NASA Space Shuttle Discovery: Return to Flight

The NASA Space Shuttle Discovery rocketed off launchpad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center today to jubilant cheers (and big sighs of relief) from "Space Fans" around the world. At the wheel of Mission STS 114 is Pilot James Kelly and Mission Commander Eileen Collins who will be heading up a team of 5 Mission Specialists. Eileen was the first woman to pilot a Shuttle Orbiter spacecraft on the joint U.S.A. / Russia Shuttle-to-MIR Program of the 1990's and later became the first woman to command a Space Shuttle mission. Eileen has been to Space 3 times and I have not been to Space even once yet! I cannot understand why NASA keeps turning down my applications to become an astronaut with all of my excellent qualifications on various flying machines dating back years!? Go figure that out.

It was exhilirating to finally watch this magnificent spacecraft take off without a hitch and reach the heavens in under 10 minutes with over a 100 cameras and 2 chase planes tracking every second until Discovery was safely out of sight. The live video footage of cameras attached to the outside of Discovery provided breathtaking views of the ship from liftoff until she entered Space with a great parting view of the Big Blue Marble (Earth) in the background.

For the best and most comprehensive coverage of this historical launch I would recommend NASA's very own website Return to Flight. Everything but everything a Space-O-Phile (Space Buff) could ever want and dream of is in there thanks to the web-savvy folks over at NASA.

CNN has good coverage of the launch today as well "Shuttle Returns to Flight" with links to information about the mission and cool science and technology stuff from NASA. And get this, CNN Space Correspondent Miles O'Brian was blogging LIVE from the launchpad today! That's right, Miles has a blog (this could be the beginning of the end for the Blogosphere, you talk about low... ). Maybe next time somebody can convince Miles O'Brian to videoblog LIVE from right underneath the Space Shuttle during liftoff. O.K., maybe that's a bit harsh. How about if Miles stands near enough to the engine exhausts to just singe his bushy eyebrows and quit? Can't CNN do better than this guy? What about Femi Oke, she would be a great Space Correspondent. Oder?

So NASA and the Shuttle Orbiter Program is Back in Business Bigtime today. I hope that kids all over the world, and especially you youngsters in developing nations, are dreaming of becoming an astronaut someday and piloting a cool spaceship like Discovery to the stars very soon. Everything is possible if you reach for the stars. Guaranteed!

In honor to the STS-107crew of the Space Shutlle Columbia.

NASA
space shuttle

Introducing El Jorgito! (aka George)

I just wanted to let my readers know that I am still here and apologize for not posting over the past several days. In addition to getting some non-blog related stuff done I have been exploring, reading, listening, and marvelling at the work other blog authors and web publishers are doing out there. Wahnsinn! (Deutsch for WOW!)

After I get all of my little duckies (new posts on Africa) lined up in a row I should be back up-and-running later this week. In the meantime please visit some of the great new sites listed in my Blogroll 'cause that's where much of the real action is at the moment.

My Hat Tip for the Day would be to start with George Conrad of the On Safari with El Jorgito blog and be sure to checkout his work with the Grameen Foundation's Village Phone project down in Rwanda. Here is another posting over at the WorldChanging blog about this successful use of mobile telecommunications combined with a well organized and tested microfinance program to help alleviate absolute poverty in developing communities around the world.

And don't miss George's photostream over at Flickr. George is the Man down in Rwanda! Got questions about having this great program for your own community back home? Ask George!

London suffers a major terrorist attack!: Updates July 8th

Our hearts and prayers go out from all over the world to the people of London on this day of tragedy and fear. Stand tall and stick together over there in the U.K., all races and nationalities and religions. You have been here before and you have survived by working and sticking together. Don't let terror win in the U.K. or anywhere else on the planet. Don't allow the attackers to divide your great nation. Work together to help bring an end to these attacks on innocent civilians.

BBC News: London rocked by terror attacks
CNN News: London rocked by bombs
Google News: London terrorist attacks
Google News: G8 Summit news updates
G8 Gleneagles 2005 official website
G8 & African leaders July 8th live press statement from Gleneagles

Updates July 8th:
After watching the news yesterday and today about the terrorist attacks on the people of London I saw that the various TV news networks were showing the same video footage over and over and over (pooled video images). I read today at eWeek an article by Libe Goad describing how digital photography fans are using the online photo-sharing service Flickr to pool their images of the aftermath of the London bombings and the worldwide outpouring of human emotion. You can read the article "Flickr Pics Capture London Terror" here and view the more than 630 photographs from the Flickr 7/7 Community Pool here. I'm one of the very fortunate people that has friends in London who have been able to escape death and injury in yesterday's attacks. I am very thankfull that some at least were able to notify me ASAP that they were O.K., excluding their shock and grief.

In addition to the eWeek article update I have also added new links to the official G8 Summit 2005 Gleneagles website and a link to today's (streaming video) press conference by U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair and AU President Olusegun Obasanjo (President of Nigeria). It would seem from P.M. Blair's and President Obasanjo's statements today re: the G8 Summit 2005 Communique that we (who have been raising lot's of heck) have at least some of what we have asked for and demanded re: increased financial assistance and debt relief for Africa. Now it is everybody's job who cares and can contribute something (other than hot air) to make sure that these guys stick to their promises and that we do our part together with the people of Africa to make it work over the next few decades. I know that this isn't the best English grammar I could use to express myself, but I think that you my readers get the idea. Right?

I also found some very good information that may help explain in generally understandable language the complex issues of aid and development and economic justice for Africa. I'm gonna read it over the next few days, attempt to understand it myself, then post about it ASAP together with some other news and views about Africa that's been on my mind.

Lastly, I greet and thank all the new visitors to Jewels in the Jungle and a special Thanks for your great comments and kind encouragement.

Ciao for Now.

London Bombings 7/7/2005
G8 Summit 2005
Gleneagles

Live8 Concerts for Africa: The Big Day is Here

I was going to leave a long comment on a post re: Africans on Live8 over at the Global Voices blog when I realized that it would be better to simply say it here at Jewels in the Jungle. So here goes:

Well, the Big Day is here and the sheer numbers of people involved are without equal for any musical event in human history. This is only another giant step along the Long Walk to Justice for Africa as the Live8 concert organizers have so correctly labelled it.

We who believe in Africa and in ourselves have the floor today and the voices of the sceptics and naysayers shall be silenced by a joyful noise going up from all over the planet. It is the Voices of Humanity crying out that we want the people of Africa to be free from poverty and war and ruthless exploitation, and that we want her beautiful forests and savannahs and river deltas and precious biodiversity and ecosystems protected and preserved from the international, regional, and local criminals who would rob the whole world of Africa's precious gifts.

It is Mama Africa (and not Bob Geldorf or Tony Blair) who sheds the "crocodile tears" today and they are tears of joy as she smiles widely to see that so many of her children (origins of species) here on Earth, black & white & brown & all colors of the human rainbow from (almost) all nations care about her and are so willing and ready to help.

There are many lessons that can be learned from the events that take place today and in the next few days leading up to this most important G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. As is often the case throughout human history there will only be a comparitive few who really "get it" and will be able to build upon the opportunities in ways that make a real difference. Today you can see the millions and millions of supporters of the Live8 concerts and the Make Poverty History campaigners who so desperately seek real justice for Africa and a bright future for her people.

This is a great day for Africa and all who love her should be very thankful.

live8

Updates on the Live8 Concerts & More

Now that we are only 2 days away from the worldwide Live8 Concerts for Africa, the online global dialogues are really heating up both in the Blogosphere and in the mainstream media (MSM). Global Voices Online has a new posting about African and African-American (i.e. yours truly) bloggers writing about the concerts and debt relief and the upcoming G8 Summit. Checkout GV’s June 29th post “Roundup: Africans on Live8” for some very interesting insights.

The International Herald Tribune online has a June 30th feature article titled “As Live8 pushes G 8, who benefits” written by Alan Cowell of the New York Times. The article points out some of the same worries and concerns voiced by none other than certain bloggers featured in the Global Voices article. Go figure that one out. Me? I’m positive and delighted about the whole deal because I’ve seen how these types of events can help to bring about real change. Worked back in ’69, didn’t it? Did you see that Moscow is now on board? Here is the Wikipedia link to the Live8 events in case you haven’t bookmarked it yet and of course one should bookmark the official Live8 The Long Walk to Justice homepage too.

The Live8 Project blog over at Technorati is just pumping away and is a great introduction into how far global blogging has come. As of this writing there are more than 9500 posts (using Technorati tags) on the Live8 events and the G8 summit, which is about 1500 more posts than 2 days ago. People from all over the world have something to say (write) and I am proud to see so many German language blogs present there. I knew that the Germans would catch up with the rest of us here in the Blogosphere…eventually. Jo Deutschland!! You can also signup on the Live8 e-list that will be forwarded to the G8 leaders attending the Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland next week. Just in case they still don’t get it.

For all of you here in Europe who continue to complain that there has not been enough participation by African musicians and performers in the Live8 events, I would recommend that you run your little butts over to Cornwall for the weekend and checkout the Africa Calling – Live8 at the Eden Project concert. The lineup of performers at Eden is einfach Geil! (Deutsch = simply unfreakin'believable) and if there will be a DVD release of Live8 I would buy a copy just for this concert alone. Unlike the Live8 Berlin concert the folks over in Cornwall didn’t have any big problems with finding sponsors. Just what is the Eden in Africa Project? Thanks to Peter Gabriel and the folks over in Cornwall for putting such a great show together so fast. Of course, the music fans down in South Africa will not have any problems in being entertained by an all-star lineup of African musicians. Johannesburg kicks off the Africa Standing Tall Against Poverty campaign with Live8 Johannesburg. How’s that for Black Performer Power on Stage?!

And last but not least, CNN is featuring a week long special titled “Africa at Risk” that will tie in with their special coverage of the G8 Summit 2005 at Gleneagles. Unfortunately the CNN web team has again failed to publish timely information about the program other than a stupid banner ad, but the CNNI TV spots say that Christiane Amanpour will be reporting direct out of Ethiopia and that Sorious Samura’s riveting documentary Living with Refugees will be shown again next week as well. Fireworks on CNNI start Saturday morning CET July 2nd with the first screaming and crying guitars out of Tokyo (or Moscow)?

Ron McCullagh of Insight News TV (where Samura presently works) wrote a very good background article about the award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker and here is a link to an essay written by Sorious Samura titled “Who Stole Reality?”. The openDemocracy project site has two features (subscription required) written back in February 2004 about the Sierra Leone born Samura and here is a link to my April 11th posting on his documentary video about life for refugees fleeing the atrocities in Darfur and living in camps near the Sudan/Chad border. If you missed it the first time, then please don’t miss it again.

live8

Technorati & Bloggers Support the Live8 Concerts

Technorati has gotten in on the Make Poverty History campaign, the Live8 Concerts, and the upcoming G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland by featuring all kinds of cool stuff at their site. If you are interested checkout the Technorati Live8 homepage and get yourself one of 3 nifty little Technorati Live8 badges like the one proudly displayed on this blog (scroll down and look right).

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Update June 27th:
The new Global Fund for Women Weblog has a good article on how the Live8 Concerts and the upcoming Gleneagles G8 Summit agenda should also focus on the contributions that women are making to the development of African societies and politics and why they need more support from world political and business leaders. Checkout the article Live8 and Beyond by the GFW president Kavita Ramdas. "Hat Tip" to the folks at Technorati Live8 for the lead to this article.

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There may not even be a Berlin Live8 Concert if this June 24th article from Reuters news service is correct " Lack of German Live8 sponsors a disgrace". Even Deutsche Welle is pissed off about the German business community and the German government's lack of support for the concert in their article titled "Live8 Organizers Lash Out at Berlin Apathy". I don't understand why anyone is surprised. After all, the German government's Finance Minister Hans Eichel heldout until the last minute on the recent African Debt Relief negotiations and then the politically embattled German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder made a TV appearance claiming he was for the African Debt Relief deal all along. Here is Der Spiegel International's spin on the debt relief story here and here.

Oxfam, the U.K. humanitarian agency, published an interesting report about EU countries not living up to their promises on development aid and debt relief titled EU Heroes and Villains . According to this report 21 of the 25 EU member countries are dragging their feet in honoring committments made more than 5 years ago at the Millenium Development Goals conferences. Countries such as Ireland, Germany, and Italy are way behind the highly touted number of 0.7% GNI to be contributed toward aid and development by wealthy countries. According to the report it is calcualted that Germany will reach this level of aid contributions by the year 2087. Hey, that's cool, Africa's poor and hungry and the poor in the rest of the developing world can wait, right?

I think that I will sitout the Live8 Concert in Berlin this time around 'cause I am still suffering from headaches, hearing loss, and flashbacks from that last big Rock concert years ago: Woodstock!

Have fun kids and give 'em Hell up in Gleneagles!

live8

Freedom Blog Awards 2005 Winners

Congratuations to the winners of the 2005 Freedom Blog Awards organized and sponsored by Reporters without Borders and Deutsche Welle. Professor Jay Rosen, former Chairman of New York University's School of Journalism and author of the PressThink blog has a great posting on what it means to him to have received this recognition.

Jeff Ooi of Screenshots was the winner in the category for Asia and the only blogger on my shortlist to have won top honors. Ethan Zuckerman's My Heart's in Accra and Rebecca MacKinnon's NK Zone were among the 60 blog nominees selected for this international competition.

Unfortunately the RSF and Deutsche Welle staff responsible for this year's competition lumped African blogs and Middle Eastern blogs into the same category with a clear favoritism toward the latter (in my opinion). I noted that RSF does not lump their Africa and Middle East news into the same category so I wonder why they felt that it was O.K. to do this with bloggers?

Perhaps for next year's competition they will do a better job in familiarizing themselves with the African sector of the Blogosphere and make better choices for voters in the 2006 Freedom Blog Awards competition. The Deutsche Welle BOBs Best of the Blogs Awards 2004 had 100 nominees selected from more than 1000 blog entries submitted by bloggers from around the world.

BBC News: What African bloggers are saying about the G8 conference

It could be that this is old news and unfortunately I do not have time today to fully read and comment on this article from BBC News Magazine Weblog Watch for June 13th, but for bloggers writing about Africa and writing from Africa this is a Heads Up! on yet another prime time feature in the mainstream media (MSM) about bloggers and their collective impact on world events.

Some well-known African blogs are listed in this article i.e. Kenyan Pundit and tHINKEr's rOoM as well as a few that I thought had fallen off the edge of the Earth ages ago. Perhaps Weblog Watch Magazine could spend more serious time researching the African sector of the Blogosphere and do a follow-up story in the near future for the Africa '05 celebrations in the U.K.

CNN 25 Special - Blogging: The Fifth Estate

Here is a breaking news story that may be of interest to fellow blog authors and readers. As part of CNN’s 25th Anniversary Special the network hosted a special panel discussion about blogs and bloggers May 31st at the 2005 CNN World Report Conference. The special titled "Blogging: The Fifth Estate" is moderated by CNN senior journalist and news anchor Michael Holmes. The show features some lively panel discussions between Holmes, top blogging and marketing professionals, and the audience. Brian Stelter of TV Newser blogged the show LIVE which totally freaked out Michael Holmes to see how simple it is to Moblog from a wireless Internet connection. Thanks Fishbowl NY for the May 31st post on Brian at the CNN World Report Conference.

This show to my knowledge will not be cablecast in North America but is available only to international viewers of CNNI. The viewing times in Europe are Saturday June 11, 2005 at 12:00 CET and Sunday June 12, 2005 at 19:00 CET. I was able to catch about 30 minutes of the 1 hour long program today and it is a must see for people interested in the bloggers vs. the mainstream debate.

Our very own Rebecca MacKinnon of the Global Voices project at Harvard University was a featured guest on the show and YES Rebecca spoke up on CNNI for bloggers writing about Africa (Kenya and Zimbabwe) as well as for hard working bloggers from around the world. As a matter of fact she was the only panel member who had any extensive knowledge of what blog authors and readers are doing outside of the U.S.A. Other panel members were terrible in their knowledge about international blogging, although some tried to fake it. This should be a lesson for CNN executives and staffers to 1st check around the globe before you invite respected experts and blogging professionals to an important conference about The Blogosphere.

The panel also briefly discussed the issue of blogging from inside repressive regimes i.e. China and North Korea and the various methods bloggers are using today to protect themselves online from the GESTAPO, hackers, whackos, lunatics, et. Al. vermin in cyberspace.

Thanks Rebecca you were great and without a doubt the most informed member of the CNN panel on Global Blogging. So if your blog has been fortunate enough to get some coverage at the Global Voices Daily World Blog Updates you may see an increase in visitor traffic and even a pickup in sustained readership thanks to CNNI and Rebecca.

Top MSM journalists and TV news executives were in the audience including CNN’s Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour. It was clear that 27-year news veteran Michael Holmes was somewhat concerned about the blogging phenomena, uninformed about the technologies behind blogs (mobile, video, audio) but at the same time fascinated that ordinary citizens around the world were learning fast how to use blog publishing tools and services to communicate ideas and share knowledge in ways and in sheer numbers that is unprecedented in human history.

A very good introduction to the topic Blogs: The Fifth Estate would be the November 2004 article The Power and Politics of Blogs at Screenshots by Jeff Ooi, one of Malaysia's and Southeast Asia’s most respected and prolific bloggers.

Below is a list of panel members in attendance to the CNN Conference:

CNN 25 WORLD REPORT CONFERENCE May 30 – June 01, 2005 Atlanta, GA. U.S.A.
BLOGGING: THE FIFTH ESTATE Moderator – Michael Holmes, CNN

Discussion Panel members:

Brian Stelter – TV Newser
John Arovosis – Americablog
Chris Nolan – Personal Democracy Forum, Politics from Left to Right
John H. Hinderaker - Powerline
Rebecca MacKinnon – Global Voices Online, Rconversation, NK Zone
Howard Kaushansky - Umbria Communications (who?? check this link)

UPDATE June 13th: I watched the 1st half of the 1 hour CNNI special Blogging: The Fifth Estate on Sunday and would like to make the following corrections:

Christopher Allbritton, former AP and NY Daily News journalist and author of the popular blog Back to Iraq 3.0 was also a featured panel member on the show. Brian Stelter was not really a panel member but was simply blogging the conference live which caught the attention of Holmes and the show's director and got Stelter some free airtime. Or were those segments with blogger Brian Stelter staged? Another panel member present was the guy whose comments to a blog were the catalyst behind the U.S. bloggers feeding frenzy on Dan Rather & the CBS News program 60 Minutes "Memogate scandal" . Rather resigned from CBS in March 2005 due to a massive loss of credibility and to pressure received from U.S. bloggers and other unnamed network executive types at CBS. Hey this could really catch-on in other professions like politics for example. Oder?

Ethiopian Elections Update & the Carnival of Revolutions

While struggling to prepare myself to do a follow-up posting to Carine’s breaking news story on the AngloGold Ashanti mess down in the Ituri district of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo I received a “Heads-Up Notice” from one of my buddies re: the recent parliamentary elections in Ethiopia. It seems that the claimed victory by the ruling party in Ethiopia is beginning to spring some leaks, lots of leaks. Here is a list of links to blogs and news sites covering the developing story of the recent elections in Ethiopia:

The ethiopundit’s recent analysis and backgrounders on the elections:
Revolutionary Measures
Tiger by the Tail
Just Like Rasputin

BBC News coverage on the elections here and here.

The Washington Times on why U.S. election observers got kicked out and a Norwegian EU election observer was given the boot as well.

The University of Oslo’s report on the Ethiopian 2001 local elections:

A colorful report on the Ethiopian elections at the WILLisms blog:
Ethiopia: Maturation of an Emerging Democracy

UPDATE June 10th:
I see that the Gateway Pundit back in St. Louis has been on top of the unfolding story in Ethiopia as well. Now you've got trouble, two river rats (him and me) have joined up in the fray. It's good that he's got my back on Ethiopia so I can finally finish my "gloves off" posting on the D.R.C.
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Speaking of the WILLisms blog they have a really interesting new feature called the “Carnival of Revolutions”. You can find this week’s Carnival roundup over at the Publius Pundit blog. Also check their schedule for the location of upcoming Carnival blog hosts for 2005. Here is the link to last week's Carnival of Revolutions hosted by the Registan.net blog.

Have you read the June 03 article at WILLisms on Paul Wolfowitz taking over the helm at the World Bank? Good reading, especially the advice from Foreign Policy magazine and that nice smiley photo of the Wolf in a good mood. I wonder if he is going to be at the meeting today with Tony and George? Professor Jeffrey Sachs of the Earth Institute at Columbia University is not very confident that Bush understands the gravity of situation. I wonder what the American people have to say about the U.K.'s Commission for Africa proposals and the Debt Relief plan? Any tips on what I should be reading in regards to what Americans think vs. what the British press thinks we think?

Make Poverty History

I'm working on a particularly difficult posting at the moment re: the Democratic Republic of Congo that requires my full concentration, research abilities, and writing skills. I should have it ready in a day or two.

Lately I have noticed that people on the other side of the "Big Pond" are showing a lot of nervousness if I am to believe reports from press and media networks re: the upcoming visit to Washington by Tony Blair and the scheduled G8 Summit at Gleneagles, Scotland. A lot of this has to do with Tony Blair's Commission for Africa, debt relief for Africa, and so on and so forth.

My advice on all of this is as follows:

1. Chill out. Tony's among friends when he comes to the States. We know that we owe Tony a great deal and we don't need aging rock stars and fatass finance ministers (G. Brown & Co.) to help us remember stuff. The British people know that Americans have an awfully long and very good memory. People in Europe from Calais to the Caucuses know that Americans do not forget who owes who what and when the bill is due.

2. Millions of people in the States (We, the People...) want to help Africa(ns) solve their myriad problems and take their rightful place in the world economy and on the world stage as do millions of people in Europe. America has a long history with Africa and we have about 50+ million people of African descent to prove it (that's counting only North America, South America has even more).

The U.S.A. donates approximately TWICE AS MUCH FINANCIAL AID to developing nations as either of the next two leading donors (Japan, France). We are not interested in what percentage of your GDP is set aside for development and aid. We are interested in how much money you've got to spend on programs and projects that really work. We are interested in how much extra cash you in the G6+1 can come up with and make ready for immediate use to alleviate poverty and other problems in the developing world. How much you got??

3. After Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schroeder and other select EU leaders finish their business dinners and damage control meetings and what have you re: the collapse of the EU Constitution and other political/economic crisis facing the European Union, and after they finish picking the "Schweinehaxe und Saurkraut" out of their teeth give them this message from me and my people:

Come to Gleneagles with a plan for Africa that the American people will back and make sure that you (leaders and citizens of the G6+1) are ready to back that plan with money and know-how and not just talk. After all, the U.S.A. has many strategic plans for the people of Africa, plans to help secure the economic future of Africans, to secure the biologically sensitive and endangered plant and animal species of the continent, and all kinds of other plans. These plans are backed up by some of the finest minds and hardest working people on the planet: in business, in government and the public sector, in healthcare, in education, you name it we've got it.

And this message from U.S. is really, really important: If you catch somebody from our country inside Africa stealing, killing, and acting like a bloodsucker then turn that person in to the highest authority on the spot. You have our permission to do so, we the People of the United States of America. 100% Guaranteed. Of course, do this in as legal a manner as possbile, if that is at all possible. Otherwise, just do it and we can work on the consequences later.

Plans to help save a continent require working partnerships, and that means global partnerships. The most important partnership of all for Africa is the partnership and cross-border cooperation that Africans can offer to one another and to make it work. That is what NEPAD and the AU is supposed to be all about. Make it work or get rid of it and build something that really works for you and for us.

I truly believe that we (the World) working together can make it happen in Africa before my generation totally disappears from the face of the Earth. We can begin to Make Poverty History in Africa and elsewhere around the globe. Don't talk about it, Do It!

UPDATE June 06: Brian, author of the Black Star Journal blog has an excellent opinion essay on a similar subject over at his companion blog musings of a (fairly) young contrarian. Checkout his June 1st posting titled "Language bias, Live8, and sustainable development".

UPDATE June 08: Boy this is a hot debate amongst the Africans that I speak with daily here in Germany. Just this morning a Nigerian friend of mine pleaded with me "not to give them more money". He was of course talking about government officials in specific African nations and I can't influence where U.S. aid and development dollars go, unfortunately. Thanks to the Global Voices Daily World Blog Roundup I see that Ph.D. scholar Pampazuka of Chanuka has weighed-in on the subject and Emeka Okafor of Timbuktu Chronicles has recommended a good book on development issues in Africa via his May 4th posting " Africa Unchained: George Ayittey".

French voters reject EU Constitution

An appropriate follow-up to the downfall last week of Chancellor Schroeder’s Social Democratic Party in Germany has to be the resounding NON delivered by French voters yesterday at the doorstep of Jacques Chriac and the European Union HQ in Brussels. Old Europa is sinking ever deeper into a state of political, economic, and social crisis while the new EU member states look on in disbelief.

You may have already seen or read news reports and political commentaries about the meaning of the French vote and the consequences for all European Union member countries. Below are links to the German press (Der Speigel) and German state-run broadcast media (Deutsche Welle) as well as today's Technorati search results for 12,137+ postings on France's EU Constitution referendum, and last but not least an interesting pre-vote commentary by Gwen Pris for openDemocracy.org

Me? I have absolutely no comment. This is an internal affair for the Europeans to work out amongst themselves without any input from the U.S. of A. America has enough severe problems of its own right now without having to worry about who the French are frying now.

I am just as dumbfounded and shocked as poor ol’ Jacques Chirac. All that work, all that time, all that money, for a NON!!? I’d feel sorry for the guy if I had any feelings for him at all, which I don’t. I wonder how those clear thinking and liberal minded citizens over in the Netherlands are going to vote on Wednesday? I wonder what this means for the fate of the world?? Not much, probably.


Der Speigel: Going Dutch on the EU Referendum,
Der Spiegel: Chirac Gets French Fried
Deutsche Welle: French vote not end of Europe
Technorati search: EU Constitution
OpenDemocracy: The end of the European Union

Germany's Gerhard Schroeder Down for the Count!

A telephone conversation with Washington D.C. last night:

Me: "Yes Ma'am. He's gone, 1st Round Knockout from what I can see. Results? Tonto's watching the numbers coming in right now on ZDF. What the numbers look like Tonto?"

Tonto: "The numbers (election results) say he's gone. The voters in all 15 German states have told Chancellor Schroeder, the SPD, and the Greens it's time to pack up and get outa here."

Me: "Did you hear? Me too, I'm really happy to see him go too. That lyin', backstabbing, good for nothin' sapsuc........! This is cause for celebration. Mission accomplished I'd say. Can we come home now? We sure do miss the folks back home, you know?!? Pleeeassee!"

(Pause while I'm listening to caller speak.)

Me: "FRANCE!!! Oh no Ma'am, we don't wanna go to France! You know the last time I was over there I almost died from food poisoning. Plus they couldn't understand a darn thing I was saying, kept trying to convince me that all I needed was a shot in the arm. Oh no Ma'am, not France. What else you got in that deck of cards of yours? How 'bout Spain? At least the food is decent down there in..."

Just kidding of course..:-). Right.

I'm sure you've already heard about the brutal defeat handed to Germany's Bundeskanzler Gerhard Schroeder and his Red/Green Coalition in the German state of Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW) by now. The election results prognosis was ready within about 10 minutes after the polls closed last night and Schroeder & Co. were told to start packing! I'm a bit sad to see Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer go though. At least you could count on what Joschka said was what he (almost) believed.

The international news media is just in a feeding frenzy at the moment. If your Deutsch language skills are up to snuff then dig right in here at Der Spiegel's online edition. For English speakers here is what Der Spiegel's english language edition has to say about the NRW elections and you can also follow events on their new (pseudo)blog Daily Take over the next weeks.

I wonder who's next? Ch-Iraq?

Update May 24th:

The ZDF (Second German TV channel) website has a really interesting Macromedia Flash video presentation titled Schicksals Jahr 1945 about the end of WWII in Germany from a German perspective. Moderator is the infamous Guido Knopp, one of Germany's leading documentary film and video producers and The Authority over here on documenting what really went down. The ZDF Flash video includes German survivors of WWII giving their testimony about those last dark days as well, so check it out. Can't get this kind of stuff back in Kansas you know. Riveting.

L.A. Elects Latino Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

The citizens of the sprawling U.S. megalopolis Los Angeles have elected the first Latino mayor in 133 years (since 1872) when the "City of Angels" was nothing more than a dusty frontier outpost of less than 6,000 residents. Here is the full story at the L.A. Times. Be sure to checkout the L.A. Times election blog and other related articles on this important political story.

Here is a brief history on L.A.'s (3) former Latino mayors. O.K., the real number is only 2 1/2 because one former Latino mayor, Manuel Requena who served in 1856, was a stand-in for only 13 days. It seems that the 3-time elected Mayor of Los Angeles, Stephan Clark Foster, had to step out for a few days to head up one of his infamous Lynching Parties so he put the Mexican guy in charge until he got back. Thanks to the folks over at the NNDB website for the great profile and background info on this "Hang 'em High" American frontier politician.

Born and raised in the predominantly Spanish-speaking barrios of East L.A. the newly elected Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa unseated the incumbant James Kahn with the help of a rapidly growing Latin-American voter population in L.A., and help from the African-American voters and from none other than the present Governor of California himself, Arnold Schwarzeneggar.

I wonder what that the Presidente of Mexico Vicente Fox has to say now, especially if he has plans to travel to L.A. to congratulate the new Mexican-American political heavyweight? I can hear him now, that is, if El Presidente ever gets the nerve to show up in L.A. in person:

"Can't we just all get along, por favor?!"

"Newsweek Lied, People Died" by Glenn Reynolds

This is one of those Blogosphere Wildfires that doesn't really need much input from me. Professor Glenn Reynolds (author of the Instapundit blog) and fellow bloggers have thrown down the gauntlet at the feet of Newsweek regarding the false report about personell at Guantanomo Bay flushing Korans down toilets.

Start here at MSNBC's GlennReynolds.com, hop over to the Instapundit blog here and just start scrolling down until you reach the May 16th postings, then dive in. Don't miss the barroom brawl that's broken out between the Blogosphere and Adam Cohen & friends of the New York Times re: "Ethics and Blogging" as referenced in Glenn Reynold's May 9th posting here. I should not forget to thank Ingrid over at Uganda Watch for breaking the news early on May 10th here.

Ain't blogging just grand? And you thought that nobody was listening. Me? I'm just going to sit back and read and listen. I love a good fight as long as nobody gets hurt. This is better than that new TV series Deadwood that ethiopundit was writing about the other day.

Ethiopia Decides: 2005 Parliamentary Elections

Surely you have heard about the (relative) calm and very high (80-89%) voter turnout at the polls in Ethiopia on Sunday. According to this BBC News article international observers seem to be pleased with the election so far as well as the ruling EPRDF party and to a somewhat lesser extent the main opposition party, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD). I guess what really matters in the end is that the people of Ethiopia are satisfied with the voting process and the election results so that they can move forward.

My fellow blog author ethiopundit has been providing the Blogosphere with extensive and excellent insights into politics and life in Ethiopia for many months now. The ethiopundit is clearly not in favor of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front taking a 3rd term in office and his writings are a must read for anyone seriously interested in learning how politics and history work in Ethiopia today. Many many thanks for your tireless work ethioblogger.

Another very good blog on life in Ethiopia is Meskel Square by journalist Andrew Heavens. Meskel Square's blog archive for May 2005 has two good articles about the elections and I'm sure there will be more to follow. Meskel Square is the historic 16-lane traffic junction in the nation's capitol Addis Ababa. Andrew's blog is a great read and he has lot's of good photos of Ethiopia available at Flickr.

So if your want the "inside scoop" on what's going on in this ancient and magnificent African country make sure you stop by ethiopundit and Meskel Square and use the resouces available in their respective blogrolls. Good Luck on the road to democratization Ethiopia and congratulations on the excellent voter turnout. Even children are allowed to vote down there! Maybe we oughta try that out in the "West". I bet you we would have fewer wars and less poverty and corruption in business and international affairs if kids could vote (without their parents in tow, of course).

Let children have a real voice in national politics. Give Kids the Vote!

Mexico's President makes racist slur toward African-Americans

Updated May 16th:

In a speech on Friday last week before a group of Texas businessmen Mexico's President Vicente Fox said and I quote:

"There is no doubt that Mexicans, filled with dignity, willingness and ability to work are doing jobs that not even blacks want to do there in the United States...."

Nah, he didn't say that. Did he? Nah, can't be. He's the Presidente of Mexico. Maybe he meant jobs that not even (black) slaves want to do, or Indans, or something like that. Oder? Lot's of history between Africans and Mexicans and between Native-Americans and Mexicans too.

Here is what the Washington Post and the Chicago Sun Times had to say about this little booboo by "El Presidente". The whole incident has to do with Fox's disappointment with proposed U.S. legislation to tighten borders and attempt better control of illegal immigration from south of the Rio Grande AND to slow down the US$128 billion dollars worth of illegal drugs pouring over the Mexican-U.S. border every year. Just think if that amount of money was re-directed toward helping to relieve the Mexican people's miserable poverty and invested in projects for developing countries around the world. One-hundred-twenty-eight billion dollars is a lot of money El Presidente!!

Talk about the Wild Wild West (Nuevo Laredo). Remember the Alamo. Charge!!!

Business Success Stories in Africa

Ethan is back from Japan and has posted The Ghanaian Success Story on May 10th to his blog. All writers who really care about Africa need to do more to better research, write, and publish stories that point out Africa’s successes. And yes that goes for Yours Truly most of all.

It is just as easy to find good news and success stories about Africa as it is to find stories about humanitarian crisis, war, and other depressing stuff. One thing we can do better is to stop relying so heavily on the MSM for our news and views and begin to source our own news from people living and working in Africa and by sharing and using more information with one another.

Here is a related posting at Howard French’s A Glimpse of the World titled “The Africa You Never See”. The original article appeared in the Washington Post and was written by Carol Pineau. Here is the World Bank March 18th press release about Pineau’s documentary film Africa Open for Business and the link to the Africa: Open for Business website.

A “Hat Tip” to Kenya Hudson at Ambiguous Adventure and to Emeka of The Timbuktu Chronicles for helping to get Pineau’s story out into the Blogosphere last month.

Jewels in the Jungle 1st Anniversary

Today one year ago we (Tonto and I) launched this weblog. We were skeptical that anybody would pay attention. We were not sure that we could consistently keep at it by providing good content to the blog and holding our readers interest. We didn't know squat about Africa, at least that is what our African friends here would tell us when arguments got a bit hot under the collar. We weren't sure if Blogger would last and not crash & burn like they did back in 2003 with their earlier software version(s). We couldn't imagine that blogging would take off like wildfire around the globe at the rate of 40,000 new blogs a day and climbing.

In short, we didn't know nuthin' but we were willing to give it a shot in an attempt to help draw people's attention to Africa. To get people to do more about Africa if all they did was to think about the continent and the people and the invaluable natural wonders of Africa more. And last but not least we were skeptical about the chance that people from all over the globe would be talking back to us and working together with us in order to help us and our readers to understand more about Africa and how Africans view and interact with the world we all live in.

One year later we realize that we were wrong about almost everything. The only thing we were right about is that even if a handfull of people interacted with us via this basic web-based software tool that we would be surprised beyond belief. One year ago we could have never imagined that we would find ourselves in the company and comfort of fellow blog authors and readers of such integrity, talent, courage, and imagination.

So I and Tonto are forever in your debt for a wonderful and challenging year online. We promise to get better at our research and writing and creativity in an effort to inform and "edutain" and share information with our fellow bloggers and readers during the next year(s). Perhaps our combined efforts will help in small ways to light the fires in people's minds and form the global building blocks necessary to build the bridges between us and them, the haves and the have-nots, between you my readers and the beautiful children and people of Africa featured so prominently on this blog during the past year.

Thank you so much for a great year.

Photographer & Friends in Uganda

Susanne & Friends; Jinja District, Uganda
Photo by Susanne Behnke, Uganda 2003

The German photographer and teacher Susanne Behnke hanging out with her newfound friends down in Jinja District near Lake Victoria, southeastern Uganda. Thanks Susanne for the use of your wonderful photos on Jewels in the Jungle during our first year in the Blogosphere.

Update May 12th: I've made a few corrections to the captions on photos of schoolchildren that I posted yesterday. The primary school where these photos were taken in 2003 is located in Iganga District of southeastern Uganda. All photos of Uganda (lots of them) I have published to this blog up until today were taken either in Jinja or Iganga districts, in the Busoga Kingdom.

I always confuse Jinja city on Lake Victoria at the source of the Nile river as being in the south of the country, but now we've got that corrected all by ourselves. You can study and download maps of Uganda at the U.N. Cartographic Section site and the U.S. State Department's Bureau of African Affairs has a good background summary on Uganda.

I will have more on how the kids are doing down in Iganga and Jinja districts as soon as we can get some reliable information out of there. That's a whole 'nother story all by itself and I haven't had any substantial information from people in this area working with these children since I'd say June last year. I apparently stumbled upon some information last year about a suspicious group of people (supposedly) working with orphaned children that I wasn't supposed to see or know about, but it would be unfair of me to say more until I know more. I will find out somehow and fortunately it does not involve the children shown in these photos. In the meantime you can learn more about Uganda and their President Museveni at the BBC News Country Profiles and the IRIN News section on Uganda.