Ten members of an American Baptist Church are to appear in a Haitian court this morning after being accused of running an illegal adoption scheme. The group from Idaho said that they were carrying out a rescue mission and had accompanied more than 30 children as part of a plan to take at least 100 orphans out of Port-au-Prince to an orphanage that they run in the neighbouring Dominican Republic. It was claimed last night that most of the children had living relatives and did not appear to know where they were going. A government official described the group’s action as an “abduction”. The controversy came as the UN mounted a massive food distribution effort to feed two million people in Port-au-Prince. Nearly three weeks after the earthquake, the World Food Programme said that it would open 16 fixed collection sites, with only women allowed access. The Idaho group, who are being held at the judicial police headquarters in the capital, said that their intentions were honourable and that they had gained access to the children through a well-known Haitian pastor. Laura Silsby, the group’s spokeswoman, said: “In this chaos the Government is in right now, we were just trying to do the right thing.” She said that the group had documents from the Dominican Governmen but did not seek any paperwork from the Haitian authorities, adding that only those without close family would be considered for adoption. Yves Christallin, the Haitian Social Affairs Minister, said that they did not appear to have the proper documentation or authorisation for the children, and accused the group, who belong to a charity called the New Life Children’s Refuge, of more sinister motives. “This is an abduction, not an adoption,” he said. The children, aged from a few months to 12, seemed to have little idea where they were being taken when The Times met them, with some saying that they had parents in Haiti. George Willeit, of SOS Children’s Village, a care centre on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince where the children are now staying, told The Times: “What we know is that some of these children still have their parents. There was an older girl, aged 8 or 9, and she was crying and saying, ‘I’m not an orphan. I still have my parents’. This girl was thinking that she was going to a summer camp or boarding school. She didn’t know what was happening to her. “One of the babies was completely dehydrated. She was not able to drink. It looks like this was because she was used to drinking from her mother’s breast. We had the Red Cross here and we had to immediately take this baby to the hospital.” The SOS Children’s Village includes a school and small houses where groups of children are raised by allocated “mothers”. One of them, Jusane Hasie Agath, 40, was looking after five of the children. “They are all OK now,” she said. “This baby has a fever, she came in last night. There is one who says he knows his family but we don’t yet know if it’s true or not.” Many children in Haitian orphanages have living relatives but have been abandoned because they cannot be cared for. “There were 380,000 children living in orphanages before the earthquake,” Deborah Barry, a child protection adviser for Save the Children, said. “The majority of them were there for economic reasons rather than because they didn’t have family.” The Government has limited the number of adoptions amid fears that parentless or lost children are more vulnerable than ever to child trafficking. “By no means are we any part of that. That’s exactly what we are trying to combat,” said Ms Silsby. The Americans include members of the Central Valley Baptist Church in Meridian, Idaho, and the Eastside Baptist Church in Twin Falls, Idaho, as well as people from Texas and Kansas. The group described their plans on a website where they also asked for contributions, saying that they would “gather” 100 orphans and take them by bus to the Dominican resort of Cabarete, before building a more permanent orphanage in Magante. “Given the urgent needs from this earthquake, God has laid upon our hearts the need to go now versus waiting until the permanent facility is built,” the group wrote. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7009970.ece

http://www.paradigmpublishers.com/books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=208935 This book is a great contribution to the feminist movements and the globalisation debate –spelling out how neoliberal capitalism has co-opted a number of feminist movements and converted them into force multipliers of capitalism, in order to further subjugate women across the globe to the masculine dominance and capitalist exploitation. A must read... Reviews “With her trademark clarity and wit, one of the leading intellectuals of contemporary feminism builds a troubling analysis of where mainstream American feminism has gone—celebrating gains for middle-class women, but also converging with ruthless corporate interests that exploit or marginalize most of the world's women. Hester Eisenstein's diagnosis, and her remedy, need to be heard by everyone concerned with women's interests and with social justice.” —Raewyn Connell, author of Southern Theory “In this impressive book, Hester Eisenstein provides a provocative update of the classic argument of the relationship between Marxism and feminism. Through a historical analysis of the political economy of, what she calls, hegemonic or mainstream feminism, Eisenstein charts the transformation of labor feminism into mainstream feminism in the US, which entailed a shift from protection to equality, and which resulted in feminism unwittingly serving the needs of global capitalism rather than that of women. While some of the terrain—particularly of feminism in the service of empire, the disciplining of women's labor under neoliberalism, and the war on terrorism—has been covered by others, what sets her analysis apart is her unflinching critique of hegemonic feminism's complicity in abandoning issues of class and race even as it pays lip service to them. Finally, Eisenstein provides an outline for action which is much needed if we are to remain relevant to the lives of men and women facing the ravages of the current crises of global capitalism.” —Manisha Desai, Director Women's Studies Program, University of Connecticut “Feminism Seduced offers a compelling—and deeply unsettling—historically grounded account of the unintended consequences of late twentieth-century feminism. Eisenstein provocatively argues that ideas derived from the mainstream women's movement were appropriated by global corporations and the political forces that sustain them, and effectively used to legitimate the surging social inequalities that have emerged both in the United States and worldwide since the 1970s. This cautionary tale makes for timely reading, as the global economic crisis opens up new opportunities for feminists and other progressives.” —Ruth Milkman, UCLA “This thoughtful and provocative book by a feminist academic argues that global corporations and their political allies have co-opted ‘mainstream feminism,' which Eisenstein says has not adequately analyzed and confronted issues of race, class, and economic globalization. The final chapter explores what the author calls ‘Islamophobia’ and the use of professed concern for women in Afghanistan and Iraq to justify wars waged by the U.S. for other motives.” —LaborNet

A SPANISH Teacher was explaining to her class that, in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine. 'House' for instance, is feminine: 'la casa.' Pencil,' however, is masculine: 'el lapiz.' So, a student asked, 'What gender is 'computer'?' Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether 'computer' should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation. The men's group decided that 'computer' should definitely be of the feminine gender ('la Computadora' ), because: 1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic; 2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else; 3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and 4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it. (THIS GETS BETTER!) The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be masculine ('el computador') , because: 1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on; 2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves; 3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and 4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model. The women won. Cara- heheh key word "By his standards your choice of avatar says you find him irresistible." Doesnt mean i do...wlc on board dear.

jacayl aah? That’s your speciality hun…its all nonsense to me. Lol@ taste the wabiyo but faraax uunba kuu danbeeya… again habarka iga daa. C&H am not blinded am intrigued there is a difference. Anyhow why would I chastise him for saying what he said? p.s choco he didn’t…..after close scrutiny he failed to deliver on the expectation the statement aroused.

tsk tsk tsk...What did I do to deserve that@ juxa….a faraax? Habarka igadha heheheh@Faheema. Just noticed tsk tsk.....

But he didnt say that....woman pay attantion it was "mate with your eyes"

Afternoon dear, so what do you think it is?

Hahahahahahahahah@old man. That is brilliant. p.s cringe? Man it was the stuff of poetry. Faheema- good one and indeed. Juxa- libs dacaas slap perhaps. He did have small lips and am sure dacas would have increased its volume. p.s.s i second Juxa...they should be banned.

Juxa- slap him? Why on earth would I do that for? I was just disappointed when I started asking him questions and what that means/entails he failed to answer my queries sufficiently. The thought is quite provocative but you to admit intriguing nonetheless and I don’t think he thought it throw. Probably heard it and thought it’s a nice thing to throw it around. Anyhow, as for being flattered by the comment…I don’t know i need to understand it to determine that. “Mate with your eyes” interesting notion don’t you think and not wasaq at all. People mate in various forms but this strange in its practicality unless it wasn’t meant to be taken literally. But his serious face indicated otherwise hence my interest in unpacking its engineering.

put the link up old man

And people say women are the biggest gossipers. Happy Friday indeed. p.s what does it mean when someone says “I would like to mate with your eyes?” that comment occupied my brains all of last night and today…I just cant get my head around it; how does one mate with another’s eyes, what are the practically of it and how can we operationalise it???

Hello beobleee... mac mac Juxa...Hello old man

What a waste of sperm

loooooooooool@ now i think of it, maybe similar thing would be beneficial to our own social awkward kids or adults who dont seem to ever grow. Juxa- are they going to sing woow woow + the 1,2 somali steps. I most certainly tune in for that. Hello Faheema Lemon cake, woman your value in the matrimonial section is skyrocketing. P.s get well soon…elevation elevation, and yes more elevation….thats what I was informed by a doct once

Come on Juxa- last week episode the cheerleader (the leader of the celibacy club) told her BF that she is pregnant. He asked how? (Because he didn’t do anything apart dallying up with girl on a pool) she responded; the sperm has a strong chance in warm water and travels fast without actual you know what) How can you expect me to like this ****** show?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN8Cvo6G0u8&feature=related

Juxa- xasiid, No glee also? Were the girls at?

Well I’ve been getting up to no good for the past 6days and I fear it’s all catching up with me. Sadly I don’t see a restful weekend on the horizon for me. Juxa- barty? Na invitationka soo diir. LOL@Under who.. Juxa, you know me so well.

It’s only 10.40am and I’m shattered beyond repair. Morning people.

http://www.barnard.edu/polisci/faculty/cooley/ngoscram.pdf http://personal.lse.ac.uk/lewisd/images/Lewis%20Mosse%20Intro.pdf http://www.hapinternational.org/pool/files/mosse2004.pdf Expansionism of the customarily international law: responsibility to protect in the wake of natural disasters?? whats beyond the relief? Before i forget if you have more time; wiz throw the big INGOs website and see how their instrumentlising the Haiti situation to further their own long term spaces/funds......shocking how Haiti’s local NGOs/CBOs are now fighting for resources/ spotlight with this organisations no...

Was aid ever about humanitarianism? And the poor/ the suffering etc? One can argue that the global crisis of the non-insured population has long reached a tipping point, hence a humanitarian regime emerged as an insurance of the last resort, to counter balance the negative side effects of capitalism. No? Thus containing the voices of the discontent by creating a veneer of humanitarianism... Actually the aid boom is on the decline (thanks to the Paris Declaration-replaced by a more dangerous form of aid modality) and many NGO’s are currently fighting for their survival and the situation isn’t helped by the marketisation of the INGO/CBO etc hence their now a fully fledges b1tches of the neoliberal agenda. And in short NGOs ability to promote any real long term change/positive impact on their operative sights has long been curtailed, their spaces of operation, the roles within it and impact upon society was reconstructed by the same forces that promoted them, and are currently sustaining them.....nothing but a global soup kitchen if you like. Consequently there are trapped and subjected to the dominant ideas and rules that travel with the financial aid they depend on, hence in most context their nothing but a vehicle neoliberal governmentality. Consequently, making them apart and parcel of the progressive arm of an irresistible march towards liberal democracy...the big push towards global privatisation. Thus under various guises and activities they pay Homage to the overarching master by generating legitimacy and humanise the process of integration, by depoliticising the issue....all under the “Aid regime”. Aid is a regime and it’s very political thus aides the powerful at the expense of the masses....anyhow must catch up with my day....do read the articles below if you have the time.

Ducky Dancing: The DuckVinci Code: The Duckminator: Saving Private Duck: The Good The Bad and The Ugly Duckling: When Harry Met Sally The Duck; Hope you enjoy them as much as i.

People with such levels of ignorance ought to be band. Flabbergasted.

Dee shukansi baa keenay wilko.. Norf- You sounded so like my dad...yareey Rabshada jooji

Nigeria President Yar'Adua budget signature 'forged' Allies of Nigeria's ailing president forged his signature on the country's supplementary budget last month, opposition politicians have alleged. They have written to the police asking them to investigate the forgery claims. The government said President Umaru Yar'Adua signed the budget despite being treated for a heart condition in Saudi Arabia. Mr Yar'Adua has been away for six weeks, fuelling fears of a power vacuum in Africa's most populous nation. Doctors say he is suffering from acute pericarditis - inflammation of the lining of the heart. He also has a long-standing kidney complaint. In a bid to dispel fevered speculation over Mr Yar'Adua's health, ministers have insisted the president is recovering from treatment. Information Minister Dora Akunyili said the president had spoken to his colleagues over the telephone on Tuesday. Several court cases have been launched demanding that power be officially handed to the vice-president. And one group of activists has even suggested the president should be declared a missing person, and a search party should be sent out. 'Utter dismay' In the latest move, an umbrella group for the main opposition parties known as the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has demanded that the police investigate the alleged forgery. The group's lawyer, opposition official Femi Falana, said in the letter that the CNPP had tried to verify claims by the government that the budget had been taken to Saudi Arabia for the president to sign on his sick bed. "To its utter dismay our client (CNPP) has confirmed that the signature of the president and the seal of the Federal Republic of Nigeria were forged by some persons in the presidency," the letter read. "Our client has instructed us to request you to use your good offices to set the engine in motion for the investigation and prosecution of those who carried out the nefarious act." The CNPP said it would take the issue to the federal court next week if the police failed to act. Mr Falana, who is also senior opposition activist, is behind one of the court cases being brought against the government. He wants judges to annul all decisions taken by the cabinet during the president's absence. In the other cases, one activist wants Mr Yar'Adua to be sacked because of his ill health and the Nigerian Bar Association is demanding that power be handed over to Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan. The courts have asked for the three cases to be merged, and the consolidated case is due to be heard next week. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8445776.stm