from the BBC
Licences have been granted to four private daily newspapers in Zimbabwe by a commission set up by the unity government to implement media reforms.
The Zimbabwean media is currently dominated by state-run newspapers.
One of the licences has been granted to the Daily News, a paper critical of President Robert Mugabe, which was closed down in 2003.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Zimbabwe winemaker
Nahanda Radio has an article on Tariro Masayiti
Two of the three official World Cup wines, have been created by Masayiti and all three limited edition World Cup wines come from the estate where he works in South Africa, Nederburg. Masayiti told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday that he’s responsible for making the Sauvignon Blanc and Dry Rose. The other was the responsibility of a colleague at Nederburg.,,
But how did the Bachelor of Science graduate from the University of Zimbabwe end up in this unique profession?
‘It was by accident really. My brother used to work at a farm close to the Mukuyu wineries in Marondera. During my days at the University he recommended I do general work at the winery as I needed pocket money and something to help my family with.
‘It was here that I got interested in winemaking...
After four years at Stellenbosch, he also made history by becoming the first black student to graduate in Viticulture and Oenology....
Two of the three official World Cup wines, have been created by Masayiti and all three limited edition World Cup wines come from the estate where he works in South Africa, Nederburg. Masayiti told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday that he’s responsible for making the Sauvignon Blanc and Dry Rose. The other was the responsibility of a colleague at Nederburg.,,
But how did the Bachelor of Science graduate from the University of Zimbabwe end up in this unique profession?
‘It was by accident really. My brother used to work at a farm close to the Mukuyu wineries in Marondera. During my days at the University he recommended I do general work at the winery as I needed pocket money and something to help my family with.
‘It was here that I got interested in winemaking...
After four years at Stellenbosch, he also made history by becoming the first black student to graduate in Viticulture and Oenology....
Animals 182, Humans 4
When animals are more important than people:
On Google News:
Times Online - Jonathan Clayton - 3 hours ago
Zimbabwe is to send pairs of endangered wildlife, including baby elephants, to a zoo in North Korea, in a bizarre version of Noah's Ark condemned yesterday ...
Zimbabwe to Export Elephants, Catfish to North Korea, AFP SaysBloomberg
Animals sent to NKorea for business, officials say Washington Post
NEWS.com.au - CNN (blog) - BBC Sport - Voice of America
all 182 news articles »
but those made homeless from Mugabe's terror still have nowhere to live? ho hum:
Zimbabwe: Rights Groups Demand Justice for Victims of Operation Murambatsvina
AllAfrica.com - Alex Bell - 2 hours ago
Amnesty International and the Coalition Against Forced Evictions have this week called on Zimbabwe's unity government to provide adequate alternative ...
Zimbabwe: 700000 forcibly evicted still ignored five years onAllAfrica.com
all 4 news articles »
On Google News:
Times Online - Jonathan Clayton - 3 hours ago
Zimbabwe is to send pairs of endangered wildlife, including baby elephants, to a zoo in North Korea, in a bizarre version of Noah's Ark condemned yesterday ...
Zimbabwe to Export Elephants, Catfish to North Korea, AFP SaysBloomberg
Animals sent to NKorea for business, officials say Washington Post
NEWS.com.au - CNN (blog) - BBC Sport - Voice of America
all 182 news articles »
but those made homeless from Mugabe's terror still have nowhere to live? ho hum:
Zimbabwe: Rights Groups Demand Justice for Victims of Operation Murambatsvina
AllAfrica.com - Alex Bell - 2 hours ago
Amnesty International and the Coalition Against Forced Evictions have this week called on Zimbabwe's unity government to provide adequate alternative ...
Zimbabwe: 700000 forcibly evicted still ignored five years onAllAfrica.com
all 4 news articles »
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Circumcision: why it works.
someone left a comment on an earlier post about circumcision preventing HIV transmission.
He then posted a link to a US doc who spouts off stuff on TV there.
Uh, fellahs, I suspect I examined and treated a lot more penile problems than that US expert ever did.
The common thread is cleanliness. In tribal areas, full bathing in a stream full of schistosomiasis laden snails is not the best way to stay clean. In the dry season, it might mean going to a muddy water hole to wash, or to wash in a basin of water.
The dry, dusty dirt gets under the foreskin and causes irritation, called Balanitis. The balinitis results in small abraisions, making female to male transmission more common.
Since circumcision in males started in Egypt long before Abraham was told to start doing it, I suspect men agreed to have it done for a reason...because balanitis is painful, phimosis causes sexual problems (ask Louis XVI) and paraphimosis is nothing to laugh at.
Probably it started as a dorsal slit and then they went further.
As for the high rate in the US: This is mainly in very promiscuous gays, but it's not politically correct to point out the extreme promiscuity, or that sodomy, with it's variations of fisting, rimming, and other exotic variations, is more prone to cause bleeding/abrasions too, whereas monogamous ordinary sexual intercourse in a man who is circumcised or has access to running water probably will never get HIV unless he works in hospitals or is injecting drugs.
indeed, the high rate of HIV in China and Iran (and probably Russia) is not due to intercourse but to IV drug abuse, mainly of heroin...
He then posted a link to a US doc who spouts off stuff on TV there.
Uh, fellahs, I suspect I examined and treated a lot more penile problems than that US expert ever did.
The common thread is cleanliness. In tribal areas, full bathing in a stream full of schistosomiasis laden snails is not the best way to stay clean. In the dry season, it might mean going to a muddy water hole to wash, or to wash in a basin of water.
The dry, dusty dirt gets under the foreskin and causes irritation, called Balanitis. The balinitis results in small abraisions, making female to male transmission more common.
Since circumcision in males started in Egypt long before Abraham was told to start doing it, I suspect men agreed to have it done for a reason...because balanitis is painful, phimosis causes sexual problems (ask Louis XVI) and paraphimosis is nothing to laugh at.
Probably it started as a dorsal slit and then they went further.
As for the high rate in the US: This is mainly in very promiscuous gays, but it's not politically correct to point out the extreme promiscuity, or that sodomy, with it's variations of fisting, rimming, and other exotic variations, is more prone to cause bleeding/abrasions too, whereas monogamous ordinary sexual intercourse in a man who is circumcised or has access to running water probably will never get HIV unless he works in hospitals or is injecting drugs.
indeed, the high rate of HIV in China and Iran (and probably Russia) is not due to intercourse but to IV drug abuse, mainly of heroin...
Homeless still years later
via AFP:
JOHANNESBURG — Amnesty International on Tuesday accused Zimbabwe's unity government of failing to provide for victims of a mass eviction blitz five years ago that left 700,000 people destitute.
Amnesty and the Coalition of Forced Evictions, made up of Zimbabwean groups, called on the government to provide alternative housing or compensation to people left homeless and jobless by Operation Murambatsvina (Drive Out Filth).
"It is a scandal that five years on, victims are left to survive in plastic shacks without basic essential services," said Amnesty's Zimbabwe director Cousin Zilala in a statement.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Prejudice is alive and well in NYTimes readers
The NYTimes brags that they are read by some of the best and brightest folks in the world, but if this is so, the face of prejudice is showing.
in the comments section of the previous article on HIV:
in the comments section of the previous article on HIV:
3.
Screw the HIV patients: promote PC "gender equality" and "family planning" instead
The NYTimes has an article about the deterioration of the HIV treatment programs in Africa.
The reason? Obama hijacked the program to please the population folks:
Donors have decided that is too much, that more lives can be saved by concentrating on child-killers like stillbirth, pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, measles and tetanus. Cures for those killers, like antibiotics, mosquito nets, rehydration salts, water filters, shots and deworming pills, cost $1 to $10.
Under its new Global Health Initiative, the Obama administration has announced plans to shift its focus to mother-and-child health. The AIDS budget was increased by only 2 percent.
Translation: they'll divert the efficient NGO run HIV funds to local clinics and organizations, which of course will allow lots of the money to be diverted to the pockets of local politicians etc.
I agree that these things are the best cost effective way to save lives, but the point of specialty clinics is to treat one disease that would be neglected: That is why when I was in Africa we had "eye" clinics, TB clinics, Malnutrition clinics, Immunization clinics, and prenatal clinics...often getting different funds for each project, which was run by a different person. This allowed these specialty diseases to be treated, while allowing ordinary things to be treated by local clinics etc.
Of course, the reason local clinics are so bad in the first place is this corruption, that diverts needed supplies and drugs elsewhere, leaving a clinics without medicine or equipment.
But this isn't the only problem: Obama is part of the "abortion/homosexuality/promiscuity/anti family policies that are so beloved of the western elite.
So now, PEPFAR will promote western ideas of "gender equality" instead of HIV medicine., not to mention that they will be "non judgemental" in promoting prostitution and working with organizations whose aim is to promote abortion.
Even the complaint that docs were being hired away from local clinics is false:
The new Partnership Frameworks emphasise the role of host country governments in ensuring an effective and sustainable response to the epidemic.37 Matias Gomez, Global Fund Fund Portfolio Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean, highlights the positive impact that this change in PEPFAR's focus could have on human resources for health.38 A 2008 study in Zambia showed that perks gained from working on PEPFAR supported programmes (such as higher salaries, paid overtime, and training opportunities) combined with limited incentives to remain in the public sector (particularly the lack of opportunities for career progression) leads to an "internal brain drain" in which government workers leave their jobs to work for PEPFAR implementing organisations, creating critical shortages in the public sector.39 Greater investment and coordination with host country governments could help to address the 'brain drain' effect.
Many doctors and nurses, faced with the choice of poorly paid understaffed and lacking medicine in government clinics would prefer to stay and work for PEPFAR or other efficient programs to make a difference to their people while supporting their families, but the alternative would not be working at the inadequate clinics, it would be emmigration...
so the NYTimes article is accurate, but deliberatly underplays that President Obama, despite his African roots, is essentially cutting a lifesaving program to follow the leftist elite ideas that are so foreign to Africa and which in the long run are merely another neocolonialist plot to remake Africa as an inferior copy of the west, with all the elitist policies that destroyed western families destroying the cultural ethos and African traditions along the way.
The reason? Obama hijacked the program to please the population folks:
Donors have decided that is too much, that more lives can be saved by concentrating on child-killers like stillbirth, pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, measles and tetanus. Cures for those killers, like antibiotics, mosquito nets, rehydration salts, water filters, shots and deworming pills, cost $1 to $10.
Under its new Global Health Initiative, the Obama administration has announced plans to shift its focus to mother-and-child health. The AIDS budget was increased by only 2 percent.
Translation: they'll divert the efficient NGO run HIV funds to local clinics and organizations, which of course will allow lots of the money to be diverted to the pockets of local politicians etc.
I agree that these things are the best cost effective way to save lives, but the point of specialty clinics is to treat one disease that would be neglected: That is why when I was in Africa we had "eye" clinics, TB clinics, Malnutrition clinics, Immunization clinics, and prenatal clinics...often getting different funds for each project, which was run by a different person. This allowed these specialty diseases to be treated, while allowing ordinary things to be treated by local clinics etc.
Of course, the reason local clinics are so bad in the first place is this corruption, that diverts needed supplies and drugs elsewhere, leaving a clinics without medicine or equipment.
But this isn't the only problem: Obama is part of the "abortion/homosexuality/promiscuity/anti family policies that are so beloved of the western elite.
So now, PEPFAR will promote western ideas of "gender equality" instead of HIV medicine., not to mention that they will be "non judgemental" in promoting prostitution and working with organizations whose aim is to promote abortion.
Even the complaint that docs were being hired away from local clinics is false:
The new Partnership Frameworks emphasise the role of host country governments in ensuring an effective and sustainable response to the epidemic.37 Matias Gomez, Global Fund Fund Portfolio Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean, highlights the positive impact that this change in PEPFAR's focus could have on human resources for health.38 A 2008 study in Zambia showed that perks gained from working on PEPFAR supported programmes (such as higher salaries, paid overtime, and training opportunities) combined with limited incentives to remain in the public sector (particularly the lack of opportunities for career progression) leads to an "internal brain drain" in which government workers leave their jobs to work for PEPFAR implementing organisations, creating critical shortages in the public sector.39 Greater investment and coordination with host country governments could help to address the 'brain drain' effect.
Many doctors and nurses, faced with the choice of poorly paid understaffed and lacking medicine in government clinics would prefer to stay and work for PEPFAR or other efficient programs to make a difference to their people while supporting their families, but the alternative would not be working at the inadequate clinics, it would be emmigration...
so the NYTimes article is accurate, but deliberatly underplays that President Obama, despite his African roots, is essentially cutting a lifesaving program to follow the leftist elite ideas that are so foreign to Africa and which in the long run are merely another neocolonialist plot to remake Africa as an inferior copy of the west, with all the elitist policies that destroyed western families destroying the cultural ethos and African traditions along the way.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Zimbabwes malarial time bomb
from times liveSA
The health department in Limpopo, which borders on Zimbabwe, reported an increase in malaria cases in December in the Vhembe and Mopani districts.
Zimbabwe's malaria programme has suffered setbacks in control and research, said Richard Tren, director of Africa Fighting Malaria.
"For many years Zimbabwe had an excellent malaria control programme and now it is down to almost zero," he said....
But on the continent as a whole significant progress has been made in "scaling up coverage with key malaria control interventions" according to the latest report on the killer disease, World Malaria Day 2010: Africa Update.
Malaria costs Africa more than $40-billion a year in treatment and sick days - 247 million cases were reported in 2008.
"In 2008 malaria caused nearly one million deaths, mostly among African children," said the World Health Organisation.
UK ELECTION
essay at African executive
exerpt
exerpt
Finally, Labour, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are united in their plan to divorce the Commonwealth in favour of the European Union. Although Commonwealth countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Indian-sub continent lost millions of their people fighting alongside the British army in the First and Second World Wars; their citizens are no longer welcomed to the UK either as students, skilled workers or to visit their families. By contrast, European Union citizens are free to walk in and out at will.
In her Christmas message on 24th December 2009, the Queen said: “It is sixty years since the Commonwealth was created and today, with more than a billion of its members under the age of 25, the organisation remains a strong and practical force for good. It is inspiring to learn of some of the work being done by these young people, who bring creativity and innovation to the challenges they face. The Commonwealth is an opportunity for its people to work together to achieve practical solutions to problems.”
Yet to Labour, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats; Africa and Commonwealth countries no longer represent an “opportunity for its people to work together to achieve practical solutions to problems.” They have become a dumping ground for weapons, access agricultural products and toxic industrial waste, and intolerable sources of economic immigrants. To that extent, Commonwealth citizens died in vain, fighting alongside the British army during the first and the Second World Wars.
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Zimbabwe returning to normal
from Reuters:
...
Today, shops in the capital are fully stocked with goods which anyone can buy as long as they pay in U.S. dollars. Zimbabwe's government allowed the use of multiple currencies in early 2009, effectively making the dollar the official currency.
Harare's streets are markedly cleaner than they were six months ago, grocery shops have sprung up all over the capital -- offering goods at prices comparable to neighbouring South Africa -- and there are more new vehicles on the roads.
But much-needed investment from abroad remains absent and the country's stock exchange has seen foreign investors retreat after the introduction of regulations calling for foreign-owned companies to transfer a majority stake to Zimbabweans.
Zimbabwe moved to implement the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act that requires foreign firms to sell a 51 percent stake to local blacks at the end of January.
"The foreigners are sniffing around. You can see that from the full hotels but nothing will happen until the economy picks up," said one banker in Harare.
BILLIONS NEEDED
Zimbabwe's power-sharing government, set up by President Robert Mugabe and his rival Morgan Tsvangirai, now the country's prime minister, has estimated around $10 billion is needed to repair the economy. Continued...
...
Today, shops in the capital are fully stocked with goods which anyone can buy as long as they pay in U.S. dollars. Zimbabwe's government allowed the use of multiple currencies in early 2009, effectively making the dollar the official currency.
Harare's streets are markedly cleaner than they were six months ago, grocery shops have sprung up all over the capital -- offering goods at prices comparable to neighbouring South Africa -- and there are more new vehicles on the roads.
But much-needed investment from abroad remains absent and the country's stock exchange has seen foreign investors retreat after the introduction of regulations calling for foreign-owned companies to transfer a majority stake to Zimbabweans.
Zimbabwe moved to implement the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act that requires foreign firms to sell a 51 percent stake to local blacks at the end of January.
"The foreigners are sniffing around. You can see that from the full hotels but nothing will happen until the economy picks up," said one banker in Harare.
BILLIONS NEEDED
Zimbabwe's power-sharing government, set up by President Robert Mugabe and his rival Morgan Tsvangirai, now the country's prime minister, has estimated around $10 billion is needed to repair the economy. Continued...
chief Nyamombe attacked
from SWRadioAfrica
The chief was on his way home from Rusape when he was savagely attacked inside the bus by two well known ZANU PF youths from Makoni South constituency, that is held by the MDC.
Netsai Nyamombe, the chief’s daughter, told us her elderly father was in a Shungu bus when the two youths accused him of supporting the MDC and of trying to ursurp powers from Chief Chiduku, a non constituency senator representing ZANU PF.
The chief was on his way home from Rusape when he was savagely attacked inside the bus by two well known ZANU PF youths from Makoni South constituency, that is held by the MDC.
Netsai Nyamombe, the chief’s daughter, told us her elderly father was in a Shungu bus when the two youths accused him of supporting the MDC and of trying to ursurp powers from Chief Chiduku, a non constituency senator representing ZANU PF.
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Yup, you read it here, folks.
The same argument (except that it used Malthus, not Darwin) was used to justify the British lack of response to the Irish potato famine in the 1840's that killed a quarter of that country's population...
----------------------
I'm gay and HIV negative... and I'm 46 years old (in June). I've avoided getting the virus for almost three decades! I'm not passing judgement, as I know slip ups do occur. But "slip ups" aren't the reason for the high rate of infection in these African countries (nor is it for the recent increasing rate of infection in the U.S.). Unsafe sex is ingrained in these countries....
Yes, let's ignore that condoms tend to be useless after being stored in hot tropical climates, and let's ignore the huge number of partners in some parts of the gay community would astound the average "promiscuous" African man. And of course let's ignore that lack of circumcision and vaginal infections (and vaginal herbs to dry the secretions) result in a much higher rate of transmission, because they increase the microabrasions that allow the germ to enter the partner.
And we won't mention the spread via blood transfusions, inadequatly sterilized needles, "Muti cuts" with unsterilized blades, etc. that spread the disease, nor that western colonialism has resulted in men having to work away from home in mines etc. so they only see their wives rarely.
Let's just look down on "promiscuous" Africans for being at fault.
---------------------------
presumably he means HIV education should stress abstinence?
-------------------------------
actually this is false. Condom use education was allowed, but abstinence only education was encouraged, working with churches and mosques. However, they did not fund groups that promoted abortion and prostitution (i.e. non judgemental approach to prostitutes rather than helping them get alternative jobs), and it is these groups that stressed condom use, that did not work in studies due to men refusing and of course poor quality of the condoms themselves.
---------------------------------
I am not underestimating the problem of rape; but when it is colonial powers that destroy tribal customs, and greedy war lords who destablize entire regions because they want to steal, and that much of the rape is due to extreme poverty or war, one has to differentiate this legacy of colonialism and western promotion of the god of money from working with and strengthening families. Obama will promote "cures" to the problems that the west started by promoting "safe sex" and condoms, not by strengthening morality via churches, and mosques to promote strong families.
Ironically, despite it's problems, here in the Philippines, the PC are pushing western sex ed and condoms and abortion and pushing artificial family planning for all, using the excuse we have 4000 cases of HIV in the entire country...
Maybe Africa could learn from the Philippines...