South African police foiled a bomb plot by a right-wing Afrikaner group to bomb an ANC Conference in Bloemfontein. (Google Images)
Al Jazeera is reporting that South African police have foiled a plot to bomb an ANC conference in Bloemfontein. The conference was expected to be attended by South African President Jacob Zuma and dozens of senior officials. Police arrested four members of a right-wing Afrikaner party who had planned to bomb the conference and other events throughout the country.
The article states:
The majority of South Africa’s whites accepted the ANC’s victory in the 1994 election that brought Nelson Mandela to power and ended decades of white-minority rule. However, a tiny handful continues to oppose the historic settlement.
“Their acts are widespread. We arrested them in different provinces,” said spokesman Billy Jones.
ANC spokesman Keith Khoza said preliminary information suggested the men were planning to bomb the marquee where Zuma and 4,500 delegates are holding a five-day meeting to choose the ANC’s leadership for the next five years.
“This would have been an act of terrorism that South Africa can ill afford,” Khoza said.
The Federal Freedom Party (FFP), a fringe group fighting for self-determination for the white Afrikaner minority, confirmed two of those arrested were FFP members but denied any role in the suspected plot.
U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice was ultimately forced to withdraw from consideration for the Secretary of State position after being lambasted by angry, white GOP members led by Senator John McCain. (Google Images)
The Burton Wire‘s Editor-in-Chief wrote a post for The Root demonstrating the shared experiences of black women in the workplace as evidenced by the treatment of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and meteorologist Rhonda Lee. Read an excerpt from the post below:
EXCERPT
It has been one heck of a week for black women in the workplace. U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice faced criticism about her handling of the events in Benghazi, Libya, from members of the GOP perhaps hell-bent on making Democrats pay for a 2012 U.S. election win. Rice’s reputation was besmirched as she was poked, pulled, prodded and bullied by a mob of angry white politicians led by Sen. John McCain to such an extent that The Root‘s Keli Goff proclaimed Rice to be “this generation’s Lani Guinier.”As Goff explained, Rice was being ushered into a sisterhood that women in general and black women specifically know all too well — potential censure when attempting to rise to a position of power.
While Rice was being lambasted, a story out of Shreveport, La., emerged involving a black meteorologist named Rhonda Lee, who was fired from KTBS-TV ostensibly for explaining the beauty and validity of wearing natural hair. A viewer questioned her on Facebook about wearing a short Afro. The viewer suggested that she might have cancer and that she might consider wearing a wig or growing out her hair because he found the look unattractive. Lee replied in a respectful manner, taking the time to explain why black women wear their hair in natural styles and why Lee is proud of her African-American ancestry.
That incident happened Oct. 1. Another incident took place on Nov. 14, when a viewer suggested that a segment on the channel, called the “Three Minute Smile,” showed too many children of color. Lee also responded, explaining that the children were randomly selected. She even wished him “happy holidays.”
Apparently Lee’s explanation of the importance of natural hair and the selection process for the ABC affiliate’s segment was possibly too much for executives. They fired her for violating a policy Lee contends was never written down. KTBS maintains that Lee and another white male reporter were fired over violations of station policy about posting on Facebook, not because of her hair. They also allege that she had been previously warned. Lee maintains the memo that KTBS management offered in response to the subsequent uproar mentioned only viewer complaints, as opposed to “comments,” which are what Lee addressed. Some viewers have been outraged by the firing, and Change.org has started a petition to get Lee rehired.
What I find interesting about Lee’s case is that instead of being supported for standing up for herself like ABC’s Jennifer Livingston, Lee was punished. You may recall that in October, Livingston, the morning anchor for the LaCrosse, Wis., station was championed by her bosses and viewers for standing up to a bully, who in a letter called Livingston a bad role model because she is overweight. Livingston was given airtime to address the viewer’s personal attack. Her passionate response went viral on the Internet with the YouTube video getting more than 10.5 million views.
When I first learned of Lee’s firing, I immediately thought of Livingston and wondered how the situation differed. The one thing that the women share is that viewers feel that they have the right to insult, hurt and humiliate women in news based on their looks. The one thing that is drastically different is how their news stations, both ABC affiliates, responded.
Six people perished in a helicopter crash carrying Patrick Yakowa, governor of the central Nigerian state of Kaduna and former national security adviser, General Andrew Azazi. (Google Images)
Yahoo News is reporting that a helicopter carrying high-ranking Nigerian government officials has crashed. The article reports:
“A rescue agency spokesman says a helicopter carrying Nigerian government officials has crashed in the country’s oil-rich southern delta, causing unknown injuries.
Yushau Shuaibu, a spokesman for Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency, said the helicopter crashed Saturday in Bayelsa state in the Niger Delta. He said the helicopter was carrying high-ranking government officials, but he did not have a final manifest for the flight.
Shuaibu says rescuers have begun searching for the downed helicopter.”
“The governor of Nigeria’s Kaduna state and a former national security adviser are among six people killed in a helicopter crash in Nigeria’s oil-producing Bayelsa state, officials said.”
Nigeria’s presidency said in a statement that the governor of the central Nigerian state of Kaduna, Patrick Yakowa, died in the helicopter crash in Bayelsa state in the Niger Delta.
The former national security adviser, General Andrew Azazi, also died in the crash, the statement said. Azazi was fired in June amid growing sectarian violence in Nigeria, but maintained close ties with the government. The other victims were aides to Yakowa and Azazi and the two helicopter pilots, it said.
President Goodluck Jonathan’s spokesman, Reuben Abati, said in a statement that their loss was “extremely painful to the entire nation.”
This story is developing. Check back periodically for updates on TheBurtonWire.com.
Professor Kamene Okonjo, mother of Nigeria’s finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been released by kidnappers. (Google Images)
AllAfrica.com is reporting that the mother of Nigeria’s finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been released. Professor Kamene Okonjo, 83, was abducted on Sunday by ten gunmen who stormed the palace of her husband, Professor Chukuka Okonjo who is a traditional ruler in Delta State.
BBC NewsAfrica is reporting that Prof. Okonjo was dropped off on a main road near her home in southern Nigeria. Apparently, she had received threats leading up to the kidnapping, which are popular in Nigeria and a lucrative criminal enterprise.
Details of the release are not being shared. While it is government policy not to pay ransoms, some families negotiate privately with kidnappers. It is not clear if a ransom was paid for Prof. Okonjo’s release. The driver of the car that dropped off Okonjo has been arrested.
Professor Kamene Okonjo, mother of Nigeria’s finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been released by kidnappers. (Google Images)
AllAfrica.com is reporting that the mother of Nigeria’s finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been released. Professor Kamene Okonjo, 83, was abducted on Sunday by ten gunmen who stormed the palace of her husband, Professor Chukuka Okonjo who is a traditional ruler in Delta State.
BBC NewsAfrica is reporting that Prof. Okonjo was dropped off on a main road near her home in southern Nigeria. Apparently, she had received threats leading up to the kidnapping, which are popular in Nigeria and a lucrative criminal enterprise.
Details of the release are not being shared. While it is government policy not to pay ransoms, some families negotiate privately with kidnappers. It is not clear if a ransom was paid for Prof. Okonjo’s release. The driver of the car that dropped off Okonjo has been arrested.
Legendary Brazilian Architect Oscar Niemeyer designed Brazil’s National Congress Building, which was inaugurated in Brasilia, Brazil in 1960. He passed away at age 104. (Google Images)
Ben Tavener of the Rio Times is reporting that legendary Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer has died. Mr. Niemeyer designed many of the most prominent government buildings in Brasília and the UN Headquarters in New York City. Tavener reports:
“Niemeyer rose to international fame in the 1960s as the new futuristic capital city was unveiled to the nation. The hallmark architectural swoops he used in his designs were, by his own admission, inspired by the “free-flowing sensual curves” of Brazilian women.
An ardent communist and atheist, he fled Brazil during the military dictatorship of the 1970s and 1980s, and continued to build on his career in France. His innovative use of reinforced concrete and rejection of conventional angled designs earned him both admirers and critics.
Some of his most prominent works in Brazil include top government palaces and buildings and the hyperboloid Cathedral of Brasília, the spaceship-like Contemporary Art Museum in Niterói and the Oscar Niemeyer Museum in Curitiba with its eye-shaped gallery that emerges from water.”
Mr. Niemeyer was widowed at 2004 at the age of 93 after 76 years of marriage and remarried at age 99. His body lay in state at the presidential palace on Thursday. Mr. Niemeyer’s body will be returned to Rio’s Palácio da Cidade in Botafogo for a private ceremony with friends and family on Frida, before being opened to the public. His funeral is expected to take place on Friday afternoon in Botafogo. He was 104.
Funeral arrangements for Mexican superstar Jenni Rivera are under way as the singer’s remains have arrived in Los Angeles, CA. (Google Images)
The tragic ending of the life of Mexican American superstar Jenni Rivera has become even more real. ABC News.go.com is reporting that the remains of Rivera landed in Los Angeles, CA this morning. Angie Romero reports:
“The remains of Mexican American superstar Jenni Rivera have been “100 percent” identified, her brother Pedro told reporters outside his parents’ home in Lakewood, Calif. on Thursday.
“It is 100 percent confirmed that Jenni is no longer with us. That is Jenni and she’s on her way back home now,” said Rivera’s brother, adding, “God let us borrow our sister, the daughter of Don Pedro Rivera and Rosa Rivera, the singer, the artist, the friend, the strong woman who always showed love – La Gran Señora. God let us borrow her for a time, 43 years, and now God has taken her. I know she is in His presence.”‘
Rivera and six others died in a plane crash in Northern Mexico last Sunday. Her publicist, lawyer and make-up artists were among the casualties. Known to fans as “La Diva de la Banda” or The Diva of Banda Music, Rivera was leaving a concert in Monterrey and en route o appear as a judge on “La Voz” (the Mexican version of the TV vocal competition “The Voice”). Authorities have not determined what caused the crash. Earlier this week, two Mexican police officers were arrested for stealing personal effects from the crash site.
Rivera’s brother Pedro Rivera shared at a press conference that two months ago he had a premonition that she would die in a plane crash. Ms. Rivera was 43.
Funeral arrangements for Mexican superstar Jenni Rivera are under way as the singer’s remains have arrived in Los Angeles, CA. (Google Images)
The tragic ending of the life of Mexican American superstar Jenni Rivera has become even more real. ABC News.go.com is reporting that the remains of Rivera landed in Los Angeles, CA this morning. Angie Romero reports:
“The remains of Mexican American superstar Jenni Rivera have been “100 percent” identified, her brother Pedro told reporters outside his parents’ home in Lakewood, Calif. on Thursday.
“It is 100 percent confirmed that Jenni is no longer with us. That is Jenni and she’s on her way back home now,” said Rivera’s brother, adding, “God let us borrow our sister, the daughter of Don Pedro Rivera and Rosa Rivera, the singer, the artist, the friend, the strong woman who always showed love – La Gran Señora. God let us borrow her for a time, 43 years, and now God has taken her. I know she is in His presence.”‘
Rivera and six others died in a plane crash in Northern Mexico last Sunday. Her publicist, lawyer and make-up artists were among the casualties. Known to fans as “La Diva de la Banda” or The Diva of Banda Music, Rivera was leaving a concert in Monterrey and en route o appear as a judge on “La Voz” (the Mexican version of the TV vocal competition “The Voice”). Authorities have not determined what caused the crash. Earlier this week, two Mexican police officers were arrested for stealing personal effects from the crash site.
Rivera’s brother Pedro Rivera shared at a press conference that two months ago he had a premonition that she would die in a plane crash. Ms. Rivera was 43.
Morehouse School of Medicine unveils a Mobile Clinical Research Unit to help fight health disparities in disenfranchised communities. (KreativTouch Photography)
The 30-foot long RV is the first of its kind in the entire state of Georgia. The clinical unit will travel and provide outreach into metro Atlanta and various rural areas to treat patients unable to have access to proper medical attention or transportation to a research center. America’s only other similar mobile facility is The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
The $600,000 handicapped accessible camper is fully equipped with the same technology and capabilities as MSM. The trailer’s interior features two full exam rooms, a waiting area, telemonitoring equipment, a processing area, wireless computers, freezer, refrigerator, plasma monitors, a satellite phone and a retractable wall. One exam room includes a treadmill and state-of-the-equipment used in cardio testing, ultrasounds and EKGs. Across the front is a shaded seating area used strictly for consultation. The full unit is fireproof, soundproof and has individual temperature settings in each room.
Research will be conducted relating to health disparities primarily affecting African Americans such as strokes, hypertension, Vitamin D and diabetes. Designed in direct correlation to the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) standards, MSM’s Mobile Clinic Research Unit is a breakthrough for both medicine and community health in the Southeast. “This unit is designed and equipped for patient safety,” says Priscilla Johnson, MSN, PhD, MSM’s Assistant Director of Clinical and Administrative Affairs. “It’s about taking care of patients and improving healthcare.”
Morehouse School of Medicine, one of America’s four Historically Black medical schools, commemorated the development with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and scheduled tours. Some of the institution’s distinguished alumni include U.S. Surgeon Generals and medical school presidents. In the past, MSM hosted health screenings at numerous health fairs, churches and community centers.
The Winnebago is the end result of a 10-year project to further educate and eliminate health disparities.
Christopher A. Daniel is a pop cultural critic and music editor for The Burton Wire. He is also a contributing writer for Urban Lux Magazine and Blues & Soul Magazine. Follow Christopher @Journalistorian on Twitter.
Lagos is the first African city to receive a customized version of the famous Monopoly board game. (Google Images)
BBC News is reporting that the first African city edition of the famous board game Monopoly has been launched in Lagos. The article states:
“The board’s layout was unveiled at an event in Lagos City Hall, with the man-made Banana Island named as the upmarket equivalent of Mayfair in the London edition. Makoko, the slum on stilts over the city’s lagoon, is the cheapest property for sale on the Lagos board.
The Nigerian Stock Exchange, Murtala Muhammed International Airport and several hotels are other properties on the board.
Many of the squares are sponsored by banks and shopping centres and even the Lagos state government appears, while some major landmarks like Tinubu Square, the New Afrika Shrine nightclub, Third Mainland Bridge and the National Theatre have been left out.”
The board also has Lagos specific sites and instructions like “Go Directly to Kirikiri jail.”
Monopoly was originally developed in the U.S. in 1934. A U.K. version soon followed in 1935. Morocco and South Africa are two African countries that have versions of Monopoly, but Lagos is the first African city to receive a customized version.
