Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/314654322?client_source=feed&format=rss
bethenny frankel sacramento kings alex jones Google Docs Huell Howser Justin Bieber Smoking Weed Katherine Webb
Sunday, June 23, 2013
'Mad Men's' Don Draper: Sexy, but so sad
TV 
24 minutes ago
Michael Yarish / AMC
Don Draper found himself surrounded by people, yet all alone and sad, in the ninth episode of the season, titled "Better Half."
It's been a long, sad season for Don Draper on "Mad Men." It seemed almost every episode featured at least one shot of the handsome ad man brooding -- and in some cases, even shedding a tear or two.
What's he got to cry about, you say? We hear you: He's a rich, very successful, good-looking guy with a gorgeous wife. As far as viewers can see, he's still got his health too. (At least, we think so. His liver hasn't started failing from all that drinking yet, right?) So why the long face, Don?
Turns out maybe we should cut the guy a little slack. Money and good looks can't buy happiness, after all. (Just a lot of other stuff that makes life a bit easier.)
Dumped
Nobody tells Don Draper what's what! Unless you're his neighbor/mistress, apparently. In the episode titled "Man With a Plan," the ad man does his own version of "50 Shades of Grey" and orders lover Sylvia to stay in her hotel room all day (although it felt more like days), even taking away her book at one point. By the end of that ordeal, she'd had an epiphany and dumped him. His response? Disbelief. Sad face. Begging. And later, more begging on the phone.
Who are you?
Daughter Sally delivered a knife to Don's -- and viewers' -- hearts this year. After the Draper residence is burgled while the adults are away and Sally was left behind to watch her little brothers, she explained to Don why she was duped into believing the thief -- a black woman -- was her grandma. "She said she knew you," Sally told her dad on the phone later. "I asked her everything I know and she had an answer for everything. Then I realized I don't know anything about you." Sad, ponderous face.
All by himself
Don's often surrounded by people, whether he's at the office, having a meal with clients or enjoying a little tryst with someone. When he hooked up with ex-wife Betty while visiting son Bobby at camp, he admitted that he'd missed her, hinting at how unhappy he is in his current marriage. "Why is sex the definition of being close to someone?" he asked. Her reply? "I don't know. But it is for me, it is for most people." Cue the sad face. And by the next morning, they were miles apart again. As Don headed into the diner for breakfast, he saw Betty sitting with her husband, Henry ... and Don shuffled off to sit alone.
Drowning
After smoking some hashish at a Hollywood party, Don started to hallucinate first the happy, then the sad. The vision of a pregnant Megan came to him first, then Dinkins, the soldier he met in the season premiere. Except now, the young man is missing an arm -- and is dead. "Dying doesn't make you whole," Dinkins told Don when asked why the deceased vet was still missing his appendage in the afterlife. "You should see what you look like." And what does the ad man look like? Depressed. And dead. Floating in a pool face-down dead. But fortunately for him, the dead part was a hallucination, but he really was drowning in the pool until Roger dove in and saved him.
Busted
When Don finally got caught cheating with Sylvia, it wasn't by who viewers -- or Don himself -- were probably expecting. It was Sally who walked in on the two lovebirds. This sent Don first into panic mode, which eventually morphed into depression. It became obvious two episodes later, when Don started out the penultimate episode of the season curled up in a fetal position on Sally's bed, and ended the hour the same way, realizing that his actions have cost him a relationship with his little girl.
What Sunday's finale holds for Don's happiness, you'll have to tune in and see at 10 p.m. on AMC.
Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/mad-mens-don-draper-sexy-successful-so-sad-6C10367555
gotye divine mercy cabin in the woods the legend of korra three stooges the three stooges the bee gees
Deal of the Day: 35% off the Seidio ACTIVE Case with Multi-Purpose Cover for iPad mini
Today Only: Purchase the Seidio ACTIVE Case with Multi-Purpose Cover for iPad mini and save $15.95!
This dual-layer case for iPad mini features a compact and lightweight polymer with a precisely positioned hard skeleton for added protection on the corners and sides. Included is a built-in kickstand that allows for up to 10 different viewing angles in landscape mode and portrait orientation. Features non-slip pads and comes in black, blue, red and white.
List Price: $44.95???? Today Only: $29.00
Never miss a deal. Sign up for Daily Deal alerts!
     |
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/by6RkJ-U5O8/story01.htm
wrestlemania country music awards 2012 wrestlemania 28 results earl scruggs wrestlemania 28 game of thrones season 2 dierks bentley
The Maravi Post - Revisiting and rebranding Malawi Young Pioneers
The Malawi Young Pioneers Movement, which unfortunately became a terror militia to prop up the Banda regime, should be revisited by the Malawi government with the goal of involving youth in the county?s development.
?Malawian youth currently comprise a sizable 60 percent in a population of 14 million people. This means that more than half of Malawi is under the age 25. The youth represent a large, underutilized human resource that can impact Malawian development. They also represent a population who if neglected will be a detriment to development. Therefore their participation in the country?s development is pertinent for its future. In the past, the MYP, an affiliate of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), engaged the youth through a national youth service program. The original purpose of the MYP was to engage the youth in carrying out voluntary activities for Malawi?s development. However, they also functioned as a militia group and intelligentsia network for President Banda.
?
The MYP carried out various economic activities that positively impacted socio-economic development. When the MYP disbanded in 1994, it left many of the youth idle, without a sense of purpose and direction. It also left many of them unemployed with few opportunities on the horizon. Since then, Malawi has not had a comparable comprehensive national youth service program in terms of scope, size, funding, pragmatism, or robustness. The Malawian government should revisit the original idea behind the MYP program, with the aim of reviving its productive tenets for the country?s development.
?
Malawi?s youth remain a generation at risk of entrenchment in poverty. This is a precarious situation for any nation. Malawi currently has a large population of youth that are out of school and idle. There are few opportunities for youth development in Malawi that equip them with the education and training to become independent, economically secure adult citizens. The youth are faced with growing challenges in the country such as unemployment, underemployment, poverty, limited vocational training facilities, limited prospects for post-secondary training and a high population growth rate. Although these are not problems that are easily solved, they are not challenges that are insurmountable. The introduction of a national youth service that is comparable in scope, size and modeled after the MYP movement would begin to address some of these challenges.
?
CURRENT INITIATIVES
A National Youth Policy was created in the 1995 to address the youth problems together with the National Youth Council of Malawi (NYCOM). NYCOM has been successful in empowering the youth. It introduced the Youth Development Plan of Action (YDEVPA) and has seen the registration of 131 youth-oriented NGOs. Although there is a plethora of these NGOs, few are functional or efficient. The creation of a National Youth Policy also raised the profile of youth. However, it is currently outdated and has been under review by the cabinet for nearly five years. Therefore, many of the existing programs and services for out of school youth can?t adequately meet the current demands of youth. Changes in programs for youths need to account for variables such as a changing political economy, urbanization, advances in technology and the behavioural changes in Malawi?s youth from the breakdown of traditional culture in a new globalised world. It is therefore important for a national youth service program to be implemented that reflects Malawi?s current reality. It is also important that it is adaptable so that it can continue to meet future challenges of the youth.
?
There have been initiatives proposed by the current Joyce Banda?s People?s Party administration to meet some of the challenges that the youth service program used to meet. There has been a proposal to reintroduce National Youth Week, a week where the MYP and other youth organizations volunteered to work on national projects. It gave MYP youth an opportunity to showcase the skills they learnt from MYP training initiative. The current administration has also set out to rehabilitate some of the former MYP training bases and turn them in to vocational training centers. There have also been plans to set up a development bank to provide loans for the youth. More recently, the administration unveiled a plan to send thousands of Malawian youth to South Korea for apprenticeships. However, this has been highly controversial due to concerns about issues such as abuse of labor rights. Whilst these initiatives may be beneficial for Malawian youth, they appear to be isolated projects and not an integrated part of a national youth service program.
?
According to reports from the Minister for Youth and Sport, Enoch Chihana, the administration has been talking about implementing a National Youth Service Program to address skills development in areas such as carpentry, mechanics, agriculture and IT. However, there are few details about the nature, scope and timeline of this plan. Despite of the MYPs problematic history, Malawi can draw lessons from its former youth service plan.
?
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MYP
The MYP was a youth wing that was established by President Kamuzu Hastings Banda in 1963. It was modeled after the Ghana Young Pioneers and the National Service Brigade of Israel. Its main aim was to train rural youth with various skills so that they could ?spearhead? the country?s development. The MYP played a major role in the socio-economic development of Malawi, particularly, in agricultural activities. The Department of Youth together with the MYP offered Agricultural Science, Technical and Vocational Education for out of school youth or drop-outs. The MYP trained a significant number of youth who ended up joining the civil service, private sector or Armed Forces. They were extremely loyal to Banda and were indoctrinated in ?Kamuzuism?. That is, they saw Banda as the Father and Founder of the nation, and the Ngwazi (conqueror). They believed Banda was the only one capable of leading the country. Due to their loyalty, they increasingly received preferential treatment from Banda. By 1965, the MYP had turned in to a paramilitary group which functioned primarily to keep Banda?s autocracy intact. They were given extrajudicial powers, including the power to arrest, which caused tension with the police and army.
?
From the late 1960s to the early 1970s, the Young Pioneers received military, intelligence and espionage training in Taiwan and Israel. According to Chirwa (1994), they also received scholarships for ?technical studies? in Denmark, West Germany, United States and Britain. Although receiving arms from China for ?training purposes? only, Banda also made claims that he wanted to discourage dissidents and communists. This support came at a time when Banda was increasingly becoming autocratic. By the 1980s the MYP operated as a parallel security system above the Army and police.
?
At the height of Banda?s rule, MYP became a terror group to the public and were used to enforce Banda?s rule. MYP infiltrated every aspect of Malawian life by creating an intricate network of informants. This ranged from lecturers, administrator, university students, cleaners, messengers, watchmen, office personnel, garden boys, barmaids, or bartenders that were encouraged to report any detractors to them. Those that were against Banda would be detained, beaten, maimed, killed or forced into exile. Members of the public who didn?t have party membership cards were denied access to public services such as buses, health clinics or public transportation. They were used as an instrument of voter intimidation against multi-party advocates during the 1993 referendum. After the country voted for multi-party rule, Banda stepped down, and the MYP were disbanded by the Malawi Army in a covert overnight mission called ?Operation Bwezani?. Malawi went on to conduct peaceful elections in 1994.
?
THE LASTING LEGACY OF THE MYP
The MYP left a negative and lasting legacy on the mindset of Malawians. Although the MYP developed into a destructive force for the nation, the original idea behind the youth movement was benign. When they began to function as the feared milita group that propped Banda?s dictatorship, their mandate for development was forgotten by them and the public. According to historian Richard Mkandawire (2008), ?Under Banda?s regime, the young pioneers, whom it was believed were carrying out voluntary work, became extremely unpopular among the general population for their sometimes ruthless and coercive manner in mobilizing local communities for development goals and supporting the ruling party.? As a result, they remain entrenched in Malawi?s history as a public terror group.
?
They also left other marks on Malawi. Since their disbandment, the idea of reviving the MYP has received mixed reactions. Banda?s successor, Bakili Muluzi branded this type of public service Thangata, a reference to free, unreciprocated labor experienced under colonialism. Therefore, funding for such social programs became limited. NGOs began to fill in much of the work previously undertaken by MYP. Another mark was the blurring of lines between youth leagues (although they worked closely with the MCP Youth League, MYP was separate) and youth mercenaries. In subsequent administrations, Muluzi?s United Democratic Front (UDF) formed the Young Democrats and Bingu wa Mutharika?s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) formed the Young Cadets. Although these groups do not have as much clout as the MYP, their role has been to terrorize the public (particularly, political opponents) through violence and intimidation. There continues to be a tendency to use idle youth as instruments of terror in ruling parties, instead of encouraging their political participation in decision making within the parties.
There is evidence that some of their legacy is fading. Recently, attitudes towards the MYP concept are changing. In 2012, Youth Consultative Forum publicly called for the government to start a national youth service similar to the MYP. This is perhaps a reflection of a youth that is borrowing from the past either out of necessity, nostalgia or pragmatism. It may also be a reflection of the passage of time. The MYP was disbanded almost twenty years ago; hence, most Malawians under 25 years of age did not experience the MYP era. However, these new calls do indicate that the youth wants to be engaged in the development process.
?
The youth in Malawi have always been at the foreground of transformation in the country. As an example, their participation was instrumental in protests against one-party rule and in more recent protests against Mutharika?s repression. They have earned a right to participate in shaping Malawian society as productive citizens. Yet, despite their contributions, the youth sector has remained an underdeveloped and undermined sector. Given their record of participation in shaping important events in the county?s past, there needs to be a more tangible plan for their continued participation in the future by the current administration.
?
So far, the current Joyce Banda administration appears to have strayed away from the practice of using youth to commit public terror. However, as Malawi prepares for elections in 2014, the youth across parties may once again become political pawns.
?
MYPS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
The concept of MYP was for the group to participate in national development. They largely targeted the rural poor so that they would have opportunities to lift themselves out of poverty. In order to achieve this, the MYP established training bases throughout the country. By 1989 there were MYP training bases in each of the country?s 24 districts. By the 1994, there were 6,000 MYPs and about 45,000 in the MYP reserves. The program effectively trained a large number of idle youth to become productive citizens.
?
Under the program, youths trained for approximately 10 months. They received a multi-faceted curriculum including political education, physical education and rural development. A large part of it involved agricultural work including farming and keeping livestock. Malawi was an agricultural based economy under Banda. Therefore, their work complimented the national development policy. When the program was completed, students were equipped to enter the public or private sector. Most students participated in economic and development activities in their communities. They were given the tools they needed to set up their own business in vocations like carpentering, bricklaying, and welding. Select students furthered their education by attending Salima Technical College. During the National Youth Week, MYP, Youth Leaguers and students, would hold parades, demonstrate their skills and highlight the contribution they were making to national development.
?
The program had the affect of teaching youth the values of hard work, self-reliance and self-determination. It taught them leadership skills and molded students in to responsible citizens who took responsibility for the country. Youth coming out of the program had a sense of purpose and self-worth. At national level, MYP contributed towards food security and state security. Unfortunately for Malawi, this system only lasted a few years as the MYP was hijacked by politics and ?Kamuzuism?. However, it should have been disarmed but not disbanded.
?
REBRANDING THE MYP
Malawi can benefit from a new national youth service program similar to MYP. The basic development-focused tenets of the program should be reviewed and revived with adaptation where necessary. The new MYP movement should be a demilitarized albeit providing a good stepping stone for those wanting to join the army after the program. It should also be depoliticized and not have any party affiliation ? recruitment should be transparent and non-partisan. The basic organizational structure of the program should be similar to the MYP. They should have offices in each district so that it is accessible to all youth. It should also be institutionalized and centrally organized for consistency, but retain enough autonomy to allow each district to manage certain activities such as creating a budget, daily management, setting district-specific goals, and determining the needs of its youth. This can be done through the Ministry of Youth or it may be best served as a public-private partnership.
?
Similar to the MYP, its emphasis should be on uplifting the rural population, who make up the majority of the youth. However, the program should also target the urban youth. Its core curriculum should be modeled after the MYPs focus on vocational skills training in areas like agriculture, welding etc. However it should expand its training or class offerings to include subjects like tailoring/?dress-making?, design, nutrition, cooking, civics, basic law, computers and basic literacy. It should also continue to include merit-based scholarships for exemplary students to attend technical college, enter the Malawi university system or receive scholarships abroad. Similar to the MYP, students should be given the opportunity to affect their communities. They should be given the tools to start their own businesses or SMEs in their local areas. As a result of the program, they should gain preferential access to services such as government jobs and services such as the proposed Development Bank which is being set up to empower the youth through issuing loans. In order to achieve this, the students should earn a certificate indicating that they have completed the National Youth Service Program. Recognized accreditation for would be a valuable assets that they use to access future loans, employment, and education. The program duration should be one year but a two year option should be considered.
?
Although the new program should draw on the MYP, it should be re-branded. This includes giving it a new ?pioneer?-free name. Instead of indoctrinating the youth on Malawi?s cornerstone slogan of ?Unity, Loyalty, Obedience, Discipline? like the MYP, it may emphasize values that resonate with contemporary youth such ?freedom?, ?justice?, ?peace?, and ?inclusion?! It should also redefine the term national service by reclaiming the original definition, of thangata, ?moral obligation? which is a reference to something that is mutually beneficial. In this light, the program does also need to benefit the youth so that they gain real opportunity to lift themselves out of their economic circumstances whilst serving the country. The program should target long-term volunteers but should pay students a stipend or allowance so that they can meet their daily needs. It should also make a provision for uncompensated short-term volunteer positions so that the program fosters the spirit of volunteerism. Although the Malawi government may not have all the resources to meet the demands of all of Malawi?s development woes, the government can enact a program for its underutilized human capital as a resource for development and nation building.
?
CONCLUSION
Malawi has had a long history of volunteerism and service. Despite narratives about absence of volunteerism and the sense of civic duty, both are wide-spread in Malawi, albeit largely undocumented. Therefore, the potential for engaging Malawi?s youth is realistic and pragmatic. Malawi has had a strong tradition of youth-led volunteerism and participation in development, in part due to the MYP movement. Yet, much like the Ghana Young Pioneers, The Zambia National Youth Service, and the Boys Brigades of Botswana, organizations like MYP often resort to using idle youth as instruments of political control. As Malawi prepares for elections in 2014, the youth should not continue to be undermined. They Malawi have the potential to make a real impact on the country?s development. However, long-term programs are needed to ensure their success so that they can become productive citizens. Revisiting the MYP program provides Malawi with a viable blueprint that it can use in the creation of a national youth program geared towards development.
?
* Sitinga Kachipande is a scholar in Pan African Studies and a blogger. She is currently a Research and Communication intern at TransAfrica. Views expressed are her own.
?
Source: http://www.maravipost.com/scope/op-ed/4023-revisiting-and-rebranding-malawi-young-pioneers.html
neighborhood watch dodgers sale tami roman jetblue captain los angeles dodgers christie brinkley seattle mariners
Friday, June 21, 2013
Gandolfini gone, 'Sopranos' may get only brief bump
By Ronald Grover and Liana B. Baker
(Reuters) - A spike in sales of "The Sopranos" DVDs, downloads and merchandise based on the mafia series following star James Gandolfini's death may only be short-lived and likely won't provide much of a windfall for HBO and its parent Time Warner Inc.
Sales of DVDs on the retail site Amazon shot up in the hours immediately following the 51-year-old star's death in Italy on Wednesday. "The Sopranos: The Complete Series," which sells for $124.99 on the site, by late Thursday had jumped to second place among best-sellers from 1,463 on that list.
The series' first season was also ranked No. 4 on Apple's iTunes list.
"It's a one-day wonder, and it won't last," said Alan Gould, media analyst with Evercore Partners, who follows Time Warner.
Old episodes will likely generate a lot of streaming, especially since kids are home from college, but it's unlikely to last beyond four to six months, said TV consultant, Adam Armbruster, a partner with Eckstein, Summers, Ambruster and Co.
"In the past 24 hours it's gotten more press than it has ever gotten," said Armbruster. "The mass public will be curious about why this man earned so much attention. It's not a long-term thing."
HBO streams "The Sopranos" on its HBO Go service, an online service available at the moment to about 6.5 million of its subscribers, who get it as part of their subscription to a cable or satellite service.
That won't likely get them many new subscribers, said Matthew Harrigan, an analyst with Wunderlich Securities, who follows the company.
"It's a mild positive, in a wretched sort of way," he said.
HBO doesn't license the show to Netflix for streaming.
The premium cable channel sold old episodes to the cable channel A&E in 2005 for an estimated $2.5 million an episode, generating $195 million for HBO over the term of the five-year contract, according to news reports at the time.
That deal ended, and HBO hasn't said whether it intends to seek another TV contract.
USHERED IN NEW ERA
"It's not the kind of program you can show on broadcast TV. There'd be too many scenes to delete," says Bill Carroll, vice-president and director of programming for Katz Television Group, which advises TV stations and others on buying syndicated programming.
"The Sopranos" earned Gandolfini three Emmy Awards as best lead actor in a drama series and was considered by many critics the finest drama to have aired on U.S. television.
It also is credited with ushering in a new era of American TV drama, which today is flourishing across the cable spectrum. Today's line-up means less need to revert to showing oldies like "The Sopranos."
"Cable channels have too many original programs to take it these days," said Carroll. "James Gandolfini will have his moment when people will admire his artistry, but it's likely to come at the appropriate moment at the Emmys or Oscars."
Amazon put a picture of the show's DVD box on its site to memorialize the late actor within an hour of his passing. The retailer quickly took it down when it generated negative attention online. An Amazon spokeswoman had no immediate comment on the incident.
Beyond "The Sopranos," there will still be opportunities to see Gandolfini in front of the camera this year and next.
Fox Searchlight, a unit of News Corp, will be releasing "Animal Rescue," a crime drama in which he had a role.
He and Julia Louis-Dreyfus also star in a comedy directed by veteran TV director Nicole Holofcener for which Fox Searchlight hasn't set a release date.
HBO may have to grapple with whether to allow Gandolfini's return to the network. The actor was set to appear in "Criminal Justice," a seven-episode drama to which HBO gave the green light in May to begin production. Gandolfini, who plays an ambulance-chasing lawyer, appears only in the final minute of the show's pilot, according to the industry blog Deadline Hollywood.
(Edited by Mary Milliken and Eric Walsh)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gandolfini-gone-sopranos-may-only-brief-bump-001851687.html
daughtry lakers trade ann arbor news nick young south dakota state long beach state beasley
KEYSTONE XL: Pipeline's fate not set in stone, says outgoing U.S. ambassador to Canada
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059983054/feed
keith urban Dorothy Hamill hard boiled eggs Red Equal Sign maundy thursday Mexico vs USA Harmony Korine
Deal of the Day: Seidio OBEX Waterproof Case for Samsung Galaxy S3
The June 21 ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day is the Seidio OBEX Waterproof Case for Samsung Galaxy S3. The OBEX utilizes advanced technology that not only safeguards your device against drops, but also keeps external elements like water, snow, mud, dust, and sand from damaging your device. The curvature provides a secure grip and absorbs shock if your device is dropped, and the built-in screen protector promotes touch sensitivity and clarity.
The Seidio OBEX Waterproof Case is available for just $59.00, 26% off today only. Backed by our 60-day return policy and fast shipping!
Never miss a deal. Sign up for Daily Deal alerts
| |
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/hymTpWt21Z8/story01.htm
Karen Klein Colorado fires supreme court Summer Solstice 2012 Waldo Canyon fire K Michelle roger clemens
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)