Happy Holidays!!

I am preparing for my trip to England...seems the weather might put a damper on my travel plans, but fingers crossed I will be in London for Christmas! Shopping has been interesting especially since I can not stand crowded places for long periods of time... but tis the season and I can only live with it,

I got a special call from my aunt who lives in the Netherlands and is a Jehova's witness...i think it was a reminder not to call her on xmas day...but never the less I enjoyed reminescing with her. She told me a story of how my paternal grand-mother had been so excited when I was born, and my maternal grand-mothers siter Anne had been amused by it. I don't know, for some reason I thought being a second child... no one was that excited and my parents were probably alone at the hospital, but as it turns out, it was a full house! You know even though you know you're special in the eyes of your family and friends, its always great to hear validation... the occassional "we are so proud of you!", "great job!", "we miss you" and the ever precious words..."we love you!"

My friends and I are going out tonight for more friend time, it's more sushi and wine...and its raining...so my moods a bit dark...can't wait to see my buddy's so I can have a laugh.

Oh and I HATE how the tax man takes a day and a half's worth of my pay check! I could have used that money for extra entertainment on New Years day!

So with that said...love you all! It's been a great year, and it's been great knowing you all.

and if you love someone, let them know...Muah!

Woman/ Black president

I can not believe the good old U.S of A is till having a dumb ass discussion about having a female president! I can understand the apprehension about having a black president because segregation is still fresh in their history. But to doubt a woman being able to run the country? that's just absurd!!!
How many women does it take in America to prove that they can do the job? Why do the religious stuffy-wuffy's think women don't look "presidential"? what kind of crap is that? if women were dum-di-dum-dum's, how did they manage to give birth, breast feed, clean snot off your noses and clean your doodies? OMG where's daddy? he's running for president!

Countries that have been led by women include but are not limited to: Germany, Indonesia, Chile, United Kingdom, Liberia, Phillipines, Finland, Panama, Ireland, Latvia, Sri Lanka, Burundi, China, New Zealand...and OMG! The Governor General of Canada is BLACK and FEMALE! So why is it so hard for Americans to accept that women can lead?
Margaret Thatcher was probably a man in a womans body...and up tp now, I still admire that woman!

It's over!!!

I took my final exams today and I am sooooooo happy school is finally over!! well for a while...but its over, i don't have to do any more papers and stuff...its awesome!

Yesterday I was waiting for a friend to fly in from indianna...and her flight was stuck in cleveland because there was heavy fog at BWI! quite sucky if you ask me!

Oh and I HATE the British consulate in Canada with a passion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Picture this, my friend Talula(not real name) applied for a visa to go to England. She is a permanent resident in Canada, owns a home, has tenants in that house, has a good job and has great credit. How about they told her she couldn't get a visa because they had no proof that she would be able to sustain herself without asking for public assistance, and that there was no proof that she would return to Canada. Now my question is...WHAT DUMMY LEAVES ONE DEVELOPED NATION THAT THEY ARE ESTABLISHED IN TO LIVE IN ANOTHER DEVELOPED NATION UNDOCUMENTED AND MAKING LESS MONEY????????? Quite frankly it seemed more like racial profiling because...no offense, but i'm sure my nijjah brodahs must have tried this before:) but whatever...they sure messed up my reunion! Besides, in two years she'll be a citizen and wont need a visa...so if she really wants to mess up her life and live underground in England they wont be able to stop her innit???

Also, I think my dream job has changed! I would like to be the president of Kenya...do you know Mr Kibaki gets paid over $20 000 per MONTH and that he just turned down a $40 000 raise? OMG!!! well I guess it's logical because he's a president... but mmmaaaannn, I want that salary!

I am going to try and get my friend from the airport today again...hopefully all goes well! Oh and I have to go to a cookie swap tomorrow... yeah, yeah... I know! WTF is a cookie swap?, those chicks I hang out with are turning me sooo white its scary! I had to let them know we have to do more "black" activities!

More Penis news

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Nuremberg for Africa!

There has been much ado about the holocaust deniers meeting in Iran these past few weeks. As a people we are soooo stuck to history...but typically only if it concerns white or white-ish looking people.

Where is Nuremberg for Africans? exactly who is on trial for all the killings done to Africans during colonization? how many mass graves are yet to be or will never be discovered? most of those punks that lived and abused Africans are still alive and kicking. What a happy life when you're not held accountable for your crimes!

No one wants to discuss this, and nothing was resolved at the meeting in South Africa to discuss such topics. And yet, there is no doubt that colonization "happened", no one can sit around and deny that it ever happend!

The past is the past. Let bygones be bygones.... lets all move on and stop feeling sorry for ourselves. We can not change that colonization or the holocaust ever happened. Yet with all the money going into Iraq, we could have cleaned up New Orleans by now, or we could have stopped the genocide in Sudan! Places with "actual" problems and not "potential" problems!!!

(Photo taken from: www.bigwhiteguy.com )

Civil Rights Vs Homosexuality

ok....so I know i've been bad...forgive me, its almost the end of the semester, and i had some papers due and some other stuff to do to ensure that I wont have to go to my campus after this week...so we're right on track and Friday should be my last day of school and I'll be better at writting...whew!

The Civil Rights state that all men are equal...I don't see anything about men sleeping together in that statement...and truthfuly, I don't see anything about women sleeping with men either. So I don't see how this can be used to fight for the rights of gay people.

With that said, I would like to discuss Civil rights Vs Homosexuality because I'm tired of the gay community stating that they are denied their civil rights because they can't get married!!

Civil rights to me, apply to things that one can not change. I can not change my skin color(bleaching doesn't count! and anyone can see that Michael Jackson is still black!), and I can not change my sex. Gay people however, can be gay today and straight tomorrow! I have seen some people do that. It's only a sexual preference-- a life style.

Allowing/ protecting same sex marriage because its "genetic" will also be leading to a leeway for polygamy, pedophilia, same sex marriage and serial killer...for they too claim their condition is "genetic" and shouldn't their civil rights be protected too?

If a mans sexual preference is for really young girls... i'm talking 14-ish, should he be allowed to marry a 14 year old because its his "civil right"? isn't homosexuallity a sexual preference? Some men have a sexual preference for more than one women at a time... should they too be allowed to marry more than one wife?

Side Bar

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OMG I just found a site for pro- polygamy... www.pro-polygamy.com

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So if Gay people want to get married, could they kindly find another argument? They can not compare their plight to that of slaves or segregated people... it just isn't right!

During the silence

ok...so during my silence a few things happened. I saw the movie Borat, and i can tell you its stupid...but i can also tell you that I laughed so hard at one scene, that my abs were hurting the next day! I seriously felt like i had a major abdominal work out...it was great to realize I can exercise without really exercising...nice!!!

If you're planning on seeing the movie or have already seen it...the part that I liked was the "jewish scene"...when the Jews give them a bed for the night...! The other parts were a little crass....like penises and nude fat men fighting??...tacky!

Also I will be flying to England for christmas and new year, and would like to urge all of you planning any funny stuff like smuggling explosives on the flight to please not do that when I travel!!! I have enough bills to return to than have to pay extra for cancelled flights, extra hotel rooms...and all that crap...so please watch yourselves during the festive season...do it for me, and you'll go to heaven...or where ever you want to go in the after life!

I know there was some news that I wanted to talk about, but can't remember for the life of me...! so i'll skip to today in the news:

Koffi Annan is in trouble with the I-raqi's for saying they were better off under Saddams rule. I am not sure why that shocks the security advisor of Iraq Mr Al-rubaie!!! ofcourse lief is better for him now, he's getting paid i'm sure more money than he made during Saddams rule! so ofcourse things are better for him now! I have heard it said by others that life was better under Saddams rule... because it was a little safer than it is right now....So I agree with Annan on this one! and think Rubaie is acting like a retard.

Also the L.A archdiocese is paying out millions of dollars for sexual abuse scandals. Money that could have been used for the poor as it was intended...I am disturbed by this...and came up with a brilliant plan...CASTRATE ALL CLERGY MEN!!!! there I said it!

(photo's lovingly taken from bbc.co.uk)

World AIDS Day

Okay...so i've been quiet for a while... I know! I have so much to say and soooo little time to say it in... but i'll try to cath up today or this weekend:)

So today is world AIDS day. Are you doing enough to protect others and stay protected? have you been tested? has your partner? do you speak to your children about about it? to your friends and lovers? is the word still taboo in your house hold? does it give you a bad feeling to hear the word? has it affected your family? are you scared?

The challenge is WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MAKE SURE MILLIONS MORE DON'T DIE FROM THIS? Kofi Annans world AIDS day message is for everyone to be held responsible to help curb this pandemic. To read more, go to the UNAIDS website.

something that I didn't know is that several major companies such as American Express, Emporio Armani, motorola, Gap...etc are doing things to raise awareness with their red collections of items...thats like awesome! I know they're capitalizing on the matter, and i'm not quite sure how much money they will donate to the cause, but this message was attched to google under their ad's...also to purchase these products go to http://joinred.blogspot.com/ and no ...I am not getting paid to do this... i just think its cool!

MEASU(RED) RESULTSThank you for purchasing (PRODUCT) RED items. (RED) sales in the US in the first six weeks since launch have raised enough money to:• Provide more than 40,000 men or women with ARV treatment for a year (Note: These treatments are only a small portion of a person’s overall treatment and represent just one year of lifelong treatment.)* Or• Provide more than 2 million peer educators with HIV training* Or• Provide a year’s worth of school materials and daily hot meals for more than 86,000 children orphaned by AIDS* Or• Provide more than 1 million Rapid Tests which detect HIV and deliver instant test results.**Note: These are estimates based on preliminary tracking. Actual contributions are calculated and managed on a quarterly basis

Delay of ARV's in Africa

Someone in my class doing a presentation on Thabo Mbeki assumed the reason that a lot of South African's (or Africans in the southern part of Africa--Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique...etc) had AIDS because Mbeki refused to introduce ARV's in the country. Now I am not sure where the dude got his info from, but I had to correct him, because I remembered that in the 90's drug companies and researchers were not keen on giving poor people ARV's because there was no guarantee that they would take the medication as ordered, or that they would be able to afford the medication regularly. This was important because they were afraid that a drug resistant form of HIV/AIDS would be released into society.

Truthfully, this was understandable though a tad wicked. The rich live, while the poor die! We all know how we used to share medication in Africa. Someone would be like "oh i have a fever!" and someone else would be like "oh i had the same fever last week, take some of this medication i have left from what i took." And they would gladly hand over their left over antiobiotics--which should never have been left over if they were taken the right way!

GOTTA LUV AFRICA THOUGH!!!!

Talking about Calif. court says bloggers can't be sued - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com

interesting news!!!.... so now I can say whatever the hell I want to...not that I was censored before, but now I have the green light from the California courts! niiiiiccceee!
Quote
Calif. court says bloggers can't be sued - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com

When I met HIV/AIDS

Picture Zambia 1980's. Hushed voices of our parents floated about with word of a "new disease" a.k.a "ubulwele bwishile" (direct translation: the disease that has just arrived). That is how they described what aunt Mwansa* had. I remember being cautioned not to touch her, nor to share any of her utensils. She had her own cup, own cutlery, own plate and unlike the rest of us, her own room. Her ematiated body floated around the room, starring lifelessly at the rest of us. No one explained what the "new disease" was or how one got it. All I knew is, I didn't want to get it!

A couple of years later. She died. She looked like a ten year old in her coffin and nothing like the thirty something year old that she was. Little did i know there were many that would follow suit. Little did I know the damage it would do to a whole nation, a whole continent and the whole world!

My class mates mother around the same time had the disease. I knew because she looked like a ten year old too, and wore dark glasses and a head scarf to hide the effects of the disease. I was afraid to sit near her son thinking he had it too. Finally, one of my peers found out about the disease from someone, and told us one got it through sex. No wonder our parents couldn't talk about it with us! Sex was taboo!!

Five years later, I was in high school and more people were dropping like flies hit by insecticide. The school teachers, local bakers, friends parents, uncles, aunts, neighbors. We had a funeral to attend every week. We were so dissensitized by the symbolizm and sacredness of funerals...we we're too tired and worn out to cry any more. To ease the pain and fear of being the next victims--we laughed. I know so many HIV/AIDS jokes....which are funny in their own warped way.

We were so good at knowing who "looked like" they had AIDS just by looking at the texture of their hair--like a perm gone wrong, or from their skin hanging off their bodies, or from the healing scars of a bout of herpe zoster, or from the wounds that didn't heal. Paranoia was afloat. who slept with so and so before they died? did you see the sores on mary's hands? what about johns lips turning all pink? bashi Nkole's skin is becoming darker...the color of AIDS!

Several years later, I am in the health care field in a developed nation and even here, the devastation of the disease are clear. The only difference is, many of the patients here have more resources and medication available to them. They are not just sent home to die without medication and they are diagnosed appropriately.

There are many people close to my heart that I wish had the opportunity to take ARV's so they could live a little longer.... If wishes were horses!

We are getting closer to international AIDS day, december 1st...and we really need to talk about the disease! I was prompted to this when I realized many people don't know a lot about the devastation of AIDS. My class mates had some really strange questions and misconceptions in one of my classes today...I just feel I will address them in my next few posts.

(*not real name).

(picture taken from a German Ad that says sex can make you lose your head)

Sangwani

http://www.afromix.org/html/musique/artistes/sangwani/index.fr.html

My baby brother is a musician and is graduating from law school in July...right after his 21st birthday. I am sooo excitey-whitey! I can see the dollar signs all lining up in my eyes! for the young must take care of the old. Besides I used to clean his poop and carry him on my back...so he has a debt to pay technically, right?

listen to his music on myspace: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=55108663

visit him and read his bio: www.sangwani.com , http://www.kachaka.com/musicbiography_sangwani.htm

Free ad's!

ok...
These are a few things I meant to advertise a few weeks ago and forgot...

1. My cousin Kondwani's kitchen party was held on the 11th of November... some of the pictures are available at http://kitchenpartyforkondwani.blogspot.com/
2. My cousin Musunga's wife started a travel agency... they do local and international travel in the US: www.ytbtravel.com/CHMTravel
3. Finally, My friend Mwai sent me a link to a magazine that will be targeting African women in America...they would like as many of us to subscribe for free so they can get a feel for how many people will want to read the magazine when its ready: info@kitukizuri.com or www.kitukizuri.com

The Yes Men

I watched the funniest thing today called "the yes men" www.yesmen.org also www.gatt.org

They show how seriously the rest of the world believes anything that comes out of the mouths of the IMF/ World Bank/ American big business partners/ WTO...etc

These guys pretend to be WTO officials, because their website looks like the WTO website, and people write to them to invite them to officiate at certain meetings because they think they are speaking to the WTO.

The guys then do stupid exaggerated skits to see if the people know they are talking to fakes...and the people at the meeting don't notice that the guys are talking s*it its hillarious! tears were pouring down my face as they stood at one of the meetings in i guess norway or something...(I forgot which country) and they told the crowd it was nice and cheap to get a slave in Africa to improve business and textile...and then they blow up a long penis attached to the speakers "super hero" suit and the crowd cheers! they still don't catch on that they're being teased!

Golden Scissors Award

interesting.

http://www.tedmebane.com/gs05web/

also... I'm not sure about Patty Labelle's show--livin it up with Patty Labelle... I just think she's more of an Icon than the show... I think she's above the show...do you feel me peeps?

Rumsfeld Down...

I am watching prez bush announce that Rumsfeld has "resigned" from his post!!!
I would sooo like to meet G. Dabya because he really amuses me...! he was like "I thought we would do well last night...shows what I know!" LOLOLOL ... then he was like "I said rumsfeld and the vice prez will stay on before the elections because i didn't want Iraq to overshadow the elections and now I accept his resignation" then he says again that he said rumsfeld will stay on because--"we didn't have a replacement yet"... ??????????? excuse me?????

This is not what i was expecting to talk about today...but i turned the t.v on...and there he was... like a figure from mad TV or the cartoon network...he brings me so much joy and entertainment I can not get enuff of his expressions!!!

let me finnish listening to him...You can be my "papa sucre" any time dabya:) :) :)
and Oh gosh Harold lost!!!...........

Test of Womanhood

So today seems like a day to test my capabilities as a woman.... Its been really rough, and i have neither cussed nor taken my earrings off to smack someone!

I have had a variety of issues ranging from finding an "untruth" on my credit report to the bank losing money which i was transferring to someone.

I discovered all these mistakes last night and could feel my blood pressure rising and all the messed up words I know coming to the surface... I vowed to stay calm and not be all Ghetto and

I SUCCEEDDDDDDEEEDDD!! VINCERO--VINCEROOOO---VINCEEERROOOO!!

Saddam Hussein-- GUILTY!

I'm sure Saddam's guity verdict comes as no surprise to the rest of the world--himself included! I am not for the death penalty...never have been, never will be! It also coincidentaly comes right before the elections...wow!

If its that important to the world that he be hanged...when are we hanging the people responsible for colonization, slavery, Lumumba's death, AIDS...etc?

Also, how long has this country been asking for the removal of Rumsfeld and what good di it do the last time they asked for his removal? so exactly why are they bothering to ask for his removal again??????

You know I always have questions!

p/s
who else thinks Harold Ford has quiet sexiness??? or I'm I just attracted to intelligence?:) Call me Harold (said in my steamiest voice...)

(photo's courtesy of : defenselink.mil, bbc.co.uk, and wikipedia)

Zambian Politics

My eyes were teary while my mouth laughed in amusement as I was getting off the phone with Steven. He had just been informing me rather humourously that Vera Chiluba- our country's ex-presidents's ex-wife (bear with me...its not that complicated in a country with a VERY high divorce rate) had just been appointed to deputy minister of environment! I assumed he was just saying it to make me laugh...I mean come on...everybody knows she's bordering on illiterate...nobody could get away with appointing her to such an important position! well you know what they say about assumptions--they surely make an ass out of you!

It was confirmed for me by the BBC and other media
http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?ID=482643
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6077988.stm
http://www.zambia.co.zm/articles/beloved_country.html -- this is sad and funny!

How in the world!!! and the passive Zambians-- how long shall they kill our profits, while we stand aside and look????

On a nice note about capitalism... there was a story in the news yesterday about a guy who discovered some letter written by many distressed people and posted to a pastor who had since gone on to be with the lord. The letters are about anything and everything from wanting to win the lottery to feeling sorry about an abortion. Well dude that found the letters is putting them on auction in ebay to make some money! So if you know you wrote to a pastor about a certain delicate situation...i would keep my eye on ebay!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/unanswered_prayers

Election '06

lol...I find it sooo funny that my yahoo account has me pegged for a republican and that I get soo much mail from them...then my hotmail account assumes I'm a democrat...and i receive a lot of mail from them too...
sad thing is...................................I have no priviledges to vote in this country and would be of no help to either party...I wonder if I should let them know...hhhmmm...but they are my only friends that write to me religiously......my mail boxes might be empty if i tell them!!!
I just got mail from www.steeleformaryland.com , www.GOP.com/laurabush , www.GOP.com/newt - I am finally friends with Laura and newt gingrich! I wonder if he knows I'm black...hhhmmmm! I have heard the guy speak...pretty scary stuff! If he ever becomes president--God forbid it! I will bleach my skin, buy a blonde wig and baby blue contact lenses!

and from hotmail I got mail from my buddy Barrack Obama--(who should hold off on running for president--unless he wants to waste money--which is a shame for an African to do!), Hillary, www.moveon.org just to name a few. So you see, I have friends in high places!

My popularity is soaring this year...if i can say so myself! I need to go freshen up and wait for the next email:)

P.W Botha

Botha died yesterday...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6105036.stm

crazy people always seem to live forever... i guess he needed time to repent or something!
How do you mourn for someone like that? read some of the comments in the link below
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6105178.stm

and how about those French bastards where involved in the Rwanda massacre? as if they hadn't done enough damage by creating fertile ground for the genocide!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6110646.stm

photo courtesy of the BBC

Ngosa Brother's

ok...so I know I've slacked off this week...but for good reason!
last friday I went to what I could describe as the best "Zambian singer" concert I have ever been to. It was held at the IMF offices in downtown DC. Ofcourse it wouldn't have been perfectly Zambian if they we're running on time...but 2 hours behind time was pushing it!!!

There was soooo much food we could have fed all of east Africa and then some! It was more professionaly put than most African concerts I have attended...! It was tad more on the religious side, but i went there more for the music than to pray really and trully...but also because I kind of think one of the singers was made for me....aaaaahhhh(sigh) Maaaattthhheeeww!!! He's got the whittest teeth ever...and boy can he whine that waist!

I screamed so much and laughed so hard...the oldest brother in the crew is a hoot! I hope you'll be able to view the video I uploaded.

Then I came home Saturday to write about Governor Ehrlich and his buddy Martin O'Malley for my political sociology class...how boring!

Kaunda USA '06

some info on KK's visit:

KK will make Appearance on "Dancing with the Stars"
When the founding President of Zambia, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, visits the U.S. as a guest of Project Concern International this November, his schedule includes a range of activities from being honored for his work against AIDS to being hosted for lunch by actor Sidney Poitier.
Dr. Kaunda, a leader of African independence in the 20th Century, now devotes his time to addressing the AIDS pandemic in Africa. To honor Dr. Kaunda, Project Concern will present the former president with a special recognition award at its 16th annual gala, which will be held at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines on Nov. 3.
Highlights of Dr. Kaunda's West Coast visit include:
San Diego:
-- Interview for University of California series, "Conversations in History"
-- Project Concern's 16th Annual Hands Across Borders gala
-- VIP Reception for 30 organizations named to Project Concern's 'Hope for Africa Honor Roll' for their work in human services
Los Angeles:
-- Speech at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council
-- Reception hosted by the Association of Zambians in California
-- Lunch meeting with actor Sidney Poitier
-- Appearance on "Dancing with the Stars" (Dr. Kaunda is an avid ballroom dancer)
Background:
The loss of Dr. Kaunda's son to AIDS and his country's ongoing crisis - more than 1 million people are HIV positive in Zambia - inspired Dr. Kaunda to launch a vigorous campaign in his retirement. Today, at the age of 82, he is a respected global advocate.
A relationship between Dr. Kaunda and San-Diego based Project Concern was forged as a result the organization's innovative work to combat AIDS in Zambia. In May 2006, Dr. Kaunda delivered closing remarks at Project Concern's Africa Forum. This unprecedented event connected more than 200 people from 16 African countries to share practical solutions in addressing AIDS and hunger as 'dual epidemics'. Active in the global AIDS response since the late 1980's, Project Concern's prevention, care, support and treatment programs reach millions of people in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the United States.
At a special reception prior Project Concern's gala on November 3, Dr. Kaunda will greet members of the "Hope for Africa Honor Roll" - more than 30 individuals and organizations in San Diego who are contributing their time, talent and money to address critical issues in Africa.
---
Project Concern International is a San Diego-based health and humanitarian aid organization dedicated to saving lives and building healthy communities around the world. With 45 years of experience, Project Concern has worked in 25 countries and today helps more than 3 million people lead healthy, productive lives. To learn more, visit http://www.ProjectConcern.org .

Traditions/ religions/ movement

O.K I have been meaning to talk out this but keep forgetting. There was a case in Engy where a moslem lady was asked to take off her "ninja" wear (a.k.a burka if you want to be politically correct). They claim it's necessary for her to wear it because its her religion. Now do you think an islamist nation would be that tolerant of me walking around with a huge Christian cross (a la 50 cents), and my traditional tumbuka animal skin attire with my boobs bear? so why should we be accepting of theirs?
My job doesn't allow me to wear a nose ring, and i gracefully took mine off...even though i could claim putting an ornament on my nose is part of my tradition and should be allowed!

should people move to other countries and expect things to be done just like it is in their country? what was the point of moving in the first place then?

if the poolicy at your work place says...no crosses or burka's then... thats what it means!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5411320.stm

Happy Zambia Independence Day!

Happy Independence day to all Zambians and all adopted Zambians and all Zambians by proxy? lol!

https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/za.html

chisokone chisokone chisokone!!! ushasokone mwana wa ndoshi!
One Zambia- One Nation! Vote KK!

Samora Machel

They are finally putting a real inquiry into the death of Samora Machel 10 whole years later! I will be surprised if they find a whole lot of evidence...I'm sure any one that saw or heard anything is dead now, or they would have spilt their guts a long time ago. Even though I was quite little at the time that his delegation crashed after leaving Zambia...I still remember feeling a sense of dread...u know like your grand-father just died after promising to take u ice-cream shopping...:)

Oh and on a Sad note...Lebo from Boom-Shaka died!! what's with all the good female South African singers popping off to sing for Jesus??? As usual I smell a conspiracy...we need to bring in the Ng'anga's to "smell the rats".

(Oh and Judy....I am still laughing about yesterday's conva! can't get over it. To the rest of you...mind your own beezwax!)

Excitey-Whitey!!!

well it appears that they have found oil in Zambia....that simply means we'll get a little rich, then we'll have a war, then the US will occupy us, then they'll offer free scholarships and refugee status to those of us that will survive...then in like 50 years or so we'll either be quite prosperous or like our good neighbours les Congolais!

I hate the way the BBC keeps implying Mwanawasa has improved the Economy of Zambia...dude hasn't done too much. He didn't cause the international copper "come back", nor did he cause the debt of Zambia to be cancelled. So I don't think he should be praised for work that he did not do!!! has UNZA been fixed up? does it have as many educated prof's as it used to? has UTH (the biggest hospital) got most of the things that it needs..i.e xray sheets, dialysis machines, PANADOL, nurses, doctors...etc(if its better, why is our PRESIDENT going to the UK for something as easy as stroke treatment? why has he no faith in his own hospital?) c'est terrible! Its sad how the media tells stories to portray the writters views and not what's really going on!...hey it seems that I do it too...but if you read the first blog i published u would know that I live by my own standards...and represent only ME! so its justified!

Got curves???

Damn I'm hot! It just always surprises me:) haha...any way...my birthday celebration came to a nice end today...its been 2 weeks of fun...and i thouroughly enjoyed myself thanks to great family and good friends.

ahhhhh! i can't twait for my next birthday:)

Oh and someone asked me why I haven't commented on the Zambian Election results...well coz they we're Bull Shit and will forever be bullshit! and even if Micheal Sata won...I would still think the results were bullshit. That's my story...and I'm sticking to it!

Diane Rehm

Can I just tell y'all that I hate how Diane Rehms speaks with a passion!!!! Don't get me wrong because I love her program...but I just can't stand how she talks! weired, but true.
I finally got a chance to see what she looks like and...not what I expected at all! i thought she would look older than she does coz she certainly sounds OLD!
and i don't have a phobia about old people because my favorite patients are actually old people... i just don't like the way the lady talks! I always have to change the radio station when i hear her...well honestly...I listen a little bit...then i change the station:)
This is her Bio...pretty impressive... http://www.wamu.org/programs/dr/diane_rehm/ but I still don't like how she speaks!!!

Mau Mau Vs UK

All I can say is, if the Mau Mau win their case of abuse against the UK government. I will also be filling a complaint on behalf of Zambia! I don't care that I wasn't even a zygote at the time of their rule... but a sista needs money.
I am probably not as rich as i could have been because of them...who knows? what if I could have figured out a way to sail to the UK myself and conquered them? they didn't give me the chance...so I should charge them...hhhmmm...sounds like a plan!

On another note. I am tired of people in my class assuming people from third world countries are dumb..."why don't they just subsidise?" doomass...! read the dargone IMF S.A.P's!!

We might not be philosophers sitting around and thinking about stuff because we don't have the time to do that...we are always thinking about where our next meal will come from, who's going to die next, who's funeral will take priority to attend for that day, who's wedding to organize, who's children to adopt, who's going to get the educated of all the kids in the house...etc

oh crap I'm late for class...taataa!

The last king of Scotland

Photo's courtesy of www.imdb.com
This weekend I was away mulching off my aunt. I ate like a pig!! eat all you can eat cholesterol, fats, sugars, mmmmmmm salt!!!! The sucky thing was that there was an accident on the I-95 the day I left for Bethesda, and the day I got back! It took me approximately 2 hours to and from! how annoying!

The Bethesda food festival was in progress, so Bethesda was pretty busy. I forgot my camera at home because i was expecting to do a whole lot coz my fat lazy ass was looking for a nice cozy weekend sitting around with family! So i unfortunately had on some heels, biig mistake for all the walking we ended up doing thanks to STEVEN who messed up with the place we were supposed to go to! I could feel all the cholesterol and fats just seeping from my body with all the steps I took...thank God for refills!!!:)

So we went to see THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, and it was fun fun fun! there's quite a bit to laugh at if you understand the culture and all that. Forest Whitaker did an awesome job, and actually didn't pronouce as babdly as most American actors do when they fake an "African" accent. The Swahili pronounciation was quite believable.

This movie wasn't quite as horrid as the other Idi Amin movies which show him eating human flesh and highly abusing women. It showed a little bit about his sex party's and all, but nothing too vulgar. I have trouble believing the good doctors story that he really didn't know what was going on... I don't believe he could have been that stupid. Well maybe he could have been if he was doing one of the mad president's wives and expecting not to get caught...doomass!

Any way, If you haven't seen it yet, I would recommend that you do... its quite entertaining, especially since its inspired by true events.

The only thing I had issues with was...why is it that when they do movies about Africans, they typically seem to use African American actors for the parts??? Do Africans not know how to act? Kerry Washington is really pretty...but do we not have any pretty African women who could have played the part with a natural African accent??? I could have sworn I have seen beautiful African women...and I do that every morning when I look in the mirror!

I'm not trying to 'player hate' or whatever its called these days...but you will never find an African actor invited to play the part of Martin Luther King, or Malcom X, faking a "Black American" accent. So I don't see why it can be done the other way. Is the suggestion being made that African Americans are more superior??? Is that because they are "Americans"? or is it becaus ethey have lived near white people??? hey these are all valid questions... I am just throwing them out there! just like the Ugandan doctor says at the end of the movie to the good Scottish doctor "they will believe you because you're white". Very powerful statement. Also please don't tell me that people watched the movie because Forrest whitaker was in it because that's not true. Educated people will watch the movie because they know Idi Amin and it doesn't matter who the actor playing the part is.

If you also think back to the documentary on Liberia and how the "African Americans" were the only people allowed to stand for the country's elections in the birth of the country. The "locals" I guess were too dumb to know how to run the country.
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Oh i finally found some really good Liver pate from Balducci's... its been soooo long since I had some and i was really happy to amuse my taste buds with some.

ok...and on that interesting note...I will pen off and watch the Law and Order SVU marathon.

Mark Foley

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5400536.stm

Agony is:
signing a bill that bites you in the butt!!! it's funny, but its not funny if you get my drift. Now the democrats ofcourse are going to try to use this to their advantage- even though they have a Lewinsky scandal over their head! But finally the republicans can get off their high horses... just a lil'bit. Its too bad kids had to be involved....

Its my birfffdaay!

so its that special time of the year again.... and this year I didn't send out and annual reminder to the family and friends about it. I wanted to see who would remember...!
Cousin Kimmy ofcourse wins the trophy for cousin of the year!
the people at work are soooooo nice, they gave me the cheesiest assignment ever...needless to say i was bored with having nothing to do, but it was great to not get swamped today!

I have had phone calls from all over the world and i can truly say i am blessed and loved...not many people can say that.

My mother who forgets our birthdays every year...did it again...and i have to remind her in an ever so gentle way that if she doesn't improve...we'll put her in a nursing home:)

Shooting in schools

I think its appaling that every other day there's shooting in schools... I think the government needs to put check points at schools just like they do at the airports. We are so obsessed with terrorists...we forget that we have crazy people in the country!

If I was a parent I would be petrified everytime my kids went to school wondering if someone was going to shoot them, or if THEY were going to shoot someone. The latter is highly doubtful as I wouldn't allow guns in the house anyway...but who knows?? Can you ever really know your children???

Ubuntu...

Clinton my black buddy in a white body refered to this system at a meeting in England...they are right--he is the first BLACK president! I wish i heard it pronounce the word... that would have been soooo funny!

Based on that, I was watching "Life and debt" the Jamaican documentary on the issues of debt and the IMF. One of the songs highly resonates with me..."circumstances made me who I am, was I born a voilent man?"..... are people born the way they are or does society make them who they become? some studies show that there are gene's for gay people and genes for thieves and murderers... who knows?

The Pope finally kicked Milingo out! I think pope John Paul had a bit of a soft spot for him, coz he seriously did like a million and one things that should have had his ass excommunicated long before he was. On the other hand, where is the church's forgiveness? didn't Jesus say for give as you would like to be forgiven? eh?

On a fun note... the Chinese believe men should eat penises of other animals (dogs, TIGERS ...etc) to increase their virility....what happened to good old fashioned fertility pills????? There's a restaurant there that serves penises with prices up to $5000'ish.... now see, if you want to play with money...donate it to the foundation of Manena...and me love you long time! You wont need to eat any dog penises....

Brain drain

I picked up a story on Zambia's brain drain on the BBC.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5362958.stm

quite honestly I commend all who do bed side health care work in Zambia, coz i don't think I could hack it!! My cousin(who is in medical school) and I were talking the other day about conditions of working in the health care industry in Zambia. The doctors have no real equipment to diagnose a problem and you're better off going to a witch doctor at times... because its all guess work! that's why the doctors leave the country for places where they can practice to the best of their abilities and make more money. The nurses aren't better off either. I can not imagine being the only person available for 10 patients or more. Well it happens in the USA too on really bad days, but atleast in Zambia i guess you can just delegate most of the work to the patients family members. You would have a huge law suit if you dared do that here in a USA hospital though:)

Domestic Violence

Last night the bloody people upstairs had a fight. Little did they know miss 911 lives right below their floor! Yes I said it! I have no fear of dailling 911. I called security on an 80 year old lady who said "you don't know me!" (implying i don't know what she's capable of), so i called security on her ass coz she didn't "know me" either!

So any shway, it took 911 10 minutes to get there even though I had told them, I thought someone was being hit, and they were shouting in loud voices. the people upstairs are Chinese/japanese/korean...etc u know what i mean! I heard mrs chinatown screaming in her language and things being knocked around as mr chinatown conitnued to shout things (and probably kung-fu'd her!). Well I hope I saved a life, or atleast he wont try to do it again because he'll be scared someone will call the police again. My only disappointment was that i was the only one who called it in, and i called 30 minutes after the whole mess started because i was hoping they could just stop at some point...and then i got scared someone would probably die on my watch...!

This week...

I have a flu/cold/allergies going on. So this whole weekend i spent sipping tea with honey, pumping my body with all sorts of pills, many warm baths, using breathe rites (because i've been snoring- and i doubt that they work...) and feeling sorry for myself!

well i did a lot of research for my papers, so i guess thats positive. T.V absolutely bored me...where is law and order when you need it????? Yesterday all the movies on Life time involved a lover killing their partner...etc, and today there was too much love going on...no healthy balance. So i threw in the pride and prejudice dvd for the hundredth time and ...oh Mr Daaaaaarcy!!!

In the news... a Kenyan author was in the new york times talking about how important using his language is... which is kind of like a follow up to the story i have below. He talks about how they used to be beaten in colonial times if they spoke anything other than English, and how the kenyatta and moi era's were also against using languages other than english. It reminded me of how we used to be fined or punished in my high school days if we so much as uttered a non-english word on the school grounds! Viva colonisation! Bwaana surely conquered us!
And as much as people like to go on and on about how bad Kenneth Kaunda (a.k.a KK, Super K, father Zambia). I think he tried his best. When he chucked out Zungu's and promoted "africanism" he was trying to preserve our culture. After years of the people being repressed and not able to practice their customs correctly... i don't see how this was "very wrong". As far as the economy... the man didn't know about running a country because he had no experience, and neither did anyone else. So mistakes were bound to be made, and they were.

Then yesterday i discovered that Fed-ex was supposed to be sending me a package from new york on thursday. How about my package went from new york, to new jersey, to BALTIMORE, MD, to new jersey again, then to Memphis tennessee as of yesterday. So i called to ask them why my package came to baltimore and had to be sent to flipping memphis? the guy on customer service told me it was "standard procedure". Dumb planning if you ask me. How do you transport something to where its supposed to go, then take it the opposite direction? That is not economically sound!

I had also hit an emotional pot hole this week, so i had to relax, relate and release some of that tension. Any way, that's what i get for worrying about other people's issues.

Malcom X just came on and i'm going to watch it. I need to get in touch with my "blackness" okay? okay. Go tribe of shabazz!

Are African languages important?

that was the topic for thursdays have your say on the bbc:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5072596.stm

its interesting to see African languages being fearlessly... ! If we as Africans can not defend and recognize our languages as important... it will only give enough reasons to the rest of the international community to not recognize them either!
As you can tell, i am still mad at my schools international studies/ development program for not having any mandatory African languages as requirements!

London

I am supposed to go to London tonight... still waiting on my passport to come back from the British consulate... so if i get it back by 4pm, i can go to the airport and fly out in good time to make it for breakfast with my mummy! I will be back on sunday though... i know it seems like a dumb trip... but it all started last friday when my mum decided she wanted me to go this weekend because she will be there. So i sent out my passport to the british consulate for my visa...forgetting that monday is a holiday and that my passport would only get to the consulate in new york on tue/wednesday. So i guess now i wait to see if they "expedited my order". I doubt it, but i'm still keeping the faith!

This is another reason why i want to work for an international organization coz that way, I could have a diplomatic passport and then i could just up and leave!

Zambian elections

The Zambian elections this year will be very interesting....

It turns out the Chinese amabassador made a comment about holding off on investments in Zambia because they are afraid of who might win...cracked me up! so ofcourse if the people they invest in want them to keep bringing money into the country, they need to vote for the person backed by the chinese government...woo hoo! forget democracy! Well if the country had oil or something of value, the USA would have stepped in by now to oust the Chinese and their bags of money!

and then... the western world was planning on putting economis sanctions on Sudan.... hahahahahahaha... what difference will that make????

Spontaneous!

This weekend i worked... i was supposed to go out friday night, but the weather was horrid! So the girls and I changed our minds. Then last night i came home from work, changed into my pajama's...then got a call from the gang who wanted to plan an outing for wednesday...and I in my wisdom was already on my second glass of wine and dancing around the house. So I declared that we needed to go out...and we did!

Padonia sucked, michaels sucked, and the still sucked, but we had fun talking and laughing and enjoying our drinks. It was a pleasant change from our usual outings. I was not hang over...which is great.

Crocodile Hunter

The crocodile hunter died... I felt a little sad for the kids... but really this is why i would never marry anyone who does crazy things for jobs such as hunting crocodiles... hunters get killed! I would never marry a person in the army, a race car driver, a mountain climber, a crocodile hunter...etc i can think of more!

that's just unnecessary heartache...wondering if he'll survive again. Well i guess if he made a couple millions here and there...i might now worry so much...:)

Sudan vs Sovereignty

The Sudanese government in their wisdom rejected a UN security council resolution to send UN forces to Darfur stating the governments "sovereignty" would be lost! exactly how much sovereignty should the international community allow Sudan to have? should we wait till a 1000 more people are dead? how about 200 000 more for good measure? If the US could go into Iraq to "liberate" the people, why not do the same for the Sudan?

A lot of people feel because Sudan is a million miles from America that they are not affected by what happens...little do they know that the displaced people have to become refugees somewhere, and there's nothing worse than forced displacement as we've seen with the victims of hurricane Katrina...

Now the African Union which is really not much at all has been asked to leave... Its surprising that the Sudanese government and the rebels can sleep well at night.

Glad Zambia doesn't have oil....

A country belongs to its poor

that is Manena's theory on state and structure!

I believe that a country belongs to those that can not afford to leave it. The reason it can not belong to the rich is that, if things aren't going well, they have the opportunity to get out and live in another country!

Oh school and i are bonding today, and i no longer feel like a dummy... I think i'm getting there its pretty exciting. Being the adult student in the class seems managable...who knows?

I also want Koffi Annans job... so he better watch out!

any way I need to force myself to sleep as i have to go to work at 5a.m really sucky, but worth the sacrifice!

ola!

okay, so i know its been a while since i last wrote, but you know what...a lot has been going on!

well last week i wrote a whole thing about teachers in baltimore city and the debate they had on NPR, but then it didn't save, and i was too lazy to write it over. The bottom line was, why are children not held responsible for their academic achievements????

Surviver's new episode has races against each other...interesting. I didn't believe their theory that in places people tend to stick together by race...but then i went to a training session last week, and lo and behold, the asians sat in the row in front of me, the white people sat in the row accross from me, and all the black people sat besides me....lol that was really funny!

Oh then i had 2 people i know threaten to commit suicide in the same week...drama for your mama.

Then school started, my stress level has increased by like 1000% i am quetsioning my self about choices i have made and all this other crazy stuff! well we'll see as time goes on. Many people feel i'm crazy for pursuing something that wont pay me as much as the job i do right now... but something tells me i'm on the right path...and even if i'm not... its okay right?

and 2 people i haven't heard from in like a looooooooooong time called me out of the blues! its really crazy!

Finally, 2 of my instructors have stressedthe importance of reading the news...:) i love life. it always amazes me!

White supremists

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14426542/

These people never cease to amuse me!! So on a nice summer night, instead of swimming, or relaxing outside...these punks decide to go spraying racial slurs on cars????

Well to be honest, i would not move into that area with all those attacks going on. Just the other year, they burnt down some new homes being built in the area for fear of "minorities" moving in. Tough cookies!!!

JonBenet Ramsey

So finally there is justice for someone in the world.....and the sicko Karr declared that he loved her....what an ass hole! too bad her mother died before this psycho was caught!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4800919.stm

I don't know what I would have done if someone had killed my daughter and i couldn't find out who... extremely devastating!

World call for HIV testing

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4793413.stm

So there's a call for all of us to have our HIV tests done by the world health organization... and i found it soooooo funny that the doctor making the calls name is "De Cock" thats soooooo flippin hillarious. He made it hard for me to concentrate on the important stuff he was trying to say with his funny name! but i suppose the bottom line is-- get tested people! know your status!

Airlines and A-rabs

So the Dar-gon A-rabs just messed up our lives again right? now you can't bring your own booze in the hand laguage when you fly! damned those terrorists! they don't even drink alcohol and they should have been sensitive to our needs and not used liquids!

I think they seriously need to send out memo's before they do things so we can go over it with them and evaluate the damned plans before we all have to start taking ships to other continents. I would seriously like to understand what they will achieve by killing many people. What exactly did september 11 2001 achieve for them???

typical black neighborhood

*fried chicken store...i.e Tyrones fried chicken a.k.a TFC baby!
*liquor store
*bail bond place-
*little place of worship
*chinese nic-nac store with the bullet proof glass around the store owners.
*few houses in between and the cycle continues!
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I digress:

The country is apparently on "code red" exactly what does that mean? should I have a bag packed ready to start running when all hell breaks loose..., should I have a months supply of food in the house? a years? should we be heading out of the country like the lebanese? or maybe move to utah, iowa...etc I don't suppose the terrorists would want to go there. Also, how is red different from other codes? do we assume when we're on code yellow we're 'safe'? or should we just keep a standard bag packed and ready for war???

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more digression:

Fantasia barino has a new movie coming out and i'm going to watch it!...so whatchu gon do 'bout it?

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5253606.stm

I am surprised the BBC beat me to this story! I remember doing a paper on this in college, and i am glad once again, that I was not born in the parts of the world that practice this B.S! Some people that wrote into the forum on BBC are weiredos... how about, one said that when your wife is circumcised you can trust her....and another said that she/he hasn't seen any woman who suffers from complications from FGM because the circumcision is done by proffessionals. well maybe in her hood its done correctly, but what about the refugees from sudan...a great many are moslem and practice this.... they are too poor to afford real equipment for proper surgical removal of all "unwanted" female parts. Do we know how many die in the process or how many have complications with child labor and delivery?

http://www.religioustolerance.org/fem_cirm.htm
In this debate, we learn of the quote from the quran, where mohammed "don't cut off too much" or "don't cut off as much as you would like" isn't that discouraging the process? or doesn't he seem like he's promoting hoodectomy? which most women like because it removes a little of the skin from the clitoris and makes it more pleasurable for her... you know like male circumcision. Also if this is religious.... why would God make you with parts that you don't need? I can't think of anything on my body that I don't need. Well the extra fat... but that's not from God.... that's from me and my gluttony! Besides, in the Zambian community...its just extra padding!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_circumcision
There are 3 types of circumcision...
The skin in type 2 and 3 is held together by thorns or sewn closed with anything available. when its time for child labour... the opening of the vigina has to be torn open again for the baby to come out...then sewn shut for youur husbands pleasure... then opened again for your second child, then sewn again...etc...you get the picture. This opening and sewing causes tissue to harden making it harder and more painful every time its done again. And if its shut too tight, i think hubby has to cut it open a little bit before sex if he needs to.

Sayonara

My last day with the little girl is tomorrow... I feel a little sad....I was getting used to this! Well apart from our one tiff the othe rnight, she has been soooooooo well behaved its unbelievable! I wasn't home with her today, but I called to check up on her and I was told she has been doing everything exactly as I asked her to...! that's awesome! She also called me "just to say hi" so I guess we've really bonded...:) I'm just sooo good at this PR stuff!

Today was girls night out and I think I laughed a tad bit too much. None of us had any alcoholic bevarages though...me because its almost that time of the month and I'm bloated...and my boobs swelled and hurt...so I should be in a bad mood...but not till next week I think. The joys of being a woman...

I have to work tomorrow... yeah looking forward to some sunday activity. I also have what I think will be a great gig monday... they will have me working in the easiest place possible. I can't wait! besides, my manager said if I like it, I can have the position forever. So keep your fingers crossed that I'll love it.

I think working the 3-11 shift has turned me into a night owl... what to do...?

lmao!

I'm Laughing My Arse Off! I think the little girl is mad at me!!! teeheeheehee! its soooooo flipping funny... well i was only telling her truth!!! My bed is past her bed...and she normally sleeps after me... so i am really scared to go to bed.... she seems like she'll have my head tonite...teeheeheehee... oh my... i guess i had too much wine... i am tooo amused with her right now!

Naysayers

Why is it that the world seems to have more naysayers than people that want to encourage me? you can not believe how many people tell me what they think I should do and how often they think I am making a mistake in my life. So far I am still alive and well without using any of their ideas!!!

Recently when i was changing/ quitting my job, I had a million and one people tell me I wasn't going to make it without that job....its been a month and i haven't been evicted, nor have I slept hungry. I will not live my life scared to take chances anymore...I have nothing to loose really...and if I die trying, at leasts I can say I tried right? I have worked too damned hard to get to where I am today, and I am not about to risk it all playing some dumb game. But, by the same token, I wont just sit idle, and wait for my future. I am going after it!

Coz seriously, if I was going to die this early... I would have died when I lived in the shady part of west Baltimore. You all remember that when I first moved to Baltimore without a credit history and all that good stuff that I need to get an apartment, I lived in some shady area where drugs were sold at every corner and gunshots were a nightly activity. I used to get off work at 10pm and take 2 buses from one end of town to another... and get home at midnight to be met in the street by rude rats the size of cats and some slim shady wanna be's. Every weekend the popo were on heavy patrol and collected several of the guys on a regular basis.

Now, if i survived that shit...and my mama... you can throw me Bosnia, Rwanda and Iraq...and I can survive them too! So whats a little life crisis??? People, learn to loosen up when you're speaking in terms of "manena" I'm a surviver...and I will keep on trekking, aint no shame in my game!

p/s
I aint got my college money together yet and school starts at the end of this month:) so for those of you that wnat to help a sista out, I take Visa, Mastercard, cash and money orders only. I don't trust y'all's personal checks!
oh and I really miss you!!!. ( You know who you are)

Fidel Castro

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/244974.stm

so Fidel is on his way out I guess... he's getting old and somehow I feel a little saddened that we're loosing some of the worlds great leaders. I know in most peoples eye... especially in the US, Fidel is like a monster of some kind. My thing is, certain countries need a dictator...look at what his done with the country. 98% literacy and health care available to all??? thats awesome!! Zambia is "a democratic republic" and we neither have that high of a literacy level nor health care for all. So who said a communist dictator is bad? we would take him any day in Zambia if he could achieve the same results.

Viva Fidel Castro!!!

Nshima

I absolutely hate it when people say Nshima is tasteless and has no nutritional value... who's nshima are they eating?????
according to FAO (food and agricultural organization):
http://www.fao.org/docrep/T0395E/T0395E03.htm#Nutritional%20value%20of%20maize

We can clearly see that Nshima has nutritional value.... just like rice and potatoes....
And when Nshima is made right...i.e when I make it... it has a sweet taste to it when you eat it by itself... so learn how to make it before you knock it. Its like making mashed potatoes. If you don't add the right ingredients you get disgusting mashed potatoes!

Important Issue to me

My name is Manena. I am originally from Zambia and have lived in the United States for five years. I speak four Zambian languages, English and some French. I have currently enrolled into Towson University’s International Studies/ International development program because being from a third world country; poverty is a great issue for me. I have also been living in Baltimore city for the last four years, and I believe poverty is a great issue in this city too from what I have observed.

I grew up in a country with people living on less than a dollar a day, people starving, the highest rate of orphans, at least one in five people are HIV positive, eighty percent of the population is illiterate, and the health care system is disastrous to say the least. I was in great shock when I moved to Baltimore to find that most of the problems I observed in Zambia where the same problems they were facing here in a “rich” nation. The problems in my country are highly complex and I understand they can’t be sorted by just fixing one thing.

I have great concern for all the wars in the world, for this increases refugees and poverty. Poverty also breeds more terrorists and crime because desperate times call for desperate measures. Poor people leave way for others to be prejudiced against them and also for stronger people to abuse them. For the young, this is more problematic because when they grow up, they either become the tormentors or the perpetually abused.

There is also a tendency for the poor to die of curable diseases because they can not afford health care when sick or prescreening check ups, or medication once their maladies have been identified.

For the most part, poverty is exacerbated by some corrupt leaders who have either been elected or have come into power through a coup d'état. They misuse money that is sent in by donors to assist the country’s poor and they abuse any available sources of income for their own benefit. There are a few great leaders who are trying to make a difference in their countries are have many obstacles to deal with in order for changes to take effect or make an impact.

I have a great interest in learning more about the global economy and how countries relate to one another. I think an integral part to ending some of the world paucity is to understand cause and effect. The more people become less ignorant of the situation, the better able we’ll be as a people to come up with solutions to this global issue. I am confident that poverty in most nations can be alleviated in some way if more people are informed about the various issues that cause or can potentially cause poverty.

I'm hoping the BBC will hire me as a reporter after reading my blog, and i am a very funny person...so call me:)

hurray- 1000

my other blog has achieved 1000 hits! thanks to the readers...its awesome!

in the news today...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5220490.stm It would seem like all they need to do is find out which flights arrived from nigeria in order to find this boys parents... or they can alternatively call the Nigerian embassy and have the boy tell them which town he came from right? Also if his parents are illegal in the UK, they might not claim him from Bangladesh, lest they're found out.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5217424.stm : another reason why I am happy I am not in any danger of sharia law!!! Sorry islam...:)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/5222644.stm : smells fishy! was she like drunk to fall down the stairs at 4a.m? or did someone just throw her down the stairs so she couldn't win?

Just to make sure I'm not the only one reading about death... I put it out there to enjoy with you. My faithful readers:)

Nsync

So the N'sync boy came out and said he was gay...whooptidoo! I can't believe that made the news and the fact that Mary is becoming a mother before me didn't!

I also discovered that the little girl has not seen Pride and prejudice, or sense and sensibility! So guess what were watching today...? you guessed it! She has been good at following orders so far...and and I'm loving this mummy biz! I always wanted a little sister when i was growing up, but like I said... my mum messed that up... so now i have a little bro...

Oh and have you heard about Manny's? (male nanny's) its a strange concept for these days... although I remember having a manny when we we're growing up... I certainly wouldn't want one caring for my kids though I don't think!

I also found out why its important to have matrons that come round and teach young women what to do when they have periods or before getting married...some things are really necessary even though they look like useless chores! Power to nachimbusa's!

Postpartum depression/ psychosis

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14024728/

I am glad Mrs Yates got sent to a mental institution instead of being sent to jail for the murder of her children. Its high time people recognized postpartum depression and psychosis for what it is. If Mrs Yates had gone to prison I would have asked that her husband and health care workers who were well aware that she was suffering from these disorders should have been sent to jail too for leaving her alone with the kids. They knew she was sick...and they chose to ignore what was wrong with her. Also it was stated before that they knew she was depressed after the first child I think...and most studies of postpartum depression and psychosis show that the more children you have after that... the more depressed or psychotic you become. They said that they chose to have more children because they were catholic and couldn't use birthcontrol. More reasons why I am pro birth control right here!!!

I used to wonder at our dog fifi and other bitches...(finally got to use the word without meaning harm haha) when they would eat a puppy! that was disgusting! and then we would hear of a lone goon who was rumored to have thrown her newborn baby in a trash can, or body of water. I was very distressed and wondered how such a thing can be done... but alas...after reading a few articles I found that its actually a disorder.

This week away from my house...

ok, so as you know I am living away from my house for the next 2 weeks playing mummy to a challenging 11 year old. Well friday i picked her up from one house in rockville and took her to Virginia to a play date. How about I forgot to feed her before her play date??? oopsy! well in my defense though, she was getting there at 6pm which is in good time to eat with her little friend right?

Then i received this email today written by an irrate Zambian woman, who is mad that her cousin/friend stole her man...so in retaliation she wrote a list of all the men that the girl has slept with since she was thirteen...she's like "for those of you that chose to ignore her when she took your men... i am seeking revenge for mine...:)". It's sooo funny really, she has the girls picture there and all. The girl is really cute...but her men are kinda disgusting! why was a girl under 19 sleeping with VJ Mwaanga and his son? isn't that sick? she has Wezi Mkandawire there too, and he's the only one that makes sense enuff to be doing her!

So anyway, I had all these plans of things to do with the little girl, but she's not home...she went off to a play date... so I'm sitting here starring at the walls and using somebody else's wireless connection. Which is the same thing I do at home...but for some reason it bores me here:) strange innit??

I want to go downtown or something to keep my mind occupied...but it looks like its going to rain... so we can forget a sista getting soaked coz my chocolate skin might melt off.

Ok I'm gone for now... I'm reading -the end of poverty by jefferey sachs... interesting...after that I have illicit by moises naim... So far sachs seems to have most of "manena's theories" in his books...so i think i like him:)

Cousin Kimmy

I was thinking this morning i have no clue how cousin Kimmy and i got detached at the hip...but i gather it was for a good reason because whenever we were together... dumb things always seemed to happen, such as:

a) When my family was moving to England...I packed cousin kimmy in a suit case hoping no one would find her till we got to England...(hey i was a tiny-tot, and had no clue how the airport worked. Now Kimmy could have died of air deprivation or starvation, or both...but some adult found her...and i don't recall getting in trouble...maybe i repressed that memory.

b) Kimmy and i were playing a game where we jumped from a drum to a chair over a burning brazier. (we had no nintendo at that time, coz if we did, we would have made one of the super mario bro's jump over something like the kids do now!) Well smart ass Kimmy fell into the fire and burnt her arm. Again, I do not recall what our punishment was, coz we seriously knew better.

c) We were playing over a flight of stairs...Kimmy as usual falls and this time breaks her arm...hmmm I repressed the punishment here too...

d) We were standing at the gate in Avondale knowing full well we were not allowed to, then we saw Kimmy's mum heading towards the house like close enuff to see us. How about dumb and dumber ran back to the house and sat on the sofa pretending to read books! well...this punishment i do remember coz that was the first and only time Kimmy's mum pinched me...and we burst out laughing when she was gone!

I really don't know who's idea all our dumb plans were...but i gather they were Kim's ideas because she a leo... and they are fearless and like to try dumb games. Well Kim and I don't jump over things now...xcept the scale:) coz we're all growd up in all the right places...hahahahahaha! besides...she now lives in corn fields...what could we possibly do wrong there??? then again its muzunguville...(I really don't mean u Mike...u know we're cool!)

Babies and ignorance.

Ok, so like I had a patient today who's name was like stapinopolus...you know something in those lines... how about the ignorant doctor that sent him to us had written in the patients chart that he's HISPANIC. I mean anyone that knows anything can tell that the name sounds greek...all he had to do was ask the guy where he was from. The guy speaks good english with an accent, but i find that most health care people have a phobia of speaking to foreigners or anyone with an accent.

Oh and my assignment today was the easiest I have ever had in my life!!! It was like I was getting paid just to smile...!

So this week half the pregnant women that I know are giving/ have given birth. I went to one of the babies today and she is soooooo cuttteeee!!! I sat there holding her and smelling that sweet baby scent and I thought- my God, I want one of these thingy's!

I think i would be a good mama for like the first 2 days... then after that, its societies fault that I can't hack it as a mom. I mean seriously. Any way, just for practice, I'm gonna be mommy to an 11 year old for the next 2 weeks, and I'm excited... I like nothing more than telling people what to do...that's not to say I'm bossy coz I'm really not, I just like giving orders. My mum (pot calling the kettle black) called ME bossy.