Happy Birthday Dad. These last few days witnessed some “missing-home” moments with your birthday, the new year celebrations back in Mauritius, the Form 1 admission in high schools. Fresh memories of the days you took me on your Honda bike, the trips to your workplace MBC, the hidden tears of departing from you during the early school days, our car trips, our first drink together, our long golden drinks nights with few golden words, the caring and being there all the way … I can remember these days as if it was yesterday ! … Happy Birthday again pops !

Poverty refers to the lack of means to accede to ends. One fifth of the world’s population use four fifths of the resources available. Poor people have problems like food, education and shelter which they cannot have access to due to their financial status. 15% of the USA’s population is poor even though it is a developed country. In African areas and in Asian countries the ratio of poverty is very high. The disparity between the poor and rich is growing in multiple folds day by day. Globalization, Industrialization, Technological advancements, and Scientific progress which many has characterized as the “Beauty” of civilization and social revolution, has defeated the initial purpose. Poor people do not have access to the rights as initiated in the constitution. Many have been forgotten, many have been deprived of their rights, and many have been lost their lives in this “Beauty”!

Originating from the continent of Africa, specifically from Mauritius, I happen to have witnessed much more than other eyes have seen. Mauritius, often quoted as the “miracle economy” of Africa, is one of the rare cases of successful economy in the African region. Although severe poverty is rare in Mauritius as compared to other parts of Africa, There are pockets of poverty in the northern, southern and eastern parts of the island. Other regions in Africa face more severe problems. As unemployment rises, other poor areas are emerging in the continent. The distinction between rural and urban households is not always clear-cut.  Women, especially poorly educated rural women, are severely affected by increasing unemployment. Households headed by single women are particularly vulnerable to poverty and are at greater risk of social exclusion.

Many poor countries have started revising their welfare state. These are safety nets. The surpluses of the state’s revenue are redistributed to the minor groups. Welfare state should target poor people and provide social benefits. Good governments are doing their part. But we all know there are no more this “Good” governments in all countries. In Africa and India, the money that should have been used to construct homes for poor people has been channeled for the commonwealth games and world cup. Is it not is a crime against humanity?

Corruption and poverty occur simultaneously. Corruption has been institutionalized. There has been the repression of laws. Free education is very helpful in many countries. If the society is educated, corruption will be prevented and poverty will be vanished as well. In countries like Hong Kong and Singapore, even the Ministers are accountable. If they are caught, they lose all assets. Mass education must be done. Once the people are educated, they would themselves prevent corruption.

Poverty eradication is a very long term process. There must be a commitment and a communion between the government and the people. One cannot fight poverty within a short lapse of time. Poverty is not a fatality. It is man-made.  Because of man, it exists and the solution will also come from man. Smaller organizations like SmileTrain, BetterBooks, MakeAchildSmile, LookBook-Beyond-A-Pretty-Face, are using not only ground efforts but also embracing social media and networking to propagate the mission and the need to help others. Small in size of organization, yet Big in impact !

We all can do something. We all can add a few ‘Newtons’ to this global ‘Force’ and Let the poor man bring forth all the best and most brilliant qualities of his head and heart, and fearlessly thread the path of life in spite of obstacles, sorrow and calamities, and thus allowing him to attain self-fulfillment like people placed in better circumstances.

And that’s the real BEAUTY of humanity.

Kabilen Sornum

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[Article Published in "LookBook2010 - Beyond  a pretty face", Singapore]

ISBN: 978-981-08-6517-7

Available at: Google Books | Book on Demand

Creative Commons is an extension to digital contents licensing. It has brought a different dimension to the way content producers share their data among other entities. It provides free, easy-to-use legal tools that give everyone from individual user generated content creators to major companies and institutions a simple, standardized way to pre-clear usage rights to creative work they own the copyright to. This has had serious business and social impacts. In this work, the concept of Creative Commons licensing is introduced, followed by a description of the different types of licenses. Impacts in the business and social arena are also outlined.

Available at: Google Books | Amazon | Book on Demand

…..

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Social media and social networking has grown exponentially in the recent years.
They have influenced many sectors of the world. Business is one of the affected
sectors. Organizations have taken to recent adaptations of mostly online social
networks to promote and grow their business. In this report, we present the
impacts those social networks have on businesses in general. Four most popular
social networks, namely Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube are taken
into depth for their impact on business operations.

Kabilen K. Sornum, B. Jagpal, V. Miranda.

ISBN (E-book): 978-3-640-59545-7
ISBN (Book): 978-3-640-59576-1

Trip: Marsiling Drive – Admiralty Rd – Sembawang Rd – Yishun – Canberra Rd – Woodlands Ave 6 – Woodlands Center – Marsiling Drive

Color, the visual perceptual property which humans hold, derives from a spectrum of light when interacted with the eye.
Perception of colors differs from varying sensitivity of the eye and processing of this perception by the brain to output meanings. Meanings of colors will differ from person to person but shall have a common enumerated set:

• Red: Passion, Love, Anger

• Orange: Energy, Happiness, Vitality

• Yellow: Happiness, Hope, Deceit

• Green: New Beginnings, Abundance, Nature

• Blue: Calm, Responsible, Sadness

• Purple: Creativity, Royalty, Wealth

• Black: Mystery, Elegance, Evil

• Gray: Moody, Conservative, Formality

• White: Purity, Cleanliness, Virtue

• Brown: Nature, Wholesomeness, Dependability

• Tan or Beige: Conservative, Piety, Dull

• Cream or Ivory: Calm, Elegant, Purity

Bibliography
Eiseman, L. (2006). Color – Messages & Meanings: A PANTONE Color Resource. Hand Books Press (November 29, 2006).
Eiseman, L. (2000). Pantone guide to communicating with color. Grafix Press Ltd.

Image Attribution: dylanroscover flickr | danndalf flickr – CC BY-SA 2.0

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