GLOBAL DIVERSITY POST

Vancouver Winter Olympics: Where is Canada's Shani Davis?

Photo via www.shanidavis.org

By OBERT MADONDO

American speedskater, Shani Davis, is a superstar. His World Championship and Olympic medal count: Gold (11); Silver (4) and Bronze (3). Davis has set a total of eight world records.

Davis is a black man holding his own in a largely white sport in North America and Europe. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Davis became the first black athlete to win a gold medal in an individual Winter Games sport when he took the title in 1,000 meters. At the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, he became the first man to successfully defend his title in the 1,000 meters.

Davis is a black man representing the United States on the world stage through a largely white sport. Where is Canada's Shani Davis? An overwhelming majority of athletes competing for Canada at the Vancouver Olympics are white. All the medal winners so far are white. 

How can Canada claim to be an inclusive, multi-racial society when minorities are excluded when Canada engages the world through sport?

2010 Olympic Winter Games: Jarome Iginla, Sole Black on Canada's Hockey Roster

via en.wikipedia.org

By OBERT MADONDO

We Canadians pride ourselves as the most inclusive country in the world. We brag about it.

And yet, our men's national hockey team roster at the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games has only one black player - Jerome Iginla of the Calgary Flames.

Iginla's father was Nigeria, and his mother, Susan, is originally from Oregon.

Hockey is a religion in Canada as soccer is a religion in Brazil. So, imagine Brazil having only one black or mixed-race player in it's national soccer team during a world cup competition. Unthinkable!

Canada Is America's Sweetheart - Again!

(US President Barack Obama (left) and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Photo via en.wikipedia.org)

By OBERT MADONDO

Ninety percent of Americans view Canada favorably in Gallup's survey of 20 nations that figure prominently in the news or U.S. foreign policy.

No surprises here. Canada and the US are neighbors and, history-wise, siblings. They share British colonial heritage. Canada is the US' largest trading partner and, currently, strongest ally on the war on terror.

But the the results clearly show Americans' bias toward Europe and susceptibility to the war on terror-inspired propaganda.

The Brits are second, Germans third.

The bad guys, Iran, Afghanistan and North Korea are bottom of the list of 20 countries polled.

On Iran, Hillary Clinton Shames President Obama

via www.nytimes.com

By OBERT MADONDO

US President Barack Obama's new policy of engagement is a joke. At least in the case of Iran, and judging by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's latest obsession with that country.

Lately, Clinton has been hurling one reckless missile after another at the Islamic republic. The Bush era of sabre-rattling is back.

On Sunday, Clinton told us that Iran was becoming a military dictatorship. Today, Clinton issued another warning to Iran. Earlier, Clinton had said the US would welcome peaceful engagement with Iran but not "while they are building their bomb".

The bomb! Iran is building the BOMB! Clear and present danger.

Clinton's sabre-rattling with Iran is good news for war hawks in Israel and Washington. But, in the long run, the Obama Administration is the beneficiary. The US is laying the ground work for another major war. And Iran is in the cross-hairs.

Laura Chinchilla Victory: Another Giant Leap By Womankind, For Mankind

(Costa Rica's new President, Laura Chinchilla. Photo via www.cnn.com)

By OBERT MADONDO

When Laura Chinchilla was elected the first female president of Costa Rica over the weekend, she opened another chapter in the story of women's march to the top. The march is unstoppable.

By my count, President Chinchilla becomes the 10th woman to be elected leader of a country in the last ten years.

Meanwhile, in the Ukraine, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko narrowly lost to pro-Russian opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych in the February 7 Presidential runoff.

Even Sarah Palin thinks she's a shot at beating Barack Obama and becoming the first female President of the United States.

The New York Times reports that Palin would consider a run for the White House in 2012.

The other female leaders are:

• Angela Merkel - Germany
• Sheik Hasina Wazed - Bangladesh
• Tarja Halonen - Finland
• Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo - Philippines
• Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf - Liberia
• Cristina Fernandez - Agentina
• Dalia Grybauskaite - Lithuania
• Michelle Bachelet - Chile
• Megawati Sukarnoputri - Indonesia

From Brazil: Wear A Condom Always

Image via Wikipedia

By OBERT MADONDO

Political leadership is crucial in the global fight against HIV+AIDS. Brazil is leading by example.

The Huffington Post reports that "Brazilian health officials have kicked off an AIDS awareness campaign and will hand out 55 million condoms during the annual Carnival festival that begins next week."

Brazil's good example contrasts sharply with the country most affected by HIV+AIDS - South Africa.

Earlier, I condemned South Africa's President Jacob Zuma for fathering his twentieth child out of wedlock.

Obviously, Mr. Zuma didn't use a condom, putting his wives at risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

Way to go, Brazil!

Foreign Aid: US Least Generous of Rich Countries

via www.huffingtonpost.com

By OBERT MADONDO

In his 2010 Annual Letter Bill Gates makes the following observation about foreign aid from rich to poor countries:

"The global recession hit hard in 2009 and is a huge setback. The neediest suffer the most in a downturn."

So why is the wealthiest country in the world, the United States, the least generous? The US places last on the list of 22 rich, foreign aid-giving countries. Sweden tops the list, followed by Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Admittedly, foreign aid has not always lifted poor countries out of poverty. In some cases it has earned a bad reputation for increasing corruption and dependency in the recipient countries.

But, when used properly, foreign aid works. When foreign aid yields real development, we all benefit as the need for foreign aid decreases.

Lindsey Vonn Sports Illustrated Cover Photo: Sexist & Sexy

By OBERT MADONDO

WomenTalkSports.com is right to complain about Lindsey Vonn's Sports Illustrated cover photo (above). It is sexist and sexually suggestive.

WomenTalkSports.com also reports that only 4% of Sports Illustrated covers feature women and these "are more likely than not to be in sexualized poses and not in action..."

But while objectifying Vonn, the photo is also sexy. It highlights her beauty.

And Vonn herself straddles both sides of the argument. She may have been paid to pose for the photo but she also unleashed her sexuality.

President Jacob Zuma, The 'Gigolo'

Photo via www.huffingtonpost.com

By OBERT MADONDO

South African President Jacob Zuma "needs to stop acting like a gigolo"? Please!

The man isn't acting like a gigolo. He is one. Gigolos do multiple sexual partners.

Zuma, a traditionalist and polygamist with 3 wives already, reportedly fathered an illegitimate child. This is a man who comes home every night three wives and still can't get enough... and we say he's acting?

But Zuma seems to prey on vulnerable women, especially those who would otherwise look up to him for protection. The mother of his love child is a friend's daughter. A few years ago, Zuma was accused of raping a daughter's friend.

Jacob Zuma makes a laughing stock of the South African male. Besides, the practice of polygamy - and having 20 children - is out of step with modern times.

For the good of the human race, Zuma should not just apologize. He should resign and seek therapy.