What's Woody Doing Now

Joy in the Congo, Just Maybe a Reason to Stay Overnight

Here's a BIG CHANGE OF MIND for me!  I might like to stay overnight in Kinshasa (DR Congo) to visit the symphony.  

I thought that was never going to be a reason for me to stay in Kinshasa for pleasure.  Typically, I fly into Kinshasa from Brussels arriving at about 7 pm.  It is too late to leave for my next destination.  Or occasionally, I have to shop for items to take with me into the country's interior. Always, it is not a place for me to linger for pleasure.

After seeing this CBS News 60 Minutes segment, I might, just might, like to stay overnight or an extra day to see the Kinshasa Symphony.

via www.cbsnews.com

"Joy in the Congo" seems an unlikely -- even impossible -- title for a story from the Congo, considering the searing poverty and brutal civil war that have decimated that country. Yet in Kinshasa, the capital city, we found an unforgettable symphony orchestra -- 200 singers and instrumentalists defying the poverty, hardship, and struggles of life in the world's poorest country...and creating some of the most moving music we have ever heard. Follow Bob Simon to the Congo to hear the sounds and stories of the Kimbanguist Symphony Orchestra.

Who Was the NFC Champions in 1996?

According to the hat on this Congolese boy, it was the Packers. But you can't go by the t-shirts, hats, and other paraphernalia you will see in Congo and other African countries. Normally, you can guess the team was the losers.

The Packers lost to the Cowboys, 38-27.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995%E2%80%9396_NFL_playoffs

After the contest, Reggie White was so visibly upset, he started shouting at television crews who were filming him on the sidelines. This was the third consecutive year that Dallas eliminated the Packers from the playoffs.

Will The Real Payment Disruptor Please Stand Up

Now that M-Pesa had proven itself, will the big credit card companies, Visa and Mastercard, come in a mess up a good thing for billions of poor Africans?

http://whiteafrican.com/2012/02/19/will-the-real-payment-disruptor-please-stand-up/

Mpesa destroys the paradigm of payments as we knew it
It’s a good thing that Mpesa happened in Africa. It offered a new way of thinking about money and payments, without the legacy baggage of banks and regulations meant for another century. The powerful banking interest were held at bay, not by great power, but by indifference – this is Africa afterall, who cares about this market?

With Mpesa, and without a bank account:
-People can send and receive money.
-People can store up to $1000 in the system, creating a pseudo-savings account.
-There are no credit card companies involved.
-There are no banks involved.
Mpesa is big now too, big enough to garner a lot of attention from the the credit card companies and banks. M-PESA has over 14 million users in Kenya, 9 million in Tanzania, and hundreds of thousands in Afghanistan and South Africa now too. It now processes more transactions domestically in Kenya than Western Union does globally, somewhere in the range of 25% of Kenya’s GDP is transacted on it.

The banks actively lobby against mobile-based payment and money systems now, globally, as it constitutes a massive competitive threat that they are unable to compete with due to a multitude of reasons, one of which is simple transaction costs. The credit card companies are watching closely too, and moving. Mastercard and Visa both are working on mobile offerings, seeking to link with mobile operators in order to bypass a would be competitor.

M-Pesa linked to rise in inflation in Kenya

I don't believe it!
M-Pesa is a mobile money transfer. I guess we should stop wire transfers and close Western Union.

http://mobilemoneyafrica.com/m-pesa-linked-to-rise-in-inflation-in-kenya/comment-page-1/#comment-38038

“M-Pesa cannot add to money supply growth, it can only affect velocity and innovation. This is a mistake I have seen and clarified internationally,” said CBK governor Njuguna Ndung’u Tuesday. However, other economists agree with the findings.

Praying for a 'Martin Luther King' in Congo

Today is a holiday in the US and Congo. No, King's birthday is not a holiday in Congo.
However, Congolese are facing some difficult times. The people are looking for change and freedom from injustice.
Congolese needs a Martin Luther King now.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/01/straight-up.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fsethsmainblog+%28Seth%27s+Blog%29

"Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent." .. Martin Luther King, Jr.

And a few more thoughts, from one of the greatest men of my lifetime:
“On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, "Is it safe?" Expediency asks the question, "Is it politic?" And Vanity comes along and asks the question, "Is it popular?" But Conscience asks the question "Is it right?" And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right.”

Your voice will give you away

I'm missing my Daybreaker's Toastmasters Club meeting on Friday mornings. I miss the practice, evaluations, and friendship.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/01/your-voice-will-give-you-away.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fsethsmainblog+%28Seth%27s+Blog%29

It's extremely difficult to read a speech and sound as if you mean it.
For most of us, when reading, posture changes, the throat tightens and people can tell. Reading is different from speaking, and a different sort of attention is paid.
Before you give a speech, then, you must do one of two things if your goal is to persuade:

The Grinch Stole Christmas Vacation, Too!

On Christmas Eve, I spent the morning in the downtown market area. I wanted to see the kind of activities and happenings in preparation for Christmas.

This is my first and only Christmas in Congo (per my wife). My Christmas stay was necessity versus a real experience.

To my surprise, it was a normal day. Even the kids went to school. So, I asked why? The election polling stations were at mostly schools and churches. Therefore, the kids were off days before and after the elections. Note, I said days before and after!

I was awaken by cheering students on the day after Christmas. They were preparing to start their school day. Unbelievable, it's suppose to be an official holiday.

Therefore, the Christmas vacation was stolen from them. There was a lot of stealing during and after the election. The Grinch was active!

We Are Celebrating

We are celebrating Thanksgiving!
We are celebrating Christmas!
We are celebrating anything and everything!
The turkey is finally done! It's been a long journey from Fisher's (Indiana) Walmart to the table here in Kananga, Congo. It was brought the week of November. It's been four planes and stored in four freezers.

It's good to celebrate!

Seth's Blog: No choice

A person without choices is a dead!
I just made a difficult choice!

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/12/no-choice-1.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fsethsmainblog+%28Seth%27s+Blog%29

'Remarkable work often comes from making choices when everyone else feels as though there is no choice. Difficult choices involve painful sacrifices, advance planning or just plain guts.'

Shifting Gears

The Bio Sand Filter workshop is done! Twenty-one people trained. Now it is time implement some projects.
But first, we have to survive the announcements of the election results here in Congo. Tuesday is the day! The country is on pins and needles.
The internet just came back after being off for two days. Supposedly, the government ordered the phone companies to shut down the internet and sms via phones.
Anyway, we are ready to ride it out at the house. We will evacuate to the UN compound if necessary.
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