Nearly 20 years ago, former Virginia governor L. Douglas Wilder announced that he wanted to create a museum that would tell the story of slavery in the United States. He had the vision, the clout, the charm to make it seem attainable, and he had already made history: the grandson of slaves, he was the nation’s first elected African American governor . Read full article > >

Original post:
Two decades later, donors wondering what happened to plans for slavery museum

A couple of Fridays ago, while making the dreaded trek down I-95 after work (for readers who don’t happen to live on the East Coast, this is pretty much what rush hour on the Beltway is like), NPR’s Science Friday came on the radio, kicking off with a segment on Martian meteorites. So what does that have to do with the Middle East? Well, the Martian meteorites being discussed on the show were those that fell in Morocco last July –a once-every-fifty-years event; and upon doing a little research, it turns out that meteorites of all origins –not just Martian– are not uncommon finds throughout the Sahara Desert in North Africa, though they’re rare enough to fetch a pretty penny. In fact, there’s a veritable black market for the sale of meteorites, much to scientists’ chagrin. According to a piece by The New York Times last year, this black market has seen an explosion in size “mainly because of a rush of new meteorites arriving from North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.” Why these areas? As the BBC explains , Meteorites land anywhere on earth and often end up in the oceans. On land, they are most likely to be found near the Equator because it has the largest surface area, and particularly in the Sahara, as the dry climate helps to preserve them. Providing they land on the flat hard pad rather than the soft sand dunes, meteorites are easy to spot in the desert and people will sometimes go in search of them if they see a meteor shower at night.

Read the original here:
Martian Meteors in Morocco: Hitting the Jackpot in North Africa

Four South African men are sentenced to 18 years for stabbing and stoning to death a 19-year-old lesbian six years ago.

Read the original:
SA lesbian killers get 18 years

With its wooden sign in imperfect French advertising “frittes, ales, moules” seven days a week, Granville Moore’s on H Street NE looks like any other hip gastropub. But its exposed brick and chalkboard menu of craft beers belie the tavern’s rich history. In the 1950s, the Formstone row house housed the office of Granville Moore, one of the city’s most respected African American doctors. Read full article > >

Read the original:
Heritage trails mark the path to preserving D.C. history

The African Union inaugurates its newly built Chinese-funded headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

Continued here:
African Union opens new $200m HQ

Ben Rattray knows that revolution does not always happen spontaneously. The 31-year-old entrepreneur rattles off a list of populist protests over the past year: the consumer revolt against Bank of America and Verizon’s unpopular fees , a drive to enlist the San Francisco Giants to speak out against anti-gay bullying , a petition forcing the South African government to address rape crimes . Each campaign won thousands of supporters, inflamed public opinion and drew the ire of corporate executives and political leaders. Read full article > >

Link:
Change.org emerges as influential advocate

The nation’s black history is deeply intertwined with Washington. ¶ As the capital city, the area long attracted prominent African Americans, including civic leaders and artists. Slaves in the District of Columbia were freed before the Emancipation Proclamation, African American men had voting rights before those elsewhere and institutions such as Howard University were a draw as well. ¶ But the vestiges of that history won’t always be found in statues or memorials. ¶ “It is all around us,” says Marya McQuirter, an adjunct professor at George Washington University and the author of Cultural Tourism DC’s African American Heritage Trail guide. “There is so much to choose from and so much we don’t know.” ¶ You’ll find the story in historic homes, quietly displayed in our art museums and public spaces and in simple etchings. ¶ With Black History Month approaching, we’re singling out eight of Washington’s quiet treasures, the artifacts that are full of resonance, even if you have to look twice to notice them. Each has a story to tell, and some will downright surprise you. Make it a point to see them all. Read full article > >

Read the original post:
Black History Month: Artifacts you have to see

South Africa hires 150 extra rangers for the world-renowned Kruger national park to try to combat record poaching of rhinos for their horns.

Read more:
South Africa boosts rhino wardens

The 2012 BET Honors: Bigger, better and, for the first time, graced by a visit from the first lady. But still fairly freewheelin’. Now in its fifth year, the network’s platinum evening, which celebrates African American achievement across a spectrum of disciplines, turned up the star wattage. The two-hour ceremony, which was taped Saturday evening at the Warner Theatre (to be broadcast Feb. 13), honored singers Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder, filmmaker Spike Lee, poet Maya Angelou, the Tuskegee Airmen and Olympic track coach Beverly Kearney. The presenters included marquee-friendly names such as Aretha Franklin, Common, Queen Latifah and Willow Smith as well as some political types, including Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., senior adviser to the president Valerie Jarrett and former secretary of state Colin L. Powell. Read full article > >

Go here to see the original:
Michelle Obama turns up for BET Honors

Tens of thousands of Somalis will have died of starvation by the time the famine in the Horn of Africa ends, the UN tells the BBC.

The rest is here:
Somali famine ‘to kill thousands’

A former U.S. soldier trained in cryptology and intelligence was charged Monday with attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization after he flew to Africa in an unsuccessful bid to join al-Shabab, a group with links to al-Qaeda, authorities said. Craig B. Baxam, 24, of Laurel told FBI agents that he had no contacts with al-Shabab and only a haphazard plan to connect with the group when he boarded a flight out of Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport last month, according to a federal criminal complaint. But he said he shared al-Shabab’s religious beliefs — at least as he had read them on an Islamic Web site — and he considered himself obligated to move to land the group controlled in Somalia. Read full article > >

Read this article:
Craig Baxam, ex-U.S. soldier, charged with trying to aid terror group al-Shabab

BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau — President Malam Bacai Sanha, who was elected in this tiny, coup-prone nation on Africa’s western coast about two years ago after the previous leader was assassinated, died Monday in Paris after a lengthy hospitalization. No immediate cause was given but the 64-year-old president was known to have diabetes, and had undergone medical treatment in both France and neighboring Senegal during his time in office. National radio announced his death Monday afternoon. Read full article > >

Follow this link:
National radio: Ill president of tiny West African country of Guinea-Bissau dies at 64

A mini-series based on the life of Nelson Mandela is in the pipeline, with producers including the former South African president’s grandson.

Go here to read the rest:
Nelson Mandela biopic in pipeline

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa — Tens of thousands of chanting and dancing revelers waved the green and gold colors of the African National Congress as Africa’s oldest liberation movement celebrated its 100th anniversary Sunday, though many South Africans say the party hasn’t delivered on its promises since taking power in 1994. Read full article > >

Originally posted here:
Joy and sadness in South Africa as Nelson Mandela’s party celebrates its 100th birthday

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Gunmen from a radical Muslim sect attacked a town hall Friday in rural northeast Nigeria, killing at least 20 people who had gathered for a meeting of a Christian ethnic group, police said. The attack at noon targeted a town hall where Christian Igbo people were holding a meeting, with gunmen chanting “God is great” as they fired Kalashnikov rifles. Read full article > >

Follow this link:
Police: At least 20 killed as militants attack town hall during meeting in northeast Nigeria