By RT Rybak
Mayor the City of Minneapolis

Small businesses are — when you add them all together — Minneapolis’ largest employer. They’re not only generating more jobs than other parts of the economy, they’re also building wealth and long-term prosperity for families and communities in our city, especially along our vibrant commercial corridors. Last week, I was excited to help highlight some of what we’re doing in Minneapolis to support homegrown small business. 

By Seyoum Tesfaye

On August 5, 2009 the astute OP-ED writer Nicholas D. Kristof published an opinion under the title of “Rethinking North Korea, with sticks”. He went on to quote Mr. Mitchell B. Reiss and introduces the world to the concept of “hard containment”.  As usual Mr. Kristof’s opinion was well written and provocative enough to enhance my curiosity to know more about the “hard containment” concept. I made an effort to get full access to the entire article written by Mr. Reiss. It was nowhere to be found.  

More than fifty years ago, most African countries attained their independence. That period was filled with celebrations and Africans around the world had big dreams. Senegal was one of those newly independent countries. Looking back, a lot has gone by as Africans struggled during those fifty years to ground their feet on the solid grounds of political reality. Unfortunately, it had not been as rosy as we thought at the time of decolonization. Some African countries went through the agony of military coup detats and the violence and blood-letting that marked this period. Nigeria, 

Diplomatic and military sources say Niger President Mamadou Tandja has been seized by mutinous soldiers during a coup attempt in Niger's capital.

Media reports quoting senior officials say armed troops stormed the presidential palace Thursday afternoon as a meeting of government ministers was taking place.  Ministers in Mr. Tandja's government also appear to be held captive. 

A U.S. State Department spokesman said it appears there was an assassination attempt on Mr. Tandja but details are still unclear. 

A U.S. appeals court is hearing arguments from a group of multinational corporations seeking to block a lawsuit brought by South African victims of apartheid.
The suit seeks up to $400 billion in compensation for the Black victims.
The corporations are accused of complicity in human-rights abuses during the years they did business in apartheid South Africa.
 After years of legal delays, a US court last year gave the green light for the companies to be sued on US soil under the Alien Tort Claims Act.

Lynx Sign Mali International and Eight-Year WNBA Veteran Hamchétou Maïga-Ba, Six-foot-two forward averaged 8.9 points per game with Sacramento in 2009
 
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL – The Minnesota Lynx today announced the team has signed unrestricted free agent Hamchétou Maïga-Ba (Hahm-Sha-To My-Ga Ba). Maïga-Ba, a Mali international, signs with the Lynx after spending parts of the last eight seasons with the Sacramento Monarchs and Houston Comets. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
 

 With the expansion of staff assigned to work on the 2010 Census project, the Mayor’s Census Task Force is poised to successfully continue its mission as directed by the Mayor and the City Council. The Census team at the City now includes Leila Paye, Brian Joyce, Angela Burkhalter, Lucie Passus, and two interns. 

Fall 2009 was a time full of activity for the Census team. It distributed over 30,000 Census calendars to various locations in Saint Paul, including libraries, food shelves, government buildings, parks and recreation centers, fire stations, charter schools, homeless shelters, women’s battered shelters, and non-profit organizations, such as Catholic Charities, Goodwill/Easter Seals, and the Salvation Army. 

Liberian born Tanaegh Haddad exhibits an art show which is currently going on at the Minnesota Center for Books. The exhibit entitled My Brother’s Keeper.

In an interview with the African News Journal, Tanaegh said that her art describes an incident that happened to her brother, a young medical doctor, on June 13th 2008 in Boca Raton, Florida.  He was driving when he had a seizure which resulted in an accident. 

Money Sent Home by Migrant Workers Helps American Economy Too
 
Washington D.C. - Today, the Immigration Policy Center (IPC) released a report, Many Happy Returns: Remittances and Their Impact by Kristin Johnson, Ph.D. which analyzes remittances and their effect on the economies of both the U.S. and receiving countries. Remittances - the transfer of money by workers back to home countries - can constitute one of the top financial inflows to many developing countries, in some cases exceeding international aid.  Mexico and the Philippines are the top receiving countries from the U.S. and are also large consumers of U.S. goods.

A new book says Mia Farrow, George Clooney and other Hollywood celebrities may have done more to prolong the suffering of Darfur than resolve the crisis in Sudan's war-torn region.
 
The problem is not the publicity they bring, but their agenda, says Rob Crilly, author of Saving Darfur, Everyone's Favourite African War.
 
"My concern is when they get too involved in proposing solutions and they become too wedded to one way of doing things,” said Crilly, now on a book tour.
 

By Nneka Onyilofor

What does it mean to be an African…an African in America…an American Afrikan? The first solo album by multidisciplinary artist e.g. bailey sheds light on these questions and offers a personal look at a journey that began 400 years ago.

A native of Liberia who has made a life in America, reminds us in his new album titled, “American Afrikan,” that the double consciousness that W. E. B. Du bois discussed many years prior, continues to live on in all of us with hybrid identities. Those from the motherland of Africa who live in America know this challenge all too well. 

Khumalo Chats with Basha Said of African News Journal While Jeremy Iggers of TC Daily Planet Checks the Schedule

ANJ News – African Publishers Anton van Zyl and Zaidi Khumalo came to Minnesota to know more about the local media & share thier experiences with them.  During their stay, they traveled to different parts of the State, met some publishers and spoke to a group of students in a Journalism class at U of M Duluth.

DE KLERK LAUDED FOR FREEING MANDELA 20 YEARS AGO
 
(GIN) – Twenty years ago today, former president FW de Klerk called an end to the racist system of apartheid. Not long after, he ordered the release from prison of anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela.
 
De Klerk was “one of the braver apartheid rulers,” observed former ANC secretary general Cyril Ramaphosa in an interview with SABC radio.
 
“Of all the apartheid rulers he was the braver one, who took the steps," Ramaphosa said, but added, “He had to do it….His hand had been forced by pressure inside and outside the country for reforms.”

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia  - The African Union today unveiled its new flag at its 14th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government taking place in Addis Ababa. To tunes of the AU anthem, the new flag was hoisted by the outgoing Chairperson of the African Union, Brother Leader Muammar El Gaddafi, leader of the Libyan Revolution, Great Socialist People’s Libyan Jamahiriya.
 

African immigrants begin census training

By Steven Renderos

The federal government tells us that everyone counts, but when it comes to the national Census too few actually do—and that fact robs Minneapolis neighborhoods of millions of dollars.