Washington Informer
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The consensus among African Americans has long been that children of color belong with families of color. Even when the children are of different nationalities, the belief is that cultural differences spoil the stew simmering inside the “melting pot.†Ironically, African American adoptive parents, particularly of immigrant Black children is rare. The recent arrest and detainment of 10 relief workers smuggling Haitian children from the country in the wake of a catastrophic earthquake has brought the plight of Diasporic adoptions and child trafficking to the forefront of the world media. Still, the dilemma remains: How best can the international adoption community answer the call for placements amid accusations of kidnapping and abuse?
More than 300 of Haiti's children are adopted by American families through legitimate adoption services; however, in the wake of a devasting earthquake, many of its children have been left vulnerable to child traffickers and abuse. Courtesy Photo
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LACK AND NEED
Even before four hurricanes slammed Haiti in 2008 and ruined almost 60 percent of the country’s harvest, many of its children, suffering under international embargoes and economic disenfranchisement, were in need of food and medical aid. And as families increasingly sought the support of mission schools and charities to house and feed their children, many could have been categorized according to Western standards as “orphaned†or “adoptable.â€
More than 300 of Haiti's children are adopted by American families through legitimate adoption services; however, in the wake of a devasting earthquake, many of its children have been left vulnerable to child traffickers and abuse. Courtesy PhotoTHE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LACK AND NEED
Even before four hurricanes slammed Haiti in 2008 and ruined almost 60 percent of the country’s harvest, many of its children, suffering under international embargoes and economic disenfranchisement, were in need of food and medical aid. And as families increasingly sought the support of mission schools and charities to house and feed their children, many could have been categorized according to Western standards as “orphaned†or “adoptable.â€
The indelible spirit of people is an amazing thing. Afghanistan is a perfect example. Which leads one to wonder — can the United States win? If you ask many, the answer is no. In other words, there’s no way out.
“When you look at the situation in Afghanistan, we have decided to fight a war against a group of people who are tribal in nature, which is a problem within itself,” said Dr. Paul O. Radde, who worked at the State Department for many years and is now with the Thrival Institute in Colorado. “It is a third world country where people do not necessarily want to change, which has been a problem for anyone who has tried to go in there and change the country.
“When you look at the situation in Afghanistan, we have decided to fight a war against a group of people who are tribal in nature, which is a problem within itself,” said Dr. Paul O. Radde, who worked at the State Department for many years and is now with the Thrival Institute in Colorado. “It is a third world country where people do not necessarily want to change, which has been a problem for anyone who has tried to go in there and change the country.
ST. MARC, Haiti (AP) -- An outbreak of cholera has spread outside a rural valley in central Haiti, intensifying worries the disease could reach squalid tarp camps that house hundreds of thousands of earthquake survivors in the capital.
By Saturday more than 200 were confirmed dead in the poor Caribbean nation's worst health crisis since the Jan. 12 quake, and authorities said more than 2,000 were sick.
The cholera outbreak has been centered in the central Artibonite region, but at least five cases were confirmed in Arcahaie, a town closer to the quake-devastated capital, Port-au-Prince. Another four cases were reported in Limbe, a small northern municipality.
By Saturday more than 200 were confirmed dead in the poor Caribbean nation's worst health crisis since the Jan. 12 quake, and authorities said more than 2,000 were sick.
The cholera outbreak has been centered in the central Artibonite region, but at least five cases were confirmed in Arcahaie, a town closer to the quake-devastated capital, Port-au-Prince. Another four cases were reported in Limbe, a small northern municipality.
Colonel Muammar Gaddafi declared to be the 'king of Kings' by African leaders is pictured following his election to the post of chairman of the African Union (AU) in 2009. In his inaugural speech Gaddafi said “I shall continue to insist that our sovereign countries work to achieve the United States of Africa”; however, his recent statements to European leaders suggests a blanket prejudice against Africans. Courtesy PhotoIn what appears to be a racially incendiary move, Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, recently offered to stem the steady influx of Africans into various European nations in an effort to keep Europe white and civilized. Gaddafi told Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on a recent trip to Rome that the European Union (EU) should pay him at least 5bn euros ($6.3 billion) a year to stop illegal African immigration and avoid a “Black Europe.”
Caption
Courtesy Photo
U.N. Envoy Paul Farmer
Special to the NNPA from the GIN
(GIN) – With a distinguished record of service bringing medical care around the world, Paul Farmer, U.N. deputy special envoy to Haiti, assessed the current delivery of aid to earthquake victims during a brief radio interview broadcast this week.

“Coordination is very difficult, as I’m sure you have seen already. There are so many balkanized, fissured groups trying to do good, that it is very difficult for the government or the U.N. or any organization to coordinate them. And then I said delivery because it seems to me, having worked here a long time, that delivery is always the stumbling point.,†Farmer said.
Courtesy Photo
U.N. Envoy Paul Farmer
Special to the NNPA from the GIN
(GIN) – With a distinguished record of service bringing medical care around the world, Paul Farmer, U.N. deputy special envoy to Haiti, assessed the current delivery of aid to earthquake victims during a brief radio interview broadcast this week.

“Coordination is very difficult, as I’m sure you have seen already. There are so many balkanized, fissured groups trying to do good, that it is very difficult for the government or the U.N. or any organization to coordinate them. And then I said delivery because it seems to me, having worked here a long time, that delivery is always the stumbling point.,†Farmer said.
Sheila Johnson. Courtesy Photo
Bob Johnson. Sheila Johnson. Courtesy Photo
Africa's first democratically elected woman president, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Courtesy Photo(GIN) - Africa's first democratically elected woman president, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, has announced she will run for a second term.
“I know where we are today, I know where we ought to be tomorrow and I know how we will get there,†she told a joint assembly of MPs gathered this week for her annual message on Tue., Jan 26.
Caption
Courtesy Photo
Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua
Special to the NNPA from the GIN
(GIN) – Nigeria’s cabinet has been ordered to decide within 14 days if the hospitalized President Umaru Yar’Adua is fit to lead the country. President Yar’Adua has been in Saudi Arabia for two months, receiving treatment for a heart condition, but has not officially transferred power to any another official. 

The order by the Federal High Court came in response to a lawsuit brought by opposition activist Farouk Adamu Aliyu who asked the judges to remove the president over his failing health and for failing to abide by the provisions of the constitution. His lawyer, Bamidele Aturu, told the BBC that the judgment was a “victory for democracy.â€
Courtesy Photo
Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua
Special to the NNPA from the GIN
(GIN) – Nigeria’s cabinet has been ordered to decide within 14 days if the hospitalized President Umaru Yar’Adua is fit to lead the country. President Yar’Adua has been in Saudi Arabia for two months, receiving treatment for a heart condition, but has not officially transferred power to any another official. 

The order by the Federal High Court came in response to a lawsuit brought by opposition activist Farouk Adamu Aliyu who asked the judges to remove the president over his failing health and for failing to abide by the provisions of the constitution. His lawyer, Bamidele Aturu, told the BBC that the judgment was a “victory for democracy.â€
On the eve of a possibly altered political landscape in the U.S., one U.S.-resident Nigerian, “glued to the TV”, as votes rolled in, recalled the current plight of his ancestral home.
“ I know America has taken more than 232 years to be where she is today, and that Nigeria, 50 years after independence, still has a long way to go,” observed Dr. Wumi Akintide. “
“ I know America has taken more than 232 years to be where she is today, and that Nigeria, 50 years after independence, still has a long way to go,” observed Dr. Wumi Akintide. “
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Written by Special to the NNPA from the Global Information Network
Written by Special to the NNPA from the Global Information Network
Now that the mid-term elections are over and the politics of exaggeration appear to be catching less national attention, it is past time to focus on the economic condition and plight of 50 million African Americans. The devastating economic disaster of the Bush years has a lingering negative economic effect on everyone in the United States, especially for Black Americans.
President Barack Obama writing in an editorial in the November 6, 2010 edition of The New York Times, stated, “As the United States recovers from this recession, the biggest mistake we could make would be to rebuild our economy on the same pile of debt or the paper profits of financial speculation. We need to rebuild on a new, stronger foundation for economic growth.
President Barack Obama writing in an editorial in the November 6, 2010 edition of The New York Times, stated, “As the United States recovers from this recession, the biggest mistake we could make would be to rebuild our economy on the same pile of debt or the paper profits of financial speculation. We need to rebuild on a new, stronger foundation for economic growth.
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