970s."

"Men now are increasingly likely to marry wives with more education and income than they have, and the reverse is true for women," said Paul Fucito, spokesman for the Pew Center. "In recent decades, with the rise of well-paid working wives, the economic gains of marriage have been a greater benefit for men."

Although I know that it's not the case with women in the developing countries, still, I have heard and actually seen some women from Tanzania who are elite, educated, have good paying jobs and never want to get married or would rather marry men who aren't going to quickly get glued to their successes. But then again, that number, though growing (don't have statistical data to back up my claim, it's just a mere oral discussion and chit-chat) it is like a drop of water in the ocean. The majority of our society is still poor and women are even poorer though, they are the backbones of most families.

It's a challenge and it's rising. There dynamics in the society are never in equilibrium, we are always experiencing constant shifts and changes. I think the problem is not going to dwell in the change itself, but in accepting and accommodating the changes.

"We've known for some time that men need marriage more than women from the standpoint of physical and mental well-being, now it is becoming increasingly important to their economic well-being as well," said Stephanie Coontz, a professor at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., and research director for the Council on Contemporary Families, a research and advocacy group.

"I’m not married, I would like to be married, and my friends are all in a similar situation...  "We're having difficulty finding someone where there's a meeting of the minds, where we can have the same goals and values... "Particularly, African-American men who are educated want a traditional home where they are the breadwinner," said Dr. Rajalla Prewitt, a 38-year-old psychiatrist in New Jersey., who is also a black woman.

Read the full article at: www.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/us/19marriage.html

On August 28, 1963, under a nearly cloudless sky, more than 250,000 people, a fifth of them white, gathered near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington to rally for "jobs and freedom." The roster of speakers included speakers from nearly every segment of society - labor leaders like Walter Reuther, clergy, film stars such as Sidney Poitier and Marlon Brando and folksingers such as Joan Baez. Each of the speakers was allotted fifteen minutes, but the day belonged to the young and charismatic leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had originally prepared a short and somewhat formal recitation of the sufferings of African Americans attempting to realize their freedom in a society chained by discrimination. He was about to sit down when gospel singer Mahalia Jackson called out, "Tell them about your dream, Martin! Tell them about the dream!" Encouraged by shouts from the audience, King drew upon some of his past talks, and the result became the landmark statement of civil rights in America - a dream of all people, of all races, colors and backgrounds, sharing in an America marked by freedom and democracy.

• Click here to watch to the video of Martin Luther King Jr's historical speech.
• Click here for his biography
• and here for FAQs about him
• Quizzes and Quotes about hime also available at InfoPlease.com
  

Kama ule msemo wa wahenga kuwa, 'kufa kufaana' ndivyo inavyoelekea katika dunia ya leo kwani kila majanga makubwa yanapotokea, basi matapeli huona huo ndio mwanya wa wao kuvuna hela kutokana na matukio hayo, haijalishi ni ya kuhuzunisha au kufurahisha. Dhana ya ubinadamu imetoweka.

Bloga Bernard Rwebangira ametoa rai katika blogu yake, bongopicha.blogspot.com,  akitahadharisha wananchi kukaa chonjo na aina hii ya utapeli.

Ninafahamu kuwa wengi wetu tueshaelewa muundo wa aina hii ya utapeli na hatukubali kudanganywa tena, ila, wapo bado wageni katika ulimwengu wa email na walafi wachache ambao hutumbukia kwenye mtego huu. Tafadhali muwatahadharishe na kuwaonya kutokupenda fedha za chap chap. Hakuna bwerere duniani. 

Yeyote anayetaka kutoa misaada kwa ajili ya watu wa Haiti basi afanye hivyo kupitia vyombo rasmi vilivyoorodheshwa katika linki hii: bagtheweb.com/b/9UiJNI2Sup7d yenye kichwa cha habari  "20+ Ways to Help Haiti".

Dear Friend,
I am Major Bruce Roberts of the United Nations Armed Forces here in Haiti, I am a very close friend and personal adviser to the Haiti President Mr. Rene Garcia Preval.
( hapa kuna blah blah blah ndeeefu za kujitetea na sababu mia kidogo.....)
I and my fellow military personnel immediately went to the president palace and we recovered 4 big trunk boxes each containing $13.6Million (thirteen million six hundred dollars) each. Please keep this information highly confidential between us and respond back to me with your telephone number via my personal e-mail; bru******@hotmail.co.uk so we can discuss better on how I will be transporting this box out of here to you. Thank you and bye for now.
Major Bru R.

Iranian and Tanzanian officials endorsed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on economic cooperation in the fields of fishery, cement production and processing industry. The MoU was signed on Saturday evening between head of commerce organization of Sistan and Baluchestan province in Iran and deputy minister for fishery and animal husbandry of Tanzania.

During the signing ceremony, the provincial official Iraj Hassanpour said that the MoU is related to dispatching and receiving trade delegations, joint economic cooperation in the field of fishery, cement production, and processing industry, especially in the field of meat production.

Head of Zahedan Chamber of Commerce Abdul Hakim Rigi, who attended the ceremony, said that the presence of Iranian expatriates in Tanzania since many years ago is a privilege for creating more relations with the country. He added that Tanzania has had a 6% economic growth and one of Iran’s foreign economic priorities is interaction with African countries. The Tanzanian deputy minister presented information about his country, and said that the main factor of his country’s economic activities is agriculture. He added that there are a lot of opportunities in Tanzania for investment. (Reported in www.islamidavet.com)

A group of celebrities from the US, on Tuesday climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in an effort to raise funds for clean water supply initiatives. Known as the summit on the summit team, the entire group of celebrities made it to Uhuru Peak.

Ethiopian born and award-winning musician, Kenna, organised the expedition as a means to raise funds for clean water initiatives in developing countries. Other notable celebrities included American hip-hop artist, Lupe Fiasco; Hollywood actress, Jessica Biel and Hollywood actor, Emile Hirsch. Other global development activists who took part in the effort including Dr Greg Allgood, Programme Director for Children's Safe Drinking Water.

The expedition raised funds to benefit Children's Safe Drinking Water Programme, UNHCR and Water For People's Playpump Technology. (Full story at AllAfrica.com)

The United States Thursday announced a US$50,000 disaster relief for flood victims in parts of central and southern Tanzania, following heavy rains over the past several weeks.

US Ambassador to Tanzania Alfonso E. Lenhardt said the relief supplies were being made available through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to the Tanzanian Red Cross Society (TRCS) to support families and communities affected by the floods.

'We deeply sympathise with those affected by this unfortunate event and are proud to support the efforts of the Tanzania Red Cross Society to alleviate suffering and help people get back on their feet,' said Lenhardt, adding that the assistance "from the American people will be used to provide immediate relief to 8,000 affected families with tents, mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets and other emergency supplies."

Approximately 40,000 people have been affected by floods in the areas hardest hit. The worst damage has occurred in Kilosa district, Morogoro Region, and Kongwa district of Dodoma Region, where many homes are either submerged or have been washed away.

Besides destroying crops and pastures, the floods have also washed away sections of roads, bridges and the central railway linking Dar es Salaam port to the Lake Tanganyika port of Kigoma that serves neighboring Burundi, DR Congo and Zambia.

Many wells providing drinking water have been contaminated while hundreds of displaced families are sheltering in temporary structures and converted public buildings. Kilosa District Commissioner Halima Dendegu said Thursday that many villages were inundated and people living on higher ground have been asked to accommodate the affected population, while authorities looked for better places to camp them. She urged all people to drink boiled water in order to avert an epidemic of diar rhoeal diseases.

Source: Dar es Salaam - PANA 14/01/2010

If you are a gmail user you will remember that Gmail had rolled out the option to always use https feature which encrypts your mail as it travels between a web browser and their servers.

Why https?
A https is a security feature that helps protect data from being snooped by third parties, such as in public wifi hotspots. It is used maily by big organisations such as banks, work places, selling and buying sites etc.  that handle people's personal and sensitive data such as full names, social security number or TIN numbers, passport and other forms of ID, date of birth etc.

Over the last few months, Gmail has been researching the security/latency tradeoff and decided that turning https on for everyone was the right thing to do.

Gmail annouced that it is currently rolling out default https for everyone. If you've previously set your own https preference from Gmail Settings, nothing will change for your account.

Problems with https, it can make your mail slower. How? Since encrypted data doesn't travel across the web as quickly as unencrypted data, using a https will render it slower than just a normal http.

Now that Google is making it a default feature, What if I don't want to use the https?
If you trust the security of your network and don't want default https turned on for performance reasons, login to your Gmail account and turn this feature off choosing "Don't always use https" from the 'Settings' menu (this applies to Google Apps users whose admins have not already defaulted their entire domains to https). Gmail will continue to encrypt the login page to protect your password.

NOTE:  If you use offline Gmail over http currently, the switch to https is likely to cause some problems, click here to learn more about this known issue and how to work around it.