TresSugar

Pale and Persecuted: Albinos Hunted, Terrorized in Tanzania

CitizenSugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 03:00:27 -0700

Living in sub-Saharan Africa isn't an easy existence for anyone - but for albino people living in one of Earth’s hottest areas has intense challenges. Their total lack of pigmentation, which affects 1 in 3,000, is excruciating under the glaring African sun - they are predisposed to severe skin burns and often die of skin cancer before the age of 30.

Though lately, the weather is the least of their problems. Tanzanian officials claim that witch doctors are promoting the sale of albino skin, bones and hair as ingredients in spells to create prosperity. In the past year, 19 albinos including children have been killed or mutilated. Police are creating lists of albinos throughout their nation in an effort to better protect them including escorts for albino children to get to and from school. I absorb a lot of news, but this story is almost unimaginably horrific. To see how, read more.

One of the families devastated by this phenomenon was eating when four men entered their home and cut off the legs of their albino daughter and simply left with her amputated stumps. She later died.

The Commissioner said of the witch doctor’s influence into the persecution of the albino people:

These witch doctors have many strange beliefs. There was a rumor not so long ago that if you use a bald head when fishing, you’ll get rich. There was another one that said if you spread blood on the ground in a mine, you’ll find gold. These rumors come and go. The problem is, the people who follow witch doctors don’t question them.

Police say the rural areas are the most susceptible to rumors and superstitions, as they tend to be uneducated. This wave of albino killings surprised the police who have no idea why it seemed to begin so suddenly but suspect either a wave of imported Nigerian movies centering on the theme of witchcraft or rising food prices - necessitating the spells for wealth - could be the cause.

Tanzanian Albino Society, a nonprofit advocacy group that operates on less than $15,000 a year, has become increasingly vital to this population in crisis.

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Front Page: Las Vegas Hits The Snow Jackpot

CitizenSugar — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 07:47:28 -0800

A rare snow storm has hit Las Vegas, leaving more snow than the city has seen in decades, and grounding most flights in and out of sin city. The National Weather Service has called the storm a "significant historical event." - Las Vegas Review Journal
A former Rwandan Army Colonel has been convicted of genocide by the UN court in Tanzania, after the court determined he masterminded the 1994 mass killings of the Tutsis and moderate Hutus. - New York Times

MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski was mugged this morning in Washington, D.C. while waiting for a car to pick her up and take her to the studio to tape Morning Joe. - Washington Times
The man who threw his shoes at President Bush has asked for a pardon, after describing his behavior as an "an ugly act." The attacker's brother says the idea that he sent a letter of apology to Iraq's prime minister is unbelievable. - AP

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Out of Africa: Kenya Hits Two Finish Lines

CitizenSugar — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 09:16:55 -0700

In Kenya today President Mwai Kibaki named rival Raila Odinga prime minister. The power-sharing deal became official after lengthy negotiations over the agreement they signed more than a month ago.

The two became locked in heated debate over the governing of Kenya following disputed elections between them last December. The official announcement of the agreement is a welcome finish line as deadly violence spurred by the election has left more than 1,000 people dead and around 300,000 displaced.

Another Kenyan crossed a triumphant finish line this morning at the London Marathon. Martin Lel won the London Marathon for the third time in four years, finishing in 2 hours, 5 minutes, 15 seconds.

Other Africans running in the marathon today included a group of Maasai warriors, hoping to raise money to build a well in their village, Eluai, in Tanzania. To see the distinctive athletes in action, read more.

The warriors ran dressed in red toga-like wraps and sandals made from old car tires, carrying cowhide shields and sticks. They hope to raise awareness for the drought they're suffering, as well as $120,000 to solve their water woes.

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Front Page: US Bombs Somalia, Abbas Stops Peace Talks

CitizenSugar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 06:53:17 -0800

The US fired missiles on an Islamist-held town in southern Somalia this morning. A US military official said the attack was "a deliberate, precise strike against a known terrorist and his associates." Three missiles hit Dhoble town, reportedly killing six people and wounding 20. Islamist insurgents took the area last week and reports indicated a leader, Hassan Turki, had been present in the area. The US is accusing the Somali Islamists of giving a safe haven to those responsible for the 1998 attacks on its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas suspended peace talks with Israel yesterday following renewed violence in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 100 Palestinians since last Wednesday. Hamas has continued its campaign of rocket strikes against Israel, prompting reciprocal attacks on the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said "with all due respect, nothing will prevent us from continuing operations to protect our citizens." US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is set to visit the region this week, and the latest reports say Israel has begun to withdraw from the five-day offensive, while warning their response is not over.

Check This: Bush a Hero in Africa

LibertySugar — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:00:14 -0800

President Bush is enjoying a hero's welcome as he tours Africa. This week he will visit Senegal, South Africa, Botswana, Nigeria, and Uganda during a mission to address the continent's economic, health, and security concerns. Programs that will fight AIDS and malaria, as well as aid plans that promote self-reliance instead of unqualified assistance, make President Bush much more popular in Africa than he is in other parts of the world.

The AIDS programs focus on preventing new infections in dozens of African nations, Haiti, and Guyana. The plans will provide medication to 2 million people already living with the disease.

On Monday, in Tanzania, Bush also unveiled a plan that will have a practical impact on people's lives - The US plans to fund millions of bed-nets that will protect every Tanzanian child aged one to five from mosquitoes that spread deadly malaria.

Of course, Bush's ceaseless critics have hesitations about his plans. For more on the critics, read more.

Activists worry that Bush's relief program will require that the medication funding be spent on high-cost patent-protected drugs, rather than on the cheapest possible generic antiviral medication. In addition, the plan requires that substantial funding go to faith-based organizations with the requirement that one-third of AIDS prevention dollars go to abstinence-only programs.

Do you think the critics raise fair concerns? Or, are you just excited to see Bush offering money and attention to Africa's dire needs?

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Front Page: Pakistan Votes, Beef Recall, Bush in Africa

CitizenSugar — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 06:54:46 -0800

Pakistanis turned out this morning to vote in parliamentary elections. Results are thought to further diminish President Pervez Musharraf and present the US government with a challenging new political lineup, as it pursues its fight against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the region. At least four candidates, including Benazir Bhutto, and nearly 100 other Pakistanis have been killed during the campaign. Following the weekend blast, there has been scattered violence and voting irregularities, but nothing that stopped polling.
The USDA has issued the largest beef recall in history. Targeting 143 million pounds of beef from the Westland/Hallmark Meat Packing Company in Chino, California, Dick Raymond, the undersecretary of agriculture for food safety, said there was a "remote probability" that the meat from the could cause illness in humans. The recall states that cattle that had lost the ability to walk since passing pre-processing inspections were slaughtered without an inspector examining them for chronic illness. About 37 million pounds of the recalled beef have already been shipped to school lunch programs.
President Bush is in Tanzania as part of his six-day trip through Africa. Tackling subjects like poverty and disease, Mr. Bush announced a program distributing free bed nets for all young Tanzanian children, to stop the spread of malaria, and also signed a $698 million grant of foreign aid to the country.