In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the Resolution 62/7 declaring 15th September as International Day of Democracy. The resolution’s preamble defines democracy as ”a universal value based on the freely-expressed will of people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems, and their full participation in all aspects of life.” The resolution further recognizes that “while democracies share common features, there is no single model of … [Read more...]
Children are Children – STOP this madness, Syria – Take Action!
September 14, 2013 by
First Syrian Refugees Land in Germany 'Is Hanover Near the Sea?' Some are injured, some are traumatized, but all have been forced to flee. A million Syrians have left their country because of the civil war. Germany has agreed to offer temporary asylum to 5,000, and the first refugees took off for Hanover on Wednesday. Departing from Beirut: Some 107 refugees from Syria flew from Lebanon to Germany on Wednesday. Sisters Noura and Nada lost most of their family in a rocket attack. Their … [Read more...]
Can diplomacy work with Syria?
September 12, 2013 by
International responses to the apparent use of chemical weapons in Syria continue to evolve rapidly. US plans for military intervention are on hold for now as various parties consider a Russian-led proposal-below to place Syria's chemical arsenal under international supervision. My team of Middle East, US and Russia analysts has been covering the Syrian crisis extensively, and we caution that while any non-military route is to be welcomed in principle - given the grave implications of … [Read more...]
IRAN Surprises Herself and the World, Brookings Essay
September 12, 2013 by
Suzanne Maloney is an expert on Iranian politics, energy and economic reform in the Middle East, and U.S. policy toward the region. Prior to her position as a senior fellow with the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings, she was a member of the State Department’s policy planning staff; a Middle East advisor at ExxonMobil Corporation; and director of a Council on Foreign Relations task force on America’s Iran policy. Author of Iran’s Long Reach and contributor to such works as Which … [Read more...]
Katy Perry is now Roaring, too!!
September 11, 2013 by
To Empower Women to Stand Up and Give Voice to Their Truth! To Encourage Men, Good Men, to Join in the Circle of Feminine Energy! To Inspire Children to Clasp our Hands and Join in the ROAR! of No More! Do you Feel It? Join me as I document my journey of taking ROAR! ... the article to ROAR! Cinda Stevens Lonsway has created ... the 'ROAR' MOVEMENT! A ROAR! is a mighty way to take your power back. In 2010, when I was inspired to write ROAR! (ROAR … [Read more...]
Brazil’s Wealth Revolution, Lorre White
September 10, 2013 by
Brazil’s Wealth Revolution – Trends, Opportunities and Challenges As Brazil enters the global spotlight with the World Cup and Olympics on the horizon, an increasing number of luxury brands are looking at opportunities within the market. Luxury market specialists, Ledbury Research have just released three new studies exploring the spending habits and trends of high net worth individuals in Brazil. The studies, part of Ledbury Research’s Wealth Segment series, present a detailed … [Read more...]
Swiss Accounts No Longer Safe for Tax Dodge
September 10, 2013 by
Secret Swiss Accounts Said No Longer Safe for Tax Dodging Fourteen firms, including Credit Suisse Group AG, the second-largest Swiss bank; HSBC Holdings Plc, the largest European bank; and Julius Baer Group Ltd., Switzerland’s third- largest wealth manager, are under criminal investigation. On Aug. 29, the U.S. announced a program for other Swiss banks to avoid charges. Taxpayers who still believe they can hide secret Swiss bank accounts from the Internal Revenue Service are “beyond … [Read more...]
Software Freedom Day (SFD) celebrated Sept 18
September 10, 2013 by
Software Freedom Day (SFD) is an annual worldwide celebration of Free Software. SFD is a public education effort with the aim of increasing awareness of Free Software and its virtues, and encouraging its use. Software Freedom Day was established in 2004 and was first observed on 28 August of that year. About 12 teams participated in the first Software Freedom Day. Since that time it has grown in popularity and while organizers anticipated more than 1,000 teams in 2010 the event has stalled at … [Read more...]
WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT 2013
September 9, 2013 by
REPORT CALLS ON POLICY MAKERS TO MAKE HAPPINESS A KEY MEASURE AND TARGET OF DEVELOPMENT Report ranks the happiest countries, with Northern Europe in the lead NEW YORK, NY, Sept 9th: As heads of state get ready for the United Nations General Assembly in two weeks, the second World Happiness Report further strengthens the case that well-being should be a critical component of how the world measures its economic and social development. The report is published by the UN Sustainable … [Read more...]
