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BURUNDI :
RWANDA
UGANDA
In Theory: Weighing in on Ugandan bill The Glendale News-Press reported that Glendale City Seventh-Day Adventist Church was one of 17 churches across the country to commemorate the day of prayer to the Ugandan lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. A bill being considered in that country would sentence LGBT people to life in prison for “engaging in homosexual acts, which are already illegal,” the News-Press reported. Penalties would also be imposed against companies that promote gay rights. What are your thoughts on this bill? Do you believe that events such as City Seventh-Day Adventist Church’s are enough to make a difference? What should be done? While it is always tempting to think, “What difference can one person make?” with a negative outcome expected, it’s important to realize that God calls us to be faithful, not necessarily successful. I applaud Glendale City Seventh-Day Adventist Church’s willingness to speak out in favor of the LGBT community in Uganda. If nothing else, the church’s position at least makes us all realize the cruelty of the Ugandan regime. My denomination, the United Church of Christ, as well as other denominations, has ordained gay and lesbian clergy because we believe that people don’t “choose” to be homosexual any more than a straight person “chooses” to be born heterosexual. It’s a terrible bill because it discriminates against those who are regarded as “different.” Remember racial segregation in this country? Black people couldn’t help being born black any more than white people could help being born white. So the majority whites discriminated against the minority blacks because they were perceived as being “different.” The anti-gay sentiment, whether it’s here in America or in Uganda, is fear of somebody different — and that fear goes counter to the best instincts of both Judaism and Christianity. The ancient Hebrews were instructed to look out for, to be concerned about, the “alien” in their midst. Christians need to remember that great parable of the Good Samaritan as told by Jesus in Luke’s Gospel: instead of “Samaritan” substitute “gay person” or “transsexual person.” The battle for gay rights is equivalent to the struggle for racial equality. Once again, until we can call all men and women “brothers and sisters” and give all men and women the same rights as the heterosexual community enjoys, we still have work to do. La Cañada Congregational Church I’m a Christian. That means I follow Christ God incarnate. Christianity is founded on the belief that the Bible is his only written word to mankind. It’s where God specifically reveals what we are to believe, and it corrects erroneous perceptions of morality and spirituality. Jesus died to establish his church throughout the world. He gave his life because of man’s sin, and his Gospel message, which is the church’s purpose for existence, is that repentant sinners can have his sacrifice applied to them. But sin must be turned from, and God’s will must be embraced to have fellowship with him. Many churches have abandoned the Bible, existing instead for social causes that may or may not comport with God’s word. Today’s question concerns such churches. Their prayer event against Uganda was specifically designed to counter America’s National Day of Prayer event that is annually observed by Bible-believing Christians. Why? Because the National Day of Prayer is perceived as negative, and participating Christians are considered pejoratively as fundamentalist. You’d think if someone claimed to follow Christ, they’d cherish his teachings, fundamental or otherwise, but irksome to the liberal prayer group is that Uganda has embraced a biblical morality, based on scripture, as promoted by these Bible-believing Christians. Since God clearly condemns homosexuality in the Bible and never changes his mind, Uganda is taking him seriously, and fundamentally so. God commanded the ancient Israelites to establish capital punishment for homosexuals, rapists, adulterers and such (e.g., see Leviticus 20:13). Today we aren’t bound to enforce their penalties, but our opinion of such practices should never diminish, and certainly not reverse. Uganda is simply taking God’s view of homosexuality’s sinfulness, and conforming its civil law accordingly. Nobody wants persecution, but every society makes laws concerning moral behavior. If Uganda says no to cross-dressing and sodomy, practitioners will either cease their perverse behavior or leave the country. But the group at the Seventh Day Adventist church brings to mind Romans Chapter 1, especially the last verse. Look it up. THE REV. BRYAN GRIEM Montrose Community Church I do not believe that anyone should be persecuted. However, I do believe sin is sin if we are looking at it from a Christian perspective. My views are quite different now that I am a psychotherapist. As an ordained minister and pastor, my outlook was strictly biblical in nature. My training at Fuller Theological Seminary in theology and psychotherapy gave me a completely different perspective on humanity. While I still hold that scripture is the inspired word of God, I also know that God loves all people. His desire is that all would know him and experience, not only his salvation, but also his healing grace. Cultural practices vary — of which lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender are. This particular law is one of many in another country that causes us to grieve over the way human beings are treated. I sit weekly with those who fall into some of these categories, as well as those who have diverse ethnic backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, upbringings and psychological issues. We all have special value as humans. We also all have areas of sin, as diverse as they might be. My job is to help people emotionally and psychologically (and if they are spiritual, integrate theology into our work). The prominent feature of each person is their significance in God’s eyes. To give a life sentence to people for a certain practice — as long as it is not putting others in danger or harming them (such as rapists, pedophiles, murderers) — sin or not, is to take away their hope for growth and change. With that said, I am aware that other cultures have diverse laws and punishments that they adhere to in their culture. We do not have the power to change many of them. These types of injustices will be on our Earth until Christ comes back and reigns. Injustice is, unfortunately, part of being human in a fallen world. THE REV. KIMBERLIE ZAKARIAN The Ugandan bill focusing on homosexuality as a punishable crime is yet another sign of how much fear and violence rule the heart of humanity, and how misguided it is to believe that our own nation’s slow crawl toward equality and justice is a “done deal” — or a universal goal. As for the prayer event, I wish I could have been there! Not so much because I’m convinced that it will directly alter the Ugandan legal system, but because: 1. Joining together with others committed to the higher principles of love, compassion and equity can be a personally transformative and healing experience, and 2. Can draw public attention to dangerous judicial trends with which people of conscience the world over would do well to actively engage. What higher purpose is served if our hopes and prayers, if our individual or collective efforts, embrace only the humanity of those closest to us or most like us? The Uni Doing that involves, among other things, knowing what the issues are — where intolerance and the abuse of power overshadow the light of underlying human unity and worth. And it involves taking a stand in whatever ways we can on behalf of justice, equity and compassion. As such, and given how many have come in recent years to distrust religious communities as harbingers of hateful violence, I celebrate the Glendale City Seventh-Day Adventist Church and all those across the country who organized, participated in, and supported this event demonstrating and promoting the life- and love-affirming potential of our religious communities. THE REV. STEFANIE ETZBACH-DALE Unitarian Universalist Church of Verdugo Hills in La Crescenta This proposed Ugandan law is harsh and cruel. Our country should apply all due diplomatic pressure on the Ugandan government to exercise compassion for its citizens. And, of course, Christians should pray appropriately for those being persecuted, that they might be allowed to “lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” with the ultimate hope that they would “be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:2-4), which is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Sometimes the question of what is moral versus what should be legal is clear-cut. We would all agree that child molestation is both immoral and should always be punishable under law. So sexual morality does (and should) affect our system of justice. But we begin to disagree when sexual activity involves “consenting adults” who exercise their freedom to follow religious (or non-religious) beliefs that contradict our own beliefs about God and morality. According to the Bible, God’s gift of sexuality is only appropriately enjoyed by a man and a woman who are married. All other sexual activity is immoral according to scripture, including not only homosexual acts, but also fornication (all sexual activity before or outside of marriage) and adultery (unfaithfulness to one’s spouse). Jesus taught that even only to look at another person with lust is the commission of adultery in one’s heart. I believe the Christian response to the issue of legality and morality is to first acknowledge that we’ve all “fallen short” in various ways. There is no “holier than thou” before our absolutely holy God. And if one form of immorality (like homosexuality) is deemed illegal, then all others (including fornication and adultery) should equally be outlawed. THE REV. JON BARTA Valley Baptist Church in Burbank I think the bill being proposed in Uganda is wildly extremist and clearly inhumane. This measure should be vociferously condemned by our State Department, and a formal diplomatic objection should be made at the United Nations. I assume that the ostensible source of the proposed law is the biblical admonition against homosexuality — nevertheless, that very same Bible requires us to be tolerant and accepting even in circumstances of disagreement. The real reason such draconian measures are being considered is probably not religious in nature; instead, the bill is likely fueled by bigotry and prejudice. These elements of hatred should have no place in any moral society. Unfortunately, Uganda is by no means exceptional in the harsh way they treat their homosexual citizens, and there’s a strong chance that any international effort to condemn the move will fail in the General Assembly. In Saudi Arabia, for instance, homosexuality is already punishable by death. In fact, the only country in the entire Middle East where people who are gay are treated with respect and given equal rights is Israel. The 19th century English historian John Dalberg-Acton said: “The most certain test by which we judge whether a country is really free is the amount of security enjoyed by minorities.” I find it interesting to note that countries that treat their citizens unjustly always seem to be lagging in economic and political progress. Uganda’s leaders need to get a good lesson in history, and should be reminded that, in the end, civility and humanity define a nation before God. RABBI SIMCHA BACKMAN Chabad of Glendale and the Foothills President Obama, U.S. congressmen, Western nations and many churches have criticized the proposed Ugandan law. I am in agreement with them. The more attention and pressure — especially economic pressure — that can be put on the Ugandan government to stop the implementation of this proposed law, the better. Recently, there are signs that the Ugandan government may be backing down, at least a bit, but there is still has a long way to go. The Latter-day Saints Church does not condone abusive treatment of others and encourages its members to treat all people with respect. Jesus taught a much higher concept, that of love. — “Love thy neighbor” (Matthew 19:19). What is often missed is that Jesus loved the sinner even while decrying the sin, as evidenced in the case of the woman taken in adultery: treating her kindly, but exhorting her to “sin no more” (John 8:11). Tolerance, as a Gospel principle, means love and forgiveness of one another, not “tolerating” transgression. Whether or not one views homosexual behavior as a sin, one should follow Jesus’ example. The proposed Ugandan law does not fit within this Gospel framework, and should be actively opposed. RICK CALLISTER Fast-track EA integration, says Museven President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has reiterated his call for fast-tracking the East African political federation. He repeated his call last Wednesday when addressing the third session of the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) in Kampala, noting that this would speed up the regional integration. The Ugandan leader, a strong advocate of the envisaged political union since the idea was mooted by EA leaders in 2004, described the political federation as “an insurance policy of the people of East Africa in the global arena.” Besides political federation, he also called on the East African Community (EAC) partner states to put more resources to develop the infrastructure, describing it as the foundation for development of the region. In a speech which was made available to The Citizen in Arusha, he said domestic energy consumption levels in EA were still low because of underdevelopment. “Compared to that of developed countries, it would take the region more than 15 years to reach similar current consumption levels experienced in the West,” he said. Emphasizing the need for a good transport system in Africa, he said East Africa has the potential and ability to develop its transport system. “If the British used rudimentary technology and non-skilled manpower to build the railway we currently have, why can�t we then use the modern machinery we posses to do even better?� he asked. He told the regional legislators that he had instructed the Uganda army engineering brigade to participate actively in the construction of the Uganda Railway and hoped that other EAC partner states would follow suit. In his welcoming speech, EALA Speaker Abdirahin Abdi, hailed the five regional leaders of Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda for signing the EAC Common Market Protocol last November. Th “This has come to pass and we can now see all those advantages as more and more countries yearn to join the EAC,� noted Mr Abdi. TANZANIA:
CONGO RDC :
KENYA :
Valentine’s Day might be a time when lovers all over the world express their devotion to each other, but that goodwill is not reaching the rose growers of Kenya. One reason is the global financial crisis, which has resulted in a reduced demand for flowers. Another is the erratic nature of the weather because, according to Jane Ngige of the Kenya Flower Council, “when winters are heavy people don’t go out shopping for flowers”. December to March is the busiest time of year for flower vendors as it takes in the Christmas period, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. Jane Ngige says 2008 was a magical year for the industry with a record volume of 93,000 tonnes worth $520,000 (£330,000), but the following year that fell 25% to $390,000. “We planned for more volume this year,” she says, “but there has been a levelling-off in demand rather than an increase.” The main market for Kenyan flower growers is the European Union, which takes 65% of the produce grown, followed by Japan and the east European market. “Labour has been scaled down but we are hoping things will improve,” Jane Ngige says. “We try to keep workers with us as long as possible,” she adds. Romance lives Recent research carried out for Interflora, which has 58,000 florists in 140 countries, shows that half of the respondents were not planning to do anything to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The main reasons cited were because Valentine’s Day has become too commercial, and because they wanted to save money. Jane Ngige remains optimistic however: “We don’t anticipate trends to change. People will want to see their red roses – a sign of romance and a sign of communicating with flowers.” For those who will be giving a gift, flowers – and especially roses – top the list, with chocolate and jewellery also getting a mention. International appeal Valentine’s Day has spawned celebrations of love beyond western culture, although the original meaning seems to have been lost somewhat. In Japan and South Korea, Valentine’s Day has become almost an obligation for women to give chocolates, known as giri-choco, to all of their co-workers on 14 February. A reciprocal day on 14 March, known as White Day, has emerged in recent times, whereby men are supposed to thank those who remembered them on Valentine’s Day with white chocolate or marshmallows, hence White Day. In South Korea there is an additional Black Day, held the following month on 14 April, for less fortunate men who did not receive gifts on Valentine’s Day. They gather together to eat jajangmyun – Chinese-style black noodles topped with a black sauce. Real estate taking up Kenya coffee farmland MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) – Land under coffee cultivation near Kenya’s capital is being converted into more profitable crops or real estate, the head of a Kenyan coffee sector association said on Saturday. Coffee production in east Africa’s biggest economy has fallen from a record 130,000 tonnes in the 1987/88 season to 54,000 tonnes from the just concluded crop. Coffee sector authorities are alarmed that farms on the outskirts of the capital Nairobi are giving way to apartment blocks or high-end gated communities, and they want the government to create a policy to protect the coffee fields. But the tide will not be turned unless beans again become the “black gold” they once were, Etienne Delbar, chairman of the Kenyan chapter of the 10-nation Eastern African Fine Coffees Association, told Reuters in an interview. “The movement of agricultural land being converted into real estate is seen worldwide. It is in South East Asian countries and Central America countries that it is most visible,” he said. “We also see that some coffee land now used for other crops — bluegrass, cut flowers, macadamia nuts — why? Profitability. It is very expensive to grow coffee in Kenya.” Electricity, water and labour costs have gone through the roof, said Delbar, who was formerly head of Kenya’s biggest coffee producer, Socfinaf. It is more difficult to get labourers and water for irrigation is scarce nearer the city, he added. One of the big low-lying estates pulled up over 1,000 hectares of coffee bushes in 2004 and planted pineapple and avocado instead, which proved to be more profitable, he said. Global warming means low-lying farms see higher temperatures that quicken cherry maturing. The early crop is traditionally less appreciated than the late crop and fetches less. LIBERALISE THE SECTOR To keep farmers growing coffee, the government has to fully liberalise the sector, Delbar said. Small farmers, for example, receive their payments more than a year after they deliver cherries to factories. Liberalising the sector to allow farm gate sales could hasten the process, Delbar said. It is illegal at the moment to do farm gate sales, but the trade does happen, Delbar said. “It is estimated that 5,000 tonnes of coffee is smuggled into Uganda where trading in cherries is liberalised,” he said. “Today it is illegal but a lot of transactions happen.” The productivity on Kenyan smallholder farms is also too low, guaranteeing peasant farmers remain poor. “Productivity for smallholders is very low, 250 kgs green coffee per hectare. In Vietnam it is 2,200 kgs per hectare,” he said, adding that doubling output to 500 kgs would keep small scale farmers cultivating coffee. Presently, 60 percent of Kenyan coffee is grown by smallholders and the rest on estates, Delbar said, compared with 100 percent in Rwanda and Uganda and 80 percent in Ethiopia. Out of the 170,000 hectares under coffee in Kenya, estates represent around only 12 percent but produce 40 percent of the harvest. To counter the loss of farm land near the capital, the government should encourage investors to start operations in western Kenya in areas such as Kitale and Mt. Elgon, he said, which have the potential to produce good coffee. The fact that the big trading houses were investing in milling machinery shows that their long-term view on coffee growing in Kenya is positive, Delbar said. ANGOLA :
SOUTH AFRICA:
Mandela’s legacy of peace Twenty years and two days ago, Nelson Mandela walked out of South Africa’s Victor Verster prison a free man. Madiba, as he is known to his countrymen, is 91 now and frail. His career, except as an exemplar, is over. It is worth taking a few moments to consider what this man means, not just to Africa, but to the world. Mandela suffered terribly at the hands of his Boer captors. Everything he valued, everything he held dear, was taken from him. His people were brutalized. His freedom was stolen. He was locked away for the balance of his adulthood. Imagine the rage and helplessness he must have felt, locked away for the crime of trying to bring justice to his country. Imagine the bitterness he could have nurtured during the 27 long years of his captivity. That would have destroyed many people. But when he emerged blinking into the sunlight after those long and difficult years, the world witnessed a kind of miracle. For Mandela was not angry. Nor was he bent on vengeance. He was absolutely bent on justice — on securing majority rule and democracy for South Africans. But he was determined to bring this about without violence, hatred or rancor. He spoke constantly of reconciliation and forgiveness — and enacted policies in keeping with those sentiments, after he became president in 1994. It is easy now, looking back, to speak of the failures and the pitfalls and the obstacles that he encountered. Anyone can see that Mandela’s dream of an equitable South Africa, and of a world in which no one is disadvantaged because of the colour of their skin, has yet to be realized. But imagine the horror that would have occurred in Africa in the 1990s had Mandela sought vengeance. Transpose his lesson to our own country, current-day. We live in one of the safest, wealthiest societies on this planet, now and at any time in human history. How often do we hear political leaders and interest groups, people who feel victimized for one reason or another, speaking about simple equality, rather than special status? Just asking. AFRICA / AU :
Tension among Haiti’s religions grows after quake PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Christian and Voodoo leaders put aside their differences for a moment Friday, joining hands under a canopy of tropical trees as some earthquake survivors on crutches and in wheelchairs mourned the more than 200,000 Haitians killed by an earthquake one month ago. The catastrophe has driven a wedge between Haiti’s religions as Christian groups make inroads among shaken Voodoo followers — some drawn by the steady flow of aid through evangelical missions and others frightened by a disaster they saw as a warning from God. “People see rice being distributed in front of churches and those homeless now needing papers are being offered baptism certificates that can act as identity documents,” Voodoo priest Max Beauvoir told The Associated Press before speaking at Friday’s service. “The horrible thing though is that by rejecting Voodoo these people are rejecting their ancestors and history. Voodoo is the soul of the Haitian people. Without it, the people are lost.” Beauvoir said it took weeks of negotiations to arrange his participation in Friday’s ceremony, and that some didn’t want Voodoo represented in Port-au-Prince on Friday’s national day of mourning. Haitians gathered under the shade of mimosa and powderpuff trees and flooded the streets of the capital in prayer, climbing atop the rubble of destroyed churches and spilling into parks where they stretched their arms to the skies. Hymns reverberated throughout the shattered city. President Rene Preval broke down in tears, wiping his eyes with a handkerchief as his wife tried to console him. “The pain is too heavy — words cannot describe it,” Preval said in one of the first major public addresses he has made in weeks. After the quake, evangelical U.S. broadcaster Pat Robertson said Haiti had been cursed after its slave founders made a “pact with the devil.” The White House called the remark “stupid” but some Haitians wonder if God may be angry for their close ties to the spirit world. “The earthquake scared me,” said Veronique Malot, a 24-year-old who joined an evangelical church two weeks ago when she found herself living in one of the city’s many outdoor camps. “Voodoo has been in my family but the government isn’t helping us. The only people giving aid are the Christian churches.” Christians have spearheaded international disaster relief in Haiti and the rest of the developing world for decades. Baptists, Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Scientologists, Mormons and other missionaries have flocked to Haiti in droves since the earthquake — feeding the homeless, treating the injured and preaching the Gospel in squalid camps where some 1 million people now live. In many of the camps, trucks with loudspeakers blast evangelical music while missionaries talk to families under tarpaulin roofs. The Rev. Florian Ganthier, of an evangelical church that was partially destroyed in the quake, said he knows of dozens of Voodoo followers who have converted in the last month. “People who practice Voodoo are living in the shadows,” Ganthier said. “This earthquake was a sign to all those who do not accept Jesus Christ in their life.” Voodoo, or Vodou as preferred by Haitians, evolved in the 17th century when the French brought slaves to Haiti from West Africa. Slaves forced to practice Catholicism remained loyal to their African spirits in secret by adopting Catholic saints to coincide with African spirits, and today many Haitians consider themselves followers of both religions. Voodoo’s followers believe in reincarnation, one God and a pantheon of spirits. Voodoo leaders say that although they do not believe in evil spirits, some followers pray for the spirits to do evil. In 1791, an escaped slave named Boukman gathered thousands of followers in the forests of northern Haiti, sacrificed a wild boar and pledged that with the spirits’ help, he would liberate his people and free Haiti. After 10 years of bloodshed, slavery ended and Haiti became the world’s first black republic, making Boukman a hero and giving special prominence to Voodoo. Still, Voodoo worshippers have been persecuted. A church-led campaign in the 1940s led to the destruction of temples and sacred objects. Hollywood films sensationalizing Voodoo and legends of the undead pushed the practice further underground. Voodoo became recognized as a formal religion in Haiti only in 1987, under a new constitution that recognizes the rights of all religions. Many missionaries who have flocked to the country since the earthquake say their goals in Haiti are strictly humanitarian. “We’re not here to practice our religion,” said Chris Hermensen, a Mormon nurse who came after the quake to help treat patients in several hospitals. “We tell people what are beliefs are but we treat everyone the same. We’re here to help right now.” At Friday’s mourning ceremony, Preval urged support for the government despite multiplying protests over government failures to provide food and shelter to those left homeless by the quake. Some aid groups have also complained of government dithering over moving people to safe shelter in advance of the coming rains. In a sign of a return to normality, officials announced that commercial passenger flights would resume at Haiti’s international airport on Feb. 19. American Airlines was accepting reservations online but said it would not make a definitive commitment to starting that day. Small commercial planes have been operating between neighboring Dominican Republic and Port-au-Prince’s small national airport. Meanwhile, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a bipartisan delegation on a half-day visit to Port-au-Prince, meeting Preval and visiting aid distribution sites and medical facilities. UN /ONU :
Campaigning kicks off in Sudan presidential poll KHARTOUM — Presidential hopefuls in Sudan, Africa’s largest country, began campaigning on Saturday for the first multi-party poll since 1986, with the nation wondering whether an end might be in sight to incumbent Omar al-Beshir’s many years in power. After being pushed back twice, the presidential election is set to take place on April 11, alongside legislative and regional polls. Beshir, who seized power in 1989 with support from Islamists, is facing off against 11 other hopefuls, including the first woman ever to aspire to the presidency, and the two-time former prime minister he ousted. The incumbent is also the world’s first sitting president facing an international arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court on charges of alleged crimes against humanity in Sudan’s western Darfur region. The United Nations says up to 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million fled their homes since the ethnic minority rebels in Darfur first rose up against the Arab-dominated Khartoum government in February 2003. Beshir’s main challengers in the race are Yasser Arman, a secular Muslim from north Sudan representing the ex-rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, and Sadiq al-Mahdi, the premier whom Beshir ousted and who now leads the influential Islamist Umma Party. Related article: Twelve candidates contest Sudan presidency Arman, 49, is counting on the solid support of the secessionist south Sudan, while the 74-year-old Mahdi’s main support base is in the north. But in a country without opinion polls and which has not held real elections in decades, the outcome of the polls is anybody’s guess. The only fear of the opposition is that Beshir will use the levers of power, including the security forces, to skew things his way. Rallies have been prohibited by Beshir’s government, but the opposition plans to test the waters during the month of campaigning to try and stage one anyway in Omdurman, the twin city of Khartoum. “Everyone is wondering which side will win,” said Mohammed, a 30-year-old man sipping tea in a run-down improvised cafe shaded by a tree. “Beshir is very popular in Khartoum, but in the other regions I am not so certain.” Emerging from a devastating 22-year civil war that pit the dominant Muslim and Arab northern Sudanese against the largely non-Muslim, non-Arab southerners, even the most basic services are lacking in much of the remote and underdeveloped regions of this country of more than 41 million people. Simply getting the voting materials out across the vast region is a major logistical challenge, and will require the use of UN helicopters. Concern also is high at the low rates of voter education in a region that is largely illiterate, and facing an incredibly complex poll. There will be extra votes for a president in the secessionist south, which will decide on independence in a referendum next year. Because regional and legislative polls are being held simultaneously with the presidential election, voters will be casting 12 ballots — an extremely complicated process in a country left in ruins by the long years of war. In addition, tensions are high with several influential SPLM figures running as independents after rejecting their party’s official choice of candidate. Many Sudanese fear that political rivalries will spill over into violence, sparking off fresh clashes between different ethnic groups. USA :
Vote to Discontinue Black History Month Of course, the above reasoning and questions, although sadly very valid, are absolutely preposterous and outrageous. Yet, some people in our country have made such proposals as this I’m sure. What is so important about black history month? How did it come about? Does it matter that we celebrate black suffrage now that we have a black president? Having a black president must mean that the struggle is over. Shouldn’t blacks be over it by now? Celebrating people of a different color: Black History Month was brought about by the diligent and passion efforts of man by the name of Dr. Carter G. Woodson. (How many of you know who that is?) Dr. Woodson, was the son of ex-slaves that went from working in Kentucky coal mines, to attaining his doctoral degree from Harvard University, and pioneering a system of studying black history. In Dr. Woodson’s studies, the overwhelming reality that blacks were not present in the history books thankfully inspired this great man to begin writing black people’s history and preserving their designated positions on the sands of time. Interestingly, Dr. Woodson began with a Negro History Week which later grew into black history month. Contrary to conspiracy theory, February is NOT black history month because its’ the shortest month of the year. Dr. Woodson chose a specific week in February to commemorate the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln. Dr. Woodson’s contributions to black history do not end with establishing Negro History Week in 1926. Before this reaching this milestone, in 1915 Dr. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History which is now called the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History. Dr. Woodson took a third step in marking black history by founding the esteemed Journal of Negro History now known as the Journal of African American History. So why do we study black history? Because of its significance not only to black history but as the efforts of black Americans have shaped the America that we live in today. Barack Obama would not be sitting in the Oval Office without the work of millions of black Americans who preceded him. His presidency would not have drawn such a fervor in the U.S. over the past few years if we didn’t understand the cultural implications of this revolutionary mark of American history. We study black history because it is U.S. history and it is integral to maintaining the respect of black achievement as even more milestones are surpassed. Shouldn’t blacks be over it by now? The progress of equality in this country is a testament to the spirit of individuals that reside in this country. The mark of progress is not in passing legislature to integrate schools, giving blacks the right to vote, or being able to walk down the streets of Birmingham without being sprayed by fire hoses. The mark of progress is the genuine sentiment of the average American with respect to blacks. Looking on the outside of things is never a good indicator of what is happening at the core. Like the old saying goes: “Never judge a book by its cover.” Moving from riddles to reasoning, let’s see why blacks and other non-blacks are not “over it” by now. Most recently, the acclaimed and talented musician John Mayer made a drunken spectacle of himself during a Playboy interview. Amidst his drunken stupor, Mayer uttered the word n***** and made blatant racist comments about his ex girlfriend Kerry Washington and Holly Robinson Pete. Gravity surely was bringing him down in this interview! Now all things being equal, let’s take into consideration that Mayer’s interview was with Playboy and one couldn’t expect major philosophical insight from the line of questioning that they were probably partaking in. Secondly, John Mayer was under the influence of alcohol, and like Kanye West taught us, alcohol and media DO NOT mix. Though an old saying would still suggest that: “A drunk man’s words speaks a sober man’s mind.” Of course, not too afar off was Senator Reid’s comments about Barack Obama’s light skin and his not having a negro dialect. As we can see from our previous studies during this series, Stokely Carmichael spoke about these unacceptable utterances of comparing the speech of blacks to “Negro dialect”. If we hadn’t studied Carmichael, it may have been easier to dismiss Reid’s comments. Luckily, we have the history of Carmichael and the Black Panther Party to show us that although things look like we’re progressing forward, we are still fighting the same or similar battle in the present day. A virus is so hard to fight off because the DNA of the virus copies the virus of the host cell and hides amongst the DNA of the cell. The cell cannot distinguish the viral DNA from its own. The cell is not even aware that it is being attacked until it’s too late. The viral DNA looks, moves with, and assumes characteristics of the host cell. John Mayer, although still an amazing artist, is a living example of this. He played music like a regular Atlanta man and he even dated black women! He was not the person who we would think would utter such horrible words, but when the alcohol got to him, we saw his true colors. Same goes for Harry Reid. He’s a politician with power. He isn’t even supposed to say things like light-skinned making Barack more acceptable to America or making allusions to a “negro dialect”. Although the flow of things may seem steady, these examples awaken the American consciousness to the reality of unfair perceptions of blacks that remain today. As a black American, I was not properly educated on my history. Not until college when I took a class entitled “The Psychology of the African-American Experience” was I formally instructed on the significance and meaning of being black in America. My question to the readers is how well were you or were you not educated on black history? Was this a result of where you were located geographically in the country? Do you wish you learned more or less and do you think that black history month is still important? U.S. Census Bureau Black History Month Feature for Feb. 13 WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Following is the daily Black History Month feature from the U.S. Census Bureau: (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO) SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13: MAE JEMISON Profile America for the 13th day of Black History Month. Mae Jemison has several distinctions. She is the first African-American woman to travel into space, and the only astronaut to have appeared on “Star Trek.” She was on an eight-day mission aboard the shuttle Endeavor, and appeared in an episode of “Star Trek, The Next Generation,” called “Second Chances.” Before being selected by NASA for the astronaut training program, Jemison had earned two undergraduate degrees, a medical degree, and served over two years as a Peace Corps medical officer in West Africa — all before her 30th birthday. Among African-American adults, 1.4 million hold advanced degrees. Ten years earlier, that number was just under 860,000. This special edition of Profile America is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau, conducting the 2010 Census beginning April 1st. Sources: www.jsc.nasa.gov U.S. Census Bureau, Facts for Features, CB10-FF.01 Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the “Newsroom” button). SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau US: Attack on Afghan town Marjah launched NEAR MARJAH, Afghanistan — Helicopter-borne U.S. Marines and Afghan troops swooped down on the Taliban-held town of Marjah before dawn Saturday, launching a long-expected attack to re-establish government control and undermine support for the militants in their southern heartland. The attack on Marjah climaxed the biggest joint Afghan-international offensive of the war and is the largest combat operation since President Barack Obama ordered 30,000 U.S. reinforcements here last December to turn the tide of the war. Marine commanders say they expect anywhere between 400 to 1,000 insurgents to be holed up inside this southern Afghan town of 80,000 people in Helmand province, including more than 100 foreign fighters.
Jorge Puello, who has been a high-profile advocate for the American Baptists as they navigate the Haitian justice system, is in apparent violation of Dominican law for failing to register with the local bar association or obtain a license, said Jose Parra, vice president of the Dominican Lawyers Association. Parra said his organization was still investigating the situation and might file a complaint with the Justice Department, which could pursue criminal charges. Puello declined to comment in a brief telephone interview, saying he would be busy in court representing a U.S. firm seeking to establish a business in the Dominican Republic. He could not be located in court and did not return later phone calls. The Web site for Puello Consulting says it has offered “full legal services” for businesses in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere since 2005. The site was taken down Friday for unknown reasons. The New York Times reported late Thursday that authorities in El Salvador are investigating whether Puello is a man suspected of leading a trafficking ring in that country involving Central American and Caribbean women and girls. The newspaper reported police said his picture seemed to match that of a suspected trafficker.
With Greece overdrawn and no one eager to foot the bill, Europe’s messy debt crisis has exposed a fundamental weakness among the 16 countries that share the euro: different and often diametrically opposed approaches to spending don’t make for a happy union. By telling Greece they stand shoulder-to-shoulder as it struggles to rein in a runaway deficit and impose severe austerity measures, but offering little more than moral support, the European Union’s biggest hitters — Germany and France — only slowed the market contagion afflicting Greece, and did not cure it. As a result, analysts, politicians and observers contend, that may brake momentum for countries like Latvia adopting the beleaguered euro. More broadly, it could force Europe, already in a winter of growing discontent, to reconsider how much of a union it really wishes to be. Its spending rules — limiting deficits to 3 percent of economic output — have turned out to be more an honor system than a fiscal anchor. Can they be toughened to stop funny business like that in Greece, which faked budget numbers for years? Who pays if someone defaults? If countries that obey the rules pay for those that don’t, won’t more countries misbehave, knowing someone will protect them from the consequences of their behavior? If the answers mean moving authority from national capitals to the EU executive in Brussels, will people go along with that? In Greece, the flashpoint for the debate, Stavros Lygeros, a columnist for the Kathimerini daily newspaper, wrote Friday that the financial crisis brought “not only the collapse of our model of kleptocracy, but also the EU’s innate failings.” Polanski film debuts, Swiss vow no extradition yet Compared to the last four months being under arrest in Switzerland, it was a win-win. Polanski could not walk the red carpet at the Berlin film festival Friday night for the debut of his movie “The Ghost Writer,” starring Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan, because he is under house arrest. But he was still the star of the party, feted by the movie’s actors, producer and screenplay writer. And in a new twist to his long legal saga, the Swiss Justice Ministry declared it would make “no sense” to shift Polanski from house arrest at his Alpine chalet until U.S. courts ruled definitively that he must be sentenced in person to further jail time for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl. “When the question is still open, why should he be extradited?” Rudolf Wyss, the ministry’s deputy director, told The Associated Press. “As long as the question is still open, our decision depends on that.” “Even if we decide on extradition, he can still appeal. This would take many months,” Wyss added. Polanski’s extradition is a complicated and diplomatically sensitive decision, as it deals with a three-decade-old case full of alleged wrongdoing by a Los Angeles judge, a confused sentencing procedure and the director’s own flight from justice. There is also Polanski’s status as a cultural icon in France and Poland, where he holds dual citizenship, and his history as a Holocaust survivor whose first wife was brutally murdered by crazed followers of cult leader Charles Manson in California. Tunisian journalist freed after 4 months in jail Lawyer Nejib Chebbi says that Zouhair Makhlouf was freed Friday. A court in Grombalia, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the North African nation’s capital, had ordered Makhlouf to pay a fine of 6,000 dinars (about euro3,000) in addition to the jail term meted out last fall. Makhlouf’s release came before a meeting of European and Tunisian human rights activists later this month. UN taps prime ministers to seek new climate money The announcement is an attempt to fulfill a key part of the nonbinding Copenhagen Accord aimed at directing money from rich nations to poorer nations facing rising sea levels, melting glaciers and other effects of climate change. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday named British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi as co-chairs of a new high-level U.N. advisory group on climate changing financing. Ban said the group will look at “how to jump start” efforts to collect the tens of billions of dollars a year pledged at the Copenhagen climate conference in December. The money is meant to help developing nations cope with the Earth’s warming that scientists blame on an atmospheric buildup of heat-trapping carbon emissions mainly from fossil-fuel burning. He said they would seek the money from both governments and private donors. Richer nations promised to finance a $10 billion-a-year, three-year program, starting immediately, to fund poorer nations’ projects to deal with drought and other climate-change impacts, and to develop clean energy. Of that, European Union leaders have pledged to pay $10.5 billion over the next three years. “Let me emphasize the importance of rapid action. It is particularly important to release money for immediate adaptation and mitigation efforts in developing countries, especially for the most vulnerable,” Ban said. “Millions of people in Africa and around the globe are suffering from the effects of climate change.” The United States, EU and other wealthy nations also set a goal of collectively mobilizing $100 billion-a-year by 2020 for the same adaptation and mitigation purposes, but have not specified what their individual contributions might be. UK: 8 Iraqis arrested for killing military police The ministry says that a judge in Iraq is reviewing the evidence against the suspects. The six British military policemen were killed by an Iraqi mob in the town of Majar al-Kabir in June 2003. The ministry says in a statement that the British government is committed to seeing the killers brought to justice and that it is assisting the Iraqi government to secure convictions. The ministry says Friday the eight suspects were arrested in 2006 and 2009 and have been held in custody since. CANADA :
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Michelin Group’s profits sag in ’09 Michelin Group weathered a tough year along with the rest of the automotive industry, with profit for 2009 falling nearly 71 percent from the previous year and unit sales down by 14.8 percent. The French tire maker reported net income of 104 million euros, down from 357 million euros in 2008. Restructuring costs, including the closing of several plants, totaled 412 million euros. The situation was partially offset by a 318 million euro reduction in the cost of raw materials, a price increase and what the company termed the “resistance of the Michelin brand.” INDIA :
India’s Bharti makes bid for Kuwait’s Zain assets KUWAIT CITY — India’s largest mobile phone operator Bharti Airtel has offered 10.7 billion dollars (7.9 billion euros) to buy Kuwait’s Zain telecom operations in 15 African nations, a newspaper reported on Saturday. Quoting unnamed “reliable sources,” Kuwait’s Al-Rai daily said the “official bid” was made at the Muslim weekend (Thursday) and will not include Zain’s totally-owned unit in Sudan. Zain, Kuwait’s largest mobile operator, denied on Monday that it had received new offers for its African assets, a part of which was bought in 2005 from Dutch Celtel for 3.5 billion dollars. Later, Zain made key acquisitions in several other African nations including Nigeria. Zain also operates in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Iraq in addition to Jordan and Lebanon. Zain’s share price rose more than 20 percent and its capitalisation gained three billion dollars to 16.1 billion dollars over the sale reports. Last summer, Zain declined an offer from French telecom and media group Vivendi, reportedly at between 10 billion and 11 billion dollars, saying the price was below expectation. Earlier this month, Zain accepted the resignation of Saad al-Barrak as its CEO. On Thursday, it appointed former communications minister Nabil bin Salama to replace him. Since joining the company in 2002, Barrak transformed Zain from a local company with under one million subscribers to an international telecom firm operating in 23 nations with 72 million subscribers. The process required massive investments that exceeded 12 billion dollars. In September, major shareholders Al-Khorafi Group signed an initial agreement to sell a 46-percent controlling stake worth 14 billion dollars to an Indo-Malaysian consortium that included two state-owned Indian telecom firms. The deal was supposed to have been completed in four months. The deadline has passed without any progress, but the investors have stressed that the deal is not dead but will take more time. BRASIL:
EN BREF, CE 13 février 2010 … AGNEWS / OMAR, BXL,13/02/2010 |
Afrique-International : 13 FEVRIER 2010 [Fast-track EA integration, says Museven]
