Both the defendants in the murder case of Samir Abdul Mueen in December last years, walks freely as the court rules both the defendants innocent as a result of not enough evidence.

The eyewitnesses who testified against the defendants during the police investigation for unknown reasons retracted their testimonies.

This is heartbreaking! I really feel sad for the lives lost! It perhaps is far beyond time that Maldives start accepting forensic evidence at courts. We are now certain that eyewitnesses can not be used in such cases!

News @ Minivan

News @ Haveeru

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Take Care (TC) is a registered NGO at the Ministry of Home Affairs. Take Care came into existence as a result of the hard work by a visionary group of Addu youths, and was registered on 6^th October 2008.

Up to date, TC has carried out different events and activities in order to increase awareness on certain social and political issues, focused to Addu atoll. Once of such activities include the Awareness program on Decentralization.

It indeed is such visionary youths who would be able to shape our future! And it is our duty to appreciate, support and participate in anyway we could in such activities by the youth.

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Website: http://takecareaddu.com/

Vision:
Build a caring society in Addu where people live in harmony with their environment and care for each other, by enhancing unity among all, empowering youths, working for the development of children, safeguarding our environment, reviving traditional handicraft works, and preserving heritages sites.

Aims:
At take care all our activities would be centered upon achieving five main aims based on strengthening five main key areas of life. They are the people, youth, children, environment and tradition. Our aims are
1. Working for the unity of the people
2. Empowering youths and eradicating drug abuse.
3. Working for the development of children
4. Safeguarding our environment
5. Revving traditional handicraft works and preserving heritage sites.

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Seenu Atoll Hulhudhoo Meedhoo MP, Ilyas Labeeb launches his official website @ www.ilyaslabeeb.org

After a lengthy period of silence Dr. Hassan Saeed’s Quwmee Party sends a letter to the Finance Minister, calling for the Finance Minister’s immediate resignation. The letter says that in order to save the Maldivians from the pain and vain they are in, the Minister should resign immediately.

In my point of view, those who have to resign have already resigned including Dr. Hassan Saeed. And those who had to be dismissed have also been dismissed.

It is in fact very saddening that educated people like Dr.Saeed are acting irresponsible, instead of trying to bring into action a responsible opposition. Alas!

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The Symposium for the revision of educational curriculum planned by the Educational Development Center of the Ministry of Education to obtain public opinion was inaugurated yesterday morning by the Vice President.  Read More

There is an option for every Maldivian to share their ideas and thoughts online @ the National Curriculum Reform Blog

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Note from Bill McKibben – 350.org

Dear Friends,

We’ve got about a month to go before the big International Day of Climate Action on October 24, and just in case you needed a little motivation we’ve got a video to show you, from one of the braver world leaders we know.

Watch the President of the Maldives’ brave call for emergency action on climate change–and add your voice to his call for 350

www.350.org/pledge

Mohamed Nasheed, the president of the Maldives, isn’t just brave because he endured five years as a political prisoner before finally ousting the country’s longtime ruler in an election last fall. He’s brave, too, because he’s confronting head-on the question of the country’s survival, instead of simply focusing on easier issues.

It’s entirely possible that the nation of the Maldives-where people have lived for thousands of years, their lives built around an ecologically sustainable fishery-simply won’t be there before long. Take a moment and try to imagine that–your home, your neighborhood, or your city being completely wiped off the map.  Imagine your country’s flag being lowered at the UN headquarters because your country quite literally does not exist.

President Nasheed faces this reality every day. That’s why he’s become an outspoken advocate for 350.

Yesterday, Nasheed joined world leaders in New York at a landmark meeting which is supposed to break the climate deadlock that could threaten the crucial UN meetings set for Copenhagen this December. While President Obama was there issuing a fairly tame call for “an agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions…and [an] agreement that will allow all nations to grow and raise living standards without endangering the planet,” the Maldivian president was out in front of the curve.  In unequivocal terms, President Nasheed said the following:

If things go business-as-usual, we will not live, we will die. Our country will not exist. We cannot come out from Copenhagen as failures. We cannot make Copenhagen a pact for suicide. We have to succeed and we have to make a deal in Copenhagen.

But President Nasheed is just one man, and his call will be ignored without a movement to support it. Take 90 seconds to watch President Nasheed’s call to action and sign the 350 pledge for a safe climate future.  Members of the 350.org crew are in New York this week for the UN Climate Meetings, delivering the 350 message in person–and they can use all the support you can muster.

And while you’re signing the pledge, listen to the President’s words carefully. In case you think he’s just talking, note that he’s planning to personally put on his scuba gear and lead the world’s largest underwater demonstration on Oct. 24, with 350 Maldivians bringing their signs and banners down to the sea floor to make the point that every corner of our planet is threatened.  So signing the pledge is the first step–and joining the world on October 24 will really make your commitment count.

350 is gaining more and more momentum every day, and I hope President Nasheed’s call will help this movement grow further and faster than it has before. The 350 message needs to come from every part of the globe on Oct. 24-from small countries like the Maldives that haven’t caused the problem but will suffer its consequences, and from big countries like the United States that have done so much of the damage.

Please sign on today and join the growing global stand for 350–the world needs you now more than ever.

Onwards,

Bill McKibben

1. Learn to live within your means: Whether it is expensive purses or the latest must have electronic gadget, many singles tend to spend beyond their means. To live with a moderate mindset, learn to make conscious and realistic purchasing decisions. Keep track of spending in a journal and make smart adjustments on a regular basis. Your new found awareness will allow you to differentiate must-have purchases from those which are indulgences, keeping expenses at bay.

2. Set up an emergency fund: No one should ever have to deal with a robbery but face it, bad things happen all the time. Better to be on the safe side by stashing away some cash (at three to six months’ income) in a high-yield savings account. Remember these monies are a safety net, so do not spend them on “shoegasms” no matter how good it might feel. The best way to avoid temptation? Leave those credit cards at home!

3. Be on top of bills: Timely payment is important but you must also be sure to review monthly statements from services and credit card providers. These days, you never know who has tapped into your accounts! So look out for cash discrepancies based on your monthly deposits and withdrawals as well as faulty expenses that may be charged to your account.

4. Keep Records Straight: Invest in a file folder and keep a copy of every receipt, warrantee, invoice or financial and medical statement you receive. This way you will be able to return items that have gone faulty, dispute fraud charges and be on top of deductions when it comes time to pay taxes. And though we don?t wish it upon anyone, be able to prove insurance claims should the time come.

5. Max Out on Your 401k: Start investing for retirement! Maximizing use of your employer’s retirement plan or starting a simplified employee pension plan (SEP) if you’re self-employed is important for singles as a way to save for their future while getting a valuable tax break in the bargain.

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A regular listener of different radio channels from Maldives would end up with a boggled mind. This is particularly true for a regular listener of religious programs. The major issue is no two sheikhs would mouth the same thoughts on a unique topic. This it self is puzzling. Every time I listen to certain programs, I keep on wondering who is actually expressing what is in Islam and who is expressing his/her own thoughts. And no matter how much I try to clarify, it leads to more confusion, because each of them has their extracts from the Quran and Sunnah!

The second puzzling factor is the vastness in the difference of thoughts. One would say, that is alright and the other would say, hell is the only answer! For instance, there is one sheikh; when he is asked a question of confliction, he would start by saying, ‘indeed the question is a question of conflict. There is evidence that this is so and so, and there is also evidence that this is such and such’, and he would continue, ‘and, who and who does this, if Allah Willeth would be forgiven ’, and he would still continue, ‘but, such should be beheaded! For such sins are of such and such intense’, and he would conclude by saying ‘Wa’Allah Aulam’ (Allah knows best). And on the same issue another would say, let Allah decide what is for them! Nothing more, nothing less.

And the actual question at this point is, are there several paths to Heaven?

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The rising sun, the fresh breezes, the land unfolding underneath you as you reach the beach. Legs spinning faster, the heart pumping. The magical feeling of exhilaration and liberation that no other vehicle could deliver. The complete freedom, the control of motion, the feeling of flying, and all way long with a wild smile wiped across the face!

Ride a bike for a greener, carbon neutral Maldives!

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Watching the candidate debates shown on Television Maldives astonishes me over and over again, every day. I do respect and honor their courage coming in front of cameras and trying to express their ideas and views. However, some of them, just some, I am certain, even make the people of their constituency ashamed! There are some candidates, who simply ‘arr… umm… hmm… aaa…’ half the time they are given to answer a particular question. In what I see, I guess such candidates are the ones, though their minds filled with thoughts and ideas, who cannot express those ideas. The Majlis that is going to be elected within just a few more days will consist of over seventy candidates. When given a time of say 10 to 15 minutes to express and share the needs and wants of the people on different issues and topics, I wonder how these candidates could hear the Majlis what the people want and need!

Then, there are those candidates who take all the sweet time given, to blame others, show the faults of others and to shout at others. Independent of the questions asked, they simply blabber whatever comes to their mind. I classify these candidates as those who cannot listen! If they listen well enough, they would answer the questions asked and not simply shout and hoot whatever comes to their mind. The debate program gives an opportunity to let the people know what the candidates would do for them. But those candidates who misuse this opportunity, and those who could not listen well to the questions asked, I wonder how they could listen to the voice of the people and express those views at the Majlis!

In addition to the above mentioned there are several other types of candidates who are competing for a seat at the Peoples Majlis. There is this group who simply wants to go against the current government, there is this group backed by tycoons, there is this group who is simply insane for the high pay, there is this group who is competing to divide votes of certain constituencies. Such and such reasons are the reasons why we, the citizens, should come forward and cast our votes.

Some of us might feel that this election is nothing important. Others might feel why we need to vote! And others might think there would be no difference. But be enlightened! Each vote counts, and this election, perhaps would be the most important election that we would face for quite a time! By casting our votes we are not only electing some people for OUR MAJLIS, but also we are shaping our future. Unlike the past 30 year dictatorship, in this new era of democracy, the Majlis will play an important role in deciding what is good and what is bad for this country. And by casting our votes to the right candidate, we are ensuring that the future will be decided as the people of this country want, and not the way a particular person or group of people want.

What I urge and what I request to the people of this beloved nation is, decide to vote, decide our future. And choose the right candidate. And to choose the right candidate, we should know who is contesting, what their promises are, who is behind them and what their agenda is. Choosing the right candidate in this election is the only way for us to have a better and democratic future.

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