DOCSLIB.ORG

Be an Active Citizen Pass It on the Urgency of Now ‘We Are Confronted with the Fierce

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Be an Active Citizen Pass It on the Urgency of Now ‘We Are Confronted with the Fierce Be an active citizen Pass it on The urgency of now The urgency ‘We are confronted with the fierce Pass on this book to others who can also make a difference, urgency of now. Human progress and we’ll send you a free replacement copy is neither automatic nor inevitable... Over the bleached bones and jumbled The residues of numerous civilisations are written the pathetic words: Too late.’ Martin Luther King Jr urgency The urgency of now is based on analysis and arguments presented in Oxfam It’s time to take a new look at how to change the world. International’s flagship publication,From Poverty to Power. So, to really get your teeth into all the issues raised here, Many people taking individual actions – signing a petition, of now order a copy from www.oxfam.org.uk/publications giving to charity, recycling – is important. But can it really A small book about the madness or your local bookshop. make the difference needed to combat injustice and control of inequality and poverty: how it’s a rapidly changing climate? To contribute your ideas or questions, and take part Be Humankind wrecking people’s lives and why in an ongoing debate about reducing inequality, visit Who really has the power to change the world? sorting it out will make things www.fp2p.org And what can you really do to help? better for us all Full references for all statistics and case studies This little book sets out some of the biggest challenges in this book are in From Poverty to Power. facing the world today and shows you how to use the power you have in the fight for positive change. It invites you to become part of a movement of people who believe that From Poverty to Power inequality can and should be challenged. How Active Citizens and Effective States Can Change the World Before it’s too late. by Duncan Green ‘Tells us what we must do in the limited Be Humankind time we have to prevent a human and ecological tragedy that will affect, in one way or another, each and every one of us.’ Larry Elliott, The Guardian Find out more about the issues raised. Read From Poverty to Power or visit www.fp2p.org of Morumbi inSãoPaulo, Brazilsitside byside. The Paraisopolis favela(Paradisecityshantytown) andtheaffluentdistrict Photo: Tuca Vieira Tuca Photo: Freepost RRLG-TJGJ-AZSX Freepost Oxfam Sherwood Park Annesley Nottinghamshire NG15 ODJ The urgency No stamp of now needed, but A small book about the madness of inequality and poverty: how it’s wrecking people’s lives and why sorting it out will make things using one better for us all will save Oxfam money I’ve sent my copy of The urgency of now to: My MP / local politician A friend or colleague An interested teacher A local campaign group Other Please send my free replacement copy to Name Address Postcode Email If you would like email updates, please provide your email address. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please also send me more info on how I can be an active citizen with Oxfam in Great Britain. For other action ideas visit www.oxfam.org.uk/get_involved 2008icb011 The urgency of now Duncan Green and Isobel Allen Contents First published by Oxfam GB in 2008 © Oxfam GB 2008 1 Inequality explored 5 ISBN 978-0-85598-629-2 Illustrations © John French 21 Book design by Kelvin Jenkins 2 Redistributing power All Voices of the Poor World Bank (2000) quotes can be found at: http://go.worldbank.org/H1N8746X10 3 Sharing wealth 29 A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library. All rights reserved. Reproduction, copy, transmission, or translation of any part of this publication may be made only under the following conditions: 4 Reducing fear and anxiety 39 • with the prior written permission of the publisher; or • with a licence from the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd., 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 9HE, UK, or from another national licensing agency; or 5 Changing the rules 49 • for quotation in a review of the work; or • under the terms set out below. This publication is copyright, but may be reproduced by any method without fee for teaching 6 Let’s get urgent 59 purposes, but not for resale. Formal permission is required for all such uses, but normally will be granted immediately. For copying in any other circumstances, or for re-use in other publications, or for translation or adaptation, prior written permission must be obtained from the publisher, and a fee may be payable. The information in this publication is correct at the time of going to press. Available from: BEBC Distribution, PO Box 1496, Parkstone, Dorset, BH12 3YD, UK tel: +44 (0)1202 712933; fax: +44 (0)1202 712930; email: [email protected] For details of local agents and representatives in other countries, consult our website: www.oxfam.org.uk/publications or contact Oxfam Publishing, Oxfam House, John Smith Drive, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 2JY, UK tel +44 (0) 1865 472255; fax (0) 1865 472393; email: [email protected] Our website contains a fully searchable database of all our titles, and facilities for secure on-line ordering. Published by Oxfam GB, Oxfam House, John Smith Drive, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 2JY, UK Printed by Oxuniprint, Unit 10, Oxonian Park, Kidlington, Oxfordshire OX5 1FP, UK. Cover and inners printed on recycled paper made from 100% post-consumer waste. Oxfam GB is a registered charity, no. 202 918, and is a member of Oxfam International. www.fp2p.org 4 The urgency of now 1. Inequality explored here are moments when the world changes, and this should be one of them. This book sets T out a vision of women and men in communities everywhere who are equipped with education, enjoying good health, with rights, dignity, and voice – in charge of their own destinies. It challenges us all to act now, together, to bring about real and lasting change. ‘Inequality’ is the status quo. There is huge inequality between people in their access to resources, to decision- making fora, to securing human rights and safety, and in their freedom from discrimination. Reducing inequality is both morally right and pragmatically necessary for global economic and climate security in the future. As the world enters a new era of scarcity, growing inequality could compound food, water, land, and carbon shortages, turning them into a source of conflict that destabilises whole nations. Those who feel their short-term self- interest outweighs any moral imperative to act need to be convinced. This book may help. Housing for the wealthy of Lucknow (India) rises above the shacks that are home to the rag-picking community of Shanti Busti (‘Peace Slum’). Photo: Tom Pietrasik / Oxfam 6 The urgency of now Inequality explored 7 It asks some crunch questions. Why have countries here is based on it. If you want more, get your teeth into like South Korea or Viet Nam developed so quickly, while From Poverty to Power, www.fp2p.org others get stuck in poverty? Is democracy necessary for Meet Mai and Aminatta, two baby girls, born in Norway development? Why is inequality rising across the world and Sierra Leone respectively. Mai was born in a well- and how have states and citizens tried to reduce it? Is equipped hospital. She and her mother survived the tackling climate change at odds with economic growth? experience, and Mai will go to school when she is six and Is aid part of the solution or part of the problem? most probably to university. Aminatta stood a one in four And what can we, as concerned citizens, do to chance of dying at birth; her mother a one in 47 chance bring about change? of dying in childbirth. She was born at home, with no It doesn’t presume to have all the answers. This is a midwife, in a shanty town with poor small book and these are big issues. From Poverty to Power sanitation and water supplies. If On average, is a larger book that goes into real depth; the analysis Aminatta survives, there’s a one in women in Sierra three chance she’ll never go to school. Leone die aged 42, In Sierra Leone only one in four 40 years before women can read and write, so those in Norway. university is an impossible dream. Aminatta will find it hard to get a job in a country with 80 per cent unemployment. Mai faces better prospects: if she falls ill or loses her job, there are social security systems to make sure she has enough money to survive. Aminatta has no such safety net. She will do everything earlier than Mai – start work, have children, and die. On average, women in Sierra Leone die aged 42, 40 years before those in Norway. From cradle to grave, these women’s life chances are dominated by the extraordinary levels of inequality that characterise the modern world. Let’s look at some numbers. The total income of the world’s 500 richest billionaires is higher than that of its 416 million poorest people. 8 The urgency of now Inequality explored 9 How long is your lifeline? Each year, the global economy churns out some $9,500* Causes of premature death worldwide* worth of goods and services per man, woman, and child – 25 times the $365 per year that defines the ‘extreme Some causes of death receive far more human attention – and financial commitment to their prevention – than Tobacco poverty’ of a billion human beings. Every minute of every others.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Aurore Belkin Photographer Aurore Belkin Is a French and Canadian
    Aurore Belkin Photographer Aurore Belkin is a French and Canadian photographer based in Dubai and Rome. Her career as a photojournalist is focused on the Middle East where she is represented by leading agency Arabianeye. She was trained by veteran war photojournalists Jack Picone and Philip Jones Griffiths with whom she developed a strength for reportage and portrait photography. She has shot reportage and features in UAE, Jordan, Oman, Yemen, Lebanon, North Korea, China, Laos, Nepal, Thailand, India, Paris and Germany. In 2008, along with renowned Art publisher Prestel, she has initiated and produced “In Their Hands, 21st Century Embroidery in India” and co-authored “Dubai Speed” by leading German book publisher DTV in 2009 (3rd edition Jan 2010, ( http://www.dubai-speed.de/index.php/lights-of-dubai/lights-of-dubai/2441/ ). The book is now available in English under the title “Dubai High” Her work has been awarded First Prize all categories at the GPP Middle East Photo Competition in 2007 and that same year she also has been exhibited in Nooderlicht Photofestival with her work on Bangkok Fortune Tellers (http://www.lightstalkers.org/galleries/slideshow/8710 ). While in Dubai, she has been regularly portraying international political figures and royals such as Benazir Buttho, Monica Belluci, HH Sheikha Mayassa of Qatar. Her clients include Time, Business Week, NYT, Vanity Fair,Vogue, Der Spiegel, Neue Zuercher Zeitung, Welt am Sonntag, Berliner Zeitung, Basler Zeitung, Weltwoche (Zurich), Cicero (Berlin), Welthungerhilfe, Business Weekly, Total, Abu Dhabi Formula One, Better Digital Australia, Al Shawati, Gulf Air Magazine, Oman Board of Tourism, Jumeirah Beach Magazine, Abn Amro.
    [Show full text]
  • Thailand White Paper
    THE BANGKOK MASSACRES: A CALL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY ―A White Paper by Amsterdam & Peroff LLP EXECUTIVE SUMMARY For four years, the people of Thailand have been the victims of a systematic and unrelenting assault on their most fundamental right — the right to self-determination through genuine elections based on the will of the people. The assault against democracy was launched with the planning and execution of a military coup d’état in 2006. In collaboration with members of the Privy Council, Thai military generals overthrew the popularly elected, democratic government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose Thai Rak Thai party had won three consecutive national elections in 2001, 2005 and 2006. The 2006 military coup marked the beginning of an attempt to restore the hegemony of Thailand’s old moneyed elites, military generals, high-ranking civil servants, and royal advisors (the “Establishment”) through the annihilation of an electoral force that had come to present a major, historical challenge to their power. The regime put in place by the coup hijacked the institutions of government, dissolved Thai Rak Thai and banned its leaders from political participation for five years. When the successor to Thai Rak Thai managed to win the next national election in late 2007, an ad hoc court consisting of judges hand-picked by the coup-makers dissolved that party as well, allowing Abhisit Vejjajiva’s rise to the Prime Minister’s office. Abhisit’s administration, however, has since been forced to impose an array of repressive measures to maintain its illegitimate grip and quash the democratic movement that sprung up as a reaction to the 2006 military coup as well as the 2008 “judicial coups.” Among other things, the government blocked some 50,000 web sites, shut down the opposition’s satellite television station, and incarcerated a record number of people under Thailand’s infamous lèse-majesté legislation and the equally draconian Computer Crimes Act.
    [Show full text]
  • Telling Stories to a Different Beat: Photojournalism As a “Way of Life”
    Bond University DOCTORAL THESIS Telling stories to a different beat: Photojournalism as a “Way of Life” Busst, Naomi Award date: 2012 Link to publication General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal. Telling stories to a different beat: Photojournalism as a “Way of Life” Naomi Verity Busst, BPhoto, MJ A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Media and Communication Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Bond University February 2012 Abstract This thesis presents a grounded theory of how photojournalism is a way of life. Some photojournalists dedicate themselves to telling other people's stories, documenting history and finding alternative ways to disseminate their work to audiences. Many self-fund their projects, not just for the love of the tradition, but also because they feel a sense of responsibility to tell stories that are at times outside the mainstream media’s focus. Some do this through necessity. While most photojournalism research has focused on photographers who are employed by media organisations, little, if any, has been undertaken concerning photojournalists who are freelancers.
    [Show full text]
  • Dossier Presse IMAGINE EN.Indd
    Imagine. Reflections on peace musée international avenue de la paix 17 de la croix-rouge ch-1202 Genève et du croissant-rouge +41 22 748 95 11 2. From 16 September 2020 to 10 January 2021, the In- ternational Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum will be running Imagine. Reflections on Peace, a photo exhibition that looks at peace-building and how it is experienced in everyday life. What does peace look like, apart from the images we make of it? VII Foundation The exhibition, developed in collaboration with the , invites us to imagine an ideal peace that exists outside the headlines. What form – or forms – does peace take in everyday life in places where combatants have laid down arms after years of conflict? Some of the world’s leading photojournalists set out to explore this question by returning to the places where they carried outDon their McCullin first assignments, sometimesBeirut more than 20 years ago. Nichole Sobecki • gives us a glimpse of in the grip of civil war, while takes us back to the city’s streetsRoland as Neveuit attempts to heal despite the scars left by conflictPhnom – a journey Penh made all the more relevant byGary recent Knight events. • witnessed the Khmer Rouge takeover of in 1975. Forty-five years later, ’s photographsRon Haviv show Cambodians still grapplingBosnia-Herzegovina with the conflict’s aftermath. • coveredGilles thePeress civil warStephen in Ferry and later returned to reportNorthern on the situation Ireland there today. Colombia • Reporting by and sheds light on the peace process in two decades after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, and in , where the 2016 peace deal remains little more than a promise.
    [Show full text]
  • Gemma Andreone Editor Bridging Gaps Between National, Individual
    Gemma Andreone Editor The Future of the Law of the Sea Bridging Gaps Between National, Individual and Common Interests The Future of the Law of the Sea Gemma Andreone Editor The Future of the Law of the Sea Bridging Gaps Between National, Individual and Common Interests Editor Gemma Andreone Institute for International Legal Studies Italian National Research Council Rome, Italy ISBN 978-3-319-51273-0 ISBN 978-3-319-51274-7 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-51274-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017936385 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017. This book is an open access publication Open Access This book is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this book are included in the book’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the book’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. This work is subject to copyright. All commercial rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed.
    [Show full text]
  • ACP Exhibition Records
    Appendix!A! ! Exhibition!Records!(197472007)! Appendix!A!–!Exhibition!Records!(1973<2007)! ! ! ! Aspects of Ian!Dodd,!Ken!Middleton,!Grant!Mudford,!Max! ! Australian Jan Pam,!Phillip!Quirk,!John!Walsh! Nov 7 7 1974 Photography 18 21 !! ! ! ! !1975% !! ! ! A Statement of Henry!King! ! Fact - Henry Jan Feb 7 7 1975 King 1955- 22 15 !! 1923 ! ! Graham Graham!McCarter! ! McCarter Jan Feb 7 7 1975 22 15 !! ! ! A Question of Richard!Harris,!John!Williams! ! Attitude Feb Mar 7 7 1975 18 15 !! ! ! Selected Robert!Capa,!Werner!Bischof,!August!Sander,! ! Masters Apr Edward!Steichen,!F.M.!Sutcliffe! Mar 7 7 1975 10 18 !! ! ! Work in Various! ! Progress Apr Mar 7 7 1975 10 18 !! ! ! Time and Greg!Weight!and!Roger!Scott! ! Space Apr May 7 7 1975 15 10 !! ! ! Elliott Erwitt - Elliott!Erwitt! ! Photographs Jun May 7 7 1975 and Anti- 14 13 !! photographs ! Instant Images ! Various! ! Jul - Polaroid Jun 7 7 1975 progress 12 17 !! ! !!!!! a! ! ! ! ! 1976! 1976! 1975! 1975! 1975! 1975! 1975! 1975! 1975! 1975! Appendix!A 167Mar! 177Feb! ! 27Dec! 27Dec! 217Oct! 237Sep! 197Aug! 167Jul! 167Jul! June! 107Apr! 137Mar! ! 177Jan! 177Jan! 297Nov! 187Oct! 207Sep! 167Aug! 167Aug! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Sidetripping From theLand Viewpoints '75 Melbourne Gundagai 1930 Retrospective Max Dupain Aesthetic Californian The Snapshots Time series The Road Viewpoints - 1975 Charles!Gatewood!(USA) John!Cato!and!Laurie!Wilson ! ! Dr!Charles!Gabriel Max!Dupain Ed!Douglas ! Sue!Ford Wesley!Stacey Olivieru!Juscan,!Minor!White!and!others [Jeanloup!Sieff?],!Josef!Surlek![Josef!Sudek?],!
    [Show full text]
  • Agency, Identity, and Authority in Rwanda: 1950S Political Rhetoric As a Bridge to Post-Colonial Genocide
    Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Spring 5-8-2020 Agency, Identity, and Authority in Rwanda: 1950s Political Rhetoric as a Bridge to Post-Colonial Genocide Amanda E. Rollinson Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Part of the African History Commons Recommended Citation Rollinson, A. E. (2020). Agency, Identity, and Authority in Rwanda: 1950s Political Rhetoric as a Bridge to Post-Colonial Genocide (Master's thesis, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/ 1889 This One-year Embargo is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. AGENCY, IDENTITY, AND AUTHORITY IN RWANDA: 1950s POLITICAL RHETORIC AS A BRIDGE TO POST-COLONIAL GENOCIDE A Thesis Submitted to the McAnulty Graduate School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts By Amanda E. Rollinson May 2020 Copyright by Amanda E. Rollinson 2020 AGENCY, IDENTITY, AND AUTHORITY IN RWANDA: 1950s POLITICAL RHETORIC AS A BRIDGE TO POST-COLONIAL GENOCIDE By Amanda E. Rollinson Approved on 31 March 2020 ___________________________ ___________________________ Robin P. Chapdelaine, PhD Andrew T. Simpson, PhD Assistant Professor of History Assistant Professor of History (Thesis Director) (Thesis Reader) ___________________________ ___________________________ Kristine L. Blair, Dean John C. Mitcham, PhD Dean, McAnulty College and Graduate Chair, Department of History School of Liberal Arts (Committee Member) iii ABSTRACT AGENCY, IDENTITY, AND AUTHORITY IN RWANDA: 1950s POLITICAL RHETORIC AS A BRIDGE TO POST-COLONIAL GENOCIDE By Amanda E.
    [Show full text]
  • The Foot Soldiers of Change: an Investigation of the Human Factors Operating in Maternal Health in Non-Western Cultures Through the Agency of Photography
    The Foot Soldiers of Change: An Investigation of the Human Factors Operating in Maternal Health in Non-Western cultures through the Agency of Photography Author McIlvenny, Kelly Published 2016 Thesis Type Thesis (Professional Doctorate) School Queensland College of Art DOI https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/745 Copyright Statement The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/367607 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au The Foot Soldiers of Change: An Investigation of the Human Factors Operating in Maternal Health in Non-Western cultures through the Agency of Photography Kelly McIlvenny BDigitalMedia(Hons) Queensland College of Art Griffith University Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Visual Arts July 2015 ABSTRACT This research investigates and engages with the layers of intervention involved in Nepali women seeking biomedical care during pregnancy and childbirth, through the agency of photography, interviews and participant observation. Documenting the layers of medical intervention in this manner allows for a cultural critique of how such immense social change, visible in the statistical analysis of maternal health indicators, is playing out on a micro level. This research engages with the women who have gained enough social capital to influence birthing practices both in biomedical intervention and social practice. This research is based on photographic documentation and participant observation conducted with women either in the process of birth or afterwards whose survival is due to the assistance they have received. This exegesis outlines the contextual elements surrounding my photographic work, discussing the challenges and opportunities of cross-cultural visual documentation.
    [Show full text]
  • Living with Disasters and Changing Climate Children in Southeast Asia Telling Their Stories About Disaster and Climate Change First Published 2010
    Children in Southeast Asia telling their stories about disaster and climate change Save the Children fights for children’s rights. We deliver immediate and lasting improvements to children’s lives worldwide. Save the Children works for: • A world which respects and values each child. • A world which listens to children and learns. • A world where all children have hope and opportunity. Title: Living with disasters and changing climate Children in Southeast Asia telling their stories about disaster and climate change First published 2010 © Save the Children Publication Project Coordinator: Sophapan Ratanachena Author: Wannachan Apple Chaimontree Editor: Terry Durnnian Design and Layout: Karakade Sriparinyasin Front cover photograph : Athit Perawongmetha Copies of this pubication can be obtained from: Save the Children Sweden Southeast Asia and the Pacific Regional Office 14th fl., Maneeya Centre 518/5 Ploenchit Road, Patumwan Bangkok 10330 Thailand Tel +66 (0) 2 684 1046-7 Fax +66 (0) 2 684 1048 Email: [email protected] http://seap.savethechildren.se www.savethechildren.net Acknowledgements Stories in this book were compiled from both field visits and secondary source from Uttaradith, Phayao, Nakon Srithammarat, Table of Content Ranong, and Tak Province in Thailand; Jakarta and Langkat in Indonesia; Yen Bai Province in Vietnam; and Manila in the About this book 4 Philippines. Special thanks go to all children and adults who shared their stories to be Part 1: Introduction 4 featured in this book. Recognition to Save The world of increasing disasters and climate change 6 the Children country programmes and local partners who are working with children What Save the Children does to save children’s lives in disasters? 8 and their communities on DRR and climate Impacts of disasters on children’s lives – from their perspective 13 change in the region.
    [Show full text]
  • Toponym Disambiguation in Information Retrieval
    Toponym Disambiguation in Information Retrieval Davide Buscaldi Dpto. Sistemas Inform´aticosy Computaci´on Universidad Polit´ecnicade Valencia A thesis submitted for the degree of PhilosophiæDoctor (PhD) Under the supervision of Dr. Paolo Rosso 2010 October ii Abstract In recent years, geography has acquired a great importance in the context of Information Retrieval (IR) and, in general, of the automated processing of information in text. Mobile devices that are able to surf the web and at the same time inform about their position are now a common reality, together with applications that can exploit these data to provide users with locally customised information, such as directions or advertisements. Therefore, it is important to deal properly with the geographic information that is included in electronic texts. The majority of such kind of information is contained as place names, or toponyms. Toponym ambiguity represents an important issue in Geographical Infor- mation Retrieval (GIR), due to the fact that queries are geographically con- strained. There has been a struggle to find specific geographical IR methods that actually outperform traditional IR techniques. Toponym ambiguity may constitute a relevant factor in the inability of current GIR systems to take advantage from geographical knowledge. Recently, some Ph.D. theses have dealt with Toponym Disambiguation (TD) from different perspectives, from the development of resources for the evaluation of Toponym Disam- biguation (Leidner (2007)) to the use of TD to improve geographical scope resolution (Andogah (2010)). The Ph.D. thesis presented here introduces a TD method based on WordNet and carries out a detailed study of the relationship of Toponym Disambiguation to some IR applications, such as GIR, Question Answering (QA) and Web retrieval.
    [Show full text]
  • Writing the Wrongs International Benchmarks on Adult Literacy
    Writing the Wrongs International Benchmarks on Adult Literacy BASED ON RESEARCH FUNDED BY THE EDUCATION FOR ALL GLOBAL MONITORING REPORT 2006 & UNESCO NOVEMBER 2005 David Archer [email protected] ActionAid International Hamlyn House MacDonald Road Archway London N19 5PG UK Lucia Fry [email protected] Global Campaign for Education PO Box 521733 Saxonwold Johannesburg 2132 South Africa www.actionaid.org www.campaignforeducation.org CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Acknowledgements This report has been compiled by David Archer of ActionAid WHY WE MUST INVEST IN Illiteracy is a violation of the ✱ Adult literacy is critical for the International based on a major survey and research project developed ADULT LITERACY NOW fundamental human right to healthy development and education by the Global Campaign for Education. The research was led by David Executive Summary 1 There are nearly one billion adults education. But if that is not argument of children, especially girls. Each Archer and conducted by Yaikah Jeng under the guidance of a research coordination team made up of Maria Nandago (Pamoja, who cannot read and write, according enough, the Global Campaign for extra year of education for mothers is 1. The Global Context 7 Uganda), Gorgui Sow (ANCEFA, Senegal), Julie Adu Gyamfi (ActionAid to UNESCO statistics. The real figure Education believes that there are five associated with a significant decline in Ghana), Vera Ribeiro (Acao Educativa, Brazil), Menaka Roy (ASPBAE is probably nearer to two billion 1 and compelling practical reasons for infant mortality and improved child- 2. Overview of the Process 11 India) , Nitya Rao (UEA / India) and Anne Jellema (Global Campaign still more if numeracy and the actual governments and donors to invest health 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Technology Transforming Aid the View from Lloyd's Careless
    ININTERNATIONAL INSURANCE INSIGHTS Technology Transforming Aid The View From Lloyd's Careless Tweeting Costs Lives Rats Sniffing Out Danger 04 Technology Transforming Aid I always find it fascinating to learn more about our clients, Why data is at the heart of modern development planning. many of whom do truly amazing things. In this issue, we feature Charlie Goldsmith Associates, who are helping girls in Africa get the education they 06 Careless Tweeting Costs Lives deserve. You can read about Refugee Rescue, a group Are you managing your digital bubble? of musicians and artists who decided to save lives at sea. And read how PBi2 salvaged the US Black Hawk helicopter wreckage from Bakara Market in Mogadishu. 09 The Four Pillars of Safety We also spotlight the incredible charity APOPO, who use How to keep your people safe. trained rats to sniff out landmines, with 100% success rate. And we bring you advice about managing the digital activity 10 of your people abroad, from SEPAR International. The View From Lloyd’s Why international renewals and premiums are on the rise. Closer to home, we report on how a changing attitude at Lloyd’s may affect your international insurance premiums (see page 10). Plus we identify riskier countries, according 11 Re-insurance Explained to the case load at NGS (page 18), the firm who provide emergency response around the world. Why hurricanes in Miami might affect your premiums elsewhere. Editorial I would like to thank all our contributors, for sharing the rich and varied work they do. I hope you enjoy the read.
    [Show full text]