Kenya's disputed election broke down between somewhere between the ballot box and the Electoral Commission which produced counts at a wide variance from those tallied at local polling stations, said New York University Prof. Tavia Nyong'o, speaking at the recent Africa Roundtable on Kenya's Election Crisis.

The wait's over, Diversophile has launched today the most comprehensive diversity portal for persons of color in Minnesota. Visit www.diversophile.com . This website you can blog, chat, write/view articles, post events and connect with people and organizations of interest to persons of color - The site is all user generated so feel free to post any information you think would be of interest to other visitors/members - we're always looking for interesting and new content.

Effective this February, Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights will change its name to The Advocates for Human Rights. Although the organization’s name is changing, its mission to promote and protect human rights locally, nationally, and internationally will remain the same.

The Advocates for Human Rights (The Advocates) maintains a strong commitment to all aspects of its work, including connecting important local human rights issues to the global human rights movement.

Minnesota poet and co-founder of The Loft Literary Center, Phebe Hanson, will be honored on Saturday, March 8, International Women's Day and her 80th birthday, at a free program at 1 p.m. at the Brookdale Library, 6125 Shingle Creek Parkway, Brooklyn Center.

Hanson will read her poetry in celebration of the day.  Other Minnesota writers also will pay tribute to Hanson by reading her poetry or odes written to her.  In addition, a short film about Hanson produced by Nora Shapiro for the "Greatest Generation" series at the Minnesota Historical Society will be shown.

Hanson has served on The Loft's board of directors several times and has taught writing classes in its education program.  She has taught for 40 years -- high school English in the Minneapolis Public Schools, then at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, retiring as Associate Professor Emeritus in 1993, and at workshops and classes locally and nationally.

Minneapolis, MN - Vacant properties can pose safety challenges for everyone from neighbors, to property owners, to police officers and firefighters. The City of Minneapolis says is taking comprehensive measures to make all our neighborhoods safer, including those affected by foreclosed or vacant properties. And there are lots of things that everyone can do to make neighborhoods with vacant properties the safest they can be.  City leaders are encouraging neighbors and block clubs to work together by “adopting” a vacant property on the block. It’s important for neighbors to report any suspicious or illegal activity by calling 911.

African immigrants, who, in June 2007, completed two years training through the Leadership and Advocacy Institute to Advance Minnesota's Parity for Priority Populations (LAAMPP Institute for tobacco prevention and awareness), have formed a Coalition to help mobilize their communities. MAITFCO is intended to reach over 15 pro-active and passive African immigrant organizations and communities for a positive engagement for tobacco control.

(GIN) – Unsettled fraud charges continue to divide Kenya, creating the prospect of dangerous political upheaval.
 
Defeated opposition leader Raila Odinga has turned down an offer to meet with President Mwai Kibaki to end the violence that has taken some 500 lives across the east African state.
 
But he has welcomed intervention by African leaders, including Ghana's president, John Kufuor, chairman of the African Union, who are hoping to bring the two feuding leaders together.

"We want to engage in the negotiations under Mr Kufuor with utmost seriousness to make sure no stone remains unturned in the search for electoral justice."
 

President Bush is in Ghana on the fourth stop of a five-nation tour of Africa. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports from the capital, Accra.

President Bush is greeted by Ghana's President John Kufuor upon the president's arrival in Accra, Ghana, 19 Feb 2008
The president and Mrs. Bush begin their day Wednesday at Ghana's seat of government, Osu Castle, which was first constructed by the Danes in the 1600s.

President Bush meets with Ghanaian President John Kufour for talks that are expected to focus on anti-malarial efforts and conflict resolution in Africa as the Ghanaian leader is the outgoing chairman of the African Union.

By Abdullahi Sheikh

S-T-I-G-M-A is a six-letter word with an evil taste. Its use defies the sanity of the sober, torment souls and dwarfs intellects. It sometime leaves pockmarks of hurt on individuals forever yet its footprints are traceable in all societies, come Caucasians or Cameroonians.
 It thrives in the heartless minds of ignorant, arrogant and the intolerants. World religion scriptures; Islam, Christians and Orthodox, Judaism and Buddhism all preach compassion and kindness to the sick, and lonely lepers yet stigma props its persistent ugly face everywhere. 

Writing about it and reeling my memory to beast side of man and its menu mix of indignation and abominable, reminds me of Ababa, which means, a beautiful flower and an Ethiopian lady with AIDS in Addis.

National health care journal reports that care coordination model, used by AXIS Healthcare in UCare Complete, improves key life measures for people with physical disabilities

AXIS Healthcare’s unique disability care coordination model, available to members of UCare’s UCare Complete product, is improving key health care aspects of life for members according to a report published in the November 2007 edition of the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved (JHCPU) (18 [2007] pp. 887-901).

By Helen Kinuthia , TC Daily Planet

According to his family hierarchy in Guinea, IBé should not be performing spoken word poetry. Poems in Guinea are usually recited to uplift the spirit of others. There are people in the community who are meant to be poets—but for IBé, his surname Kaba puts him in a somewhat higher class. By Guinean tradition, he ought to be listening to the poetry rather than being the poet, but his passion for the art drives him to perform time and time again.

The University of Minnesota Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) announced the addition of two new equal opportunity consultants, Lawrencina Oramalu and Cyrenthia Jordan.

Prior to joining the EOAA, Oramalu was the associate director of the Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice at the Humphrey Institute from 2005-2007 and a program administrator in the Race, Gender and Public Policy Post-Doctorate Initiate, also at the Humphrey Institute from 2006-2007.

By Janette D. Sherman, M.D.

How do you work to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria without power? "With great difficulty," answers Dr. Kobina Atobrah, who is working with colleagues to provide dependable and reliable power to run clinics in remote areas.

Originally from Ghana, Dr. Atobrah holds degrees from Princeton University and is a systems engineer and chairman of Geomatric Technology Corp. in Asburn, Va.

President Bush says his administration is actively engaged in resolving conflicts in Africa, but he says the United States is also involved in many of the continent's successes.

Mr. Bush, who is on a five-nation African tour, told reporters in Cotonou, Benin Saturday that highlighting success stories will help other nations understand what is possible.  But he said his trip also is aimed at finding ways forward in trouble spots on the continent.

ENERGY CRISIS PROMPTS CALL FOR MBEKI TO RESIGN

(GIN) – Rolling blackouts and a critical electricity shortage in the country may take months to resolve, South African Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin has acknowledged. A “tight” supply situation may persist for another four years, he added, until new generation capacity is installed.
 
The crisis has prompted at least one political leader to demand that President Thabo Mbeki and his entire cabinet resign.