A Season In The Congo

New York's Castillo Theatre presented an inspiring production of Aime Cesaire's A Season In The Congo Sunday, followed by a panel discussion of current issues in the Democratic Republic of Congo that perfectly complimented the many issues raised by the play, which centers on the rise and fall of Patrice Lumumba.

Cesaire, one of the greatest French language poets of the 20th century, wrote the play in 1966, just five short years after Lumumba was assassinated. The struggle for control of the Congo's wealth which caused Lumumba's murder continues today, as several members of the panel pointed out.

The production itself was spirited and intense, with a cast of over twenty actors drawn from the youth programs of the All Stars Project and the adult volunteers of the theater. A groups of dancers from Brownsville, Brooklyn, also took part and dozens of volunteers of all ages made up the production team. The play was directed by Brian Mullin.

Four separate actors took on the lead role of Patrice Lumumba, a directorial decision that added much nuance and depth to the character. The martyred leader was portrayed by Jube Charles, Christlabelsay Elian, Diana Lumaque, and Shaakirah Medford.

The panel discussion was moderated by Carolyn Kresky, a three-time Emmy Award winning broadcast journalist and a founder of the Castillo Theatre. She asked the participants to draw on their own experiences with the Congo of today to the events depicted by the play. There were many connections.

Maurice Carney, Executive Director of Friends of the Congo, pointed out that America has been involved in the Congo since 1885, when it was the first nation to officially bless King Leopold's claim to sovereignty over the territory. He also explained that control of the Congo's wealth is a world issue, with implications for not just the DRC but the continent of Africa as well. He quoted Lumumba in the last letter he wrote to his wife just before his death:

"We are not alone. Africa, Asia, and free and liberated people from every corner of the world will always be found at the side of the Congolese."

Lisa Jackson, whose film "The Greatest Silence: Rape In The Congo" has truly opened the world's eyes to the epidemic of terror rape in the war zones of the eastern provinces, spoke about the passivity of the United Nations in today's Congo and how it has not changed in the last fifty years.

Noella Coursaris Musunka said that her recent experiences in the Congo convinced her that the country needs a new Lumumba. The internationally acclaimed model is the founder of the Georges Malaika Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities for young girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Panelist Deborah Green was the Political Director of the Rainbow Lobby, an independent people’s lobby that aided the democracy movement in the Congo from 1986 to 1992. She drew a direct connection between the use of inter-tribal strife featured in the play and the similar strategies used by today's warlords and behind-the-scenes operators in the DRC.

Joseph T. Mbangu is a Congolese attorney and an activist based in New York City. He was studying law on the border of Rwanda when the genocide began. He fled the area, completed his law degree and immigrated to the US in 1999. He believes the play was very timely given the nascent movement among the Congolese Diaspora and others to bring the nation into its rightful place in the sun. He, too, quoted Lumumba, citing words he spoke during his inauguration:

"The Congo has been proclaimed a Republic and our beloved country is now in the hands of its own children."

From the applause that greeted that line, I believe the audience fully agreed.

My thanks to Misengabo Esperance Kapuadi for her gracious permission to use her photographs of the event.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.

Bee-fly, Easton Hornstocks

More Orange Underwing action today but the Bee-flies stole the show and still no Light Orange Underwing.

Bee-fly Bombylius major

{Inspired by} Cindy Lin

Cindy and I have been friends since high school and we sure have been through a lot together.

She asked me to design a ring for her. I was easily inspired because I knew the core personality of my friend. She is genuine, intelligent, and fashionable.

The pyramid ring was born! I wanted Cindy to have a ring that was unique and could be worn dressed up or casual with a pair of jean. When she saw the sketch of the ring she had a look of confusion and shock at the complexity. She decided to pass... after a few weeks I still had the desire to turn the sketch into reality. I am so happy that I went ahead and made the ring. It turned out to be a unique piece of art!

To learn more about this ring, please click here

Chicago Reader Comments On Congo Aid

The most recent question from my Chicago reader is more of a thought-provoking observation:

"I think you are right on the mark about the distinction between investment and aid. It is important for the development of the DRC to benefit other countries because it will improve the quantity and the quality of the assistance provided. Sadly, I suspect those in power who resist foreign investment simply lack the education necessary to understand complex economic principles. I am only speculating on this point, however. What do you think?"

I think you may have carried your speculation a bit too far in the wrong direction. The DRC has many very well educated leaders in government and otherwise. This may be a benighted country, but that doesn't mean its citizens are backward or unsophisticated.

Those who resist foreign investment are simply expressing opinions based on short-term thinking similar to the insistence by the US Congress that only American steel should be used in infrastructure projects financed with stimulus funds. Or the US limits on foreign ownership in industries like shipping, aviation, and broadcasting. Or building a wall across the Mexican border. There are plenty of "educated" people all over the place who take extremely simplistic approaches to complex issues.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.

Invisible Edit

You gotta read between the lines to get this, if you catch my driftorz :)

Gagga over cchopped n skkrewwed.

New Congo Accords

A milestone on the road to peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been reached with the signing of an agreement this week beween the Congolese government and the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP). Signatories to the agreement also included other armed groups in North and South Kivu.

Among the major provisions of the pact is one that compels the CNDP to become a political party in the DRC and give up use of its armed force as a policy tool. It had been previously announced that CNDP fighters were to be integrated into the Congolese army, the FARDC. Both these solutions have been used previously by Kabila's government with other armed groups, particularly during the election of 2006. The result was a coalition government and an army noted for its lack of direction and discipline. Still, hope springs eternal.

The agreement also calls for the DRC government to grant amnesty to former rebel fighters who joined the CNDP after 2003. Hundreds of CNDP soliders who have been captured are to be released.

Fighting last fall between the government and the rebels, then led by renegade General Laurent Nkunda, displaced hundreds of thousands in the eastern DRC. Nkunda was arrested in Rwanda earlier this year and the CNDP came under new military leadership. Nkunda is currently under house arrest in Rwanda but no announcement has been made about his possible extraditiion to Congo, which has charged him with war crimes.

International and regional cooperation minister Raymond Tshibanda signed the agreement for the Congolese government, while new CNDP chief Desire Kamanzi signed for the rebels, at a ceremony in the city of Goma. Goma was nearly captured by the CNDP during last fall's campaign. Also present were Nigeria's former president Olusegun Obasanjo, who in recent months acted as a mediator between the two sides, and Alan Doss, head of the UN mission to the DRC.

While the peace agreement was being signed, fighting continues in the Kivus between the FARDC and the FDLR, the Hutu group that was the supposed object of CNDP operations. Since the Rwandan army withdrew from the DRC, FDLR units have returned to areas they previously controlled in an effort to win them back with the same tactics of terror rape, pillage, and murder of civilians they've used for years.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.

Chicago Reader Calls For Self-Defense

My reader in Chicago raises a question I hear frequently when speaking to various groups about attacks on non-combatants in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It's one that's often posed whenever civlians are preyed upon by thugs:

I can't understand why the people of the DRC don't fight back. Sure, the soldiers are well-armed, but from what I've read, the "militias" are untrained or minimally trained, very small, maybe 1,000 strong, and travel in "battallions" of 10-20 men, making them significantly outnumbered by their victims. I have a hard time believing that an entire refugee camp couldn't make homemade weapons, such as spears, to at least deter attacks. Soldiers might have second thoughts about raiding a village if they knew they would be resisted by a large number of angry people. My understanding is that flight and evasion are the only methods of self-defense employed by the people. I heard on NPR that the DRC may be the only place in the world where more fighting would actually be an improvement.

Here is my response:

You may have seen this story by now, but there was recently a report from Bangadi, a village where raiders from the Lords Resistance Army was chased away by citizen action much like you describe.

The tale is both encouraging and frightening. On the one hand, of course, we cheer on the underdogs who rose up to protect themselves against some truly vicious criminals, taking the law into their own hands in a part of the world where protection by the lawful authorities is non-existent. The flip side is that self-protection often leads to vigilantism or worse. Many of the "Mai-Mai" militias that are often identified as rebels actually began as self-protection forces but eventually morphed into criminal gangs. When there is no rule of law, violence often begets violence and nobody wins.

The Congolese army (FARDC) hasn't been an effective peace keeping force, which is the main reason 17,000 UN troops are in the country. But one of the great mysteries of the current situation in the eastern provinces is why UN forces often seem so reluctant (or unable) to intervene when civilians are threatened by armed groups. There have been numerous reported instances when civilian massacres occurred practically within sight of UN encampments but the blue helmets failed to act. There is no question that they are stretched thin, operating in difficult terrain, etc., but their performance record is dismal nonetheless.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.

Congolese Journalist Speaks About Rape And The Media

Chouchou Namegabe overcomes obstacles many journalists hope they never have to face. She's a radio reporter using her medium to bring perpetrators of terror rape to justice in South Kivu while she helps educate her community by presenting the stories of victims of the epidemic that is destroying the fabric of Congolese society. When I heard her speak last night at a panel in the offices of Women's eNews, I was greatly impressed by her ability to overcome her natural shyness to talk about such a distressing topic.

The subject before the panel was media coverage of violence against women in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As a founder of the South Kivu Women's Media Association (AFEM), Namegabe is well-qualified to talk about the difficulties she and her colleagues face.

Namegabe demonstrated the professionalism that won her a 2009 Fern Holland Award from Vital Voices when she spoke about the difficulties of choosing the right words to describe rapes and other forms of violent assault on women in a society where the subject of sex itself is largely taboo.

She also pointed out, "When a gorilla is killed in the Virunga park, the media make a big noise," while they all but ignore the story of crimes that have ruined the lives of thousands of women.

Operating in a climate of fear and violent retribution hasn't kept Namegabe from telling the stories that need to be told. She's been working in radio since 1997, interviewing rape victims and putting their words on the air with the most basic of broadcast gear. Even much of that was stolen recently when brigands broke into the tiny community station and took not only much of the equipment but the priceless archived recordings compiled over the years by Namegabe and her colleagues as well.

Still, she says, she will go on: "What gives me courage to continue my fight is the courage of those women."

The South Kivu Women's Media Association is a group of 42 women media professionals in Bukavu. The group leads radio listening groups in rural areas and airs educational programming to help de-stigmatize rape survivors.

Also on the panel were DRC Ambassador Faida Mitifu, Agnes M.F. Kamara-Umunna, a radio journalist from Liberia, and Mohamed Keita, Africa Researcher at the Committee to Protect Journalists. The discussion was moderated by Women's eNews editor Dominique Soguel. I'll be posting some of their comments soon.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.

Chicago Reader Asks About Congo Rainforest

Recent correspondence with a reader in Chicago raises a delicate quandary:

"...from what I understand, the DRC has the most biodiverse ecosystem outside of the Amazon River Basin and if the DRC ever gets its act together and is able to extract and control those resources, that ecosystem would inevitably be threatened. Could it be that, environmentally, the DRC is better off now than it would be if the natural resources were exploited?"

Here was my response:

The DRC does indeed have the second-largest tropical rainforest in the world. It is a treasured resource for everyone on the planet. That doesn't mean, however, than it cannot be of great economic benefit to the country. In fact, if the timber resources were properly managed, the ecosystem's future could be enhanced.

I've written about this before in Congo Rainforest Irony, which talks about some of the pluses and minuses of timber development activities in the DRC. The full benefits of this renewable resource, though, won't be realized until there is stronger oversight of contracts and monitoring of logging activities, both of which are expensive undertakings when so many other needs are crying to be met.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.

How Our Rings Are Handmade?

You are about to see how our "Pyramid Treasure Ring" was created. May Vat, the originator of the "Pyramid Treasure" Ring is going to take you along her creative journey.

From head to paper

I have a clear vision of designs in my head but I can't translate that into my drawings. The first challenge that I face is how to get what I see in my head onto paper. My drawing stills are maxed out at stick figures at best".

Cindy L. is one of my best friends and from time to time she is inspired to ask me for a ring design. I love seeing her enthusiasm and this in turn fuels my imagingation! I nicknamed this design the "Pinky Ring" because it started out as a request from Cindy to design a ring for her pinky.

Portion matters
It's all about proportion as beauty is about being just right. This step involves the art of measuring the proportion of the hand VS the stones and design of the ring. This requires several drawings in actual size. The next step is to draw a ring in 20-30 times its proportion so that the details can view before making the wax. This is the least favorite part as it involves more science than art.

Wax making

Similar to the painting that starts off as a sketch, my rings start off with a wax model before production. The wax is guided by my drawings and is hand carved with precision. This process requires the highest level of artistry because it transform a drawing to a living design. In the left picture I modeled the Amethyst stone on top of the pinky ring. The right picture, the wax was carved to fit the stone setting.

Casting Call

Once I am happy with the wax and the design is as close to my vision, I am ready for casting. The wax goes into a casting process and the result is a precious metal ring. In this version the ring is made from 925 sterling silver. My preference is to work with sterling silver and 18K gold and higher. The purity of metal blends with the beauty of natural gemstones.

Setting the stones
The next process is one of my favorites as it is similar to putting on a makeup. It starts with selecting quality stones that will radiate brilliancy and dimension. This process requires a steady hand and patience. If the stones are hammered into the setting with too much pressure, it cracks the stone. This is where we normally incur loss. The second picture shows how the ring is attached to red wax so that it can be attached to the workbench.

2 P's

Bringing out the shine means the ring has to be "Polished". This is a very tricky part of the process because if you polish the ring too little then the edges are rough and the texture is too grainy. If you polish it too much, you start to degrade the structure and cause it to have permanent groves. My designs are complex and multi-dimensional and thus making this process that much harder.

You can distinguish a high quality ring from a poor one by its "Plating". My ring goes through an extra step which adds more cost and labor but the result is quality that you can feel over time. The rhodium plating keeps the silver from easily tarnishing.

The birth of my Pyramid Treasure ring


Voila!! Finally I got my first Pyramid Treasure live!!!! This took me 3 months of hardworking, excitement, motivation, dedication, exhaustion, frustration, and everything else before this little princess came into live!! If you look at this piece closely, you will see that there are certain flaws. But you know what? This is my first piece and I love it very dearly!! This ring is a size 2 and I often wear it on my pinky finger eversince.

Perfect Duo

The perfect duo is displayed here in purple amethyst and blue topaz. My pyramid treasures come alive in these two distinct gemstone selection. My designs are highly versatile because you can wear it with jeans and a t-shirt and look hip or with an evening dress and look elegant and sophisticated. These designs do not dictate the look but rather compliment your style. My treasure is now being offered in my Etsy store at www.360JewelsElite.etsy.com and displayed in my gallery at www.360jewels.com.

UN Takes New Stance in Congo

The United Nations seems to have made a substantial shift in operational goals in the Democratic Republic of Congo, at least according to recent announcements made by Alan Doss, Special Representative of the Secretary General to the DRC. While there has been no official change in MONUC's mandate, the blue helmets have vowed to go beyond the protection of civilians and UN humanitarian operations and become more proactive in efforts to bring peace to the eastern provinces.

The biggest change is a pledge to support the FARDC, the Congolese army, in its drive to destroy the FDLR, the remnants of the Rwandan Hutu Interahamwe who have terrorized the region for over ten years. Doss says the UN hopes to help the Congolese maintain the pressure on the FDLR recently applied by the joint Congolese-Rwandan military action. While Operation Umoja Wetu (Our Unity) was anything but a definitive victory, it did disrupt FDLR operations and led to the repatriation of significant numbers of Rwandans. Doss says MONUC will provide support to the FARDC as it extends the campaign into South Kivu.

MONUC also pledged to help the Congolese hold territory taken from the FDLR, but recent reports from North Kivu indicate these promises are easier made than kept as FDLR units have moved back into Lubero, Walikale and Masisi, in North Kivu, where they clashed with the FARDC, according to MONUC spokesman Lt. Col Jean-Paul Dietrich. The refugee population continues to swell as the FDLR strikes back following the departure of the Rwandan armed forces last month. At least 8,000 people have been displaced in Lubero, 14,000 west of Musienene, and 17,500 in Kirumba in North Kivu. The UN promise to strike back in support of the FARDC has yet to be fulfilled.

The change in UN attitude is significant because it seems to say that the international body has chosen sides in the eternal conflict. Until now, MONUC has supposedly confined itself to supporting UN humanitarian operations and protecting the civilian population from all belligerents, including the FARDC. By now openly supporting the FARDC, the UN has apparently decided that Joseph Kabila's government--as flawed as it might be--is legitimate (and it is, having been elected in 2006). The UN stance says that the best way to end the strife is to help Kabila assert the DRC's right to protect its territory.


Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.

Test Valley Scenes

The Bunnies and the distinctive thatched fishery buildings



Sedges like tree ferns left exposed after reed burning


Longstock Church


Stockbridge Down with Woolbury Ring on top


Chilbolton Radio Telescope

Hampshire mothing

A selection of common moths trapped in my parents' garden in Hampshire.

Pale Pinion Lithophane hepatica


The Chestnut Conistra vaccinii


Oak Beauty Biston strataria


Twin-spotted Quaker Orthosia munda


Clouded Drab Orthosia incerta


Early Grey Xylocampa areola


Canon Powershot A640

Leckford Garden Birds

Great Spotted Woodpecker drums at the bottom of the garden but this is the female (which also drum sometimes). The male Kestrel often uses this perch and drops onto prey in the garden. Other good birds include Blackcap, Nuthatch and a fly over Red Kite (not so common in Hampshire as Northants).

Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopus major


Kestrel Falco tinnunculus



Robin Erithacus rubecula


Digiscoped with Canon A640 and Leica APO77 x20

Talking About Congo Economy - Part 4 of 4

Students at St. John's University in New York were assigned Heart of Diamonds, not as a novel, but as a source of much information about life and progress in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They are taking a course in Economic Growth and Development taught by Dr. Joyce Furfero. This is the fourth and final audio clip from my visit with the students.

Transportation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (mp3)

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.

Rest In Peace, Eddie Bo

R.I.P. Edwin Bocage, a true pioneer and legend in the r&b game.

Sarkozy Plans Congo Visit

We should expect three developments when French President Nicholas Sarkozy visits Kinshasa next week. One is an announcement of more French aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the second is a call to revive the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL), which brings together Burundi, Rwanda and DRC, and the third are demonstrations against the sharing of resources between the DRC and Rwanda, which the French President has been advocating.

Congolese nationalists staged a protest in front of the French Embassy this week in Kinshasa and threatened more during Sarkozy's upcoming visit. They are opposed to the normalization of economic relations between Rwanda and the DRC in the eastern provinces, fearful that Rwanda's long record of just taking what it wants in the region belies the country's willingness to cooperate in a transparent economy based on a rule of law. Recent peace overtures between the governments of DRC President Joseph Kabila and Rwanda's Paul Kagame, especially the joint military operation against the FDLR in North Kivu, have thrown fuel on the fires of opposition.

Sarkozy's official state visit will include an address to the national parliament and visits with Congolese officials. He has already sworn to support the economic reconstruction of the eastern provinces now that there appears to be some glimmer of hope that the insurgents who ravaged the countryside are slowly being brought under control. I would not be surprised to hear an announcement of a significant aid package with an emphasis on infrastructure reconstruction.

The most controversial aspect of his visit will be the call to revitalize CEPGL, the organization founded in 1976 to promote regional development and economic cooperation. The First and Second Congo Wars and subsequent dissolution of the region into a quagmire of violence pretty much destroyed any progress that had been made by the group. Now may be the time to revive the organization--or something like it--as an important step in bringing peace to the region.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.

Congo Rape Draws More Media Attention

The bravery of rape victims never ceases to amaze me. As more and more continue to speak out, the media is paying more and more attention, which is the only way the epidemic of terror rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo will ever be stopped.

This Associated Press report appeared this weekend in the NY Times and is gaining wide distribution. It deserves to be printed in ten-foot letters on a banner hung from the UN General Assembly building.

The world should applaud and honor the courageous women quoted in the piece, Zamuda Sikujuwa, Honorata Kizende, Kasongo Manyema, and the others who cast aside their shame to Break The Silence.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.

Twin-spotted Quaker

Twin-spotted Quaker makes a return to the garden after a two year absence.

Twin-spotted Quaker Orthosia munda


March Moth Alsophila aescularia


Last two nights:
Common Quaker, 4, 2
Hebrew Character, 1, 2
Clouded Drab, 2, 2
Small Quaker, 3, 0
March Moth, 2, 2
Twin-spotted Quaker, 0, 1

{Inspired by} Vlad's purest love for his baby Julia

"LOVE SHIELD" Pendant

Do you know what pure love is? Last weekend I went to dinner and met up with a friend of a friend. I haven't seen Vlad and his lovely wife Malvina for more than a year and in that time they had baby Julia.

Throughout dinner I watched Vlad care for Julia and his eyes showed so much love for his daughter. Every words he spoke to her was filled with the purest love, the kind that only a dedicated father could give. His gesture touched my heart. Here is a man who would do anything to protect, nurture, and guide his first born daughter.

My inspiration for this pendant came from Vlad. The glass represents the invisible shield surrounding the most precious stones. The three stones 'play' within a set boundary. Each colored stone was chosen for their lucky properties.

Thanks to Vlad, Malvina, and baby Julia for inspiring me on what pure love is.

To see more pictures of this item, click here

New Mix: Record Haterz

Brand new mix cd of funked out 90's bay area rap vinyl with the homie Mista B! Please get at me for cd orders/details - $10 shipped anywhere.

DJ's Mista B & B.Cause - Record Haterz

Tracklist:
1) Intro
2) Dubee - My Thang
3) Delinquents - Deep
4) Lil Bruce feat. G-Note & Levitti - Keep A Tre' 8
5) P.O.D.E. feat Cougnut & Baldhead Rick - Product Of D Environment (edit)
6) Black Dynasty - Fire It Up (edit)
7) Young Lay - Playah's Mode
8) Ray Luv - In The Game
9) Spice 1 - 187 Proof
10) Mac Dre - Da Gift To Gab
11) Hugh E. MC - It's the Game
12) JT The Bigga Figga - Game Tight
13) Dre Dog - Chocolate Ty
14) Cold World Hustlers - Everday Thang (somethin' to ride to edit)
15) Primo - City Of The Players
16) Dangerous Dame - Stay With Me
17) Guce - Gimmie The Right
18) Spice 1 - Sucka Ass Ni66as
19) Spice 1 - Strap On the Side
20) 3X Krazy - Stackin Chips
21) 5150 - Bump A B*tch
22) D-Moe - Another Funky Verse
23) Total Devastation - Strictly For The Streets
24) West Coast Bad Boys - Peace 2 Da Streets
25) San Quinn - Hitz I'm Makin'
26) Totally Insane - The Backstreets
27) Mac Dre - What Cha Like
28) 11/5 - On The Inside
29) Ant Banks feat Too $hort, Tupac - This Is For The Hustlers
30) E-40 - Record Haters
31) RBL Posse - Boom
32) D-Shot feat E-40 & Levitti - Call Me On The Under (edit)
33) $icc Wid It/Outro


We are having a release party as well, this Friday @ The Elbo Room.

Eggs With Onions Cheesy For Me

The Fixxers - Can You Work With That (b.cause hydroponic fixx)

Peep and cop the original dub at Bastard Jazz

North Norfolk

What can you see in North Norfolk without going to Titchwell. Well plenty of Barn Owls for a start. We saw at least 4 out hunting at all times of the day in the Burnham Norton/Overy area. Little Egrets were also scattered all over the place and could be found in any old ditch or stream. Other bits and pieces included Red-throated Diver past Salthouse and a few other birds pictured below.

Barn Owl Tyto alba




Little Egret Egretta garzetta


Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta


Dark-bellied Brent Geese Branta bernicla bernicla


Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor, Roydon Common



All digiscoped with Canon A640 and Leica APO77 x20

Talking About Congo Economy - Part 3 of 4

I spoke recently to a class at St. John's University studying economics in the developing world. It's taught by Dr. Joyce Furfero, who assigned Heart of Diamonds to be read by the class as a way of learning about living conditions in the Congo. This is the third of four brief clips from my comments to the class.

Congo’s Timber Industry and Agriculture (mp3)

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.

Eye of Toad

Common Toad Bufo bufo


Canon Powershot A640