Oportunity for the Youth

China’s Love Of Africa

2011-10-05T10:51:00.004+03:00

THE $200 million new headquarters of the African Union – a gift from China – is another confirmation of the continent’s inability to get things done by itself. Almost 50 years after the formation of the Organisation of African Unity, OAU, the AU’s forebear, the continent could not afford the AU’s new edifice that has cast a permanent role for China in Africa.
Disgraced Libyan despot Moammar Gadhafi could be largely thanked for the new building. As AU Chairman in 2009, he was planning to move the AU’s headquarters from Addis Ababa to his native Sirte. The Ethiopians, who have been close to China, secured the AU headquarters with the offer from China, which built and furnished it.

The new African Union headquarters built and fully funded by the Chinese government at a cost of $200 million. The building hosted this year’s AU Summit in the Ethiopian capital. The towering building – Addis Ababa’s tallest – symbolizes China’s strengthening ties with Africa, a major source of foreign investment from China. AFP

Addis Ababa has been Africa’s diplomatic capital since the formation of the OAU in 1963. The choice of Addis Ababa was mostly because of the influence of the late Emperor Haile Selassie, one of the driving forces behind creation of the OAU.
The 2,550-seat big conference hall, a 650-seat medium conference hall, five press conference rooms, two VIP rooms, and other facilities will ensure African leaders meet in more comfort. Previous summits have held in the United Nations conference centre, as the AU headquarters building was too small.
Critics of the project, mostly from the West, warn Africa of the consequences of permitting so much Chinese influence in the continent, but they could be jealous of losing their rights to exploit Africa, the same accusation they make against China.
None of those critics could build that structure without killing conditions attached to it. Nor could AU members have raised $200 million for its headquarters at a time their economies are in tatters.
“People in Ethiopia used to call that infamous prison Alem Bekagn. Loosely translated it means, ‘I have given up on this life.’ This building, which will now house the headquarters of our continental organisation, is built on the ruins of a prison that represented desperation and hopelessness,” said Meles Zenawi, Ethiopian Prime Minister who was proud of his role in executing the project on the site of a notorious prison, where government tortured opposition leaders.
Africans want to see desperation and hopelessness replaced in their lives with projects that impact their lives more than shiny edifices like the new AU headquarters. The ideological baggage that achieves this objective is unimportant contrary to propaganda that makes a gift from China seem worse than one from the West.
Africa can benefit from relations with China in more areas. The most critical will be projects to improve lives of Africa’s more than one billion people, majority of who dwell in rural areas and in griping battles with abject poverty.

Windows Technological Advancement

2011-09-26T12:29:00.002+03:00

Windows 8 and the up and coming Hardware Revolution

Posted by Keith Elder | Posted in Computer Hardware, Windows | Posted on 19-09-2011

This past week I was at the BuildWindows conference where the wrapper was finally taken off of Windows 8. We’ve known for some time that Windows 8 was coming but we only had a few glimpses of the real story behind Windows 8. Tuesday we finally got to see the full details about Windows 8 and how big of a release this really is (bigger than Windows 95!).
The biggest news around Windows 8 was the announcement about the new touch first Metro desktop. This means Windows 8 will have count them *two* desktop modes. At first, like many, I had my concerns about it but it wasn’t until I played with both the Samsung tablet given away at Build and playing with it at home on the metal of a notebook I have that I can put into a docking station allowing me to use it with dual screens that I started to get excited. I’ll try to explain so bear with me, this is going to be a long post.
If you haven’t seen the new desktop and how it works I invite you to watch this presentation by Jensen Harris that was given at Build entitled: 8 traits of great Metro style apps.

The PC Isn’t Dead

There have been many articles about how the PC is dead in the news lately. These articles in my opinion are just bogus crap articles spurred on by the press to have something to write about. When the press has lulls in news they have to sit around and speculate what’s happening and thus we get articles about how the PC is dead and how we are all going to be walking around in a world with these consumption devices (tablets and phones). What they fail to think about is that *someone* (you and me) at some point has to produce information for these devices to consume.

FACT: It takes longer to produce information than consume it.

Thus given the old saying of “use the right tool for the right job” why would anyone think the greatest device known to man at producing, consuming and creating information, the PC, is dead? Simple, it is called money. That’s because they get paid to write these articles and speculate.
So, the PC isn’t dead. This is a fact. Don’t argue against me, you’ll lose. It is going to be around for a long time. Here’s the kicker though… it is going to just look different thanks to Windows 8.

Consuming and Producing Information With One OS

As I see it, there are mainly two different modes we use information. We are either consuming information or we are producing information. It turns out the absolute best device for doing both of these is still the PC (you know that thing that isn’t dead?). If anything, the PC it is about to undergo a major revolution. And by revolution I mean the hardware is going to change as we know it today. Me personally I fully welcome this change and here’s why.
The past week at the Build conference I spent the majority of my time consuming information. I did so on two devices: iPad and phone. The times I had to produce small amounts of information via tweets, text messages or quick responses to email these devices worked. Notice I used the phrase “small amount of information”. This is key because once we move past producing a small amount of information these devices fail.
Have you ever received an email on either your phone or tablet where you told yourself, “I’ll answer that later”? I bet everyone has. Why? Because these devices are information consumption devices. Let’s face it, when we have to do real work these devices fail. I don’t know how fast you can type but I can pump out upwards of 140 words a minute. Now why in the world would I want to use touch type to type say 25 words a minute? My time is valuable and thus when I have to produce more information (like a blog post) that requires more typing I’m not going to do it on a consumption device (tablet, iPad, etc).
The reason Windows 8 is such a game changer is it is going to allow all of us to consume information and produce information on the same device.

Windows 8 is like a Transformer. It can transform to consuming information to also producing information.

Windows 8 The Transformer

What does Windows 8 have that changes this? For starters it has a touch first interface. This new interface (pictured to the left) is really the the consumption interface. Microsoft calls it the Metro interface. But the standard desktop interface is there as well, what myself and others have coined as the Retro interface. Or as I like to call it, the desktop where information is produced or created.
The Metro interface is immersive, full screen apps, full touch enabled, and as Microsoft calls it *fluid*. For tablet and slates this new interface is going to serve us all very well once developers start filling up the store with awesome applications.
The Retro interface is what we are accustomed to in Windows 7 today. Nothing has changed there except we’ve gotten a lot of new enhancements. Windows 8 builds on top of Windows 7 and just makes things better with new features like:

New ribbon added to Windows Explorer
Ability to mount ISO files natively (yeah for developers)
Hyper V
New taskbar features (unique taskbars per screen)
and many more

Being able to switch between these different modes is powerful. Switching between the two is easy and very smooth just by pressing the “Windows” key on the keyboard. Or the “Windows” button if you have a tablet.
By having both a touch first user experience and the full desktop this allows the user to transform the operating system to meet the various requirements how the user wants to interact with information.
Apple for example has a desktop OS and they have an OS that runs their iPad/iPhone. When you’ve hit the point to where you need to produce information instead of consume it one has to set their iPad down and reach for their notebook or PC. This is something I think Microsoft has gotten right by simply just using Windows 8 to do it all. Think about it for a minute. Think about how the Enterprise today provisions and manages iPads or Android tablets? They sort of don’t. By leveraging Windows, Microsoft has just put tablets and slates into the Enterprise so all of the tools of deployment, management, etc can be leveraged (bitlocker, roaming, active directory credentials, etc). Remember your tablet is just Windows! Brilliant! Folks this is a game changer, make no mistake about it.
With Windows 8 the hardware revolution that is coming is going to change things as we know it today. I see a day when we won’t have a desktop at home to get multiple screens, and a notebook to carry with us, and a tablet to carry with us. I see all of these devices converging into one simple and easy to use PC, I mean tablet, I mean slate, I mean notebook. Someone will create a new name for it. Something like… SlateBook (remember you read that here first! ).
We already sort of got a hint of this from Samsung with the tablet they gave attendees at Build. It came with a docking station and a keyboard. This allows everyone to interact with the machine normally on the retro desktop. But it also is a tablet that can be removed from the docking station and used as more of an information consumption device leveraging touch.
The PC isn’t dead, the devices will just transform for the user as they need it to. And Windows 8 is the OS that is going to make that possible.

My Perfect Windows 8 Computer

I’ve thought about this a lot over the past week and I’ve researched a lot of devices as of the past week trying to find something I could maybe even potentially purchase to run Windows 8 that would transform if you will. I’m saddened to say that I haven’t found anything *yet*.
My perfect Windows 8 computer is going to have the following characteristics:

Be easily dockable so it can be used at home where all of my peripherals will plug into it (multiple monitors, speakers, keyboard, mouse, etc)
Be powerful enough to run as a desktop but also not consume a lot of battery life
Be thin enough that I can remove it from the docking station and carry it with me
Easily transform into an information consumption device
Easily transform into an information producing device

Yes I want my cake and eat it too but I am tired of having three devices to do three different things. As I see it, Windows 8 will allow us to embrace a new hardware revolution where these devices converge into a single power device. It will in fact be a PC (personal computer) but it will be also a tablet for consumption and support full keyboard and mouse to switch between consumption to information producing.
Right now my perfect device would be an ultra thin notebook like the Asus UX21 that would also have a touch screen that can be transformed into a slate / tablet.
Now I’m not saying that there will not be a lot of just tablets created and sold. I am sure there will be. But from where I’m sitting I’m honestly tired of tablets, and notebooks, and really not having my full computing experience with me wherever I go. Yes I want my cake and want to eat it too.
If the OEMs can get the hardware right Windows 8 I predict is going to start a new hardware revolution whereby consumers can purchase one device that does it all. Will they be cheap? Probably not but honestly who cares! Would you rather carry one device with you everywhere or three?
One? Good glad we agree.

What Original Twitter, Facebook and Google

2011-09-23T10:18:00.000+03:00

What Original Twitter, Facebook and Google Homepages Looked Like

by Dave Larson on September 15, 2011

Click the Twitter homepage for a larger version.

And an even earlier version of Google…in beta

Press Release

2011-09-22T18:09:00.003+03:00

For Immediate Release
November 10, 2009

Media Contact:
Geoffrey Knox: 212-229-0540
Roberta Sklar 917-704-6358

New Website Gives Black Youth A Voice

A Unique Cyber-Resource Center is Launched by and for Black Youth and All Those Committed to Enriching the Lives of Black Youth

“A lot of black youth have something to say now. We understand now and we want our voices heard now.”—Jonathan Lykes, 19-year-old BYP blogger

(Chicago, IL—November 10, 2009) The Black Youth Project (BYP) announced today the launch of its new website—http://www.blackyouthproject.com—to provide a place on the web where young black people can speak for themselves. This first-of-its kind online resource explores the attitudes, actions and decision making of black youth by including their lives, ideas and voices. The purpose of the BYP website is to generate new media information, blogs, art, conversations, webinars, data, research, policies and movements that will expand the human and social capital of young black youth, facilitating their empowerment through highlighting their voices and experiences.
The current generation of black youth finds itself in the center of many of the country’s political and social debates and the subject of numerous films, videos and media analysis. But more than any other group of Americans, black youth face the challenge of inclusion in the post–civil rights period as well as the challenge of web access and digital spaces to call their own. The Black Youth Project, a national research project that examines the attitudes, resources, and culture of African American youth, decided to create an online hub for black youth where scholars, educators, community activists, youth allies, and youth themselves could have access to an array of resources.
“This site gives us a voice,” says Jonathan Lykes, age 19, one of the featured bloggers on the BYP website. “A lot of black youth have something to say now. We understand now and we want our voices heard now.”
“It is a place where the perspectives of young black people will be heard loud and clear,” stated Leigh Richie, web coordinator for the Black Youth Project.
“While this generation of young African Americans are much talked-about by pundits and the media, they are rarely talked with and asked to engage in real dialog,” said Dr. Cathy Cohen, the principal investigator for the Black Youth Project and a Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago. “Finally, there’s a place on the web where young black people can speak for themselves instead of having other people speak about them.”
The BYP site features a number of innovative and useful resources, including:
Rap Lyrics Database—the first public searchable database of rap music lyrics. A cyber storehouse that allows scholars, youth, cultural workers, and teachers to search through lyrics of Billboard Music’s top rap songs from 1990 to February 2009 in order to create content to think critically about rap and hip hop just as one does about jazz and classical music.

“You can find a whole number of videos as well as articles and blogs that talk about hiphop in a way that respects young black people and the culture.”—Alexandra Moffett-Bateau, researcher

Black Youth Blogging—daily blogs that represent the voices and attitudes of young African Americans who are in their late teens and twenties. Content consists of conversations about popular culture, current news about politics, testimonials, and narratives about growing up being black, gay, straight, man, woman, transgender, working class, middle class, and differently abled in the US.

“The Black Youth Project is really cool because it is a space where people from various communities can come together and get information. You can search for anything you are looking for.”—Summer McDonald, blogger

Data, Survey and Findings—the Black Youth Project Survey includes the most extensive dataset on black youth available to the public. Researchers can now download the original data set from the Black Youth Project, focused on surveying young people ages 15-25. Additional data sets will also be made available to the public.

“BYP’s 2005 study was one of the largest-ever national surveys of black, hispanic and white youth on their attitudes about morality, education, marriage, politics, discrimination, justice and the future.

A new survey that includes a significant number of young people and focuses on the impact of the Obama presidency will be released in 2010 through our Mobilization and Change, Political and Civic Engagement Project.”—Cathy Cohen, Principal Investigator

Curriculum Workshop—consists of educators, social workers, community activists, and artists creating innovative student-centered curriculum that focuses on the lives of young black people and uses data from the Black Youth Project.

“Educators can use the curriculum page as a great resource to borrow and generate lesson plans focused on black youth.”—Fallon Wilson, blogger

Black Youth Create!—This page calls out black youth to create and submit performance pieces, poetry, prose, and visual art to talk about what it means to be black youth in America.

“The Black Youth Project is an unprecedented website that sheds light on a demographic that has for too long been overlooked. It’s the perfect space for young black people to express themselves and learn from others.”—Edward James, blogger

Black Youth In the News—This page is a comprehensive archive of news stories in major U.S. newspapers written about black youth. This database will be updated weekly.
Research & Resources—Listings/links to latest reports, research, books, films, documentaries, organizations and websites focused on black youth
A team of primarily young black researchers and writers created the structure and content of the BYP site. The team includes bloggers Tamara Curl-Green, Edward James, Jonathan Lykes, Summer McDonald, Fallon Wilson as well as BYP researchers and personnel Cathy Cohen, Nate Cook, Alexandra Moffett-Bateau, Tracye Matthews, Leigh Richie, and David Showalter. A short video featuring the site’s creators and contributors is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6utSojOdQE.
As BYP Web Coordinator Leigh Richie says, “If you are a young black person or interested in black youth this site should be the first place you look for information.”

Al Jazeera Launches Wikileaks Spinoff

2011-09-22T12:29:00.000+03:00

Update: Al Jazeera’s Transparency Unit has been blocked by the Palestinian Telecommunication Group, read more here.

In a second of its kind initiative (after Wikileaks that is) the world’s leading Arabic news network Al Jazeera has launched a Wikileaks-like whistleblower platform for the world with a focus on the Middle East.
The platform branded “Al Jazeera Transparency Unit” provides a secure (with Public Key Encryption) website for interested individuals to send in digital documents to “shine light on notable and newsworthy government and corporate activities which might otherwise go unreported.”
What probably separates Al Jazeera’s platform from Wikileaks is a crucial aspect, verification.
The network states on the website that “All submitted content is subjected to a rigorous vetting and authentication process that encompasses respect for personal privacy, contextualization, and fierce adherence to our tradecraft commitment of “journalism of depth.”
Which also means rigorous filtering of leaked topics since Al Jazeera is based and partly owned by the government of Qatar, which will most definitely have an impact on the nature of the content provided. At least in matters related to Qatar.
Nevertheless, this initiative could prove to be an outlet many Arabs have so desperately been in need of, with the lack of governing laws to protect whistle blowers in almost all Arab countries, if not the other way around.
Al Jazeera’s Transparency Unit kicked off with ‘The Palestine Papers‘, which is a repository of documents detailing some of the inner workings of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations that immediately sparked harsh speculation on the role and effectiveness of the Palestinian Authority both inside and outside the occupied territories.
Some observers have speculated Hamas, a Palestinian Islamic Militant organization and the main contenders of the current Palestinian Authority’s to be after the leakage which exposes what goes on behind Palestinian-Israeli closed doors.
As interesting as the leaked documents Al Jazeera has exposed, I don’t think it comes as a shock to anyone following the conflict closely. What we’ll be waiting for, is leaked information about governments and corporations that actually have something to lose.

African ourist Information 3

2011-09-22T09:14:00.001+03:00

National Tourist Information Offices in Africa

Tourist Information offices in Africa are official government agencies that provide basic information regarding their country's sights, public holidays, hotels and more. Sometimes the information is very useful and in depth, and sometimes you'll find a very basic web site that rarely functions. It often depends on the individual country's resources, and whether tourism is an important part of the economy. Understand that the information given by the tourist office is government sanctioned. The job of the tourist information office is to sell the country to potential tourists. So enjoy the information given, but also check other travel resources, like this site, for a balanced viewpoint. Please email me if a link does not work anymore.

Africa's Tourist Information Offices O - Z

Rwanda - Tourist Board (ORTPN)
Boulevard de la Révolution n° 1
PO Box 905 Kigali, Rwanda
Tel (250) 576514 or 573396
Fax (250) 576515
Email: info@rwandatourism.com
Web Site: http://www.rwandatourism.com/ Senegal - Tourist Office in New York
350 Fifth Avenue (Empire State Building) Suite 3118
New York NY 10118
Tel: (212) 695-9630
E-mail: sentouroffice@aol.com
Senegal's Ministry of Tourism Web Site
Seychelles - Seychelles Tourism Board (STB)
PO Box 1262
Victoria, Mahé
Seychelles
Tel: +248 67 13 00
Fax: +248 62 06 20
E-mail: info@seychelles.com
Web Site: http://www.seychelles.travel
Sierra Leone - National Tourist Board of Sierra Leone
Room 100 Cape Sierra Hotel
Aberdeen, PO Box 1435
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Tel: +232 22 236620
Fax: +232 22 236621
Email: info@welcometosierraleone.org Web Site: http://www.welcometosierraleone.org (if not working try..) http://www.visitsierraleone.org/
Somalia - Somali Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife
Web Site: http://www.somali-gov.info/Tourism/index.html
E-mail: mtourism@somali-gov.info
South Africa - South Africa Tourism
Bojanala House
90 Protea Road
Chislehurston, Sandton, 2196 South Africa
Tel: + 27 (0)11 895 3000
Fax: +27 (0)11 895 3001
E-mail: info@southafrica.net
Web Site: http://www.southafrica.net/
More Contacts: http://www2.southafrica.net/satourism/about/contact_us.html
Sudan - Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife
P.O.Box 13226
Sharia Abu Sina
Khartoum, Sudan
Tel: (+249-1) 83471329
Fax: (+249-1) 83472665
Web Site: http://www.sudan-tourism.gov.sd/english/index.php
Swaziland - Swaziland Tourism Authority
P.O. Box A1030
Swazi Plaza
Mbabane, Swaziland
Tel: +268 4049693/75
Fax: +268 4049683
E-mail: info@tourismauthority.org.sz
Web Site: http://www.welcometoswaziland.com
Tanzania - Tanzania Tourist Board
PS Building
P.O. Box 2485
Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
E-mail: safari@ud.co.tz
Tel:(255) 022 2111244
Fax:(255) 022 2116420
Web Site: http://tanzaniatouristboard.com/
Togo - Office National Togolais du Tourisme
BP 1289, Route d’Aného
Lome, Togo
Tel: 221 43 13
Fax: 221 89 27
Web Site: http://www.togo-tourisme.com/ (under construction)
Tunisia - Tunisia National Tourism Office (ONTT)
1, Ave. Mohamed V
1001 Tunis, Tunisia
Tel: (+216-71) 341 077
Fax : (+216-71) 350 997
E-mail: ontt@Email.ati.tn
Web Site: http://www.tourismtunisia.com/
Uganda- Uganda National Tourist Board
13/15 Kimathi Avenue, Impala House
PO Box 7211, Kampala, Uganda
Tel +256 (41) 342196/7
Fax +256 (41) 342188
E-mail: utb@visituganda.com
Web Site: http://visituganda.com/index.php
Zambia - Zambian Tourist Board
Lusaka Square, Cairo Rd.
Box 30017, Zambia
Tel: (260 211) 229087/ 90
Fax: (260 211) 225174
E-mail: zntb@zambiatourism.org.zm
Web Site: http://www.zambiatourism.com/
Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe Tourism Authority
1 Kwame Nkrumah Avenue
P.O.Box CY286, Causeway
Harare, Zimbabwe
Tel: +263 4 752 570 / 758 730
Fax: +263 4 758 826
Email: marketing@ztazim.co.zw
Website: www.zimbabwetourism.co.zw

African Tourist Information Page Two

2011-09-22T09:13:00.000+03:00

National Tourist Information Offices in Africa

Africa's Tourist Information Offices G - N

Gabon- Center Gabonais de Promotion Touristique (GABONTOUR)
622 Avenue du Colonel Parant, Center Ville, Libreville, Gabon
Postal address: BP 2085, Libreville, Gabon
Tel: 728 504 or 723 949
E-mail : accueil@gabontour.ga Web Site: www.gabontour.ga The Gambia - Gambia Tourism Authority
Bakau, Kololi, K.M.C., The Gambia
Tel: (+220) 446 2491 / 3 /4
Fax: (+220) 446 2487
E-mail: info@gta.gm
Website: visitthegambia.gm
Ghana - Ghana Tourist Board P.O.Box GP 3106
Accra, Ghana
Tel: (+233-21) 244794, 222153
Fax: (+233-21) 244611 E-mail: gtb@africaonline.com
Web Site: http://www.touringghana.com
Guinea - Office National du Tourisme BP : 1275 Conakry
Tél. : +224 30 45 51 63 /+224 60 33 06 19/+224 60 55 73 61
Fax : +224 30 45 51 64
E-Mail: info@ontguinee.com
Web Site: http://www.ontguinee.com/
Guinea-Bissau - No Offical Tourism Office
Ministerio da Industria, Turismo e Artesanato
Avenida 3 de Agosto
Caixa Postal 85
Guinea-Bissau
Tel: (+245) 202171
Web Site: (Under Construction) http://guineabissautourism.com/
E-Mail: info@guineabissautourism.com
Kenya - National Tourist Board
Kenya-Re Towers, Ragati Road
PO BOX 30630 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254 20 271 1262
Fax: +254 20 271 9925
Email: info@kenyatourism.org
Website: www.magicalkenya.com
Lesotho - Lesotho Tourism office
Kingsway Street, Maseru
Tel: - (+266) 31 3760
Fax: - (+266) 31 0108
E-mail: Itbhg@org.is
Web Site: http://www.ltdc.org.ls/
Liberia - Ministry of Tourism The Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs, and Tourism
110 United Nations Drive, PO Box 10-9021
Capital Hill,1000 Monrovia
E-mail: info@micat.gov.lr
Web Site: http://www.micat.gov.lr/
Libya - General Board of Tourism
P.O.Box: 82063 Tripoli / Libya
Fax: + 218 21 4445336
Tel: +218 21 3334673 - 3333343 - 3333785
E-mail: info@libyan-tourism.org
Web Site: http://www.libyan-tourism.org/
Madagascar - Office National Du Tourisme
3, rue Elysée Ravelontsalama - Ambatomena
101- Antananarivo, Madagascar
Tel: +261 20 22 661 15
Fax: +261 20 22 660 98
E-mail: ontm@moov.mg
Web Site: http://www.madagascar-tourisme.com/
Malawi - Tourism Board
Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife & Culture Headquarters
P/Bag 326
Lilongwe 3
Tel: 01 755 499
Email: tourism@malawi.net
Web Site: http://www.malawitourism.com/ (not official but in behalf of the tourism association)
Mali - Office du Tourisme
Office Malien du tourisme et de l'Hotellerie (OMATHO) Rue Mohamed V.
BP: 191, Bamako
Tél. (+223) 222 56 73
Fax 222 55 41
E-mail: omatho@le-mali.com
Web Site: http://www.le-mali.com/omatho/index.htm
Mauritania - Office National du Tourisme
B.P : 2884, Nouakchott, Mauritania
Tel : (00) 222 529 03 44
Fax : (00) 222 529 05 28
E-mail : ont@mauritel.mr
Web Site: http://www.tourisme.mr/
Mauritius - Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority
11th floor,Air Mauritius Centre,
5, President John Kennedy Street
-Port-Louis, Mauritius
Tél.:(+230)210 1545
Fax : (+230)212 5142
Web Site: http://www.mauritius.net/
Morocco - Office National Marocain du Tourisme
Angle Rue Oued El Makhazine et rue Zalaga
BP 1910100 Agdal - Rabat - Morocco
Tel: 212 37 67 40 13
Fax: 212 37 67 40 15
E-mail:contact@onmt.org.ma
Web Site: http://www.visitmorocco.com/
Mozambique - Empresa Nacional de Turismo
1203, Av 25 Setembro
Maputo, Mozambique
Mailing Address - CP 2446, Maputo, Mozambique
Tel: 258 1 420324/431521
Fax: 258 142-1795
E-mail: info@futur.org.mz.
Web Site: http://www.futur.org.mz/index-en.html
Mozambique's UK Embassy Page on Tourism
Namibia - Namibia Tourism Board
1st Floor
Channel Life Towers
39 Post Street Mall
Private Bag 13244
Windhoek, Namibia
Tel: +264 61 290 6000
Fax: +264 61 254 848
E-mail: info@namibiatourism.com.na
Web Site: www.namibiatourism.com.na
Niger - Office National du Tourisme
Avenue du Président H Luebke
BP 612, Niamey, Niger
Tel: 227 732 447
Fax: 227 733 940
Web Site: http://www.niger-tourisme.com/
Nigeria - Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC)
Phone : +234(0)9 234 2764
Fax : +234(0)9 234 2775
Web Site: http://www.tourism.gov.ng/ and http://www.nigeriatourism.net/

Africa Tourist Information

2011-09-22T09:11:00.000+03:00

National Tourist Information Offices in Africa

Africa's Official Tourist Information Offices A - E

Algeria - Office National du Tourisme (ONT)
2 rue Ismail Kerrar, Boulevard Ché Guevara, 1600 Algiers, Algeria
Tel: 213 21 71 29 81 / 30 60 Faxes : + 213 21 71 30 59
E-mail: ont@ont-dz.org
Web Site: http://www.algeriantourism.com/v4/index.php Algeria's US Embassy Tourist Information page
Algeria's Ministry of Tourism Web Site
Angola - No Official National Tourist Office
Angola's US Embassy Tourist Information page
Angola's Ministry of Hotels and Tourism Web Site
Benin - Ministere de la Culture, de l'Artisanat et du Tourisme
01 Boîte Postale 2037
Cotonou, Benin
Tel: (+229) 307014/5, 307010, 307030
Web Site: http://www.benintourisme.com/
Benin's US Embassy Tourist Information page
Botswana's Tourist Information Office
Plot 50676
Fairgrounds Office Park
Block B, Ground Floor
Tel: 3913111, Fax: 3959220
Email: board@botswanatourism.co.bw
Web Site: http://www.botswanatourism.co.bw/
Botswana's US Embassy Tourist Information page
Burkina Faso - National Tourist Office (ONTB)
01 BP 1311
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Tel: 50 31 19 59 Fax: 50 31 19 60
E-mail: ontb@cenatrin.bf
Web Site: http://www.ontb.bf/
Burkina Faso's Ministry of Culture and Tourism Web Site
Burkina Faso's US Embassy Tourist Information page
Burundi - National Tourist Office
BP 902
2 ave des Euphorbes
Bujumbura, Burundi
Tel: 257 22 229390
Email: contact@burunditourisme.com
Web Site: http://www.burunditourisme.com/
Burundi's Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism Web Site
Cameroon - National Tourist Office
26, rue de Longchamps
75016 Paris
Tél : +33 (0)1.45.05.96.48
Fax : +33 (0)1.47.04.49.96
Web Site: http://www.cameroun-infotourisme.com/
Cameroon's Official North American Tourist Office Web Site
Cape Verde
Cape Verde's Official Tourism Web Site
Cape Verde's US Embassy's Web Page
Central African Republic - No Offical National Tourist Office
CAR's US Embassy Information
1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Telephone: (202) 483 – 7800/7801
Fax: (202) 332 – 9893
Official CAR Government Web Site (maybe under construction)
Chad - Tourist Information Offices
Office du Tourisme
C/O Ambassade
65, Rue des Belles Feuilles
75116 Paris
tel: 01 45 53 36 75
fax: 01 45 53 16 09

National Parks Information in Chad
Des Parcs Nationaux et Réserves de Faune
BP 86, N'Djaména, Chad
Tel: +235-512-303;; FAX +235-572-261
Chad Embassy in the US
2002 R Street, NW, Washington DC 20009
Telephone: (202) 462-4009
Fax: (202) 265-1937
Comoros Islands - National Tourist Information Office
La Direction Nationale du Tourisme
B.P 97 Moroni Comores
Tel : 0026974480
Email : dgtourisme@comorestelecom.km
Web Site: http://www.tourisme.gouv.km/

Congo - Office National du Tourisme
BP 456
Brazaville
Tel. (00242) 81 34 49
Web Site: http://www.congo-siteportail.info/Tourisme,-Culture,-Art_r4.html
Democratic Republic of the Congo, (DRC) - Office National du Tourisme BP 9502, 2a/2b avenue des Orangers
Kinshasa-Gombe
Tel: +(243) 12 30070
Web Site: http://www.rdcongotourisme.webs.com/
Cote d'Ivoire - Tourist Information Office
Place De La Republique
IMMEUBLE (ex)-EECI
01 BP 8538 ABIDJAN 01
TEL : (225) 20 25 16 00
FAX : (225) 20 32 03 88
Web Site: http://tourismeci.org/
Djibouti - Office National du Tourisme de Djibouti (ONTD)
Place du 27 juin,
BP 1938, Djibouti, Djibouti
Tel: 352 800 or 353 790
Website: www.office-tourisme.dj
Egypt - Egypt Tourist Office
Misr Travel Tower, Abbassia Square,
Cairo, Egypt
Tel: 285-4509/284-1970 (Cairo)
Fax: 285-4363 (Cairo)
E-mail: http://www.egypt.travel/index.php?nav1=contact
Web Site: http://www.egypt.travel/index.php
Equatorial Guinea - Ministry of Tourism
Barrio Nzalang, Antiguo Africa 2000
Carretera Semu
Avenida Presidente Nasser
Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
Tel: (+240) 98221< Fax: (+240) 92444
Web Site: http://guinea-equatorial.com/visit/
Equatorial Guinea's US Embassy Web Page on Tourism
Eritrea - Tourist Information Office
Harenet Avenue 108
Asmara, Eritrea
Tel: (+291-1) 126997, 123941, 122999, 120073
Fax: (+291-1) 126949
E-Mail: eritreantourism@tse.com.er
Eritea's US Embassy web page on Tourism
Ethiopia Tourist Office
P.O.Box 2183
Tel:+251 11 551 23 10 or +251 11 551 70 20
Fax:+251 11 551 28 89
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
E-mail:info@tourismethiopia.org
Web Site: http://www.tourismethiopia.org/

Africa Facts 3

2011-09-22T09:08:00.001+03:00

Fun Africa Travel Facts

Over the years running this site, I've compiled some fun Africa travel related facts. Here's a sample ....

When you visit Eritrea's capital Asmara, you can sip a perfect macchiato in an outdoor cafe and enjoy some lovely 1930's, Italian architecture.
Lake Malawi is the cheapest place in the world to get your open-water diving certification; enjoy more than 500 varieties of tropical fish while you're learning.
The original Star Wars movie sets in the deserts of Tunisia (a.k.a. planet Tatooine) are very well preserved and you can even stay in Luke Skywalker's home.
Sudan has more Pyramids than Egypt. The 223 pyramids are smaller and steeper than their Egyptian counter parts, but the Nubians were obviously very busy people around 4 BC - 3 AD.

Africa Facts 2

2011-09-22T09:07:00.001+03:00

Africa Travel Facts

Most Visited Country in Africa - Egypt is the most popular tourist destination in Africa. In 2007, Egypt attracted around 10 million visitors. The Pyramids have been a prime tourist attraction for the past 2000 years. South Africa came a close second with 9 million visitors in 2007 (based on figures from UNWTO).
Most Visited East African Countries - Kenya and Tanzania are the most popular East African countries for visitors. However, in 2008 Kenya's tourist numbers declined drastically due to political instability. Both countries tend to attract visitors interested in combing a safari with some beach time.
Most Visited Country in Southern Africa - South Africa is by far the most popular country in the region. Visitors are attracted to its cities, beaches, wildlife parks as well as niche tourism like bird watching and medical tourism. Mozambique is the fastest emerging tourist destination in the region.
Most Visited Countries in West Africa - The Gambia and Senegal attract the most tourists in this region of Africa (which along with Central Africa draws the least amount of tourists on the continent). Both The Gambia and Senegal are popular beach destinations for Europeans fleeing the cold winter weather.
Most Visited Countries in North Africa - Egypt is the most popular tourist destination in North Africa, but Morocco has seen the largest growth in its tourism industry (14% in 2007 according to the UNTWO). Tunisia is also extremely popular, particularly with Europeans.

Africa Facts

2011-09-22T09:06:00.001+03:00

Find facts about Africa below including basic geography facts, fun facts, trivia and Africa travel facts. Also see individual African country facts.

Africa Geography Facts

Number of Countries in Africa - 54 and a couple of disputed territories (Western Sahara and Somaliland). South Sudan is Africa's newest country, officially born on July 9, 2011.
Tallest mountain - Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: 19,340 feet / 5895 meters. See what the climb is like in pictures.
Lowest point in Africa - Lake Assal in Djibouti which lies at 515 feet (155m) below sea level.
Largest desert in Africa is - The Sahara Desert which spans almost 3.5 million square miles (9,000,000 square kilometers). It stretches across North Africa and makes up a large part of a dozen countries.
Longest river in Africa - The Nile which is also the longest river in the world. It runs from Uganda all the way to Egypt for 4,132 miles (6650 km).
Largest lake in Africa - Lake Victoria in East Africa, bordering Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. The Lake is the second largest in the world, at 26,560 square miles (68,800 square kilometres). It is the main source of the Nile River.
Largest island in Africa - Madagascar off the East coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean is the largest island in Africa and the 4th largest island in the world. Madagascar is just over 1000 miles (1580 km) long and 350 miles (570 km) wide.
Largest waterfall in Africa - The Victoria Falls on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Victoria Falls are just over 1 mile wide (1.7 km) and 355 feet (108 m) high. During the wet season over 500 million liters (19 million cubic feet) of water plummets over the edge into the Zambezi River. The spray can be seen from over 30 miles away.
The Equator - In Africa, the equator runs along for almost 2500 miles, passing through 6 countries: Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Kenya and Somalia.

Staylised Facts on Youth in Africa

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Stylized facts about youth and labor
markets in Africa

In 2005, the labor force participation rate of young males was 73.7% (ILO 2006), one of
the highest in the world (ILO 2006, United Nations 2007).

Youth make up 36.9% of the working- age population, but 59.5% of the total un-
employed, which is much higher than the world’s average for 2005 (43.7%), reflecting
serious labor demand deficiencies in the re- gion (ILO 2006). The share of unemployed
youth among the total unemployed can be as high as 83% in Uganda, 68% in Zimbabwe,
and 56% in Burkina.

4 Unemployment among youth is often higher than among adults (Table 3).
Youth unemployment is more preva- lent in urban areas (Table 4) and is higher
among those with higher education attain- ment and those in wealthy households. On
average, unemployment among those with secondary education or above is three times
higher than among those with no education attainment, and unemployment is twice as
high among youth from households in the fifth (or highest) income quintile as com-
pared to those in the first income quintile (Figure 1).5
Youth are more likely than adults to be in the informal sector, and less likely to be wage
employed or self-employed. In 2005 in Ethio-

Unemployment as defined by ILO is increas- ingly seen as inadequate to characterize low in-
come countries’ labor markets (Cling et al. 2006; Fares et al. 2006; World Bank 2006, inter alia).
Youth unemployment does not provide a full and adequate description of the difficulties youth face
in the labor market. In fact, in countries with widespread poverty, looking at the unemploy-
ment rate may be misleading because most youth cannot afford to be unemployed. The difficulties
in the labor market may be better reflected by measures of quality of employment or measures

Source: World Bank Survey-Based Harmonized Indicators Program (SHIP)), Ethiopia LFS 2005, Madagascar EPM 2005 and Tanzania ILFS 2005/06.

of underemployment. As an illustration, youth unemployment was only 0.8% in Malawi, 2.1%
in Burkina, and 0.7% in Rwanda (United Nations 2007). Therefore, unemployment should not be
the main component of a youth employment strategy or the main results performance indica-
tor of labor markets in Africa.

Distinguishing between who is rural and urban is increasingly difficult, especially with the expan-
sion of semi-urban areas where large proportions of populations rely on agricultural activities to
meet their livelihood needs.

Original Document

WikiLeaks cables ...

2011-09-22T08:47:00.000+03:00

WikiLeaks cables paint ANC youth leader as potential kingmaker

Original Document

Julius Malema boasts league helped Jacob Zuma oust Thabo Mbeki – and dismisses idea of female South African president

Julius Malema told US envoys that the ANC Youth League swung its support behind Jacob Zuma after Thabo Mbeki's split with Zuma over rape allegations. Photograph: Peter Andrews/Reuters

A notoriously outspoken South African youth leader gave strong views on two presidents and scorned the idea of a woman doing the job in a meeting with US embassy officials.
Julius Malema, president of the ANC youth league (ANCYL), has risen to international prominence with a series of outbursts in the past year, including singing the protest-era song Shoot the Boer and throwing a BBC journalist out of a press conference.
He was the subject of a lengthy Time magazine profile earlier this year, is seen by some as the future face of the ANC in South Africa.
In 2007 Malema was a provincial secretary of the ANCYL when he visited the US embassy in Pretoria. He discussed the league's support for Jacob Zuma, which was to prove crucial in ousting Thabo Mbeki from the presidency in 2009.
A leaked US embassy memo stated: "Julius Malema, who was frank and friendly, started the conversation with stories of his 'young pioneer' days when the ANC taught him how to use a gun 17 years ago, at the tender age of nine.
"He then boasted that Limpopo's ANCYL has more members than any other province and is '100% united' in its support of Zuma. Malema never explained why he or the league supports Zuma, but did admit that Zuma would likely not have been picked up by the ANCYL 'if Mbeki hadn't gone after him'.
"Malema stated matter of factly that Zuma is 'a victim of a conspiracy similar to what would happen in American politics.'" When asked what he meant by the analogy, Malema said he was referring to the portrayal of US politics in movies.
He told diplomats the ANCYL no longer supported Mbeki because he "thinks he's too clever for all of us and he won't engage with us".
"In a subsequent aside, Malema admitted that ANCYL president, Fikile Mbalula, did not want to support Zuma during the rape trial but that the regional leadership insisted, arguing that if the YL defended Zuma on corruption charges, they could defend him on rape charges since both acts are immoral. He also hinted that Fikile was told his position depended on his support of Zuma."
Malema told the diplomats that if Zuma was sent to jail the league would support the ANC secretary general, Kgalema Motlanthe, for the presidency. "However, he added that though 'Motlanthe is brilliant, you can't understand anything he says'."
Malema, who has angered feminists with some of his public statements, dismissed the possibility of a female successor, "saying South Africa needs a 'man who is ahead on issues, but who can walk with the masses'".
Zuma was acquitted of rape in 2006 after he insisted the sex with his accuser was consensual, while corruption charges against him were dropped shortly before he became president.
Malema is not an elected member of government but his headline-grabbing antics were deemed worthy of a full confidential memo on 5 November last year.
"It has never been adequately answered whether Malema speaks on his own or with backing from senior leaders of the party," it notes. "Regardless of whether his views are sanctioned, however, it is becoming clearer that President Jacob Zuma respects Malema and his place within the movement.
"Malema's continued media prominence begs the question: where is President Zuma on some of these issues?
"One respected political analyst commented to us recently that he would be worried if a Youth League president did not go around sounding off like this, and that having someone saying such things might even serve as something of a safety valve by making disgruntled youth feel that their anger was being heard by the ANC's senior leaders.
"We are nonetheless concerned that, as a generation which does not remember the struggle against apartheid comes to adulthood, they may be less content to accept mere rhetoric to express their anger at what they may see as continuing inequality."

An Urgent Call

2011-09-22T08:39:00.000+03:00

An Urgent Call: Create Opportunity for Africa’s Youth

Posted on September 12, 2011 by ChildFund International| 2 Comments

by Jumbe Sebunya, ChildFund Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa

Jumbe SebunyaOriginal Document

This post is adapted from remarks at the African Child Policy Forum held in Maputo, Mozambique, last week.
With roughly half of Africa’s population under the age of 24 (and closer to three-quarters of the population in many of our countries) child development issues are more relevant to the African continent than to many others — and are more urgent than ever.
Between now and 2025, more than half a billion young women and men will enter the labor force in Africa, and currently there are not half a billion new jobs waiting for them. For governments and other key stakeholders, this raises formidable policy questions:

Is there a clear relationship between development planning and demography in our policies and practice?

Are there positive interventions planned by sector ministries, civil society organizations and the private sector to reflect these demographic trends, in terms of training, employment and education activities?

What should be the measurable positive outcomes of successfully engaging even a fraction of these young people in our socio-economic activities?

What is the worst possible scenario if the labor entrants — half a billion plus — are marginalized, powerless and excluded?

Is the recent declaration by the African Union heads of state on “Accelerating Youth Employment for Sustainable Development” a political rhetoric or a policy reality?

ChildFund, for more than 70 years, has been struggling with these questions but also inspired and driven by the potential that is inherent in children.
We work with deprived, excluded and vulnerable children so that they have the capacity to improve their lives and the opportunity to become young adults, parents and leaders who bring lasting and positive change to their communities. ChildFund’s distinctive approach is child-centered. We work with children, families, local organizations, government agencies and communities on clearly defined core outcomes for children throughout their life cycle from birth to young adulthood up to 24 years of age.
ChildFund core commitment is focused on child-centered developmental changes that seek positive outcomes for children at every stage of their lives: at infancy (0 – 5 years), through programs that promote health and security; at a young age (6 – 14 years), by focusing on child sponsorship programs and other activities that promote educated and confident children; and at young adulthood (15 – 24 years), by offering leadership and socio-economic skill development programs.
In 2010, ChildFund reached millions of infants, children and youth in 31 countries. Of these children, 56 percent are from Africa, 12 percent are in the Americas, 31 percent live in Asia and 1 percent are in Europe.
ChildFund Mozambique is at an early stage of development interventions, representing only about 1 percent of the total children and youth who have benefited from ChildFund’s work in Africa. We have, however, developed promising programs in Mozambique.
A good example is our Early Childhood Development (ECD) program, which is focused on the first eight years of a child’s life. These are critical years in establishing the foundation upon which the child grows and develops.
ChildFund Mozambique ECD programs build local capacities of families, communities and government agencies. Specifically, we are working in Mozambique’s Zavala and Gondola districts to create an environment where young children can grow and develop their potential. The ECD program, which is implemented through local associations, focuses on strengthening the synergies among children’s health, nutrition, protection, stimulation, psychosocial support and age-appropriate play and learning.
At ChildFund, we believe that the well-being of children leads to the well-being of the world. To achieve long-lasting change, you need partnership at all levels with strong networks of families and local organizations as well as a broad constituency at national and global levels so that we all join hands to champion the overall well-being of children.
Tomorrow: We hear from a youth who spoke at the forum.

Best English Grammar Site

2011-09-21T14:30:00.001+03:00

http://www.learn4good.com/languages/toefl/toefl_stan_test3.htm