Holding out for a Hero

Two untested and influential Africans and one great website drifted to the top of my news pile today.

1. The website: a fantastic Kenyan website, apparently based on an anti-corruption intiative from India, to track and report bribery and corruption from public officials. This is my drum and I'll beat it all day, people. Anti-corruption. Accountability. Africa, let's do this.

2. President Michael Sata of Zambia, who has had a very busy first 90 days in office and who seems to be on a massive anti-corruption drive. It remains to be seen whether he will move on from firing corrupt and inept officials to strengthening the systems intended to hold government to account. It's easy to fire people, much harder to work on systemic problems that are also intended to check one's own power. Secondly, he still has work to do to reduce unemployment and fulfil his other election promises. Lastly, (thirdly - third term - get it?), will he leave office when the time comes?

3. The new prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, Gambian Fatou Bensouda. I look forward to seeing her work. I look forward to seeing how the African Union handles her. Al-Arabaiya has published this interview with her. She seems to have al-Bashir on her radar.

Two to watch.

I live in hope.

Unchecked and All-Powerful

No, not the markets. (Although why news outlets looked to the markets when Kim Jong-il died, as if to direct how we should react to the event, when North Korea doesn't even affect them, is telling)

The credit ratings agencies. I sincerely hope more news outlets take the baton from this excellent News Statesman primer article and sniff out the truth. I suspect that will happen when if the agencies downgrade European countries and suddenly there is an incentive to tackle a problem that African nations have been grappling with for decades.

1. Who runs these agencies?
2. How can they be considered independent when there is no published register of interests or sponsors?
3. Which sources do they use in making their decisions?
4. How representative are their committees that make these ratings decisions that affect whole countries and the livelihoods of millions of people? Do they have voices from the developing world?

In particular, I think this area of financial services needs urgent reform. If credit ratings agencies are to have their opinions taken as gospel and no one can get credit without their ratings, then we definitely need oversight of this key linchpin of the industry.

Market Values

I would only add, "What does our CEO get if he messes up?"

"A fifty million dollar golden farewell."

*waves at CEO's of banks and large corporations*

Dark Chocolate

A love letter.

Dear Guardian,

Thanks for being the only national outlet to recognise the beauty needs of non-Caucasians with a lovely blog full of useful tips on make-up and lovely things.

The world may be going to hell in a handcart but there is no reason to ride out the next ten years of the depression  recession looking grim, dahling.