"Spiderman 3" Actress Found Dead In Her Apartment!

I really didn't know much about Lucy Gordon,but I did see her in "Spiderman 3".This rising British actress was found dead from what may be a suicide in her Paris flat.Those who knew her say that she seemed upbeat,so it would be a shock if she did take her own life.People may seem okay on the surface,but sometimes you just never know.Police say that the actress hung herself while her boyfriend was asleep.

Here's more on Ms. Gordon's death from the Telegraph:

"Police in the French capital said the body of Miss Gordon, 28, was found on Wednesday, two days before her 29th birthday.

A shopkeeper near her flat told Gala magazine that the star's boyfriend had burst into his shop on Wednesday morning calling for help.

The pair rushed upstairs in la Rue des Petites Ecuries to find the young actress dead.

Police are looking into the theory that she hanged herself while her boyfriend lay sleeping in the flat.

"There were no suspicious circumstances," said a detective. "It appears that the young woman took her own life."

Friends of Miss Gordon said she had been deeply affected by the recent suicide of a friend back in Britain.

One local added: "She was an adorable girl. Two days ago, we were chatting over a drink. You think people are stable and then..."

The Oxford-born actress played character Jennifer Dugan in the third instalment of Spider-Man and had most recently acted in Brief Interviews With Hideous Men."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here.

Why Did A White Kenyan Aristocrat Only Get 8 Months For Killing A Black Poacher?!!

I did an extensive post not too long ago about Thomas Cholmondeley.He is one of Kenya's most famous white aristocrats who has killed twice.And has basically gotten away with it!This man has been given a ridiculously "light sentence" for murdering a black poacher with his rifle.

Because he has been in custody for 3 yrs,the judge in this case decided that he should only be given a 8-month sentence!There is justifiable outrage in Kenya over the judge's decision.Even though the judge denies it,I'm pretty damn sure that Cholmondeley's societal position influenced his decision.

Here's more from Yahoo News:

"In a case that stirred fierce resentments over race and land, a Kenyan judge on Thursday sentenced the son of a baron to eight months in prison for killing a black poacher on his vast family estate.

The sentence handed down to Thomas Cholmondeley — a fraction of the possible life in prison he faced — provoked shouts of protest from Maasai tribesmen and sighs of relief from white landowners, both of whom packed into the crowded courtroom.

Judge Muga Apondi last week convicted Cholmondeley of manslaughter in the 2006 shooting of a 37-year-old black poacher, Robert Njoya. The judge had reduced the charge down from murder, saying he believed Cholmondeley's attempts to give Njoya first aid helped prove that he accidentally shot the poacher when aiming at his dogs.

On Thursday, the judge said he took the three years Cholmondeley had already served into account, concluding, "I hereby wish to impose a light sentence on the accused to allow him to reflect on his life."

Cholmondeley's parents, Lord and Lady Delamere, listened to the verdict along with Sarah Njoya, the widow of the dead poacher, and traditionally dressed Maasai activists whose elongated earlobes brushed the traditional red-checked blankets they wore.

The sentence provoked immediate protests from the public gallery, where women wrapped in colorful cloths wearing traditional beaded jewelry waved signs depicting guns and dead bodies.

"We want justice," read one.

The tall, bespectacled Cholmondeley, who has been imprisoned in squalid conditions since his arrest in May 2006, will return to the maximum security prison, defense lawyer Fred Ojiambo said.

The prosecution said it would consider appealing the sentence, which Ojiambo described as "very just."

Njoya's death was the second time in just over a year that Cholmondeley had shot and killed a black man on his largely ungated farm. The first shooting did not come to trial, sparking protests from locals who said there had been high-level government intervention in the case.

Grievances raised by the case reach far beyond the Cholmondeley family. Some Kenyans resent all white farmers as symbols of the British colonists who stole land from local tribes."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here.

Polygamy Issue:South Africa's New President,Jacob Zuma,Has Three First Ladies!!!

Which one of Jacob Zuma's three wives will become the first lady of South Africa?That's a question that many in the media are pondering right now,since Jacob Zuma is South Africa's first polygamous president.

More than likely,President Zuma will not choose one first lady because he does not have to.The polygamy issue has been created by "American news values",according to Steven Friedman of the University of Johannesburg.After all,polygamy is a part of Zulu culture & tradition.And Jacob Zuma is a man of tradition.

Here's more from BBC News:

"But should sexual politics have an influence over voters' choices?

Steven Friedman at the University of Johannesburg says not.

"If as a politician you believe it is OK to rape or treat people with violence then that will have an effect on the way you deal with public challenges."

"But if you think it's OK to marry five women I don't think it would."

Mr Zuma is deeply committed to traditional beliefs, he says.

"But I'm sceptical if the electorate cares much about it."
Tradition
So why has there been such a flurry of media articles about who will be the "first wife"?
The ANC has said the matter is a personal one and there is no protocol to dictate who Mr Zuma should choose to be his "first wife".

It has also been suggested that one of Mr Zuma's daughters could take on the role.

But Mr Friedman says there is nothing in the constitution about any role for the president's spouse.

"A lot of the media speculation has been driven by American news values, something that doesn't really have much to do with South African political culture."So does Zulu culture indicate who will get to shake Barack Obama's hand or take tea with the Queen at Buckingham Palace?

Mr Madlala says it is likely that Mr Zuma will not have to choose one woman to be his official companion at state occasions or visits.

The Zulu king Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu frequently takes more than one of his five wives with him on visits, he says.
"It may be that to avoid antagonising some of them he takes them all to state occasions.

"Or he may rotate among them, like the nightly visits." (END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here.