Tea Party vs. Madagascar's Forests - an interesting article about the US Tea Party movement coming down on the side of Gibson guitars against US government regulation, yet the regulation stems (no pun intended) from Gibson's use of illegally-harvested hardwoods from Madagascar's protected forests. (on a personal note, I have never been to that part of Madagascar but the photo at the top is so universal of the rural areas that I thought at first glance I recognized the family).
Madagascar "transitional" President finally got a chance to speak at the UN General Assembly this year. He spoke about the importance of international mediation in resolving conflicts. He then tried to justify his power-taking (what most would call a coup d'etat) by citing human rights abuses and poverty, both of which have persisted under his watch and in the case of abuses potentially increased (though I am quick to point out the departure of international aid as a main reason for at least the poverty-worsening). He entered to what sounds like dead silence, which I thought was telling, but then I realized people were probably clapping but the audio is that of the translator. Check out TGV here:
Nice wrap-up of Rajoelina's visit to the UN. The article calls out the UN Secretary-General for meeting with him despite claiming it was "unofficial," and emphasizes the fact that the return of ex-President Marc Ravalomanana that sealed the deal is not going to happen, with many in the current government saying once again that they will arrest him (even claiming they will go to South Africa to arrest him in exile - the ex-President's host, the South Africa government, will never let this happen, though).
Here is video of the Peace Corps bike tour for AIDS awareness (the Fety Ribà Mena) we put on last year in the Lac Alaotra region. You may recall me talking about it a lot last summer (search the blog for details), now you can see some footage of our project... and far too much footage of me dancing...
A few blogs written by friends/colleagues worth checking out:
-I have mentioned Salama Madagascar! many times, but the last few posts have been great. I plan to write more about the environmantal/ conservation movement soon, and link particularly to Ryan's article on virgin forests / the Conservation myth.
-Beerconomist by fellow MDP student Holly. The blog title is great and the development insight is even better.
-International Agriculture and Development by fellow MDP student Rafael. This blog focuses on agriculture, and has been especially good at pointing out useful resources for development practitioners.
Speaking of the MDP program, which I have written about before really starting (and am currently enjoying the heavy workload of), here are some informational links... first, a video about the program:
Also, this pdf details the program further:
And of course you can visit the website itself to learn more (and apply, for all you Mada RPCVs or soon-to-be RPCVs.... manasa! Even better - Malagasy students should apply too!)
Of course, Chris, no one from any poor countries would dare to give a speech at the UN summit that he/she took over the power in his/her country by coup(unless he/she got a support from some western nations). Some African presidents actually give a speech at the UN summit to make their people believe they are accepted by the international community, especially the US government because its headquarters is in New York.
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