Reporters on the Job

• African Refugees: Correspondent Rob Crilly has reported from several refugee camps in Africa, including ones in Darfur and Uganda. But he says that the camp housing 136,000 refugees in northern Kenya is one of the best organized, despite the influx of new refugees.

"It's been here for 15 years. As a result, the Care International compound includes meeting rooms, satellite TV, and even guest accommodations for visiting journalists and diplomats," says Rob.

"It's not like Darfur, for example, where the newly established camps are little more than patches of sand. Refugees, too, have all the trappings of a permanent, self-contained city. There are Internet cafes and shopping stalls selling tea and coffee.

"The permanency of the camp is an indication of the enduring nature of Somalia's refugee problem," he says.

• Anti-American Anger: The anti-US feeling keeps flowing out of the rubble of Lebanon, says staff writer Scott Peterson. He's heard similar diatribes for years from Iran to Somalia. But this is among the worst.

He notes that Hizbullah is capitalizing on it with large banners, stretched across bombed buildings, that say "Made in the USA" in English, and "America is the head of terrorism" in Arabic.

"People have been spitting out their anger, pointing to the rubble, and asking me if this is US democracy," says Scott.

"On Tuesday, one man leaned out the window of his house, and shouted a series of expletives in English," says Scott. "Then, he said that Americans 'will teach our children to hate them, as long as they live.' Without missing a beat, the schoolteacher who I was interviewing on the street replied, 'They already have.' "

David Clark Scott
World editor