If it was not located in eastern Congo surrounded by thousand of displaced people, it would be a great joke. The "it" is a speed limit sign! This is just unbelievable!
Congo Warlord Linked to Abuses Seeks Bigger Stage - NYTimes.com:
"BUNAGANA, Congo — At the entrance to this bustling border town is a most unusual sight: a speed limit sign. In fresh red, white and blue paint, it is a rare manifestation of order in a nation better known for chaos.
The seemingly innocuous signpost is emblematic of the growing might and wider ambitions of Laurent Nkunda, the renegade Congolese general and warlord who now holds part of Congo’s future in his grip.
“I am fighting for the destiny of this country,” said Mr. Nkunda, offering up the orderly streets and neatly terraced farms of the surrounding countryside as evidence of what Congo might be like if he ran things. “What we want is to restore the dignity of this country and these people.”
But beneath the veneer lies a ruthlessness of a piece with Congo’s unbroken history of brutality. With a military campaign in October and November that was met with a feeble response from both the Congolese government and United Nations peacekeeping forces here in eastern Congo, General Nkunda has pushed the nation to its most dangerous precipice in years."
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Reading if I Misunderstand the Uses of Twitter or Facebook
Confession: I do not fully understand Twiiter and Facebook.
I use (think of) Twitter as a subset or specialty of Facebook's status.
Do you understand, misunderstand, or care?
Post: The Misunderstood Uses of Twitter and Facebook: Are You a Friend, Follower
or a Fool?
Posted: 19 Dec 2008 05:04 AM PST
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Twitip/~3/XBrx4Smri_w/
By Guest Author Scott Scheper of http://scottdig.com (follow him at
@venturedig).
When I think of Facebook and Twitter, I think of Preparation-H and
toothpaste. Both are quality products. Both have their uses; but
Preparation-H, like Twitter, is only needed at a certain point in life.
from my HTC phone!
Woody M. Collins
President, Congo Helping Hands
"Strengthening the Heart of Africa"
website: http://www.CongoHelpingHands.org
blog: http://www.EndingExtremePoverty.org
facebook: http://profile.to/woodycollins
Twitter: http://twitter.com/woodycollins
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Learning from two High Schoolers
Part of Congo Helping Hands' mission is to promote awareness of the plight of the Congolese people. We want to educate the public.
Today, I got two letters (typed and on paper) from two students who attend the International Academy of Macomb (Michigan). At first, I thought it was letters from some I knew. But I have not gone by "To Whom It May Concern" or "Dear Congo Helping Hands" ever.
I was surprised that they wrote a paper letter versus connect with us over the internet or Facebook. Anyway, I found one of the letterwriters on Facebook and sent an electronic message back. I will follow up with a paper letter soon.
Until they mentioned it in their letters, I had not heard of Guns Germs and Steel.
Guns Germs & Steel: About the Book. Guns Germs & Steel PBS: "Guns, Germs and Steel
First published in the United States by W.W.Norton and Company, on March 1 1997, Guns, Germs and Steel was initially subtitled ‘The Fates of Human Societies.’ Within a few months, this subtitle had evolved into ‘A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years.’
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction, the Rhone Poulenc Science Book Prize, along with three other international literary prizes, Guns, Germs and Steel has been translated into 25 languages and has sold millions of copies around the world."
Today, I got two letters (typed and on paper) from two students who attend the International Academy of Macomb (Michigan). At first, I thought it was letters from some I knew. But I have not gone by "To Whom It May Concern" or "Dear Congo Helping Hands" ever.
I was surprised that they wrote a paper letter versus connect with us over the internet or Facebook. Anyway, I found one of the letterwriters on Facebook and sent an electronic message back. I will follow up with a paper letter soon.
Until they mentioned it in their letters, I had not heard of Guns Germs and Steel.
Guns Germs & Steel: About the Book. Guns Germs & Steel PBS: "Guns, Germs and Steel
First published in the United States by W.W.Norton and Company, on March 1 1997, Guns, Germs and Steel was initially subtitled ‘The Fates of Human Societies.’ Within a few months, this subtitle had evolved into ‘A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years.’
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction, the Rhone Poulenc Science Book Prize, along with three other international literary prizes, Guns, Germs and Steel has been translated into 25 languages and has sold millions of copies around the world."
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Sitting at Courtside
from my HTC phone!
Woody M. Collins
President, Congo Helping Hands
"Strengthening the Heart of Africa"
website: http://www.CongoHelpingHands.org
blog: http://www.EndingExtremePoverty.org
facebook: http://profile.to/woodycollins
Here's how most people die in the Congo
When you think about the war in Congo, you think of opposing armed groups shooting at one another. True but here's how most people die in the Congo without being shot. This is especially true of the young children five years old and under.
Scores dying from disease in Congo conflict - CNN.com:
"The number of young children dying from preventable diseases like malaria and diarrhea has increased dramatically because of war in eastern Congo, an aid agency announced Wednesday.
Displaced people fleeing the violence are living in poor conditions as they walk for days through the forests to get to camps in and around the provincial capital of Goma, World Vision said.
Hospitals have seen an influx of patients suffering from preventable diseases, the aid group said.
'You can imagine if you've got young children who are really vulnerable, that walking and sleeping under nothing, walking through the forest [will affect them],' said Anna Ridout, part of World Vision's emergency team in Goma.
Cold and damp conditions lead to respiratory distress, she said. Some of those pushed from their homes suffer extreme cases of diarrhea caused by bad sanitation, which leads to dehydration, Ridout said."
Scores dying from disease in Congo conflict - CNN.com:
"The number of young children dying from preventable diseases like malaria and diarrhea has increased dramatically because of war in eastern Congo, an aid agency announced Wednesday.
Displaced people fleeing the violence are living in poor conditions as they walk for days through the forests to get to camps in and around the provincial capital of Goma, World Vision said.
Hospitals have seen an influx of patients suffering from preventable diseases, the aid group said.
'You can imagine if you've got young children who are really vulnerable, that walking and sleeping under nothing, walking through the forest [will affect them],' said Anna Ridout, part of World Vision's emergency team in Goma.
Cold and damp conditions lead to respiratory distress, she said. Some of those pushed from their homes suffer extreme cases of diarrhea caused by bad sanitation, which leads to dehydration, Ridout said."
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
A Small Step toward Stopping Child Soldiers
Congo stands to lose $800,000 in foreign military financing.
The measure was introduced by Senators Richard Durbin and Sam Brownback.
U.S. Restricts Aid to Nations Using Child Soldiers OneWorld.net (U.S.): "WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (OneWorld.net) - The United States passed a law last week restricting military aid to governments involved in the use of child soldiers. Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Uganda may be affected."
The measure was introduced by Senators Richard Durbin and Sam Brownback.
U.S. Restricts Aid to Nations Using Child Soldiers OneWorld.net (U.S.): "WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (OneWorld.net) - The United States passed a law last week restricting military aid to governments involved in the use of child soldiers. Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Uganda may be affected."
Feeling Despair and Paralysis
Why do you feel despair and paralysis with Darfur and CONGO?
Editorial - A Policy for Preventing Genocide - NYTimes.com: "Darfur, Congo, Rwanda and, before that, Bosnia. It is hard to contemplate man’s capacity for inhumanity without feeling despair and paralysis. The world usually pays attention only after the killing has spun out of control, when ethnic, religious and political divides are rubbed so raw that the furies are infinitely harder to calm. By that point, the United States and others are faced with the agonizing choice of either intervening militarily or allowing the killing to go on."
Editorial - A Policy for Preventing Genocide - NYTimes.com: "Darfur, Congo, Rwanda and, before that, Bosnia. It is hard to contemplate man’s capacity for inhumanity without feeling despair and paralysis. The world usually pays attention only after the killing has spun out of control, when ethnic, religious and political divides are rubbed so raw that the furies are infinitely harder to calm. By that point, the United States and others are faced with the agonizing choice of either intervening militarily or allowing the killing to go on."
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Exposing the Congo War with an Online Museum
http://arrestnkundanow.blogspot.com/2008/12/mjpc-online-museum-of-victims-of-war-in.html
Sacramento, California. 12/12/2008. The new organization known as Mobilization of Justice and Peace in the D.R. Congo (MJPC) announced today the launch of phase one of its online museum of victims of the war in the D.R.Congo. According to the project coordinator of the MJPC, Amede Kyubwa, the online museum aims to expose this war, remaining virtually invisible to the outside world despite ongoing unacceptable barbarity, and aims to expose how innocent people in Congo continue to suffer massive human rights violations while armed groups responsible for these crimes go unpunished.
The online museum, available at http://www.yoursilenceoncongo.org , is currently developing its collections policy and plan to determine the scope of the collections. "The museum will make particular use of collected images/photos of the war victims and help prevent similar catastrophes in the future," said Mr. Kyubwa.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
