GLOBAL DIVERSITY POST

Condoms for 12-Year Old Boys Coming Soon

Image via Wikipedia

By OBERT MADONDO

SHOCK!

That was my first reaction to the news that a Swiss manufacturer, Lamprecht AG, had launched "extra small condoms for boys as young as 12", curiously named Hotshot.

But, as MailOnline reports, our 12 to 14-year old boys are not only having sex. They're having "too much unprotected sex."

They need protection from STD, HIV+AIDS, etc. Safe sex first.

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.

Philipp Rösler, Germany's Barack Obama

via en.wikipedia.org

By OBERT MADONDO

German politician, Philipp Rösler, cannot escape the notice of an unrepentant celebrator of global racial diversity.

Rösler is the only non-white member of Germany Chancellor, Angela Merkel's new cabinet.

The politician and physician is the quintessential immigrant success story. He was born in Vietnam and migrated to Germany before he was one, after being adopted from a Catholic orphanage.

Rösler attended high school and Hannover Medical School in Germany. He is a physician.

The leader of the liberal and business-friendly Freedom Democratic Party (FDP) in Lower Saxony, Rösler is also considered to be one of Germany's rising political stars.

In a world that's changing and embracing more and more diversity, Philipp Rösler might just be Germany's Barack Obama.

F*ck Now Most Dominant Word in English?

By OBERT MADONDO

This video cracked me up. But it an eye-opener: without any oubt the much-loathed "F" word now dominates human communication in the English language. At least according to Osho, the guru formerly Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.

Australian Open: Chinese Tennis Cruising to the Top

By OBERT MADONDO

Something game-changing is happening at the 2010 Australian Open tennis tournament. Chinese women are not just breaking into top ranks. Chinese Tennis is cruising to the top of the world.

First, Chinese Li Na performed a giant-killing act by defeating 6th-seeded and former Australian Open champ, Venus Williams, in the semi-finals. The victory catapulted Li to the world’s top ten.

Li and fellow Chinese Zheng Jie reached the Australian Open semifinals – the first time two Chinese women have made the top 4 at a Grand Slam tournament - before falling to defending Australian open champion, Serena Williams, and Belgian Justine Henin, respectively.

So close to an all-Chinese women’s Grand Slam final!

Bloomsbury USA "Whitewashes" Another Dark-Skinned Protagonist

By OBERT MADONDO

Bloomsbury USA has done another "anti-dark-skin" whitewash job!

Apparently the US publisher chose to represent its dark-skinned heroine of Jaclyn Dolamore's debut novel "Magic Under Glass" with a white model on the cover.

And this is the second time in 12 months. Last year, the publisher featured a white girl on the cover of Australian author Justine Larbalestier's young adult novel "Liar". The novel is about a black girl “with nappy hair which she wears natural and short."

Apparently "Whitewashing" is rampant in the publishing industry. There is a pervasive belief among publishers that books with white covers sell more than those with "dark-skinned" ones, and that white readers will not buy a book with a black person on the cover.

But if it's true, Bloomsbury USA should not shoulder all of the blame for perpetuating racism and stereotypes. Readers who prefer white over dark skin on the cover of a book are the problem. Such readers are still trapped in the 19th century, white-superiority mentality.

The good thing is that these readers are fighting a losing battle. The acceptance of the person of color as an equal - in fiction and real life - is an irreversible revolution.

And the person of color's cruise to the top is unstoppable. Case in point: Barack Obama. The US' first African-American President has not only reached the top already. He's currently the most powerful person on earth!

Outrage Over Air New Zealand's 'Cougar' Advertisement

By OBERT MADONDO

Admittedly, the Air New Zealand ad below is sexist. It portrays older single women as man-hungry "cougars" who troll bars for fresh "meat".

It has sparked outrage among rape prevention groups in New Zealand.

But the ad is also funny and, most importantly, spotlights a growing phenomenon - sexually aggressive women 35 and over increasingly pursuing men 10 years younger. The era of the cougar is upon us and it's a good thing.

Besides, we're already warming up to, even celebrating, the cougar, aren't we? The TV comedy "Cougar Town", starring Courtney Cox, comes to mind.

Watch the ad and reach your own conclusion.

History: Obama Sends His First-Ever Tweet

photo via www.huffingtonpost.com

By OBERT MADONDO

US President Barack Obama's followers on Twitter now have something to smile about. He send his first-ever tweet yesterday.

Mr. Obama's first tweet is a presidential tweet with a conscience. He tweeted for a good cause - the Red Cross relief effort in Haiti.

Mr. Obama has crossed the Rubicon. Remember when he said he'd never used Twitter because...

"My thumbs are too clumsy to type in things on the phone."

Well, the clumsy-thumped can tweet too.

Now Mr. Obama, a magnet and target on social networks, will have to tweet more regularly. He owes it to his more than 3 million followers on Twitter.

Haiti Earthquake: Pat Robertson Has Gone Too Far

photo via dominicanewsonline.com

By OBERT MADONDO

US Evangelical Christian and televangelist, Pat Robertson, is not new to playing God. He once said the 9/11 attacks were God's punishment for loose U.S. morals.

But on Wednesday, Robertson crossed the line when he suggested that a "pact to the devil" brought on the devastating Haiti earthquake.

An estimated 100 000 are feared dead and Robertson suggests that Haitians brought it upon themselves!?

Robert's view is informed by an 19th century lie invented by French colonists to discredit slave rebellion.

The colonists - and slave owners - suggested that the leaders of the Haitian Revolution (1791 - 1804) against French rule had made a pact with the devil. Apparently, they promised to serve the devil if the devil freed them from the French.

Haitians revolted anywhere but not because the devil willed it. Colonialism and slavery were evils meant to be fought and defeated.

In 1804, Haitians defeated French colonists and declared independence.

For Robertson Haitians would be free from the persistent natural disasters and political turmoil if they had remained slaves under French rule.

Such racist venom!

And the man's racist views stand out.

In 2006, then Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, suffered a debilitating stroke. Robertson called it Gold's punishment for Israel ceding land to the Palestinians.

Then there was Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which Robertson attributed to God's anger over abortion, etc.

Robertson is the personification of the embittered colonizer and slave owner. And he's not the only alone displaying his true colors on the canvas of the Haitian quake. 

Conservative talk show host, Rush Limbaugh, reportedly told Americans not to donate to Haiti. He has been calling African Americans "Negroes" a lot lately.

It's a mystery to me how any sane and compassionate person can still follow these two maniacs.

Afghanistan Survey, Impossible Results

By OBERT MADONDO

I don't doubt the so-called survey of the Afghan people on the foreign occupation of their country took place. But I dispute the results, which suggest that the hearts and minds of Afghans are warming up to US military presence.

This result is manufactured, a naked lie that plays on gullible Americans.

A reliable survey is impossible in Afghanistan. The Taliban controls most of the country. Most of the countryside is a geographical, logistical and security nightmare.

In any case, is it really possible to conduct a real survey in a violence war situation?

If this survey took place at all, it was confined to areas around coalition bases forces and urban areas. Even then, the respondents would either be pro-West or would simply tell the pollsters exactly what they wanted to hear.

The survey result is propaganda at best. Consider these statements from ABC News, one of the sponsors of the survey:

"... ABC News, the BBC and ARD German TV finds that sharply more Afghans now see the Taliban as the main source of their country's strife, while many fewer blame the United States or its allies..."

AND

"...more Afghans now see the Taliban as the main source of their country's strife..."

For some of the outrageous results, see this BBC report.

Iraq: Native Blacks Face Discrimination & Racism

By OBERT MADONDO As much as I pride myself for being a racially tolerant person, the video below made me realize that humanity is not yet out of the evil grasp of the era of slavery. It's not yet Uhuru! Blacks descendants of African slaves brought to Iraq hundreds of years ago still live as second-class citizens of the "free" Iraq. They are routinely discriminated against and, sometimes, called "slaves".

Extreme Cold Makes Brits Cheat

via news.bbc.co.uk

It's a blessing in disguise. Of sorts. Apparently, the current winter spell in the UK, the harshest winter for years, is turning Brits into cheats.

The weather is forcing thousands of snowed-in married men and women to turn to the website IllicitEncounters.co.uk in search of extra-marital affairs "to banish their winter blues".

The harsh winter is just a scapegoat. Here is a society unraveling, exposing what lies beneath: adulterous tendencies, passionless marriages and addiction to porn.

But this is not a UK problem. It's a global problem.

Novel of the Decade 2000-2009: The Da Vinci Code

By OBERT MADONDO

Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code is my best novel of the entire 2000-2009 decade.

The Da Vinci Code is a lightning-paced story that is unpredictable right up to its stunning conclusion. It's the kind of literature that generates global appeal and controversy.

I read the book, which sold upwards of 80 million copies worldwide and was translated into more than 40 languages. I also watched the movie, which grossed nearly $800 million.

Combining detective, thriller, and conspiracy fiction genres, the Da Vinci Code follows Harvard University symbologist Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu as they investigate the murder of renowned curator Jacques Saunière of the Louvre Museum in Paris.

The story unfolds through bizarre riddles, anagrams, cryptic messages, number puzzles and a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci.

But the ultimate answer lies in the possible location of the Holy Grail and the bloody battle between the Roman Catholic organization Opus Dei and the Priory of Sion. The latter is an actual secret society whose members included Da Vinci, Boticelli, Sir Isaac Newton and Victor Hugo.

It's no surprise that The Da Vinci Code has been extensively denounced by many Christian denominations as an attack on the Roman Catholic Church. The novel does the unthinkable; it examines alternative religious history. It suggest that Jesus was married and fathered a child with Mary Magdalene. 

The suggestion that Jesus had sex with Mary Magdalene is... scandalous, isn't it?

But most importantly, The Da Vinci Code suggests that Mary Magdalene played a more constructive and significant tole in the history of Christianity.

The Da Vinci Code is for those who hunger for the real truth buried in history.

Is Silvio Berlusconi Finally Paying The Price?

photo via english.aljazeera.net

By OBERT MADONDO

The recent vicious attack on Silvio Berlusconi, was the work of a mentally disturbed individual, 42-year-old Massimo Tartaglia. But isn't Mr. Berlusconi finally paying the price for his inappropriate behaviour?

This year alone, the flamboyant Italian Prime Minister has accumulated a series of accusations of sexual misconduct, fraud and inappropriate gaffes unbecoming a leader of a civilized country.

He's misbehaved, disrespected fellow world leaders and enjoyed the publicity.

Last April Mr. Berlusconi irritated Queen Elizabeth II when he shouted "Mr. Obama" as world leaders posed for a traditional "family" photograph with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

Last year, Mr. Berlusconi's gaffes turned racist when called both US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama "suntanned".

During a recent EU summit, the Italian Prime Minister shocked fellow leaders when he allegedly made sketches of women's underwear on scrap paper and passed them around.

Back home, the mega-rich Berlusconi's political career is punctuated by naked pictures and sexual misconduct and accusations of Mafia ties.

Wasn't the Italian PM being insensitive to the victims of Italy's worst earthquake in three decades when he said the 17,000 earthquake survivors should simply pretend they are on a "camping weekend"?

Until this latest attack, Mr. Berlusconi has seemed untouchable. He also just lost the immunity.

An Awesome Tour of The Known Universe

By OBERT MADONDO Fancy an HD tour of the universe, from Tibet to the furthest observable end? The Known Universe, a American Museum of Natural History video, takes you there. The video captures "every satellite, moon, planet, star and galaxy" to scale. Maybe I'm a bit biased. I discovered the video today, my 38th birthday, and my spirits soared. I felt like floating in space, rubbing shoulders with the stars and planets and gliding through the "inky black of space to the afterglow of the Big Bang". I just couldn't help sharing... Enjoy!

Bahrain: The World's Friendliest Country in 2009

By OBERT MADONDO

It's ironic. The the Middle East is the perennially-troubled region of the world but it gives us the world's friendliest country for expatriates - Bahrain!

Forbes quotes the HSBC Bank International Expat Explorer Survey 2009.

Apparently, it's easy to plant one's roots into the ground, access modern healthcare and decent housing, and network, in the Bahrain. 

Two surprises for me: Canada and South Africa. 

Canada, the world's friendliest country in 2008, slipped to number two. There's no place easier to establish oneself, access modern healthcare and establish robust social networks than Canada. I'm living proof of that.

But I suppose Middle Eastern hospitality won the day for the Bahrain?

But South Africa at number 6, are you kidding me? The survey respondents haven't heard of the high levels of crime in South Africa? They haven't seen the pictures of dead victims of the xenophobic attacks that have gripped South Africa since independence from Apartheid rule in 1994?

In this era of political correctness, xenophobia is the new racism. It's taken the place of ethnic cleansing.

What I Learned From The Montreal Massacre

By OBERT MADONDO

Today is the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. I wasn't in Canada when Marc Lepine went on a rampage and slaughtered 14 innocent women at the University of Montreal's School of Engineering in 1989.

But I learned a lot from this madness.

Lepine's hateful rampage resulted from personal failure. He didn't just kill the women because they were "feminists". (As he pulled the trigger, he shouted "You're all feminists!'') He killed them because HE had failed at love, education - everything!

But we must look at this incident not just as an issue of sexism and violence against women. Levin blamed women for his weaknesses and failures as a man.

His is not just a classic case of male hatred torwards women; it's a reflection of a barbaric modern society where misogyny is encouraged. We live in a society where insecure "powerful" dictators unleash violence on their own people. Insecure, frustrated "powerful" countries invent reasons to wage suicidal wars against "enemies", which are mostly weak nations that are no threats to their survival at all.

Kudos to all the underdogs out there fighting back the madness of the Marc Lepines of this world. You're making the world a better place.

Jacob Zuma Is NOT The President South Africa Needs & Deserves

via www.guardian.co.uk

By OBERT MADONDO

An interesting article in Monday, December 7, edition of Time Magazine asks of the South African President (pictured): Could Jacob Zuma Be The President South Africa Needs?

The answer is an emphatic NO.

Africa's greatest and most powerful nation needs and deserves a democrat, which Mr. Zuma isn't. Last year, he became the leader of the ruling South African National Congress (ANC) via an ugly party coup against his predecessor Thabo Mbeki.

The coup guaranteed the polygamist's election as South African President last April. Thanks to apartheid and Nelson Mandela's iconic status, the ANC is guaranteed to rule South Africa for a couple of years to come. Anyone on the party's ticket would have been elected president.

In Africa, it seems, populism triumphs all. This is also the same Jacob Zuma who once faced grave charges of corruption and rape. During the election campaign, Mr. Zuma identified with the gullible poor, heartily joining in energetic traditional dance routines, and liberation war-inspired singing and sloganeering.

In barely 8 months as President, Mr. Zuma has successfully graduated into a typical African charlatan: populist, nepotistic and corrupt.

Last October, he appointed the brother of his former financial adviser and convicted fraudster as the head of the country's secret service.

And then the perennial African scourge: corruption. South Africa's Mail & Guardian newspaper reports on Mr. Zuma's ambitious plan to expand his rural homestead to the tune of US$9m.

"The expansion will turn the presidential homestead into a sprawling precinct that will include a police station, helicopter pad, military clinic, visitors’ centre, parking lot with parking for at least 40 vehicles and at least three smaller houses that will serve as staff quarters."

This spectacle will stand like an obscene beacon in the heart of one of the country's poorest regions, KwaZulu Natal.

See this video footage of this planned madness.

Imagine the difference US$9 million would make if redirected towards millions of South Africans scraping by on less than $2 a day.

US$9m would certain make huge difference if invested in the fight against HIV and AIDS. South Africa has the world's largest HIV/AIDS population in the world.

South Africa needs a leader who is compassionate and genuinely committed to lifting millions of South Africans out of poverty.

PLAYBOY A Victim of Itself

Image via Wikipedia

By OBERT MADONDO

That the Playboy ship is sinking is beyond doubt. Hugh Hefner's iconic Playboy Enterprises Inc. lost $13 million last year and is expected to lose $8 million this year.

Christie Hefner resigned as chairman and CEO in December. Now Playboy is reportedly outsourcing operations and cutting jobs.

But who is to blame for this sad situation? It's certainly not the global economic crisis. Hugh Hefner is to blame.

He spent the past 50 years building an image that would not survive the tide of racial diversity. His world of sex and beauty was blind to the reality of the 21st century. His world was mostly white and blond.

The 21st century is all colors of the rainbow, plus many more. It's diverse.

Playboy Enterprises Inc. swum against the tide for far too long. Few would miss this empire if it disappeared from the picture altogether.

Naked Carla Bruni Not So Hot, After All

Photo via www.huffingtonpost.com

BY OBERT MADONDO

She's a one-time supermodel career and pop singer. Since she married one of the most powerful men in the world, French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, she's been in the global news almost every day.

So, why couldn't Carla Bruni's nude photo hit the desired undisclosed price ($91 000?) at a recent Paris auction? The photo was withdrawn and later sold for 6,000 Euros, according to this Huffington Post report.

Could it be that she is not so hot with her clothes off, after all? Or maybe it's all Nicolas Sarkozy's fault? Sarkozy's height, even?

World Toilet Day: A Lot More Than Just A Toilet

Photo via www.causecast.org

By OBERT MADONDO

There aren't enough days in one year to commemorate everything that affects us at the global level, but the World Toilet Day deserves commemorated. It's much more than just a "toilet" day. It isn't about the "squat" either.

It's about a dire situation where nearly half of the world's population (2.5billion) do not have access to toilets and proper sanitation. The consequences for them are shocking.

According to the World Toilet Organization:

1. 2.5 billion people worldwide are without access to proper sanitation, which risks their health, strips their dignity, and kills 1.8 million people, mostly children, a year.
2. Diarrheal diseases kill five times as many children in the developing world as HIV/AIDS.
3. That's 5,000 children DYING EVERY SINGLE DAY
4. Not only that, but the disease kills more children than either malaria or AIDS, stunts growth, and forces millions - adults and children alike - to spend weeks at a time off work or school, which hits both a country's economy and its citizens' chances of a better future.
5. The majority of the illness in the world is caused by fecal matter.
6. Lack of sanitation is the world's biggest cause of infection.
7. One gram of feces can contain 10 million viruses, one million bacteria, 1,000 parasite cysts and 100 parasite eggs.
8. Safe disposal of children's feces leads to a reduction of nearly 40% in childhood diarrhea.

Almost Exclusively White: PEOPLE Magazine Sexiest Men Alive

By OBERT MADONDO

Johnny Depp is PEOPLE Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive 2009. 

But what exactly determines who becomes PEOPLE's sexiest man alive? Style? Intelligence? Physical appearance? A humanitarian heart?

All these are only essential ingredients. PEOPLE's defining factor seems to be skin color. White, to be precise.

White males have dominated the coveted endorsement since Mel Gibson started it all in 1985. The first and last time a non-white - Denzel Washington - won was in 1996.

Sure other races make the list every year. Dirty Sexy Money star, Blair Underwood, was there when Hugh Jackman snatched the endorsement in 2008. So was Chinese-born virtuoso, Lang Lang.

But the "sexiest man" - the individual that graces the cover - always ends up white. See all PEOPLE's "sexiest man" covers since 1985 HERE.

I admit that I'm incapable of "seeing" the sexiness of a man, but the entertainment arena crawls with men of all colors. It's time PEOPLE opens up to this reality.

Obama's Big BOW In Japan: America's Machismo In Jeopardy?

via www.huffingtonpost.com

The photo speaks: the world's most powerful man bowed deeply to the Emperor and Empress of Japan today. And with this bow, President Obama might have mortally wounded the American macho spirit.

Lets face it, Americans are unlike Canadians and the British, who bow to royalty. Americans shake hands. They bring guns to the dinner table and fight wars abroad. They kick ass.

Even in fiction, the American male is tough, John Wayne style. In film, the American male is cold, loud, brutish, uncouth, selfish, promiscuous, abrasive and capable of inflicting maximum pain. And he conquers and destroys all, Arnold Schwazenegger style.

To many outside the US, "American" is synonymous with machismo - “male in an aggressive way”, according to the Oxford Dictionary. This is the image the American media and Hollywood have exported to the world.

So, I'd not be surprised if the Right tries to make a big deal out of Mr. Obama's bow and accuse him of jeopardizing America's macho image.

They'll be wrong. In bowing to Emperor Akihito, Mr. Obama did not only observe protocol, he gave the world the American we rarely see: the American educated in other cultures and ways of life.

Mr. Obama was also fulfilling the promise he made to the world when he took office. He promised mutual respect. He promised to reach out. 

Mr. Obama is slowly revealing the good, respectful and compassionate American the world has for so long hungered for.

Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2009: Women Shut Out

via artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com

By OBERT MADONDO

I'm not a women and not a feminist - yet. But the bias in Publishers Weekly's ranking of the best fiction and non-fiction of 2009 disgusts me. The list is as subjective as it is chauvinistic. No woman writer makes the top ten.

That's right, no women makes Publishers Weekly's top 10 Best Books of 2009. No Margaret Atwood. No Mavis Gallant. No Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. And certainly no Herta Müller, the winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature.

But there is still sanity around. In response to Publishers Weekly's all-male madness, sanity today assumes the name of Women in Letter and Literary Arts (WILLA).

WILLA has a list of Great Books by Women in 2009 that Publishers Weekly deliberately missed. Check the list out. Join WILLA's Facebook Group.

I just did.

Tony Blair for EU President: An Insult

Image via Wikipedia

By OBERT MADONDO

Why are Europeans divided over Tony Blair's candidacy for the European Union (EU) Presidency when they should be united in rejecting him?

Mr. Blair, the former British prime minister, led Britain to war with Iraq on the the false claim that Saddam Hussein possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction.

But Mr. Blair's biggest undoing is former US President and architect of the Iraq war, George W. Bush. Mr. Blair made himself a creature of Mr. Bush. Now he doesn't only belong in Mr. Bush's by-gone era; he is also a war criminal.

The world - and the EU - needs a new beginning.

Someone Knows Where Osama bin Laden Is

Photo via www.time.com

By OBERT MADONDO

It's not hard believe that Osama bin Laden's son, Omar Bin Laden, doesn't know where his terrorist father is.

But, if the world's most wanted man is still alive, the United States, the CIA or the FBI should know where he is.

Osama bin Laden is essential to the war on terror. But only as long as he's alive and his whereabouts remain a mystery.

Usain Bolt & Robert Mugabe: One Thing In Common

via news.xinhuanet.com

It's the Order of Jamaica, the Caribbean country's fourth highest national honor.

Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, received the honorary award from Jamaica's Governor General, Patrick Allen, on October 19, 2009.

Jamaica bestowed the award on Robert Mugabe in 1996 "in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the fight for liberation and the overthrow of apartheid in Southern Africa, and his distinct leadership in the pursuit of freedom and human development throughout the African continent."

I'm not surprised that both a global hero and global villain should received the same award.  The veteran Zimbabwean President is a proud recipient of awards from reputable individuals and institutions.

Mugabe has received at least 15 honorary degrees and awards from major western institutions, including: the University of Edinburgh, Michigan State University, University of Massachussetts and Lomonosov Moscow State University.

But Mugabe's biggest honor is that of Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Bath, bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994 for Mr. Mugabe's "significant contributions" to relations between Britain and Zimbabwe.

Mugabe received all these international honors while he was busy butchering an estimated 10 000 black supporters of political opponents between 1982 and 2005. He only became the global pariah he is today after he killed a dozen or so white Zimbabweans in 2000.

New York City Poll Spotlights Interracial Relationships

By OBERT MADONDO

Bill de Blasio, who recently ran a successful Democratic primary campaign to be New York City's public advocate, has brought a new dimension to the discussion on interracial relationships.

De Blasio’s campaign ads made clear the fact that his wife is black, and his children are interracial.

Yulia Tymoshenko: Hottest Head of State

(Image by Minirobot via Flickr)

By OBERT MADONDO

US President Barack Obama is not the hottest Head of State, after all. It's Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

So says Hottest Heads of State, a site that claims to use "a scientific and unbiased ranking of world leaders in order of hotness."

I'd give PM Tymoshenko the No. 1 spot for as long as she's in power. Reason: her hair, which she normally wears it in a unique traditional Ukrainian wrap-around braid.

Facebook World: Weird and Dangerous

Image via Wikipedia

By OBERT MADONDO

The Facebook world is increasingly becoming a weird and dangerous one. The other day - petion, some maniacal hater posted to Facebook a poll asking users to vote:"should Obama be killed?"

Now John Forehand, a Pennsylvania man, has been arrested for asking biological daughter for sex on Facebook.

More interesting is the man's state of mind. The man is sick.

He tried to convince his daughter that parents' abuse of their own children is right. He allegedly told the child that "not many other fathers and daughters are this brave, so not many of them are so lucky to experience all these pleasures."

Forehand obviously intended to immortalize and celebrate the abuse after wards. The authorities lured him to what he believed would be a meeting with his daughter. He came armed to the tooth with a box of condoms, camera and tripod.

On the positive side, Facebook has actually helped the authorities to identify and arrest yet another online predator.

Mullah Muhammad Omar is Back? Nonsense

via en.wikipedia.org

By OBERT MADONDO

The picture from Afghanistan is not good. The Taliban is taking new territory by the day, right in the face of American and NATO troops armed to the tooth with cutting-edge war gadgetry.

More than 15 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan so far this month. That's just about the same number of American deaths for all of last October.

Blame it all on one-eyed Mullah Muhammad Omar. Apparently, the leader of the Taliban has staged the most remarkable military comebacks in modern history, according to the New York Times.

Nonsense!

American and NATO forces aren't winning the most important thing to win in this war - Afghan people's hearts.

Mullah Omar never left Afghanistan. He might be hiding somewhere in a cave but he lives everyday in the hearts of the majority of Afghans.

The semi literate Mullah Omar cannot not be the brains behind the shrewd Taliban tactics and propaganda of the past couple of recent years.

He offers little more than inspiration as a ferocious fighter against Soviet invaders in the 1980s. And Afghans do the rest.

This MSNBC piece suggests that while "only one out of 10 militant fighters is a true "Taliban.", the rest are ordinary Afghans". Through into the mix: non-Taliban groups, warlords and members of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate.

It's all about inspiration. The Taliban’s total defeat is impossible. It's time to rethink Afghanistan.

Rio 2016 Copenhagen IOC Presentation

By OBERT MADONDO Brazil unveils itself the world. The stunning beauty and racial diversity of Brazil is here for the world to see. If there is a country on this planet more racially diverse, more beautiful, please let me know.

2016 Olympics Vote: Obama DEFEATED as IOC Eliminates Chicago in the First Round

By OBERT MADONDO

It's not over yet in Copenhagen but surely the IOC has resisted U.S. President Barack Obama's seemingly irrestible political power, diplomacy and celebrity.

The race for the 2016 Olympics has come down to Rio de Janeiro and Madrid. The IOC produced a stunner in the first round of voting a few moments ago:

Chiaco was eliminated in the first round. Tokyo was knocked out in the second.

The IOC must do the right thing: give the Games to Rio. Awarding the Games to Rio is embracing universalism and global diversity.

2016 Olympics Vote: The IOC Must Ignore President Obama's Celebrity, Award the Games to Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro. Image via Wikipedia

By OBERT MADONDO

Today, US President Barack Obama joins Oprah and First Lady Michelle Obama in Copenhagen to lobby the International Olympics Committee (IOC) on behalf of Chicago’s 2016 Olympic Games bid. The IOC must resist Mr. Obama's last-ditch offensive and do the right thing - award the Games to Rio de Janeiro.

Vagina Exposed on So You Think You Can Dance (EXPLICIT)

via www.realityblurred.com

By OBERT MADONDO

It happened on last night's episode of the Fox hit show So You Think You Can Dance. An aspiring contestant reacted to the news that she'd be progressing to the next round by rolling on the floor and spreading her legs.

She wore a short skirt and no underwear.

In a state of complete abandonment the contestant exposed her bare crotch and herself to the world.

YouTube has since deleted the video but both The Huffington Post and Perezhilton.com still have it in slow motion.

Sure, it's just a vagina and we adults have seen one. But this was primetime and on Fox, conservative America's favorite.

The question is: how much will the FCC fine Fox for what's obviously Vaginagate? Please don't tell me: nothing. Not after the gods of decency slapped CBS with a $550 000 fine for Janet Jackson's Nipplegate, where Jackson showed her breast on live television during the Super Bowl halftime show.

RELATED:

Naomi Wolf to Write History of The Vagina

The Women Have Spoken: Brazilian Men Are Second Best in Bed, German Men Worst

By OBERT MADONDO

This one is for my single female friends who are seriously looking and want nothing but the best between the sheets: avoid especially German and English men. Shoot for Spanish or Brazilian men.

That is according to 15,000 well-travelled women from 20 countries polled by global research website Onepoll.com and as reported by dailymail.co.uk.

But this was much more than a poll. The well-travelled connoisseurs of sex named and shamed:

WORLD'S WORST LOVERS:

1.    Germans (Too smelly)

2.    English (Too lazy) - "let women do all the work"

3.    Sweden (too quick)

4.    Holland (Too dominating)

5.    America (Too rough)

6.    Greece (Too lovey-dovey)

7.    Wales (Too selfish)

8.    Scotland (Too loud)

9.    Turkey (Too sweatie)

10.    Russia (Too hairy)

WORLD'S BEST LOVERS

1.    Spain

2.    Brazil

3.    Italy

4.    France

5.    Ireland

6.    South Africa

7.    Australia

8.    New Zealand

9.    Denmark

10.    Canada

Obama Assassination Poll on Facebook

Image via Wikipedia

By OBERT MADONDO

Is Facebook good for US President Barack Obama? YES and NO.

Yes, because Mr. Obama has used Facebook and other social media platforms to reach out to millions and advance his agenda. He is a social media magnet.

For example, the Facebook group Barack Obama (One Million Strong for Barack) has 1 063 052 members. It links with the White House, giving Mr. Obama and his supporters tremendous opportunities to advance is agenda. 

But the social media might also be one of Mr. Obama's greatest threats. A poll posted to Facebook last Saturday asked users to vote:"should Obama be killed?"

Freedom of expression? The responses were crafted specifically to generate support for the diabolic wish to have the US President assassinated. The responses: "yes," "maybe," "if he cuts my health care," and "no."

Facebook has since removed the offensive poll, which was posted through a third-party application. And the US Secret Service is investigating.

Facebook owes Barack and millions of it's peace-loving users. This time it's not the usual violation where third-party applications violate Facebook policies or user photos and personal information. It's about the heinous dream to have the President of the United States assassinated.

It's terrorist wish. Facebook must ensure that such wishes are kept as far away from the platform as possible.

Facebook users must stay vigilant and report polls like this before they spread like a virus. Facebook is no place for terror plots.

One Man, 4 Wives and One Wedding

(Bridegroom Milton Mbhele, with his four brides, left to right, Happiness, Thobile, Simangele, and Zanele at their western wedding in Weenen, near Ladysmith, South Africa, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. AP Photo/Str)

By OBERT MADONDO

It's history - of the worst kind - as a South African man marries four wives at the same time. Milton Mbele, 44, wed the 4 women in a two-day wedding ceremony that started today and ends Monday with a traditional Zulu ceremony. 

So why am I, an African and unapologetic advocate of "global diversity", whining? After all, South African law recognizes traditional polygamous marriages. Jacob Zuma, the newly-minted President of South Africa, has three wives. And polygamy is still accepted among some of the famous tribes of Southern Africa, particularly the Zulus and Swazis.

I'm whining because...

One: Thanks to the bride-price practice, each women is priced. Individually and collectively, Mbele's wives are very cheap. He paid a total of 33 cows in bride-price. I'm told a cow is about $250 dollars these days. Do the math. That's all the four women are worth.

Two: Power is a factor here. And it's power that perpetuates the dominance of men over women. Having paid the hallowed pride-price, Mr. Mbele becomes not only the man of the house. He owns the women. The women owe it to their parents to be good (translation: subservient and obedient) to their man. With four women competing for his attention Mr. Mbele is much more than a man. He's Godly.

Mackenzie Phillips Had Consensual Sex With Her Own Father

via www.people.com

(Mackenzie Phillips Photo by: Dane Andrew / ZUMA)

By OBERT MADONDO

This is one of those personal revelations that enrages those of us who have a heightened sense of right and wrong. Former child actress Mackenzie Phillips tells PEOPLE in a forthcoming tell-all book that she had a long-term incestuous relationship with her dad, musician John Phillips of the '60s band the Mamas and the Papas.

The fact that the relationship was consensual doesn't make it right. Neither does the fact that Phillips survived divorce, drug addiction and arrests.

Writes Phillips of one particular incident when she was 19 and a heavy drug user:

"I had tons of pills, and Dad had tons of everything too. Eventually I passed out on Dad's bed.""My father was not a man with boundaries. He was full of love, and he was sick with drugs. I woke up that night from a blackout to find myself having sex with my own father."

I hear "exploitation" and "abuse". And denial.

As a liberal, I'm cool with dismantling the boundaries, but only if there is no exploitation of the less powerful.

Reverse Racism: White Cop Told Can't Wear Cornrows

via www.nydailynews.com

By OBERT MADONDO

This Philadelphia cop story has all the fine ingredients of reverse racism.

A veteran white cop, Thomas Strain, shows up for work wearing braided cornrows. Strain's black boss is not amused. Supposedly, officer Strain doesn't look "professional". So, the good boss gives him the treatment reserved for serious police conduct, such as brutality or shooting a suspect: he yanks Strain off the streets and puts him on desk duty.

If this was about professionalism or the hallowed "department standards" claptrap, the story would have ended there. But the boss reportedly ordered officer Strain to lose the hairstyle altogether.

Meanwhile, dozens of black officers sport the "unprofessional" hairstyle while on street duty...

Professionalism has got nothing to do with this one. I'll summarize my opinion: reverse racism, racism, prejudice, racial profiling and discrimination.

Officer Strain should get his cornrows back. Cornrows are a black invention and style but they are also a gift to the world.

Peter Sloly: Toronto's First Black Police Chief (in Waiting)

via www.thestar.com

By OBERT MADONDO

As the global center of racial diversity, Toronto suffers from a cancer of the most curious kind: it's rare to see people of color in position of power and influence. But that's about to change if this Toronto Star story on new Toronto Police Service deputy chief Peter Sloly is to be believed. 

It can only be believed. Deputy Sloly's rise to this rank, one rung below the Police Chief, has been something of a fairy tale. He got here at age 43, after only 21 years with the force. According to the Toronto Star:

"The traditional culture of policing is you come in and do your time. Now here's a young a man, in his early 40s, who has become youngest deputy ever. It's a rank more typical of someone who has been around 30-35 years."

If deputy Sloly's rise is indeed unstoppable, it's a good thing for Toronto. A diverse city should show some color at the top from time to time.

Besides, an immigrant success story is always a good story. Deputy Sloly moved to Toronto from Kingston, Jamaica, just before he turned 10.

His ascension to the Police Chief's throne would affirm Toronto's diversity and global outlook. Deputy Sloly met his wife in Turkey. There's something very Canadian about him too. He has served in Kosovo on a UN peacekeeping mission.

Toronto Police Service deserves a big pat on the back for recognizing deputy Sloly's leadership qualities and, in general, embracing the city's diversity. About one-third of recent recruits are non-white.

"District 9" Not Welcome In Nigeria

photo via news.yahoo.com

By OBERT MADONDO

Nigeria Information Minister Dora Akunyili has asked movie houses in the capital of Abuja to stop screening the blockbuster "District 9". A Facebook group - Nigerians Offended by District 9 - formed in recent days.

The apparent official and non-official disgust is justified. The South Africa-based sci-fi movie has a stereotypical tone that borders on racism.

First, the movie portrays Nigerians as gangsters and cannibals.

The main Nigerian gangster is a certain Obesandjo. The name sounds and almost spells like "Obasanjo". It's not long ago that Nigeria had a President called Olusegun Obasanjo.

True to his cannibal instincts, Obesandjo tries to cut off and eat the arm of the film's protagonist in one scene. Cannibalism is the gangster's route to regaining his supernatural powers.

The film features a cast of mostly unknown African actors and has somehow spotlighted the legacy of apartheid South Africa. But that's no compensation for deliberately exploiting Nigerian and African stereotypes.

I haven't seen the movie. A friend who saw it was horrified. She thought the white characters were portrayed as heroic and intelligent, while blacks seemed voodoo-loving, wide-eyed and stupid. The usual African narrative.

Sony Entertainment, the distributor of District 9, owes Nigerians and Africans an apology.