Posts tagged "solution"

Putting Civility Back Into Litigation

PUTTING CIVILITY BACK INTO LITIGATION

Our system of civil justice is an excellent one. However, as is often the case, the system is no better than those who run it. A well-designed automobile will not run very well if shoddy parts are used.

System Abuses

In our civil justice system, regrettably, many attorneys choose to abuse the system by filing frivolous motions and objections, being uncooperative, and requiring things to be done the hard way, rather than the easy way. Most attorneys are not seeking justice, they are seeking victory. Sanctions are difficult to obtain and thus, those who adhere to these “delay and abuse” tactics can benefit and prosper. Similarly, a gruff offensive attorney (close your eyes and see if you can imagine such) invites a lack of courtesy in return, which then creates a rapid downward spiral of behavior. Often times this anger and bitterness can cause a litigator to lose sight of the task at hand.

A potential solution to the problem of having to deal with our obnoxious “hide and seek” colleagues is alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures. Unfortunately, unless ordered by the court, many of these “delay and abuse” individuals do not desire to participate in ADR because it is contrary to their philosophical approach to litigation. However, for those who prefer a more civil approach to civil litigation, and those who follow court orders to participate in such, ADR can be extremely beneficial for the lawyers, clients, and judges.

Mediation

There are two types of ADR: mediation and arbitration. Mediation is simply a meeting in which both parties and counsel appear before a mediator who serves as a facilitator to try to resolve the dispute. Typically, at a mediation, there is a meeting between all the parties and counsel during which a brief overview of the case is presented and where some mediators will request the parties to state the strengths and weaknesses of their case. The group then breaks into separate groups, each consisting of party and counsel. The mediator then goes back and forth between the groups with dollar figures he has extracted from the various sides. Typically, the parties agree that the negotiations are confidential and that nothing said can be used as an admission in the litigation. The advantages of such a forum are significant.

In a smaller case, it is frequently not cost effective for either side to proceed with protracted litigation. Thus, a settlement will be a “win-win” situation in which both sides benefit, as much of the costs and delays of litigation are significantly reduced. Another significant advantage is that it gives the parties (or the insurance adjustor) and their attorneys to meet. Thus, the individuals involved become people and not simply claim numbers and files. Both sides have an opportunity to size up the credibility and presentation of the parties (and counsel) and an informal exchange of some information is usually obtained. This informal discovery can be extremely beneficial to both sides in evaluating the case. It also can reduce the cost of pre-trial discovery (exchange of information). Additionally, it is harder for some attorneys (and their clients) to pull off their offensive tactics in person. Many of us who would hang up on a phone solicitor would be less reluctant to slam our front door in the solicitor’s face.

Even if the case does not settle, the monetary gap usually narrows and the mediation may have been a catalyst to a resolution down the road. Also, learning that a case cannot be settled will save time during the litigation as the parties will focus on preparing for trial and not conducting settlement negotiations.

Binding Arbitration

Another type of ADR is binding arbitration. In Missouri, in a contract setting, it is important to remember that a “consent to arbitration” provision in a contract is not binding unless it is in 10-point capital letters, and contains the following language: THIS CONTRACT CONTAINS A BINDING ARBITRATION PROVISION WHICH MAY BE ENFORCED BY THE PARTIES. See Section 435.460 RSMo. within the Missouri Uniformed Arbitration Act.

Again, binding arbitration can be an expeditious way to resolve a dispute. In a personal injury setting, it can be extremely beneficial on smaller cases. It also is appropriate in a complex case that a jury might struggle with understanding, or in a contract case in which “jury appeal” will not affect the amount of the judgment. Obviously, it is helpful for those who are petrified to be in front of a jury, but if one is of that bent, they probably should not be handling litigation.

Obviously, the arbitrator(s) wields tremendous power as his or her decision is binding and can only be set aside by the courts in extreme circumstances such as: 1) the award was procured by corruption, fraud, or other undue means; 2) there was evident partiality by an appointed arbitrator or corruption or misconduct which prejudiced the rights of any party; 3) the arbitrators exceeded their powers; or 4) the arbitrator refused to postpone the hearing upon sufficient cause being shown therefore, or refused to hear evidence material to the controversy. See Section 435.405 RSMo. for a listing of reasons for which an arbitration award can be vacated.

Selection or Mediator or Arbitrator

In both types of ADR, the selection of the mediator or arbitrator (a “neutral”) is critically important. It is advisable to check out the arbitrator’s background, track record, and connections with the other side. If the other side has used this individual repeatedly as an arbitrator they probably have been happy with his or her decisions and that may be cause for concern. A mediator should be someone who will carry weight with the clients and other side and will not simply be a messenger or number carrier. A retired judge or a highly respected litigator can be an excellent choice when someone involved needs some sense talked into them. Someone who is persuasive is usually more effective, in my view. Typically, the fees are shared equally but obviously this needs to be addressed at the outset and confirmed in writing.

ADR, just as the name implies, is an alternative way to resolve a dispute. In appropriate circumstances and with the appropriate parties, it can be an excellent and civil way to resolve a civil dispute and avoid some of the pitfalls of a system that is run by people.

December 18, 2008

James Adler
http://www.articlesbase.com/personal-injury-articles/putting-civility-back-into-litigation-694015.html

Wake Up Call – New World Order Documentary – Remastered – 14 of 16

AVI Torrent: http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4391414

Google Video version: http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=3543161691381895251

High quality dual layer DVD’s now available! Visit my MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/johnnada80 ) for more information…

Some of the topics covered in the film:

The New World Order, Federal Reserve, Bilderberg Group, Trilateral Commission, Council on Foreign Relations, North American Union, the Rockefeller/Rothschild families, Freemasonry, Bohemian Grove, the Illuminati, Illuminati symbolism, Problem-Reaction-Solution, 9-11, war profiteering, the phony ‘War on Terrorism’, the impending ‘Big Brother Surveillance Society’, the war on civil liberties, microchipping, mind control, media control and ‘education system’ indoctrination.

Featuring:

Alex Jones, David Icke, Aaron Russo, Jordan Maxwell, G. Edward Griffin, Jim Marrs, Bill Hicks, Daniel Estulin, Jim Tucker, Ted Gunderson, Anthony Hilder, Professor Steven Jones, Webster Tarpley, George Carlin, John Taylor Gatto, Charlotte Iserbyt, Dave vonKleist, Stan Monteith and others…

Please spread the word as much as you can!

Duration : 0:9:38

Read more…

A Balanced Strategy: Reprogramming Ngos and Enhancing Their Relevance as Development Partners in Sierra Leone

What should be the defining principle of the Koroma administration National Development Strategy is balance. President Koroma cannot expect to eliminate national development challenges through a unilateral political agenda, to do everything and coordinate everything based on his All People’s Congress (APC) party ideology. His APC party with its “corporate agenda” for Sierra Leone rolled over the incumbent Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) in a run-off that reflected the expectations and desires of a majority of Sierra Leoneans for far-reaching socio-economic change, institutional reform and full inclusion of the mostly youth and indigenous poor. If Koroma is to succeed to reduce Sierra Leone’s grinding poverty and the creation of a more effective, inclusive and just state, however—and he must if his leadership is going to be different from the SLPP administration it replaced—he will need to set priorities and consider trade-offs and show understanding and offer support as he grapples with explosive issues of judicial reforms, corruption and development policy.

The strategy strives for balance in three areas: between trying to prevail in eliminating corruption in his government and preparing for other contingencies; between institutionalizing capabilities such as nongovernmental engagement and supporting the relevance of NGOs as development stakeholders and maintaining NGO’s existing organizational independence and strategic edge in terms of advancing national development objectives through community involvement; and between retaining those cultural traits that have made grassroots involvement in development work possible and discouraging behaviors of NGOs that hamper their ability to do what needs to be done. “In its broadest sense, the term “nongovernment organization” [NGO] refers to organizations (i) not based in government; (ii) not created for financial or material gain; but (iii) created to address concerns such as social and humanitarian issues of development, individual and community welfare and well-being, disadvantage, and poverty, as well as environmental and natural resources protection, management, and improvement” (Asian Development Bank).

Strategic Thinking

The Koroma administration’s ability to deal with performance problems of NGOs will depend on its capacity in handling corruption in government. To be blunt, to fail—or to be seen to fail—in addressing corruption in government would be a disastrous blow to the APC party credibility, both among party supporters and voters and among opposition adversaries. Sierra Leoneans want to see serious effort to address corruption and the injustices of the legal system in the country—and the people of Sierra Leone have lost all patience in this regard. Still, there will continue to be high expectations for Koroma’s zero-tolerance against corruption to be seen to work in Sierra Leone.

Given its endemic nature, corruption, poverty, and the tragic history of violence, Sierra Leone in many ways poses an even more complex and difficult long-term challenge—one that, despite a strong rhetorical effort, will require significant determination and commitment to punish drastically for crimes of corruption for some time. And given the country’s ever changing political game, the resounding victory of Ernest Koroma in the 2007 run-off elections could prove just another wrong turn along the road going nowhere. Sierra Leoneans have already started to question the leadership of Koroma, who in his inauguration in September 2007 announced his zero-tolerance stance against corruption, but “has not had a lot of luck with his cabinet” (The Africa Report). The instances of presumed corruption and shady dealings [the controversial Income Electrix power deal, the suspended Transport Minister Ibrahim Kemoh Sesay 700kg haul of cocaine deal, and the Attorney General Abdul Serry-Kamal Seventy Five Billion Leones Wanza saga] confirm the self-seeking and predatory activities of APC officials, “and that despite the best intentions announced by President Koroma, he [seems to] lack the moral standing and political backbone to implement his ‘zero-tolerance’ policy for corruption and his call for accountability of his cabinet” (The New People Newspaper).  Koroma still has to demonstrate he is following a drummer different from that of every Sierra Leonean leader of the past 45 years.

What is dubbed the war on corruption is, in grim reality, a prolonged, nationwide conventional campaign—a struggle between the forces of blatant corruption and those of moderation. Direct ACC engagement will continue to play a role in the long-term effort against corrupt officials in government and the private sector. But over the short term, a determined leadership may have to use draconian rules of engagement to ending corruption in Sierra Leone. Where possible, what the ACC calls prompt service in addressing corruption cases  should be subordinated to concrete measures by a strong presidency aimed at definitely promoting better governance, economic programs that spur development, and efforts to address the grievances among the discontented which justified the civil conflict that so badly destroyed the social fabric of Sierra Leone over the years. It will take the active engagement as well of NGOs in a collaborative effort over a long time to educate, rebuild and advance infrastructural development objectives.

Sierra Leone is unlikely to experience another civil war—justifiable by the injustices resulting from bad governance and rampant corruption—anytime soon. But that does not mean it may not face similar challenges in a variety of locales. Where possible, a government strategy is to employ indirect approaches—primarily through building the capacity of partner NGOs and their administrative processes—to prevent festering problems from turning into crises that require costly and controversial direct civil conflict. In this kind of effort, the capabilities of the government’s allies and NGO partners may be as important as its own, and building their capacity is arguably as important as, if not more so than, the partisan bickering the government has to deal with.

The recent past vividly demonstrated the consequences of failing to address adequately the dangers posed by bad governance. Rebel networks found sympathy among Sierra Leoneans and strength within the chaos of social breakdown. The small-arms infested State quickly collapsed into chaos and criminality and the worst of catastrophes befell the Sierra Leone homeland—towns and villages were reduced to rubble by rebel attacks as a result of the failed State. The kinds of capabilities needed to deal with such a historically dismal scenario cannot therefore any longer be played down with political rhetoric. Even the smallest of crimes of corruption should require stringent and uncompromising methods of investigations and punishment to avoid this failed State scenario. As Transparency International chair Huguette Labelle has noted, “Stemming corruption requires strong oversight through parliaments, law enforcement, independent media and a vibrant civil society. When these institutions are weak, corruption spirals out of control with horrendous consequences for ordinary people and for justice and equality in societies more broadly” (NGLS Go Between).

In many ways, the country’s national development capabilities are still coping with the consequences of the 1990s, when, with the complicity of the civil war, key instruments of the government of Sierra Leone regulatory mechanisms were reduced or allowed to wither on the corridors of power.  

“Sierra Leone has been a major recipient of foreign aid since the end of a devastating 11-year civil war in 2002. But government, donors and citizens are all questioning how effectively this aid is being used. Allegations of misappropriation of donor funds, both by government actors and NGOs, threaten this inflow. One of the government’s principal partners, the British Department for International Development, withheld aid in protest against such anomalies, for most of 2007 and early 2008 (Fofana/IPS, Freetown). Besides, the Government of Sierra Leone has not maintained a constructive relationship with NGOs.  However, the global push towards reducing poverty has created a new convergence among development practitioners and policymakers as the means of increasing access to new initiatives that will promote good governance and help reduce poverty. Citizen participation has increasingly been taken seriously to increase opportunity for lower income and other excluded populations whose interest are marginalized in classic representative institutions to influence policymaking processes. The government is beginning to appreciate the relevance of civil society in development—that community development lies at the heart of a strong, association-based civil society.

In this regard, the Koroma administration can assume more of the tasks of fostering effective collaboration with local and international NGOs for peace, security and development. To truly achieve victory as the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness defined it –“to bring new voices into a review of how aid is managed, and to sketch out a course for greater transparency, accountability and ultimately impact on the lives of the world’s poor—to attain a political objective” (Fofana/IPS, Freetown)–the Sierra Leone Government needs an NGO Coordination Unit whose ability to facilitate the diversion of huge donor funds to the NGO community is matched by its ability to use active evaluations and reviews as learning tools for itself and its development partners.  “The role of the Sierra Leone Association of NGOs (SLANGO), formed in January 1994, to coordinate NGO activities in order that efforts are not duplicated and resources not wasted” (BNET Business Network) has to be differentiated from what the NGO Unit at MODEP is doing; also to understand SLANGO’s relevance in development work.

Given these realities, the NGO Unit of MODEP has, however, been seen to make some impressive strides in recent years. “The revised National NGO Policy following the wide range of consultations held at national and regional levels with the involvement of all stakeholders especially the NGO Community, Line Ministries and Civil Society in the preparation of the policy [was a laudable effort]. The NGO Unit facilitated several meetings with other ministries particularly the Ministry of Finance, the National Revenue Authority (NRA), the Ministry of Labor and other stakeholders to discuss among other things: Duty Free Concessions, Resident/Work Permits and Taxation etc.” (NGO Unit/MODEP).

It can also be suggested that a New Development Operations Manual for a New National Development Strategy is developed to incorporate the lessons of recent years in NGO service delivery doctrine. “Train and equip” programs will allow for quicker improvements in the development capacity of partner organizations. And various initiatives should be undertaken that will better integrate and coordinate government efforts with civilian society agencies as well as engage the expertise of the private sector, including nongovernmental organizations and academia.

Organizational Problems in Perspective

Even as international NGOs hone and institutionalize new and modern management methods, the Sierra Leone Government still has to contend with the organizational challenges posed by local NGOs. The images of NGOs seen by many local people as corrupt and undeserving of support are a reminder that these Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and their management processes do still matter.  NGOs in the country should be seen to improve their and several partners’ documentation of results, including the development of good monitoring indicators.

In addition, there is the potentially toxic mix of inadequate financial management of NGOs and inadequate reporting on budgetary issues to the Government of Sierra Leone’s NGO Unit. What all these problems portend is that the monitoring of development aid continues to be a major challenge for Sierra Leone and that a thorough framework of monitoring both recurrent and development activities must be put in place. The Government of Sierra Leone cannot take these organizational issues of NGOs for granted and needs to invest in the programs, platforms, and personnel that will ensure their relevance as development stakeholders.

But it is also important to keep some perspective. As much as the MODEP’s NGO Unit has come up with revised policy regulations with collated information in respect of funds disbursed by donors to NGOs for the implementation of programs it must be remembered that what is driving MODEP is a desire to exorcise the sloppy performance of NGOs over the years and to make them more relevant as development stakeholders—not an ideologically driven campaign to micro manage NGOs in the country. “Understandably, the logic behind massive NGO presence in Sierra Leone was to create a civic culture, pluralize the political, economic and social arena and bridge the gap between the masses and the State. So NGOs thus act as intermediaries between, what donors call ‘the unorganized masses’ and the State and are expected to represent the people and express their voices in policymaking. In fact, among NGOs is a small sector of voluntary organizations that genuinely monitor regimes, engage in advocacy on behalf of the poor and serves as watchdogs in ensuring that government contractors deliver services”.

It is true that the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) with clear link to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is the main focus of Government and its development partners. “The PRSP calls for pro-poor sustainable growth. However, achieving this means maintaining macro-economic stability IMF-style with low inflation and strict fiscal deficits, despite research by CSOs and development agencies which seriously question the poverty impact of these types of policies” (European Network on Debt and Development). NGOs’ participation was recognized in the process. NGOs could now play an active role in the implementation process by shifting their interventions and assistance from relief/humanitarian programs to sustainable infrastructural development programs. Answerability and transparency, adequate financial management and adequate budgetary reporting are to be the watch words in the new dispensation.

NGOs in Sierra Leone may have their organizational problems, but they can be quite relevant stakeholders in promoting people’s participation in poverty reduction programs. Use of funds has not been cost effective for most NGOs but the thematic areas most of these NGOs focus on (health, education, skills development, micro-finance, skills training, etc.), are relevant for the end users that are often poor and vulnerable children, youth and women. These are priority support areas that are in accordance with Sierra Leone’s development priorities and the PRSP as well international development agencies’ priorities.

Now that the performance bar has to be raised for the government and NGOs following their dismal performance in terms of handling aid money, the Sierra Leone Government must now endeavor to maintain a credible strategic relationship with NGOs through effectively evaluating, reviewing and monitoring their activities. Toward this end, the steps the NGO Unit at MODEP is taking to return excellence and accountability to NGO stewardship are commendable. Presidential and Parliamentary oversight may also be necessary for a more reliable and sustainable NGO Unit coordination effort.

When thinking about the range of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of non-governmental organizations as development partners in Sierra Leone it is reasonable to understand that NGOs come in many shapes and sizes. Data used in the SWOT analysis stem from multiple sources including statistical reports, literature review, regulations and policies, and research articles by NGO professionals. These findings should provide a valuable reference for the Government and the international development community who are interested in developing excellence in the civil society organization which interestingly can provide some feed back into the effectiveness aspects of the development analysis.

Strengths

Grassroots (local) NGOs

• Have a positive presence on the ground.
• Demonstrate ability to seek common ground and commitment to poor and marginalized grassroots populations.
• Enjoy confidence and trust of local populations.
• Have experience-based knowledge of cultural, political and socio-economic conditions of indigenous populations.
• Understand vulnerabilities unique to local beneficiaries.
• Can achieve extreme flexibility with fewer resources and lower costs.
• Possess valuable experience, content and fundamental working knowledge about local trade issues and business contacts in their field.

International NGOs

• Have global appeal and have developed industry-wide reputation for positive work.
• Good at generating and mobilizing resources and core competencies for their operations.
• Ability to resolve issues of legitimacy and to address political and policy constraints.
• Ability to harness expert opinion to influence public opinion and policy-makers.
• Have paid core staff to ensure the quality of project work.
• Possess valuable experience, content and fundamental working knowledge about international trade issues and the labor market and business contacts in their field.

Weaknesses

Grassroots (local) NGOs

• May have limited financial and expert resources to support end-user development.
• May have limited strategic perspectives and weak linkages with other actors in development.
• May have limited managerial and organizational capacities.
• May sometimes miss the big picture on macro perspectives on capital markets, economy and geopolitics vis-à-vis community development.
• Indigenous NGO operators may be prone to corruption.
• Because of their voluntary nature, there may be questions regarding their accountability and credibility.
• May have difficulty managing operations on financially sustainable basis.
• Are not sustainable on membership fees alone.

International NGOs

• Some advocacy NGOs working to influence the policies and practices of governments, development institutions have limited implementation capacity.
• Questions sometimes arise concerning their motivations and objectives, and the degree of accountability they accept for the ultimate impact of policies and positions they advocate. Sometimes accused of “selling out” when they work with government or corporations.
• May find it hard to placate or manipulate special interests.
•  Suffer fluctuations in maintaining non-profit donations revenue streams.
• May have limited experience with poor populations and operations may not reflect the needs of communities.

Opportunities

Grassroots NGOs

• Can effectively work with community partners to assess local problems and opportunities and to promote export development programs.
•  Ability to implement successful training programs and advance participatory development.
• Ability to integrate their local expertise and experience in health and education initiatives in community development programs.
• Can be clearing-houses for local trade information.

International NGOs

• Ability to work out credible partnerships with government and private corporations to mobilize public opinion to increase influence on poverty reduction programs and trade issues.
• Effective at bringing the voice of efficient organizational practices into NGO work in developing countries.
• Ability to contribute sector-specific expertise to help producers add value, improve quality and find new export markets.
• Quite familiar with political and social accountability mechanisms that complement their interventions and advocacy work.

Threats

Grassroots NGOs

• Isolated and poorly coordinated efforts may have negative program outcomes.
• Lackluster relationship with trade and export development corporations causing unsustainable initiatives and lack of trade development solutions.
• Lacks technical capacity to connect poor people with trade and export opportunities.I

International NGOs

• Tendency to ignore the voices of the poor represented by the experience and professional input of local agencies when defining the dialogue and public understanding of trade and development issues.
• Inclination to compete by lobbying against one another thereby distracting policy-makers on major issues.
• Often accused of hijacking the macroeconomic policy making dominated by technocrats and external consultants in the process.

Overall, by sorting the SWOT issues of grassroots (local) and international NGOs into planning categories one can obtain a system which presents a practical way of assimilating the internal and external information about NGO work in Sierra Leone, delineating short and long term priorities, and defining and developing coordinated, goal-directed actions, and allowing an easy way to build management teams which can achieve the objectives of development growth and the essence of civil society. In reality, as the philosopher Michael Ignatieff has noted “without civil society, democracy remains an empty shell”. One can expect to see the efficacy of Civil Society Organizations to influence members of the wider public that adhere to their values and beliefs to engage in development programs at State and community levels.

Therefore, notwithstanding local NGO’s relatively dismal record they are still clearly quite relevant to the development equation. NGOs strengths can be harnessed with well coordinated capacity building programs.  Conversely, international NGOs can develop a partner strategy of supporting and working through strong professional local partners as an effective tool for having a greater development impact than being a self-implementing agency. NGOs can also be very effective as learning organizations by providing important support to build their own staff’s and partners’ capacities, through individual training activities, annual partner meetings and conferences, learning exchange between partners, and partner self-assessments of training needs.  Moreover, NGOs can also be very effective with regular active evaluations and reviews as learning tools for themselves and their partners.

Just as one can expect learning should be at the heart of these organizations, so too, should the Government of Sierra Leone seek a better balance in the portfolio of capabilities it has—the types of programs against corruption in government fielded, the punishment in place for crimes of corruption, the training done.

Moreover, given the development challenges Sierra Leone is struggling with—and given, for example, the struggles to field up hospitals and clinics, schools and colleges, maintenance of urban and rural roads, and the HIV threats to the society—the time has come to think hard about how to institutionalize the capabilities of NGOs and get them adequately fielded quickly. The NGO policy modernization programs of the NGO Unit at MODEP should seek a 99 percent solution to the organizational limitations of NGOs in the country and to build the kind of innovative thinking and flexibility capable of supporting rigid development processes.

Sustaining Organizational Performance

The ability to fight corruption in government and empower NGOs sometimes simultaneously fits squarely within the finest traditions of good governance, more so because adequate financial management, including adequate reporting on budgetary issues is key to sustained organizational performance of NGOs. For most NGOs in Sierra Leone, unsatisfactory practices with regard to vehicle and fuel use, procurement procedures and weak financial reporting and accounting are weaknesses which are also typical issues in bad government. Improving documentation of results, including the development of good monitoring indicators is also essential for sustaining organizational performance. The non performance of NGOs is coming at a frightful human, financial, and political cost. There has to be organizational improvements in government so that NGOs can be more resourceful and relevant to the development equation.

One of the enduring issues the NGO Unit at MODEP’s struggles with is whether personnel and organizational systems designed to coordinate the work of NGOs in the country will be able to reflect the importance of advising, training, and equipping NGOs in Sierra Leone—something still not considered a career-enhancing path for the best and brightest organizational development experts.  Another is whether the revised policy regulations can be adapted well enough and fast enough to empower NGOs—or, more significant, to build the capacity of local NGOs to make them more resourceful.

One can make the argument in favor of institutionalizing NGO skills and the ability to conduct stability and support operations. This has to be done and is necessary for maintaining the current advantage of the relevance of NGOs as development partners. Apart from recent revisions of NGO policy regulations there has been no strong, deeply rooted constituency inside MODEP or elsewhere for institutionalizing the capabilities necessary to support NGO work in Sierra Leone—and to quickly meet the important needs of civil society organizations engaged in development work in Sierra Leone.

Think of the important work of NGOs in Sierra Leone.  NGOs often make the impossible possible by doing what governments cannot or will not do especially when new challenges crowd the national agenda. Increasingly, NGOs operate outside existing formal frameworks, moving independently to meet their goals and establishing new standards that governments, institutions, and corporations are themselves compelled to follow through force of public opinion.

Some humanitarian and development NGOs, for instance, have a natural advantage because of their perceived neutrality and experience. Amnesty International – Sierra Leone Section, for example, (as listed on the webpage directory of NGOs maintained by UNDP Sierra Leone promotes and protects human rights through advocacy and human rights education—maintaining documentation on human rights abuses and violations carried out during the ten year rebel war in Sierra Leone which proved helpful to the TRC in Sierra Leone. Other groups such as the Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) is a democracy-supporting NGO in Sierra Leone which promotes the building of democratic institutions, transparency and accountability in government, active citizen participation in the political process, voter education, human rights, and the rule of law. The Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) organizes religious, educational, social and cultural programs to meet the spiritual, mental and recreational needs of members. The Centre for Coordination of Youth Activities provides training in leadership, peace building, skills development, and community development. The Kailahun District Development Foundation (KADDF), a district-wide non-governmental organization offers viable solutions to the pervasive problems of poverty and serves as a clearinghouse for outside agencies interested in carrying out programs in the Kailahun district. The Sierra Leone Adult Education Association (SLADEA) helps to reduce the high rate of illiteracy among adults in the non-formal sector; to enlist the co-operation and support of other NGOs with a view to motivating various forms of people’s participation especially women and youth in national development; to achieve public recognition and support for non-formal education sector. FORUT’s thematic areas (health, education, skills development, micro-finance, skills training, etc.), are relevant for the end users that are often poor and vulnerable children, youth and women. Action Aid is one of the largest NGOs operating in Sierra Leone promoting food security through agricultural programs to ensure seeds are available and crop production continues.

There is no doubt, therefore, that modernization programs will continue to have, and deserve, strong institutional and parliamentary support. There has to be the enabling environment needed to make sure that the capabilities needed for the complex organizational issues of NGOs also has strong and sustained institutional support over the long term. The need for an NGO Unit establishment that can make and implement decisions quickly in support of NGOs working in Sierra Leone is necessary.

In the end, the NGO capabilities needed cannot be separated from the cultural traits and the management structure of the institutions the Sierra Leone Government has: the signals sent by how funds are managed, what projects are funded, what skills are used to implement projects and how personnel are trained. As Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy has said, “Clearly, one can no longer relegate NGOs to simple advisory or advocacy roles. . . . They are now part of the way decisions have to be made.”

As Yale professor Steve Charnovitz has observed, NGO involvement seems to depend on two factors: the needs of government and the capabilities of NGOs. A good democracy encompasses all NGOs which strive to create formal but flexible systems fostering dynamism and self-adjustment. NGOs ought to be a part of the alternative development paradigm, because the State, its institutions, and public policy, are unable to address a host of issues of underdevelopment all alone.

Evidently, there are many NGOs today in Sierra Leone in different shapes and forms with substantial amounts of donor and individual funds being diverted through them for developmental purposes. These NGOs are thought to be participatory, community-oriented, democratic, cost effective, and better at targeting the poorest of the poor, although in recent years, the nimbus of righteousness around NGOs has almost disappeared, and there is wide acknowledgement of their inability to deliver what is expected from them. Many lessons, however, about NGOs in Sierra Leone present themselves. Two of the most important are an understanding of organizational challenges and a sense of determination to change. The determination and national reach of NGOs has been an indispensable contributor to national peace and stability. The NGO Unit at MODEP should be clear about what effective organizational management by competent operators of NGOs can accomplish. No matter what their aims, all organizations share two things in common: They are made up of people, and certain individuals are in charge of these people. NGOs therefore need strong managers to lead its staff toward accomplishing development goals. And these managers are more than just leaders—they are problem solvers, cheerleaders, and planners as well.

Think of the intricacies of management, for instance. No matter what type of organization they work in, NGO executives are generally responsible for a group of individuals’ performance. As leaders, they must expect their fellow workers to work earnestly to reach common NGO goals. As the management guru Peter Drucker said, “Executives owe it to the organization and to their fellow workers not to tolerate nonperforming individuals in important jobs.”

In national affairs, “aid can work where there is good governance,” the United States Congressional Representative Lee H. Hamilton wrote in his book on – A Legacy of Honor: The Congressional Papers of Lee H. Hamilton, U.S. House of Representative 1965-1998 Indiana Ninth District, “… and usually fails where governments are unable or unwilling to commit aid to improve the lives of their people.” It is thus believed any responsible National Development Strategy for Sierra Leone should provide a balanced approach to enhancing responsibilities and preserving the relevance of NGOs as development partners.

Kenday S. Kamara
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-profit-organizations-articles/a-balanced-strategy-reprogramming-ngos-and-enhancing-their-relevance-as-development-partners-in-sierra-leone-741482.html

Wake Up Call – New World Order Documentary – Remastered – 08 of 16

AVI Torrent: http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4391414

Google Video version: http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=3543161691381895251

Trailer: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9IEnb2EfJ4&fmt=18

High quality dual layer DVD’s now available! Visit my MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/johnnada80 ) for more information…

Some of the topics covered in the film:

The New World Order, Federal Reserve, Bilderberg Group, Trilateral Commission, Council on Foreign Relations, North American Union, the Rockefeller/Rothschild families, Freemasonry, Bohemian Grove, the Illuminati, Illuminati symbolism, Problem-Reaction-Solution, 9-11, war profiteering, the phony ‘War on Terrorism’, the impending ‘Big Brother Surveillance Society’, the war on civil liberties, microchipping, mind control, media control and ‘education system’ indoctrination.

Featuring:

Alex Jones, David Icke, Aaron Russo, Jordan Maxwell, G. Edward Griffin, Jim Marrs, Bill Hicks, Daniel Estulin, Jim Tucker, Ted Gunderson, Anthony Hilder, Professor Steven Jones, Webster Tarpley, George Carlin, John Taylor Gatto, Charlotte Iserbyt, Dave vonKleist, Stan Monteith and others…

Please spread the word as much as you can!

Duration : 0:9:49

Read more…

Wake Up Call – New World Order Documentary – Remastered – 09 of 16

AVI Torrent: http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4391414

Google Video version: http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=3543161691381895251

Trailer: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9IEnb2EfJ4&fmt=18

High quality dual layer DVD’s now available! Visit my MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/johnnada80 ) for more information…

Some of the topics covered in the film:

The New World Order, Federal Reserve, Bilderberg Group, Trilateral Commission, Council on Foreign Relations, North American Union, the Rockefeller/Rothschild families, Freemasonry, Bohemian Grove, the Illuminati, Illuminati symbolism, Problem-Reaction-Solution, 9-11, war profiteering, the phony ‘War on Terrorism’, the impending ‘Big Brother Surveillance Society’, the war on civil liberties, microchipping, mind control, media control and ‘education system’ indoctrination.

Featuring:

Alex Jones, David Icke, Aaron Russo, Jordan Maxwell, G. Edward Griffin, Jim Marrs, Bill Hicks, Daniel Estulin, Jim Tucker, Ted Gunderson, Anthony Hilder, Professor Steven Jones, Webster Tarpley, George Carlin, John Taylor Gatto, Charlotte Iserbyt, Dave vonKleist, Stan Monteith and others…

Please spread the word as much as you can!

Duration : 0:9:51

Read more…

Nigeria: State and City police

The former President of Nigeria  Olusegun Obasanjo fondly called “ Baba Iyabo” made an attempt to ask the nation if we needed a federal police system at the same time former Governor of Lagos state Asiwaju of Yoruba land Tinubu was advocating for a state police, the issue became so popular that it generated lots of opinions among Nigerians in and out of the country and in my contribution which was titled “ Towards internal Security” which was published online I was advocating for city and county police system similar to what is operated in the United States of America.

The article revealed Nigeria police as presently constituted was not only underpaid but under equipped for job in the 21st Century. A police recruit in the state of Texas gross pay is over $48,000  per annum in addition to this pay, if the recruit can speak other languages he earns more than his colleagues, his life insurance is over $250,000 if he dies in the line of his duty, the incentives attached to the job of Police in the state of Texas is so mouth watering that it will be difficult to accept bribe as a police officer and a mere look of a police officer in Dallas County is enough to convince any observer that the officer is not only well paid but also well equipped for the job.

The internal security of Nigeria is so broken down that kidnapping is more of an acceptable fashion like we used to read in James Hardly Chase novels with some notable titles like  “ Wants to stay alive? “  Believed violent ‘and Well now my Pretty” which were very popular with my generation in the seventies. Kidnapping as handled by police in those novels revealed how United States of America handled issues of serious nature and how crimes were departmentalized as federal, state and city issues, it revealed how the country was able to move beyond sentiment of federal to allowing state and city to handle crimes.

With the above understand, in mind, and actual real situation on the ground, research revealed more than what James Hardly Chase mentioned, it revealed US police system was just as corrupt and under equipped like Nigeria before each state was allowed to have its own police and with only a supervisory role from the FBI. The last administration made a cosmetic approach toward this by establishing the EFCC but failed to remove the federal police system which would have given the supervisory role to EFCC over the state and city police through out the country.

The questions in the mind of the readers will be as follows, what will happen to the states and cities that can not afford to set up the police administration right now? Suppose the governors turn the new police system to political control machine? Suppose non indigenes are victimized with state and city police? These are understandable fears of those who will rather look at negative effect than looking at how such problem was handled by nations that had similar problems.

Our nature and composition, does not allow us to effectively operate a single federal Police system in a nation with various ethnic compositions, to alley the fear as mentioned above, the laws to give power to state and city to establish police must make it difficult for governors, local government chairmen and city mayors in future to exercise undue influence on the system. The law will allow those states and cities which will  rather have the Federal police to stick with the present system while those states and cities in Lagos, Oyo, Anambra, kano to test the market for the state and city police.

The transition to state and city police can not happen overnight for all states  because some will rather stick with what they are used to,  it took the state of Oregon in America 100 years to adopt state police behind the state of Texas. Recruitment must reflect the state composition and federal character before funds can be released by the Federal government, and each state or City police must be subjected to EFCC supervision and when a complex which case can not be solved by the state or the city police the EFCC will move in to reorganize the police system of the state or city for a reasonable period that will be stated by the law.

The Present Mobile Police must be under the EFCC to take over any state or city police in case of emergency and the rest of the police force will be re-deployed to operate solely at state level and city that will require their services if they can not be totally employed by the states or cities they can be laid off and such men in uniform can work as security men for companies or private sectors.

The Yoruba has an adage “Opo kan ni eyin afaa, Iba je eyo kan ko sa le fi mu musa” meaning “The chief Imam does not need to have lots of functional teeth even if it is one as long as the Imam can pick donut with it” It is very funny, but it is true with the police system we have right now, it is not the numbers of men in uniform but a functional police system which can only be achieved by creating state and city police.

The current Federal police system is making a mockery of security in Nigeria, kidnapping today is more of lucrative business than 419 or internet advanced fee fraud, kings, wives and concubines, children and movies stars are being kidnapped on daily basis and the ransom are being announced by the press  like lottery winning games.

Finally, unlike what all the doubting “Thomases” will want us to believe on the shortcomings of State and City Police, establishing it, is where the solution to internal security of Nigeria lies, it will not only solve the problem it will put tribal “things” called OPC, Egbesu and area boys out of business, Governors and future Mayors of each city performances will be measured before re-election, State and City police will help to enforce all the local laws passed by the State House of Assembly and those of the local government, to ignore this, is to postpone the evil day, Nigeria Bless Your Hearts

Zents Kunle Sowunmi

New York USA the author of “Before the Journey became Home”

Kunle Sowunmi

Wake Up Call – New World Order Documentary – Remastered – 11 of 16

AVI Torrent: http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4391414

Google Video version: http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=3543161691381895251

Trailer: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9IEnb2EfJ4&fmt=18

High quality dual layer DVD’s now available! Visit my MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/johnnada80 ) for more information…

Some of the topics covered in the film:

The New World Order, Federal Reserve, Bilderberg Group, Trilateral Commission, Council on Foreign Relations, North American Union, the Rockefeller/Rothschild families, Freemasonry, Bohemian Grove, the Illuminati, Illuminati symbolism, Problem-Reaction-Solution, 9-11, war profiteering, the phony ‘War on Terrorism’, the impending ‘Big Brother Surveillance Society’, the war on civil liberties, microchipping, mind control, media control and ‘education system’ indoctrination.

Featuring:

Alex Jones, David Icke, Aaron Russo, Jordan Maxwell, G. Edward Griffin, Jim Marrs, Bill Hicks, Daniel Estulin, Jim Tucker, Ted Gunderson, Anthony Hilder, Professor Steven Jones, Webster Tarpley, George Carlin, John Taylor Gatto, Charlotte Iserbyt, Dave vonKleist, Stan Monteith and others…

Please spread the word as much as you can!

Duration : 0:7:58

Read more…

Have you seen Fall of the Republic?

With the establishment at every level desperately attempting to extinguish the simmering fires of fury now burning within the psyche of grass roots America, devastated at the effect The Obama Deception had in unlocking people from the hypnotic trance of the left-right paradigm, Fall Of The Republic arrives to deliver the sucker punch to the new world order.

Resistance to tyranny is spreading like wildfire all around us as the masses finally begin the long process of awakening to the agenda of the globalists that targets them for total domination and the elimination of all human freedom and dignity.

But only with the activism of you, the front line soldier in the Infowar, can we ever hope to reach more people and accelerate the transformation of understanding now enveloping the planet as the new world order similarly accelerates its programs of world government and global enslavement in the knowledge that their time is running out.

We are putting out this urgent call to action to everyone reading these words – get Fall Of The Republic – get the DVD or download a high-quality version at Prison Planet.tv – make copies and hand them out, seed the online version to the four corners of the Internet. Spread the truth virally and help us reach tens of millions of people, just as we did with The Obama Deception.

This is not just about opening minds, its about saving souls from eternal bondage to the new world order system that seeks to strip them completely of their true inherent shining spark of humanity and love.

This is your chance to be part of history, to stand up for freedom, to stand up for humanity and become part of the solution that finally defeats the dark agenda of the new world order and leads to the spiritual renaissance of the 21st century.

Fall Of The Republic: The Presidency Of Barack Obama (FULL MOVIE)

http://gandeste.org/usa/fall-of-the-republic/6904

Fall Of The Republic documents how an offshore corporate cartel is bankrupting the US economy by design. Leaders are now declaring that world government has arrived and that the dollar will be replaced by a new global currency.

Why does the New World Order want a one world government if they already control everything and profit from?

every war in the current system of nation states?

Question for believers in the NWO, new world order, people who believe the goal of the global elite is a one world government.

I’m NOT one of them, just interested how they see this. Isn’t the belief this elite has total power in the current system of nation states and always profit a lot from wars contradictory to the notion that their goal would be a one world government?

Maybe they have a good explanation, maybe not. Very interested either way.
DJnCSprings. Sometimes their is possesive, othter times it means they are and in your case the word you’re looking for is there.

I don’t do American idol and did my research. I interpret those leaders who spoke about it differently as you do. I believe in a new world order but interpret those wishes of the elite very differently than a one world government. They don’t need a one world government to establish a new world order. If you don’t get that I’m very sorry

Your patronizing attitude doesn’t hide the fact you obviously have no explenation
imback_missme

Thanks, can’t say we agree on the details but apreciate the answer.
Do you think they absolutely need a one world government to achieve this new ‘World Financial Order". or total control for that matter?
What’s from their perspective preferable about a one world government out in the open over the same control in the current system of nation states? Why would they give up their shadowy excistence that’s sucsesful, again from their point of view, in favor of open dictatorship? What’s the upsdie of that? They can have the total control withtout calling it a one world government or ending nation states, can’t they?
Seriously, aprciate your answer, please elaborate if you have thoughts about this.
zenmeister. The European constitution was rejected by the Netherlands and France, they lost. Even that agreement would have not overridden our domestic constitutions. Then the bureaucrats quit calling it constitution and tried to push a watered down version under the name The Treaty of Lisbon. Ireland rejected it in the only organized referendum on the matter, France and the Netherlands simply ratified it in parliament to avoid the population. The treaty explicitely states it will have to be ratified by each Member State in order for it to come into force. Ireland killed it, the EU bureaucrats lose again for now

http://europa.eu/lisbon_treaty/countries/index_en.htm#

Still the facts are very different from your understanding, that undermines your credibility. Regrettable
Giordano. You clearly misunderstood my ideas. I can’t be held responsible. Maybe you should have payed attention or I should have explained myself better, maybe a little of both but that’s done.

I tend to be hostile towards those who present lies, misdirections and nonsense as facts because they take attention away from the real issues and often misdirect people I care about into the dead end street of conspiracism.
Your capslock does not impress me, especially since you apparantly don’t even understand the quotes you use to make your point.
"The powers of financial capitalism had (a) far-reaching aim, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole"
Dominate the political system of EACH country, they don’t need a one world government. One world government fetishism is a distraction. They can win without the misdirected nationalists even noticing.
47, that’s a great answer. Thanks for taking the time. Your answer does tell how you see it and why it’s not nessecarily contradictory.
I also apreciate the fact you recognize they could very well give in on the semantic part of the issue which in my opinion also means those opposing this evil need to look further than words and terms. To try to say it in your terminology, the more people wake up about the new world order the more likely they will not sell their idea under that name. Another issue where this is very relevant is the whole Amero thing. You can have an effective monitairy union with fixed exchange rates without officially adopting one currency. In practise that’s also the same.
I just hope everyone continues to think, they will
DJnCSprings. I take being called a shill by you as a compliment. Thanks for the info. Why am I a shill though? Are your beliefs above questioning?
I question all things, including your ideas, my ideas, what governments tell, the people claiming to oppose the government and self proclaimed truth seekers say. I will accept no ideas unchecked, I’m not a sheeple.
I’m skeptical of all sides but give everyone a chance to express their view. Why is that a problem for you?
Truth is whatever survives the cleansing fires of skepticism after they have burned away error and superstition. The healthy growth of civilization depends on skepticism more than it does on faith. – Oliver Wendell Holmes
Giordano. Typical hostily and name calling for someone lacking ideas.
I didn’t ignore your first quote, I read it, it’s not news and not something we argue about. What’s there to say? What do you expect? Me saying that quote is false while it’s not? I’m not a liar.
I see you ignore the point I made. They can easily get all the control they want, an effective one world government in the shadows while out in the open continuing the illusion of nation states. It seems to work in the American electoreal system. Millions of Americans still believe they have free choice while the US is in fact already a dictatorship of the big banks and corporate interest and while most who voted for change Americans will get more of the same. I see as little reason for the elite to call themselves a one world government as for the US to openly call itself a dictatorship. The goal, total control, is more important than any name they use. The last point you make actually supports that notion
Giordano
That they can fool some or attempt to fool some by calling it something else is excactly the point of this whole question.
While you basically accuse me of shilling you fail to realize by insisting their goal is one world government, other people might be convinced they didn’t sucseed just as long as the US is called the US even at that time globalists/elitists, capitalists in my view, effectively control it all.
80 percent of Americans and possibly more around the world believe Obama is change. We both know better, we shouldn’t be fighting over the details where we disagree
Giordano for your and everyone elses information I’m against the CFR and other institutions like it. We do see their power and influence, even their goals, differently but we both reject them.
It’s like the whole Bilderberg group thing. My position is basically they will aproach and be able to effectively buy/ influence, steer any politician in the current setup because that setup is corrupt to the core while the conspiracists view is groups like bilderberg, CFR appoint their "agents" corrupting an otherwise legitimate system.
imback_missme, thanks for the edit. I happen to know zeitgeist and believe it’s full of inaccuracies (
But unlike with many other truth gurus I do believe the maker believes what he’s saying and addendum obviously appeals to me. Marxists like myself have been blaming the for profit system for decades. While Peter Jackson gets caught up in semantics I feel and denies Marxism is a solution his whole analysis testifies to the Marxist notion that the for prfit motive brings out the worst in humanity. I believe that and he usues footage of economic hitman, definetely a very good documentary
If I was a truther I’d be pro zietgeist but I’m not, loved the Alex Jones interview with Jackson, it’s recommended. If you like, respect zeitgeist but take Jones serious too you want to hear this.
Your contribution is very much apreciated
It’s Peter Joseph, not Jackson oops
Giordano, nothing stops you or anyone else from adding me as a contact or you from linking here to the answers you refer to. That would be the fastest way and that you don’t do that while sugesting they tell it all, says enough. I can’t read your mind and know what answers you refer to but yes I stand behind my answers in regards to conspiracism
You fail to understand my points and I don’t have to adress your quote, the one you don’t understand yourself or the other one. Your incoherent ramblings and accusations offer little insight into how you think and give me the impression your agenda is to surpress an open debate and discussion
Giordano. No I didn’t change my mind. The corruption comes from within, from the inherent faillure of the American political setup, that’s my position here and was my position there. I stand behind that answer, like I estimated you don’t understand.

Joining my contacts opens my whole Q&A, everyone knows that or can see for themselves, that’s enough
People with unfair power and privilege generally try to hold onto that unfair power and privilege. Sometimes they make plans that are not publicly announced. Sometimes they engage in illegal plots. Real conspiracies have been exposed throughout history. History itself, however, is not controlled by a vast timeless conspiracy. The powerful people and groups in society are hardly a "secret team" or a tiny club of "secret elites." The tendency to explain all major world events as primarily the product of a secret conspiracy is called conspiracism. The antidote to conspiracism is Power Structure Research based on some form of institutional, systemic or structural analysis that examines race, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, class and other factors that are used to create inequality and oppression. Political Research Associates does not criticize conspiracism because we want to shield those with unfair power and privilege, but because we believe that conspiracism impedes attempts to
to build a social movement for real social justice, economic fairness, equality, peace, and democracy.

http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/index.html

Maybe you will understand the difference now but it’s very doubtful

First of all, everyone must understand that ‘profit’ is not the goal here. There are motives beyond simple greed, and I know it’s hard for anyone with a conscience to really imagine what must be going on in the minds of these elites. EDIT: They’re f*ckin psychopaths. It seems like they’re obsessed and compelled to play god, and recreate the world according to their vision.

Money is not the END, it is the MEANS. The same can be said of war. It IS all going somewhere. These people do not intend to use War as a geopolitical tool -forever-. EDIT: Albert Pike’s "three world wars" had a theoretical objective. He never mentioned a fourth (that I am aware of…).

Have you heard of the Iron Mountain Report? Whether real or a hoax, the question posed to this think tank was "how can we maintain Anglo-American dominance in a future devoid of war?" The consensus was that they would need a common threat (i.e. environmental) that the world could unite against.

Secondly, they don’t already have "total power" (it’s quite the contrary – they seem to be losing it!)

"Total power" is what they’ve always been after, that’s what they are using their money and their wars to get. If they HAD total control, then all their wealth could not buy them any more influence, could it? Then it would become worthless to them.

Moreover, if they DID already enjoy total global control, most of us would probably be dead right now, and we certainly wouldn’t be having this discussion.

Also, a "World Financial Order" …IS… a "world government" ! (for all intents and purposes)! If you attended the first day of NWO 101, then you should know the influence that central banking systems hold over national governments, and you should know that the difference between "World Financial Order" and "world government" is purely semantic.

"They can have the total control without calling it a one world government or ending nation states, can’t they?" EXACTLY. That is exactly what I expect them to do. They’re not going to just come out and announce one day: "Welcome to the New World Order! Here’s your new flag and your new money." Yes, nations will continue to exist (in name only) long after global governance has been established. That is a NECESSITY, or the people would obviously revolt.

Global dominance has been attempted by force before, and it did not succeed. Conquest by deception seems to be working far better, so far… and I expect the deception to continue, at least until the globalist institutions have become so strong that they can no longer be challenged.

So, no, there is nothing at all contradictory about the idea of using war and economic manipulation to steer the geopolitical landscape gradually towards "global governance" or whatever you choose to call it. It’s really the only way to accomplish this.

When describing the level of control the globalist elite actually have over world events, I commonly use the metaphor of trying to steer a huge ocean liner at high speed in choppy seas.

I hope that answers your question.

Learn the Top Reasons Behind Poor Performance & Availability With Microsoft Exchange

As a professional, your clients know they can depend on you, and that you are there for them. But what happens when your technology is not there for you? Imagine you are on the phone with your client, telling him with great pride that at long last the document he has been waiting for is complete. While you chat, you attach the document to an email, send it off…and wait.

And wait. The email is no longer in your outbox and not in his inbox. You double-check the email address, and as the conversation becomes more and more awkward, you assure the client that the document really does exist and there really was an email sent. He is frustrated and you are at a complete loss. You decide you cannot wait any longer and switch to your personal Hotmail account to resend the document, which may or may not work immediately either. The result is wasted time, and if you switched email systems, you no longer have a cohesive record of the exchange.

Your system administrator will list a number of reasons why this incident happened, reasons that are beyond his control:

• Junk mail folders
• Anti-virus systems
• User errors
• Bottlenecks in the Internet that day

The real reasons may actually run much deeper, which means that this lost email will not be an isolated incident.

Lost Emails Mean Lost Opportunities

Consumers, accustomed to fast responses through websites, are quickly losing their tolerance for slow email responses. Evidence of this can be seen through a recent study by the WAV Group, who claims in the real estate industry, the first agent to respond to a customer email inquiry has a 73% chance of securing the business. The third to respond has virtually no chance.[1] Similarly, a study conducted by Vodafone released in December of 2008 estimates that lost opportunities due to failures to reply promptly to email messages cost businesses approximately $27,000 a year.[2]

What about email that goes missing entirely? This summer Apple Corp admitted to “losing” 10% of their MobileMe subscribers email between July 16th and July 18th.[3] A wave of blog posts have popped up as a result of this problem, with subscribers making claims of everything from lost job opportunities to lost business. We tend to view email as a low cost service, yet clearly when it fails, the costs can be startling. Apple would only remark that the problem was due to a “serious issue.” So what exactly does happen to these wayward email messages, delayed or lost?

The truth is there are dozens of potential reasons for email delivery delays and errors. With complex business-grade email systems, like Microsoft® Exchange and Lotus Notes, there are many ways to build and configure a system. Some conform to the highest standards, while others barely meet the minimum requirements. With very little effort, you can determine whether your system had been adequately configured to suit your needs.

High Availability

As the name implies, High Availability is a system or network that is operational, or available, with a high degree of certainty and frequency. Ceryx, a Hosted Exchange provider, has made high-availability one of their primary focuses. With data centers in New York and Toronto, they have developed various technologies to replicate all messaging data in real-time and can fail over to the secondary facility in the event of catastrophe, allowing them to provide a real 100% SLA. While most providers tend to choose between high availability and high performance, all of Ceryx’s Microsoft Exchange deployments have been built to meet the highest standard of availability uptime without sacrificing performance.

One benchmark for testing an application provider’s performance is to log in to the webmail application and switch from the email view to the calendar view. Pick a folder with lots of messages in it and try sorting by “sender” and then clicking through the various pages. If there is a noticeable delay between these actions then your application provider’s performance may not be adequate.

A system’s availability is determined by numerous factors, each of which is examined below.

Architecture

Delays are often a result of high server RPC latency. RPC, or Remote Procedure Call, is how the Outlook client or the Outlook Web Access client (OWA) communicates with the Exchanger servers. RPC latency refers to the delay between initiating a request and its completion. RPC latency, as seen from the client, is a combination of networking latency and server latency. For good performance, the Microsoft guideline is 50ms average latency on the mailbox servers.[4] If mailbox server RPC latency averages much higher than this, the desktop user can experience “pop-ups” and warnings about problems with the connection from Outlook to the Exchange server. In the background, inbound and outbound email is not being processed as the system tries to catch up with other requests. Excessive “pop-ups” can become more than just an irritant; they can slow down a PC to the point of being unusable while Outlook tries to establish a connection to the server.

Ceryx aims to maintain an RPC rate 20ms or less. To do this, they have avoided the tendency of many providers who built their systems with less expensive virtualized environments and network attached storage. Instead Ceryx has invested in server clusters and high-end SANs (Storage Area Networks) at each of their data centers. SANs provide disk access performance, as well as redundancy through RAID configurations and fibre channel connectivity to the mailbox servers.

Many providers, in an effort to reduce costs, combine the Client Access Server and the Hub Transport Server (servers used to facilitate email delivery) on a single physical machine. This dual role can introduce latency at times of peak usage and throttle the ability to handle large outbound mail queues. Ceryx has engineered the Hub Transport role to ensure message queues can be quickly cleared even during periods of heavy load. By combining multiple, dedicated physical Hub Transport servers with the built-in round-robin load balancing capabilities of Exchange 2007, messages are quickly distributed to their destination on the internet. For legitimate email, hardware load balancing is used to ensure optimal performance of the critical Hub Transport role, which processes every single message that passes through the system.

Monitoring

Most hardware load balancing configurations can achieve both high performance and high availability; however, to sustain high performance and high availability – with a dynamic system like a Hosted Exchange deployment, where usage and load can vary dramatically – you must have an advanced monitoring system and the processes in place to scale the system in response to constantly changing variables.

Some providers install generic monitoring packages that tend to monitor every single metric available, whether the metrics provide meaningful insight to system performance or not. With Ceryx, every aspect of the environment from key metrics around SAN queue length through to standard metrics like CPU utilization and memory usage are closely monitored, trended, and understood. This information is used to develop highly accurate forecasting and scheduled system scaling. Any provider who has not invested in such monitoring tools and resources will just react to spikes in usage and load. Ceryx plans for them.

Breathing Room

Another major reason for email delays and poor performance can again be attributed to basic economics. A “store” is the unique databases for storing messaging data. With Microsoft Exchange 2007 Enterprise, there is a limit of 50 stores per server, with a Microsoft recommended limit of 200 GB for each store. Some providers will try to maximize the number of customers they can support by pushing these limits. Ceryx does the opposite. Ceryx maintains a maximum of 50 GB per store – one quarter of the maximum – in order to deliver the best raw database performance and protect against data corruption, common with larger stores. With these hard restrictions in place, it’s difficult to imagine how some providers – who offer mailboxes up to 4GB – are able to run a sustainable business and maintain high performance and availability.

IOPS

Economics may also drive another cause of poor performance: IOPS, a measurement of the number of times data can be written and read to disk per second, can vary widely per system. With Microsoft Exchange, IOPS capacity is directly related to performance and a heavy user can use up to 1 IOPS under certain circumstances. Each disk has a maximum number of IOPS it can support, so a careful ratio of users per array of disks is essential to maintain decent performance.

Ceryx is careful to maintain a generous ratio of IOPS per user based on real-world metrics monitored from its large user base, taking into consideration peak activities times and not just daily averages.

Routing Issues

To be fair, email delays and errors may occur outside your environment. In the scenario where your colleague was eagerly sitting and waiting for an email to arrive, it may have got stuck somewhere “in the cloud” – somewhere in between both of your email environments.

On a pre-sales and support level, Ceryx has developed a number of troubleshooting tools to help identify potential routing issues. As with any application “hosted in the cloud,” bandwidth is an important consideration when trying to ensure a positive end-users experience. Microsoft Exchange, which consumes 3 KB of a client’s internet connection per active user, is no different. Ceryx has developed a tool that simulates a series of network connections to determine if the client has adequate bandwidth to support their user base. Through this exercise they have discovered that – with any client moving from an on-premise environment to a hosted environment – any increase in bandwidth required is partially offset by decommissioning and offloading SMTP traffic, external connections spam traffic and attacks.

Spam/Anti-Virus

Of course the most notorious place a message gets “stuck” or delayed is in a provider’s anti-virus and spam filtering system. Ceryx runs seven different anti-virus products in its environment to ensure system health and email hygiene. That level of protection could potentially cripple an ordinary system that wasn’t built for high performance; however, Ceryx has not only sized their solution with the performance hit associated with anti-virus scanning in mind, but also closely monitors its environment to ensure email delivery is never compromised by spam and anti-virus filtering.

Beware of any provider who either ignores this potential performance hit or, worse yet, removes backend anti-virus all together. Removing anti-virus may appear to be a good way to control costs, as high-end solutions can be very expensive, but removing them allows viruses in, and once in, are often hard to then find, never mind remove. Ceryx’s system scans incoming and outgoing messages as well as messages in the store on a scheduled basis. A regular scan of mailbox databases is just as important as gateway anti-virus to reduce the instance of catastrophic failure.

Mobility

The benefits and usability of the Ceryx architecture can be measured not only on the desktop level but for mobile users as well, who share the same highly optimized and redundant environment. Ceryx also maintains fully-replicated BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Servers) in both its environments to maintain maximum mobility uptime as well. Forum Oilfield Services, out of Houston Texas, currently has 600 employees using the Ceryx Hosted Exchange solution, with almost 100 mobile users.

Beware of “Bargains”

Unfortunately the market is crowded with Hosted Exchange providers who are not as concerned about delivering a dependable and resilient solution as they are about keeping their costs low and selling high volumes of mailboxes. Providers that offer 3 or 4 GB mailboxes are ignoring the commonly held understanding that mailboxes of this size do not perform well and are highly susceptible to data corruption. That corruption is not limited to just the user in question, but can impact all users on that store, potentially even the entire server.

These providers can only offer mailboxes of this size at a bargain price if they compromise on some other expense – dedicated servers, SANs, anti-virus solutions or a fully redundant architecture. Of course the much greater expense is the lost productivity and opportunity that results from using a solution that was designed with the primary goal of meeting the lowest possible price point to compete with free solutions in the market, and not delivering Enterprise performance and availability.

Ask all potential vendors for the following:

• Customer references
  (Quiz the references about any down-time they may have experienced)
• The SLA
  Have a close look at the financial penalties if high availability is not maintained. Professional hosting providers, confident in their systems ability to maintain high availability, will include clearly worded conditions in their SLA around the exact fees that will be paid to a customer should they not maintain an acceptable level of up-time.

How Do You Measure Up?

A lost or delayed email could be viewed as a nuisance or as a warning. Purchasing decisions need to be fiscally responsible, but often, seemingly bargain solutions can have a devastating and costly effect in the long run.

So how does your system measure up? Using Ceryx as a control, measure the speed, versatility, and resilience of your system.

Ceryx

SLA: 100%
Latency: < 20 ms
GB / Store: 50 GB / Store
IOPS per User: High
Bandwidth Sizing Tools: Yes
Spam / Anti-Virus: Gateway + Mailbox Server, Integrated
Mobile Device Access: Redundant BlackBerry, ActiveSync
 
Ceryx customers share the belief that their data is their companies most valued asset. As the most used collaboration tool in business, an individual Microsoft Exchange account typically contains a blueprint of an employee’s tenure: their schedule, correspondence (and commitments), contacts, contracts and much more. Ceryx customers trust that this real-time journal is safe, available and always accessible.

Footnotes:
[1] The Wav Group: Gaining an Edge in Real Estate with Smartphones http://wavgroup.com
[2] The Open Press: http://www.theopenpress.com/index.php?a=press&id=42004
[3] Apple Support Forum: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1953
[4] Microsoft Exchange Team Blog: http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2005/09/28/411674.aspx
[5] Microsoft TechNet: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb738147.aspx

John Carthy
http://www.articlesbase.com/communication-articles/learn-the-top-reasons-behind-poor-performance-availability-with-microsoft-exchange-751535.html