A Gardener's Glimpse at Madrid, Spa... Jan 3, 2009
The 20 acre site displays plants from five continents such as South African iris, peonies from China and soapbark trees from Chile. Madrid has 40 public parks across the city. (Suite101.com)
S.F. struggles to stop, solve killings Jan 3, 2009
" New police strategies In looking for ways to cut homicides, San Francisco officials have drawn a clearer picture of how they happen and how concentrated they are. Much of the city is almost unscathed. A study of San Francisco's 98 homicides in 2007 by researchers at UC Berkeley's law school found that they routinely involved the same gangs terrorizing the same neighborhoods. Almost three-fourths of arrested suspects - and more than three-fourths of victims - had criminal records. In any given... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Martin Flanagan Sporting greats begin the drive to success and take everyone along for the ride. Read more Jan 3, 2009
Australian and South African squads practice at the Sdyney Cricket Ground ahead of the third and final Test ... While Mitchell Johnson put a major tremor through the South African batting in the first innings in Perth, in Melbourne he didn't seem to bother them unduly ... When South African captain Graeme Smith said it was an honour to have beaten Australia in Australia, you understood that he actually meant what he was saying. (The Age, Australia)
Political winners and losers of 2008 Jan 2, 2009
Barack Obama: The first African American elected president ran a nearly flawless campaign, turned out new constituencies, reshaped the political map and revolutionized campaigning. His reward: two wars, a foundering economy, growing unemployment, record home foreclosures and a short window to produce change before the 2010 midterm election campaigns start. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Liverpool's year Jan 2, 2009
Why some fondly recall an African dictatorship. Explore the BBC. (BBC News -- Europe)
Ruben Navarrette Jr.: Liberals need to lighten up and examine their own racism Jan 2, 2009
Ehrenstein, who is African American, wrote that besides running for president, Obama was also "running for an equally important unelected office, in the province of the popular imagination the 'Magic Negro' (who is) there to assuage white 'guilt' (i.e., the minimal discomfort they feel) over the role of slavery and racial segregation in American history." ... It's basically a message to white folks that just because they've accepted Barack Obama doesn't mean they're off the hook for more than... (Sacramento Bee -- Opinion)
Professor Wrestling: Best Of 2008 Jan 2, 2009
2 million-year-old hominid known as Lucy, the oldest adult human ancestor fully retrieved from African soil. Learn about other important discoveries of human evolution known to scientists. (KIRO TV, WA)
Faces From Obama's Past Reemerge Jan 1, 2009
Rush said that he did not back a specific candidate but that "we really are about the principle that there should be an African American." Obama was the only African American in the Senate ... "My prayers have been answered," Rush said, "because I prayed fervently that the governor would continue the legacy established by President-elect Obama, and that the governor would appoint an African American to complete the term of President Obama.". (CBS News)
South Africa: New Year Brings New Challenges for SA Leaders Jan 1, 2009
South African leaders have delivered their parting shots for 2008 and expressed their hopes for South Africa in 2009, with their focus firmly on the looming general elections. The message to South Africans from this year's favourite bad boy, ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema, was clear: "Our focus is to secure victory for the ANC. All South Africans must go out and vote ANC." ... South Africans also had to work on improving their attitudes towards people from other countries, striving for a... (allAfrica.com)
Sydney's best NYE parties Dec 31, 2008
Gervais Koffi performs African and Caribbean sounds, the John Field Band perform rock and pop and Rockpool see in the New Year. From 6pm, Darling Harbour, 9240 8500, free. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
SCSU to help teachers create 'culturally relevant' classrooms Dec 31, 2008
For example, Fields notes research has documented that African American boys are very active and like to move around the classroom ... According to Fields, an unintentional cultural divide exists between young African American male students and white female teachers, a group which makes up 86 percent of early childhood teachers nationally ... She is particularly concerned with the education of African American males, saying the demographic has an alarmingly low number of college graduates... (Orangeburg Times and Democrat, SC)
Is SA education system failing? Dec 31, 2008
The uneven matric results for 2008 show that despite a drastic curriculum change South African education is still plagued by problems rooted in the apartheid era, observers said on Tuesday ... But Zille too said not all South Africans were getting an equal start in school ... "There is a long way to go before every school pupil has is given real opportunities to improve their lives, through quality education. This should be a birthright of every South African, and we have a long, difficult road... (iAfrica.com)
Observance of African heritage spans seven days (475) Dec 30, 2008
Observance of African heritage spans seven days ... But it's the symbols and principles of the seven-day observance, which began Friday, of African heritage that she tries to share through her daily life ... sweetea wrote on Dec 30, 2008 12:06 AM:" our children are not taught it except for during the month of Februrary. African American history is more than Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, & Rosa Parks. It is about discovering the other side of American history. So running stories on Kawanzaa and... (Jefferson City News Tribune, MO)
Sweet revenge as Smith leads beer and cheer squad Dec 30, 2008
28pm, long after Hashim Amla had stroked the winning runs, Graeme Smith led his South African team back onto the MCG playing surface ... Over a few cathartic, beer-fuelled moments, the South African captain screamed to the heavens in celebration of the greatest achievement of his esteemed cricketing career ... Smith has become the first South African captain to claim a series victory on Australian soil in 98 years, but history only partially explains the meaning of this result. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
Where did it all go wrong? Dec 30, 2008
Arrogance of the captain and selfish mindset helped South Africans to take advantage of the situation ... They came to the ground to bat, the mindset had few chances of tackling a south african resurgence ... when are we going to see some decent wickets for the bowlers perth was flat ,melbourne is flat and tailenders are scoring big runs in all games we have to relise test cricket needs to guard the bowlers and give them a pitch with something in it i know that the african bowlers knocked our... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
Top SA designers of '08 Dec 30, 2008
It was almost a Japanese allegory but in a very South African style ... Thula has had the opportunity to show in many African countries this year which is in recognition of his talent as well as his enthusiasm and next year is sure to bring even greater accolades that this. (iAfrica.com)
Arts person of the year: Matthew Teitelbaum Dec 30, 2008
I spent another moment sitting in the inner sanctum of the Frum African collection, absorbing the striking arrangement of tribal sculptures in a calm, synthetic twilight. Taking my cue from another visitor in the Galleria Italia, I lay down on my back for a while on a bench and looked up at the curving Douglas fir beams, arcing through space. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Kwanzaa celebrates heritage Dec 30, 2008
Arts and crafts, African food samples and folklore were a part of the African-American holiday. It begins on Dec. 26 and runs for seven days until Jan. 1 The nonreligious holiday takes a close look at the worldwide contributions of African-American people. (Racine Journal Times, WI)
African Union bars Guinea over coup Dec 30, 2008
African Union bars Guinea on coup ... The African Union has suspended Guinea after last week's military coup in the West African nation ... But the African Union decided not to apply sanctions and said it would work closely with the coup plotters, to try to bring Guinea back to constitutionality. (BBC News -- Africa)
Celebration explores meaning of Kwanzaa Dec 27, 2008
SIOUX CITY -- In describing how some African-Americans dress in traditional outfits to celebrate Kwanzaa, Patricia Pitts modeled a gele -- a headwrap with a matching scarf ... Pitts, her husband and two sons attended the event sponsored by the Sioux City Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the African American Cultural Museum, based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa ... The seven-day event helps blacks recall their African heritage, honor their family and celebrate... (Sioux City Journal)
New Heritage Trail is in the works Dec 27, 2008
"People were taken from Angola and Nigeria, brought to Ghana and taken across the waters to South America, Central America, the Caribbean and then eventually to the United States. In some cases, they came directly across to places like Rhode Island, to a specific place." Mr. Bey is a New Milford High School graduate and attended the University of Nevada in Las Vegas before studying African culture and heritage through the arts, including his impressive African drumming. He has studied with some... (New Milford Times, CT)
Giving back through music Dec 27, 2008
African drumming, Celtic fiddle and more than two hours of marimba music. Suggested donation: 15. (Corvallis Gazette Times, OR)
EssentialBaby Dec 26, 2008
When Sian headed off to volunteer in an African centre for abandoned and HIV/AIDS affected children, she never dreamed she would end up adopting a child herself. 23 Dec. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Recession colors Christmas in Bay Area churches Dec 26, 2008
In his heavily African American congregation, many see the most prominent symbol of hope as the election of Barack Obama as president. The Rev. Mark Labberton of First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley believes that one of the dangers of the economic crisis is that it can cultivate a culture of fear. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Crime)
Recession colors Christmas in Bay Area churches Dec 26, 2008
In his heavily African American congregation, many see the most prominent symbol of hope as the election of Barack Obama as president. The Rev. Mark Labberton of First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley believes that one of the dangers of the economic crisis is that it can cultivate a culture of fear. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
Foreclosure forces family apart Dec 26, 2008
Latino and African-American homebuyers were more likely to be directed to subprime mortgages than whites, according to a 2006 study by the Center for Responsible Lending ... Nationally, African-American home buyers were 2 ... But Valerie Saunders, president elect of the Florida Association of Mortgage Brokers, rejects that race, ethnicity or culture have anything to do with Hispanics and African-Americans getting higher-rate mortgages. (Daytona Beach News Journal)
Palo Alto begins work on new recreation plan Dec 26, 2008
Consequently, the countries like England,India, Pakistan, Australia and the West Indies are the traditional players, but countries such as Wales, Scotland and Ireland, other European countries and African countries are beginning to play also. It is the Indian community here that are most interested with the other traditional players also taking an interest. (Palo Alto Online, CA)
Elizabeth Alexander: Inaugural poet with an outsize audience Dec 26, 2008
The African, the Native American, the Sioux. The Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek. (International Herald Tribune)
Opinion: Obama's Victory and Africa's Hypocrisy Dec 26, 2008
But for Africans, what other reason beside the sentimental consideration that a fellow brother African now becomes President of U.S., can we adduce to bedrocks our own euphoria at the election of Obama. If one may ask, what business do African countries, together with their stinking leaders, have in rejoicing over Obama's victory at the U.S. poll when we know in our hearts of hearts that we will never allow the kind of system that has produced Obama in U.S. election to be replicated in our own... (allAfrica.com)
Guinea: Army Captain Named Head of State, Promises Elections Dec 26, 2008
All we have to do is to support the present coup leader Captain Kamara, as an african we should start to think outside the box,he has made a promise that he will hand over in 2010 ... And, correctly so: ain't no nation called "GUINEA." An occupied West African territory called "Guinea" vraiment. (allAfrica.com)
Heritage, culture key Kwanzaa components Dec 26, 2008
The holiday, founded in 1966 during the American civil rights movement, is meant to supplement Christmas and all its English Victorian traditions, and instill pride in African-American heritage. "It's a source of unity and pride to the African-American community. It's something that reaffirmed unity and pride within individuals," said Janet McClain, an instructor with the University of Northern Iowa College of Education ... "We set up a little table with some African cloths," she said. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
An epic year? Historians debate 2008 Dec 26, 2008
He voted in the Democratic primary for Hillary Rodham Clinton, the first woman with a serious shot at the presidency, and in the general election for Barack Obama, the first African American elected president. Kennelly paid as much as $4. (USA Today)
Weakest link in US-China ties endures Dec 25, 2008
Pirates have become extremely active off the African coast since the early 2000s. Vessels of many countries, including China's, have been attacked by pirates on the high seas. (Asia Times Online)
Man's Lineage Dec 25, 2008
The species within the Australopithecus genus include anamensis, africanus, afarensis, robustus, and boisei ... Africanus was lightly built in bone and jaw structure ... It is believed that while the heavily structured robustus remained vegetarian, africanus ventured into eating meat. (Suite101.com)
Greatest couscous in film history! Dec 25, 2008
te many years ago from an unspecified North African country. (Kechiche himself, who is 48, was born in Tunisia. (Salon)
Recession colors Christmas in Bay Area churches Dec 25, 2008
In his heavily African American congregation, many see the most prominent symbol of hope as the election of Barack Obama as president. The Rev. Mark Labberton of First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley believes that one of the dangers of the economic crisis is that it can cultivate a culture of fear. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Film Review: Humble souls, richly nourished Dec 25, 2008
In the background of "The Secret of the Grain" is a similar migration that began in the 1960s, when men and women like Slimane and Souad left the newly liberated North African French colonies to seek their fortunes in metropolitan France, a country they regarded as both benefactor and oppressor. In the decades since, France has reluctantly claimed them and their children as citizens, even as it has stigmatized and marginalized them, and this mutual ambivalence is the implicit subject of this... (International Herald Tribune)
Corruption's cost, beyond Blagojevich Dec 23, 2008
Kuchani, an African Lion, enjoys a treat hidden inside a wrapped box at Sydney's Taronga Zoo. REUTERS/Tim Wimborne. (Yahoo News)
Taking the theatre of healing to Rwanda Dec 23, 2008
Capraru was also moved by life in a culture that, outside its strong history of traditional African performance, has little modern music, few books, cinemas that primarily play Manchester United soccer matches and a culture that sees men spend their evenings congregating in bars (optimistically called cabarets) while women and children stay home. There's not a lot for families to do. (Globe and Mail)
Coup in Guinea after president's death Dec 23, 2008
Army officers seized power in Guinea on Tuesday hours after the death of president Lansana Conte, suspending the west African nation's constitution and summoning ministers to a military base ... The African Union said it would hold an emergency meeting of its Peace and Security Council on Tuesday or Wednesday to discuss the situation in Guinea ... "If the army coup is confirmed, it is a flagrant violation of the constitution and of African legality which absolutely forbids unconstitutional... (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
"Big Brother" addiction leads to cultural war in Israel Dec 23, 2008
Some defenders noted that the reality show reflected the ethnic division between Jews of Middle Eastern and North African descent and the Jewish immigrants from Europe, saying that is the real cultural war in Israeli society occurring every day. JTA news service described the program was "a 21st-century cultural showdown between Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews", even though the producer reminded in a statement that the viewers at home should remember that the contestants "represent themselves, and... (Xinhuanet, China)
The idiocy and prospects of Gbediames juju Dec 22, 2008
Thats deadly, in the broader African spiritual realm, you dont anger a juju-marabout medium, no matter what, you just walk away for the safety of your soul if there is (or are) any unanswered issues ... No doubt, juju is highly sort after by Ghanaian/African Big Men and Big Women in their ego trips as is the case with Gbediame ... Talking of juju and African Big Men, Gbediame reminds me of the late Liberian President Samuel Kanyon Doe. (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Hard times demand YSL Dec 22, 2008
There they were, the clothes that made his reputation as the man who dressed all women for the latter half of the 20th century: the peacoats, the tuxedos, the safari shirts, the austere black dresses, the glorious African beadwork ... He spent his career mashing up working-class wear (the peacoats, the biker jackets), "ethnic" dress (traditional Chinese qipaos, variations on the hijab, and the beadwork traditions of virtually every African tribe), and the power roles inherent in gendered... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
Valatie teen joins the ‘2 percent’ of Americans Dec 22, 2008
Although it s true that there are large, strong, high-flying eagles who hunt deer, she said, there are also eagles who fit in the palm of your hand, and African eagles who spend their lives walking around, looking for snakes to eat. And there are eagles who only eat fruit. (Hudson Register Star, NY)
Portsmouth area community calendar Dec 22, 2008
Sweet Honey in the Rock is a Grammy Award-winning all-female a cappella vocal ensemble committed to creating music out of the rich textures of the African American legacy and tradition. Tickets are $50 general admission and $20 for youth and available by calling the Memorial Union Building box office at 862-2290 Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets can now be purchased online at www. (Seacoast New Hampshire)
What\'s the Matter With Kwanzaa? Dec 22, 2008
I felt guilty watching it, knowing that I had been so glib all these years about the pan-African celebration of black family, community and culture ... It fit right in with black is beautiful mantras, pan-African ideals and black nationalism ... Looking back on it, wearing kente cloth and knowing words in Swahili didn't make me any more authentically African than I already am. (Slate)
fiction, poetry books Dec 21, 2008
This smart novel is the story of DJ Darky, an African American expat in Berlin who is a "jukebox sommelier" on a quest to find his doppelganger. SONGS FOR THE MISSING. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
What the Volta Region Means to Me Dec 21, 2008
About five years ago, I met a middle-aged African-American woman who had adopted the township and people of the Nkwanta district of the Volta Region of Ghana as her kin. We had met at the Schomburg Library for Research in Black Culture, billed as housing the single largest collection of literature and artifacts on African people across the globe ... Harlem was also once described as having the largest urban concentration of African people outside of either Ibadan or Lagos, Nigeria. (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Zimbabwe: Mozambique Urges Power Sharing Dec 21, 2008
At an end of year reception given to the diplomatic corps, Guebuza pointed out that peace and stability are key factors for the success of regional integration in SADC (Southern African Development Community) ... He stressed in particular the need to strengthen the African Union's conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms, to step up social and economic development, and "to consolidate democratic culture and practices" ... Tell us this,dear foreigners, do you remember any time that Africans... (allAfrica.com)
The inner Obama Dec 21, 2008
Obama notes that his appearance is black, but he also recognizes that, with his intelligence and education, he could have turned his back on his African roots and let himself become subsumed into the white mainstream culture ... What they needed, and what everyone needs, he writes, is "a faith born out of hardship, a faith that wasn't new, that wasn't black or white or Christian or Muslim but that pulsed in the heart of the first African village and the first Kansas homestead -- a faith in other... (Erie Times-News, PA)
In the cradle of Old Mexico Dec 21, 2008
Other items include a Chinese sculpture that is a replica of a Xian warrior displayed in the foyer, as well as some rare African sculptures from Mali beside the patio. National Geographic Traveler magazine published a story in the September issue listing 50 great discoveries in Mexico. (Sierra Vista Herald, AZ)
A Rare Opportunity Dec 19, 2008
"America I AM: The African American Imprint" will open Jan. 15 at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday ... where he composed his famous "Letter From the Birmingham Jail"; the "Doors of No Return," through which Africans trod before boarding slave ships in what is now Ghana; the desk that literary pioneer Phillis Wheatley used to write "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral," which was published in 1773; and Mary McLeod Bethune's walking... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Strange encounter Dec 19, 2008
The BBC's Mike Thomson has a memorable meeting with a rebel commander in the Central African Republic, eventually ... My meeting with Colonel Maradas Lakoue was supposed to be a highlight of my trip to the Central African Republic ... " But, I asked, if violence and instability had got this country nowhere, surely he should be pursuing democratic routes to get progress. "The political path didn't work so we had no option but to pick up weapons to try and change things," he replied. Read Mike... (BBC News)
can lead you. Dec 19, 2008
"That's a harder course - to worry about the larger culture and try to make this country a better place. Many years ago, O'Malley walked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. on the streets of Boston to fight for civil rights, he said, adding, "To think my daughter helped to elect an African American as president of the United States, in one lifetime. makes me speechless," he said. "It's a magnificent, wonderful thing for me personally to see, to see something me and a million others believed in, and... (Allston Brighton TAB, MA)
Roman battlefield unearthed deep inside Germany Dec 19, 2008
Arrowheads point to the involvement on the Roman side of Persian and North African archers, while the paths followed by the Roman soldiers can be traced thanks to nails left from their sandals. Archaeologists do not know who won the battle. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
* US balks at UNs stance on gay rights Dec 19, 2008
NON-BINDING RESOLUTION: More than one-third of members signed the declaration, which more than 50 nations, including Islamic, African and Asian countries, oppose AP, UNITED NATIONS Saturday, Dec 20, 2008, Page 7. Alone among major Western nations, the US refused to sign a declaration presented at the UN on Thursday calling for worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
44 comment(s) Dec 19, 2008
rudy33 wrote on Dec 18, 2008 1:17 PM:" Chopper man:Look back into your ancestry. I wonder which country you came from? Every person in this country originated from another country. All were welcome then, all should be welcome now. There are people of Mexican, African American, Chinese, etc descent fighting for your a** right now in Iraq, keeping this a free country. Be grateful. Stop being so prejudice! ". louie wrote on Dec 18, 2008 1:19 PM:" Yay chopperman. ". (Muscatine Journal, IO)
Barefoot Luxury in Indonesia Dec 19, 2008
An exhibit that gives "fender bender" a whole new meaning, eat, drink and be merry at a stylish South African retreat, a Hong Kong restaurant caters to expecting mothers with fetus-friendly meals. The Starck family reshapes a Paris hotel, metal gives a futuristic sheen to practical designs, and the lowly shipping container inspires a whole school of construction. (Time.com)
The world's coolest hotels Dec 18, 2008
Instead of heading off on an African safari, Americans might choose the Caribbean. There, they will find the Goldeneye Resort. (MSNBC -- Travel)
The origins of the holidays Dec 18, 2008
Kwanzaa: The Harvest Holiday Kwanzaa is a non-religious African American holiday that celebrates family, community, and culture ... Dr. Maulana Karenga a professor and chairman of the Black Studies Department at California State University, Long Beach, created Kwanzaa in 1966 after searching for ways to bring African Americans together as a community ... Karenga studied African harvest celebrations and combined aspects of several different celebrations to form the basis of Kwanzaa. (The Dolphin, CT)
MLK, Malcolm X, Ali artifacts in new exhibit Dec 18, 2008
"America I AM: The African American Imprint to open on King holidayAmong the items that will be on displayin "America I AM: The African American Imprint" exhibit is the key to Martin Luther King Jr.'s jail cell in Birmingham, Ala., where he composed his famous "Letter From the Birmingham Jail. " Birmingham Civil Rights Institute / APMost popular Most viewed Top rated Most e-mailedupdated 1:27 p.m. ET Dec. 17, 2008PHILADELPHIA - A letter from President Lincoln guaranteeing... (MSNBC -- News)
Japan quietly seeks global leadership niches Dec 17, 2008
Working with the UN Development Program, the country just invested $92 million to help 21 African countries deal with climate change part of its $10 billion Cool Earth Partnership. And the rise in piracy off Somalia has prompted discussion of a bill to allow Japan, constitutionally limited to a defensive military, to send destroyers to escort oil tankers and commercial ships. (Christian Science Monitor -- USA)
Skinheads Unite Against Racial Prej... Dec 17, 2008
Ironically, the first were not only accepting of non-Anglo races, but rushed to embrace the artistic contributions of a variety of cultures, specifically Jamaican, Latin, and African American, and held particular appreciation for musicians of such origins. Ska, punk rock, and rocksteady were integral to the set of fashion and musical sensibilities that helped grow the movement. (Suite101.com)
New dissident SAfrican party can break ANC hegemony: press Dec 17, 2008
The Congress of The People (COPE) was launched Tuesday by disenchanted members of the African National Congress, with promises to address poverty, crime, unemployment and review the racially-charged affirmative action policy ... "They can claim to be everything the ANC is not. They can talk colour. They can draw in the big names. But until the majority of South Africans see their issues on COPE's agenda, then the new party is a non-starter.". (Africasia)
Kenya: Renewed Campaign to Protect Women's Land Rights Dec 17, 2008
Land is a thorny issue in the East African country. It is the principal source of livelihood and material wealth for a majority, and carries cultural significance for many Kenyans. (allAfrica.com)
