Thursday, April 21, 2011

Operation Smile - CHILDREN’S CHARITY ORGANIZATION

Operation Smile is a charity organization healing children's smiles, making the world a better place.


More than 200,000 children are born with a severe cleft condition each year — often unable to eat, speak, socialize or smile. In some places these children are shunned and rejected. And in too many cases, their parents can't afford to give them the surgeries they need to live a normal life.

Sponsor's Ad:


That's where we come in as an international charity providing much needed surgical services. Since 1982, Operation Smile — through the help of dedicated medical volunteers — has provided free surgeries to children around the world. As one of the most prominent children’s charities in the world and with a presence in over 60 countries, we are able to heal children’s smiles and bring hope for a better future.


Visit their website at http://www.operationsmile.org/


The say, "Thanks to the generosity and spirit of volunteerism shown by our supporters, we heal thousands of children per year and, today, more than 160,000 girls and boys have a new chance at a new life because of our work. With your help, how many lives can we change tomorrow?"


Share this post with your friends and spread the message.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

History of Merriam-Webster dictionary

Noah Webster Picture
On April 14, 1828, Noah Webster copyrighted the first edition of the now famous Merriam-Webster dictionary. Webster was a brilliant American textbook pioneer and prolific author. He has been called the "Father of American Scholarship and Education." His blue-backed speller books taught five generations of children in the United States how to spell and read, and made their education more secular and less religious. We could use another Noah Webster today.
Courtesy: World Atlas

Friday, April 1, 2011

Some facts about Africa Migration


Following are some facts about Africa Migration which has been taken from  'Leveraging Migration for Africa: Remittances, Skills, and Investments'.
  • About 30 million Africans live outside their home countries, and migration is a vital lifeline for the continent.
  • These migrants sent home over $40 billion in remittances last year.
  • Their annual estimated saving, usually held in foreign countries, exceeds $50 billion.
  • Skilled migration poses special challenges of service delivery and loss of human capital, especially in poor countries with low education base, thus in part subtracting from the benefits of large remittances. 
  • Large investments in training people are going to be needed to bridge the gap between demand for and supply of skills in Africa. Restricting the emigration of high-skilled professionals in any form is a no-no.
  • Migration is mostly intra-regional, and informal. 
  • Migrants are mostly young and male. 
  • Sponsor's Ad:
  • The educated migrate to the North whereas the unskilled migrate within the region. 
  • The major reason for migration is to seek employment.
  • Land purchases, building a home, and starting a business were the highest uses of remittances sent home by African diaspora. As a share of total investment, these represented 36 percent in Burkina Faso, 55 percent in Kenya, 57 percent in Nigeria, 15 percent in Senegal, and 20 percent in Uganda. 
  • Education was the second-highest use of remittances from outside Africa into Nigeria and Uganda, the third highest into Burkina Faso, and the fourth highest into Kenya.
The report also outlines innovative financing mechanisms such as issuance of diaspora bonds and securitization of future remittance flows that can help finance big-ticket projects like railways, roads, power plants, and higher-education institutions that will, step by step, help to transform Africa.

The pdf version of this report, two companion volumes and 6 household survey data involving migration and remittances can be accessed at www.worldbank.org/migration. A report is completed. But a deeper engagement on leveraging migration for Africa’s development has begun.


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Gmail Motion BETA



The mouse and keyboard were invented before the Internet even existed. Since then, countless technological advancements have allowed for much more efficient human computer interaction. Why then do we continue to use outdated technology? Introducing Gmail Motion -- now you can control Gmail with your body.

Try Gmail Motion!




Gmail Motion BETA



The mouse and keyboard were invented before the Internet even existed. Since then, countless technological advancements have allowed for much more efficient human computer interaction. Why then do we continue to use outdated technology? Introducing Gmail Motion -- now you can control Gmail with your body.

Try Gmail Motion!




Crackdown on Christians in Vietnam



The Vietnamese government has intensified repression of indigenous minority Christians from the country's Central Highland provinces who are pressing for religious freedom and land rights, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.


The 46-page report, "Montagnard Christians in Vietnam: A Case Study in Religious Repression," details the latest government crackdowns on these indigenous peoples, known collectively as Montagnards. The report documents police sweeps to root out Montagnards in hiding. It details how the authorities have dissolved house church gatherings, orchestrated coerced renunciations of faith, and sealed off the border to prevent asylum seekers from fleeing to Cambodia.

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