Mashindano ya Nguruwe

Mashindano ya Nguruwe nchini Ireland!

Kina Klothing Yafungua Duka Mtandaoni

Salaam kwa wadau wote blogu ya Swahili Time.
Kina Klothing ina furaha kuwafahamisha kuwa tumefungua duka letu mtandaoni na unaweza sasa kununua Tshirt moja kwa moja kupitia http://www.kinaklothing.com/
Kina ni kampuni mpya ya nguo ambayo inawakilisha Bongo na Afrika kwa ujumla. Kwa utambulisho tumetoka na kollektion inayoitwa Uhuru St. kwa sababu neno uhuru linabeba sababu nzima ya sisi kuanzisha Kina.
Vilevile hii ni lebo ya mavazi ya kitaa na Uhuru ni mtaa wa kwanza katika mfululizo wa kollektion zitakazobeba majina ya mitaa mbalimbali ya Bongo na Afrika kwa ujumla.
Kama kauli mbiu yetu inavyosema “Vitu vyetu. Kivyetu” basi ndio tunavyotarajia kuendesha lebo yetu, yaani full uhuru wa kutengeneza kazi zinazotuwakilisha, kwa namna tunayoamua wenyewe.

Tshirt hizi zimesanifiwa mahsusi kwa ajili ya wabongo na marafiki zao ili kuonyesha kuwa wabongo nao tumo katika medani hii ya design; lakini si hivyo tu, ujumbe unaobebwa na nguo kina ni mchango wetu katika harakati za kujenga madaraja kati ya waafrika barani na diaspora kwa kusambaza na kusheherekea yale yanayotuunga pamoja kama waafrika.
Hata hivyo, katika kollektion hii ya kwanza tumeamua “kucheza kwetu” zaidi, tunatumai utatutunza.

Tutembelee http://www.kinaklothing.com/ na tuambie mawazo yako.
Pia usisahau kujiunga nasi katika ukurasa wetu ya facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kina-Klothing/101720604819) na kutufuatia katika http://www.twitter.com/kinaklothing
Kaa mkao wa kula kwa kollektion inayofuatia, Samora avenue. Iko jikoni.
Amani.
Mkuki na Susan (Kina Klothing)

Morgan Freeman Kumwoa Mjukuu Wake! Haki ya Mungu!!!!

Duh! Yaani hii habari inafanya damu ichemke kwa hasira. Mcheza sinema maarufu, Morgan Freeman (72) yuko mbioni kumwoa mjukuu wake, E'Dena Hines (27)! Ingawa si mjukuu wa damu, huyo binti bado ni mjukuu wake! Ni mjukuu wa mke wake wa kwanza.

Habari zinasema alianza kutembea na huyo binti tangu ana miaka kumi na sita na ndo chanzo cha yeye na mke wake wa miaka mingi, Myrna kuachana. Habari ni chafu sana kuhusu huyo Morgan Freeman. Jinsi mke wake alivyogundua anatembea na mjukuu, alivyokuwa anatembea na wanawake wengi. Na kuna habari kuwa ilikuwa ndoto ya huyo mjukuu kuwa mke wa Morgan Freeman na sasa inakamilika!

Mnaweza kusoma zaidi hapa:

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2009/07/10/morgan_freeman_to_marry_his_step_grandda

Polisi Mbaguzi Boston - Kesi ya Prof. Gates

Polisi Mbaguzi Justin Barrett (Boston PD)

Yaani sisi weusi tunasema kuna mapolisi wabaguzi tunachekwa! Hebu ona huyo polisi Justin Barrett (36) wa Boston. Alisambaza e-mail mpaka Boston Globe, kumwita Prof. henry Louis Gates, 'banana eating jungle monkey' (nyani wa porini anayekula ndizi)! Jamani! Aliongeza kusema kuwa angekuwa yeye polisi aliyemkamata Prof. Gates siku ile Cambridge angempuliza 'mace' usoni badala ya kusikia maneno yake! Doh! MAZITO!

Barrett ameomba msamaha na amenyang'aywa bastola yake. Inaelekea huyo polisi atafukuzwa kazi leo hii!

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(CNN) -- A Boston police officer who sent a mass e-mail referring to Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. as a "banana-eating jungle monkey" has apologized, saying he's not a racist.

Boston police officer Justin Barrett apologizes for the e-mail he sent about the Harvard professor.

Officer Justin Barrett told a Boston television station on Wednesday night that he was sorry for the e-mail.

"I regret that I used such words," Barrett told CNN affiliate WCVB-TV. "I have so many friends of every type of culture and race you can name. I am not a racist."

Barrett was placed on administrative leave after the e-mail surfaced, and he might lose his job as a result.

Barrett, 36, who is also an active member of the National Guard, sent off a fiery e-mail to some fellow Guard members -- as well as The Boston Globe -- in which he vented about a July 22 Globe column about Gates' controversial arrest. Watch Barrett apologize »

Gates, a top African-American scholar, was arrested on July 16 and accused of disorderly conduct after police responded to a report of a possible burglary at his Cambridge home. The charge later was dropped. The incident sparked a debate about racial profiling and police procedures.

Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham supported Gates' actions, asking readers, "Would you stand for this kind of treatment, in your own home, by a police officer who by now clearly has no right to be there?"

In Barrett's e-mail, which was posted on a Boston television station's Web site, he declared that if he had "been the officer he verbally assaulted like a banana-eating jungle monkey, I would have sprayed him in the face with OC (oleoresin capsicum, or pepper spray) deserving of his belligerent non-compliance."

Barrett used the "jungle monkey" phrase four times, three times referring to Gates and once referring to Abraham's writing as "jungle monkey gibberish."

He also declared that he was "not a racist but I am prejudice [sic] towards people who are stupid and pretend to stand up and preach for something they say is freedom but it is merely attention because you do not get enough of it in your little fear-dwelling circle of on-the-bandwagon followers."

Barrett's comments were taken out of context, said his attorney, Peter Marano.

"Officer Barrett did not call professor Gates a jungle monkey or malign him racially," Marano said. "He said his behavior was like that of one. It was a characterization of the actions of that man." (Yaani bora angenyamaza eti hakumwitia nyani ila matendo yake tyalikua kama nyani!)

According to a statement from Boston police, Commissioner Edward Davis took action immediately on learning of Barrett's remarks, stripping the officer of his gun and badge.
Barrett is "on administrative leave, pending the outcome of a termination hearing."

CNN has been unable to reach Barrett for comment.

Kwa habari zaidi someni:

http://wbztv.com/local/racial.remark.email.2.1106389.html

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world/justin-barrett-law-maker-or-law-breaker_100225087.html

Kazi East Wareham, MA - Sinema

RPM Casting is looking for

*NON-UNION* EXTRAS
for a shoot in East Wareham, Massachusetts, at Water Wizz Water Park,
starting on August 10th
for the feature film GROWN UPS.
The shoot days are August 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 17th.

YOU MUST BE AVAILBLE TO WORK *ALL 6 DAYS*YOU MUST BE AVAILBLE TO WORK *ALL 6 DAYS*

If interested and AVAILABLE TO WORK *ALL SIX DAYS* please EMAIL:
waterparkcasting@gmail.com
This is open to adults and children over the age of SIX.If you are applying for children you MUST include ALL the following information to be considered:Age, date of birth, Social Security Number, address and guardian contact information.Minors (children under the age of 18) must be cleared by the Massachusetts Labor Board,which is why we MUST have ALL this information for each person under 18.
This is NON-Union PAID work at $88 per 10 hour day.

Rest in Peace DJ Eddy Sally (Adam S. Mwambile)

Adam akiigiza kama Dr. Moshi (Maangamizi the Ancient One)

Nimepokea habari za kusikitisha. DJ Eddy Sally aka. Adam S. Mwambile, alifariki dunia leo asubuhi huko Dar es Salaam.

Kaka Adam alikuwa mmoja wa wale maDJ wa mwanzo Dar. Pia, Adam aliigiza kama Dr. Moshi katika sinema, Maangamizi the Ancient One. Nakumbuka tulivyokuwa kambi Bagamoyo College wakati wakushuti sinema Aprili 1994. Alikuja na mke wake MZambia. Adam alikuwa mcheshi kweli na alichangamsha kweli kambi.

Natafuta picha yake nibandike hapa. Lakini kama mmeona sinema Maangamizi yeye ndiye aliigiza kama daktari mkuu wa hospitali na aliwapa madkatari wengine shida sana.

REST IN ETERNAL PEACE!

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Kutoka Michuzi Blog:

DJ EDDY SALLY, DJ MASHUHURI NCHINI, AMEFARIKI DUNIA LEO ASUBUHI KATIKA HOSPITALI YA MKOMBOZI JIJINI DAR AMBAKO ALILAZWA KWA MATIBABU TOKA JANA.

HABARI KUTOKA MSIBANI AMBAKO NI NYUMBANI KWA MAREHEMU SINZA KUMEKUCHA HAPA JIJINI ZINASEMA MAZISHI YATAFANYIKA KESHO KIJIJINI KWAO KISARAWE.

HAYATI DJ EDDY SALLY ATAKUMBUKWA KUWA MIONGONI MWA MA-DJ WA MWANZO KABISA NCHINI, AKIWA AMEANZIA DISCO LA SEA VIEW KABLA YA KUHAMIA LUSAKA, ZAMBIA, ALIKOTOKEA KUWA DJ WA KWANZA MMATUMBI NCHINI HUMO.

MIAKA YA 80 ALIREJEA NCHINI NA KUANZISHA LIBENEKE LA 'EM THREE DISCOTHEQUE' KWENYE UKUMBI WA KEYS HOTEL AKIWA NA DJ SWEET FRANCIS AMBAO KWA PAMOJA WALITETEMESHA JIJI KWA VIFAA VYA KISASA NA SOUND SYSTEM ILIYOKUWA BORA KULIKO ZOTE ENZI HIZO

Amwua na Kumla Mwanae huko Texas!

Jamani! Sasa tunajua kweli mwisho wa dunia uko karibu! Mtu unakula mtoto wako uliyemzaa!

Huko Texas kuna habari kuwa Otty Sanchez (33), alimwue mtoto wake mchanga wa wiki tatu. Alimkata kichwa na viungo, halafu alikula ubongo wa mtoto na miguu yake. Ndugu zake na polisi walimkuta akimla, la sivyo angemaliza kula mwili mzima! LOH!

Sanchez alivyoulizwa kwa nini alifanya hivyo alisema ati, Shetani alimwambia amwue na kumla!

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Police: Woman accused of killing newborn ate brain

Jul 27

By PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press Writer

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A woman charged with murdering her 3 1/2-week-old son used a knife and two swords to dismember the child and ate parts of his body, including his brain, before stabbing herself in the torso and slicing her own throat, police said Monday.

Otty Sanchez, 33, is charged with capital murder in the death of her infant son, Scott Wesley Buchholtz-Sanchez. She was recovering from her wounds at a hospital, and was being held on $1 million bail.

Police Chief William McManus said the early Sunday morning attack occurred a week after the child's father moved out. The child's aunt and two cousins, ages 5 and 7, were in the house, but none were harmed.

McManus, who appeared uncomfortable as he addressed reporters, said Sanchez apparently ate the child's brain and some other body parts. She also tore his face off, chewed off three of his toes and decapitated the infant before stabbing herself.

"It's too heinous for me to describe it any further," McManus said.

Officers called to Sanchez's house at about 5 a.m. Sunday found her sitting on the couch "screaming that she killed her baby," police spokesman Joe Rios said. They found the boy's body in a bedroom.

Police said Sanchez said the devil told her to kill her son.

"It was a spontaneous utterance," McManus said. "She said she was hearing voices."
Sanchez does not yet have a lawyer, police said, and was hospitalized in San Antonio. The police declined to identify other family members.

No one answered the door Monday at Sanchez's home, where the blinds were shut. A hopscotch pattern and red hearts were drawn on the walk leading up to the house.

Neighbor Luis Yanez said everyone on the street was appalled by the news.
"Why would you do that to your baby?" said Yanez, 23, a tire technician. "It brings chills to you. They can't defend themselves."

Kwa habari zaidi someni:

http://www.newser.com/story/65485/cannibal-mom-diagnosed-with-schizophrenia-depression.html

Kesi ya Prof. Gates Bado ni Gumzo!

Statement from President Obama - Prof Gates Issue

Rais Obama ameongea na yule polisi aliyemkamata Prof. Gates. Ilibidi afanye hivyo kwa vile mapolisi nchi nzima wamechemka kwa vile aliwaita mapolisi wetu wa Cambridge, wapumbavu. juzi. Anasema atawalika White House kunywa bia. Asimwalike huyo mama Lucia Whalen aliyeanza hii sakata kwa fikra zake za kibaguzi. Go President Obama, You're the Man!

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Obama Moves to Ratchet Down Tensions in Gates Arrest Controversy

President Obama made a surprise appearance at the daily White House briefing Friday to address the growing controversy over the arrest of Harvard Prof. Henry Louis Gates Jr. by a Cambridge police officer. His complete remarks, as provided by CQ Transcriptions, follow:

OBAMA: Hey. It's a cameo appearance. Sit down. Sit down.

I -- I need to help Gibbs out a little bit here.

QUESTION: You're the new press secretary?

OBAMA: I -- the -- if you got to -- if you got to do a job, do it yourself.

I wanted to address you guys directly, because over the last day and a half, obviously, there's been all sorts of controversy around the incident that happened in Cambridge with Professor Gates and the police department there.

I actually just had a conversation with Sergeant Jim Crowley, the officer involved. And I have to tell you that, as I said yesterday, my impression of him was that he was a outstanding police officer and a good man, and that was confirmed in the phone conversation. And I told him that.

And I -- because this has been ratcheting up and I obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up, I want to make clear that in my choice of words, I think, I unfortunately, I think, gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge police department or Sergeant Crowley specifically. And I could have calibrated those words differently. And I told this to Sergeant Crowley.

I continue to believe, based on what I have heard, that there was an overreaction in pulling Professor Gates out of his home to the station. I also continue to believe, based on what I heard, that Professor Gates probably overreacted as well.

My sense is you've got two good people in a circumstance in which neither of them were able to resolve the incident in the way that it should have been resolved and the way they would have liked it to be resolved.

The fact that it has garnered so much attention, I think, is a testimony to the fact that these are issues that are still very sensitive here in America. And, you know, so to the extent that my choice of words didn't illuminate, but rather contributed to more media frenzy, I think that was unfortunate.

What I'd like to do then is make sure that everybody steps back for a moment, recognizes that these are two decent people, not extrapolate too much from the facts, but, as I said at the press conference, be mindful of the fact that because of our history, because of the difficulties of the past, you know, African-Americans are sensitive to these issues.

And even when you've got a police officer who has a fine track record on racial sensitivity, interactions between police officers and the African-American community can sometimes be fraught with misunderstanding.

My hope is is that as a consequence of this event, this ends up being what's called a teachable moment, where all of us, instead of pumping up the volume, spend a little more time listening to each other and try to focus on how we can generally improve relations between police officers and minority communities, and that instead of flinging accusations, we can all be a little more reflective in terms of what we can do to contribute to more unity.

Lord knows we need it right now. Because over the last two days, as we've discussed this issue, I don't know if you've noticed, but nobody's been paying much attention to health care.

(LAUGHTER)

I will not use this time to spend more words on health care, although I can't guarantee that that will be true next week.

But I just wanted to emphasize that -- one last point I've guess I'd make. There are some who say that as president I shouldn't have stepped into this at all, because it's a local issue.

I have to tell you that that thing -- that part of it, I disagree with.

The fact that this has become such a big issue I think is indicative of the fact that, you know, race is still a troubling aspect of our society. Whether I were black or white, I think that me commenting on this and hopefully contributing to constructive, as opposed to negative, understandings about the issue is part of my portfolio.

So at the end of the conversation, there was discussion about -- my conversation with Sergeant Crowley, there was a discussion about he and I and Professor Gates having a beer here in the White House. We don't know if that's scheduled yet, but...

(LAUGHTER)

... but we may put that together.

He also did say he wanted to find out if there was a way of getting the press off his lawn.

(LAUGHTER)

I -- I informed him that I can't get the press off my lawn.

(LAUGHTER)

He pointed out that my lawn is bigger than his lawn.

(LAUGHTER)

But if anybody has any connections to the Boston press as well as national press, Sergeant Crowley would be happy for you to stop trampling his grass.

All right?

Thank you guys.

The Curious Case of Prof. Gates

ON THE LEFT: Cambridge Police Sergeant and racial profiling instructor, Jim Crowley. On the right, Esteemed scholar of African American History, Prof. Henry Louis Gates Jr.

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By Chemi Che-Mponda

By now many people throughout the world have heard of the case of renowned Harvard University Prof. Henry Louis Gates Jr., getting arrested in his own home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Prof. Gates had just returned home from a trip to China.

The whole thing started on Thursday, July 16, 2009 when one Lucia Whalen, who works down the block on Ware St. where Prof. Gates lives made a 911 call to police. Whalen said that two large black men with backpacks were breaking into the posh Ware St. home. Turns out both were wearing suits and there were three pieces of luggage on the porch. Prof. Gates is small and walks with a cane. Turns out Prof. Gates was the homeowner trying to get into his own home, but had problems because the door was damaged due to a break-in attempt while he was away. Where’ve you been hiding Lucia? Can’t wait to hear the 911 tape of your call! Oh, she's probably away on one of those 'Need to Getaway' Southwest Airlines flights.

So, Sergeant James Crowley of Cambridge police shows up to investigate the break-in at 12:30pm. He sees Prof. Gates and is not satisfied that the older black gentleman is the homeowner. He calls Harvard University police even after Prof. Gates has presented him with an ID with his address on it. Sgt. Crowley didn’t believe that a black man lived in a nice home on ware St.? By now, anyone would be mad too about being disrespected in my own home. According to the officer, Professor Gates started yelling at him that he was a racist ands that’s why he arrested him. Why didn’t Sergeant Crowley just say there had been a misunderstanding and leave? Was he really looking for a confrontation with the Prof.?

Could it really be, that Sergeant Crowley being a Sergeant arrested Prof. Gates, so as not to look bad in the eyes of his junior officers. They say there were ten other officers there.
I say this, when I was a kid I was taught, “Sticks and Stones may Break my bones, but words may never harm me!” In this case words obviously harmed the officer’s pride and he decided to show a force of power.

While Sergeant Crowley may be a teacher of racial profiling, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t practice what he teaches. I have seen white people who have had children with black people, being more negative towards blacks than other racist whites. Sergeant Crowley, has now been nicknamed, ‘Sergeant Jim Crow’ for his actions towards Prof. Gates.

During his arrest, Prof. Gates allegedly told Sergeant Crowley, that “He didn’t know who he was messing with!” Prof. Gates was right indeed, the Sergeant didn’t know. I also find it hard to believe that after 11 years of working Cambridge, Sgt. Crowley didn’t know Prof. Gates by sight. Cambridge isn’t that big and it’s a common sight to see Prof. Gates, walking or driving.

Prof. Gates is a world renowned scholar. He's the preeminent scholar of African American history in the USA and the world. He is highly esteemed and respected. He has done a lot of research on African American history. He has also done a lot to bridge the divide between Africans and Africans in the diaspora. A lot of white people won’t appreciate the magnitude of Prof. Gates works because it was their white ancestors who did their best to erase the African heritage of African Americans. He has uncovered a lot of lost African American history. I bow down in thanks to Prof. Gates for his research. So someone like the bigot Lucia Whalen wouldn’t care to know who her neighbor was, even though I’m sure Harvard magazine has run a lot of articles about him.

The legacy of slavery still haunts America even though we now have the country has it’s first African American President. I have to agree that police acted ‘stupidly’ for arresting a mad inside his own home, even after he had proved that he lived there. And yes, I do think that if Prof. Gates had been Prof. O’Gates/Gatesky (a white man) he would have been treated differently. And I can’t help but ask that if Prof. Gates was really a criminal, wouldn’t he have tried to flee when he saw the police?

And to those taking the police report as bible, what did we expect the guy to write,
“Suspect (Prof. Gates) was polite and cooperative. He showed us valid ID proving that he was in his own home but we arrested him anyway.”? How many times have we heard of falsified police reports so that officers can cover up their blunders. And since when is shouting at anyone in your own home a crime or does it become a crime when an ‘uppity’ black is shouting at a white person? Sorry, but in reality this looks more and more like some kind of power play. “I’m white and you’re black, you better know your place!”

Lastly, let me say that the disrespect shown to President Obama over his comments about the Prof. Gates issue at the press conference last Tuesday are appalling. The comments that some whites have been uttering have been sheer racist. President Obama is the President, yet some white folks have been speaking against him as if he is beneath them. In other words, they are saying in code, “You may be President, but you are still an N-word! How dare you, an N-word, speak against a good old All American White boy! ”. Remember President Obama is a black man and knows first hand the racism that black men have to endure. He has also lived in Cambridge, MA and has probably dealt with some nasty white cops.

I live in Cambridge, MA. I don’t dare leave my house to go to the corner store without my ID. God forbid, something should happen to white person in the vicinity, you will be rounded up. And if you don’t have your ID on you, you get bundled into the paddy wagon, booked, and end up calling someone to please go get your purse with ID in it. Cambridge has this ‘Liberal’ label, yes. At the same time it is a very racist city, the racism exists subtly. The Klan is here but they don’t wear sheets and pointy hats.

To all the angry white folks out there, I say this, paint yourself black for a week and follow your same routine. Then see if you feel the same about this incident. And to those who say black folks need to ‘get over it’, we’ll get over it when racism ceases to exist and we are treated as equals.

You can contact me at chemiche2@yahoo.com

Achapwa Vibaya na Mwalimu

Sikatai kwa asilimia 100 kuchapa mtoto kiboko cha maonyo, lakini inapofikia hatua kama hii, kweli kuonya kwa kiboko ni fundisho ama ni ukatili?

Huyu ni mtoto wa kike, amechapwa na mwalimu wake wa kiume, ni katika Sekondari moja huko Iringa, imetokea jana July 22, 2009, mtoto akaogopa kwenda polisi au hospitali kwa kuhofia kwa mwalimu atamwadhibu zaidi. Aliyenitumia picha hii anasema kisa cha kuchapwa hivi ni hasira iliyojificha kwa mwalimu huyo kwa kushindwa kutimiza azma yake nyingine toka kwa binti huyu.
Nimetumiwa picha hii toka Iringa, aliyenitumia hajajua jambo muafaka la kufanya, naomba kuweka kwenu ili watu wajadili na kutoa mapendekezo kipi kifanyike kuhusiana na hali hii.
Mapendekezo yenu nitayafikisha kwa aliyenitumia picha hii kwa hatua zaidi atakazoweza kuchukula kulingana na maoni yenu.

Subi

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Da Subi,

Nilivyokuwa nasoma Zanaki nilichapwa hivyo na Mwalimu fulani. Nilienda nyumbani na maumivu, mama kuangalia kasema hii nchi ya namna gani kuchapa watoto hivyo. Mama yangu anatoka Jamaica. Basi, kesho yake baba alinisindikiza shule. Yule mwalimu alivyomwona alianza kutetemeka na aliomba msamaha. Sikuchapwa hivyo tena!

Kisa cha kuchapwa kwangu - Mwalimu alisema eti nina kiburi cha KiMarekani! Wakati huo miaka ya sabini wengi walikuwa hawajasfiri nje ya nchi na ilikuwa enzi za Ujamaa na Mwalimu Nyerere. Kusafiri mpaka kibali cha Ikulu. Basi hizo gere! Bora siku hizi watu wamesafiri na wanaona dunia ilivyo kweli.

Afrika Mashariki Yapata High Speed Internet

Hebu cheki hii stori, Rais Kikwete kaitwa Josiah Kikwete! Lakini bora tumeingia kwenye karne ya 21 sasa!

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Cable makes big promises for African Internet

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- A undersea cable plugging East Africa into high speed Internet access went live Thursday providing an alternative to expensive satellite connections.

The cable links southern Africa to Europe and Asia. SEACOM, the cable provider company, opened up its 17000 kilometer submarine cable, capable of 1.28 terabytes per second, allowing the region true connectivity.

Most Africans rely on expensive and slow satellite connections, which make the use of applications such as YouTube and Facebook extremely trying.

"This is going to reduce the cost of doing business in Africa, within Africa and with international parties" said Suveer Ramdhani, SEACOM spokesman in South Africa.

"The cable is as thin as a hair strand and in one second it can download the same amount of data that 160 people use in a month."

SEACOM, privately funded and 75 % African owned, will provide retail carriers with open source access to inexpensive bandwidth.

It has taken less than three years to complete the mammoth project, providing landing stations at South Africa, Kenya, Madagascar and other points along the east coast of Africa.

But telecoms analyst James Hodge said that some of the more ambitious hopes for the system -- such as impacting the continent's socio-economic problems -- will be long-term, and that initially it will be those already connected who will see the benefits.

The launch was delayed by a month because of increased activity by pirates along parts of the African coast.

Security teams were beefed up to protect the slow moving cable layers.

Neotel, a South African communications network operator is the largest shareholder in SEACOM.

It is also the anchor tenant and the South African landing partner, providing both the coastal landing station and Johannesburg data center for the submarine cable.

Neotel managing director Jay Pandey is excited about the opportunities for growth presented by the SEACOM cable.

"With this cable coming in, the pipe size opens up, so more and more people are able to get faster and better connectivity, hopefully at a lower price. It can't be more expensive than what it is today."

SEACOM chief executive officer Brian Herlihy added: "Turning the switch 'on' creates a huge anticipation but ultimately, SEACOM will be judged on the changes that take place on the continent over the coming years."

South Africa has been hobbled by high costs and extremely slow bandwidth, effectively keeping the country on an information back road rather then the superhighway.

There is much anticipation and hope that the cable will ensure Africa keeps up with the developed world in Internet connectivity, providing greater speed, flexibility and, potentially, a complete socio-economic transformation.

Tanzanian President Josiah Kikwete said in his opening address: "It's the ultimate embodiment of modernity."

His speech was beamed via SEACOM from a launch in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania to the simultaneous launch in Johannesburg, South Africa

Kukamatwa kwa Prof. Gates - Rais Obama Aja Juu!

Asante Rais Obama kwa kutetea weusi, waspanish na wasio wazungu wanaozidi kuonewa na polisi hapa Marekani! ASANTE SANA, THANK-YOU! Huyo ni rais!

Most white people want to pretend that racial profiling does not exist! Well, it does! Look what happened when a white woman (Lucia Whalen) called police to say two black men were breaking into a posh house on Ware St.! Oh yeah, and anything bad happens they say a black person did it even if the perprator was white!

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Obama: Police who arrested professor 'acted stupidly'

NEW: Obama: Incident shows "how race remains a factor in this society"

(CNN) -- President Obama said that police in Cambridge, Massachusetts, "acted stupidly" in arresting a prominent black Harvard professor last week after a confrontation at the man's home.

"I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played," Obama said Wednesday night while taking questions after a White House news conference.
Cambridge authorities dropped disorderly conduct charges against Henry Louis Gates Jr. on Tuesday.

Obama defended Gates on Wednesday night, while admitting that he may be "a little biased," because Gates is a friend.

"But I think it's fair to say, No. 1, any of us would be pretty angry; No. 2, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home; and, No. 3 ... that there's a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately."

The incident, Obama said, shows "how race remains a factor in this society." Watch the president address the incident »

Gates told CNN on Wednesday that although charges had been dropped, he will keep the issue alive.

"This is not about me; this is about the vulnerability of black men in America," Gates told CNN's Soledad O'Brien.

Gates said he'd be prepared to forgive the arresting officer "if he told the truth" about what the director of Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research said were "fabrications" in the police report.

CNN affiliate WCVB earlier Wednesday that he will not apologize.
"There are not many certainties in life, but it is for certain that Sgt. Crowley will not be apologizing," he said.

Gates said the mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts, called him to apologize about the incident, in which he was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.

CNN could not confirm Wednesday night that an apology was made. Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons did not respond to requests by CNN for comment.

Crowley wrote in the Cambridge police report that Gates refused to step outside to speak with him, the police report said, and when Crowley told Gates that he was investigating a possible break-in, Gates opened the front door and exclaimed, "Why, because I'm a black man in America?" the report said.

The report said Gates initially refused to show the officer identification, but eventually produced a Harvard identification card, prompting Crowley to radio for Harvard University Police.

"While I was led to believe that Gates was lawfully in the residence, I was quite surprised and confused with the behavior he exhibited toward me," Crowley said, according to the report.

Gates was arrested for "loud and tumultuous behavior in a public space" and was released from police custody after spending four hours at the police station.

He said Wednesday that he and his lawyers were considering further actions, not excluding a lawsuit.

Gates said that although the ordeal had upset him, "I would do the same thing exactly again."
Earlier this week, a prosecutor dropped the charge against Gates and the city's police

Go and Hug Your Michael

Go and Hug your “Michael”

by Kimberly Seals Allers

Yesterday I cried watching the Michael Jackson memorial. I cried for a little
black boy who felt the world didn't understand him. I cried for a little black
boy who spent his adulthood chasing his childhood. And I thought about all the
young black boys out there who may too feel that the world doesn't understand
them. The ones who feel that the world does not understand their baggy jeans,
their swagger, their music, their anger, their struggles, their fears or the
chip on their shoulder. I worry that my son, may too, one day will feel lonely
in a wide, wide world.

I cried for the young children of all colors who may live their life feeling
like a misfit, feeling like no one understands their perspective, or their soul.
What a burden to carry.

As a mother, I cried for Katherine Jackson because no mother should ever bury a
child. Period. And I think about all the pain, tears and sleepless nights that
she must have endured seeing her baby boy in inner pain, seeing him struggle
with his self-esteem, and his insecurities and to know he often felt unloved
even while the world loved him deeply. How does it feel to think that the
unconditional love we give as mothers just isn't enough to make our children
feel whole? I wonder if she still suffers thinking, "what more could I have
done?" Even moms of music legends aren't immune to mommy guilt, I suppose.

When Rev. Al Sharpton ("who always delivers one" awesome "funeral speech") said
to Michael's children, "Your daddy was not strange...It was strange what your
Daddy had to deal with," I thought of all the "strange" things of the world that
my children will have to deal with. Better yet, the things I hope they won't
ever have to deal with anymore.

And as a mother raising a young black boy, I feel recommitted and yet a little
confused as to how to make sure my son is sure enough within himself to take on
the world. Especially a "strange" one. To love himself enough to know that even
when the world doesn't understand you, tries to force you into its mold or
treats you unkindly, you are still beautiful, strong and Black. How do I do
that?

Today, I am taking back "childhood" as an inalienable right for every brown
little one. In a world, that makes children into booty-shaking, mini-adults long
before their time, I'm reclaiming the playful, innocent, run-around-outside,
childhood as the key ingredient in raising confident adults. Second, I will not
rest until my little black boy, MY Michael, knows that his broad nose is
beautiful, his chocolately brown skin is beautiful, and his thick hair is
beautiful.

And nothing or no one can ever take that away from him.

"Now aint we bad? And ain't we black? And ain't we fine? ---Maya Angelou

Ubunifu wa Watoto Mtwara

Asante Mdau Elipokea Sarakikya kwa kuleta habari hii.

Shikamoo dada Chemi!

Nimekutumia hiyo nilipiga Mtwara tulipokuwa field ya CDC,wanafunzi wamwaka wa tatu wa udaktari toka Muhimbili.Watoto hawa hawana pesa ya kulipa ili kucheza pool table ya kisasa,hivyo wakaamua kutengeneza yao ya kienyeji kama inavyoonekana kwenyepicha.Natumaini utaiposti wadau waione.

Charges Dropped Against Prof. Gates!

Prof. Gates being Arrested at his Home last Thursday!

Harvard’s Gates Disorderly Charge to be Dropped by Police

By Kurt Heine

July 21 (Bloomberg) -- Henry Louis Gates Jr., Harvard University’s top expert on black history annd culture, won’t be prosecuted on a disorderly conduct charge that resulted from a confrontation with police on his front porch.

Gates’s lawyer, police in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Middlesex County district attorney agreed the July 16 arrest was “regrettable and unfortunate,” according to a joint statement sent today in an e-mail.

Statement on Prof. Gates Arrest

Harvard professor Charles Ogletree releases statement on behalf of Henry Louis Gates

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cambridge — This brief statement is being submitted on behalf of my client, friend, and colleague, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. This is a statement concerning the arrest of Professor Gates. On July 16, 2009, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., 58, the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor of Harvard University, was headed from Logan airport to his home at 17 Ware St. in Cambridge after spending a week in China, where he was filming his new PBS documentary entitled

“Faces of America." Professor Gates was driven to his home by a driver for a local car company. Professor Gates attempted to enter his front door, but the door was damaged. Professor Gates then entered his rear door with his key, turned off his alarm, and again attempted to open the front door. With the help of his driver they were able to force the front door open, and then the driver carried Professor Gates’s luggage into his home.

Professor Gates immediately called the Harvard Real Estate office to report the damage to his door and requested that it be repaired immediately. As he was talking to the Harvard Real Estate office on his portable phone in his house, he observed a uniformed officer on his front porch. When Professor Gates opened the door, the officer immediately asked him to step outside. Professor Gates remained

inside his home and asked the officer why he was there. The officer indicated that he was responding to a 911 call about a breaking and entering in progress at this address. Professor Gates informed the officer that he lived there and was a faculty member at Harvard
University. The officer then asked Professor Gates whether he could prove that he lived there and taught at Harvard. Professor Gates said that he could, and turned to walk into his kitchen, where he had left his wallet. The officer followed him. Professor Gates handed both his Harvard University identification and his valid Massachusetts driver’s license to the officer. Both include Professor Gates’s photograph, and the license includes his address.

Professor Gates then asked the police officer if he would give him his name and his badge number. He made this request several times. The officer did not produce any identification nor did he respond to Professor Gates’s request for this information. After an additional request by Professor Gates for the officer’s name and badge number, the officer then turned and left the kitchen of Professor Gates’s home without ever acknowledging who he was or if there were charges against Professor Gates. As Professor Gates followed the officer to his own front door, he was astonished to see several police officers gathered on his front porch. Professor Gates asked the officer’s colleagues for his name and badge number. As Professor Gates stepped onto his
front porch, the officer who had been inside and who had examined his identification, said to him, “Thank you for accommodating my earlier request,” and then placed Professor Gates under arrest. He was handcuffed on his own front porch.

Professor Gates was taken to the Cambridge Police Station where he remained for approximately four hours before being released that evening. Professor Gates’s counsel has been cooperating with the Middlesex District Attorneys Office, and the City of Cambridge, and is hopeful that this matter will be resolved promptly. Professor Gates will not be making any other statements concerning this matter at this time.

Kukamatwa kwa Prof. Gates.

Aliyeanza hii sakata la Prof. Henry Louis Gates Jr. ni Bi Lucia Whalen (40) wa Malden, Ma. Yeye ndiye alipiga simu polisi na kusema aliona wanaume wawili weusi wenye backpacks mgongoni wakijaribu kufungua mlango wa hiyo Nyumba Ware St. Nami nauliza huyo Bi Whalen alikuwa anafanya nini Cambridge?

Hii habari ya kukamatwa kwa Prof. Gates nyumbani kwake, imekuwa gumzo sehemu nyingi na kwenye taarifa ya habari. Hasa ni je, ni kitendo cha kibaguzi? Naona ni sawa ni kitendo cha kibaguzi, maana huko Harvard na hapa Cambridge weusi wanaonewa kila siku. Sema hii imekuwa habari kwa vile Prof. Gates ni mtu maarufu.

Soma habari zaidi hapa:

http://www.racismreview.com/blog/2009/07/21/racism-in-cambridge-harvard-prof-gates-arrested/

Prof. Henry Louis Gates Akamatwa na Polisi hapa Cambridge!

Prof. Gates Mugshot (Cambridge Police)

Wadau, bila shaka mmesikia habari za Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. wa Chuo Kikuu cha Harvard kukamatwa na polisi akijaribu kuingia nyumbani kwake. Polisi walivyomkamata alikuwa amekwishaingia nyumbani kwake na liwaonyesha vitambulisho! Anasema kuwa kitendo hicho cha kukamatwa kwake ni cha kibaguzi (racial profiling). Nakubaliana naye!

Sisi weusi wachache tuliobaki kwenye nyumba za kawaida hapa Cambridge, Massachusetts tunakaa roho juu juu! Jirani zetu wazungu wanatazama kila tunachofanya na hawasiti kuita polisi wakidhani unafanya kosa lolote. Mfano kuna mitaa fulani ukitembea mweusi wanaweza kuita polisi, "THERE'S A BLACK MAN WALKING DOWN MY STREET!" Na polisi watakuja na uwe na kitambulisho cha kuonyesha la sivyo uende ukalale jela! Unaogopa kwenda duka la jirani bila kitambulisho! Wiki mbili zilizopita nilikuwa naedesha gari langu, nilikuwa na rafiki yangu ndani ya gari. Nilisimama kwenye mtaa fulani ila nicheki GPS kujua tuelekea wapi. Wazungu walitoka ndani ya nyumba ya na kuandika pleti ya gari!

Hizi nyumba za kawaida zimekuwa gentrified na wanaishi wazungu na yuppies na mbwa wao! Mbwa na paka ni watoto wao. Weusi wamefukuzwa kiujanja. Walipandishiwa kodi, au kuna kundi ilikuwa inapita kwenye nyumba ziliokuwa zinamilikiwa na weusi na kununua nyumba zao kwa bei nzuri. Lakini nia yao ilikuwa kusafisha eneo kusudi kusiwe na weusi. Eneo nayo kaa Cambridgeport kati vyuo vikuu ya Harvard na MIT, zamani ilikuwa ya weusi lakini sasa ni la wazungu. Ukiona ilivyo sasa huwezi kujua!

Mwaka juzi nikiwa napita kwenye sidewalk nyumba ya jirani nikaulizwa nakwenda wapi kwa hasira na mzungu fulani. Nilikuwa nimevaa koti la winter, hivyo hakuniona vizuri. Alipogundua ni mimia aliona haya na kudai eti hakusema hivyo! Shenzi Taipu! Zee lingine la kizungu kaniuliza nafanya nini nikiwa naosha gari langu mbele ya nyumba nayo kaa. Nikamwambia yaani miaka yote nakaa hapa leo ndo unaongea na mimi! Hebu nenda zako!

Na hao vijana wetu ndo usiombe. Ukisikia kuna wizi nini umetokea tunawaambia watoto waingie ndani haraka, maana hao polisi wa Cambridge hawasiti kuwakamata hata kama hawana hatia. Unasikia Polisi wanatafuta, black male, 5'8 wearing a sweatshirt! Jamani si anaweza kuwa mtu yeyote! Na maskini, mnakumbuka kesi ya kijana wetu Justin Cosby alivyouwawa huko Harvard. Yaani mara tu, walikuwa wanauliza alikuwa anafanya nini Harvard!

Kuna siku mwanangu na rafiki zake walikuwa wanatembea kutoka kwenye shule yao ya msingi karibu na Harvard. Wakawa wanakatisha Harvard Yard. Walikuwa vijana weusi kama saba wote chini ya miaka 13. Walikuwa wanacheka cheka na kuongea kwa sauti kama kawaida ya vijana. Mvulana wa kizungu alishikwa na hofu na kusema eti kuna kundi la weusi linataka kumwibia na polisi waliitwa! Baada ya siku hiyo hao vijana hawajakatisha Harvard Yard tena kwa hofu wataitwa wezi. Na wesui wengi wanaokaa Cambridge hawana hamu ya kusoma Harvard shauri ya ubaguzi walioshuhudia.

Siku nyingine tukiwa kwenye basi, msichana wa kizungu ghalfa aliaanza kumshambulia binti mweusi aliyokuwa amekaa naye kwenye kiti. Polisi walimkamtaa yule mweusi aliyeshambuliwa kwanza mpaka tulivyowaeleza ni mzungu alimyemshambulia mweusi! KHAA! Hata hivyo mzungu aliachiwa. We mweusi umshmabulie mzungu bila sababu au ukiwa na sababu na utakiona cha mtema kuni!

Ubaguzi upo mpaka mashuleni ya msingi na hiyo Cambridge Rindge & Latin School ambayo ni shule pekee ya sekondari serikali hapa Cambridge. Loh, nina story za kuwasimulia lakini moja ya kusikitisha ni kuwa KKK walikuwepo hapa Cambridge, na walimfanya Mwalimu Mkuu wa Agassiz School (sasa Baldwin), Peggy Avarette kukimbia na kuacha kila kitu, baada kutishia kumwua na kuchoma gari lake mbele ya nyumba aliyokuwa anakaa karibu na Harvard! Mwanangu alikuwa anasoma hapo wakati huo na nilipambana vikali na hao wabaguzi. Lakini itabidi niwasimulie siku nyingine!

Prof Gates ana heshima kubwa hapa Cambridge na dunia nzima kwa utafiti aliyofanya kuhusu historia ya watu weusi. Sasa kama yeye anaweza kukamatwa, sisi makamchape tulie tu!

Kwa sasa mjue, RACISM IS STILL ALIVE AND WELL IN CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSSETTS! Ndiyo wadau, tuna Rais mweusi lakini ubaguzi bado upo Marekani!

***********************************************************************

A black Harvard professor, who has been named by Time magazine as one of the top 25 most influential Americans, accused police of racism after he was arrested trying to get into his own home.

Henry Louis Gates was arrested for disorderly conduct after police said he "exhibited loud and tumultuous behaviour". He was later released.

The head of Harvard's WEB DuBois Institute for African and American Studies, shouted to a police officer "this is what happens to a black men in America" according to a police report.

The incident happen last Thursday after a call to police that "two black males" were breaking into Gates's home near the university campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Later Gates refused to discuss the incident. But his lawyer said he was arrested after he forced his way through his front door because it was jammed. The professor's colleagues blamed the arrest on racial profiling.

Gates initially refused to show the officer his identification, but later showed his university pass. "Gates continued to yell at me, accusing me of racial bias and continued to tell me that I had not heard the last of him," the police officer wrote.

His friend and fellow Harvard scholar Charles Ogletree, said: "He was shocked to find himself being questioned and shocked that the conversation continued after he showed his identification."

Allen Counter, who has taught neuroscience at Harvard for 25 years, said he was stopped on campus by two police officers in 2004 after being mistaken for a robber. They threatened to arrest him when he could not produce identification.

"We do not believe that this arrest would have happened if Professor Gates was white," Counter said. "It really has been very unsettling for African-Americans throughout Harvard and throughout Cambridge that this happened."

Lawrence D Bobo, professor of Social Sciences at Harvard, said he met Gates at the police station and described his colleague as feeling humiliated and "emotionally devastated."

"It's just deeply disappointing but also a pointed reminder that there are serious problems that we have to wrestle with," he said.

Bobo said he hoped Cambridge police would drop the charges.
***************************************************************

Kwa habari zaidi someni:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/us/21gates.html

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=anupUHzw.F0Y

http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/voices/725.html

Mdau Richard Magumba Amaliza Kozi ya Filamu

Habari za siku nyingi ndugu zangu...

Samahani kwa ukimya.. ninawaandikia kuwajulisha yakuwa mwezi wa tatu mwaka huu nilipata nafasi ya kwenda Nairobi kushiriki training iliyoandaliwa na watu wa M-Net training iliyoshirikisha waandishi wa script kutoka A-Mashariki, tulijifunza njia mbalimbali za uandikaji wa script kwa ajili ya michezo ya kuigiza (TV Series) Binafsi nilijifunza mambo mengi sana.

Ninachukua fursa hii kuwashukuru na kuwaomba muendelee kuweka habari na taarifa mbalimbali zinazohusu mafunzo katika blog zenu. Nilipata taarifa za mafunzo hayo kupitia blog zenu, asanteni sana na endeleeni kufanya vivyo hivyo.

Ninawatakia kila la kheri na yote mema katika utendaji wa kazi zenu.
Richard.

NB: Ambatanishwa ni picha ya washiriki, mimi nimeketi chini, mtu wa pili kutoka kushoto.

Vituko Vya Shaniqua

Yaani kwenye maofisi Marekani kuna mtindo wa kuvaa nguo 'Casual' siku za Ijumaa. Ina maana kama huna haja ya kuvaa suti na nguo zingine za kibiashara basi unaweza kuvaa nguo ingine mradi siyo jeans (kigozi) na unaonekana kama unakwenda kazini. Wengine wanapuuzia sheria walizoweka kwa ajili ya nguo za Ijumaa na kuja wanavyotaka. Matokeo yake, ofisi zingine wanafuta Casual Friday ili kuepuka vituko. Shaniqua alifanya Casual Friday ifutwe ofisini kwao!

UnityFirst.com Online Magazine

Saluting service" in our nation

Check out UnityFirst.com's Summer 2009 National E-Magazine

(http://www.unityfirst.com/national_e_magazines.html)

The theme for this issue is "Saluting Service."

This issue shares a host of stories and reflections --- from President Obama's inspirational words about the importance of service to stories sharing coverage of history-making national celebrations, recognitions, events, resources and research. Also, see the story about CNN's upcoming Black in America 2 series as well as the various reviews of key conferences, books and CDs.

We hope that you will enjoy it, submit your news to UnityFirst.com, advertise your products and services as well as share this vital resource with others. Our first priority is sharing positive, useful news, information and resources with our families, communities and workplaces as well as reaching both diverse and mainstream audiences in the U.S. and beyond. Give us a call at (413) 734-6444 or send email to: editors@unityfirst.com.

Gado Leo

Dawa za Kutiba UKIMWI Adimu Afrika

Kwa kweli sikumpenda Rais Bush, lakini alifanya mengi kusaidia wagonjwa wa UKIMWI na malaria.

**************************************************************************

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) - Doctors Without Borders warned Saturday that a chronic shortage of drugs to treat AIDS in six African countries could cost thousands of lives and reverse progress made on the continent most afflicted by the disease.

In recent weeks, some clinics have stopped accepting new patients, Eric Goemaere, medical coordinator in South Africa of the organization, which is also known by its French acronym MSF, told The Associated Press.

He blamed the apathy of governments, donors and the organizations they work with, as well as the global economic crisis.

"There's no doubt people will die as a consequence. It's a catastrophe in the making," Goemaere said before the opening of a four-day international AIDS conference in Cape Town.
The countries affected are Zimbabwe, Uganda, Congo, Malawi, Guinea and South Africa, with the last suffering the highest rate of AIDS infection in the world.

At the end of 2007, 33 million people worldwide were living with HIV, according to the World Health Organization. Two-thirds of them live in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which provides a quarter of all international financing to fight AIDS across the world, has not received three to four billion dollars in promised funding, according to Mit Philips of the MSF research center in Brussels.
"Some countries have committed but have not paid and there's a lot of uncertainty at an international level whether the Global Fund will get the money it needs," she said in a telephone interview.

The fund has already slashed 10 percent from grants already approved last year, Philips said.
The fund's Web site says that, since its creation in 2002, it has approved funding for $15.6 billion for more than 572 programs 140 countries.

In addition, Philips said, there has been no promised increased in funds from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a pet project of President George W. Bush that is credited with saving millions of lives.

On the campaign trail, President Barack Obama promised to expand the program by a billion dollars a year. But Philips said funding has remained flat. Goemaere said organizations using the project's funds in Uganda have been told to stop taking on new patients.

Wanafunzi wa Kigeni Waonewa Marekani, MBongo Asema Asante!

Wadau, hebu soma jinsi wanafunzi wa kigeni walivyoonewa hapa Marekani. Hao ni vijana wa sekondari wenye umri mdogo. Wazazi wao wanawaruhusu kuja kusoma Marekani halafu wanateswa. Wengine walinyimwa chakula mpaka kupta utapiamlo. Mmoja wa hao wanafunzi ni MBongo Musa Mpulki. Soma maelezo yake mwisho mwa story.

****************************************************************
Exchange Students Live American Nightmare

By Drew Griffin and Kathleen Johnston
CNN Special Investigations Unit

SCRANTON, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- They came from around the world hoping to spend a high school year immersed in the culture and joys of America.

Exchange student Carlos Villareal of Colombia says he was underfed and kept in "an unsafe environment."

Instead, five young foreign exchange students found themselves caught in a nightmare of neglect, malnourishment and abandonment by those supposed to protect them.

Now those five -- natives of countries stretching from Norway to Tanzania to Colombia -- are back home telling friends of a different America than they expected. And their brief visit reverberates in America as a United States senator demands accountability and reform, a Pennsylvania district attorney seeks criminal charges and the U.S. State Department concedes it failed to protect kids coming to America.

"We at the Department of State recognize [because we] are responsible for this program we have to make sure we are aggressively overseeing this program and make sure children are well-suited," said State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley.

"This is a program that is very important to the Department of State," Crowley said. "We are talking 15- to 18-year-old children. We are introducing them to the United States. We are trying to put our best foot forward. We recognize in this incident in Scranton and also elsewhere around the country we have failed to do so."

What happened in Scranton, according to Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney Andrew Jarbola, is a crime. He has convened a grand jury to look into the families where some of the 12 students who came to Scranton were placed, as well as the company who placed them there and its officials.

"Well, in my opinion they were treated kind of crudely," Jarbola said. "Not provided the proper food, hygiene and things of that nature. And the areas they were placed? I know one of the students was placed in a home with a convicted felon -- convicted of drug trafficking or drug offenses -- and that is very disturbing to me."

Jarbola said some students were so malnourished that one was treated in a hospital for dehydration while another passed out during track at school.

"They weren't provided with food," Jarbola said. "In fact there is one incident with tape on food items in the refrigerator of the host family that says, 'Do not touch. This is for the host family only.' So basically they were neglected."

The company that placed the students first denied any problems existed, then said it had corrected them and fired those responsible. The families who housed the students say the allegations are untrue. But the students themselves tell a different story.

'It was nothing like I had envisioned'

The San Francisco-based Aspect Foundation sponsored all 12 of the Scranton students, some of whom were on State Department grants. On its Web site, the Aspect Foundation says it began in 1985 as "a small non-profit organization offering affordable study-abroad opportunities to students from around the world," and now "students live with volunteer host families in more than 350 communities throughout the United States."

In 2008, the State Department gave 17 placement groups $39.4 million in taxpayer funds to manage programs involving exchange students. Aspect received $1.08 million of those funds.

Carlos Villarreal's family, however, paid their son's way to America from Colombia, giving Aspect $13,000 for him to study here. Villarreal said he lived with a family that housed ex-convicts and that he had very little to eat. He said his mother's repeated contacts with Aspect about his situation were ignored.

"I lost a lot of body weight, and [it was] an unsafe environment which I felt uncomfortable living in, and it was nothing like I had envisioned my experience in America," he said.

The Rev. Elmer Smith told CNN he took in Villarreal as a favor to Aspect's local coordinator, Edna Burgette, and denied he failed to feed him.

"The boy had no place to go, so I took him in and I fed him," Smith said. "He had a television in his room, he had heat in his room, he had air-conditioning in his room."

Another woman who hosted students said she was sitting on her porch when Burgette walked by and asked her if she would take in a child. Like Smith, the woman said that she was just trying to help a student whom she was told had nowhere else to go.

Jarbola said a girl from Norway, who asked to be identified only by her first name, Anne, tried to alert officials that she and some of the students were in dire straits.

Anne told CNN she had school officials send an e-mail to Aspect in October explaining how bad things were and including photographs of the inside of the home where she was placed. The home was later condemned by the city.

Anne's high school principal took her in, but other students weren't as lucky and spent nearly the entire school year in unsafe homes, until Children and Youth Services was tipped off about a month before school ended, Jarbola said.

Jarbola, who said Anne's e-mail is now evidence in the criminal investigation, told CNN that when welfare officials interviewed the students, one was so hungry he wept when they gave him pizza during questioning. In all, five of the students were removed from homes where they'd been placed by Aspect.

Sponsoring agencies asked to police themselves

U.S. Sen. Robert Casey, D-Pennsylvania, said the situation sickened him.

"I'm the father of four daughters," he said. "I would never want my daughter nor would any parent want their daughter or son exposed to these kinds of conditions anywhere, but especially when you're in a foreign country. And in this case the United States was this foreign country."

Aspect gave conflicting responses to CNN.

Vivian Fearen, its executive director, did not return calls seeking comment. Her Pennsylvania public relations firm issued a statement blaming the Scranton problem on Burgette, who was fired once the allegations surfaced in the Scranton media.

Burgette also did not respond to repeated attempts by CNN for comment.

Later, however, Aspect issued a statement through the public relations firm.

"Based on their own investigation and verification from county children and youth officials, Aspect Foundation was led to believe that none of their students in northeastern Pennsylvania was abused, malnourished or dehydrated," said Karen Walsh, public affairs director for the Neiman Group.

But the statement also said Aspect "fully acknowledges that what happened in Scranton, Pennsylvania, was deplorable and in complete violation of their own strict standards and those of the Department of State's Exchange Visitor Program."

"Aspect Foundation has corrected the problems; terminated or accepted the resignations of those who were responsible for them; and established new policies and procedures to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again," Walsh said.

Walsh said the Lackawanna County Children and Youth Services agency reported no Aspect students in Scranton required medical attention and only three were relocated. In addition to Burgette's firing, Walsh said, two other supervisors resigned.

But the district attorney and other officials in Lackawanna County dispute Aspect's contention. Jarbola said two received medical attention. All told, according to Jarbola, five were relocated, and those cases are being reviewed by the grand jury.

But Casey's staff pointed out that Aspect employed Burgette for 10 years, making it difficult to portray her simply as a rogue employee.

Casey said Aspect knew in October the students were in trouble and chose to ignore it. But he saved most of his anger for the State Department, which allows groups like Aspect to police themselves.

"It's about time that the State Department complete its investigation -- even as the grand jury is working -- complete the investigation, level tough sanctions and make improvements to this program in terms of oversight," Casey said.

In its initial statement to CNN, the State Department said when it hears of allegations, "we immediately contact the sponsoring organization involved and ask them to investigate. We gather full information and act swiftly and appropriately."

That's the problem, argue critics, who say the department has had a hands-off policy for years when it comes to foreign exchange group sponsors. When complaints are made against the sponsor, they are asked to investigate themselves.

Arkansas legislator Sue Madison said she had a law passed in her state to protect students after it was discovered some of them were forced to do manual labor, live in unfit conditions and even forced to hand over their money to host families.

"You make a complaint to the State Department and you basically never hear from them again," Madison said, explaining why she decided her state needed a law to do its own enforcement.

Watchdog groups struggle to get State Department's attention

Danielle Grijalva, director of the Committee for Safety of Foreign Exchange Students, said she once worked in the industry. The agencies, which she calls unregulated travel agents, can make millions of dollars enticing rich foreigners and lobbying for State Department grants to lure scholarship-eligible students here for a year of study.

Her group now monitors complaints. The situation in Scranton, she said, is not isolated -- nor is the State Department's initial response to the crisis. She fields calls from parents and students alike who complain they have nowhere else to turn.

"It's self-regulated, unmonitored, under-reported," Grijalva said. "Students being raped, placed in the homes of convicted felons, placed in the homes of registered sex offenders, come to the United States and lose 20, 30, 40 pounds."

Grijalva shared e-mails with CNN which she said came from parents and students and host families -- even correspondence with the State Department managers who oversee the program.

The State Department "will not accept as a complaint any matter that is not presented to us by an involved party to the exchange agency," she was told in a 2006 e-mail by Stanley Colvin, a deputy assistant secretary for private-sector exchange.

Complaints forwarded by watchdog groups like hers, she said, are not considered by the State Department as worthy of investigation.

The State Department turned down CNN's request to talk to Colvin or other managers directly involved in managing the exchange programs.

"When we bring this to the attention of the State Department, once again, it's a business issue, they can't get involved and they continue to look the other way," Grijalva said.

Crowley said the department is not looking the other way now. He said the Scranton situation showed the department "tended to inspect by exception. Only when we were aware of dire circumstances did we send an investigator out."

Crowley said the department asked the inspector general's office to investigate Aspect but also plans to inspect its own management controls. He said that given the number of students, the department will still have to depend on sponsoring agencies to monitor the students they bring over. But he said the State Department can and will do more.

"We do recognize that the oversight of this program at the State Department was not strong enough, not aggressive enough," Crowley said.

"We were not out there in the community looking hard at where our children were. We have already taken steps to put more eyes on these homes around the country so that in the future not only will we be putting the appropriate emphasis on the agents that are responsible first and foremost for oversight we'll be looking over their shoulders as well.

"That did not happen certainly in the case of Scranton," he said.

Crowley also released a June 12 report on Aspect written by Colvin. In it, Colvin said the department has warned the industry for the past three years that it was becoming harder to find suitable host families. It said the department specifically told Aspect that an audit found the group only complying with host family screening requirements 67.7 percent of the time. It's unclear from the report why the State Department did not stop awarding Aspect grants at that point.

After finding a number of violations in Scranton, Colvin said the state would sanction Aspect by reducing the number of students it can bring over by 15 percent. Based on the fees it charges, the penalty, Colvin wrote, will result in a revenue loss of $540,000.

However, there is no mention in the report whether Aspect will have to return any of the $1 million of taxpayer-funded grants it received for the 2008-2009 school year. The State Department did not respond to repeated requests for clarification.

Despite conditions, Tanzanian student says 'thank you'

Meanwhile, Tanzanian student Musa Mpulki has since returned home. Before he left, he told CNN he did not want to upset his mother, so he never told her that he had little to eat during his nine-month stay in the home of a 72-year-old man who had signs on his refrigerator that some food was only for family.

Although his housing situation was a nightmare, Mpulki said the students at the school made him appreciate America, and he said he appreciated the State Department grant that brought him to the United States.

"I guess I like to say, 'Thank you very much the government of the United States for to bring me here to get a good experience at the school and a good education.' "

Unapoona Aibu Kuogozana na Mpenzi Wako

Da Flora Wingia Wiki Hii!

Kutoka ippmedia.com

Mpenzi msomaji, leo ngoja nikumegee kituko fulani ambacho hata wewe pengine umekishuhudia mtaani kwako, lakini kinaonekana cha kawaida kabisa.

Mtu anapokuwa na mpenzi wake ama mke au pengine mume, huona fahari sana kuandamana pamoja pale wanapokuwa wanakwenda mahali fulani. Iwe ni kwenye mialiko, kazini na kadhalika.

Lakini msomaji wangu ni jambo la kushangaza kwamba wapo baadhi ya watu, ni mara chache sana utaona wanaongozana na wenzi wao(mke, mume au rafiki kutokana na sababu mbalimbali ambazo naweza kusema zimejificha.

Ipo sababu moja nimeigundua ambayo imeniacha hoi, hivyo nikalazimika kuwamegea wasomaji wangu ili nao kama waliwahi kujiuliza niweze kuwapa jibu mojawapo.

Eti wapo watu wanaofahamika kuwa ni marafiki lakini huona aibu kuongozana wanapokuwa barabarani, wakihofia ama kuchekwa au kusemwa vibaya. Kisa ni kwamba eti mmoja ni mtu mzima sana kiumri huku mwingine ni kijana mdogo au wengine huita ‘chekibobu’.

Hivi majuzi jamaa yangu mmoja alinisimulia kisa cha rafiki yake ambaye ni kijana mtanashati aliyefikisha umri wa kuoa lakini amemganda mama mmoja mtu mzima ambaye alishazaa watoto wawili na wanaume tofauti na watoto hao kuchukuliwa na baba zao.

Anasema, kijana huyu mfanyabiashara, amemfungulia grocery ya vinywaji mwanamama huyo na kila inapofika majira ya saa tatu usiku, huenda kumchukua mchuchu wake huyo kwenda zao nyumbani.

“Ajabu ni kwamba, muda wa biashara ukimalizika hapo usiku, bwana huenda kumfuata mwenzake. Ajabu ni kwamba kijana yule siku zote hutangulia mbele kwa umbali fulani, kisha mwanamama humfuata kwa nyuma. Yaani hawataki watu wawaone eti wakiongozana pamoja…sijui wanahofu nini”, anasema jamaa yangu huyo.

“Sababu kubwa niionayo mimi ni utofauti wa umri, kijana ana umri wa miaka 24, mama yule ni mtu mzima anakaribia miaka 48”, anaongeza kusema.

Mpenzi msomaji, ipo misemo mingi inayoweza kuendana na kituko hicho. Kwa mfano, ‘kila shetani na mbuyu wake’…sikio la kufa halisikii dawa… ndege hutua katika mti aupendao…inzi hufia kidondani na kadhalika.

Siku zote, katika mambo ya mahusiano, kila mtu anazo hisia zake katika jambo fulani. Yupo mtu anayempenda mwenzake kwa kuvutiwa na umbile lake, mwingine sura, mwingine namna anavyoongea, tabia yake, ukacharamu wake na kadhalika. Ili mradi kipo kitu kinachouvuta moyo wake na hatimaye kumpenda.

Sasa katika maamuzi ya aina hii, siyo rahisi kumbandua mtu pale alipoukita moyo wake. Yupo anayependa vibinti vidogo vidogo tu.(ndivyo ibilisi wake anavyomtuma). Yupo anayependa mahusiano na watu wenye umri mkubwa kama kijana niliyemzungumzia na yupo anayechagua wanayekaribiana kiumri ili kuweka mizani ya kimaisha sawa. Yote haya ni maisha anayochagua mtu.

Pamoja na yote hayo, bado maamuzi mengine yana athari mbalimbali katika maisha ya kila siku. Tuchukulie kijana niliyemzungumzia. Hajaoa lakini amejichimbia kwa mama mtu mzima ambaye alishazaa watoto wawili kwa wanaume tofauti.

Kijana huyu hajapata mtoto na mama huyo siyo ajabu hana mpango tena wa kuzaa hasa ikizingatia umri nao umesonga mbele. Kijana penzi la utu uzima ndio limemkolea. Je, ataweza tena kuanzisha mahusiano na binti ambaye ni kijana mwenzake na kuachana na mama huyo?

Inanipa shaka kwamba anaweza kujinasua upesi toka kwa mama huyo mtu mzima hasa kwa jinsi baadhi ya kinamama wenye tabia ya kurubuni vijana wadogo walivyo wajanja. Hawa wanajulikana kama mashugamami.

Vijana walioangukia mikononi mwa mashugamami, wengine wameharibikiwa kabisa. Wapo wanaorubuniwa na kinamama wenye uwezo mkubwa, wakiwemo wanafunzi wa shule za sekondari na vyuo. Huwavuta kwa fedha na wengine wamediriki hata kuwanunulia magari.

Lakini usaliti huu hufanyika kwa siri kwani huwezi kuona warubuniwa wakiambatana na mashugamami hao. Na kwa kuwa hivi sasa kuna simu za viganjani ndiyo kabisa mambo ni kimya kimya. Watendao haya wamuogope sana Mungu. Hukumu iko mbele yao.

Hakika, Maisha Ndivyo Yalivyo. Mimi natoa dokezo tu kwamba tusione watu wanaambatana kwa umbali fulani, kumbe hiyo ni janja tu ya kuficha mambo. Hata hivyo, hebu tujiulize, kama wanayofanya ni halali, kwanini wasishikane hata mikono mashuhuda wakawaona? Au ni yale mapenzi ya wizi tunayoambiwa mitaani?

Mpenzi msomaji, kwa leo niishia hapa nikupe fursa nawe uchangie maoni au kisa chochote unachodhani tunaweza kujadili kwa pamoja. Kila la kheri.

fwingia@yahoo.com

Wasalaam

Ndege Imeanguka Iran! Watu 168 Wafa!

(Mabaki ya ndege ilioanguka Iran)

Kuna habari za kusikitisha kutoka Iran. Ndege ya Caspian Airlines, imeanguka huko Iran na watu 168 wamepoteza maisha. Ndege ilikuwa hewani dakika 16 tu kabla ya kuanguka. Sehemu ilipoangukia imeacha shimo kubwa, mabaki hakuna zaidi ya vipande vidogo vidogo! Ndege hiyo iliruka kutoka uwanja wa ndege was kimataifa huko Iran (Imam Khomeini International Airport) na ilikuwa inaelekea mji mkuu wa Armenia,Yerevan.

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Kutoka CNN.com

(CNN) -- A passenger plane carrying 168 people smashed into the ground in northwestern Iran Wednesday, killing everyone on board and creating a huge smoldering crater.

Photos indicate the aircraft created a huge crater.

Ten members of the country's youth judo team were aboard the Caspian Airlines plane, several sources including Press TV reported. The network said the dead included eight athletes and two coaches.

The plane "disintegrated into pieces," said Col. Masood Jafari Nasab, security commander of the city of Qazvin, close to the crash site.

Video of the crash site showed a huge crater in the earth scattered with charred pieces of the plane and tattered passports.
"The aircraft all of a sudden fell out of the sky and exploded on impact, where you see the crater," a witness told Press TV from the crash site.

Sirous Saberi, the deputy governor of Qazvin province, said military forces are searching for the plane's data recorder and cockpit voice recorder to determine the cause of the crash, Press TV said. The Russian-made Tupolev plane went down near the village of Jannatabad near Qazvin at 11:33 am on Wednesday, the station reported.

Qazvin Police Chief Hossein Behzadpour and Mohammad Reza Montazer Khorasan, the head of the disaster management center in Iran's health ministry, both confirmed that all 168 people on board were killed in the crash, Press TV reported.

Qazvin is the largest city in the province of Qazvin and is its capital, with an estimated population of 330,000.

It is about 140 kilometers (90 miles) northwest of Tehran, the capital of Iran.
The Iranian newspaper Hamshahri reported that the plane was flying from Tehran and was headed to Yerevan, Armenia.

The semi-official Mehr news agency listed the names of 153 passengers and 15 crew members. At least 42 of the names appeared to be Armenian, but it was not clear if they were from the former Soviet republic or if they were ethnically Armenian citizens of Iran.

The plane -- identified as flight number 7908 -- crashed 16 minutes after takeoff, said the newspaper, quoting a spokesman from Iran's civil aviation organization.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressed his condolences to the victims' families, as did the European Union in a statement.

Media reports said the type of aircraft involved in the crash was a Tupolev 154.
The three-engine Tupolev 154 is the aging workhorse of Russia's commercial fleet, at one time carrying about half of all Russian air passengers.

It was designed as the Soviet counterpart to the Boeing 727 and the European-made Trident, but with the added ability to operate from short, rough runways. About 1,000 were produced.

Although a popular aircraft, it has had a checkered history and has been involved in about 30 air disasters since it was created in 1968.

Aviation analyst Kieran Daly told CNN said numerous Tupolevs have been lost since the aircraft was introduced in the 70s.

"Having said that there were many of them built, and they have been in service in quite difficult parts of the world for a very long time. But there have been a lot of these Tupolev 154s lost, quite a few in Iran."

The last plane crash in Iran involving a Tupolev plane occurred in 2006, according to the Web site airdisaster.com.

That crash occurred on an Iran Air Tour flight from the port city of Bandar Abbas; it crashed and caught fire during landing, the Web site reported.

Twenty-nine of the 147 people on board died in that crash.

Kwa habari zaidi someni:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090715/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_plane

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8151327.stm

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3746997,00.html