Nelson Mandela’s Afro-Cuban dog

Nelson Mandela’s Afro-Cuban dog

Thus it seems the Rhodesian Ridgeback was a fitting companion for Mandela who has dedicated his entire life to achieving equality among the people of South Africa and who credits Cuba’s military assistance in Angola as being the crucial factor in turning the tide against apartheid.

Integral Options Cafe: Observations on The Ego Trick, Part Three

In order to explain why the notion of multiple selves has become more widely accepted, Baggini dredges up the demon of postmodernism (it's apparent, as speculated above, that he is not a fan of this developmental stage in culture and philosophy). Postmodernism rejects ideas of a single grand narrative to explain all of history, or all of science, or even the self. In postmodern theory, no one story is more right than another - every event can be seen from multiple narrative perspectives, which takes us back to Jerome Bruner's narrative construction of reality.



Integral Options Cafe: Observations on The Ego Trick, Part Three: This is part 3 of many installments in my process/review of Julian Baggini's The Ego Trick: In Search of the Self . There is as much person...

An open letter to Cde Trevor Manuel

An open letter to Cde Trevor Manuel

SA: Sisulu: Address by the Parliamentary speaker

A call to action to all of our Parliamentarians, highlighting the plight of ordinary people at the hand of anthropogenic impact on climate change.



It is going to require more than just paying lip service to this call; it is going to require strong interministerial action, and a display of consistent systemic thinking that seeks to create strong synergies that go beyond our current interministerial clusters.



A challenge to our Cabinet Ministers, Captains of Industry, Executive Directors of NGOs and Co-ops, and most importantly DGs in government, and CEOs of SOEs (State Owned Enterprises), and leaders of government agencies.



This is not about COP 17 only, but BEYOND as well.

Amplify’d from www.polity.org.za

SA: Sisulu: Address by the Parliamentary speaker, at the antional consultative seminar on climate change (28/10/2011)

Honourable Minister Edna Molewa and Deputy Minister Marius Fransman Honourable Speakers of Legislatures Mayors Chairpersons of Committees Members of Parliament and Legislatures Excellencies of the Diplomatic Corpse Traditional Leaders Seminar Speakers Invited Guests Ladies and Gentlemen It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to this Consultative Seminar on Climate Change. This seminal event provides us with an opportunity to share ideas and discuss the importance of tackling the challenges of climate change. We must act boldly, and decisively, in the face of this common threat. That is why all of us are here today.

“Ordinary people that suffer daily from the impact of climate change hold high expectations from their leaders. They want leaders to be responsible and to find effective solutions to the threat that climate change presents to their livelihood, quality of life, dignity, and in many cases, their very survival. We have a massive responsibility and working together we will have a successful session which will contribute to making the world much better and safer for all, especially the poor.” Let us turn the climate crisis into a climate compact. Read more at www.polity.org.za

 

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The key is building deeper levels of networking that are beneficial to both at each node.

Amplify’d from www.destinyman.com

DESTINY LOGO

How to identify key industry figures

Get closer to the successful guys who can help shape your career.

1. Look inside your organisation Your place of employment could be teeming with inspirational and influential people. Pretoria-based career coach Goodnews Cadogan says: “I always used to tell my clients: ‘If you do not have a friend or two who operate in the same space as you do (and they are excellent at it), you are not likely to be a high valued employee, leader or entrepreneur.' It all begins with personal associates, and is followed by professional and industry associations, coupled to continued professional development.” He says the moment you make a conscious choice to lead a professional life, “life-long learning is the twin to which you have to commit, but with friends and associates who give you support.”

3. Use media resources If you’re hell-bent on having Donald Trump and Richard Branson as your key influencers, you can use their literature to map your own success story. Cadogan warns that you won’t be operating in the same field of play as they do. “Branson’s Screw It, Let’s Do It and Losing My Virginity and Trump’s How to Get Rich and How to Turn your Idea into a Money Machine are good inspirational reads, but these entrepreneurs won’t be with you every step of the way.” On the other hand, movies such as The Social Network and business documentaries can also offer you a window into the lives of successful business people and other successful executives. There’s also DESTINY MAN Mentorship – an online programme aimed at helping you tap into the professional wealth offered by industry experts via www.destinyman.com. The best thing about such interactions is that experts can respond directly to your situation and address the questions you have without making any generalisations. Read more at www.destinyman.com

 

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How Germany Became Europe’s Green Leader: A Look at Four Decades of Sustainable Policymaking

In short- in South Africa, we can do it also- NOTHING IS STOPPING US FROM DOING THIS.

Amplify’d from www.thesolutionsjournal.com

How Germany Became Europe’s Green Leader: A Look at Four Decades of Sustainable Policymaking

By Ralph Buehler, Arne Jungjohann, Melissa Keeley, Michael Mehling

In BriefOver the last 40 years, all levels of government in Germany have retooled policies to promote growth that is more environmentally sustainable. Germany’s experiences can provide useful lessons for the United States (and other nations) as policymakers consider options for “green” economic transformation. Our analysis focuses on four case studies from Germany in the areas of energy, urban infrastructure, and transportation. We show how political challenges to the implementation of green policies were overcome and how sustainability programs were made politically acceptable at the local, state, and federal levels of government. Within the three highlighted sectors, we identify potential opportunities and barriers to policy transfer from Germany to the United States, concluding with specific lessons for policy development and implementation.

Key Concepts Germany’s experience with policies aimed at “greening” the economy provides several lessons for the United States about how to make sustainability politically acceptable in a federal system of government: Start small and implement policies in stages. Many sustainability policies in Germany were first implemented at a small geographic scale or with a small scope. Successful pilot projects were expanded in stages over time. There is no silver bullet. Policies have to be coordinated and integrated across sectors and levels of government to achieve maximum effectiveness. Foster citizen participation and communicate policies effectively. Citizen input reduces potential legal challenges, increases public acceptance, and has the potential to improve projects and outcomes. Find innovative solutions and embrace bipartisanship. Successful green policies in Germany were designed to meet the needs of multiple constituents.

Pricing Energy for Jobs and Resource Conservation: Germany’s Energy Tax Reform

A Positive Macroeconomic Balance

Lessons from Energy Pricing in Germany

Promoting Renewable Energy

As a member state of the European Union (EU), Germany’s energy policies are driven by a mix of national and European legislation. Formally, the 27 EU member states regulate energy policies within their own national borders. However, EU treaty provisions concerning the European internal market, free competition, and environmental protection have created a European energy policy.12

In 2009, a major piece of renewable-energy legislation was passed as part of an overall climate and energy package. The European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive13 requires each member state to increase its share of renewable energy—such as solar, wind power, biomass, or hydroelectric—to raise the overall share from 8.5 percent in 2010 to 20 percent by 2020 across all sectors (e.g., power generation, heating and cooling, and transportation fuels).

Achievements in Renewable Energy

Germany has seen a remarkable expansion of renewable energy in the last decade. The share of renewable energy in electricity generation rose from 6 percent in 2000 to 16 percent in 2009.14 Over this time, the German government revised its own targets twice, given that previous targets had been exceeded ahead of schedule. The German government is expecting a share of 38 percent renewable power by 2020 and continues to drive the transformation “towards an energy system based completely on renewable energies.”15,16

Sustainability Lessons for the United States

First, start small and implement policies in stages. Many sustainability policies in Germany were first implemented at a small geographic scale or with a small scope and were expanded in stages over time. Small-scale pilot projects allow policymakers to experiment and the public to experience a real-life example of the proposed program. Unsuccessful projects can be discontinued and successful programs can be expanded. For example, many German cities initially implemented traffic-calming technologies in those neighborhoods where residents complained most about traffic safety, noise, and air pollution from car travel. Successful implementation of a pilot project in one neighborhood led other neighborhoods to demand traffic calming as well. This approach can also work at other scales and in other sectors. For example, the German Renewable Energy Sources Act initially covered only very basic technologies, but it was extended over time and rewarded innovations and new approaches. To some extent the United States is using this approach already, as witnessed by the creation of pedestrian zones in New York City’s Times Square or the new bike lanes on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC. On the federal level, however, the U.S. Congress does not have a consistent history of passing incremental improvements to energy policy or climate legislation.

Fourth, find innovative solutions and embrace bipartisanship. The implementation of several of the highlighted policies came with strong political controversy in Germany. However, the policies survived because, over time, parties across the political spectrum benefited from them or could not afford reversing them. For example, the Renewable Energy Sources Act was supported by both the political left and right because both the progressive renewable-energy industry and the conservative German farm community benefited from its implementation. Before and during the introduction of the Ecological Tax Reform Act, Germany’s center-right parties opposed the reform and promised to roll it back once they were in power again. However, after winning elections in 2005, the conservatives found it impossible to forfeit the robust tax revenue generated by the reform. Read more at www.thesolutionsjournal.com

 

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OUR OPINION: Madonsela the real hero

OUR OPINION: Madonsela the real hero

Without her courage there would have been no evidence beyond media allegations and ministerial corruption would have been allowed to continue.