this & that

• Via @andrewmjones, I learned that Reading Rainbow has been cancelled. This is terribly sad news. I feel an overwhelming urge to reread Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain, which was the first book about Africa I ever knew about as a child. James Earl Jones read it on an episode. It's a near perfect story for children. Sigh.
  
• The FDLR has moved into Burundi, and Burundian FNL soldiers have been crossing into Congo at will. As Grant points out, it appears that they're having a big ole Hutu bonding experience. Which will inevitably end badly.
• I don't know who @dbarou is, but he always has the dirt on the DRC first, and his tweets are almost always accurate. He reports that, "US to rebuild a military base in Kisangani, DRC, officially to create a training facility for the FARDC." Now that's a good idea, and yet more proof that the Defense Department has way more power than State when it comes to Africa policy these days.
  
• Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tells us "What [She] Saw in Goma."
• A very interesting question: is Mandela's incredible legacy somehow holding back South Africa's political development?
  
• Colonialism returns to the Caribbean.
• Advice all aid workers need that no one will provide.
• Got a question for the head of UNICEF? Now's your chance to ask. Need ideas? Michael has a suggestion or two.
  
• Every single one of these supposedly "worst" airport landing strips has radar and a runway. Please. There are 10 worse in the eastern Congo alone.
• What are the odds that Africa gets $67 billion per year to offset the effects of global climate change? This might make for a good lesson on probability.
  
• Are you reading the newish Aid Thoughts blog? If you're at all interested in international development, you should be.
  
• "Socialites without Borders Teach Rwandans to Mingle." It's funny because it's so close to being real.
• "How to Publish a Scientific Comment in 123 Easy Steps." It's funny because it is real.
  
• Anne Lamott reminds Obama of one teensy little campaign promise.