{{Wearing of miniskirts could soon land one in jail or attract heavy fines if Parliament approves a new piece of legislation that seeks to further clarify the offence of pornography in Uganda’s laws.}}
The government is riding on its view that pornography has become such an “insidious social problem” to get the Bill through Parliament.
It also argues that because there has been an “increase in pornographic materials in the Ugandan mass media and nude dancing in the entertainment world”, there is need to establish a legal framework to regulate such vices.”
In its current form, it is proposed that those found guilty of abetting pornography face a fine of Shs10 million under the draft law titled: The Anti-Pornography Bill, 2011 or a jail stint not exceeding 10 years, or both.
But the draft law ran into early turbulence in the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee yesterday after some members expressed concerns about its implications for freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution.
MPs in the committee also criticised the government’s attempts to legislate for sex, a course of action which could see it labelling some age-old cultural practices as pornographic.
The Bill defines pornography as any cultural practice, form of behaviour or form of communication or speech or information or literature or publication in whole or publication in part or news story or entertainment or stage play or broadcast or music or dance or art or graphic or picture or photography or video recording or leisure activity or show or exhibition.
It also prohibits any combination of the preceding that depicts unclothed or under clothed parts of the human body such as breasts, thighs, buttocks and genitalia, a person engaged in explicit sexual activities or conduct; erotic behaviour intended to cause sexual excitement and any indecent act or behaviour tending to corrupt morals.
Lawmakers said the Bill’s definition of pornography was too broad and that it went against Uganda’s tradition of being tolerant of cultural diversity.
{{Syria’s military is warning rebels against pressing an ongoing offensive into Damascus, saying the push by opposition fighters into the capital means their “certain death.”}}
Rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad have established strongholds in the suburbs surrounding the capital during the two-year-old-conflict.
In recent weeks, they’ve stepped up mortar attacks on the center of the city, bringing the conflict closer to the seat of Assad’s power.
A military commander told the pro-government al-Watan newspaper that any advance by the rebels on Damascus means “certain death for them and their leaders.”
The commander, who is not named in the Wednesday report, said the bravery of government troops on the battlefield is keeping Damascus safe.
{{Reports from Malawi indicate that U.S. pop diva Madonna has arrived in Malawi for an unannounced visit.}}
An aviation department worker said Madonna’s jet landed at the Kamuzu International Airport in the country’s capital, Lilongwe, early Monday. It was not clear if she came with her children.
The aviation worker spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not have permission to speak to the press.
The singer has previously stayed at the exclusive Kumbali Lodge in Lilongwe, and an employee there says all other guests were checked out.
The employee spoke on condition of anonymity because he didn’t have permission to speak to the press on the matter.
Madonna adopted two children from Malawi. She promised the court she would bring her adopted children twice “every two or three years.”
{{Hats and T-shirts of the late Venezuelan president are flying off the shelves at his street-side stand faster than he can keep them in stock.}}
Ditto demand for Chavez tattoos, Chavez earrings, Chavez mugs and talking Chavez action figurines.
One can even buy Chavez boxer shorts and panties, part of a cult of personality that began while the former paratrooper was still alive but has exploded in the week since he succumbed to cancer.
“It’s really a shame the president died, but the souvenir business is booming,” said the 42-year-old Carrillo, who says he is selling five times as much merchandise as when Chavez was alive.
“It isn’t good to make money off the death of someone like the president, but what can we do? People are asking us for it.”
Analysts say we are witnessing the supersizing of a myth — and an industry.
“Chavez died in perfect condition to be mythologized and marketed,” said Luis Vicente Leon, president of the respected Datanalisis polling firm, who predicted the Chavez industry would only grow.
“He was young, he died in power and he was recently re-elected. It’s like James Dean or Marilyn Monroe.”
Leon said that even when he was alive Chavez embraced his brand, unlike historical figures such as Argentine revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara, who became a marketing phenomenon after his death — and contrary to his anti-capitalist ideals.
“President Chavez was a stimulator of his own cult of personality,” said Leon. “He’d be all for it.”
Yet others doubted Chavez would ever go global because his death from cancer wasn’t seen as heroic and didn’t coincide with an international movement
{{Ugandan music superstar, Jose Chameleon has arrived in Kigali where he is expected to perform at the Launch of Knowless’s Second Album titled, “uwondiwe”.
Chameleon touched down at Kigali International Airport at about noon where he was also recieved by several fans.}}
Although the singer has performed solo several times in Kigali, he has told IGIHE that this time he has travelled with his two sons with whom he will perform live on stage.
({Rwandan Commandos undergoing tough training at a base})
{{On first blush, you probably think that struggle is a bad thing. After all, it has the connotation of weakness, indecisiveness, and incompetence, thanks in large part to societal taboos.}}
Yet despite what society would have you believe, years of research into the topic indicates that struggle is actually essential for career advancement.
Rather than avoiding struggle — or worse, denying it exists — those looking to take their career to the next level must learn how to embrace struggle as an opportunity for learning and growth.
Making this shift requires determination; it means bucking beliefs that have surreptitiously seeped into our collective sub-conscious — that struggle is a sign of weakness and therefore a source of embarrassment and shame.
This attitude toward struggle is not only counterproductive — leading to self-defeating behaviors including retreating inward with self-doubt and avoiding necessary risk for fear of failure — it is also wrong.
The fact of the matter is that struggle is a natural and inevitable part of career growth. But it doesn’t have to be painful.
By breaking away from cultural stereotypes to embrace struggle as an art to be mastered, you open a new set of possibilities for career growth.
{{Seek challenging assignments and difficult goals}}
If you are constantly doing the same things over and over again, chances are you are not growing. Instead, seek out situations where there is rapid change.
This will keep you on your toes. Look for projects that can expand your skills and capabilities, ideally those that give you the charter to work autonomously, so you have the freedom to experiment.
Numerous psychological studies find that performance is at its best when goals are difficult but still attainable with effort and imagination.
If you find yourself breezing through your day, easily meeting your goals, it could be a sign that your goals are too easy.
See what happens when you set a higher bar for yourself.
{{Treat negative feedback as a gift}}
It’s natural to cringe when you receive negative feedback. It may feel like a personal attack and can evoke a whole host of powerful emotions.
But receiving valid feedback is the most valuable of gifts, allowing you to step outside your delusional cocoon and become connected with external metrics of success.
When you stop doing the things that aren’t working, you clear a space for more things that get you the results you want.
My friend and former Microsoft CFO Frank Gaudette used to say: “I reserve the right to wake up smarter every day.” In this mindset, you interpret all feedback as a learning opportunity.
If you don’t have the skills you need, rather than feeling angry or upset about it, find a way to get them.
{{Learn how to remain grounded and centered}}
The more anchored and centered you are, the less likely you will be thrown off balance by the inevitable challenges that come your way.
Train yourself to become more stress-resistant by engaging in a set of daily and weekly practices that keep you on a steady course.
There are many options, including: exercise, meditation, journaling, prayer, or even just becoming immersed in nature by walking in the woods, sitting by the water, or planting in the garden. Choose the mix that’s right for you.
Personal centering practices are only part of the answer. In addition, build a support community—family, friends, peers, mentors, and coaches—to give you the advice and assistance you need during stressful times.
By challenging yourself, readily embracing feedback, and remaining grounded and centered, you can embrace struggle head on and use it as fuel for your career growth.
These practices are like the foundation of a building; they keep the building steady, even through storms and the passage of time.
The sturdier the foundation, the taller the building it will support.
CNN
{Author is the managing director of Snyder Leadership Group, a consulting firm dedicated to cultivating inspired leadership. He is the author of “Leadership and the Art of Struggle”}
{{Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, celebrating his 89th birthday on Saturday, said he believes he will win another five-year term in crucial elections expected later this year.}}
The veteran ruler, who hosts the lavish celebration every year, cut an 89-kilogramme cake and was presented with minted coins to mark the occasion.
His Zanu-PF party said $600,000 had been collected for the bash from private companies and individuals.
The 20,000 strong crowd was treated to expensive food and drinks in the small mining town of Bindura about 90 kilometres north east of Harare.
In his speech, the President who last year visited Singapore more than five times seeking medical help, said he was confident that Zanu-PF would reverse the 2007 election setback where it lost control of Parliament for the first time since independence.
He accused his coalition partners of claiming an upsurge in cases of political violence allegedly perpetrated by Zanu-PF to cover up for their impending defeat in the polls likely to be held in July.
“Wherever there is a funeral, even if the person has been gored by a bull, they say it is Zanu-PF,” President Mugabe said, drawing laughter from the stadium.” Even if someone falls from a vehicle, they say it is Zanu-PF.
“They have a problem that they blame anyone who dies on Zanu-PF. This is a disease not in Zanu-PF.”
The coalition government the veteran ruler formed with former fierce rival and now prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai in 2009 after bloody polls was sharply divided last week after a 12 year-old boy was burnt to death in a suspected politically motivated arson attack.
Mr Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) accused a Zanu-PF minister of being behind the killing of the son of its official in Manicaland province, Mr Shepherd Maisiri.
{{Learning how to fry an egg is very important. One of the nicest things you can do to a simple, hearty dish is top it with a fried egg – check this out if you don’t believe me.}}
Here’s what you’ll need:
– 1 egg
– 1 tablespoon of butter per egg (if frying 2 eggs at the same time, use 2 tablespoons of butter)
– A nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, lid optional if you want your egg more well-done
Melt the butter as shown above,
Melt the butter over medium heat in the skillet or pan.
Tilt pan to coat as seen above
Tilt pan to coat the bottom evenly with butter. It should be hot and foamy but not browning at all.
Crack the egg into the pan as seen in photo
Crack the egg into the pan, keeping the yolk as close to the center as possible. This will help the white cook evenly.
Fry the egg (see photo above)
Fry the egg for about two minutes or until the white is almost set. At this stage, you can cover it with a lid until the top is cooked to your liking.
This will result in a well-done sunny side-up egg.
Flip for over-easy
For an over-easy or over-medium egg, gently loosen any stuck edges of the egg from the pan using a thin spatula (a thick one might mangle the still-cooking white) until you can move the egg around by shaking the pan.
Cook the other side for over-easy
Flip the egg with the spatula and cook the other side for another 30 seconds for over-easy or another minute to minute and a half for over-medium. The longer you cook after this step, the less ooziness you’ll get from the yolk.
{{Nigerian music star Innocent Ujah Idibia, known on stage as 2Face, according to reports will formally marry his fiancée Annie Macaulay on March 8.}}
The date was confirmed after invitation cards for the wedding leaked and went viral Friday on several social media sites.
Prior to the March 8 date, several dates had been announced as the date for the much anticipated wedding with February 14 gaining prominence.
According to sources, the couple will hold a traditional wedding, on Friday, March 8 in Nigeria, while a white wedding will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on a later date in March.
The two are believed to have dated for about 14 years and have a daughter, Isabella Idibia, together.
2Face proposed to Annie with a diamond studded engagement ring believed to be worth one million Naira on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2012 at Jay Jay Okocha‘s Club 10 in Lagos.
He went ahead to propose to her even though he was reported to have also fathered children with Pero Adeniyi and Sumbo Ajaba.
2Face followed the proposal with a secret marriage in Lagos on Tuesday, May 1, 2012, which was only attended by some selected family members and friends.
{{Janet Jackson has moved to quash rumours that she is about to marry her Qatari billionaire boyfriend – by revealing that their nuptials happened last year.}}
The 46-year-old singer became engaged and then married to businessman Wissam Al Mana, 37, but kept the news under wraps.
Jackson, the younger sister of the late Michael Jackson, said in a statement: “Last year we were married in a quiet, private, and beautiful ceremony.”
She gave no details of where or exactly when the wedding took place.
The couple told the US TV show Entertainment Tonight: “The rumours regarding an extravagant wedding are simply not true.
“Our wedding gifts to one another were contributions to our respective favourite children’s charities.”
It is a third marriage for the American singer who is known for keeping her private life from the media, rarely speaking about her ex-husbands.
She married soul singer James DeBarge in 1984, and the marriage was annulled a year later.
Her 1991 marriage to music video director Rene Elizondo ended in divorce in 2000.
Jackson’s revelation about her marriage comes days after her 16-year-old nephew, Prince Michael, carried out his first assignment as an Entertainment Tonight special correspondent.
Michael Jackson’s son interviewed director Sam Raimi about his new film Oz The Great And Powerful which comes out in March.
