Magharebia
Published on Magharebia (http://www.magharebia.com)
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/01/25/feature-01
UN hails Moroccan progress with gender equality reforms
25/01/2008
Morocco presented a combined report on the status of its reforms to promote gender equality to a UN committee in Geneva on Thursday. Initial feedback has been positive, saying that Morocco will soon achieve its goals.
By Imane Belhaj for Magharebia in Casablanca – 25/01/08
[Imane Belhaj] Nouzha Skalli, Minister of Social Development, Family and Solidarity in the middle during the briefing in Casablanca
Morocco presented two reports on its official efforts against gender discrimination to an ad hoc UN committee on Thursday (January 24th) in Geneva.
The UN committee reviewed Morocco's third and fourth periodic reports on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The Moroccan delegation highlighted the efforts it has made for the elimination of gender-based differences, including the lifting of reservations on certain provisions of the convention.
Moroccan women, according to the panel, have made significant advancements in terms of equality and economic and social rights. Committee Chairperson Dubravka Simonovic hailed the country's progress, saying Morocco will soon achieve gender equality.
During a preliminary briefing held January 18th in Casablanca, Minister of Social Development, Family and Solidarity Nouzha Skalli said she was optimistic about the positive strides made in Morocco since ratifying the CEDAW in 1993.
She also discussed the reservations Morocco has lifted on several convention provisions, based on feedback from the two previous CEDAW reports presented to the UN in 1995 and 1999. The successful changes concern the harmonisation of domestic laws to international conventions; accelerating reform of the Family Code; establishing a limit to provisions of discrimination in terms of legal rights; speeding up ratification of citizenship law; increasing women's representation in decision-making circles; and reforming labour and criminal law.
Naima Ben Yahia, Director of Women, Family, and Childhood Affairs in the Ministry, said the findings included in the last two reports are the product of extensive efforts made by women's associations in Morocco, in a society that looks forward to justice, equality and democracy.
The two June 2006 reports consist of three sections. The first covers reforms to promote the defence of human rights through democracy and the rule of law. These reforms have taken the form of restructuring the Advisory Council for Human Rights and the creation of Grievances Board, the Royal Institute for Amazigh Culture and the Authority for Equity and Conciliation.
The second section addresses 16 articles related to combating violence against women; changing women's and men's social and behavioural norms; combating the exploitation of women; equality in political and public life on the national and international levels; laws governing citizenship, education, work and health, social security, rights of rural women and child labour.
The third section, meanwhile, includes provisions on monitoring Morocco's implementation of previous recommendations. These include the Beijing Platform for Action - which promotes the integration of gender equality-based development policies and programs - and the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.
Some 185 states have ratified the CEDAW since its adoption by the UN General Assembly in 1979.
Definition of learning :
Learning refers to an intensive activity that increases the capacity and willingness of individuals, groups, organizations, and communities, to acquire and productively apply new knowledge and skills, to grow and mature, and to adapt successfully to changes and challenges. It has several forms and aspects that change from one time to anther.
Variation in aspects of learning:
Aspects of learning have changed progressively from a very ancient structure to a modern form to serve learners in an easy and efficient way. It is a continuous emergence to the archaeological inscriptions and drawings, figures and images that is used by people in the past that can be considered as means of education aimed to deliver messages to another recipient that is compatible with his learning abilities at that period of time. Afterward, people learn through self-education and stimulation. There are many movies and series that dramatize the way people used to learn. What we observe is a small mosque with dozens of small boys. The Imam is the only teacher whose main concern is to deliver the right message to his students, and increase their knowledge abilities and potentials. The material he uses is exclusive to the holly Quran teachings and some of the Arabic language.
Aspects of learning in the Quran :
The words of God carry significant indications of learning aspects. These words come out to existence either through the prophet words or in God's books. Some of the hints are transmitted in Quran:
And We ordained laws for him in the tablets in all matters, both commanding and explaining all things, (and said): "Take and hold these with firmness, and enjoin thy people to hold fast by the best in the precepts: soon shall I show you the homes of the wicked,- (How they lie desolate). (Al A'raf, 7.145) [1]
24. Seest thou not how Allah sets forth a parable? - A goodly word like a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the heavens,- of its Lord. So Allah sets forth parables for men, in order that they may receive admonition.
25. It brings forth its fruit at all times, by the leave of its Lord. So Allah sets forth parables for men, in order that they may receive admonition.
26. And the parable of an evil Word is that of an evil tree: It is torn up by the root from the surface of the earth: it has no stability. (Ibrahim, 14.24,25,26) [2]
In Christianity, The monks learn from Christ the sole of his teachings. In their teaching process, they depend on a live environment using methods that transfer learning into a discovery. They used to form alphabets from bones and give them to children to play and learn spelling.
Later than that, with the modern renaissance in
Moreover, in 1905, appears what is called "museums schools". These schools serve learning a lot through offering mobile conferences, photographs, slides, films, drawings, paintings… From 1941 to 1945, the World War II consists of new aspects of learning through the growth of the audio-visual tools that has military and industrial uses. Moreover, through the fax invention and the radio technology, learning adopts new aspects. Throughout Radio and Television, people become more connected to each other than before. Also, in the forties of the twentieth century, there is the creation of the computer technology which encloses the main role of the evolution of learning and human knowledge, which is the best reliable aspect of learning in the world. Furthermore, In 1980, Technology products accelerates a lot to an extent that some of it passes the light speed. This technology is used in the video and interactive multimedia system. Finally, in 1990, Internet achieved The Extreme Growth among learners in the globe. It grows rapidly and excessively in the
On the basis of what I have talked about above, Man's aspects of learning are very old and variable to the place and time. I can divide these aspects into four steps:
1- Visual means: they are called by that name for the reason that they relay on sight as the principal source of education. Man sees reality fulfilled his environment, he realizes that and understand his realization through direct sensory expressions.
2- Audio-Visual: This is to confirm that it uses more than one sense property in the educational process such as sight and hearing. Cinema helps with that a lot through providing knowledge by animated pictures and its sound effects.
3- Information technology (IT) schools: Such schools are used to serve theoretical and practical methods in the context of the educational process. The function of this schools is to give access to new aspects of learning and education.
4- Technology of learning and education: It is a common concept that people link technology learning with the new modern innovation, electronic machines, and computers. It is the a consequence of the industrial revolution. Unlike education, people should use all use all these things for his benefit to achieve better goals in this field.
Within the framework above, we can say that the new aspects of learning can be used in a great deal to help students deal with their educative program. We, thanks to Technology availability, are capable to speak about Sparknotes[3]or Bookmooch[4]. But, still, old aspects of learning give us very important intellects in deferent specialties and fields
References
Alsharaf, Hisham ;Fajr network; Attaalim bayna lmadi wa lhader "Learning between the present and the past"; http://69.57.136.227/?act=artc&id=2321 accessed 17/01/2008
[1] The Holly Quran. Al A'raf, 145 Trans. Yusuf Ali.
[2] Ibid, Ibrahim,.24,26
[3] Study guides and discussion forums offered on various academic subjects. Literature section includes brief analyses of characters, themes and plots. http://sparknotes.com
[4] Every time you give someone a book, you earn a point and can get any book you want from anyone else at http://bookmooch.com
Made by Abdelkrim Amrani
knightkrm@gmail.com
McCanns guilty.. only of caring | The Sun |HomePage|News|Columnists|Lorraine Kelly
0 comments Posted by Knightkrm at 2:36 PMBy Caroline Gammell
Kate McCann has offered her support to the parents of a five-year-old girl who has vanished in Spain, not far from the Portuguese resort where her own daughter disappeared.
The 39-year-old contacted Juan Jose Cortes and Irene Suarez, whose five-year-old daughter Mari Luz went missing from Huelva on Sunday after going out to buy a packet of crisps, to say the couple were in her thoughts. The Spanish border town is just two hours' drive from Praia da Luz in the Algarve where the McCanns were staying when four-year-old Madeleine disappeared from their holiday apartment last May. Mrs McCann, and her husband Gerry, also 39, travelled to Huelva in August to launch a poster campaign and raise the profile of their missing daughter. They sent a message to Mari Luz's parents via the Spanish private detective agency Metodo 3, who have spoken to the couple to see if there are any possible links between the two cases. Spanish police said they were keeping an open mind and have sent dark-haired Mari Luz's picture to Portuguese police amid fears she had been snatched by a child trafficking gang and taken across the border between the two countries. Scores of Spanish volunteers joined more than 150 firefighters in Huelva to search for the little girl, while helicopters and sniffer dogs were brought in to help with the search. Mr Cortes, a 34-year-old former professional footballer turned builder, said: "Kate McCann has been in touch to send her condolences. "She knows what we're going through and I understand them now too."
A family friend added: "Knowing they have the support of Gerry and Kate has been comforting. "They have been touched by the fact someone who is going through her own turmoil can find the strength to think of them in their moment of need." The pledge of support came after Mr McCann wrote on his blog: "Hearing of the probable abduction of Mari Luz Cortes has brought many awful emotions flooding back. We hope and pray that Mari Luz is quickly found and returned safely to her family." Mari Luz's distraught grandmother, whose shares the same name, pleaded for the little girl to be returned safely: "Please give me back my granddaughter, she's the only one I have." Like the McCanns, Mr Cortes said they would set up an appeal fund to raise money to help find Mari Luz: "All I want is to make sure everything possible is being done to look for my daughter and all the money that is needed in the search is available." In Portugal, there were reports the McCanns, who are still formal suspects Madeleine's disappearance, will have to wait another eight months before being allowed access to the police files in the case. Judge Pedro Frias decided last autumn the case should remain private until the first anniversary of Portugal's extensive judicial reform, according to Correio da Manha. The ruling would also affect third suspect, British ex-patriate Robert Murat.
A judicial source told the newspaper: "The Madeleine McCann process will never become public before September 15 this year, a year after Portugal’s new penal code came into force. "The decision was taken by Pedro Frias on September 18 2007 who considered that the maintenance of judicial secrecy for a year was required by the rules that emerged from the judicial reform. "The judge felt the deadlines only began to count from the start of the new code." Publishers wishing to reproduce photographs on this page should phone 44 (0) 207 931 2921 or email syndication@telegraph.co.uk |
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The Kingdom Of Morocco And The Renault-Nissan Alliance Sign The Final Agreements
0 comments Posted by Knightkrm at 2:27 PMRabat (Morocco), in the presence of, Mr. Abbas El Fassi, Prime Minister of Morocco: Mr. Salaheddine Mezouar, Minister of the Economy and Finance, Mr. Ahmed Chami, Minister of Trade, Industry and New Technologies, Mr. Karim Ghellab, Minister of Equipment and Transportation, Mrs Amina Benkhadra, Minister of Energy, Mining, Water and the Environment Mr. Jamal Arhmani, Minister of Labor and Professional Training and Mr. Bernard Rey, Renault Senior Vice President, representative of Renault s.a.s, Mr. Christian Estève, representative of the Renault Tangier Mediterranean project enterprise, signed a framework agreement and six application agreements.
 By signing these agreements, the Renault Nissan-Alliance confirms the project to build a manufacturing complex near Tangiers. These agreements are in accordance with the protocol signed on September 1, 2007 in the presence of his Majesty King Mohammed VI, by Mr. Driss Jettou, Prime Minister and Mr. Carlos Ghosn, President of Renault and President of Nissan. The Renault-Nissan Alliance will start work on the manufacturing complex in February 2008. The new complex, which will include an assembly plant, will be located on a 300-hectare site inside the Tangiers Mediterranean Special Economic Zone and will use the TangerMed port platform. Once completed, the site will have an operating capacity of 400,000 vehicles per year (200,000 vehicles per year from 2010), providing the Renault-Nissan Alliance with one of the largest manufacturing complexes in the Mediterranean. Representing a global capacity investment of more than €600 million, the complex will create 6,000 direct jobs and 30,000 indirect jobs. Under the lead of Renault, this site will extend Renault's manufacturing system for the production of competitive vehicles derived from the B0 Platform (Logan platform) and Nissan's system for the production of new-generation light commercial vehicles. On December 1, 2007, Edouard Armalet was appointed General Manager of the Renault Tanger Méditerranée project. http://www.paddocktalk.com/news/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=75178 |
Article Date: 18/01/2008
Article Time: 08:00:00
Topic: Lifestyle
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The north African country was described by Ukrainian publication the Kyiv Post as a place that offered "amazing" beaches and scenery.
Morocco's climate was said to be "tourist-friendly" for 12 months of the year, particularly along its Mediterranean coastline.
However, the Kyiv Post went on to highlight some of the other attractions the country had to offer, such as its mountain ranges.
The newspaper stated that people would be able to enjoy activities such as skiing in these areas, particularly between December and March.
Alternatively, it suggested that people could go driving off-road in the country's deserts.
The wide range of attractions on offer could be important in helping the Moroccan government achieve its aim of attracting ten million a visitors a year by 2010.
This would be likely to have significant economic benefits for the country, particularly its tourism industry.
http://www.ready2invest.co.uk/news/article.jsp?id=18430357&category=18430357
14/01/2008
The Amazigh New Year on January 12th was celebrated with events as diverse as the many Amazigh communities across Algeria. Festivities for "Yennayer" were held even in non-Amazigh regions and Algiers offered cultural events. With the widening popularity of the New Year festival, Amazigh activists hope to see January 12th recognised as an official holiday in Algeria.
By Said Jameh for Magharebia in Algiers – 14/01/08
 [File] Some Algerians have called for the Amazigh New Year to be made into an official holiday |
The Amazigh people of Algeria celebrated New Year 2598 on January 12th with traditional festivities, special food and parties reflecting their cultural heritage and ethnic pride. The annual event, known as "Yennayer", marks the beginning of the new farming year.
The origin of the celebration is unclear. Some think that the Amazigh calendar dates back to the victory achieved by Amazigh King Chachnaq against the Pharaohs in a battle fought on the banks of Nile in 950 BC. Rachid Malika says in his book "The Early Berbers between the Mediterranean Tassili and the Nile" that after defeating the Pharoahs, the Berber king announced the birth of the 23rd Berber dynasty and thus began the Amazigh calendar.
Today, Algeria celebrates the Amazigh New Year by holding festivities that differ from one region to another. In the predominantly Amazigh province of Kabylia, many children wear ornamental henna tattoos and families prepare traditional dishes, such as couscous with the meat of a home-slaughtered rooster. To mark the occasion, circumcisions may also be performed. These celebrations symbolise the relation between man and nature, according to Said Bouterfa, a specialist in Amazigh traditions.
The Amazigh of the Algerian desert, known as the Touareg, celebrated the day with their unique music, dance and traditional dishes. Researcher Badi Dida explained that the Touareg people maintain Yennayer customs to commemorate an historical milestone.
Another Amazigh community, the Chenoua (named after the Chenoua Mountains in Tipasa province), celebrates by preparing special bread using herbs collected from the wilderness.
Some non-Amazigh regions of Algeria also join in the New Year's events. In the western city of Tlemcen, birthplace of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, young and old celebrate Yennayer together. Directly after sunset prayers, family members have dinner and exchange gifts. Tlemcen children await a visit from "Yennayer Woman", who goes around by night from house to house bringing candy and presents.
To highlight Algeria's cultural diversity, events and seminars were offered in the capital to mark the occasion of Yennayer. The Algiers Centre for Culture and Arts, for example, organised traditional industry exhibitions and music concerts featuring artists from Amazigh regions.
Beyond its festive and historical significance to the Amazigh people, the New Year is taking on a political element. Some activists in the Amazigh Movement want to include January 12th each year as one of the eids. They are campaigning to make Yennayer an official holiday like the Muslim New Year.
Voices have been calling for making Yennayer an official holiday since 2001, when confrontations between citizens and security forces in the Kabylia region left 127 protestors dead. Those events calmed when the government officially recognised the Amazigh language.
In a statement made on January 12th, the head of the National Consultative Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights asked the government to make Yennayer an official holiday. Farouk Ksentini said the move would contribute to national solidarity.