Excellent news and thank you to Gary!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T -----Original Message----- From: Zahid Jamil <zahid@dndrc.com> Date: Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:29:45 To: <bc-gnso@icann.org> Subject: Members may recall Gary Hills has resigned as our secretariat with effect from 31 December 2009 after many years of service. In January we will hold elections for the new executive committee. That executive committee will be proposing a budget for 2010 including the level of secretariat services required bearing in mind what services may be available from ICANN. This means that a request for a new secretariat with effect from 1 January 2010 is problematic as we may be changing what services we ask for within weeks. Accordingly the BC Officers have agreed with Gary to retain his services on a consultancy basis until 28 February 2010 which will allow the newly elected executive committee to decide on a longer-term request for new secretariat services. We would like to thank Gary for agreeing to do this. Zahid Mike Philip Sincerely, Zahid Jamil Barrister-at-law Jamil & Jamil Barristers-at-law 219-221 Central Hotel Annexe Merewether Road, Karachi. Pakistan Cell: +923008238230 Tel: +92 21 5680760 / 5685276 / 5655025 Fax: +92 21 5655026 www.jamilandjamil.com <http://www.jamilandjamil.com> *** This Message Has Been Sent Using BlackBerry Internet Service from Mobilink ***
I have been doing more research on the options for travel and hotels in Nairobi, Kenya,for the upcoming ICANN meeting and wanted to share my experiences, for what they are worth, with other BC members. I also looked into the security issues; talked to a couple of folks who travel to Kenya regularly, and got some helpful information and advice. If anyone is interested, I'll volunteer to set up a call with those 'regulars' who travel or who are in country, before we travel. In the meantime, of course, I closely watch the various 'alerts' from US State, Canadian, UK government, and a couple of other sources, since I travel rather frequently to a wide number of countries around the world as part of my business. If there are business constituency members who want to 'get the scoop' and hear about what the advice is from an experienced group of travelers, we can do a small and low profile 'discussion' call. No need to make this a big deal, since only those who are thinking of attending would be interested. Several of you will be booked at the venue hotel, or may be booked by the ICANN staff [e.g. Councilors] so you may not be interested in these additional options, but for some members, who may be considering but haven't finalized travel, this might be useful. Let me know, off list, if you would like to have such a call and I'll coordinate with those friendly advisors I have beneffitted from. . Hotels: for what it is worth: Through various sources, I've learned: There are several 4 star and 5 star hotels within walking distance. The Nairobi Safari Club may not actually be walking distance. It was difficult to get a clear answer on that. Hotels that are within walking distance are the Intercontinental, Hilton, and Stanley. Hilton: I booked at the Hilton, after some review and discussion. It isn't as fancy as some Hilton's in US or Europe, but is a 4 star. I got a rate of $184/plus taxes /USD per night by pre paying at the Hilton. The Intercont. which is always a preferred hotel, was a little more pricey at $295 plus taxes/USD. Pre pay at the Intercont. didn't reduce the price per day. the Stanley, which seems to be lovely, was a bit higher at around $325 USD/+ taxes. Other hotels that are recommended by a number of sources include the NAIROBI SERENA @ ABOUT $250-300 USD. Taxi to venue. Fairmont the Norfolk at around $430 USD. Taxi to venue. I'm not a qualified tour guide, so take all this into account, and assume you should do your own due diligence, but if you want to join a call with me and a few other experts on Kenya travel/because they live there or travel there, let me know at marilynscade@hotmail.com. We might benefit from sharing information informally. Marilyn Cade
hi Marilyn, put me on the list of folks who'd be interested in learning more. i'm at the venue hotel, but i'd still like to keep up on all the good inside travel scoop. thanks for pulling this together, mikey On Dec 20, 2009, at 4:12 PM, Marilyn Cade wrote:
I have been doing more research on the options for travel and hotels in Nairobi, Kenya,for the upcoming ICANN meeting and wanted to share my experiences, for what they are worth, with other BC members.
I also looked into the security issues; talked to a couple of folks who travel to Kenya regularly, and got some helpful information and advice. If anyone is interested, I'll volunteer to set up a call with those 'regulars' who travel or who are in country, before we travel. In the meantime, of course, I closely watch the various 'alerts' from US State, Canadian, UK government, and a couple of other sources, since I travel rather frequently to a wide number of countries around the world as part of my business.
If there are business constituency members who want to 'get the scoop' and hear about what the advice is from an experienced group of travelers, we can do a small and low profile 'discussion' call. No need to make this a big deal, since only those who are thinking of attending would be interested.
Several of you will be booked at the venue hotel, or may be booked by the ICANN staff [e.g. Councilors] so you may not be interested in these additional options, but for some members, who may be considering but haven't finalized travel, this might be useful.
Let me know, off list, if you would like to have such a call and I'll coordinate with those friendly advisors I have beneffitted from. .
Hotels: for what it is worth:
Through various sources, I've learned:
There are several 4 star and 5 star hotels within walking distance.
The Nairobi Safari Club may not actually be walking distance. It was difficult to get a clear answer on that.
Hotels that are within walking distance are the Intercontinental, Hilton, and Stanley.
Hilton: I booked at the Hilton, after some review and discussion. It isn't as fancy as some Hilton's in US or Europe, but is a 4 star.
I got a rate of $184/plus taxes /USD per night by pre paying at the Hilton.
The Intercont. which is always a preferred hotel, was a little more pricey at $295 plus taxes/USD. Pre pay at the Intercont. didn't reduce the price per day.
the Stanley, which seems to be lovely, was a bit higher at around $325 USD/+ taxes.
Other hotels that are recommended by a number of sources include the NAIROBI SERENA @ ABOUT $250-300 USD. Taxi to venue.
Fairmont the Norfolk at around $430 USD. Taxi to venue.
I'm not a qualified tour guide, so take all this into account, and assume you should do your own due diligence, but if you want to join a call with me and a few other experts on Kenya travel/because they live there or travel there, let me know atmarilynscade@hotmail.com.
We might benefit from sharing information informally.
Marilyn Cade
- - - - - - - - - phone 651-647-6109 fax 866-280-2356 web www.haven2.com handle OConnorStP (ID for public places like Twitter, Facebook, Google, etc.)
Same here and many thanks for this. Sincerely, Zahid Jamil Barrister-at-law Jamil & Jamil Barristers-at-law 219-221 Central Hotel Annexe Merewether Road, Karachi. Pakistan Cell: +923008238230 Tel: +92 21 5680760 / 5685276 / 5655025 Fax: +92 21 5655026 www.jamilandjamil.com *** This Message Has Been Sent Using BlackBerry Internet Service from Mobilink *** -----Original Message----- From: "Mike O'Connor" <mike@haven2.com> Date: Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:02:41 To: Marilyn Cade<marilynscade@hotmail.com> Cc: bc - GNSO list<bc-gnso@icann.org> Subject: Re: [bc-gnso] Kenya ICANN meeting - hotel information /ideas hi Marilyn, put me on the list of folks who'd be interested in learning more. i'm at the venue hotel, but i'd still like to keep up on all the good inside travel scoop. thanks for pulling this together, mikey On Dec 20, 2009, at 4:12 PM, Marilyn Cade wrote:
I have been doing more research on the options for travel and hotels in Nairobi, Kenya,for the upcoming ICANN meeting and wanted to share my experiences, for what they are worth, with other BC members.
I also looked into the security issues; talked to a couple of folks who travel to Kenya regularly, and got some helpful information and advice. If anyone is interested, I'll volunteer to set up a call with those 'regulars' who travel or who are in country, before we travel. In the meantime, of course, I closely watch the various 'alerts' from US State, Canadian, UK government, and a couple of other sources, since I travel rather frequently to a wide number of countries around the world as part of my business.
If there are business constituency members who want to 'get the scoop' and hear about what the advice is from an experienced group of travelers, we can do a small and low profile 'discussion' call. No need to make this a big deal, since only those who are thinking of attending would be interested.
Several of you will be booked at the venue hotel, or may be booked by the ICANN staff [e.g. Councilors] so you may not be interested in these additional options, but for some members, who may be considering but haven't finalized travel, this might be useful.
Let me know, off list, if you would like to have such a call and I'll coordinate with those friendly advisors I have beneffitted from. .
Hotels: for what it is worth:
Through various sources, I've learned:
There are several 4 star and 5 star hotels within walking distance.
The Nairobi Safari Club may not actually be walking distance. It was difficult to get a clear answer on that.
Hotels that are within walking distance are the Intercontinental, Hilton, and Stanley.
Hilton: I booked at the Hilton, after some review and discussion. It isn't as fancy as some Hilton's in US or Europe, but is a 4 star.
I got a rate of $184/plus taxes /USD per night by pre paying at the Hilton.
The Intercont. which is always a preferred hotel, was a little more pricey at $295 plus taxes/USD. Pre pay at the Intercont. didn't reduce the price per day.
the Stanley, which seems to be lovely, was a bit higher at around $325 USD/+ taxes.
Other hotels that are recommended by a number of sources include the NAIROBI SERENA @ ABOUT $250-300 USD. Taxi to venue.
Fairmont the Norfolk at around $430 USD. Taxi to venue.
I'm not a qualified tour guide, so take all this into account, and assume you should do your own due diligence, but if you want to join a call with me and a few other experts on Kenya travel/because they live there or travel there, let me know atmarilynscade@hotmail.com.
We might benefit from sharing information informally.
Marilyn Cade
- - - - - - - - - phone 651-647-6109 fax 866-280-2356 web www.haven2.com handle OConnorStP (ID for public places like Twitter, Facebook, Google, etc.)
Thanks Marilyn I would be interested too. I booked my flights just after the last meeting but was unsure about the hotel. The Safari club which for a while was the only one on the ICANN website is about 1 mile form the venue as I can see. At my previous two meeting (Paris and Sydney) I found the venue hotel fully booked within days of the announcement on the ICANN website, leading me to believe that the ICANN block booking must have been 95% of the availability. I dont have too many security concerns but would prefer to be in the same hotel as other BC members. Regards, Chris Chaplow Managing Director Andalucía.com S.L. Avenida del Carmen 9 Ed. Puertosol, Puerto Deportivo 1ª Planta, Oficina 30 Estepona, 29680 Malaga, Spain Tel: + (34) 952 897 865 Fax: + (34) 952 897 874 E-mail: <mailto:chris@andalucia.com> chris@andalucia.com Web: <http://www.andalucia.com/> www.andalucia.com Information about Andalucia, Spain. Please think of the Environment before you print this email De: owner-bc-gnso@icann.org [mailto:owner-bc-gnso@icann.org] En nombre de Marilyn Cade Enviado el: domingo, 20 de diciembre de 2009 23:12 Para: bc - GNSO list Asunto: [bc-gnso] Kenya ICANN meeting - hotel information /ideas I have been doing more research on the options for travel and hotels in Nairobi, Kenya,for the upcoming ICANN meeting and wanted to share my experiences, for what they are worth, with other BC members. I also looked into the security issues; talked to a couple of folks who travel to Kenya regularly, and got some helpful information and advice. If anyone is interested, I'll volunteer to set up a call with those 'regulars' who travel or who are in country, before we travel. In the meantime, of course, I closely watch the various 'alerts' from US State, Canadian, UK government, and a couple of other sources, since I travel rather frequently to a wide number of countries around the world as part of my business. If there are business constituency members who want to 'get the scoop' and hear about what the advice is from an experienced group of travelers, we can do a small and low profile 'discussion' call. No need to make this a big deal, since only those who are thinking of attending would be interested. Several of you will be booked at the venue hotel, or may be booked by the ICANN staff [e.g. Councilors] so you may not be interested in these additional options, but for some members, who may be considering but haven't finalized travel, this might be useful. Let me know, off list, if you would like to have such a call and I'll coordinate with those friendly advisors I have beneffitted from. . Hotels: for what it is worth: Through various sources, I've learned: There are several 4 star and 5 star hotels within walking distance. The Nairobi Safari Club may not actually be walking distance. It was difficult to get a clear answer on that. Hotels that are within walking distance are the Intercontinental, Hilton, and Stanley. Hilton: I booked at the Hilton, after some review and discussion. It isn't as fancy as some Hilton's in US or Europe, but is a 4 star. I got a rate of $184/plus taxes /USD per night by pre paying at the Hilton. The Intercont. which is always a preferred hotel, was a little more pricey at $295 plus taxes/USD. Pre pay at the Intercont. didn't reduce the price per day. the Stanley, which seems to be lovely, was a bit higher at around $325 USD/+ taxes. Other hotels that are recommended by a number of sources include the NAIROBI SERENA @ ABOUT $250-300 USD. Taxi to venue. Fairmont the Norfolk at around $430 USD. Taxi to venue. I'm not a qualified tour guide, so take all this into account, and assume you should do your own due diligence, but if you want to join a call with me and a few other experts on Kenya travel/because they live there or travel there, let me know at marilynscade@hotmail.com. We might benefit from sharing information informally. Marilyn Cade
In Kenya, ethnic distrust is as deep as the machete scars By Stephanie McCrummen Washington Post Foreign Service Tuesday, December 22, 2009; A10 KIAMBAA, KENYA -- Nearly two years after a wave of post-election violence brought this East African nation to the brink of civil war, Joseph Ngaruiya has learned to ride his bike with one leg, the other having never fully healed from machete cuts. He's learned to tolerate the "sorrys" and small talk of neighbors who he believes hacked him nearly to death and burned a church here, killing 36 people in one the worst days of the ethnic bloodletting. What he has not managed, he says, is to summon sufficient faith in their apologies or in justice to keep him from buying an AK-47 once he gathers enough money. "To stay the way we were that time, unarmed, we can't," said Ngaruiya, 38, who was among hundreds of thousands of ethnic Kikuyus driven from this western farming region by Kalenjin tribal militias after the disputed December 2007 election. "Next time, it will be much worse." Despite a power-sharing deal and a reform agenda intended to rescue this nation from collapse, the situation remains dangerously volatile, troubling U.S. officials who are already juggling other worries in the region. With Kenya's eastern neighbor, Somalia, at war with al-Qaeda-linked rebels and its northwestern neighbor, Sudan, sliding toward civil war, U.S. officials say a stable Kenya is more crucial than ever. But the coalition government of President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader turned prime minister Raila Odinga has remained entrenched in the divisive tribal politics that led to the ethnic violence. The government has moved slowly on reforms, blocking any domestic judicial process for trying the perpetrators of the violence, who are widely believed to include Kenya's political elites. The International Criminal Court recently announced its own investigation, which is likely to focus on a few top leaders alleged to have orchestrated violence. "Leaders and people are going into their tribal cocoons, where they feel they are safe," said Ken Wafula, director of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, a Kenyan human rights group. "Unless something is done, we are waiting for an explosion that would be very disastrous." Rift Valley violence Perhaps nowhere is the situation more fragile than here in the rolling, green Rift Valley. Some of the worst ethnic violence played out in this western region after Odinga accused Kibaki, who is Kikuyu, of stealing the 2007 presidential election. What followed has been described by investigations as a well-planned bloodbath in which Odinga's Kalenjin supporters burned houses and farms and otherwise drove Kikuyus out of the Rift Valley with bows, arrows and machetes. Kikuyu gangs soon organized their own ethnically driven retaliation against Odinga supporters. In all, more than 1,000 people were killed. Though the tribal calculus could change this time, depending on political alliances in Nairobi, the capital, people speak with near certainty of a repeat of that violence, only this time with guns. According to Wafula and others, Kalenjin and Kikuyu self-defense militias are forming, some of them including retired military commanders. And while reports of people buying guns are difficult to verify -- and Kenya's gun laws are strict -- Kenyan police earlier this month intercepted a cache of 100,000 bullets, military-grade weapons and uniforms being smuggled with the assistance of local police, which has lent some credence to the claims. Sitting in his mud-walled house, Joseph Ngaruiya said that he knows where to get a gun when he's ready. "You go near the swamp by the Ugandan border," said the former shopkeeper, who rescued his wife, daughter and four boys from the burning church. "You can't miss." It was late afternoon, and Ngaruiya ran his fingers absently along the machete scars that divide his face and crease his skull. He was tired from riding his bike to town, where he has tried without luck to find work. Groceries, shops, and bus and truck companies seem interested in hiring only Kalenjin these days, he said, because of the possibility that Kikuyu-dominated businesses will be burned, as they were last time. When he thought about it, he said, the post-election crisis taught him not that tribalism is a destructive tool of political elites but that his tribe is perhaps his only refuge anymore. The Kalenjin, he figured, have decided the same. "We Kikuyus, we are uniting," Ngaruiya said. "And the Kalenjin, they follow their leaders so strongly. We know that. This thing has made tribalism stronger." Kiambaa, a mostly Kikuyu community of yellowy fields and shaded red dirt paths, is relatively quiet these days; only about half of its residents have returned from tented displacement camps. Where the church was burned, two rows of low, wooden crosses, already overgrown with weeds, mark the graves of people who died inside, most of whom were women and children. Tensions here remain so high that local Kalenjin leaders objected to building more permanent cement graves or a memorial, saying it would amount to an admission of guilt, or even a curse. 'It's taking too long' One of those objectors is Alfred Kiplamai Bor, an influential Kalenjin elder whose sprawling family farm is just across a barbed wire fence from Kiambaa. He is accused of helping to finance Kalenjin militias, which poured across his farm to attack his neighbors at Kiambaa, a charge he denies. Bor's sons were recently acquitted in a Kenyan court of charges that they directed the militias and helped burn the church, a trial that many Kikuyu victims said was deeply flawed. Bor, 88, calls Kikuyu neighbors "thieves" and accuses them of a sordid array of tribal practices that he calls "uncivilized." "They are not wanted here," said the elder, sitting at his home on a little hill, where he's hosted some of Kenya's top Kalenjin leaders. "To solve this thing, it's very difficult." Before the election, the Bors bought sugar and other goods from Kikuyus in Kiambaa. Kikuyus walked to Bor's farm for milk and corn. With few exceptions, those simple gestures of trust have not resumed. One of Bor's sons, Emmanuel, said he does not share his father's views, though he feels in some way captive to them. When the militias arrived at his farm on New Year's Day -- by his count, more than 1,000 young men smeared with mud to disguise their faces -- he said he had little choice but to pretend to join them. Had he declined, he said, he might have been killed. When he arrived at the burning church, he said, his conscience told him to help. He said he yelled at the militias to open the church door before the building collapsed. He was there to rescue his neighbors, he said, not to burn them. "These are people I've grown up with here," Emmanuel Bor said. "I don't know why they've not come back. This reconciliation is worrying. It's taking too long." He walked outside his house then, across his field, under the barbed wire and into Kiambaa. It was getting dark, and the silence of the place was odd. "This place was so full and busy," Bor said, walking past burned-out houses. "But listen now -- only bats. What keeps people away? I really don't understand." There are some Kikuyu neighbors who believe the younger Bor's story and have been branded traitors for it. Others said that even if they wanted to believe him, they cannot. "We don't know what they are planning," said Regina Muthoni Nyokobi, whose mother died in her wheelchair in the church fire and who sometimes dreams of revenge. "We don't know their hearts." Philip S. Corwin Partner Butera & Andrews 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Suite 500 Washington, DC 20004 202-347-6875 (office) 202-347-6876 (fax) 202-255-6172 (cell) "Luck is the residue of design." -- Branch Rickey ________________________________ From: owner-bc-gnso@icann.org [owner-bc-gnso@icann.org] On Behalf Of Marilyn Cade [marilynscade@hotmail.com] Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2009 5:12 PM To: bc - GNSO list Subject: [bc-gnso] Kenya ICANN meeting - hotel information /ideas I have been doing more research on the options for travel and hotels in Nairobi, Kenya,for the upcoming ICANN meeting and wanted to share my experiences, for what they are worth, with other BC members. I also looked into the security issues; talked to a couple of folks who travel to Kenya regularly, and got some helpful information and advice. If anyone is interested, I'll volunteer to set up a call with those 'regulars' who travel or who are in country, before we travel. In the meantime, of course, I closely watch the various 'alerts' from US State, Canadian, UK government, and a couple of other sources, since I travel rather frequently to a wide number of countries around the world as part of my business. If there are business constituency members who want to 'get the scoop' and hear about what the advice is from an experienced group of travelers, we can do a small and low profile 'discussion' call. No need to make this a big deal, since only those who are thinking of attending would be interested. Several of you will be booked at the venue hotel, or may be booked by the ICANN staff [e.g. Councilors] so you may not be interested in these additional options, but for some members, who may be considering but haven't finalized travel, this might be useful. Let me know, off list, if you would like to have such a call and I'll coordinate with those friendly advisors I have beneffitted from. . Hotels: for what it is worth: Through various sources, I've learned: There are several 4 star and 5 star hotels within walking distance. The Nairobi Safari Club may not actually be walking distance. It was difficult to get a clear answer on that. Hotels that are within walking distance are the Intercontinental, Hilton, and Stanley. Hilton: I booked at the Hilton, after some review and discussion. It isn't as fancy as some Hilton's in US or Europe, but is a 4 star. I got a rate of $184/plus taxes /USD per night by pre paying at the Hilton. The Intercont. which is always a preferred hotel, was a little more pricey at $295 plus taxes/USD. Pre pay at the Intercont. didn't reduce the price per day. the Stanley, which seems to be lovely, was a bit higher at around $325 USD/+ taxes. Other hotels that are recommended by a number of sources include the NAIROBI SERENA @ ABOUT $250-300 USD. Taxi to venue. Fairmont the Norfolk at around $430 USD. Taxi to venue. I'm not a qualified tour guide, so take all this into account, and assume you should do your own due diligence, but if you want to join a call with me and a few other experts on Kenya travel/because they live there or travel there, let me know at marilynscade@hotmail.com. We might benefit from sharing information informally. Marilyn Cade
interesting post on Avri's blog today; http://avri.doria.org/post/301448049/on-icann-and-the-policy-staff-yet-again i think that *we* have a role in representing the business-consumer when it comes to domain names... happy holidays! mikey - - - - - - - - - phone 651-647-6109 fax 866-280-2356 web www.haven2.com handle OConnorStP (ID for public places like Twitter, Facebook, Google, etc.)
participants (6)
-
Chris Chaplow -
Marilyn Cade -
Michael D. Palage -
Mike O'Connor -
Phil Corwin -
Zahid Jamil