The peace agreement that ended the decades long civil war between northern and southern Sudan called for a referendum in which the people of Southern Sudan would get to vote on whether to become independent. Here’s what the timeline looks like now:

At the core of the current political crisis are delays in implementing key benchmarks laid out in the 2005 deal, known as the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. The referendum on independence for the South, a key pillar of the arrangement, is due in January 2011. Before that referendum takes place, Sudan must hold national elections. These are now set for April 2010.

The elections to be held in April, therefore, are a subject of considerable contention.

A sham poll would most likely lead to a new escalation of violence in Darfur and compromise the holding of the referendum. And if the referendum does not go ahead on schedule, the South will probably declare unilateral independence, plunging. Sudan back into civil war.

Tensions have been rising between the NCP in the north and the SPLM in the South. In October, the southern leader, Salva Kiir, for the first time openly called for the South to secede from Sudan. Both sides are rearming….

Human rights groups are already warning about escalating violence in Southern Sudan, that could disrupt the upcoming elections.

The people of southern Sudan are trapped in a worsening crisis, following the most violent year since the 2005 peace agreement that ended more than two decades of civil war with the North. However, the response to the escalating emergency is inadequate, says international medical relief organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

Meanwhile, the government of Sudan has just reneged on a deal setting the terms on which southern Sudan could vote on independence.

The United States has condemned the Sudanese ruling party for introducing last-minute unilateral changes to the law under which southern Sudanese will vote on whether they want independence.

The Sudan Tribune reports from Khartoum that when the bill providing for a referendum on independence for Southern Sudan went to the National Assembly on Tuesday, members of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) scrapped a provision that southerners who wanted to vote had to register and vote in the south….

In Darfur, the peace process has reached a “critical” juncture, according to the Secretary-General of the UN.

… Civil society and armed movements have agreed to re-start consultations in Doha on 18 January, to be followed by direct talks between the Government and movements on 24 January in Qatar’s capital.

“Efforts must continue to encourage the Government, and more especially the rebel movements, to make concessions, and embrace the consensus which Mr. Bassolé is building,” the Secretary-General underscored….

In eastern Chad, malnutrition persists well into the harvest season, and some NGOs are cutting back services for fear of kidnapping, as security continues to deteriorate. The UN has started a program to train local judges to end impunity.

The Central African Republic is also preparing for elections in 2010, and the UN urges security sector reform ahead of the polls.

The Lord’s Resistance Army continues to be a plague on the whole region, with cells in Uganda, Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. A recent UN report says that the group has killed 1200 people in the DRC in 10 months. It was reported last month that sixty-four LRA rebels returned home from the DRC and surrendered since October; that’s the most recent report I see of progress on the LRA front.

     The Seal the Deal! campaign is mobilising political leaders, the business sector and civil society on an ambitious, global scale to raise a strong call for urgent and united action on climate change.

    Combating climate change is an investment with strong returns, today and for many generations to come. Delays and inaction will only make matters much worse for millions of people and much more expensive.

    Let’s make 2009 the year the world finds an answer to climate change.

    The numbers dont sound big, but their effects could be cataclysmic. A 2C rise above pre-industrial levels would see 20-40% of the Amazon die off within 100 years. A 3C rise would see 75% of the forest destroyed by drought over the following century, while a 4C rise would kill 85%. (Nature Geoscience).

    However there is good news. The worst of global warming can still be avoided if Greenhouse gases levels are cut substantially.
    Look at the inspiring figures here who have joined the Seal the Deal! campaign and given us their time, talent and energy to help make the world a better place.
We look forward to seeing your name here too.

The Seal the Deal campaign team!

Sign the petition for a fair climate agreement at the Copenhagen conference

BBC’s Africa Today (last night) had an interestingly detailed piece about recent violence in the far northeast of Centafrique, while Alex Thurston at the indispensable Sahel Blog continues his well informed plunge southward into Francophone central Africa. I’ve done some recent reading about this, beginning with “Dark Age: The Political Odyssey of Emperor Bokassa” by Brian Titley, which is a decent enough introduction.  Over-personalized and underplaying the continuing institutional hold of the French, I’d still recommend it as a good read and a useful corrective to the colonial fantasy reporting about the famously tyrannical Colonel/President/Emperor’s 1966-1979 rule of the Central African Republic.  More so, I recommend Thomas O’Toole’s 1986 English language history and Pierre Kalck’s similar but more detailed work in French (from which most more recent works draw heavily, but which I’ve only read bits of).  Kalck’s recent update of the Historical Dictionary of the Central African Republic, translated into English by O’Toole, is especially recomended.   Given my recent — if superficial — interest in this under reported nation’s modern history,  I thought I’d chime in with some updates, and a way folks can read more.

The BBC report, including a summary of an interview given by several UFDR leaders describes the recent fighting at Sam Ouandja, where a large refugee camp for Sudanese is located. The UFDR has in the past been accused of being supplied by the Sudanese government, and the area has been home to anti Idriss Déby Chadian rebels.  Chadians have long been involved in the CAR’s politics, notably aiding France in bringing back David Dacko, and providing troops to support François Bozizé in 2001-2003, as they did to aid his predecessor Ange-Félix Patassé in 1997.

The far east of the country is very sparsely populated, and communal conflict between the local Gula people (around Birao in Vakaga) and pastoralists from Sudan and elsewhere is common, as are growing conflicts with Kara to their south. Some of Patassé’s men were holed up here — mostly from Patassé’s own northern Sara ethnic group from well west of Bamingui-Bangoran.  As well Vakaga and Bamingui-Bangoran became a place of exile for some Muslim an northern disaffected soldiers of Bozizé’s rebellion, in a nation long dominated by the M’Baka of the southwest, former president André Kolingba’s tiny Yakoma, and the Gbaya people of the center north, the largest ethnic group in the country. When the Army fought through Vakaga in 2007 with the help of French airpower, the human rights abuses were extreme, and ethnic and religious tensions were inflamed, with reports that southern soldiers especially targeted Gula communities, reinforcing ethnic grievances and an ethnic coloration to the previously more mixed UFDR.

The report last night describes small scale fighting (three killed) between UFCR or former UFCR men of Gula ethnicity and Sudanese from the Sam Ouandja camp. The UFDR claimed that the camp provides cover for rebel groups as well as many criminal gangs. This whole area is plagued by bandits much more than by rebel soldiers. The UFCR is demanding the camp be closed, and this seems to have taken on a rather ethnic vocabulary. The UFCR also complains that there is no camp security to speak of provided by MINURCAT, the French led stabilization force in the northeast. Add into this mix the Chadian rebels, Sudanese rebels, Sudanese government, the CAR army (FACA), a recent history of French bombing Birao to ashes, seminomadic pastoralists competing with farmers for resources, and you can see why this is a mess.

And this leaves aside the recent insurgency and continuing banditry in the northwest, the recent attack on N’Délé by a small rebel splinter faction, the absolutely shattered state, economy, and political culture handed down from particularly brutal colonial and neocolonial regimes, and the aftermath of the 2002 mass murders by the militia of Congo-Brazzaville’s Jean-Pierre Bemba, who surged into the south to support Patassé, Bemba’s subsequent prosecution at the Hague, and Patasse’s recent return from exile.

Once again, I have to recommend the work of the International Crisis Group. I read “Central African Republic: Anatomy of a Phantom State” last week, and it’s the closest thing I can find to an English language history of the troubled recent years of the CAR. The two ICG reports and the HRW report make a good briefing. I’ll save my breath on the 2003-2007 war and it’s multiple regional insurgencies that have never really ended, so you can read better informed sources offered below.

• Human Rights Watch. State of Anarchy Rebellion and Abuses against Civilians, Human Rights Watch, Vol. 19, No. 13(A) (September 2007)
• International Crisis Group (ICG), Central African Republic: Untangling
  the Political Dialogue, Africa Briefing N°55, 9 December 2008
• International Crisis Group (ICG), Central African Republic: Anatomy of
  a Phantom State, Africa Report N°136, 13 December 2007
  • Both are available at the ICG’s Centrafrique Page.
• CAR based Anthropologist Louisa Lombard’s thoughtful and timely blog also provides invaluable source of knowledgeable reflection and current events as an outsider on the ground.
• The Humanitarian and Development Partnership Team (HDPT) of the various agencies on the ground in the CAR has a comprehensive Website. Here’s a site map for the Sam Ouandja area.
  • Their resident photographers maintains an amazing photo pool at Flickr. The shot above of a UFDR soldier protecting airstrip in Sam Ouandja (May 2008) is from their collection.

Image via Wikipedia

• To get a general idea of the geography: Sam Ouandja, where the camp at the center of this recent bloodshed happened, is in Ouadda (Haute-Kotto prefecture). UFDR activity has extended from Bamingui-Bangoran Prefecture (where N’Délé is to the west), through Ouadda Sub Prefecture of Haute-Kotto (south) and all of Vakaga (the northeast of the country). Most of the UFDR activity is in Vakaga (Ouanda Djallé and Birao), while the largest concentration of Gula communities in is Birao (the northern 2/3ds of Vakaga.
• Ethnologue has a detailed Languages of Central African Republic Map.

Other Related Links

• Guerrillas return (news.bbc.co.uk)
• French aid worker seized in Chad (news.bbc.co.uk)
• Uganda pursues rebels into CAR (news.bbc.co.uk)
• CrisisWatch N°74, 1 October 2009 (crisisgroup.org)
• Chad: “No Exit?”, Louise Arbour in Foreign Policy (crisisgroup.org)
• CrisisWatch N°75, 1 November 2009 (crisisgroup.org)

Instability continues in central Africa.

N'Djamena, Chad

After a lull of more than six months, Chad’s army is fighting rebels in the eastern part of the country. Government and rebel accounts of the events differ, though both sides describe a combined air and land campaign by the government:

Government forces in Chad have been fighting rebel forces in the east of the country for the past two days, both sides reported Monday.

A statement from the Union of Forces for Resistance (UFR) said Chadian warplanes had tried to bomb their positions Sunday and Monday before launching a ground attack, which the rebels had beaten back.

The government forces had killed four civilians and wounded many others, the statement added.

Contacted by AFP, Information Minister Mahamat Hissene confirmed the air strikes and ground fighting, but denied their forces had killed any civilians.

The rebel statement, signed by UFR spokesman Abderaman Koulamallah, also said the rebels had wounded many government troops, who had been evacuated back to the capital or two towns in the east of the country.

The civilian casualties had been in the villages of Gadar, Route-Route and Djibel, the statement added.

A more recent report from the New York Times implied that airstrikes continued yesterday.

The BBC adds some political context. Already in May, they called a UFR uprising “a last-ditch attempt to prove its relevance before the arrival of June rains makes any movement in the east impossible.” The current clashes are little different, the BBC says:

The BBC’s Celeste Hicks in N’Djamena says the rebels are much weaker now than they were last year.

She says the skirmishes with government troops are likely to be an attempt by the rebels to show the country that they are still a significant force.

Even if the BBC is correct that the rebels’ goals are less military than political, the fighting highlights the turmoil in the region, especially with tensions next door in Sudan and in the Central African Republic, which a top UN official says has reached a “very critical point.” The UN views peaceful elections and successful disarmament of rebels in CAR as keys not just to that country’s stability but to the stability of Central Africa as a whole (more on the UN’s views here). As a reminder of how interconnected the fates of central African countries are, just this week the UN mission in Chad and CAR, MINURCAT, had to intervene to protect Sudanese refugees in CAR. And in November, the Ugandan rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army killed “dozens” in CAR. One country’s problems quickly become another’s.

The governments of Chad and CAR do not, it seems, face imminent threats to their survival. But flare-ups of rebel activity, as occurred in CAR earlier this month, indicate that the process of political reconciliation is not over, and moreover imply that large areas of both countries remain outside of government control – a situation that could well persist for some time. Elections in CAR potentially complicate matters for President Francois Bozize in a way that is not the case for President Idrissa Deby of Chad, but Bozize took 64% of the vote in 2005, meaning that perhaps he will not flinch when facing the voters. Still, spring 2010 could prove pretty hectic with elections happening in quick succession in CAR, Sudan, and Ethiopia.

More on the rebellion in CAR here.

When the environment becomes less valuable or damaged, environmental degradation is said to occur.

There are many forms of environmental degradation.

  When habitats are destroyed, biodiversity is lost, or natural resources are depleted, the environment is hurt.

    A habitat is a more permanent ecosystem that has stabilized and reached dynamic equilibrium.  The types of living organisms in a habitat are likely to remain there in the future, and the habitat will probably maintain some degree of constancy.

   Groups of species living in a unique environment constitute a habitat.  Habitats are classified based on their physical and chemical properties, inhabitants, and other features.

The environment may be classified based on its topography, soil, temperature, rainfall, moisture, and many other physical characteristics. 

Throughout human history, soil has been repeatedly ruined and destroyed.  This is highly dangerous to a civilization, because soil is an essential resource that is useful in many ways.  Some societies have even collapsed due to mistreatment of their soil resources, so modern people must be cautious to avoid a similar fate.

Soil is composed of both inorganic materials and living organisms.  It provides the basis for life, giving nutrients to plants, which allow animal life to exist.

Soil is also used extensively in human production.  It contains natural fibers, and produces lumber and crops that people consume.

Crops are usually grown on mollisols, grassland soils.  Soils found in other places, such as tropical rain forests, usually lack the nutrients necessary to support the growing of crops.

When bedrock breaks down, it is converted into soil.  Some soil also comes from sediments that are left by the wind, a volcano, glaciers, or other sources.

Soil resources can be lost through erosion.  Wind and rain can uplift soil that is made easy to transport by various human processes and take it somewhere else.

Soil conservation is being practiced in various forms in many places around the world.  Conservation efforts aim to prevent erosion and maintain life-giving nutrients that are found in the soil.  In the future, soil will have to be preserved if food is to be continued to be grown.

Information About Forests by Country:

    This is a thorough database of information provided by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre

WORLD OUTLOOKs

 Numerous forest statistics are provided by the database.  There are also maps for every country that show the forest covering for the country.  The maps are colored based on what type of forest is present in an area.

REGIONAL ISSUES

    Among the issues discussed for each part of the world are biodiversity, marine environments, urban areas, industrial processes, and more.  Resources discussed here include forests, land and water.  The factors that influence the environment are economic, environmental, political, and social.  Each region is searching for solutions to its environmental problems, and is involved in regional and national projects aimed at protecting the environment through cooperation.

There are a total of 65 Articles in this section.  The articles cover those issues that are most important topics for each region.

    Many of the developing regions of the world are rapidly losing their forested areas.  In order to develop and industrialize, these areas have had to sell their natural resources, including forests.

    The wealthier countries destroyed much of their forest lands long ago.  Now, these countries are able to use wood from forests in poorer countries and in many cases these rich countries are no longer seeing their total forest area decrease.

    Additional information is available for each region of the world in the World Oulook section and at these sites : 

• Africa
• Australasia
• Caribbean
• Central America
• Continental South and Southeast Asia
• Europe
• Far East
• Insular Southeast Asia
• Middle East
• North America
• Russia
• South America

 

Chemical properties, such as level of acidity, types of nutrients and pollutants present, and oxidation reduction status, also help to identify individual habitats.

The living organisms found within a habitat also help to define it.  Occasionally, those habitats with treed areas (forests) are classified as one group, while areas that instead have grasses (prairies) are grouped separately.

Most major types of habitats have many unique subtypes.  In forests, for example, different types of soil often lead to entirely different habitats.

A habitat is a more permanent ecosystem that has stabilized and reached dynamic equilibrium.  The types of living organisms in a habitat are likely to remain there in the future, and the habitat will probably maintain some degree of constancy.

Groups of species living in a unique environment constitute a habitat.  Habitats are classified based on their physical and chemical properties, inhabitants, and other features.

The environment may be classified based on its topography, soil, temperature, rainfall, moisture, and many other physical characteristics. 

Chemical properties, such as level of acidity, types of nutrients and pollutants present, and oxidation reduction status, also help to identify individual habitats.

The living organisms found within a habitat also help to define it.  Occasionally, those habitats with treed areas (forests) are classified as one group, while areas that instead have grasses (prairies) are grouped separately.

Most major types of habitats have many unique subtypes.  In forests, for example, different types of soil often lead to entirely different habitats.

Environmental degradation can occur naturally, or through human processes.  The largest areas of concern at present are the loss of rain forests, air pollution and smog, ozone depletion, and the destruction of the marine environment.

Pollution is occurring all over the world and poisoning the planet’s oceans.  Even in remote areas, the effects of marine degradation are obvious.

In some areas, the natural environment has been exposed to hazardous waste.  In other places, major disasters such as oil spills have ruined the local environment.

CFCs, or chlorofluorocarbons, are the primary cause of ozone depletion.  When industrial processes release these chemicals, they rise into the stratosphere and degrade the ozone.

Acid rain, smog and poor air quality have been the result of air pollution.  Both industrial operations and automobiles have released gigantic amounts of emissions that have intensified these problems.

Deforestation and the logging industry have destroyed many tropical rain forests around the world.  This has destroyed many natural habitats, and the plants and animals native to the areas.

Environmentalists are working hard to combat environmental degradation.  There are countless organizations located all over the world that are dedicated to preventing the global destruction of the environment.

AFRICA

After Asia, Africa is the world’s second largest continent.  From the Sahara Desert to the Nile River, Africa contains many unique environmental features.

Africa – Biodiversity Issues
Africa is home to one of the most diverse group of ecosystems in the world.  Its plant and animals life is often found nowhere else, and the number of different living organisms is amazing.

Africa – Economic Aspects
Africa is the poorest region in the world.  The lack of development both creates problems and prevents them.

Africa – Environmental Aspects
Environmental destruction is not solely due to human activities; Africa’s natural qualities have also contributed to these unfortunate problems.

Africa – Major Forest Problems
Africa has many miles of tropical rain forests.  For many years though, deforestation has been claiming the trees.

Africa – Major Land Problems
Africa has massive land resources.  Unfortunately, much of the land is very low quality for human activities such as agriculture.

Africa – Major Water Problems
Africa’s water resources are scattered throughout the continent.  While some areas receive more than enough water, others experience constant drought.

Africa – Marine Environments
The African coast extends for thousands of miles, and Africa’s marine environments are home to many species.

Africa – National Projects
Almost every African country has recently begun to plan for the future by developing strategies that will shape the future economy and environment of the nation.

Africa – Political Aspects
In recent years, many African countries have become democratic and liberalized politically.

Africa – Regional Projects
Several major projects have developed recently to promote collaboration among African countries seeking to protect their environments.

Africa – Social Aspects
Africa’s population is booming.  Problems from overpopulation, an increasingly dense population, war, famine, and other issues are all hurting the environment.

EASTERN ASIA

 
Eastern Asia and the Pacific areas are some of the most highly populated parts of the world and a variety of environmental problems are especially threatening there.

Eastern Asia – Biodiversity Issues
Eastern Asia is home to some of the world’s most amazing biodiversity.  It includes a wide array of plant and animal life, and contains many features unique to the region.

Eastern Asia – Economic Aspects
In the early years of the 1990s, Asian development boomed, with major consequences for the environment.

Eastern Asia – Environmental Aspects
Eastern Asia receives much more than its share of natural disasters.  In fact, 50% of the world’s major emergencies have come in this area of the world.

Eastern Asia – Major Forest Problems
Eastern Asia contains 17% of the forest area in the world, a total of 655 million hectares.  Unfortunately, deforestation is becoming a very large threat to the forests in the region.

Eastern Asia – Major Land Problems
The land resources of Eastern Asia vary immensely between parts of the region.  For the most part, the land is relatively poor in quality and quantity.

Eastern Asia – Major Water Problems
There are regions of Eastern Asia that are very arid, and others that are very tropical.  Overall, water supplies in the area are abundant.

Eastern Asia – Marine Environments
Marine environments in Eastern Asia are coming under pressure as populations nearby grow and industry develops in the area.

Eastern Asia – National Projects
Many Eastern Asian nations have begun in recent years to improve their environmental regulation policies.

Eastern Asia – Political Aspects
Most governments in Eastern Asia have created a government ministry, agency, or a department, to deal with environmental issues.

Eastern Asia – Regional Projects

 Since the Earth Summit in 1992 many regional projects have started up and have been successfully implemented.

Eastern Asia – Social Aspects

One of the biggest problems Eastern Asia is currently facing is the exploding population in the region, which is devastating the environment.

EUROPE

 
Europe is home to 15% of the world’s population.  The area includes Eastern and Western Europe, as well as European Russia.

Europe – Biodiversity Issues
Over 215,000 different species live in Europe, far fewer than in many areas of the world.

Europe – Economic Aspects
The economics of Eastern and Western Europe remain quite different.  Both areas pollute, and the levels of their emissions are both high.

Europe – Major Forest Problems
Europe contains a total of 900 million hectares of forestlands, but has lost over 10% of its forestlands since the beginning of the 1960s.

Europe – Major Land Problems
The process of land degradation is reaching high levels and becoming very dangerous in Europe.

Europe – Major Water Problems
The distribution of water resources in Europe is far from equal, and is beginning to be the source of some significant problems.

Europe – Marine Environments
European marine environments and coastal areas are threatened by a variety of environmental problems.

Europe – National Projects
There are countless environmental projects going on now in Europe, and many people are becoming active about environmental issues.

Europe – Regional Projects
The Environmental Action Program and other acts of international collaboration are aimed at working together to solve Europe’s environmental problems.

Europe – Social Aspects
Unlike in many developing regions of the world, Europe is not experiencing major population growth.  Despite this, Europe is very densely populated and this puts pressure on the environment.

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

 
This region includes the island nations of the Caribbean Sea, Central America, and South America.

Latin America and the Caribbean – Biodiversity Issues
Latin America and the Caribbean have an extremely impressive level of ecological biodiversity.  Many species and many different ecosystems can be found in the area.

Latin America and the Caribbean – Economic Aspects
Industry is taking off, and high rates of economic growth are still being experienced in many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Latin America and the Caribbean – Major Forest Problems
Latin America and the Caribbean have some of the largest forest areas in the world.  While many of these forests remain in an amazingly natural state, many others have been destroyed on a greater scale than anywhere else in the world.

Latin America and the Caribbean – Major Land Problems
Latin America and the Caribbean contain 12% of the cropland currently being used in the world and 17% of the world’s pastures.

Latin America and the Caribbean – Major Water Problems
Latin America and the Caribbean have 13% of all the world’s water supplies.  But, like in many other parts of the world, water resources are distributed on a highly inequitable basis.

Latin America and the Caribbean – Marine Environments
Almost everyone in the Caribbean lives near the coast, a total of about 60 million people.  This has had a highly negative impact on coastal and marine environments.

Latin America and the Caribbean – National Projects
Many nations in Latin America and the Caribbean are developing a variety of environmental initiatives.

Latin America and the Caribbean – Political Aspects
Many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have developed official government agencies or ministries to deal with environmental problems.

Latin America and the Caribbean – Regional Projects
Nations in Latin America and the Caribbean have established a variety of agreements in recent years, many related to social and economic issues.  Very often though, these treaties contain environmental agreements as well.

Latin America and the Caribbean – Social Aspects
The population of Latin America and the Caribbean has exploded over the last decades.  This and urbanization are exerting great pressure on the environment.

Latin America and the Caribbean – Urban Centers and Industry
Latin America is urbanizing at a faster rate than just about anywhere else in the world.  Now, about 78% of the population lives in urban areas.

NORTH AMERICA

 
North America includes the United States and Canada, two of the world’s most modern and wealthiest countries.

North America – Biodiversity Issues
Canada and the United States are home to a tremendous number of diverse species.  However, many species have been lost to extinction over the years.

North America – Causes
North America is perhaps the most developed area in the entire world.  The United States and Canada both produce and consume vast quantities of goods, which has led to a variety of environmental problems.

North America – Major Forest Problems
One-half of Canada and one-third of the United States are covered in forests.  The region has long had tremendous forest resources, which have served it well in a variety of ways.

North America – Major Land Problems
A variety of land problems have come about in North America from poor land usage and other forms of land degradation.

North America – Major Water Problems
Overall, North America is well endowed in its water supplies.  But, though a general abundance of water exists in the region, some areas commonly experience water shortages.

North America – Marine Environments
By the year 2000, about one in four Canadians and three in four Americans will live near a coastal area.  This will have a profound impact on the quality of North America’s marine environments.

North America – National Projects
In addition to a large amount of cooperation with each other, the United States and Canada have also developed extensive policy programs domestically.

North America – Regional Projects
Because the US and Canada are very interested in environmental issues, a large amount of collaboration on saving the environment is to be expected.

WESTERN ASIA

 
The area of West Asia, or the Middle East, includes many countries in the Arab world.  Included among these are Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, the West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen.

Western Asia – Biodiversity Issues
Many of the native species in Western Asia could be killed off by modern development.  This could mean a major loss of biodiversity for the region.

Western Asia – Economic Aspects
Industrialization and mechanization are proceeding quickly and transforming not just the region’s economy, but its environment as well.

Western Asia – Major Land Problems
Much of Western Asia’s land is becoming degraded.  A variety of factors, some human and some natural, are responsible for this problem.

Western Asia – Major Water Problems
Because so much of West Asia is desert, water is frequently very scare.  However, some regions of the area do have abundant and dependable supplies of water.

Western Asia – Marine Environments
Many people in West Asia live along the coast, often because major industries are located in that area.  Fishing, oil production, and tourism all damage coastal ecosystems.

Western Asia – National Projects
Over the last 20 years, many Western Asian countries have begun to make progress and establish environmental laws and enforcement agencies.

Western Asia – Regional Projects
A variety of regional and sub-regional environmental groups and agreements have been made in West Asia.

Western Asia – Social Aspects
The population of West Asia is growing at an amazing rate.  This has led to environmental problems such as desertification.

Western Asia – Urban and Industrial Problems
Cities in Western Asia have been growing at an amazing rate.  They are quickly becoming some of the largest in the world, and some of the most environmentally harmful.

It was a Friday night in Brooklyn, in my apartment that’s a mix of memories from New York and East Africa.  Ugandan crafts, earrings, and scarves liven up my otherwise typical New York journo-bedroom: books, magazines, newspapers, too many cans of diet soda, a dirty gray, much-loved laptop, with the letters wearing off.  I was waiting for a friend to visit, decompressing after a week of excitement writing for Women’s eNews, the New York Post, and working on stuff for my diaspora news company, Africa Connections.  Out of habit, I quickly scanned the latest headlines on the Kampala-based Independent’s website, and scanned a story about Northern Uganda.  Then, what—–!

To my horror, I read an admission that a Ugandan general leaked in an interview with the Observer, a Kampala-based Ugandan weekly newspaper.  Without thinking, he blurted out that the IDP camps were part of deliberate military strategy, something the Ugandan government has been denying for decades.  (The war in Northern Uganda was actually the longest-running conflict on the African continent.)

What are IDP camps? Well, for those who haven’t had the experience of visiting NGO-City (in northern Uganda, the joke is that there is an NGO for every person living there), almost 2 million people lived in “internally displaced person camps” for decades, or camps for people who are refugees within their own country.

Some people still live in them, but most of the camps have closed down (forcing people, many of them disabled, to return to their former villages without transport or assistance, and causing deadly land disputes as people ofind their former homes occupied by new people), but in their heyday, 1.7 million people lived in these camps, where an estimated 1,500 people died weekly, a significant number children under five.  On average, three northern Ugandans would commit suicide daily in these camps, which were maintained largely by, well, NGO-City.  Women faced much more sexual and domestic violence in these camps than they would have ever endured in their villages.

Although people have known this for awhile (but don’t speak up, afraid of Uganda’s sedition laws or worse), the people who lived in the camps weren’t necessarily fleeing the LRA insurgency– many were actually fleeing the Ugandan army, the same military that receives a lot of aid and training from the U.S. government (the largest Africom exercise this year was in Northern Uganda).

To starve the rebels’ of youth (conscripted child soldiers), information, and stolen food, the military thought the best strategy would be to evacuate the ENTIRE region and put them into virtual-death camps.  I do not use that phrase lightly.  Before I read this article in the Independent, I never called the IDP camps that way, because I didn’t realize they were a direct part of the government’s military strategy.

Why did the government do this? Well, this way, the army could bomb and attack the LRA at will throughout Northern Uganda, at a time when the insurgency was being supported by the Khartoum-based Sudanese government (in response to Uganda backing Sudanese rebel groups).  Can you imagine destroying an entire region’s economy, homes, traditions, and social networks by forcing everyone to evacuate their residences, farms, etc. and live in IDP camps? The LRA was never stopped– they just moved their atrocities into the DR Congo and the Central African Republic.  Meanwhile, Uganda now has one of the highest rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and mental illness in the world.

(I went to a conference in Lira, northern Uganda, over the summer, and one of the country’s psychologists–there are only twelve total in a country of 30 million- tried to defend Uganda’s mental health this way: ‘Well, Uganda is not that bad off.  Some countries are worse, like Sierra Leone.’  Yes, Sierra Leone was his reference point for defending the country’s mental health.  But the rate of mental illness in northern Uganda is off the charts, as well as in the urban refugee communities in Kampala, where Congolese refugees battle PTSD.  I visited the World Bank-funded mental hospital in Kampala to interview a Congolese teen girl whose family’s support from UNHCR had been stopped due to budget cuts.  She told me that she saw men with pangas, or machetes, everywhere– in her bedroom, in the marketplace, etc.  Her father and brothers had been killed in Bunia, DR Congo.  Her mother, who she lives with in Kampala, contracted HIV when she was raped by Congolese rebels.  When the girl Sarah first heard about her mother’s diagnosis, she went mute for months.)

I still cannot believe that this general finally admitted that the camps were not a by-product of LRA terror in Northern Uganda, but a deliberate strategy of the Ugandan government– which has always devalued the people of north and northeastern Uganda.  The Human Rights Watch even reported in the 1990s that the LRA were not the ones bombing northern Ugandan villages with mortars, but it was the Ugandan government bombing its own nationals.  Why? Aronda’s words now ring clear– the government, which has a long history of systemic violence against the region, bombed its own villages to encourage people to move to these IDP camps.  And anyone who left these camps to, say, cultivate their crops or visit their former homes, was treated as either a rebel or rebel collaborator.  Any independent political organizations that rose to challenge the treatment of northern Ugandans was also destroyed as a potential rebel-collaborating group.  All of this from a country and government that has been lauded for decades in the international community for its macroeconomic stability, its progressive policies towards women, successes in fighting HIV, and universal primary education programs.

My colleague Patrick Ogwang, who works for a Northern Ugandan newspaper called Rupiny. His aunt still works daily in the farm in Patrick's village, about 30 minutes from Lira town. I'm the woman in black on the right. Igor Kossov, an American journalist and former Sunday Vision writer, took this photo during our trip at a mental health conference. Northern Uganda has some of the highest rates of mental illness in the world.

In the camps, there was no economy, no farms for an agricultural people, no hygiene.  Reporting for the Washington Post in 2007, I interviewed northern Ugandans who had left the camps and were trying to rebuild their lives in Lira, a small agricultural town.  One young teen boy, at an NGO school for students with disabilities (disabilities are very common up north), showed me his leg, deformed by a bullet.  The government thought the LRA might have infiltrated the camp, and began shooting people, he said.  I remember I asked him who had shot him, and he whispered to me softly: “The UPDF.”  Moving along the classroom with crutches, he took lessons with another boy who accidentally broke his leg in the camp.  There was no medical infrastructure or way to go to a hospital.  He wasn’t treated, and his leg was left to fix itself on his own.

I interviewed Andrew about his experiences living in the camps, and his new life in Lira. The students were disabled because of both UPDF-inflicted injuries and the lack of health infrastructure in camps.

Northern Uganda is a much different place these days, as the camps have closed, and people have gone to traditional healers to try and treat madness, or mental illness.  Countless banks are in Lira and Gulu (another northern Ugandan town), and many new shops have sprung up.  Many of the NGOs, which kept the camps going, have left.  Life is going on.  Despite 2008’s floods, and a horrific drought this year, northern Ugandan farmers are trying hard to feed their families, make a living, and rebuild their communities.  Women are taking on traditional male tasks in rebuilding their homes, redefining gender roles.

But now that the Ugandan government has finally admitted to the military policy that guided it for decades, even during the ‘good’ years of the regime, I can’t help but wonder– what do we do with this information?

Before the government forced Northern Ugandans to live in camps, they had their own villages and towns, schools, a vibrant culture, and contributed to the country's economy as farmers and merchants. The camps took almost 2 million people and left them in a quagmire of NGO dependency, state and rebel violence.

This blog is a product of Africa Connections, which helps African immigrants connect with news from home.

Rent: $5,750
Security: 1 months
Details
Size: Three Bedroom
Ownership: Rental Property
R/B/B: 5/3/2
Availability: Immediate
Term: 12 – 24 Months
Neighborhood: Flatiron District
Apartment Features
Kitchen: Dishwasher; Window: Oversized Windows; High Ceiling; Abundant Closets;
Building Description
Cross Streets: Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue.
Concierge; Elevator; Post-war; Built 2008; Loft; 20 Floors; 100 Apartments.
Building Amenities
Bicycle Room; Fitness Room; Rooftop Deck; Common Storage Room;
Building Policies
Pets Allowed.

R.S.V.P. for a tour:
Jamie Knuckles
NestSeekers International
Direct: 646-443-3760
Cell: 347-323-8671
Email: sanguinejamie@gmail.com
Amenities
Brand New Building Same developers as 75 Wall Street. Condo Finishes at Rental Prices. Penthouse Great layout Small rooms but great outdoor space. Nice Amenities, but location is the selling point.

* Doorman
* Concierge
* Health Club
* Elevator

You’ll be in the heart of a dynamic neighborhood that pulses with the energy of galleries and artists, restaurants and clubs, boutiques and markets. Here, where West Chelsea meets The Meatpacking District, the urban fabric ranges from unpaved cobblestone streets.

Rent:
* $3,895 Studio available
* $7,095 2-Bedroom available

Building Amenities and Services

* Doorman
* Concierge
* Gym/fitness center (with fitness concierge)
* Children’s playroom/space
* Parking garage (24-hour attended, indoor)
* Elevators (9)
* Spa
* Lounge
* Terrace
* Library
* Business center
* Pet spa
* Bicycle storage
* Garden

Apartment Features and Amenities

* Bamboo flooring
* Floor-to-ceiling windows
* Dishwasher
* Washer and dryer
* Sub-zero refrigerator
* Walk-in closets (some units)
* Terrace (some units)

Rules and Restrictions * Pets allowed

You’ll be in the heart of a dynamic neighborhood that pulses with the energy of galleries and artists, restaurants and clubs, boutiques and markets. Here, where West Chelsea meets The Meatpacking District, the urban fabric ranges from unpaved cobblestone streets.

Situated at the nexus of West Chelsea, Gansevoort and the Meatpacking District, this luxurious residential building represents a new exciting style of living in a historic downtown location. The Building renters the unique opportunity to experience unprecedented services and amenities including the first fully integrated Equinox Fitness Club within a residential tower.
Amenities: Dining Room, Washer/Dryer, Central A/C

R.S.V.P. To Preview:
Jamie Knuckles
Nest Seekers
Direct: 646-443-3760
Cell: 347-323-8671
Email: sanguinejamie@gmail.com

Amenities

* Dining Room
* Washer/Dryer
* Central A/C

Renting
❚ Free of maintenance obligations.
❚ Not committed to staying in a
house or neighborhood.
❚ Can move quickly.
❚ Free of costs, such as homeowner’s
insurance and property taxes.
Buying
❚ Build equity.
❚ Tax advantages*.
❚ Stable monthly payments.
❚ Strong sense of community.
❚ Place for family and relatives to live.

The options are countless and time is of the essence in this high-demand market. Let a professional lead you through the process and help you make it an enjoyable experience.

Offering: One to Five Bedrooms, Condominiums, Lofts, Penthouses and Townhouses,

NEIGHBORHOODS: Soho, Tribeca, Greenwich Village, Upper East Side, and Upper West Side, Park Avenue, and Harlem. Also, the Hamptons offer quality living as great as anywhere else in the New York.
Have a wonderful day –looking forward to speaking with you soon.

R.S.V.P. for a tour:
Jamie Knuckles
Sales Director
Nestseekers International
Cell: 347-323-8671
Email: sanguinejamie@gmail.com

http://www.nestseekers.com/Company/Agent/718

APARTMENT INFORMATION:
APARTMENT Conv-4 BEDROOM
Apt. #43G
RENT: $7328.75
BATHROOMS: 2

APARTMENT FEATURES:
All apartments have 9-foot high ceilings.
Most apartments with spectacular East River and/or cityscape views.
Marble bathrooms with marble topped vanities.
Individually controlled heat and air conditioning.
Every apartment features bay or corner windows.
Energy efficient, tinted dual-glazed windows.
White mini-blinds on all windows.
Private intercom system to doorman.
Individual electronic alarm system at each apartment entrance.
Many apartments include full-size washers and dryers.
Selection of cable television hook-ups available.
Full 8-foot high doors.
3/4 inch solid oak parquet floors.
Contemporary kitchens with side-by-side icemaker refrigerators, self-cleaning ovens, built-in microwaves, instant hot water dispensers and ceramic tile floors.
Many apartments feature windowed kitchens.
BUILDING FEATURES:
Landscaped building entrance, framed with limestone piers.
Elegant lobby with domed ceiling.
Attentive, uniformed doorman at your service 24-hours a day.
Beautifully decorated corridors with designer alabaster lighting fixtures and wall sconces, crown moldings and decorative wood-framed apartment entrance doors.
High-speed passenger elevators with separate service elevator.
Separate monitored service entrance, with attendant.
Attended indoor garage.
Package room with delivery escort.
Fully equipped, air conditioned laundry facility with closed circuit TV security.
Cheerfully designed children’s playroom.
Magnificent swim and fitness center with landscaped and furnished sun terrace.
55-foot lap swimming pool.
Fully equipped exercise and aerobics room.
Recreational lounge (with full kitchen facilities – ideal for private parties – by reservation.)
Men’s and women’s locker rooms, with separate saunas and showers.
Fully furnished conference room (by reservation).
PREVIEWS ARE AVAILABLE AT YOUR REQUEST!
TO SCHEDULE A VISIT CONTACT:
JAMIE KNUCKLES AT: 347-323-8671
Email: sanguinejamie@gmail.com
Amenities
Full Service Luxury Building.

* Doorman
* Health Club
* Pool
* Roof deck
* Elevator

* Washer/Dryer
* Central A/C

Sutton Place! Portfolio Sensational, Remarkable Unsurpassed
3 Bedroom / 2.5 Bath
$7,500 Immediate
Large Space – Room To Entertain – Kitchen with Granite Countertops
New White Oak Strip Flooring – Marble Bath

2 Bedroom / 2 Bath
$4,800 Immediate
Kitchen with Granite Countertops – Marble Baths
New White Oak Strip Flooring – Marble Baths

4 Bedroom / 3.5 Bath
$8,900 Immediate
Large Space – Room To Entertain – Separate Dining – Eat-in Kitchen

Kitchen with Granite Countertops – Marble Baths

The building has a free health club, garage, valet service, concierge, doorman, bicycle room, storage space, a wine cellar, and it permits pets.

• FT Doorman
• Full Service Garage
• Health Club
• Elevator
• Located in Beekman/Sutton Place

R.S.V.P. for a preview:
Jamie knuckles
Nestseekers
Direct: 646-443-3760
Cell: 347-323-8671
Email: sanguinejamie@gmail.com
Amenities

* Central A/C

Turtle Bay Luxury*
Rent: $5,900
Lease Type: Condo Sublet
Details
Size: One Bedroom
Ownership: Condominium
R/B/B: 3/1/1.5
Availability: Immediate
SF/SM: 880/82
Term: 12 – 24 Months
Apartment Features
AC: Central; Kitchen: Windowed; Dishwasher; Bathroom: En Suite; Window: New Windows; Washer/ Dryer; High Ceiling; Powder Room; Recessed Lighting;

Exposure / View: North; West/ Open

Building Description
Cross Streets: Second Avenue and First Avenue.
Full Service; Elevator; Post-war; Built 2001; Mid-rise; 20 Floors; 64 Apartments.

Building Amenities
Bicycle Room; Garage; Fitness Room; Laundry Room; Maid Service; Valet;

Building Policies
Pied-A-Terres Allowed. W/D Allowed. Pets Allowed. Sublets Allowed.

R.S.V.P. for a preview:
Jamie Knuckles
Sales Director
NestSeekers International
Direct: 646-443-3760
Cell: 347-323-8671
Email: sanguinejamie@gmail.com
Amenities
Bicycle Room; Health Club; Valet.

* Doorman
* Concierge
* Health Club

Clinton Hill Brooklyn Development Site!
APPROVED! In Clinton Hill
You Can Build In Clinton Hill!
$1,490,000
Development site for sale with pre-approved plans for 34 Condo units. In the heart of Clinton Hill neighborhood. The building will have 6 studios, 18 one bedrooms, and 10 two bedrooms units. Condos and co-ops average about $500 per square foot. Rentals average $1,600 to $2,000 for a one-bedroom and upward of $1,800 for a two-bedroom. The C and G subways serve the area. Both stop on Washington Avenue; the G also stops at Classon Avenue. The Clinton Hill area is one of the highest points in Brooklyn.

You are getting a tremendous deal on this development site!

Building Description:
Exclusive project for Condominiums in Clinton Hill (Brooklyn)
Investment Proposal

*Overview For Asset Investors*

82 Irving Place (Clinton Hill)
Brooklyn, New York 11238
Type: Vacant development site with pre-approved plans for residential condominiums.
•Location:Located in Clinton Hill, a few minutes from downtown Brooklyn.
•General description: Condominiums of 8 stories including Cellar; with 7 parking spaces and 34 storage bins for residents on the ground level.
•
Vacant site area:
28,103.22 SF + 6,531.04 SF Cellar = 34,634.25 total SF.

The vacant site has a proposed residential project which has been approved by the DOB; such project is of 34,634.25 SF and would maximize the building’s FAR (Floor area ratio).
•
Project: Thirty-four Condominiums (Three to Five per floor), with three Penthouses, a luxury building with balconies and some units with terraces.
Individual storage spaces for tenants and Parking.
•
Currently vacant land.
82 Irving Place is a Condominium of 34,634.25 SF of vacant development site, with 8 stories including the Cellar and Roof.
•
Presently, the development site is located between an apartment complex and mix-use buildings on Irving Place in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn, an area that has experienced a renaissance of growth.

The building has the DOB (Department of Buildings) approval for the construction of 34,634.25 square feet for residential use, thus maxing out the FAR. (Floor Area Ratio).
Total SF approved by DOB: 34,634.25 SF

Nest Seekers International, has exclusive marketing rights for proposed project which has been approved for residential Condominiums by the DOB ( Department of Buildings).

Project description:

Thirty-Four Condominiums, Including Three Penthouse units on the eighth floor.

Three to Five apartments per floor.

Availability of balconies and terraces in some units.

Common area with Lobby, a rear garden in the back of building.

Parking areas and individual storage.

Natural light, high-quality materials and excellent location.
Note: Set-up available upon request.

Investors R.S.V.P. for a tour of the site:
Jamie Knuckles
Nest Seekers International
Direct: 646-443-3760
Cell: 347-323-8671
Email: sanguinejamie@gmail.com

P.S. Profitable, let real estate work for you.
Dollars make sense when invested in this project.
Investors take note! Hit a home run!
Amenities

* Terrace
* Balcony

Financials
Furnished: $7,500
Security: 2 months
Details
Size: One Bedroom
Ownership: Condominium
R/B/B: 3/1/1
Availability: Immediate
Term: 1 – 12 Months
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Apartment Features
Kitchen: Dishwasher; Bathroom: Marble; High Ceiling;

Building Description
Cross Streets: Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.
Full Service; Elevator; Post-war; Built 1999; Mid-rise; 10 Floors; 50 Apartments.

Building Amenities
Garage; Hotel Style Service; Business Center;

Building Policies
Pied-A-Terres Allowed. W/D Allowed. Pets Allowed.
Building Notes:

* The Phillips Club offers ownership membership as well as extended stay accommodations. These apartments can not be used as a permanent residence. This building is akin to owning a time share in lieu of staying at a hotel when in NYC.
* The Phillips Club is a member-owned luxury residence combining the advantages of home ownership with the conveniences of the city’s finest hotels, The Club offers unequaled amenities, service and privileges without recurring hotel expenses.
* The Phillips Club offers 24-hour concierge, daily maid service (nightly fee during use), and privileges at the Reebok Sports Club/NY.
* The Reebok Sports Club/NY offers rooftop in-line skating and running. Music-filled, junior Olympic size swimming pool for lap swimming. 40 -foot climbing wall. Two full-court, regulation-size basketball gymnasiums. State-of-the-art 13,000 SF coed weight-training gym. Cardiovascular deck with 5,000 SF of computerized training equipment. Challenges. Muscles and mind, recharged. Complete spa facilities including steam rooms, saunas and Jacuzzis. Large, luxurious locker rooms with towel service. Paul Lebrecque salon and spa. Exhaustive. Fitness evaluation center. Personalized instruction. Nutritional counseling. Child care center “For Kids Only.” Landscaped sundeck.
* Business amenities include: Multi-line telecommunications system with voicemail. Dataport for computer hookup. Fax machine in each residence. 24-hour business center. Conference room. Conference facilities at Reebok Sports Club/NY.

R.S.V.P. for a tour:
Jamie Knuckles
Cell: 347-323-8671
Email: sanguinejamie@gmail
Amenities
* The Phillips Club offers ownership membership as well as extended stay accommodations. These apartments can not be used as a permanent residence. This building is akin to owning a time share in lieu of staying at a hotel when in NYC.
* The Phillips Club is a member-owned luxury residence combining the advantages of home ownership with the conveniences of the city’s finest hotels, The Club offers unequaled amenities, service and privileges without recurring hotel expenses.
* The Phillips Club offers 24-hour concierge, daily maid service (nightly fee during use), and privileges at the Reebok Sports Club/NY.
* The Reebok Sports Club/NY offers rooftop in-line skating and running. Music-filled, junior Olympic size swimming pool for lap swimming. 40 -foot climbing wall. Two full-court, regulation-size basketball gymnasiums. State-of-the-art 13,000 SF coed weight-training gym. Cardiovascular deck with 5,000 SF of computerized training equipment. Challenges. Muscles and mind, recharged. Complete spa facilities including steam rooms, saunas and Jacuzzis. Large, luxurious locker rooms with towel service. Paul Lebrecque salon and spa. Exhaustive. Fitness evaluation center. Personalized instruction. Nutritional counseling. Child care center “For Kids Only.” Landscaped sundeck.
* Business amenities include: Multi-line telecommunications system with voicemail. Dataport for computer hookup. Fax machine in each residence. 24-hour business center. Conference room. Conference facilities at Reebok Sports Club/NY.

* Doorman
* Concierge
* Health Club
* Pool
* Elevator
* Garage

Union Square! Obsession For Union Square!
Financials
Rent: $8,995
Details
Size: Two Bedroom
Ownership: Rental Property
R/B/B: 4/2/2
Availability: 9/7/2009
Apartment Features
Dining Area; AC: Central; Heat: Central; Kitchen: Open; Dishwasher; Window: New Windows; Oversized Windows; Penthouse; Powder Room; Abundant Closets; Floor To Ceiling Windows; Alarm Security System;
Exposure / View: North; East/ Park
Building Description:
Cross Streets: Fourth Avenue and Broadway.
Full Service; Elevator; Post-war; Built 1998; High-rise; 27 Floors; 240 Apartments.
Building Amenities:
Health Club; Laundry Room; Rooftop Deck; Digital TV; High Speed Internet Access;
Building Policies:
Pets Allowed One dog per apartment. Weight Limit 20 lbs.

R.S.V.P. for a preview:
Jamie Knuckles
NestSeekers International
Direct: 646-443-3760
Cell: 347-323-8671
Amenities

* Dining Room
* Central A/C

Upper West Side Super Gem!
Price: $2,300,000
Common Charges: $1,915
Real Estate Taxes: $82
Financing: 90%
Details
Size: Two Bedroom
Ownership: Condominium
R/B/B: 4/2/2
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
SF/SM: 1617/150
Apartment Features
Dining Area; AC: Central; Kitchen: Eat In; Windowed; Dishwasher; Bathroom: New/ Marble; Window: New Windows; Oversized Windows; Washer/ Dryer; Terrace; High Ceiling; Library/Den; WIC;
Exposure / View: North; East; West/ City; River

Building Description
Cross Streets: West 99th Street and West 100th Street.
Full Service; Elevator; Post-war; Built 2006; High-rise; 37 Floors; 64 Apartments.

Building Amenities
Garden; Fitness Room; Pool; Nursery; Cinema Room;

Building Policies
Pied-A-Terres Allowed. Sublets Allowed.
Broker Summary Immediate Occupancy Ariel – Traditional living like never before! These two stunning developments were designed by renowned architects Cook + Fox and Cetra/Ruddy, and offer traditional layouts with all the modern amenities of glass-curtain-wall construction. Services and amenities abound, including 24/7 doorman, concierge services, fitness by LaPalestra with 51 indoor swimming pool and outdoor basketball court, theater, billiards parlor, residents lounge with banquet space, elaborate childrens playroom, and a pet grooming salon! Steps to the best of the Upper West Side, including Central and Riverside Parks, all the cultural gems, schools, shopping, dining, and transportation.

R.S.V.P. for a tour:
Jamie Knuckles
Sales Director
NestSeekers International
Direct: 646-443-3760
Cell: 347-323-8671
Amenities
Immediate Occupancy Ariel – Traditional living like never before! These two stunning developments were designed by renowned architects Cook + Fox and Cetra/Ruddy, and offer traditional family layouts with all the modern amenities of glass-curtain-wall construction. Services and amenities abound, including 24/7 doorman, concierge services, fitness by LaPalestra with 51 indoor swimming pool and outdoor basketball court, private theater, billiards parlor, residents lounge with banquet space, elaborate childrens playroom, and a pet grooming salon! Steps to the best of the Upper West Side, including Central and Riverside Parks, all the cultural gems, schools, shopping, dining, and transportation.

* Doorman
* Concierge
* Health Club
* Pool
* Roof deck
* Elevator

* Terrace
* Washer/Dryer
* Central A/C

sanguinejamie@gmail.com

Greenwich Street Residences Luxury
Corner unit 2 BEDROOM is over 1100 sq. ft. and features an SUNNY north / east exposure, high 11 ft. ceilings, and a huge living room with ample space for a full dining area. This unit is one of our DESIGNER READY
Price: $981,000
CC: $1149
Real estate tax: $397
Kitchen has Sub-zero Fridge, Viking Range and Microwave, Fisher/Paykal 2-Drawer Dishwashers, instant hot water tap, In-wall ipod docking station, and much, much more! Marble bath with deep soaking tub has both a Rain shower, and a handheld. Unit has 5 Large closets, one of which is a Large walk-in hall closet measuring about 5ftX6ft & built out with Elfa System. Great location, near all train lines, parks, shopping, theaters, dining. Full five star Hotel-like service with concierge and 24-hour doorman… and Very Reasonable Common Charges! Free continental breakfast is served to residents Monday through Friday. Full gym access included for all residents with free trainers and abs/Pilates/yoga classes. Building has a fantastic game room with billiards, darts and large flat screen TV. There is also an Amazing common roof deck space with towel and drink service on weekends, and an indoor “Harbor Room – Sky Lounge” which is also available for private parties. Free Wi-Fi in all common areas! This is a spectacular building to live in!

Located on Greenwich Street, this building is on the cutting edge of designer development. This art deco tower rises 37 stories with sweeping views of the city skyline, Hudson River and beyond. All of the residences feature oversized windows and soaring ceilings. Enter through the buildings art deco façade into a grand marble lobby featuring a hand carved reception desk and grotto water fountain.

5-Star amenities include a café, library with grand piano and fireplace, billiards room w/ flat screen TV, Harbour Room featuring lounge seating, poker table, dining room w/ kitchen and spectacular views and SKY DECK, with lounges and day beds all in traditional South Beach style.

This unit is being offered at attractive prices. Together with our completed common spaces and 5-Star amenity program, Greenwich Club Residences is a spectacular product and we look forward to working with you and getting your transactions closed.
R.S.V.P.
Jamie Knuckles
NestSeekers International
Direct: 646-443-3760
Cell: 347-323-8671

http://www.nestseekers.com/24139/Financial_District_Luxury_Greenwich_Street_Residences_Luxury_Corner_unit_2_BEDROOM

Amenities

* Dining Room
* Central A/C

Rent: Furnished: $6,300
Security: 2 months
Apartment Features
Kitchen: Dishwasher; Bathroom: Marble; High Ceiling;
Details
Size: Studio
Ownership: Condominium
R/B/B:2/0/1
Availability: Immediate
Term: 1 – 12 Months
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Building Description
Cross Streets: Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.
Full Service; Elevator; Post-war; Built 1999; Mid-rise; 10 Floors; 50 Apartments.

Building Amenities
Garage; Hotel Style Service; Business Center;

Building Policies
Pied-A-Terres Allowed. W/D Allowed. Pets Allowed.

Building Notes:

* The Phillips Club offers ownership membership as well as extended stay accommodations. These apartments can not be used as a permanent residence. This building is akin to owning a time share in lieu of staying at a hotel when in NYC.
* The Phillips Club is a member-owned luxury residence combining the advantages of home ownership with the conveniences of the city’s finest hotels, The Club offers unequaled amenities, service and privileges without recurring hotel expenses.
* The Phillips Club offers 24-hour concierge, daily maid service (nightly fee during use), and privileges at the Reebok Sports Club/NY.
* The Reebok Sports Club/NY offers rooftop in-line skating and running. Music-filled, junior Olympic size swimming pool for lap swimming. 40 -foot climbing wall. Two full-court, regulation-size basketball gymnasiums. State-of-the-art 13,000 SF coed weight-training gym. Cardiovascular deck with 5,000 SF of computerized training equipment. Challenges. Muscles and mind, recharged. Complete spa facilities including steam rooms, saunas and Jacuzzis. Large, luxurious locker rooms with towel service. Paul Lebrecque salon and spa. Exhaustive. Fitness evaluation center. Personalized instruction. Nutritional counseling. Child care center “For Kids Only.” Landscaped sundeck.
* Business amenities include: Multi-line telecommunications system with voicemail. Dataport for computer hookup. Fax machine in each residence. 24-hour business center. Conference room. Conference facilities at Reebok Sports Club/NY.

R.S.V.P. for a preview:
Jamie Knuckles
Nestseekers International
Cell:347-323-8671
Amenities
* The Phillips Club offers ownership membership as well as extended stay accommodations. These apartments can not be used as a permanent residence. This building is akin to owning a time share in lieu of staying at a hotel when in NYC.
* The Phillips Club is a member-owned luxury residence combining the advantages of home ownership with the conveniences of the city’s finest hotels, The Club offers unequaled amenities, service and privileges without recurring hotel expenses.
* The Phillips Club offers 24-hour concierge, daily maid service (nightly fee during use), and privileges at the Reebok Sports Club/NY.
* The Reebok Sports Club/NY offers rooftop in-line skating and running. Music-filled, junior Olympic size swimming pool for lap swimming. 40 -foot climbing wall. Two full-court, regulation-size basketball gymnasiums. State-of-the-art 13,000 SF coed weight-training gym. Cardiovascular deck with 5,000 SF of computerized training equipment. Challenges. Muscles and mind, recharged. Complete spa facilities including steam rooms, saunas and Jacuzzis. Large, luxurious locker rooms with towel service. Paul Lebrecque salon and spa. Exhaustive. Fitness evaluation center. Personalized instruction. Nutritional counseling. Child care center “For Kids Only.” Landscaped sundeck.
* Business amenities include: Multi-line telecommunications system with voicemail. Dataport for computer hookup. Fax machine in each residence. 24-hour business center. Conference room. Conference facilities at Reebok Sports Club/NY.

* Doorman
* Concierge
* Health Club
* Pool
* Elevator
* Garage

APARTMENT INFORMATION:
APARTMENT 5 BEDROOM Penthouse Duplex
Apt. #52G
RENT: $22458
BATHROOMS: 5.5

APARTMENT FEATURES:
All apartments have 9-foot high ceilings.
Most apartments with spectacular East River and/or cityscape views.
Marble bathrooms with marble topped vanities.
Individually controlled heat and air conditioning.
Every apartment features bay or corner windows.
Energy efficient, tinted dual-glazed windows.
White mini-blinds on all windows.
Private intercom system to doorman.
Individual electronic alarm system at each apartment entrance.
Many apartments include full-size washers and dryers.
Selection of cable television hook-ups available.
Full 8-foot high doors.
3/4 inch solid oak parquet floors.
Contemporary kitchens with side-by-side icemaker refrigerators, self-cleaning ovens, built-in microwaves, instant hot water dispensers and ceramic tile floors.
Many apartments feature windowed kitchens.
BUILDING FEATURES:
Landscaped building entrance, framed with limestone piers.
Elegant lobby with domed ceiling.
Attentive, uniformed doorman at your service 24-hours a day.
Beautifully decorated corridors with designer alabaster lighting fixtures and wall sconces, crown moldings and decorative wood-framed apartment entrance doors.
High-speed passenger elevators with separate service elevator.
Separate monitored service entrance, with attendant.
Attended indoor garage.
Package room with delivery escort.
Fully equipped, air conditioned laundry facility with closed circuit TV security.
Cheerfully designed children’s playroom.
Magnificent swim and fitness center with landscaped and furnished sun terrace.
55-foot lap swimming pool.
Fully equipped exercise and aerobics room.
Recreational lounge (with full kitchen facilities – ideal for private parties – by reservation.)
Men’s and women’s locker rooms, with separate saunas and showers.
Fully furnished conference room (by reservation).
PREVIEWS ARE AVAILABLE AT YOUR REQUEST!
TO SCHEDULE A VISIT R.S.V.P. for a VIP TOUR:
JAMIE KNUCKLES AT: 347-323-8671
Amenities
Full Service Luxury Building.

* Doorman
* Health Club
* Pool
* Roof deck
* Elevator

* Terrace
* Dining Room
* Fireplace
* Washer/Dryer
* Central A/C

Many of you might remember that I did a three month internship in Central African Republic in 2001.  This trip was the impetus for our current and future plans as missionaries.  You might also remember that while I was there, a coup occurred in Bangui.  Well, the guy who did it is being held for those crimes he committed.  Its taken this many years, but its finally happening.  Check it out HERE, if you’re interested.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 02, 2009

Bemba left DR Congo after losing in presidential elections in 2007

Al Jazeera English – A former vice president of the Democratic Republic of Congo is to remain in prison until his war crimes trial in April, the International Criminal Court has ruled.

Jean-Pierre Bemba had been freed before his trial, with the court saying he would otherwise spend too much time in custody after his arrest in May 2008.

But an appeals judge, who reversed the decision on Wednesday, said there was a risk Bemba would flee if released.

The 47-year-old former vice president faces five counts of murder, rape and pillage for allegedly commanding forces responsible for atrocities committed in the Central African Republic between October 2002 and March 2003.

He is said to have been helping the country’s president at the time – Ange-Felix Patasse – resist a coup bid.

Decision reversed

“The appeal chamber has decided that the decision of the first court should be reversed,” Judge Akua Kuenyehia said in announcing his decision on Wednesday.

“The potential length of sentence if he is convicted is a further incentive for him to abscond,” he added.

If convicted Bemba is likely to face a lengthy prison sentence, though the court’s statutes do not mention a maximum term.

Bemba, who was also a business tycoon, left DR Congo in 2007 after losing presidential elections held during a political transition in the wake of a 1998-2003 civil war.

He was arrested on an ICC warrant in May 2008, and is currently the most senior political figure in the custody of the court.

Bemba has not entered a plea ahead of his trial, which is scheduled to start April 27 next year.

So as promised, I read the piece by Burke et al. They claim to have found a correlation between temperature increases and the onset of civil conflict in most of Africa. The mechanism is that hot weather messes up crop yields and therefore increases the likelihood of conflict (especially for places where people depend on rain-fed agriculture). This conclusion is based on the findings of a tight correlation between economic underdevelopment and civil wars. Nice and dandy, if you believe that people fight because they are poor. Sure, the opportunity costs are much lower for the poor aggrieved when they choose the conflict route to settling disputes. But state capacity, in my view, has a much greater influence on whether people choose to fight or not.

Their policy prescriptions are even dodgier. They recommend that foreign aid be conditioned on projected adverse effects of climate change. Firstly, this “solution” is based on the premise that greater proportions of Africans will continue to depend on agriculture into the foreseeable future. This might be true, but shouldn’t we be trying to expand African economies and reducing dependence on agriculture (which necessarily forces us to deal with issues of governance)? Secondly, the idea that foreign aid should be conditioned on climate changes is just silly. Many a failed development initiative on the Continent can be blamed on the erratic nature of foreign aid. Adding more variance by pegging aid flows to climate changes will only make things worse.

For a more refined critique see Chris Blattman’s Blog.