KENYA NEWS REPORT GLOBAL BRIEFING

Insights, analysis and must reads from CNN's Fareed Zakaria and the Global Public Square team, compiled by Global Briefing editor Jason Miks. March 27, 2018

The Awkward Truth About That Poke in the Eye for Putin The US decision to join European allies in expelling dozens of Russian diplomats sends a pointed message to Moscow about Western unity. But such expulsions are also an outdated weapon – and one that could end up hurting the United States, suggests Steven Hall for The Cipher Brief. “[W]henever we get into these expulsion battles with the Russians, we pay a significant price because they will in turn reciprocate by expelling American diplomats, and they will try to expel as many intelligence officers as they can identify,” Hall writes. “Expelling diplomats is a good first step, but it is a little bit of fighting the war with very old weapons when the Russians have already moved on to the next generation—and that’s my biggest concern. Russia is defining this new form of warfare with hybrid warfare, attacking Western elections and at least attempting and setting the battlefield to conduct cyberattacks against critical infrastructure in the US—and we’re responding by expelling diplomats, which is a Cold War era tactic. “We need to find better ways to push back against specifically Vladimir Putin, for example keeping them out of the SWIFT international banking system for a specific period of time to show how serious this is. We need to have a conversation about perhaps removing Russia from international organizations where they value their participation greatly because it gives them a sense of being a great power.” Did Kim Take the Family Playbook to the Dragon’s Lair? The White House refused Tuesday to confirm reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un himself was a passenger on a mysterious armored train spotted in China. If he was, that could make things even more complicated for the Trump administration, suggests Charlie Campbell in TIME. After all, the Kims have played this game before. “Owing to pressure from Trump, Beijing has been enforcing the sanctions comparatively strictly, slashing imports of North Korea coal and labor that form the regime’s main cash cow. But Beijing and Washington are only loosely aligned, and over the decades the Kim dynasty has been deft at exploiting the cracks between adversaries to further its goals,” Campbell writes. “It’s too early to say that any meeting means a rapprochement between the historic allies, which have grown estranged over recent decades as China flourished under ‘reform and opening’ while North Korea festered in impoverished isolation. Xi may just be signaling to Trump and Moon that he will not be sidelined in any negotiations to end North Korea’s nuclear program. “But if Kim is ready to make concessions, then the fractures among nearby nations may widen.” No, Repealing the Second Amendment Would Be a Bad Idea The frustration of retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens over the Court’s gun rights decision in the landmark Heller case is understandable. But his call in a New York Times op-ed for the Second Amendment to be repealed is still a mistake, argues Noah Feldman for Bloomberg View. “The First Amendment, like the rest of the Bill of Rights, has been around since 1791 without alteration. That very antiquity strengthens its protections -- all of them. Opening the Pandora’s box of changing our fundamental rights because of a Supreme Court decision we don’t like threatens the very structure of the Bill of Rights itself,” Feldman writes. “James Madison understood this very well. He hoped for the Constitution to ultimately earn ‘veneration.’ Although he recognized that the Constitution had to allow for amendment, he also wanted to avoid the rush to change that would have come with further constitutional conventions, which he hoped to hold off.” “If you believe that the Supreme Court has the legitimate authority to find the constitutional rights to abortion, gay marriage and freedom to burn the flag, then you had better acknowledge that the court also has the legitimacy to expand the Second Amendment -- even if you disagree with that judgment.” Why the Arab World Suddenly Hearts Israel The muted Arab reaction to President Trump’s announcement on recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital was just the latest example of a dramatic shift in the region, write Shai Feldman and Tamara Cofman Wittes for Foreign Policy. Israel is suddenly uncontroversial – and it’s not just a rising Iran that is uniting former foes. “The recent 10-year, $15 billon agreement signed between Israeli and Egyptian companies for the sale of natural gas is a game-changer in Arab-Israeli politics. This agreement will allow Egypt to profit from liquefying and re-exporting the purchased gas to Europe and Africa, boosting its prospects as a regional energy hub and creating economic interdependence between two former enemies,” they write. “No less significant are new opportunities for economic interdependence between Israel and members of the Gulf Cooperation Council rooted in Israel’s technological prowess and innovation economy…Just imagine the potential for civilian tech cooperation as Gulf states move to diversify their economies away from their complete dependence on oil and gas revenues to more service-based, technology-based, and knowledge-based economies. “The growing advantages to Arab states of cooperation with Israel are further boosted by a parallel decline in Arab governments’ interest in the Palestinian issue. While these governments remain formally commitment to the Palestinian cause, they also show growing signs of fatigue regarding all matters Palestinian.” China’s Big Lesson for America In focusing on China’s trade practices – including announcing about $60 billion in tariffs – the Trump administration is missing the biggest lesson of China’s economic rise, suggests Steven Rattner in The New York Times. Beijing is making dramatic strides as it invests in its future – and the United States looks like it’s standing still. “To be sure, China is a long way from overtaking the United States. Its gross domestic product per person is just $9,380, compared with $61,690 in the United States. Less visible than the sleek modern skyscrapers that now dominate China’s cityscapes are the 700 million people — about half of China’s population — who still live on $5.50 per day or less,” Rattner writes. But “China continues to build airports, subway systems, renewable-energy facilities and the like at a torrid pace. Even its longstanding pollution problem is being addressed.” “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that we rewrite our Constitution to emulate China. And I certainly understand the loss of freedom and civil liberties under the Chinese system. But that doesn’t mitigate the need for us to get our government to perform the way it did in passing the New Deal and Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society.” Trump’s “Favorite” Middle East Strongman Should Be Worried Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is bound to win the ongoing presidential election. But don’t be fooled, writes Alexia Underwood for Vox. A sluggish economy for young people and growing political repression are storing up trouble that could ultimately explode in revolution. “While overall employment has decreased to about 11 percent, almost 80 percent of people without jobs are young people,” Underwood notes. “A 2016 Brookings Institution report argues that if the Egyptian government does not deal with youth unemployment soon, ‘it will likely face instability — and perhaps another uprising — in the years to come.’” “Sisi’s popularity also took a hit when he made the highly controversial decision to cede two islands in the Red Sea, Tiran and Sanafir, to Saudi Arabia. The islands, located between the two countries, are uninhabited and had been controlled by Egypt for the past 60 years. Sisi was accused of ‘selling’ them to the Saudis in exchange for investment money and aid.” “It remains to be seen if this growing discontent with Trump’s favorite Middle Eastern authoritarian leader will build, or fizzle out in the next few years. But if history is any indication, Sisi should be careful.”

Robert Godec the US Ambassodor to Kenya shown the door replaced by Sen Kyle McCarter.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated state Sen. Kyle McCarter of downstate Lebanon to be an ambassador to Kenya, citing the southern Illinois legislator’s long history with a charity with ties to the African nation.

“It is an honor to be asked to represent President Trump and our great nation in a country where I have lived and served for many years,” McCarter said in a statement. “I look forward to bringing about a closer relationship that will benefit both our nations.”

McCarter was first nominated last year by Illinois’ Republican congressional delegation. McCarter, along with his parents, founded Each One Feed One International, which helps orphaned and abandoned children, and also provides medical treatment for those with HIV and malaria.

McCarter began working with the charity in 1984. He and his wife Victoria lived and worked in Kenya for a year beginning in 1987 to help build a medical clinic. They resumed their work with the charity in 2011 and continue to do so.

In the congressional nomination letter, congressmen wrote of McCarter’s “extensive history in Kenya,” with experience negotiating with tribal chiefs and other dignitaries; experience working with USAID and other organizations and “heightened insight into the governmental operations and other political, economic and social realities of both Kenya and the larger region of East Africa.”

The congressmen also noted McCarter had identified ways to support Trump’s “Buy American” strategy in Kenya to help boost the American economy through Kenyan investment.

McCarter and his wife both are conversational in Swahili, the official language of Kenya.

The White House announced the nomination in a news release on Wednesday afternoon, noting McCarter “served as a field auditor, Missionary and International Director of Each One Feed One International, based in Lebanon, Illinois with an office in Mukothima, Kenya.”

According to the release, McCarter would be “Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of American to the Republic of Kenya.”

The post requires Senate confirmation.

McCarter has served as a state senator since 2009, and did not seek re-election this year.

McCarter was not available by phone on Wednesday. According to his Facebook page, his father passed away on Saturday, with services pending in Oklahoma.

“It is bittersweet that I am now preparing for the funeral of my father who leaves a legacy of honoring God, serving others and saving the lives of thousands of children in Kenya,” he said in the statement.

Impasse as Kenya tries to deport Miguna Miguna again for refusing to apply for visa

A top Kenyan opposition politician has been denied entry into the country despite a court order setting aside his deportation and asking the government to allow him back.

Miguna Miguna, a staunch ally of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga was deported to Canada on February 6 after playing a key role in a mock swearing-in staged by Odinga in January 2018.

A High Court subsequently overturned the deportation and ordered government to facilitate his return to the country. At the time of filing this report, Miguna had flatly refused to board a Dubai based flight after the authorities insisted he had to apply for a visa.

 I am a Kenyan, I'm not traveling with a Canadian passport, this is what I am traveling with. I'm a Kenyan by birth, I'm not going to get nobody's visa. "

Local media network, Ktn, said Miguna had been held up at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and refused entry into Kenya because he had refused to apply for a visa.

The channel said he arrived on his Canadian passport because his Kenyan passport had not been reinstated as ordered by the court.

In an interview, he insisted that he was a citizen of the country by virtue of birth and did not require a visa to enter the country. “They want to take me to Dubai, I don’t know why, so I’m not going, I have refused to go. They say they now want to remove me by force, well, they will have to kill me first.”
Asked whether he still had his Canadian passport, he responded: “I am a Kenyan, I’m not traveling with a Canadian passport, this is what I am traveling with (waving his national identity card.) I’m a Kenyan by birth, I’m not going to get nobody’s visa,” he stressed.

He has severely lashed out at Raila over a reconciliation deal reached with president Uhuru Kenyatta describing the move as a betrayal of the people’s trust. Under the deal, government is to withdraw charges against all those involved in Odinga’s inauguration.

Miguna’s lawyers had also confirmed that they will no longer pursue the court case once he is allowed back.

RAILA ODINGA'S TIME IS UP ,HE DESERVES RESPECT FOR WHAT HE DID & A STEADFAST HERITOR

You all watched Raila Odinga sprinting towards the exit door last night. He was attempting to save Miguna Miguna from deportation, in the end an exercise in futility. Raila Odinga turned 73 this year, and while he gyms everyday to keep fit and improve his immunity, the Raila Odinga we saw limbering full steam at JKIA last night is not the Raila Odinga of 1991.

The Raila Odinga of 1991 would have reached that door at the speed of light and blocked the security hooligans from passing the man-mountain through it. Age failed Raila Odinga last night, and I think I saw something like a bad knee too. If you ran a scan on his face after the door was slammed shut, you could see a fiery dragon struggling to withhold his fire from consuming those agents of human rights violations. He was visibly angry at his sense of helplessness.The Raila Odinga of 1983 would not have watched helplessly as Miguna Miguna was being dragged like a thieving Onyalobiro reptile through that rickety airport door. The revolutionary fire is going, and we need to cut him some slack.

The average age of a political revolutionary is 34 years. Joe Slovo rose to head Umkhonto we Sizwe at 35. Chris Hani led the ANC military wing at 21. Sam Nujoma was elected president of SWAPO at 29. Amilcar Cabral led the PAIGC to the bush at 38. Patrice Lumumba became president of MNC at 33. Ernesto Che Guevara launched the Cuban revolution at 29. Raila Odinga was first detained over his political activities at 36.

None of those guys I mention over there are currently involved in politics, other than Raila Odinga himselef. Joe Slovo died, I must have read somewhere, of cancer, at 68. Chris Hani was assassinated outside his house at 49. Sam Nujoma is currently 88 and is resting quietly in his Okahao village, North of Namibia. Cabral was assassinated at 48, Patrice Lumumba suffered the same fate at 35, while Che Guevara was also assassinated by the Bolivia president, at 39. If you look at that crop of revolutionaries up there, it takes a special breed of any man to push governments to the wall and still keep their lives intact; and for those who manage to avoid the assassin's bullet, they are left with a beaten body and a weary soul. Ask Kenneth Matiba.

The backbone of any political revolution rests with the youth. Young people have time on their side, they have the energy to bulldoze governments, have the panache to keep banging the door of change for as long as it takes; and the intelligence to innovate new ideas each time status quo catches up with new technology. The retirement age in the Kenya Defense Forces is pegged at 55, and for obvious reasons. At 55, your brain begins to freeze, new ideas become alien to you, and no country can entrust you with military hardware that requires tip-top shock absorption. At 55, the only thing you can control is an automatic doorknob, and only with an engineer's manual. When you attain the age of 40, the military begins to slowly pull you away from the infantry division, preparing you for lighter duties behind an office desk, as you wait for your discharge at 55, or your death, whichever comes first.

No 73 year-old human being, whether he's fitter than fiddle, or with blood cleaner than a whistle, can be entrusted to sustain a revolution, of whatever kind. My father is Raila Odinga's agemate, and even though he rides his bike to attend the Kamilando Welfare Group meetings, down there in Alwala, 10 kilometers weekly, I know the limits he can go and sprinting 100 kilometers to confront an enemy is not one of them.

This is someone who has never stood on neck-deep icy waters even a second of his life. His gonads have never been squeezed by anyone, the closest he has come to being tortured is when I came 10th in one of my end year exams and he almost thought someone had bewitched his child. Today, if a night-runner was to patrol my father's compound at night and kick his main door in bemusement, my father would rely on his sons to come out and confront the madman, because his heart cannot sustain a 400 meters sprint down the Jimo village meandering bends chasing after someone clearly having three set of lungs, and in an ogrish birth-suit.

Like my father, the young people of this country are the ones who should be defending Miguna Miguna. If Miguna Miguna is held up at Kenya's main port of entry, and security forces are using their brains as mjengo helmets, it is upon the young people of this country to rise up and defend the sovereignty of the people and the rule of all law.

A huffing 73 year-old limper cannot take any of the cops man-to-man, even if you were to give him an improvised sniper rifle, because he is challenged, in strength and in grit, and the best he can do is to make futile phone calls to the cockpit whose captain has left the plane on autopilot. If anyone was to attack my father's homestead today and bruise any of his goats, it is me who shall be blamed for aimlessly belching in Nairobi and failing to protect him from dangerous rogues. To whom much is given, much is expected.

You cannot be sitting on your couch insulting a 73 year-old struggler who have already done all he could with the little available to him. At 73, Raila Odinga qualifies for the government cash-for-the-elderly social protection programme given to all Kenyans who have attained the minimum age of 65. It is actually shameful that an under-35 year-old youth, with a clever mouth and panel-beaten English, would in his right senses choose to insult a 73 year-old veteran from the comfort of his living room, sipping a bootlegged bottle of scotch whiskey watching news powered by a screaming box of prepaid tokens.

You have said everything you ever wanted to say to old people not defending human rights in this country. This is your time to get out of your sinking couch, go out there and face the state machinery one-on-one. Until your name is written in the anals of this country's history as having constituted to the struggle for the expansion of the democratic space, kindly stick to your measly lane;

And stop bothering us with your infectious pettiness.

Gabriel O  FB PG .

National Resistance Movement 'general' Miguna Miguna jets to Kenya

The Barrister returns amidist a broken NASA and Uhuru - Raila Handshake . He is the cause of all the political events that took place in Kenya recently .

People are waiting see whether the lawyer will continue from where he left now that the processes is now at the negotiation table the way he envisaged.

He had said Raila to be sworn in first as a People's President before he would meet with President Uhuru Kenyatta, the task he undertook upon himself and swore Hon Raila at Uhuru Park on the famous 30th day , that saw other NASA principals shy away . They didn't attend , acts that have been condemned as Cowardise, and were meant to cripple the process they had agreed upon .

In sensing that the 3 principals; Kalonzo wiper boss, Wetangula Ford kenya Boss and Mudavadi ANC boss were nolonger keen with 2017 polls process rather the trio had embarked in strategising about 2022 ....Raila resorted in efforts to uniting the country as depicted in the famous HandShake . 

NYS enters commuter bus service in style .

Kibera, Githurai, Mwiki, Mukuru kwa Njenga, Dandora, Kariobangi and Kawangware benefit as National Youth Service (NYS) deploys 27 buses to help alleviate the commuter crisis in Nairobi occasioned by the ongoing heavy rains.

 NYS Director General Richard Ndubai said the decision to deploy the NYS buses was made to save commuters from the high fares that are charged by public commuter vehicles during the current season.

This is seen by many as one of the strategie to enter business as President Kenyatta had told NYS to diversify in their operations to survive in the market .

It is not clear if the NYS buses have been cleared to operate as Public Service Vehicles as per the law.

Kenya to test genetically-modified cotton in nine research stations .

30 days to submit your comments on genetically-modified cotton trial on nine research stations in Kenya.

 The National Environment Management Authority on Thursday issued a 30-day deadline for oral or written submission which will bar or allow Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (Karlo) to proceed with trials in nine research stations across the country.

  Karlo is proposing to undertake national performance trials for bt-cotton at Mwea, Katumani,Kampi ya Mawe, Bura, Perkera, Kibos, Alupe, Kerio Valley and Matuga. “We have received Environmental Impact Assesment Study report for national bt-cotton trials in nine station, we invite public to submit their comments within one month,” said Nema in advertisement sponsored by Karlo.

t-cotton is any variety of cotton, genetically enhanced with Bt-genes to protect it against caterpillar pests, especially the African bollworm, which is the most destructive pest in cotton crops. Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) is a beneficial bacteria that occurs naturally in the soil.

It has been used commercially for more than 30 years to control vegetable caterpillars through biochemical insecticides such as Dipel®, Xentari® and Thuricide®.

Kenya has a potential to produce 260,000 bales of cotton annually but currently, our production stands at 28,000, as we get about 572kg/hectare against a potential of 2,500kg/hectare.

FORMER FOOTBALLER GEORGE WEAH WINS LIBERIA ELECTIONS

George Weah has been voted president of Liberia after clinching 12 of the 15 counties in the west African country.

Weah has taken to Twitter to thank all his supporters, saying that he plans to liberate the country.

The former AC Milan striker becomes the 25th president of the country.

His opponent, 73-year-old Joseph Boakai - who has been the country's vice president for the last 12 years, got only two counties to vote for him. 

Holidays amplify Addictions

Can you name some commonly known like alcoholism?

We have to move God from the marginal consultant we call on in times of need, to the center of our lives……

Christians and non-Christian alike battle with addictions and other behaviors that they find themselves struggling to leave behind. Through faith in Jesus Christ and placing emotional and spiritual health as attainable goals, we can all be overcomers.

Sometimes we complicate our own lives. I know that’s quite an understatement for most of us. We indulged in addictions or behavior partly to sooth ourselves in the complicated mess we were in, and the result was…more complications.

There’s hope, but in recovery we will always encounter people and situations that want to divert us from the path of wellness and wholeness. The Lord promises us a way out when we are challenged to fall back (1 Cor. 10:13). But the decision is always ours whether to take his way or our old way.

We have to move God from the marginal consultant we call on in times of need, to the center of our lives. He wants us to experience the love that has given us all things with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:32). God has given us an advantage over this world and all the things in it that we cannot control. Amen

THE FAMOUS FAILURES, THE UNDERDOGS WHO WENT ON TO CHANGE THE WORLD.

23 Incredibly Successful People Who Failed At First

Stephen King at a book signing for "Dr. Sleep."AP Photo/Francois Mori

Rejection can feel devastating, but you shouldn't let it crush you. Some of the world's most successful people have failed — sometimes more than once.

We've put together a list of highly successful people, from movie stars to scientists, who experienced massive failure before they found fame and fortune.

Weaker people might have given up. Instead, these folks remained focused on their goals. 

Scroll down to see the underdogs who went on to change the world.

Winston Churchill was estranged from his political party over ideological disagreements during the "wilderness years" of 1929 to 1939.

AP Photo

At the outbreak of World War II on Sep. 3, 1939, Churchill was appointed to the British Admiralty, thus ending his "exile." The next year, he was elected prime ministerat the age of 62.

Thomas Edison's teachers told him he was "too stupid to learn anything."

AP Photo

Edison went on to hold more than 1,000 patents and invented some world-changing devices, like the phonograph, practical electrical lamp, and a movie camera.

Oprah Winfrey was fired from her first television job as an anchor in Baltimore, where she said she faced sexism and harassment.

Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

But Winfrey reboundedand became the undisputed queen of television talk shows before amassing a media empire. Today she is worth an estimated $2.9 billion, according to Forbes.

Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because he "lacked imagination and had no good ideas."

AP Photo

Several more of his businesses failed before the premiere of his movie "Snow White." Today, most childhoods wouldn't be the same without his ideas.

Steven Spielberg was rejected by the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts multiple times.

Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP

He went on to create the first summer blockbuster with "Jaws" in 1975, and has won three Academy Awards.

R.H. Macy had a series of failed retail ventures throughout his early career.

YouTube/A&E Biography

But at the age of 36, Macy launched R.H. Macy & Co., which grew to become Macy's, one of the largest department store chains in the world.

Soichiro Honda's unique vision got him ostracized by the Japanese business community.

Getty Images/ The Asahi Shimbun

Honda was a mechanical genius who idolized Edison and rebelled against the norm. His passion for aggressive individualism was more fit for the United States, and thus alienated him from Japanese businessmen, who valued teamwork above all else. Honda then boldly challenged the American automotive industry in the 1970s and led a Japanese automotive revolution.

Colonel Harland David Sanders was fired from dozens of jobs before founding a successful restaurant.

AP Photo

He traveled across the U.S. looking for someone to sell his fried chicken, and after finally getting a business deal in Utah, Kentucky Fried Chicken was born. KFC is now one of the most recognizable franchises in the world, with over 18,000 locations.

After having trouble adjusting to the culture and his classes, Dick Cheney dropped out of Yale — and then returned, only to drop out for good.

AP Photo/Richard Drew

George W. Bush once joked: "So now we know if you graduate from Yale, you become president. If you drop out, you get to be vice president."

Sir Isaac Newton's mother pulled him out of school as a boy so that he could run the family farm. He failed miserably.

Getty Images/Portrait by Sir Godfrey Kneller

Realizing her son was not meant to till the land, she let Newton finish his basic education and was eventually persuaded to allow him to enroll in Cambridge University. Newton went on to become one of the greatest scientists of all time, revolutionizing physics and mathematics.

Vera Wang failed to make the U.S. Olympic figure-skating team. Then she became an editor at Vogue and was passed over for the editor-in-chief position.

Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

She began designing wedding gowns at age 40 and today is one of the premier designers in the fashion industry, with a business worth over $1 billion.

When Sidney Poitier first auditioned for the American Negro Theatre, he flubbed his lines and spoke in a heavy Caribbean accent, which made the director angrily tell him to stop wasting his time.

Photo by Dan Steinberg/Invision/AP

Poitier worked on his craft and eventually became a hugely successful Hollywood star. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor and helped break down the color barrier in the American film industry. 

As a child, Albert Einstein had some difficulty communicating and learning in a traditional manner.

AP Photo

Of course, Einstein's communication and behavioral problems were not indicative of a lack of intelligence. He won the Nobel prizein physics for the discovery of the photoelectric effect, and his special theory of relativity theory corrected the deficiencies of Newtonian physics.

In one of Fred Astaire's first screen tests, an executive wrote: "Can't sing. Can't act. Slightly balding. Can dance a little."

AP Photo

Astaire went on to become a Hollywood and Broadway legend.

J.K. Rowling was a single mom living off welfare when she began writing the first "Harry Potter" novel.

Photo by Dan Hallman/Invision/AP

Rowling is now internationally renowned for her seven-book Harry Potter series and, in U.S. currency, became the first billionaire author in 2004.

Charles Darwin was considered an average student. He gave up on a career in medicine and was going to school to become a parson.

AP Photo, File

But as Darwin studied nature, he found his true calling and traveled the world to uncover nature's mysteries. His writings, especially "On the Origin of the Species," fundamentally changed the world of science by spreading the discovery of evolution.

Vincent Van Gogh sold only one painting, "The Red Vineyard," in his life, and the sale was just months before his death.

Getty Images/Self-Portrait by Vincent Van Gogh

If he had given up his artistic career after it proved to strain his financial and emotional well-being, the art world would be missing hundreds of paintings from a true master.

After Harrison Ford's first small movie role, an executive took him into his office and told him he'd never succeed in the movie business.

Photo by Dan Steinberg/Invision/AP

Ford's career went on to span six decades, and has included timeless starring roles in blockbuster films like the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" series.

Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, had his first book rejected by 27 different publishers.

AP Photo

Dr. Seuss became a legendary children's author known around the world for classics like "The Cat in the Hat" and "Green Eggs and Ham." His books have sold over 600 million copies.

Lucille Ball appeared in so many second-tier films at the start of her career that she became known as "The Queen of B Movies."

Getty Images/Mondadori Portfolio

Then she got her big break when CBS picked up her and her husband Desi Arnaz's vaudeville act and turned it into the highly influential sitcom "I Love Lucy."

A young Henry Ford ruined his reputation with a couple of failed automobile businesses.

AP Photo

However, after conducting a search, he was finally able to find a partner who had faith in him. Ford proved he had learned from his mistakes when Ford Motor Company forever changed the automotive industry and culture with his assembly line mode of production. 

While developing his vacuum, Sir James Dyson went through 5,126 failed prototypes and his savings over 15 years.

Getty Images/Derek Hudson

But the 5,127th prototype worked, and the Dyson brand became the best-selling bagless vacuum brand in the United States. He is now worth an estimated $4.5 billion, according to Forbes.

Stephen King grew so frustrated over his attempt to write the novel "Carrie" that he threw away the entire early draft.

AP Photo/Elise Amendola, file

King's wife Tabitha found the manuscript in the trash and took it out. "Carrie" became a hit and launched his career. His novels have since sold over 350 million copies. 

World Aids Day 2017 Theme: My health, my right

My Health My Right

Everyone, regardless of who they are or where they live, has a right to health, which is also dependent on adequate sanitation and housing, nutritious food, healthy working conditions and access to justice. The right to health is supported by, and linked to, a wider set of rights.

Ending AIDS as a public health threat can only happen if these rights are placed at the centre of global health, so that quality health care is available and accessible for everyone and leaves no one behind.

Campaign #myrighttohealth

This year’s World AIDS Day campaign focuses on the right to health.

The #myrighttohealth campaign will provide information about the right to health and what impact it has on people’s lives. It will also aim to increase the visibility around the need to achieve the full realization of the right to health by everyone, everywhere.

Almost all of the Sustainable Development Goals are linked in some way to health, so achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which include ending the AIDS epidemic, will depend heavily on ensuring the right to health.

Remarkable progress is being made on HIV treatment. UNAIDS has launched a new report showing that access to treatment has risen significantly. In 2000, just 685 000 people living with HIV had access to antiretroviral therapy. By June 2017, around 20.9 million people had access to the life-saving medicines. Such a dramatic scale-up could not have happened without the courage and determination of people living with HIV demanding and claiming their rights, backed up by steady, strong leadership and financial commitment.

GLOBAL HIV STATISTICS

19.5 million people were accessing antiretroviral therapy in 2016.

36.7 million [30.8 million–42.9 million] people globally were living with HIV in 2016.

1.8 million [1.6 million–2.1 million] people became newly infected with HIV in 2016.

1 million [830 000–1.2 million] people died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2016.

76.1 million [65.2 million–88.0 million] people have become infected with HIV since the start of the epidemic.

35.0 million [28.9 million–41.5 million] people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since the start of the epidemic.

In 2016, there were 36.7 million [30.8 million–42.9 million] people living with HIV

By UN World Aids Day .

 http://www.un.org/en/events/aidsday/index.shtml