Namibia

Overlooking African history

I read with no small measure of disgust that the September issue of Elle is featuring diamond pendants made in the shape of African masks by DeBeers. Anyone familiar at all with the history of DeBeers, diamonds and Africa (or with the Leonardo DiCaprio movie on the subject) will find this one hard to take. Are people at Elle so stupid that they don't see the irony in DeBeers making this kind of jewelry? Apparently, yes. (Maybe reading that Jezebel article will help them wake up.) Gerald Caplan'...

Does No One Vacation In Paris Anymore?

While our delicate/oppressive first-world sensibilities prevent us from recommending any, ahem, other-world countries in which to spend your hard-earned vacation dollars. (PS, Monaco was dreadful last summer. Thumbs down, ugly Americans), Berkeley-based Ethical Traveler has the scoop on the top-ten "ethical destinations" for all of you teevas-sporting vacationers looking to take late summer vacations. In alphabetical order, they are: Argentina, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Est...

Namibia: Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak in Kavango

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry has slapped a complete ban on livestock movement in five regions following a suspected outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at a village in Mukwe constituency in the Kavango Region this week.

Helio Resource Corp.: Namibia Update

Visit StreetInsider.com at http://www.streetinsider.com/Press+Releases/Helio+Resource+Corp.%3A+Namibia+Update/3871555.html for the full story.

ERAMET, Otjozondu Holdings and Oreport partner to study the development of a manganese mine in Namibia

ERAMET and the Otjozondu Mining shareholders, Oreport and Otjozondu Holdings, have executed on July, 29, 2008 a partnership to study the feasibility of a manganese mining operation on the Otjozondu deposit in Namibia.

Satellite as artiste

Could it be that NASA rivals MOMA as a repository of modern art -- at least certain kinds? The website environmentalgraffiti.com made that case this month by republishing 30 of the most striking images taken by the U.S. satellite Landsat 7. The images were originally culled by NASA staff members from a data set of some 400,000, for an exhibit in 2000 at the Library of Congress. Environmental Graffiti didn't just give its readers a second look at the chosen few. It also added some value, providin...

Do You Remember the Good Old Days Before the Ghost Town?

Oddee surveys 10 ghost towns around the globe, from the sand-buried city of Kolmanskop in Namibia to a longtime libertarian favorite, the anarchic Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. [Via Infocult.]

China gets green light to buy ivory

China has been approved as a buyer of African Elephant ivory in a one-off sale from four southern African countries, probably later this year. The decision was taken to accept China at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Geneva, Switzerland. To gain approval, China had to convince CITES it had put in place adequate measures to manage regulated sales and tackle any illegal domestic ivory trade. “Ch...

Namibia: Architects Say Move of Monument 'Flawed'

THE Namibia Institute of Architects (NIA) has called on the Government to consider building the planned Independence Memorial Museum in Katutura, Mondesa or Kuisebmond instead of moving the famous Reiterdenkmal to make way for it.

China seeks ivory trade approval

China is pushing for legal permission to trade in ivory, amid concerns from environmental groups that approval could put serious pressure on elephant populations. As a meeting of the UN’s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) starts in Geneva, China is seeking approval as a trading partner, allowing it to buy into a 100-tonne stockpile of ivory in Africa which Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe are authorised to sell. However, environmentalists say China’s...