9 November 2005

Howdy. It’s been a while, everybody. Sorry about that. But I can explain.

First of all, I usually write these at home so that I have a record in my computer. If I ever want to write a book (which sounds more and more daunting as I try to keep up this pace), everything I’ve written is there.

So the process is I save the entry onto a pocket-sized hard drive and upload it to the site when I go to an Internet café. In actuality, my trips to the Internet are mostly to see if the Rangers won. But I guess they benefit everyone.

So, I went to go send some documents to the Dallas Morning News last week after spending a day at a conference on the potential of Bird Flu in Africa. When I went to find the memory stick, it wasn’t there. I literally walked half of Kigali trying to find it. No dice. So far, Rwanda has eaten my memory stick, my watch and my Palm Pilot. (Is that Hannukah and Christmas I hear walking down the street?) Fortunately, the computer, digital camera and most importantly iPod are holding their own.

And the other thing is that sometimes the life of a journalist isn’t terribly exciting. I’ve been working on a finishing a story on the Gitarama weavers for DaMN, and I’ve over-reported it. Fortunately, Rebecca, the brains in the family, has taken a crack at it and save me from myself. It’s far better than it was, and it’s on its way to Texas now.

So, back to journalism. I pitched the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on bird flu. They had just done a series on it. I pitched Dallas on the same topic. What do they want? “Hey, I hear you’ve got a story on women basket weavers. Drop those bird flu, Belgian priest charged with genocide and alternative energy stories. We need women weaving baskets stat!” (That’s not actually what they said, but it’s the gist. And I’m happy to do that story. First of all, it actually is important as a development story. Second, I like Joy, Janet and Liz, the women who make it run. Third, DaMN pays me for one story more than what I made in a week at the Riverdale Press. If they publish a photo, it’s actually more. What can I say? I’m a mercenary.)

On a melancholy note, it looks like Father Guy, the Belgian priest accused of genocide (or as I like to call him, Meal Ticket), is headed back to Belgium for trial very soon. Anyway, here’s one of my last CNS stories on him (http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0506366.htm). I wrote another today, and took some photos. And I’ll probably have a third when he leaves. That’s it.

I actually got to interview the priest at yesterday’s hearing. God bless the Rwandan justice system. They brought him early, the judge was late and they left him sitting in the courtroom by himself. So after a little debate among the reporters, we started asking him questions.

As I said, I took photos at today’s hearing, and probably could have sat next to the judge if I had wanted to. Ah, access.

Finally, I’m doing the initial reporting on a story I want to send to magazines. It’ll probably be something I really sink my teeth into when we return from New York. But I need all of your help. Think of it as payment for the pleasure of reading this. Anyway, the story is about an alternative fuel source here. I need everyone who reads this to answer these two questions, either as posts to my blog or in an e-mail. Here we go:

1) What is your first reaction to powering your home using biogas, or, in other words, to powering your home using the methane from your own poop?
2) Would you do it if you had the chance?

Now, pass that question along to people you know. I’m doing an informal poll.

Talk to everyone later, and see many of you soon.