Mutinous Congo troops fire at UN

A UN base in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been fired on by army soldiers in a dispute over pay.
It is the latest in a string of mutinies in North Kivu by soldiers who have not been paid for six months.
A senior UN peacekeeper told the BBC that army commanders are not handing over soldiers' wages.
The army and UN forces are conducting an offensive in the region against ethnic Hutu rebels many of whom fled to DR Congo after the Rwandan genocide.
A UN spokesman told the BBC the situation needed to be dealt with urgently.
"There is a risk of a potential disintegration of the Congolese army," he said.
Over the last few months, members of the Tutsi-dominated rebel militia, the Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP), have been integrated into the national army.
"There has been a fast-track integration of the CNDP and we are now seeing the results. The commanders are getting the money but not distributing it," the UN spokesperson said.
Shooting in the air
The BBC's Thomas Fessy in the region says 27 soldiers have been arrested after firing on the UN base about 100km (62 miles) north-west of Goma.


In another incident on Wednesday morning, soldiers in Ngora village (200km north-west of Goma) refused to pursue Hutu rebels from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) into a neighbouring village.
They fired in the air for an hour-and-a-half, our correspondent says.
Two ringleaders were then arrested, which prompted more shooting.
Our reporter says there have been another nine such cases in the last week in North Kivu.
Villagers in the region are worried about their safety and soldiers have been stealing their crops to eat, he says.

It's difficult to figure out this Orlando Magic team

Don't even try.You'll only make yourself crazy and end up looking like a fool.I should know.If I had a dollar for the number of column inches I've wasted trying to draw steadfast conclusions about the Orlando Magic, then Rashard Lewis would be my pool guy.

Speaking of Rashard Lewis, I wrote a column earlier in the playoffs that he wasn't earning his massive salary because he wasn't coming up big enough in big games.I also wrote a column about Rafer Alston becoming a liability and the Magic desperately missing starting point guard Jameer Nelson.And then there was that blog where I wondered about Stan Van Gundy's job security after Dwight Howard publicly second-guessed his coach following the Game 5 meltdown in Boston.I repeat, don't even try to make sense of these guys.Don't try to analyze their past performances.Don't try to prophesize their future ones.I feel especially bad for our West Coast media guests who have already been sucked into this Magic madness. After the 25-point loss in Game 1, columnist Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times cracked that he was picking "the Lakers in 3." Another West Coast wag, Marcia C. Smith of the Orange County Register, encouraged Lakers fans to prepare for a sweep and "buy more brooms."To paraphrase the words of yet another L.A. columnist, the late, great Jim Murray: "Gentlemen (and ladies), start your mea culpas."When are we stupid columnists going to learn to stop trying to make rational judgments on an irreverently irrational team? From now on, we should just sit back, have a beer and enjoy perhaps the wildest, wackiest potential champions in NBA history:The Orlando Manic-Depressives."We might be one of the silliest teams you'll ever see," Magic center Dwight Howard says.They were silly enough to believe they could go on the road in a Game 7 and beat the defending champion Boston Celtics.They were silly enough to think LeBron James should sit at home and witness them in the NBA Finals.And now they are silly enough to think they can actually take down one of the greatest coaches and greatest players in NBA history.And if they do it, they will do it their way, which is a way only they fully understand. It is an unconventional and unpredictable way that starts with their nonconformist head coach and trickles down to a frolicsome bunch of free spirits seemingly immune to the pulsating pressure of the moment.Kobe and the Lakers scowl.1
2
Dwight and the Magic howl."We laugh and joke and have fun," Howard says."We love to put a smile on each other's face before games," Alston says.Maybe that explains how the Magic can shoot an abysmal 29 percent in Game 1 and then come back in Game 3 and shoot a Finals record 62.5 percent.Or how Alston can look like the second coming of Tiny Archibald in Game 3 after looking like the second coming of Tiny Tim in Game 2.And, sometimes, it goes the other way, too. Like when Howard scored a career-playoff high 40 points in the close-out game against Cleveland and then made only one field goal in Game 1 of the Finals.Van Gundy admits he is a bit unorthodox and that his rotation of players can change from game to game and even minute to minute. Thus, J.J. Redick was in the lineup guarding Kobe Bryant at the end of Game 2 but never even got on the floor in Game 3.Or what about Game 2 when Van Gundy had three point guards sitting beside him on the bench and 6-foot-10 Hedo Turkoglu bringing the ball up the court?"I'm not trying to be unconventional," Van Gundy says, "I'm just trying to do what I think is best."But how many coaches, with his team rolling into its first NBA Finals in 14 years, would have the audacity to risk upsetting the basketball gods by bringing back the injured Nelson after a four-month absence?Van Gundy is nuts.His team is nuts.Just nuts enough to think they can win the NBA championship.

Best Places to Live 2009

With the decade winding to a close, Americans have grown increasingly reluctant to gas up their moving vans. Last year, the Census Bureau's national mover rate--which represents the percentage of Americans 1 year and older who moved within the past year--hit its lowest level since 1948, when the bureau began tracking the data. And who can blame us? In the face of a terrifying banking crisis, a historic housing crash, and a grueling recession, relocating to a new city isn't exactly on the to-do list. But despite the uncertain economy, the nation's diverse topography presents an enviable menu of great places to find work, retire, or just change your scene.
In selecting our Best Places to Live for 2009, U.S. News took a thrift-conscious approach: We looked for affordable communities that have strong economies and plenty of fun things to do. The cities we selected are as distinct as America itself--ranging from a quaint suburb to a live-music mecca. But whether you prefer hiking through the Rocky Mountains, pulling a fish out of the Atlantic Ocean, or grilling hot dogs at a college football tailgate, here are 10 places that will fill up your daybook without emptying your wallet.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Along the banks of the Rio Grande, with the Sandia Mountains in the background, is the beautiful city of Albuquerque, N.M. The sunny climate and endless landscape have long drawn writers, poets, and artists to this spot, which includes an unconventional mix of American Indian, Hispanic, and Anglo cultures. But it's not just freethinkers who drift to this Southwestern city of 511,000. Kirtland Air Force Base, Sandia National Laboratories, and Intel Corp. have helped develop the area into a manufacturing and research hub. They provide a stable anchor for the local economy.
Albuquerque's clear skies, calm winds, and abundant sunshine present plenty of opportunities to explore its natural splendor. Each October, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta fills the sky with more than 700 colorful hot-air balloons. Fourteen area golf courses are open year-round and allow duffers to tee off against spectacular backdrops of volcanoes and mountain peaks. Meanwhile, Albuquerque's foothills and network of trails make the area a wonderful destination for biking. Still, "it's kind of undiscovered at the same time," says Will McConnell of the Albuquerque Bicycle Center.
Auburn, Alabama
For Southern charm with collegiate vigor, consider Auburn, Ala. This diamond on the eastern Alabama plains has a population of just under 50,000 and is home to Auburn University. On football Saturdays, when die-hard fans arrive in droves to cheer their beloved Tigers, Auburn swells to the state's fifth-most-populous city. And as Auburn's largest employer, the university also plays a starring role in the local economy.
With mild winters and hot summers, the city offers no shortage of outdoor recreation opportunities. Find a nice hiking trail in the 696-acre Chewacla State Park before cooling off with an afternoon swim. Take a stroll through the Donald E. Davis Arboretum, located on the Auburn University campus.
Golfers can head to nearby Grand National golf course and wend their way through the state along the beautiful Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. "Once you have been there, you just want to come back," says John Cannon, president of SunBelt Golf Corp., which manages the trail.
[See a slideshow of the 10 best places to live.]
Austin, Texas
If you're a free spirit, music junkie, or barbecue lover--or if you simply have what it takes to "keep Austin weird"--Texas's state capital is for you. Considered ground zero for live music, this city of 716,000 residents is home to legions of musicians and nearly 200 performance venues. In addition, Austin hosts the always popular South by Southwest festival. Since its inception in 1987, the event has mushroomed from a local gathering to a 1,800-band, 80-stage extravaganza of music, filmmaking, and interactive activities featuring performers from all over the world. Austin is also a high-tech hub, with companies like Dell and IBM, which employ thousands of residents.
The city's warm climate offers plenty of sunshine, while the open green spaces don't provide any excuse for staying indoors. Head over to Lions Municipal Golf Course for an inexpensive round. Wander through the 351-acre Zilker Metropolitan Park until you find Barton Springs Pool, a 3-acre water source fed by underground springs that keep its temperature around 68 degrees all year long. To escape the city, head for the nearby Hill Country. "It's rolling hills cut with lots of little creeks and streams," says Tom Beach, a sales clerk at Austin Canoe & Kayak. "It makes for a nice road trip."
Boise, Idaho
Although often overlooked, Boise, Idaho, is a terrific destination for those looking to escape out West. With a high-desert climate of sunshine, clear skies, and four distinct seasons, this city of 200,000 makes a perfect base camp for exploring southwest Idaho's dramatic panorama. Choose from the many nearby parks, which total some 2,700 acres, cast a fishing line into the Boise River, or head over to Boise State University for a Broncos football game.
High-tech companies Micron Technology and Hewlett-Packard are among the area's leading private employers. To hit the thriving local arts scene, cruise downtown. Boise's free "Alive After Five" concert series brings musicians and other entertainers to the Grove Plaza each Wednesday during the summer. "It's harder to find a parking space after 5 than it is before 5," says Paul Hiller, the executive director of the Boise Valley Economic Partnership. "It's one of the most vibrant downtown areas you've ever seen."
Durham, North Carolina
Once a tobacco town, Durham, N.C., has evolved into a world-class center of all things advanced. This city of 206,000, located halfway between the Atlantic coast and the Great Smoky Mountains, is called the "City of Medicine" because of its expansive healthcare industry. And although widely known as the home of prestigious Duke University, it's also a thriving technology hub. At the same time, Durham's mild climate allows residents to get out and explore the region's abundant outdoor attractions. Consider hiking one of the many distinct trails and greenways or heading over to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for an afternoon baseball game.
La Crosse, Wisconsin
With a population of about 50,000, La Crosse, Wis., is a great staging ground for exploring the natural wonders of the upper Mississippi River area. Although winters can be bitterly cold, friendly Midwesterners and the nearby ski slopes will keep your spirits high. The spring opens an active outdoor culture of camping, hiking, hunting, and fishing that brings more than a million visitors to the area each year. Explore the mighty Mississippi on a riverboat tour, or try your luck with the northern pike in Lake Onalaska. "Great people, fun town," says Dave Lueck, a 36-year-old graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. "It's not too big, not too small." And with a 2008 median home sale price of $113,000, it's also an affordable destination.
[Learn more about our methodology in choosing the best places to live.]
Loveland, Colorado
Located just outside the breathtaking Rocky Mountain National Park, Loveland, Colo., is considered the "Gateway to the Rockies." But while it has 27 public parks and nearly 16 miles of recreation trails, it's Loveland's affection for man-made beauty that sets this community of 56,000 residents apart. Thanks to its Art in Public Places program, more than 300 pieces of sculpture and two-dimensional works are on display throughout the community. And with a 2008 median home sale price of $186,000, the area's real estate market is relatively affordable.
Loveland has also achieved acclaim for its Valentine remailing program, in which 200,000 cards are sent to the city to receive a special cachet stamp. "We've got a waiting list of over 50 people that are waiting to be stampers," says Kathryn Roth of the Loveland Chamber of Commerce.
San Luis Obispo, California
Tucked into California's sweeping Central Coast region is lovely San Luis Obispo, Calif. Its warm, gentle climate, with temperatures rarely surpassing 90 degrees, is perfect for hitting nearby beaches or touring local vineyards. In addition, California Polytechnic State University, which is located in town, infuses the community with intellectual energy.
Although area home prices have fallen by as much as 35 percent over the past two years, the national housing bust may have also created another reason to make San Luis Obispo your home, says John Day, a local real estate broker. "There are just plain good deals" in the current market, he says.
St. Augustine, Florida
As the nation's longest continually inhabited European-founded city, St. Augustine, Fla., considers itself the oldest city in the United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish Adm. Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, this community of 13,000 residents on Florida's northeastern coast has managed to maintain its colonial charm. Take the Castillo de San Marcos, for example. This remarkable stone-and-mortar fort is located right in the heart of St. Augustine's cobblestoned historic district. And even though 300 years of violent storms and enemy firepower couldn't penetrate its walls, visitors can enter the 20.5-acre monument site today for just $6.
But St. Augustine's appeal extends beyond the history books. With a highly educated workforce, world-class golfing nearby--the immaculate TPC Sawgrass course is located just up the road--and that refreshing Atlantic breeze, this "ancient city" offers enough activities to satisfy even the most fanatical outdoor sports enthusiast. "Fishing, kayaking, boating--we have just about everything," says Donald Edwards, a clerk at the Avid Angler fishing shop. "I wouldn't live anywhere else."
Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania
For a quiet residential option, consider Upper St. Clair, Pa. This quaint town of fewer than 20,000 residents is located in the hilly woodlands outside Pittsburgh, where the Whiskey Rebellion of the late 1700s was centered. The median home price of this family-oriented community was $240,000 in 2008. And its school system is superb: Ninety-eight percent of its high school graduates go on to college, and the Upper St. Clair school district currently boasts 10 federal government blue-ribbon "Excellence in Education" awards.
After the spring thaw, residents head outside to enjoy the region's abundant greenery. "Pennsylvania is a fairly robust and rich place in terms of resources, if you just look a little bit," says Ed Di Gangi, the president of the Upper St. Clair Fly Fishing Club. In addition to fishing, popular outdoor activities include hiking, cycling, golf, and bocce. And with Pittsburgh about 10 miles away, residents of this small town are never too far removed from big-city comforts. "From here to a Pirates [baseball] game or here to a Penguins [hockey] game, it's 30 minutes or less," Di Gangi says.
Here's our list of the 10 best places to live:
1. Albuquerque, N.M.
2. Auburn, Ala.
3. Austin, Texas
4. Boise, Idaho
5. Durham, N.C.
6. La Crosse, Wis.
7. Loveland, Colo.
8. San Luis Obispo, Calif.
9. St. Augustine, Fla.
10. Upper St. Clair, Pa.
Consider this list a springboard to get you thinking about the qualities you're looking for in a Best Places to Live list of your own.

President Omar Bongo dies at 73

Monday 08 June 2009
Gabon's President Omar Bongo, Africa's longest-serving leader, has died at 73, the country's prime minister confirmed. Bongo, whose political career was clouded by corruption claims, was undergoing treatment at a clinic in Barcelona, Spain. Gabon’s Prime Minister Jean Eyeghe Ndong confirmed the death of 73-year-old President Omar Bongo on Monday, in a statement issued at a clinic in the Spanish city of Barcelona, where sources say Africa’s longest-serving ruler was being treated for cancer.At 2:30 pm, the medical team informed me, as well as the officials and members of the family present, that the president of the republic, head of state Omar Bongo Ondimba, had just passed away following a heart attack," the Gabonese premier said in a statement.
The declaration put an end to a flurry of controversial reports, which began with the announcement by French media late on Sunday that Bongo had died.

After news of Bongo's death was confirmed, officials in the West African nation announced a 30-day period of national mourning amid appeals for calm among the population.

Gabon's defence ministry, led by Bongo's son Ali Ben Bongo Ondimba, also announced the closure of air, land and sea borders, adding that measures had been taken to "secure sesitive administrative facilities and buildings".
Bongo, who became Africa’s youngest president in 1967 when he was elected at 31, had been receiving treatment in Spain for several weeks. Officially, this was for a check-up and to rest in the wake of his wife’s death in March. However, several sources -- including some from the hospital in Barcelona -- suggested his condition was severe. On May 6, the Gabonese presidency announced the “temporary suspension of [Bongo’s] functions”.
Media confusion
The apparent death of Bongo was first reported late on Sunday by the Web site of French magazine Le Point, quoting a source close to the Gabonese president’s entourage. The news was immediately seconded by AFP news agency, this time quoting a source close to the French government.
However, Gabon’s government spokesman Raphael N’Toutoume told French radio: "I am putting out a formal denial of this".

Why there's still hope for Orlando

It was bad enough for the Orlando Magic that that seemingly infallible, smartest guy in the room, leader of the free world fella picked the Lakers in six.
Then they actually took the floor.After the Lakers administered a 100-75, Globetrotters vs. Generals clinic in humiliation on Thursday night, President Barack Obama's pick would seem to give the Magic more credit than they deserve. Two wins? How?
The Lakers destroyed Orlando in the paint (54-22). L.A. outrebounded the Magic 55-41. Dwight Howard scored one basket in 35 minutes.
Then there's the matter of Phil Jackson being 43-0 all-time in playoff series in which he wins Game 1.
Somewhere David Stern's dyspepsia at not having his Kobe-LeBron Final just got a whole lot worse at the prospect of a 4-0 romp with no drama.
But amid the gloom and doom and shovelfuls of dirt being heaped on the Magic, there are several reasons for some audacious hope in the Orlando locker room.
Jameer Nelson
So much for "definitely not playing in Game 1" and "probably not playing in the series." Despite various reports out of Orlando that Jameer Nelson wouldn't play in the Finals "under any circumstances," the All-Star point guard played 23 minutes Thursday night.Yes, he ended up 3-of-9, including a couple of airballs that looked like they were shot by a guy coming off a shoulder injury who hadn't played a meaningful game in four months. But before his legs gave out, Nelson sparked a 9-4 mini-run with three assists and a bucket that gave Orlando its biggest — albeit brief — lead, 33-28. Nelson was a deserving All-Star this season but missed the game after suffering a torn labrum the week before the All-Star break. He may not be 100 percent, but the mere fact that the team that dispatched the defending champion Celtics and top-seeded Cavaliers in consecutive series just added an All-Star to its rotation will make a difference before this series is over.
If the Magic are to follow the '94 and '95 Houston Rockets' formula of throwing the ball into the post to a guy who demands a double team and then spreading the floor with shooters, all four guys on the perimeter have to be able to knock down the three. The weak link for Orlando in that strategy has been Rafer Alston, who shot 33.8 from behind the arc during the regular season. In the Magic's six losses against the Celtics (three), Cavs (two) and Lakers (one), Rafer Alston has gone 4-for-21 from behind the arc (19 percent). Nelson shot 45.3 percent from behind the arc during the season and — if he gets his legs back — gives the Magic a much more consistent deep threat at the point.
Marcin Gortat
Go ahead, laugh it up. You think it's hilarious that the Magic might be pinning their hopes on the Polish Hammer. Well, Gortat was pretty much the only Magic player who could hold his head high after the butt-whipping the Lakers dished out Thursday. He played 20 minutes, scored four points, grabbed eight rebounds, blocked four shots and even had two steals. In the 20 minutes Gortat was on the court, Orlando was outscored by three points. In the 28 minutes he was on the bench, the Magic were blitzed by 22.
Faced with obvious matchup problems posed by L.A.'s three-headed Gasol-Bynum-Odom post monster, Stan Van Gundy used the ample garbage time in Game 1 to play Gortat and Howard together down the stretch and we shouldn't be surprised if we see them together for significant minutes in Game 2.
The 6-foot-11 Gortat can play. Though limited to only 12.6 minutes per game as Howard's backup this season, his per-48 numbers were 14.4 points, 17.1 rebounds and 3.2 blocks. Those numbers were borne out in his lone game as a starter in these playoffs when he played 40 productive minutes (11 points, 15 rebounds) as the Magic closed out the Sixers in the first round with Howard serving a one-game suspension.

The Game 1 Blowout
If you're going to lose Game 1 on the road in the Finals, better to get blown out than lose at the buzzer. The two previous times a team has won Game 1 of the Finals by more than 20 points, it lost Game 2.
As Van Gundy astutely pointed out in casting for good omens after an awful night, we all remember how the 1985 Finals turned out after the Celtics began things with the 148-114 Memorial Day Massacre of the Lakers. L.A. won Game 2, 109-102, and went on to win the series in six.
In 1992, the Bulls destroyed the Blazers by 33 in Game 1, and even though Chicago would go on to win the series in six, Portland won Game 2 in overtime.
Though it may pain him to think about his exit from Miami, Van Gundy can also take solace in the Heat's 2006 Finals performance. After losing Games 1 and 2 by double digits to the Mavericks, the Heat stormed back to take the series in six games.
Getting blown out is much better than losing the opening game of a championship series in backbreaking fashion like the Magic did in 1995. Nick Anderson missed four straight free throws with Orlando leading by three late, and Kenny Smith forced overtime with a 3-pointer. The Rockets won that game and swept the series.
The Magic Can't Play Any Worse
There is nothing as demoralizing in a playoff series as playing well and losing. That did not happen to the Magic in Game 1.
Orlando was atrocious on Thursday. The Magic starters made a mere 11 field goals (Kobe made 16). They shot 11-for-46, a staggering 23.9 percent. Courtney Lee went 3-for-10 and had the best shooting percentage of any Orlando starter.
Things got only slightly better when Van Gundy went to his bench. Normally reliable Tony Battie came in and threw up two of the ugliest bricks imaginable. Mickael Pietrus missed his first five shots.
The bench, however, did help get the Magic up to 29.9 percent shooting from the game, including a comical 27.8 percent on two-point field goal attempts.
Orlando will not shoot that poorly again in Game 2.
Fish and Luke
And while the Magic will not shoot under 30 percent in Game 2, it's also a pretty safe bet that Derek Fisher and Luke Walton will not combine to shoot 72.7 percent in 56 hugely productive minutes.
Fisher and Walton have been two of the weakest links in the Lakers' rotation with Fish shooting 35.6 percent and Walton shooting 36.9 percent. But on Thursday night, Fisher went 4-for-6, including a 3-pointer, and Walton went 4-for-5. Between them, they made only three fewer field goals than the Magic's entire starting lineup.
Everything went right for the Lakers in Game 1 while everything rattled out for the Magic.
L.A. fans may wish their team had preserved a couple of those good bounces for Game 2 and beyond.

Orlando Magic fans shows spirt at downtown pep rally

As the clock ticks down to tonight's Game 1 showdown, Magic fans in Orlando braved the rain for a noon pep rally at City Hall. Check out the photos and more fan photos from the playoffs.

NBA Truths: Why the Lakers are in trouble

One thing I've learned throughout the NBA playoffs is that pro basketball is in need of the Truth.
With that in mind, I present to you a Finals version of NBA Truths that will, among other things, explain to you why I believe the Orlando Magic will be cro10. Dwight Howard is a modern-day Bill Russell.
You will really see the similarities between Howard and Russell in this series because the referees will actually allow Howard to play defense now that LeBron James has been eliminated.
Because of the way James is pampered, Howard was reduced to standing in the lane with his arms raised during the Eastern Conference finals. He couldn't contest shots and dominate the lane because the refs had a secret handshake deal to send King James to the line 20 times a game during the first five games.
Free to roam and attack, look for Howard to annihilate Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. I expect one triple double from Howard -- 20 points, 18 rebounds and 10 blocks.
Howard's rebounding prowess powers Orlando's defense. Initially I was frustrated by Stan Van Gundy's offensive strategy that turns Howard into Rambo (one-man army) on the offensive glass. But then I realized the scheme stopped the Cavaliers from getting easy transition baskets. It forced Mo Williams and Delonte West to get all of their offense in half-court sets.
9. Phil Jackson is awesome at managing egos and so-so at in-game strategy. Van Gundy will out-coach the Zen Master.
Larry Brown puts a clown suit on Jackson nearly every time the two square off. Jackson's triangle works well. But is there an offense that wouldn't work with Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan on the floor?
Van Gundy's European, spread-the-floor, drive-and-kick style of play is superior. Yes, for a moment, the Magic offense ignored Howard. But that's over. Howard knocked down free throws and did a marvelous job pitching the ball to open shooters in the Cleveland series.
8. If Rashard Lewis drives the lane, the Magic could sweep.
When Cleveland won Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, I went to bed praying that Van Gundy would convince Lewis that it was necessary for him to take the ball to the hole. The Magic fell in love with the three, and by doing so made it easy for the refs to send James to the line at any hint of contact.
When Lewis matched James drive for drive in Game 6, the refs were forced to either send Lewis to the line or ignore incidental contact at both ends. wned NBA champions ... in six games.

I'm sure Bryant, Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom are all going to attack the rim. Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu and Mickael Pietrus have to get to the rim as well.
7. I'm glad the games are on ESPN/ABC rather than TNT.
I love Ernie, Kenny and Charles. Their pregame, halftime and postgame analysis is livelier and more entertaining than ESPN's studio show.
But Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy blow away Doug Collins and Reggie Miller as in-game commentators. It's not even close. Most of the time, I suspect Collins is watching a different game than I am. He misses everything and refuses to point out obvious officiating errors.
Meanwhile, Jackson comes across as New York honest and outspoken. He and Van Gundy have a good rapport.
6. Despite drawing Kobe Bryant on the defensive end, Mickael Pietrus will outscore and out-play Lamar Odom.
Defending Kobe is going to be a bit more exhausting than defending LeBron James. Kobe moves without the ball and uses screens more effectively and more often than James, who catches the ball and goes one on one. Kobe does it all on offense.
Pietrus is up to the challenge. He can establish himself in this series as one of the league's most valuable role players. Pietrus might be the new Robert Horry.
5. For the record, I've changed Chauncey Billups' nickname to Mr. Bad Shot.

He was terrible in the Western Conference finals. The Nuggets are still the dumbest team in basketball, and that includes the Washington Generals. You could scare the Nuggets off the court with a bucket of confetti.
4. Am I the only person who noticed that the tattoo teams lost in the conference finals?
You realize had the Nuggets and Cavaliers won in the previous round it would have been a television nightmare for ABC/ESPN? American families were not going to plop down on their couches and watch an NBA tattoo convention.
The NBA needs to adopt long-sleeve jerseys.
3. I like LeBron James. He's a good kid. I wasn't surprised he walked off the court without congratulating the Magic.
The kid is spoiled. It wasn't that long ago he walked off the court with time left on the clock. When things don't go LeBron's way, he's prone to act like a baby.

If the Cavaliers don't find LeBron a wingman this offseason, he'll take his ball and go to New York after the season.
2. Skip To My Lou is the one Magic player who scares me.
If the Magic lose this series, it will be because Rafer Alston stunk up the joint with playground/And-1 decisions in the clutch. I'm praying Jameer Nelson can return and help the Magic. Alston and Anthony Johnson are both capable of trying to do way too much.
Skip To My Lou and this stage are a recipe for disaster.
*1. If the Magic win tonight, change my original prediction to an Orlando sweep!

Orlando Magic can make NBA title dream real by defeating Los Angeles Lakers

LOS ANGELES — And so begins the journey that could end in a bigger parade than their first rolling celebration down Orange Avenue.Two decades ago, Orlando saluted the arrival of its first major-league sports team, with slightly embarrassed Magic players and coaches riding on the backs of '89 Corvette convertibles bearing hand-made signs on the sides.Like homecoming kings, they waved to the few folks who stepped out of their offices to line the street to behold the most curious of happenings: Pro basketball encroaching upon football country.And now the Magic, all grown up since their expansion birth in 1989, are playing the Los Angeles Lakers for the championship.

The Showtime Lakers. The Jerry West-to-Kareem-to-Magic-to-Kobe Lakers. Shaq's once-upon-a-time Lakers (boo!). Jack Nicholson's Lakers.L.A. is gunning for its 15th NBA title, Orlando its first.It'd make a nice 20th-anniversary gift, wouldn't you say, Magic fans?Before he generally managed the Magic, Otis Smith rode in that parade — "My last parade," he says, still rolling his eyes — as a small forward claimed off the NBA scrap heap, aka the expansion draft.The Lakers might be favored to derail the team that Smith built, spoiling the Magic's return after 14 years to the NBA Finals and their surprising, storybook run this postseason through Philadelphia, Boston and Cleveland. But Smith has reflected the confidence of his club in his recent purchase of an automobile.An '89 Corvette.Convertible."Bought it to drive in the parade this June," Smith said, matter-of-factly.Trying to rain on the dreamy idea will be Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. Kobe has been waiting on the superstar on-deck circle while LeBron James took his last swings at the Magic.Kobe has been the gold standard for LeBron. While King James might have closed the gap significantly enough to inspire their puppet commercials, he still lacks Kobe's kind of killer instinct. So does a piranha."He's a closer," said Dwight Howard, Kobe's former Olympic teammate. "It's like [Denver Coach] George Karl said: 'Jesus couldn't guard him.' "Still smarting from losing a title against the Celtics last June, Bryant already had applied his game-face on Wednesday, hardly good news for rookie Courtney Lee, who will attempt to defend him.Bryant was serious as an auditor, reminding everyone that the Magic swept the Lakers this season and split with them last season. "So," he said, "we're very, very concerned."Concerns and compliments aside, he and the Lakers no doubt look at the Magic as a fresh-off-the-bus contender, a lesser obstacle to securing his fourth ring (and first without Shaq) — at least compared to the league-best Cavs or the defending champion Celtics."We've been through this hoopla last year," Bryant said, noting the Magic have not been swimming in this fish bowl.Only journeyman point guards Anthony Johnson and former Laker Ty Lue have played in the Finals. Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy worries about his club becoming starry-eyed on the Hollywood stage as much as he does about the Lakers' offensive rebounding prowess and defending Phil Jackson's famed triangle offense. The first 30 minutes of the practice at Staples Center was open to the media and photographers who ringed the court while the Magic, naturally, appeared somewhat distracted."We're going to have to learn how to handle all that," Van Gundy said.Bryant also might be bringing more quality help than LeBron did, especially more skilled big men ( Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom) in hopes of countering Howard.Van Gundy doesn't expect to change much of anything (unless Jameer Nelson returns for cameos), riding his 3-point shooters and Howard. The Magic will look to become the first NBA club to win a title by beating three 60-plus win teams."This is the chance of a lifetime," Howard said. "Our motivation is greatness."Coming away with a split in L.A. carries more weight than the Magic splitting two opening games in Cleveland, considering the 2-3-2 format. Three consecutive games at Amway Arena would give them a chance for a kill-shot sweep, as unlikely as that prospect sounds.Resilient on the road, the Magic will attempt to keep confounding the experts and prove they belong. "For whatever reason, people don't buy we're a good team," Van Gundy said. "It's like we got here on a fluke. Maybe that helps us."This is where the journey begins. Smith believes it will end with his '89 Corvette covered in confetti. "I'll ride on the back with Stan," he said. "Now that will be a parade."

Magic may also be East's team of the future

Now that the Cleveland Cavaliers' season has plummeted from chalk celebration into chalk outline, an uncertain future may await the NBA's Eastern Conference.
Even if LeBron James shrugs off the woo factor of free agency, his Cavs may not qualify as the conference's near-future bully. The co-stars from a 66-win regular season no longer seem capable of inspiring confidence in Cleveland fans or appreciation from the Cavs' knee-With Anderson Varejao prepared to opt out and Zydrunas Ilgauskas reaching the stage where he'll even start falling down in slow motion, LBJ's front line looks more vulnerable than ever. And a few more backcourt injuries may be required before another Cavalier not named LeBron is summoned as an All-Star alternate.
So, if we dare to diminish Cleveland's status as a conference favorite next season, which team is equipped to step in? The obvious pick is Stan Van Gundy's Orlando Magic. Well, we're making an assumption that by qualifying for the NBA Finals, Stan is temporarily immune from alienating the franchise's star player and sabotaging his job security.
Orlando's rise into the current and future spotlight was achieved when the aforementioned star player, 23-year-old center Dwight Howard, put up 40 points and 14 rebounds in the Magic's Game 6 triumph over the Cavs in the Eastern Conference finals.
With Howard not reaching 24 until early December, the Magic should enjoy several seasons of high-level running and jumping before the landings that attend his many high-altitude efforts begin compromising those knees. When that occurs, Dwight will be downgraded to interior brute after spending several campaigns as an interior brute with superior speed and ups.
Before that sorry day arrives, Howard has plenty of room for skill development. Unless he chooses to spend his summers portraying a rappin' genie with attitude in inferior Hollywood film projects, Dwight will prepare for further greatness by improving his low-post footwork (the spin move is a bit high, thus the balance issues). Accuracy on those serial jump hooks can only improve before Howard even begins to think of adding a face-up jumper.jerk critics.The immediate correction should include free-throw technique (somebody please make this guy drive his elbow up past his eyebrows when he shoots ... I mean ... seriously!)
Anyway, when charting reasons for near-future Orlando optimism, we can include the long-term contract of power-shooting forward Rashard Lewis (more on him later), the late-first-round drafting skill that netted two-guard Courtney Lee and the return of point guard Jameer Nelson, who is locked in for an additional four seasons at a reasonable average of 7 million scoots per.
Orlando also has high-level wing sub Mickael Pietrus for two seasons at $5.3 million each year and a third-year, player option for the same amount.
Having Pietrus on the books is nice because the bad news regarding the Magic's future may push him into the starting lineup.
Oh, you just know this is about money.
Let's begin with the NBA's Luxury Tax Threshold, a Rubicon of no happy return that was rumored to reach the tidy sum of, oh, $76 million (give or take) for next season. With the dollar-for-dollar penalty starring down every owner in the league, Orlando was preparing to enter next season with about $70 million already committed to returning personnel.
The current list includes forward Hedo Turkoglu at $7 million and change.
However, this final season on Hedo's current deal is a player option that allows him to test a free-agent market that (still) might generate as much as $10 million per year for a skilled three with Finals chops.
With a few other non-rotation roster spots left to fill before next season, re-signing Turkoglu for market value would push Orlando over the projected LTT. But here's the really good news ... the readjusted projection could push the threshold down about $10 million.
It also should be noted that any idea of Hedo putting his arms around a home-town discount may seem like quite a reach. Sure, Turkoglu would be wise to understand how well he fits the Magic system and so forth, but his agent is quite aware that teammate Lewis will be compensated at more than $85 million over the next four seasons.
Playoff harmony haFinancial concerns could erase the dream of superb point-guard depth, too. Nelson, if healthy, makes Orlando solid for years, but Rafer Alston — who's owed $5.2 million next season — seems less attractive than Anthony Johnson taking limiting minutes at $2.1M.
But Alston's fine work in Nelson's absence should guarantee interest from several playmaking-starved franchises around the NBA.
For the record, Orlando checks in with zero selections for this month's draft, so acquiring cheap labor by this means would require a deal.
Yeah, lurking as a conference heavyweight requires any franchise to pass several cap-related stress tests. While we're far from declaring Turkoglu a goner, we might as well imagine the future Magic working with an improved Howard, a repaired Nelson, a maturing Lee and sweet-shooting Lewis, who — at 30 — should be able to continue outrunning power forwards and making threes for a couple of additional seasons.
With Howard dominating the inside, that may be enough for the Magic to attract the favorite's nod. And before we presume a multi-Finals rivalry could be brewing with Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, please note that the Western Conference champs have $74 million committed for next year without free-agents-to-be Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza.
In predicting future domination, all we seem truly prepared to claim is the near certainty that financial issues should make LeBron too pricey for Orlando and L.A.s a funny way of becoming tone deaf in July.

They are still likely to wander and suffer abuse. Rwanda Hutu Refugee in Congo are being killed everyday.

They are still likely to wander and suffer abuse. They will remember forever the cries of these children bartered for food, an unfortunate gesture, but an act that clearly demonstrates a mother’s commitment to love for her child.These women are hoping that through the kindness of those who are buying their children, the latter will be more likely to survive than if they were to remain with their mothers who are often tired of the endless stalking or dying from hunger and diseases.There are still many Rwandan refugees (children and adults) that have been lost in remote areas of the Congolese rainforest. They have been abandoned on their road to Calvary but God has landed them into the arms of many Congolese benefactors.Without of course any mental or physical intent to harm many Congolese view the presence of Rwandan refugees in DRC as the manna fallen from heaven. With a handful of rice or a few tubers they will have a reliable workforce for life and for free. They will have a daughter or a wife who would cost, according to their tradition, several goats or require gold or diamond.Adult Rwandan refugees who escaped several RPA massacres through many Congolese benefactors have simply become slaves i.e. the multipurpose machines. On a daily basis they are threatened to either be bartered for a few dollars or be handed over to their strenuous enemies i.e. the APR by a simple denunciation. These refugees are confined into their hiding places and are indefinitely subject to the most degrading tasks.In addition, Rwandan refugees in DRC have to give up their maternal language, i.e. Kinyarwanda, which has become in DRC, the language of fugitives, the language of notorious killers. In both scenarios, their condemnation is obvious.Cyotamakara cya Nkarange is an officer of the ex-FAR. Having escaped the carnage of Mbandaka in May 1997, he literally fell into a Congolese family who managed to keep him away from the patrol routes of the APR. He was put to work in farms. In return, he was protected from the risks of being handed over to RPA murderers, until August 1998.Upon the blurring between Paul Kagame and Laurent Kabila, the ex-FAR soldiers came to the rescue of the Congolese President and patrolled around. Congolese villagers who recognized that the newcomers were not the RPA notorious killers revealed the presence of Cyotamakara cya Nkarange, a Rwandan refugee, who was in hideout.Despite the determination of the ex-FAR soldiers to rescue their fellow citizen, it took several months before freeing him from his hideout where he lived with great fear, courage and hard work.With RPA atrocities still alive in his memories, Cyotamakara cya Nkarange himself was constantly begging his masters to not hand him over so that he can survive a few more days. Promising to double his daily production in farms if he was not denounced as being of Rwandan origin, Cyotamakara cya Nkarange preferred to remain a slave rather than having to endure once similar animosities of the past.In the ende, Cyotamakara cya Nkarange was finally freed by the liberation army mostly owing to the determination of its leadership. Indeed, the leader of the liberation army did everything he could in order to break such a torpor that was meant to keep Cyotamakara cya Nkarange slave forever in DRC. A reunion feast was held on his arrival.There still are many Rwandan refugees who were not lucky enough to be on the path of their liberators. These refugees and their descendents are condemned to remain slaves in DRC until a liberator passes nearby.

Open Letter To President Paul Kagame

Arusha, Tanzania, 12 May 2009 OBJECT: The denunciation of the discriminatory actions and intentions of the Rwandan authorities. Your Excellency, President of the Republic, The detainees of the ICTR, signatories of the present document, have judged it necessary to react to your racist and discriminatory intentions announced by several Rwandan personalities on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Rwandan “genocide”, celebrated on Nyanza hill, at Kigali, 11 April 2009. The Rwandan government stated that 5,000 people were taken from the Official Technical School (ETO) at Kicukiro, 11 April 1994, and were then massacred at Nyanza hill. Those who stated this were Charles Muligande, M. Simburudi, president of the IBUKA Association which represents the Tutsi survivors of the “genocide” and the deputy mayor of Kigali, and Dr. Augustin Iyamuremye, senator and former chief of the civilian intelligence services in the Rwandan government of 1994. We think that the things said do not take any account of the truth or the reality of the history of our country, but instead, have as a purpose the terrorizing, intimidating and humiliating of the Hutu people of Rwanda, who are globally accused of having planned and committed a “genocide” against the Tutsis. Our reaction is motivated by the fact that the RPF regime wants to wipe from the history of Rwanda the revolutionary period that liberated the people of Rwanda from the yoke of a feudal monarchy and ushered in national construction once the country had achieved its independence. The ultimate objective of the RPF is clearly to erase from the history of Rwanda the benefits of the republican period to better support their false thesis according to which the Hutus only marked the history of the country with barbarism and “genocide” of the Tutsis. It is a false and divisive vision, and clearly, by propagating it, you have abandoned the interests of the Rwandan people. 1. Pre-colonial and Colonial Rwanda cannot be a model The deputy mayor of Kigali stated, “We want to change history in order to present another Rwanda that is not that of the period between 1959 and 1994, a Rwanda like it was before; the one we inherited from our ancestors; the Rwanda of children who live without division, without hate, without discrimination.” Thus the RPF regime pretends that in the pre-colonial and colonial periods the ethnicities composing the Rwandan nation lived harmoniously in peace, understanding and solidarity. It is a complete reversal of history.[1] The feudal-monarchical regime of Rwanda is not a model to propose to Rwandans today. It was a period of social, political, economic and cultural inequality and led to the social revolution of 1959. Many writers, including eminent Tutsis in positions of high authority, have written about this.[2] We think that in the search for durable solutions for our country, the RPF must stop the manipulation and falsification of Rwandan history. We believe that the remedy is to search for a democratic political compromise in a sincere dialogue between the power and its opponents. Such a step cannot be accommodated with obscurantism of the past. We condemn without reservation all attempts to rewrite the history of Rwanda for propaganda and ideological aims that seek the monopolization of power by the Tutsi ethnic group to the exclusion of the others that make up Rwandan society. 2. The Planning Of The Criminal War by the RPF Is The Essential Cause of the Rwandan Tragedy Minister Muligande stated that “the ‘genocide’ of the Tutsis was planned by the government defeated in July 1994,” without furnishing the least proof of this alleged planning. Very simply, he stated that the ‘genocide’ was taught over a long time by the MDR/PARMEHUTU and later by the MRND. Such statements are nothing but propaganda. The MDR and MRND parties never practiced racism or discrimination against the Tutsis. It is well known that under the Habyarimana regime, between 5 July 1973 and the war in October 1990, the Hutus and Tutsis lived in symbiosis. The ethnic divisions of 1990-1994 were the consequence of the strategy of destabilization carried out by the RPF to rally the Tutsis of the interior of Rwanda to the cause of the RPF Tutsis from Uganda, who had invaded the country, as a means of attracting sympathy in world opinion. Following the social Revolution of 1959, a number of Tutsi dignitaries could not accept the democratic changes proclaimed by the people, and fled the country, and, for many years, systematically rejected all offers by the government to return peacefully and participate in the construction of the country as Rwandans. They took the Tutsi refugees hostage and prevented them from returning to Rwanda as long as they were not sure of taking back their former power to exercise to their class advantages. The Tutsi Diaspora dominated by these extremists preferred to organize a movement of “liberation” called the INYENZI[3] and conducted several attacks against Rwanda in the 1960s with the aim of taking power by force of arms. It is for this reason that all the calls made by the Rwandan government to the refugees for their peaceful return to the country were made in vain.[4] The MRND party practiced a policy of peace, national unity and progress that was enormously beneficial to the Tutsis of the country. [5] It is false and unjust to accuse the MRND of having persecuted Tutsis or having refused the right of return to those Tutsis wishing to come back to Rwanda. Everyone knows today that it was the RPF who torpedoed the Accords signed between Rwanda and Uganda under the auspices of the UNHCR on 31 July 1990. Instead of permitting the delegation of refugees expected in Kigali at the end of September 1990 to go to Rwanda and work under the auspices of that Accord to bring about the mass return of refugees, the RPF launched a surprise attack against Rwanda on 1 October 1990, beginning its war of aggression. You must have the courage to recognize that this war, launched at the moment when a political solution had been found to the refugee problem, is the origin of the Rwandan tragedy. The RPF sowed desolation and created divisions, a climate of terror and distrust among a population subjected to four years of RPF violence. By these terrorist attacks and subversion, the RPF provoked the total destabilization of Rwanda.[6] The RPF planned and executed the attack of 6 April 1994 that took the lives of Presidents Juvénal Habyarimana of Rwanda and Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi, as well as those of their respective entourages and the French flight-crew, knowing full well that the attack would provoke violence in the country. Directly after shooting down the presidents’ plane, they attacked on all fronts, precipitating total chaos throughout the country. It was the RPF that planned the destruction of the country. This is attested to by the inability of the prosecutor at the ICTR to prove that any plan to commit genocide existed. Indeed, all the heavy condemnations of genocide pronounced against the Hutus before the ICTR are founded on the illegal judicial notice ordered by the Appeals Chamber on 16 June 2006.[7] In Rwanda, courts continue to condemn the Hutus, en masse and without evidence, for allegedly planning “genocide,” all the while refusing any debate on the question.[8] Despite the judicial notice imposed by the Appeals Chamber of the ICTR on 16 June 2006, in order to condemn the accused at the Tribunal for political reasons, the controversy over this issue continues. Conscious of their enormous responsibilities in the Rwandan tragedy, the RPF has not missed a single opportunity to cry about the “genocide of the Tutsis.” So, it was not without some thought that Minister Muligande stated on 11 April at the Nyanza memorial at Kigali: ”We had the chance to win the war to get recognition of the genocide. If not, we would have become the Armenians whose genocide is still contested because they lost the war.” M. Muligande is very conscious of the responsibilities born by the RPF, even if he does not have the courage to admit them. The RPF abuses its current position by imposing the “genocide” of the Tutsis and practicing victors’ justice over the vanquished.[9] The leaders of the RPF must stop falsifying history with ideological propaganda and find the courage to recognize their heavy responsibility in the Rwandan drama. 3. The Reality of the Numbers of Dead in the Rwandan Tragedy Loss of life is always regrettable. But the reality of the numbers of dead in the “Rwandan genocide” remains a great mystery fifteen years after the events. Even if public opinion agrees with the figures ‘800,000 to one million’ victims, so many other numbers have been advanced by experts, the UN, NGOs and the RPF, from 250,000 to 2 million, that total confusion reigns. Gerard Prunier recognizes that there is no systematic accounting and that the numbers depend on opinion more than empirical facts.[10] The Rwandan government of the RPF prefers to maintain this confusion. That is why it has refused to reveal the numbers of survivors of the “genocide,” from which it would be easy to evaluate the number of dead Tutsis and dead Hutus. It prefers to keep things blurred so the world does not know the extent of the massacres committed against the Hutus by the RPF, and, thereby, to inflate the number of Tutsi victims. It is necessary to note that the Census of the population organized under the supervision of the UN (UNDP, UNFAP, CEA), with the aid of countries like the USA and Canada, that concluded on 15 August 1991, fixed the total number of Tutsis in the country at 8.4% of the population of 7,099.844. Thus, those numbers that suggest that the entire Tutsi population was massacred between April and July 1994 are simply fantasies. It is no secret to anyone that many Tutsis survived even if the government in Kigali does not want to publish the figures. We contest these numbers that only create confusion that the regime exploits to manipulate national and international opinion for ideological reasons. Concerning the dead interred at Nyanza hill in Kigali, Captain Lemaire, commander of the Belgian detachment at the ETO in Kicukiro in April 1994, testified before the ICTR that the refugees there numbered between 1,000 and 2,000[11], and not the 5,000 claimed by the RPF. Given the circumstances prevailing at the time, the extermination of 5,000 people in several minutes, in open terrain, is simply impossible. On the contrary, reliable witnesses state that the majority of those buried at Nyzana hill are Hutu refugees massacred by the RPF on 22 and 23 May 1994, while they attempted to flee the RPF troops who had just captured the garrison at Camp Kanombe. The deputy mayor of Kigali City presented the Gisozi memorial as a sacred site for pilgrimage and a sad memorial to the “genocide.” According the official declarations of the government, this place holds 250,000 human skulls. However, they cannot be those of the residents of the prefecture of the city of Kigali as is claimed. Indeed, the total population of Kigali City was, according to the census of 15 August 1991, 221,806, of whom 81.4% were Hutu, and 17.9% Tutsi. Using a figure of 3.2% growth per year, the total population of Kigali City would have been no more than about 240,000 inhabitants in 1994, with the Tutsi population estimated at no more than 50,000. This figure does not accord with the 250,000 skulls exhibited at the Gisozi memorial, especially when one recalls that many of the Tutsis in Kigali survived the war.[12] The number of skulls is even more incomprehensible when one considers that the city of Kigali has other memorials, notably that at Nyanza and Rebero, where the remains of thousands of others are on display. This example shows how important the manipulation of numbers is at a national level. Several witnesses have stated before the ICTR that Gisozi was occupied by the RPA (the army of the RPF) from 8 April 1994. Therefore, it was the RPF that ethnically cleansed the zones of Gisozi-Kagugu and Kabuye in the Rutongo commune, the prefecture of Kigali, and liquidated all the undesirables, including those displaced persons from the refugee camps at Nyacyonga and Rusine, who had fled to the city after their camps were bombarded by the RPF. Several former members of the RPF have denounced the massacres of thousands in these zones.[13] All these people were summarily executed by agents of the DMI (the Directorate of Military Intelligence of the RPF) in the military camp at Kami, which was captured by the RPF in mid-April 1994. These massacres were an essential part of the RPF plan to eliminate as many Hutu intellectuals as possible. Today, the same logic of annihilation of the Hutu elite followed by the RPF is behind their lists of alleged “Hutu genocidaires” that include those already tried and acquitted. This is the same logic followed by the famous law of forced confessions that lead to the denunciation of, and false statements against, the innocent. The “gacaca” trials are part of an extra-judicial system contained in every jurisdiction. They are used by the regime to eliminate all undesirables. We want to insist that you remember that you, yourself, Mr. President, who first suggested this strategy, when, in 1996, at Nyamirambo, in a large meeting organized by your party, you stated that it would be necessary to have the patience “to empty a barrel of water with a coffee spoon.”[14] The damage of your genocidal policies have exceeded all bounds, and we demand that you end them immediately. 4. The Responsibilities of the International Community in the Rwandan Drama The highest authorities of Rwanda have spoken out critically on the role of the international community in the “genocide.” So, in your speech of 7 April 2009, you castigated the attitude of the UN as “cowardice,” saying: “We are not the ones who abandoned the people who needed protection; they left them to be killed; are they not guilty? I think that too is cowardice; they left before a single shot was fired!” We are convinced that such stinging speeches vis-à-vis the international community cannot be allowed to pass indefinitely. However, we invite this same international community to react quickly, those who encouraged and supported your criminal project to take power by force of arms; through the disastrous actions of UNAMIR commanding General Roméo Dallaire, to whom you announced the imminent cataclysm on 2 April 1994[15], and who did nothing to stop it; and the no less criminal actions of the successive prosecutors at the ICTR in Arusha, whom you have succeeded in cowing with your reign of terror. We regret that the UN did not help Rwandans peacefully resolve the conflict that you brought to the country in 1994, notably by effectively pressuring Uganda and the RPF and condemning the war of aggression of which Rwanda was the victim. The UN did not even condemn the various violations of ceasefires and peace agreements the RPF had signed. The international community complied with your ultimatum of 12 April 1994 that all foreign forces leave the country in 12 hours or be attacked, which accelerated the retreat of UNAMIR from Rwanda at a time when it was needed most.[16] The vote in the Security Council for a resolution to reduce the UNAMIR forces, an action weighted with consequences, aided your organization in its Machiavellian plans to take power in Kigali as quickly as possible.[17] The UN betrayed the Rwandan government after it had launched anguished appeals for help to stabilize the security situation in the country. The UN was paralyzed by the USA and the United Kingdom; it could not intervene in time to send the 5,500 men of UNAMIR II. The Security Council only decided to take this action after the RPF victory. Those forces arrived in Rwanda after you had seized and consolidate state power. They helped you by not reacting to your massacre of the innocents, including the 4,000 refugees you murdered at Kibeho in April 1995. Not only do we accuse the RPF of having chased the international community from Rwanda at the moment when they were most needed, but we also believe that the decisions of the UN were gravely prejudicial to the people and government of Rwanda in permitting the bloodbath that brought the military victory of the RPF. These same decisions gave the RPF the legitimacy to continue its massacre of the Rwandan people, while crediting it with having stopped the “genocide” and conferring the authority to judge its real victims. We note with great disappointment that the presence of UNAMIR II did not deter you from continuing the massacre of the defenseless Hutu population, throughout Rwanda in 1994-95, and we will not forget the silence of the UN in the face of the innumerable atrocities committed by your troops when they attacked the refugee camps in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire) and relentlessly pursued their Hutu prey into the forests of Congo. We want to remind you of the 200,000 Hutu refugees who were horribly massacred by your troops in 1996-97. We think that the complacency of the international community toward your inhuman actions does not exonerate you of your responsibilities in the Rwandan drama. We demand justice for all Rwandans, Tutsi, Hutu and Twa, who were killed or today live with severe trauma because of your criminal policy. 5. The Theory of a Double Genocide Minister Muligande vilified “those who try to diminish the genocide, to deny it, by inventing the theory of a ‘double genocide,’ arguing that there were the deaths of Hutus during the genocide.” He clarified his thoughts by referring to the Second World War, where “there was a genocide of the Jews, but also of 20 million Russians. However, the genocide is recognized as having been against the Jews. It was the same thing with the high number of German soldier’s deaths which surpassed the number of Jews killed, arguing that the Germans were killed to stop the genocide.” Your adviser’s words show that the leaders of the RPF admit having massacred hundreds of thousands of innocent Hutus. However, we think that this comparison is nonsense and that the events in Rwanda in 1990-1994 bear no comparison with the history of the Second World War. The launching of World War II in 1939 remains entirely the responsibility of the German government, just as the invasion of Rwanda from Uganda in October 1990 remains the responsibility of the state of Uganda and the RPF. Hitler launched his offensive to conquer countries and during that long conquest, the Jews were denounced, arrested, killed or deported to concentration camps, principally in Germany. The Jews did not take up arms against Germany. If it is necessary to make a comparison, it is rather the RPF and its allies that made war against Rwanda and who, in their mad conquest of power, massacred hundreds of thousands of Rwandans. Your soldiers, Mr. President, conducted a war of extermination; they violated the cease-fire agreements and the Arusha Accords to take power by force of arms without any concern for the security of the population. How can you explain to Rwandans that you were concerned with the protection of the civilian population while you obstinately refused all cease-fire proposals between April and July 1994? And why did you literally depopulate all the regions you seized? What can you say when 4,000 Hutu refugees were massacred by your troops a Kibeho in April 1995? These are the sad realities of the RPF regime that you want to hide behind the abusive charge of “negationism,” and thereby stop the parents of victims from expressing their grief and denouncing the injustices committed against them? 6. Pardon and Reconciliation It is clear from the present account that the RPF committed crimes and carried out massacres against a defenseless civilian population for the sole reason that they were Hutus.18 Minister Muligande wants to cover up this sad reality by stating the Hutus had to die because the RPF fought to stop the genocide. The coalition of the NRA (Ugandan army) and the RPF did not attack Rwanda in 1990 to stop a genocide. The manhunt conducted against the peasants of Rwanda, throughout the war, was not designed to stop a “genocide” against the Tutsis. It is delusional to try to deny the responsibility of the RPF in the deaths of hundreds of thousands in Rwanda and the DRC, or to minimize them, arrogating to yourself, alone, the right of inquiry, solely because of your military victory. We think that with such logic, national reconciliation is impossible. So you want to hide the truth of the tragic events that plunged Rwanda into mourning and implicate your closest collaborators, civil and military. Also, we consider that the time has come for your regime to see the reality in front of its face, instead of continuing your indecent ideological propaganda that has shamefully exploited the unhappiness you have inflicted on the Rwandan people. The policies of your regime have irremediably alienated the Rwandan people from any hope of national reconciliation, even with the artifice with which you have tried to seduce various visitors to Rwanda, there is no remedy for this very profound evil. The persecution of the Hutus accused of an “ideology of genocide” is a way to criminalize the Hutus forever; not only those who were alive in 1994, but also those yet to be born. It is sufficient to accuse them of the ideology of genocide to oppress the Hutus and justify their oppression to the world. This policy, that has made the vast majority of Rwandans pariahs in their own society, is inescapable, because it has become a force of marginalization and exclusion of the Hutus in order to ensure the domination of the Tutsis. A dialogue between power and its opponents is the only way to get beyond of this impasse. But after having decreed that only the Tutsis were victims of the war that you launched, and that the Hutus do not even have the right to cry for their dead, or, even worse, to bury them with dignity, the prospect of political dialogue with your opponents is not on your agenda, unlike the desire for peace that occupies the other national leaders of the region: in Kenya, Burundi, RDC, Uganda, Central Africa. You installed the gacaca jurisdiction that has the mandate to criminalize all Hutus and to force them into self-denunciation and the denunciation of others. In order to allow your regime to eliminate all your political adversaries, present and future! Such a system bodes ill and bears all the characteristics of fascism; it is the purveyor of unhappiness for your and for the people of Rwanda. This is why we respectfully demand that you end it. Rwanda must face up to a number of deficiencies. The RPF regime cannot make up for them with the humiliation, marginalization and exclusion of the majority of the Rwandan people, for whom you reserve only unjust and degrading treatment. This is why we encourage all the men and women of good will in Rwanda and around the world to join in a sincere and constructive dialogue between the power and its opponents in order to build a solid foundation of Truth and Justice for a real Rwandan national reconciliation. We invite the Rwandan government to consider that there can be no national reconciliation based on manipulation, lies and propaganda, on humiliation, inferiority and intimidation, on an ideology of genocide used to silence Hutus who claim their rights. No power, no foreign force can resolve the political problems of Rwanda. It is the Rwandans, themselves, who must resolve these difficult situations. As head of state it is entirely your responsibility to bring Rwandans to the path of true reconciliation by denouncing all actions and speeches that are as provocative and divisive as those spoken during the ceremonies of the 15th anniversary of the “genocide” by your close collaborators. In any event you must understand that such speeches do not serve your regime insofar as they are contrary to the vital interests of the Rwandan people and are not going to bring peace and national reconciliation. It is not possible to have national reconciliation as long as the RPF continues to refuse to recognize its clear responsibilities in the Rwandan tragedy, by making the Hutus responsible for a drama that the RPF, itself, planned and executed throughout the long war of 1990-1994. Please accept, Excellency, Mr. President of the Republic, the expression of our high consideration.
Signatories
Joseph Nzirorera General Augustin Ndindiliyimana Colonel Tharcisse Renzaho Colonel Ephrem Setako Callixte Kahmaanzira Captain Innocent Sagahutu Edouard Karamera

LeBron James: Sore Loser, Or Just a Loser?

(Don't try shaking this guy's hand.)

Just two years ago, when the Cav's made it to the Finals, there weren't many complaints about James' supporting cast.
You'd have to be quite the jerk to complain about a team that just reached the championship game, right?
Yes. That's why everyone, LeBron included, waited until after the Spurs swept them to rise the issue.
The same thing happened again last season, after James "carried' his "complimentary players" (as he so colorfully says), but then was left for dead by them as the Celtics destroyed Cleveland in game seven of the Eastern Finals.
And this year? Much of the same.
All season long fans and analysts were like giddy fifth graders of James and his teammates, as they displayed for the world their confidence (cockiness), creativity (classlessness), and showmanship (ego).
Yes, like it or not, we're right back where we were when James came into the league.
We're back to "James means everything, and the team means nothing." As a matter of fact, we're very close to the point where James is number one, and the NBA as a whole is number two.
Even more interesting is the minimal uproar over James not shaking hands after Orlando dropped his team out of the playoffs.
His retort the next day? He doesn't like losing, and he only left the court immediately because he is a competitor.
Right. Is that why he spoke with Tim Duncan after getting swept in the Finals? I believe I saw a handshake or two that year.
The point is, James has been, is, and unfortunately will continue to get the benefit of the doubt.
If his team wins, he's the boss. If they lose, he's just the messenger, or simply a superstar with no support.
If he's a sore loser, he's actually just a heart-wrenched competitor that hates to lose.
And if he leaves Cleveland, he'll just be the near-defeated young superstar that wanted to win a championship.
But I refuse to believe it-any of it.
James is a walking cliche. He gets any and every call he wants. He talks himself up, and quite surprisingly, no one else notices.
He glares into the camera as if he wants to kill people, and he shouts at teammates, as if scolding them.
He's not a leader. He's just a big guy running around with a ton of talent, and no real clue how to unleash it.
Let's go over this again. LeBron James is 24, has been in the league for six years, and has zero rings.
He has one NBA Finals appearance, and he couldn't even win one game.
For all the great things about his skills and talent, there are enough things to bring all of his fans back down to earth.
And when he's questioned after bad games, all we hear is how "I just missed shots I make. I missed easy shots."
When asked if Orlando's defense gave him any fits, he replied with comments, saying he was simply off, and that when he's on, he can't be stopped.
Okay. So, when then, Mr. James, do you take ownership for your missed shots, your turnovers, missed free throws, or bad passes?
When, Mr. Superstar, do you own up for any of your mistakes?
James, as good as he is, isn't a winner. At least not when it's mattered.
But the worst part, my friends, is that very little of the NBA fan-base actually cares.