Here are some of the more interesting short news pieces in the field from the last few days.  If our international readers would like to add details, it would be greatly appreciated!

Argentina

Crean centro de asistencia a víctimas del terrorismo de Estado | Crean victims assistance center of state terrorism

El Ministerio de Justicia, Seguridad y Derechos Humanos creó el Centro de Asistencia a Víctimas del Terrorismo de Estado “Dr. Fernando Ulloa”, cuyo objetivo es “la asistencia psicológica, orientación y derivación de los afectados y/o sus familiares por las graves violaciones a los derechos humanos”.

(Google Translation) The Ministry of Justice, Security and Human Rights established the Center for Victims of State Terrorism “Dr. Fernando Ulloa”, whose goal is “psychological assistance, guidance and referral for those affected and / or their families about the serious violations human rights”.

European Union

Czech Republic Human Rights Minister wants to tackle domestic violence

Some 10,000 people have sought help in connection with domestic violence in the Czech Republic this year, and at least 92 percent of victims have been women, Human Rights Minister Michael Kocab said yesterday, adding his office is preparing a national plan to prevent domestic violence.The plan should help not only the victims but also children from the families where domestic violence occurs.

Moreover, the ministry would like to support non-profit organisation helping domestic violence victims, Kocab said yesterday…

France to ban ‘psychological violence’ in marriage

France is to pass a law banning “psychological violence within the couple” and study the idea of tagging violent partners to prevent them stalking their victims, the government said Wednesday.

Prime Minister Francois Fillon announced the measures in a speech to mark the United Nations’ tenth International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, promising legislation in the first half of nest year….

Poland, Spain want EU help for crime victims

Poland and Spain have begun a drive to create EU-wide protection for victims of crimes such as sexual abuse and trafficking, Polish Justice Minister Krzysztof Kwiatkowski was quoted as saying Thursday.”We want national justice rulings to be applicable across the territory of the European Union, and not just in the country concerned,” Kwiatkowski told the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita.

As it stands, victims of sexual abuse and human trafficking only get legal protection in the country where the perpetrators of the crime have been found guilty.

If they move to another EU member state, the victims therefore face the spectre of cross-border revenge — and starting a new legal process.

UK betrays Mumbai victims (Commentary)
I try to report news, not to comment on it. But watching Will, now 29, and his partner Kelly Doyle on television this morning, full of dignity, with not a shred of bitterness, it was impossible not to feel real anger at how they – and the dozens of other British citizens injured or killed in overseas terror attacks since 9/11 – have been abandoned and betrayed.

The nub of the issue is straightforward. There is a loophole in Britain’s compensation laws. Britons targeted by terrorism do get compensation from the government – but not if they fall victim overseas…

Israel

New plan to aid crime victims excludes domestic violence cases

This week saw other significant tidings for the families of the murdered women: The government approved a program to help families of murder victims cope and get on with their lives. However, this plan will not help those who were merely physically or sexually abused, rather than killed. They will still need to cope all by themselves. Nor will the program help most past victims; it applies only to future victims.

Nigeria

Rights Activist Decries Sexual Abuse

A human rights activist and social crusader, Mrs. Olushola Akai, has frowned at the rampant cases of sexual abuse against the youths in the present-day society

Zwischen Afrika und Europa spannen Anja Nduka, Larry Nduka und Raymond Ekpe ein Netz. Die Knoten des Netzes bestehen aus emotionaler Verbundenheit, familiärer Zugehörigkeit und aus materiellen Verpflichtungen. Verankert ist das Netz in Deutschland, Nigeria und Togo.
Manche bezeichnen diese Art Verknüpfungen als Entwicklungszusammenarbeit, verstehen sie als Folge globalisierter Lebensverhältnisse und/oder Migrationsbewegungen. Für Ekpe sowie Larry und Anja Nduka gehört es zum Alltag, sich zwischen verschiedenen Kulturen und zwischen gegensätzlichen wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Standards und Lebensverhältnissen zu bewegen; und es hinterlässt Spuren: Mit Harry Roos von „now – Hilfe für Straßenkinder“ unterhielten sich Anja und Larry Nduka von „africare“ und Ekpe vom „Entwicklungsprojekt für Frauen- und Kinderhilfe in Afrika“ über das Thema: „Wenn das Engagement zur Bürde wird: Eine-Welt-Arbeit zwischen der Last der Betroffenheit und dem Druck zur Professionalisierung“.

„Ich habe in Togo als Lehrer gearbeitet und habe Menschen leiden sehen; es ist meine Berufung zu helfen“, berichtet Ekpe knapp. „Ich gehe immer weiter“, ergänzt er und klingt dabei wie sein eigener Motivationstrainer. Welche physische und emotionale Last das jahrelange Engagement Ekpe abverlangt, wird deutlich, wenn er sich zwischendurch müde über die Augen fährt und erzählt: „Meine Frau ist böse, weil ich keine Zeit habe.“ Vor allem durch die örtliche Kirchengemeinde erfährt Ekpe Unterstützung. Manche Kollekte ist bereits dem „Entwicklungsprojekt für Frauen- und Kinderhilfe in Afrika“ gewidmet worden, um unter anderem die Ausbildung junger Frauen in Vokoutimé östlich der Hauptstadt Lomé finanzieren zu helfen. Über die Jahre hat Ekpe Kontakte zu Menschen aufgebaut, die seiner Arbeit vertrauen und ihn mit Sachspenden unterstützen. Das bedeutet, dass er die Gegenstände eine längere Zeit lagern und Geld für den Transport des Containers einwerben muss, bevor er ihn nach Togo verschiffen kann. Für manchen Handgriff in der Vereinsarbeit wünschte sich Ekpe tatkräftige Unterstützung durch andere MigrantInnen, doch „viele haben ihren Job und der Kühlschrank ist voll, da besteht kein Interesse, zu helfen“.
Die Schwierigkeit, das Interesse der MigrantInnen für Vereins- und Kulturarbeit zu gewinnen, kennen auch Anja und Larry Nduka, die sich in einem Dorf im Südosten Nigerias engagieren. „Die Heimat der Familien ist jetzt hier, aber die Kinder müssen doch etwas über das Herkunftsland ihrer Eltern erfahren“, wünscht sich Larry Nduka, „doch viele Westafrikaner wollen das gar nicht und wenn wir sie einladen, kommen sie nicht.“

„Mit unserer Vereinsarbeit wollen wir den Menschen in Ekpiri Ala-ala helfen, dem Dorf, in dem die Großeltern meines Mannes leben. Außerdem wollen wir mit unseren Veranstaltungen, wie afrikanischen Festen, einen Beitrag für ein tolerantes Miteinander und gegen Rassismus leisten“, sagt Anja Nduka. Die Zurückhaltung gegenüber der öffentlichen Beschäftigung mit dem Herkunftsland erklärt sich Anja Nduka mit dem Wunsch von MigrantInnen, nicht mit Not, Leid und Korruption des betreffenden Landes in Verbindung gebracht zu werden. „In der Presse fehlt bei der Berichterstattung über Entwicklungsländer meist das Positive“, weiß Harry Roos zu berichten, der sich in einem Projekt mit diesem Thema auseinandersetzte. Diese Einschätzung teilt Anja Nduka, die erlebte, dass sie sich bei MigrantInnen für ihr Engagement rechtfertigen musste: „Es geht uns gar nicht so schlecht und Du schadest unserem Image“, sind Argumente, die sie zu hören bekam. „Solche Verallgemeinerungen helfen uns nicht weiter, natürlich hat jedes Land seine Probleme, auch wir hier in Deutschland – und doch schicken die meisten MigrantInnen Geld nach Hause, um die Probleme der Menschen dort zu lindern.“
Wird ihrem Engagement in Deutschland oftmals mit Skeptizismus begegnet, erfahren Anja und Larry Nduka, Raymond Ekpe und Harry Roos in den afrikanischen Ländern viel Zuspruch. „Die Menschen in Südafrika haben uns ermutigt und uns Gottes Segen gewünscht“, erinnert sich Harry Roos, dessen Verein ein Tageszentrum für Jugendliche in Kapstadt betreibt. „Wir sind nicht weit weg in der Hauptstadt, sondern vor Ort, wo wir mit den Menschen sprechen, ihre Wünsche und Bedürfnisse kennen und helfen“, so erklärt sich Larry Nduka die Anerkennung auch durch die nigerianischen Bezirksvertreter. „Die Regierung in Togo unterstützt das Projekt“, berichtet Ekpe froh und und schöpft nicht zuletzt aus diesen Ermutigungen die Kraft, mit der Vereinsarbeit fortzufahren. „Die Belastungen für die Familie sind hoch und manchmal schaue ich dann ein paar Tage auch nicht in meine Mailbox“, sagt Anja Nduka nachdenklich, um dann fortzufahren: „Wir haben unseren Reichtum auf Kosten anderer erworben und wir müssen davon wieder zurückgeben.“

Before the Dance

The River maidens of the Niger-Delta waiting for the carnival dance; this is a cultural display of various ethnic groups of Nigeria, featuring traditional dances masquerade and local fashion. At the end of the day a winning group emerges, which receive the award for best cultural dance, masquerade, fashion etc depending on the category.

D’Prince is HERE. After featuring on numerous Mo’Hits records, D’Prince has finally kicked off his solo musical career.
Check out 3 singles from his forthcoming album. D’Prince definitely has a unique flow and there is something about his lyrics that keeps you entertained – really feeling the production of these tracks – Its Don Jazzy again!
Check on it and listen below.

I Like What I See Feat. Wande Coal

OOZE Feat. D’Banj

Omoba

Cheap flights to Lagos in Nigeria are featured at Cheapest Rates of Flights to Lagos, Nigeria, Africa. Find special, affordable & inexpensive airfares & Cheap Flights to Africa at cheapflights2africa network.

Since only Americans, some Canadians, Australians and residents of South Africa refer to Football as Soccer, I will be referring to the sport as Football from this point on. 

I felt the name of this post was appropriate because that’s all I have been doing the past three days, playing football!  It has been an amazing experience playing with the local boys, it’s almost like another language that everyone can speak and always brings smiles to people’s faces.

Sunday

My friend Phillip picked up my Nigerian Attire and delivered it to me early that morning.  I unfortunately didn’t take any pictures but this Sunday I will snap some and post them.  Since I don’t have any pictures, I’ll wait to explain the process I went through to get it made and so forth until Sunday as well.

The Arik bus didn’t show up to pick me up, I think they stopped the scheduled Victoria Island Trips and now require that you request the trip, it does not automatically happen.  So I mostly just relaxed at the hotel, and put together a website for Arik pilots to keep in touch: www.arikpilottalk.forumr.net

The website is only for Arik Pilots, and requires registration and approval by an Administrator to view the posts.  I am hoping that eventually all of the pilots will use this and we can plan things to do, talk about safety related items, and other pertinent items.  So far the site has received a positive response, but the registration by pilots has been greatly slowed down by the poor/in-operative internet connections at most hotels.  Ironically, the hotel I am at has one of the best internet connections of all the hotels we stay at.  I feel this is ironic since most people try to leave the hotel I am at for hotels with nicer rooms, better food, and more activities on-site.  I however don’t mind it here unlike 95% of the rest of the pilots.  I have become friends with the staff who always greet me genuinely and with a big smile since I do the same to them (the knowledge of local customs has come in handy), I actually like the food although the nearby hotel does have much more choices.  We have free transportation unlike any of the other hotels to my knowledge, and like I said before, the internet is great in comparison to the rest of the hotels which is highly important when you live thousands of miles from friends and family.  I am very comfortable in this area.

Monday

This day was special.  It started with an solo quest for a football, while walking down the street I asked a young man if he knew of a place where they are sold.  He then proceeded to ask if I could help him by donating some Naira to him.  I promptly said no, but then, wanting to help, I said I’ll give him some Naira if he helps me get a football.  The next thing I knew, we were sitting on a bench while an Okada (motor bike used as a taxi) went and bought me one from a relatively far place.

About 30 minutes later, the Okada returned with a very nice football that cost me 4,000 Naira (about $27 US).  I paid the Okada driver 150 Naira for getting my football, and my new friend 100 Naira or so for the help.  He then told me that he knew of a place nearby we could play and we were on our way.  This is when the football in my hands came in handy, a couple groups of boys were walking by and asked if they could play.  And rather quickly, we eventually had a mob of young footballers anxiously looking for a place to play.  As we passed by the nearby hotel, I called a friend of mine from the nearby hotel and he promptly met us outside the hotel to join our group of players.  I handed out some water  and sprite that I got from the hotel to some of the guys and we continued on. 

Unlike Washington State in America, there aren’t flat grassy parks and fields all around.  Suitable fields in this immediate area are scarce and even the best I have seen so far wouldn’t cut it back home for most players.  Field #1 had its gates closed, Field #2 was very poor with trash and sewage all around.  So after almost an hour of walking, we snapped the photo below and followed some very young kids who were leading us to hopefully a field we could actually play at.

About a 1/2 KM from the next field where we finally were able to play, my friend (Soren from Denmark) who joined us earlier had to head back since he had to work soon and was growing tired of the never-ending walk.  I made sure he felt comfortable walking back alone since we were quite far from the hotel, and he assured me he was fine and left the group.

Soon we arrived, very tired from the heat, but anxious and excited to finally play.  We played 7 vs. 7, shirts and skins.  I had a blast but ran out of energy very quickly and wasn’t able to play very long.  The heat, the sun, the deep sand, and the long walk it had taken to get here had drained my energy.  Here are some pictures from the game:

A majority of the boys played in there underwear since they hadn’t planned on playing, it was either that or play in jeans.  The walk back to my hotel consisted of almost every boy exchanging phone numbers with me so we could all arrange another football game.  I told everyone to come back to my hotel so I could get them all free drinks and food.  It sure was a sight when I walked into the hotel with a train of kids – the hotel employees had never seen that before!

I made sure they were all comfy, ordered them some drinks, and rested with them watching football on TV.  I arranged for the hotel to make 20 meat pies so everyone could have something to eat.  They were all very appreciative of course.

My whole body was full of sand from playing football, the shower floor was full of sand after rinsing off, along with the floor of my hotel room.  The boys ate there meat pies, drank at least two drinks each and were soon on there way and I told them they are all welcome to come by anytime and say hello.

I may not have been handing out money, but I did the least I could, gave them some food and water, and enjoyed there company.  It sure was funny thinking back that the day originally started with me going out alone to buy a football, and ended with a great group of kids populating the hotel lobby and making a mess of empty bottles and meat pie wrappers.

Later that night, I hung out at the nearby hotel and played computer games against some other pilots until 2AM!!!  It was a lot of fun, although it kind of messed up my sleeping schedule.

Tuesday

I slept in today until 1PM since I had stayed up so late the night before and was so tired from all the walking/football.  But after brunch, I took my football out to the small parking lot of the hotel where the security guards hangout and played with them for probably at least three hours.  The driver for the hotel and some of the guests played with us occasionally as well, it was a lot of fun and my shirt was soon completely drenched with sweat and I hobbled up to my hotel room, showered, ordered dinner, and did some more work on the website I had created a couple days prior.  Paul, the bartender at my hotel, arranged for him and I to check out a nice grass field where some great players train, and where I could hopefully play at instead of the sand field from time to time.  I then went to bed with plans to meet Paul early the next morning.

Wednesday

This morning I had some cereal which was a nice change, I have always avoided the cereal here since I wasn’t sure if the milk was safe to drink.  But I have now learned that the milk is perfectly safe to drink, at least in the cartons that I drank from.  It took about 45 minutes for the van to return from an airport drop-off before Paul and I could head out to the football field but after a 10 minute drive we arrived.  The field is on a Nigerian Military Base of some sort and is nothing fancy, but compared to other fields in the area, it is quite nice.  There was also some basketball and tennis courts nearby which I may use in the future.  For a little over an hour, I watched some 15-17 year olds play some great football, very talented young men.  Football here is a bit different, there are more than enough players, but few leagues and available teams to play on.  The 35 players I watched weren’t on a particular team, they just meet regularly in the mornings to play short 11 a side football games until they can find a team to play on, which requires sponsorship. 

Paul, pictured above, has been very helpful and is a smart guy.  He owns a hair salon and after asking if he could use anything from the States, he said he could use some clippers, maybe a razor, and other tools that hair-stylists need which would help him open up another hair salon.  I promised I would get him the things he needs – I think it’s a great way to show my appreciation for his help.

Two of the players on the team live very close to my hotel, Emmanuel and Wilson.  We walked out of the Military Base to the main road where we would be picked up and Paul took a picture of Wilson and I.

We were all soon picked up and brought back to the hotel.  There, I got them some drinks and we all cooled off and relaxed in the lobby.  They invited me to check out there home and after the short walk, I was soon shaking hands of there family members, one of whom is a male flight attendant for another local airline.  They were all very friendly and happy to hear I have been thoroughly enjoying my time here.  Emmanuel and Wilson were going to train at the sand field I had played at on Monday at 5 PM, and invited me to play with them, I agreed and was soon back at the hotel ordering lunch. 

As soon as my lunch was delivered, I got a call from the front desk telling me two of my friends were downstairs to see me.  It ended up being two young boys around the age of 14 who had played with me on Monday – they were both funny characters and fun to hang out with.  After relaxing in the lobby and sipping on some Fantas, I invited them to come to the nearby hotel for some good food.  I walked over with some local pilots and the kids and they both ordered chicken and rice for lunch after we arrived.  They didn’t seem interested in the American food choices which is the majority of their menu.  We juggled the football around a bit while waiting for the food and I invited some of the pilots lounging by the pool to play with us later that night.

The kids wouldn’t eat the food until they were back home to share it with there family members.  After the food arrived in tin-foil for carry-out, we got a ride back to my hotel and I gave the kids 500 Naira to take an Okada back home to change, eat, and return to the hotel in time for our 5 PM game.  I continued to drink water to hydrate, did some stretching, and then got a phone call from Jacob (Denmark) who said him and David (Sweden) would like to play.  I sent our hotel driver down to pick them up and after they arrived, the two little guys returned, but Emmanuel and Wilbert were no where to be seen.  We waited a few more minutes then decided to drive to there house where I quickly ran in and found out they weren’t there so we continued on for the sand field.

After being dropped off, there were a lot of people hanging out by the field, few playing, just a lot of observers.  There were about 10 guys close to my age in which I warmly greeted and we were all invited to play a game with them.  Unfortunately the younger guys didn’t have shoes and were not allowed to play since most of us had shoes and football boots with cleats.  They seemed happy watching though along with many other people.  I did surprisingly well in the game playing mostly in a defensive position but occasionally coming up and getting a few shots on goal off.  David and Jacob played well too, I think we all had a blast, playing until it began to get dark.  My team ended up loosing 2-1 but it didn’t really matter, it was a high level of play with great passing and a lot of fun attacks.  The atmosphere was great too with so many people watching and the sun setting in the distance.  We didn’t have a chance to get the best picture since the hotel driver was in a bit of a hurry, but still I feel it’s worth posting.

Emmanuel never showed up, not sure what happened to him, but Wilson arrived later to watch and was late since his coach asked him to come play 5 vs. 5 at a nearby pitch.  He was thankful I had sent pictures of him to his email earlier, and now Emmanuel, him and I are going to hangout while they show me Lagos on Thursday (Tomorrow).

We went to my hotel first, and I gave the kids some more Naira to split amongst themselves so they wouldn’t have to walk home in the dark and stayed with the bus to go swimming at the nearby hotel.  When there we all shared with the others how much fun we had playing football on the sand field with big smiles on our faces, and sweat drenched t-shirts.  I jumped in the pool to cool off and get all of the sand off of me there instead of in my shower like I had on Monday.  I had ordered food before jumping in the pool, and after getting my food, I hopped in the hotel bus that was waiting and went back to my hotel to watch a football game on TV with some Spanish pilots and eat my food.  For dessert I had vanilla ice cream with cinnamon on top (recommended to me by the Spanish guys).  It was very good actually! 

I’ll be getting up early tomorrow to meet up with the two local boys, not sure what we are all doing, but I believe it is a Muslim Holiday.

Updates?

Not really, as far as I know, the same 3 pilots are flying the Q400 and training of the rest of us line pilots has not begun and I am not sure when it will begin.  Hopefully it will begin soon as I am scheduled to fly home on December 14th, less than three weeks from now!

In case you are thinking of purchasing the new global version of Amazon’s Kindle for Christmas, be aware that there are still quite a few places that the global version will NOT work.  I was disappointed to find that the new version still will not work in my country.

Apparently the new global version will only work in SOME countries.   I thought it would be helpful to most expats to have a complete list of which countries it will, or will not work in (below).

It’s also interesting to note the PATTERN of groups of countries where the Kindle doesn’t work–some countries probably lack satellite coverage or delivery systems, while others probably don’t WANT readers to be able to download whatever they want by satellite.

STARRED (*) countries marked below indicate that Kindle needs to be ordered from a SPECIAL PAGE on the Amazon site.

The Global Kindle version DOES work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Aland Islands, Albania, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia*, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Boznia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Liberia, Leichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldovia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozembique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Réunion, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,  Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands – British, Virgin Islands – U.S.,  Wallis and Futuna, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The Global Kindle version does NOT work in (as of Dec. 2009) the following countries:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Antarctica, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Chad, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, French Southern Territories, Gambia, Guinea, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea – Democratic People’s Republic of, Korea – Republic of, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco (including the Western Sahara), New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Pitcairn, Qatar, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, Sudan, Svalbard and Jan Mayan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tokelau, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uzbekistan,  Yemen.

By Adeola Aderounmu

I made an entry on my blog on Nov 21 2007 called

All Nigerians Should Join and Support CACOL

Since then some people wanted to know how to locate CACOL or become members. I am not a member myself and it would be nice to become a member of such a vibrant body. As a matter of fact I would have suggested that body to be named Coalition Against Corrupt People in Nigeria. It is not only the rulers or leaders that are corrupt.

Nigeria and Nigerians are suffering from serious crises that affect our individual and collective mentality of how we should live our lives. Almost everyone cuts corner in his or her undertakings. But I do agree that when the head is rotten then the whole body stinks. This is why CACOL may be a worthwhile adventure. Cure the head and the body becomes healthy perhaps.

Just imagine if we could prosecute and imprison all the corrupt rulers in Nigeria. You hardly see any leader. 99.9% of public servants and politicians in Nigeria are thieves. Big thieves and looters.

The Coordinator of CACOL Mr. Debo Adeniran was on my blog page to drop the needed information. This is the link to CACOL
CACOL ONLINE

Email: cacolc@yahoo.com

So, to all those who have requested for the information, you have it from the original source.

And how nice that Mr. Adeniran found my blog. I thought that was interesting.

Nature and Animal Conservation

 

     Preserving species and their habitats is important for ecosystems to self-sustain themselves. Yet, the pressures to destroy habitat for logging, illegal hunting, and other challenges are making conservation a struggle.

Visit : http://www.globalissues.org/article/1…

 What is Biodiversity ?

 

    The variety of life on Earth, its biological diversity is commonly referred to as biodiversity. The number of species of plants, animals, and microorganisms, the enormous diversity of genes in these species, the different ecosystems on the planet, such as deserts, rainforests and coral reefs are all part of a biologically diverse Earth.

   

    Appropriate conservation and sustainable development strategies attempt to recognize this as being integral to any approach. Almost all cultures have in some way or form recognized the importance that nature, and its biological diversity has had upon them and the need to maintain it. Yet, power, greed and politics have affected the precarious balance.

Does it really matter if there arent so many species?

Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play.

For example, a larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops; greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms; and healthy ecosystems can better withstand and recover from a variety of disasters.

And so, while we dominate this planet, we still need to preserve the diversity in wildlife.

Who Cares?

  Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play. For example, a larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops; greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms; and healthy ecosystems can better withstand and recover from a variety of disasters.

And so, while we dominate this planet, we still need to preserve the diversity in wildlife.

Loss of Biodiversity and Extinctions

It is feared that human activity is causing massive extinctions. From various animal species, forests and the ecosystems that forests support, marine life. The costs associated with deteriorating or vanishing ecosystems will be high. However, sustainable development and consumption would help avert ecological problems.

 

  

November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The white ribbon has become the symbol for the day.

Click on the picture to join the Community

After keeping her fans waiting since the release of her 2000 album, Lovers Rock, Helen Folasade Adu (Sade to you and yours) has announced plans (and her label home Epic Records) to launch her new music project, Solider of Love on February 8, 2010!

 As a gift to her fans, Sade also release the album cover which depicts her staring out to the world with her back to the camera. (Will this album cover set the tone of her music or is a preview of what her new image would be??? So many questions to ask!!! 9 years has it been since Lovers Rock dropped.)

Sade and her group mates Stuart Matthewman, Paul Spencer Denmann and Andrew Hale recorded six albums which sold over 50 million worldwide since 1984’s Diamond Life. They had hit songs with Smooth Operator, By Your Side, No Ordinary Love, The Sweetest Taboo, and counting. Pretty impressive, isn’t it?

Sade’s music has become ideal for smooth jazz/quiet storm R&B radio stations, that age old baby making process, and romantic couples. Below is my current favorite Sade song (as my fave Sade track changes day by day, lol!)

In the meanwhile you can preorder a copy of Solider of Love by visiting AMAZON.COM.  I’ll leave you all with the title cut of Sade’s last album which she performed back in 2001. (Can you believe Sade’s 50 now??? Classy and ageless, indeed!)

CANNOT.WAIT.FOR.NEW.SADE.MUSIC!

I believe that the fate of Nigerian government’s stimulus plan for the Niger Delta will be a key factor in determining whether peace holds in the region.

The stimulus is moving forward. Yesterday, the Nigerian Senate approved a budget that includes around $750 million for the Delta. Here’s Reuters’ breakdown of the spending:

NAIRA USD

ROADS 83 BLN 550 MLN

LAND RECLAMATION 10 BLN 66 MLN

AMNESTY REINTEGRATION PROGRAMME 8 BLN 53 MLN

DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TOWNS 8 BLN 53 MLN

INLAND WATERWAYS TRANSPORTATION 5 BLN 33 MLN

The budget increases government spending by 32%, and aims to boost the economy country-wide as well as in the Delta.

“The purpose of the 2010 budget is to accelerate economic recovery through targeted fiscal interventions intended to further stimulate the economy and support private sector growth,” Yar’Adua said in a budget statement presented to parliament by one of his aides.

The budget assumes a price of $57 a barrel for oil. Nigeria has warned that “OPEC has to make sure it does not put too much crude oil in the market because it would drive down petroleum prices.”

As Thanksgiving approaches, we cannot help but celebrate the many ways in which God has been faithful and blessed Back2Back Ministries. We would like to take this opportunity to share just a few highlights from 2009 for which we’re thankful!

In Mexico: As a result of the Back2Back Hope Education Program, six children who we met when the ministry first began have now graduated from college, forever breaking the cycle of generational poverty in their families.

Junior, one of the six Back2Back Hope Program students who graduated from college this year (pictured with B2B Directors, Todd & Beth Guckenberger)

In Nigeria: We have expanded our full-time staff to include John and Corrie Guckenberger and Will and Theresa Reed. Through the generous land donation of Self-Sustaining Enterprises, we are beginning to develop a permanent Back2Back campus with staff and group housing. We are also launching the Hope Education Program in Nigeria and building an education center on this land, allowing us to provide more opportunities to the children that we serve.

Will & Theresa Reed will soon be joining the Back2Back Nigeria team

John & Corrie Guckenberger joined the Back2Back Nigeria staff this year

In India: We have begun a partnership with EJH Children’s Home, as the directors of this home share Back2Back’s vision to show love and provide care to children in need.  This particular home cares for children with disabilities, a ministry that is desperately needed in India, a country where those that have a handicap are marginalized by society.

A few of the children from EJH

In the U.S. Office: We have increased our staff in the US, allowing us to expand and improve our communications and have a greater impact in meeting the need of orphans. We also have begun a child sponsorship program, the Back2Back Shelter Program, which enables us to better meet the physical, spiritual and educational needs of the children we serve.

Beatriz, the first child to receive a sponsor through our new child sponsorship program

We truly cannot praise God enough for the ways in which He has blessed and provided for our ministry this year. These successes would not be possible without your commitment to partner with us. As we look toward the future, we are excited about how God is working through Back2Back Ministries.  Please know that you are a part of our Back2Back family and we truly appreciate your love and support of the orphan child.

Please keep the children we serve in your thoughts and prayers this holiday season.

by Mukul Sharma, for The Hindu, November 24, 2009.

Since the 1970s, shareholders have used their power as stock owners to press companies for changes on a wide range of social, environmental and human rights issues.

Corporate governance — the need for widening the scope of shareholder democracy and rights, investor protection and information disclosure — has been rightly emphasised in the context of the proposed new Companies Bill (The Hindu, November 8, 2009). However, the actual role of shareholders needs to be expanded. Shareholder democracy must include the working and responsibilities of investment companies, including banks, mutual fund companies, brokerages and insurance/annuity companies.

Rights disclosure norms should not be limited to select areas — like information on payout to directors — and should include labour and labour unions, diversity and discrimination in employment, land acquisition, eviction and impact on local communities and environment. Shareholders’ rights and democracy are not about demonising companies. There is no such thing as a perfect company. Likewise, there is no such thing as a company that is doing everything wrong. Shareholders’ rights should be about empowering them to encourage companies to improve…(continue reading)

Il fotografo sudafricano Pieter Hugo sceglie la prospettiva di Nollywood, l’industria cinematografica nigeriana, per raccontare le contraddizioni e le difficoltà delle emergenti società africane. L’esposizione sarà visibile dal 25 novembre al 9 Gennaio alla Galleria Extraspazio.

Nollywood è la terza industria del cinema a livello mondiale, ma poco ha a che vedere con la concezione di cinema occidentale. Budget ridotti all’osso, scenografie improbabili e attori improvvisati diventano sufficienti a mettere in scena la grande tradizione narrativa africana. Pieter Hugo ha voluto riprodurre questa realtà e ritrarla attraverso le sue fotografie frequentando nel 2008 e 2009 i set del cinema nigeriano.
Hugo è affascinato dalle situazioni “borderline” che individua nei suoi viaggi attraverso l’Africa e, come già nelle precedenti serie che hanno fatto il giro del mondo (Looking Aside, The Hyena & Other Men e Messina/Musina), riesce a essere contemporaneamente distaccato ma dialogante rispetto ai soggetti dei suoi ritratti.

Escort Kama. Enugu, Nigeria, 2008, Pieter Hugo

Sudafricano di origine afrikaneer, Pieter Hugo è uno dei fotografi più rappresentativi della sua generazione. Nelle sue opere esplora con grande capacità di penetrazione le contraddizioni più stridenti e alcuni aspetti periferici ma densi di significato delle nuove società africaneHa vinto alcuni dei più prestigiosi premi internazionali per la fotografia: ‘Discovery Award’, Rencontres D’Arles Photographie e ‘KLM Paul Huf Award’ nel 2008; ‘Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Visual Art’ nel 2007; ‘World Press Photo Award’ e ‘Getty Images Young Photographers’ nel 2006.
 

info:  http://www.extraspazio.it/cms/

Daca pina aici din carte se desprinde o tristete grea, de acum incolo lucrurile capata accente tragice. Senzatia ca “povestea” se transforma incet dar sigur in necrolog, se instaleaza hotarit. Pentru ca “O lume se destrama”. Moare. O lume cindva vie, devine amintire. In ritm accelerat. Daca la inceput, religia omului alb fusese privita cu neincredere, acum incepea ca capete adepti; inclusiv printre oamenii de frunte ai clanului. Barbati altadata falnici, acum isi lepadau fara pic de remuscare insemnele titlurilor pe care le cistigasera cu greu. ” Omul alb e foarte abil. A venit linistit si pasnic cu religia lui. Noi am ris de prostia lui si l-am lasat sa ramina. Acum i-a cistigat de partea lui pe fratii nostri, si clanul s-a dezbinat. A taiat cu cutitul firele care ne uneau si lumea noastra s-a destramat“. Sigur ca omul alb a venit cu scoli, cu magazine, cu spitale. Sigur ca o parte dintre  oamenii clanului vedeau si avantaje. Dar barbatia celor mai buni dintre ei, se frinsese. Locul in care Spiritele Batrinilor imparteau dreptatea, ramasese gol. Omul alb venise si cu tribunalele sale. Si cu ostasi, care impuneau dreptatea sa. “Okonkwo era foarte mihnit. Si nu doar pentru soarta lui. Deplingea soarta clanului, pe care il vazuse dezbinindu-se si destramindu-se, deplingea soarta barbatilor din Umuofia, care, in mod inexplicabil, devenisera fricosi ca niste femei“. In lipsa sa, locul sau fusese luat printre egwugwu de alt barbat. Care nu mai propovaduia razboiul, ci impacarea cu omul alb. Capitularea. Pentru ca ” Binecuvintat cel ce lasa pe tatal si pe mama sa ca sa-mi urmeze. Cei ce asculta cuvintele Mele sunt tatal Meu si mama Mea.[...] Okonkwo fusese poreclit “Focul Tunator“.  [...] Cum a putut sa zamisleasca un fiu ca Nwoye, degenerat si lipsit de barbatie ? [...] Ofta adinc, si parca in chip de intelegere, busteanul, care ardea mocnit, ofta si el. In acea clipa lui Okonkwo i se deschisera ochii si vazu clar intreaga situatie. Focul viu naste cenusa rece si neputincioasa. Ofta inca o data, din toate puterile”. Cutuma. Fusese bine ca il ucisese pe Ikemefuna ? Nu era Okonkwo omul care sa se resemneze. Incearca sa-i adune pe cei din clan si sa ii insufleteasca. Incearca sa ii indemne la razboi. Nu il mai urmeaza aproape nimeni. Este arestat impreuna cu alte citeva capetenii, batut, umilit. Clanul plateste rascumpararea. Dar Okonkwo nu intelege sa traiasca in robie. El nu era un sclav. El era un barbat brav. Aduna clanul la vechiul loc de adunare. Un barbat vorbea : ” – Zeii nostri pling cu totii. [...] Stramosii nostri pling din cauza sacrilegiului rusinos pe care l-au suferit, si din cauza ticalosiilor pe care le-am vazut cu totii cu proprii nostri ochi. [...] Trebuie sa scoatem raul din radacina. [...] Si trebuie sa actionam acum. Trebuie sa trecem apa acum, cind apa e doar la glezne. [...] Nimeni nu observase venirea celor cinci mesageri judecatoresti. [...] Vraja fu rupta de capetenia mesagerilor – Lasati-ma sa trec! ordona el.  – De ce-ai venit aici ? – Omul alb, a carui putere o cunoasteti foarte bine, a ordonat ca intilnirea aceasta sa inceteze. [...] Intr-o clipita Okonkwo isi scoase maceta din teaca. [...] Maceta lui Okonkwo lovi de doua ori si capul mesagerului se rostogoli linga omul in uniforma. Okonkwo ramase in picioare, uitindu-se la victima. Stia ca Umuofia nu avea de gind sa porneasca razboi. [...] Isi sterse maceta de singe in nisip si se indeparta. [...] Cind guvernatorul de district intra in curtea lui Okonkwo, gasi aici o mica adunare de oameni, care stateau istoviti. Le-a ordonat sa iasa si ei se supusera fara sa cricneasca. – Care dintre voi poarta numele de Okonkwo ? [...] – Te vom duce la el. [...] Cind ajunsera in fata copacului de care atirna corpul lui Okonkwo se oprira inmarmuriti. – De ce nu-l dati jos ? – Obiceiurile noastre nu ne permit acest lucru. Cine isi ia viata singur se face vinovat. E o ocara adusa Pamintului, iar omul care a comis acest pacat nu poate fi ingropat in mijlocul neamurilor lui. [...] – Va fi inmormintat cum se cuvine ? [...] – Barbatul acesta a fost unul dintre cei mai de seama barbati din Umuofia. L-ati impins la sinucidere, si acum va fi inmormintat ca un ciine“. Cutuma. Okonkwo va fi abandonat in Padurea Blestemata. Adica acolo unde clanul le oferise misionarilor pamint, ca sa-si ridice biserica.  In timp ce se intorcea spre tribunal, guvernatorul gindi la cele intimplate. Va scrie o carte consistenta, in care povestea acestui barbat, va ocupa un paragraf important. Cartea se va numi ” Pacificarea triburilor primitive din bazinul de jos al Nigerului“. Nu stiu daca aceasta carte a fost scrisa si publicata. Dar.

Cartea lui Achebe vorbeste despre lucruri petrecute in urma cu mai bine de doua sute de ani. Nigeria a fost pacificata. Crestinismul a fost imbratisat de 20% protestanti si 9 % catolici din populatie. Vechile cutume nu au disparut complet – animism – 28%.  Iar 43 % sunt adepti ai islamului. (Cifre din 2002). A progresat Nigeria sub presiunea Omului Alb ?

Putem privi la lumi aproape exterminate si aici, mai aproape, acasa la noi. Numai ca aici lumile acelea au apus sub cizma si tancurile Omului Rosu. A carei religie, a fost imbratisata atit de strins de unii dintre compatriotii nostri, ca ne sufoca si azi. Aici, nu au trecut decit 60 de ani de ciuma rosie. Dintre care ultimii 20, intr-o democratie originala, marca Kaghebusa. Care ne innabusa definitiv daca nu o stirpim acum, cind apa nu a trecut inca de… Chiar, pina unde sintem bagati in apa asta rosie de singe ???

Thanksgiving is coming up in US but Aussies don’t do it; so no holidays for those on the other side of the ocean until Christmas. Many bloggers are talking about the turkey and dishes they will be preparing for the day, for their families and friends.

Some of these blogs are quite educational. This particular blogger says:

… these turkeys have been bred for one thing and one thing only… meat. These are dumb animals. These birds see a large predator (aka me or Edwina, the wayfaring farm dog) and think to themselves, “Hey let’s all go check that out! Guys come over here! Look a predator! Let’s all go say hi!” Needless to say they would not last long in the wild. Unfortunately they also don’t last that long on the farm. One turkey randomly had a heart attack one day and became dinner. It seems they are looking for ways to die. Apparently it is not really true that turkeys can drown from looking up at the rain, but they’re so dumb it seem plausible.

The actual preparations for Thanksgiving appear not to be too different from any other festivities, eg Onam. The woman spends her time cutting, chopping, baking, cleaning… and looks the most wilted of the gathering. Then think of the pile of unwashed dishes, messy kitchen, overflowing garbage, lack of dishes to refrigerate the leftovers… who is giving thanks now? Only the invitees!

I’d like to eat some turkey now but I am too broke to head to Subway and get a Turkey sub. I still remember the live turkey that someone gave us when I was a kid, back in Nigeria. It lived in the small spare room noone used. And pecked at the grains we fed it. The person who loaned it to us didn’t want it back. So my father killed it, my brother and I joined in cleaning it and mom baked it; the aromas were mouthwatering. Unfortunately, it tasted like the breast meat of a chicken – I am not too fond of that chewy piece of meat. And there weren’t succulent bony pieces. Sigh!

Maybe I haven’t tasted authentic baked/ roasted turkey. Anyone care to invite me?

I just discovered this delightfully-entertaining, half-hour episode comedy series about a diverse group of Muslims, set in a small Canadian town on on the prairie.  The 20-minute video above is the first episode.

The diverse group of Muslims in the town have the same disagreements among themselves that different groups of Muslims have in their own home countries, or even that different Muslim countries have with each other (between conservative and liberal views of Islam)–but all in an entertaining way.  Of course everyone in the town misunderstands things, in the same ways people misunderstand in real life.

Try this first video.  It’s a very cleverly done Canadian sitcom, filmed in Toronto, Ontario, and Indian Head, Saskatchewan.   The first episode (above) was filmed in Regina.  Little Mosque is the most popular sitcom in Canada and has been syndicated in France, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Finland, Turkey, Israel, the West Bank, and African countries.  It is light-hearted, and family-oriented.  Expats who have lived in Muslim countries will especially enjoy this humorous series!

Links to all Little Mosque on the Prairie episodes (Seasons 1 – 4) can be viewed HERE (scroll down the page).   The links are free.

My palangga just turned two! It’s amazing that someone young like him has already lived in two continents: Asia and Africa, as well as traveled to Thailand, Philippines, and the United States more than once.

And so here we are now in Lagos, Nigeria. The job offer and benefits package were hard to resist. But in the back of my mind I constantly worry if we were putting our child at risk. Malaria and the quality of medical care and services are the biggest concern of most parents here. We give him a medicine (mefloquine)  every week, but know of two other colleagues with toddlers who don’t use any anti-malaria medication because they are concerned about side effects from long-term use of prophylaxis. We wrestled with the decision, but seeing how James is prone to mosquito bites we decided that malaria was or is a more imminent threat.

When he got sick with cough, cold, and fever during our first week here I wasted no time in bringing him to a doctor. That turned out to be a false alarm, because the doctor said the gestation period for malaria takes weeks. Then we met several expat families have been here for years — six, 12, even 20, and all their kids seem to be doing well. So we got careless, and occasionally forgot to give our baby his medicine on time. But I’m relieved we have been back on schedule for the last three weeks. He’s sick again, coughing and throwing up. But he’s still in playful mood, and seem to be responding to Tylenol. And I’m keeping my fingers crossed and praying. That’s life here — you don’t take fevers for granted.

It was different in Pakistan — we lived 5 minutes away from the clinic where he was born. His pediatrician helped deliver him and knows his history. There are also many doctors in islamabad who were trained in the US and UK. We’ve only been in Lagos for three months, and we already heard of several people (and a dog) who had to be medivac’d for treatment elsewhere.

So dear God, I hope it’s just a regular fever.

GOOD MORNING NIGERIA!

I just thought I would say a big hello to our friends and business associates in Nigeria – looking forward to doing business with you…

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/countries/country_nigeria.html

We are all feeling better this morning – the sun is shining and it has stopped raining. It has been awful, just 100 miles to the north of us the poor sods in Cockermouth in Cumbria had 9″ of rain in one day, their town was devastated by it. Good job that rain didn’t fall over Holland:

‘The Netherlands faces the North Sea in western Europe. The Dutch have a saying: “God made the Earth, but the Dutch made Holland.” The first defences against the sea went up some 800 years ago. Today more than 2,400 kilometers (1,491 miles) of dikes shield the low, flat land—almost half of which lies below sea level—from invasion by the North Sea. Without the existing dikes 65 percent of the country would be flooded daily.’

RIGHT – BACK TO WORK. We are busy processing orders and enquiries following the Cape Town Conference, all still very positive, modems seem to be flavour of the month… keep on keeping on..

When it comes to the Nigerian music industry, collaborations don’t come much heavier than this. We’ve got Terry G (hottest Nigerian dancehall artiste), M.I (one of the hottest rap artists) and 9ice (arguably the hottest indigenuous artiste) all brought together by a well-respected producer, Jamix. Name of the song is “Omo Naija”, and here’s the video.

The next video is by a new artist called Kas. He is an affiliate of the Nigerian Mohits record label. He owns his record label “Kas Records” and he is signed to his label. He is a producer, actor, songwriter and studio engineer! He isthe video to his song called “Fi Mi Le”.

Here is the hugely anticipated video for the song “Know” by Lami, featuring M.I.

Hope you enjoyed abit of the GiDi Culture….. 

Local and International students come together to box books for Nigerian students.