Friday September 14, 2007, 3:04 pm
I AM SO SICK OF HEARING THESE SADDDDDDDD STORIES!!!!! DEAR GOD, PLEASE GUIDE US IN A PEACEFUL, LOVING, CARING, DIRECTION FOR THESE INNOCENTS....TY, BETTY. NOTED WITH A HEAVY HEART. ;(

Friday September 14, 2007, 3:08 pm
There HAS to be MORE we can DO, but HOW??

Friday September 14, 2007, 3:16 pm
I got the chills reading this...it sickens me to no end...why do we feel the need to eat anything that has had a heart will never go over with me...never, I feel we have so many resourses to survive on rather than to eat something that has been alive as we are...noted, but what can we as a people here in the states do about this when we can't even get people here to stop killing animals for human consumption. Robin

Friday September 14, 2007, 3:25 pm
NOTED, thank you. A very, very sad story.

Friday September 14, 2007, 3:45 pm
eeeek....there is SO MUCH wasted food in the world...why don't we richer countries just GIVE it to those who need it instead of dumping, burning and otherwise making it unavailable? DAMN FUTURES PROFITEERS!

Friday September 14, 2007, 3:57 pm
we are bless to be able to eat, go to fast food restaurants , and we get it our way. the history of this country is just bad. awful. i do not like hearing stories like this. but its call survival . their goverment is doing nothing for the people of that country. its very violent until i have walk in there shoes the only comment i have is I'll pray for this country we have a war in our mist that's about to blow our economy where we end up in a recession who knows what we will do for survival president & the goverment are the ones i blame for how the country is being run. leaders are not doing there jobs .i do not know how they can sleep at night or sit down at there table eating the best of food filling their fat bellies up. knowing some place in Zimbabwe some one is killing innocent animal's.Since 2000, Zimbabwe has experienced precipitous hyperinflation. By May 2006, inflation had surpassed 1,000%, by far the world's highest. Less than a year later, in March 2007, it skyrocketed to more than 1,700%. Unemployment ranges from 70% to 80%. According to the World Health Organization, Zimbabwe has the world's lowest life expectancy. The opposition, clearly emboldened by the economic collapse and the lack of available necessities in Zimbabwe, attempted to hold an antigovernment rally in March. Police arrested and beat dozens of activists, including Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change. Mugabe banned political meetings and forbid political opponents from leaving the country.

all respect given , this is my opinion

Friday September 14, 2007, 4:10 pm
"We are getting rat problems where we never saw them before," he said, asking not to be identified in the mounting climate of fear of the authorities.

Maybe they should start eating the rats instead of the dogs.
Seriously, and with all due respect to everyone here; Most people who post in these threads know me and know my love for ALL animals. However, none of us has (thank God & Goddess) lived in a country with 100,000% inflation. When famine and starvation is all around and there's no escape, who amongst us knows what we would do or what we would eat? I can speak only for myself, but I would never under any circumstances eat a dog or a cat.....but the rat might turn out to be kinda tasty.....just pray I never have to find out!
Thank you, Betty. A good post, but a heartbreaking one.
noted.

Friday September 14, 2007, 5:31 pm
these are the leaders of Zimbabwe. yes let them eat the rats better yet! threw every one of these leaders to the people of Zimbabwe. the people of Zimbabwe are so use to being treated like or less then animals ,they are acting like them. uncivilized greedy bastardisations of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments
Date of Information: 3/1/2007



Pres. Robert MUGABE
Vice Pres. Joseph MSIKA
Vice Pres. Joyce MUJURU
Min. of Agriculture Rugare GUMBO
Min. of Defense Sidney SEKERAMAYI
Min. of Economic Development Sylvester NGUNI
Min. of Education, Sport, & Culture Anneas CHIGWEDERE
Min. of Energy & Power Development Michael NYAMBUYA
Min. of Finance Samuel MUMBENGEGWI
Min. of Foreign Affairs Simbarashe MUMBENGEGWI
Min. of Health David PARIRENYATWA
Min. of Higher & Tertiary Education Stanislaus MUDENGE
Min. of Home Affairs Kembo MOHADI
Min. of Indigenization & Empowerment Josiah TUNGAMIRAI
Min. of Industry & Trade Obert MPOFU
Min. of Information & Publicity Sikhanyiso NDLOVU
Min. of Legal & Parliamentary Affairs Patrick CHINAMASA
Min. of Local Govt. Ignatius CHOMBO
Min. of Mines Amos MIDZI
Min. of National Security Didymus MUTASA
Min. of Policy Implementation Webster SHAMU
Min. of Public Services Nicholas GOCHE
Min. of Rural Housing & Social Amenities Emmerson MNANGAGWA
Min. of Science & Technology Olivia MUCHENA
Min. of Small- & Medium-Scale Enterprises Sithembiso NYONI
Min. of State Affairs Responsible for Land
& Resettlement Programs Paul MANGWANA
Min. of State Enterprises, Antimonopolies,
& Anticorruption Samuel UNDENGE
Min. of Tourism Francis NHEMA
Min. of Transport & Communications Chris MUSHOWE
Min. of Water Resources & Infrastructural
Development Munacho MUTEZO
Min. of Women's Affairs, Gender,
& Community Development Oppah MUCHINGURI
Min. of Youth Development & Employment Ambrose MUTIHIRI
Min. Without Portfolio Elliot MANYIKA
Governor, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Gideon GONO
Ambassador to the US Simbi Veke MUBAKO
Permanent Representative to the UN,
New York Boniface Guwa CHIDYAUSIKU
Select a country… Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas, The Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France Gabon Gambia, The Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea-Bissau Guinea Guyana Haiti Holy See (Vatican City Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Key to Abbreviations Kiribati Korea, North Korea, North Korea, South Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Antilles Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan -- NDE Taiwan -- NDE Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe . i wonder how any of these devils can sleep. & i bet their mansions are on the out side of zimbabwe. with clean water, refrigerator full of good food. this is what makes me so frinking sick. GREEDY GREEDY GREEDY BUNCH OF EVIL DEVILS.

Friday September 14, 2007, 5:48 pm
Zimbabwe at the present time is in a terrible state. The economy has shrunk by 50% from 2000 to 2007. In 2007 the inflation rate was 2,200%. There are frequent power and water outages.[18] Harare's drinking water became unreliable in 2006 and as a consequence dysentery and cholera swept the city in December 2006 and January 2007.[19] Unemployment in formal jobs is running at a record 80%.[20]. There is widespread famine, which has been cynically manipulated by the government so that opposition strongholds suffer the most. The country used to be one of Africa's richest and is now one of its poorest. Indeed many observers now view the country as being a 'failed state'.[21] [22] The settlement of the Democratic Republic of Congo war has brought back Zimbabwe's substantial military commitment, although some troops remain to secure the mining assets under their control. The government lacks the resources or machinery to deal with the ravages of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which affects an estimated one-quarter of the population. With all this and the forced and violent removal of white farmers in a brutal land redistribution program, Mugabe has earned himself widespread scorn from the international arena.[23]
now tell me the money that the leaders or geting to run this country? what are they doing with it. this is so shameful! . this is uncall for, this is a nation but a teaming nation of nations. its a shame no one can sit and help one another. peace to all. thanks.

Friday September 14, 2007, 6:07 pm
we need to pray for this country, it breaks my heart for everyone, humans & animals .

Inside Zimbabwe
28 March 2007

What is life is like in a country where any sign of dissent or defiance to the Government can result in beatings or jail? Where media is either state-owned or regulated? And where blogging is dangerous.

All this week the Sky News Insider Blog comes from inside Zimbabwe - where activists hoping for democracy are beaten or killed; where HIV/AIDS is rife; where life expectancy is low.

"Hope" is an activist opposed to President Mugabe. She is having to blog under a pseudonym to avoid recrimination. This is her blog:

Wednesday

More people die in Zimbabwe every day than in Darfur or Iraq, but we are dying silently and the world doesn't seem to know how bad it really is.

Zimbabwe's HIV/AIDs statistics are among the highest in the world and this terrible pandemic, combined with a lack of drugs in our country, corruption by government ministers, food shortages and 1,800% inflation, makes it a swift killer in our society.

Life expectancy in Zimbabwe is 34 years for women and 37 years for men.

I would really like you to think about that for a moment. How old are you? How much longer would that leave you to live or have you already exceeded our life expectancy?

Attending funerals is a regular occurrence in Zimbabwe.

I know many people who have died over the last few years.

Last year two of my work colleagues died within the space of a couple of months of each other. I go to funerals, I experience the awfulness of funerals, and then I come home.

But even though this is 'normal', I am sometimes woken up and stunned by something, and I am left horrified and shocked and very sensitive to how extreme life is in Zimbabwe.

For example, a couple of days ago I attended a child's funeral. This is hard enough as it is, but through my tears I noticed how many freshly dug graves there were in the children's section of the cemetery, clear evidence that lots of children are dying.

Even worse, this is a new cemetery and it's already almost full.

I saw two women digging a child-sized grave on their own, and I was told that this was because they could not afford to pay a gravedigger to do it for them.

I was told they were alone because their men were probably out of the country working in South Africa.

The painful reality of what I saw in that place was emphasised by our Zimbabwean tradition of leaving some of the possessions belonging to the person who has died on the grave.

For children this means I was looking at a scene of small graves with bottles, toys, baby baths and other plastic pieces of childhood treasures piled on them. It is wrong, very very wrong, to see these sort of things.

I felt overcome with grief and anger at what I saw. It is like being trapped inside a horror film - a truly terrible thing to see.

I want to bring a chair to this section of the graveyard, and make Robert Mugabe sit in it for a day.

I want him to sit there for hours looking at the graves and the toys. I want the message of what this means to wash over him, for him to know he's destroying our country's future.

He is stripping the joy from parents’ lives, and he is creating a legacy where he will be remembered for many years as the man who inflicted misery and pain and suffering on a nation.

Most of all, I want him to step out from the security of his Mercedes Benz and his soldier patrolled mansions, and I want him to stand here in the blazing sun in that dusty graveyard surrounded by bright plastic toys that testify to the lives of children and babies.

I want him to talk to the parents, to be forced to explain to them - face to face - why he is doing nothing to help them save their children's lives.

Sometimes I can go through a day and just live my life like everyone has to - that’s surviving - one step at a time. Then there are days like that one, where I am consumed with rage and grief and pure frustration. I am still furious and torn-up two days later, and it makes me very ready to march for change and to defy this regime.

Hope, a Sokwanele activist

Blogging at: www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe

Written by Eyewitness, 28 March 2007 God Bless this lady. God needs to reach out and touch this country. with the riches of every nation this kind of abuse to humans & animals are just to much to dijest.

Friday September 14, 2007, 6:08 pm
sadly noted

Friday September 14, 2007, 9:50 pm
Noted with sadness for these beautiful animals. shared.

Saturday September 15, 2007, 2:11 am
This is sad and very tragic all around. The people are starving, and turning to dog meat to try to survive. Where is the aid that should be pouring into this country? These people should not have to turn to such a horrible alternative in order to survive. I abhore the killing and eating of companion animals, and yes, it would probably be a small step up to eat the rats. I don't think either should be a fate thrust upon these people ~ hopefully aid will come, and it will no longer take place. I

Saturday September 15, 2007, 2:17 am
Robert Mugabe is guilty, not only of failing his people, but of being the cause of all this just so that he can hang onto power. If he had retired and let democracy go its way, he would always have been remembered as one of Africa's Elder Statesmen and a Freedom Fighter. He did not know when to let go and did not care what he did to his people to be able to stay. Thabo Mbeki is also not doing anything to hlp the situation and people are DESPERATE AND HUNGRY!

Saturday September 15, 2007, 3:43 am
Ditto!!!! Cate. Double ditto!! Almost missed it Cate..So so true. I wonder unceasing when I read these articles as to why is it that while there is food enough for each and every adult and child on this planet why does this state of affairs continue ........countries which can boast so much wealth and also so much wastage do little to help people in desperate means. They have ample funds to send in so many to fight ongoing, however funding on an equal level to help these people is not possible? WHY??? ..people who are forced to measures many view as unpalatable....these stories make the heart cry.........so many mothers/women and children alone. So much pain...... their choices display their plight...they need our compassion and love as well as aid.... Power hungry governments supportive of greed appear to take precedence...........

Saturday September 15, 2007, 7:56 am
Thanks for posting this, Betty G. am heartsick and cannot for the life of me understand how we as a world community do not see to it that food is available for all!!!

Saturday September 15, 2007, 11:41 am
Survival -- it is a terrible thing to face but you don't know what you would do. I see children with bloated bellies caused by starvation & malnutrition with the lifeless look in their eyes & say truthfully I would do just about anything to sooth their hunger if but for one day...sadly noted...

Sunday September 16, 2007, 12:18 am
World leaders know what is going on in Zimbabwe and do nothing. Just like the slaughter of Darfur and Chad. Why? Because these countries have nothing to offer, like oil.
BBC recently had a news story about the starvation which is taking place in Zimbabwe, below is a link to their site.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6982183.stm

While I don't like the idea of anyone eating a pet, but I can appreciate that if it comes down to starving or not, the choice is clear.
God help us that it has come to this for so many in Zimbabwe!

Sunday September 16, 2007, 1:14 am
people eat people when things get bad enough. This is a true state of horror right now for these people. No one can say what they would or wouldn't not eat in these kind of trying times.

Sunday September 16, 2007, 2:38 pm
The prices clampdown aimed to tame official inflation of more than 7,600 per cent, the highest in the world. Independent estimates put real inflation closer to 25,000 per cent and the International Monetary Fund has forecast it reaching 100,000 per cent by the end of the year

as is pointed out it is not illeagal to eat dog meat but there are laws about humane slaughter which apparently can no longer be accomplished do to shortages. Sounds like hell on earth.

Monday September 17, 2007, 7:00 am
The people in Zimbabwe are in desperate situation, millions are starving, true I wouldn't eat my dog either. But i surpose dire circumstances drives people to eat their pets. But what next to eat?