The Village

Oh dear, Africans have started spoofing African Americans, this can't be good.

2009-10-16T22:59:00.000-07:00

MTV cribs, African style.

Nigerian version of Single ladies.

Now here is a Black Man talking sense. There is hope....

2009-10-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

LZ Granderson says the black community should focus on its problems rather than the beliefs of Rush Limbaugh.

CNN) -- Things ain't what they used to be.

That sentiment harkens back to a simpler day in which innocence was not met with sarcasm, a man's word was his bond and yadda yadda yadda. What a bunch of crap.

I would like to know which time period in this country's history that phrase is referring to -- during the witch hunts? Trail of Tears? Television's "Happy Days" would lead you to believe life in the '50s and '60s was all about high school dances and hot fudge sundaes, but many of us know that was hardly the case.

No, if we take an honest look at this country's 233 years, what we will find are moments of brilliance and triumphs, moral bankruptcy and hypocrisy and a great deal of denial and revision by everyone. It is because of our tendency to rewrite unpleasant aspects of our history that we struggle to make the kind of significant social progress we need to truly realize the American Dream.

In other words, ignoring the ugly of the past can stifle the beauty of today.

Typically when blacks talk of the past and about how "things ain't what they used to be," it often is a reference to the civil rights movement and the time in which my community rallied together for a common cause -- equality. We saw remnants of that synergy this week as Al Sharpton, the NAACP and several black NFLers openly opposed Rush Limbaugh's inclusion on a team trying to purchase the St. Louis Rams.

And it is true, we were more willing to be our brother's keepers 40 years ago. But if we're being honest, not all of our brothers and sisters were worth trying to keep back then.

Not every black person was willing to sacrifice self-interest for the better of the whole. Quite a few of us sold out and were more than willing to be puppets or manipulate racial tension to keep crumbs of power or money.

We still had black-on-black crime, gambling, theft, prostitution, murder.

We still had some version of Kwame Kilpatrick to contend with and it's important that we talk about that. It's important that we understand that even during the more triumphant times in our history, there were still plenty of blacks who were agitators profiting from the status quo and that the community had to overcome their self-destructive behavior in addition to systematic racism and violence.

I know, I know, we don't like airing our dirty laundry. But by not talking about the uncomfortable parts of the civil rights movement, we have forgotten that the self-inflicted wounds we face today are nothing new and can be overcome.

We were not a nobler people during the civil rights movement. We just had more vocal citizens willing to make sacrifices. But we seem to have romanticized the civil rights movement so much that we have convinced ourselves we were a perfect people then.

We keep following voices that remind us of that era because we have convinced ourselves we still need a black leader to follow. We keep talking about how "things ain't what they used to be" and we haven't taken a close enough look at our history to understand things ain't never been that way.

For example, we chastise today's black athletes for not being Muhammad Ali or Jim Brown, as if every athlete of color from the 1950s and '60s was on the social justice front line, which we know is not true. Still, that doesn't stop us from romanticizing, and those blinders are one of the main reasons why today we do disempowering things like respond to violence in our community based on the race of the perpetrator, not the crime itself.

Limbaugh tried to become a minority owner of a professional football team and some of us behaved as if he was one of the young men caught on video beating Derrion Albert to death in the streets of Chicago.

I'm not a Limbaugh fan but I'm not upset over him being involved in purchasing a team either. I would simply give his squad the same amount of support I give his other projects -- none. There are just more pressing things to focus on.

If the NAACP or NFLPA speaks with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on societal or image matters, I would rather they talk about new ways to improve the public education system in cities where NFL teams are located than give an opinion on who buys a team.

Limbaugh may be a racist, but he is not the reason there are more black men in prison than in college. We are.

Our issues did not germinate in a vacuum, but I believe the best way to get out of our socioeconomical malaise is to spend less time looking at what white people like Limbaugh are supposedly doing to us and more time looking at what we're definitely doing to ourselves. More time charting a new course based on personal responsibility, not victimhood and the retelling of stories, because let me tell you, some of those stories have been touched up so many times it's hard to know what's true anyway.

After all, somewhere along the path someone deleted the significant role gay people played in organizing the famed Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 and the 1963 march on Washington.

Somewhere along the path someone Photoshopped out all of the adultery committed by some of the movement's religious leaders.

Somewhere someone shredded the mug shots of those who were arrested for real crimes, not protests.

Making those, and other uncomfortable topics, talking points in the overall discussion does not negate the good that was done. But it does remind us that life isn't black and white.

It reminds us that sometimes you have to peel back a few layers to fully understand what you're looking at.

It reminds us that to err is human, and not wanting to deal with err... well that may be the most common human trait of all.

British pop, always the best.

2009-10-11T21:07:00.000-07:00

A brief look at British pop videos does show truly how differently the Black Woman is treated over there. And this was in the 90s BTW. I doubt things have changed much.

Is this the beginning of the backclash against Asians?

2009-09-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

Anne Le, murdered at work place

New Haven Police say we may never know the motive for the murder of Anne Le the Yale graduate student by her Co-worker. Really? If you know anything about race relations in America, this is an easy one. In this news story(Yale Murder) anonymous workmates of the Late Anne Le paint a picture of her being too controlling. The alleged Murderer was a Lab Technician that used to clean the cages of her rats and she was very picky about how he did it. He had relatives doing the same thing on campus and she was a graduate student meaning she was of a higher standing.

Let us not forget that the Lab tech is White and she is Asian. I know we are not supposed to speculate but hey this is a blog and we do pretty much that all the time for the fun of it.

My first instinct about this case before I learnt of her controlling ways was that the victim may have made the technician to feel inferior and this had built resentment towards her which ended tragically. I have heard of someone who strangled a coworker that used the N word on him and another Black worker that punched a customer who said the same thing.

The alleged killer in this case doesn't seem like a highly skilled murderer given the way he just dumped the body in the building and continued to hang around. Something must have clearly driven him insane.

Why is this racial? I work with majority Asians and most of my class mates are Asians. So I have some real experiences with them.

See, whites can sing praises of Asians as the Model Minority blah blah blah. But whites are never going to accept them as Superior to them anytime soon. Asians need to get this. Japanese Americans seem to understand this very well. They know they are one crazy leader away from an intermittent camp. You will often find Japanese Americans keeping an extremely low profile.
Like I said I work with mostly Asians and I have 2 special talents God gave me. One is to bring the worst out of people, and the other is getting people to open up. I interract with all people at work and hear things from all sides. One consistent pattern I have noticed is the resentment of Asians. They have been stereotyped as sneaky, scheming and controlling. I happen to know many who are not and my boss is a good one, atleast to me.

Humanity's history shows that if one particular ethnicity thrives predominantly then hatred for them builds and many times to tragic heights. I happen to live in an Asian part of Town too and its thriving but you can hear the resentment towards them. Alot of the time its unsolicited.

As for my class mates I could easily form a stereotype about Asian women but I know better. Almost every semester I meet one with a condescending attitude. Their attitude seems to be "we asians are ordained to study the sciences, what are you doing here". I have put many in their place not only verbally but by my grades. The latter is usually very shocking to them and they instantly start respecting me for that atleast.

Why is the Yale case possibly a racial issue? Well if Anne Le is like any of the Asian women I have encountered in my classes and the work place, it is highly likely that her attitude got her killed by one guy who had no control over his anger or who was subconsciously racist and felt dehumanized by an Asian. It is racist because if Anne had been a White woman and showed the guy the same or worse attitude, he would have possibly quit or slashed her tyres, he wouldn't have felt so dehumanized as he felt by an Asian woman.

An alternative scenario to what happened is that Anne Le may have had the split personality I have observed in some Asian women.
I had this Coworker who acted Angelic with men around and was a total bitch too me to the point of saying racially insensitive things. If Anne Le had two personalities, its likely that she took the submissive one home and let the rest hang out at the work place. And that is clearly not fair to those on the recieving end. Such a person looks down right evil and if they meet a mentally unstable person they can be easily harmed. If this is the case, her pending marriage to a White male may have given her false confidence to think that she had arrived and could treat any other white male any how she felt like.

Asians gaining power or anyone else for that matter, need to learn from the mistakes of whites. Very few people are going to allow you to dehumanize them easily.

Let us not forget that Asians have their low glass ceiling in the corporate world. So you are only meant to go so far. Don't get too carried away and think you can treat anyone the way the powers that be are known to treat people. And even they know better.

Asians are on the path to world dominance and no one can stop them. So I expect many such stories to happen. In my conversations with them its a strong source of pride, how they manage their pride and new power is key to how the rest of society especially in America responds to them. Another strong source of pride for them is the rate of white men marrying their women, I have had many an Asian man brag about it, I know, strange but it makes sense since the offspring often look Asian anyway.

So if we can adequately capture Anne Le's personality and relationships at work, the mystery of why she was killed will be solved.

Russia's "Barack Obama"

2009-08-31T10:23:00.000-07:00

Mr Crima wants to leave melons behind in favour of politics

You have to admire this guy's guts. In Russia over 50% of Africans have expereienced a racist physiccal attack yet he, A water melon seller (of all things) is running for political office!

Story by Amanda Walker, Russia correspondent

An African-born watermelon seller is aiming to become the first black man to hold public office in Russia, despite the country's deep-seated racism.

Predictably, Joaquim Crima is being dubbed the Russian Barack Obama. He has also adopted a Russian first name and patronymic, Vassily Ivanovich.

I arrived at his stall and he insisted on going home to change into his suit before we hit the local election campaign trail.

He emerged from the makeshift-looking home he shares with his Armenian wife looking immaculate. Briefcase in hand, he's ready for action.

"The destiny of this region concerns me deeply. Our life here is miserable. And my dream is to change it," he said.

Selling watermelons isn't what Mr Crima believes is his true calling. This aspiring politician has got his sights set far higher.

Reaction on the campaign trail has been widely positive but he still plays it safe by being constantly flanked by his burly minder.

He is greeted with a smile from behind each door he knocks on.

Even when we've finished filming each encounter he stays behind to continue and conclude the conversation.

It is clear he has made an impact here and is well liked and respected.

Most people in the southern Russian district of Srednyaya Akhtuba lack running water, heating and basic sanitation.

The destiny of this region concerns me deeply. Our life here is miserable. And my dream is to change it.

Mr Crima says he can tackle that - if people let go of prejudice.

Despite growing local support it seems the authorities are less than keen on his campaign.

"Some men came to me and offered me money if I get out of the race," he said.

"They said I had no chance in this election. But I told them - why are you offering me money if you are so sure I will lose? I want the people to decide."

In a community where life is hard he said he had been inspired by Mr Obama's message of change.

To those who call him naïve, he has a simple and familiar message.

"Yes we can!" he said with a wry smile that suggested he isn't going to give up anytime soon.

This White Washing needs to STOP!

2009-08-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

When you think we are over the lightening of Beyonce in those L'oreal ads and all other forms of White washing, you get a major publisher give us a new one.
This poor Australian Author writes a book about a New York Black girl and what does the publisher do with the cover, they put a white girl. Can't we even pretend abit anymore?

Controversial cover

New Concession.

Here is the story.

A New Look for ‘Liar’By Karen Springen -- Publishers Weekly,

Proof of the power of the web: Bloomsbury Children’s Books has told Publishers Weekly exclusively that it will change the controversial cover of Justine Larbalestier’s Liar, which is coming out this October. Bloggers, commentors and the author herself had criticized the publisher’s choice of a white girl with long, straight tresses for a novel about an African-American girl with “nappy” hair.

Typical pre-switch comments: “I think many publishers still live in the last century.” “Clearly Bloomsbury’s staff is in need of an intensive course on diversity.” “Buy the book, [and] return the cover to the publisher requesting a ‘corrected’ version.” Phew.

This week Bloomsbury officials have switched course. “We regret that our original creative direction for Liar—which was intended to symbolically reflect the narrator’s complex psychological makeup—has been interpreted by some as a calculated decision to mask the character’s ethnicity,” Bloomsbury officials said in a statement to PW. “In response to this concern, and in support of the author’s vision for the novel, Bloomsbury has decided to re-jacket the hardcover edition with a new look in time for its publication in October. It is our hope that the important discussions about race and its representation in teen literature continue. As the publisher of Liar, we also hope that nothing further distracts from the quality of the author’s nuanced and accomplished story, and that a new cover will allow this novel’s many advocates to celebrate its U.S. publication without reservation.”

Larbalestier praised the company’s decision. “I thought the best I could hope for was a new paperback cover for Liar. That it is being re-jacketed for the hardcover is the best news I’ve had in ages,” she told PW via email. “Bloomsbury is keeping me closely involved in the process of creating the new cover. While nothing is final yet—there’s been a photo shoot and comps and they’re looking at the Australian jacket as well—I’m confident what we wind up with will accurately reflect what the book is about.”

The author noted that the problem is longstanding and “industry-wide.” “Whitewashing of covers, ghettoizing of books by people of color, and low expectations (reflected in the lack of marketing push behind the majority of those books) are not new things,” she said.

But the extensive discussion of it is. “I'm seeing signs that publishers are talking about these issues, and I’m more hopeful for change than I have been in a long time,” said Larbalestier. “However, we consumers have to play our part too. If you’ve never bought a book with someone who isn’t white on the cover go do so now. Start buying and reading books by people of color.” A few of her recommendations: Coe Booth’s Kendra and M. Sindy Felin’s Touching Snow.

Bloomsbury publishing director Melanie Cecka, who edited Liar, made the decision with the full support of the company, said Deb Shapiro, Bloomsbury’s publicity director. “As a group, we stepped back from reading all the comments in the blogosphere and said, ‘What is in the best interest of this book?’ We’re very proud to be publishing this book.” Cecka declined to comment about the decision and process until the cover is finalized.

Bloomsbury is not the first publisher to change a jacket because of public pressure. In 1980, 17 years after he first published his Best Word Book Ever, Richard Scarry re-drew the cover to respond to claims of sexism. “He became a target for social critics who were aware that children are influenced by the images they see,” said children’s book historian and critic Leonard S. Marcus, author of Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children’s Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became an American Icon Along the Way. As a result, Scarry put a male bunny in the kitchen with the female bunny. “It didn’t change just for stylistic reasons,” Marcus said.

Publishers have changed interior art, too, to silence critics. In the 1960s, Whitney Young, president of the National Urban League, singled out Golden Books for leaving black children out of illustrations for A Day at the Zoo, said Marcus. Golden Books added African-American kids to the drawings.

Cover art is “a marketing decision,” Marcus stated. “It’s a selling tool.” With it, publishers try to appeal to the largest number of prospective readers. Paul O. Zelinsky, illustrator of the 1984 Newbery winner Dear Mr. Henshaw, told Marcus that someone from the marketing department had told him to move the pencil the boy holds from his left to his right hand, in the thinking that most readers are righties. (Zelinsky switched the pencil position.)

While Cecka and her team have not yet chosen the new jacket for Liar, possibilities include using text only (like the Australian version of the book) or a photo of an African-American girl. Bloomsbury officials declined to give a dollar amount for the cost to re-jacket the books in the 100,000-copy announced first printing. At the time of the decision, all the jackets had been printed, but the books had not been wrapped. Costs for covers vary widely, and are dependent upon many factors, but a publisher printing 25,000 jackets might expect to pay close to $7,000 without design or illustrator costs.

Prominent bloggers supported Larbalestier’s criticism of the original jacket. In a post on the Web site Boing Boing called “Race and book covers: why is there a white girl on the cover of this book about a black girl?” co-editor Cory Doctorow wrote, “Justine’s right about this one.”

In the end, her publisher agreed.

Congratulations to Roslyn

2009-07-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Roselyn Holcomb upon the completion of her latest Romance Novel.

I will admit that I last read romance novels in my early teens and had never figured out why I went off them so fast. I just realized why. I could never identify with the female characters in those novels. And now I am just discoverng this genre where the central female character is a Black woman and I am over the moon and to top it off, its wrtten by one of our own Black female Co-Warriors Roslyn Holcomb.
Roslyn something about this story says Hollywood. However a word of caution, if it ever comes to that please fight for the female lead to remain Black.
I have never waited so anxiously for a book to arrive from Amazon.
Here is the official website Pussycat Death Squad

To all you stupid racist haters, take a break on this one. Come back later, your company is quite entertaining.

Is this the new Farrakhan?

2009-07-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

I am not to familiar with the doctrine of the Nation of Islam. I have often bought into the extremist image potrayed by the media. But like all things one has to aquire some deconstructive abilities to figure out the Media's messages.
This particular interview of Farrakhan shows a more sensible person than is often shown. Has he always been this way or like Malcom X has he had a fundamental change in his thinking?

The book every Black Woman should read.

2009-06-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

Why Black men love White Women

This book should be required reading for every Black Woman. Without a doubt the Black Woman in America is endangered. We can debate this fact till the cows come home but it does not change the reality that Black Womanhood in America is under attack from each and every direction. So is Black manhood, I will not deny that. The big difference is, society as it is is more sensitive to the injustice directed at the Black male. It will make News Headlines and people will go out march and riot in defense of the Black Man's humanity. Compare that to the response any Black woman in a precarious situation gets and it is obvious that the scale is not balanced. By listening to the Black voices out there, the BM has it the worst and BW are not very supportive. This is one of the many excuses given by many Black men who choose to date and marry non Black women.

I always wondered at the phenomenon of BM wanting anything but BW. Where I am from, no one else will do other than a native. So it was kind of a cultural shock to find men that go out of their way to disparage their own women. This is not to say that African men don't marry White Women. They do albeit in small numbers. But what they don't do is to go out their way and abuse the womanhood of their own women.

African men (where I am from) tend to quickly see their mothers and daughters in most women, even in their daily language they refer to women in the maternal sense. Unlike here they don't use the term 'sister'. They will use mama or auntie especially if the woman is older than them even by afew years. A woman with authority will be addressed as the boss she is and they will quickly and easily accept her authority.

My own dad, who was quite a big man in his day, refers to me as his sister and mother. Which is quite strange given that I am his daughter. His peers always tease him about being pushed around by the women (his daughters) in his life yet they take the same pushing around from theirs. Its known locally that if you want to get to a man bring his daughter into the picture. Its all over for him

Most men see their female peers as siblings and will treat them accordingly. Of course they have male chauvinism like any other men but what I see in Black America is very abnormal and destructive.
We still have a system of Patriarchy and women still fight for more rights. But, its a fair fight. They are not fighting against dehumanization by their own like Black American women have to. African women do not have their men ganging up with the White Supremest system to further dehumanize them. At least not for now.

This type of abuse is strictly an American Black Male's thing. And in this book I think we get an understanding of why that is the case. But should history and oppression be an excuse to further oppress or let your women be abused while you pursue that which you have been deceived into believing is better ?

And many Black men will say that men who do this are the minority. But Most black men do pursue the lighter is better ideal. So if Black men are practising colorism, where does that leave the Black Woman of a less favored hue? Alot has been said about it more eloquently than I can. Most of it is covered in this book. If you are a BW. Please please read it, ignore the Cheesy title.

This story is too common among Africans.

2009-06-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

What goes through the head of a woman who in a desperate need to please her husband, steals another woman's baby and fakes it as her own? Luckily this baby got back with his parents, some never do and they never know.

Atek and her baby Oloya at their home at Kanyagoga in Gulu

By Frederick Womakuyu
and Chris Ocowun

BABY Daniel Oloya has been re-united with his parents, Lily Atek and her husband John Otim, nearly a year after being stolen from their home in Kanyogoga parish, Gulu municipality.

The baby’s return follows an order by the Gulu magistrate court on May 13, that the child be returned after DNA tests established that Atek and Otim were the parents.

The court also issued an arrest warrant for Jane Abur, a teacher who was found with the child, whom he claimed was hers.

The baby was snatched from the house where the mother had left him to sleep in August 2008, at the age of three months.

Four months later, a whistle blower disclosed that in another part of Gulu town, a woman, who had not given birth, had a baby who was kept indoors most of the time.

While the Police investigated the matter, the baby was kept at St. Jude orphanage. Atek was able to identify her baby by birth marks on the breast and buttocks. She, however, had to wait for months for the Police investigations, which included a delayed DNA test.

Saturday Vision reported on April 25 that she had been kept waiting because Uganda had run out of DNA testing reagents.

After being returned to his mother, the baby refused to suckle because it had got used to cow milk.

Northern Uganda Regional Police Commander (RPC), PK Arinaitwe, said they had confirmed that Abur did not give birth. “We are charging her with child stealing. She was arrested and released on Police bond. However, she has since gone into hiding,” the office said.

Recently, James Toolit, the husband to Abur, made a statement to the Police disowning the baby. He accused his wife of faking a pregnancy and pretending to have delivered while he was in prison.

He became suspicious on his return from prison when he saw Abur not breastfeeding the baby she claimed to have delivered.

“The first question I asked my wife was where the delivery took place. She said she gave birth from Lacor Hospital. I asked her mother if she attended to her during delivery, but she denied. Abur again told my sister she delivered from Gulu Maternity Home and later that she delivered on her way to Gulu Independent Hospital. Too many contradictions,” Toolit said.

What is wrong with American Idol voters ?

2009-05-26T00:27:00.000-07:00

Firstly, I don't have a TV so I never know what is hot in TV land or not. But I heard about the brouhaha over this year's upset on American Idol. I wasn't so moved about it until I saw a small clip of Adam Lambert's performance with KISS and I was immediately intrigued.

Speculation is rife on why he lost and most people think that Conservative and Middle America were not comfortable with his supposed homosexuality.

I am middle of the road person on the issue of homosexuality, but should someone's sexuality ever be reason to deny the acknowledgement of their talent ?
This guy has to be the most talented Idol contestant ever and to think that people wouldn't vote for him because he appears gay is insane. Come on America, give credit where credit is due.

This makes me feel like joining those Prop 8 opponents and getting real active. This is seriously stupid. My heart broke for this guy.

Soldier in Pink Boxers

2009-05-24T23:42:00.000-07:00

Regardless of your politics this picture is sure to move you. The image moved me quite deeply and I am yet to fully figure out why. I think it has to do with the fact that the soldier in the boxers looks very childlike even in his posture. There is an innocence to him. He looks like he might as well be at a sleep over playing games with his buddies. Only that this is real and it takes one determined enemy to take life out of him.
Many of us do indeed forget the role American troops play in our lives.

If you live or have lived in America you owe a lot of gratitude to those that are fighting America's wars. Pictures like this are a good reminder.

In this May 11, 2009 file photo, soldiers from the U.S. Army First Battalion, 26th Infantry take defensive positions at firebase Restrepo after receiving fire from Taliban positions in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan's Kunar Province. Spc. Zachery Boyd of Fort Worth, Texas, far left was wearing "I love NY" boxer shorts after rushing from his sleeping quarters to join his fellow platoon members. From far right is Spc. Cecil Montgomery of Many, La. and Jordan Custer of Spokan, Wash, center. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says American soldiers have more than their military might and training on their side in the war in Afghanistan. Some have pink underwear. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, FILE)

What's with White Kenyans?

2009-05-17T22:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, I don't know if these kids are white Kenyans but from the Tusker T shirt, I am guessing they are or some British Kids that have got African accents down. They call themselves two white wogs. This stuff seems funny for now but God forbid if this stuff catches traction. These could be the next Borat.

Has Zuma vindicated himself?

2009-05-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

I believe that a better future for Africa is heavily dependent on its women. Amazingly many African leaders know this and some take drastic steps to make it so that women get the education they need.

In Uganda for example the is a woman's Parliamentary seat for every district. There is a Ministry dedicated to women. You will find women in all areas of public life. And all this has happened without as much a significant struggle by the women's movement. Its become the norm for girls to beat boys in national exams. This year was the exception, the boys beat the girls and there was alot of concern that women were losing the ground they had gained thus far. The only affirmative action program they have is gender based. To enter a University girls are given extra 1.5 points to enhance their chances to entrance. The argument is that girls carry alot of domsestic burdens as they grow up and are at a disadvantage while boys have alot more freedom as children. This proposal was initally met with insignificant protest but its been in place for over 20 years. The results of which are seen in the women professionals who are nation builders of today. So there is no interest whatsoever in undoing affirmative action.

There are schools springing up at a terrific rate in the East African region, most of these are being run by women. If these women that have had little support from their governments and elsewhere can spearhead development, what are they capable of if they are given equal opportunities as the men?

In Rwanda's post genocide era, women dominate public service, partly due to the lack of enough male professionals and also a culture that upholds women as key to development.
Africa with its grim realities can only be saved by its women. We have seen what Africa's men are capable of, and its not pretty. Thankfully they seem to realize that there is no future without the empowerment of women. The latest to join this type of thinking is S.Africa's new president, that I am not a fan of, Jacob Zuma.
He has made 42% of his cabinet women. To me that is promising. Could this idiot actually save South Africa?

Is this the black JK Rowling?

2009-05-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

'I didn't know I was writing a novel' -Helen Oyeyemi

I was as usual listening to Women's hour on the BBC and Helen Oyeyemi got on and was being interviewed. It did not occur to me until the end of the interview that this woman was black let alone Nigerian. From the little I have read, her genre is not too far from JK Rowlings even in its potential as the next Harry Potter Series. We will wait and see, But so far she seems to be hitting the right notes with critics. I am not to much of a fiction or fantasy reader but its good to see Nigeria maintain their title as Africa's literary giants.

By Anita Sethi

Helen Oyeyemi wrote her first book in seven weeks while studying for her A-levels. By the time she got her results, she had signed a two-book, £400,000 deal. Anita Sethi meets her
oundaries are forever melting away in the unstable world of The Icarus Girl, 20-year-old Helen Oyeyemi's debut novel. Rooms widen and contract, floors cave in, walls "tilt sickeningly" as the protagonist, eight-year-old Jessamy, gets carried away by uncontrollable flights of fancy.

Now a second-year undergraduate reading social and political sciences at Corpus Christ College, Cambridge, Oyeyemi wrote the novel in seven giddy months while studying for her A-levels in a south London comprehensive. She sent the first 20 pages to agent Robin Wade who phoned her the next day, and in a tale fast becoming urban myth, Oyeyemi signed a two-book deal with Bloomsbury for a reported £400,000 (the figure is exaggerated, insists the publisher) on the day of her A-level results.

"It was a crazy, crazy time," she says over a steak sandwich and coffee in a Soho restaurant. "I was just barrelling along writing it and I wasn't really aware that I was writing a first novel. I didn't really understand what was happening. I still don't.

"It was so much fun, though. It's great when the story comes to you so easily and strongly." Her parents still haven't read the book. "I really hope they won't. I'd just be really weirded out." What do they think of her rapid success? "I don't really talk about it with them."

The story of the precocious, mentally unstable daughter of a Nigerian mother and English father, The Icarus Girl is a moving study of alienation. While holidaying in Nigeria, Jess befriends TillyTilly, a ghost (or just an imaginary friend?) who follows her to England. At first a blessing to the intensely lonely Jess, TillyTilly becomes increasingly destructive. It emerges that Jess had a twin who died at birth; in Yoruba culture, twins inhabit three worlds, the bush (a "wilderness of the mind"), the normal world and the spirit world. "The bush is a world that doesn't have the same rules and the same structure as our world," explains Oyeyemi, "and TillyTilly comes right from that world. As a kid I was scared of everything you could be scared of - ghosts, aliens, the IRA. I didn't differentiate between these different fears and the threat of TillyTilly is that she can't really be categorised."

Jess is so disturbed that her own name sounds "strange, wobbly, misinformed" to her, as she struggles to categorise not only TillyTilly but her own self. Jess's behaviour is in turn feared by her mother. Growing up in Nigerian culture, says Oyeyemi, can be "really, really oppressive. It's like something almost tugging on your coat-tails saying, 'Hey, remember you're Nigerian,' and I think that's what TillyTilly is to Jess. But you know if Jess just left it a bit, she would realise that it's OK to be Nigerian and English at the same time."

Born in Nigeria in 1984, Oyeyemi emigrated to London with her family when she was four. As a child in Lewisham, she remembers never quite finding herself represented in the books she was reading. "You can read a lot of books and the main characters are white people - especially in the classics - and after a while you forget that you're not white, almost, because it's this big pervasive culture. And then you find books like Yoruba Girl Dancing [by Simi Bedford] and you think: it's just as interesting to be Nigerian in England as it is to be white in England."

Oyeyemi is self-assured and very witty, but she says it has been a struggle to gain such confidence, "I was a real mess at school. I got a bit of a reputation for being the weird girl, the girl who'd go silent randomly and just kind of write down replies to people's questions in a book." During secondary school, she slid into depression. "I'm not entirely sure why it hit me ... just feeling really, really uncomfortable in my own skin and not wanting to communicate and just shutting down. Which is what Jess is doing at eight."

She touches obliquely on the response of her family: "In Nigeria, the problems are so much more immediate and more real, like you're not getting any electricity or any water, you actually have to struggle, and stuff. [So they think]: it's fine over here, what's your problem? And so there was just this kind of blank silence thing between us about it."

She took an overdose at 15. While off school recovering, she spent the month "reading and reading and reading, so that was kinda useful". Reluctant to take medication, she also found visits to her psychologist unhelpful: "There wasn't really very much to say, because I find it very difficult to say what's going on most of the time." It was a family holiday to Nigeria that finally set her on the road to recovery.

At Cambridge, she says, she has found a group of close friends, but adds: "One of the reasons why I might be finding it difficult to gel with my year is because I do get a bit surly and a bit inward. I think that's why, in a way, since I have no life skills, writing is a really cool thing for me to do, because I can be by myself and I don't have to kind of verbalise things. I'm terrible at verbalising things; that's exactly what it is." The core theme of The Icarus Girl is loneliness, she says. But "I've always felt happy in my own company. It's only when I get around other people that things get sticky.

"I think, basically, what I'm good for is reading - a lot.". And writing? "I think I'll always be more of a reader than a writer, definitely. There are sooo many books in the world I haven't read, sometimes I feel as if they're all piled on top of my head weighing me down and saying, hurry up." She adores magic realism. "I love taking things out of context and playing with them and chopping up rules."

She was imagining things, she says, even before she was reading things, and speaks of the sanctuary and terror of imagination. Growing up, her sister, to whom she is very close, and Chimmy - an imaginary friend - were her "chief psychics". "I can't remember when [Chimmy] first bowled on to the scene. He died when I was eight, he got run over," she says matter-of-factly. "Chimmy really straightened me out because I was such a naughty kid."

On the other hand, "I had, sort of, this weird twilight-zone made out of a pastiche of things I'd seen on TV and any horrors that I could imagine ... every now and then a new fear gets added to my repertoire." At the moment it's white-noise phenomenon [messages from dead people supposedly embedded in recordings of empty rooms]. "I don't ever want to hear a ghost, I think I'd actually just die."

Despite her impressive success so far, Oyeyemi doesn't see writing as a full-time career, thinking it would be weird not to do a "proper job". As for being categorised, as a young, non-white woman, with writers such as Zadie Smith and Monica Ali, she says this is "inevitable but lazy". She tells of how, at books parties, people ask her if she is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the Nigerian author of Purple Hibiscus.

Next month Oyeyemi will have two plays published by Methuen as Juniper's Whitening; she is also working on her second novel, about Cuban mythology. It's quite a leap from The Icarus Girl, she says. "I think I'm done with loneliness. Jess's world is about this narrow," she says, enclosing a millimetre of air between her fingers, "it's a really oppressive atmosphere, but with the second novel I'm just like ... phew ... breathing - and it feels good."

Is Kenya the next Zimbabwe ?

2009-05-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

Thomas Cholmondeley

Kenya has its fair share of White settlers. I have always wondered how stability prevailed in Kenya under those circumstances given the history of how the land was taken. Kenya's post election violence was rooted in issues of land created by the British. Now this British Aristocrat managed to kill a local poacher for tress passing on his land. Previously he had shot someone else. He has now been convicted for manslaughter.
In my own country, I personally would shoot a poacher on my land and many would understand and I would most likely get off scott free.

However this guy forgot his history and skin color. Being a descendant of those that grabbed African land is enough to have the locals hate you no matter how many good deeds you do for the community. Africans like their white people in Churches, convents and schools, not owning their land, well at least where I am from. But I get the feeling Kenyans are the same way. Now to go a head and start shooting them and actually killing them for 'tress passing' on 'your' land is asking for trouble. And this guy definitely dug himself into a huge hole. At this point only Obama can save him. But a possible consideration would be to forfeit the land. It can never be yours again after this.

Here is a BBC story on the case.

A white Kenyan aristocrat has been cleared of murder but found guilty of the manslaughter of a black poacher on his family's estate in 2006.

A judge ruled Thomas Cholmondeley did not show "malice aforethought" in the shooting of Robert Njoya in May 2006.

The case, involving the descendant of one of Kenya's first British settlers, has attracted huge media attention.

In 2005 Cholmondeley admitted shooting a Maasai ranger, but the case was dropped owing to insufficient evidence.

That decision provoked outrage and mass protests among the Maasai community.

'Dumbstruck'

The courtroom in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, was packed with lawyers, reporters, cameramen, and family and friends of Thomas Cholmondeley, the BBC's Adam Mynott in court said.

Profile of a Kenyan aristocrat
Shock and relief in Nairobi court
There were gasps of surprise as High Court Justice Muga Apondi gave his ruling after reading out a 320-page verdict on the case, although the defendant himself remained impassive.

"I find as a fact that it was the accused who had shot the deceased resulting in his death," the judge said.

"In view of the above analysis I hereby find which I do, that the accused did not have any malice aforethought to kill the deceased."

The Eton-educated 40-year-old, who has spent the last three years in jail, is due to be sentenced next week. He faces a maximum term of life imprisonment.

"I'm amazed - dumbstruck actually," said Cholmondeley's defence lawyer. "We will appeal. There is no doubt about that."

Surprise outcome

The incident took place in a remote corner of Cholmondeley's sprawling family farm in the Rift Valley region, acquired by his great-grandfather, the third Baron Delamere.

Cholmondeley told police at the time that Mr Njoya was with three companions and a pack of dogs, and he suspected them of hunting a gazelle.

He said he had shot at the dogs, killing two of them. Mr Njoya was hit by a bullet and died on the way to hospital.

Cholmondeley's defence had argued that the fatal shot may have been fired from a weapon carried by his friend, but this was rejected as an "afterthought" by the judge.

The judge's verdict is contrary to the non-binding not guilty verdict found by a panel of lay assessors - who do a similar job to juries in Kenya - in March.

The outcome will surprise some who followed the case closely, our correspondent says.

But it will please those Kenyans who believe Thomas Cholmondeley should have been prosecuted over the shooting of Maasai ranger Samson Ole Sisina in 2005.

Cholmondeley, a divorced father of two, had admitted the earlier shooting, but said he acted in self-defence mistaking the warden for an armed robber.

The latest trial has stirred up lingering animosity against some in the white farming community, who are accused of living on large areas of land, illegally grabbed early last century, our correspondent says.

Australian councillor, Hajnal Ban, has legs broken to become taller. WTH!

2009-05-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

And all along I have been giving Black women a hard time for wearing Weaves. How insecure do you have to be to get your legs broken son you can grow taller?

Hajnal Ban, who said she didn't want to be remembered as the 'girl who got her legs lengthened'

An Australian politician has gone to extraordinary lengths to be taken seriously by her peers: she has had her legs broken and stretched to become 3in (8cm) taller.

“A lot of young females have insecurities about their weight or their nose; mine was my height,” said Hajnal Ban, 31, a councillor with Logan City council in Queensland.

After nine months of excruciating pain, the councillor became a “normal” 5ft 4in.

Ms Ban was taunted at school and feared that her height would damage her credibility as she entered the legal profession and later went into local politics.

So she went to the Ilizarov orthopaedic clinic in Kurgan, Russia, and paid surgeons A$40,000 (£19,000) to break both her legs in four places and stretch them slowly for 1mm every day for nine months. Eventually she grew from 154cm (just under 5ft 1in) to 162cm.

“From the time I flew to Russia to the time I was able to wear high heels again was about a year in total, but at least nine months of that was excruciatingly painful,” she said. “You see sports people going in who need that extra height, and models . . . it’s a well-kept secret.”

Ms Ban, who was born in Israel and is of Hungarian origin, has lived in Australia since she was a child. She ran unsuccessfully for the conservative National Party during the federal election in 2007 and has been a local councillor for three years.

She had the surgery when she was a 23-year-old barrister but Australian media only latched on to her medical history this week. Ms Ban told The Times that she did not want to be remembered as “the girl who got her legs lengthened”.

“I want people to take me seriously and to be known for the work I do as a politician in my local community,” she said.

Ms Ban said that despite the success of her surgery she would not recommend it for anyone else because it was “not everyone’s cup of tea”.

“I have absolutely no regrets. It was a decision I made in consultation with my family. I was prepared, I did my research and I’m very lucky because the results are good,” she said.

“But as much as it worked for me . . . it is not something I would necessarily promote or endorse. I would never recommend anyone for leg lengthening or liposuction or any other surgery. People have to take it up individually.”

Ms Ban said that she would not rule out further cosmetic enhancements. “I haven’t made a decision on whether I will in the future or not. I know I’ll get wrinkles and put on weight, and I’ll even shrink as I get older, so we’ll see what happens,” she said. “But I’m not fixated on self-image.”

Chinese Slavery in West Africa?

2009-04-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

What is with West African and the slavery business? Seriously. This pimp just got caught running a brothel using Chinese girls. His business specifically targets the expat community. So if you can't go to Asia we will bring the women to you? WOW
Luckily there are good people out there like investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw who blew the whistle on the guy.

Credit: Anas Aremeyaw Anas
Source: New Crusading Guide

The boss of Peach Blossom Palace is spotted In Ghana’s most expensive casino,
wearing Gucci shades, a golden brown Emperio Amani tuxedo and a custom-made Rolex wrist watch.

Scores of raunchy mini-skirted Chinese girls fill up his glass with exotic French champagne. He spins his cozy swivel chair in sensuous delirium as the ladies’ dainty fingers caress his neck, back and shoulders to orthopedic effect. “Ha,ha ha” he lets out another loud peal of frenzied laughter.

There is no doubt that this impressive figure is a successful man. His appearance likewise leaves little doubt that his prosperity comes from brisk business.

What is not immediately evident is the fact that he rakes in millions that flow not from his own pores, but from the bloody chores of hapless, naive lasses he has made whores on the shores of West Africa.

He presides over an evil empire, which traffics his Chinese compatriots, engaging them in sex slavery, not only here in Ghana, but also in Nigeria and Togo.

The non-African expatriate community is the clientele. Peach Blossom Palace is the wholesale outlet from where the “goods” are marketed and sold. Poor, innocent and vulnerable Chinese girls, some as young as 19, are the human commodity on sale paraded in front of the clients like pieces of meat in a butcher shop window. They are lured here with promises of honest, well-paid jobs, only to have their passports and return tickets confiscated.

The travel documents may be recovered, but only after one had paid off the cost - invariably inflated of the trip to Accra. They are beaten and threatened with a high debt to be repaid only through the sale of their bodies.

They are thrown into debt bondage and forced to sell their innocence and human dignity for their master’s gain in nightclubs and casinos. “I was told that I was going to be waitressing in a Chinese restaurant, but it however turned into nightmare.

There was no way of turning back and I resorted to this dehumanizing business” said one of the girls. Any of this trafficker’s victims, who attempt anything akin to disobedience, not to talk of rebellion, is firmly, swiftly and brutally repressed.

Six months of backbreaking investigation yielded the above discovery on the nefarious activities of King James, the man at the centre of the sex trafficking ring.

Posing as a bartender in the hotels where this sordid business is carried out, “The New Crusading Guide” reporter managed to capture every aspect of this trade with a hidden camera. He also pretended to befriend a lady who lived in the brothel and from whom, over a period of four months, he obtained valuable, first-hand accounts of the activities of King James and his colleagues. All of the above described is captured on video. It was upon the presentation of this evidence that the Police CID planned and carried out a raid on the Peach Blossom Palace in Labadi, Accra.

The United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, Supplemental Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (2000) serves as the international legal standard. It outlines the definition of human trafficking in Article 3 (a): “Trafficking in persons” shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.”

Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world, with total annual revenue for trafficking in persons estimated to be between $5 billion and $9 billion. The Council of Europe states that “people trafficking has reached epidemic proportions over the past decade, with a global annual market of about $42.5 billion.”

Enslavement Prevention Alliance - West Africa, an NGO that has provided the victims with postrescue care, stated that: “The ruthless criminals behind the sexual exploitation of these vulnerable women should feel the full hand of the Ghanaian law. This would not only serve to provide the victims with justice, it would also serve as a deterrent to all those who wish to perpetrate similar crimes in Ghana. Swift prosecution of this case will send a clear message that the business of sexual slavery is not welcome here.”

Saved from being a Black Man, James Manning

2009-04-25T21:28:00.000-07:00

Its amazing how some critical messages come from the least likely sources.

Is Mandela Senile?

2009-04-22T18:48:00.000-07:00

I have long concluded that South Africa is God's case. And to confirm that sentiment one just has to look at the next President Jacon Zuma and the overwhelming support he is getting to be President.
This guy is controversy personified. There are very serious corruption allegations against him and by sheer politicking the charges were dropped only a few weeks ago with the questionable explanation of the case being over politicized.

Corruption charges aside, this guy has a questionable character. I can't help but see similarities with Idi Amin. Only that we have been there so we may never see how far his personality may take him if he were left unchecked like Idi Amin was.

His personal anthem involves lyrics in ode to his machine gun. He is tied to some extremist youth groups who sing his praises and vow to die and kill for him. (God help those African foreigners in South Africa). He has publicly distanced himself from these groups but Zuma is not unlike other crazy African politicians, in fact I would bet that he is one of the crazier ones.

The one that takes the cake is the rape allegations against him. The story goes that he had sex with an HIV positive woman who later claimed he had raped her. In his own defense, he didn't rape her and according to him, women ask for it when they wear revealing clothes. And that is not the worst part, he was not concerned about having contracted HIV because he immediately showered after having sex with her. FOR REAL! Now even Idi Amin didn't go that far.
Oh and I almost forgot Mr. Zuma's multiple wives. Some of whom maybe forgotten to him. Another striking resemblance with Idi Amin. His daughter speaks of him as a wonderful father who is in touch with his children and has a personal and close relationship with each one. Another striking resemblance with Idi Amin. Amin's over 40 children remember him very fondly and do defend his name. To his death Amin was still supporting most of them (the ones he knew of atleast).

As if it isn't bad enough that the South African people are voting for this idiot to be their President, Nelson Mandela finally came out and backed the guy. Looks like that little halo over his head has gone out or he is senile.

I for one never got fully sold onto Mandela's heroism. For sure he fought for South African freedom, but his heroism has been blown out of proportion and eclipsed other equal apartheid heroes. This sentiment is very common in Africa. He is not as revered as he is in the West. He is the symbol of the struggle but by no means a living Saint the West makes him out to be.
For supporting this fool, Mandela has truly brought himself back to earth if not below it.

Susan Boyle and what bugs me in Western Society

2009-04-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

Everyone has heard of Susan Boyle. If you haven't a clip follows about her stunning performance on Britain's got Talent despite her 'disadvantage' in the looks department.

Emphasis on physical beauty is my biggest pet peeve about Western society. I have often been labelled online as ugly for my stand against Western draconian and oppressive beauty standards. I will now call the Western Beauty industry, the Fascist industry. There are too many similarities in its operational methods with the Nazi. Only certain looks are accepted while others are pushed to extinction. Those that are favored are then under a strict code to fit the ideal that is unrealistic. And let us not get the lab experiments, chemicalization and physical alterations that go with all that.

Back to Susan Boyle. When I first saw her, I didn't think she was unattractive. I saw a woman that simply wanted to sing and could be gifted. I was horrified by the initial reactions by the audience and the media coverage. One would think, without seeing her, that she looked like a Gargoyle. To me she looked like your average middle aged woman. Not extremely attractive but not ugly enough to be so ridiculed and written off.

Africans do appreciate beauty but it is understood as a gift of nature that has severe setbacks especially for the beautiful woman. Once I remember a newspaper made a survey of men about their desire for beautiful women. Overwhelmingly most men agreed that they can't marry and overly attractive woman. There is a belief that they can't be good home makers and they are too involved with their beauty to care for someone else. Beautiful women, most men in my society believe, are for wealthy men to fight over but not for your average guy. However, its agreed that they are good to sleep with.

In otherwards beautiful women are just trophies but since most men in my culture value leaving behind a solid family legacy, a beautiful woman won't do it for them.
In fact there tends to be a sadism towards beautiful women among men in my culture. You will always know which men the beautiful woman has slept with. I have a few extremely beautiful girlfriends whose love lives are truly sad and sometimes tragic. The idea of beauty is therefore seen differently from that of the West.
(I am talking from experience and not as an an expert on the subject that needs some serious study).

Anyway I hope those little girls laughing at Susan Boyle will get to her age and look horrifying.

Is this Britain's Steppin Fetchin?

2009-04-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

I love British Comedy. That is my entertainment. I believe the British are the best in Non fiction programming and Comedy while the Americans are strong in Fiction. Its painful to watch British Dramas unless of course they are period pieces. So, I catch up with this stuff, thanks to the Internet. Blacks of West Indian origin have made great inroads into the British Media while the Africans have barely got in.

Now there is one promising one, who according to the British may be entertaining but to Americans may be highly offensive. The first Black woman in the Western Hemisphere to have her own comedy sketch show, Nigerian born, Jocelyn Jee Esien. Some of her pieces make me wonder if she isn't the modern day female version of Steppin Fetchin.

Is this racism against whites from Brazil's President ?

2009-04-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

Brazil's President Lula sparked controversy prior to the G20 Summit by calling the credit crunch the fault of white blond blue eyed people. What is surprising to me is that the story hasn't gotten so much attention. His sentiments are disturbing on so many levels. Firstly he singled out a race to blame. Then secondly, Brazil is hardly the beacon of racial harmony. Thirdly he reduced the crash of a system built by whites then taken on by everyone else to the race of those that invented it.

Why am I disturbed by this guy's comments? Being black aren't I supposed to be cheering him on being that I am under discriminatory pressure from the same system built by the same whites ? His comments are very disturbing and I am not exactly sure why. But it sort of sounds like a call to arms of the non white world to fight the blond blue eyed "evil ones? Let's say this so called world of color takes over economic power, what is the place for blacks? If Brazil is to go by, a black person is much better of sitting on their hands.

Here is a report from UK's Mirror.

Gordon Brown was forced to listen as Brazil's President Lula declared the credit crunch was the fault of white, blue-eyed people yesterday.

The rant at a press conference risked upstaging the PM's diplomatic moves before the G20 summit next month.

Mr Brown aims to smooth the way for an agreement on tackling the global downturn.

But populist Lula, who like his countryman Pele is known by a single name, warned talks at the gathering would be "spicy".

And he took the opportunity to lay into rich nations.

The president, white and bearded, said: "I am not acquainted with any black bankers. This is a crisis that was caused by people, white with blue eyes. Before the crisis they looked like they knew everything about economics.

"Now they have demonstrated they don't know anything about economics."

Lula said people who caused the slump - financiers who saw themselves as "gods of wisdom" - were not the ones paying the price.

He continued: "The part of humanity that is responsible should pay for the crisis." Mr Brown looked ill at ease as the president went on. Cabinet minister Douglas Alexander, who was in the audience, rolled his eyes.

UPDATE; Shopping while black

2009-04-01T23:47:00.000-07:00

WOW! Some encouraging news. A while back I posted my bad 'shopping while black' experience at Staples.
I sent them the following letter and they replied!

Customer Service.
Complaint;

On February 28th 2009, I went to the Staples on Santa Monica and Vermont in L.A. I got chased down the Isle because I had a backpack on. My intent was to purchase the TI-89 Calculator ($160)and leave.
While taking my backpack to the counter, I noticed 2 other customers walking around comfortably with theirs. I asked the store clerks about the need for me to put my bag at the counter while others were moving around with theirs. Their response was that they tell those who they happen to see to leave their back packs behind. This in light of the fact that one of the other back pack customers was right at the counter seeking help. He happened to be Latino (and so was the other lady). I happen to be black. Out of the three of us they saw me!

To me, this was a clear case of racial profiling and I mentioned this to them which they obviously denied.
I was very disappointed with this treatment. I am sure this is not company policy but you guys could go to great lengths to train your employees to stop harassing and profiling black shoppers.
I can honestly tell you that many of us are wary of going into stores like yours because of the treatment we anticipate to get. We share our stories and word gets around real fast. I think it should be in the interest of your business that this behavior is checked.

Their response.

Mr.,

Thank you for contacting Staples regarding the lack of quality service you received in our store.

I have contacted the store's senior management regarding your concerns of overall poor customer
service. Rest assured, senior management will speak with the associates involved to ensure the
service our customers receive is great from start to finish.

We always enjoy hearing from our customers, especially when they offer us the opportunity to correct
a situation and regain customer satisfaction. We hope that you will remain a valued Staples
customer.

Sincerely,

Jessica

-------------------------

The two Black men in America who get it.

2009-03-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

Chris Mathews interviews Bill Cosby and Alvin Poussaint. At some point, this interview was almost too painful to watch when Chris Mathews asks the two about the differences between foreign blacks blacks and American blacks. Possaint's response was quite revealing, one can get a sense of bitterness from him towards those blacks that are gaining from the Black struggle. Bill Cosby true to form advocates for the Black child and personal responsibiliy. Is Bill Cosby the only black male in America that has some sense?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Truly Changing times

2009-03-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

The UK has just appointed the first black man to a FTSE 100 company, Prudential Insurance. What is amazing is this guy fled war torn Ivory Coast and made it to this position. Seriously, with stories like this, blacks are quickly running out of excuses. We need to reevaluate the strategies currently used in the "struggle". Especially Black male victimhood. There is a time to mourn and a time to move on. I mentioned before that I have no more tolerance for Black men's cry of racism especiall given the fact that they seem to have little consideration for Black women and children that are in the same struggle. Why should I feel you plight when you can't feel mine?
As I see it, racism is going no where. Obama's Presidency has shown us that. Just deal with it as an American reality and find ways of getting around it. Any black man crying racism now sounds to me as a whiner, whether his experience is real or not. Acts of racism that are worth fighting are those that pose an immediate danger to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
And by pursuit of happiness, I am not concerned about social integration that many a Black man seems to be more concerned about. The Attorney General stepped in the crap on this one. Why exactly some are more concerned about social integration than basic necessities like equal education, employment and housing is beyond me. Someone on another blog said that the Civil Rights movements biggest achievement was that Black men can now freely go with White Women. Now that is debateable, however, with the struggle so screwed should black women be as concerned about this struggle that seems to give us nothing more than crumbs?

Anyway, here is a story about Tidjane Thiam the first UK CEO of a FTSE 100 Company.

Washington Post

LONDON -- Tidjane Thiam, who 10 years ago was forced to flee a military coup in Ivory Coast, is set to make U.K. corporate history when he takes over the top spot at insurer Prudential PLC, becoming the first black chief executive of an FTSE 100 company.

Also Thursday, the insurer reported a net loss for 2008 but said its operating profit using European embedded value accounting standards rose 17% and that its capital position remained strong.

Bloomberg News
Tidjane Thiam
The announcements triggered a 13% rally in Prudential shares in London.

Mr. Thiam, who in 1998 was named one of the "100 Global Leaders of Tomorrow" by the World Economic Forum, joined Prudential last March from Aviva PLC, where he was the CEO of Aviva Europe. He has received several other international awards and is considered a rising star in the financial sector.

Currently the chief financial officer, he will take over from current CEO Mark Tucker in October.

Mr. Thiam's appointment comes amid intense competition in a U.K. market already in recession, a continuing dislocation in investment markets globally and slowing contributions from Prudential's key Asian operations.

Heard on the Street
Prudential's CEO Departs on a HighA £1.78 billion ($2.54 billion) loss on investments, stemming mainly from its U.S. operations, pushed Prudential into a £396 million net loss for 2008, the insurer said. In 2007, Prudential had generated a net profit of £947 million.

The result reflects the same fate suffered by other major insurers like Aviva, Standard Life PLC and Friends Provident PLC, which in recent days posted net losses as poor investment markets savaged any gain from their core insurance operations.

However, Prudential's announcement of a £2.96 billion operating profit using European embedded value accounting standards cheered investors. Operating profit doesn't include any short-term investment losses.

Prudential said it had a capital surplus of £1.7 billion, up from £1.4 billion at the end of September. It also recommended a 5% increase in its 2008 dividend to 18.9 pence a share.

In a briefing, Mr. Tucker said Prudential has quit the auction process to acquire the Asian operations of American International Group Inc., but is still looking for other acquisitions. "We did not submit a bid in the process. Our view was that we could not get to the value criteria that we had in place," he said.

Mr. Tucker said slowing exports and weaker economic growth in Asian markets pose challenges to Prudential's business there in the short term but added that the company remains positive over the medium term. He also warned that "2009 will be a challenging year and we will continue to focus on balancing growth with cash and capital generation."

Newscast
Mark Tucker
Mr. Thiam, a French national, began his career with McKinsey & Co., where he worked from 1986 to 1994 in Paris and London, serving insurance companies and banks.

Between 1994 and 1998, Mr. Thiam returned to the Ivory Coast to be chief executive of the National Bureau for Technical Studies and Development, reporting directly to the president and prime minister. He was then appointed as minister of planning and development but left the country after the December 1999 military coup. Upon his return, he was elected as a partner of McKinsey, where he worked until joining Aviva in 2002.

Mr. Tucker said that Mr. Thiam "has exceptional talent and ability and will do a wonderful job." He didn't elaborate on why he decided to leave Prudential. He added that he is considering what he will do next when he steps down after 25 years at the company and more than four years as CEO.

Mr. Thiam said he feels "privileged" to succeed Mr. Tucker.

—Simon Kennedy contributed to this article.

Black male doing something for Black women?

2009-03-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Steve Harvey's book 'Act like a lady, Think like a man' is a number one best seller. I guess one has to see the upside of a black male writing a relationship guide for women.
However, yes however, I found the source of his inspiration to write the book a little off. He says he was inspired by his daughter's boy friend saying of their relationship that they were "just kicking it". What I found disturbing was that it took Steve's father in law to ask the grand daughter's boy friend the tough questions. It wasn't Steve Harvey! To me that is acting ball-less! From my basic understanding of white American culture, the standard is, Fathers are extremely protective of their daughters. They won't have some boy friend at such a young age just hanging around with out seriously checking out their character. In my own culture, you don't take a boy friend home unless he is the one. Parents only want to see the man you are going to marry. No try outs. And even then, you don't introduce him yourself, its the job of your paternal aunt. Not that I am using these to cultures as standards, but to me it seems like a natural instinct that if your daughter brings a man home, as a father you want to seriously investigate him. For Steve Harvey, it was the Father in Law! In otherwords, the Father in Law was looking out for his own daughter's interests. Is this a generational thing? Are the black men of the older generation more manly than the current ones? And as time goes on they will eventually truly become useless? I mean look at the men surrounding Rihanna, how more useless can they get?

I love America except when I go shopping

2009-03-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

First off let me say, I love this country, its ideals and promises. And yes it is the land of opportunity. This is the the front line for human progress. There is no other in the world. And it will continue to be so for a long time to come as long as its citizens work together to make it so.

However some things still elude this great nation because it is not necessarily free for everyone. Recently I heard of a disturbing story of some Sudanese refugee children, we are talking here the Darfur kind, who felt deeply unhappy in America. I put it down to a cultural shock in their case. But their biggest complaint was that they could not recognize each other from the children they knew before they came to America. They felt the consumerist culture had changed their once close friends and felt incredibly lonely in the New land. Well that is understandable.

On my part, I feel I can live almost anywhere. I am quite travelled and have an ability to settle in real quick and get comfortable wherever I have been. I thought I would settle easily in America and on an individual level, I have. I get on well with individuals of all stripes on a one on one basis. But alas my optimism to settle in is constantly tested by, you guessed it, systematic racism. People do racist things and even never realize that they interact with me in the way they do simply because of my skin color. My experiences are wide and varied.
From the extreme like being made to work in 100 degree temperatures because I was 'stronger' than my Latino colleagues to being asked to sing for my boss. (And NO! I didn't do the monkey dance either).
Anyways, I was just thinking about the vast opportunities this country has for one to pick. And I have done my share of picking. But if when someone like myself becomes successful or financially sound, how are you supposed to go spend what you have earned happily if walking into a store feels like walking into a Maximum security prison to visit an inmate? You know what I mean, all eyes and cameras on you plus a guard stalking you in the isles.
Here is an nth letter I am writing yet to another store where I felt treated poorly simply because of the color of my skin.

And with this post I will serialize my Shopping while black experiences. I am almost guaranteed of an encounter every time I enter a store that is not familiar. As for the Asian stores, I stopped a long time ago.
Some have told me that my natural hair sends the wrong signals. It doesn't help either that I keep it short so from behind I look like a Black man. This look has made cops slow down their cars to take a close look at me. A few have suggested I do something to my hair and that even a weave would make people more positive! So it looks like to live "happily" here I have to change my physical appearance. Really?

Here is my latest complaint. Will wait and see if I get a reply. BTW, the clerks were 3 Latinos and an East Indian.

Customer Service.
Complaint;

On February 28th 2009, I went to the Staples on Santa Monica and Vermont in L.A. I got chased down the Isle because I had a backpack on. My intent was to purchase the TI-89 Calculator ($160)and leave.
While taking my backpack to the counter, I noticed 2 other customers walking around comfortably with theirs. I asked the store clerks about the need for me to put my bag at the counter while others were moving around with theirs. Their response was that they tell those who they happen to see to leave their back packs behind. This in light of the fact that one of the other back pack customers was right at the counter seeking help. He happened to be Latino (and so was the other lady). I happen to be black. Out of the three of us they saw me!

To me, this was a clear case of racial profiling and I mentioned this to them which they obviously denied.
I was very disappointed with this treatment. I am sure this is not company policy but you guys could go to great lengths to train your employees to stop harassing and profiling black shoppers.
I can honestly tell you that many of us are wary of going into stores like yours because of the treatment we anticipate to get. We share our stories and word gets around real fast. I think it should be in the interest of your business that this behavior is checked.

Seriously? Woman arrested for driving in Mecca

2009-03-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

Ok. We all know about the Sharia Laws and how seemingly oppresive they appear. But Women not driving? Should Black women be more appreciative of what we've got? Or are we still in a bad place and stories like this distract from our own challenges. On a side note, apparently Oprah is huge in the Arab world. I bet you they will soon be banning her program.

Saudi Arabia woman driver arrest BBC

A woman has been arrested in Mecca in Saudi Arabia for driving a car.

Police gave chase after she was spotted at the wheel of a 4x4 car, the English daily Arab News reported. She was arrested after hitting another car.

Women are prohibited from driving on all public roads in Saudi Arabia, a ban that has triggered several high-profile protests by women's rights activists.

The woman's name and nationality have not been announced. Only Muslims are permitted in the holy city of Mecca.

Police arrested the woman, in her 20s, early on Wednesday morning after the car she was driving crashed into another, said Maj Abdul Muhsin al-Mayman, spokesman for Mecca police.

He did not identify the name or nationality of the woman but said she was caught driving a Lexus.

"The woman tried to escape when she saw a police car and in the process hit another car, which was slightly damaged," he said.

The spokesman said the woman driver was handed over to the Prosecution and Investigation Commission for investigation.

WOW; Skin Lightening in Britain's Asian Community

2009-02-27T11:07:00.001-08:00

This BBC radio documentary will blow your mind.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/r4choice/

Africanized bees? I thought all bees were the same.

2009-02-12T06:59:00.000-08:00

This world never ceases to amaze. There is this latest story of Africanized bees that have been discovered in Utah. And the bees have been delt with as aggressively as black offenders are handled.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090212/ap_on_re_us/africanized_bees

Being African ofcourse I wanted to know more about these Africanized bees. So I did a search and did I get educated. I didn't realize that African bees had a different temperement from European ones. I thought all bees were the same. As a child, we were once locked out of our house because of bees gone nuts. So I always wondered about people out here working with bees albeit protected, I didn't know it was because the bees out here had less attitude.
Anyway I went to Wiki and the info on African bees sounds like a list of Black stereotypes. This stuff is quite funny.

Wikipedia
The Africanized bee in the western hemisphere descended from 26 Tanzanian queen bees (A. m. scutellata) accidentally released by a replacement bee-keeper in 1957 near Rio Claro, São Paulo State in the southeast of Brazil from hives operated by biologist Warwick E. Kerr, who had interbred honey bees from Europe and southern Africa. Hives containing these particular queens were noted to be especially defensive. Kerr was attempting to breed a strain of bees that would be better adapted to tropical conditions (i.e., more productive) than the European bees used in North America and southern South America. The hives from which the bees were released had special excluder grates which were in place to prevent the larger queen bees from getting out but to allow the drones free access to mate with the queen. Unfortunately, following the accidental release, the African queens eventually mated with local drones, and their descendants have since spread throughout the Americas.

The Africanized hybrid bees have become the preferred type of bee for beekeeping in Central America and in tropical areas of South America because of improved productivity. However, in most areas the Africanized hybrid is initially feared because it tends to retain certain behavioral traits from its African ancestors that make it less desirable for domestic beekeeping. Specifically (as compared with the European bee types), the Africanized bee:

-Tends to swarm more frequently.
-Is more likely to migrate as part of a seasonal response to lowered food supply.
-Is more likely to "abscond"—the entire colony leaves the hive and relocates—in response to repeated intrusions by the beekeeper.
-Has greater defensiveness when in a resting swarm.
-Lives more often in ground cavities than the European types.
-Guards the hive aggressively, with a larger alarm zone around the hive.
-Has a higher proportion of "guard" bees within the hive.
-Deploys in greater numbers for defense and pursues perceived threats over much longer distances from the hive.
-Cannot survive extended periods of forage deprivation, preventing introduction into areas with harsh winters or extremely dry late summers.

Did Carol Thatcher call Serena Williams a golliwog?

2009-02-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

When you think enough people have been caught in a racist moment, another one pops up. This time its Carol Thatcher the daughter of former British Premier Margaret Thatcher. While watching the Australian open she refered to a black player as a golliwog. What is interesting about this story is, the insulted player is not being named. So that leaves us guessing. I am betting she was referring to Serena WIlliams who won the title for the third time.

Carol Thatcher faces BBC ban over 'golliwog' remarkComments (361) Leigh Holmwood guardian.co.uk,
Carol Thatcher faces being banned from the BBC after she referred to a tennis player as a "golliwog".

Thatcher, the daughter of former prime minister Lady Thatcher, made the remark in a private conversation in the green room of The One Show after the broadcast of the BBC1 programme on Thursday night.

Sources have said that Thatcher will not be used again on the show, where she is a roving reporter, until she formally apologises to those who were offended by the remark.

According to insiders, Thatcher – who won ITV1 reality series I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! in 2005 – was chatting with The One Show host Adrian Chiles and guest Jo Brand about the Australian Open when she described an unnamed player as a "golliwog".

Show insiders said Chiles was "outraged" by the comment and he and Brand challenged Thatcher about it.

The pair also complained to show executives – as did production staff who later heard about the incident – and it is understood that Thatcher was approached the following day by the show's executive producer.

Thatcher's spokeswoman had not responded to a request for comment before publication, but was quoted in The Times today as saying the word was an "off-the-cuff remark made in jest" and that she had apologised to the show's producer.

Sources said Thatcher had also written to the show's executive producer to apologise and that the BBC was currently considering its decision.

However, insiders said this may not be enough.

"Her apology seems to be that it was just a joke, but the BBC feels it is not acceptable under any circumstances to call someone a golliwog," the source said.

"Unless you don't think that is an acceptable joke, how can you be sorry? Until she apologises to the people who were offended her future is in question. There are people working on the show who don't feel they can work with her. Adrian was outraged by what he heard."

A BBC spokesman said there were "no confirmed plans to work with Carol on The One Show at the present time".

He added: "The BBC considers any language of a racist nature wholly unacceptable. We have raised the issue with the individual concerned and are discussing it as a matter of urgency."

Hands off the Czech's castration policy.

2009-02-05T08:44:00.000-08:00

Finally a country that has it right on the treatment of violent sex offenders, and what do we get? Some idle people making noise about it.

BBC
A European anti-torture watchdog has expressed "serious reservations" about surgical castration being used to treat sex offenders in the Czech Republic.
The Committee for the Prevention of Torture also expressed concerns about the use of chemical castration, and called for greater safeguards.

The Council of Europe committee questioned the freedom of consent for those undergoing the procedure.

The Czech government says castrations happened in accordance with the law.

In its report on the Czech Republic, the committee for the Prevention of Torture raised concerns about the use of castration, both chemical and surgical, in the treatment of sex offenders.

All the offenders sentenced to so-called protective treatment in psychiatric hospitals underwent chemical castration.

Unclear responsibility

Surgical castration was confined mainly to offenders who had committed murder, and only with their consent.

But the committee cast doubt on how free that consent could be, if the alternative for the prisoner was indefinite confinement in a psychiatric hospital.

The committee said it was concerned about the overlap between the doctors treating the offenders and the panel of experts responsible for approving the operation.

The Czech government said castration procedures were carried out according to law, but improvement in legislation would be debated this year.

One of the hospitals involved said the procedure was only used for repeat offenders, many of whom were alcoholics and individuals with learning disabilities.

In a Global financial Meltdown, Bank of England is regulating women's dress code

2009-02-04T14:36:00.000-08:00

Bank of England ( Yes they still exist) amidst the global financial crisis is currently concerned about the way female employees present themselves. Among their many concerns, is women's over stuffed bags. Here is a break down.

Bryony Gordon

Goodness knows how female employees at the Bank of England have dealt with today's weather.

While ladies at the Telegraph sit at their desks in dresses, wellington boots and ear muffs, those at the BofE have been told in a memo that they must always wear heels (though no higher than two inches), and that they must arrive at work with some sort of make-up on (even if it's just lipstick).

Other sartorial rules: shoes and skirts must be the same colour (though white heels are BANNED, BANNED, BANNED), ankle chains are out (who over the age of 15 wears ankle chains anyway?) and overstuffed handbags are a no-no (because there is nothing more offensive than the sight of an overstuffed handbag, is there?).

Ladies should also be careful with perfume. Meanwhile, men who wear too much aftershave seem to have escaped such judgement.

Anyway, my favourite moment of the memo is the bit that says that certain accessories would make women look "professional, but not the one you want to be associated with".

Well I don't think you need me to spell out what they might be trying to say there.

Anyway, apparently the year is 2009. Perhaps they should simply stick all of their female employees in burkhas, and be done with it.

Is Chris Rock trying to get killed?

2009-01-24T00:58:00.000-08:00

Chris Rock has decided to take the path to black hell by making the documentary Good Hair. Its getting some good reviews at the Sundance film festival.
Personally I am glad that he given his social standing has taken on this touchy issue.

The Selfish Gene's Richard Dawkins oblivious of Human Breeding

2009-01-22T14:46:00.001-08:00

Scientists increase our levels of doubt when they display ignorance of certain basics. Worse is the fact that their ignorance is in areas they purport to be experts. One often wonders if its worth the effort to consider the Theory of Evolution.
The culprit scientist of today is Richard Dawkins, a biologist and popular science writer of the famous, The Selfish Gene. Here in a BBC documentary he is talking about his book. An audience member asks him the question about the merits of genetics engineering and why we don't leave it to the selfish genes to sort themselves out rather than the selfish scientists. The good biologist defended the scientists by saying that Humans have been genetic Engineering animals like horses, dogs, cows etc but never humans! And that to him that seems in order.
Ok, the idea of genetic engineering is a little out there for me, my beef with this guy is his either, sincere lack of knowledge or selective memory regarding human breeding for the purposes of improving the offspring of black slaves. Another alternative could be that this guy doesn't consider the breeding of blacks as breeding of human beings. Who knows. And this guy is supposedly an expert on matters of biology and a raving atheist. Not that I am against atheists but for one to go out of his way without proof to write authoritatively about the non existence of God, its no surprising that their take on history would be a little skewed.

Here is the documentary.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/worldservice/meta/dps/2007/07/070731_the_word?size=au&bgc=003399&lang=en-ws&nbram=1&nbwm=1

Obama eats chief: Why we didn’t see him cooking

2009-01-20T15:30:00.000-08:00

Here is one of my favorite African Political analysts Charles Onyango Obbo writing about Obama's victory and the African attitude towards anything Western. Very thought provoking but as usual spot on. I cannot get enough of this guy.

Last night, Barack Obama was sworn in as the first African-American president. For many Africans, there was the additional significance that his father was Kenyan, and therefore he is one of our own. In fact, if you climbed the tallest tree in my village in Tororo, across in Kenya you can see Kogelo, where Obama’s father is buried (at least you can if you let your imagination fly).

There is probably no American president of whom so much has been written during the campaigns, and the nearly three months he waited to be sworn in.
The Obama story, though, will never be “finished”. To some of us, there is something small and important about seeing Obama sworn in.

Since before independence, most Africans have been prisoners of a protest, anti-colonial, anti-imperialistic, and ultimately anti-white culture.
A lot of “great literature” in Africa had common themes; a heroic Okonkwo-type character in Things Fall Apart fighting against evil colonialists, and either winning against all odds, or being ultimately defeated by the might of the “white man” but going down in a blaze of glory.

This existed along with caricatures of black people “trying to be white” and, sometimes, being more white than white. Good satire, but not deep exploration.
Studies of politics were also divided along these lines. There were various radical, anti-colonial, anti-imperialist schools. They were ranged against others that didn’t place emphasis on the role of colonialism and imperialism, speaking of universal values and so forth. The radicals denounced this school as “apologist” and “racist collaborators”.

Then, a third trend we saw in literature, art, political science, and religious studies was one that went to the other extreme, and extolled Africa and its old ways as the best. Ancient African society was portrayed as heaven on Earth.
All Greek and other European knowledge and art was, this school held, stolen from Africa ages ago by white people who claimed it to be theirs. One of my favourites was Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi who, some years ago, claimed that William Shakespeare was a north African Arab writer called Sheikh Sepia and the mzungus just stole his works.

The caricature of Africans who are more English than the English was not fanciful. Confronted by the many problems and failures of Africa, quite a few Africans escaped by refusing to be associated with all things black. A variant of this are the Africans who never see anything beautiful and hopeful about Africa. Their strategy is that by being so scathing of Africa, it lifts them into a special class of people who are very enlightened because they are not afraid to criticise their continent and its miseries, and therefore makes them blameless for its failures.

We need this honesty, but it can be shallow because it’s often just showmanship and barren because it doesn’t bring any new solutions to the table. And, yes, there is an honoured place for grievance and protest literature and scholarship, but when it becomes the only reality it impoverishes the intellect. African libraries and scholarly collections are full of this angry material, and the vicious exchanges between the pro-African, the extreme traditionalists, denunciations of the “white system”, and other railings against imperialist injustices.

The result is that we have very little quiet-toned reflective writing that examines the African story in any sophisticated way. This tradition of angry and fighting scholarship so deformed the African intellectual space that even when it moved away to other subjects, the mindset remained. So most African female writers will have a strong matriarch battling evil men, or a heroine overcoming rape by, including sometimes, her father and other relatives, to be a phenomenally successful woman.

An African woman who is raised by regular parents, sings in the Sunday choir, passes her exams with flying colours without sleeping with the teacher, and gets her job without being exploited for sex by the employer, and finds success is almost non-existent in African literature. If you didn’t know better, you would think that there are no African women who haven’t been raped (though rape is a scourge on our continent), or abused by cruel stepmothers and fathers.

We have paid a high price for this. Because everything was war and argumentative, and if you didn’t take a position on colonialism, imperialism, African tradition, or the “good” side of colonialism, you became an intellectual orphan (shunned by both the left and right), we have spent very little time thinking of alternative ways of dealing creatively with our various problems and relationship with the rest of the world.

Whatever explanation one might have for why Obama won, in the end it looked simple really. The mountain of evil white people whom we all believed would never let a person of colour become American president, turned out to be only an anthill.

Obama taught us that we can choose to spend the rest of our lives standing outside the stadium throwing stones in; or we can enter the game and win. It is an embarrassingly old-fashioned moral about life.

cobbo@nation.co.ke

What some kids do to go to school.

2009-01-16T16:33:00.001-08:00

Once in a while I come across such heart wrenching stories of school children and I promise myself to start a school fees fund for African Children like Malinga. I hope to get my ish together soon and start one.

MALINGA’S DONKEY IS THE REASON HE IS STILL IN SCHOOL
BY FREDERICK WOMAKUYU When his parents died, all they left him was a donkey. One would, therefore, expect 10-year-old Moses Malinga to sit at home with his grandmother.

But not Malinga. He fetches water for households, restaurants and hotels to make ends meet. He loads the jerrycans on the donkey’s back.

Malinga is in P3 at Chekwasta Primary School in Bukwo district.

“My dream is to stay in school and become a teacher. I cannot achieve that if I do not do anything on my own,” he says. “My relatives are too poor to help me; they are also busy looking after their families.

I had to discover a way out. I never wanted to become a beggar; I do not like free things. I know I will succeed if I work hard.”

Every day at 5:00am, Malinga wakes up to fetch water from River Bukwo, 10 km from his home. He carries two to four jerrycans of water per trip. “I have to make 30 trips daily to make enough money,” he says. “But during school time, I make about 10. I do not want to miss classes.”

On a good day, he can make sh800 per trip.

“I load water on the donkey and direct her to where the water is needed. To reward my donkey, I give her at least two hours of rest per day,” he says. “She is always cheerful and this makes me happy.”

Malinga’s customers always pay promptly. “I have never been cheated. It seems they understand my situation,” he says.

He uses the money to buy uniforms, scholastic materials and household items like sugar and salt.

Malinga, who lives three kilometres away from his school, says although he gets exhausted sometimes, his work has not affected his concentration in class. During the end of year exams, he was 9th out of 90 pupils in his class.

“On school days, I wake up at about 5:00am to do five trips. By 8:00am I am in school and by 4:00pm, I am back to do another five,” he says.

His teachers are proud of him, but believe he can perform even better. Alex Mwanga, his class teacher says: “If a Good Samaritan could help him financially, he would top the class.”

Benna Chemusto, Malinga’s grandmother says she always prays for her grandson to succeed so that he can provide for the rest of the family.
Peter Chekwchi, a restaurant owner and one of Malinga’s customers is proud of him. “He is young but with a clear vision. He has big dreams,” he says.

“With his determination, he will succeed.”

Feminism gone too far?

2009-01-14T14:57:00.000-08:00

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, kisses Justice Minister Rachida Dati after delivering his speech at the Cour de Cassation, France's highest judicial body, Wednesday Jan. 7, 2009 in Paris. Sarkozy announced major justice reforms. (AP Photo/Francois Mori; Pool) (Francois Mori - AP)

The French Justice Minister returned to work attending a Cabinet Meeting 5 days after giving birth by Cesarean section. And oh, she was wearing stilettos. I hope women across the world rain down on this woman with criticism. What exactly is she trying to prove?

By ELAINE GANLEY
The Associated Press
Thursday, January 8, 2009; 2:02 PM

PARIS -- She's out of the maternity ward and into a Cabinet meeting, dressed in elegant black and stiletto heels _ five days after giving birth at age 43. Justice Minister Rachida Dati, single and guarding the daddy's name like a state secret, doesn't stop surprising the French.

They like her, even though she has fallen out of favor with magistrates, lawyers and reportedly her boss, President Nicolas Sarkozy, who propelled the ambitious daughter of Moroccan and Algerian parents to the lofty Justice Ministry as his emblem of diversity.

Even if the star power of the glamorous judge, partial to Dior clothes and expensive gems, is dimming among the power elite, she knows how to make a comeback.

Just hours after leaving a private Paris clinic Wednesday with little Zohra bundled in satin in her arms, the perfectly coifed Dati joined other ministers for the weekly Cabinet meeting, then attended Sarkozy's traditional New Year's address at the Court of Cassation.

The president greeted her with a big embrace.

Dati had said she would be off the job only briefly, but few guessed the hiatus after a Caesarean section would last but five days. Her week's agenda is full. Newspapers loved it, splashing Dati's return on their front pages and prompting reader debates about what message she is sending to other working moms.

Guessing the identity of the father has become a pastime for the press, and names of high-ranking personalities in France and abroad have been publicly offered up. But Dati is keeping her secret.

"I have a complicated private life," she said in September, her only public words of explanation.

Dati has built her career on defying the conventions of France, the traditions of her Muslim parents and her own humble beginnings.

One of 11 children who grew up in a housing project in Chalon-sur-Saone in southeast France, Dati's life has been marked by determination. She wrote letters to Sarkozy seeking a job and served as a spokeswoman during his presidential campaign.

Appointed to the Justice Ministry _ a top Cabinet post _ in June 2007, Dati became the toast of the town and graced numerous magazine covers.

Then the fairy tale began to sour with allegations that she had misrepresented a diploma, and was unprepared to handle the intricacies of her charge and her personnel. A succession of top aides resigned amid reports that Dati was too authoritarian.

Her determination in enacting major judicial reforms ordered up by Sarkozy pitted the nation's corps of attorneys and judges against her.

Dati's Achilles heel may have been her close relationship with Sarkozy's former wife, Cecilia, so close that Dati joined the presidential couple on a U.S. vacation.

The couple divorced in October 2007, and Sarkozy and his new wife, singer and former model Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, vacation without Dati.

Still, the French like her. In a December poll, Dati ranked among the top 10 women of the year.

Media reports maintain that Dati could soon lose her job in the Justice Ministry. The leftist daily Liberation reported Thursday that Sarkozy has asked her to run in European Parliament elections in June.

She publicly reiterates her loyalty to Sarkozy, dubbed the "omnipresident" for his nonstop work style. As she says in a book of conversations with a journalist called "You be the Judge": "I study Nicolas Sarkozy ... and I assimilate him."

Crimes of Passion gone global

2009-01-07T19:00:00.000-08:00

Seriously, you can't look at the news anywhere these days without a story of a jilted man murdering a woman plus some because of a relationship gone bad. In the last weeks of 2008, in Uganda there were 7 successive spousal murders. All victims were women and the culprits men. Here in California we had Santa Claus gone bad on Christmas eve leaving behind 8 dead.

And now we have another story of a security guard at a local bank who had a beef with his ex working as a cleaner at the bank. Seriously, what is going on with men all over the world? Is it global warming?
Well at least this particular culprit did everyone a favor and took himself out and explained his actions in a note relieving those that had been arrested for attempted robbery.

Shooting at Standard Chartered Bank linked to failed love affair
Ephraim Kasozi & Alfred Nyongesa Wandera Kampala

Five guards belonging to a private firm, Security Group, who were arrested during the shooting at Standard Chartered Bank branch at Garden City Mall in Kampala on Monday, were released yesterday.

Police Spokesperson Judith Nabakooba said the quintet, who had been guarding a bullion van that had brought money to the branch, was released after the police found that they had no connection to the incident in which two people died. “We (police) thought they had a connection because they were leaving the premises at the time of shooting but after our investigations and viewing the CCTV cameras from the bank, we released them,” said Ms Nabakooba.

She did not identify the five who were arrested by security operatives comprising of Police Rapid Response Unit and Anti-Terrorism Unit. The police described the Monday morning shooting that paralysed business at Garden City premises as a crime of passion to clear earlier allegations of attempted robbery.

Tobby Omara, a guard at Standard Chartered Bank’s branch shot and killed Juliet Birungi, a cleaner in the same bank before shooting himself dead. Ms Nabakooba said the police recovered a suicide note from Omara’s body expressing anger against Birungi.

According to Ms Nabakooba, Omara’s letter to “viewers and mourners” was written to express his dissatisfaction with the way Birungi had treated him in their love affair. “This lady has been a liar. Let my body rot on the street but I was seeking for straight forwardness,” the note, a copy of which Daily Monitor obtained, states.

Ms Nabakooba said the letter, together with another note recovered from Birungi’s body, will be taken to a handwriting expert to confirm that it belonged to Mr Omara. According to the note, Omara accused Birungi of aborting twice and deceiving him that she did not have a husband yet her husband was in prison.
The police publicist said Ms Birungi’s letter informed Mr Omara that she was ditching him.

Update; Justice Served!

2009-01-06T15:01:00.000-08:00

Angelina Kyomugisha

This was a story I blogged about last year about a woman who caught her neighbor attempting to defile her daughter and with her knife she had been working with promptly dismembered the guy. She had a lot of public support including lots of Ugandan men who thought she was a hero. Well, she is now free to go on with her life while the defiler is literally less of a man.

By Abdulkarim Ssengendo
in Mbarara

COURT in Mbarara on Monday dismissed a case of a woman who chopped off the penis of her neighbour.

Angelina Kyomugisha, 37, accused Geoffrey Mugarura of allegedly defiling her 10-year-old daughter in June last year. She had been accused of causing bodily harm to Mugarura.

Court, presided over by the Grade One magistrate Matthew Tumwijukye, said prosecution had failed to produce the complainant and other witnesses. If convicted, Kyomugisha would have been liable to imprisonment for five-years.

After acquittal, an excited Kyomugisha smiled and waved to the people in the courtroom.

Asked to comment about the matter, she broke down and cried as she said: “I could not expect this; God is great to see that I am also going to settle with my children without court stress. I was about to fail to report to court every month as I was required because transport fares had increased.”

Kyomugisha is a resident of Rugyerera village in Rwanyamahembe sub-county Kashari county.

She said she was weeding her banana plantation and she heard her daughter shouting for help. She rushed to the house and found Mugarura on top of her child.

This, she said, prompted her to chop Mugarura’s genitals and throw it in nearby bush. The crowd searched for the penis for hours in vain.

Later, a dog was seen trying to run away with the organ. Residents chased the dog, recovered the penis and handed it over to the Police. It was later taken to Mbarara Central Police Station as an exhibit. A bleeding Mugarura was rushed to Mbarara Hospital.

He did not regain his manhood because doctors failed to re-attach it. The stump was refashioned so that he can pass urine.

When Kyomugisha was arrested, women lawyers from FIDA stood her surety and she was bailed out of prison. The lawyers also met Mugarura’s medical bills and reconciled both parties.

Child elopers' Africa plan foiled

2009-01-06T09:26:00.000-08:00

The three were trying to travel without passports or money

What a cute story.

BBC
Two German children - aged five and six - have been stopped by police from eloping to Africa to tie the knot in the sun, reports say.

The budding lovebirds, identified as Mika and Anna-Lena, packed bathing costumes, sunglasses and a lilo and headed for the airport.

They even had the presence of mind to invite along an official witness - Anna-Lena's seven-year-old sister.

The three got as far as Hanover railway station before police intervened.

The young couple were "very much in love" and had decided to get married in Africa "where it is warm", police spokesman Holger Jureczko told the AFP news agency.

Sun-seekers

The idea for the getaway wedding was born as the children's families celebrated New Year's eve together and Mika regaled the two girls with stories of a recent holiday to Italy. They can still put their plan into action at a later date

Holger Jureczko
Hanover police spokesman

The following morning, as their parents slept, the intrepid trio walked 1km (0.6 miles) to the local tram station at Langenhagen, where they hopped aboard a tram for Hanover central station.

But the group aroused the suspicion of a guard as they waited for a train to the airport, and police were called in.

Officers persuaded the children they would not get far without tickets and money, but consoled them with a free tour of the police station, where they were shortly picked up by relieved parents.

Although any marriage plans have been put on hold for now, police did not altogether rule out the possibility of an African wedding.

"They can still put their plan into action at a later date," AFP quoted the spokesman as saying.

Uncles please find another gig

2009-01-03T11:08:00.000-08:00

In this Dec. 17, 2008 photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, pirates aim weapons on the deck of the Chinese ship 'Zhenhua 4' in the Gulf of Aden, Nine pirates armed with rocket launchers and heavy machine guns boarded the ship
(AP)

HAPPY NEW YEAR -These will take us into the New Year

2008-12-31T18:39:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year villagers.

I haven't been fortunate enough to watch Burundi Drummers in person but I hear they are spectacular. Move over China.

Asians Returning to Uganda

2008-12-29T18:20:00.000-08:00

Uganda is my adoptive country and I call it home since I grew up mostly there and managed to stay alive.

We had that little stint with Idi Amin that has been grossly exaggerated by the Western Media. 300,000 people were never killed (that figure came out of some one's beind. Even the UN has no exact data) by Idi Amin's regime and all those stories of cannibalism are just fantasies of the Western Media.
Anyway, Idi Amin's notoriety has stayed partly alive because he expelled the Asians.
What the Western Media failed to Note is that as Brutal as Idi Amin was said to be, no single Indian was killed during that expulsion. And also what they refuse to highlight was the brutal system that was being established. That of Asians as the middle and Upper Class and Africans as the servant class. To Ugandans Idi Amin is a hero for having halted that process. he is often placed next to Hitler. I believe Hitler killed Millions of Jews while to my knowledge, I am not aware of a single Indian that was killed during his economic war.
Today the Government of Museveni is encouraging those Asians that left to return and they have. Some have learnt from the lessons of the past. Those that went to Europe an Canada seem to be more open minded and don't take the Africans for granted, while those directly from India are coming in with their Caste mentality and treating Africans the way the Asians of the 1970s did. They didn't go through the experience and so seem not to be aware of African anger. I sense a future conflict if the Asian community does not come together to address the issues.

Anyway this came from some You tube videos I have come across made by Indians encouraging others around the world to go to Uganda which is their Land of Opportunity. These videos run with the rather annoying theme of woo is us Indians. Only the Fronline Documentary which was made by an Indian takes a critical look at how Indians behaved towards the Africans

Here they are.

Here is a Front Line documentary of a return of Asians
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2007/05/uganda_the_retu.html

Merry Christmas to all Villagers and to those trolling

2008-12-25T00:30:00.000-08:00

Its the season to give and so here I go with some of the wacky vidoes of African dances I came across.
I thought I had seen some of the strangest but this one takes the cake. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone.

One of the perks of being the King of the Baganda is that artists will foever serenade you.

White men attacked

2008-12-20T18:56:00.001-08:00

I am really feeling for the White men on this one. As a Black woman, being degraded in the media has become routine and though I am still severly disturbed by it, its kind of relieving to see that we have white men joining us on the block too.

MICHELLE OBAMA UNDER ATTACK

2008-12-12T13:35:00.000-08:00

Its stories like this that make one realize that, as a black woman, no matter how much you achieve, this society has a fixed image of you. If its not a mammy, its an angry black woman, a Sapphire, Jezebel and for racist white men (and many black men), a punching bag. A reminder to black women to never forget who you are and learn to appreciate yourself. It looks like no one else out there is going to.

E-mail about Michelle Obama's dress puts Canyon official in the hot seat

Canyon County Commissioner Steve Rule is coming under fire for circulating an e-mail that compares Michelle Obama's election-night dress to a black widow spider.

An online reporter posted an article about the e-mail Wednesday, calling it racist and outrageous. Rule says he didn't see it as racist but realizes now it was inappropriate to forward that message from his county computer.

Jill Kuraitis of New West.net obtained a printed copy of the e-mail, which Rule received from a family member then forwarded to 26 people from his county e-mail account on Dec. 2.

Kuraitis said the e-mail features a photo of a black widow spider next to a photo of Michelle Obama in a black and red dress holding her elder daughter's hand at the election-night event where Barack Obama accepted his election as the next president of the United States. Featuring boldface and underlines for emphasis, the e-mail reads, in part: "The female has a very wide backside, is Black, and has a red hour glass shaped marking on her belly You can find this spider in: Closets, Wood piles, Under Beds And soonTHE WHITE HOUSE!!!!"

Kuraitis decried the message as racist, noting that it emphasizes the word "black" and plays into racial stereotypes.

"I didn't see it that way," Rule told the Idaho Statesman. "I didn't study the e-mail I just thought the markings on her dress was very similar to that of the spider, and I thought it was kind of funny. For me, it was all about the dress."

"But apparently it offended some people, and I'm sorry," he said.

Rule, a Republican who was unopposed for re-election on November's ballot, said a relative sent the message to his private e-mail address but he forwarded it from his official e-mail to people who had sent him humorous e-mails in the past.

Canyon County has an e-mail policy that states county e-mail accounts "are to be used for job-related communications only," but that policy applies only to county employees, not to elected officials, county spokeswoman Angie Sillonis said. Commissioners and other elected officials must abide by state code, but Sillonis said she could find no state law that prohibited an action such as the e-mail forwarded by Rule.

She said the commissioners' office has not received any complaints about the e-mail.

Rule vowed not to send other e-mails from his county computer unless the message is related to county business.

"It's probably a good wake-up call for me and for all county and state employees," he said.

African Satirist claims Obama is his relative

2008-12-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

Obama is from Nebbi-Henry Sagara

I just learned last Wednesday morning that Barack Obama is a relative of mine. I swear I am not making this up; I am reliably informed by my grand-auntie that Barack is actually my relative. I have no reason to doubt this auntie because she has been around for sometime (her breast milk is powdered!), she always tells the truth….by accident, and she is not a historian, but history itself!

I always wondered why my pals told me that I look like Obama until the old woman sang to me that the Luo in Kenya are actually from West Nile; I know you doubt this but let me give you their history according to my grand-auntie.

About three millennia ago, a one Obama Nyo Mubarak (Barack’s great, great granny) happened to be a resident of Panyimur (my village). Due to drought in the area then, he decided to relocate to a place with greener pastures so that his goats would graze, and travelled through Pubungu, via Lake Kyoga to Kisumu, and settled in K’Ogelo, siring some kids with some local “birds”.

One of his kids later bore a one Hussein Obama (Father of Barack), who later migrated to Hawaii and later Chicago, and on his way there, he begot a son and named him Baraka Obama… (Baraka means luck and Okubama means to bump into) and this lucky son was supposed to bump into the White House.

In a nutshell, this humble man from Nebbi embarked on the longest journey in history, a journey that took 4 millennia from a humble village in Nebbi to the White House. Now I hear Kenyans are celebrating… Well, let them celebrate; I hear they know Obama’s history, but for me I know her-story (yes, my auntie’s story!).

Now that we all know that Obama is from Nebbi; let me take you through our cultural norms: You don’t cross the river without stepping on a goats… er…er balls. For that matter, I am donating a goat to be slaughtered on the steps of the White House before he gets in, and then after that, we can re-paint the house black! We are also going to rename Airforce One Abiba-One (Abiba is a kite in my language) and then we are going to start exporting angara and pedu to the American market, an AGOA of sorts.

The only thing we have to change from the Black House (formerly White House) is the Oval Office’ name; Bill Clinton exposed this office so everybody knows what happens there, so we call it the Cigar Room!

As of today, I consider myself an American citizen; I mean, when your relative is the American President, you automatically become an American.

You may call me McSaggy and call the Archbishop Owrombey Henry Lukeman! I am working on the accent bit and also trying to get the pronunciation for PENNISLYVANIA Avenue right. I know some Kenyan Luo are baying for my blood but wait, you can’t have everything, you have the Prime-Minister’s post already…What more do you want?

As for McCain, I think he should consider standing for President of Uganda… He’s a war hero, he knows how to attack his opponents on a personal level, he has a bald head, and he also has a vision. Typical candidate for Uganda’s Presidency come 2011! He only has to get citizenship and learn how to say ageende without an accent!

Belgian Couple sold baby over internet.

2008-12-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

The couple who sold their newborn baby on the internet were from the Belgium town of Ghent

Is this the effect of the global economic downturn? The icing on the cake on this story is that its not illegal to sell babies in the Netherlands. Okay those Dutch are known to be very liberal with prostitution and drugs but this???!!!

Dutch 'internet baby' case opens - from the BBC

A Dutch court is hearing the case of a Dutch couple's alleged illegal adoption of a baby over the internet from a couple in Belgium.

The court in Zwolle is considering who should have custody of the baby, reportedly sold for thousands of euros.

The case was brought by the Dutch Child Protection Council, which says the Dutch couple violated adoption rules.

It says the baby should be placed in the care of a "neutral foster family" - with no ties to either of the couples.

Kees Dijkman, a spokesman for the council, told BBC News that the Dutch couple had "stolen a child's identity" by breaking the international rules of adoption. He said that could be very damaging to the baby in the future.

Couple 'feeling bad'

The case of the baby - known only as "Baby J" - was brought to light by the Dutch TV programme Netwerk in a recent broadcast.

It said the baby had been born in Belgium's northern city of Ghent in the summer.

The Belgian couple - who already had a child - then decided to sell the baby because they could not afford to raise two children, Netwerk said.

It then informed the Dutch justice ministry about its investigation, and the case was brought to the Zwolle court by the Dutch Child Protection Council.

A lawyer for the Belgian couple this week told Belgium's VTM television that they felt bad about their decision and now wanted their baby back.

Prosecutors in Ghent have also opened an inquiry into an alleged false declaration of identity, following reports that the Dutch couple had registered the baby with the Belgian authorities.

India Sunk the wrong ship!

2008-11-25T11:55:00.000-08:00

File image of Indian navy frigate INS Tabar

This is what happens when one becomes over zealous. India, thought it had hit Pirate gold and attacked a so called mother ship they though belonged to Somali Pirates. Somalis are not that rich to have that many vessels to float them out. I wonder why any one imagined that those simple pirates would have such a vessel. On the other hand, they have given the pirates a better idea. Here is the latest from CNN about a Thai ship they sunk. SMH. Also amazing is how the story took so long to come out.

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Fourteen sailors are still missing from a Thai trawler that was sunk last week by the Indian navy as a suspected pirate ship, the vessel's owner said Tuesday.

One crewman was found alive after six days adrift in the Gulf of Aden, and one is confirmed dead, said Wicharn Sirichaiekawat, owner of the Ekawat Nava 5.

Last week, India's navy reported that the frigate INS Tabar had battled a pirate "mother vessel" in the gulf November 18, leaving the ship ablaze and likely sunk. Wicharn said that vessel was his ship, which was in the process of being seized by pirates when it came under fire.

Indian authorities insisted that their ship had acted against a pirate vessel which had threatened to attack the Tabar.

"We fired in self-defense and in response to firing upon our vessel. It was a pirate vessel in the international waters and its stance was aggressive," Commodore Nirad Sinha, a navy spokesman, told CNN. He said the ship the Tabar fired upon was laden with ammunition. Watch more about the piracy threat in the region »

Wicharn told reporters that the Ekawat Nava 5 was headed from Oman to Yemen to deliver fishing equipment when it was set upon by pirates off the Horn of Africa. The pirates were seizing control of the ship when the Tabar moved in, he said.

Wicharn said he learned the fate of his vessel from a Cambodian crew member who survived the gunfire and drifted in the ocean for six days before he was plucked to safety by a passing ship. The sailor was recovering in a hospital in Yemen, he said.

Wicharn said his ship made a distress call on November 18 as it was chased by pirates in two speedboats, but the connection was lost midway. The owners, Sirichai Fisheries, had not heard from the crew since then.

Later that evening, the Indian navy said it encountered a suspected pirate "mother vessel," with two speedboats in tow, about 285 nautical miles (525 km) southwest of the Omani port of Salalah. "Mother vessels" are often used as mobile bases to ferry pirates and smaller attack boats into deep water.

When the Tabar's crew hailed the ship and demanded it stop for inspection, the pirates threatened to destroy the Indian ship, the ministry reported.

An international fleet has been patrolling the waters off the Horn of Africa in an effort to crack down on pirates based in largely lawless Somalia. Map of piracy incidents in 2008 »

Pirates have attacked more than 90 vessels off East Africa so far this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Center, which monitors piracy around the world, including a Saudi supertanker captured earlier this month.

The latest ship seized was a Yemeni freighter Adina taken last week with a crew of seven on board, including two Yemenis, two Panamanians and three Somalis, security sources in Yemen told CNN.

The government is in direct contact with officials in Somalia to work on rescuing the ship, for which the hijackers are asking for a $2 million ransom.

While the pirate take over of the Saudi super-tanker highlights the dangers facing cargo ships navigating the Horn of Africa, marine security experts are warning that racing boats, private charters and luxury yachts can be far easier pirate targets -- rich people usually carry cash, and jewels. Watch the risks facing racers and luxury sailors »

And competitors in the world's biggest ocean race made an unprecedented change of course this year as organizers mandated yachts steer clear of Africa's east coast.

Black women now earning more than their white counterparts

2008-11-24T13:18:00.000-08:00

Constance Briscoe, who became one of Britain's first black female judges

This is now happening in Britain. Is this good news really? According to some recent research Black women are out earning their white counterparts. The study also shows that Black British women have a work ethic twice that of all other women and equal to that of White men. So what exactly does this all this mean? To me it seems official, Black women cannot wholly depend on Black men the way women of other races depend on their men. Is this a good thing? Are we redefining woman hood or are we simply being further victimized?

Here is an article from the Daily Mail

Black women are earning more than white women in Britain for the first time, official figures suggest.

On average, women who described their ethnicity as 'Black Caribbean' have taken home more pay in 2008 than their white counterparts. The pay gap grew to 6 per cent in the three months to October, when black women earned an average £462 per week - against £436 for white women.

It is a reversal on the figures for 2007, when white women earned over 7 per cent more than black women on average.
The trend emerged in an analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics, based on the authoritative Labour Force Survey.
But experts at the Equality and Human Rights Commission cautioned against 'over-simplifying', warning that black women were still under-represented compared with white women in the senior ranks of many professions despite recent strides.
A spokesman said the trend may be linked to working and residential patterns, explaining: 'Black women are more likely to live in London, where wages are higher, and work in the public sector, where the pay gap for women generally is lower.'
In addition, it is thought financial pressures mean black women are less likely to switch to part-time work after having children, meaning they suffer less of a pay penalty when returning to work.
Meanwhile many work in health or social services where pay has been rising.
The pay trend follows other strides made by black women in recent years including the appointment of two to the Cabinet, including Baroness Scotland, the Attorney General, and others to senior positions in the judiciary.
Colleen Harris, the first black press officer at Downing Street, told the Sunday Times, which published the analysis, she was 'cynical about the figures'.
But she added: 'Black women do work very hard, and often they are the single earner in a household and have the whole weight of a family on their shoulders.'
The figures come at a time of growing concern over the under-achievement of white working-class youngsters, particularly boys.
They have worse GCSE results than almost any other group and are less likely to go to university.
Just 15 per cent of white working-class boys finished compulsory schooling last year having mastered the three Rs, gaining five good GCSEs including the core subjects of English and maths.
For black boys from similar backgrounds, the figure is 22 per cent while for Asians it is 29 per cent and Chinese 52 per cent.
Figures also show black Caribbean girls of any background doing better than their male counterparts.
Some 38.5 per cent achieved five good GCSEs including the three Rs last year, against 26.5 per cent of black Caribbean boys

Piracy a serious Industry in Somalia's Puntland

2008-11-18T13:41:00.000-08:00

When I first heard of Somali Piracy over a year ago, I immediately foresaw a serious growth in activity given that Somalis have had a dysfunctional state for the past 18 years. This year alone over 80 attacks have taken place. With almost daily attacks in the last 2 weeks. These guys have become battle hardened and given that there is all this wealth roaming around them, the obvious inclination for people used to lawlessness is to pirate. I am personally surprised it has taken so long for them to get this active. The danger that I see now is for all sorts of criminal elements from all over the continent taking up piracy on the high seas around Africa. Last week a Chinese Fishing vessel was high jacked with 24 on board. Question is, what where the Chinese doing fishing in that region? This is an aspect not reported about. The Somali Fishermen have long had an axe to grind with big foreign vessels depleting their fish resources. But this is not something you are going to hear much about. So now they have picked up an even more lucrative business, piracy.
Following is a BBC article about the economic growth of Puntland whose biggest income earner is Piracy. So good luck to all those flexing their muscles on ending piracy. The infrastructure and system around piracy have been set up, getting rid of them will be quite the challenge.

Life in Somalia's pirate town

By Mary Harper
BBC Africa analyst

Whenever word comes out that pirates have taken yet another ship in the Somali region of Puntland, extraordinary things start to happen.

Pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia have been surging

There is a great rush to the port of Eyl, where most of the hijacked vessels are kept by the well-armed pirate gangs.

People put on ties and smart clothes. They arrive in land cruisers with their laptops, one saying he is the pirates' accountant, another that he is their chief negotiator.

With yet more foreign vessels seized off the coast of Somalia this week, it could be said that hijackings in the region have become epidemic.

Insurance premiums for ships sailing through the busy Gulf of Aden have increased tenfold over the past year because of the pirates, most of whom come from the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.

In Eyl, there is a lot of money to be made, and everybody is anxious for a cut.

Entire industry

The going rate for ransom payments is between $300,000 and $1.5m (£168,000-£838,000).

A recent visitor to the town explained how, even though the number of pirates who actually take part in a hijacking is relatively small, the whole modern industry of piracy involves many more people.

"The number of people who make the first attack is small, normally from seven to 10," he said.

"They go out in powerful speedboats armed with heavy weapons. But once they seize the ship, about 50 pirates stay on board the vessel. And about 50 more wait on shore in case anything goes wrong."

Given all the other people involved in the piracy industry, including those who feed the hostages, it has become a mainstay of the Puntland economy.

Eyl has become a town tailor-made for pirates - and their hostages.

Special restaurants have even been set up to prepare food for the crews of the hijacked ships.

As the pirates want ransom payments, they try to look after their hostages.

When commandos from France freed two French sailors seized by pirates off the Somali coast in September, President Nicolas Sarkozy said he had given the go-ahead for the operation when it was clear the pirates were headed for Eyl - it would have been too dangerous to try to free them from there.

The town is a safe-haven where very little is done to stop the pirates - leading to the suggestion that some, at least, in the Puntland administration and beyond have links with them.

Many of them come from the same clan - the Majarteen clan of the president of Somalia's transitional federal government, Abdullahi Yusuf.

Money to spend

The coastal region of Puntland is booming.

Fancy houses are being built, expensive cars are being bought - all of this in a country that has not had a functioning central government for nearly 20 years.

Observers say pirates made about $30m from ransom payments last year - far more than the annual budget of Puntland, which is about $20m.

A Canadian navy ship escorted a recent delivery of food aid to Somalia

When the president of Puntland, Adde Musa, was asked about the reported wealth of pirates and their associates, he said: "It's more than true".

Now that they are making so much money, these 21st Century pirates can afford increasingly sophisticated weapons and speedboats.

This means that unless more is done to stop them, they will continue to plunder the busy shipping lanes through the Gulf of Aden.

They even target ships carrying aid to feed their compatriots - up to a third of the population.

Warships from France, Canada and Malaysia, among others, now patrol the Somali coast to try and fend off pirate attacks.

An official at the International Maritime Organisation explained how the well-armed pirates are becoming increasingly bold.

More than 30% of the world's oil is transported through the Gulf of Aden.

"It is only a matter of time before something horrible happens," said the official.

"If the pirates strike a hole in the tanker, and there's an oil spill, there could be a huge environmental disaster".

It is likely that piracy will continue to be a problem off the coast of Somalia as long as the violence and chaos continues on land.

Conflict can be very good for certain types of business, and piracy is certainly one of them.

Weapons are easy to obtain and there is no functioning authority to stop them, either on land or at sea.

Brace yourselves. Another one leaves the KKK reservation in Austria

2008-11-12T11:35:00.000-08:00

Well expect more of these in the next four years. Some of us will be tracking them.

New Obama race row as Austrian TV pundit says black people 'are not civilised enough to rule'
From the Daily Mail
Incendiary: Klaus Emmerich, left, talks on Austrian TV during the U.S. election coverage

Austria's official state broadcaster is refusing to sack a senior political commentator who said blacks were not civilised enough to rule.
Klaus Emmerich, the retired editor-in-chief of Austrian broadcaster ORF's news and current affairs service, is the station's top political commentator for U.S. affairs. Der Spiegel likened him to Wolf Blitzer, CNN's legendary political commentator.

But covering the election in which Barack Obama was elected American president, Emmerich said: 'I do not want the western world being directed by a black man. And if you say this is a racist remark, I say you are damn right it is.'

Following his outburst, the moderator prevented Emmerich from speaking again.
But Emmerich took an even harder line in newspaper interviews later, calling Mr Obama's victory 'a highly disturbing development' because 'blacks are not as far advanced in the civilisation process nor in their political progress'.

Slur: Barack Obama has 'a devilish talent', the Austrian journalist claimed
He went on to tell Die Presse that Mr Obama has 'a devil-like talent to present his rhetoric so effectively'.

Emmerich, who has worked in the news for 61 years, made his incendiary remarks just five weeks after Austria drew international condemnation when two far-right parties won 29 per cent of the vote in national elections.
The row over his comments comes as Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi was blasted for calling Mr Obama 'tanned', apparently in an inept attempt at humour.
The 80-year-old pundit called Obama a 'talented man, but a branded man' - apparently referring to the president-elect's skin colour.
ORF bosses disassociated themselves from Emmerich's remarks but have refused to ban him from future work. They say they are still reviewing the situation.
'We have never had any comments from Mr. Emmerich which would indicate he has such opinions,' said Pius Strobl, head of communications at the channel.

MIRIAM MAKEBA , RIP

2008-11-10T17:18:00.000-08:00

BB - Before Barack, AB - After Barack

2008-11-09T20:33:00.000-08:00

I am not a huge fan of DL- Hughley but I find some of his latest work on CNN quite profound. This interview brings out two different perspectives of America before Barack Obama. Spike Lee aptly put it that there are two eras now, Before Barack and After Barack.

Here we go. Italian Prime Minster's comments racist towards Obama?

2008-11-07T08:04:00.000-08:00

By Nick Squires in Rome
Last Updated: 3:46PM GMT 07 Nov 2008

The Italian prime minister provoked outrage when he described US President-elect Barack Obama as "young, handsome and also tanned."

The media mogul, well known for his gaffes, sexist remarks and blunt language, was savaged by opposition politicians at home and criticised in American newspapers for the bizarre remark, made during a state visit to Russia.

The leader of the centre-left opposition, Walter Veltroni, said the comment "seriously damages the image and dignity of our country on the international scene."

Italy's only black MP, Jean-Leonard Touadi, said Mr Berlusconi had embarrassed his country.

"In the United States, a joke like that wouldn't just be politically incorrect, but a great offence to this amazing example of integration, which it seems the Italian premier should take as an example."

But as his opponents demanded an apology be issued, Mr Berlusconi, 72, said the remark was in fact "a great compliment".

He said his critics lacked a sense of humour, adding: "God save us from imbeciles. How can you take such a great compliment negatively?"

But opposition MP Massimo Donadi, of the Italy of Values party, said it was Mr Berlusconi who was guilty of imbecility.

He said: "To make a wisecrack on race at the moment in which America is freeing itself of the heavy burden of racism is the saddest and unhappiest thing that a head of government could do."

Mr Berlusconi made the suntan remark at a press conference in Moscow, when he said the relative youth of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, 43, and President-elect Obama, 47, should make it easier for Moscow and Washington to work together.

Smiling and speaking in Italian, he said through a translator: "I told the president that (Obama) has everything needed in order to reach deals with him – he's young, handsome and even tanned."

While there was no official comment from the Democratic Party, Mr Berlusconi's odd remark was condemned by ordinary Americans.

"What a muscle head," one New York Times reader wrote on the newspaper's website, while another advised the Italian prime minister to "mind his own business." Typical of the reaction of many who filled 48 pages of comment was the reader who wrote: "Apologise if you like, moron. You're irrelevant." Hundreds of Italians posted messages on US news websites, apologising for Mr Berlusconi's remark.

"I apologise to our American friends. Today I am ashamed to be Italian," wrote Marco from Milan.

SALUTE, the unsung white hero of the 1968 Olympics Civil Rights protest

2008-11-01T22:33:00.000-07:00

One of the most powerful images of the twentieth century coming third after JFK's Assasination and and Man's landing on the moon is this 1968 photo at the olympics. Little has been said about the white guy in the photo and his own role. Well now there is a documentary made by his nephew Matt Norman about his contribution to the Civil rights movement and the heavy price he paid for his actions among which was the death of his athletic career. Of late I have heard disgruntled voices over the lack of recognition of non black people that contributed to the Civil Rights movement. From my understanding this movie does tackle that theme too.
This is a thorny issue that sooner or later will have to be faced head on. How much was done by who and how effective were they is such a grey area in the tumultuous race relations in this country.

Here is the movie trailer.

Smokey goes on the hunt for Black people in Wasilla, Alaska

2008-10-31T13:37:00.000-07:00

This is hillarious.

Karimajong kills son for rape of sister

2008-10-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

Are these people really uncivilized? This story got me wondering. There are many African Cultures that despite the National laws in place still insist and adhere to long practised traditions. In this case a man got his sons sentenced to death for raping their sister. In these types of cultures obviously, incest is beyond taboo and is punished by death. Is this extreme or is it simply a necessary evil?

Karimajong holding some sort of community meeting

K’jong kills son for rape of sister
David Mafabi
Nakapiripirit, North Eastern Uganda.

A man in Karamoja chaired a traditional court and sentenced his two sons to death for raping their sister, Daily Monitor can reveal.

Mr Abura Apalalu chaired the court, set up under traditional cultural rules, that sat at Longorinyangai village, Namalu Sub-county in Nakapiripit District on October 3 and sentenced the two men, both his sons, to death, UPDF 3rd Division Spokesman, Capt. Henry Obbo confirmed.

The incident has also been separately confirmed by the Karamoja Regional Police Commander, Mr Okot Obwana. He said Mr Apalalu was arrested after one of his sons, Piyan Lokalei, was canned to death after the sentence was passed. The second son, whose name was not readily available, sustained severe injuries from the beating he received.

Mr Apalalu and other family members, who constituted the court will be prosecuted, the deputy Regional Police Commander, Mr Francis Bratti, said without giving details of the charges.
“We are tracing the other family members and shall have them arrested,” said Mr Bratti.

According to Mr Andrew Keem Napaja, the Nakapiripit RDC, the two young men sneaked into their sister’s room and raped her. “This is abominable in Karamoja, it is equated to wizardry and one in traditional Karamoja society is supposed to be hanged for committing such an act,” Mr Napaja told Daily Monitor.
However, the RDC said it was wrong for the family, led by the father, to mete out a punishment that led to the death of Lokalei.

Karamoja, in northeastern Uganda, is one of the remotest and poorest regions of the country and many residents still live traditional lifestyles governed by local rules and customs.
Rape is a capital offence that is tried only by the High Court.The traditional courts have no powers to try and hang suspects.

Capt. Obbo told Daily Monitor earlier in the week that the UPDF, which runs a disarmament programme in Karamoja, is opposed to the traditional justice system there. The army last year saved two people who had been sentenced to life imprisonment in an illegal detention centre – a pit dug in the ground – on orders of a traditional court.

Five people have been hanged on orders of the Karimajong traditional clan court sitting at Namalu in the last year. Last May, a village court in Karamoja condemned to death three men and hanged one of them before the UPDF intervened and rescued the others. The three had been accused of murdering a man who had beaten them in a cards game.

The victim allegedly won Shs80,000 in the gamble. Challenged by his fellow players, the victim refused to refund the money and walked away. The three reportedly ran after him and beat him to death. Capt. Obbo said mid last year they rescued another three people who had been sentenced by the traditional clan court to death and arrested the culprits.

However, the UPDF’s efforts to charge the elders behind the traditional court system were frustrated because the local people declined to come to court to give evidence.

“The traditional justice system in which majority of these people believe in is another challenge for us,” Capt. Obbo said. “Even some of the educated Karimojong believe in their traditional court system. It is as if the area is not governed by the laws of Uganda. It is like a jungle.”

The Karamoja sub-region United Nations human rights desk confirmed they have registered cases of abuse through the traditional court system presided over by local chiefs trying especially cases of thefts, adultery, rape and defilement.

“We have not heard about this particular one but last year we registered cases at Kakuwam and Kakomongole parishes where people were hanged while others were rescued by police and UPDF while in life imprisonment detention locally,” said Francis Oluka, a United Nations official.

The things white people say......

2008-10-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

Recently an Italian American instructor of mine talked to us about the back room talk in White circles during this election. As you can imagine this is some pretty racist stuff.
So this was insider information on what white people say when they know no one is around to hold them to it. In his own defense, he said he was no different from an outsider since Italians had to hassle to be accepted into whiteness. I have met a few white people of this nature, they tend to be Jews or Italians and they, maybe for acceptance purposes, blow the whistle on the racism of other white folk. I find their motives questionable but that is another matter.
Having witnessed this sort of backroom talk by white people myself up close and personal, I wasn't surprised at what he had to say.
But what I have found intriguing of late is that if you were to call these people up on their racism, they will die denying it. I wonder why that is. Anyway, I now have a little hobby of getting evidence of raw racist moments when they occur and would like to see if someone can wiggle themselves out of it. It should be fascinating.
I came across a clip from The daily show in which the reporter Wyatt is covering a Jewish Senior citizen's group. The general attitude of the senior citizens towards the Obama- MCCain Debate is questionable but its one lady's description of Michelle that makes this a racist golden moment. At around 3.40 you will hear some rather offensive remarks directed at Michelle. I bet you that old lady doesn't consider herself racist.

Racist bolt - with love from Croatia and New Mexico

2008-09-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

Heskey, recipient of the monkey sound treatment from Croatia's football fans.

When one is beginning to get deluded that the world is getting better, a dark cloud appears and out comes a racist bolt. It would be fascinating to have a daily tracking of what I now call racist bolts, incessant attacks on black humanity.
A community, country or a public figure makes a racist statement or acts in a racist manner to remind the black species that they are lesser than the rest of humanity. It appears as if the more public outrage there is, the more charged the next bolt becomes. Most recently there are two bolts, one was from New Mexico GOP Hispanic leader Fernando C. de Baca, on why Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will do well in that state:

"The truth is that Hispanics came here as conquerors. African-Americans came here as slaves. Hispanics consider themselves above blacks. They won’t vote for a black president".

And following is the latest from Europe's cultured football fans.
My reaction, pure fascination. Most people actually think this way but not many will say it. You have to give those Hispanic bolters that.

And now to Europe;

GENEVA (AFP) - World football's ruling body FIFA on Thursday fined the Croatian Football Federation 30,000 Swiss francs after Croat fans racially abused England striker Emile Heskey during a World Cup qualifier.

FIFA warned that further infringements "would lead to more severe sanctions".

En route to an eventual 4-1 victory for England earlier this month, Heskey was taunted with monkey chants from a section of the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb when he was booked for fouling Niko Kovac.
England's Football Association then took the case to FIFA.
It is not the first time Croatia's fans have been sanctioned for racist abuse.
Croatia had to pay a small fine during Euro 2008 for racist abuse from their fans during their game against Turkey.

Fire your stylists!

2008-09-24T23:15:00.001-07:00

I don't kmow who should be more offended, President Bush or Uganda's President Museveni.

Palin's Pastor eruption with love from Kenya

2008-09-19T21:13:00.000-07:00

Pastor Thomas Muthee

It looks like Kenyans are running out of Marathons and into American Politics. This is a hillarious story about Palin's much favored Pastor Thomas Muthee who is literally a witch hunter. Fact is indeed stranger than fiction.

Palin under fire over African pastor friend who waged witch-hunt against woman he believed caused car crashes

By Paul Thompson

Vice presidential pick Sarah Palin is known for her strident views on religion and the power of prayer.

But her credibility is once again being questioned after an African pastor she credits with helping her political career was revealed to have waged a witch-hunt against a woman who was said to cause car crashes with her "demonic spells."

In June, Palin told how a visiting pastor from Kenya had foretold she was destined for greater things.

She told other members of the Assembly of God church in her home town of Wasilla, Alaska, that Thomas Muthee had laid his hands on her head and prayed over her when they met in 2005.

After what the 44-year-old described as his "awesome" prayer she went on to become Alaska's first governor.

Recalling the event, Palin said “As I was mayor and Pastor Muthee was here and he was praying over me, and you know how he speaks and he’s so bold.

"And he was praying “Lord make a way, Lord make a way.

“And I’m thinking, this guy’s really bold, he doesn’t even know what I’m going to do, he doesn’t know what my plans are.

"And he’s praying not “oh Lord if it be your will may she become governor,” no, he just prayed for it.

"He said “Lord make a way and let her do this next step. And that’s exactly what happened.”

Muthee had visited her church in Alaska in his role as the founder of the Word of Faith Church, also known as the Prayer Cave.

But it has now emerged that he was once involved in driving out a woman from her home who local villagers believed was a witch.

The pastor speaks of his offensive against a demonic presence in the town of Kiambu in a trailer for a evangelical video “Transformations”, made by a Christian research and information agency.

The full Transformations video featuring Muthee’s story was on YouTube but has now been removed.

Details of what happened were reported at the time in the Christian Science Monitor, as well as on numerous evangelical websites.

According to the Monitor, six months of prayer and research identified the source of the witchcraft as a local woman called Mama Jane.

Her alleged involvement in fortune-telling and the fact that she lived near the site of a number of fatal car accidents led Pastor Muthee to publicly brand her a witch.

He ordered her to offer her up her soul for salvation or leave Kiambu.

“Muthee held a crusade that 'brought about 200 people to Christ'”, the Monitor said.

They set up round-the-clock prayer intercession and eventually, says the pastor “the demonic influence was broken”, and Mama Jane fled the town.

According to accounts of the witch-hunt circulated on evangelical websites, after Mutheee spoke out against Mama Jane many villagers demanded she be stoned.

Police raided her home and shot a pet python which was believed to be a demon.

Muthee,who said he became a pastor after "God spoke" to him in 1989, has frequently referred to this witch-hunt in his sermons as an example of the power of “spiritual warfare”.

In Spain you and him have equal rights

2008-09-12T13:23:00.001-07:00

The Chimps, Orangutans, Gorillas etal have arrived. Well at least in Spain. The Spanish Law makers have passed a law giving the great ones basic human rights.
The legislators based their declaration on one made by the Great Ape Project.
http://www.greatapeproject.org/

It promotes the right to life, the protection of individual freedom and the prohibition of torture. The Great Ape Project was founded 15 years based on a book of that name by the philosophers Peter Singer and Paola Cavalieri.

Here is the great Ape Protection Act that was delivered in Congress last April
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.5852:"

Who said the world wasn't becoming a better place?

I am curious to see how fast this one goes through congress. From what I gather, most countries are considering adopting the same position and passing the laws. In short The Great Apes will soon be considered equal to humans, at least on paper.

This just jogged up a memory for me. I have not watched 'Gorillas in the Mist' but I come from the area where the Gorillas live and as a result of that movie we have an endless flow of tourists from all over the world coming to see the Gorillas. I am not sure what story the movie tells but from what I gathered on the ground, Diane Forsey was killed by the very people who knew her and probably worked for her. One reason given was that she treated the Gorillas better than her human workers.

Not to hate on the Primate's freedom , but with this sudden recognition and the granting of "equality" (and I read somewhere that part of the process creating this declaration was done in Congo-Kinshasa where there is an ongoing forgotten genocide), could we have a Diane Forsey like back clash on a large scale, only that this time the primates these people seek to protect will be the actual victims?

But not to be rude, I would like to welcome the new members to the Human race, Good luck buddies.

Oprah; The Billion Dollar Mammy

2008-09-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to say this for a long time but since I tend to get alot of flak for what I write, I wanted to leave this sacred cow alone however latest developments have changed that.

Oprah is caught up in a controversy over not accepting to interview Governor Palin on her show. Her argument is that though she supports Obama, she never intended to use her show to interview candidates or promote them. Granted she interviewed Obama afew times but this was before he became a candidate.

This would not have been much news to me if her ratings were stable but alas her ratings have fallen 7% since she endorsed Obama. Those on the right argue that by interviewing Palin she will reclaim her lost conservative viewers. Really? Okay let us get this straight, Oprah was fine to these women until she decided to show a preferance for a Presidential candidate that was not favorible to these white women viewers.

Which brings me to what I had long suspected. What exactly has been Oprah's appeal to these Surbuban and small town white women? Is there any profound Wisdom that Oprah puts out that cannot be found anywhere? Personally my favorite people of Wisdom are actually White males like Scott Peck and Wayne Dyer. I am not sure of their political affiliations but that is besides my preferance for their work.

I was therefore always suspiscious of Oprah's audience, I always felt that she played into some sick role of a mammmy in these women's minds. I have lived in the states long enough to experience the nurturing role projected on Black women by White women in this society. Its for that reason that I am very wary of friendships with White American women, there are many Scarlet O'haras out there. And like many of my biases I bet in the next few days I will meet a decent white woman that does not have that sick need, (a way of my higher power to knock the wind of prejudice out of me).

Anyway back to Oprah, its not hard to psychoanalyze this audience she lost. She was as good as long as she stuck to the role they prescribed to her in their mind which is a mammy to serve their psychological needs and make them feel comfortable in their plantation Master's daughter's precious minds. It was arrogant, uppity and downright disgraceful of her to assume that she could elevate herself to their level. She seems to have forgotten who she is and her place.

If I were Oprah right now I would be considering pulling a Dave Chappell, she has a home in South Africa right?

Oprah, I would call it a wrap at this point, unfortunately I can not congratulate you for a job well done. How do you congratulate a mammy? For surviving? Alright then, good job surviving.

Well Well.....

2008-09-01T22:52:00.000-07:00

And now the news comes out the Sara Palin's 17 year old daughter is pregnant. They were forced to come out with it after internet rumors that her 4 month old baby is actualy her daughter's. This in conservative circles is a huge scandal and everyone is trying to save face. How do I know? I have had first hand experience of having an older sibling get pregnant at age 15.
If you think Conservatives in America over react to this stuff, consider this; In my culture less than a century ago a pregnant teenage girl was killed by throwing her down a water fall. It is a disgrace and brings dishonor and shame to the family. There is nothing that screams poor parenting than a pregant teenage child. For my sister, my father disowned her. Parents from my culture still do this.

And back to Palin. Considering the impact and embarrassment from this, shouldn't she be concentrating on her family and the issues arising out of this other than running for one of the highest offices in the land? In my family's situation, almost everything fell apart. Life is not the same after such and event which surprises me that Palin will put her career before her family. Some may argue that she is putting America first, but is she?

Granted, teenagers are rebellious but going by conservative standards, we can safely say that a pregnant teenager does indeed say something about the parenting they received, lack of sex education maybe? What made her go out there and be so reckless knowing the dangers out there? Is she aware of the other dangers of unprotected sex other than pregnancy ? Or was she just relying on her God?

Something doesn't look good about this whole saga and its not simply the embarrassment of a teenage prenancy but of the mother that has let the scandal onto the national stage and putting her daughter up for such painful scrutiny instead of helping hold her hand while she goes through probably the most traumatic event of her life. As a woman and mother, Palin doesn't look good.

DIDDY, STFU!

2008-08-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

WOW! Yes we can.

2008-08-28T21:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have been away too long and missed this video. Even if Obama is not voted in I think his achievement is one of the greatest not because he made it so far as an individual but the impact he has had on American society in general and young blacks in particular all over the world.

On the otherhand, is it me or is Scarlette Johansson appearing more than necessary? I bet a black man edited that video. And why did she put off her engagement????? And since when did she start singing?????

Spanish Basket ball team racist towards Chinese?

2008-08-12T19:32:00.001-07:00

Race relations gone global.

We are used to Spanish Soccer fans throwing bananas and making monkey sounds at black players but this time the Basket Ball Olympic team has joined in the action. They took this controversial photo slanting their eyes and the Chinese are up in arms.

Memo to the Spanish;
Chinese have gigantic economic muscles, so whether their call of racism is debate able, you really need to watch yourselves. This shit is old and while you and the Portuguese gifted the world with racism's birth mother, slavery, the Chinese wont take that crap lying down. Just in case you didn't realize that.

Who knew blacks could swim?

2008-08-11T23:47:00.000-07:00

Its only when I came to America that I heard that blacks could not swim from my Southern White friends. Their reasoning was that Black people have too much lean mass and are incapable of floating.
Having swam since I was one in the Indian Ocean, this thinking puzzled me but apparently many people believe it out here. This is a perfect example on how ignorance works. The racist perpetuates a myth and the target victim ends up believing it which explains why a good portion of blacks in this country can't swim.
In African villages you will find almost all kids swim in the lakes and rivers and that is why the most deaths by wild animals are caused by crocodiles. So wherever this myth came from, it should take a back seat as more black kids like Cullen Jones get into swimming and prove that they can bring home Olympic gold despite the color of their skin.

And here is Cullen Jones in a Johnson commercial

WOW! The New American Dream?

2008-08-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

Why would Chinese want to deny their heritage ? Minorities really need to get their ish together.

McCain ads, It doesn't get better than this

2008-08-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

It looks like McCain has made new enemies out of the Hiltons. His little attempt at humour seems to have backfired. Paris has responded with her own version that will no doubt become popular. Plus her very protective mother has given McCain a much deserved tongue lashing.
Considering she and her husband contributed the allowed maximum of $2300 each to McCain's campaign, you would think he would be more courteous and would never even think of insulting their daughter. Mrs Hilton stopped short of completely endorsing Obama. So much for a a campaign strategy.
Here is Paris serving it up.

Paris Hilton Responds to McCain Adfunny videosFunnyOrDie.com

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Finally I watched Mandingo

2008-07-31T21:06:00.000-07:00

I always heard about the movie but never had the interest in watching it because I had the idea that is was based on the sexualization of the black male and wanted nothing to do with it.
The movie turned out a lot worse than I imagined. The black man was basically an animal with the status of a mule and the Black woman a sexual beast. So much for entertainment. Of course looking at the movie one wonders how far, really, America has come. I lived in a white neighborhood in the South, and their attitudes at the rawest were not that different from the movie. To them those were the good old days.

Looking at such movies, I really wonder if racial reconciliation is possible. On the one hand you have White Americans that are descendants of the oppressors and continue to gain from an oppressive system towards blacks and are still held accountable. On the other hand you have the descendants of the oppressed who still live in a system that it still oppressive and still need to come to terms with what happened.

If one was to advise the two sides on how to reconcile, it would be VERY tricky if not impossible.

There is little to tell the whites except to try and work against that which still oppresses the Black American and confront racism.
Unfortunately for the Black American, the hardest work needs to be done by them. There is the issue of grieving the past and coming to terms with the present. Then there is the issue of forgiveness. Reconciliation is not possible without forgiveness. Meaning Black America needs to forgive White America (I told you this was going to be tough).
Then to top that up, Black America needs to deal with its own bigotry just like White America needs to deal with its own racism. And we shouldn't forget, those little annoying problems we keep hearing about in the Black Community, those need to be handled too by Black people themselves.

So it looks like the work towards better race relations is, like all things racial, unequal with Blacks having the bigger task.

Apology for slavery?

2008-07-29T22:46:00.000-07:00

Congressman Steve Cohen

Finaly it has happened the House on Tuesday 29th July issued an unprecedented apology to black Americans for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow segregation laws.

This is the work of the only White Congressman representing a majority black constituency, Congressman Steve Cohen of Tennessee. I was curious to know what type of white person had the heart and courage to make such a move after so many have lacked not only courage but some basic humane skills to do so. Then I discovered that the congressman is Jewish, and like we all know, the Jews have been partners in Civil Rights struggles so that shouldn't be too much of a surprise. Also his constituency is over 60% black.

I can't help but wonder if there is a non Jewish white Congress man with a majority constituency of non blacks that would ever have the ability to do the same.
So this apology being pushed by a person whose heritage had little to do with slavery really still puts the political leadership to shame. I applaud Congressman Cohen's amazing accomplishment. I expected a little more from Washington for such a long overdue gesture. It looks to me like one victim consoling another while the oppressor looks on. Maybe in afew days we will get the real position of Washington but for now it all looks a little bizzare.

Obama's wailing wall prayer published

2008-07-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

It can't get lower than this and thankfully this was not done in America. Obama's prayer at the Wailing wall in Jerusalem was nicked by an Israeli Seminarian who then took it around to different News Papers. All rejected it except for one that published it. I am at a loss of words on this one. There are certain lines regardless of political fights that should never be crossed.
My reaction would be the same if this was done to McCain who I actually do like as a human being. Though politics tend to bring the worst out of people, once you look beneth the superficial and still can see the person, then that is person worth of your respect. I feel that way for McCain so if his private prayer was published I would be bothered by it and would wish bad luck to the person that did it. So this has nothing to do with who one supports or not, taking someone's prayer and using it as political capital is the worst political tactic right below assasination.
I wonder if this says anything about Israel or the people's attitude towards Obama.

Shopping while Black

2008-07-23T17:24:00.000-07:00

This is why Black people in America need to seriously come up with Smart Black spending strategies. Don't put money in places that don't respect your humanity.
This is the latest from CNN's Black in America series.

By Soledad O'Brien
For Atlanta native Leah Wells, it's the humiliation she remembers most.

Not long ago, Wells sent me a note and forwarded a letter she had just mailed to Glenn Murphy, chairman and CEO of Gap Inc. The letter detailed what happened when Wells and two girlfriends decided to ditch the gym during an office lunch break and do some "power-shopping" instead. The three young women, all in their 20s and all black, ended up detained for shoplifting.

"We were dressed professionally," Wells told me. "It was casual Friday. We had on dresses and casual office wear. We were racially profiled. It was as simple as that."

Wells says she and her friends were detained by six Gwinnett County, Georgia, police officers for "about an hour and a half" at the entrance of an Old Navy store, owned by Gap. Their crime, as Wells sees it, was being black in America.

In her letter to Murphy, Wells describes enduring "disdainful stares from the mothers and grandmothers and children entering the store." Police responded to a call from mall security about a gang of shoplifters in the store. They found no stolen merchandise on Wells or her friends. No one -- not the police, not the store managers -- bothered to apologize.

"No matter your education, your status or profession, some still only see the color of your skin," Wells wrote two months after the event.

Full Story

Cindy McCain Rwanda. @Cindy, Obama didn't do it!

2008-07-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

And so the campaigns continue with stranger news coming out by the day. The latest is that Cindy McCain is on a tour in Rwanda. Well I'll be damned! Even the Rwandese are a little skeptical. Here is the article form USA Today.

By Rick Hampson, USA TODAY

MASAKA, Rwanda — Her trip may not be as high-profile as another world tour underway right now, but Cindy McCain insists she's not in Africa for publicity.
The wife of presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain said Monday that her trip here to Rwanda with a bipartisan group of politicians is merely a return to the scene of a disaster she witnessed 14 years ago — the Rwandan genocide.

Her visit comes as some Republicans have complained that news outlets are paying too much attention to Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's travels in the Middle East and Europe.

"I came with no press, and I have a history of being concerned with these issues," said McCain, who is a board member of CARE International, a relief agency.

"I'd be here whether my husband was running or not. … I've been doing this all my adult life," she told USA TODAY in a brief interview.

The ONE Campaign group, which aims to call attention to poverty around the world, came to this village to tour a community health center that had no anti-AIDS drugs for patients until 2004, when a U.S. program made funds available.

Monday was the first time since she arrived in Rwanda last week that McCain took questions from reporters. All the activities of the U.S.-based group had been closed to journalists. "I was here during the 1994 genocide, so it was important to see for myself what has been accomplished in this nation," she said.

About 1 million people were killed in about 100 days when leaders of the nation's Hutu majority organized a campaign against the Tutsi minority. As the violence raged, a group of doctors and nurses from American Voluntary Medical Team — an aid group that McCain founded in 1988 — traveled through Rwanda on their way to attend to a cholera outbreak in neighboring Congo.

Rwanda is now relatively peaceful.

Asked if, as first lady, she'd be an advocate for Africa, she said, "I already have been … and I'll continue."

McCain said she was particularly moved by a meeting Saturday that was arranged for the visitors at Rwanda's national genocide memorial museum. A 36-year-old woman from eastern Rwanda told the Americans that she lost 120 relatives in the genocide and was raped 12 times, sustaining internal damage that bars her from having children.

But she said she was thankful she was not infected with HIV as a result of the rapes.

The woman appeared along with a former soldier who admitted to killing people who'd sought refuge in a church during the genocide. He apologized, and the woman forgave him.

"For me to sit there and watch that kind of reconciliation between two people like that …" McCain said, her voice trailing off. "I put myself in her place, and I don't know if I could have done that."

The major broadcast television networks gave heavy coverage to Obama's trip to Afghanistan and plan to do the same on his upcoming visits to Jordan, Israel and western Europe.

The three major network news anchors stayed home during John McCain's recent foreign travels, prompting Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., to complain that Obama's travels were "nothing but a political stunt."

The ONE Campaign excursion included Democratic former senator Tom Daschle; former Clinton White House chief of staff John Podesta, also a Democrat; Republican former senator Bill Frist; former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, a Republican; and Republican former congressman John Kasich.

One Rwandan who met McCain and the ONE group said their visit was appreciated, whatever its motive.

"There is what is called 'the sacrament of presence,' " said Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini, head of Rwanda's Anglican Church. Because of visits like these, he said, Rwandans "no longer feel abandoned by the international community. It's a way of saying, 'Sorry. We weren't here when you needed us, but we are here to comfort you.' "

"They may do it for political reasons," he added, "but they can't go back without something on their minds. Rwanda is a school — a school for politicians, historians, anthropologists. … You can't come to Rwanda and go back without any questions in your mind."

Obama to blame for high gas prices

2008-07-22T00:07:00.001-07:00

I swear the McCain Camp is desperate. The latest ad blames Obama for the high gas prizes. Really?

Salma Hayek, Screw Love!

2008-07-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, Salma Hayek has broken up with her Billionaire fiancee Francois-Henri Pinault. They have a child together. Of late Salma has been MIA on the Hollywood scene so it may be that she didn't want to sacrifice her career for marriage albeit to a billionaire. Am I strange for thinking that Salma has lost the plot? Unless its the man that wants out, why would any woman let go of a Billionaire? Seriously. I am not an advocate for gold digging but if I found myself in a relationship with a billionaire, I would not let go and would be faking it all the way. First of all some of that money would go to very good causes that I hold dear like massive education of African Kids, screw love, there are more important things.
Salma hasn't completely lost out since she has a child with the man and naturally will have to receive child support from him but DANG!

Nature's joke

2008-07-17T23:26:00.000-07:00

Another set of twins where one is black and the other white. I wonder what life is like for these types of twins when they grow up in Western Society as is in terms of race relations.

And this is even stranger

BASHIR MUST GO!

2008-07-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

Finally the UN ssems to have woken up to declare Sudan's dictator Omar Al-Bashir a war criminal. Hundreds of thousands dead and God knows how many more because those on his side have promised to turn Dafur is a grave yard.

The UN, typical of them, have started evacuating their staff from the region. This is exactly what happened before the Rwanda Genocide. The way these criminals work, is that they don't want to be seen by foreigners killing their own, so when people like the UN start pulling out, that is a death sentence to the natives, literally. You would think the UN has learnt something but apparently not. Bashir is not only responsible for one genocide, he aided the rebel insurgency in Northern Uganda that lasted almost 20 years. This guy is up there with Pol Pot and Milosevic. Idi Amin is a amateur to this guy. And he has some nerve, he just approached the President of Uganda, whose country he has been distabilizing, to back him up against the International Court's accusations. Did I mention NERVE? In all this there is China that has been going against the arms embargo on Sudan by providing them with Equipment and training. Their defence? It was on a small negligable scale.

Obviously China has interest in Sudan Oil that the Dafurians are lounging over. The quicker the genocide, the better for them. However there have been many attempts to overthrow the Khartoum Government by various African neighbors, so these charges are an opportunity for them to do the job once and for all. BASHIR MUST GO! Maybe Mugabe can grant him Asylum joining former Ethiopian dictator Haile Mariam Mengistu in the waste basket. As for China, good luck getting that oil once Bashir is gone.

Miss Denmark - Universe, Black?

2008-07-13T23:31:00.000-07:00

Maria Sten-Knudsen, Miss Denmark 2008

Okay, I never even follow those lousy beauty pageants but out of curiosity decided to look through for some representation. I did find Miss USA and a few African sisters plus two from countries I had never heard of. Then I saw Miss Denmark and went WTH? Miss Denmark 08 is clearly part black. One would naturally expect a blond blue eyed female from the Scandinavian country but NOPE. Unfortunately there is not much info out there about her but this one is a head scratcher. Are Europeans especially Scandinavians more progressive than we give them credit?
IMO, she has one of the best bodies in the competition.

Maria Sten-Knudsen, Miss Denmark 2008 poses for a photo in her swimwear. She competed for the title of Miss Universe 2008 during the 57th Annual Miss Universe competition from Nha Trang, Vietnam.

And you got to love You Tube

And now contast with Miss. South Africa

The Gods have surely gone crazy

If you don’t respect your manhood, no one will

2008-07-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

Okay this will be abit strange but bear with me. I am posting a column by one of my favorite columnists. He calls him self Dr. Love and writes for one of our local dailies. He specializes in intimate issues and naturally writes from an African man's perspective. In this particular piece he is commenting about a recent story that has men petrified and feminists celebrating. Anyway, the story is that a 43 yr old man was trying to rape a 10 yr old girl. The mother of the child was tending to her garden and heard her child's distressed screams. To the rescue she ran with a knife she had been using to cut up stuff and caught the man red handed. Instantly she grabbed the man's penis and CUT IT OFF and threw it away. The search for the penis is another long story involving a dog but anyway, he can never regain his manhood. So here my favorite columnist writes about the moral of that story.

Dr. Love, Hillary Bainemigisha

Once upon a time, there was this lone female voice in the wilderness which opined that rapists and defilers should be divested of their physical manhood. A few men barked back, but the threat of castrating rapists had gone on record.

Then last month in Kashari, one Angelina Kyomugisha, 40, tried it out and scooped off everything. She had left her kids asleep early morning to tend to her banana plantation. The day was going on fine till she got distracted by screams. She went to investigate and found a 43-year-old village-mate, Geoffrey Mugarura atop her daughter of 10 in a manner that suggested he was not teaching her the ABC of the HIV prevention strategy.

She was thunderstruck. That gave her the strength of the Biblical Samson that enabled her to disarm Mugarura of his manhood with a kitchen knife. I must say I admire Kyomu because had it been me, I would have buried that knife in his heart. But she carefully chose a punishment the alleged rapist will live on to suffer. Bravo woman, you must be Omushambo by clan!(Clan known for being fierce)

Every parent would imagine the worst punishment possible after stumbling on a senior citizen attempting to rape their toddlers. Kyomu was spot on. Nothing will ever be worse than Muga’s experience. If few can stand when tubal ligation is mentioned at family planning clinics, how can they stand the total castration? For many, death is even a better alternative.

Police may have arrested her for taking the law in her hands. And even if she lost the case – considering that the police report says there was no penetration, Muga will never be the same again. His family is now demanding sh8m in damages!(about UD$6000) (I wonder whether I can ever ‘sell’ mine that cheap! Not even at the age 100!) Activists may even contribute the money, but Muga will never get anything to scare children with.

Although they never want to accept, men are ruled by their penises. It is nature’s way of making men work for better survival of the human race in an arena of competing inhabitants.

I am sure when Mujorooto, 61, was being forcefully circumcised by custom-fanatic tribes mates recently, he had to stop wriggling and lie still at zero hours. Fidgeting would have been risky for him even with expert Bagisu circumcisers. That way, he lost the sheath he had protected all along but saved his manhood.

But you wonder how men fail to respect their king. Some expose it to all manners of risk, different dangerous caves, sewage spots, narrow avenues and God knows what. No, please, NO!

Whatever you are, as a man (wealthy, educated, respected, valued, etc) boils down to the gonads, which reside in the testicles, the high office of the penis (which Muga does not have now).

Why can’t you have the courtesy to respect your source of progressive fuel? And what right do you have to remain with the resource? I think penises should be left to those who know their use and value.

Anyway, if you don’t want to see my point, and prefer to keep sending your kings to undeveloped places, get set for the consequences. Victims are learning. One knife later, you will be dehorned and condemned to ridicule forever. Unfortunately at this point, I am starting to wonder why I am writing all this. Maybe I should just shut up.

Chrysler Building Sold to a foreign Sovereign Fund

2008-07-11T00:16:00.000-07:00

Chrysler Building, New York City.

Wow, I know we are in the era of Free trade and free markets but when a sovereign fund purchases a major American land mark, I can't help but wonder.

The Chrysler Building, a New York landmark has been sold to a sovereign fund in the Emirates for under a Billion dollars. Most active countries in the global economy do have sovereign funds and through these are able to purchase almost anything from participant nations. Problem is that in this politically charged world, some purchases may have underlying motives and may be suspect. In Britain there is an apprehension towards sovereign funds making purchases of key national companies to the extent that some have been blocked. The most active Sovereign Funds are from oil rich Middle Eastern countries, and according to some reports, there is stiff competition amongst their countries on who can buy the best and biggest of a Western company, property or institution. Its now an issue of prestige and status to own a piece of America or Britain.

When TATA bought Land rover and Jaguar from Ford, one writer, in a celebratory tone, was quick to recall Ghandi's response to what he thought of Western Civilization, "it would be a good idea".

So the Indians have bought major western car Icons, the Middle Easterners are steadily buying their part of the West, the Chinese own most of America's debt. Where exactly is all this heading?

Jesse Jackson, COME ON!

2008-07-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

Old Jesse wants to cut off Obama's balls for talking down to black people! This is clearly a state of taking one step forward and 1000 steps backwards.

Here comes the hate mail

2008-07-08T23:08:00.000-07:00

Well well, I have been getting some hate mail of late. So today I got one JoVent send me some information he considers fact regarding the state of the black race.

And here is the wonderful email;

Although blacks are 12% of the population blacks commit 50% of the murders and a greater percentage of other crimes. Consider: black females - 6%. Blacks from zero yrs. to 12 yrs. and black males from 50-100 years commit an infinitesimal percentage of the crimes. Therefore we are left with two percent. If we eliminate crimes committed by this two percent from the U.S. statistics our country compares very favorably with all Western countries. Fact -- blacks kill 7 times more than whites kill. Fact -- blacks kill whites 20 times more than whites kill blacks. Fact -- blacks mug or commit group crime against whites 50 times more than whites commit against blacks. Fact -- blacks rape white women 2000 (yes 2000) times more than whites rape black women. In New York City, about 300 white women are raped by blacks every year BUT there has not been a black woman raped by a white male in anybody’s memory (going back over 20 yrs.) Consider: Al Sharpton had to go upstate New York to find a hoax and that was almost 20 years ago. (Source NYT 4/22/05)

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics 2004 report (released May 2006), blacks commit 54 percent of the homicides in America even though they constitute only 12 percent of the population.

An individual black male is seven times more likely to commit murder than an individual white male. It so happens that black felons commit 43 percent of aggravated assaults, 66 percent of armed robberies, 27 percent of rapes and 85 percent of interracial crimes of violence, mainly against whites (this last figure from a Justice Department report 2003). However, it's not just in the United States. The greatest dicators in recent years have emerged in Africa. People like Idi Amin of Uganda, Hastings Kamuzu Banda in Malawi, Mobutu Sese Seko, in Zaire, self-anointed Emperor Bokassa of the Central African Republic, Mohammed Saidi Barre in Somalia, Sani Abacha of Nigeria, Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe -- the list is endless.

Blacks are dumber as well, statistics analyzed by the New York Times (July 4, 1999) dispel the poverty argument by establishing that impoverished white children whose parents earn less than $10,000 a year score higher on standardized SAT tests than black children whose parents earn more than $70,000 a year. Also, nearly 70 percent of black children are born out of wedlock.

People like JoVent amaze me. They take so much time sifting through statistics to prove what they already believe, which is the inferiority of the black race. To top that up they take the time to send this information to me, a black woman. Why I wonder. Do they expect me to be convinced by their poorly veiled vitriol/racism ? I wonder what JoVent looks like ? White? Probably, how many times have we seen the likes of JoVent ranting off "official" statistics to prove the "negro nature" in blogosphere ?
You have to give it to the White supremist mind, it never gives up trying to convince its victim of their inferiority. There are a million and one ways this mind can try to get the message through to the victim and JoVent's approach is one that is common in blogosphere, the use of biased information dressed as empirical evidence and it helps that one of his main sources is the New York Times.

To the JoVents out there, to paraphrase Fanon, the colonized or the native is never convinced of his inferiority. Since you are so convinced of black dumbness, what makes you think we will understand or believe what you have to say about low black IQs ? Why would a very intelligent person waste time to try to inform a naturally dumb person? Remember no matter what you do we will never accept that we are inferior. So your little psychological manipulation that attempts to make blacks believe in their inferiority will not succeed. You are free to keep trying though since that seems to be your life's mission.

People like JoVent are really a disservice to the white race. Its not a secret that whites are the standard of many things that many minorities the world over aspire to. The white race is the pedestal race in the current world order, you only have to go around the world to see that this is true. But then you get the JoVents that instantly bring this impression to a crushing halt and reveals that indeed this is one grand illusion. As dumb as blacks may be perceived, thankfully, that is one Kool Aid that doesn't stay down.

Malcom X Interview. WOW!

2008-07-07T23:15:00.000-07:00

This is the first Malcom X interview I have watched and I am quite impressed with his civility and assertiveness. (I am yet to watch the movie because I always had the impression that he was a fanatic) Its hard to believe that this was over 40 years ago.
When you hear about Mx before coming to America, you are given the impression that he was this fanatical Black Power extremist. Well I have a long way to really understand the man but judging from this interview, he is a defender of black humanity. And when that is done, in which ever form, many a white or non black person assumes their own humanity is at risk and so there is a tendency to exaggerate the character of one that dares to stand up and speak up against black oppression. I sort of expected some raging angry black man, a vocal Tyson of some sort and was pleasantly surprised. Now I need to see the difference between the Malcom X before the Mecca trip and the one after Mecca.

Ah! The Rich and Famous; Christie Brinkley

2008-07-07T00:13:00.000-07:00

Christie Brinkley arrives for the first hearing of her divorce case

By now we have all heard of the Million dollar divorce of former Super Model Christie Brinkley. Divorce has to be one of the roughest emotional experiences an individual can go though in life and in that we have to feel for Christie.

Myself and my siblings grew up too close that our boundaries were almost non existent such that when they married and divorced, it was as if I was the one that was married. I even took on some nasty fights with their various husbands with some involving law enforcement. For that my ex inlaws have much love for me. But to me its always be family first, and I have a killer instinct when it comes to threats towards my flesh and blood. I don't know, I am just wired that way. Though sometimes I feel like strangling them myself, it doesn't mean some one else should attempt to hurt them. My sisters feel the same way towards me so its kind of normal for us.

Anyhow back to Christie, I really feel for her but don't understand why she was fooled a fourth time, this being her fourth divorce. Seriously! And to top it up she chose for the divorce to be officially public. Her arguement is that the details will be known anyway. Miss that doesn't mean that you open the door!.
Her soon to be ex asserts that its her attempt to humiliate him. Which could be true since she was so humiliated by his activities and how she found out, at a high school graduation where the father of his 18 year old mistress confronted her. Ouch! I cannot even imagine her pain, however making this thing public is not going to make her custody battle any stronger. I believe she will get the kids but turning this disaster officially a public spectacle is not wise. You would think that she would have learnt from the last three. But apparently not. And this is working against her in a way because people are questioning her judgement. Married 4 times and then this. Her children, though still young will get to know the sordid details of their father's trysts, courtesy of any newspaper and various media out there. Come on Christie, you didn't think of that?
What is this really about? Should we be looking ahead for some book deal, reality TV show or something?
Is the American public so bored with their lives that they want to be entertained by a nasty divorce? Or is it that pervese pleasure from watching the beautiful and rich people fall ? Either way Christie, that was one lousy move, I do hope you win custody though.

ROOTS, Chappelle version

2008-07-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

You have got to love the genius that is Dave Chappelle.

Addicted to tanning?

2008-07-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

This is one beauty treatment y'all blacks need not worry about. I still don't get it. Why would anyone want to roast themselves? Same thing I guess I would ask blacks that bleach their skin, WHY?!

The Good Slave. This is so wrong LOL!

2008-07-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

And the black Brits debate on what really ended slavery-Paul Gilroy

Its 5 for Venus and why I hate L A

2008-07-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning and the match was over. That is one little part of being on the West Coast that I hate. The rest of the world has literally moved on while we are just waking up. Anyway I missed the match and now have to rely on left over news. Same thing applies to New years day, there is no exitement what so ever when the ball droppen in New York hours earlier. Its really messed up.

Anyway if you missed the match like me. Here is my version of it. The biggest news for me was that former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was at the match. That says something. I don't remember ever seeing her at Wimbledon. Bringing the old Iron (though now frail) lady out to watch you play is quite an achievenment in my book. And they both won the doubles finals too. Thanks girls.

Ahhhhhhh! Sweet success

As for the Men's final Federer vs Nadal. Well I don't know. Nadal is looking exceptional while Federer is trying to break a record. Its truly going to be a battle. According to Safin you have to run around like a rabbit playing Nadal. Its a tough one, who ever wins will deserve it.

YAY! Its an all Williams Wimbledon Final and naturally with some controversy

2008-07-03T18:07:00.000-07:00

Yes, Another all Williams final. Serena managed to break through Jie Zheng's super confidence. That is a mark of maturity on Serena's part. I believe Tennis is 50% mental than the actual physical game. If your opponent manages to crack your esteem, its over. The sisters are lucky to have strong serves. Their main weaknesses come out when they rally. The other players are very aware of this and try to push them to rally. Zheng's rallies were exceptional that she almost took the second set from Serena but that serve put her out.

Speaking of Tennis being a mental game, Court No 2 in Wimbledom is known as the grave yard court for seeds and no top seeded player wants to play on it. But the organizers thought it appropriate to put both the Williams sisters to play on the jinxed court earlier in the tournament on the SAME DAY!. Hmmm.

With an all WIlliams final, expect the haters to froth and seethe. Unfortunately Venus' defeated opponent Dementieva had this so say about about an all Williams final, “For sure it’s going to be a family decision.” Venus took this as an offence and had this to say,“Any mention of that is extremely disrespectful for who I am, what I stand for, and my family.” Good for you Venus. Amazingly this is not the first time Dementieva has made such a comment, she said this in a previous all Wiiliams final,“I don’t know what Richard thinks about it. I think he will decide who’s going to win.”

A note to Dementieva, unless you are named after some common mental disorder, just expend your bitching energy in the gym and some postive thinking exercises, then attempt to take out one of the Williams and don't bitch about it if it doesn't go your way. Alternatively, take a hint from Kournikova, exploit your assets. After the controversial statement, Dementieva ( Dementia?) put out a clarifying statement by saying that English is not her first language. What! Deme..whatever, If this was your first time, we would understand. By the way you may want to take a close look at the career of Martina Hingis, then it won't be such a bad idea learning abit from Kournikova.

Watch out Serena

2008-07-03T01:19:00.000-07:00

Jie Zheng of China

The Williams sisters have made it to the Semi finals at Wimbledon and an all Williams final looks possible except for a little problem in the form of Jie Zheng from China. She has played too well sending the No 1 seed Ana Ivanovic home before bed time. And now she meets up with Serena for the Semi Finals. For all her strength and talent, Serena still seems to lack the mental strength that Venus has. Zheng on the other hand oozes with confidence and determination. And I can see her easily taking Serena out and meeting with Venus in the final.

Serena, the village is praying for you.

On a side note; I have seen somethng strange among this years competitors. Signs of excess fat esp around the middle aka spare tyres. One would imagine that being a tennis pro, it would be impossible for one to be carrying any excess fat.

"I am not a racist"

2008-07-01T22:45:00.000-07:00

Dog "I am not a racist", Bounty Hunter

Okay, I know race talk is tired but of late I have began noticing the whole debate on racism take a different tone, especially with public figures. I just watched a piece talking about Bill Clinton's primary injuries from the Obama camp. One of which was the accusation that he is a racist, an interpretation that stemmed from some of his offending remarks aimed at Barack during the primaries. Anyway the pundits say that Bill is very bitter because his long hard earned reputation with in the black community had been tarnished. To be part of the general election, they say, the onus is on Obama to reintroduce Bill to the black community and help clean up his tainted image and win back the love he once had (why that its so important, I am not quite sure). Bill meanwhile was just out partying away his woes at Mandela's 90th birthday. The general feeling is that his legacy was damaged by the primaries and the racist charge was the worst attack.

Michael Richard's full rant

However, there are numerous public figures that have been caught with their racist pants down and the first thing they say is, "I am not a racist". Look no further than the infamous Michael Richards rant and Dog, the Bounty hunter. After being caught they went out on public campaigns to explain how they were not racist. Dog's son was out trying to clean up his dad's image. A few months later, a picture of the same son with a white supremest emblem of his jacket was taken. It was at that point that I realized that even if you found someone with a swastika tattooed to their forehead, their first response will be, "I am not racist". Which begs the question, what makes a racist? Sometimes I feel blacks and whites have different definitions and what blacks think is a racist, whites don't see it as such. So what does it mean to be a racist?

Also I wonder, why are whites so offended when they are accused of being racist, most especially when they have done something that is indicative? I am quite aware of my biases and if someone called me out on them I doubt I would go to the great lengths I see many accused white people go through to disapprove something that may be true.

Michael Richards apologizes

I think this is where our different definitions come in. Even more surprising is the reaction of the white public to an accused person. The level of condemnation is amazing. In many times worse than what the blacks have to say. Though one has to question the genuineness of some of this outrage. In the case of Michael Richards, he was almost attacked by the audience at the Laugh factory after his tirade but the Seinfeld DVDs released at the time sold much higher than anticipated. The DVD sales support largely by white America was seen by some as white America's underlying agreement with his sentiments. But publicly he was condemned.

So what does it mean to be racist ? When minorities treat each other cruelly, as I have on many occasions experienced, are they being racist?

Wonders never cease - more reason to relocate to the Emirates

2008-06-29T22:27:00.000-07:00

The World's first dynamic skyscraper is going to be built in Dubai, UAE and the second one in Russia. Ah! The amazing wonders of technology and and human ingenuity.

Premiere architecture dynamique au monde à Dubaï
Uploaded by allcurious

You have to love Lenny Henry

2008-06-28T23:46:00.000-07:00

Debate over forcced circumcision begins.

2008-06-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

Again another follow up on the circumcision story. Since this is the first time it has made the headlines, it has stopped being some sort of quirky ritual the Bagisu practise and now has been thrown out in the open. Uganda has over 50 tribes and only this tribe has the practise. The other tribe, the Sebei, circumcise their women but not the men. Its like way back these two were one tribe and couldn't make up their minds and split up to torture one gender. So it looks like a debate has started on whether the tribe's actions in this case are constitutional. One of the dailies had an editorial about it.

New Vision Editorial

ON Wednesday a group of youth in Kampala grabbed an old man, unzipped his trousers to confirm he was not circumcised, shoved him into a car and drove him to a suburb for forced circumcision. Their argument was that the man, being an ethnic Mugisu, was under obligation to undergo circumcision. This is absurd.

Whereas the Constitution provides for citizens’ rights to practise their culture, this must not be forced on anyone. It is the same constitution which guarantees individual citizens’ rights to liberty and privacy. The youth not only invaded the old man’s privacy, but also subjected him to unnecessary physical pain and psychological torture, let alone exposing him to undue risks of wound contamination. Sadly, this happens to many men every circumcision year. In some cases such militant youth ‘arrest’ an uncircumcised man and circumcise him on site. Such acts only reinforce and justify other harmful cultural practices such as female genital mutilation.

There are many other traditional practices such as kneeling, and widow inheritance that are generally accepted among certain communities. However, human beings should not be turned into prisoners of culture. Cultures should not infringe on people’s dignity or welfare. Inhuman and degrading treatment should not be allowed.

More importantly, people should be allowed to decide whether they take up a cultural practice.

Follow up on the forced Circumcision

2008-06-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

Mujoroto just after he was circumcised in Nsambya

All the guys can relax now. The abducted ciircumcision evader survived the ordeal and is now "done" and a "total" man.

By Godfrey Kimono and Ronnie Kijjambu

Stephen Mujoroto, who was forcefully circumcised in Kampala, says he will not sue the militant youth who ambushed him for the cultural ritual.

Mujoroto referred to them as poor youth who would not have money to pay him if he sued and that his son was among them.

He was also heard bragging to his colleagues at Uganda House that he is now a ‘total man.’

Despite facing the knife on Wednesday, Mujoroto reported for duty at Uganda House on Thursday.

Dressed in a white shirt and black trousers and walking with difficulty, Mujoroto was congratulated and teased by colleagues.

His “arrest” on Wednesday, which stopped traffic on Nasser and Nkrumah roads, followed a tip off from relatives that Mujoroto had for long dodged the imbalu, Bashir Mubajje, who led the attack, said. Well-built Gisu youth including Mujoroto’s son-in-law, grabbed him by the trousers at Canaan restaurant at Uganda House at about 11:00am.

Mujoroto was transported in a special hire taxi to Nsambya, where he was circumcised at about 1:00pm by a Gisu surgeon, Akim Nagweri. “He paid the debt of facing the knife as the culture requires at Nsambya, opposite Besigye’s Patrol Station on Gaba road,” Mubajje said.

At Uganda house, there were reports that the group had been hunting for Mujoroto the previous day, and that he had gone into hiding after a tip-off. Mubajje said they sent emissaries, including his elder sisters, to persuade him, to no avail. Mujoroto is said to have disguised himself as a Muganda from Mityana, yet he was born in Buduuda.

His given name is Stephen Wateya.

Mubajje said they were surprised Majoroto left home on Thursday morning, because culturally, men get three days’ rest after the procedure. He wondered why Mujoroto had evaded the circumcision yet “he is a brave man.”