12 Feb 2010 14:31 Africa/Lagos
Nigeria: Acting President Should Address Abuses / New Leader Should Act Boldly on Violence, Corruption, and Lack of Accountability
ABUJA, February 12, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Nigeria's acting president, Goodluck Jonathan, should take immediate and concrete steps to address large-scale violence, endemic corruption, a lack of accountability for abuses, and other pressing human rights problems in Nigeria, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the newly mandated leader. On February 9, 2010, the National Assembly voted to name Jonathan acting president, taking over from the ailing president, Umaru Yar'Adua, who has been hospitalized in Saudi Arabia since November 23, 2009.
In his address to the nation following the National Assembly's vote, Jonathan pledged to take on the prevailing “culture of impunity” that has fueled successive deadly outbreaks of inter-communal violence, tackle government corruption “more robustly,” empower a rights-respecting police force, consolidate efforts to end the Niger Delta conflict, and follow through on electoral reform ahead of Nigeria's 2011 general elections.
“Goodluck Jonathan made positive and encouraging statements,” said Corinne Dufka, senior West Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Now the acting president needs to follow up with concrete actions.”
The removal, on February 10, of Michael Aondoakaa, the justice minister and attorney general under whose watch the culture of impunity flourished, was an important first step, Human Rights Watch said. Jonathan should continue this positive momentum by taking concrete actions to make sure that those who commit abuses are held accountable.
In its letter to the acting president, Human Rights Watch called on Jonathan to address the problem of impunity by ensuring that the police conduct a prompt and thorough criminal investigation, with prosecutions, into the January deadly outbreak of sectarian violence in Jos and massacre of at least 150 people in nearby Kuru Karama. He should address the root causes of the violence by sponsoring legislation that bans all forms of discrimination against “non-indigenes.”
The acting president should hold accountable security forces, notably the Nigeria Police Force, for widespread abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, and extortion, Human Rights Watch said. This should include a comprehensive criminal investigation into the extrajudicial killings by the police of suspected Boko Haram members in July 2009 and the unlawful killings of more than 130 people by the police and military while responding to the November 2008 sectarian clashes in Jos.
Jonathan should also “more robustly” tackle government corruption by subjecting government expenditures to greater oversight and more transparent financial audits, by calling on the National Assembly to pass the Freedom of Information bill, and by ensuring that government officials implicated in the massive looting of the state treasury are investigated and prosecuted, regardless of how highly placed.
Human Rights Watch further called on Jonathan to tackle the corruption and political violence that underlie the Niger Delta conflict by investigating and prosecuting the politicians who have embezzled and mismanaged the region's vast oil wealth and armed many of the criminal gangs active in the Niger Delta.
On electoral reform, Human Right Watch called on Jonathan to start to restore confidence in Nigeria's electoral system by dismissing Maurice Iwu, the chair of the electoral commission, and ordering a comprehensive and impartial investigation into widespread election abuses committed during and since the 2007 elections.
“Nigerians have suffered from violence, corruption, and state-sponsored abuses for far too long,” Dufka said. “Goodluck Jonathan has promised to create a new era of rights and justice for Nigerians, and there is no time to waste.”
To read Human Rights Watch's letter to acting President Goodluck Jonathan, please visit: http://www.hrw.org/node/88482
Source: Human Right Watch (HRW)
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Majority of Americans Approve of President Obama's Handling of Afghanistan and National Security
President Barack Obama
12 Feb 2010 15:00 Africa/Lagos
Majority of Americans Approve of President Obama's Handling of Afghanistan and National Security But Disapprove of Handling of Economic Issues, Per Franklin &
Marshall College Poll With Hearst Television
75% Say the U.S. Healthcare System Needs Reform
LANCASTER, Pa., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than half (57%) of registered American voters approve of the way President Obama is handling the situation in Afghanistan, and half (52%) also approve of the way he is handling national security issues. Fewer (45%) registered respondents approve of the way the president is dealing with the country's economic problems.
Also, more Americans now say they would vote for the Republican candidate (39%) than the Democratic candidate (35%) if the midterm House elections were held today. In September 2009, the Democrats led the Republicans, 43 percent to 30 percent, on this question.
These and other findings resulted from the February 2010 Franklin & Marshall College National Poll, produced at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA in partnership with Hearst Television Inc.
Among the other findings:
-- Only one in three (35%) citizens believes the United States is
currently headed in the right direction. Most cite the economy and
personal finances (64%) as the most important problems their families
currently face, with healthcare-related issues a distant second (11%).
-- More than one in three (37%) Americans say the current healthcare
system meets their needs very well, and another two in five (41%) say
it meets their needs pretty well, leaving about one in five (21%) who
feel the system is not serving their personal needs. These figures
remain largely unchanged since September 2009.
-- The cost of healthcare and availability of health insurance coverage
were significant problems for many adults during the past year. Nearly
one in four (23%) adults report skipping a recommended test or medical
treatment because of the cost, and one in five (21%) did not fill a
medical prescription because of the cost. About one in five (19%)
respondents say they were without health insurance coverage at some
point during the previous 12 months.
-- Three in four (75%) Americans believe the country's healthcare system
is in need of reform (compared to 79% in September 2009), and half
(47%) of these respondents believe the system is in need of major
reform. This equates to about one in three (35%) Americans who feel
the nation's healthcare system needs major reform-about the same
proportion as in September (37%).
-- A majority (59%) of Americans believes the bills being considered by
the House and Senate would make major changes to the country's
healthcare system. Americans are evenly split about whether they are
satisfied (45%) or dissatisfied (45%) that healthcare reform has not
yet passed.
The survey findings presented in this release are based on the results of interviews conducted February 2-8, 2010. The interviews were conducted at the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College under the direction of the poll's Director, G. Terry Madonna, PhD, Head Methodologist Berwood Yost, and Project Manager Jennifer Harding. The data included in this release represent the responses of 920 adults in the United States, and 767 of them are registered to vote. Telephone numbers for the survey were generated using random digit dialing, and respondents were randomly selected from within each household. Survey results were weighted (age, education, race, region, and gender) using an iterative weighting algorithm. The sample error for this survey is +/- 3.2 percentage points. The sample error for registered adults is +/- 3.5 percentage points. This Franklin & Marshall College Poll was produced in partnership with Hearst Television Inc. It may be used in whole or in part, provided any use is attributed to Franklin & Marshall College.
This is the fifth national poll in a series produced at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., with Hearst Television; the partnership, whose first poll was in June 2008, was forged out of a longstanding regional relationship between Franklin & Marshall and Hearst station WGAL-TV, the NBC affiliate serving the Lancaster/Harrisburg TV market.
This is also the second Franklin & Marshall College Poll to focus on health-care policy, an area of academic strength for the College.
Contributors to the poll included Senior Associate Dean of the Faculty, Vice Provost for Planning and Institutional Research and Professor of Economics Alan Caniglia, Professor of Economics Sean Flaherty and The Honorable and Mrs. John C. Kunkel Professor of Government Joseph Karlesky.
Complete results can be found at http://politics.fandm.edu/. Readers can also follow poll director Dr. Madonna on Twitter at http://twitter.com/terrymadonna.
Hearst Television Inc., formerly known as Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc., is a leading local media company comprising 29 television stations and two radio stations. The Company's television stations reach approximately 18% of U.S. TV households, making it one of America's largest television station groups. It also owns more than three dozen websites and multicasts more than two dozen digital channels providing news, weather and entertainment programming. Hearst Television is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst Corporation. The Company's Web address is www.hearsttelevision.com.
Source: Hearst Television Inc.
CONTACT: Dr. G. Terry Madonna, Director of the Center for Politics and
Public Affairs, Director, Franklin and Marshall College Poll, Professor of
Public Affairs, Franklin & Marshall College, Office, +1-717-291-4052, or Cell,
+1-717-575-2164, Fax, +1-717-358-4666, terry.madonna@fandm.edu; or Tom Campo
of Campo Communications, LLC, for Hearst Television Inc., +1-212-590-2464,
tom@campocommunications.com
Web Site: http://www.hearsttelevision.com/
Thursday, February 11, 2010
CellTrust Unveils SecureSMS Mobile Banking and Payment Pilot in Africa to Secure Branchless Banking for the Under and Un-banked
11 Feb 2010 12:00 Africa/Lagos
CellTrust Unveils SecureSMS Mobile Banking and Payment Pilot in Africa to Secure Branchless Banking for the Under and Un-banked
CellTrust Pilot Addresses the Central Banks' Call for More Security
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- CellTrust Corporation (www.CellTrust.com), the leading supplier of secure mobile messaging and applications, has announced the launch of its SecureSMS Mobile Banking and Payment Pilot for the African region. CellTrust recently partnered with Maxim-Pro Ltd. (www.maxim-pro.com), based in Abuja, Nigeria, to secure and mobile enable their successful banking platform with the view to extending secure mobile banking and payment services to under and un-banked populations.
Within the first few months of operation, uptake is expected to be high for the new Secure SMS/Text Mobile Banking program launched via CellTrust's Global SecureSMS Gateway. The pilot will allow end-users to make mobile cash transfers, payments and securely access other microfinance banking products.
"Microfinance banking institutions and cash agents will continue to play a major role in the successful implementation of the pilot and indeed the mobile branchless banking value chain," explains CellTrust CEO Sean Moshir. "Securing the mobile branchless banking value chain against fraud is a major challenge for the region. CellTrust's SecureSMS Appliance puts these concerns to rest by providing a solution that delivers advanced security and unprecedented reliability."
Fraud reduction is high on the agenda across Central Banks in Africa. New security requirements for mobile financial management insist both the financial institutions and their distribution networks take a high level of responsibility in protecting the end user.
"We are experiencing a clarion call for more security, and in the case of mobile text banking or SMS banking, Central Bank officials are legislating requirements for SecureSMS with multiple levels of authentication and encryption along with a clear audit trail for compliance," said Samuel Ucheaga, Managing Director, CellTrust of Africa.
Turning any phone into a secure communication device, CellTrust SecureSMS provides end-to-end privacy on the mobile device via a highly encrypted, tamper-proof process while enabling message sizes up to 5,000 characters. A remote wipe functionality that ensures users can wipe the handset if it is lost or stolen adds another critical layer of security. CellTrust SecureSMS Appliance is the first global enterprise appliance to offer secure SMS communication between handsets and enterprise applications and handsets with highly encrypted end to end security in compliance with HIPAA, FISMA, and Sarbanes-Oxley, ensuring that information is kept private and only delivered to the intended recipient. CellTrust's award winning SecureSMS(TM) Appliance and Gateway reaches 200+ countries and over 700 carriers.
CellTrust will officially introduce its SecureSMS(TM) Appliance and Gateway at MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS, SHOWSTOPPERS, at Hilton Barcelona hotel, Avinguda Diagonal, 589-591, Barcelona, Spain 08014 on February 14, 2010.
CellTrust SecureSMS(TM) Appliance was selected winner of 2009 Best Enterprise Enabler Application for the RCR Ecosystem Awards. In 2008 CellTrust SecureSMS won the Communications Solutions Product of the Year Award and was voted Best Messaging Security Solution by the Info Security Products Guide's Tomorrow Technology Today Award. SecureSMS was accredited as a finalist for the Third Annual CTIA Emerging Technology Award, and was named the winner of three Mobile Star Awards, and the prestigious Mobile Marketing Association 2008 Global Relationship Building Award.
About CellTrust Corporation
CellTrust is a leading provider of secure mobile messaging and applications. CellTrust's patent
pending SecureSMS Gateway(TM) featuring the SecureSMS(TM) Appliance and a suite of mobile applications provide advanced secure mobile messaging and information management across 200+ countries and over 700 carriers. CellTrust ensures the secure and trusted exchange of information on mobile devices to the financial services, healthcare, government, education, energy, information technology, marketing, and travel, among other global industries. For more information about CellTrust's Global, African, North American and Australian operations: www.celltrust.com www.africa.celltrust.com www.celltrust.com.au
CellTrust Media Contact:
Lora Friedrichsen or Yasmin Ezaby
Global Results Comms (GRC) for CellTrust
+1 949-608-0276
celltrust@globalresultspr.com
Source: CellTrust Corporation
CONTACT: Lora Friedrichsen, or Yasmin Ezaby, both of Global Results
Comms (GRC), +1-949-608-0276, celltrust@globalresultspr.com, for CellTrust
Web Site: http://www.celltrust.com/
http://www.maxim-pro.com/
http://www.africa.celltrust.com/
http://www.celltrust.com.au/
Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
11 Feb 2010
15:00
Rotary Lights Chicago's Wrigley Building With Dramatic End Polio Now Message
15:00
Over 100 Global Social Entrepreneurs Convene to Discuss Revolutionizing Social Change through Invention
10 Feb 2010
20:17
Platts Survey: OPEC Pumps 29.25 Million Barrels Per Day in January
13:34
UN Envoy lauds Nigeria for enhancing women's role in peacekeeping missions
07:00
BOURBON Press Release 2009 4th Quarter and 2009 Annual Revenues
CellTrust Unveils SecureSMS Mobile Banking and Payment Pilot in Africa to Secure Branchless Banking for the Under and Un-banked
CellTrust Pilot Addresses the Central Banks' Call for More Security
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- CellTrust Corporation (www.CellTrust.com), the leading supplier of secure mobile messaging and applications, has announced the launch of its SecureSMS Mobile Banking and Payment Pilot for the African region. CellTrust recently partnered with Maxim-Pro Ltd. (www.maxim-pro.com), based in Abuja, Nigeria, to secure and mobile enable their successful banking platform with the view to extending secure mobile banking and payment services to under and un-banked populations.
Within the first few months of operation, uptake is expected to be high for the new Secure SMS/Text Mobile Banking program launched via CellTrust's Global SecureSMS Gateway. The pilot will allow end-users to make mobile cash transfers, payments and securely access other microfinance banking products.
"Microfinance banking institutions and cash agents will continue to play a major role in the successful implementation of the pilot and indeed the mobile branchless banking value chain," explains CellTrust CEO Sean Moshir. "Securing the mobile branchless banking value chain against fraud is a major challenge for the region. CellTrust's SecureSMS Appliance puts these concerns to rest by providing a solution that delivers advanced security and unprecedented reliability."
Fraud reduction is high on the agenda across Central Banks in Africa. New security requirements for mobile financial management insist both the financial institutions and their distribution networks take a high level of responsibility in protecting the end user.
"We are experiencing a clarion call for more security, and in the case of mobile text banking or SMS banking, Central Bank officials are legislating requirements for SecureSMS with multiple levels of authentication and encryption along with a clear audit trail for compliance," said Samuel Ucheaga, Managing Director, CellTrust of Africa.
Turning any phone into a secure communication device, CellTrust SecureSMS provides end-to-end privacy on the mobile device via a highly encrypted, tamper-proof process while enabling message sizes up to 5,000 characters. A remote wipe functionality that ensures users can wipe the handset if it is lost or stolen adds another critical layer of security. CellTrust SecureSMS Appliance is the first global enterprise appliance to offer secure SMS communication between handsets and enterprise applications and handsets with highly encrypted end to end security in compliance with HIPAA, FISMA, and Sarbanes-Oxley, ensuring that information is kept private and only delivered to the intended recipient. CellTrust's award winning SecureSMS(TM) Appliance and Gateway reaches 200+ countries and over 700 carriers.
CellTrust will officially introduce its SecureSMS(TM) Appliance and Gateway at MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS, SHOWSTOPPERS, at Hilton Barcelona hotel, Avinguda Diagonal, 589-591, Barcelona, Spain 08014 on February 14, 2010.
CellTrust SecureSMS(TM) Appliance was selected winner of 2009 Best Enterprise Enabler Application for the RCR Ecosystem Awards. In 2008 CellTrust SecureSMS won the Communications Solutions Product of the Year Award and was voted Best Messaging Security Solution by the Info Security Products Guide's Tomorrow Technology Today Award. SecureSMS was accredited as a finalist for the Third Annual CTIA Emerging Technology Award, and was named the winner of three Mobile Star Awards, and the prestigious Mobile Marketing Association 2008 Global Relationship Building Award.
About CellTrust Corporation
CellTrust is a leading provider of secure mobile messaging and applications. CellTrust's patent
pending SecureSMS Gateway(TM) featuring the SecureSMS(TM) Appliance and a suite of mobile applications provide advanced secure mobile messaging and information management across 200+ countries and over 700 carriers. CellTrust ensures the secure and trusted exchange of information on mobile devices to the financial services, healthcare, government, education, energy, information technology, marketing, and travel, among other global industries. For more information about CellTrust's Global, African, North American and Australian operations: www.celltrust.com www.africa.celltrust.com www.celltrust.com.au
CellTrust Media Contact:
Lora Friedrichsen or Yasmin Ezaby
Global Results Comms (GRC) for CellTrust
+1 949-608-0276
celltrust@globalresultspr.com
Source: CellTrust Corporation
CONTACT: Lora Friedrichsen, or Yasmin Ezaby, both of Global Results
Comms (GRC), +1-949-608-0276, celltrust@globalresultspr.com, for CellTrust
Web Site: http://www.celltrust.com/
http://www.maxim-pro.com/
http://www.africa.celltrust.com/
http://www.celltrust.com.au/
Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
11 Feb 2010
15:00
Rotary Lights Chicago's Wrigley Building With Dramatic End Polio Now Message
15:00
Over 100 Global Social Entrepreneurs Convene to Discuss Revolutionizing Social Change through Invention
10 Feb 2010
20:17
Platts Survey: OPEC Pumps 29.25 Million Barrels Per Day in January
13:34
UN Envoy lauds Nigeria for enhancing women's role in peacekeeping missions
07:00
BOURBON Press Release 2009 4th Quarter and 2009 Annual Revenues
Nigerians Want a New Government and not an Acting President
Acting President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria
Nigerians Want a New Government and not an Acting President
~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima
The appointment of Mr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as the Acting President of Nigeria is not something to celebrate as long as the notorious ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is still in power.
The notorious PDP does not deserve to be in power, because of the indictment of the top leaders of the political party for various corrupt practices and most of them are still going about with impunity. None of them has been made to pay for the crimes they have committed. The crimes for which the majority of Nigerians are suffering and thousands have died while these guilty criminals are still sharing government appointments in the corridors of power. So, the proclamation of Goodluck Jonathan as the Acting President is a continuation of the corrupt government that should have been sacked.
Mrs. Turai Yar'Adua has been accused of manipulating the cabinet of her incapacitated husband, President Umaru Yar’Adua and using unconstitutional methods to perpetuate the political crisis and stymie the appointment of a new head of state. But is it not ridiculous to tell Nigerians that the First Lady is responsible for the political impasse? How can the National Assembly allow her to hold the most populous nation in Africa to ransom? The circulation of this ridiculous political conspiracy by the highly esteemed NEXT newspaper only poured more fuel to the flames of the political crisis in Nigeria: that Nigerians are being ruled by a political cabal controlled by Hajia Turai’s Bottom Power.
Acting President Goodluck Jonathan has started a cabinet reshuffle to displace, replace or dismiss some unpopular ministers and others like Mr. Michael Aondoakaa, the Minister of Justice who was moved to the Ministry of Special Duties. But as The Economist reported that, “there was no hint that he was about to sweep away the ancien régime.”
“The resolution is an illusion. The legal issues will cloud how active Jonathan can be,” said Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Mr. Goodluck Jonathan is not an innocent man as long as he is one of the gang leaders of the most corrupt political party in Africa.
What Nigerians would love to see is a Nigerian Jerry Rawlings to overthrow the wicked rulers in Nigeria and not an acting president of a corrupt government.
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Nigeria killings caught on video
Nigeria killings caught on video
Nigerian police and military units carried out extra-judicial killings last year in the aftermath of clashes with members of a Muslim group in the north of ...
Nigerian police and military units carried out extra-judicial killings last year in the aftermath of clashes with members of a Muslim group in the north of ...
Monday, February 8, 2010
Mr. Ben Kioko Briefs Journalists on Legal Issues of the AU
6 Feb 2010 11:35 Africa/Lagos
Mr. Ben Kioko Briefs Journalists on Legal Issues of the AU
ADDIS ABABA, February 5, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Mr. Ben Kioko, the Legal Counsel of the African Union Commission (AUC), addressed journalists on the status of ratification of treaties, instruments and conventions of the OAU/AU; the abuse of the principle of universal jurisdiction; and the Hissene Habre case. Within the framework of the 14th Ordinary Session of the African Union Summit, the issues were addressed during the press conference that took place on 31 January 2010; at the AU headquarters, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Mr. Kioko, announced the 15 Members of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council. The five countries elected to serve for a period of three years as from March 2010 are: Republic of Equatorial Guinea – Central Africa; Republic of Kenya – East Africa; Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya – North Africa; Republic of Zimbabwe – Southern Africa; Federal Republic of Nigeria – West Africa.
The other ten members of the African Union Peace and Security Council were elected for a term of two years, as from 1st April 2010. They are: Republic of Burundi – Central Africa;
Republic of Chad – Central Africa; Republic of Djibouti – East Africa; Republic of Rwanda – East Africa; Republic of Mauritania – North Africa; Republic of Namibia – Southern Africa; Republic of South Africa - Southern Africa; Republic of Benin - West Africa; Republic of Cote d'Ivoire – West Africa; Republic of Mali – West Africa.
Concerning the former Chadian president, Mr. Hissene Habre, Mr. Kioko said that the trial is expected to start in the next few months, soon after the AU and the European Union have worked out the budget requirements and issues of procedure.
He also mentioned that a detailed plan to merge the African Court of Human and People's Rights with the African Court of Justice, and to mandate the new entity to handle serious offences like war crimes, would be presented at the next AU summit in July.
“The African judicial organs should be able to deal with cases relating to unconstitutional changes of government so that is also another axis we will be looking at to confer jurisdiction upon the African court”, the Director said.
Source: African Union Commission (AUC)
Mr. Ben Kioko Briefs Journalists on Legal Issues of the AU
ADDIS ABABA, February 5, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Mr. Ben Kioko, the Legal Counsel of the African Union Commission (AUC), addressed journalists on the status of ratification of treaties, instruments and conventions of the OAU/AU; the abuse of the principle of universal jurisdiction; and the Hissene Habre case. Within the framework of the 14th Ordinary Session of the African Union Summit, the issues were addressed during the press conference that took place on 31 January 2010; at the AU headquarters, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Mr. Kioko, announced the 15 Members of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council. The five countries elected to serve for a period of three years as from March 2010 are: Republic of Equatorial Guinea – Central Africa; Republic of Kenya – East Africa; Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya – North Africa; Republic of Zimbabwe – Southern Africa; Federal Republic of Nigeria – West Africa.
The other ten members of the African Union Peace and Security Council were elected for a term of two years, as from 1st April 2010. They are: Republic of Burundi – Central Africa;
Republic of Chad – Central Africa; Republic of Djibouti – East Africa; Republic of Rwanda – East Africa; Republic of Mauritania – North Africa; Republic of Namibia – Southern Africa; Republic of South Africa - Southern Africa; Republic of Benin - West Africa; Republic of Cote d'Ivoire – West Africa; Republic of Mali – West Africa.
Concerning the former Chadian president, Mr. Hissene Habre, Mr. Kioko said that the trial is expected to start in the next few months, soon after the AU and the European Union have worked out the budget requirements and issues of procedure.
He also mentioned that a detailed plan to merge the African Court of Human and People's Rights with the African Court of Justice, and to mandate the new entity to handle serious offences like war crimes, would be presented at the next AU summit in July.
“The African judicial organs should be able to deal with cases relating to unconstitutional changes of government so that is also another axis we will be looking at to confer jurisdiction upon the African court”, the Director said.
Source: African Union Commission (AUC)
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Toyota Recall: Latest Updates
Parts to Reinforce Accelerator Pedals Delivered to All U.S. Toyota Dealerships
Mailing of Notification Letters to Affected Owners Begins Today
Many Toyota Dealers Extending Hours, Hiring Additional Technicians to Complete Repairs for Customers Quickly and Conveniently
TORRANCE, Calif. , February 5, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. today announced that Toyota dealers nationwide have received the parts, information and training they need to fix accelerator pedals in recalled Toyota Division vehicles, and that repairs on involved vehicles have begun. The actual repair requires about 30 minutes of work.
The company also announced that it has begun mailing letters to owners of recalled vehicles to let them know when to bring their vehicles into a dealership. Owners will only receive a letter if their vehicle is involved in the recall. Upon receipt of a notification letter, owners will be asked to contact a local Toyota dealership to schedule an appointment to have their vehicle fixed.
“Nothing is more important to us than the safety and reliability of the vehicles our customers drive, and we are determined to live up to the high standards people have come to expect from Toyota over the past 50 years,” said Jim Lentz, president and Chief Operating Officer, TMS. “Everyone at Toyota is focused on making this recall simple and trouble-free for our customers,” he said.
“We’re working hard to ensure that our dealers have the resources and support they need to make sure our customers get their cars fixed quickly,” Lentz added. “The parts have been shipped, the dealers are trained, and they are already making the repairs. Many of our dealers are working extended hours – some 24/7– and adding service technicians and other staff to complete the recall campaign as conveniently as possible. I appreciate the efforts that our dealers are making to take care of Toyota owners.”
Toyota’s engineers developed and rigorously tested a solution to address the potential for sticking accelerator pedals that is both effective and simple. A precision-cut steel reinforcement bar will be installed into the accelerator pedal assembly on affected vehicles, thereby eliminating the excess friction that has caused pedals to stick in rare instances.
Toyota Dealers Going Above and Beyond to Take Care of Customers, Rebuild Confidence and Trust
Toyota dealers across the country are taking extra steps to support customers during this recall.
Many Toyota dealers will offer extended service hours, and some are planning to stay open 24 hours a day until all customer vehicles have been fixed. Others are adding greeters to their service drives, dedicating body shop capacity to expedite repairs, providing free car washes and oil changes, increasing owner communication and providing complimentary maintenance service, among other customer-focused activities.
To support these efforts, Toyota is sending checks of between $7,500 and $75,000 to its dealers in acknowledgement of the additional costs they are assuming to make it easier for customers to have the necessary repairs done quickly and conveniently.
About the Recall to Address Sticking Accelerator Pedals
On January 21, Toyota announced its intention to recall approximately 2.3 million select Toyota Division vehicles equipped with certain accelerator pedal mechanisms that may, in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position. Toyota vehicles affected by the recall include:
• Certain 2009-2010 RAV4
• Certain 2009-2010 Corolla
• 2009-2010 Matrix
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• Certain 2007-2010 Camry
• Certain 2010 Highlander
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2008-2010 Sequoia
No Lexus Division or Scion vehicles are involved in these actions. Also not involved are Toyota Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, Highlander hybrids and certain Camry models, including Camry hybrids, all of which remain for sale.
Further, Camry, RAV4, Corolla and Highlander vehicles with Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) that begin with "J" are not affected by the accelerator pedal recall.
In the event that a driver experiences an accelerator pedal that sticks in a partial open throttle position or returns slowly to idle position, the vehicle can be controlled with firm and steady application of the brakes. The brakes should not be pumped repeatedly because it could deplete vacuum assist, requiring stronger brake pedal pressure. The vehicle should be driven to the nearest safe location, the engine shut off and a Toyota dealer contacted for assistance.
Separately from the recall for sticking accelerator pedals, Toyota is in the process of recalling vehicles to address rare instances in which floor mats have trapped the accelerator pedal in certain Toyota and Lexus models (announced November 25, 2009), and is already notifying customers about how it will fix this issue. In the case of vehicles covered by both recalls, it is Toyota’s intention to remedy both at the same time.
Detailed information and answers to questions about issues related to these recalls are available to customers at www.toyota.com/recall and at the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.
Media Contact:
Toyota Motor Sales, Corporate Communications
(310) 468-5297
(310) 468-7359
Africa / Keynote Address at the 58th National Prayer Breakfast
5 Feb 2010 12:26 Africa/Lagos
Africa / Keynote Address at the 58th National Prayer Breakfast
WASHINGTON, February 5, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. Thank you very much. I have to begin by saying I'm not Bono. (Laughter.) Those of you who were here when he was, I apologize beforehand. (Laughter.) But it is a great pleasure to be with you and to be here with President and Mrs. Obama, to be with Vice President Biden, with Chairman Mullen, with certainly our host today, my former colleagues and friends, Senators Isakson and Amy Klobuchar. And to be with so many distinguished guests and visitors who have come from all over our country and indeed from all over the world.
I have attended this prayer breakfast every year since 1993, and I have always found it to be a gathering that inspires and motivates me. Now today, our minds are still filled with the images of the tragedy of Haiti, where faith is being tested daily in food lines and makeshift hospitals, in tent cities where there are not only so many suffering people, but so many vanished dreams.
When I think about the horrible catastrophe that has struck Haiti, I am both saddened but also spurred. This is a moment that has already been embraced by people of faith from everywhere. I thank Prime Minister Zapatero for his country's response and commitment. Because in the days since the earthquake, we have seen the world and the world's faithful spring into action on behalf of those suffering. President Obama has put our country on the leading edge of making sure that we do all we can to help alleviate not only the immediate suffering, but to assist in the rebuilding and recovery. So many countries have answered the call, and so many churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples have brought their own people together. And even modern technology through Facebook and telethons and text messages and Twitter, there's been an overwhelming global response. But of course, there's so much more to be done.
When I think about being here with all of you today, there are so many subjects to talk about. You've already heard, both in prayer and in scripture reading and in Prime Minister Zapatero's remarks, a number of messages. But let me be both personal and speak from my unique perspective now as Secretary of State. I've been here as a First Lady. I've been here as a senator, and now I am here as a Secretary of State. I have heard heartfelt descriptions of personal faith journeys. I've heard impassioned pleas for feeding the hungry and helping the poor, caring for the sick. I've heard speeches about promoting understanding among people of different faiths. I've met hundreds of visitors from countries across the globe. I've seen the leaders of my own country come here amidst the crises of the time and, for at least a morning, put away political and ideological differences. And I've watched and I've listened to three presidents, each a man of faith, speak from their hearts, both sharing their own feelings about being in a position that has almost intolerably impossible burdens to bear, and appealing often, either explicitly or implicitly, for an end to the increasing smallness, irrelevancy, even meanness, of our own political culture. My own heart has been touched and occasionally pierced by the words I've heard, and often my spirit has been lifted by the musicians and the singers who have shared their gifts in praising the Lord with us. And during difficult and painful times, my faith has been strengthened by the personal connections that I have experienced with people who, by the calculus of politics, were on the opposite side of me on the basis of issues or partisanship.
After my very first prayer breakfast, a bipartisan group of women asked me to join them for lunch and told me that they were forming a prayer group. And these prayer partners prayed for me. They prayed for me during some very challenging times. They came to see me in the White House. They kept in touch with me and some still do today. And they gave me a handmade book with messages, quotes, and scripture, to sustain me. And of all the thousands of gifts that I received in the White House, I have a special affection for this one. Because in addition to the tangible gift of the book, it contained 12 intangible gifts, 12 gifts of discernment, peace, compassion, faith, fellowship, vision, forgiveness, grace, wisdom, love, joy, and courage. And I have had many occasions to pull out that book and to look at it and to try, Chairman Mullen, to figure out how to close the gap of what I am feeling and doing with what I know I should be feeling and doing. As a person of faith, it is a constant struggle, particularly in the political arena, to close that gap that each of us faces.
In February of 1994, the speaker here was Mother Teresa. She gave, as everyone who remembers that occasion will certainly recall, a strong address against abortion. And then she asked to see me. And I thought, “Oh, dear.” (Laughter.) And after the breakfast, we went behind that curtain and we sat on folding chairs, and I remember being struck by how small she was and how powerful her hands were, despite her size, and that she was wearing sandals in February in Washington. (Laughter.)
We began to talk, and she told me that she knew that we had a shared conviction about adoption being vastly better as a choice for unplanned or unwanted babies. And she asked me – or more properly, she directed me – to work with her to create a home for such babies here in Washington. I know that we often picture, as we're growing up, God as a man with a white beard. But that day, I felt like I had been ordered, and that the message was coming not just through this diminutive woman but from someplace far beyond.
So I started to work. And it took a while because we had to cut through all the red tape. We had to get all the approvals. I thought it would be easier than it turned out to be. She proved herself to be the most relentless lobbyist I've ever encountered. (Laughter.) She could not get a job in your White House, Mr. President. (Laughter.) She never let up. She called me from India, she called me from Vietnam, she wrote me letters, and it was always: “When's the house gonna open? How much more can be done quickly?”
Finally, the moment came: June, 1995, and the Mother Teresa Home for Infant Children opened. She flew in from Kolkata to attend the opening, and like a happy child, she gripped my arm and led me around, looking at the bassinets and the pretty painted colors on the wall, and just beaming about what this meant for children and their futures.
A few years later, I attended her funeral in Kolkata, where I saw presidents and prime ministers, royalty and street beggars, pay her homage. And after the service, her successor, Sister Nirmala, the leader of the Missionaries of Charity, invited me to come to the Mother House. I was deeply touched. When I arrived, I realized I was one of only a very few outsiders. And I was directed into a whitewashed room where the casket had already arrived. And we stood around with the nuns, with the candles on the walls flickering, and prayed for this extraordinary woman. And then Sister Nirmala asked me to offer a prayer. I felt both inadequate and deeply honored, just as I do today. And in the tradition of prayer breakfast speakers, let me share a few matters that reflect how I came on my own faith journey, and how I think about the responsibilities that President Obama and his Administration and our government face today.
As Amy said, I grew up in the Methodist Church. On both sides of my father's family, the Rodhams and the Joneses, they came from mining towns. And they claimed, going back many years, to have actually been converted by John and Charles Wesley. And, of course, Methodists were methodical. It was a particularly good religion for me. (Laughter.) And part of it is a commitment to living out your faith. We believe that faith without works may not be dead, but it's hard to discern from time to time.
And of course, John Wesley had this simple rule which I carry around with me as I travel: Do all the good you can by all the means you can in all the ways you can in all the places you can at all the times you can to all the people you can, as long as ever you can. That's a tall order. And of course, one of the interpretive problems with it is, who defines good? What are we actually called to do, and how do we stay humble enough, obedient enough, to ask ourselves, am I really doing what I'm called to do?
It was a good rule to be raised by and it was certainly a good rule for my mother and father to discipline us by. And I think it's a good rule to live by, with the appropriate dose of humility. Our world is an imperfect one filled with imperfect people, so we constantly struggle to meet our own spiritual goals. But John Wesley's teachings, and the teachings of my church, particularly during my childhood and teenage years, gave me the impetus to believe that I did have a responsibility. It meant not sitting on the sidelines, but being in the arena. And it meant constantly working to try to fulfill the lessons that I absorbed as a child. It's not easy. We're here today because we're all seekers, and we can all look around our own lives and the lives of those whom we know and see everyone falling so short.
And then of course, as we look around the world, there are so many problems and challenges that people of faith are attempting to address or should be. We can recite those places where human beings are mired in the past – their hatreds, their differences – where governments refuse to speak to other governments, where the progress of entire nations is undermined because isolation and insularity seem less risky than cooperation and collaboration, where all too often it is religion that is the force that drives and sustains division rather than being the healing balm. These patterns persist despite the overwhelming evidence that more good will come from suspending old animosities and preconceptions from engaging others in dialogue, from remembering the cardinal rules found in all of the world's major religions.
Last October, I visited Belfast once again, 11 years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, a place where being a Protestant or a Catholic determined where you lived, often where you worked, whether you were a friend or an enemy, a threat or a target. Yet over time, as the body count grew, the bonds of common humanity became more powerful than the differences fueled by ancient wrongs. So bullets have been traded for ballots.
As we meet this morning, both communities are attempting to hammer out a final agreement on the yet unresolved issues between them. And they are discovering anew what the Scripture urges us: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we don't give up.” Even in places where God's presence and promise seems fleeting and unfulfilled or completely absent, the power of one person's faith and the determination to act can help lead a nation out of darkness.
Some of you may have seen the film Pray the Devil Back to Hell. It is the story of a Liberian woman who was tired of the conflict and the killing and the fear that had gripped her country for years. So she went to her church and she prayed for an end to the civil war. And she organized other women at her church, and then at other churches, then at the mosques. Soon thousands of women became a mass movement, rising up and praying for a peace, and working to bring it about that finally, finally ended the conflict.
And yet the devil must have left Liberia and taken up residence in Congo. When I was in the Democratic Republic of Congo this summer, the contrasts were so overwhelmingly tragic – a country the size of Western Europe, rich in minerals and natural resources, where 5.4 million people have been killed in the most deadly conflict since World War II, where 1,100 women and girls are raped every month, where the life expectancy is 46 and dropping, where poverty, starvation, and all of the ills that stalk the human race are in abundance.
When I traveled to Goma, I saw in a single day the best and the worst of humanity. I met with women who had been savaged and brutalized physically and emotionally, victims of gender and sexual-based violence in a place where law, custom, and even faith did little to protect them. But I also saw courageous women who, by faith, went back into the bush to find those who, like them, had been violently attacked. I saw the doctors and the nurses who were helping to heal the wounds, and I saw so many who were there because their faith led them to it.
As we look at the world today and we reflect on the overwhelming response of outpouring of generosity to what happened in Haiti, I'm reminded of the story of Elijah. After he goes to Mount Horeb, we read that he faced “a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence – a still small voice.” It was then that Elijah heard the voice of the Lord. It is often when we are only quiet enough to listen that we do as well. It's something we can do at any time, without a disaster or a catastrophe provoking it. It shouldn't take that.
But the teachings of every religion call us to care for the poor, tell us to visit the orphans and widows, to be generous and charitable, to alleviate suffering. All religions have their version of the Golden Rule and direct us to love our neighbor and welcome the stranger and visit the prisoner. But how often in the midst of our own lives do we respond to that? All of these holy texts, all of this religious wisdom from these very different faiths call on us to act out of love.
In politics, we sometimes talk about message discipline – making sure everyone uses the same set of talking points. Well, whoever was in charge of message discipline on these issues for every religion certainly knew what they were doing. Regardless of our differences, we all got the same talking points and the same marching orders. So the charge is a personal one. Yet across the world, we see organized religion standing in the way of faith, perverting love, undermining that message.
Sometimes it's easier to see that far away than here at home. But religion, cloaked in naked power lust, is used to justify horrific violence, attacks on homes, markets, schools, volleyball games, churches, mosques, synagogues, temples. From Iraq to Pakistan and Afghanistan to Nigeria and the Middle East, religion is used a club to deny the human rights of girls and women, from the Gulf to Africa to Asia, and to discriminate, even advocating the execution of gays and lesbians. Religion is used to enshrine in law intolerance of free expression and peaceful protest. Iran is now detaining and executing people under a new crime – waging war against God. It seems to be a rather dramatic identity crisis.
So in the Obama Administration, we are working to bridge religious divides. We're taking on violations of human rights perpetrated in the name of religion. And we invite members of Congress and clergy and active citizens like all of you here to join us. Of course we're supporting the peace processes from Northern Ireland to the Middle East, and of course we are following up on the President's historic speech at Cairo with outreach efforts to Muslims and promoting interfaith dialogue, and of course we're condemning the repression in Iran.
But we are also standing up for girls and women, who too often in the name of religion, are denied their basic human rights. And we are standing up for gays and lesbians who deserve to be treated as full human beings. (Applause.) And we are also making it clear to countries and leaders that these are priorities of the United States. Every time I travel, I raise the plight of girls and women, and make it clear that we expect to see changes. And I recently called President Museveni, whom I have known through the prayer breakfast, and expressed the strongest concerns about a law being considered in the parliament of Uganda.
We are committed, not only to reaching out and speaking up about the perversion of religion, and in particularly the use of it to promote and justify terrorism, but also seeking to find common ground. We are working with Muslim nations to come up with an appropriate way of demonstrating criticism of religious intolerance without stepping over into the area of freedom of religion or non-religion and expression. So there is much to be done, and there is a lot of challenging opportunities for each of us as we leave this prayer breakfast, this 58th prayer breakfast.
In 1975, my husband and I, who had gotten married in October, and we were both teaching at the University of Arkansas Law School in beautiful Fayetteville, Arkansas – we got married on a Saturday and we went back to work on a Monday. So around Christmastime, we decided that we should go somewhere and celebrate, take a honeymoon. And my late father said, “Well, that's a great idea. We'll come, too.” (Laughter.)
And indeed, Bill and I and my entire family – (laughter) – went to Acapulco. We had a great time, but it wasn't exactly a honeymoon. So when we got back, Bill was talking to one of his friends who was then working in Haiti, and his friend said, “Well, why don't you come see me? This is the most interesting country. Come and take some time.” So indeed, we did. So we were there over the New Year's holidays. And I remember visiting the Cathedral in Port-au-Prince, in the midst, at that time, so much fear from the regime of the Duvaliers, and so much poverty, there was this cathedral that had stood there and served as a beacon of hope and faith.
After the earthquake, I was looking at some of our pictures from the disaster, and I saw the total destruction of the cathedral. It was just a heart-rending moment. And yet I also saw men and women helping one another, digging through the rubble, dancing and singing in the makeshift communities that they were building up. And I thought again that as the scripture reminds us, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed.”
As the memory of this crisis fades, as the news cameras move on to the next very dramatic incident, let us pray that we can sustain the force and the feeling that we find in our hearts and in our faith in the aftermath of such tragedies. Let us pray that we will all continue to be our brothers' and sisters' keepers. Let us pray that amid our differences, we can continue to see the power of faith not only to make us whole as individuals, to provide personal salvation, but to make us a greater whole and a greater force for good on behalf of all creation.
So let us do all the good we can, by all the means we can, in all the ways we can, in all the places we can, to all the people we can, as long as ever we can.
God bless you. (Applause.)
Source: US Department of State
Africa / Keynote Address at the 58th National Prayer Breakfast
WASHINGTON, February 5, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. Thank you very much. I have to begin by saying I'm not Bono. (Laughter.) Those of you who were here when he was, I apologize beforehand. (Laughter.) But it is a great pleasure to be with you and to be here with President and Mrs. Obama, to be with Vice President Biden, with Chairman Mullen, with certainly our host today, my former colleagues and friends, Senators Isakson and Amy Klobuchar. And to be with so many distinguished guests and visitors who have come from all over our country and indeed from all over the world.
I have attended this prayer breakfast every year since 1993, and I have always found it to be a gathering that inspires and motivates me. Now today, our minds are still filled with the images of the tragedy of Haiti, where faith is being tested daily in food lines and makeshift hospitals, in tent cities where there are not only so many suffering people, but so many vanished dreams.
When I think about the horrible catastrophe that has struck Haiti, I am both saddened but also spurred. This is a moment that has already been embraced by people of faith from everywhere. I thank Prime Minister Zapatero for his country's response and commitment. Because in the days since the earthquake, we have seen the world and the world's faithful spring into action on behalf of those suffering. President Obama has put our country on the leading edge of making sure that we do all we can to help alleviate not only the immediate suffering, but to assist in the rebuilding and recovery. So many countries have answered the call, and so many churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples have brought their own people together. And even modern technology through Facebook and telethons and text messages and Twitter, there's been an overwhelming global response. But of course, there's so much more to be done.
When I think about being here with all of you today, there are so many subjects to talk about. You've already heard, both in prayer and in scripture reading and in Prime Minister Zapatero's remarks, a number of messages. But let me be both personal and speak from my unique perspective now as Secretary of State. I've been here as a First Lady. I've been here as a senator, and now I am here as a Secretary of State. I have heard heartfelt descriptions of personal faith journeys. I've heard impassioned pleas for feeding the hungry and helping the poor, caring for the sick. I've heard speeches about promoting understanding among people of different faiths. I've met hundreds of visitors from countries across the globe. I've seen the leaders of my own country come here amidst the crises of the time and, for at least a morning, put away political and ideological differences. And I've watched and I've listened to three presidents, each a man of faith, speak from their hearts, both sharing their own feelings about being in a position that has almost intolerably impossible burdens to bear, and appealing often, either explicitly or implicitly, for an end to the increasing smallness, irrelevancy, even meanness, of our own political culture. My own heart has been touched and occasionally pierced by the words I've heard, and often my spirit has been lifted by the musicians and the singers who have shared their gifts in praising the Lord with us. And during difficult and painful times, my faith has been strengthened by the personal connections that I have experienced with people who, by the calculus of politics, were on the opposite side of me on the basis of issues or partisanship.
After my very first prayer breakfast, a bipartisan group of women asked me to join them for lunch and told me that they were forming a prayer group. And these prayer partners prayed for me. They prayed for me during some very challenging times. They came to see me in the White House. They kept in touch with me and some still do today. And they gave me a handmade book with messages, quotes, and scripture, to sustain me. And of all the thousands of gifts that I received in the White House, I have a special affection for this one. Because in addition to the tangible gift of the book, it contained 12 intangible gifts, 12 gifts of discernment, peace, compassion, faith, fellowship, vision, forgiveness, grace, wisdom, love, joy, and courage. And I have had many occasions to pull out that book and to look at it and to try, Chairman Mullen, to figure out how to close the gap of what I am feeling and doing with what I know I should be feeling and doing. As a person of faith, it is a constant struggle, particularly in the political arena, to close that gap that each of us faces.
In February of 1994, the speaker here was Mother Teresa. She gave, as everyone who remembers that occasion will certainly recall, a strong address against abortion. And then she asked to see me. And I thought, “Oh, dear.” (Laughter.) And after the breakfast, we went behind that curtain and we sat on folding chairs, and I remember being struck by how small she was and how powerful her hands were, despite her size, and that she was wearing sandals in February in Washington. (Laughter.)
We began to talk, and she told me that she knew that we had a shared conviction about adoption being vastly better as a choice for unplanned or unwanted babies. And she asked me – or more properly, she directed me – to work with her to create a home for such babies here in Washington. I know that we often picture, as we're growing up, God as a man with a white beard. But that day, I felt like I had been ordered, and that the message was coming not just through this diminutive woman but from someplace far beyond.
So I started to work. And it took a while because we had to cut through all the red tape. We had to get all the approvals. I thought it would be easier than it turned out to be. She proved herself to be the most relentless lobbyist I've ever encountered. (Laughter.) She could not get a job in your White House, Mr. President. (Laughter.) She never let up. She called me from India, she called me from Vietnam, she wrote me letters, and it was always: “When's the house gonna open? How much more can be done quickly?”
Finally, the moment came: June, 1995, and the Mother Teresa Home for Infant Children opened. She flew in from Kolkata to attend the opening, and like a happy child, she gripped my arm and led me around, looking at the bassinets and the pretty painted colors on the wall, and just beaming about what this meant for children and their futures.
A few years later, I attended her funeral in Kolkata, where I saw presidents and prime ministers, royalty and street beggars, pay her homage. And after the service, her successor, Sister Nirmala, the leader of the Missionaries of Charity, invited me to come to the Mother House. I was deeply touched. When I arrived, I realized I was one of only a very few outsiders. And I was directed into a whitewashed room where the casket had already arrived. And we stood around with the nuns, with the candles on the walls flickering, and prayed for this extraordinary woman. And then Sister Nirmala asked me to offer a prayer. I felt both inadequate and deeply honored, just as I do today. And in the tradition of prayer breakfast speakers, let me share a few matters that reflect how I came on my own faith journey, and how I think about the responsibilities that President Obama and his Administration and our government face today.
As Amy said, I grew up in the Methodist Church. On both sides of my father's family, the Rodhams and the Joneses, they came from mining towns. And they claimed, going back many years, to have actually been converted by John and Charles Wesley. And, of course, Methodists were methodical. It was a particularly good religion for me. (Laughter.) And part of it is a commitment to living out your faith. We believe that faith without works may not be dead, but it's hard to discern from time to time.
And of course, John Wesley had this simple rule which I carry around with me as I travel: Do all the good you can by all the means you can in all the ways you can in all the places you can at all the times you can to all the people you can, as long as ever you can. That's a tall order. And of course, one of the interpretive problems with it is, who defines good? What are we actually called to do, and how do we stay humble enough, obedient enough, to ask ourselves, am I really doing what I'm called to do?
It was a good rule to be raised by and it was certainly a good rule for my mother and father to discipline us by. And I think it's a good rule to live by, with the appropriate dose of humility. Our world is an imperfect one filled with imperfect people, so we constantly struggle to meet our own spiritual goals. But John Wesley's teachings, and the teachings of my church, particularly during my childhood and teenage years, gave me the impetus to believe that I did have a responsibility. It meant not sitting on the sidelines, but being in the arena. And it meant constantly working to try to fulfill the lessons that I absorbed as a child. It's not easy. We're here today because we're all seekers, and we can all look around our own lives and the lives of those whom we know and see everyone falling so short.
And then of course, as we look around the world, there are so many problems and challenges that people of faith are attempting to address or should be. We can recite those places where human beings are mired in the past – their hatreds, their differences – where governments refuse to speak to other governments, where the progress of entire nations is undermined because isolation and insularity seem less risky than cooperation and collaboration, where all too often it is religion that is the force that drives and sustains division rather than being the healing balm. These patterns persist despite the overwhelming evidence that more good will come from suspending old animosities and preconceptions from engaging others in dialogue, from remembering the cardinal rules found in all of the world's major religions.
Last October, I visited Belfast once again, 11 years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, a place where being a Protestant or a Catholic determined where you lived, often where you worked, whether you were a friend or an enemy, a threat or a target. Yet over time, as the body count grew, the bonds of common humanity became more powerful than the differences fueled by ancient wrongs. So bullets have been traded for ballots.
As we meet this morning, both communities are attempting to hammer out a final agreement on the yet unresolved issues between them. And they are discovering anew what the Scripture urges us: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we don't give up.” Even in places where God's presence and promise seems fleeting and unfulfilled or completely absent, the power of one person's faith and the determination to act can help lead a nation out of darkness.
Some of you may have seen the film Pray the Devil Back to Hell. It is the story of a Liberian woman who was tired of the conflict and the killing and the fear that had gripped her country for years. So she went to her church and she prayed for an end to the civil war. And she organized other women at her church, and then at other churches, then at the mosques. Soon thousands of women became a mass movement, rising up and praying for a peace, and working to bring it about that finally, finally ended the conflict.
And yet the devil must have left Liberia and taken up residence in Congo. When I was in the Democratic Republic of Congo this summer, the contrasts were so overwhelmingly tragic – a country the size of Western Europe, rich in minerals and natural resources, where 5.4 million people have been killed in the most deadly conflict since World War II, where 1,100 women and girls are raped every month, where the life expectancy is 46 and dropping, where poverty, starvation, and all of the ills that stalk the human race are in abundance.
When I traveled to Goma, I saw in a single day the best and the worst of humanity. I met with women who had been savaged and brutalized physically and emotionally, victims of gender and sexual-based violence in a place where law, custom, and even faith did little to protect them. But I also saw courageous women who, by faith, went back into the bush to find those who, like them, had been violently attacked. I saw the doctors and the nurses who were helping to heal the wounds, and I saw so many who were there because their faith led them to it.
As we look at the world today and we reflect on the overwhelming response of outpouring of generosity to what happened in Haiti, I'm reminded of the story of Elijah. After he goes to Mount Horeb, we read that he faced “a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence – a still small voice.” It was then that Elijah heard the voice of the Lord. It is often when we are only quiet enough to listen that we do as well. It's something we can do at any time, without a disaster or a catastrophe provoking it. It shouldn't take that.
But the teachings of every religion call us to care for the poor, tell us to visit the orphans and widows, to be generous and charitable, to alleviate suffering. All religions have their version of the Golden Rule and direct us to love our neighbor and welcome the stranger and visit the prisoner. But how often in the midst of our own lives do we respond to that? All of these holy texts, all of this religious wisdom from these very different faiths call on us to act out of love.
In politics, we sometimes talk about message discipline – making sure everyone uses the same set of talking points. Well, whoever was in charge of message discipline on these issues for every religion certainly knew what they were doing. Regardless of our differences, we all got the same talking points and the same marching orders. So the charge is a personal one. Yet across the world, we see organized religion standing in the way of faith, perverting love, undermining that message.
Sometimes it's easier to see that far away than here at home. But religion, cloaked in naked power lust, is used to justify horrific violence, attacks on homes, markets, schools, volleyball games, churches, mosques, synagogues, temples. From Iraq to Pakistan and Afghanistan to Nigeria and the Middle East, religion is used a club to deny the human rights of girls and women, from the Gulf to Africa to Asia, and to discriminate, even advocating the execution of gays and lesbians. Religion is used to enshrine in law intolerance of free expression and peaceful protest. Iran is now detaining and executing people under a new crime – waging war against God. It seems to be a rather dramatic identity crisis.
So in the Obama Administration, we are working to bridge religious divides. We're taking on violations of human rights perpetrated in the name of religion. And we invite members of Congress and clergy and active citizens like all of you here to join us. Of course we're supporting the peace processes from Northern Ireland to the Middle East, and of course we are following up on the President's historic speech at Cairo with outreach efforts to Muslims and promoting interfaith dialogue, and of course we're condemning the repression in Iran.
But we are also standing up for girls and women, who too often in the name of religion, are denied their basic human rights. And we are standing up for gays and lesbians who deserve to be treated as full human beings. (Applause.) And we are also making it clear to countries and leaders that these are priorities of the United States. Every time I travel, I raise the plight of girls and women, and make it clear that we expect to see changes. And I recently called President Museveni, whom I have known through the prayer breakfast, and expressed the strongest concerns about a law being considered in the parliament of Uganda.
We are committed, not only to reaching out and speaking up about the perversion of religion, and in particularly the use of it to promote and justify terrorism, but also seeking to find common ground. We are working with Muslim nations to come up with an appropriate way of demonstrating criticism of religious intolerance without stepping over into the area of freedom of religion or non-religion and expression. So there is much to be done, and there is a lot of challenging opportunities for each of us as we leave this prayer breakfast, this 58th prayer breakfast.
In 1975, my husband and I, who had gotten married in October, and we were both teaching at the University of Arkansas Law School in beautiful Fayetteville, Arkansas – we got married on a Saturday and we went back to work on a Monday. So around Christmastime, we decided that we should go somewhere and celebrate, take a honeymoon. And my late father said, “Well, that's a great idea. We'll come, too.” (Laughter.)
And indeed, Bill and I and my entire family – (laughter) – went to Acapulco. We had a great time, but it wasn't exactly a honeymoon. So when we got back, Bill was talking to one of his friends who was then working in Haiti, and his friend said, “Well, why don't you come see me? This is the most interesting country. Come and take some time.” So indeed, we did. So we were there over the New Year's holidays. And I remember visiting the Cathedral in Port-au-Prince, in the midst, at that time, so much fear from the regime of the Duvaliers, and so much poverty, there was this cathedral that had stood there and served as a beacon of hope and faith.
After the earthquake, I was looking at some of our pictures from the disaster, and I saw the total destruction of the cathedral. It was just a heart-rending moment. And yet I also saw men and women helping one another, digging through the rubble, dancing and singing in the makeshift communities that they were building up. And I thought again that as the scripture reminds us, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed.”
As the memory of this crisis fades, as the news cameras move on to the next very dramatic incident, let us pray that we can sustain the force and the feeling that we find in our hearts and in our faith in the aftermath of such tragedies. Let us pray that we will all continue to be our brothers' and sisters' keepers. Let us pray that amid our differences, we can continue to see the power of faith not only to make us whole as individuals, to provide personal salvation, but to make us a greater whole and a greater force for good on behalf of all creation.
So let us do all the good we can, by all the means we can, in all the ways we can, in all the places we can, to all the people we can, as long as ever we can.
God bless you. (Applause.)
Source: US Department of State
| Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time | |
| 5 Feb 2010 | |
| 12:26 | Africa / Keynote Address at the 58th National Prayer Breakfast |
| 4 Feb 2010 | |
| 15:51 | Coca-Cola Hellenic Results for the Year Ended 31 December 2009 (IFRS) |
| 10:10 | Royal Dutch Shell: 4th Quarter and Full Year 2009 Unaudited Results |
Did you get a REAL Primary school Education? Let's find out
Did you get a REAL Primary school Education? Let's find out
Back in the days..
Were you this violent when you were in primary school???
SAMUEL: Didn ' t I told you not to steal my pencil? by the time I finish you today, you will knEw Jesus has no tribal mark!
OJO: Shut up! Bombastic element...if you don ' t leave my Shet I wE blow you now..stupid lapalapa head
SAMUEL: blow me?? Blow me ko, blow me ni..I wE perish you with your blow! useless baboon
For your primary skool,
When things like this happen,
The class captain/monitor go shout…..escuse me ma/sir……TWO FIGHTING!!!!!!
Others will be at the top of their voices....., i will tell aunty/uncle.....for U! U!! U!!!
Regards,
HAHAHAHAHAHHA
Dem know us; class of 1977 to 1987 the real pupil.
Read and reminisce.
Test 1: If you did not use this exercise book then your primary school education is suspect:
Test 2: You must be able to recite/sing at least 10 of the under listed BY HEART:
Some have food but cannot eat, some can eat but have no food. We have food and we can eat. Glory be to thee o Lord. Amen.
The day is bright is bright and fair
oh happy day, the day of joy
The day is bright is bright and fair
oh happy day, the day of joy
mama jellof rice!
oh my home o my home
oh my home o my home
wen shall i see my home
wen shall i see my nativeland
i will never forget my home!
holiday is coming [2x]
no more warning bells
no more teachers cane.
goodbye teachers, goodbye scholars
I ' m going 2 spend
a jolly holiday [2x]
h-i-p- for d hip
p-o-p-o for d hipopo
and t-a-m-u-s for the hipopotamus1
hipoptamus!
parents listen to your children
we are the leaders of tomorrow
try and pay our school fees
and give us good education
I am a little sailor boy that comes from the sea
that comes from the sea to marry you
Oh will u marry marry marry
will you you marry me?
8 o ' clock is d time 4 skul, dnt be l8t in d mornin.
8 o ' clock is 4 boys and gals, come 2 skul in za mornin.
Morning has broken, like the 1st morning, blackbirds have spoken, like the 1st word
Praise for the singing. Praise for the morning, Praise for the evening, Fresh from the world.
Closing time in the afternoon:
Now the day is over, night is drawing nigh, shadows of the evening, still across the skies
Glory to the father, Glory to the son, And to thee blessed spirit, Whilst all ages run, Amen!
rain rain go away
come another noda day
Little children want to play
Tisha jowo, mo fe jegba temi
nami lowo, mashe nami nidi, tidimi babe,
mape baba mi wa, baba mi, a ba e ja.
Tisha jowo, mo fe lo wa nkan je 2X
Omo oni resi tide
Obe iresi n ta san san
Aduke Alake omo oniresi tide
Oun soju robo robo
E feran sobe wa.
all things bright and beautiful, all creature great and small
all things bright and wonderful,
the lord god made them all.
He gave us eyes to see them
And lips that we might tell
He gave us "something" colors
And made the mighty se E E E
Bojuboju o oh! Oloro m ' bo! e para mo o oh!
Se kin se, Shee!! she she she she Shee!!
E pere Mi Heey! Eni toloro ba mu , a paaa je (A paa jee!!)
Jack and Jill went up to a hill,
To fetch a pail of water
jack fell down and broke his Leg,
And jill came tumnling after(wonder what they really went to do up that hill)
sanda lily sanda lily,
sanda lily sanda li,
if u know where to go,
you will no when to stop
2x
my mother, who sat and watched my infant head
when sleeping on my cradle bed, and tear affectionately shed,
My Mother
When pain and sickness makes me cry, you gaze upon my heavy eye
and pray to God that i shouldn’t die,
My Mother,
prayer is the key 2x
prayer is the master key
Jesus started with prayer
and ended with prayer
prayer is the master key, ACTION (then we start demonstrating without singing)
Row Row Row your Boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily merrily merrily merrily
Life is but a dream.
old Rodger is dead and gone to his grave, hmm!!, haa!!, gone to his grave
he planted an apple tree over his head, hmm!!, haa!!, over his head
the apple grew ripe and ready to drop, hmm!!, haa!!, ready to drop
there came an old woman to pick them all up, hmm!!, haa!!, pick them all up
old Rodger got up and gave a knock, hmm!!, haa!!, gave her a knock
cant remember the rest.
papa mama school no dey,
wetin happen?
our teacher dey smoke gari for school
which kind gari?
ijebu gary
, cele wata,
calabar groundnut
ondo suger
SOME RIVERS IN AFRICA ARE
SOME RIVERS IN AFRICA ARE
NILE, NIGER,
BENUE, CONGO
ORANGE, LIMPONPO
ZABENZI
Wherever you go ( Go go gongo)
Wherever you be (sisi eko)
Do not say yes when you mean to say no (baba ibadan )
AREA !!!!!
From Adeleke Adeyemi,
Country Manager, Café Scientifique Nigeria
(Member, African Science Café)
URL: http://www.cafescientifique.org/nigeria.htm
Mobile: +234 802 392 0443
"Science must be the pivot upon which policies are based because even the Millenium Development Goals [MDGs] are science-based. There is a linear correlation between development and the level of science in a country." -- Dr. Sunny Kuku, Member, Nigerian Academy of Science
African Ministerial Conference on Science and Technology (AMCOST) 2006 Plan of Action: "Scientific and technological development cannot be achieved in Africa without the participation and support of the populace and their political institutions. Scientific and technological development requires active engagement of policymakers, politicians, youth, women, private industry and other groups of stakeholders."
Back in the days..
Were you this violent when you were in primary school???
SAMUEL: Didn ' t I told you not to steal my pencil? by the time I finish you today, you will knEw Jesus has no tribal mark!
OJO: Shut up! Bombastic element...if you don ' t leave my Shet I wE blow you now..stupid lapalapa head
SAMUEL: blow me?? Blow me ko, blow me ni..I wE perish you with your blow! useless baboon
For your primary skool,
When things like this happen,
The class captain/monitor go shout…..escuse me ma/sir……TWO FIGHTING!!!!!!
Others will be at the top of their voices....., i will tell aunty/uncle.....for U! U!! U!!!
Regards,
HAHAHAHAHAHHA
Dem know us; class of 1977 to 1987 the real pupil.
Read and reminisce.
Test 1: If you did not use this exercise book then your primary school education is suspect:
Test 2: You must be able to recite/sing at least 10 of the under listed BY HEART:
Some have food but cannot eat, some can eat but have no food. We have food and we can eat. Glory be to thee o Lord. Amen.
The day is bright is bright and fair
oh happy day, the day of joy
The day is bright is bright and fair
oh happy day, the day of joy
mama jellof rice!
oh my home o my home
oh my home o my home
wen shall i see my home
wen shall i see my nativeland
i will never forget my home!
holiday is coming [2x]
no more warning bells
no more teachers cane.
goodbye teachers, goodbye scholars
I ' m going 2 spend
a jolly holiday [2x]
h-i-p- for d hip
p-o-p-o for d hipopo
and t-a-m-u-s for the hipopotamus1
hipoptamus!
parents listen to your children
we are the leaders of tomorrow
try and pay our school fees
and give us good education
I am a little sailor boy that comes from the sea
that comes from the sea to marry you
Oh will u marry marry marry
will you you marry me?
8 o ' clock is d time 4 skul, dnt be l8t in d mornin.
8 o ' clock is 4 boys and gals, come 2 skul in za mornin.
Morning has broken, like the 1st morning, blackbirds have spoken, like the 1st word
Praise for the singing. Praise for the morning, Praise for the evening, Fresh from the world.
Closing time in the afternoon:
Now the day is over, night is drawing nigh, shadows of the evening, still across the skies
Glory to the father, Glory to the son, And to thee blessed spirit, Whilst all ages run, Amen!
rain rain go away
come another noda day
Little children want to play
Tisha jowo, mo fe jegba temi
nami lowo, mashe nami nidi, tidimi babe,
mape baba mi wa, baba mi, a ba e ja.
Tisha jowo, mo fe lo wa nkan je 2X
Omo oni resi tide
Obe iresi n ta san san
Aduke Alake omo oniresi tide
Oun soju robo robo
E feran sobe wa.
all things bright and beautiful, all creature great and small
all things bright and wonderful,
the lord god made them all.
He gave us eyes to see them
And lips that we might tell
He gave us "something" colors
And made the mighty se E E E
Bojuboju o oh! Oloro m ' bo! e para mo o oh!
Se kin se, Shee!! she she she she Shee!!
E pere Mi Heey! Eni toloro ba mu , a paaa je (A paa jee!!)
Jack and Jill went up to a hill,
To fetch a pail of water
jack fell down and broke his Leg,
And jill came tumnling after(wonder what they really went to do up that hill)
sanda lily sanda lily,
sanda lily sanda li,
if u know where to go,
you will no when to stop
2x
my mother, who sat and watched my infant head
when sleeping on my cradle bed, and tear affectionately shed,
My Mother
When pain and sickness makes me cry, you gaze upon my heavy eye
and pray to God that i shouldn’t die,
My Mother,
prayer is the key 2x
prayer is the master key
Jesus started with prayer
and ended with prayer
prayer is the master key, ACTION (then we start demonstrating without singing)
Row Row Row your Boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily merrily merrily merrily
Life is but a dream.
old Rodger is dead and gone to his grave, hmm!!, haa!!, gone to his grave
he planted an apple tree over his head, hmm!!, haa!!, over his head
the apple grew ripe and ready to drop, hmm!!, haa!!, ready to drop
there came an old woman to pick them all up, hmm!!, haa!!, pick them all up
old Rodger got up and gave a knock, hmm!!, haa!!, gave her a knock
cant remember the rest.
papa mama school no dey,
wetin happen?
our teacher dey smoke gari for school
which kind gari?
ijebu gary
, cele wata,
calabar groundnut
ondo suger
SOME RIVERS IN AFRICA ARE
SOME RIVERS IN AFRICA ARE
NILE, NIGER,
BENUE, CONGO
ORANGE, LIMPONPO
ZABENZI
Wherever you go ( Go go gongo)
Wherever you be (sisi eko)
Do not say yes when you mean to say no (baba ibadan )
AREA !!!!!
From Adeleke Adeyemi,
Country Manager, Café Scientifique Nigeria
(Member, African Science Café)
URL: http://www.cafescientifique.org/nigeria.htm
Mobile: +234 802 392 0443
"Science must be the pivot upon which policies are based because even the Millenium Development Goals [MDGs] are science-based. There is a linear correlation between development and the level of science in a country." -- Dr. Sunny Kuku, Member, Nigerian Academy of Science
African Ministerial Conference on Science and Technology (AMCOST) 2006 Plan of Action: "Scientific and technological development cannot be achieved in Africa without the participation and support of the populace and their political institutions. Scientific and technological development requires active engagement of policymakers, politicians, youth, women, private industry and other groups of stakeholders."
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Arise Presents Top African Designers at New York Fashion Week
ARISE Magazine - www.arisemagazine.net. (PRNewsFoto/ARISE Magazine) NEW YORK, NY UNITED STATES
3 Feb 2010 23:17 Africa/Lagos
ARISE Magazine Headlines Top African Designers at New York Fashion Week
NEW YORK, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading global African-themed style and cultural magazine ARISE selected top African designers Black Coffee, Loin Cloth and Ashes along with Deola Sagoe to showcase Fall/Winter 2010 designs during the publication's AFRICAN COLLECTIVE PART III Mercedes Benz Fashion Week runway presentation.
To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/arisemagazine/42269/
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100203/MM48746 )
On Saturday, February 13th at 8 p.m., show producer Jan Malan will transform Bryant Park's largest venue, The Tent, into a living African landscape with elaborate staging inspired by award-winning poet Ben Okri. Models will walk through a virtual day and night on the great continent flush with excitement as South Africa gears up to host the FIFA World Cup and many states celebrate a half century of independence as well as economies poised for rapid growth.
The AFRICAN COLLECTIVE PART III, along with a series of international ARISE-branded events, will act as a unique and valuable platform for the great scope of talent ARISE Magazine documents monthly. Chairman and CEO Nduka Obaigbena of Leaders & Co., parent company to this London-based publication and Nigeria's best-selling newspaper THISDAY, believes the event will create and promote positive images to its readership residing throughout the world and even encourage investment in African nations.
"Our tomorrow is bright," said Obaigbena. "Showing for the third consecutive season at Bryant Park and in a larger venue is a testament to the continued success of our initiatives. I look forward to what is sure to be an amazing usage of African visual aesthetics recreated on the catwalk."
Fresh from Berlin Fashion Week and receiving the Mercedes Benz South Africa Best Fashion Award 2009, Black Coffee designers Jacques van der Watt and Danica Lepen are new to a US audience. "It's a great experience for us and a little bit of a treat in a business that is a great deal of hard work," said van der Watt.
Lagos-based Deola Sagoe will be returning to New York Fashion Week after a decade. "To have come this far ordains a measure of success that I could not have imagined for myself. I am thrilled and honoured to be showing in New York."
For the first time, an emerging designer, Loin Cloth and Ashes, from Tanzania, will also be part of the collective ensuring a triumvirate of African Design is represented. "My one dream was always to show my work in Africa," said Anisa Mpungwe. "I would have never for one minute thought that I would ever show overseas, let alone in America, I am grateful to ARISE Magazine for this incredible opportunity."
In addition to the New York show, ARISE Magazine will present during Paris Fashion Week on March 5, 2010, and host a Fashion Rocks! event in Johannesburg on July, 9, 2010. The highly-anticipated event will feature a fashion show and simultaneous performance by an uber, American songstress.
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100203/MM48746
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Video: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/arisemagazine/42269
Source: ARISE Magazine
CONTACT: Kirsten Steglich, Paul Wilmot Communications,
ksteglich@greatpress.com, +1-212-206-7447 x17
Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
4 Feb 2010
10:10
Royal Dutch Shell: 4th Quarter and Full Year 2009 Unaudited Results
3 Feb 2010
23:17
ARISE Magazine Headlines Top African Designers at New York Fashion Week
23:05
Bristow Group Reports Fiscal 2010 Third Quarter Financial Results
12:00
World Cocoa Foundation Announces Launch of Cocoa Livelihoods Program in Cote d'Ivoire
00:41
Arlington, Texas, Couple Convicted of Forced Labor and Other Crimes for Holding Nigerian Woman in Domestic Servitude
1 Feb 2010
18:22
DOD Agency Recognizes EODT For Supporting Military With Seven Seals Award
18:12
EODT Awarded Mobile Teams Mine Clearance Contract in Support of U.S. Forces, Afghanistan
15:52
14th AU summit / Election of members of Peace and Security Council of the African Union
13:00
A Youth Soccer Tournament Visible from Outer Space Kicks off in July
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