The US 4x100m Curse

Lack of preparation? Nerves? A curse?

We had all put aside the incident in Beijing where both the American men and women teams got disqualified in the 4x100m races. The crowds came in their masses to watch the great showdown in the great rivalry between Jamaica and the US.

Men 4x100m

The US team ran a great semi-final and showed us what they could do and that they stood as a threat to the Jamaican team in the final. After the race their confidence and charismatic team had won the hearts of many and we were all ready to watch possibly the greatest final in a long time. Unfortunately the Beijing ghost came back to haunt the US team. A few hours after the race they were disqualified for exchanging the baton outside the designated exchange zone. No one can imagine the devastation those men must have faced when they were told the news and their
coaches' appeals denied.



Women 4x100

The ladies looked ready and determined to win the race and they certainly came into the race as the favorites. The US team failed to qualify for the final after Muna Lee came crashing down soon after the baton exchange. It was a terrible sight to watch as she grabbed her quad in pain and fell to the ground. Her team, the crowd, and fans were at a loss of words and knew at that moment that the final would go to Jamaica. The Jamaican women did not fail to deliver the goods and they won the gold with a superb time of 42.06

Usain 'lightning' Bolt

The fantastic showman of track and field does it again.

He didn't just break the world record in the 100m and 200m, he obliterated them. Many coaches and runners will be going back to the drawing board (even scientists) to figure out how they can beat Usain or at least give him some competition.
He is the Tiger Woods of Track and field. Usain Bolt his run his way to the top of the elite athletes to achieve what many thought was not possible. Speculation now centers around the possibilities of Usain running in the 400m to see how far he can push his body and if he has the endurance for the race. What point does he stand to prove by running the 400m? I personally think he should push on with his specialty races, the 100m and the 200m, until he reaches a point where he says to himself "I can go no faster."

100m
world record of 9.58

200m
World record 19.19

4x100
World record of 37.10 (Beijing) a record many were looking forward to be being broken in Berlin. The exchange between Powell and Bolt was a little sloppy and they lost some time on it as Bolt was nearly touching Powell by the time the Baton changed hands.

Memoires of a Zim girl-- part 2

My youngest brother was a “mommy’s boy” so I found myself always making an effort to be friends with my brother who was just 2 years older than me. The problem with him was he suffered from ‘middle child syndrome.’ Well at least to this day that is my diagnosis for him. He wanted me to be around and yet he didn’t all in one breath! First grade was the tough for me because I had attachment issues with my mother whom I didn’t want to leave when morning came. The maid would come and wake us up then we would try to have that extra 5 minute lie in. It was here that T would come to my bed and pinch me to wake up. That of course would lead to a full blown fist fight (well that’s what it would be equivalent to in a grown up scenario).

Eventually he would give me the finishing blow that would leave me crying and running to my parents’ bedroom and waking up everyone in the house. For a long time (correction—to this day) no one believed me that he started it, I was labeled a cry baby.


Aside from all our physical altercations I still wanted to be his friend, sadistic I know! Soon after school we would go on adventure trails around the farm with the other kids that lived on the farm. I remember one day we were by the dam and T told me to stop following him. I didn’t understand why he would say that when we had been playing together all day long. He knew full well that I was terrified of walking to the dam all by myself because it wasn’t very close to the house and I always felt there was something lurking in the tall grass. So he told me that if I wanted to continue with the crew I had to kiss Roger*. I weighed out my options and kissing Roger was way better than being left next in the middle of nowhere. So I guess you can say I had my first kiss when I was 6 years old.


The lesson here is that middle children have issues man, like really.

Memoires of a Zim girl-- part 1

My home, a place called Ruwa; my family, five very different siblings—all with their own take of life. A typical day, I was 5 years old at the time, was unlike any day the average Zimbabwean child would go through. I was a farm girl, and I embraced that to a level that I only realized once I was older. My hair was cut short and I abhorred wearing dresses or anything that made me look too feminine. I loved the farm because of the open spaces and the numerous adventures I would go on. I recall having toys but yet I was never really interested in playing with them. Most of my time was spent playing with the farm workers’ children.


Perhaps to some level I understood that they could not afford those luxuries I was showered with, that made me ignore the toys and be a little more creative with stuff we found outside.
Instead of the toy trucks or the barbies and Kens; we made our own homemade toys. Who would have thought that 5 year olds could make their own bouncy balls out of burnt plastic? Skillfully I would steal the matches from the kitchen and we would melt down plastic from the trash and make little bouncy balls that we would then use to play hand tennis.

We didn’t use electronic racing cars with the fancy remotes, we had a different idea. The road to my house was neglected by the council so a flat tire was not a rarity, especially with the huge potholes that an entire rabbit could probably have fit undetected. So once these tires were worn out we would take them and remove the hub caps. The long drive way from the gate to the house served as the course of our competitions. The objective was to roll the tire all the way to the finish line the fastest using only your hands. I remember the amount of fun it was and it served as a great form of exercise. Mmmm maybe that’s where my athletic ability took root?


The moral of the story here is that the pressure of the media today has made it seem as though children need all these fancy things being advertised when in fact it takes away the child’s imagination and ability to have fun for the sake of fun.

China's venture into "The Motherland"

"Since independence Africa has been working at its recolonization"

Perhaps a little too cynical, but yet this one statement by the French anthropologist Stephen Smith has inspired my writing today.

For too many countries, free and fair elections are nothing more than a myth. The anger and resentment against the colonial hand of the western world resonates in far too many minds of the ruling elite in Africa. In their attempt to sever the ties with the west, many African countries have chosen to board the ship caught in tempestuous weather, only to find themselves shipwrecked. The few who survive awaken only to discover they have been washed to the shores of neocolonialism.


When the Chinese came first came to Africa, they saw potential. It is this same potential that Africa needs to see in itself in order to progress and claim its rightful seat in the world.

Nii Akutetteh (Africa Policy Analyst) puts forward a good argument and I agree with him on several points. It is not that I am against China's presence in Africa, I just believe we need some form of body that monitors the activities of the Chinese businessmen and holds them accountable for their actions. In the 1990s Chinese trade with Africa increased by 700%. What is it that the Chinese want so much from Africa?




It is difficult to believe that a nation which has been questioned for years about its form of government and its approach on human rights, has embarked on some benevolent journey to Africa. Many African countries are still trying to establish democracy or atleast some form of a stable institution which will be able to properly deal with the Chinese presence. Without these, like Akuetteh, I too worry!

As the presidnet of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, put it,Countries don't have friends, they have interests

By enmeshing ourselves in this clearly unequal relationship, I can only wander what the future holds for Africa. The book I recommend for those who have the same concerns I do is by Serge Michel and Michel Beuret called 'China Safari'

Why drug Dealers live with their Moms

Great title I must say. When I saw this article I knew I had to read it. I had always asked why this was the case for many people. I had encountered a few people in my life who were saying they were "making some mad paper" (making a lot of money dealing in drugs), but yet when I looked at their lifestyles there wasn't any significant change or any incentive to me that was worth losing my sense of morals or risk time behind bars.



The pyramid structure that the drug world actually is, according to Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, does not allow those at the bottom to benefit from the system. It reminds me of the indentured servant in the way that these "foot soldiers" do all the dangerous work while the boss and his immediate crew members reap most of the rewards. The foot soldiers are driven by the idea of one day being recruited into the main circle-- for a job that dictates that there is a 1 in every 4chance of being killed, it baffles me that anyone would still want to risk it.

In fact once all the numbers and calculations are done, they found that the average foot soldier selling hard drugs earns a paltry $3.30 an hour salary.
Ladies and gentlemen $3.30 for a job that is unofficially the most dangerous job in the world (next to timber cutters who risk a 1 in 200 chance of being killed) why on earth would anyone want to risk it.

Zimbabweans doing great things

You know that tingly feeling of pride you get when you hear of Zimbabweans doing well at home and in the Diaspora? Well in case you are like many who are unaware of the more than impressive things our fellow countrymen are achieving, you happen to be at the right place at the right time. This is the place where you can take a break from all the negative publicity that has blanketed our beautiful nation for more than a decade now. We are here to show you that there are many bright lights in this place wrongfully labeled ‘the dark continent.’ We can only highlight a few of our torch bearers so feel free to contact us about anything in particular that you feel should be added to the list.



This week what caught my eye is Shingai Shoniwa who is part of the British trio band called ‘The Noisettes’….



click to watch video

I just really love her style. She maintains her afro centric background in the diva-like hair and her African inspired outfit. The genre of their music is Indie rock. I challenge anyone with an eclectic taste in music to take a moment to listen to this song. Well produced and great quality you can tell she is not trying to just follow mainstream and I would say well executed. Look her up on youtube or use the link I have provided.