My friend, Duncan, and I had wrapped up dinner at a restaurant in Varanasi, India and more than half the food was uneaten. We asked for a carry out bag, knowing in the back of our mind that we would probably never eat the food. While walking down towards the Ganges, we started to pass beggars, beaten down to the ground by years of poverty, … Continue reading Varanasi: Karma and Contradiction
The other night my colleagues and I ordered pizza to be delivered to our workplace at the International Broadcast Centre during our shift at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. There have been tons of issues with the catering here so we had food brought in. At the end of the evening there were still four untouched boxes of pizza that were cold and had … Continue reading Waste Not, Want Not
Thanks Bazi Kanani of Denver’s 9News for doing this wonderful story about the income generating project, BeadforLife. If you would like to host a bead party visit http://beadforlife.org. The organization is on its way to booking 100 parties in 100 days. It’s time and money very well spent and the women of Uganda will rain blessings down on you for helping their families rise up … Continue reading BeadforLife on 9News
As a journalist I’m used to working long days. Adrenaline keeps you in the game for 16 to 20 hours during breaking news and disaster coverage. You sleep for three hours then you’re back at it. But nothing prepared me for how exhausted I would be after just a couple of hours of listening to the painful testimonies of young Ugandan men and women who … Continue reading Uganda’s Child Soldiers: In Their Own Words
NOTE: THE ACID ATTACK IN OREGON TURNED OUT TO BE A SELF-INFLICTED HOAX. In recent days there have been two brutal acid attacks against women in the United States, one in Oregon and one in Arizona. Many of you have read the story I wrote about a courageous acid attack victim from Kampala, Uganda named Juliette on this blog. HDNet’s World Report aired an “in her own … Continue reading Acid Attacks Hit Home
Even with 500 TV channels at our fingertips my 12 year old son, Blair, and I could not come up with a movie to watch. He manned the remote flipping from title to title while I played God saying “next” and “pass” until we had gone from A to Z. He grew impatient and started lobbying for “Family Guy” instead. I was undeterred. We would … Continue reading The Grapes of Wrath: The Next Generation
It was the most amazing coming out party. A small village outside Kampala, Uganda, full of women, celebrating the miraculous accomplishment of rising up from life crushing poverty to become homeowners and landowners. They started singing and dancing in the morning and the festivities did not stop until midnight. One of the most joyful sights I’ve ever seen. Thanks to BeadforLife, the people in the … Continue reading Beads, Bricks and a Better Life
I love backstories. I love looking behind the scenes at inspirations and motivations that lead to great creativity. Here’s musician and artist K’Naan’s story in his own words on BBC Radio about what led to his epic song “Waving Flag,” which became a rallying cry for earthquake stricken Haiti, and then a joyous anthem for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2010/08/100811_knaan_nh_sl.shtml?s For more … Continue reading K’Naan: Waving Flag’s Backstory
I received a call this afternoon from a young man named Thomas Kramer from Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. I could tell that he was very young. In a most tentative voice he said “Is this Ms. Collins?” I answered yes in the skeptical voice I use for phone solicitors. Then he told me the most amazing story. Turns out he is just 14 and was in Uganda … Continue reading Fallout from a Bombing
The cover of this week’s Time Magazine is incredibly powerful. I saw it at the airport and couldn’t get it out of my mind. A woman with her nose cut off by the Taliban as the poster child for the carnage and cruelty in that war torn land. Not sure if it posed a question or just an answer with its title: What Happens If … Continue reading The Woman on the Cover
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