History repeats itself in a way you wouldn't imagine

Black girl escorted to school, 1960:
On November 14, 1960, nearly 49 years ago, 6 year old Ruby Bridges faced hostile crowds, and had to be escorted by U.S. Marshalls , because she was the first black child to attend previously all-white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans , Louisiana . Ruby was 6 years old. (The Great Norman Rockwell created the painting above depicting that event.)

That morning, she had only been told by her mother that she was going to be attending a new school that day and 'had better behave.' Little did little Ruby know that she would be bombarded with jeers and even death threats; and that she would end up being the sole

child in her first grade class because all the other children were kept home by their parents. All because Ruby was Black.

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Black girl escorted to school, 2009:
On January 5, 2009, nearly 49 years after Ruby attended her school, 7 year old Sasha Obama, faced cheering schoolmates as she is escorted by her Mother and U. S. Secret Service Agents to Sidwell Friends Elementary School in Washington, DC. Her Mother, the current First Lady of the United States of America , had Secret Service escort because Sasha's daddy is now the 44th President of the United States , Barack Obama.

Source: Anon

Zitto Kabwe: Seeing tanzania political landscape in perspective

12 June 2009

12th June 2009, 06:27 PM

Zitto

Re: Zitto Kabwe atangaza kung’atuka - Maelezo yangu Wana JF , Mwanzoni nilipoona mada hii na majibu ya baadhi ya watu hapo awali sikuona umuhimu sana wa kujibu kwani ni mada ya zamani sana, mwaka 2007. Nilisema kwa mara ya kwanza kuwa sitagombea ubunge mwaka 2010 mwezi September mwaka 2006 na kuripotiwa na gazeti la SundayNews. Nilirejea tena kauli hiyo mwezi March mwaka 2007 nikiwa Wilayani Maswa mkoani Shinyanga na kuleta mjadala mkali sana katika JamboForums wakati huo. Mwezi March mwaka 2008 nilihojiwa na gazeti la The EastAfrican na kusisitiza kuwa nia yangu ni kutumikia kipindi kimoja tu cha Ubunge na kupumzika kwa miaka mitano kabla sijarudi tena Bungeni...... soma hapa ...allAfrica.com: Tanzania: Zitto Kabwe - The Country's One-Man Backbench (Page 1 of 2) Mara zote nilisema kuwa sababu kubwa ya kuamua kuwa Mbunge wa kipindi kimoja ni kurudi kusoma zaidi na kupata fursa ya kufanya kazi maana toka nimemaliza shule nimefanya kazi mwaka mmoja tu (Shirika la Friedrich Ebert Foundation) na hivyo kujiona kuwa ninakosa 'some skills' za uongozi ili kutumia kipaji changu 'to the fullest' na kutumikia nchi yangu. Hata siku moja sijawahi kutia shika nia yangu ya kutumikia Taifa. Lakini siku zote nimekataa kuwa carrier politician. Ninapenda nikimaliza kazi zangu za kisiasa niweze kuwa na uwezo wa kufundisha katika vyuo vikuu taaluma yangu nitakayobobea. Baada ya kuwa Mbunge kwa takribani miezi 9 tu (na hasa baada ya kikao cha bajeti cha mwaka 2006/2007) niliona dhahiri kuwa kwa Bunge letu hili, mabadiliko ni nadra sana. Hivyo nikasema mapema kabisa kuwa nitakuwa Mbunge wa 'term' moja. Nilisema mapema ili watu wa Kigoma Kaskazini wenye mawazo ya kutaka kugombea wajue 'incumbent' hatagombea. Nilifanya kwa nia njema kabisa. Ninadhani nina uhuru wa kuamua kutogombea kama nilivyoamua kugombea bila kusukumwa na mtu. Mimi sikuombwa kugombea ubunge. Niliamua mwenyewe. Sasa kuhusisha uamuzi wangu huu nilioutoa miaka mitatu iliyopita na kununuliwa ni ufinyu tu wa mawazo ya baadhi ya watu wenye malengo yao. Kwanza nimesema mara kwa mara kuwa sinunuliki. Hakuna kiwango cha fedha cha kuninunua. Nimejiwekea misingi ya maisha ya kusema kile ninachoamini. Sasa kama ninachoamiani unakipenda, ninashukuru. Kama hukipendi kikatae. Nimejieleza sana kuhusu suala la Dowans. Niliunga mkono ununuzi wa mitambo ile ili kuliokoa shirika la Umeme - tanesco. Nilisikiliza maelezo ya watu waliopinga na kuyaheshimu. Nilipinga kutukanwa na kuzushiwa kuwa nimehongwa (wengine mpaka wamesema kiwango cha hongo - mara VX mpya, mara dola 70,000 na leo nimeona kuwa nimewekewa pesa katika yangu ya Stanbic sh 800 milioni) - Nimekuwa Mbunge miaka 4 sasa. Kweli siwezi kuwa na pesa za kununua VX mbili tatu nk? Mwaka 2007 nilinunua gari ya kifahari kabisa (pamoja na msaada wa marafiki wa nje) aina ya Hummer, nayo nilihongwa na nani? Nimekuwa mjumbe wa Kamati ya Afrika Mashariki kwa miezi 6 nalipwa kila siku 200,000 shs. Pia nimekuwa mjumbe wa Kamati ya Madini ya Bomani kwa miezi 4 na nusu na kulipwa 350,000 kila siku. Kweli ndugu zangu nishindwe kununua VX ya 60m, tena second hand pale AfriCarriers? Mbona mnanitukana ndugu yenu? Nimesomea kiasi cha kutosha Biashara ya Kimataifa na kufanya kazi za 'consultancy' Wizara ya fedha na wizara ya Biashara na Viwanda kuandaa mkakati wa nchi katika mazungumzo ya Economic Partnership Agreements dhidi ya EU. Nimekuwa nikilipwa vizuri tu. Nimefanya kazi kwa Mwaka mmoja na Rais Kohler kuhusu mpango wa Ujerumani kuhusu Afrika. Nimefanya consultancy na EU kuhusu nafasi ya Zanzibar katika Biashara ya Kimataifa....... Kweli jamani, hata kama mtu ana ajenda ya siri, siwezi kupata fedha za kununua gari ninayoipenda? Hivi sasa nina gari 5 - Prado 2 (zote sasa nimezigawa kwa Wagombea Ubunge watarajiwa wa CHADEMA mwakani, Nissan Patrol 1 ambayo inatumika Jimboni kwangu, Prado 2 moja anayotembelea Jacquiline, my partner na VX ambayo ninaitumia mimi kwa ziara ndefu za Chama. Gari zote nimeziorodhesha katika fomu za maadili na zile za kuzitoa nitazitoa baada ya kubadili umiliki. Ninapenda kurudia kusema kuwa sikuhongwa kutaka TANESCO wanunue mitambo ya Dowans. Sijawahi si tu kukutana na mmiliki wa Dowans, bali hata mlinzi wa kampuni hiyo na kufanya hiyo dili inayosemwa sana humu na baadhi ya watu kutaka kuamini bila hata ushahidi. Nimeshangaa sana watu kuhusisha kuacha kwangu Ubunge na mambo hayo ya Dowans kana kwamba hiyo kampuni ili ilikuwapo September 2006 wakati ninatangaza kutogombea. Watu kadhaa hawakukubaliana na sababu zangu za kutogombea. Ninaheshimu mawazo yao. Wengine ni watu ninaowaheshimu sana kama Mzee Mtei na Dkt. Salim (ambaye, nitamke kwa mara ya kwanza, aliplay role kubwa sana kunifanya niwe Mbunge). Wengine ni mazoea tu kwamba unaachaje ulaji? Yaani unaacha mshahara wa 12m kwa mwezi Zitto? Wengine hawaamini kuona Bunge bila Zitto. Basi kila mtu ana sababu zake. Kitu kimoja kinaniumiza sana. Licha ya kutekeleza asilimia takribani 75% ya ahadi zangu Jimboni na kuilazimisha serikali kufanya miradi mikubwa ya maendeleo jimboni kwangu (leo barabara ya kwanza ya lami katika Mkoa wa Kigoma toka nchi ipate uhuru imezinduliwa na Pinda Jimboni kwangu - Barabara ya Mwandiga Manyovu), ninatumia muda mchache sana kuwapo Jimboni. Hii inaniumiza sana. Kwa siasa zangu, siwezi kuwa parochial MP, hivyo hili linanifanya nione uamuzi wangu wa kutogombea uendelee na kwamba hata nikirudi Bungeni baada ya miaka 5 au Kumi, ninadhani nitagombea Jimbo mojawapo la Dar es Salaam kwani ninatarajia kuendelea kufanya siasa za kitaifa. Ninaacha Ubunge nikiwa nimefanya mambo ninayojivunia sana. Nimesababisha mabadiliko makubwa katika uendeshaji wa Bunge kupitia mabadiliko ya kanuni za Bunge, niliufanya mjadala wa sekta ya Madini kuwa mjadala wa kitaifa na kupelekea kuundwa Kamati iliyotoa ripoti nzuri sana na nimekuwa mstari wa mbele kuhakikisha kuwa ripoti hiyo inatekelezwa, kwa mwaka mmoja ambao nimekuwa mwenyekiti wa Kamati ya Mashirika ya Umma mabadiliko makubwa sana yanatokea na soko la Hisa la Dar (kwa juhudi zangu) sasa liktakuwa na Kampuni nyingi sana 'listed', nimesimamisha zoezi la kubinafsisha mashirika mpaka tathmini ifanyike, nimepelekea uchunguzi mkali kufanyika kuhusu mashirika kadhaa ambayo yalibinafishwa kiharamu ikiwemo uchunguzi wa kampuni ambayo ilinunuliwa na Rostam Aziz ambaye wengi humu mnaamini kanihonga, nimechangia kwa kiasi kikubwa kufanya mijadala ya Bunge kuwa yenye uhai na hata kuamsha wabunge wengine ambao hawakuwa wakisema licha ya kuwa Bungeni vipindi vingi, nimechangamsha siasa za nchi wakati ambapo chama tawala kina zaidi ya asilimia 80 ya wabunge. Mara zote nimeweka maslahi ya nchi mbele kiasi kwamba Dola, narudia Dola, haina wasiwasi na 'eventuality' ya mimi kuongoza dola nikitaka kwani maslahi ya nchi hayatakuwa na mashaka. Nimejenga imani kubwa na civil service na parastatal heads na hivyo kuwa na machinery muhimu za kuongoza nchi. Sitagombea Ubunge. Ninakwenda kusoma 'Resources Economics' na nikimaliza nimeanza mchakato wa kuomba kazi ama somaliland au Southern Sudan ili nishikrika katika ujenzi wa 'institutions' kwa nchi hizi. Ninaamini kuwa maarifa na uzoefu nitakaoupata vitanisaidia sana nitakaporudi kwenye siasa. Ninaamini pia kuwa kuna Watanzania vijana wengi sana wenye uwezo mkubwa wa uongozi lakini hawana fursa kama niliyopata mimi. Nitawasaidia hawa ili watoe mchango wao katika kujenga Taifa letu zuri sana. Nimetimiza wajibu wangu. Ninajivunia sana rekodi yangu ya kazi ya Ubunge mpaka sasa. Mtu mmoja humu amewahi kuandika kuwa wengi humu hamumuelewi Zitto. Nakubaliana nae sana..Wengi humu mnaniunderestimate sana! Save this thread........ mtahitaji kuirejea huko mbele.....

Internet is resourceful-how did we ever survive without the www?

Awhile back I sadly observed Yahoo was about to kill Geocities. Around that time I had a feel on a certain free open source CMS software (Drupal). For this I had to install it on localhost... another free suite of webserver, database and scripting language installed as xampp.

The two events are signs of the times. Whereas to make a webpage on Geocities one needed to know at least the basics of html, one wouldn't need to have a little bit of knowledge of html or scripting language to build quite a complex website, blogs etc on Drupal.

The relationships on web use is what could be described as symbiotic association: A website owner would place ads on their websites announcing someone else's product. Web users would be brought to the site for information they want, likely to be enticed (not conned) by ads there. When they visit the link on the ad, whoever is selling a product or service becomes happy, someone is appraising their mechandise. The website owner is happy, a click has registered on their adsense. Google or other adserver is happy because the advertiser is happily paying . It is a win-win situation.

There are other services too which are so cool such as Wikipedia, MIT-OCW it is a big miracke that they are there. Webmail too, with their virtually unlimited capacity mailboxes: how were we surviving with a 2 MB mailbox as recently as 5 years ago?

The word of hardware has its own tale to tell, but that would be a subject of another post.

Oh, GM has filed bankruptcy!

Announcement sounded like a clap of thunder. General Motors has been bobbing atop Fortune 500 list for ages. So this is a shocker, a real one. One would expect a company of GM's girth to deploy whatever resources to sidestep the slippery time slice the world is going on. Seems whatever they tried to do didn't quite work out.
It might be the sign of the coming times. Environment-conscious Planet Earth is shuddering away from the fuel-guzzling SUVs which, anyway, wouldn't run on battery-powered electric motors. Jobs--blue- and white-collar alike--are going down the grain. There won't be much to spend. Where the jobless get unemployment cheques, they will start learning taking subways, cleaning up environment even more.
While auto industry, (airline and several others too) are going through hard times, we are told of some growth in technology businesses. Here are people who were able to work out miracles with miniaturization: the other day I bought a 4 giga memory card for my camera for quarter the price I'd bought a 1 giga card about six months earlier. What's that joke of exchanges between microsoft and GM on their industries' growth comparison that was going around the net sometime ago?