Safari Notes

Rows of human skulls sit in glass cases near the red brick Catholic church here. Some are cracked in half; holes are punched in others. Hundreds of arm and leg bones lie nearby. To the left is a table of tools: rusty shovels, hoes, pipes, and a machete — the weapons of genocide.

Many in the West, including leaders and politicians - are forcefully doing all that they can to promote the acceptance of homosexuality. Presently, in America , those campaigning have insultingly gone as far as to equate legal rights for homosexuals with the historic black struggle against racism; there is a specter haunting it. It is the movement to promote and legalize homosexual marriage. The movement has adopted a cunning political strategy to appeal to everyone from the suburban soccer mom to the urban white-male liberal: It has packaged its demand for the radical redefining of marriage in the rhetoric and imagery of the U.S. civil rights movement . For Africa and Africans, if the Western world condones and accepts homosexuality, is not a problem; America and other Western countries (which base their democracy and culture on ancient Greece which tolerated and allowed homosexuality ages ago) are free to decide for themselves what kind of a culture and a society they prefer. But,

Not In My Country   Of all places, no where else is corruption as abhorrent as when it happens in institutions of learning and education. Any one who knows the workings of East African secondary and high schools, colleges and universities - would most likely know, too, how corrupt those working in them can be. Headmasters, principals and heads of colleges and universities are known to take bribes or ask for other forms of favours which can be: financial, material or even sexual. Many know how some one was admitted in a certain educational institution because he/she gave bribes or provided some form of favour  Many, too, know of favors being given to teachers or instructors or lecturers for the benefit of a student. I recall, years ago, while in a boys' boarding school of hundreds of students - there was this fat matron who used certain of us sexually for her to give us some favour or extra stuff. She would either aggressively cajole or bully and get her way. Then, I thought

Definition of marriage: 1. The formal union of a man and a woman, typically recognized by law, by which they become husband and wife. 2. The state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law. But in the so called 'developed' western countries, marriage is also defined as: the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage (same sex marriage). Meaning, a man and man or a woman and a woman can get 'married' and have a 'family'. Here are 10 reasons why this is wrong:

Global Impact Awards support organizations using technology and innovative approaches to tackle some of the world’s toughest human challenges. We look for nimble, entrepreneurial organizations that have a specific project that tests a big idea and a brilliant team with a healthy disregard for the impossible. From real-time sensors that monitor clean water to DNA barcoding that stops wildlife trafficking, our first round of awards provides $23 million to seven organizations changing the world. From helping people to access clean water, to helping in protecting the world's most endangered wildlife, to assisting in many more projects - Google is impacting people's lives.   Learn more.....

Many of us have so much food to eat, everyday, that some of that food is wasted or thrown away. Ever thought of how difficult it can be to be hungry? For Muslims who fast during the month of Ramadhan, they know how hard that can be. There are millions of our fellow Mankind around the world, who, daily - have nothing to eat or too little food. There are millions who do not know where there next meal is going to come from. Hunger and malnutrition are still the number one risks to health worldwide :

Slavery still exists. In many forms.What is slavery? It is the involuntary subjection to another or others. Slavery emphasizes the idea of complete ownership and control by a master: to be sold into slavery. Bondage indicates a state of subjugation or captivity often involving burdensome and degrading labor: in bondage to a cruel master. Servitude is compulsory service, often such as is required by a legal penalty: penal servitud e. In many parts of Africa, slavery is still practiced; in some African countries, slavery is openly practiced. Across the continent: children are sold, exploited and used as domestic or sexual slaves; women are trafficked across countries and continents and sold. Human wickedness has no boundaries: recently, in Nigeria - a 'baby producing factory' was discovered: Police in Nigeria freed 32 teen girls from an alleged "baby factory" used to feed the region's exploding sex trade and human trafficking markets, authorities said....... N

With food becoming more and more expensive; with the world's poor and hungry in their hundreds of millions, and daily increasing in numbers; with thousands of children dying every day due to hunger  - nothing can be as humane and noble as feeding some of our less fortunate human kind. Except if: those being fed are children. That's precisely what a Scottish based organization: Mary's Meals is doing. It is feeding half-a-million children every school day, in several continents and countries ; in: Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Albania, Ukraine and more. What is even more pleasing and heartening about the project, is that: the children are fed when they are in school. In Malawi, where the whole project began nine years ago, as an experiment aimed at helping a handful of African orphans - the organization is feeding almost 400,000 children every school day; in Kenya, it feeds 17,000 children every school day; 17,000 of the poorest, mainly from slums. Kenya’s slums are among the wors

With the fiasco at Copenhagen , we now know that world leaders can not do much when it comes to Climate Change and other like problems that face humanity. Most world leaders are politicians who are more swayed by votes and economics than by doing what is right for humanity. The more powerful the leaders, the more they seem to be more interested in votes and economic profits. But each of us and independent organizations and other world bodies can do much to change the World for the better. And that is what Google is doing : Google.org uses Google's strengths in information and technology to build products and advocate for policies that address global challenges . Apart from joining the climate express to reverse Climate Change,  see and support what Google is doing to make our Planet a better place for us and our children. There are a number of other organizations that are doing much to positively impact people and our World. The Greenbelt Movement , the Grameen Foundation , th

This photo which was probably taken at Kasai Occidental, the Democratic Republic of Congo - might seem fun and interesting to some, but it shows how merciless, cruel and indifferent We can be to our fellow creatures. All leading religions are against cruelty to animals. Much has been said about our relation to other creatures here on Earth and our treatment of them, by many thinkers, philosophers and writers: " The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them, that's the essence of inhumanity ." - George Bernard Shaw, Irish Playwright and Essayist " We have enslaved the rest of animal creation and have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were to formulate a religion, they would depict the Devil in human form ." - William Ralph Inge, British Author " Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living

Biofuels are produced from plants and plant-derived materials. They reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse-gas emissions when used to power engines, cars and other road vehicles. Can biofuels be the answer to a greener and more sustainable future for our Planet? Biofuels, if extracted from certain plants and in certain ways, can serve us very well; but for it to be produced from food plants such as: wheat, corn, oil palm, sugar cane, sugar beet and soy - would only bring more misery than good. Already, with the recent high rise in the price of oil and the use of food plants to produce biofuels, food prices, World wide, rose so high that many people across the Globe have been driven to hunger. And then there is the problem of more land and more water being required for the production of biofuels; which could lead to deforestation and be destructive to our water resources. To clean up our environment, is very important and to find alternative means to serve our energy needs, is neces

Although rather late, it's very comforting and relieving to know that : in response to growing pressure from international law enforcement agencies and conservation groups, eBay , the online auction giant, announced Monday that it would ban all commerce in ivory, including most heirlooms, to avoid providing a market that will encourage the slaughter of endangered elephants . Not only are endangered animals, including chimps, marmosets and leopard cubs, ... being bought and sold online , but a recent scientific survey recently released states that : one in two mammal species on Earth are in decline and at least one in four are at risk of disappearing forever . This is too distressing! How bad has the situation got to get and be, before we wake up and do much more than we are now doing to protect all animals? When and if mammals and other animals go, we go; their being threatened and endangered, is a danger to us.

In November 1979, the member nations of the Food and Agriculture Association of the United Nations (FAO) established World Food Day at the Organization’s Twentieth General Conference. World Food Day, which occurs every year on October 16 to commemorate the anniversary of the FAO, is a worldwide event designed to increase awareness, promote understanding, and encourage action against hunger. Hunger and poverty are far too commonplace in many countries around the world. Thus, every year, World Food Day serves as a reminder of the FAO’s enduring quest to provide a long-term solution to these persistent problems. The ultimate goal of this initiative is to promote the concept that access to nutritious food is an fundamental human right and cannot be denied to any individual. Act against hunger .. World Food Day provides an occasion to once again highlight the plight of 923 million undernourished people in the world. Most of them live in rural areas where their main source of income is the a

America's financial turmoil and economic mess is now spreading wide and fast across the Globe. The good side in all this is: as the US is the biggest consumer and wastes more, per capita, than any other country - less money in American hands and less spending by Americans, will affect not only America's production, but Western Europe's, Japan's, Korea's, India's and more importantly - China's. That would in turn mean - less trees and forests disappearing; less gas and oil used and hence less autos on the roads and less engines running - meaning less environmental damage; and it would mean that the World's resources will be a little less consumed. It also means that: while all along the US has been lecturing other countries on fiscal policies and disicipline, especially African countries, America, in the last few years, has had the least disicpline and very little financial ethics, in turn leading to its worse economic mess since the Great Depression. It

Writing about Kibera yesterday, got me into thinking and remembering the very disturbing and heart wrenching plight of the people of Bangladesh - highlighted in last weekend's CNN's 'World's Untold Stories' . A video of the same, from TheRealNews : As Channel 4 last reported: How does a country's population survive climate change as their homes, land and roads all disappear under water ? Will Bangladesh disappear under water? Will they have to adapt, as many have done now, to live with water all around them? Only time will tell. In the mean time, millions of impoverished Bangladeshis will have to live in even more misery and hardships.

For the last three weeks or so, events in Kenya have taken most of my attention; at times completely overwhelming me. But in between, there have been other happenings that my thoughts have gone to. In Zimbabwe, as a reflection of how bad the economy has become and how hard life is - a new 10 million Zimbabwean Dollar note has been issued: as part of new currency measures Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon Gono took yesterday to help ease a biting cash shortage ! The new note equals to about 330 US$ (officially) but is the equivalent of about 4 US$ at the dominant black market exchange rate. I have been shocked and very disturbed too, on reports regarding the Genocide ideology in schools - in Rwanda. For the last few days, which has seemed like ages to me, events in Kenya brought back thoughts of the horrific events that happened 13 years ago in Rwanda. I very much hope that every thing will be done, not only by Rwandans but by all those who care about Rwanda, Africa and

Of late, it has been very encouraging to see that - the World's major news channels have become very interested and vocal about the danger our Planet faces. For the last few weeks, CNN has been airing these very interesting, informative and at the same time, heart wrenching and grim reports: 'Planet in Peril '; the BBC too, has its own ' Climate Change ' - reporting on the same, but with a complete different perspective. Even the recently launched Al Jazeera English channel, has it own version: Assignment Earth . All these programmes, show how very irresponsible, reckless and destructive Mankind has been in relation to our Planet. I watched the whole of CNN's, two-part reports. And couldn't help being very saddened, and at times shocked at the senselessness of our doings. As much as I respect and admire the Chinese and not only the economic 'miracle' they have achieved these last few years, but Chinese history as a whole - I am deeply disturbed and s

It seems certain now, that Polar Bears might become extinct by the end of this century; the few, if any, that will be there - will most probably be in zoos or in private hands. Not in the wild. We, Mankind, now call ourselves civilised and responsible. WE, by our actions and doings, are furthest from both. Apart from killing and destroying each other, continuously; we have been and are mercilessly destroying other creatures and life forms. A time will come, when some thing has to give: either a very large part of us will be destroyed (Earth, already seems to be over populated) or - we, too, will become extinct. A few excerpts on the present plight of Polar Bears: Two-thirds of the world’s polar bears will disappear by 2050, even under moderate projections for shrinking summer sea ice caused by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, government scientists reported on Friday. The New York Times Global warming could cause polar bears to go extinct by the end of the century by eroding the sea

Zack writes fine posts; his posts on Uganda are always very informative and have very useful facts. His last post on evolution got me in to thinking and contemplating life and being, much more than I usually do. Here is my comment for that post: "I never bought the 'Evolution' theory right from the beginning. Like you Zack, I used to wonder at why the other apes or Man were not 'evolving' any more and there was no recorded history of that happening at all. But, you see, some people like such far fetched, dubious ideas. Like 'Marxism' or 'Existentialism' some people just believed/believe in that even if/when they are simply not concrete and do not make sense. For many, believing in the senseless is so easy and makes sense to them. For many, believing in the sensible (the Creator), is not possible. For me, it has always been much easier in believing in God. I don't and can't see GOD. But living proof all around me, proves to ONLY that: A SUP

The recent report by the UN's 'consortium of scientists' was bleak. The report, predicts: drought, flooding and extinctions in this century . Poorer developing countries, especially Africa, will suffer most; the report also says poor African countries will battle to cope with the devastating effects of climate change. Lakhani says South Africa and other countries will experience climatic chaos rather than climatic change. Help celebrate Earth Day. There are simple ways to help our planet . Each and every one of us can help in this; can help, in saving our Planet, if that's now possible. Some scientists are already saying that: it's too late. Still, whatever little each and every one of us can do to help, to assist - in reversing the process - we should do. Please DO what you can! Image: noaa