Alphonce SHIUNDU

At the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Day in 2011, I was on the roof-top of Sunsail Hotel in Lamu. I’d gone to look for grenades, bazookas and anything that gunrunners could get out of Somalia and smuggle into Kenya. It wasn’t until January 9 that I returned to Nairobi. It took another full month for me to get the goods, and another one month to get the story published. You’d never ever see me in the footsteps of al Shabaab. Ever! That assignment drained me bigtime. I’ve never recovered. I don’t know where I’ll be when 2012 knocks. I hope I get to see it. Anyway, now onto my alphabet. A Alberto Giordano. This man through Narconews, School of Authentic Journalism, and UNAM gave me the impetus to work as a journalist. That experience changed my life, my career, and yes, my world-view. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. For the first time in 2011, I got to know the meaning of that phrase. B Ben10. Yes, it’s a comic strip for kids in the Saturday Nation . Not that I

Are you a journalist? Are you serious? Are you disciplined? Do you have a social conscience? Are you willing to learn? Do you know what you do very well and do you love it? Do you want to sharpen your skills in multimedia journalism? Are you a little 'crazy' in the way you look at things? Do you have an open mind? If your answer to all these questions are a yes, then read on! Cheers, Shiundu December 3, 2011 Please Distribute Widely Dear Colleague, Today's the day you've been waiting for! Today we announce the availability of 40 scholarships to the School of Authentic Journalism, March 21 to 31, 2012 in Mexico. Among the professors who have confirmed their attendance for the 2012 session are the Mexican poet and journalist Javier Sicilia, who in 2011 inspired the world's first mass movement against the "war on drugs." Also confirmed are America's foremost critic, the Vanity Fair senior writer James Wolcott, Los Angeles community organizer