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BBC: Egypt's Mubarak resigns as leader Al Jazeera: Hosni Mubarak resigns as president

I was wondering what life was like on daily basis at Tahrir Square right now, and I found this album on Yahoo Maktoob . Seems there are some interesting community-based initiatives for food, shelter and livelihood that the Mubarak regime could learn from.

I've been doing some rough searches on audio-stream hosts, and hosting rates seem steep. Not so much in terms of net price, but in terms of the potential number of listeners that could tune in. Rather, if you have a variable number of listeners (ie: it could up to the maximum permissable), you could be paying quite a bit. I've also been thinking about podcasts, and on-demand media in general. It seems that people entering their teens today know that they can read, listen, or watch media somewhere on the Internet. I would assume, then, that people are beginning to prefer getting stuff when they want it, and not try to stick to an external schedule. Which puts an audio stream in a shady position. Will people tune in?

From Number10.gov.uk Saturday 5 February 2011 PM’s speech at Munich Security Conference Prime Minister David Cameron has delivered a speech setting out his view on radicalisation and Islamic extremism. Today I want to focus my remarks on terrorism, but first let me address one point. Some have suggested that by holding a strategic defence and security review, Britain is somehow retreating from an activist role in the world. That is the opposite of the truth. Yes, we are dealing with our budget deficit, but we are also making sure our defences are strong. Britain will continue to meet the NATO 2% target for defence spending. We will still have the fourth largest military defence budget in the world. At the same time, we are putting that money to better use, focusing on conflict prevention and building a much more flexible army. That is not retreat; it is hard headed. Every decision we take has three aims in mind. First, to continue to support the NATO mission in Afghanistan . S...

Cross-posted on Vijana FM | January 15, 2011 In this RSA animate , Dr. Philip Zimbardo discusses the way we concieve time today. According to research, there are six conceptions of time: 2 are past-oriented conceptions, 2 are present-oriented and 2 are future-oriented. Although this research has mainly been focussed on youth in the United States, do youth in East Africa face a similar future, given the pace of technological growth and consumption? Related links: More RSA animates on YouTube About Philip Zimbardo Philip Zimbardo wiki Ken Robinson: Changing Education Paradigms

Cross-posted on Vijana FM | February 4, 2011 YouthActionNet - launched by the International Youth Foundation is 2001 - supports social entrepreneurs globally. Specifically, it provides technical assistance and networking opportunities which could lead to funding for organizations. The 2011 Fellowship is now accepting applications , which are are due by March 11, 2011. Eligibility: Open to all young people, ages 18-29 as of October 1, 2011 Applicants must be the founder/co-founder of an existing organization, or a project within an organization, with a demonstrated one year track record of leading societal change Proficiency in English is required; applications must be submitted in English Applicants must attend the full retreat (all expenses paid) to take place within the first two weeks of October 2011 Key Dates: Applications for the 2011 Fellowship program are due by March 11, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST Selected semifinalists will be notified by April 30, 2011 The 2011 retreat will...

Cross-posted on Vijana FM | January 28, 2011 A lot of new terms have come our way in the last 15 years, and "social innovation" is a big one. Social innovation is described by the Said Business School as "new ideas that meet unmet needs". It consists of fresh solutions to problems within the following areas (also from the Said Business School report ), which are problems virtually experienced globally: Rising life expectancy Growing diversity of countries and cities Stark inequalities Rising incidence of long-term medical conditions Behavioural problems of affluence Difficult transitions to adulthood Measuring happiness "In each of these fields many of the dominant existing models simply do not work well enough. Often they are too inflexible and unimaginative. They may be fitted to past problems or bound by powerful interests. They may be provided by agencies that have become complacent or outdated. The result is unnecessary human suffering, and unreali...

I had the opportunity to go to this concert this past Friday, and was able to quickly snap two photos on my phone. While this was a similar concert to the one I went to last year featuring Alim Qasimov , I feel this year there was a larger audience that may have appreciated the blend across religious traditions.