This short article by the author of "The Nothing That Is: A Natural History Of Zero", Robert Kaplan, tells us where this esoteric symbol originated.

This series of books is for leaders of organizations who want to increase their financial independence at a time when grants from foreign agencies are shifting or shrinking. They want to raise funds from people and organizations in their own communities, as well as from overseas. They want to work locally to raise a portion of the money they need, at the lowest possible cost. To get all that they must build a varied, sustained, local fundraising program. The books are written specially for agencies in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and who want to begin or improve their fundraising programs. (from eCIVICUS)

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Digital Partners is pleased to announce that this years SEL application process yielded close to 40 innovative proposals for the use of IT in service to the world's poor. Ranging from Children's Health Information SmartCards in India to Wireless Communications Kiosks in Brazil to Computer Training for Rural Youths in Ghana-to name just three-we have been very pleased with both the diversity and caliber of this year's applications. SEL applications are now being reviewed by our selection committee and we plan to announce those proposals selected to move on to the mentoring phase by the end of October.

The TAD Consortium is an e-mail service aimed primarily at people interested in using information and communication technologies to improve the quality of education in the developing world.

oneworld.net is now providing a free monthly email newsletter on the theme of the internet from a sustainable development and human rights perspective. To subscribe yourself to this Internet newsletter send an email to: [email protected] with the following text in the body of the message: subscribe newsletter_internet

The Department of Home Affairs says it is on the way to becoming fully automated with a revamped, user-friendly Web site and intranet, and an online visa application and transfer system in the
offing.

The three-day symposium on "Promoting Community Radios in the Horn of Africa" that was planned for December 11 - 13, 2001 is changed to January 8 - 10, 2002. The change is made as Ramadan falls on December 16, 2001 and it would have been difficult for Muslim participants to travel and actively take part in the Symposium.

Fortunately as of last August, Ben Sedrine has at least temporarily left prison, thanks perhaps partly to the efforts of her many friends in Tunisia and abroad. But she is free only on bail and there are grave fears that she will be convicted and find herself back among the jangling keys and broken lives. She is guilty only of outspoken journalism and unflagging human rights activities, but these are construed by the Government of Tunisia as "defamation" and "spreading false news with the aim of disturbing public order".

As US bombs began raining on Afghanistan, it's hard to know the truth about what's happening -- and therefore impossible to judge whether the action is justified.

The Supreme Court’s ruling granting the government temporary relief from an earlier interdict preventing it from acquiring commercial farms, attracted wide media attention. The state media focused on comment from government officials and those individuals and organizations sympathetic to the ruling party to give the impression of unanimous approval.

The World Association of Newspapers' training activities in support of press freedom development have now embraced the internet, with a course for African webmasters aimed at developing the potential of newspaper web sites as a major new medium on the continent.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is gravely concerned about the deterioration of press freedom in several SADC member states, including Malawi. Our research reveals an alarming pattern of harassment and intimidation of independent journalists, severe censorship, and the use of repressive laws to silence those perceived to oppose ruling parties and governments.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) today completed a fact-finding mission in Ethiopia with a visit to jailed journalist Tamirate Zuma at the Kerchele Penitentiary in the capital, Addis Ababa.

The Namibian government says there is a need to co-operate with all law enforcement agencies, including "our friends the media" to report and expose corruption.

Panellists at a discussion on media coverage of non-governmental issues and the role of the media in development said there is need for the media and NGOs to work together for a common purpose.

The Angolan government is preparing to disburse a million US dollars to modernize and develop media organizations next year.

As Benjamin R. Barber makes clear in his thoughtful study, "Jihad vs. McWorld", much of the world is locked in a battle between two fundamentalisms that are equally at odds with the spirit and demands of democracy. Islamic fundamentalism and global market capitalism share more in outlook than is commonly recognized, he says. Both want to silence the voices of ordinary people and impose forms of control from above; both use media shamelessly and all too effectively to promote their ideological mission and values.