 |
Create your own website in seconds with easy to use Visit http://getlara.com to build your own custom site! |
World News - .geographical media - RSSSyndicated content powered by .geographical mediaRSS syndication makes it easy to receive content updates in My Yahoo!, Newsgator, Bloglines, and other news readers. | |||||||||||||||
Current Feed ContentMbye Nderr, others meet VP
Tuesday, October 07, 2008 Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, vice president and secretary of state for Women’s Affairs, yesterday received Alieu Mbye Nderr - the Senegalese Mbalax superstar, Dr Michel Jarraud - the secretary general of the World Meteorological Organisation, based in Geneva, Switzerland, and Mr Parkinson Walcott P White, the president and CEO of Transactional Services Corporation, at her office in State House, Banjul. Speaking to journalists shortly after the audience with the vice president, Alieu Nderr said he was at the State House to thank the organisers of the Jammeh Foundation for Peace (JFP) gala dinner and show, for having invited him to perform as the guest artist of the event; an initiative that is all geared towards raising funds to assist poor and needy people especially in the education and health sectors. The Senegalese musical superstar expressed delight at the warm welcome and support he received from Gambians, especially the gala organisers and his fans club in The Gambia. He commended President Jammeh for initiating the Foundation. Mbye Nderr added that such a foundation should be established in every country in the world to care for the needy and the poor. A goodwill ambassador of women, children and peace, Mbye Nderr also expressed delight over his performance in The Gambia, adding that he has always supported the welfare of women and children. He thanked all those who attended the gala dinner and show. Alieu Mbye Nderr was accompanied to State House by Ansumana Jammeh, the executive director of JFP, Alhaji Momodou Sanyang, the director general of the Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS), who is also a board member of JFP, Ardy Sarge, Bai Matarr Drammeh, and a number of others. In a separate development, Dr Michel Jarraud, the secretary general of the World Meteorological Organisation, who is currently attending a two-day workshop on ‘National Climate Change Forum,’ at the Kairaba Beach Hotel, told journalists that his discussion with the vice president centred on issues relating to climate change. He described climate change as a big issue for the world, adding that it is even more important for developing countries like The Gambia. Dr Jarraud appeared impressed by the commitment of The Gambia government with regards to climate change issues. He said that he also discussed ways of strengthening international cooperation on climate change with the vice president. Dr Jarraud was accompanied to State House by Momodou Kotu Cham, the secretary of state for Forestry and the Environment, and other dignitaries. Mr Parkinson Walcott P White, the president and CEO of Transactional Services Corporation, was the third and final visitor to the vice president’s office for the day. He was accompanied to State House by the secretaries of state for Energy, Local Government, Lands and Religious Affairs and Justice, Ousman Jammeh, Ismaila Sambou and Marie Saine-Firdaus respectively. Author: by Assan Sallah GLOBAL: What happens to aid money? Tuesday, September 23, 2008 Tired of navigating the often-secretive donor funding world, a group of international non-profits have launched the Publish What You Fund (PWYF) campaign to encourage donors to reveal timely and accessible information about how they are spending their money. The group launched the campaign on 1 September at the Accra aid effectiveness forum, and include freedom of information organisations Access Info and Tiri, and NGOs such as Data/ONE, the UK Aid Network and Actionaid. Donors are encouraged to adopt PWYF’s donor transparency principles, which commits them, among other things, to sharing timely information about their giving. Twin initiative The UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID) alongside 13 other donors, including the World Bank and European Commission, has also launched the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), which pledges to develop a format that donors can use to publicise their spending by the end of 2009. Even though more than 50 donor-tracking systems exist, Sarah Cook, DFID’s head of aid effectiveness and accountability says most are not user-friendly. “Information is either not available or only available in many different complex formats. It is hard for [people] who are supposed to be benefiting from aid to know how the money is being spent.” According to Cook, easily-digested donor information is the only way to help aid recipients develop informed policy decisions, plan for the future, improve their monitoring and evaluation systems, and tackle corruption. Leader of the PWYF campaign, Karin Christiansen told IRIN good information is key to effective aid. “This campaign on its own may not be able to improve accountability or planning, but having sound information on financial flows is key to making either of these work.” Double-counted and out-of-date Christiansen told IRIN Ugandan officials reported only knowing about half the aid projects underway in their country in 2006 and this is partly donors’ fault. “By providing information piecemeal, donors are expecting some of the poorest governments on the planet to be really joined up, which just isn’t realistic.” What information donors do reveal is often out of date. “Take the Development Assistance Committee – it collects good information on aid flows, but it’s two years out of date by the time it’s published. This isn’t going to help if you’re trying to forward-plan,” said Christiansen. With so many disconnected systems in place, money is easily counted twice. “Tracing money from a donor to the UN to an NGO, [then] to a local NGO is a very difficult chain to follow,” she added. Freedom of information Governments have made progress over the past few years, more countries have freedom of information laws than before and donors such as the World Bank, traditionally reticent to open their books, are changing, says Christiansen. “The World Bank now routinely discloses financial information, procurement agreements, and planning documents on its website.” But Christiansen says there is still a wait-and-see approach among donors that do not want to share too much, too soon. “There is a fear that if you come out first, you’ll look bad. The emphasis has always been on demonstrating success over acknowledging failure… [therefore] the collectivisation of the [freedom of information] obligation is very useful.” But for PWYF’s founder, it is still far from easy to extract information. “Now we’d like to see donors starting to feel an obligation to provide information without being asked.” Fighting corruption More aid watchdogs means less chances for corruption, says Douglas Alexander, UK Secretary of State for international development. In a press release at IATA’s launch, Alexander was quoted as saying, “This initiative will be a crucial tool in the fight against [the misuse of aid]. If local people can see where aid should be going and question whether it has been effective, the scope for bribery and corruption is greatly reduced.” Christiansen says she is pleased donors are starting to realise their part in making aid more effective. “We’ve made a lot of progress… there has been a shift in culture and this shows maturity in the sector.” According to her, NGOs, UN agencies and other aid deliverers also have a responsibility to share their accounting. “There is also a mea culpa from the aid sector –while the legal burden is not as strong [on them to share information], it should be a matter of principle that [NGOs] do.” PWYF campaigners say their role is to support donor reforms now, but they intend to critique poor performers as time goes on. “We’ll rank them according to their level of disclosure…and we plan to be very thorough,” Christiansen warned. Rufisque municipality pays homage to KMC Friday, August 29, 2008 In what can be described as another important moment between the two municipalities, the children of the workers of Rufisque Municipality in Senegal, paid homage, on Monday, to Yankuba Colley, the mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council. As a long tradition of fostering the cordial relationship existing between the two cities, the initiative is deeply rooted in the common values shared by The Gambia and Senegal. In his welcome remarks, Mayor Colley expressed delight with the visit, noting that the two countries are bound together by a common history. Advising the children to desist from certain social vices and be respectful and obedient, he urged the group leaders to take great care of the children and promised to visit them at their camp. For his part, Yusupha Sanyang, the deputy mayor of KMC, gave an insight on how the municipality generates funds and the budgetary structure for the council’s activities. He also advised the children to be obedient and respect. Amadou Tambedou, the head of the delegation, expressed delight and satisfaction at the hospitality accorded to them by KMC. He then noted that their stay in The Gambia has been exceptionally memorable. Other speakers at the meeting included Modou Jallow, who expressed similar sentiments. Author: by Bekai Njie Oyster season ends
Friday, July 11, 2008 “The culture of Oyster harvesting has been with us generations. Just like fishing activities, its harvesting procedure includes: harvesting from mangroves, processing as well as marketing, and it is done by women in The Gambia”, said Fatou Mboob Janha, coordinator of the Try Oyster Women Association, at Camalo along the Banjul/Serekunda highway, as the oyster season ends on Tuesday. Mrs Mboob, a long time customer, said that, she one day visited the group, at their processing site and was deeply compelled by the fact that, these women are for many years not progressing neither being patronised. According to her, having known what their problems were, she proposed and organised an oyster festival last year, in order to raise funds as a starting capital, for revival and legal registration of the association. She disclosed that, the success of the festival was as a result of many fulfilled pledges that amounted to D41,000.00 from the invitees. She added that, some of the constraints the group faced are: lack of security, as they are sometimes attacked by criminals, which in 2006 resulted to the death of their colleague. Two other women were attacked, wounded and hospitalised, Lack of standard shelter, with a storage facility for both products and materials. Lack of bathrooms, processing centre and also oyster market are their main constraints. Resting on the above constraints, she said, the women pleaded to Government, NGOs, FAO and other developmental institutions for help. “Since the establishment of the association, The Gambian people have seen improvement in these women. They are all put on uniforms, gloves, and use plastic bags while selling the oysters. Each and everyone of them has a bank account, three boats. The processing site is clean and healthy . To organise a two day workshop for the association, we are still requesting for funds”, she stated. Mrs Mboob appealed to Government, NGOs, private and Public sectors and individuals, to come to the aid of these women. As the oyster season ends, they need jobs in order for them to survive and to help their children. According to the women, they would like to engage themselves in any meaningful job, such as house or office cleaners, Selling, farming and others ,so as to enable them pay their children school fees and their house rent. In another development, Papa Secka and Madam Fatou Ndoye, from the Environmental Development Action (ENDA), in Senegal, on Tuesday, visited the Oyster women association at their site. They were accompanied by two fisheries officials, from the fisheries department. According to the visitors, ENDA is an NGO in Senegal, and they help the women in senegal , especially those involve in oyster processing. They added that, the purposed of their visit is to see some of the constraints these women are facing and when they go back to Senegal they will see how they can help them with some of their constraints, especially when the season ends. Anna Mbenga Cham and Dawda Saine, senior fisheries officers, from the fisheries department also assured the association of their fullest support and cooperation. Author: by Mariatou Ngum-Saidy The Gambia: A Euro Rubbish-Car Dump?Monday, June 02, 2008 Charities can be an excellent way of raising funds and, in some instances, a way of having fun at the same time - but are the outcomes always what we want or need? Some time ago, I raised concerns with the organisers of the Plymouth to Banjul Rally about the standard of vehicles that are used and, ultimately, sold in The Gambia to raise funds for various organisations. There are also Rallies from other countries - their aims being the same, raise money and have fun. The rules of some rallies state that the cars must be purchased for a set amount – usually less than £100 sterling (about 4,000 Dalasi) – and this helps to keep the prices down when the vehicles are sold in The Gambia or other parts of Africa. It has to be accepted that many people could not afford a car that would cost three to four thousand pounds in the United Kingdom (between 120,000 and 160,000 Dalasi) to use in a rally and it would certainly be too expensive for people here to buy it. The rules also set a limit on how much money may be spent on ensuring that the vehicle is capable of making the trip from the United Kingdom to Banjul. The UK has very strict rules laid down by the Government relating to Vehicle Safety Standards; each year, every car over three years old and all commercial vehicles must undergo a tough Ministry of Transport (MOT) Test to ensure that they meet those Standards. So what happens if they fail? Obviously some will be repaired and pass on re-inspection but many fail. So what happens to these failures; do they all end up in a scrap yard? Some do but not all - but is what happens next either advisable or ethical? Don’t misunderstand me, the cars that come on the Rally are supposed to be in a roadworthy condition and, legally, should have a Test Certificate to be used on British roads. But we all know that rules are made to be bent or, in some cases, broken. I am assured by the organisers that their standards to ensure the safety of the vehicles and crews must be met. The vehicles are also checked when they get here – well that’s what I have been told – but, having seen some of the vehicles arriving here, I have some doubts. Having been a member of the British Institute of Road Transport Engineers since 1985, I have extensive knowledge of vehicles and vehicle safety. Many of the vehicles in this country would not pass even the most cursory inspection in Europe and would be banished from the roads - but they still have a value; at least they do to the people who make a business out of buying MOT failures (or the European equivalent) and shipping them to the African Continent where rules are not so stringent and Vehicle Testing is in its infancy - that’s if it exists at all. The Gambia has started testing vehicles but there are limitations; make the test too severe and many vehicles would be condemned to the scrap yard - if there were any - and the country would grind to a halt. That would benefit no-one but somehow we must start raising standards. This year saw the first vehicle tests carried out by The Gambia Police Force; it was a simple test by anyone’s standards but it was a step in a direction that must not be changed and it must become more stringent as the years pass. Unsafe vehicles are a danger to everyone; sadly we see the evidence of poor quality vehicles and poor maintenance at the side of the road in a tangled mess. In some cases, it has cost the lives of the men, women or children who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. This cannot be acceptable and the roads must be made safer - but how can we move forward without bringing transport to a grinding halt? Every day, I see lorries with bald tyres, poor or inadequate braking systems, broken windscreens, no wing or interior mirrors - and numerous other serious faults - being used to move goods and people around the Country. Sadly, many of the drivers have no idea about the rules of the road and believe that speed and size will ensure that other drivers move out of their way – or else. The public transport system relies on Gele-Geles to move people and goods around The Gambia; I wonder if people realise just how dangerous some of these vehicles are and the risks they take as passengers. I have a wonderful photograph of a passenger-carrying vehicle in Sifoe that lost its rear axle complete with wheels whilst carrying passengers; fortunately no one was hurt but it could have been very different. That vehicle is now back on the road but I question the level of expertise of the people who carried out the repairs and the quality of the workmanship. Have you ever tried to pass a lorry that has a damaged chassis? It cannot run in a straight line and the driver has to fight to make it stay on the correct side of the road. Such vehicles would be removed from European roads never to be used again - that is until an unscrupulous trader buys it at a knock-down price and exports it to Africa it to sell to an unsuspecting driver. We have all seen vehicles belching black smoke that are dangerous to pass – these would be removed from European roads as they would fail the Smoke Emission Standards. I often wonder if the drivers of such vehicles consider how much fuel they are wasting and the extra costs to them and the environment – or don’t they worry about that? So how can we change things to make life on the roads safer for all? It will take time and effort - of that there is little doubt. The Police have a major role to play and the Vehicle Inspection Team has to be strengthened and trained to spot potentially dangerous vehicles. Any vehicle being imported must be examined and meet standards that need to be determined as a matter of urgency and brought into law. If dangerous vehicles have been imported, the person who imported it has to either repair it to a suitable standard or the vehicle has to be returned to its country of origin – the cost being borne by the importer. This would ensure that a better quality of vehicle was imported. It has been suggested that any vehicle over five years old should not be imported but this has major repercussions. Many modern vehicles have complex onboard computer management systems for the engines but, as yet, we lack the expertise and equipment in The Gambia to test such systems – unless, of course, you go to the major vehicle dealers who do have capable technicians and equipment to interrogate such a system but at a price that many motorists could not afford. The rally organisers could rethink their aims and bring in vehicles that have the most impact on people’s lives so that they may travel about the country more safely; it will take time but it is possible. I suggested to the organisers of the Plymouth/Banjul Rally that they changed the rules and made it compulsory to bring small passenger-carrying vehicles, such as the Ford Transit (that is universally available and has parts availability worldwide). These should be fitted with passenger seats and safety belts and come close to meeting the present legislation in Europe. This would obviously mean that more would have to be spent on the vehicles. To enable this, teams may need to be larger and the number of participating vehicles may need to be reduced. The teams may need to be larger to raise the required funds and purchase more expensive vehicles but they could all participate in the Rally as there would be at least ten seats for passengers who could make the journey and have the pleasure of visiting this country. More importantly, these vehicles could then be used to replace the worst Gele-Geles on the roads here; these dangerous vehicles should then cut up and destroyed to ensure they could never used again, not even for spare parts. Thought would need to be given as to how these rally vehicles would be managed and maintained to ensure that they continued to run in a safe and efficient manner. There are organisations that wish to help raise vehicle and driving standards in Continental Africa; one being Transaid.org who could assist in developing such a management system. Issues have already been raised with the organisers of various rallies to ensure that reasonable standards are met and that the vehicles arriving in Africa are not End-of-Life vehicles from Europe entering Africa comparatively easily to begin a new lease of life. In some countries, such as Senegal, rally vehicles that break down cannot be left; in fact, some countries do not allow rallies to terminate on their soil. I would hope that rally organisers would change the existing rules and ensure that the benefits to the Gambian transport system are in line with a standard that would be acceptable in their own countries. As a matter of urgency, we must raise Gambian vehicle and driving standards; we cannot allow people to be killed or injured by vehicles that have no right to be on the roads of this country or drivers that have scant regard for traffic laws. David Beardsley (Retired Vehicle Engineer); Panellist - GRTS Traffic Talk Author: b y David Hargreaves KENYA: Agencies appeal for funds as new government named Wednesday, April 16, 2008 Relief agencies are
seeking US$189 million for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and others
affected by the post-election violence that rocked Kenya in January and February,
as well as drought-affected areas.
The Kenya Emergency Humanitarian Response Plan appeal is
a revised version of the one launched in January for $141.9 million by the UN
agencies, the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) and NGOs. Source: IRIN http://www.irinnews.org Groundnut marketing season extendedThursday, April 03, 2008 The interim management committee of the Agribusiness Services and Producers Association{ASPA] has extended the 2007\8 groundnut market season from its previously scheduled date, 31st March to Tuesday 15th April 2008. According to Mr Abdoulie S Khan, interim executive secretary of The Gambia Groundnut Corporation [GGC], all traders and agents are requested to come forward and retire to the Gambia Groundnut Corporation [GGC] finally, and reconcile the monies given to them as crop finance for the purchase of 2007\8 groundnut crop. ‘’This reconciliation must be done on or before the 7th April 2008’’, Mr Khan noted and quickly advised farmers to sell their remaining stocks of groundnut if any, before the funds withdrawal exercise. Author: by Asanatou Bojang CAMEROON: United Nations allocates $4.7 million for Chadian refugees Monday, March 31, 2008 The United Nations has announced today the allocation of $4,720,260 from the donor-supported Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to meet the humanitarian needs of Chadian refugees who fled to Cameroon’s north-eastern town of Kousséri earlier this month. “Thanks to these funds, the United Nations will be able to assist and protect thousands of refugees over the coming weeks,” said John Holmes, United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. The allocation includes grants of $1,687,843 to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which leads the operation, $1,654,482 for the World Food Programme (WFP), $843,053 for the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) for six different projects, $330,630 for the World Health Organization (WHO), and $82,040 for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). In addition, $122,212 has been allocated for the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) to ensure the operation’s safety. “These grants are vital for funding our humanitarian response,” said Sophie de Caen, United Nations Resident Coordinator in the country. “In many instances, we had diverted funds and stocks from other activities. We will now be able to respond to the emergency in a systematic manner,” she added. “With the funds granted to UNHCR, we intend to cover assistance for up to 20,000 refugees in Kousséri, and to relocate and register an estimated 15,000 of these refugees to a camp in the village of Maltam,” stated Jacques Franquin, Representative of UNHCR in Cameroon. “The camp, located 32 kilometres from Kousséri, is currently being equipped, and it started receiving the first refugees on 16 February,” he explained. The UNHCR’s activities covered by the grant include the provision of emergency assistance to all refugees, the transport of refugees to Maltam and their registration, and the establishment of the camp in Maltam, including shelter facilities as well as two boreholes. The funds also enable UNHCR to procure basic non-food items (NFIs) such as plastic sheeting, sleeping mats, blankets, mosquito nets, jerry cans, cooking stoves, soap, and sanitary items. The WFP will use its grant to procure and deliver food aid to the refugees and to provide essential logistic support such as transport and storage of supplies. The UNICEF’s six projects include immunisations, maternal and neo-natal care, child nutrition, water and sanitation, and child protection, as well as recreational activities to ensure the well-being of refugee children. The WHO will be able to provide health care to the refugees, while UNFPA will carry out activities for reproductive health and against gender-based violence (GBV). The Chadian refugees, most of them from the capital N’Djamena, started to cross the border into Cameroon on 2 February, when armed fighting erupted in Chad. At least 70 percent of them are women and children. Together with the Government of Cameroon, UNHCR and other United Nations agencies have already responded to the most urgent life-saving needs of all refugees. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), particularly Médecins Sans Frontières – Switzerland (MSF-CH), have played an important role in the response so far. Approved by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2005 as a successor to the Central Emergency Revolving Fund, the CERF aims to save lives by providing a more predictable and timely response to humanitarian emergencies. For 2008, 67 United Nations member states, as well as foundations and corporate and individual donors, have already committed nearly $420 million to the CERF. All United Nations agencies as well as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) can access CERF funds within 72 hours of a crisis. This enables them to save lives, especially during the earliest stages of a disaster, by immediately focusing on quick life-saving assistance. Source: OCHA “Training journalists with UK and US help”Thursday, February 28, 2008 or is it a case of cheque-book colonialism? Is this a case of cheque-book journalism or is it a case of cheque-book colonialism? Not only that. Let us ask what “human rights” these colonialists in USA and UK know to be “training”, or should we say brainwashing, young impressionable African youth? This week the USA has invaded some Iraqi newsroom and arrested the editor. Last year, they bombed the offices of Al-Jazeera TV to get it off air. Africa’s own firebrand pan-Africanist and pre-eminent journalist, Baffour Ankomah of Baffour’s Beef (NewAfrican Magazine), spoke of how the Guardian and the Times of London would not publish his letters to the editor on Robert Mugabe because they don’t agree with the contents of the letter. I say it here with utmost seriousness, that the Western white middle-class media is the most self-censured media in the world. I have lived there as a so-called “radical African” for 30 years and I know. Their middle-class media have made their own world-view a religion. If you see the world even slightly from the way they see it, you are a heretic. For example, Mr. US Ambassador and Mr. UK High Commissioner: can I respectful suggest that your prison systems are a Gulag destroying Black males in your respective countries? Any chance that we may have a “human rights” debate on this? Or what about the reporting of the human rights violations by the USA and UK in Iraq and Afghanistan? Don’t we destroy millions of peoples lives over there and then coin a disgraceful term for it when we call it “collateral damage”? Respectfully, you should not be “training” our young people on so-called “human rights”. You shoul work through the established government of this sovereign country, and the relevant department, to offer training that is biased-value free - e.g. training on reporting on our much respected national development agenda. Media Agenda & Gambia Press Union GPU is the formal body representing the media fraternity in The Gambia. Media Agenda is a private organisation collecting funds from abroad to “train journalists”. Both organisations are headed by the same individual in the person of Mr. Madi MK Ceesay. In a short interview yesterday, Mr. Ceesay denied that there is any conflict of interest in his being both the President of GPU and being the Founding Director of Media Agenda. Respectfully we beg to disagree. If the MD of the Daily Observer set up a seperate private newspaper of his own, the Observer board would certainly see a conflict of interest. Both Media Agenda and the GPU try to raise as much money from abroad as possible. Who will Mr. Ceesay favour? Media Agenda pays him “allowances”, he says, but GPU does not. Mr. Ceesay also travels abroad alot and we hear that the GPU does pay for his travel. Whose business does Mr. Ceesay travel on? GPU or Media Agenda’s. Many such question do definely arise and we think Mr. Ceesay should either run the GPU or the Media Agenda outfit, but not both. Author: DO Regional governors donate to JFP
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 Regional governors across the country on Thursday jointly donated D12,500 to the Jammeh Foundation for Peace at a presentation ceremony held at the Bungalow Beach Hotel in Fajara. Omar Khan, governor of Upper River Region, handed over the said sum, on behalf of his colleagues, to Ardy Sarge, a board member of the JFP. Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, governor Khan commended the Foundation for their immense contribution towards national development, “especially in the health and education sectors,” where most of their funds are duly invested. Ardy Sarge, in receiving the money on behalf of JFP, expressed gratitude to the governors and to all persons and institutions who have been giving help to the Foundation in support of their cause, which, he said, is meant for the benefit and welfare of all Gambians, especially the young and the sick. For his part, Ansumana Jammeh, JFP’s CEO, thanked and congratulated the governors for a gesture that is very commendable and timely considering the plans and projects JFP had stipulated for this year. He further highlighted the Foundation’s commitment to serving the interest of the young who are the future leaders. According to CEO Jammeh, the Foundation is not for President Jammeh but for the Gambian people. So every one ought to play their quota in seeing that it becomes extra productive and benefiting for the whole of The Gambia. Author: by Ebrima Jatta |
Site created with  | .geographical media |