TODAY'S TWD: DARFUR

Ricky Paull Goldin is joining the cast of 'All My Children' as a recastaway for Dr. Jake Martin, brother to long-time character Tad. When last seen, Jake was headed to Africa in 2003 to help out with the Doctors Without Borders group (and was played at that time by J. Eddie Peck).

But now Jake is being held captive by rebel fighters in Darfur, hoping for a big ransom payout by the Cambias Corporation.

I'm not sure if the Darfur Genocide has played a role in Toobworld yet; I wouldn't be surprised if it's at least been the topic of a court case on 'Boston Legal'. But this may be the first time that a series has thrown one of its characters into the thick of it.

Despite news stories about the conflicts which have connections to such high-wattage celebs as George Clooney and Steven Spielberg, Darfur still seems to bubble deep under the surface of most people's consciousness - at least that's the impression I get. So here's a little bit o' info on the situation from Wikipedia:

The War in Darfur (called the Darfur Genocide by the United States Government) is a military conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan. Unlike the Second Sudanese Civil War, the current lines of conflict are seen to be ethnic and tribal, rather than religious. One side of the armed conflict is composed mainly of the Sudanese military and the Janjaweed, a militia group recruited mostly from the Arab Baggara tribes of the northern Rizeigat, camel-herding nomads. The other side comprises a variety of rebel groups, notably the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement, recruited primarily from the land-tilling non-Arab Fur, Zaghawa, and Massaleit ethnic groups. The Sudanese government, while publicly denying that it supports the Janjaweed, has provided money and assistance to the militia and has participated in joint attacks targeting the tribes from which the rebels draw support. The conflict began in February of 2003.

You can read more here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Darfur

And if you want to help the refugees, try these sites:

http://www.fund4darfur.org/

http://www.theirc.org/

http://www.charity.org

As for a splainin re: the recastaway of Jake from Peck to Goldin, maybe the rigors and hardships of the last five years in Darfur could be the reason......

BCnU....
Toby OB