Fri Aug 29, 12:38 PM ET

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe on Friday handed the country's only Olympic medalist in Beijing a $100,000 cash reward for her performance at the games.

Swimmer Kirsty Coventry smashed the world record to win gold in the women's 200 meters backstroke. She also captured three silver medals.

Mugabe handed the U.S-based swimmer the cash at a ceremony in Harare carried live on state television.

"Our national spirit must exude joy and pleasure and say you have done well, daughter of Zimbabwe. We are proud of you, we wish you well. She's our golden girl ... take care of her," he said at the ceremony.

The U.S. dollars, scarce in a country struggling with an economic crisis marked by a severe shortage of foreign currency, were carried in a briefcase by Zimbabwe's central bank governor.

Other members of Zimbabwe's Olympic team received between $2,000 and $10,000 each.

(Reporting by Nelson Banya; Editing by MacDonald Dzirutwe)

But then what else can you expect from the sort of people who were responsible for apartheid? Certainly not any kind of actual freedom. Oh, they'll try to sell their bland brand of filtered, watered-down privilege as freedom; but any government trying to steamroller things they disagree with from the onset should be met with nothing less than hostile suspicion.

Not that I think the National Party will actually be a threat in next year's elections, but still: thanks to that one little statement, they've managed to refresh the erroneous link between satanism and witchcraft in the minds of people generally just as misinformed and narrow-minded as they are. This is called stigma, folks, and it is inevitably an ugly-faced thing. Over the years it builds upon itself until you have a situation like apartheid, or Robert Mugabe. We cannot allow something like that to happen ever again.

Negotiators are meeting in South Africa to try and revive Zimbabwe's crisis talks, which broke up two weeks ago. The negotiations broke up over how to share power between Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who both claim victory in the polls.

President Mugabe says he will form a government alone, while opposition MPs this week jeered him in public. Deputy South African Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said he hoped the negotiation would lead to the "finalisation of... outstanding matters".

Before the talks broke up earlier this month, both sides agreed that Mr Tsvangirai would be named prime minister but they could not agree on how to divide powers between him and Mr Mugabe. Mr Tsvangirai wants Mr Mugabe to become a ceremonial figure, while the ruling Zanu-PF party wants the president to retain most powers, such as appointing ministers and the security forces.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says that if Mr Mugabe names a cabinet unilaterally, that would scupper the talks.

CONNECTAFRICA

Click here to view the debate:

Yglesias and Kirchick discuss such issues as:

• The right’s awkward postmortem embrace of Jesse Helms (05:54)
• Whether Obama has flip-flopped on Iraq withdrawal? (02:26)
• McCain and other Iran warmongers (09:08)
• Jamie's view that Matt coddles Ahmadinejad and ignores Bush’s pragmatism (06:14)
• Should we apply the Bush Doctrine in Zimbabwe? (08:32)
• Hillary Clinton, gay icon (05:50)

Check out Matt's blog at yglesias.thinkprogress.org.

For more information, contact: Matthew Smollon (201) 748-6339 msmollon@wiley.com

Heads in the Sand: How the Republicans Screw Up Foreign Policy and Foreign Policy Screws Up the Democrats by Matthew Yglesias Wiley; April 2008; $25.95 978-0-470-08622-3; Hardcover

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Mugabe Says Zimbabwe Will Form New Government

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Mugabe

This cat's a piece of work. It wasn't enough to lead his country into years and years and years of oppression, poverty and dictatorship. When he was handily beaten by Morgan Tsvangirai a couple months ago via vote, he refused to accept it and refused to relinquish power. Tsvangirai then withdrew from a run-off — the idea of which was ridiculous in itself since Mugabe was already defeated.

Britain and other foreign donors have said they will not unlock a £1bn aid package until Mugabe relinquishes power to Tsvangirai who won the first round of presidential elections in March but withdrew from a run-off contest three months later amid a state-sponsored campaign of murder, beatings and abductions against his supporters. — The Guardian, UK

Now, Mugabe reportedly has offered Arthur Mutambara, leader of a breakaway group from Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change, a post in the government to form some sort of coalition regime. As reported by the UK's The Guardian:

Mugabe also rejected significant constitutional reform and insisted that a new coalition administration under his authority serve a full five-year term. Tsvangirai wanted an interim government of about two years before new elections.

"Mugabe wanted Tsvangirai as a ceremonial prime minister. There was never any serious intent by Mugabe to give up power," said a source close to the negotiations. "There is no future for these talks unless the facilitator [Mbeki] is able to come forward with proposals that demonstrate a change in Mugabe's position."

It is well recorded how the people of Zimbabwe have suffered under Mugabe's regime. His relentless attempts at a stanglehold over his country smacks of shocking insecurity. It's clear he cares nothing for his own people — and for all we know, neither does Tsvangirai, who's only trying to gain the power Mugabe fails to relinquish. While we should certainly have more faith in Tsvangirai for his attempts to try to institute change, the onus is squarely on Mugabe, and that's where it will probably die. I once interviewed a couple who had traveled to Zimbabwe on a mission trip, and truth be told, the trip probably affected their lives as much or more than their humanitarian efforts did the local people. They returned no longer blind to the despair still gripping much of the world. Much of Africa, save for South Africa and a few others, is in the same dire situation it's been in for centuries: a vast wilderness replete with famine, disease, despot who care nothing for their own people. This should sadden us all.

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An airplane was about to crash; there were 5 passengers on board but only 4 parachutes.

The first passenger said, "I'm Zinedine Zidane, the world's number 1footballer. FIFA needs me, I can't afford to die." So he took the first pack and left the plane.
The second passenger, Hillary Clinton, said, "I am the wife of the former President of the United States , I am the most ambitious woman in the world. I am also New York Senator and a potential future President." She
just took the 2nd parachute and jumped out of the plane.
The third passenger, Robert Mugabe, said, "I'm President of Zimbabwe and I have 13 million helpless people who always look to me for guidance. Above all I'm the cleverest President in African history, and Africa 's
people won't let me die". So he put on a pack next to him and jumped out of the plane.
The fourth passenger, Nelson Mandela, says to the fifth passenger, a 10yr old Chinese school boy, "I'm old and have lived a fruitful life, God will decide my fate, so I'll let you have the last parachute".

The boy said, "It's OK, there's a parachute left for you. Africa 's cleverest President (Robert Mugabe) has taken my schoolbag".

weist Musikstar Madonna in einer Dia-Show auf die Übel dieser Welt hin: Bilder der Zerstörung wechseln sich ab mit Diktatoren wie Robert Mugabe und Adolf Hitler – und mittendrin ist John McCain, dessen Wahlkampf-Team nun verstimmt ist.

Zu Recht. Denn neben der Verharmlosung des Nationalsozialismus, die diese Aneinanderreihung zweifelsohne darstellt, ist sie eine außerordentliche Geschmacklosigkeit gegenüber McCain. Ein Kommentator bei queer.de jedoch sieht sich bemüßigt, Madonna gegen einen Vorwurf zu verteidigen, den niemand erhoben hatte:

Madonna Louise Ciccone ist amerikanische Staatsbürgerin und hat als solches das Recht sich in den Wahlkampf einzumischen. Sie darf ihre Prominenz zur Stellungnahme gegen und für bestimmte Kandidaten nutzen.

Dabei ist es fraglich, ob eine Stellungnahme für oder gegen einen Präsidentschaftskandidaten überhaupt das Anliegen der Sängerin war, wie ein anderer Kommentar kritisch anmerkt:

Das es Madonna nicht um McCain oder Obama geht ist doch völlig klar, ihr geht es allein um Publicity.

Zumindest wenn man davon ausgeht, es ginge Madonna um Schwulenrechte, denn

Obama hat sich ja nun auch gegen die Homo-Ehe ausgesprochen: "Die deutet er - anders als die Befürworter von Homo-Ehen - als Verbindung zwischen Mann und Frau."

Link zu www.spiegel.de

Was bleibt also? Ein Kanidat der gegen die Homo-Ehe ist und ein anderer der gegen die Homo-Ehe ist. Alles andere was Obama so ablässt (Adoptionsrecht) ist billig, weil er das was er da fordert und begrüßt nie umsetzten muss, weil das kein Bundesrecht ist. Obama ködert also die Homosexuellen mit Versprechungen die er gar nicht halten muss und verrät sie bei den dingen, die er beeinflussen könnte....ganz toll

Ein weiterer Kommentator ist so begeistert von Madonnas scharfsinniger politischer Analyse, dass er ihr die gleiche Vitalität wie Leni Riefenstahl wünscht:

Sie bringt es immer wieder auf den Punkt ! Ich hoffe sie wird 100 !

Der hier findet Madonna wohl einfach nur zum Kotzen und meint, sie werde

falls mccain doch gewinnt die allererste sein, die zurückrudert. wie war das nochmal bei american life? und überhaupt - us wahlkampf in uk - sowas von provokant. die war auch schon mal schneller beim aufhüpfen aufn trend-zug, die obligatorischen skandälchen waren schon aufregender.

und fast hätt ichs vergessen - madonna is counterrevolutionary

Das allerdings finden wir bei GayWest nicht im geringsten bedauernswert. Der Geschmack der Freiheit ist uns nämlich eindeutig angenehmer als der Geruch von Brandbomben und Salzsäure. Weshalb wir bei Madonnas Aufzählung der "Guten",

Musiker John Lennon, Friedensnobelpreisträger Al Gore, der indische Aktivist Mahatma Gandhi und – natürlich – der demokratische Präsidentschaftskandidat Barack Obama

nur einen vermissen: Den Mann, der 13 Jahre vor Al Gore den Friedensnobelpreis bekam und trotz allem sicherlich ausreichend masochistisch veranlagte schwule Fans hat.

Opposition MPs - who have protested that the Zimbabwe president was in breach of an agreement that parliament would not sit until a power-sharing deal had been brokered - refused to stand on his arrival. They booed Mugabe when he declared that "landmark agreements have been concluded with every expectation that everybody will sign up". Opposition MPs later sang "Zanu-PF is rotten", with a number of senior MDC) leaders present despite the party earlier indicating it would boycott the opening over the lack of progress in power-sharing negotiations.

Mugabe opened Parliament in defiance of opposition objections. The MDC said Mugabe had no right to open the chamber and warned that the move would endanger the deadlocked negotiations. Having to raise his voice to be heard over the jeering in his 30-minute speech, Mugabe once again tried to recover his position by vilifying Britain and the US - accusing them of using food as a "weapon" through sanctions. International sanctions would not last a day longer, he said,"if we as Zimbabweans speak against them in deafening unison".

Because The Zimbabwean's website cannot support the photographs, I have reposted it here.

Snapshots of Harare: A City on Edge

By Matt Medved

On April 3^rd, 2008, the day that the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvanigrai declared victory in the Zimbabwean presidential elections, I was onboard a bus barreling through South Africa’s Limpopo province with Harare on the horizon.

The first Zimbabwean I encountered outside the Beit Bridge border station moved like a broken toy. He wore a red sweater, frayed and filthy, with rolled up khaki pants that drooped to the square of asphalt he squatted upon. He appeared to have some sort of nerve ailment, twitching his face and contracting his neck involuntarily while rolling a can of Coca-Cola repeatedly along the ground in jerky twiddling motions. He paused in this strange routine only to scratch at the lopsided tuft of hair on his scalp and scan the buses unloading their human cargo, as though waiting for someone, gesticulating to phantom listeners.

Harare was also on edge, yet the residents were still rooted in their daily routine. Those whose salaries could outweigh the exorbitant transport costs made their way to work. The children whose teachers were not on strike went to school. The daily churn of life went on, as deliberate and repetitive as the man’s nervous Coke can ritual. But Harare was also anticipating the arrival of something, though the residents seemed unsure of what form it would come in. A Morgan Tsvangirai victory and an end to the 28-year reign of President Robert Mugabe? Or another rigged election, the most blatant one yet by Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party? Harare, too, was scanning the crowds with an ear to the cold asphalt. Harare was waiting with bated breath.

* * * *

On the afternoon of April 4^th, I am met at the bus station on the corner of Robert Mugabe and 5th street by my friend David Matongo, a Harare resident who has offered to host and drive me around the city during my stay. It is a searing hot day in Harare’s bustling streets, which are still dotted with election posters five days after the vote. Currency dealers hawk huge wads of Zimbabwean currency, hoping for Euros and US dollars in exchange. There is also a heavy police presence, with large groups of officers in light blue uniforms and riot gear making their rounds. But news has just broken of a possible runoff vote that morning and Harare seemed abuzz with excitement.

“There should not be more than 21 days before the rerun,” says Matongo, as he kicks his truck into gear.

“Delays can only mean that he is rigging the election.”

We drive down a heavily guarded street in Borrowdale, Brook, past the looming white gates of Mugabe’s personal 30-bedroom mansion. Guards with submachine guns stand alongside signs stating that the street is closed from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am. Matongo tells me that whenever Mugabe drives anywhere, the security guards shut down traffic on the entire street until his convoy passes. By the same token, if Mugabe travels by air, via the national airline Air Zimbabwe, the route must shift to accommodate his stop before continuing to its previous destination.

Turning back towards the heart of downtown, we find ourselves caught in a traffic conundrum. The traffic light does not appear to be working, resulting in multiple cars crowding the intersections in a free for all.

“They ignore the laws because at times there is no power,” says Matongo.

“But you can see people are excited.”

We pass empty petrol filling stations where the advertised prices have been left blank because they change daily with the inflation and limited availability. Matongo says that government officials are given preferential deals on petrol, creating a shortage. He says he never lets his tank fall below a quarter full because he is not always sure where he will be able to fill it up next.

“You have to get things through connections. I must keep an ear on the ground and know what is happening here,” says Matongo.

“Some can afford petrol but for others the cost of transportation alone is higher than their salaries. You cannot tell people when you plan on meeting them anymore if you don’t have your own car.”

Passing an abandoned roadblock and a rock with “Vote MDC” scrawled in red paint, the next stop is a local Spar supermarket. The prices reflect the abject state of Zimbabwe’s economy. Z$75 million for toothpaste. Z$40 million for Zambezi, the local beer. Half the shelves are empty and the supermarket is sold out of meat products. Instead, Matongo says, people have taken to using dried soy and fish to replace beef in their diets.

As we leave the Spar, Matongo’s wife Laura is just entering.

“There are no vegetables, there is nothing,” she says to me, laughing.

“You have to eat grass here.”

* * * *

The house of Gibson Tandare is well guarded. It takes almost five minutes for him to unlock the doors, barbed and electric wire gate and hush his barking security guard before inviting us in.

Tandare, a friend of Matongo’s, is a schoolteacher who ran one of the urban polling stations in the past weekend’s elections. Although his modest home looks respectable, Matongo informs me that schoolteachers are now the lowest-paid civil servants in the country.

“After independence in 1980, schoolteachers could afford to buy houses here,” he says.

“Now they can’t even afford 10 litres of fuel on their salaries.”

Tandare describes the results at his polling station as “overwhelmingly” in favor of Tsvangirai. While he did not personally witness any irregularities at his own station, he says there have been multiple reports of voter intimidation over the weekend. Many civil servants voted for Mugabe out of fear of being removed from their posts or relocated to the rural areas.

“My brother-in-law is an educated man,” says Tandare.

“But when he came to vote, the policemen at the polls told him he was illiterate and so they would have to accompany him to vote. He told me he was scared so he had to vote for Mugabe. There is no arguing with them.”

* * * *

We stop at a one-room bar that looks like it may have once been used as a storage garage. The walls have been colorfully painted with advertisements for drinks, condoms and cigarettes. At least thirty-five men lounge in the torn up couches, passing around brown plastic jugs of a rice and corn beer called Chibuku and playing draughts, a game similar to checkers, with bottle caps on a scratched up board. A television hangs above the crowd enclosed in a barred metal cage, displaying the national channel ZTV, which cheerfully alternates between cartoons and a speech by Mugabe.

They are eager to discuss the unreleased election results. The general consensus seems to be a mixture of excitement and uncertainty about the future.

One of Matongo’s friends tells me that he believes it will be more difficult for Mugabe to rig this election because the votes are counted at the polling stations now, unlike in 2002 when army trucks would pick up the boxes and count them at an undisclosed location.

Another man says he thinks the delay in reporting the election results can only mean that Tsvangirai has won. He is adamant that Mugabe will not dare take part in a runoff vote.

“If he tries to run again, he will be humiliated,” he says, taking a gulp from his cup of Chibuku and passing it to me.

“He will lose and he will be embarrassed.”

Matongo agrees with him, on the condition that the runoff election is administered fairly.

“There are many people who did not vote in the elections because they did not think Tsvangirai had a chance, they thought Mugabe would just rig it again,” says Matongo.

“So these people will now turn out, and you must add in the people who voted for Simba Makoni. If he does not rig it, Mugabe cannot win.”

* * * *

The Matongos are fairly well off by Zimbabwean standards. Both he and his wife have decent jobs and although their family is large, they can afford food, a computer and DSTV, which allows them access to international media like BBC World.

But even their home does not have running water. Matongo shows me how they use the bathtub as a reservoir on the rare occasions that water does flow and how they store it in separate buckets for drinking and washing. The used bathwater is then conserved to flush the toilet with.

But they do have electricity, unlike some of the other Harare suburbs that have been without power for over three months. One of the men in the bar told me he had grown accustomed to using candles and had not even bothered to call about the service failures because he “knew nothing would get fixed.”

The Matongos have multiple children, including a young infant and Laura is very concerned about the quality of their education.

“The teachers are still on strike and the private schools are full,” she says.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do come the 29^th of April, when school is back in session.”

The Matongos have not always lived in this house. She tells me that they once had a farm of their own that was taken away from them after a government minister expressed interest in it.

“I used to keep 2,000 chickens there,” she says, wistfully.

“We were given one week’s warning. We had to leave everything behind.”

* * * *

“There is something I want to show you.”

Matongo parks next to the Chitungwiza General Hospital outside of Harare an hour or so after the sun has set. Each ward inside is divided into seven sections, each of which is cluttered with six or seven beds. The hospital is at full occupancy and the families of many of the patients are gathered at their bedsides, holding hands and sharing prayers in Shona and Ndebele. Cardboard signs reading “God Heals” and wilted flowers are the only personal touches added to the stark ward walls.

“It is usually even more crowded and people have to sleep on the floor,” says Matongo.

A frail yet surprisingly young looking woman huddles underneath a blanket and reads the Book of Matthew. She says she was picked up a week ago after she was found with open wounds on her legs, which flies were eating at. However, she says she has still not received treatment.

Another woman lies very still on an adjacent bed. Matongo speaks to her and punches a number into his cellular phone.

“I am calling one of her relatives for her,” he says, shaking his head.

“They told her that tomorrow, even in the condition she is in, they will take her bed and make her sleep on the floor if she does not leave.”

Suddenly, the power flashes out, leaving the ward in eerie pitch darkness. After a moment, the luminescent squares of peoples’ cell phones appear and the room is filled with hushed chatter. I follow Matongo to a nurse’s table, where he uses his cell phone to help illuminate the patient files she had been going through.

“She says they cannot afford candles,” he says, a look of disgust seizing his face.

“There is no secondary generator. This happens frequently.”

As I follow him down the shadowed hallway back to the exit, Matongo’s anger is palpable.

“They are saying to her ‘you must go home and die’ because they can’t treat her anymore,” he says. “You saw the state she was in.”

“What about the patients in surgery?” I ask. “Or childbirth?”

Matongo opens the exit door, revealing a brilliant star rich sky. The smoky tendrils of the Milky Way Galaxy are visible behind the clusters of bright pinpoints, a sky that should never be seen above a city, let alone a nation's capitol. Matongo sighs and shrugs, looking helpless in the moonlight.

“Tough luck.”

Note: All names have been either changed or omitted for the protection of the individuals involved.

All pictures by Matt Medved.

The recent death of Zambia’s President Levy Mwanawasa is a tragedy for not only Zambia but also for the entire African continent.

My understanding is that Zambia has prematurely lost a leader of exceptional calibre who was striving to make a genuine difference to the lives of Zambians, particularly in his determined fight against corruption.

Almost uniquely amongst world leaders, Mwanawasa publicly confronted and then prosecuted his predecessor Frederick Chiluba for corruption and fraud. Mwanawasa’s decision to do so cannot have been easy. Chiluba had, after all, been the one to groom and present Mwanawasa as his successor and there must have been some considerable pressure from within the ruling party not to rock the boat (thereby spilling the cash) and to spare Chiluba public humiliation – to say nothing of Chiluba’s underlings, hangers-on, presumed beneficiaries and possible co-conspirators.

Instead, Levy Mwanawasa chose to be a statesman, deciding – as far as possible in a political environment – to honour his promises to the electorate by adhering to the principles (oft-repeated but rarely practiced by the power hungry) of his country’s Constitution. In so doing he appears to have honoured himself and his country, as well as having set a worthy example to his constituency.

Although Spearpoint never had the opportunity to meet and know Levy Mwanawasa personally, the hope is that Zambia will allow Spearpoint to join (albeit remotely) in their mourning as a fellow African.

For the demise of Zambia’s Mwanawasa is a loss not only for Zambia but is also a loss for the whole of Africa – especially southern Africa.

As at home, Mwanawasa displayed the courage to stand up and be counted in the face of the prevailing antipathy in the southern African region towards corruption, fraud and dictatorship in the form of Robert Mugabe’s tyrannical and outright criminal regime in Zimbabwe.

With the tacit support of Ian Khama, the President of Botswana, Mwanawasa alone named and shamed Mugabe for what he is, what he represents and what he perpetrates against his own country and people.

In so doing Mwanawasa also implicitly named and shamed all those other African leaders who, despite mounting and convincing evidence, have given Mugabe political support and sustenance either directly and openly or through their failure to criticise and isolate Zimbabwe for its current policies and situation.

Principal amongst these has been South Africa’s Thabo Mbeki and his ANC government.

Appointed by SADC to mediate in the Zimbabwe crisis, Mbeki has epitomized the approach of many other African leaders: don’t rock the boat; don’t embarrass Mugabe; don’t expose Mugabe; don’t fracture the façade of imagined African so-called solidarity; don’t further reinforce the global perception of Africa’s inability to identify, address and remedy its own problems, including those of poverty, corruption, crime, ignorance and indolence.

Notwithstanding recent critical comments from Jacob Zuma (as President of the ANC) regarding Zimbabwe, the fact remains that South Africa continues to pussyfoot around the person of Mugabe and the crisis in Zimbabwe and refuses – publicly, at least - to acknowledge that a problem exists. In Mbeki’s own words on the subject, “There is no crisis”. Sentiments echoed by the Minister and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The ANC must be living in gaga land.

It’s obviously not a crisis when a neighbour of South Africa destroys its economy (inflation admitted by the Zimbabwean government just this month to be running at not less than eleven million percent – that’s eleven followed by six zeroes, folks), and driving no less than four million of its own citizens into South Africa – mostly illegally - to escape starvation and political persecution (and who knows how many into other neighbouring countries).

And how can it be a crisis when even the great ANC, champion of the art of rule by smoke and mirrors, has been appointed (in the person of Thabo Mbeki) by SADC to mediate between Mugabe and the Zimbabwean Opposition.

Yet the appointment of a mediator implies conflict, dispute and actual or potential crisis. That much SADC has got right; where it went wrong was appointing Mbeki and his team as mediators. Not only do the mediators deny the existence of a situation which they have consciously agreed to fix, but they are unsuited and unqualified to carry out such a role since they have consistently and laughably maintained for many years now that within their own borders there are no crises in law enforcement, the judicial system, education, HIV, AIDS, TB and other health matters, housing, and so on.

SADC erred in appointing the ANC and Mbeki. It is patently clear that these guys couldn’t organise an orgy in a brothel, given their record of domestic service delivery and good governance.

The mediation between the parties in Zimbabwe has stalled. Naught has been achieved. Mugabe continues to do as he pleases – even to the extent of re-convening Zimbabwe’s parliament (which, according to Zimbabwe’s Constitution, should have occurred months ago) before there is any clarity and agreement on how power division and sharing will prevail in the new government.

Now, doesn’t that just speak volumes on the dedication and abilities of the so-called mediators?

Excepting Zambia and Botswana, no-one in SADC has had the courage to slap Mugabe silly and to tell him to stop behaving like a spoiled brat and to stop embarrassing all of Africa with his puerile behaviour. Mugabe’s arrogance and assumed impunity – watch his disjointed marionette-like swagger in public – has never been challenged by South Africa and its continental cronies.

Indeed, South Africa has shown great concern over Mugabe’s dignity and has been keen to protect that dubious quality. But at what price? Where is the dignity of those Zimbabweans, forever on the cusp of eviction, arrest and starvation, free-falling into the black hole of faster-than-light inflation who have had to separate from their families and homes in order to cross the borders of neighbours looking for some means of sustenance and to live in the additional and constant fear of deportation as illegal immigrants? Where, in South Africa, is the dignity for those South Africans already suffering under the laissez-faire incompetencies of the ANC dictatorship who now have to make room in already overcrowded cities, townships and squatter camps for swarms of desperate immigrants who also want a share of what is clearly an inadequate, mismanaged and ill-divided political and economic cake?

Does the ANC have no shame? Is it not ashamed that it continues its rhetoric and spin doctoring even though it clearly cannot do its job – either at home or around the table in Harare? Just what are the criteria against which it measures itself and which, obviously, allow it in its collective politburo mind to continue its rule?

Of course, shame and admission of error are not matters for easy admission by any politician even in the normal course of events, much less at any other time. Such is the nature of the beast. (Also, incidentally, such is the nature of those that look for and permit the politicians to rule; populations and electorates tend to be lazy in thinking for themselves and constantly seek the comfort of having someone else do their thinking for them. A contradiction of the human condition is that, of all the creatures on the planet, humans have the greatest ability to deal with change, challenge and chance yet are the most persistent in their – often unconscious and unspoken – drive for certainty and comfort.)

Admission of error in Africa is very difficult. Culturally the strong man must be seen to be strong, even if – especially if – wrong. The advent of colonial rule, with all the embarrassments that that brought, together with the displays of power and material goods by the colonial powers, then provided the need to display to the world that Africa and Africans could achieve the same themselves without outside intervention.

The loss of face when African nations screw things up is immense – far more so than the purported Oriental perceptions of face. This is why, for example, racism and colonialism are frequently used as catchphrases to divert attention away from the true reasons for African failure.

Mugabe blames the racism and imperialism of Britain and America for his devastation of the Zimbabwean economy and social structure. Mbeki and many of his colleagues blame racism in South Africa for the failure of many of the ANC’s policies and programmes. It is far less embarrassing and far easier to fix the blame rather than the problem – particularly where personal political careers and ambitions might be at stake. It’s an African pastime; it didn’t rain enough; it rained too much; we don’t have enough money; foreigners are taking our women and jobs; the Whites don’t share; the British conspire against our sovereignty; the Chinese steal our resources; the Indians are lazy and greedy; the Zulus cannot be trusted and steal everything not nailed down; the World Food Programme gave our starving people the wrong food; it goes on and on.

Spearpoint is not suggesting that there are not grains of truth and reality in some or all of the above excuses. But that is what they are – excuses. Fourteen years after shouldering aside the burdens of apartheid the ANC and its stalwarts still glibly trot out racism, colonialism and imperialism as reasons behind its failures in almost every arena of life in South Africa. They fail to see that history is history; it is past and passé. History is a guide for and to the future, not a Balkan-type motivation for perpetuating old horrors as justification for interminable inefficiencies and inadequacies.

Unfortunately, it is in the past that the ANC finds itself mired. Starting its existence as a protest and liberation movement the ANC has been unable to shrug off that mindset. Fourteen years into government the ANC is trapped in a time-warp, still slavishly employing the same slogans, gestures and thought patterns of its Communist Party origins and history dating back to the October Revolution and the Long March when those who were not for the movement were targetted as enemies and to be treated accordingly. Defunct ideology and the mindless mouthing of Cold War rhetoric serve little useful purpose when the living are here and now in a world that has moved on from what may or may not have happened centuries ago.

The ANC has failed to heed its own ideological teachings and raison d’etre which were to grow, improve and develop. The ANC has fallen at the first hurdle of metamorphosing from a liberation movement into a credible political party and sustainable government. The eyes and thoughts of the ANC remain firmly fixed on the perceived glories of its past where, by virtue of the then prevailing circumstances, it was easy to exhibit and enjoy disciplined solidarity since the goals of the organisation were simple to define and explain and the enemy was easily identified. Now in government the aims and objectives are far fuzzier in the face of the need to be a responsible and credible representative of an entire and diverse population; the temptation for which the ANC has fallen has been that of remaining a lobby group for a narrow and specific segment of the populace. The ANC continues to view everything non-ANC as being ‘the enemy’ and has behaved and responded accordingly.

Thus, for example, ANC officials will blame ‘white mentality’ and resistant racism for poor results on the rugby pitch or athletics field where points are not awarded for ideological or racial purity but for excellence in performance. Excellence cannot be legislated or enforced. It must be scouted, nurtured and developed organically. A fat runner cannot be expected to be able to produce satisfactory results in the marathon, regardless of any racial or socio-economic origins from which the individual may have come; the athlete must be made fit and then trained in his discipline before adequate results can be reasonably expected. Likewise, a school leaver, unable to add, subtract and so on cannot become a computer technician or electrician until he has had the time and resources granted him to master sufficient of the basics to enable him to then progress on to more specialised (and better paid) areas of competence.

Similarly with the Zimbabwe situation. The ANC remains locked in its perennial ‘circle-the-wagons’ mentality of giving greater weight to old loyalties than to recognition of getting the job done and removing those who fail to produce results. The support given the ANC by Mugabe and Zimbabwe during the ANC’s years of opposition to the then South African regime are viewed by the ANC to be perpetual bonds of debt that far outweigh any consideration of the abilities and rationale of the creditor in that relationship. That Mugabe is an egomaniacal despot who has so alienated the people of both his own country and others around the world that the economic and political fabric of Zimbabwe now lies tattered and fallen appears to matter less to the ANC than the perceived debt owed to Mugabe by the ANC. Worse still, the negative impact upon South Africa and other SADC countries stemming from Mugabe’s depredations is clearly considered by the ANC to be of little import; it could be argued that what happens in Zimbabwe is their own affair and they should be allowed to get on with it, but the argument fails if the actions of Zimbabwe directly impact on South Africa. Would the ANC retain its present stance if the Zimbabwean army were to invade South Africa in order to seize assets no longer available in Zimbabwe? Or would the ANC turn a blind eye, again, and insist that no crisis existed?

As the governing party of South Africa the ANC’s prime responsibility is to the country and all the people of South Africa. The ANC’s responsibility to Zimbabwe (or any other country, for that matter) is secondary, at best. Get your own house in order. Only then - not before - and if there is something to spare, can you turn your charitable efforts elsewhere.

Hubris can be a terrible thing. It blinds one to failings and shortcomings which, if pride be briefly set aside, could be corrected with a minimum of fuss and damage. There is no shame or loss of self-esteem in saying “I don’t know” or “I don’t have the skills right now to correct this situation” and then turning to others who possess the requisite knowledge. Knowledge and skills know no skin colours – but where they are claimed when, in fact, they are absent then there is a real and severe humiliation when the deficit is finally revealed.

Levy Mwanawasa’s legacy – in part, at least – will be of declaring to the world that just because fellow black Africans now largely control their own destinies it is still not right or acceptable when laws and principles are broken and cast aside – just as it is unacceptable when ordinary people suffer because their leaders are too proud or ideologically blinkered to acknowledge that they are relatively new to the business of running their own affairs and to bring in the required expertise.

Spearpoint.

26^th August 2008

On the first night of her ‘Sticky & Sweet’ tour in Wales a video montage played behind her as she sung ‘Get Stupid’. Towards the end of the same song the video footage changed to feature images of fellow candidate, Democratic Barack Obama alongside such emotion-inducing figures as John Lennon and Al Gore.

McCain’s spokesperson Tucker Bounds was not too pleased with the associations, saying “The comparisons are outrageous, unacceptable and crudely divisive all at the same time. It clearly shows that when it comes to supporting Barack Obama, his fellow worldwide celebrities refuse to consider any smear or attack off limits.”

Now then, power plays in politics are not a new tactic in winning elections, but celebrity endorsements seem to be high on the current agenda of hopefuls.

They not only have their record contracts, perfume ranges, clothes lines, now they’re throwing their two-pennies worth into the political arena!

So music and politics once again entwine themselves around a media-hungry pop machine. Will Madonna ever tire of causing such controversy – her last tour included a performance on a giant crucifix!

Will the power of celebrity show any signs of waning any time soon? What’s next for the Queen of Pop?! And will such shows of support help or hinder Obama’s path to the White House?

Only time will tell . . .

(Photo: Cardy/Getty)

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is due to open parliament in which his Zanu-PF party will be in the minority in the lower house for the first time.

On Monday, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party saw its member, Lovemore Moyo, elected speaker. The MDC does not recognise Mr Mugabe as president and is considering a boycott of the opening session.

Zanu-PF's Edna Madzongwe on Monday won the presidency of the upper house, the Senate, where Mr Mugabe's party has a majority. Power-sharing talks between Mr Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai are currently deadlocked.

The MDC boycotted the second round of the presidential election earlier this year, claiming the first round was marred by violence and intimidation by Zanu-PF supporters.

Lauantain avauskeikan jälkeen englantilaisessa Guardian-lehdessä uskallettiin jopa kysyä, onko Madonnan 25-vuotta kestänyt vetovoima ohenemaan päin.

The Timesin kriitikon mukaan keikka oli "erittäin vaikuttava, teknisesti sujuva, musiikillisesti epätasainen ja hieman hengetön".

- Siitä jäi uupumaan lämpöä ja nokkeluutta, Timesin Stephen Dalton kirjoitti.

Surkeimmat arviot Madonna sai ruotsalaisilta. Sekä Aftonbladet että Expressen haukkuivat keikan.

- Se oli sekava ja käsittämätön fiasko, kirjoitti Aftonbladetin Markus Larsson.

Uudelta Hard Candy -levyltä kuultiin illan aikana kokonaiset yhdeksän kappaletta - eli melkein puolet koko setistä. Ne eivät uponneet kaikkiin.

Vanhat hitit sen sijaan purivat yleisöön ja nostattivat tunnelman kattoon, siitäkin huolimatta että Cardiffin Millenium Stadium oli The Sunday Times -lehden mukaan vain 75-prosenttisesti täynnä. Lippujakin myytiin ulkopuolella puoleen hintaan.

Keikkaan pettyneet kriitikot eivät kuitenkaan kiistä, etteikö Madonna ole ikäisekseen aivan loistavassa kunnossa.

- Hän näyttää 30-vuotiaalta, hämmästeli Lewis Aldous konsertin jälkeen BBC:lle.

Konserttiyleisö pääsi päivittelemään tähden uskomatonta kroppaa hartaudella, sillä totuttuun tapaan tämä oli pukeutunut uskaliaasti läpi kaksituntisen show'n.

Lavalla nähtiin myös tuttua Madonna-rekvisiittaa: vähäpukeisia tanssijoita, hurjia tanssikohtauksia ja näyttävää videotaidetta.

Madonna on myös suututtanut konsertillaan jo Yhdysvaltain republikaanien presidenttiehdokkaan John McCainin vertaamalla häntä Hitleriin. Madonnan lauantaisessa Walesin-konsertissa nähtiin videoesitys, jossa näytettiin kuvia mm. ilmastonmuutoksen aiheuttamista tuhoista. Samassa yhteydessä esitettiin myös Hitlerin, Zimbabwen Robert Mugaben sekä senaattori John McCainin kuvia.

Myöhemmin videotaululla näkyivät peräkkäin mm. John Lennonin, Mahatma Gandhin sekä McCainin kilpakumppanin Barack Obaman kuvat.

John McCainin edustajan mukaan Madonnan järkyttävä tempaus osoittaa, etteivät Obaman julkkiskannattajat tunne minkäänlaisia rajoja kampanjoinnissaan.

Ilta-Sanomat, Yle

The Cosmic Times - Always ahead with the news

1. Osama gets own reality show

It was due to happen. Almost everyone who is semi-well known has got one. Yes, the world renowned terrorist Osama bin Laden today announced that he is to get his own reality show. Osama, also known as Usāmah bin Muḥammad bin `Awaḍ bin Lādin or Usama bin Laden or Oussama Binladin or just Doos, will go under his stagename nickname alias the Stupid Idiot. Osama's spokesperson, Iya Kilya, said that "it gives him a certain edge and distance himself from the other guy called Obama. Although they might confuse him with the other white guy now. There is just too much confusion going around. We might just go with Murdering Bastard". Iya Kilya said that Osama, or OBL (Our Bigoted Liar) as he is known within "the cave", believes that it will give the world a chance to see the "real Osama". He quickly added by saying that "we think we might cut the daily whipping and beheading as it might hurt potential advertising revenue. No one really wants to buy a Big Mac right after a failed suicide bomber training. Or at least, no one from outside the cave." Names being thrown around for the show includes "My Motto In The Grotto", "From Riyadh to Jihad", "Cave Chat" and "A Maiden for Bin Laden". Hollywood insiders believe that the show won't find a core audience in America and will most likely bomb.

 2. China endorses McCain

China announced today that they are endorsing Senator McCain to become the next President of the USA. Spokesperson Zipp Pit from the Ministry of Ultimate Transparent Engagement (MUTE) said that "we believe in Senator McCain. We know he will continue the excellent economic policies of President Bush". Zipp Pit denied that it had anything to do with China overtaking America as the largest manufacturer in the world by 2009. He said, "we know that McCain's policy is a friend of China domestically". He said this in Chinese and some observers translated the statement into "we own McCain and his policies so friendly for Chinese dominance". Fox won the argument though when they threw their toys the hardest. Russia also announced their support for McCain when spokesperson Korup Shion from All The Truth As Communist Know (ATTACK) said "that McCain guy is really funny. Even us Russians got his joke when he said that nations don't invade nations in the 21st century. Very funny Mister McCain".

3. New sports announced for 2012 Olympics

London used the hype created by the Beijing Olympics to announce the new sports that will be introduced at the 2012 London Olympics. London Olympics for Special Entertainment and Recreation (LOSER) spokesperson, Sir Moannallot, said that "the new sports will show the world the true British contribution to sport and the world. We know that we are the world champions in these sports and we hope to build on our medal success at Beijing 2008". The new sports include long distance queueing; breakfast swimming in fat, oil and lard; wrestling with bad breath, beach volleyball without a ball but with long socks and a rolled-up newspaper; diving like the influence of a lost colonial power; canoeing the flooded streets in a bowler hat because it always rains; sprint for the dole; and the semi-modern pentathlon to include M25 gridlock dodging gymnastics, hunt the immigrant, and knife fencing with a yob. Some of the events will take place at the Superiority Complex. London did consider bringing cricket and rugby into the Olympics but Sir Moannallot said that "we just couldn't find any Englishmen who are good enough and we are really sick and tired of losing against the South Africans and Aussies". Sir Moannallot said that Great Britain is proud to bring their own "unique flavor to the Olympics. This will be as exciting as our cooking".

4. Police arrests Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwean police today arrested Zimbabwe on charges that it is undermining the President of Zimbabwe, Robert "Dick" Mugabe. Police spokesperson, Pa Pitt, said "It is much easier to just arrest the whole of Zimbabwe than continuing with our current practice of indiscriminate arrests. Our police farce, I mean force, is already stretched and we just can't arrest people fast enough." Pa Pitt said that the new Constitutional Rules and Accreditation for the Police (CRAP) law "will help cut down on bicycle use as we can't afford the tyres anymore". The new law was first mentioned in the Presidential memo known as My African Dictator (MAD). Chaos ensued right after the CRAP law came into force as the police kept on arresting themselves as part of the arrest of all Zimbabweans. President Mugabe introduced a new law to release the police through his ROBERT MUGABE law - Real Oppressive Bastard for Early Release Time: May U Get A Bloody Ending. It declared all military and police personal as non-Zimbabweans and above the law. Presidential spokesperson and brother of Pa, Stew Pitt, said "The puppets of the Big Dick is above the law. And that isn't too difficult with the law being trampled in the dust". Journalist were shocked that Stew Pitt actually made sense.

5. Painless circumcision

Scientists today found a new method to bring smiles to the faces of millions of young boys and tears to the eyes of grown men - painless circumcision. Russian researcher Ayi Kutof from the Observatory for Unilateral Circumcisional Health (OUCH) said that he believes that the old method "is just a rip-off". He said that he can't take all the credit and a special "thanks for the tip" to prof. Klippi on the new method. When asked to go into more detail on what the new method might be, Ayi Kutof said that they are still trying to "cut through the" red tape and "that's a sore point" but that the new procedure is "cutting edge".

See ya next week! Or sometime in the future.

Ohio Voting Machines Contained Programming Error That Dropped Votes - Good simple spin for good, but simple Americans. And they keep crying ineptness, that big collective mental block never ever even coming close to those two little words.

Texas truant students to be tracked by GPS anklets - Another horror story from Texas, aka psyop hotbed #1.

Haunted by Spirits - A bit on Cindy McCain's dad and uncle. Apple sure didn't fall far from the tree with "her".

How Puzzling Stars Formed near Galactic Black Hole - Scientists investigating this phenomenon came up with a pretty ludicrous explanation on how these stars formed here. I say ludicrous because although they put out an explanation on how they formed, they seem to be silent on why, if the forces of gravity exerted by black holes are so strong, as we are told, these stars are able to be even tangible or coherent. This would suggest that either there are some atomic configurations that can resist black holes, some sort of selective destructive mechanism that black holes apply, or that they may have come out of the black hole itself, which leads back to my possible explanation about a selective destructive mechanism. Also, a man who claims to be in contact with a blue skinned race of ETs called the Andromedans says that under every galaxy is a giant black hole and that these are portals to other universes from which all matter in a particular galaxy originated. You can download and read his compendium of talks here. True or not, it is a fascinating read all the same, and he does have good perspectives on self-responsibility and self determination.

Students trained to be mock North American Parliament members in Canada

Winter weather? Almanac says 'Numb's the word! - Faced with the undeniable experiential evidence that global warming is real, we should start to see a propaganda switch to global freezing/cooling. Already ScienceMag has on its cover a proposal of just that.

High gas prices draw Texans to low speed electric cars

What Obama's convention stage at the DNC looks like - Bigger pic here. Looks like they are going for the young vote. Looks so ugly and plastic. I guess they're going for that MTV-ite crowd then.

Man creates fake restaurant website complete with wine list & wins award from wine magazine - In Western society, where people look at a person's shoes before their eyes, this mindset is one of the principal mindsets fueling all the manipulation, or rather the allowance of it every day of our lives.

Arsenic widely present in supermarket chicken - Wait'll you read what the National Chicken Council has to say about arsenic. Laugh or rage, it's still ridiculous!

Neighbor says they ignored dying woman's screams - But I bet if a truck rolled over with hundreds worth of coins in it people would rush right toward that sound, wouldn't they? Wouldn't you? Yeah.....thats another thing that has to change.

FBI saw threat of mortgage crisis in its infancy

Russian parliament votes to recognize Abkhazia & Georgia, & urge Medvedev to do the same

US, Iraq agree to agree on US exit at 2011

Russia not honouring ceasefire: US - Still stirring the pot for WW3.

Swiss government at US behest, destroyed evidence that would have exposed CIA spies associated with Abdul Kadeer Khan

Zimbabwe opposition leader wins Speaker of the House position - The very fact that Mugabe, who has done so much to hurt Zimbabwe, is only being forced not into jail, but only to share power with this Tsvangirai guy by the major world powers and press is proof positive that there is a hidden power struggle behind the scenes over Zimbabwe. A month ago this was headline news. Now it's at the bottom. If it's not happening in Asia, Europe or North America, it isnt happening at all.

It's no secret that the Hollywood Elite (if you make $30 million to play pretend, you're a member of the elite) has had it in for the Republican party for the past eight to ten years now. When you look at the past eight years, maybe they were justified. However, this kind of shit is why most Americans dispise Liberal America.

Wannabe Brit and former relevant musical artist Madonna has caused a hell of a stir with a video montage that made its debut over the weekend. During the performance of her song "Get Stupid", Madonna aired a video montage that was nothing short of being a cheap shot at John McCain.

The video, according to Entertainment Tonight (...I just died inside...) featured images of "global warming, destruction, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, Adolf Hitler -- and McCain". Sure, fine, whatever. I've heard the "Republicans are Nazis" argument so much that I've used my superhuman-like Jedi powers to shut them out entirely. Here's where it gets to be just a little too much:

Later, she "balances" the video with images of John Lennon, Mahatma Gandhi, Al Gore and Barack Obama.

...what the... so you're going to try and tell me that John McCain is Hitler, and Obama is fuckin' Ghandi? What the hell are you smoking?

More importantly, may I have some?

Of course, McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds took the opportunity to turn this around on Obama in the typically hypocritical fashion that has become a staple of both campaigns, saying in part that the video "shows that when it comes to supporting Barack Obama, his fellow worldwide celebrities refuse to consider any smear or attack off limits."

Denver, CO, August, 25th, 2008, (Reuters).- John McCain's campaign hit back at Madonna on Sunday after the pop diva kicked off her world tour with a concert that bracketed the US presidential candidate with Adolf Hitler and Robert Mugabe.

It all started when pop queen and diva kicked off her "Crunchy and Munchy" world tour in the Decadium Stadium, in Cardiff, UK,  showing a video that showed McCain along with pictures of dictators Robert Mugabe and Adolf Hitler, as well as videos of war destruction and global warming. The song played during the video was originally going to be "Material girl", but it was later changed to "Get Stoopid" to avoid controversy.

McCain, who supports the Iraq war surge, the bomb, bomb, bomb-ing of Iran and the drilling of Alaska and opposes the increase in automobile fuel economy and new taxes on oil companies, said the comparison was completely irrelevant.

"The comparisons are outrageous, unacceptable and crudely divisive all at the same time, it makes us want to bomb, bomb, bomb Cardiff, " McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bombs said in a statement reported by Fox News.

"It clearly shows that when it comes to supporting Barack Obama, his fellow worldwide celebrities refuse to consider any smear or attack off limits, including using videos and commercials that compare his rival with people that have nothing to do with US politics."

The Worldwide Celebrities Union, which is headed by sexy Angelina Jolie, Michael Phelps and Tom Cruise didn't answer any calls for comments, as they were too busy watching NBC's delayed transmission of the Beijing closing ceremony.

Zimbabwe's main opposition party won the vote for parliament speaker on Monday, dealing a blow to President Robert Mugabe in a post-election power struggle Lovemore Moyo of the Movement for Democratic Change got 110 votes in the 210 member assembly, giving the opposition one of the most powerful positions in Zimbabwean politics for the first time since independence in 1980.

Moyo comfortably beat a candidate put up by a breakaway opposition faction and backed by Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, a sign the veteran leader might be unable to use parliament to force his way in deadlocked power-sharing talks.Opposition MPs broke into song after the result, mocking Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party as a dying party.

Negotiations between ZANU-PF and Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC have stalled over what the opposition says is Mugabe's refusal to give up executive power after 28 years in office.The deadlock, in spite of strong regional and international pressure for a deal, has dampened hopes of an agreement that could end the political crisis and revive the broken economy.

In Zimbabwe's hung parliament, the speaker will be able to take charge of controversial debates if there is no power-sharing deal. The speaker can also act as president in the absence of the vice president or Senate president.Analysts said the opposition's victory in the secret vote meant that either some members of ZANU-PF or parliamentarians from Arthur Mutambara's breakaway opposition faction were ready to support Tsvangirai

The title of the book, refers to Holland's first fateful meeting with Mugabe in 1975 in Salisbury, where she worked as magazine editor. She arranged for a lawyer friend to meet Mugabe secretly at her suburban home. Over dinner Mugabe said little, but impressed Holland nonetheless: driving Mugabe to the train station after the meeting (his ride had failed to materialize), Holland left her small son asleep alone in the house. The next day, Mugabe called to check that the child was OK.

Since then, Holland (who had moved to South Africa) watched as Mugabe went from liberation hero to tyrant. The book ends with Holland interviewing Mugabe again at his presidential office in 2007. Quite a coup given that Mugabe rarely grants interviews to foreign (especially white) journalists.  Holland's interview, despite the hype, however, does not offer us much new information or analysis.

Nevertheless, Holland covers a lot of ground in the book. Mugabe's roots, his rise to power, violence as political culture in Zimbabwe and, crucially, why so few in the West said or did anything when Zimbabwean government forces murdered 20,000 Ndebeles in what amounted to an ethnic purge between 1982 and 1987.

Here's my take on Holland's discussion of this particular legacy:

One of the legacies of that time – and a testament of the power of the nationalist narrative that African independence leaders embodied – is that few if any of Mugabe’s present Western critics publicly denounced these murders. Instead he received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in 1994 and honorary degrees from American universities. The economy was growing steadily even in the hostile shadow of Apartheid South Africa and access to education and health services markedly improved. As Lord Corrington, the British foreign secretary during independence negotiations, tells Holland: “But other than the killing of the Ndebele, it went tolerably well under Mugabe at first, didn’t it? He wasn’t running a fascist state. He didn’t appear to be a bad dictator.”

The full review here

The Juice:

Two Zimbabwe opposition politicians were arrested Monday as they entered parliament to be sworn in, their party said.

The arrests and a government announcement Monday that President Robert Mugabe had appointed loyalists to several posts were likely to fuel opposition accusations Mugabe is undermining stalled power-sharing negotiations. -full article- (free registration required)

In case you didn't know, this is why America's founders insisted on the Second Amendment.

Two Zimbabwean MPs have been arrested, as they were due to be sworn in five months after disputed elections, an opposition spokesman says.

He said the police wanted to arrest 15 MPs, to ensure the ruling party wins the vote for the speaker of parliament. Zanu-PF lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since independence in the the March polls. Power-sharing talks are currently deadlocked.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has warned that the opening of parliament could jeopardise the talks. The balance of power in the new parliament is held by a breakaway faction from Mr Tsvangirai's MDC.

The election of a speaker is expected to be a close vote. In the House of Assembly, Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has one seat more than Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF, while a smaller MDC faction has 10 seats.

The MDC had warned that 15 of its MPs would not attend the swearing-in ceremony, as they were in hiding following a state-sponsored campaign of violence.

But a party spokesman said they would turn up.

Two MPs from Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) have been arrested as parliament prepared to meet for the first time since controversial parliamentary elections in March.

Al Jazeera English - Africa - Zimbabwe opposition MPs arrested.

Who's going to stop Robert Mugabe. All that arrogance and the country is going drastically down every minute in front of the eyes of the whole world.

But again who cares. With no national wealth and no geo-political power, no body has the interest in Zimbabwe.

At least Somalia has got the attention of the world with it's pirates.