Witty World

Monday, June 27, 2011

International Day for Drug Abuse





International Day for Drug Abuse

The United Nations’ (UN) International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking falls on June 26 each year to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society. This day is supported by individuals, communities and various organizations all over the world.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) leads the international campaign aimed at raising awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society and especially to young people. The goal of the campaign, , is to inspire people and mobilize support for drug control.
The international campaign "Do drugs control your life? Your life. Your community. No place for drugs" communicates that the destructive effects of illicit drugs concern us all. Their use harms individuals, families and society at large. Drugs control the body and mind of individual consumers, the drug crop and drug cartels control farmers, trafficking and crime control communities.
Teenagers and young adults are particularly vulnerable to using illicit drugs. The prevalence of drug use among young people is more than twice as high as that among the general population. At this age, peer pressure to experiment with illicit drugs can be strong and self-esteem is often low. Also, those who take drugs tend to be either misinformed or insufficiently aware of the health risks involved.
Get the facts about drugs
The UNODC campaign focuses only on drugs under international control. These are drugs Member States have decided to limit exclusively to medical and scientific purposes, given the adverse effects their abuse and trafficking have on health and society. These illicit drugs include amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), coca/cocaine, cannabis, hallucinogens, opiates, and sedative hypnotics.


Monday, June 20, 2011

World's Refugee Day




WORLD REFUGEE DAY



World Refugee Day, is observed on June 20 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world.


World Refugee Day History
For years, many nations and districts have been holding their own events parallel to World Refugee Day. One of the most extensive proceedings is Africa Refugee Day, which is notable on June 20 in many countries. The UN General Assembly espoused a decree to state its solidarity with Africa on December 4, 2000. The decree noted that 2001 was the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention connecting to the position of refugees, and that the Organization of African Unity (OAU) decided to have International Refugee Day happen together with Africa Refugee Day on June 20. The Assembly consequently decided that June 20 would be observed as World Refugee Day from 2001 onwards. This day was chosen by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to bring concentration to the dilemma of around 14 million refugees round the world.


Emblems
The UN Refugee Agency's (UNCHR) emblem is frequently connected with the day. The colors used are either white on a blue backdrop or blue on white backdrop. The logo comprises olive twigs that.

Campaign: '1 is too many'
UNHCR has developed the "1 is too many" campaign concept reflecting on its goals to recognize and strengthen global protection. 
The ‘1 Campaign’ concentrates on the central tag line, ‘1 refugee without hope, is too many’ and a portfolio of other taglines;
1 family forced to flee is too many; 
1 refugee without hope is too many; 
1 refugee returned to danger is too many; 
1 refugee longing for home is too many;
1 child without a nationality is too many;
1 family without shelter is too many;
1 refugee denied a safe haven is too many;
1 child growing up in a camp is too many;
1 family torn apart by war is too many;
1 girl raped at gunpoint is too many;
1 refugee child behind bars is too many;
1 refugee without schooling is too many;

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Fathers Day Celebration





Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. It is celebrated on the third Sunday of June in many countries and on other days elsewhere.
The Beginning of Father's Day
Historians have recorded that there was a tradition to celebrate Father's Day even thousands of years ago. Their study say that 4,000 years ago in Babylon a son called Elmesu carved a father's day message on a clay card. In his message Elmesu wished his father a long and healthy life. There is no knowledge as to what happened to this father son duo but it is believed that several countries retained the custom of celebrating Father's Day.
Poem on Father
DAD,

When i was born,
You were there to catch me when i fall, whenever and wherever.
When i said my first words,
You were there for me,
To teach me the whole dictionary if need be.
When i took my first steps,
You were there to encourage me on.
When i had my first day at school,
You were there to give me advice and help me with my homework.
I still haven’t finished school,
Or walked down the aisle, or had my first child.
But i know you will be there for me through all these times and more, the good and bad.
So i just wrote this to say 'I LOVE YOU DAD!!!'  

Friday, June 10, 2011

15 THINGS GOD WON’T ASK YOU !!!


 15 THINGS GOD WON’T ASK YOU !!!
God won’t ask what kind of car you drove, but will ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation. 
God won’t ask the square footage of your house, but will ask how many people you welcomed into your home. 
God won’t ask about the fancy clothes you had in your closet, but will ask how many of those clothes helped the needy. 
God won’t ask about your social status, but will ask what kind of class you displayed. 
God won’t ask how many material possessions you had, but will ask if they dictated your life. 
God won’t ask what your highest salary was, but will ask if you compromised your character to obtain that salary. 
God won’t ask how much overtime you worked, but will ask if you worked overtime for your family and loved ones. 
God won’t ask how many promotions you received, but will ask how you promoted others. 
God won’t ask what your job title was, but will ask if you reformed your job to the best of your ability. 
God won’t ask what you did to help yourself, but will ask what you did to help others. 
God won’t ask how many friends you had, but will ask how many people to whom you were a true friend. 
God won’t ask what you did to protect your rights, but will ask what you did to protect the rights of others. 
God won’t ask in what neighborhood you lived, but will ask how you treated your neighbors. 
God won’t ask about the color of your skin, but will ask about the content of your character. 
God won’t ask how many times your deeds matched your words, but will ask how many times they didn’t.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

World Oceans Day




World Oceans Day


Origin

World Oceans Day, which had been unofficially celebrated every June 8 since its original proposal in 1992 by Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008 Since then it has been coordinated internationally by The Ocean Project  and the  World  Ocean Network with greater success and global participation each year.
Purpose
World Oceans Day is an opportunity every year to honor the world's ocean, celebrate the products the ocean provides, such as seafood, as well as marine life itself for aquariums, pets, and also a time to appreciate its own intrinsic value. The ocean also provides sea-lanes for international trade. Global pollution and over-consumption of fish have resulted in drastically dwindling population of the majority of Species.

Theme
"Youth: The Next Wave for Change."

Ocean Pledge
Commit to becoming carbon neutral.
Conserve by upgrading to energy saving appliances and compact fluorescent light bulbs.
Consume consciously by reducing, reusing, recycling, and purchasing "green" products.
Communicate about the impacts of climate change on the ocean.
Challenge yourself daily to cut your carbon emissions.
Connect by volunteering with a local watershed or ocean group.
Celebrate world ocean day.

Importance of Ocean

The wealth of life in the oceans is so incredibly important for so many reasons:
  • Each of us relies on a healthy ocean with a rich diversity of life to provide most of the oxygen we breathe, much of the food we eat, as well as medicines and other essentials that we need to survive
  • The ocean provides endless opportunities for inspiration and recreation such as diving, snorkeling, fishing, and boating. How much would you enjoy the ocean without its great diversity of life?
  • The greater the diversity of life in the ocean the better job the ocean will do in helping maintain the planet’s normal climate conditions and in adjusting to a changing climate

Monday, June 6, 2011

World Environment Day




WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

Forests: Nature at Your Service
World Environment Day (WED) is a day that stimulates awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and public action. It is on 5 June. It was the day that United Nations Conference on the Human Environment began. The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment was from 5–16 June 1972. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972. The first World Environment Day was on 1973. World Environment Day is hosted every year by a different city with a different theme and is commemorated with an international exposition in the week of 5 June. World Environment Day is in summer in the Northern Hemisphere and winter in the Southern Hemisphere.
Theme : Forests: Nature At Your Service : Forests cover one third of the earth’s land mass, performing vital functions and services around the world which make our planet alive with possibilities.  In fact, 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods.  They play a key role in our battle against climate change, releasing oxygen into the atmosphere while storing carbon dioxide. 
Forests feed our rivers and are essential to supplying the water for nearly 50% of our largest cities.  They create and maintain soil fertility; they help to regulate the often devastating impact of storms, floods and fires. 
Splendid and inspiring, forests are the most biologically diverse ecosystems on land, and are home to more than half of the terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects. 
Forests also provide shelter, jobs, security and cultural relevance for forest-dependent populations.  They are the green lungs of the earth, vital to the survival of people everywhere -- all seven billion of us.
Forests embody so much of what is good and strong in our lives. Yet despite all of these priceless ecological, economic, social and health benefits, we are destroying the very forests we need to live and breathe. 
Global deforestation continues at an alarming rate -- every year, 13 million hectares of forest are destroyed.  That’s equal to the size of Portugal.  
Short-term investments for immediate gains (e.g., logging) compound these losses.  People who depend on forests for their livelihoods are struggling to survive.  Many precious species face extinction.  Biodiversity is being obliterated.  What’s more, economists around the world have proven that by not integrating the values of forests into their budgets, countries and businesses are paying a high price.  One that ultimately impoverishes us all as harm to our forest life-support system continues each and every single day.
But this trend is not irreversible.  It’s not too late to transform life as we know it into a greener future where forests are at the heart of our sustainable development and green economies.
Conserving forests and expanding them need to be recognized as a business opportunity.  When we add it up, an investment of US$30 billion fighting deforestation and degradation could provide a return of US$2.5 trillion in new products and services. 
Furthermore, targeted investments in forestry could generate up to 10 million new jobs around the world.  Already, many leaders are glimpsing the potential for renewable energy and nature-based assets, but for transformation to happen, forests need to become a universal political priority.

The services forests provide are essentially to every aspect of our quality of life. And the answer to sustainable forest management, moving towards a green economy, lies in our hands. 
Doesn’t knowing this make it so much easier to see the forest from the trees!

Benefits of forests

As a resource, forests provide many important natural resources, such as timber, fuel, rubber, paper and medicinal plants. Forests also help sustain the quality and availability of freshwater supplies. More than three quarters of the worlds accessible freshwater comes from forested catchments. Water quality declines with decreases in forest condition and cover, and natural hazards such as floods, landslides, and soil erosion have larger impacts 
Climate change Mitigation
it’s well known that forests play a key role in our battle against climate change; storing carbon and sucking in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and locking it into their biomass. 
   
Products / Benefits (water)
    
But what’s less well known is that the products and services they provide are essential to every aspect of life. By regulating water for many of the world’s rivers, they help secure water quality, and supply nearly half of the world’s largest cities from Caracas to New York.   They also help decrease the impacts of storms and floods, whilst helping control erosion.
  
Biodiversity
    
As the most biologically diverse ecosystems on land, forests are home to more than half of terrestrial species, from the great apes to the smallest of creatures.  
 
Economics and Livelihoods
   
They also provide homes, security and livelihoods for 60 million
 Indigenous peoples, whilst contributing to the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people worldwide.  
 
Products & Biodiversity
    
The impact of forests reaches even further. In many developing countries more than 80% of total energy consumed by people and industry derives from forests. Such as fuel wood and charcoal. Trade in timber and other forest products, is estimated at almost 330 billion US Dollars /year. Its value multiplies as its processed into a myriad of products used globally every day. Use of the genetic diversity within forests enables the development of new medicines; progress in healthcare and science.


Friday, June 3, 2011

Quiz: Is Teaching the Right Career for You?



Quiz: Is Teaching the Right Career for You?


Is teaching the right career for you?

A flood of wannabe teachers are rushing to the Ed-arena now that the business world is in the gutter. Do you/they have what it takes? Take the TeachHUB quiz and find out.

If you answer yes to these questions, teaching may be the career for you:
1.     Do you love children (and/or brooding teenagers)?
2.     Do you have infinite patience?
3.     Are you passionate about learning?
4.     Is work more about personal satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment than a paycheck?
5.     Can you handle dealing with bodily functions on a daily basis?
6.     Do you have school spirit?
7.     Do you like the hearing your last name being yelled at you all day?
8.     Can you write legibly on a chalkboard/whiteboard?
9.     Do you have excellent time management skills and the ability to be flexible?
10.   Will it annoy you if everyone assumes that you leave work at 3:00 and bask in the sun all summer? (First realization of teaching: this is not true!)

Do you make the cut?

 

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