Mac Non-profit organization Nuru utilizes Macs to end extreme poverty
By Jim DalrympleNovember 18, 2009, 12:27 pm PT
There are quite a few non-profit organizations that help impoverished nations, but none seem to have the grassroots approach of Nuru. This one-year old non-profit is using education to help communities, help themselves and they’re using technology to do it.
Nuru was formed by Jake Harriman, a platoon commander in the Infantry and an elite unit of Marines called Force Recon. Harriman served two tours of duty in Iraq where he realized that the key to ending terrorism was to end extreme poverty.
Harriman’s thoughts can be seen in a video called “The End.” In his words, “terrorists rely on an endless supply of people living in extreme poverty, with no other options in life. The only chance we have to see the end of terrorism, is to end extreme poverty.”
Nuru is setting up what it calls seed projects, where the organization focuses on five areas of development: Agriculture, Water & Sanitation, Healthcare, Community Economic Development and Education.
Douglas Scott, Nuru’s Chief Marketing Officer, explained to The Loop that they go into a community, sit down with the people and listen. He said Nuru wants to know what the people feel they need to help themselves, instead of making the assessments and moving ahead on their own.
“We want mutual respect and we want to work for the same common goals,” said Scott. “We equip people with the skills they need to lift themselves from extreme poverty.”
As an example, Scott said a lot of communities need clean water. Nuru teaches the people about water borne diseases, how they spread and how to protect themselves from them.
Nuru will then dig wells in the community, providing a clean water supply. But they don’t stop there. The people are then trained in how to maintain the well and fix it if the mechanisms breakdown.
Scott said he’s seen communities that had wells, but the pumps broke and nobody knew how to repair them. He believes Nuru’s efforts will stop that cycle.
Like any business today, Nuru uses the Internet and media to get its message out. Scott said they are well aware of what’s needed to make that happen.
“The language of this generation is media,” said Scott. “We want to be able to speak the language and speak it well.”
For Nuru, speaking the language well means using Macs. In fact, it means using a lot of different Apple technologies.
Scott said everyone on Nuru’s media staff is a Mac user. They use Mac Pro desktops with 30-inch Cinema Displays with Snow Leopard in the offices and 17-inch MacBook Pros when they visit the communities they are helping.
As part of what they communicate to the world, Nuru produces quite a few videos and pictures. Many are uploaded via satellite directly from the communities while they are working there.
Scott said the software of choice is Final Cut Studio. As a matter of fact, they use most of the components in Final Cut like Soundtrack, Color and Compressor to produce the videos before uploading them to the Web.
Other technologies are utilized as well. Like many organizations these days, workers are spread around the world, so every morning, they login to iChat to discuss what needs to be done.
Scott said that MobileMe is used to transfer files and the daily edits for video. Of course, email is also a huge part of the business, going to the computers and iPhones.
“We are huge Apple users because they give us the opportunity to hit a level of excellence that our culture is accustomed to, at a budget we can afford,” said Scott.
Update: Clarified Doug Scott’s title and the media staff using Macs. 11/18/09 1:11 pm PT.
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Discussion 116 comments so far
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Greetings from Liverpool. UK
Have owned a macbook for two years. Still finding my way around. Came across this site quite by chance – really pleased I did. So very interesting, reading all the comments from so many thoughtful people about a humanitarian action being taken by those who have, and those who have not. Here’s to the success of the work being done by the people involved in this great enterprise.
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Wow!! I’m with you Ms. Liverpool!!! My dad was a decorated Marine and this is truly an effective and ingenious way to meet needs at a very personal, grass-roots level. I’m going to look into this more!
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Yo Geogette
How lovely to get your response. Your Dad sounds a great guy – how proud of him you must be.
The trouble with me is that I get so involved and angry at what is happening out there in this beautiful world of ours – and most of the time,(in my opinion) through different religeous beliefs. I know I am asking the same old question which has, it appears, no answer. Why can’t we all respect each other and live in some kind of harmony. The Muslims lived in peace with the Catholic and Jewish peoples in Spain for 800 years -religion put an end to that harmony. So, to hear of such dedication by the great group Nuru makes my heart sing.
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Dear Ann,
Was reading the article about nuru and some of the comments people had posted and came across yours. I too get upset at what is going on in our world. The great tumult of peoples and nations that seemingly is frothing just under the surface ready to erupt in some kind of horrific volcano of greed, control, war, pestilence, violence, hate or whatever evil lava it will spew at the inhabitants of our beautiful planet, as you and I, and billions of other seemingly innocent people sit there and wait for it. Pity isn’t it ?
Well enough negativity lets get to what we can do about it.
Your comment on religion I agree with. Religion puts people under all types of laws or certain practices that must be accomplished so that you can be in right relationship with whatever form of deity that form of religion worships. Therein lies the problem. Man cannot be good enough in and through his own merit to be pleasing to the Creator. No the Word tells us that “all our righteousness is as filthy rags” and that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”.
That is why Ann we cant respect each other and live in seeming harmony. We all are battling three things; the world, the flesh and the devil. Out of these three things Ann we can trace back every sort of evil and injustice. Hell was created for the devil and his fallen angels, God the Creator of Heaven and Earth never intended for people to go there, yet that is where sadly many people are headed.
Dear Ann God loves you so much that is why He came to Earth to die for your very sins ! Yes the loving Creator of the Universe has not left us here to figure it out all on our own. “He came unto His own but His own received Him not”. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, ( and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
Ann this is the answer to your question, a relationship with the Father through His Son Jeshua-Jesus Christ. So that we can become members of His family, and God can reside in us through the power of His Holy Spirit. So that we might be conformed to the image of His Son, and in so doing that we be freed from the unfruitful works of darkness, through a relationship with our loving Creator, so that we might walk in His wondrous light. Ann this is the will of the Father, that you believe on Him whom He hath sent, and He the Father has sent the Son, that you might have life and that more abundantly. Not stymied in some religious dogma that enslaves you, but freed through the wondrous grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Ann if you want a glimpse of how the Father intends us to live, look at The Gospel of Matthew chapters five, six, and seven and you will find your respect and harmony and so much more of how God would have us to treat each other.
In closing Ann I think that organizations like nuru exemplify how God intends us to live with one another, and we should support such endeavors and try to figure out what we ourselves can do to become beacons of light and hope in this seemingly ever evil age.
May the Spirit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ rush upon you like a mighty whirlwind quickening your spirit to the wonderful knowledge of Christ Jesus. Amen.
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Great article, I would just like to point out that there is no such thing as an Ex-Marine, only former Marine.
Semper Fi
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You are right – once a Marine always a Marine. Same goes here in the UK
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Gidgie: This is a wonderful response to what military personnel are asked to do on all of our behalf. It sounds like what I truly believe is the best economic, political, human action to this world of polarised opportunities.
Education & skills, clean water & hope sound basic entitlements, yet we need to put effort and thoughtful strategies into action (not just on paper), in order to break the poverty cycle.
Curiously enough here in Australia our new political opposition leader Tony Abbott, previously made much of the fact that there will always be poor. This may be true, but if we give into this concept as a concrete fact, then we will be weighed down by that very mass of inert material and potentially desensitised people.
May Nuru be a bright, bright light!!!!
Look forward to finding ways to apply your effectiveness for our indigenous populations and all who need a brighter way to spend their day….Regards Gidgie
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Great Work. Please have persons in position so that it does not wither. Education and self respect are the foundation stones for any human being to develop. All else is vanity. How to reduce greed an inborn trait in humans
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Thanks so much for do your best to raise this huge concern, it is time to stop endless poverty due to I feel the huge world problem of Corruption. This virus as is now deep in all all countries of the world, one solution I have tried to get our past Canadian Government Liberals back in 2004 when we were going through Sponsorship scandal. This was involved in giving contracts to add firms for supporting their re-election and trying to fight French Separatists from winning power in Canada. Now they only served small jail sentence but did pay back some of the funds received, I tried to get them to allow this funds to help stop poverty rather than going back to government. If you wish to read more on this you can visit my attempt on U2 news forum which I wrote back then, when I also had my web site trueloveforhumanity.ca http://www.u2station.com/news/2005/05/mccartney-stones-u2-and-madonna-lined-up-for-live-aid-ii-british-newspaper.php
Now as for new better way to raise funds it is to start a great new lottery just to help stop poverty. My idea is to call it True Love For Humanity Poverty Lottery, With all governments of the world through the UN must provide new True Love Free Trade Zones to help poor countries create new Green Products in warm climates and to only use new green products to build up their infrastructure, This way it will be win win to stop poverty and save our planet as we are near finished if we do not. Only on condition and that is to be monitored to never ever be a corrupt Government that allow only a few to gain and the rest to live in endless poverty. The Formula that has caused our present world to near collapse is as follows. { Lies + greed and or jealousy = Corruption } This new Lottery being the first United Nations Poverty Lottery with no corruption allowed in the United Nations from today on. We have only one last chance to change from old lying world to new truthful world as God has always wanted us to be on his planet earth. Our time on this present planet is not for much longer if we fail as is seen now each day we are closet to the end, when it happens is up to mankind, it is destine to happen just when is unknown. If you wish to email me and help build up new green economy in what ever small ways we can is best to start now and let it be known we only want to be truthful in business and family and with all friends. gogreendom@inbox.com Dom is my name and my only wish is to help stop endless poverty.
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How true the efforts of your hearts! Wonderful to know there are those out there who are digging in on the hard end and working with the people who can further their own destinies. It is true that we will always have poor people because there is no level at which every person on earth can have wealth, but then wealth is not what life is about. We are given, as human beings, the right to better our lives by working hard and helping one another. You and your groups are truly touching the lives of many and as long as the people you help are always kept in the loop you will have success. I’ve read many of the comments that have been left recently and agree with most but I noticed that one of the things that is consistently left out is FAITH. Without having faith that there is a hope of a better tomorrow people easily loose their focus on bettering life around them because it all seems to large and over whelming. So don’t leave faith out of what you share with our new friends around the world.
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The premise of Jake Harriman’s commendable initiative is clear and authentic. I agree.
As a former MobileMe free trial consumer, I discovered that I was still being alerted that my trial offer was about to end after they had already debited my bank account by $100+.
I phoned and complained and was credited for the ‘error.’
I am not too happy to support any initiative that relies upon MeMobile, I’m very saddened to say.
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Man invented religion……man invented God………man wrote the Bible……..man invented the Devil……..Jesus Christ was a Jew …..during his time on earth he never crusaded for a new religion is his name……..the Romans did for political ends……..not God….God is merely a man made thing……..
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Dear Ciaran,
Just read your comment. I think your right on some points but I also think your mistaken on some others that ultimately will effect your eternal destiny, which is the most important thing.
Man does invent as you say religion, most are vain attempts to make ourselves good enough to be acceptable to a deity which wont happen on our own merit. Some religions though have their roots in Godly virtues, guiding us to the Creator, which in turn makes them useful tools to introduce us to The Most High God.
Man did not invent God. Although I do think man invents god’s for himself, which end up substituting the real one. Also if your implying that whatever man invents is bad. Man invented the computer your using, the clothes your wearing, the chair your sitting in, the dwelling place your living in etc., etc. Just because man invented it or made it does not make it bad. God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth made man in His own image, in the image of God He created them male and female. We are all made with some of the attributes of God. One of God’s prime attributes is obviously intelligence. Just sit down and try to create something physical out of nothing. A toothpick for example, a grain of sand, how about a speck of dust. If your honest with yourself you’ll realize you cannot make anything out of nothing. Yet God in His omnipotence spoke the worlds into existence, try that some time. Its impossible for us, but with God all things are possible.
Yes man did write the Bible, but it was inspired by God through His Holy Spirit. “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do. Ciaran it is my prayer that you will meet, of your own free will, the Creator of Heaven and Earth personally and that through His Word He will teach you of Himself and you will know Him intimately, which is what He desires. Ciaran the Lord Himself is waiting for you to talk to Him, this is what He desires because He made us for His own good pleasure. He wants to have a relationship with you just like you have with other people. I pray that you would seriously consider falling to your knees and asking your Creator to reveal Himself to you. His Word says seek and you will find knock and the door will be opened unto you. But the ball is in your court my friend, He is not going to force His way into your life. You will have to ask Him. I would recommend the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Holy Bible. This book reveals to us who God really is.
You say man invented the devil. Actually Lucifer was a created angel, a very powerful one in fact, and the scriptures go on to tell us that he wanted to take God’s place. The scriptures say that pride was found in his heart because he wanted to exalt himself above the most High God, and Lucifer was cast out of Heaven to Earth and he Lucifer in his fallen state became satan, the devil as you say and he gave up and lost his place in Heaven because of his rebellion against the Almighty. Ciaran we also face a similar dilemma. Like Lucifer we have been given everything, a beautiful planet to live on, an environment to flourish in so that we can develop our talents, air to breath water to drink, food to sustain us all gifts from God by the way. Yet in so many of us, instead of being thankful, and the magnitude of it all humbling us, we become prideful and say to ourselves. God ? What God ? Their is no God, I’m God, God has not made us but we ourselves have, we made God ! And when God sees that pride in us we put ourselves in a very bad position, because God resists the proud but He exalts the humble. Why is it so hard for us to admit that we were created by God ? I think it is because then we would have to admit that we are accountable to someone, and that we just cant do anything we want to do, but we are constrained by morals-absolutes.
Yes Jesus Christ is a Jew, I say is because He is seated at the right hand of God today in Heaven waiting till His enemies become His footstool. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of an angry God. The fool has said in his heart there is no God. Be very careful Ciaran, for you never know when you will take your last breath here on Earth and end up in eternity. For we are appointed once to die, then comes the judgement.
Your right, He never did crusade for a new religion in His name. He just followed the one that His parents raised Him in. And out of all the places in the world, and all the religions in the world. Why do you think God the Father chose God the Son to be born into a Jewish family ? That in itself should speak volumes to us all. He did tell us though to go out into all the world and to preach the gospel, baptizing them, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, making disciples out of all nations. And I guess the christian church grew up around that philosophy.
And last but not least you say God is a man made thing. And to that I say, God made man. Ciaran there is a scripture that says “My people perish for lack of knowledge”. How incredibly tragic it would be, if you were to perish in eternal damnation, all because of a lack of knowledge.
And with that I would again encourage you to open the Gospel of John on bended knee and ask Jeshua the Creator of Heaven and Earth to enlighten your mind and reveal to your heart His true identity so that in eternity future you and I and ten thousands of His saints together can worship and sing praises to our Creator who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Again I would like to thank Nuru for hosting this forum, and point out that it is through the love and dedication of people made in God’s own image, and by there very actions they show the virtue that the Creator has instilled in them, by giving water to the thirsty, whom our Lord talks about when He said ” When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from his goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was a hungred and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison , and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee a hungred, and fed thee ? or thirsty, and gave thee drink ? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in ? or naked, and clothed thee ? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee ? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Then shall he say unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was a hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee a hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee ?
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
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Hello Philip
The idea that God made us in his own image is verging on ideas of frankenstien or genetic engineering. It also means that your God has forsaken every life form on the planet for over 5.4billion years and has instead decided to chose modern western man as his chosen people. Your God should be black and from Africa. Instead he is white and speaks modern day English – how can this be? At what point in time did this God make us in his own image and how did he do it? If Adam and Eve had two sons, how did they populate the world? Did they possess some magical, scientific or surgical knowledge to ‘create’ humans; perhaps out of Eve’s rib?
I guess you will quote scriptures to prove your point. However, man wrote the scriptures too. Man wrote and edited the modern Bible.
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Hi, Ciaran
Hey just a short reply for now. I wont bore you with quoting scriptures that apparently you don’t believe in any way. but I will ask you to do this, “think” don’t let others think for you. If you don’t think the Holy Bible is true because of what others have told you, pick it up for yourself and ask the Creator and God of the universe to reveal himself to you through it. What have you got to lose, nothing your just reading a book, if The Lord does speak to you through it, you have everything to gain.
Thanks for the reply I’m enjoying our dialogue, I’ll try to write more later.
Philip.
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Ciaran, maybe this article can help…
http://articles.sfgate.com/2009-09-25/entertainme...
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TL; DR
I’d just like to say that it’s impressive that they’re using Apple products and services for such work.
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Hello again it is me Dom hope all is going well with the Nuru team in its efforts to help stop endless poverty. Below I have just found another great team working with the same goal in mind. I thought I would just add this great effort for others to view and see if they can assist with any solar components that can be donated to make solar lamps. Visit the site and learn more on how to help. I wish I could do more myself, but I am stuck now trying to restart my life as I am in my lowest point in life. Well I know when my life picks up again working, I have just the causes to support. Thanks Nuru team keep up the good projects, you are on the right path God has destine for you, to stop endless poverty.
http://solar-aid.org/video/
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Isn't that ironic useing the most expensive computers to end poverty
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Macintosh computers have substantially lower TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP:
http://macvspc.info/pages/01f-pc_myths_debunked.h...
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Ikechukwu, don't waste your money buying locally. I bought my MacBook Pro online (Amazon) and shopped it by DHL/Borderlinx from the US and still saved about $900 compared to the crazy prices in Kenya. The Macs are overpriced.They are usually targetted at media companies that can buy in bulk, pay more and get service contracts.
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Non-profit organization Nuru utilizes Macs to end extreme poverty
By Jim DalrympleNovember 18, 2009, 12:27 pm PT
There are quite a few non-profit organizations that help impoverished nations, but none seem to have the grassroots approach of Nuru. This one-year old non-profit is using education to help communities, help themselves and they’re using technology to do it.
Nuru was formed by Jake Harriman, a platoon commander in the Infantry and an elite unit of Marines called Force Recon. Harriman served two tours of duty in Iraq where he realized that the key to ending terrorism was to end extreme poverty.
Harriman’s thoughts can be seen in a video called “The End.” In his words, “terrorists rely on an endless supply of people living in extreme poverty, with no other options in life. The only chance we have to see the end of terrorism, is to end extreme poverty.”
Nuru is setting up what it calls seed projects, where the organization focuses on five areas of development: Agriculture, Water & Sanitation, Healthcare, Community Economic Development and Education.
Douglas Scott, Nuru’s Chief Marketing Officer, explained to The Loop that they go into a community, sit down with the people and listen. He said Nuru wants to know what the people feel they need to help themselves, instead of making the assessments and moving ahead on their own.
“We want mutual respect and we want to work for the same common goals,” said Scott. “We equip people with the skills they need to lift themselves from extreme poverty.”
As an example, Scott said a lot of communities need clean water. Nuru teaches the people about water borne diseases, how they spread and how to protect themselves from them.
Nuru will then dig wells in the community, providing a clean water supply. But they don’t stop there. The people are then trained in how to maintain the well and fix it if the mechanisms breakdown.
Scott said he’s seen communities that had wells, but the pumps broke and nobody knew how to repair them. He believes Nuru’s efforts will stop that cycle.
Like any business today, Nuru uses the Internet and media to get its message out. Scott said they are well aware of what’s needed to make that happen.
“The language of this generation is media,” said Scott. “We want to be able to speak the language and speak it well.”
For Nuru, speaking the language well means using Macs. In fact, it means using a lot of different Apple technologies.
Scott said everyone on Nuru’s media staff is a Mac user. They use Mac Pro desktops with 30-inch Cinema Displays with Snow Leopard in the offices and 17-inch MacBook Pros when they visit the communities they are helping.
As part of what they communicate to the world, Nuru produces quite a few videos and pictures. Many are uploaded via satellite directly from the communities while they are working there.
Scott said the software of choice is Final Cut Studio. As a matter of fact, they use most of the components in Final Cut like Soundtrack, Color and Compressor to produce the videos before uploading them to the Web.
Other technologies are utilized as well. Like many organizations these days, workers are spread around the world, so every morning, they login to iChat to discuss what needs to be done.
Scott said that MobileMe is used to transfer files and the daily edits for video. Of course, email is also a huge part of the business, going to the computers and iPhones.
“We are huge Apple users because they give us the opportunity to hit a level of excellence that our culture is accustomed to, at a budget we can afford,” said Scott.
Update: Clarified Doug Scott’s title and the media staff using Macs. 11/18/09 1:11 pm PT.
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Discussion 116 comments so far
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Greetings from Liverpool. UK
Have owned a macbook for two years. Still finding my way around. Came across this site quite by chance – really pleased I did. So very interesting, reading all the comments from so many thoughtful people about a humanitarian action being taken by those who have, and those who have not. Here’s to the success of the work being done by the people involved in this great enterprise.
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Wow!! I’m with you Ms. Liverpool!!! My dad was a decorated Marine and this is truly an effective and ingenious way to meet needs at a very personal, grass-roots level. I’m going to look into this more!
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Yo Geogette
How lovely to get your response. Your Dad sounds a great guy – how proud of him you must be.
The trouble with me is that I get so involved and angry at what is happening out there in this beautiful world of ours – and most of the time,(in my opinion) through different religeous beliefs. I know I am asking the same old question which has, it appears, no answer. Why can’t we all respect each other and live in some kind of harmony. The Muslims lived in peace with the Catholic and Jewish peoples in Spain for 800 years -religion put an end to that harmony. So, to hear of such dedication by the great group Nuru makes my heart sing.
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Dear Ann,
Was reading the article about nuru and some of the comments people had posted and came across yours. I too get upset at what is going on in our world. The great tumult of peoples and nations that seemingly is frothing just under the surface ready to erupt in some kind of horrific volcano of greed, control, war, pestilence, violence, hate or whatever evil lava it will spew at the inhabitants of our beautiful planet, as you and I, and billions of other seemingly innocent people sit there and wait for it. Pity isn’t it ?
Well enough negativity lets get to what we can do about it.
Your comment on religion I agree with. Religion puts people under all types of laws or certain practices that must be accomplished so that you can be in right relationship with whatever form of deity that form of religion worships. Therein lies the problem. Man cannot be good enough in and through his own merit to be pleasing to the Creator. No the Word tells us that “all our righteousness is as filthy rags” and that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”.
That is why Ann we cant respect each other and live in seeming harmony. We all are battling three things; the world, the flesh and the devil. Out of these three things Ann we can trace back every sort of evil and injustice. Hell was created for the devil and his fallen angels, God the Creator of Heaven and Earth never intended for people to go there, yet that is where sadly many people are headed.
Dear Ann God loves you so much that is why He came to Earth to die for your very sins ! Yes the loving Creator of the Universe has not left us here to figure it out all on our own. “He came unto His own but His own received Him not”. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, ( and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
Ann this is the answer to your question, a relationship with the Father through His Son Jeshua-Jesus Christ. So that we can become members of His family, and God can reside in us through the power of His Holy Spirit. So that we might be conformed to the image of His Son, and in so doing that we be freed from the unfruitful works of darkness, through a relationship with our loving Creator, so that we might walk in His wondrous light. Ann this is the will of the Father, that you believe on Him whom He hath sent, and He the Father has sent the Son, that you might have life and that more abundantly. Not stymied in some religious dogma that enslaves you, but freed through the wondrous grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Ann if you want a glimpse of how the Father intends us to live, look at The Gospel of Matthew chapters five, six, and seven and you will find your respect and harmony and so much more of how God would have us to treat each other.
In closing Ann I think that organizations like nuru exemplify how God intends us to live with one another, and we should support such endeavors and try to figure out what we ourselves can do to become beacons of light and hope in this seemingly ever evil age.
May the Spirit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ rush upon you like a mighty whirlwind quickening your spirit to the wonderful knowledge of Christ Jesus. Amen.
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Great article, I would just like to point out that there is no such thing as an Ex-Marine, only former Marine.
Semper Fi
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You are right – once a Marine always a Marine. Same goes here in the UK
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Gidgie: This is a wonderful response to what military personnel are asked to do on all of our behalf. It sounds like what I truly believe is the best economic, political, human action to this world of polarised opportunities.
Education & skills, clean water & hope sound basic entitlements, yet we need to put effort and thoughtful strategies into action (not just on paper), in order to break the poverty cycle.
Curiously enough here in Australia our new political opposition leader Tony Abbott, previously made much of the fact that there will always be poor. This may be true, but if we give into this concept as a concrete fact, then we will be weighed down by that very mass of inert material and potentially desensitised people.
May Nuru be a bright, bright light!!!!
Look forward to finding ways to apply your effectiveness for our indigenous populations and all who need a brighter way to spend their day….Regards Gidgie -
Great Work. Please have persons in position so that it does not wither. Education and self respect are the foundation stones for any human being to develop. All else is vanity. How to reduce greed an inborn trait in humans
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Thanks so much for do your best to raise this huge concern, it is time to stop endless poverty due to I feel the huge world problem of Corruption. This virus as is now deep in all all countries of the world, one solution I have tried to get our past Canadian Government Liberals back in 2004 when we were going through Sponsorship scandal. This was involved in giving contracts to add firms for supporting their re-election and trying to fight French Separatists from winning power in Canada. Now they only served small jail sentence but did pay back some of the funds received, I tried to get them to allow this funds to help stop poverty rather than going back to government. If you wish to read more on this you can visit my attempt on U2 news forum which I wrote back then, when I also had my web site trueloveforhumanity.ca http://www.u2station.com/news/2005/05/mccartney-stones-u2-and-madonna-lined-up-for-live-aid-ii-british-newspaper.php
Now as for new better way to raise funds it is to start a great new lottery just to help stop poverty. My idea is to call it True Love For Humanity Poverty Lottery, With all governments of the world through the UN must provide new True Love Free Trade Zones to help poor countries create new Green Products in warm climates and to only use new green products to build up their infrastructure, This way it will be win win to stop poverty and save our planet as we are near finished if we do not. Only on condition and that is to be monitored to never ever be a corrupt Government that allow only a few to gain and the rest to live in endless poverty. The Formula that has caused our present world to near collapse is as follows. { Lies + greed and or jealousy = Corruption } This new Lottery being the first United Nations Poverty Lottery with no corruption allowed in the United Nations from today on. We have only one last chance to change from old lying world to new truthful world as God has always wanted us to be on his planet earth. Our time on this present planet is not for much longer if we fail as is seen now each day we are closet to the end, when it happens is up to mankind, it is destine to happen just when is unknown. If you wish to email me and help build up new green economy in what ever small ways we can is best to start now and let it be known we only want to be truthful in business and family and with all friends. gogreendom@inbox.com Dom is my name and my only wish is to help stop endless poverty.
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How true the efforts of your hearts! Wonderful to know there are those out there who are digging in on the hard end and working with the people who can further their own destinies. It is true that we will always have poor people because there is no level at which every person on earth can have wealth, but then wealth is not what life is about. We are given, as human beings, the right to better our lives by working hard and helping one another. You and your groups are truly touching the lives of many and as long as the people you help are always kept in the loop you will have success. I’ve read many of the comments that have been left recently and agree with most but I noticed that one of the things that is consistently left out is FAITH. Without having faith that there is a hope of a better tomorrow people easily loose their focus on bettering life around them because it all seems to large and over whelming. So don’t leave faith out of what you share with our new friends around the world.
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The premise of Jake Harriman’s commendable initiative is clear and authentic. I agree.
As a former MobileMe free trial consumer, I discovered that I was still being alerted that my trial offer was about to end after they had already debited my bank account by $100+.
I phoned and complained and was credited for the ‘error.’
I am not too happy to support any initiative that relies upon MeMobile, I’m very saddened to say.
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Man invented religion……man invented God………man wrote the Bible……..man invented the Devil……..Jesus Christ was a Jew …..during his time on earth he never crusaded for a new religion is his name……..the Romans did for political ends……..not God….God is merely a man made thing……..
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Dear Ciaran,
Just read your comment. I think your right on some points but I also think your mistaken on some others that ultimately will effect your eternal destiny, which is the most important thing.
Man does invent as you say religion, most are vain attempts to make ourselves good enough to be acceptable to a deity which wont happen on our own merit. Some religions though have their roots in Godly virtues, guiding us to the Creator, which in turn makes them useful tools to introduce us to The Most High God.
Man did not invent God. Although I do think man invents god’s for himself, which end up substituting the real one. Also if your implying that whatever man invents is bad. Man invented the computer your using, the clothes your wearing, the chair your sitting in, the dwelling place your living in etc., etc. Just because man invented it or made it does not make it bad. God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth made man in His own image, in the image of God He created them male and female. We are all made with some of the attributes of God. One of God’s prime attributes is obviously intelligence. Just sit down and try to create something physical out of nothing. A toothpick for example, a grain of sand, how about a speck of dust. If your honest with yourself you’ll realize you cannot make anything out of nothing. Yet God in His omnipotence spoke the worlds into existence, try that some time. Its impossible for us, but with God all things are possible.
Yes man did write the Bible, but it was inspired by God through His Holy Spirit. “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do. Ciaran it is my prayer that you will meet, of your own free will, the Creator of Heaven and Earth personally and that through His Word He will teach you of Himself and you will know Him intimately, which is what He desires. Ciaran the Lord Himself is waiting for you to talk to Him, this is what He desires because He made us for His own good pleasure. He wants to have a relationship with you just like you have with other people. I pray that you would seriously consider falling to your knees and asking your Creator to reveal Himself to you. His Word says seek and you will find knock and the door will be opened unto you. But the ball is in your court my friend, He is not going to force His way into your life. You will have to ask Him. I would recommend the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Holy Bible. This book reveals to us who God really is.
You say man invented the devil. Actually Lucifer was a created angel, a very powerful one in fact, and the scriptures go on to tell us that he wanted to take God’s place. The scriptures say that pride was found in his heart because he wanted to exalt himself above the most High God, and Lucifer was cast out of Heaven to Earth and he Lucifer in his fallen state became satan, the devil as you say and he gave up and lost his place in Heaven because of his rebellion against the Almighty. Ciaran we also face a similar dilemma. Like Lucifer we have been given everything, a beautiful planet to live on, an environment to flourish in so that we can develop our talents, air to breath water to drink, food to sustain us all gifts from God by the way. Yet in so many of us, instead of being thankful, and the magnitude of it all humbling us, we become prideful and say to ourselves. God ? What God ? Their is no God, I’m God, God has not made us but we ourselves have, we made God ! And when God sees that pride in us we put ourselves in a very bad position, because God resists the proud but He exalts the humble. Why is it so hard for us to admit that we were created by God ? I think it is because then we would have to admit that we are accountable to someone, and that we just cant do anything we want to do, but we are constrained by morals-absolutes.
Yes Jesus Christ is a Jew, I say is because He is seated at the right hand of God today in Heaven waiting till His enemies become His footstool. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of an angry God. The fool has said in his heart there is no God. Be very careful Ciaran, for you never know when you will take your last breath here on Earth and end up in eternity. For we are appointed once to die, then comes the judgement.
Your right, He never did crusade for a new religion in His name. He just followed the one that His parents raised Him in. And out of all the places in the world, and all the religions in the world. Why do you think God the Father chose God the Son to be born into a Jewish family ? That in itself should speak volumes to us all. He did tell us though to go out into all the world and to preach the gospel, baptizing them, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, making disciples out of all nations. And I guess the christian church grew up around that philosophy.
And last but not least you say God is a man made thing. And to that I say, God made man. Ciaran there is a scripture that says “My people perish for lack of knowledge”. How incredibly tragic it would be, if you were to perish in eternal damnation, all because of a lack of knowledge.
And with that I would again encourage you to open the Gospel of John on bended knee and ask Jeshua the Creator of Heaven and Earth to enlighten your mind and reveal to your heart His true identity so that in eternity future you and I and ten thousands of His saints together can worship and sing praises to our Creator who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Again I would like to thank Nuru for hosting this forum, and point out that it is through the love and dedication of people made in God’s own image, and by there very actions they show the virtue that the Creator has instilled in them, by giving water to the thirsty, whom our Lord talks about when He said ” When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from his goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was a hungred and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison , and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee a hungred, and fed thee ? or thirsty, and gave thee drink ? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in ? or naked, and clothed thee ? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee ? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Then shall he say unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was a hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee a hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee ?
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.-
Hello Philip
The idea that God made us in his own image is verging on ideas of frankenstien or genetic engineering. It also means that your God has forsaken every life form on the planet for over 5.4billion years and has instead decided to chose modern western man as his chosen people. Your God should be black and from Africa. Instead he is white and speaks modern day English – how can this be? At what point in time did this God make us in his own image and how did he do it? If Adam and Eve had two sons, how did they populate the world? Did they possess some magical, scientific or surgical knowledge to ‘create’ humans; perhaps out of Eve’s rib?
I guess you will quote scriptures to prove your point. However, man wrote the scriptures too. Man wrote and edited the modern Bible.
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Hi, Ciaran
Hey just a short reply for now. I wont bore you with quoting scriptures that apparently you don’t believe in any way. but I will ask you to do this, “think” don’t let others think for you. If you don’t think the Holy Bible is true because of what others have told you, pick it up for yourself and ask the Creator and God of the universe to reveal himself to you through it. What have you got to lose, nothing your just reading a book, if The Lord does speak to you through it, you have everything to gain.
Thanks for the reply I’m enjoying our dialogue, I’ll try to write more later.Philip.
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Ciaran, maybe this article can help…
http://articles.sfgate.com/2009-09-25/entertainme...
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TL; DR
I’d just like to say that it’s impressive that they’re using Apple products and services for such work.
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Hello again it is me Dom hope all is going well with the Nuru team in its efforts to help stop endless poverty. Below I have just found another great team working with the same goal in mind. I thought I would just add this great effort for others to view and see if they can assist with any solar components that can be donated to make solar lamps. Visit the site and learn more on how to help. I wish I could do more myself, but I am stuck now trying to restart my life as I am in my lowest point in life. Well I know when my life picks up again working, I have just the causes to support. Thanks Nuru team keep up the good projects, you are on the right path God has destine for you, to stop endless poverty.
http://solar-aid.org/video/
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Isn't that ironic useing the most expensive computers to end poverty
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Macintosh computers have substantially lower TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP:
http://macvspc.info/pages/01f-pc_myths_debunked.h...
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Ikechukwu, don't waste your money buying locally. I bought my MacBook Pro online (Amazon) and shopped it by DHL/Borderlinx from the US and still saved about $900 compared to the crazy prices in Kenya. The Macs are overpriced.They are usually targetted at media companies that can buy in bulk, pay more and get service contracts.
