G21 AFRICA:

TITANIUM

About three years ago, Tiomin Resources Incorporated, a Canadian mining firm, moved into Kenya's Kwale district at the coast and set up a titanium mining project. With the Kenyan economy in a tailspin and the country in the grip of a severe drought, nobody realistically, expected the US$137 million project to spur the sort of controversy it now has.

World Bank figures (which Tiomin's President Jean Charles Potvin would later quote to justify the project) indicated that Kenya, indeed, was in dire need of foreign investment. In 1998, the country received only US$20 million in foreign direct investment. By contrast, Tiomin alone would invest almost four time that amount on a 64-square kilometre strip over a 21-year lease period. "It is obvious to any observer that Kenya is in great need of foreign investment," Potvin remarked recently, adding for good measure, that the development in Kwale was bound to bring substantial benefits to both the local communities and the country as a whole. What is more, he said, Tiomin had established that there were huge findings of titanium sites in the nearby Mombasa and Kilifi districts and at Mambrui along the Kenyan Coast. .... More

MEMOIRS OF THE INFORMATION AGE:

Harlot's Web

Other impressions float in an ill-mannered jumble of images: How Times Square is just like the Web (a robot thought I have about everything these days,) a jarring eyesore of lights and noise and fully licensed, cross-promotional insanity. The feeling must be a common phenomenon for visitors: If this is the pinnacle of civilization, maybe it's not so bad the lights will eventually go out. So the Law of Entropy says.

Still more memories: The equally mind-numbing noise from the jaunty performers hyping CeMeRun.com. The troupe filled the entire floor with booming shouts and banter. This was disturbing for me as the people at the Intel booth tried to explain why we really need a wireless household wizard for a half-dozen PCs, including one for the kitchen.

Other innovations include an appliance PC prototype with half-a-brain, without much of a hard-drive, that is, since apparently the trend is leading toward our acquiescing of power tools to the archons of the Net. Intel has come up with a solution for being able to slip the unique identifier into our machines for tracking purposes. If that company gets its way, everyone worthy of a credit card account will own a Pocket PC Camera, capable of taking photos and producing real-time video. It even has motion-sensitive capabilities, thus making it easier for those running the show to keep an eye on us all...More

RECOMMENDED DAILY REQUIREMENT:

A Jeff Winbush Sampler

The (EXTREMELY) Long Goodbye

Damn, but I will be one happy African-American when this week is finally over with! What genius decided to program the last episodes of Seinfeld and Ellen in the same friggging week?

For the past month I've had to avoid cover stories, television specials, commemorative editions, multi-version magazine covers and just a generally sickening display of world class ass-kissing over the departure of two hugely overrated television series.

What IDIOT decided to announce the nation of India now has nuclear weapons the same week the last episodes of Seinfeld and Ellen were scheduled to air? Peter Jennings on ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT said one reason India decided to flip the bird to America was to get some respect for themselves as a major world power. What is the deal with these guys? Is building atomic bombs some sort of Viagra for nations?

But let's get back to unfunny comedians and the people that love them. I've got no beef with anyone who's a die- hard SEINFELD groupie. At least Jerry Seinfeld decided to get out before his show totally bored the fans the way it bores non-fans(like me).