Internet Friends - Author unknown

(Dedicated to Jaqueline)

Although you are a friend of mine

And letters we exchange 

I would not know you on the street 

And doesn't that seem strange?

You hold a place within my life

Unusual and unique

We share ideals and special dreams

And still we do not speak

I picture what I think you are

Perhaps you picture me?

An intriguing game for both of us

For someone we cannot see.

So for this friendship we possess

We owe this mail a debt

Perhaps the charm lies in the fact

That we have never met.

Job Interview Question

You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night. You pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for the bus:

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.

2. An old friend who once saved your life.

3. The perfect man (or) woman you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car?

Think before you continue reading. This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.

You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first; or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back. However, you may never be able to find your perfect dream lover again.

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer.

He simply answered: "I would give the car keys to my old friend, and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the woman of my dreams."

Never forget to "Think Outside of the Box."

Namibian Citizens' Emergency Flood Relief Campaign

Dear compatriots and friends

Namibia Cares was formally launched on the 14th of April 2011 by a number of caring Namibian citizens to assist the victims of the unprecedented floods in our country. We are writing to let you know how you can join the growing movement of human solidarity with the tens of thousands of affected residents of Namibia. We believe that every person in Namibia cares, and, if given the chance, would want to help in his or own way.

Today, more than 13,000 persons remain in relocation centres, more than 200 schools remain closed, and more than one hundred lives have been lost due to the floods. It is expected that the relocation centres will continue to operate at least until the end of June in some areas and until the end of August in others. When the flood waters subside and the relocated persons are able to return to their homes, they will face the prospect of clearing debris, rebuilding their homes, replanting their crops and replacing lost personal property.

We therefore appeal to you to donate, as you see fit:

• In-kind contributions of clothes, bedding, canned food, cooking and eating utensils, dish, laundry and body soaps, writing pads, pencils and crayons, toys, shovels, rakes, refuse bags or any other useful items; or

• A cash donation to one of the accounts listed below. (A law firm, Dr. Weder, Kauta and Hoveka, is receiving the funds to assure proper control).

You may bring your in-kind donations to our office at Khomas Regional Council headquarters or you may phone our office for collection or more information.

 We also invite you to join our efforts. You can

• place collection boxes at your place of work or school;

• ask your church or organisation to appeal to its members for contributions. (We can supply collection boxes or stickers for your own boxes)

• send this letter to your email contacts or to your friends on Facebook.

You are welcome to attend our weekly Monday meetings at 5pm at the Khomas Regional Council Office or to phone the office for more details. We need many more volunteers, and your humble contribution will be very much appreciated.

Kind regards,

Helmut K Angula (National Coordinator)

Deputy Coordinators: Tangeni Angula - Paul Smit - Vicki Erenstein ya Toivo

Patrons: Hon. Libertine Amathila Hon. Ben Amathila, Hon. Johan De Waal, Hon. Samuel Nuuyoma

Trust Accounts

Name: Dr. Weder, Kauta and Hoveka, Inc.

Ref: Namibia Cares

Bank Windhoek

1026 643 801

Branch code 48-19-72-00

First National Bank

Acc. No 6201 677 2578

Branch code: 281 072

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002249128294

When interacting on Facebook

Here are the most important things to keep in mind when interacting on Facebook:

• Choose your friends wisely because it is considered rude to delete someone as a friend. If you're unsure, it's more acceptable to not accept the initial invitation.
• Poke carefully because this interactive features means different things to different people. It depends on what your relationship is with the person originally. It can be used as a business tool to build rapport with colleagues and clients, but it is more famous for having a sexual connotation.
• Respect people's privacy, especially if you are a parent and your teenager is on Fcebook. Instead of asking to be your teenager's friend using Facebook (which could be perceived as an invasion of privacy), instead tell them you set up an account and let them decide whether to become your Facebook friend.
• Be aware of what you post because a message posted on the "wall" section at the bottom of a profile page can be read by anyone. A general rule is that if it's not appropriate for someone's boss to read, then don't post it. (FYI: If someone posts something questionable on YOUR wall, you can delete it.)
• Be sure and upload a photo of yourself as this really helps people to connect a face with a name. Also, it's much more appealing to look at a photo than the default blue question mark used for those who don't post a picture.
• Take advantage of the high degree of control over what people see. For example, you can adjust your privacy settings if you want to limit who can and cannot see certain photos.
• Don't overdo friend requests. Even though Facebook makes it easy to upload your contacts (and automatically issue friend requests to a whole address list) it's not meant to be misused.
• Another no-no is flooding your network with status updates. Each new update you post appears on your friends' news feeds so it's best to show a little restraint (as in no more than two updates per day).
• Finally, don't be creepy in the sense that even if you share similar music interests with a nice 20-year-old, it doesn't mean she wants to be your friend. The best rule of thumb is to not make friend requests of strangers (especially ones who are significantly younger than you). Even if you know them, it's a better idea to wait and let young people take the lead.

The Racial Gap in the Namibian Healthcare System

Authors: Audrey Eisemann, Laura Overton and Tamara Siburg

Week 13

While Apartheid ended 21 years ago, as has been portrayed in many of these blog posts, the effects of Apartheid continue to be prevalent in Namibian society today. Those in Namibia who are black and coloured in general have fewer privileges and more obstacles than white Namibians. These privileges are highly due to the advantages gained by white Namibians through having generations of wealth in their families that many black and coloured Namibians do not have. While this is not true for 100% of the cases, it is true for enough to be an indicator of significant disadvantage.

This issue is no different when it comes to healthcare system. Those who are more wealthy have the privilege to have access to medical aid which enables them to utilize the private hospitals, while those with less privilege and who cannot afford medical aid must rely on under-funded, under-staffed, state hospitals. Since lack of wealth is one of the obstacles that many black and coloured people have to overcome in Namibia, many are forced to rely upon government run hospitals, and do not have access to the more technologically advanced and thorough healthcare at private hospitals.

This past week we visited a private hospital, Roman Catholic Hospital, and a government hospital, Katutura State Hospital. The differences in treatment due to funding and staff were blaringly obvious from the infrastructure, the equipment and the queues.

Roman Catholic Hospital is a privately-owned hospital nestled in the center of Windhoek. Their brochure states: “Our mission is to provide a Christian based quality nursing care service. We endeavor to provide compassionate health care for those suffering from illness and to help them find psychological and spiritual stability and peace” (Roman Catholic Hospital).They have a full staff of nurses and doctors with nurses there twenty four hours a day, and at least one doctor who is on duty at all times in the casualty department. Like in private hospitals in the United States, patients can be turned away. If patients do not have adequate medical aid, which is our version of health insurance, they will not be treated at the hospital. To be admitted to the Roman Catholic Hospital, a deposit covering the estimated cost of the procedure, service or operation is required. Throughout the semester we have learned about the inequality among races within Namibia that is left over from Apartheid. We have been taught that Namibia has the highest rate of inequality in the world. By charging such a high admission to be admitted to a private hospital, the segregation between different races within Namibia is perpetuated.

Katutura State Hospital is a state-run hospital. The government provides it with all of its funds. While at the hospital we noticed how impersonal the feeling of being in there was compared to the private Roman Catholic Hospital or even to state owned hospitals back home in the United States. One of the sisters that were showing us around at the Roman Catholic Hospital even told us that the state hospital is set up more like a business then a caring family. Due to socioeconomic inequalities, the lower class can only afford to go to the Katutura State Hospital. The most expensive price that on anything the hospital offers to its patients is 30 Namibian dollars. Staying overnight 1 night or even 3 weeks will both only cost a person 30 Namibian dollars. But if a patient needs to be in the hospital for a (photo: Outside of Katutura State Hospital) few days that means the more money they lose for missing work. When we asked why the hospital was so under staffed because they did not have the funds to pay the doctors and nurses a salary comparable to that of the private hospital. It is good for the patients without a lot of money needing care to come to the hospital because cheap prices, yet if the hospital can’t keep the doctors and nurses then one would have to ask what quality of care do the patients receive at the state hospital and how time efficient for the patient would it be.