So nothing that’s too blockbuster, but here are a few of my articles of late:

Fast Rise in Population Alarming
There are more than 1 billion people living in slums worldwide. Ninety per cent of them live in the developing world. The rate of urbanisation is growing so staggeringly quickly that for the first time in 2008, more than half the world’s population will live in urban areas, says the new United Nations Population Fund report, State of the World Population 2007.

Cleaning up the Entebbe-Kampala Road, Sort Of
THE campaign to beautify Kampala and the surrounding environs aims to “create the image of a major international city.” The works have begun, and all along the road between Kampala and Entebbe, visitors’ entry way to the city, progress is evident. The question remains, however, will Kampala look like a major international city anytime soon? The road can be repaved, flowers can be planted, Clock Tower roundabout can be bulldozed and rebuilt, but will western diplomats see something that reminds them of home?
(Okay, the online version has different names in the headline, but my name in the slug. The article’s by me. Really. I promise. And I hope I actually get paid for it.)

Journey to a Conflict Zone: Vacation in Israel
At every mall and café, every place you go, security stands outside and checks your bag, frisks you with a hand-held metal detector. I personally don’t think these things will keep you safe, but they remind you of the immanence of the conflict. They remind you that the person standing next to you might be the one with a bomb.

There’s little Israel can do in terms of security to make people safe. It’s like this: if you have a handful of sand, and you grip it tightly in a fist, some of it will still slip through your fingers. The same is true for security: Israel is building a wall along a much contested border with the Palestinian territories in the West Bank, but a wall will not stop a person with determination.

AND, in Saturday Monitor, I had two articles on voting and voting participation, but I can’t find them online. If I do find them later, I’ll post them. Anyone who finds them for me gets a gold star by their name!