my daughter sent me franctic messages the other day.  she was overwhelmed with just too much to do and she thought there was just too little time to finish all of them.  you see, it is Megan's first semester in the university. and like all of our first times, this is one heck of a hard time for her.  but i believe in her drive and perseverance, her guts and strong will.  if only for those qualities, i knew she could pull through.

but in those precious but few moments that my daughter was able to squeeze in for us to chat, there were words of wisdom that we were able to share with each other. but first i just let her do all the omg's, the hmmp's and whatever sighs she had to let out.  then i did all the lol's.  and before we knew it, she already forgot what she was whimpering about in the first place. and we said our goodnights knowing for sure that the next day, she'd be alright.  that she'd be just fine.

apparently what was causing her panic was really nothing compared to what we, adults experience everyday.  i remember watching the other night in 'the insider' a feature about the rise in the number of suicide cases in the US recently because of the current financial breakdown that they are suffering from. it is a sad reality; so very sad indeed.  on the other hand, in cnn there were features every now and then too about how people are coping in some parts of africa and i am amazed that most of them still persist in what to us seem such the most difficult and harsh conditions for a people to live in and survive.  those afflicted with aids and those dying of hunger, we never heard about them committing suicides. but rather, they hang on to the last threads of their precious lives with what's left of their humanity.  but their spirits were larger than life.  their hopes even stronger. and i guess that's what keeping them alive. the magic word here is hope.  if we live not looking forward to tomorrow, then our todays would be meaningless. 

if somehow though, our today is in a state of panic and chaos, STOP! and for a while, close our eyes and let's take a deep breath.  and think about this- we have 24 hours until tomorrow.  we can only do so much.  and if tomorrow finds that our human limitations reduces us to that weakling who cannot do anything at all, let us remember it is in our weakest that we are strong.  for our strength is in God. 

do you remember a time when you were still a kid, when you felt left out and it was like the whole world was against you?  when you tell you parents your concerns with matching tears and sobbing as if the world is going to end?  remember how it made you feel better when they said that everything's going to be alright and that they love you no matter what?  it made us feel better because we believed that what they said was true.  but now that we're too old to run to our parents (if they are still alive) and sob everytime the world is falling down around us, there is our Lord who never fails.  if our parents loved us too much that they would protect us from all the hurts and pains, how much more our Lord whose love is the greatest.

Megan would survive the first semester (and all the other sems of her life no matter how tough the going gets). she is intelligent. she is hard-working.  she is persistent.  but she also believes that first and foremost, it is the Lord who makes her so. therefore she will always be in GOOD HANDS. and so shall we be, if we only put our trust in Him. like Megan does.

With the kidnapping of oil company workers and seamen dominating the headlines for the past few weeks, it is easy to forget that in many regions of the world the primary targets for hostage-taking are those trying to deliver the most basic and essential services to populations in need – aid workers. Several agencies have been monitoring the trends regarding violence against aid workers over the past decade; among them is the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) at the Overseas Development Institute. In a briefing paper published two years ago, the HPG recorded 202 incidents of kidnapping of aid workers between 1997 and 2005, and also found that the violence does not necessarily correlate to those areas with the highest intensity of conflict. One of the paper’s more interesting findings is that while the number of attacks against UN workers has decreased, attacks against NGO workers have increased. The majority of victims are nationals of the host country.

One can only surmise that the situation has worsened since publication of the report in 2006. Earlier this month, for example, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon spoke about the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, noting that 92 aid workers had been abducted so far this year and 30 killed. And a recent statement signed by 52 NGOs in Somalia highlighted the fact that the humanitarian and security crisis there has led to even more kidnappings and killings of aid workers. Maybe it's time to revisit the recommendations laid out in the HPG report for how to deal with this situation on an international level.

Firstly the Jamaica Gleaner has a quite good report on how slowly but surely attitudes towards homosexuality are changing in Jamaica. Other adjacent nations in the Carribbean are changing their laws to accept gays and lesbians and Jamaica is now becoming the odd nation out in the Carribbean. Even in Cuba things are slowly changing. And then there are healthcare issues where progress cannot be made while homosexuality remains illegal. The article quotes extensively from a new local book by Claude Douglas of St Georges University, Grenada which documents rising numbers of people coming out while gay men and lesbians become more visible in society throughout the region.

Secondly, the Lagos Vanguard probes in depth into the Macaulay family of Lagos. You may remember a few days ago a priest criticised his son for his gayness. Now he describes how his son's homosexuality has torn the whole family apart as they struggle to come to terms with it. He discovered at first his son was gay when he visited his son, a gay preacher, in London and discovered gay books in his home. He phoned his other sons and daughters to discuss the matter and found that they were already aware but were afraid to tell him that his son was gay. Read the article and decide for yourself whether the family is being torn asunder by the gay son, as claimed, or whether in fact the family is rallying around the gay son and it is the father who is drifting away from his own family due to his attitude.

Parklands Darkhana Jamatkhana
Nairobi, Kenya
at ArchNet

Jamatkhana Category at Ismaili Mail (94) posts
http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/category/jamat-khana/

Após longos preparativos, o novo comando militar norte-americano para a África, batizado Africom e anunciado em fevereiro de 2007 pelo presidente Bush, deve estar totalmente operacional no dia 1° de outubro [último].

O anúncio está, desde ontem [2 de outubro], no site da Africom. No artigo retirado de um website do governo norte-americano, "America.gov", a secretária de Estado adjunta para a Defesa, Theresa Wallen, afirmou que a Africom será o elemento "mais visível" da ação dos Estados Unidos para reforçar as relações com a África através de um "engajamento profundo".

A Africom acabará "fazendo parte da paisagem", declarou a responsável norte-americana em resposta às críticas com relação à militarização da política externa dos Estados Unidos na África e às apreensões que suscita a instalação desde novo comando. Oficialmente, a Africom tem o objetivo de oferecer uma assistência aos países africanos em questões de segurança, mas também em outras áreas não-militares.

A nova entidade, "afinada com outras agências governamentais e parceiros internacionais, visa promover um ambiente africano seguro e estável em apoio à política externa norte-americana e, assim, evitar a ocorrência de conflitos", pode-se ler sobre o website.

Nada de muito novo. E o fato de que os outros segmentos da ação diplomática e econômica norte-americana parecem passar sob supervisão militar foi um elemento de inquietação suplementar na África.

Esta militarização do conjunto das áreas de política externa dos EUA para o continente gera preocupações mesmo no interior dos Estados Unidos. Um relatório do Departamento de Controle Governamental (GAO), publicado em julho, revelava que "o departamento de Estado e responsáveis da Agência para o Desenvolvimento Internacional preocupam-se que a Africom assuma a direção de todas as ações norte-americanas na África, e não somente das atividades do Departamento de Defesa".

Controlar as fontes de energia

É difícil para os governos africanos, e ainda mais para as opiniões públicas, ver algo de angelical na instalação desde comando militar. O argumento da luta antiterrorista e seu uso abusivo feito pela administração Bush não ajudam a passar segurança. A fortiori, quando observamos que a presença norte-americana tem a tendência de levar o terrorismo no seu rastro. É certamente por esta razão que, do norte ao sul do continente, são preferidos os mecanismos puramente africanos de prevenção e de solução de conflitos. O aspecto securitário, com um terrorismo cujo peso cresceu deliberadamente, serve de pretexto para questões mais elementares. O avanço econômico chinês sobre um continente rico em fontes de energia é a razão fundamental desta disposição norte-americana por ter uma presença física maior na África.

O contexto econômico é, de fato, primordial. Cerca de 15% das importações de petróleo dos Estados Unidos provêm de países africanos e este número deveria chegar aos 25% no próximo decênio.

Não é preciso ser um grande estrategista para ver uma ligação direta entre a criação da Africom e o objetivo estratégico de controlar as fontes de fornecimento de energia situadas sobre o continente. Mark Fancher, membro da Conferência Nacional dos Advogados Negros dos Estados Unidos, concorda com a opinião africana assinalando que "o comando africano dos Estados Unidos não é nada mais do que um instrumento que visa garantir o acesso da indústria petrolífera norte-americana às grandes reservas energéticas da África. Se alguém interferir, tememos que estes sejam etiquetados como terroristas e transformem-se em alvo de ataques militares". A Africom, trata-se de um eufemismo, não suscitou entusiasmo na África. Os militares norte-americanos não encontraram nenhum país disposto a acolher seu quartel-general e eles deverão continuar a operar a partir da Europa. As longas visitas de "explicação" dos oficiais norte-americanos não foram suficientes para vencer as reticências e as oposições africanas.

M. Saâdoune

Acesse o texto original clicando aqui.

The Democratic Republic of Congo currently has a non-functional judicial system which is heavily influenced by bribery. The judicial infrastructure is clearly broken down and on its knees. The lack of judicial authority is exemplified by inmates literally taking over their own prison (as reported by Anderson Cooper).

Corruption is rampant in the administration of the government and there is a lack of transparency in the management of the countries plentiful natural resources (diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, coltan zinc, and oil).

Violent militias and the undisciplined national army (FARDC) continue to plague the civilians of the north-eastern areas of the country. Despite signing a ceasefire in 2007 there have been continued clashes between General Laurent Nkunda's CNDP movement and FARDC. And this past summer the Rwandan militia group, FDLR, attacked civilian camps in North Kivu.

After the 2006 elections the political diversity of the country has shrunk dramatically as president Kabila's ruling party has consolidated power. Force has been used against the opposition, especially supporters of Jean-Pierre Bemba, leader of the MLC. As recently as 2008 the government has also used brutal police tactics which killed over 100 civilians while cracking down on the political cultural movement Bundu dia Kongo.

Fall 2008 has witnessed increased instability. The Ugandana LRA launched attacks in the east. Meanwhile, despite the ceasefire, the CNDP and FARDC continue military engagement in the east.

According to both the CNDP itself and international watch dogs, serious steps must be taken in the east to avert another outbreak of violence and war.

The Economist : Opportunity Knocks

"Despite the litany of problems, the 48 countries of sub-Saharan Africa are, by several measures, enjoying a period of unparalleled economic success. And despite the turmoil in the world’s financial markets, international investors still think they can make money there.
In 1990-94 annual GDP growth was a weak 0.9%; since then, growth has averaged closer to 5%. Before this autumn’s financial meltdown, the IMF was predicting GDP growth of 6.6% this year; now it is predicting only a slightly lower rate. Annual GDP growth per person was 1.1% in the late 1990s; from 2004 to 2006 it was around 4%. In 1990 47% of Africans lived in poverty; in 2004 41% did and, if present trends continue, only 37% will by 2015."

Growing up, I had a very negative view of my first nams. Call it Westernization or anything else, but for starters, like myself, my name was ethnically mixed. Back in Nigeria, people couldn't always wrap their minds around the fact that I could be both Igbo and Urhobo. Therefore, the second part of my name was usually replaced with an Igbo word that meant something totally different than the Urhobo word placed there. It's a hyphenated name, and it caused me frustration. I'd tell myself, "Why didn't they call me Ndidi or Ese? Not both!"

Fastforward about a decade, and I'm back in the United States, where little kids could get my name the first time I mentioned it to them, but most people can't. If I told any random stranger my name, 9 times out of 10 their pronunciation would maul my name like a polar bear. Or there's usually a "What? Come again." And in these three years of living here, it frustrates me. My parents have Western first names, and so do most of their brothers and sisters. My grandparents have the same. However, when it came to my generation, it was post-colonial times, and everyone wanted to claim back the names they had as middle names, and use them as their future children's first. No, I'm the only Ndidi in my family, but still. You get the point.

It's tiring that Ndidi can hardly ever be pronounced right. If you pronounce it wrong (which most people do), you call me "people", not "patience". The name also attracts lots of stereotypes - one of them being "You're not from here." I'm from upscale Manhattan, silly. I grew up in Nigeria, but I wasn't born there, that's the past, and I only draw from those experiences at will. 

So when I was 15, I made a nickname for myself, Neeci. A contraction of my middle name, Eunice, it was easier on people's tongues (heck, some people still call me that). I remember sending my dad an e-mail saying I wanted an official change of name. It got laughed off. Now, I'm 18, and I could easily knock off "Ndidi-Ese" into limbo, but that got me thinking...

Am I willing to fall into the "name colonialism" of sorts? Prior to 1960 (and even past that), most Nigerian children were not given ethnic names. With the predominance of the Catholic and Anglican dioceses, "Christian" names abounded. This is seen in the following names of my grandma's kids: Abraham. Patricia. Helen. Marie. Geraldine. Joseph. Patrick. It's not until the 70s and 80s you start getting Ejiros and Tegas. So where did the "ethnic" names go? Right in the middle. I haven't studied colonialism enough to know whether it was a law, but from my Nigerian literature, I remember there being a white teacher in a story who shortened his/her students' names so they could be more "palatable". Chukwudi became "Chuck".

So, I'm thinking....my family was "forced" in a sense not to use their ethnic names. I was given that chance of an ethnic name, but in Western society, it's just not good enough. Eunice is easier than Ndidi, no? 

Every time I have this discussion with someone else, they tend to say, "Well, Westerners aren't great at pronouncing stuff that doesn't fit their intonation." Huh. As someone who studies Japanese, many people have Japanese intonation down pat (it's not just the otaku, seriously). I am yet to hear someone botch up Hideo Kojima's name or Miyamoto-san's. So what is the problem here? 

I think I have one. Africa, from the Western standpoint, is still this far-off, "dark" continent, ripe with AIDS, babies with distended bellies, and villages galore. I remember when CNN had coverage in Lagos, Nigeria a few times. You always saw the beggars, and never the housing estates. Heck, did they even know where the housing estates were?

I even see this in other African countries' media outlets. The South Africa on, say, MNET, is different from the South Africa you get in your daily American newspaper. One media outlet sees the bad and the good- the other sees just the bad.

Two. Africa is seen (and I see this in so many mission-minded people) as a place to redeem, and needs our help. The countries are never seen as reliable countries to trade with, and if they are known for their trade, then, oh well, there goes the Western media just being negative.

Case in point? My second country, Nigeria. It's one of two African countries in the OPEC (the other being Libya). Do you hear of them? No, unless someone's rioting somewhere. Who do you hear of? Qatar. Iran. Iraq. Saudi Arabia.

Speaking of the Fertile Crescent, why do Americans think that's where all the Muslims are? Does it ever occur to them that there are Africans who are Muslims (and we're not talking NOI here!)? But oh no, that doesn't matter unless it's Barack Obama we're talking about, and his late Kenyan dad who was Muslim, so obviously, he inherited his religious beliefs from him.

Three. We're all seen as monolithic beings, with obviously, every country speaking one language. If I get asked, "What language do you speak in Nigeria?" I will scream! Heh. Nigeria's diversity rivals India's. I can't tell you how many ethnic groups there are, but there are many, with various dialects. And this led to the colonists setting a lingua franca for each country colonized. 

I will stop for now. But this deconstruction will continue one day.

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Simply drop me a note about your area of interest and what are you doing about it currently. Email to me at: affirmind.ravi@gmail.com.

]]> http://globalistrev.wordpress.com/?p=177 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 17:51:53 +0000 maximusiii http://globalistrev.nl.wordpress.com/2008/10/11/beneath-the-purple-flowers/

By Anonymous

(Note: Due to security issues involved with working in Zimbabwe, all identifying names have been changed)

Fully bloomed Jacaranda trees line Robert Mugabe Avenue in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, filling the skyline with a vibrant purple and blanketing the pothole-filled street with fallen flowers. This is today's Zimbabwe. "The Old Man" and his cronies may cover them up with flowery speeches and news stories about progress, but everyone knows the potholes are still there and growing deeper every day.

The question is whether the new power sharing deal is a step towards filling them and rebuilding a nation that, not long ago, boasted some of the region's most beautiful cities, one of its stronger infrastructures, and one of its most thriving economies. Indeed, there is a long way to go. Inflation has soared over 200 million percent.

"I tell you, if you were here even five years ago you'd have never wanted to leave," a bakery owner told me. "This was the best country in Africa for everything. The best schools, the best roads, the best parks. But now, look at this place." As people struggle to survive the current economic crisis, their love and pride for Zimbabwe seems to have become a distant memory.

WAITING, WATCHING, AND WALKING
Three images stick in my mind from my week in Bulawayo: bank queues, satellite dishes, and gasoline-filled juice bottles.

Imagine waiting in line at a bank for seven hours and only being able to access about 70 cents per day. When I arrive on September 25th, this is the situation for most Bulawayo residents. Every other street corner has a bank; every bank has a queue. Some queues only number around 300 people, half-filling a city block. Others number well over one thousand, wrapping all the way around a street corner, sometimes two.

The kicker is that the government has imposed a daily withdrawal limit of 1,000 Zim dollars (about $.70), so despite waiting all day, people are not even able to withdraw enough to purchase a loaf of bread. "There is no money," my friend ****'s grandmother tells me later that night as we sit down to a dinner of sadza (a mushy cornmeal-like staple in the local diet) and cabbage. "We are just trying to hold on."

Since the sidewalks remain filled with hungry and hot queuers, **** and I often have to walk in the street to get anywhere. Fortunately (or unfortunately), traffic remained minimal, as the price of gas (sold at over $10/gallon and only in foreign currency) deterred many motorists from driving unless absolutely necessary. (In fact, almost no cars are to be found on the city streets during the weekend.) As we walk past the longest queue, I ask **** if it is safe to take a photo. "Only if you want to disappear," he laughs. "There are a lot of crocodiles. And they're hungry." Having heard stories of thousands disappeared 'dissenters,' I take my hand away from my camera. We both wonder how long it will take to drain the rhetorical moat protecting the Zimbabwean government from homegrown criticism and the rest of the world from journalistic truth.

Zimbabwe has one TV station. It is owned by the government. Zimbabwe has four radio stations. They are owned by the government. Zimbabwe has 12 million people...Do you wonder why millions of them leave? Those who stay arm themselves not with weapons but with satellite dishes.

Even in some of Bulawayo's poorest neighborhoods, it is not uncommon to see homes equipped with satellite dishes. No matter that walls and roofs are eroding, that lawns are filled with trash, that children are malnourished and under-clothed. To a westerner accustomed to seeing these oversized discs as a simple of luxury, this seems backwards. But it's a matter of priorities. For many families in Bulawayo, it seems, satellite dishes are more important than all these things. To understand why one must understand the current political climate - a climate of silent corruption, where free speech does not exist and where questioning words are silenced by threats of violence if not death. Instead of speaking out, people quietly watch their television sets, hoping tomorrow will bring change. Ironically, Zimbabweans have to watch South African TV or listen to South African radio to find out if any progress has been made within their own country. "You can't trust the Zimbabwean stations," my friend told me. "They are filled with lies and propaganda. If you want the truth, you pay attention to South African channels." As a result, people rely on their satellite dishes to remain informed, to remain powerful, to remain hopeful. And in times of crisis and desperation, it seems many people value hope over clothing, cleanliness, and proper nutrition.

On Friday, I head into the field with six GRS coaches, including **** and ****, both professional soccer players who have played for Zimbabwe's Men's and Women's National teams, respectively, and have worked with GRS as health educators in Bulawayo schools since 2003. Due to limited funding, we have to make the 8km journey to the school in a public minibus (or 'Emergency Taxi'), a sweaty, uncomfortable mode of transport with which I became well acquainted in the Dominican Republic (16 seats; 25 people). The drivers obtain fuel from the black market (as do many individuals, I'm sure), siphoning red-colored petrol from a 2-gallon juice bottle kept behind the passenger's seat.

Half way to our destination, we run out of gas. In a seemingly automatic movement, the driver grabs a new red juice bottle from the trunk, punches a hole in its lid with a pen, fixes the siphon (spilling the mixture on a passenger's toes), and fights with the machine again to get it to combust the cheap substitute. After leaving the minibus and walking another kilometer, we arrive at the school, smelling as if we showered in gasoline. I arrive expecting 100 rambunctious, out-of-control 13-year-olds, but am blown away by the amount of respect the adolescents hold for the GRS coaches. The kids don't seem to mind our odor, applauding and chanting "Kwinji, Kwinji, Kwinji!" as she comes through the door with a smile. Throughout the two-hour session, this energy never once falters. Imagine if your weekly 8th grade health classes were led not by overworked, middle-aged teachers but by players from the Green Bay Packers or Boston Red Sox. Who ever thought health education could be this exciting?

Nevertheless, foundations are afraid of funding GRS Zimbabwe because of the political situation. A recent proposal to a UK foundation looked very likely for approval before a board member reportedly raised concern that, somehow, by supporting a South African-based NGO working to prevent HIV in Zimbabwe, the funding could end up in Mugabe's hands. If this man had visited Bulawayo, he would have not only realized that is not the case, but that, during times of crisis, aid is more important than ever. GRS has worked in at least 14 schools in Bulawayo and graduated over 13,000 youth from its HIV prevention and life skills program since 2003. Current funding, however, only allows for programming in two schools. We anxiously wait for things to turn around in Zim, so the program can continue to grow stronger and so we can continue providing at-risk young people the knowledge, skills, and support they need to protect themselves from HIV.

[/caption]

The Herald newspaper, an organ of [Zimbabwe President Robert] Mugabe's Zanu-PF party, published a report on Saturday  saying that Mugabe had allocated ministries among the three parties which signed the country's recent power-sharing agreement. The newspaper said he had formally published the allocation in Zimbabwe's government gazette. It claimed that only the ministry of finance remained the subject of dispute between the parties.

But the Movement for Democratic Change of Prime Minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai issued a statement saying Mugabe had acted unilaterally overnight on Friday night in a bid to pre-empt the intervention of former President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, the Southern African Development Community mediator on Zimbabwe. Mbeki is due in Zimbabwe within days.

MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said Mugabe had gazetted the ministries only hours after parties had referred the logjam over all key ministries to Mbeki. Chamisa called the Herald report's list a "wish list of ministries" which was "a product of unilateral, contemptuous and outrageous machinations by Zanu-PF."

He said Mugabe's move "puts the whole deal into jeopardy."

via AllAfrica.com: Zimbabwe: Mugabe Claims All Key Ministries

Following on the heels of the impromptu Malaria/DDT carnival earlier in the week, take a look at these posts:

• From My Garden - A Kiwi Gardener's Green Blog, a note that the bees have gone missing in New Zealand, too, and some conjecture on why.
• From :the flash advancer, an announcement of pending publication of a study showing links between pesticide exposure and neurological disease.
  

  This new research shows that farmers who used agricultural insecticides experienced increased neurological symptoms, even when they were no longer using the products. Data from 18,782 North Carolina and Iowa farmers linked use of insecticides, including organophosphates and organochlorines, to reports of reoccurring headaches, fatigue, insomnia, dizziness, nausea, hand tremors, numbness and other neurological symptoms. Some of the insecticides addressed by the study are still on the market, but some, including DDT, have been banned or restricted.

  These findings will be available online in April, and published in the June issue of Environmental Health Perspectives. The research is part of the ongoing Agricultural Health Study funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Cancer Institute, two of the National Institutes of Health, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

• From Dear Thyroid, a meditation on continuing remission of thyroid cancer.  The author wonders whether running through DDT sprays as a child contributed to the thyroid cancer.  Interesting thought -- thyroid cancers are almost common among downwind victims of the fallout from U.S. atmospheric atom bomb tests, but I am unaware of links to DDT.  I've asked the author for more information.
• From Sociolingo's Africa, the press release from Africa Fighting Malaria (AFM) complaining about European Union regulations of pesticides, claiming that such regulations make availability of pesticides difficult for malaria fighters in Africa.  AFM is Roger Tren's organization, Tren being one of the foremost frothers against Rachel Carson and rational restrictions on DDT use.  The petition seems to make no sense, other than offering an opportunity for a press release against environmentalists.  Again, I've asked the blogger for more details, if any.

Philip Berg, esq has one question for Obama: "If you're a natural born citizen, what are you hiding?"

He is not eligible to be President under the Constitution.

Yesterday, we slept in a little. We left later to go on some in-home visits. We had breakfast, and then we went to the school to pick up Weniel and little Emmanuel. Evelyn and Mama Eric came with us.

Our first stop was at Weniel’s house. His father is a pastor of a little congregation of about 60. Their home is mud, dung, and sticks. They live with a few of their children. They have seven total; I think there are ten people in their house.

They live in a pretty common manner. They farm a little plot of land for maize, keep a cow for someone else because they are getting the calf, and raise chickens. The roof was tin, and they have a little electricity for a light and radio. Water comes from a faucet about twenty-five yards from the house. They have had materials to build a house since 1995, blocks and bricks donated by their church, but haven’t had enough money to build even now. The construction costs are just too high for the simply income they have. The cooking area is simply three stones on the ground to support a pot that rests over an open fire.

The pastor was a very kind and hospitable man. He was wearing a suit when we arrived, and they brought out every chair, stool, and bench they had so that we could sit and speak with them outside. We sat and discussed their lifestyle, how they farmed, and how they had raised their children.
To be honest, the situation was a little uncomfortable. It’s like “we’re coming to see you poor people and how you live in squalor.” I didn’t take my camera out of the van. One thing I really tried to do with all of my photos is show how much joy there is here. I avoided taking pictures of the kids when they were in pain (after getting out of the dentist’s office), and I didn’t feel comfortable taking photos of this family’s house. I kept reminding myself that I’m not here to be a journalist, I’m here to love them and show them Christ. Plus, with what I learned and experienced at Fountain of Hope, for many people, I may have a more effective communication of why people should help by pointing out the absolute joy of being there and the love experienced by connecting with those children.

After we left, we went to Ema’s house, or rather his grandmother’s. It also was a small mud house with a tin roof, although I’m pretty sure she had no electricity. She buys water from her neighbors. She gathers grass to sell for hay everyday to buy food. The house she lives in is actually not even hers, it is owned by someone else. I’m not sure if she pays rent or if they just allow her to live there.

I’m not sure if I can really even describe how I felt sitting there with this woman. Again, we were treated as honored guests, but I almost felt like I was intruding. She told us the story of her daily work and struggle to get food and water. It’s a day to day existence. What was really troubling is that there were numerous banana trees in her front yard, and she was surrounded by fields of maize. However, even with food all around, the plants and land are not hers, so she cannot take from them.

Ema, his father, and his grandmother are HIV positive. Ema was left at the orphanage at 2mos old, and this was the third time his grandmother had seen him. No one knows where his mother is. I believe Ema’s father is working somewhere as a painter. The grandmother was very concerned for her family, and their spiritual well being. I think every heart broke as we asked if we could pray for her. Instead of asking us to pray out her lifestyle, or for more work, or healing, or that God would provide for her children, she asked that we would pray that God would give her wisdom about how to deal with her family.

Our day wasn’t all sadness though, Ramadan ran over her neighbor’s hedge while trying to turn around when we got to the grandmother’s house. Fortunately, he only got the end of it, and the people were very kind about it. It was very fortunate that they knew the people we were going to see, and I think Evelyn did a wonderful job apologizing for us. We also stopped on the way out of town to buy two boxes full of food and supplies that we gave to each family while we were there, and of course, we gave out candy.

After lunch, the dental team went to FoH to finish the 1st and 2nd grade kids. The rest of us went to Fountain of Joy to pick up the shirts we were having made, but it turns out they aren’t ready yet. I also got some dolls for J&B&D. We spent a little while there doing bracelets, talking to Mary, and listening to them sing a few songs.

We then headed back to FoH, because it was almost five. The dental team was still working, and they finished pretty late because this was their last day to work and they wanted to make sure and finish every child. I’m really proud of them. They’ve worked their butts off and have generally done a great job. I feel a bit ashamed, because it seems like I got to hang out and have fun for two weeks, while they had to scare/hurt people (people cover their mouths now when they see Jason :) ) and work.

The rest of us just talked to some of the students while we waited. Kili came out again; we only saw the mountain a few times the whole time we were here. It’s a beautiful sight, and I’d really like to climb it some day.

Supper was at Pastor and Josephine’s house. They live is a nice house near town, where I’m told they actually have a washing machine, although it’s not quite the same as what we think of when we talk about washing machines. Josephine cooked some traditional Chagga food, and we sat and talked until it was late. The food was quite different. There were green bananas (didn’t care for them much), some sort of root that was a lot like potato in taste (not bad at all). Then there was the fruit of that same plant, and I didn’t care for it as much as the root. We also had some curried chicken, which isn’t bad. Overall, I really can’t complain about the food we’ve had here. Actually, to say I can’t complain isn’t even fair. The cooks at the house were incredible, really. It’s better than I eat at home, by far.

It’s hard to say goodbye, because we really spent such a very little time with the Shoos since we’ve been here. Josephine is a wonderful lady, and Pastor is quite the jokester. I really enjoyed both the nights that we ate with them.

It was just over a year ago that I ran the half-marathon in Chicago, and watching the race today gave me the urge to run again.  I haven't, however, been consistently running for a while now, so I'm putting this out there for some encouragement and accountability.  I'm gonna run again!

This weekend is having a running theme I guess.  My good friend Heather from church is running in the Chicago marathon with Team World Vision.  Team World Vision Ozarks is a team here in Springfield that has trained for the Chicago Marathon!! 26.2 miles On October 12th, 2008!!! They are an official charity team who raises money for children in Africa.  I know Heather's heart to make a difference for kids in Africa, and this weekend she's doing it one mile at a time for 26.2!!  Go Heather!

Are you a runner?

O monte Kilimanjaro é o pico culminante do continente africano com seus 5895 m. Está localizado no norte da Tanzânia, junto à fronteira com o Quênia é um vulcão extinto.

O monte Kilimanjaro é uma montanha única no meio das savanas, o que faz dele mais uma maravilha do nosso planeta. Em torno do local, está o Parque Nacional do Kilimanjaro, que se tornou Patrimônio Mundial da UNESCO.

Mesmo quem nunca praticou alpinismo na vida pode tentar subir o monte, já que existem diversas vias para a passagem. Cerca de 20000 pessoas tentam chegar ao cume. Mas isso não quer dizer que seja fácil. O tamanho das vias, a extrema altitude e o frio que lá deixa neves eternas, fazem deste um desafio memorável.

Como eu disse antes, o vulcão está extinto, mas pode estar acontecendo uma lenta retomada da atividade vulcânica. No início do século XX, existiam cerca de 12 km² de geleiras no topo do monte. Hoje em dia, existem 2 km². O principal suspeito desse efeito, é claro, o aquecimento global, que já se mostrou infundado (pelo menos nesse caso). A verdade é que o vulcão pode estar voltando à atividade, já que não é incomum a manifestação de fumaça no topo, mesmo que seja em pequena quantidade.

Vídeo

Um grupo de turistas norte-americanos visita o monte Kilimanjaro e suas redondezas num belo vídeo que não só destaca as características geográficas da região, mas também a cultura do povo que vive do turismo. Um vídeo que serve para tirarmos de nossa cabeça o estereótipo de que a África é constituída apenas de pobreza.

Saiba mais

Informações para turistas.
Muitas fotos do local.
As Neves de Kilimanjaro, clássico romance de Ernest Hemingway que se passa no local.

Shortly after Obama “that Great one” took office, something miraculous happened: people started believing. It’s funny, I was so negative and skeptical about him, at first I resisted; I thought nothing of the Hope he claimed to bring to the world. I was too blinded by my neoconservative views to see that I was suffering from hopelessness and to notice that He was hopeful; and like a contagion His hopefulness spread to the people winning hearts and minds, not only Americans but Europeans also.

Europeans were the first as a people to notice – they were truly enlightened indeed. And the Change he came to bring, I derided that thing as chump change, I even wrote a blog titled “I DON’T NEED YOUR CHUMP CHANGE, OBAMA”. Change came quickly, my piggy bank felt it, I felt it, and the Nation felt it. Obama like a nurturing mother took care of us and nurtured us. I wouldn’t say I was living off the government, but now I could manage to be a full-time blogger doing what I love while living on the monthly stipend I was receiving from the government. Also, I finally got my teeth and back fixed with the universal health care program passed by the democratic congress and signed by President Obama. I’m not broken anymore, and Washington is not broken anymore also.

Obama brought the blacks and the whites together, they both combined to make Mexicans. He eliminated racism, sexism, feminism, capitalism, nucular bombs (He actually rounded up all the nucular weapons and with his mighty grip launched them into the sun) and all the evils America brought into the world. Religious fanatics didn’t have the need to cling to their bibles and guns anymore; they felt safe in this brave new world. The Islamic extremists, well they are still ranting about. You can spot a bearded punk preaching every now and then on a corner somewhere but they each keep a picture of “that Great One” in their homes. His soothing presence and kind eyes keeps them calm.

I have the Leader's portrait in my great family room, and I swear sometimes I feel like He can tell when I’m feeling angry or stressed out because I’ll glance at Him and He’s staring at me also. No matter where in the room I am, He always tries to calm me down.

We are now glad to call Africa America’s greatest friend; after making Oprah Grand Ambassador to Africa, things drastically changed in that poor country. America opened its arms and embraced Africans and we managed to inoculate our brothers and sisters with new vaccines developed with government sponsored research. After that we opened our borders to our new immigrants with "The Bridge to Everywhere" project. We restored the umbilical cord back to the Motherland and declared “We’re all Black now, like our forefathers”. Soon after that, I don’t know how but Kenyan Immigrants sending the salary they earned in America managed to transform Kenya into Africa’s first Superpower.

I love Kenyan food, and as testament to the open society we live in we have opened our palates to an abundance of various foods. The Obama administration encouraged this via the creation of a new government initiative called “Open Society, Open Palates” which managed to change people's culinary sense of taste and save the world from global food shortage. Now I enjoy a plethora of food such as Culonas Colombianas and fried worms. I always keep a flask of Scorpion Vodka wherever I go also.

Oh, shit! I just dropped a load of Peruvian kitty chunchurria I was chewing on on my crocs. Now I’m pissed!

Some hag sitting next to me: Say it aint so, Joe! You just dropped kitty shit on your croak.

Me: It ain't croaks, it's crocs, stupid! (trying to restrain my anger).

Crazy hag: My name is Louise Heath. How do you do? I'm related to the late Princess Diana ya know.

Me: You must be from England, you have a weird accent. I'm from the past; I've been living in the future for a while and I'm going back to give an account of the future.

Louise: Yeah, I've been taking a looksee every now and then at your notepad. Your story is right on the money also.

Me: OH OH OH, I got to get one last photo of the White House before the Kenyans paint it black. The Kenyan Painting Company of America won a huge contract to handle all painting services of the Nation’s monuments and government buildings; they are going to paint it all grim and black.

Louise: Yeah, d'you hear that the Haitian Landscaping Company of America got a similar job. They brung a boatload of cats also. I got an apartment full of cats. I'll never go hungry again.

Me: I like my cats Peruvian style. Thank God for Obama's stink, He saved the world you know.

Cat Lady Louise: How d'that happen?

Me: Here's how it happened: The reason the White House is being painted black is to cover up all the poopie smears and boogies on the Presidential walls and...

Cat Lady: Why don't they just get Mr. Clean to clean it up?

Me: Don't interrupt, bitch! I gotta keep my anger under control, I don't want to be approached by another member of the Stepping Chill Squad again, alright.

Me: Look you wipe off the boogies and poopies and you get rid of the stink. You get rid of the stink and you get rid of the rats attracted to the stink. No rats, NO CATS! No cats, NO FOOD! Save the stink, save the world from food shortage. Obama realized this and this is why he created the "Open Society, Open Palate" initiative to get people to try eating out of their range of comfort and hence start eating the cats that over-populated the Capitol when the new landscapers brought them. Now, he is trying to recreate the same thing with all government building and monuments. Obama's boogies and poopies are being spread everywhere, so we can make it stink and feed more people when we run out of insects.

Cat Lady: Oh golly, I get it now! So he just stinks up the place right? Thank golly for those immigrants they do the jobs American Blacks and Hispanics are too lazy to do anymore.

Me: Yeah, look, this was first reported when he was running for President of the United States against the old man and the milfy chick. Well, the media that was traveling with him started noticing a bad stink; he was just badly organized and messy, left half-eaten cheeseburgers everywhere, farted all over the place, toilet paper was always running out, and his campaign officials left buggers everywhere just to fuck with the media covering his campaign.

Me: And then when he got to the White House, he continued the practice. Men are creature of habits. Look you can read all about it here:

Reporter's Notebook: Seeing How The Other Half Lives

Louise the Cat Lady: Say, I gotta restaurant slash shooting range with a machine gun, wanna shoot up some cats in a barrelful. We can cook it up however you like. We can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, cat gumbo, pineapple kitty, pussy soup. That- that's about it.

Me: Unbelievable, I was actually heading there. I've been here all day but the bus hasn't come yet.

Louise Heath the Cat Lady: Ya dummy! It's right down the street.

Me: Then what the hell are you doing here?

Louise: I don't know? I was thinking about taking the bus also. I guess I had a brain fart.

Me: You got Jive gravy sauce.

Her: You betcha! (she gives me a flirtatious wink)

Me: I like my pussies Peruvian style.

Her: I like eating those too! (another wink -- this is going to turn into another blog)

]]> http://africaheadlines.wordpress.com/?p=321 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:25:43 +0000 travelhouseuk http://africaheadlines.nl.wordpress.com/2008/10/11/two-aid-workers-held-in-mogadishu/ Two aid workers Willem Sools a Dutch and Keiko Akahane Japanese have been kidnapped by Islamists group in Somalia. Sools 27 and Akahane 32 work for the French organization Medicines Du Monde (MDM). Our reporter was allowed by the kidnappers to see the captives and reports that they are in a good condition.The Spokesperson of the group, Kulan Farah, told reporter on Friday about the kidnap. He said that they do not want any ransom, but want the Ethiopian government to free from their jails some Somalis including their relatives that country has captured. The aid workers are one man and one woman they are in stable condition and they are happy Al though they were in a narrow room our Reporter said. Captives Names are Willem Sools from Dutch aged 27 he is a nurse and the other from Japan her name is Keiko Akahane aged 32 she is a full doctor.

“Our situation is quite good, we live the normal situation we always make our cooking food we can drink, we have a good bed we can sleep but we are very worried about our family, friends and our relatives,” Sools said

“My nationality is Japanese and I am feelinging the same as my college.We can eat and we can sleep. We can also do some tasks about our Mission,” Akahane said.She added that she wants to speak to her family and tell them that she is fine and physical well.Gunmen kidnapped the two foreign aid workers in a Somali town near the Ethiopian border18 days a go and they moved the captives to the central Somali regions, before they reach Mogadishu some days ago, authorities said.

Islamic militants and some Somali nationalists have been battling the government and its Ethiopian allies since the Islamists were driven from the capital in late December 2006.

Credits: Maurice Arama, "Le Maroc de Delacroix" -Jaguar 1987/ Charles Baudelaire, "Salon de 1845"/ "Eugène Delacroix" in "Curiositès esthétiques", Garnier, 1962,1986/ "Delacroix au Maroc", colletif, éditions Rabat, 1963/ Maurice Sérullaz," Delacroix", Fayard, 1989/ Guy Dumur, "Delacroix e le Maroc", Herscher, 1989.

“The suffering has not being this bad and it is getting worse. Many people who went on exile are returning and there is limited work. Many are also coming from rural areas and everywhere, there are too many people who are jobless and the government has to quickly do something before the situation gets worse,” she added.

According to Rombela, the women in the Township have embarked on various forms of empowerment programmes but need government support, “what we are telling our women is that they should not just sit down but consider doing something. We are telling them to stand up and work for themselves,” she said.

Reverend Faleni Mzukisi of the Presbytarian Church of Africa in Nyanga, Cape Town also decried the high rate of poverty in the country despite its perceived affluence.

He said: “The impression that is created is that South Africa is the United States of Africa but majority of the people live below poverty level and cannot afford basic facilities”.Mzukisi acknowledging that the country’s constitution has many provisions that guarantees basic human rights, he noted they amount to nothing when people are unable to live a good life.“People don’t eat human rights. How do you preach to people who have not eaten and have no hope for any job” Mzukisi noted.

How do people really survive in a country with 231 million % inflation, worthless money, shortage of fuel, meaningless salaries, where prices go up every day, where medical attention has become a luxury because it has gone beyond the reach of many, where parents can not afford to pay school fees. A country suffering from the yoke of economic sanctions romanticised as targeted travel bans by the all powerful west. The country is with erratic electricity supply and flowing raw sewage. Zimbabwe is suffering from internal political tension, international condemnation and isolation.

Sifelani Mapfumo, is a 32 year-old school teacher in the high density suburb of Tafara (ironically meaning we are happy) in Harare. He earns $12 000 Zimbabwean dollars per month (about US$30) and he almost cried as he explained how the money does not sustain him.

A loaf of bread costs $800, meat $3000 per kilo, transport costs $400 per single trip, he has to pay for school fess for his two kids who each needs about $10 000 per term and he has to pay rent. Landlords demand payment of rent in foreign currency which is about R250 (South African Rands, thus about $24 000).

We are not even talking about clothes and support for his ageing parents in the rural areas or the groceries needed per month. Sifelani needs at least $75 000 per month to survive but he only earns a paltry $12 000. So how does he and other Zimbabweans survive?

In order to make ends meet, Sifelani relies on monthly support from his younger brother who is working as a general hand in South Africa. The younger brother sends foreign currency every month and it makes a very big difference in Zimbabwe. “This is how many people survive; we receive foreign currency from the diaspora. US$100 is equivalent to Z$54 000 so it makes a lot of impact here, otherwise I cant imagine how I would survive with my peanuts of a salary,” said Sifelani.

BarCamp Africa brings people, institutions and enterprises interested in Africa - as a topic, an opportunity, or a place of action - together in one location to exchange ideas, build connections, re-frame perceptions and catalyze action that leads to positive involvement and mutual benefit between Silicon Valley and the continent of Africa.

The event has kicked off and is sold out, but that's no reason not catch a bit of the action. You can follow the event as it streams live on Upstream , Twitter , Flickr  and Blogs . Also get more information on the event at the BarCamp Africa website.