Viewing from a Point

Written by Nathan Matbob Literally with nothing she walks with into diwai No cargo, no change, no suitcase But the clothes on her back, mobile phone and an old copra sack sling bag 3 weeks late into semester one Determined with the will to learn she perseveres Not a single word of complain Hardened by her past She shuns not at the opportunity to learn Though being the last born She has had no support Makes it through first year alone Not a single word of complain Following year big bro comes along Excited at the prospect She sweated to bring him over The application, approval, transportation She arranges with love for big bro And still not a single word of complain Big bro is a mighty knight with pen and ink Brings to life his taughts on a blog Stirs controversy and raises eyebrows He’s on top of the world She warns him of the threats He spats at her and calls her a dog Threatens to kill her and her redskin dog She backs off

The Island of Gold is known for its mineral riches, however allow me to show the other side of the island Misima. As I had written in the first part, Misima, particularly Bagilina has fresh cold running rivers that are within walking distance of each other. The village is located at the edge of a steep range that leads to mount Oiatau, the highest peak in Misima. Bagilina is located at the foot of the range, it is impossible to build houses any higher up the range, hence; there is limited space. There are no playing fields or open spaces, there is no roads for vehicles, only a small track that stretches for about 10 kilometres to Ewena (the next village from Bagilina). The beauty of the place is indescribable; these are a few of the many pictures I took whilst there for Christmas holiday.

Muhamad Yunus was teaching in the United States when there was a movement towards independence in his homeland Bangladesh. There was widespread war, bloodshed and misery at that time. But after nine months of fighting, Bangladesh gained independence, Muhamad decided to go to his homeland and help rebuild and create a nation they (Bangladeshis) aspire to create. However, Bangladesh did not move forward, in fact the situation took a turn towards the worse. There was widespread poverty; people were hungry and dying in the streets and villages of Bangladesh.  This lead Mohamad to inquire why people were dying this way, and if there was anything he could do to help delay or stop it, even for one person. It was one particular incident that pointed him to the right direction. A woman made beautiful bamboo stools and sold them for a very low profit, this was because she was a bonded labour to the person who was supplying her with the bamboos; hence, he would pay her at whatever price

The manner in which public money is spent is always a cause for concern when it comes to transparency and accountability. Apart from the obvious forms of corruptive, devious and deceitful practises that public officials apply to maximise their gain on funds meant for essential projects and services in the country, there are regulations in expenditure that permit officials to use portions of funds for activities that will not impact the intended projects or services. One of such is the partial use of intended government money on personal emoluments and allowances, there is a certain percentage that can be spent on emoluments and allowances of persons implementing projects. According to the Consultative Implementation & Monitoring Council (CIMC), in a conference held at Madang, the treasury audit stated that seventy per cent (70%) of public spending is absorbed by personal emoluments and allowances. The statistic is without a doubt shocking having to know how much public mone

I was watching a commentary by Dr. Ben Carson last week and was captivated by his remarks on marriages and the implications of changing its definition to be more liberal to same sex couples. His talk was in relation to the move by the government to legalize same sex marriages in the United States, and the thing that struck a chord with me was his referral of marriage as a Sacred Institution. Dr. Carson's reason was that marriage, being a sacred institution must be a union between a MAN and a WOMAN in the eyes of GOD.  Now, with the proposed legislation to legalize same sex marriages, this in fact alters the definition of marriage to allow for the same sex couples. But the question that Dr. Carson emphasized on was, "How far can we go in  changing the definition?" People may now accept same sex marriages as being conventional, however there are consequences that will follow such a move. And how far can we go in changing its definition? It may be that in the future the

The following writing are chapters 4 and 5 of my research on the 'boi', 'boiman' or 'boi stret' social identity in Madang town and its influence on young males. CHAPTER 4.   DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS 4.1.   INTRODUCTION The ‘boi’ identity as revealed by the data substantiates the existence and popularity among adolescents and youths in Madang town. It is phenomenally a very appealing form of identity where young males can express themselves and most importantly identify themselves to. The conditions set out by different ‘boi’ groups in town lay the kind of behaviors created in them, whether it is good or bad, ethical or unethical, right or wrong; so long as it is accepted by the prevailing group is the main concern, and this comes in the form of peer pressure. In this chapter I will discuss the features that were consistent in my data analysis of the ‘boi’ identity. And then I will explain whether my theoretical assumption of a social ins

This was an essay I wrote in 2008. Corruption has and continues to be an ongoing issue that carries on impeding vital developmental efforts. The continual failure of political leaders and bureaucrats to be accountable and transparent has seen corruption eating out much needed resources to cater for even the most fundamental needs. The style of leadership in Papua New Guinea is said to sustain the spread of corruption. Papua New Guinea’s government system is a democracy, that is; individual liberty is seen as paramount. The preamble of our constitution also states that we uphold Christian values and beliefs, and including the preservation and practice of our cultures and traditions. Corruption has, through the actions of our leaders, been detrimental to our nation’s reputation as a sovereign democratic state, because many of our practises are contrary to what that has been imprinted in our constitution. We have over the past years seen our nation being criticised for failure of tack