Blake,+Darby

Desire Munyaneza is the first victim of Canada's 2000 War Crimes Act. This act just allows Canada to bring justice to outlaws in their country for war crimes they committed in another country. Munyaneza was found guilty for seven charges relating to the Rwandan genocide on Thursday, October 29th, 2009. He was arrested in October of 2005 while living in Toronto, Canada. After many appeals, the 42-year-old, will be imprisoned for 25 years then eligible for parole. Many witnesses said that Munyaneza lead a militia that raped and killed dozens of Tutsis, also that he coordinated an attack on a church that killed 300-400 Tutsis. Many Rwandans are happy about the imprisonment of Munyaneza, as they should be, and they hope it's just the beginning.

I think it's great that these felons are finally being put away! It's definitely a great thing and better than the Tutsis seeking revenge in the Congo. I wonder why it took so long for Munyaneza to get sentenced, though. I do feel happy for the Tutsis though and I wish there are many more of these stories to come.

"BBC NEWS | Americas | Canada jails Rwandan war criminal." //BBC NEWS | News Front Page//. 29 Oct. 2009. Web. 31 Oct. 2009. [].

"Al Jazeera English - Americas - Canada jails Rwandan over genocide." //Al Jazeera English - AJE//. 30 Oct. 2009. Web. 31 Oct. 2009. [].

These two sites were very informative. Al Jazeera was better because it provided more recent information than BBC. It was also longer than the BBC article. They both quoted some of the Tutsi people though and were very similar.

In Somalia Abas Hussein Abdirahman was stoned, by Islamists, to death in front of about 300 people for committing adultery in Merka. An official from the al-Shabab group said the woman would be killed after she has had her baby. If she is killed the baby'll be taken care of by relatives. This stoning is the thrid in the past year for adultery. Abdirahman confessed his crime in front of an Islamic court. President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and many other moderate Islamists are saying that the killing of people is painting a terrible image for the religion of Islam. A 13-year-old girl was stoned in Kismayo last year for the same crime Abdirahman committed. Human rights groups said she had been raped.

I can't believe these people are killing each other for something like adutery. Also, they're not only killing each other but doing it by stoning which, I think, would be a terrible way to die. I agree with the moderate Isalmists in that this tints the Islam religion. I was really horrified by this article and something needs to be done about it!

"BBC NEWS | Africa | Somali adulterer stoned to death." //BBC NEWS | News Front Page//. BBC, 06 Nov. 2009. Web. 06 Nov. 2009. [].

I could only find one article on this topic. I didn't want to change topics because I want to get this story out to whoever's reading this. The article was very informative though and it used great quotes. It had some really good backround information. I didn't write all the info it had so if you would like to read the whole article the link's right above this.

A former speaker of the Rwandan Parliament, who lost most of his family in the genocide, named Joseph Sebarenzi has warned Rwanda of violence that still might come to his country again. He claims that the reason for the genocide was because the last president, Juvenal Habyarimana, had to much power and he is now accusing the current president, Paul Kagame, of the same thing. Elections for this country are going to be next August, its second one since the 1994 genocide. Kagame is supposed to win re-election easily. Sebarenzi says, "instead of having a president that is too powerful, (Rwanda) should have a powerful parliament, judiciary, and a civil society." Supporters of Kagame say he's doing great and has turned Rwanda into an economic development.

I think that Sebarenzi's concerns are legitimate but might just put fear into his country. Not needed fear. But, since he has brought it to Rwanda's attenion people should listen to him a bit. His comments do make sense but Rwanda needs some stability in the government and doesn't need to be changing it now. I think the best thing that they could do right now is let Kagame run his country.

"Former Rwanda official warns of violence - CNN.com." //CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News//. 19 Nov. 2009. Web. 21 Nov. 2009. [].

"Former Rwandan official warns of violence - UPI.com." //Latest news, Latest News Headlines, news articles, news video, news photos - UPI.com//. 20 Nov. 2009. Web. 21 Nov. 2009. []

Both articles gave me much of the same information. The CNN article went more into depth. It also had a couple paragraphs about someone who thought the opposite as Sebarenzi. The UPI article had a little more information on Sebarenzi but was a worse article. UPI and CNN both quote Sebarenzi when he says "Instead of having a president that is too powerful, (Rwanda) should have a powerful parliament, judiciary, and a civil society." If you really want to get good information about the topic and backround information i would suggest reading the CNN article.

 Emmanuel Jal is a hip-hop artist and former child soldier. His life was destroyed by the Sudanese civil war that raged from 1983 to 2005. He has started funding to build a school in Sudan to give the kids in Sudan better opportunities than were gave to him. He has also works with a campaign to stop the use of child soldiers. In that war he was forced to see much death and violence. He won’t eat breakfast or lunch until he has enough funding to build a school. “ When you don't educate the people, you're crippling them” he told the press. He found freedom from the war when a British aid worker, Emma McCune, found him while he was at his lowest point and was marching from a battlefield where people around him were so hungry they started to turn to cannibalism. He says there were 400 of them but only 16 people survived. McCune smuggled Jal onto a plane to Kenya. He considered her a guardian angel. In 2005, Jal moved to the UK where he wrote and recorded his album "Warchild" and wrote his autobiography. "Music has become a therapy for me. So I hide myself into the music," says Jal. "For me, the happiest moment is when I'm making music, or when I'm performing it and I see the reaction. That's when I see the beauty of life. That's when I see heaven again that there's another side to life -- which is music. It's like a painkiller."

I think it’s great the stories of people getting out of situations like this and making it in a better world. The best thing about making it in another country is when the person gives back to the bad country. Emmanuel Jal reminds me of Ishmael Beah in that they were both forced to see and do terrible things because they were child soldiers. This is a great and happy story from Africa. I hope there are many more. "Emmanuel Jal: The war child fighting for a better future - CNN.com." //CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News//. 24 Nov. 2009. Web. 25 Nov. 2009. []

"Rapper Emmanuel Jal's Trip to Peace : NPR." //NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR//. 10 Oct. 2005. Web. 25 Nov. 2009. [] The CNN article was good and provided a lot of background information. Also, it was more recent than the NPR article. The NPR article didn’t provide near as much information about the topic either. The CNN article was better because it was written very recently as opposed to the NPR one that was written in 2005.

Summary
Nigerian president, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, has been diagnosed with acute pericarditis which is an inflammation of tissue around the heart. He will not be giving his presidential duties up. President Yar'Adua has had a chronic kidney condition for 10 years. He has been taking pretty well to the treatment they have given him. The president has been handicapped from his presidential duties by such illnesses. He has flown to Germany twice and this is the second time he's been to Saudi Arabia for emergency treatment. He was diagnosed last week after his prayers and he reported some chest pains. In interviews he emphasizes that his life is in God's hands. If President Yar'Adua was to step-down or die it would mess with the country's constitution because his vice president is from the country's southern Delta region, but according to the ruling People's Democratic Party the president has to be a northerner.

The President needs to preform his duties as president. He took the job to be president so that's what he should do. He needs to carry out his term then step down for his country and because it's his job. I understand how it would be hard to be president if you keep getting flown to other countries all the time but if he needs to do that then he has to roll with it. I believe he's making the right decision.

=Sources= ="BBC News - Nigeria President Umaru Yar'Adua 'has heart problem'" //BBC NEWS | News Front Page//. 26 Nov. 2009. Web. 30 Nov. 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8380520.stm "Hospitalized Nigerian president not stepping down - CNN.com." //CNN.com International - Breaking, World, Business, Sports, Entertainment and Video News//. 27 Nov. 2009. Web. 30 Nov. 2009. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/11/27/nigeria.president/index.html =

The BBC article provided way more information than the CNN article. CNN gave a short four paragraphs only about Yar'Adua's sickness. BBC gives interesting backround information and the pros and cons about Yar'Adua stepping down or not. I would suggest reading the BBC article.

Summary
Zimbabawe has been in a state of inflation for a long time. It was terrible and people would be paying extreme amounts of money for basic life foods. In November 2008 the inflation rate was at 76,600,000,000%.Zimbabawe was unable to break Hungary's record of inflation in 1946. Now however Zimbabawe has made a turnaround and people are happier and can afford for the goods in stores. "Life was difficult last year. Everything was too expensive for us. Now, the shops are full and a loaf costs 85 cents," a shopper told BBC. Finance minister, Tendai Biti, says the economy will grow by 7% next year. Others are less optimistic. "We still expect a slight contraction and next year's number will be highly dependent on the political developments," said Christie Viljoen, an economist at NKC Independent Economists. That being said the International Monetary fund predicts a 6% expansion.

Opinion
Finally some good things are happening for countries in Africa that were in trouble. I think this is great and i hope it keeps happening for Zimbabwe and other countries. I want to know how they got out of this rut. We might, as a country, learn something.

"BBC News - Zimbabwe's budget predicts growth and low inflation." //BBC NEWS | News Front Page//. 2 Dec. 2009. Web. 05 Dec. 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8390086.stm

"Zimbabwe: From Hyperinflation to Growth | Steve H. Hanke | Cato Institute: Development Policy Analysis." //The Cato Institute//. 25 June 2008. Web. 05 Dec. 2009. 

The Cato article wasn't all to informative. It gives me some back round on inflation itself and how it affected Zimbabwe. But the BBC article was great. A lot of quotes and more information about Zimbabwe now and how it was then.

