solstice

Two people were killed and 41 injured in an explosion next to a Kampala-bound bus in downtown Nairobi on Monday night. The blast occurred at 7.40pm as passengers were boarding a Kampala Coach bus in the River Road area.

Most of the people on the bus were Ugandans on their way home for Christmas. Earlier in the day, warnings were issued by Ugandan Police about terrorist attacks during the holiday season. This is the second grenade attack in Nairobi in December. Two grenades were detonated in suburbs near the city earlier this month. Police think today's explosion was from the same type of Russian made grenade.

Today I feel nervous. When I hear about this type of violence in a place where I have been (and will soon return to) my stomach tightens and my heart beats a little too fast.

My plan is to return to Uganda in January and then leave in mid-February during the election. I will take a bus from Jinja to Nairobi and then on to Mombasa. I will relax at the beach until the election results are confirmed and life returns to normal.

Today's news puts a dent in my confidence. And then there's Ivory Coast. I should probably also mention the January 9th referendum in South Sudan.

I can't control what will happen. For now I'll go with my motto: "plan for nothing, prepare for everything" but frankly, I'm a little frightened. I want to overcome this fear. I don't want to live in fear. I don't even want to live with fear. I want to feel confident and secure.

weather: you like it or not

raining in nyc today. doing a little uganda research...

---from WikiLeaks via The Guardian: Yet the President's autocratic tendencies, as well as Uganda's pervasive corruption, sharpening ethnic divisions, and explosive population growth have eroding Uganda's status as an African success story. Holding a credible and peaceful presidential election in February 2011 could restore Uganda's image, while failing in that task could lead to domestic political violence and regional instability. read the rest here

This cable continues on to outline major issues facing Uganda in the near future: human rights and corruption, the LRA and ethnic tensions, HIV/AIDS, oil and the economy. The attitude presented here is one of Uganda as a "fading democracy" faced with numerous domestic challenges and foreign pressure to stand up and re-establish its role as "a confident and outspoken regional leader."

-- one of the first issues facing the region in 2011 is the South Sudan referendum on 9 January. From The Independent magazine in Uganda: "Uganda should pay close attention to the 2011 South Sudan elections." The TIME Magazine issue for this week asks the question, “South Sudan: Can this be the World’s Newest Nation?” The question is very pertinent for the world, but it is an extremely important question for Uganda and Africa. As a country, Uganda should be paying particularly close attention to the political situation in South Sudan. The result of the 2011 referendum could hurt or benefit Uganda. the rest here

This blog post draws out the impact of the referendum down to two possibilities: A) The referendum in southern Sudan does not go smoothly and Sudan descends into civil war. Uganda has a history of supporting the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA - representing the southern part of Sudan) while the government in Khartoum has supported Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. (LRA - infamous rebel group from Northern Uganda) A civil war could mean increased tension between Uganda and Sudan as each country supports the enemy of the other. Option B) The referendum does go smoothly and South Sudan is gtanted independence. Uganda already has strong economic ties to South Sudan. The region is "blessed" with oil and South Sudan's independence could result in major investment from oil companies.

-- And a hopeful note for the day...Project Justice

Imagine being brutally attacked by your husband. You are rushed to the hospital, on the verge of death. At the hospital, you are cared for, and when you are slightly stronger, you are sent back home to the perpetrator of the crime because the hospital workers are ignorant of the law and the police require a bribe to file a police report.

Or, imagine you are a 13-year-old girl, raped and impregnated by your assailant. Your family is so poor and ignorant of the law that they accept a cow from the family of the man as settlement for the deed. Case closed.

Incidents like these are what inspired Just Like My Child Foundation’s “Project Justice” – a comprehensive human rights education program conducted in partnership with FIDA, a Federation of Women Attorneys that is Promoting the Dignity & Human Rights of Women & Children Using Law as a Tool of Social Justice.

SIGNING OFF TO SELL,SELL,SELL!

C O L D

chilly in the booth today. eating pretzels to stay warm.

the booth, the whole booth, and nothing bu the booth

day three. still excited. coffee helps. so does money in my hand. today i learned that most dogs in central park wear clothes. i saw a beagle wearing a green t-shirt, a blue down vest and a yellow scarf.

i went to the big library on 42nd st. i love the reading room at the top floor. the ceiling is painted with blue skies and clouds. there are two levels of books around the perimeter. above the books are tall arched windows. its like grand central station for books. there are long tables with wide, sturdy seats. each place - the seat and the table - are numbered. you could say, meet me at the big library, in the reading room on the top floor, i'll be at seat 662. i like that a lot. i'm not sure why. maybe because its so concrete. it exists. it has existed for a long time and will continue to exist. i think that's what they call legacy. maybe not.

tomorrow is saturday. usually saturday means lounging by the pool or baking brownies. tomorrow i want to work hard. i want to sell necklaces and bags and make my pitch 500 times.

market madness

made some sales today. yay.

cool and dry. my opening line is "good morning/afternoon/evening. our beads are made from recycled paper by 93 women in uganda.

staying at 62&lex (thankyou dora) a magical place. can order food on the internet and pay for with credit card. and it just shows up, right at your door all warm and juicy and mexican/thai/italian/chinese/burger.

need to find some music/cultural activity soon.

holy social media batman! i've never been more entertained by the internets. i'm warming my hands by the tweety glow. but its not enough. i turned on the space heater. i feel like a wimp, but its day one.

day one at columbus circle holiday market. rainy. really rainy. not too many people around. our necklaces look pretty. our online credit checkout is ready to go. the euro scarf/necklace girls across the cobblestone have a customer. she's looking at wallets. i'm intensely jealous.

more later...