Linda's Blogspot

  Jori Lewis and the Hidden Histories of Agriculture Bridging Ecology, Imperialism, and Human Memory Across the Global South Introduction In the study of environmental history, the simplest artifacts often conceal the most intricate human networks. A single crop, a altered riverbank, or a forgotten trade route can illuminate decades of geopolitical transformation and lived human experience. Few contemporary writers bring this truth into focus with as much clarity as Jori Lewis. An award-winning journalist, author, and independent researcher, Lewis was born and raised in Springfield, central Illinois. She currently splits her time between Illinois and Dakar, Senegal. Her work frequently examines how global economic demands reshape local landscapes and social structures across West Africa. By grounding macro-level environmental and political shifts in the lived realities of individuals, Lewis bridges the gap between technical ecological policy and the enduring power of human memory. ...

  Beyond the Deficit Lens: Reclaiming Africa’s Ecological Story for the Diaspora ​When former CBS News President Fred Friendly stepped down from network television in 1966 to join Columbia University, his critique was unequivocal: mainstream commercial news suffered from a structural bias. He pointed out that when Americans saw stories about places like Africa, the coverage almost exclusively centered on crisis, poverty, and dysfunction. Friendly warned that this narrow lens distorted reality and starved audiences of genuine understanding. ​Decades later, the irony is glaring. Despite the explosion of digital platforms, continuous news cycles, and social media, mainstream media coverage has changed very little. The dominant narrative of the African continent remains overwhelmingly deficit-based—reducing vast, ecologically complex, and culturally rich lands to backdrop scenery for hardship or environmental collapse. ​For creators, archivists, and storytellers of African descent, ...

Fred Friendly: How a Newsroom Legend Reshaped Media Ethics Outside the Network ​In February 1966, Fred W. Friendly executed one of the most high-profile resignations in American broadcasting history. As president of CBS News, Friendly stepped down in protest after the network chose to air a rerun of I Love Lucy instead of live Senate hearings on the Vietnam War. His departure marked the end of an iconic network tenure alongside newsmen like Edward R. Murrow, but it marked the start of a influential second act that continued to shape American journalism throughout the 1970s and beyond. ​ Leaving Commercial News to Critique It ​Friendly’s exit from CBS was rooted in a foundational critique of commercial media. He argued that network television was increasingly driven by ratings and sensationalism rather than its public service mandate. A central element of his concern was how commercial television framed the world for American audiences—particularly the global South and continents li...

​ The Lifeline of the Senegal River Delta: Avian Sanctuary and Ecosystem ​The region around Saint-Louis in northern Senegal—situated in the lower Senegal River delta—is one of the most important and breathtaking avian staging grounds in the world. As a critical anchor along the East Atlantic Flyway , the wetlands here welcome millions of migratory birds arriving from Europe and northern latitudes after crossing the vast expanse of the Sahara Desert. The prime window for witnessing this extraordinary migration is between November and April , when water levels and feeding grounds are at their optimal peak. ​Key Ecosystems Near Saint-Louis ​ Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary ( Parc National des Oiseaux du Djoudj ): Located about 60 kilometers north of Saint-Louis, this 16,000-hectare UNESCO World Heritage Site is the third-largest ornithological reserve in the world. It comprises a vast network of flooded basins, lakes, creeks, and marshes. ​ Diawling National Park: Just across the b...

  The Kingdom of Cayor: History, Culture, and the Legacy of Demba War Sall ​The Kingdom of Cayor (historically spelled Kajoor ) stands as one of the most influential and fiercely independent pre-colonial Wolof states of West Africa. Stretching across the coastal region of west-central and northern Senegal between the Atlantic Ocean and the inland Jolof Empire, Cayor played a vital role in shaping the political, cultural, and linguistic landscape of modern Senegal. ​Rise and Identity of a Wolof Power ​Cayor was initially established as a vassal state within the broader Jolof Empire. However, its trajectory shifted dramatically in 1549 following the historic Battle of Danki , led by Amary Ngoné Sobel Fall. ​ Independence and Growth: Cayor successfully broke away from Jolof, securing its full sovereignty. It quickly grew into the largest, wealthiest, and most militarily formidable successor state born from the fracturing of the empire. ​ Cultural Identity: The kingdom was ...

Road Shows and the Making of American Culture Long before television, the internet, and social media, Americans had another way of experiencing entertainment, education, and culture: road shows. Road shows brought performers, musicians, actors, lecturers, and other entertainers directly into communities. Instead of requiring people to travel to major cities to experience theater, music, or educational presentations, the entertainment came to them. These traveling productions became an important part of American cultural history. They entertained audiences, introduced new ideas, created opportunities for performers, and connected communities across the country. Entertainment on the Road During the 1800s, traveling entertainment companies moved from town to town. They used horse-drawn wagons, railroads, and eventually automobiles to transport performers, equipment, costumes, and scenery. Some of the most popular attractions included traveling theater companies, circuses, medicine shows, ...

  Subsidized Surpluses and Vulnerable Markets: An Analysis of Bill Clinton’s Trade Policies and Their Impact on Rice Agriculture in Haiti and West Africa ​The intersection of international trade policy, agricultural export promotion, and structural adjustment in developing nations is one of the most defining economic themes of the late 20th century. During the administration of President Bill Clinton, U.S. foreign policy strongly encouraged the opening of developing markets to American commodities. While promoted under the banner of free trade and food security, these policies—most notably the drastic reduction of import tariffs on American rice—fundamentally disrupted domestic agriculture across the Caribbean and West Africa, transforming self-sufficient agrarian societies into highly dependent food importers. ​ 1. The 1995 Tariff Shock in Haiti ​In 1994, the United States launched Operation Uphold Democracy to restore Haiti’s democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Ar...

  The Devil's Bargain: Bill Clinton, Import Tariffs, and the Transformation of Haiti's Economy The connection between U.S. foreign policy, trade liberalization, and the restructuring of developing economies is sharply illustrated by the relationship between Bill Clinton, import tariffs, and Haiti. A pivotal trade policy enacted in 1995 fundamentally disrupted Haiti’s domestic agricultural landscape, transforming the nation from a food-secure producer into one heavily reliant on foreign imports. 1. The 1995 Trade Reforms & Tariff Cuts In 1994, the United States launched Operation Uphold Democracy to restore Haiti’s democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, following his ouster in a military coup. As part of the structural adjustment agreements tied to U.S. diplomatic backing and loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the Clinton administration pressured the newly restored Haitian government to dramatically lower its trade barrie...

  Linda Dabo - Short Bio My Name is  Linda Dabo  I am a blogger, Wikipedia scholar, and dedicated Wikipedia content provider with over eleven years of experience contributing open-knowledge articles, research, and Wikimedia Commons media. Grounding my work in the philosophy that "you cannot plow a field by turning it over in your mind,"  I  move beyond theory into immersive, hands-on environmental and community documentation. ​My grassroots commitment spans decades of international outreach and support. I previously was an outreach volunteer and supporter with the Belize River Valley Development—a grassroots community tree-planting organization founded by my mentor, Bert Tucker. Continuing this vital ecological mission from 2009 to 2014, I undertook similar work with the Permaculture Institute in Techiman, Ghana, under the leadership of Paul Yeboah. ​My recent projects continue to explore environmental sustainability, cultural heritage, and ecological educat...

  A Short Bio - Linda Dabo  My name is Linda Dabo is a blogger, people's scholar, and dedicated Wikipedia content provider with over eleven years of experience contributing open-knowledge articles, research, and Wikimedia Commons media. Grounding her work in the philosophy that "you cannot plow a field by turning it over in your mind,"  I  move beyond theory into immersive, hands-on documentation. ​My recent projects explore environmental sustainability, cultural heritage, and ecological justice. I have documented community-led climate initiatives and eco-management through field research trips to Senegal—attending the Ecofest organized by REDES in 2025 and returning in 2026 to study regional development projects, capture media for Wikimedia and continue to produce documentaries.  My investigative research bridges local history and public memory, inspiring historical deep-dives such as visiting Lake Placid following creating a  Wikipedia article about Tim...

​" ​ The Currency of Power: Why Energy Security Demands Strategic Strength ​Ladies and gentlemen, Voters ​For generations, we have been told a comfortable lie about energy. We’ve been told that energy conflicts are simple disputes over physical scarcity—20th-century scrambles over fewer and fewer barrels of oil left in the earth. ​I am standing before you today to shatter that illusion. The global struggle over energy in the 21st century is not about resource depletion. It is a strategic, proxy struggle over the rise of competing industrial superpowers—and the Middle East remains its primary fault line. ​Look at the global economic landscape with clear eyes. China’s economic model and massive manufacturing engine depend fundamentally on foreign crude oil imports to fuel its petrochemicals, its exports, and its industrial drive. But that massive economic engine has a profound structural vulnerability: it relies on uninterrupted access to raw materials moving across global trade lan...

  Below a monologue addressing voters, translating the core concepts of —the shift from simple oil scarcity to a geopolitical tug-of-war over China's economic engine and Middle Eastern chokepoints—into a political address . ​ "The Real War for Energy" ​ (A Speech / Monologue to Voters) ​ [TONE: Urgent, authoritative, clear-eyed, and forward-looking] ​ [SETTING: Town hall or campaign rally stage] ​ (Leans against the podium, looking out at the crowd) ​Every time you pull up to the gas pump, or look at your heating bill, you’re told the same old story. You’re told that global conflict is just about oil—that it’s a simple 20th-century scramble over fewer and fewer barrels in the ground. ​They tell you that story because it’s easy. But I’m here today to tell you the truth: the fight over oil is no longer just about filling gas tanks. It is a strategic fight over who dictates the global economy. ​Look at the board. China has built a massive manufacturing apparatus—an i...

My Infinite Supply: Receiving Life in Grace and Perfect Ways “ My infinite supply is now released and comes to me in grace and in perfect ways.” — Florence Scovel Shinn There is something powerful about this simple affirmation. It invites us to think differently about abundance, opportunity, and the way we receive the good things in life. Florence Scovel Shinn, an early twentieth-century New Thought author and metaphysical teacher, believed that our words, thoughts, and expectations played an important role in how we approached life. Her teachings encouraged people to replace fear and limitation with faith and a greater sense of possibility. What Does Infinite Supply Mean? The idea of infinite supply suggests that life's possibilities are not necessarily limited to what we can see, understand, or imagine at this moment. Sometimes we become so focused on how something will happen that we overlook the possibility that there may be many ways for it to happen. We worry about the circum...