Linda's Blogspot

  WikiExplorers meetup at the Schomburg for a session to use a hybrid method approach of using pencils and laptops to adding wikipedia content.  WikiExplorers Uncover History at the Schomburg! ​Harlem, NYC – February 1, 2026 – The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. WikiExplorers – a group of young digital scholars, aged 8-12, dive into history with both pencils, notebooks and laptops.  ​The session theme "From Graphite to Gigabytes: The young WikiExplorers start off with Chromebooks, notebooks and sharpened pencils distributed by the WikiExplorers team.  "Before we hit the 'search' button, we 'think' with our hands and use pencils!" announced Ms Rivers holding up a notebook. ​ The "Schomburg Slow Scan" ​The WikiExplorers were attentive. Schomburg archivist, Ms. Anya Sharma, presented them with a reproduction of a 1920s newspaper clipping detailing a local Harlem Renaissance event.  ​"What do you see? What do you feel?"...

​ Kenya's Rift Valley: A Land on the Brink, Reshaped by Climate and Cracks ​The Great Rift Valley in Kenya is an iconic landscape, a testament to Earth's raw geological power and a cradle of incredible biodiversity. But beneath its stunning vistas, a silent crisis is unfolding, escalating dramatically in late 2025 and early 2026. The region is grappling with a devastating combination of climate change impacts, rampant land erosion, and the relentless, slow-motion ballet of tectonic plates, leaving a trail of submerged villages and splintered land. ​ The Rising Tide: When Lakes Overflow Their Banks ​Headlines often focus on the dramatic rise of Rift Valley lakes like Baringo, Nakuru, and Naivasha. But this isn't simply a matter of increased rainfall. While changing weather patterns contribute, the primary driver is a phenomenon called  siltation , supercharged by human activity. ​The fertile highlands surrounding the Rift, historically rich in forest cover (think the Mau For...

​ For Elementary School Students (Ages 10-12) ​ Our Amazing Earth: When the Great Rift Valley Gets Unstable! The Great Rift Valley is one of the most incredible places on Earth, is like a giant crack in our planet that stretches for thousands of miles! It has beautiful lakes, tall mountains, and lots of amazing animals. But right now, something tricky is happening there, and it's making life hard for many people. ​ Imagine Your Bathtub Overflowing! ​Think about your bathtub. If you keep filling it with water, it eventually overflows, right?Something similar is happening with the lakes in the Great Rift Valley! Lakes like Lake Naivasha are getting bigger and bigger, and the water is spreading out into places where people used to live and grow food. ​ Why are the Lakes Getting Bigger? Two Big Reasons! ​ Muddy Water and Sliding Dirt: Imagine you're building a sandcastle, and then a big wave comes and washes away your sand. That's a bit like what's happening to th...

The Great Rift Valley: A Land Under Siege from Climate, Erosion, and Tectonic Forces ​The Great Rift Valley, an iconic geological wonder stretching through Eastern Africa, is facing an unprecedented crisis. What was once celebrated for its breathtaking landscapes and vital ecosystems is now a battleground where the forces of climate change, aggressive land erosion, and ancient tectonic shifts are converging, displacing communities and threatening livelihoods on a catastrophic scale. The crisis, which escalated dramatically in late 2025 and early 2026, has seen expanding lakes swallow homes and farms, and the very ground beneath people's feet literally pull apart. ​The Rising Waters: Erosion and Siltation as a Primary Driver ​One of the most immediate and visible threats is the alarming expansion of the Rift Valley lakes, particularly Lakes Baringo, Nakuru, and Naivasha . While increased rainfall is a factor, the primary culprit behind their aggressive surge is severe land erosi...

The African Automotive Revolution: A New Era of Indigenous Manufacturing ​As of early 2026, the African continent is no longer just a consumer of global automotive brands but has rapidly transformed into a sophisticated hub for vehicle manufacturing and design. From the Sahelian innovations of Burkina Faso to the industrial powerhouses of Morocco and South Africa, a new era of "Made in Africa" transportation is taking hold, driven by a strategic pivot toward electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy. ​ Burkina Faso’s Solar Leap ​In West Africa, Burkina Faso has become an unexpected pioneer in green mobility. The nation recently launched ITAOUA, its first indigenous electric vehicle brand. Designed and assembled by Burkinabe engineers in the Ouaga 2000 district of the capital, these vehicles are specifically engineered for the Saharan climate. ​The flagship model, the ITAOUA Sahel, integrates solar charging systems into its design to capitalize on the region's abundant ...

My Information Possessions: Living Without Television in the Digital Age Linda Dabo For more than twenty years, I have lived without a television—by choice, not by deprivation. I was never a couch-potato watcher, never someone who found comfort in the passive glow of a screen that talked at me. Instead, I have always been drawn to tools that invite participation, discovery, and creation. As the digital world expanded, I found something that fit my personality in a way television never could: a universe of platforms that allow me to gather knowledge, shape information, express ideas, and remain engaged with the world on my own terms. Today, I inhabit a landscape made up of tools that have become my information possessions—my personal library, studio, and workshop combined. Wikipedia, Wikicommons, YouTube, ChatGPT, X/Twitter, CapCut, WhatsApp, Telegram, e-books, Facebook, and Kindle publishing are all part of an integrated ecosystem that fuels my curiosity and creativity. They are not di...