SFINKS FESTIVAL (2011) : CRISS-CROSS RHYTHM THAT EXPLODES WITH HAPPINESS

The best of the Sfinks festival


Sfinks Festival is one of the numerous summer festivals in Belgium, yearly hosted in Boechout, a community on the outskirts of Antwerp. The festival has been running continuously for over three decades.

What has made the festival famous is the idea of pulling musicians from different countries all over the world to bring them under one roof in Antwerp to entertain the people, hence the term "Mixed Sfinks Festival".

Sfinks festival is a wonderful place to have fun during the summer holidays. With different melodies and a criss-cross rhythm, which explodes with happiness, the festival has been one of the best summer festivals in Belgium.

This year's festival (2011), as usual, is made up of musicians from all walks of life. But one musician who is not a stranger to this festival, and keeps on appearing many times, is the Ivorian reggae star Alpha Blondy and The Solar System. It's like history repeating itself. Alpha plays again this year.

The program for this year's Mixed Sfinks Festival is as follows. The festival opens on July 29 and closes on July 31, 2011.

Vrijdag 29 Juli
Cabaña
19.30: Muzika Agresija
Clubterrein
18.00: Awza
Concerttent
17.00: Robert Soko
19.30: Stereo Partizan
21.00: Emir Kusturica & The no smoking Orchestra
23.00: Robert Soko

Open Air
19.00, 21.00: Fasocirque

Zaterdag 30 Juli
Cabaña
15.00: Soulshakers
15.00: Bugalu Sound

Clubtent
14.00: Awza
16.00: Ayarkhaan
18.00: Sooeun Kwak
20.00: Ghalia Benali - Romeo & Leila
22.30: Les Etoiles du Ballet Royal du Cambodge

Clubterrein
19.00: Awza
Concerttent
13.00: Maguaré
15.00: Ayfer Düzdas
17.00: Lëk Sèn
19.00: Rubén Blades
21.00: Alpha Blondy
23.30: Systema Solar
o1.00: Rebel Up!
o2.30: DJ Munchi & VJ M

Kidz
14.00: Les Gotipuas
Open Air
12.30, 15.30, 18.00: Dhols of Jaipur
14.30, 16.30, 20.30: Fasocirque
18.30: Les Gotipuas

Zondag 31 Juli

Cabaña
15.00: DJ MPS Pilot
15:00: DJ Polyesta
Clubtent
14.00: Trio Windstreken & Kamal Hors
16.00: Mamer
18.00: Dikanda
20.00: Faiz Ali Faiz
Clubterrein
12.30, 17.00: Awza
Concerttent
13.00: Joaquin Diaz
15.00: Khaira Arby
17.00: Bomba Estéreo
19.00: Hindi Zahra
21.00: AfroCubism
Kidz
14.00: Les Gotipuas
Open Air
12.00, 14.30, 20.30: Fasocirque
16.30: Awza
18.30: Les Gotipuas

TRIBUTE TO JOURNALISTS KILLED IN SERVICE AROUND THE WORLD

One of the dangers in journalism

Journalism, as we know, is the profession for those who contribute regularly to various forms of media. Whether electronic or print media, the work of the journalist is to investigate and make a story out of the information he or she has gathered.

Journalists depend on the public for information when going about their jobs. However, in the course of their work to get the news across to the public, most journalists experience difficulties, tragedies, and humiliation. And death.

According to the report detailing journalists killed since 1992, over 800 journalists have been killed around the world in cases where the Committee to Protect Journalists has been able to confirm the motive.

It's more than a crime to kill a journalist who has no weapon than a pen to write his story, but the killing of journalists around the world never stops, because no serious action is taken against anyone when a journalist is killed.

Afghanistan and Iraq are responsible for the deaths of so many journalists, but the killers are free, just as the killers of British journalist Rupert Hamer are still free.

In every field of work, respect should prevail. One mustn't hate someone because of their profession. Without journalists, there will be no news. Journalists must be given proper protection and encouragement to make the profession interesting than a nightmare.

AFRICA'S COCOA TRADE ENHANCES EUROPE'S ECONOMY

Cocoa in Ghana


Trade among European and African precolonial nations developed relatively recently in the economic history of the African continent. 


Before the European voyages of exploration in the fifteenth century, African rulers and merchants had established trade links with the Mediterranean world, western Asia, and the Indian Ocean region.

The goods Europeans import to Africa in the greatest volumes include cloth, iron, and copper. As trade advances, the Europeans made Africa the number one market for all their raw materials needed for goods consumption. Cocoa is one of the major products exported largely to Europe.

As the highest cocoa-producing country in West Africa, the Ivory Coast leads with the highest percentage export of cocoa beans to Europe, followed by Ghana. Other African countries that export cocoa beans to Europe are Cameroon and Nigeria.

Large tons of cocoa beans leaving the ports of West Africa end up in Switzerland, Belgium, the Republic of Ireland, Germany, Denmark, and France, where it is used to manufacture chocolate products.

The European Union and its members are responsible for about 50% of the world's cocoa consumption. 

The  European Union Association is a trade association representing the European sector and grouping the major companies involved in the cocoa bean trade and processing.  

Conflicts in Africa can sometimes affect the price of cocoa. For example, the Ivory Coast civil war escalated the price of cocoa to 3.333 dollars per ton, the highest price since the beginning of the year 2010. 

But from every angle, it is clear that the cocoa trade between Africa and Europe plays a significant role in enhancing the economy of Europe.

TIKEN JAH FAKOLY, A SHINNING AFRICAN REGGAE STAR

Tiken Jah Fakoly

Reggae music is not just music; it's inspirational, sharp, and comforting that seeks justice for the downtrodden masses or the underprivileged. 

Even though the music originated from Jamaica, there have been great African reggae stars such as the late Lucky Dube, Alpha Blondy, Ras Kimono, Majek Fashek, etc. One of these upcoming reggae musicians who is gradually making it to international stardom is the Ivorian Tiken Jah Fakoly.

Tiken Jah Fakoly was born Doumbia Moussa Fakoly on June 23, 1968, in Odienne, the northwestern part of the Ivory Coast. Like most reggae musicians, he discovered his talent while very young, forming his first group, Djelys, in 1987.

Concerned by the social and political evolution of his country, Tiken was writing incisive works on the political environment in his country, expressing his works in music to raise the awareness of the masses.

In 1998, Fakoly made his first international appearance in Paris. He has played several songs, including his version of "Africain a Paris," a song originally played by Sting. 

"An Englishman in New York". Shinehead, the Jamaican reggae star, also played his version, "Jamaican in New York". Fakoly's tenth album is called "African Revolution."

In November 2010, the Ivorian reggae star, based in Bamako, Mali, undertook a two-year international tour tagged "One concert, one school" to raise funds to build schools in Africa. 

Middle of this year, amongst several African and French artists, Fakoly held an 'African Week' in France, marked with concerts, film screenings, and book presentations.

EUROPEAN UNION GRANTS LIBERIA LOAN FOR EMERGENCY AID

The European Union


The European Union (EU) has decided to release a loan of 10 million euros, as an additional aid to Liberia to enable some 500,000 people in the country to have access to health care and drinking water, according to the press statement issued in Brussels by the European Union last year.

The loan, among others, will be used to bridge the funding gap in the transitional period between humanitarian aid funding and development funding. 

The EU noted that the aid to Liberia has been so far "successful and helped to establish a link between emergency aid, rehabilitation, and development".

Out of the loan, 7 million euros will be used to fund the primary health care projects and to improve maternal and infant health. In addition, the loan will be used to finance programs for access to drinking water and sanitation networks and for the improvement of hygiene.

Part of the funds of about 2.95 million euros will be used to ensure a harmonious transition to bridge the gap until the end of the process. 

Liberia is one of the African countries that was totally crippled by war during the era of Charles Taylor, who is now facing criminal charges at The Hague.

AFRICA's TRADE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH WITH THE US

Africa and the US trade

Africa is a continent that answers the need for all raw materials required by advanced countries, including the United States of America. 

In regard to Africa's economic growth, the US will maintain a good relationship with Africa, said Ron Kirk, US Trade Representative, in his recent official tour to Tanzania.

Discussing the importance of trade-in promoting economic growth in Africa and the US, with international trade, students from the University of Dar es Salaam and Mzumbe University, Ambassador Ron Kirk said there was an urgent need to prepare the next generation of government and business leaders for the demands of an increasingly competitive global economy.

Tanzania is one of the numerous African countries blessed with extraordinary natural resources with and the US wants to maintain good relations. As the next generation leaders, you need to lead the way in taking advantage of those resources, so that Tanzania can realize its full potential," said Ron Kirk to the students.

Kirk, whose trip highlighted the strong partnership between the US and Tanzania, focused on the progress made under AGOA, but also discussed the need to do more to increase US exports to Africa, to support America's economic recovery at home. 

He commended Tanzania for being one of the only four countries worldwide to be selected for President Obama's new Partnership for Growth (PFG) initiative, which seeks to promote broad-based economic growth in developing countries.

The other countries for PFG are Ghana, El Salvador, and the Philippines. The US exports to Tanzania grew by 3.6 percent between 2009 and 2010, rising to 164 million dollars. 

ALBERTINA SISULU: LEGEND OF A POLITICAL HEROINE

Albertina Sisulu

Albertina Sisulu, one of the political icons of the Apartheid era, who sacrificed her life and fought against the evil-Apartheid alongside her husband, Albert Sisulu, has died at the age of 92 on Thursday 2/06/201.  

               

The death of struggle veteran Albertina Sisulu has left the ANC in shock, disbelief, and devastated at the loss of a mother, says ruling party spokesman Jackson Mthembu.

Albertina Sisulu was the widow of Walter Sisulu, the first secretary-general of the ANC, a Robben Island prisoner, and a friend of Nelson Mandela. 

Her extraordinary personal sacrifices were to let ordinary Africans lead a dignified life, free of the daily discriminations and humiliations that constituted the Apartheid system.

She endured a lot so that each person, regardless of race or creed or gender, could enjoy the full range of pleasures and sorrows, challenges and accomplishments that define the daily essence of an ordinary person. 

Born in 1918, in the village of Camama in the Transkei region of South Africa, Albertina chose to study nursing. She married Albert Sisulu in 1947.

Albertina was the only woman present at the birth of the African National Congress Youth League. She became more of an activist, leading the ANC Women's League in the famous 1952 Defiance Campaign and boycotts, protests, and sit-ins of the 1950s. 

In the 60s, she endured several banning orders by the Apartheid government.

Her husband was sentenced to life imprisonment on Robben Island, one of the notorious prisons in South Africa, forcing her to raise a family on her own. Like Winnie Mandela, Adelaide Thambo, wife of Oliver Thambo, and Ma Mbeki, she bore the burden with quiet and defiant dignity.

How much could a woman take in those dark, anguished days? At one time, Albertina had three of her children in jail with her husband over the anti-Apartheid struggle. 

Yet not once did her suffering diminish her attentiveness to the travails of others. Albertina Sisulu belongs to a breed of dying giants, the giants who liberated Africa of all its inhabitants.

She belongs to the giants who had fought to see the fall of Apartheid. Her selfless sacrifice can never be erased from the political history of South Africa. May her soul rest in perfect peace.

APARTHEID LEADERS MUST FACE PROSECUTION LIKE THE NAZI CRIMINALS

Apartheid South Africa


In the 1990s, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, granted amnesties to some of the perpetrators of violence and human rights abuses in apartheid-era South Africa.


To forgive, in the sight of the Lord, is better than violence and revenge, but regarding the seriousness of the crime the ex-apartheid leaders committed against the South Africans, it should have been a priority that no one should have escaped prosecution, including other world leaders at that time, like the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who supported the brutal government.

Crimes against Black people are not given much attention by the advanced countries. Response and solution always come very late when the result is already disastrous. 

But comparing the crime of the Nazi-Germans against the Jews, and that of what was done to the South Africans by apartheid leaders, is almost the same. If investigators are hunting down ex-Nazi criminals to face prosecution, then ex-leaders of apartheid and their dead squad members, too, should face prosecution.

Like the Jews, including children killed in gas chambers, the same "They opened fire. They didn't give any warning. They simply opened fire, and small children, small defenseless children, dropped down like swatted flies. This is murder, cold-blooded murder".

A man like F. W. Klerk, South Africa's last apartheid head of state, doesn't deserve to win a Nobel Peace Prize for ending Apartheid. He escalated the violence against the majority of black South Africans. 

When he realized that the world was changing rapidly and there wouldn't be any room for that type of government, he decided to give up. Who is fooling whom?

The Nobel Peace Prize should be handed to people who deserve it, not De Klerk, he was the worst criminal than Adolf Hitler of Germany. 

ACUTE FAMINE THREATENS THE HORN OF AFRICA

The effect of famine in Africa



In East Africa, ten million people are affected by drought, which has escalated the prices of food. According to the United Nations, the Horn of Africa is facing the worst drought in sixty years. 


The affected area covers parts of Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda, and the two countries that might be severely stricken are Kenya and Somalia. The dryness is because, in the last two years, very little rain has fallen. 

The severe drought has caused a food crisis, and prices have risen rapidly. In some parts of Kenya, the grain prices have risen by 80 percent, higher than average. In Ethiopia, prices have risen by 41 percent. 

The result is devastating, as malnutrition and hunger of the poor increase, said the United Nations spokesman Ocha. UN organizations are in charge of coordinating humanitarian assistance.

In some areas, 15 percent of children suffer from malnutrition. The UN asks donor countries to add more funds, but the money coming in is insufficient to solve the problem. 

Famine is not a new thing in Africa; besides sicknesses such as malaria and the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Africa has suffered much from natural disasters such as famine.

MOSQUES BUILDING IN EUROPE AND AMERICA MUST COME TO AN END

The mosque: a place of prayer, and where all evil plans are hatched



“When you go to Rome, you do what the Romans do.” This statement doesn’t mean any discrimination or racism in any way. It simply means that the country belongs to the Romans. 


In this case, they make their laws and rules, so every abiding citizen, including foreigners, must obey these laws. As easy for Christians to understand this law, some religious sect takes it as discriminatory and racist.

I do agree with the leader of the “Vlaams Belang Party”, Philip De Winter, in Belgium, when protesting against the building of a central mosque in Antwerp. 

The reason is simple and logical. First of all, “Belgium is a country that belongs to the Belgians; therefore, they have to make their own rules and laws, not foreigners. These rules and laws must be obeyed, including foreigners.

Point number two, an investigation has revealed that most of the terrorism plans are hatched in mosques. It would be recalled in the political history of Ghana that when J. J. Rawlings came to power as a Flight-Lieutenant, the first thing he did was to demolish the mosque in central Accra, because that was the center of all evil activities by so-called Islamic worshippers. The place is now a central car parking place.

Point number three, if any Belgian living in an Arab land requests permission to build a cathedral or church in that country, the permit is not only going to be denied but also, but he may also serve a prison sentence for speaking about Christianity in an Arab land. 

So why should the West or America always permit the building of mosques in their countries? Are they afraid of Muslims? I can’t simply understand.

Once I was walking along Pothoekstraat in Antwerp and saw a Belgian driving. He stopped and called a Moroccan and requested the direction of a street he was looking for. I was shocked at what I saw. 

Instead of the Moroccan telling him that I don’t know the street or here is the street, he went closer to the driver and spat on his face. With saliva full on his face, the Belgian drove his car away. What is the sense in this?

Being strict and implementing laws and rules against foreigners doesn’t give room for one to be called a racist, but it is one of the measures to reduce crime and theft in a society. 

Belgians must wake up, else one day they will see themselves burning in a fire they did not start. Problems are solved diplomatically. There is no room for violence anywhere in this world as a means of solving a problem.

TOO MUCH RELIGION, SO MUCH CONFUSION

Quote about religion

One may need to ask, One God but why so many religions? Apart from Christianity, many religions have been born or founded. The teachings of some of these religions are confusing, deceiving, and violent.

,

The effect of some of these 'Mushroom religions" is the catastrophe, chaos, suicide, destruction, and violence we are witnessing in the world today.

Countless religions have caused so much confusion in the world that many worshippers have chosen the worship of animals and idols.

These people believed in the superhuman qualities of animals and honored animals for having a spiritual life. One can be a vegetarian, but that doesn't mean you need to worship a cow, goat, or any edible animal.

Romans 1:23,  "And instead of worshipping the glorious ever-living God, they worshipped idols made to look like mere people, birds, animals, and reptiles".

In this case, animal worship is classified as idolatry. The most well-known continent that is related to animal worship in Asia is. India is perhaps the center of all idol worship. Elephant, Tiger, Snake, and even the mouse are worshipped.

Part of the ten commandments says "Thou shalt not have any other gods before Me, and Thou shalt not make unto yourself any idol, bow down to it or worship it.

But many today follow their own evil desires. The fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. I will recommend the Holy Bible to anyone who wants peace, happiness, and a better life to read.

INTERNET FRAUD TAKES A NEW PHASE

Internet frauds move online search for the weak-minded.



Beware of emails from people one may not be well acquainted with, from countries like Nigeria and Britain, as an intensive investigation has shown that about 60 percent of fake emails with the intention to defraud people mainly come from Nigeria, whilst about 40 percent comes from Great Britain.


Some years ago, it was a false lotto winning notification, followed fake e-mail lottery winning notification too. After many fell victim to the aforementioned crimes, the police stepped in, and in Spain alone, after a year of investigation in 2005, the Spanish police broke up a Nigerian internet fraud gang, which had conned more than 20,000 people over the internet.

The criminals always find new ways to defraud people whenever the old plans no longer work. Yahoo mail account requests, DHL parcel number tracking, and false claims of inheritance by looking for partners in Europe and America to transfer huge amounts of money into their foreign accounts, with an agreed percentage to be given, were all used by these criminals.

Today, a new plan has surfaced, and it is working. The new development is, some criminals in Third World Countries, especially Nigeria, are impersonating British or American citizens. They explore the internet, soliciting friendship or a serious relationship in Europe. 

To avoid any doubt or suspicion, they scan American or British passports showing their face to convince the person they are corresponding with in Europe that they are genuine American or British citizens.  

Without any second thought, some people easily become interested. Investigations have revealed that the scanned passports are genuine, but the names in them are fake, and the pictures are not of the real owners of the passports. The amazing discovery of computers and technology has made the work on passports very easy.

NIGERIA

If the one in Europe is a man, the scanned copy of the passports comes with a photo of an extremely beautiful woman; one may find it hard to resist. As such a beautiful  American or British lady, whatever she requests so that she may travel down to Europe to you is quickly released.  

When challenged as not genuine British or American, they quickly provide a telephone number to call. Try it and see, and behold, you hear the accent of an American or British woman talking to you from Nigeria. Because the criminals have collaborated with women who are living or have previously lived in America or Britain. 

This is what people should be aware of now, as many people are now responding before they realize that they have been conned.

BRITAIN

A few false lotto winning notifications come from Britain. British criminals are very interested in writing false letters of employment. People mustn't respond to unfamiliar letters of employment indicating large sums of salary, benefits, and bonuses. 

When interested, they request some personal information, including a bank account. Once this information is given, you may later see a big 'hole' in your account.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Another internet fraud that people should be aware of is Poetry and Writing sites. Initially, you may think they want to make you rich and famous when they select your poem. But that's not true. They would rather use you to make money. From the horse's own mouth, I paid for the publication of a poem in a book. 

After receiving a copy of the book, they sent me a picture of a trophy that they claimed I had won. Then they requested an amount of 169 dollars from me to send the trophy to me. I didn't do it. Even a moron could easily know that the directors behind such  "Poetry.com" are criminals.

INTERNET ADVERTISING GIANTS

Internet frauds are not only experienced by criminals in Third World and advanced countries; some internet advertising giants are also involved. About two years ago, I received a letter from one of them to pay me 70 dollars, which is the money I made after people visited my blog. 

I was told to give them my account number to pay a little money to see if the account is really mine. I did that, and 52 cents were deposited in the account. I confirmed the amount, but never heard from them again. After 6 months, they wrote to me thanking me for my patience and would soon receive the money. It's been two years now nothing has been heard from them.

The purpose of this article is to let people know how easily they could fall prey to fraudsters, for them to stay awake and be conscious not to fall victim to these merciless and wicked criminals.   

MARRIAGE TODAY, SEPARATION OR DIVORCE TOMORROW

Divorce is now very common in today's society.



Hundreds of couples, particularly on Sundays at wedding ceremonies, make vows and promises to each other. After the wedding or even a traditional marriage, it starts a big celebration together with family and friends, with a couple full of hopes and dreams. 


As a matter of fact, marriage is a journey not only full of happiness but also pain, tragedies, misery, sadness, and uncertainty. What are the causes of marriage failure?

Even though there are articles, seminars on how couples to spend a happy time together, and thousands of books on the road to a happy marriage, there is always a failure in many marriages. 

There are many reasons leading to many breakups of marriages, but most reasons are not spending enough time together, cheating, and allowing bitterness and resentment to build in couples' hearts.

The results of some bitter separations and divorces could be disastrous. Some breakups of marriages had led partners to mental institutions, and others, after a long time, still find it difficult to come to terms with what had happened to them. 

If children are involved, some are badly affected depending on how old they are.

Unfortunately, many couples do not recognize the Holy Bible as one of the best books that could guide marriage to happiness. Gen 49:4, Mal 2:14, Matt 23:30, Deut 24:5, Mark 12:23, etc, all speak about marriages.

Wealth doesn't guarantee a happy marriage. The same thing also applies to the poor. It is commitment, trust, and love that could build a happy marriage. 

That is the reason the greatest commandment of all the commandments is "Love thy neighbor as thyself".

"PLAN BELGIE" gives children from Third World Countries better chance and future through education

African children in the classroom

Every child has the right to be educated, but in most Third World Countries, children have been denied access to education due to many problems, ranging from poverty to child labor. 

An independent organization based in Belgium, that has taken a major step to seek a better future through education for less fortunate children in Third World Countries, including Africa, is "PLAN BELGIE".  Children at school in Africa

The organization has qualified, trained coordinators specialized in giving lessons to children who have any schooling experience in their lives to read and write.

Fabrice Lepla is one of the specialists of "PLAN BELGIE", dealing with the education crisis in Africa and working towards quality education in those badly affected places. 

With many years of experience on the continent, he explains, "how in other continents, African countries have made progress, sometimes with huge success. For example, in Burkina Faso, the number of children attending school increased from one-third in 2000 to two-thirds in 2009.

In a few years, several thousand schools were built. He stressed that, however, Burkina Faso is still behind in education, like many other African countries. The explanation is simple: these countries are heading to a catastrophic situation. 

There are not enough buildings to accommodate all the children. On the other hand, many schools do not always correspond to the expected quality criteria, dampening the enthusiasm of teachers, parents, and pupils.

"PLAN BELGIE" as far as education is concerned, the support is enormous, and with huge success for children across Asia, Africa, and South America. For more information on "PLAN BELGIE" surf to their website at  http://www.planbelgie.be/

SILVIO BERLUSCONI THE 'PLAYBOY' HEAD OF STATE

Sylvio Berlusconi, the Casanova head of state


No matter how powerful and intelligent a man is, he has a weakness in something. Many are those with promising careers, rich and famous, that alcohol and drug have strayed from the right track to taste the bitter part of sad life, and many are those who have publicly disgraced themselves because of their association with other women outside wedlock as married men.


Ex-president Bill Clinton, ex-boxer Mike Tyson, Jeffrey Archer, and Tiger Woods, to mention but a few, are four major examples of men whose lives turned to darkness because of a woman. 

This form of disgrace upon married men keeps coming to the news daily, yet none of these publications serves as a lesson to keep them tarnishing their image with women's affairs. 

The latest of these publications is that of Sylvio Berlusconi, the Italian premier. The president has been accused of having sex with underage girls, providing free flats to fourteen of his favorite girls, and spending large sums of money on girls at his sex-organized parties named 'Bunga-Bunga-Sexroom at his villa. 

An investigation has also revealed that Berlusconi paid for and had sex with a 17-year-old girl. This is a young girl who could be a daughter of Berlusconi.

Further investigation has revealed that in the past 8 months, Berlusconi organized 45 sex parties. 

Many Italian politicians think Berlusconi does not have to be a prime minister, but what they have forgotten is that the Business tycoon owns all the major television stations in the country, which has provided work for thousands of Italians, in this case many like him, and they do not care about what he does in his private life. He has money and power, and that's what rules his life.

As a matter of fact, this sex scandal can be used as a 'crime' against Berlusconi by politicians and other public heads who do not like him and therefore want to remove him from power, but the common Italians do not care much about this. 

IfBerlusconi is successfully removed from power today, the same man would be elected again tomorrow.

Just like the mafia organization, they have captured many of its brains behind, but the organization still exists, causing havoc and crime in Italy and around the world. 

Berlusconi might be a philanderer, but his charisma has captured the heart of the people to the extent that he can't be defeated.

ADOLESCENT NICOTINE VICTIMS LACK BRAINS

Nicotine effects

How smoking could affect the brains of the young

Adolescents who smoke bring irreparable damage to their brains. Their concentration decreases, and impulsivity increases. 


"This could mean that early smoking contributes to the development of attention and impulsivity disorders such as ADHD," said Sabrine Nail (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

A university in Amsterdam, examining the effect of nicotine, put rats into a cage where lights were installed in five holes. 

If a light was burning, the rats had their snouts as quickly as possible through the corresponding hole, stabbing. Which yielded a reward. Rats that underwent puberty got nicotine administered, and performed 5 to 10 percent worse.

At the time that a lot of attention was requested, they missed a light, "says researcher Sabine Spijker of De Volkskrant. Their concentration was found due to nicotine bloodstream deteriorating their impulsiveness.

LESS CONCENTRATION

If you translate this to people, you're talking about young people who start smoking between the twelfth and sixteenth, "says Nail. In later life would be that workers who do it are fine. 

But once it becomes extremely difficult, they seek to hook them off sooner than others. They can not quite keep their attention.

The researchers discovered that nicotine in adolescents leads to a permanent reduction of a specific protein, mGluR2, in the part of the brains that regulate attention and concentration. The protein can be stimulated with drugs, and that can also lead to less attention stimulated, but this only works temporarily.

ADULT BRAINS

All rats that indulged in nicotine in adulthood had no problems with continuing problems because their brains were already formed. The brains of rats and humans are very similar. 

The researchers are therefore observing comparable effects in humans and cause so addictive substances like nicotine permanent damage to young brains. 

But such research is not repeated in humans, for ethical reasons: the young people who would participate in smoking and thus would learn would be at a big risk of getting addicted to cigarettes.

BELGIUM: "CHILD FOCUS" FIGHTS AGAINST CHILD ABUSE

Child abuse is real. Protect your children.

Child abuse is considered a worldwide social problem that many institutions, including UNICEF, are fighting against to free children from bondage, sexual abuse, and all kinds of crimes committed against children.

One of such institutions in Belgium, which is tirelessly working hard to reduce or prevent child abuse in the country, is "CHILD FOCUS". Every week, the 'Child Focus' administration receives about ten complaints of sexual abuse against children, said Dirk Depover, the head of 'Child Focus'.

According to 'Child Focus' quarter of the victims of sexual abuse are children under 6 years, and still, 30 percent of the children are between the ages of 7 and 13.

75 percent of the cases revealed that the victims did not know the perpetrators before being abused, while 10 percent came from their neighbors and 7 percent from teachers or schoolmasters.

In the first months of 2011, 20 percent of child abuse cases were reported, according to 'Child Focus', which was probably the result of the outburst of sexual abuse within the church community. It is estimated that more than 60 percent of children have been sexually abused.

Further, an investigation has revealed that it is only 40 percent of abused cases are reported or known, but the greater percentage lies in the dark. Nothing about the case is known by the police.

As a result, the perpetrators stay free without facing the law for their crimes. They simply escape punishment and prosecution. In the file of child abuse cases, the internet is seen as the major cause out of the seven causes leading to this problem.

This is mainly about victims who can be accessed via chat or spicy spreading of images by someone known.

(The original publication of this article appeared in the Wednesday, 4 May 2011, edition of "Het Laatste Nieuws", translation by the writer).

GHANA CAN BE BETTER WITHOUT KONADU AND J J RAWLINGS

Ghana's John Jerry Rawlings: The first head of state to carry out executions under military rule


In developed countries like the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, France, etc, political leaders' priority is to make things better for the masses. 


Their wish is to serve the people and make things better for them in a way that the people will acknowledge them as good politicians, but in Africa, the story is quite different.

Ninety-nine percent of African politicians are inspired into politics by corruption without any plan to improve the welfare of the people. 

The idea or plan to loot the state, empty the government coffers, enrich themselves, feed and put their families into better institutions and positions, with stolen money banked at Swiss banks, are the main priorities on the agendas.

The corrupt African head of state has no sympathy, emotions, and does not know what suffering is because they are well fed with their families. To be in power for the rest of their lives, some become dictators, and others try to create a one-party state to avoid the attack of opposition.

The typical examples of such men are Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt (already stepped down after political chaos in his country), Muammar Gaddafi of Libya (yet to step down), and many others.

The desire of Ghana's former lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, to contest against President John Evans Atta Mills as the presidential candidate of the ruling National Democratic Congress(NDC) in the year 2012, on every ground, doesn't make sense. 

What do Konadu and her husband want in Ghana politics, after all, the crimes her husband committed in the political history of Ghana to fulfill his dreams as head of state?

Why must Konadu even try to do such a thing against Atta Mills when both are members of the same party? There are so many raw materials in Ghana to satisfy the needs of everyone, but never enough to satisfy the greed of Konadu and her family. 

I know that academically, Ghanaians are very intelligent people, but if any Ghanaian could cast a vote to make this woman the president of Ghana, then there will be room for people to question the integrity and intelligence of Ghanaians.

This is the time for every Ghanaian to be particularly aware that Konadu Rawlings' desire to contest as president of Ghana is not to do anything better for Ghanaians but greed. 

Ghanaians must continue to support President Atta Mills' government to make the NDC and other political parties strong, and shouldn't allow the greed of the Rawlings family to collapse the party.

BELGIUM TO ASSIST BURUNDI IN IT'S AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

A farmer in Burundi 



Belgium is to assist the Burundi government in developing the agricultural sector and ensuring food security for its people to the tune of 5 million euros over the next five years. 


The financial support of the former colonial power is mainly aimed at increasing agricultural production and improving access to social services, according to information received from the Belgian embassy in Bujumbura. 

Under the financing program, the problems of the land disputes, the development of marshy areas, the introduction of farmers' association, education, and the provision of potable water will be taken care of. More than 80 percent of the court cases in Burundi are said to be linked to land conflicts.

In another development, Belgium will increase its financial aid to Mali, with the submission of over 4.5 billion CFA francs. Belgium also promised to participate in co-financing with the European Union to the tune of one billion CFA francs, in the socio-economic development, through the regional assemblies of Kigali, Gao, and Timbuktu. 

For over two decades, Belgium's development aid to Mali has gone from a mere governmental co-operation program of 16. billion CFA francs, for the period 1993 to 1998, to 32.4 billion CFA francs between the year 2009 to 2012.

Professor Colin Humphrey's great biblical discovery over "THE LAST SUPPER"

The last supper



Christians have long celebrated Jesus Christ's Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, but new research released Monday claims to show it took place on the Wednesday before the crucifixion.


Professor Colin Humphreys, a scientist at the University of Cambridge, believes it is all due to a calendar mix-up -- and asserts his findings strengthen the case for finally introducing a fixed date for Easter.

Humphreys uses a combination of biblical, historical, and astronomical research to try to pinpoint the precise nature and timing of Jesus's final meal with his disciples before his death.

Researchers have long been puzzled by an apparent inconsistency in the Bible.

While Matthew, Mark, and Luke all say the Last Supper coincided with the start of the Jewish festival of Passover, John claims it took place before Passover.

Humphreys has concluded in a new book, "The Mystery Of The Last Supper", that Jesus -- along with Matthew, Mark, and Luke -- may have been using a different calendar than John.

"Whatever you think about the Bible, the fact is that Jewish people would never mistake the Passover meal for another meal, so for the Gospels to contradict themselves in this regard is really hard to understand," Humphreys said.

"Many biblical scholars say that, for this reason, you can't trust the Gospels at all. But if we use science and the Gospels hand in hand, we can actually prove that there was no contradiction."

In Humphreys' theory, Jesus went by an old-fashioned Jewish calendar rather than the official lunar calendar, which was in widespread use at the time of his death and is still in use today.

This would put the Passover meal -- and the Last Supper -- on Wednesday, explaining how such a large number of events took place between the meal and the crucifixion.

It would follow that Jesus' arrest, interrogation, and separate trials did not all take place in the space of one night but in fact occurred over a longer period.

Humphreys believes a date could, therefore, be ascribed to Easter in our modern solar calendar, and working on the basis that the crucifixion took place on April 3, Easter Day would be on April 5.