BONO’S PR0PAGANDA ON AFRICA
In a recent post I asked the question “Is the ONE Campaign Becoming a Sham?” I asked this question because what I consider their political public relations effort surrounding Presdient Obama’s recent visit to Ghana. ONE called it the making of history. They forget to mention that President Bush was in Ghana in early 2008.
Bono’s recent article in the NY Times “Rebranding Africa,” is also full of hot air and hype. Here is one of the paragraphs that make you want to shake your head.
“Africa is not just Barack Obama’s homeland. It’s ours, too. The birthplace of humanity. Wherever our journeys have taken us, they all began there. The word Desmond Tutu uses is “ubuntu”: I am because we are. As he says, until we accept and appreciate this we cannot be fully whole. Could it be that all Americans are, in that sense, African-Americans?“
To claim that Africa is the birthplace of humanity is based on what? And now, we are all African-Americans. I am all for addressing the real extreme poverty and corruption issues facing Africa today. However, I perfer solid research and facts, not pop-culture hype.
A GREAT ARTICLE ON CHINA & ITS FUTURE
Read the whole article.
PLANTING A BILLION TREES
I grew up climbing the Cascade mountains with my father. He was a major conservationist before it was faddish. And so, when we start talking about planting one billion trees, I get excited. Ya, being born in Seattle makes one a tree hugger. Now, I live in Arizona, get the hint. Below are some facts concerning global forests, and how we must stay engaged.
World Facts
Forests cover 30 per cent of the planet’s total land area. Forests are unevenly distributed. On a global average, more than one-third of all forests are primary forests, defined as forests where there are no clearly visible indications of human activity and where ecological processes are not significantly disturbed.
80% of the world’s forests are publicly owned, but private ownership is on the rise, especially in North and Central America and in Oceania.
About 11 % of the world’s forests are designated for the conservation of biological diversity. These areas are mainly, but not exclusively, in protected areas.
Around 10 million people are employed in conventional forest management and conservation. Formal employment in forestry declined by about 10 per cent from 1990 to 2000. More than 1 billion forest adjacent people are informal custodians of forests. Approximately 500 million small-scale farmers in the tropics retain and manage trees on their farms for livelihood goals.
Specific Facts
The ten most forest-rich countries, which account for two-thirds of the total forested area, are the Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada, the United States, China, Australia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Peru and India. Forests in Europe are expanding. Asia, which had a net loss in the 1990s, reported a net gain of forests in the past five years, primarily due to large-scale forestation in China. Worldwide, deforestation continues at an alarming rate, about 13 million hectares per year, an area the size of Greece or Nicaragua. Africa and South America have the largest net loss of forests. In Africa it is estimated that nearly half of the forest loss was due to removal of wood fuel.
Solutions
IS BONO’S “ONE CAMPAIGN” BECOMING A SHAM?
Made famous by Bono, the ONE Campaign (www.One.org) states that it exists to bring an end to extreme poverty and disease, especially in Africa. A great vision. However, the recent e-mails that I receive from ONE are really misleading and almost a sham. I called ONE’S office today, but the two people that work there were not available.
Below is ONE’s e-mail that I received today:
“Dear ONE Member, This Saturday, at 6:00 AM EST, President Barack Obama will make history when he speaks before Ghana’s parliament—fulfilling a pledge he made to ONE members last year to visit Africa in his first term. Six o’clock in the morning—or even earlier in other time zones—is pretty early for a Saturday, but we don’t want you to miss this historic moment, so we’re posting video of the entire speech to our website Saturday afternoon. When I visited Ghana last month, I saw a country that is vibrant, free and proud to work with America to spread prosperity and fight poverty and disease. The people we met and the stories they shared were so powerful, we decided to capture their energy and optimism in a short film called Yes, Africa Can. We hope you’ll watch it, share it with your friends between now and Saturday, and learn more about a country that is realizing the potential of Africa. David Lane President, ONE.org”
ONE’s message is very misleading and full of hype. President Obama’s visit will not “make history” or is it a “historic moment,” for George W. Bush visited Ghana in February 2008 having a major freeway named after him.
Ghana is a small country in Western Africa, and is not even one categorized as a least-developed country by the United Nations. A historic visit will include more than one-night stay, and he would have gone to to either Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, or the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is time for ONE to be honest. This is not historic change.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN AFGHANISTAN GROWS
What is the end-game for President Obama’s expansion of the war in Afghanistan? What are we really fighting to accomplish. A recent U.N. report details that violence against is still widespread and growing throughout Afghanistan, after some eight years we have been fighting on the ground.
Violence against women, including rape, is still very widespread in Afghanistan. The limited space that opened up for Afghan women following the demise of the Taliban regime in 2001 is under sustained attack, not just by the Taliban themselves, but by deeply engrained cultural practices and customs, and – despite a number of significant advances in terms of the creation of new legislation and institutions – by a chronic failure at all levels of government to advance the protection of women’s rights in Afghanistan.
The report also details numerous attacks on girls’ schools, and on girl students – including gas and acid attacks – by “anti-government elements.
IRAQ WAR BADLY DAMAGES ANCIENT BABYLON
The ancient site of Babylon – home to the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – has been significantly damaged due to its use as a military base by coalition forces in Iraq.
Digging, cutting, scraping and leveling resulted in considerable damage to the archaeological city, with the Ishtar Gate, the Processional Way and other key structures also being harmed.
Babylon was the capital city for two famous kings of antiquity: Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC), who introduced one of the world’s first law codes, and Nebuchadnezzar (604-562 BC). Partially excavated over the last century, much of ancient Babylon, which lies 90 kilometres south of Baghdad, remains undiscovered.
According to a 2005 British Museum report, the use of Babylon as a camp by the Multi-National Force between April 2003 and December 2004 by coalition forces is “tantamount to establishing a military camp around the Great Pyramid in Egypt or around Stonehenge in Britain.”
Also, the Iraqi Government’s 1978-1987 restoration project rebuilt several buildings, erected modern facilities and undertook new landscaping, in part to create a new palace for Saddam Hussein, “to the great detriment of the site.”
Unbelievably sad and extemely stupid on the part of America’s military.
PRESIDENT OBAMA FOLLOWS GEORGE W. BUSH TO GHANA
The press is making a big thing out of President Obama’s, the first African-American president to visit Africa (not counting Egypt), one-night stop in Ghana at the end of this week.
In reality, if President Obama really wants to engage Africa then he should go to one of the major African macro-nations like Kenya, Nigeria, or the Democratic Republis of Congo.
The fact is, he is going to Ghana, where George W. Bush went in February 2008. Not much change here.
See the link below:
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/photo.day.php?ID=139473
It will be very likely that President Obama will be even drive down “George W. Bush Freeway.”
WORLD’S OLDEST BIBLE GOES DIGITAL
The surviving pages of the world’s oldest Christian Bible have been reunited — digitally. The early work known as the Codex Sinaiticus has been housed in four separate locations across the world for more than 150 years. Starting today, it became available for perusal on the Web at www.codexsinaiticus.org.
WHAT IS A ZILLION?
With the out-of-control federal debt spending I thought it would be helpful to inform you concerning what comes after a trillion. We’ve got a million, billion and a trillion. What comes next? How many zeros? After a trillion comes a trillion and one, and so on and so forth, until you get to a quadrillion, which has 15 zeros. Then is a quintillion, 18 zeros; a sextillion, 21 zeros; and on up to a centillion, which has 303 zeros. I could fill in all the “-illions” between a sextillion and a centillion, but I’m getting kind of bored with this, so I’ll just leave it at that, except to add there is no such thing as a zillion.
OBAMA, RUSSIA, & AFGHANISTAN WAR
President Obama is heading for Russia to “repair” our relationship. President Obama needs to strongly communicate America’s strong support of the complete sovereign state rights of the Caucus region (Georgia etc), Ukraine, Baltic region, and the Central Asian states. It is my assessment that Russia’s future strategic plan is to extend their influence over the regions of the Soveit Union. America needs to be proactively strengthening and supporting these regions against the extension of Russia’s growing influence.
Russia likes us bogged down in Afghanistan. Just look at Russia’s agreement below. In fact, they are likely supporting local efforts against the U.S.
A major concern I have is that now the U.S. is entering into a partnership with the Russians in the Afghan war. The Russians have said they will agree to allow the United States to use their territory and air space to move munitions and arms to U.S. and NATO forces fighting Taliban Islamic extremists in Afghanistan.
Brfore expanding the Afghan war, Americans need a clear reason for the war, and what is the end game. In other words, what are we fighting for?
U.S. NATIONAL DEBT NOW OVER 11 TRILLION DOLLARS
Happy post-July 4th. Now, it is time to get back to reality. The U.S. naitonal debt is now over 11 trillion dollars. This equates to every man, woman, and child in America owing $37,000. In actuality, the majority of the debt will be the burden of our children and grandchildren. Now, President Obama is thinking about bailing out states.
It is time for Americans to wake up and exert a major push back against increasing deficit/debt Federal spending. I am not against Federal spending if it was strategic. In other words, spending was matched to a clear, understandable strategic plan. Right now, President Obama is simply throwing billions of dollars against the wall and hoping that some of it politically sticks, with little concern for the billions wasted.
THE POPE CLAIMS THE DISCOVERY OF THE BONES OF THE APOSTLE PAUL
AFGHANISTAN: WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING FOR?
As I have written several times before, I am not in favor of President Obama’s esculation of the war in Afghanistan/Pakistan. He is about to send in more troops, and for what?. The central question is: what are we fighting for? What are we attempting to accomplish? I will write in more detail why I resist the direction the US is taking later.
FACT: Afghanistan supplies more than 90 percent of the world’s heroin, and the drug trade is estimated to account for about half of Afghanistan’s economy. The United Nations estimates that in 2007, the Taliban made as much as $300 million from the opium trade.
US NEW POLICY: Stop attempting to eradicate the opium fields. In the end, it is a Taliban victory, and we have simply accepted defeat. Like much of what we are trying to do in Afghanistan, long-term success is slight to none.
ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION & THE HEALTH CARE DEBATE
I was just in the Ukraine, and I was deeply stuck by the pervasive public drinking (at all times, by all ages, with no visible restrictions) and alcoholism in the country. It began me thinking about “functional population” numbers. Although the Ukraine has a population of 5 million or so, the “functional or productive population” of the Ukraine was certainly much less. As a result, its future is not very promising, especially as Russia continues to extend its influence westward.
As President Obama and the Congress debates health care reform, I doubt whether “alcohol consumption” in the United States will take front stage, even though it should according to a recent major study.
Although the majority of the world’s population does not drink (45% of men and 66% of women worldwide), and moderate drinking may help protect against some chronic diseases, the fact is alcohol’s net effect on health around the world is profoundly. Heavy drinking has a wide range of serious detrimental effects. The study has calculated that 3.8% of global mortality can be attributed to drinking. The study shows that alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for burden of disease. Alcohol is linked to many disease categories. The researchers added that the worst effects seem to be in developing countries.
As I witnessed in the Ukraine, pervasive and heavy drinking has a detrimental economic effect on a nation. In the U.S., they estimated a total impact of $234 billion, about 13% of which were direct healthcare costs. Productivity losses were the largest cost category, totaling $170 billion. The researchers said costs associated with drinking accounted for 2.7% of U.S. gross domestic product.
The researchers identified drinking as “one of the most pressing public health problems in the world.” These facts concerning the regular and heavy drinking of alcohol should be a key component concerning health care in America.
One in 25 deaths across the world are linked to alcohol consumption (4% of world’s death)
THE RISE OF TURKEY OVER THE NEXT CENTURY
George Friedman founder of StratFor predicts the rise of Turkey over the next century.
SEEING IRAN AS IT REALLY IS
I met with an Iranian believer in the Ukraine tonight, and I asked him about the present protests in Iran. His answer: “The best thing about the protest is that it reveals to Americans the real face of the Iranian people, and that Iran should not be defined by the Islamic cleric-dictators.” I fully agree. For example, it is estimated that there are a few million Iranian believers in the underground church throughout Iran. The Iranian churches are also growing in Turkey. In fact, in the near future, the next great mission movement through the Middle East could be from Iranians.
MBAs WITHOUT BORDERS
MBAs Without Borders is another avenue for global engagement.
NEW ACROPOLIS MUSEUM OPENS IN GREECE
Greece’s long-awaited acropolis mueuem has opened.
ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro declared that domestic violence is “especially evil.” She states that surveys from around the world show that half of the women who die from homicides are killed by their current or former husbands or partners.
PUTTING PRESIDENT OBAMA’S DEFICIT SPENDING IN PERSPECTIVE
I am not among those who desire to scrap the United Nations. Although certainly flawed and limited by its Charter, I am one who acknowledges the many good (and bad) initiatives of the U.N. To help put the enormous 2009 projected deficit spending of President Obama in perspective, the entire 2008-2009 budget of the U.N. is only 4.171 billion dollars (peacekeeping operations not included) compared to President Obama’s deficit spending of one trillion dollars.
BACK IN KIEV
Sarah Grace (my youngest daughter) and I are back in Kiev after participating in a two-week ministry camp at an orphanage in a village located in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine. A moving time of ministry. Tonight was a father/daugher date night as we went to the Kiev Opera House to see a fantastic ballet performance, including live orchestra. I mean good. Blessed all around. We fly back to Arizona on Monday (22nd).
OVER ONE BILLION PEOPLE FACE STARVATION
According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, the number of people on the brink of starvation is set to reach a record high of 1.02 billion – or one-sixth of the global population – in 2009.
U.S. PAYING COUNTRIES TO TAKE TERRORISTS
In order to shut down Gitmo, the U.S. government is going to spend more of taxpayer money to get countries to take terrorists. Apparently, Palau is a case in point. BTW, my father was one of the marines in WWII that took the island of Palau.
Palau’s decision appeared to be linked to a US offer of $200 million in “development and budget aid”, but it was not clear whether Bermuda had been offered a similar amount.
OFFLINE IN UKRAINE
I have been offline for approximately a week now. My daughter Sarah Grace (just graduated from high school) and I are participating in putting on a Christian camp at an orphanage in southern Ukraine (a village near Kherson close to the Black Sea). After a few days in Kiev, we took a 10-hour overnight train trip to Kherson. There were some 50 people sleeping in the same train car, no air, no windows to open, several drunk dudes, and smells impossible to explain. Our ministry team of 15 is living in a very small village house, with no shower (buckets of water) and a outhouse.
I developed these 10 guidelines for using an outhouse:
1 - Wait until you really, really need to go so that your stay will be quick. An outhouse is not the place for long meditations, magazine reading, or sitting and doing your to-do list.
2 - Keep nose plugged at all times. One mistake, one whif could leave you unconscious for a couple of hours until someone finds you.
3 - Never look down into the hole. I mean not only could you go blind, you will experience bad dreams that night guarenteed.
4 - Enter with an attitude of gratefullness.
5 - Only think pleasant thoughts during your stay. You know, blue skies, roses, and that kind of stuff.
6 - Don’t drop your only roll of American toilet paper down the hole (which I did, and then I retrieved it. Don’t ever try this yourself unless you have very long arms, extremely desperate, and many years a world traveler).
7 - Do what you need to do during daytime, nightime is dangerous.
8 - When squatting make sure you are well balanced. If your older, being balanced does not mean you will be able to get up, however.
9 - When finished, get out! Don’t attempt to admire your work. Realize from the beginning that it will not be a piece of art.
10 - When first opening the outhouse door, take the position of a ready-run pause before entering to make sure no other animals or big insects have moved in.
I took another overnight train trip back to Kiev last night to discuss with a large ministry their vision to extend their service into Turkey. Friday night I will take another 10-hour overnighter back to the village and continue ministering at the orphanage. Interacting and ministering with orphans has been a deep moving experience, my first time.
Sarah and I will be returning to Arizona on June 22nd. Please keep us in prayer that God will do a deep work within our hearts and his kingdom of love will be experienced by our kids.
MITT ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT IN 2012
Now that Obama is committing an economic disaster at the speed of light, at this early stage I am leaning toward Mitt Romney for president in 2012. He has seasoned, economic knowledge, able to stand up to Obama in debates, and has first-hand understanding of the car industry.
EUROPEAN UNION TO BAN CANADA’S SEAL PRODUCTS
In response to EU’s upcoming ban on seal products, Canadian governor eats raw seal heart.
AFRICA’S NEED FOR NEW LEADERS
Regardless of your overall view of president Obama, Wangari Maathai’s article “Where are Africa’s Obamas?” speaks loudly for the desperate need for new leaders in Africa.
FRANCE OPENS MILITARY BASE IN GULF
France opens its first new military base overseas in 50 years located in the United Arab Emirates (state of Abu Dhabi).
NEW MONGOLIAN PRESIDENT
A Harvard-educated leader of the Democratic Party has become the new president in Mongolia. Mongolia (pop. 3 million) emerged in 1990 from more than 70 years of Communist rule. However, more than one-third of its citizens still live below the poverty line. The average income last year was about $1,700.
OUR WORLD - GREENLAND
On June 21, Greenland (population 56,000) will become a self-governing country after approximately 300 years under the rule of Denmark.
Dr. Andrew Jackson's New Book on Mormonism