New Zealand: " Earth rim walker seeks his meals Prepare the funeral pyres "

Radio New Zealand National reports

Therapist faulted over spiritual treatment

                                                          Stupid is as stupid does

A massage therapist has been asked to review her practice and apologise to a 16-year-old patient who she did not properly inform about a Maori spiritual treatment she was referring her for.

Excuse me " ..review her practice ..." Doctors, dentist's, optometrists or outside the medical field say architects have practices. Massage therapists... well I guess the honest ones offer extras that both parties understand at a mutually agreed rate.

Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Theo Baker says the therapist should have been meticulous in the way she informed the girl.

The Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner should have declined jurisdiction and referred the incident to the appropriate authorities who might have had the ability to sanction the " therapist " (a power The Health and Disability Commission doesn't have ) like the police who deal with fraud.

The girl, who is not Maori, went to the massage therapist for help with migraines, period pains and sport injuries.

A GP would I am guessing would have cost a lot less and would have additional advantages such as medical training and the ability to refer to specialists.

 

A report says the therapist told the girl she had problems with her aura and contacted an iwi healer.

An aura from a medical perspective is: 

" Aura: A sensation perceived by a patient that precedes a condition affecting the brain. An aura often occurs before a migraine or seizure. It may consist of flashing lights, a gleam of light, blurred vision, an odor, the feeling of a breeze, numbness, weakness, or difficulty in speaking.."

Or in other words a reason to call an ambulance and get the person to a hospital ASAP.

The healer diagnosed the girl as having six spiritual entities in her and recommend that she come immediately to a nearby river to be cleansed.

I had no idea that traditional Maori health providers  fucking con men had the ability to diagnose what from this report would suggest such a complex medical condition and such a simple cure over the phone. This clown along with our " massage therapist " have impugned reputable Maori health providers and that is what really pisses me off.

The girl gave her consent and waded in the river, but reported feeling felt rushed and pressured. She has been having nightmares since the incident.

Let's have a real investigation. Invoices, payments and lets have a look at the financial arrangements of this " Massage therapist " particularly as they relate to the Iwi Healer.

The therapist is not registered with any professional body and has not been named in the report.

As I said the The Health and Disability Commission has no place investigating this. This is the problem though... who does ? The police I am sure are the obvious authority but " somebody got wet in a river and is having nightmares about it " is probably not going to inspire any cop to turn on the siren and lights.

Sound stupid ?

Uganda: " The darkroom unleashes imagination in pornographic images "

Faith Natunga at Money In Africa opines

Who are we fooling!! Uganda’s “mini-skirt law” and its colonial undertones (Part 2)

                                                                                        Prostitutes in Kampala


The push for a “mini skirt Law,” the regulation in Ugandan Anglican Churches that denies brides the right to wear strapless gowns at church because it is disrespectful to the Church is a clear indication that colonialism has made it’s mark. The Evangelical movement in Africa and the traditional Church Institutions have carried on this colonial ideology of indecency.

It would be interesting to know the role of the religious right particularly in America with regard to financial donations / support, to and for the religious idiots that are taking Uganda and other African nations down a path radically different from the path the rest of the world ( excluding Russia but including the Vatican ) is moving.

The real issue here is the failure of the Ugandan State to control the circulation of Pornographic Media on the streets and probably address the issues that lead young women to expose their bodies for sexual exploitation (one clear issue, the lack of decent employment opportunities).

I am at a loss to know how the Ugandan government could actually control the circulation of Pornographic Media. That you are reading this now and not viewing pornography is astonishing. The world wide web runs on porn is funded by porn. I suppose Uganda could exercise the Venezuelan option, but it would not stop pornography. Actually I also doubt that the lack of employment opportunities has much to do with it. I very much doubt full employment would have any effect other than to increase the size and affluence of the audience.

There is nothing new about prostitution and pornography, and for those religiously inclined, Mary Magdalene is one case in point. This trade has existed for the same reasons to this day; the lack of meaningful employment for women with the responsibility of raising a family, finding shelter and food. However we have to be mindful to that the demands have significantly increased with the high cost of living thus increasing demand for this trade globally.

I agree that there is nothing new about prostitution and pornography, they have been with us since the dawn of humanity and expecting a government to be able to prevent it via legislation is rank stupidity. Uganda will discover that their anti gay legislation will fail for the same reason. If your politicians are stupid enough to be bought by extreme right " Christians " who feel they have the right to kill people because of who they chose to sleep with so be it.
It is also important to note that where there is supply there is demand and we cannot hope to eliminate the pornographic industry in Uganda without addressing the demand (the men that consume it) as this will only drive it underground.

Sort of right; actually where there is demand there is supply a lot of businesses have gone broke getting that around the wrong way. Interestingly a lot of consumption of pornography is by females. 
" Caroline is not alone. While it's accepted that women are watching – and enjoying – porn more and more, it's less recognised that some are also finding it hard to stop. At Quit Porn Addiction, the UK's main porn counselling service, almost one in three clients are women struggling with their own porn use, says founder and counsellor Jason Dean. Two years ago, there were none.While more than six out of 10 women say they view web porn, one study in 2006 by the Internet Filter Review found that 17% of women describe themselves as "addicted"."

Which sort of screws the demand argument up a bit.

This like most legislations lets women carry the heavy penalty of a trade that has existed for centuries. This debate should not be centered on the female anatomy but on the male demand for pornographic images, and the increased regulation and prosecution of men that are involved in the exploitation of women in the sex trade.

Many jurisdictions have legalised prostitution and that is the sensible way to deal with the industry, willing buyers and sellers who are consenting adults. That probably won't happen if you decide to persecute the participants but ironically the church will love you for it. It would seem it is not only the Ugandan Government that is guilty of colonial ideology but indeed the author of this.

It is indeed laughable to see MPs making statements that the Law is void of Western influences, that they are defying the immorality of the West for the modesty of African culture. How quickly they forget their history, or should we assume that is one aspect of the academic arena they skipped. The Anti-pornography Act is as big of a Western concept as the English language and trying to blanket it in a veil of morality and religious values only proves its true origin. The fool here is really the legislatures that believe they are making an anti-Western statement, moving away from the indecent, corrupted and sexualised Western culture.

Oh fuck, you stupid bloody person. Pornography is not illegal in the west unless it is child pornography, something we really don't like. Why don't you stick your stupid immature attitudes where the sun doesn't shine, you could probably make money out of photographing it. As for the " legislatures " are they making an anti-western statement ? Or have they just like the author arrived in a logically impossible place due to a narrow minded approach.  

It is therefore important that even in this post-colonial era with the invisible Western hand we should make sure we legislate with a rational mind, one that is mindful of our past and remains true to our history or else we stand to be judged as hypocrites. The religious movement should be mindful of the opinions they advance in the legislative arena and the influence these have on the authenticity of our African autonomous governance.

I have already judged you as a hypocrite, you have absolutely no right to impose your value judgements on anyone yet like the Church and legislature you bemoan, you have. 

The religious movement in Uganda is actually more influential than earlier perceived as it has now pushed into the legislative arena but we should be assertive and identify its true nature and it’s influences which are at the end of the day not an African perception of morality, but a continuation of a Western Concept of what it means to be a civilised African.

It would seem the " do as I say " lunacy is well established as well.


Hat Tip: Rosebell Kagumire   

DR Congo: The Street Kids of Goma

Charly Carolüs Kasereka blogs at L'ACTU DU KIVU

I have run the original French text through Google Translate and have also tried to iron out the kinks that inevitably occur. I apologise to Charly if I have stuffed up his emphasis or meaning by doing so.

              THE STREET OF THE CHILDREN ?

More than 5000 children living outside the family home in my city. This phenomenon arises from 1994 with the massive influx of refugees fleeing the Rwandan genocide.
The situation is exacerbated following multiple wars caused by various armed groups operating in the eastern DRC.

Other causes

The poverty of parents who can no longer meet the needs of their offspring and the lack of jobs is one of the causes.
Several other reasons lead these children mostly under 17 years to be on the street. Some are there because their parents are separated, the death of a parent where orphans are assigned to a family member who already has his own burden to him, but also a bad education, parents living in very difficult conditions are often absent and away from home to educate their offspring.

                                       Young boys who draw water

A life on the streets

Children from broken families commonly called'' May'' or'' BOBO'' Shégué live by begging, stealing, and others are hard at work (emptying public trash cans, drawing water for restaurants from a distance of 7 km to the Lake Kivu) to survive.

Girls and teenage girls engage them in prostitution for a few Congolese francs:'' I stay in front of this stationery. I am from SAKE (27 km west of Goma) it is because of the war my parents died in 2008. Today I am 14 years old and it's been 5 years  I have been on the street.''  said Yvette.

Reintegration sometimes futile.

To support the Congolese Government to supervise these children of family breakups, several learning business and rehabilitation centers have been opened here in Goma.
In this center youth need training from 6 months to a year, depending on the support needs which vary from one youngster to another.

                                     boys from broken families in the street in Goma enthusiastic for hemp and alcohol.

Uganda: Cardinal sin and carnal desires

New Vision ( Uganda ) reports

Outlaw prostitution - Cardinal Wamala

By Paul Kiwuuwa   
        
Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala has expressed worry over Government failure outlaw prostitution.

 “People no longer care about their lives. They behave as if HIV does no longer exist. They are just money minded, yet prostitution spreads HIV virus,” Wamala said.

Actually unsafe sex spreads the HIV virus. Prostitution per-say has very little to do with the spread of HIV. Legalisation of prostitution makes it far easier to control from a public health perspective. In Uganda it would seem it is currently not  illegal but not legalised  ( something that surprised me )  In many ways that is the worst senario. Legalising it would allow resourses to be targeted towards prostitutes just simple stuff like free condoms and sex education on the risks associated with working in the sex industry and how to mitigate those risks.    

“It is a shame that when one goes to streets of major towns in Uganda, young children are indulging in prostitution; what the Government is doing about it.” Wamala added.

Agreed. It is terrible to think that children are participating in the sex industry but legalisation of the industry allows for regulation. Uganda seems to waste resources interfering in its citizens bedrooms with pointless legislation whilst avoiding opportunities to make changes that will have a positive effect for the nations future. 

His remarks follow a recent Uganda HIV/AIDS report which indicated that the HIV/ADIS prevalence rate shot up from 6.4% in 2005 to 7.3% as of September last year.

That is a worrying trend and outlawing prostitution will have the opposite effect  the Cardinal desires. Outlawing prostitution will infact just drive the industry underground. Why is it that Uganda persists in believing that if you pass a law then you will resolve a situation ? Many western nations have tried these " solutions " they failed miserably why will the result be different in Uganda or for that matter anywhere in the world.

This trend was attributed to promiscuity, where more people are having multiple sex partners.

So why blame prostitution ? Uganda wake up, people have sex I hate to break this to you but banning prostitution, killing gays as well as having a stupid age of legal consent is doing nothing but criminalising your people. 

In his Christmas sermon at St Peter’s Catholic Church Nsambya a city suburb, Wamala also expressed fear over increasing cases of abortion.

He criticized some parents who neglect their role of nurturing their children, which has contributed to the moral decay and family breakdown.

The Cardinal is concerned that many parents leave their children under the care of house maids without proper nurturing. “It is good to work but spare some time for your children,” the prelate advised.

The Cardinal needs to get out and smell the roses.