Miriam Makeba Was A Great Humanitarian & Singer Who Passed Away Yesterday!

I had never heard of "Mama Africa" until today.That was Miriam Makeba's moniker because of her very vocal stance against apartheid in South Africa. Not only that, but she also was one of the best & most celebrated singers to emerge from South Africa! Her beauty,poise, & talent guaranteed her success around the world. But she chose to jeopardize her career for the sake of humanity. Miriam Makeba just could not bear the treatment of Africans under the cruel system of apartheid. Because she testified against apartheid before the U.N., she was exiled from South Africa for almost 30 years. Nelson Mandela begged her to return in 1990.


She was a wonderful singer& great humanitarian.She released some of her biggest hits in the United States.Miriam Makeba was born on Mar.4,1932 in Johannesburg & died on Nov.9,2008 in Italy while performing on stage. As an African-American female, I am on an ongoing quest to familiarize myself with the African culture & people. Miriam Makeba is exactly the type of woman whose life should inspire not only those of the African diaspora.The way she conducted her life should enthuse us all.It's just unfortunate that I did not know about her at all until now.Believe me, I will listen to her music & research her life.Here's an excerpt from suite101.com:

"In the same year she appeared in an anti-Apartheid film "Come Back Africa". Makeba went to the Venice Film Festival to receive an award for the movie that took her voice around the world. She decided not to return home. Her South African passport was revoked.

In 1963, after an impassioned testimony before the United Nations Committee Against Apartheid, Makeba's records were banned in South Africa and her South African citizenship and her right to return to the country was revoked.

Harry Belafonte organized a US visa for her, and the young, beautiful African woman with the sultry voice conquered US audiences. In 1967, more than ten years after she wrote the song, "Pata Pata" was released in the United States and became a hit worldwide. All over people were doing the "pata pata dance". (END OF EXCERPT)Read more about the dynamic Miriam Makeba:
http://jazz.suite101.com/article.cfm/south_africas_miriam_makeba

You Can't Sell Yourself On Craigslist Anymore!

I know girls who are in the sex industry working as escorts. Some of them do advertise on Craigslist to attract more clientele. Apparently,that may be just a thing of the past in 40 states.Craigslist will make it much more difficult to advertise your personal wares on their site. They will make you provide a phone number & pay with a credit card in order to advertise under erotic services. In my opinion, they should arrest anyone who put a child out there as a prostitute. But if it's two consenting adults who are using protection & healthy, it's not anyone's business. We must protect children though.Here's an excerpt from The Associated Press:

"Police across the country have been arresting people for using Web sites like Craigslist to advertise the sexual services of women and children.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who brokered the agreement, said his office contacted Craigslist after receiving several complaints from users late in 2007 about photographs depicting nudity on the site. He said Craigslist cooperated fully and there was never a need to threaten legal action against the company.

The states that signed the agreement are Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam also joined."(END OF EXCERPT) Go here to read the whole article:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iKZFszTS9Y6hvDHl4ZLMRJHUnhngD949L8OO0

Iran Didn't Like Obama's Remark About Their Nuclear Program!

So, Iran doesn't like Barack Obama's objections to their development of nuclear technology. With a new president, they expect him to deviate from the position that past presidents have taken on this issue. But, Barack Obama said that a nuclear-armed Iran would be "unacceptable" which is what sparked this retort:

"Ali Larijani said Saturday that Obama should apply his campaign message of change to U.S. dealings with Iran.

"Obama must know that the change that he talks about is not simply a superficial changing of colors or tactics," Larijani said in comments carried by the semi-official Mehr News Agency.

"What is expected is a change in strategy, not the repetition of objections to Iran's nuclear program, which will be taking a step in the wrong direction." (END OF EXCERPT) Read the rest here:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/11/08/iran.obama/index.html

Watch the video to learn more about Iran's nuclear programs.