Tit-for-tat politics is making us insane
Dear Editor,Guyana is sinking deeper and deeper into destructive ‘tit for tat’ politics.First, the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) came up with inexplicable charges against former Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh and former Chairman of NICIL, Winston Brassington, to appease certain die-hard Government supporters who never cease bawling for the blood of the past Administration for perceived wrongdoings.Now, the Opposition has taken the bait and jumped on the bandwagon by filing private criminal charges against Ministers Volda Lawrence, George Norton, Winston Jordan, David Patterson and Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, thereby joining the vicious cycle of charges and counter-charges.I am not in the fold of any political party, but I am sufficiently politically conscious to know that this is just the start; much more tit-for-tat politics will come from both sides.This brand of politics did not start yesterday. It began decades ago when there was a split in the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) leadership in 1955 between Forbes Burnham and Dr Cheddi Jagan, partially because of ideological differences and partially because of the USA’s secret support for Burnham that was verified recently by Wikileaks revelations. Returning to the point of the tit-for-tat politics, the move to charge the former Ministers is, in my opinion and that of sane society in Guyana, part of an attempt to destroy the Opposition PPP party.I believe in giving credit to all Governments that served this country. Many despised Burnham as a dictator and an architect for the destruction of Guyana. But I would like to say very clearly that he was a genius in agriculture and one of the masterminds behind federalism of the English-speaking West Indies, including Guyana in South America.However, he was also guilty of tit-for-tat politics, which was evident to anyone paying even the remotest attention. This was a reality of life.I lived in the Upper Corentyne. I was a student at the Tagore Memorial High School in Number 63 Village and I witnessed the Burnham Administration’s manipulation of the electricity system to bypass an area in Berbice that was then known as ‘Little Cuba’ because it was a hotbed of Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) or PPP stalwarts.They ran the electricity wires via posts way down by the beach and all the way up to the Corentyne then back out to the main highway just to bypass Number 63 to Number 69 Villages between which lay Little Cuba. There is no doubt that certain People’s National Congress people of that era were responsible. That was unadulterated political wickedness; I condemned it then and still condemn it now.I am not a political person, I am just an observer and listener. Based on what I am seeing and hearing, I appeal to the President of Guyana, His Excellency David Arthur Granger and to the Minister of State, Honourable Joseph Harmon that the time has come for the nation to take a bold step in the direction of unity.I also appeal to the Opposition Leader, former President Bharrat Jagdeo, former President Samuel Hinds and other PPP leaders to send into the universe their thoughts of peace into this country. The human mind is like a magnet. The thoughts you send out are the thoughts you attract and the reality of your achievements.I cry out to the PPP/C to understand that the power lies in the party that is in power today. It is a reality we must face. But those in power must also understand that the Opposition is also powerful in this country.So, can these two powers just bury the hatchet, lay down the sabers, put the swords in the sheaths and lock them away so that we can talk peace and goodwill? Let us speak love and harmony. Let us speak and look for common ground. We have more commonality and more similar needs than we have differences.The peoples of Guyana are at each other’s jugular veins, albeit motionlessly until it’s time for elections, then the nails penetrate the veins and draw blood as the struggle begins for dominance by the supporters of the various parties.Cast aside the recriminations and the attempts at destruction of careers and lives. Let the past stay in the past and let us move onward and upward to build a great wonderful Guyana.Sincerely,Roshan Khan
From right, Mr. Nuquay, 3rd from right, Minister Wlue, and other officials.Transport Minister Samue A. Wlue has officially assumed the chairmanship of the Roberts Flight Information Region (RFIR) Ministerial Council, taking over from his Guinean Counterpart, Aboubacar Sylla, at the end of the annual Ministerial Council meeting on Saturday, September 15, at a resort in Margibi County.Shortly after taking over, Wlue expressed gratitude for the opportunity to chair the council for one year.“The honor is not only for me, but for Liberia that we are all proud of as our dear country. And so, I will work in close collaboration with my colleagues and the secretary-general for the upliftment of the RFIR to another level,” Minister Wlue said.Mr. Wlue called on staffers to redouble their effort in the discharge of their duties for the continued growth of the sector.The Ministerial Council of the FIR comprises the ministers of transport of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. It is the highest decision-making body of the organization.It decides on matters of finance and general operation submitted to it by the Technical Committee, which is also composed of the directors of general civil aviation of the three member states as well as the secretariat.As chairman, Wlue will lead his counterparts in defining the general policy of the RFIR. He will also play a lead role in defining any matter submitted to that body by the technical committee and the secretariat.The RFIR was established on January 17, 1975, by the heads of the three countries, to regulate the unified air space of member states.The Technical Committee of the RFIR comprise of three directors general of the civil aviation authority of the three member states, including Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.This year’s Technical Committee and Ministerial Council meeting, which began on Thursday and ended Saturday, September 15, brought together ministers of transport of the three countries, directors general of member states and other stakeholders in the air navigation sector.The head of the secretariat is Badara Alieu Tarawaley from Sierra Leone; Deputy Secretary General for Technical Affairs is Mohamed Soumah from Guinea, while Lasana B. Sannor is Liberia’s representative to the RFIR on Administrative Affairs.
Participants at the kick-off of the Technical Committee conference on on September 13 in Margibi CountyLiberia’s Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA) Director-General, Emmanuel Nuquay, said the meeting was intended to review and validate report from the technical committee’s activities and the operation budget of the RFIR.Mr. Nuquay called on participants to consider the review and renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between LCAA and the Civil Aviation Authorities of Guinea and Sierra Leone, which will grant oversight authority of the RFIR to the LCAA.He said the MOU is in the interest of the RFIR and its member states, because it will be in the supreme interest of the three states.According to Mr. Nuquay, the MOU will alleviate some of the burdens that they currently carried, provide an opportunity to improve the enumeration of air navigation employees, and further help to equip them.Moses T. Baio, Deputy Director General of Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority, said holding of the technical committee meetings has always served as a platform for dialogue between the administrative sector of the RFIR.Mr. Baio said the conference usually provides the platform for the development of the RFIR in terms of adding value to the organization.He added, “I’m convinced that this year’s meeting will lead to the advancement of the RFIR to another level.”Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
To avoid that painful loss Friedberg started a business that digitally archives photos, documents, videos, and other fragile possessions. Clients receive a CD or DVD of all their possessions and turnaround can be as short as a few days, he said. Prompted by the Malibu fire, Friedberg is offering 50 percent off his fee to digitize photos and documents. He normally charges a quarter to digitize photos smaller than 8.5 inches by 11 inches, plus 35 cents to remove each picture from a frame or photo album. Documents start at 80 cents each with bulk discounts. Each CD of images costs $5 and each DVD costs $8. An alternative to digital safe-keeping is fireproof safes, sold at most hardware stores. At True Value Hardware in Woodland Hills, salesman Bernie Haltman has escape ladders, emergency kits and fireproof safes in stock. They have not been selling very quickly. “Right now they’re more concerned about getting out of the house,” Haltman said. He expects sales to pick up soon. Once worldly possessions are safe the focus in any disaster shifts to one of two things, said Sherry Heitz, owner of Quake Kare in Moorpark. Taking shelter or evacuating. In either case it is best to have enough supplies to be self-sufficient for three days, said Heitz, who sells emergency preparedness kits for many types of disasters. A good kit has food, water, first-aid supplies, a light source, and communication tools. Heitz has fielded calls for cots and blankets from organizations like Pepperdine University and the Red Cross because of the wildfires, but she has not sold many preparedness kits. When the situation calms down and people begin to prepare for the next disaster, kit sales will pick up. “These fires are just another eye-opening experience that we realize nature is out of our control,” Heitz said. Having a kit in your car, at home and at work gives you some control. “If you are in control,” Heitz said, “you are less likely to panic and make the wrong decision.” julia.scott@dailynews.com (818) 713-3735 Running around collecting old family photographs and important documents while fires threaten your home is not the quickest way to evacuate, nor the safest. But it’s common because not many people want to leave their wedding pictures, the title to their home, or other sentimental mementos behind. Now, there’s a way to avoid putting yourself in danger while preserving that sepia-toned snapshot of your grandma when she was 3. “I know how it feels to lose a lot of information,” said Matthew Friedberg, president of Epoch Archiving in Chatsworth. “Whether it’s your hard drive crashing or your house going up in flames its a huge chunk of information that can’t be replaced.” 
Valencia are hoping to land Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma on a season-long loan next term.The 22-year-old has struggled for regular game time at Chelsea since his arrival from St Etienne in 2014.After a serious knee injury, Zouma has started just three Premier League games over the course of this season despite the west London club playing three at the back.It has been suggested that he will get more opportunities next season following the retirement of John Terry but that has not stopped rumours that he could be about to leave.Inter Milan are said to be keen on signing him on a permanent deal when the window opens.But now reports in Spain have suggested that Valencia are interested in loaning him with Manchester City man Eliaquim Mangala heading back to England following the completion of his season-long stint with them.And Chelsea may decide a loan away might be a good idea for Zouma if there is not an obvious route back to more regular first-team football at Stamford Bridge. 1 Kurt Zouma [left] in action for Chelsea 
The Red Hughs U14 girls got their Division 2 Championship campaign off to a winning start in Carndonagh this evening.It was a tight first 15 minutes with defences on top as the sides traded a single point between them.Red Hughs however got a vital goal through Aimee Callaghan and a second goal soon followed from Aimee Lafferty. The visitors led at the break 2-01 to 0-01.The Red Hughs success was built on a tight defence with Caitlin Geary and U14 county player and Red Hughs captain Orla McElchar exceptional throughout.Final score Red Hughs 3-o3, Carndonagh 0-02.Match reports and pix can be sent to info@donegaldaily.com LADIES GAELIC: RED HUGHS U14s IN OPENING WIN IN CARN was last modified: March 29th, 2016 by John2Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Tags:CarndonaghRED HUGHS.U14’s
[Guest article] In an story entitled “Rubbly Itokawa revealed as ‘impossible’ asteroid,” New Scientist Space reported on findings gathered from the recent visit of Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa to the asteroid Itokawa (see 11/28/2005 bullet). There seems to be no end of problems for scientists trying to fit the solar system into billions of years. Now they must deal with evidence that shows that asteroid Itokawa must be very young. The article’s frankness about the severity of the problem is astonishing:What they found was completely unexpected. “Five years ago, we thought that we would see a big chunk of monolithic rock, [we thought] that something so small doesn’t have the ability to hold onto any pieces,” says Erik Asphaug, a planetary scientist at the University of California in Santa Cruz, US, who is not involved with the mission. “Everything we suspected about it turned out to be wrong.”Astronomers assumed that small asteroids would have to be very solid, like a single giant boulder, or else their weak gravity would have caused them to be quickly disintegrated by collisions with other rocks in space. It turns out that Itokawa is about as solid as a sponge. And to make it worse, collisions with small rocks, not big enough to break the asteroid apart, should, after billions of years, have caused it to pack into a more solid mass. That compaction apparently never occurred:Measurements of the asteroid’s gravity field also suggest it coalesced from the debris of a previous collision. Hayabusa scientists used the data – combined with measurements of the space rock’s size – to estimate its density. It appears to be 40% porous, or filled with empty space. “That is astonishing,” says Asphaug, adding that a handful of sand has a porosity of 20%. “It’s very hard to get porosities greater than that. You’ve got to start balancing things delicately, like you were building a house of cards,” he says. “The only way to do it is to gently pack the stuff together.” But that raises another mystery, he says, since repeated impacts with other space rocks over millions of years should have made Itokawa denser. “Every time you have an impact, you’re going to tamp it down,” he says.The article mentions no proposed solution to the mystery.Some day it may begin to dawn on scientists that they are starting with wrong assumptions about time. A loose collection of dust and rock just a few thousand years old would probably look just like what they found. That explanation, however, is ruled out from the start because it conflicts with their preconceived ideas of the time required for evolution. Is this objective science?—DK(Visited 19 times, 1 visits today)FacebookTwitterPinterestSave分享0
25 September 2013 SRI LANKA TOUR SCHEDULE The Momentum Proteas Women’s next series is against Sri Lanka from 24 October. Proteas’ coach Hilton Moreeng stated afterwards that he had been impressed by the performances of his players and said the two series victories would be a good confidence boost ahead of a busy season. The Bangladeshis were eventually all out for 177, losing the last eight wickets for 65 runs. October “There were a number of milestones this series: Marizanne [Kapp] got a hat- trick, Mignon [Du Preez] scored her maiden ODI century and Sunette [Loubser] played in her 50th ODI, this is a great start for us going into the season.” Batting collapseBangladesh were once against let down by a batting collapse following a strong start by the top order after being sent in to bat. Ayasha Rahman (70) and Rumana Ahmed (43) put together 93 for the second wicket to lift the visitors to 100 for one, but the rest of the line-up was unable to contribute towards a bigger total. On Tuesday, Trisha Chetty and Marizanne Kapp put together an unbeaten 108- run partnership for the third-wicket in pursuit of a victory target of 178, which was reached in the 38th over. Chetty was the rock of the run-chase scoring 76 off 111 balls, in comparison to Kapp’s quick-fire innings of 59 off 67 balls. ‘A fantastic effort’“It’s been a fantastic effort by the players,” Moreeng said. “I’m particularly pleased by the way the senior players have stepped up and come forward with match-winning performances. Young, debutant opener Lizelle Lee finished as the leading run-scorer of the series with 166 runs including two scores in the seventies. Leg-spinner Sunette Loubser was the leading wicket-taker with seven wickets at an average of 11. Marcia Letsoalo ripped through the tail to finish with three for 35 and was assisted by contributions from Dane van Niekerk (2/26) and Marizanne Kapp (2/26). It was yet another sterling job by the bowlers, who throughout the series managed to restrict the visitors to totals below 200. South Africa’s women’s cricket team beat Bangladesh by eight wickets in the third one-day international at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Tuesday to seal a series whitewash. ‘Encouraging performances’“This series has also been a great opportunity for the youngsters to learn their trade at international level,” Moreeng commented. “We saw some encouraging performances from our youngsters like Lizelle (Lee) and Elriesa (Theunissen), so that bodes well for the next generation of South African women’s cricketers.” Fri, 18: Arrival in South AfricaTue, 22: One-day warm-up vs SA EmergingThu, 24: Day, 1st ODISat, 26: Day, 2nd ODIMon, 28: Day, 3rd ODIThu, 31: Day, 1st T20 November In addition, the Momentum Proteas had earlier clinched the T20 series 3-0. Sat, 02: Day, 2nd T20Sun, 03: Day, 3rd T20Mon, 04: Depart from South Africa SAinfo reporter
Why Tech Companies Need Simpler Terms of Servic… Once you have created your model, it has to go through an approval process and, if accepted, will be added to Google Earth. Sadly, there is no way to see if another model of the same building already exists except for loading up Google Earth, but even then, you can’t be sure that somebody else’s model isn’t already waiting for approval.Overall, this looks like a very smart way for Google to enhance the 3D experience in Google Earth and it will be interesting to see if Google will also build more services on top of these 3D-rendered cities at a later point.It also shows that Google has access to a vast repository of aerial photography of all of these locations. Microsoft’s Bing Maps highlights this feature in its bird’s eye mode, but Google doesn’t surface any of these images yet. Related Posts For some locations, Google already shows 3D buildings in Google Earth though it wasn’t very easy for users to add their own buildings to these maps. Today, however, Google releasedBuilding Maker, which takes an almost game-like approach to crowdsourcing the production of these 3D buildings. Users simply pick a building in any of the 50 cities worldwide where this project is currently active, pick a building you would like to model, and Google will present you with aerial images of this building. All the user has to do is align a 3D wireframe model of the building with these images and a textured 3D model of the building is automatically saved in the Google Sketchup 3D warehouse. Once approved, the model will be added to Google Earth’s building layer.Just yesterday, we wrote about how Google is starting to crowdsource more of its map making process and this is clearly yet another step in this direction. Google Sketchup made making new buildings for Google Earth pretty easy, but the new Building Maker, which is completely browser-based an makes use of the Google Earth browser plugin, takes this to a completely new level. To test the product out, we just picked a random building and the new model was ready in less than 5 minutes. A Web Developer’s New Best Friend is the AI Wai… frederic lardinois Tags:#Google#news#web Top Reasons to Go With Managed WordPress Hosting 8 Best WordPress Hosting Solutions on the Market
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Sunday invited the Shiv Sena, the second largest party, to stake claim to form government, hours after the BJP declined such attempt.“The Sena will have to inform the governor about its stand by Monday (November 11) evening 7.30 pm,” a Raj Bhavan official said.In the 288-member Assembly, the BJP and the Sena each has 105 and 56 MLAs, respectively.Opposition Congress and NCP won 44 and 54 seats, respectively, in recent assembly polls. The halfway mark is 145.Mr. Koshyari asked Sena legislative party leader Eknath Shinde to “indicate willingness and ability” of the party to form government in Maharashtra, a Raj Bhavan statement said.The Governor had on Saturday invited the BJP, the single largest party, to stake claim to form government.However, with the BJP unable to muster numbers in view of the Sena’s stand not to support it on the issue of sharing of power and the post of the chief minister, the party on Sunday declined to form government.“The Governor has, therefore, asked the leader of elected members of the second largest party, Shiv Sena, Eknath Shinde, to convey its willingness and ability to form the government,” the statement said.With the BJP backing off from the race, the onus to form government now rests with the Sena, which has indicated that it might rope in the Congress and the NCP to prop up a government.Sena MP Sanjay Raut had earlier claimed support of 170 MLAs.
It is difficult to believe that a prime minister would actually utter those words. One newspaper carried the words in a box. Other papers confirmed that Atal Bihari Vajpayee had indeed spoken those words at a public meeting in Goa.April 12, 2002 will go down in Vajpayee’s life as the,It is difficult to believe that a prime minister would actually utter those words. One newspaper carried the words in a box. Other papers confirmed that Atal Bihari Vajpayee had indeed spoken those words at a public meeting in Goa.April 12, 2002 will go down in Vajpayee’s life as the day when he cast off his rajdharma and was reborn as a true swayamsevak. In his hour of reckoning, the prime minister of India has decided what he wants to be.My memory goes back to my school days. My mother got our school uniforms stitched by a tailor named Zynul-abdeen. For five years in high school (run by Christian missionaries), my class pupil leader was A.K. Moosa.In Form VI, our headmaster, the redoubtable Mr Kuruvilla Jacob, wanted a tall, handsome, fluent-in-English boy as school pupil leader and so we chose Haroon Mohammed. Thanks to an education in Christian institutions, I had many Christian friends. And Muslim friends. Nobody perceived any differences. It was only after many years that I noticed that people had different religious beliefs and different ways of worship.The worlds of art, literature, sports, and cinema-especially cinema-have been adorned by many Muslims. A.R. Rahman dazzles his fans both in India and abroad.Sheikh Chinna Moulana ranked along with the legendary nadaswara vidwans Tiruvavaduthurai Rajarathinam and Karukurichi Arunachalam. Zakir Hussain on the tabla and Amjad Ali Khan on his sarod weave pure magic. Ustad Bismillah Khan is a living legend.The Nawab of Pataudi and Mohammad Azharuddin were among India’s most stylish batsmen-and most successful captains. When Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was awarded the Bharat Ratna, I was the first to drive to his office and offer him congratulations and flowers.advertisementAmong the distinguished chief justices of the Supreme Court were Justice M. Hidayatullah and Justice A.M. Ahmadi. In Chennai, we had chief justice M.M. Ismail, and there are few people who are regarded as greater scholars of the Ramayana (by Kamban, the Tamil poet) than justice Ismail. If you take out Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Aamir Khan, there is little left of Bollywood.I wish to ask the prime minister a simple question. When he said “Wherever Muslims are, they don’t want to live in peace. They don’t want to mix with others. They use terror as a weapon”, did he include Dr Abdul Kalam, the Nawab of Pataudi and Amjad Ali Khan?If he did not, he should tender an unqualified apology for defaming 120 million people who have as much right to live in this country as he and I have. He should also step down in atonement for this unpardonable calumny.Has Vajpayee seen the leaflets being circulated in Gujarat calling for an economic boycott of Muslims? Does he know that Muslims are being driven out of mixed neighbourhoods and pushed into ghettos? Has he read the interviews given by VHP General Secretary Pravin Togadia? I suspect that General Pervez Musharraf is the happiest man today.For months, he has been telling anyone who cared to listen that Pakistan is an Islamic nation and India is a Hindu nation. His case on Kashmir is based on the argument that a Muslim-majority state “belongs” to Pakistan and not to India. For over 50 years we denounced the two-nation theory.The world tended to believe us when we said that India was a plural, multi-religious and multicultural society. This was despite many communal riots. Why? Because no communal riot in the past had the official support and blessings of a chief minister and his government.It is for the first time that we have seen a state Government actively conniving with criminals to organise a pogrom against the Muslims. When Vajpayee spoke of rajdharma on his visit to relief camps, no one would have believed that he would do a volteface in the space of a few days.Rajdharma applies equally to a chief minister and to a prime minister. No matter what the BJP’s allies will now do or not do, the unravelling of the NDA Government has begun.The name of the game hereafter, for the BJP and its allies, is survival. That is why the angst of the Telugu Desam Party will not turn into withdrawal of support. That is why the DMK will demand a meeting of the NDA but remain neutral or silent.Economic reforms have stalled. The average level of the fiscal deficit is higher, tariffs are among the highest in the world, the manufacturing sector has weakened considerably, subsidies are increasing and investment flows have sharply declined.advertisementAs T.N. Ninan has pointed out, this perhaps is the most “revisionist” government since reforms began. Between the reborn swayamsevak prime minister and the sulking, chastened finance minister there is neither the spirit nor the wisdom to carry the reform process forward. After Gujarat and Goa, it is no longer non-governance. It is a case of misgovernance.The author is a former Indian finance minister.