Latest articles (100)

KCB Rugby Football Club

She Blossoms...

  • My Take on Love

    Posted: February 9, 2010, 1:42 pm by She Blossoms...
    So Valentine’s Day is coming up fast. And I am getting all these application requests on Facebook that I reject immediately. People around me talk about Love and Valentine’s Day Gifts. Both men and women are worried about what to get their love(s). A few are declaring their undying hate for both Cupid’s arrow and [...]

Inari Media

  • Do You have a Backup Twitter Strategy?

    Posted: February 9, 2010, 1:30 pm by Stephanie Migot
    If you are a heavy Twitter user, you probably have favourite programs that you use regularly. There are any number of alternatives, all with different features and their own distinct advantages, but for whatever reason, there’ll be one (or a few) that you favour over all others. When this goes wrong, it can throw your [...]

Cock And Bull

  • The How and What of Thought

    Posted: February 9, 2010, 1:26 pm by Administrator

    I like my friend Njeri because she is very truthful. And once in a while we have a conversation that leaves a lasting impression. Like the time she told me about the voices in her head and the way that they tell her all sorts of things. I was very interested and I asked her how she manages them. So she told me that she simply tells them to shut up. And they do.

    So I thought I would do the same with the voices in my head. The reason is because they are always talking and they often say things that are hurtful. And so I looked for a time when they were busy and told them to shut up. I think I startled them because they paused for a bit then continued chattering as if nothing happened. And so I bolstered myself up some more and ordered them to shut up in a louder voice. And for a moment there, I thought I had succeeded, until they turned their wrath on me and started to threaten me. They started saying about all the nasty things that they can make happen in my life, and that there was nothing I could do about it. I got scared and didn’t dare to tell them to shut up again.

    I continued wondering how I was going to quieten the voices. And after their threats, I realized just how audacious they were, and I knew that I had to figure out something smart. And so I began observing them in the time when there wasn’t much going on.

    After some time of paying attention, I realized that when the voices are very active there is pressure in my head. And each time I relaxed consciously, the pressure eased and the voices grew quiet, giving much needed relief. I was happy with the discovery and I started taking time to relax in order to manage the pressure and the voices. And that is when, I discovered something even more interesting; I pinpointed the location in my head where the voices were coming from.

    I learnt that when the voices were active – which was always – my attention in the brain was towards my left. The only way that I can explain it is by asking you to imagine holding a pen with your hand and writing in a book. If you are right handed, you notice that you are more inclined towards your right hand because it is ‘stronger’. I realized that when I was thinking, the left side of my brain was ‘stronger’. And when I switched my attention to the right side of my brain, the voices went off! It is like moving from the living room to the bedroom and realizing that the noise from the TV show – that you were not even watching – is no longer with you.

    It was quite a relief to realize that my brain has compartments where I can ‘go’ and discover different things. At first, it is quite cumbersome – as trying to write with a left hand if you are right handed – and you can’t seem to be able to switch at will, but with practice you slowly learn how to. Apart from switching off the voices, moving your attention from one part of your brain to another enables you to let go of unwanted emotions. For example, if one of those things that come to mind and throw you off appears – say anxiety – you simply move from one part of your brain to another and they feeling dies off completely. What is most gratifying is that the freedom is present even in the presence of that which ordinarily makes you anxious.

    All this is still new to me, and I am very excited by the possibilities. Of course at first it feels unreal and even makes you feel light headed – as you often do when something significant changes in your mind – but for anyone who has spent years trying to change how they think, this is as practical as it gets. In most cases we are taught how to change the what of thinking, but I believe what we need is to change the how of thinking.

You Missed This

  • Raila: Kenya’s Most Loved, Loathed Politician

    Posted: February 9, 2010, 1:00 pm by Taabu
    By Philip and Anon
    Yes you read it right, RAILA! See, reading that name has already sent your fingers itching to hit the keyboard with expletives or praise even before reading the first sentence.

    Call it blasphemy if you wish but please decipher the figurative speech. Raila is to Kenyan politics what Jesus is to Christian churches - divisive and/or uniting. Granted, Raila is synonymous with our politics for the last many years and no discussion on Kenyan politics is complete without numerous references to the PM, both good and bad.

    The late VP Michael Kijana Wamalwa aptly captured it by politically categorizing Kenyans either as Railamaniacs or Railaphobics.

    The next 30 months before the next general election in 2012 will witness more political heat with Raila either stroking it or getting consumed by the same flames. Picture this, imagine the furnace with a sitting president and a former one leading the onslaught on Raila with a supporting cast of the present VP, Finance and Agriculture Ministers.

    If an alien were to land on earth and log here onto Kumekucha, they would be left wondering who is this man called Raila? So who is Raila? Is he a demi-god? A witchcraft practitioner? A dictator? Is he an Obama in the making? Is he a nationalist? Is he a Hitler in Mandela's skin. Surely who is this man called RAILA?

    Well, Raila may as well be all those things listed above and more.

    Is he a demi-god ? Yes to all the intelligent poor kids who don’t have access to education when money is being stolen and the Mafioso’s kids are sent abroad and some are tutored privately with the stolen money. They just want a decent shot at life like everybody else.

    Does he use witchcraft? Yes to those that is used to impunity and fighting feverishly to preserve that evil because they never thought the spotlight will ever shine on them. It’s perplexing to them that things can change so fast.

    Is he an Obama in the making? That is yet to be seen, but HOPE you can bet your last Kenyan coin that he gives thousands, if not millions of down trodden Kenyans.

    Is he a dictator? Yes, to those who think they own Kenya and never thought things would be different, Dictating on behalf of Kenyans, enough is enough of empty talk and commissions whose reports don’t see the light of day. Enough is enough of using poor Kenyans to protect personal interest and crying wolf and ”dictatorship" when your dirty laundry is exposed for all to see.

    Is he a nationalist? Flash back to "Not yet Uhuru" to mainstreaming Majimbo today. The name Odinga is synonymous to National struggle.

    Is he a Hitler in Mandela's skin? If we need a “Hitler” so that national resources can be distributed to the most deserving and will benefit from it, nipe Nyundo anytime. It is high time we have a "Hitler" to break the backs of all these "locally-born foreigners" who have been suffocating wenye inchi with smoke screens while stealing resources and murdering poor people who dare to protest.

    He is all of the above and he does them with finesse - hardball or softball - take your pick. Yes, Raila is the enigma of Kenyan politics. Bring them on.Kumekucha


Kenya Environmental & Political News Weblog

  • Kenyan Bumper Maize Harvest in Coast and Southeast

    Posted: February 9, 2010, 12:50 pm by Dosma
    Photo: Wikimedia Commons The Ministry of Agriculture estimates that about 540,000 metric tons of maize will be harvested from the short-rains season (file photo) NAIROBI,  (IRIN) – Kenya’s coastal and southeastern regions will harvest a bumper maize crop from mid-February following El Nino-enhanced rains that fell in December, according to experts. “The most likely situation between January [...]

Cock And Bull

  • Real Estate

    Posted: February 9, 2010, 12:36 pm by Administrator

    Have you ever contemplated just how much space you occupy in this Universe? When it finally hit me, the thought was both scary and liberating at the same time. It was on a day when I was strolling in the City with a friend and it occurred to us that all the space that our bodies occupy in this world – in the Universe – was less than the volume of a green rubbish bin that was in front of us! It was scary to realize just how small I was. On that day in the midst of the tall buildings in the city, I saw myself as a tiny ant running up and down foraging – like all the others hurrying all around me to complete their errands before darkness fell.

    As we just stood there with my friend looking at the green rubbish bin, we started wondering aloud why we often considered ourselves so important! That we thought that God – the Creator of the 6 billion human beings in the world, and all the trillions of stars in our Galaxy, and the trillions of Galaxies known to man – depended on what we do to be happy or unhappy. That if we do ‘good’ and sing praises to Him, he would be thrilled. That if we do ‘bad’ and forget to say just how magnificent He is, He would be angry at us. That as I write about Him and write god instead of God, He will not be pleased with me. And I think for the first time in my life, I was able to understand what the word ‘Ego’ means.

    I have always known ego to indicate an inflated sense of importance, but I always associated it with having a lot of money, and machismo. But when I look at it now, I see it very much in myself as a religious and spiritual person. Just like a person would pop up a name of a famous person just to show how important he is, we often do the same as ‘Godly’ people. Have you heard people gossip maliciously about another and then conclude the session by saying, “Let’s pray for him/her”? Or when someone says magnanimously, “God spoke to me and said…..”

    I am not saying that there is anything wrong with God speaking to anyone, but it is just that when one uses that claim as mileage to justify lack of reason, or to show off, then the motive is wrong; that’s ego. Incidentally, what many people consider to be the voice of God speaking to them, is the ‘voice in the head’ or the voice of ego.

    Anyway, on that day, I felt liberated. Why? Because I was able to see that I do not have to change the world in order to feel purposeful. What do I mean by that? That my primary responsibility is to manage this small space that I have been given. And why is that so important? Because anything else is beyond my control. When I direct loving and generosity and compassion and praise and understand into that space, it quickly fills up and starts to overflow, and I can genuinely give to others. On the other hand, when I attempt to give these things to others with a hope to get back, I often feel cheated since I give what I never had in the first place.

    When everywhere you look, people are scrambling for every available piece of land to occupy it is good to realize that I have my prime piece of real estate – right here.

Black Looks

  • Howls of protest at Dennis Brutus concert

    Posted: February 9, 2010, 12:34 pm by Rethabile
    Written by John Chimunhu, Monday, 08 February 2010 10:53 HARARE – A memorial concert for the late Zimbabwe-born South African poet, academic and social activist, Dennis Brutus, turned into a howl of protest against President Robert Mugabe’s social policies. The event on January 29 was organised by Zimcodd, Magamba Cultural Activist Network and SAPSN at the Book [...]

Memorable Jokes

  • Mutegi

    Posted: February 9, 2010, 10:15 am
    My next-door neighbour Mutegi had an argument with his wife who got too angry, packed her bags and went back to her parents home.Unfortunately for her, she had to pass her husband's home everyday as she went to and from work and even to the shops. Days passed and still Mrs Mutegi did not go back to her house until M'Mutegi realized that she was not coming back and he decided to go to Nakumatt.

    When he got to Nakumatt, he bought five XXL ladies panties in five different colours. Then here comes Mutegi 's wife passing by her house going to her parents home only to see one XXL Red panty hanging from the wash line.......she pretends to ignore it!

    The following day there is a XXL Pink panty hanging on the line.....she once again pretends to ignore it but she is fuming inside.

    The next morning there is a Blue panty hanging on the line and guess what , she couldn't hold it any longer.......... Mutegi sees his fuming wife approaching him, " Baba Nkoru .........no fat woman of yours will make me leave my home, I am back.........."

Be Free!

Opalo's weblog

Kenya Christian

Swamp Cottage

SIMON KITURURU- MAWAZONI

  • MATATIZO ya MBUZI na BATA kwa mtazamo wa BINADAMU!

    Posted: February 9, 2010, 3:44 am by SIMON KITURURU
    Labda haki za MBUZI na BATA jinsi zinavyokanyagwa,...
    .... ukimpata BINADAMU mtetezi ajuaye kuelezea,....

    .... waweza kuamini NI KWELI kuna BINADAMU ajuaye MATATIZO hata ya KUKU kuliko hata KUKU mwenyewe.:-(




    Swali:

    • Si unajua kuna uwezekano mkubwa KUKU na JOGOO hawafikirii kama BINADAMU hata katika mapenzi yao kibandani?


    Na wakati kwa BINADAMU imefikia kuna BINADAMU anakuhakikishia kuwa ANAJUA tatizo la MBUZI wasiyezungumza LUGHA MOJA ni kwamba anaumwa KICHWA kwa KUWAZA LEO MAJANI ATAPATA WAPI kwa kuwa matatizo ya WANYAMA anayaelewa,.....

    .... waweza kujikuta bado unajikanyaga kumuelewa BINADAMU HUYO ambaye mnazungumza LUGHA MOJA kama tu Mtakatifu Simon Kitururu asiyejua KUNENA KWA LUGHA kwa yake ya KIBINADAMU ,...

    ....nakutomuelewa mtu ANAONGELEA NINI wakati huohuo wakati ayaongeayo ni ya MWANADAMU na vipengele ANYAMBULISHAVYO ni vile vimgusavyo BINADAMU.:-(


    Na labda UKIFIKIRIA tatizo kubwa la BINADAMU ni kuelewa,....
    .....na jinsi tu MTU anavyoelewa aweza kujigundua alivyo MNYAMA ingawa kwa jina tu na muonekano ndio watu wanatafsiri kuwa ni BINADAMU.:-(





    Swali:
    • Unafikiri BINADAMU anatabia ya KIBINADAMU?
    • Unafikiri UBINADAMU unaruhusu BINADAMU kuelewa MATATIZO ya BINADAMU mwingine?
    • Unafikiri UBINADAMU unaruhusu BINADAMU kumuelewa BATA?

    • Ushawahi kufikiria hivi BINADAMU kwa wastani ana- matatizo mangapi na ya aina ngapi tukiachilia mbali tatizo la kuelewa binadamu MAISHANI?
    • Ushawahi kufikiria kuku huwa anafikiria nini?
    • Unafikiri najua unafikiria nini?





    Sikatai,....
    ...labda BINADAMU anaelewa MATATIZO ya MBUZI na BATA kuliko MBUZI na BATA '....hasa UKIFIKIRIA kuwa UKWELI wenyewe wa BINADAMU na anachoelewa kama jaji ni BINADAMU utaeleweka KIBINADAMU tu.:-(


    Na kwa bahati mbaya kielewekacho KIBINADAMU ndio mara nyingi kimshangazacho BINADAMU,...
    ...na kiwezacho kumshangaza BINADAMU kinaweza kuwa;....

    ..... NI kweli, - BINADAMU huelewa zaidi YA MMBUZI na BATA MJAMZITO kuliko hata ya BINADAMU wakawaida tu wakutananaye KILA SIKU ambaye wala hata busha la kike hana na LUGHA yake ya matanuzi ni KISWA- HILI.:-(



    Swali:
    • Unafikiri NYAU hamuelewi BIN -ADAMU ki -PAKA SHUME?


    Ni wazo tu hili MHESHIMIWA!



    HEBU tu katika kubadili hali ya hewa KIJIWENI Maestro Dekula KAHANGA Vumbi arudishe gitaa katika -MAKUMBELE

    NGUZA VIKING alete pia kitu- Ni wewe PEKEE



    Au tu Papi Kocha na Nguza Viking warudishe- SEA

  • HACKED!- SAMAHANI blogu HII imeingiliwa na WAJANJA!

    Posted: February 9, 2010, 3:06 am by SIMON KITURURU
    Kwa wadau wa BLOGU hii mnaweza kustukia tokea jana KUNA POST za MATANGAZO ya aina MBALIMBALI kuanzia VIAGRA , Komputa parts na FAKE rolex yanatokea kama POST hapa .

    NA NAPENDA KUTAARIFU sio mimi naye POST HAYO.:-(


    NAHANGAIKIA SWALA na ningeshukuru kwa yeyote mwenye ushauri wa KUTATUA SWALA HILI!



    Samahani kwa aliyedundishwa roho atakayedundishwa roho KWA HILO au lolote la ajabu litakalojitokeza wakati nahangaikia KUTATUA hii kitu roho haipendi.:-(

    ASANTENI WOTE!

    Ni miye mwaniwani,
    - Simon Kitururu.




    Sijui kwanini leo Rythm & BLUES iko sana masikioni mwangu ,...
    ...na kama humaindi hawa hapa BB King, Billy Preston na Bruce Willis katika -Sinners Prayer




    Au tu John Lee Hooker arudie tu -ONE bourbon, ONE scotch, ONE beer

Opalo's weblog

  • awkward…

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 10:50 pm by kenopp
    Kenyan Premier, Raila Odinga, continued his call for the resignation of Education Minister Sam Ongeri – this time in the presence of the latter at a function in Nairobi’s Upper Hill district. According to media reports, Prof. Ongeri’s ministry has been involved in a corruption scandal that robbed the country’s free primary education program of millions [...]

She Blossoms...

  • Glass Shattering Hurt by Rayhab Gachango

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 9:22 pm by She Blossoms...
    I gave you the glass ball that was my heart. First you cherished it, Later you were indifferent, Was that why you were careless? Dropping the ball, shattering my delicate heart! You went away, left me in pieces. I hurt, crying for so long because you broke me. It took me years to glue the pieces together, Getting scarred with pain As sharp pieces [...]

HIV in Kenya

  • Why are DfID Giving 'their' Money to the Rich?

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 8:29 pm by Simon
    In many developing countries, a substantial majority of people live in rural areas. The majority of rural dwellers depend, directly or indirectly, on agriculture of some kind. And most of those engaged in agriculture are smallholders, producing food for their families, their local market and perhaps a bit beyond that. Even a lot of people who don't depend on agriculture grow some food for their own use. Small scale food crops, fodder crops and stock keeping is so widespread in Kenya, where over 80% of the population lives in rural areas, that it would be difficult to estimate their value in the overall economy.

    On the other hand, 'aid' from the UK's Department for International Development (DfID), seems to assume that the best way to help poor people in developing countries is to give the bulk of their money to large and wealthy sectors of agriculture. DfID favour large-scale agriculture, high use of expensive, environmentally destructive technologies, such as fertilizer, pesticide, various pharmaceutical products, heavy machinery and genetically modified organisms (GMO).

    Small farmers, who can't afford these technologies and who are stuck with relatively undestructive farming methods that preserve biodiversity are therefore denied the opportunity to investigate ways of increasing their yields in sustainable ways. DfID seems particularly opposed to the production of food crops and stocks, spending only 3% of their of aid on food (.3% in Sub-Saharan Africa). MPs are calling for the figure to be raised to 10%.

    DfID probably hasn't realised that these small farmers produce most of the food that people live on in Kenya. Many of the rich farmers in Kenya produce for export, things such as tea and coffee and a lot of non-food crops such as flowers and sisal. A lot of land is even being used to produce crops for biofuel, which, whether for export or the domestic market, is not going to help starving people very much. DfID even supports programmes that 'donate' food aid, which is just a form of dumping that suits Western countries but serves only to destroy local markets in developing countries and leaves many of the putative recipients worse off than they were before.

    Any institution that supports GMOs has no right to call itself an 'aid' agency. GMOs are the prerogative of wealthy and rapacious multinationals who want to control the food market in order to maximize their profits. Such institutions also have no regard for the importance of biodiversity, which is under serious enough threat but will be even more rapidly destroyed by widespread use of GMOs. An example is the current attempt to introduce genetically modified aubergine (eggplant, brinjal) into India, where there are currently several thousand varieties. If these modified aubergines are introduced, all others will either die out or become contaminated.

    Every few weeks there is an article about some kind of crop that will supposedly save a country or reduce levels of malnutrition or increase yields or whatever. These articles don't usually say so, but if you check further, you'll often find that the crop in question is genetically modified. The article may even talk about biodiversity and sustainability and all sorts of lovely things. But if GM is involved, then neither biodiversity nor sustainability are involved.

    There are many reasons why GMOs should not be grown anywhere, yet some GMOs now dominate in a few countries, such as cotton in India and maize and soya in the US. Many farmers in countries like India, the US and Canada are now regretting the fact that they bought into GM but it's very hard to get back out again. Yet the industry still churns out its lies about GM being high yielding, uses less pesticides and herbicides, is more drought resistant, grows well in marginal land, etc. It's hard to understand why so many seem to fall for their lies.

    But DfID, with all its money and expertise, could not possibly be in the dark about the dangers of GM or even the inappropriateness of funding only large scale, industrial agriculture in developing countries. The question is, who has nobbled them and what are they getting out of supporting the biotechnology and other industries that stand to profit from their big spending?

Black Looks

  • Interview with Haitian activist Rea Dol

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 8:24 pm by Sokari
    Rea Dol is grassroots community organiser and founder of SOPUDEP school in Port-au-Prince. Shortly after the earthquake they had to abandon the school which was being used as a shelter due to the stench of dead bodies and sturtural damage which made the building unsafe. For the school to continue it will [...]

Delusions of Grandeur

  • Chi Mentality

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 8:07 pm by chi

    soundtrak: deadbeats :: you never know

    - D called me last night (during the superbowl… do these people not understand the do not disturb… i’ll explain later..). i couldn’t bear to pick up the phone and he left a voicemail. i haven’t heard it yet; i don’t know if i’m going to listen to it. he texted me about two days after my birthday asking when it was again. usually, he’s better than this, always getting an annual birthday card from him. i know i still have to talk to him, but i don’t even know how to start.
    - so last monday was my birthday. i’m 30. i feel different, but the same. i don’t know. they had a surprise party for me last saturday (which got snowed out), which then turned into sunday, where the people you know who really care will really show up. we had a grand ole time; i never laughed so hard in all my 30 years (lol!). Y didn’t show, called a day later (during Lost; how. many. times. do i have to say it? don’t call. text. email me during my show! geez! i only ask for small things…).
    - i don’t know if it’s because of the snow systems that have passed through within the past two weeks, but i’ve been thinking about what really happened between Y and i. i’ll admit error on my part; i felt like our friendship was slipping away, wanting to be closer and i mistook caring for desire (or maybe the other way around). unfortunately there is no star trek: voyager harry kim reset button (i mean, watch a couple of episodes; they reset that character every episode! no growth whatsoever!); things can’t be the same way they used to be. in the end, Y is caring, but to a point; sometimes he asks questions that really don’t need to be asked, when sometimes all you need is a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on. we cannot be the friends that i thought we could (should) be.
    - 1. i came up with that conclusion when T told me that i expect too much out of my friends (read: i expect too much out of him). so i have learned not to expect so much out of him anymore. when he didn’t show up last sunday, i wasn’t surprised. i also have some other conclusions to that, but i’m not sharing.
    2. jam was totally that friend that i could cry on, but i think i did expect too much from him. too much that he couldn’t give. eh, my barometer is off.

    - i think jan and i were eating lunch one time last week when we observed a woman, eating lunch alone, reading a book. did you ever eat lunch like that, when you were a kid? she asked. i actually used to eat lunch in the bathroom, then run to the library, where i would study, read, whatever in solitude. i was that nervous, that shy. i guess people find it a bit shocking, weird, funny. i don’t seem to be that kind of person that would have ever needed to do that, jan expressed to me later in lab. i shrugged. that’s life. so how does it really feel like to be 30? she asked. it had been a couple of days. i don’t know, i focused on writing on tubes that i would aliquot deoxyribonucleotide triphosphate into. the past four years have been a growing experience for me; i know what i want and what i don’t want. are you happy? she stopped her work for a moment. i knew where this question was coming from. i have this quirk: i’m never satisfied with the results. be it data, the end of books, the end of events, the completion of degrees. ok, maybe satisfied is not the right word. there is a sense of completion… or not. i’m always moving on, quickly: what’s next, let’s go. i got it from my father, who instead of congratulating our perfect scores or As, always reminded us not to lax on our studies so that we wouldn’t get that next A. this had resulted in a pretty good career (if i would say so myself), but it’s hard for me to look back and appreciate it. sometimes it’s good just to move on, to what’s next, what’s better, but you have to be able to appreciate where you came from. now that i think about it, my parents barely do that themselves. and they came from alot. when is the time to do that though?

    peace.

South of West

  • An Easy Mistake to Make

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 7:37 pm by Rob Crilly
    This arrives in my inbox, originating from the office of the outgoing UN Special Representative of the Secretary General to Sudan, Ashraf Jehangir… With brains like this at work, you can only wonder why Sudan remains in trouble… Esteemed Colleagues, Kindly note the following correction to the transcript of the above sent yesterday afternoon: The last [...]

SportsKenya

  • Kenyan Football :- Are we ready for take-off?

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 7:36 pm by SportsKenya
    Over the weekend, we made time to visit the curtain-raiser for the upcoming season in the Kenyan football calendar & to a large extent, we were not disappointed. The game between Sofapaka & AFC Leopards had not had much hype but a fair crowd should up to cheer their favourite teams;
    Positives:
    - Fanbase - given last season's hype by SuperSport and Kenya Premier League officials, the fans for both teams should up for what looks like a most interesting season. Though AFC enjoyed a larger crowd, as the season progresses we shall see a growth in Sofapaka's fan-base especially if they conquer their continental assignment.
    - Ticketing - the prices for the tickets were reasonable enough and any fan worth their salt should not even go there complaining about this. The russian side was at 50 /= and the sheltered area 100/= with the main dais 200/=.
    - Stadium management - the grounds looked well-maintained but might need more sprucing up especially as the season warms up proper.
    - Refreshments & snacks - the fancy-looking hawkers selling the snacks got a boost from Coca-Cola which made their day by giving them easy vests to carry the bottles. This is a welcome move since the Sun was beating down on us for the better part of the afternoon.They were also affordable unlike other events where catering costs an arm and a leg.

    Areas to Work On;
    - Ticketing - Though the prices are fair, can the ticketing guys (one firm called Sports Ticketmasters) try and organise for advance tickets? For logistical purposes as well as security measures during big matches, they might need to work on this urgently.
    - Security - I noticed less than 10 police officers around the grounds even when you consider that there is a police station right there at the stadium grounds. Given the penchant of fans getting carried away and questioning rather loudly the officials/referees word, a contingent of not less than 20 police and maybe security guards and volunteers is a future consideration. At one point, one of the linesmen had a bottle of soda hurled at him, not good in bigger (and most likely tense) games.
    There was also a section of fans who were smoking some not-so-legal stuff and would most likely not be suitable in case of crowd trouble.
    - MC and entertainment before and at half-time- This was a bit wanting and did not have the uumph that the crowd would participate in. One of the reasons people come to watch the game live is get entertained not just by the game but also antics of the acts as they get ready to watch their favourite players. As for the MC, he was more concerned with the English Premiership game which was to be screened later that evening than telling us more about the two teams on the pitch.
    - Technical expertise of the teams - Though they have been having at least 2 months off the pitch, there were some wanting moves by both teams. AFC seemed most affected especially their forward line. Maybe it's the fact that they are moulding a new team but they need to come up with a tighter game.
    Sofapaka looked more comfortable on the ball and looked more dangerous on the counter. They will need to work on their backline though especially given the Egpytians penchant for quick counters as seen during the African Cup of Nations.

    If what we saw on Sunday is anything to go by,and if the Kenyan football officials do not interfere, Kenyan football might just be ready for take-off!

make mine a double espresso...

  • my idiot boyfriend and his retarded friends

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 7:32 pm by kahawaMoto
    He had been quiet for a whole day (that's a lot) considering we talk... Whenever we can get on facebook. i got worried, he wasn't replying my texts, then today i see a message from him. He got drunk and fell fron God know's where... And fractured BOTH his ankles. Both of them. The fuck???
    He's friends were there but were all to drunk to stop the shit from happening. I am sooo mad. It could have been so much worse! What if... Shit. I wish i was home, atleast if i was there i would have stopped it. His ass wouldn't be that drunk to begin with.
    stupid fucks.

    The sun was definately doing crack today.

    Statement of the week: I'M NOT A WHORE, I JUST REALLY LIKE TO DO IT.

The 411...

  • Drug Dealers & Software Developers: Coincidence?

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 7:17 pm by kipsang
    DRUG DEALERS: Refer to their clients as “users”. “The first one’s free!” Have important South-East Asian connections to help move the stuff. Strange jargon: “Stick”, “Rock”, “Dime bag”, “E”. Realize that there’s tons of cash in the 14 to 25-year old market. Job is assisted by industry’s producing newer, more potent mixes. Often seen in company of pimps & hustlers. Their product causes [...]

Kenyantykoon's Blog

  • MARGIN OF SAFETY EXPLAINED

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 6:43 pm by kenyantykoon
    If you have read any books by any value investor or a blog written by a person more inclined towards fundamental investing, you may have heard this phrase “margin of safety”. So I decided to write up a post on this very important concept in fundamental investing. What is margin of safety? Since it is Benjamin Graham [...]

SportsKenya

  • Kenyan Football :- Are we ready for take-off?

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 4:36 pm
    Over the weekend, we made time to visit the curtain-raiser for the upcoming season in the Kenyan football calendar & to a large extent, we were not disappointed. The game between Sofapaka & AFC Leopards had not had much hype but a fair crowd should up to cheer their favourite teams;
    Positives:
    - Fanbase - given last season's hype by SuperSport and Kenya Premier League officials, the fans for both teams should up for what looks like a most interesting season. Though AFC enjoyed a larger crowd, as the season progresses we shall see a growth in Sofapaka's fan-base especially if they conquer their continental assignment.
    - Ticketing - the prices for the tickets were reasonable enough and any fan worth their salt should not even go there complaining about this. The russian side was at 50 /= and the sheltered area 100/= with the main dais 200/=.
    - Stadium management - the grounds looked well-maintained but might need more sprucing up especially as the season warms up proper.
    - Refreshments & snacks - the fancy-looking hawkers selling the snacks got a boost from Coca-Cola which made their day by giving them easy vests to carry the bottles. This is a welcome move since the Sun was beating down on us for the better part of the afternoon.They were also affordable unlike other events where catering costs an arm and a leg.

    Areas to Work On;
    - Ticketing - Though the prices are fair, can the ticketing guys (one firm called Sports Ticketmasters) try and organise for advance tickets? For logistical purposes as well as security measures during big matches, they might need to work on this urgently.
    - Security - I noticed less than 10 police officers around the grounds even when you consider that there is a police station right there at the stadium grounds. Given the penchant of fans getting carried away and questioning rather loudly the officials/referees word, a contingent of not less than 20 police and maybe security guards and volunteers is a future consideration. At one point, one of the linesmen had a bottle of soda hurled at him, not good in bigger (and most likely tense) games.
    There was also a section of fans who were smoking some not-so-legal stuff and would most likely not be suitable in case of crowd trouble.
    - MC and entertainment before and at half-time- This was a bit wanting and did not have the uumph that the crowd would participate in. One of the reasons people come to watch the game live is get entertained not just by the game but also antics of the acts as they get ready to watch their favourite players. As for the MC, he was more concerned with the English Premiership game which was to be screened later that evening than telling us more about the two teams on the pitch.
    - Technical expertise of the teams - Though they have been having at least 2 months off the pitch, there were some wanting moves by both teams. AFC seemed most affected especially their forward line. Maybe it's the fact that they are moulding a new team but they need to come up with a tighter game.
    Sofapaka looked more comfortable on the ball and looked more dangerous on the counter. They will need to work on their backline though especially given the Egpytians penchant for quick counters as seen during the African Cup of Nations.

    If what we saw on Sunday is anything to go by,and if the Kenyan football officials do not interfere, Kenyan football might just be ready for take-off!

Al Kags

  • Avatar: What is it?

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 3:54 pm by alkags
    Is it a movie, an animation or a cartoon? What is its genre – sci-fi, action, thriller? And what is it about? The future? The present? The past? I work for the best office in the world. My Colleague, who heads the Arts & Culture programme took one glimpse at avatar and hounded all of us [...]

SIMON KITURURU- MAWAZONI

tHiNkEr'S rOoM

Cock And Bull

  • Something To Live For

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 12:40 pm by Administrator

    A friend sent me an SMS on my phone asking what I would die for. At first I thought the answer would be easy but an hour later, I still hadn’t replied and so she called to ask. I didn’t have an answer to what I would die for. The reason is because in the time that I had thought about it, the question had seemed trickier than I would have imagined.

    When I thought about the things that one should die for, my mind went back 2 years ago to the time when we had our last presidential elections. The results of the election were disputed and as a result, violence broke out and many innocent people lost their lives and property. In that group of people who lost their lives were a posse that went out into the front line in the name of the politician who they supported and hence believed had won the election. In other words, they were willing to give up their lives for the cause of the politician. And they died.

    When I thought about it, I realized none of the politicians from the two parties in contention was willing to give their lives for their cause. Neither was to be seen anywhere near areas where the asphalt was burning with tires. And when they appeared in public to give statements – and sometimes pour more fuel into the fire – they were very well protected by professional body guards hired for that job.

    Were the politicians willing to die for their cause? No! In fact the irony is that in any battle, it is the ones who have the least to gain that are always putting their lives on the line. The ones who have the most to gain are never willing to die.

    Conventional romantic wisdom tells us that the ultimate test of love is when one is willing to die for the apple of their eye. If a boy loves a girl so much and even dies for her, common sense tells me that she will grieve for some time and then put the sorrow away to make room for love with someone else. I also suspect that when the girl is 90 years old, she will most probably consider the boy who lived with her all this time to be a hero. Wouldn’t it make more sense to find something to live for instead?

  • Expanding Boundaries

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 11:57 am by Administrator

    One of the most challenging conversations that I ever had was with a friend called Tom. He brought up the conversation by wondering why our fathers didn’t buy land in the City Centre when it was readily available many years ago. At the end of the conversation, Tom warned that 20 years from now, our children will be questioning about the same thing about their parents – us. After that conversation, one of the things that became very clear to me is that in 20 years’ time, that which will be of great value might not necessarily seem important today, and is most probably readily available; just as land in the City Centre was much cheaper and abundant to our fathers when they were young. The challenge is to identify what is readily available to us today that will be of great value 20 years from now.

    Each time I think about it, I always conclude that that ‘thing’ that will be of great value in 20 years is consciousness. For the purpose of this article I will look at consciousness in terms of the scope that is defined by the boundaries of our mind. As we know, these boundaries are defined and marked as we develop in life. Up till our 20s, the boundaries are defined by our parents and teachers and relatives and friends. But then when we come out of the school and into the world of careers and jobs, the boundaries expand because we realize that it is mandatory in order for us to cope in our new found reality of financial responsibility. When we get married and start families in our 30s, the boundaries expand some more as we learn how to take on even more responsibilities in the world. By the time we are getting into our 40s, we more or less have found a handle on life and tend to settle into a routine that works very comfortably with us and those around us. And there lies the danger, for many people decide to settles into their mental boundaries for good.

    What happens when a person settles into a fixed consciousness for good? Well, they remain in the same state of affairs year in and year out. And I am sure that you know of people who just settle into life and every day looks like another. In most cases, they hold the same job for years, maintain a predictable daily routine, go to the same social venues, maintain the same circle of friends and generally like their boats not to be rocked. If any of the parameters of such a person’s life changes, it appears as if their whole world has collapsed.

    But is settling into a comfortable lifestyle so bad? No, it isn’t. But you see, there is a better way. What is that better way? The better way is for a person to take it upon themselves to expand the boundaries in their minds. How? Through ‘personal development’ initiatives. Such as sports and fitness, reading books, learning new skills, developing hobbies and so forth. Of course the benefits of such an approach to life include a healthy and happy lifestyle and even financial gains. For such a person, no day is like any other since the mental boundaries are always shifting and their consciousness is very dynamic.

    If you compare the person who ’settled’ into their mental boundaries and the person who made a conscious effort to expand their mental boundaries, what will be the change in 20 years? I will tell you that if the difference were to be measured in acres of land, the first guy might have a quarter acre where he has his small comfortable house, and the second person will have hundreds of acres spread across various parts of the globe. And in 20 years time, what will the children say? The children of the first person will be wondering what their father did while other men developed themselves, and the children of the second will be increasing on what their father continues to build on.

The Diary of a Kenyan Campus Girl

Let's Explore!

  • Why Does Your Business Not Blog?

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 9:55 am by Kelvin

    A recent study by HubSpot found out that businesses that actively maintain their blogs draw as much as 7 times more visitors to their websites than businesses which do not have blogs. What does this mean?

    Does your business depend on getting many visitors to your website? Or, would it benefit your business if your website had more visitors? Yes? Then you need to have an active and well maintained blog for your business.

    What makes a good business blog? It may surprise you, but the big accounting and consulting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers once did some research on what makes a good corporate blog. Here are their published results. From reading their white paper, some of the main points, in my mind, are:

    • Demonstrate expertise – Position an employee and/or the business as the industry thought leader.
    • Build customer relationships – Develop personal, long-term relationships with customers; collect feedback, insights, suggestions, complaints and endorsements; and increase intimacy by giving the business a human voice.
    • Enhance company credibility – Utilize a high-profile, press-monitored venue to directly address and respond to issues related to the company. During times of crisis, explicitly address needs and concerns of stakeholders. In other words, use the blog to paint the best picture possible for your business.
    • Expand company visibility – Link the blog to related Web sites via RSS to generate interest from new parties, including the media and competitors’ customers. Basically, use the blog to increase the number of people who know about you, and can find you.
    • Increase collaboration – Create a workspace in which project teams can interact.
    • Promote knowledge management – Provide employees with information and resources in an easy-to-navigate format.
    • Strengthen recruitment – Generate interest in the business from potential recruits by demonstrating candor and credibility in the blog.
    • Test progressive ideas – Gauge public interest to out-of-the-box thinking by posting ideas and monitoring responses.
    • Heighten search engine rankings – Raise rank and profile of business by building a high number of links to the blog.

    Apart from those pointers, the white paper goes further and lists some additional tips:

    • Remember that blog readers are not passive consumers; they are actively seeking a ‘scoop’ or insight from your blog.
    • Do not just blog for blogging’s sake. Make sure that what you write about is interesting and engaging.
    • Authenticity is critical to creating a successful blog; readers know when content is primarily focused on marketing the firm/company.
    • Updating the blog on a regular basis is key to engaging readers and driving return traffic.
    • Be sure to incorporate RSS feeds. RSS feeds allow readers to receive blog updates in real-time.

    So, why exactly does your business not blog?

    Similar Posts:


Swamp Cottage

Storymoja

  • How to Apply Criticism and Not Lose Your Mind by Merrilee Faber

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 8:30 am by Storymoja Africa
    How to Apply Criticism and Not Lose Your Mind by Merrilee Faber So you’ve sent your story out to impartial and honest readers for feedback.  The results come flooding in, and suddenly you are overwhelmed with pages of conflicting advice, comments, praise and condemnation, often all in the same critique.   How do you deal with this? [...]

SIMON KITURURU- MAWAZONI

Be Free!

SIMON KITURURU- MAWAZONI

  • Mwenye MAUMIVU huwa na staili yake TOFAUTI ya kuongelea UTAMU!

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 4:51 am by SIMON KITURURU
    Kama umsikilizaye akiongelea UTAMU ni yule mwenye UCHUNGU na MAUMIVU,...
    ....kumbuka labda anogewachonacho kwa kudai nikitamu wakati yuko KWENYE MAUMIVU chaweza kuwa kwako bado ni MAUMIVU.:-(




    Kama umsikilizaye akiongelea MAUMIVU ni yule aliyekatikati ya KUSIKILIZIA UTAMU,...
    .... kumbuka kwa neno MAUMIVU inawezekana kwake na kwako neno hilo MAUMIVU katika harakaharaka za kusikilizia utamu lamaanisha ``JAMANI hii kitu TAMU!´´.:-(




    Swali:

    • Si unakumbuka MAUMIVU YAKO yanaweza KUPOFUA UWEZO WAKO wa wa kusikilizia kilichowahi KUKUUMIZA kuwa kwa mkao fulani ni hichohicho CHAWEZA KUWA ni kianzilishi cha aina fulani ya UTAMU?

    • Si unajua kuna UWEZEKANO kila wakati MAISHANI MWA MTU kuna MAUMIVU na aina TU ya KIMUUMIZACHO mtu ndio hutofautiana MAUMIVU na ni nini kimuumizacho mtu leo?


    • SI kunauwezekano WAWEZA kutofautisha MASIKINI aongeleavyo MAUMIVU YA UMASIKINI ilivyotofauti na TAJIRI aongeleavyo MAUMIVU YA UMASIKINI?


    NDIO,...
    ... labda MWENYE MAUMIVU anauhakika zaidi na staili yake ya kuongelea MAUMIVU,....

    ... na kuna uwezekano pia mkubwa tu kuwa KUNA UDHAIFU katika ASIYENA MAUMIVU aongeleavyo MAUMIVU.:-(



    Swali:

    • KATIKA AINA ZA MAUMIVU si kuna mpaka mwenye NYAMA YA KUKU ambaye kimuumizacho sana LEO ni kukosa kwake MAHARAGE ya Mbeya?



    NI HILO TU na ni wazo tu MHESHIMIWA!:-(


    Hebu ECKHART TOLLE aongelee Pain body katika -Your Pain Body is very Seductive



    Tudeku -Why Black men silently SUFFER






    Au tu 2PAC arudie kuongelea-PAIN

  • WAKATI tunajiandaa na SIASA chafu za BLOGU ambazo hazina uhusiano na kinacho BLOGIWA!:-(

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 3:28 am by SIMON KITURURU
    Siasa ziko kila mahali ,....
    ..... na ukifikiria SIASA NI NINI waweza kujistukia kuwa WEWE MWENYEWE ni mwanasiasa ingawa LABDA siasa zako unazifanya katika dini hata kama sio MSIKITINI au tu KANISANI.




    Na ukiwakusanya watu mahali,....
    .....hasa ili jambo walitimize KAMA KUNDI waweza shangaa kazini kwenu jinsi mtofautianavyo kisiasa za kampuni na makampuni mengine hata katika zenu siasa za MSALANI.:-(


    Swali:
    • Unabisha?


    Ndio,...
    ... ukiniuliza mie ntasema kila sehemu wawapo watu wenye nia YAKUTEKELEZA JAMBO fulani kuna siasa zake ingawa MWANASIASA maarufu KWA KAWAIDA ni yule aliyefanikiwa kulipwa mshahara kwa kucheza na hiyo SIASA tu.


    Na kwenye siasa kunamisingi iliyotayari kwa ajili ya kufanikisha SIASA CHAFU!



    Swali:

    • Kwani kama wewe ni Mkristo wa KILUTHERI Tanzania , kwani hujastukia siasa chafu za kanisa hilo hasa UPARENI?

    • Unauhakika weye sio mwanasiasa tu wa MTANDAONI ingawa wajifanya hupendi siasa ofisini na twakukoma kama vile ubwabwajayo MTANDAONI yanaleta mabadiliko yoyote vile MTAANI?

    • Si umestukia siasa za wengine ZILIVYO tamu kweli kuzinyoshea vidole?

    NI WAZO tu hili MHESHIMIWA na labda laishi hapahapa MTANDAONI!:-(



    "Politicks is the science of good sense, applied to public affairs, and, as those are forever changing, what is wisdom to-day would be folly and perhaps, ruin to-morrow. Politicks is not a science so properly as a business. It cannot have fixed principles, from which a wise man would never swerve, unless the inconstancy of men's view of interest and the capriciousness of the tempers could be fixed." [Fisher Ames (1758–1808)]

    - HABARI kimkao fulani NDIO HIYO!


    Hebu baadhi wajikumbushe madisko fulani Ulaya kwa kwenda SPAIN kukutana na LAS KETCHUP wakirudia- The ketchup SONG



    Au tu twende tu SWEDEN wengine wakumbushwe kitu na huyu MSWIDI Dr BOMBAY yaliyojiri katika madisko ya SWEDEN kwa kitu- Calcutta


    Au tu SALLY NYOLO arudishe UAFRIKA kwa kutuliza manyanga KWA kitu- AWOU

  • Labda sio UBINADAMU kwa BINADAMU kuridhika na MAPUNGUFU YAKE ya KIBINADAMU!:-(

    Posted: February 8, 2010, 3:12 am by SIMON KITURURU
    ....na KURIDHIKA na CHOCHOTE KILE ,....
    ..... hata tu kama hicho sasa hivi ni WALI KWA MAHARAGE ,...

    .... kwa kuwa DUNIANI kuna MAKANDE PIA,...

    ...labda FARAJA YA KURIDHIKA na WALI kwa MAHARAGE ni moja ya PUNGUFU la UBINADAMU .:-(




    Swali:
    • SI unakumbuka hata usiporidhika kwa kuwa una JIPU bado daktari wako anaweza kuridhika na hali ya JIPU lako?

    • Si unajua hata kama hupendi VIDONDA kunaaridhikaye na utamu wakukuna kidonda?
    • Kama unaridhika na WALI kwa MAHARAGE si bado unakumbuka duniani UGALI WA MHOGO kwa MLENDA bado upo?
    • Unafikiri ni UBINADAMu kuridhika na mpenzi mmoja?





    NI WAZO TU HILI Mkuu!

    Hebu twende GHANA Tumi Ebow Ansa arudiue- Owura




    Au tu tubaki hapa hapa GHANA Kojo Antwi azungumzie -Meni Wu Beye

Diary of a gay Kenyan

  • The Beautiful Game and understanding the offside rule

    Posted: February 7, 2010, 11:49 pm by Tamaku
    Last Sunday George and I got invited by our Nigerian neighbour Theo to watch the televised final of the African Cup of Nations final at his house. I was rooting for Ghana because I like the way their kit showed off their well-toned physiques and the contrast of the white on the ebony was just pure gay heaven. George came along for the football (I’m also a fan of sorts) while Theo was cheering on Egypt because he was still holding a grudge following the semi-final defeat his countrymen suffrered at the hands of the Ghanaians.

    So we drank me brodah Theo’s booze (lots of it, remember I don’t have to get up and go anywhere these days) and gorged ourselves on among other delights boiled quail eggs (from that lady doctor over in Lavington). I need to get off my fat ass and make better use of my membership at Parklands Sports Club to get back in shape like the hottie I aspire to be. Incidentally Theo’s mid-thirties, handsome in an African Forrest-Gump sort of way, athletic and a scientist who lives alone with two cats in a beautiful bungalow. Just the kind of guy you shouldn’t introduce to your boyfriend because you should keep him all to yourself, lol. There are some things about Theo that scream iko matata hapo mbele (trouble lies ahead). It was the first time we’ve been to his place, we normally meet while taking walks in the evening and just wave. We both assumed that Theo was straight but after an hour in his house I set my gay-o-meter to alert mode.

    Here’s the evidence that set those alarm bells ringing:

    - Straight alpha-male ( Theo) in lush dreadlocks invites two male neighbours who live together and are obviously a couple (in love) to his house to watch a game of football. Unfair home advantage springs to mind.

    - Straight man then sprawls on the floor of immaculate home drinking lots of lovely alcohol, moisturised footballer-legs wide apart (slut) wearing only a tiny pair of mauve Ralph Lauren shorts (displaying what looks like a yummy overstuffed wrap-sandwich), fingers lazily stroking away silky navel pubes while flaunting naked tight six-pack abs (who does he think he is, Tyrese? Why‘s he gonna act like that?)

    - Straight man’s pumped man titties on show are just crying out to be tweaked as he lies on that super-soft luxurious sheepskin made from at least three innocent Molo lambs (poser).

    - Straight man arranges napkins on rustic teak coffee table in the rose fold.

    I was thinking wishing, is this guy not gay because from what I could see he was Interpol’s description of hot Nigerian man-stealer called Theo ( a love-god’s name to boot, tsk..tsk) but I might have been offside.

    I kept a beady eye on Theo whenever he rolled side to side on the rug as he stretched a pedicured foot playfully catching George’s calf with a ’free-kick’ (surely a bookable offence) every time the ref blew the whistle…..like he himself wanted to blow something else....puhleeze!!


Mary Baker Eddy Illustrated Quotes

  • The time for thinkers has come.

    Posted: February 7, 2010, 10:40 pm by Joseph K.
    The time for thinkers has come. Truth, independent of doctrines and time-honored systems, knocks at the portal of humanity. Contentment with the past and the cold conventionality of materialism are crumbling away. Ignorance of God is no longer the steppingstone to faith. The only guarantee of obedience is aright apprehension of Him whom to know aright is Life eternal. Though empires fall, "the Lord shall reign forever."
    - Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy

Kenya Cricket

  • 4-0 series win, but the real work awaits

    Posted: February 7, 2010, 9:00 pm by Chemosit
    After starting the year off in the worst possible way with the outright loss to Scotland in the Intercontinental Cup, Kenya have bounced back in the best possible way with a convincing 4-0 win in the 20-20 tri-series with Scotland and Uganda. Given that as little as two months ago, victory in any 20-20 game looked remote indeed as Kenya hosted and lost to Uganda 3-0, the emphatic nature of the series win has got to have boosted confidence ahead of this week’s World Cup Qualifiers in the UAE.

    In Kenya’s first match, Maurice Ouma won the toss and elected to field. Uganda started belligerently scoring 30 off the first 10 overs before Nehemiah Odhiambo struck and from then on, Kenya looked in control of the match. Wickets fell at regular intervals with four of the Kenyan bowlers each picking up a brace as Uganda set a target of 123/9 off their overs. Though Nehemiah Odhiambo, newly promoted to opening the bowling in the absence of Odoyo and Ongondo took the book-end wickets, it was the spin department, especially Hiren Varaiya (4-1-9-2) who really impressed.

    Kenya’s run chase was lead by a new opening pair of Steve Tikolo and David Obuya and it was an experiment that proved a resounding success every time. The pair put on 66 for the first wicket (Obuya for 24), and Tikolo went on to set a new Personal Best as he marched to 63 off just 44 deliveries to bring Kenya within touching distance of victory. Maurice Ouma (2*) and Alex Obanda (31*), himself hitting a PB of his own did the rest and the 3-0 series loss in December was part way towards being avenged.

    Kenya’s second match should have seen stiffer competition in the form of Scotland, but the visitors were clearly unable to reproduce their form from the Intercontinental Cup as Kenya first restricted them to 109/9 – again with the spinners doing the damage: Shem Obado impressing in his first International graded match with figures of 4-0-10-2 while jimmy Kamande picked up 3/28.

    Again Tikolo (46 off 28) and David Obuya (60 off 48) opened and again, it proved to be a masterstroke from Eldine Baptise as the pair raced Kenya to a 10 wicket win inside 13 overs. If you include Obado’s figures on debut, it was Personal Bests for four of Kenya’s players.

    Kenya’s third match saw them bat first for the first and only time in the tournament and with Tikolo rested, Obanda moved up the order to join David Obuya (18) as opener. It proved to be a position he enjoyed as he made a new Personal Best of 43 off 24 to set up the rest of the line up for a big total. Maurice Ouma (39) and Collins Obuya (79* off 45) duly added their names to the list of Personal record breakers as Kenya went on to set a daunting 186 – easily the biggest total of the tournament.

    Credit to Uganda who stuck to their guns in the run chase and for a while looked as though they might cause an unlikely upset. Another Kenyan debutante for the series, Nelson Odhiambo proved the difference in the bowling however as he ripped through the middle of the Ugandan innings to take 4/25 including the wicket of the dangerous looking Roger Mukasa (66). Tony suji chipped in with 2/25 and Jimmy Kamande executed two brilliant run outs to ensure Kenya finished victors by 14 runs.

    Kenya’s second match against Scotland was very similar in result to their first, but it was yet another personal best and astonishing bowling performance from Nehemiah Odhiambo who took 5/25 as Kenya bowled out their visitors for 123. It is only the second time a player has taken 5 wickets in a full 20-20 international and a huge achievement for the player on whose shoulders the main bowling responsibility for Kenya now rests. Nelson Odhiambo also picked up 2 wickets while suicidal run outs accounted for the rest.

    Again it was the Tikolo-Obuya show in reply and the two raced neck-a-neck to their 50s. Obuya (65* off 47) won that race by just one ball, but then continued to set yet another Personal Best at this level while Tikolo’s 56* off 42 was also a new personal record as again Kenya ran out winners by 10 wickets, this time with five and a half overs to spare. Note that the matches vs. Uganda were graded Twenty20 by the ICC whereas the matches vs. Scotland were graded T20Is.

    All in all, the series was a great achievement for Kenya in the warm ups to the WC Qualifiers, but it is that fact that should remain as a stark reminder that the real work is yet to be done. Kenya play Scotland again today in a final warm up in Abu Dhabi, and on this form, should win again, but it will all count for naught if they do not get through to the final two in the qualifying tournament. If the players can continue to produce Personal Bests at this rate though, that should be a distinct possibility.Become a fan of Kenya Cricket.com on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kenya-Cricketcom/89954211035?ref=nf#/pages/Kenya-Cricketcom/89954211035

Black Looks

  • Henrietta Lacks: Stolen cells

    Posted: February 7, 2010, 7:27 pm by Sokari
    I never heard of Henrietta Lacks until a few days ago. But I have heard of the Tuskeegee Experiment in which 399 Black men were used as clinical samples for studying the late stages of syphilis. The men who were poor sharecroppers from Alabama, where never told they had syphilis and [...]

SIMON KITURURU- MAWAZONI

  • Umekumbuka KUFIKIRIA ngono leo?

    Posted: February 7, 2010, 7:03 pm by SIMON KITURURU
    [Tahadhari: Wazo limepinda!:-(]







    Kwa bahati mbaya,....
    ... kufikiria NGONO ni moja ya kipimo cha una AFYA gani.:-(



    Kwa bahati mbaya,...
    .... kutofikiria ngono kwaweza kuwa kumechangia ALIYEPATA UKIMWI LEO kapata kwa njia gani.:-(



    Swali:

    • Unauhakika huna chakufikiria kuhusu ngono leo?

    • SI unajua unaweza kutumia UFIKIRIAVYO ngono kuendesha maisha yako kwa kuzingatia kuwa kama uko bize sana mpaka hupati wakati wakuzisikilizia hisia zako za asili za uzinzi uzichungazo usije kuzini , -basi UKO BIZE SANA mpaka sio afya kwako na kama ufikiriacho ni URODA tu a.k.a TENDO LA NDOA kwa siku, - basi huna shughuli za kutosha na si AFYA kwako?
    • Unafikiri ni MUHIMU ZAIDI kufikiria KILIMO kuliko huyo Mkulima ni mtamu vipi katika tendo halali la Mume na MKE hata lile la mazoezi tu ya kuzalisha mtoto HASA ukimfananisha HUYO MKULIMA WA KIJIJINI AFRIKA na fantasi zako za Padre ALIYENONA wa KIJIJI au tu yule Nesi wa Zahanati ya kijiji?





    NI HILO TU na ni WAZO tu ambalo nimeliacha kwa kufikiria YA KESHO kazini yenye uhusiano na KIBANO.:-(



    NA wakati unafikiria ILI ustukie kama umeshaanza kufikiria ngono baada ya kunisoma katika huu UjingaBUSARA hebu twende Guinea Mory KANTE alete kitu-MOKO




    MORY KANTE arudie kitu- Mama



    Au tu MORY KANTE arudie tu na - Yeke Yeke

KCB Rugby Football Club

  • The Resolution Health Impala Floodlit 2010 Match Day Three Review

    Posted: February 7, 2010, 5:55 pm by KCBRFC
    By Maik KwamboNarrow win sees Resolution Impala retain FloodiesOn a moth infested night, Resolution Impala RFC and Kenya Commercial Bank RFC accumulated 30 points, Resolution Impala running off 17-13 winners in the title match as the Resolution Health Impala Floodlit 2010 came to an end. The match between these two adversaries was worthy of a final. It had tension and drama, keeping fans glued

The Porky Gourmand

  • Week 3 at Le Cordon Bleu Dusit

    Posted: February 7, 2010, 5:39 pm by Kiplagat

    Week 3 in pastry we continued with more sweet short pastry products. Chef prepped and baked lots of pastry shells, then went on to some tasty tarts.

    First up, caramel & walnut tart, so simple & so good.

    Next up, apricot tart which was ok(I am not an apricot fan!)

    Then he made a strawberry tart, it looked beautiful & tasted great. What I liked was that he used strawberry glaze to finish the tart, that means even before you take a bite of the tart, the aroma of strawberry is upon you.

    After the strawberry tart, a raspberry tart. Very nice….

    Last for the demo was a fruit tart, Chef did two versions. The elaborate one above, then the more rustic one that we had to make for our practical.

    Above is the fruit tart I made during the practical session packed away in my school lunchbox. It didn’t last long when I got home, I polished it off quite quickly. The trinity of fruit, pastry cream & sweet pastry was too hard to resist…..

    Later on during the week, we looked at puff pastry. Making puff pastry by hand is “fun”, ok not really. After we made the puff, we made palmiers.

    After palmiers we made paille, which are like puff pastry sandwich with jam filling. Very nice, the raspberry seed jam the school buys is amazing.

    Chef showed us how to make vol au vent’s, pretty old school.

    He also showed us how to make apple tart tartin the long way, in this method, the apples are pre-cooked in the caramel before baking.

    We also made some apple turnovers (chausson aux pommes), they were lovely too good to share with anyone… lol!

    At the same time during cuisine we also started looking at doughs.

    We started with short pastry(pate brisee), chef demonstrated quiche lorraine & wild mushroom quiche both made with pate brisee. For practicals we did the quiche lorraine(bacon & gruyere cheese), though I wish we did the wild mushroom one instead.

    Next up was puff pastry, during practical we made puff pastry. We used the puff pastry to make the dish above(chef’s plate), the dish is poached egg with cream leeks, sauteed bell peppers & albufera sauce. Chef showed us a really foolproof way of making soft poached eggs, all that is required is lightly simmering water & some vinegar.

    We also learnt how to make omelets, the one one above is filled with candied onions.

    To end the week, we did a roast chicken & vegetables jardinieres(french for veg cut like a stick).

    That was week 3, 7 more to go…

Rugby in Kenya

  • Impala Claim Floodlit Trophy

    Posted: February 7, 2010, 4:11 pm by ruggerbug
    Impala clinched the first trophy of the season with a 17 13 victory over KCB at the Resolution Impala Floodlit Tournament yesterday. Mangu won the school's category with a 9 0 victory over surprise finalists Moi Forces Academy.The leagues kick off next weekend. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Paza Sauti

  • Sustainable fishing is the way forward

    Posted: February 7, 2010, 4:10 pm by Paza Sauti Moderator
    The population of Lake Victoria’s most famous produce – the Nile perch – is dwindling and conservationists have started making shocking projections for future stocks.

    They say the population of the Nile perch has declined from 1.2 million tonnes at the turn of the century to a mere 331,000 tonnes last year. The figures could plunge further if remedial action is not taken immediately.

    Up to 22 million people from the region depend on the lake for fish. The industry directly supports two million people, providing them with much needed incomes to sustain their households.

    That the population of the Nile perch is thinning is therefore bad news to many. But it must also be understood that the fishermen face difficult but important choices between conserving the resource – so there will be fish to catch in the future – and earning a decent living.

    That is why the duty of conservation must not be left to them. It is encouraging the governments of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania through the East African Community’s Council of Ministers, have now launched Sh129.6m campaign to help conservation efforts.

    Partner states

    The ‘Operation Save the Nile Perch’ drive must not be in vain. It must not follow the familiar script of poor locals whose need for economic development is fought by affluent outside conservationists.

    Residents of the three partner states rely on the fishing industry for subsistence. And their economic future will be improved more by preserving the ecosystem and promoting better fishing methods than by unsustainably exhausting what is currently available for export.

    Conservation efforts must be supported by all stakeholders with partner states being encouraged to implement the proposed ‘harmonised action plan’ to help end illegal fishing on Lake Victoria and help restore the ecological balance.

    Now it is up to the Council of Ministers to create regulations that will make the fishing industry successful. It is time to get rid of systems that have failed and replace them with better alternatives that will protect the marine ecosystem, allow fish stocks to rebuild, and increase revenues.

    This will allow fishermen to make profit and also ensure future generations will enjoy the delicacy. It is upon the Ministry of Fisheries to ensure fish catchment sites are not only protected but also nurtured and sustainably exploited.

    EA Standard

SIMON KITURURU- MAWAZONI

  • Wakati na wasiwasi Jumapili njema kwa JAMBAZI ni njema pia kwa POLISI!:-(

    Posted: February 7, 2010, 3:18 pm by SIMON KITURURU
    Mwenzenu MIE nasita,....
    .... kutoa heri ya SIKU .




    Hata kwako mwenye ndita,...
    ....mwenye hiyo mbaya siku.




    Hili kweli sitasita,...
    .... sijui ya njema siku


    Njema kwake Mamasita,....
    ...si ya PAPASITA siku

    NA labda,......

    Baya, jema mara sita,...


    ...NA,....

    ...njema sio nzuri siku.




    :-(











    Swali:
    • Siku njema kwa Jambazi si ni ile mbaya kwa aliyefanyiwa UJAMBAZI?

    • Siku njema kwa malaya unafikiri ni ipi?
    • Unafikiri Jumapili njema kwa UKRISTO ni njema kwa UISLAMU ?


    NI wazo tu HILI Mheshimiwa!
    Jumapili Njema Mkuu!



    Au tu Dr Remmy aongelee siku njema kwa mwingine- Siku ya KUFA


    Au tu KENYANNA warudie tu -SIKU NJEMA

South of West

  • Learn From My Mistakes

    Posted: February 7, 2010, 1:48 pm by Rob Crilly
    The Crilly roadshow has rolled into London for various stuff connected with the launch of my book. It’s going to be a fun experience but also a little odd. As a text journalist the most hi-tech I get tends to be my mobile phone. Today, I’ll be getting to grips with powerpoint ready for a [...]

HIV in Kenya

  • Orphanages Versus Community Based Care

    Posted: February 7, 2010, 1:48 pm by Simon
    Given the numbers of orphaned, abandoned and otherwise needy children in developing countries such as Kenya, the issue of whether institutional or community based care is preferable is a difficult one. There are badly run institutions and well run ones. But there are also children who face their greatest dangers in their own homes, from their parents or from their carers. From what I can see in Kenya, social services often don't get involved in cases where things go wrong, either in institutions or in community care settings.

    A study with a large sample size published a couple of months ago looked at both types of care, comparing cognitive functioning, emotion, behavior, physical health, and growth. The conclusion was that community care is not better and that, for some indicators, institutions are better. The authors of the study advise against aiming to transfer as many children as possible to some kind of community care setting. This is good advice if the children are in a well run institution or if an adequate level of community care can not be guaranteed.

    However, the organisation I am working with, Ribbon of Hope, does not advocate merely keeping a child in their community. We advocate for children to be cared for with the support of other people in the community, in addition to their carer or carers. We would like to see children receive any state support to which they are entitled. And we would like to help provide their carer with the means to provide for the child.

    Many children in institutions have one living parent and many more have close relatives who are living. But there are also children who may not have any close relatives or whose relatives are unknown and untraceable. So I wouldn't argue that there is no need for institutions to care for children.

    But there are institutions that have been set up with the express aim of making money. I don't know how many of these bogus orphanages there are compared to legitimate orphanages. I just know that several bogus orphanages have been set up in the immediate area around Nakuru. There are also institutions that cannot cope with the number of children they are trying to provide for and conditions for the children, and even the staff, are terrible.

    The only well run orphanages I have seen receive very large sums of money from benefactors. It's right that institutions providing for children receive large amounts of money, of course, but most institutions are not able to attract enough money and the children can suffer as a result. Keeping children in an institution usually costs a lot more than providing assistance for them to live in a family setting. Therefore, there may be a good case for more children being raised in a family setting when that is feasible.

    In addition, many of these well run orphanages are funded by private donations and are at least partly administrated by foreigners. This is not a bad thing in itself but it does suggest a lack of sustainability and a high degree of dependency. It can be difficult enough for local people to confirm that children presented to them are really orphans but for non-local people it can be impossible. Some people see orphanages as an opportunity to cut their own costs by sending one or more of their children there and claiming the children belong to a deceased relative.

    So the stark dichotomy between institutions and community care for orphans is not helpful. Both settings have their advantages and disadvantages. It is quite true that institutions should not aim to transfer as many children as possible to community care. But I think there should be fewer orphanages and far more children should be cared for in a well supported environment. Some of the money available, both state, donor and private, could better be used to provide families with everything they need to give a good home to children who have been orphaned, abandoned or are otherwise in need of care. The study in question is a good one, with a sound methodology, but I don't think it took into account the scenario where the carer is actively supported in providing care.

    Incidentally, people often ask about how you can tell whether an orphanage is legitimate or not. They even ask the same question about charities, philanthropic organisations, philanthropists, NGOs, CBOs and the like. I don't have a list of things but the Information in Context blog gives advice on this and other matters. The only rule of thumb I have at the moment is that when people or organisations seem to obsess about numbers, size and quantities, to the exclusion of all other criteria, this can indicate that they are more interested in raising money than in changing things for the better. That always makes me suspicious.

My Dreadlocks

  • Combing out locks

    Posted: February 7, 2010, 9:46 am by Cee

    Is this really possible? Some say yeah some say no, I guess it's just another case of glass being half full or half empty. I have watched many videos on youtube and read about it on many blogs and magazines so I thought I should also try it and see what happens. Instead of throwing away my last lock that fell off, I decided to comb it out and see what happens.
    So question is, is it possible to comb out locks? My answer is yes you can, but before you start trying to comb your locks, I don't think it's worth it. Wait a minute, I don't mean it being worth it in the sense you shouldn't let go of your locks or anything like that. What I mean is, your locks are an entanglement of dirt, hair that cut but didn't fall off and many other tiny little things. If you can look at your lock closely, you will realise it's not like a braid that you can undo and comb out soo simply. Do you remember when you would braid your hair and when you would undo the braids, where the artificial hair had been attached to your hair, there was like an accumulation of oil, drandruff and small bits of hair. Then when you finally finished undoing your hair, it would look soo full then after you comb it out, you end up with a whole ball of hair and the dandruff out of your hair but now on the comb.
    When you comb out your locks, it's more or less like that or for me it was. You won't end up bald or anything, but you won't end up with hair as long and beautiful as your locks. Combing out your locks will definitely give you a headstart if you want to grow back your unlocked hair, but it won't maintain the length. Maybe this also depends of the method you use for locking because some of the videos I watched on youtube, it's like combing out a normal braid and the hair remains the same.
    I don't know though, has anyone tried combing them out or knows someone who did? Did it work out? How did your/their hair look like after the combing?
    All in all, if you are tired of the locks, a change is as good as a rest and instead of starting from bald, you might as well buy a tough comb, get yourself a movie or two and some time to kill then comb out those locks till you got your hair back.
    What I would ask for from you would be, a before and after pic and maybe a short summary of the whole experience.

She Blossoms...

  • My Happy Ending

    Posted: February 6, 2010, 1:53 am by She Blossoms...
    Not a happily-ever-after ending. Just a happy ending, one of many. Waking up one day and realising that despite how many mistakes you have made, and in spite of how many curve balls life throws at you, you still did pretty good. So my mum is dozing off while watching some TV show that for the life [...]

Mary Baker Eddy Illustrated Quotes

Storymoja

  • The Man and His Goat Contest Winner is…

    Posted: February 6, 2010, 11:01 pm by Storymoja Africa
    Well, you have spoken, dear readers and fellow writers. So here, I am very pleased to announce the results of The Man and His Goat Writing Contest: The Second Runner-up is Paul Kariuki with Samuel Kinyanjui, Sammy to his friends. The First Runner-up is Peter Nena with The Goat from Hell. And the winner of The Man and his [...]

Daniel Ngari .com - Inspiring Friends

  • Sermon on the Blog

    Posted: February 6, 2010, 10:16 pm by Daniel Ngari

    I have found solace in the Big Book this year (The Bible). It is an ocean of lessons on life, lessons that I would love to share with you. I know that not everyone who reads this blog is a Christian. Please bear with me. You do not have to be a Christian to apply these lessons anyway.

    1 – Build a Strong Foundation

    Whether you are building a business, a relationship or a career, you need to set the right foundation. Spare a thought for the kind of foundation you are sitting on in your success journey.

    Life is not a straight line; there will be bumps, traffic jams, roadblocks etc on your success journey. The weather may not always be what was predicted. Your best bet is to invest in a strong foundation.

    In a relationship for example, investing in building trust, communication and problem solving skills is good insurance for tough times. Without a strong foundation, a relationship will be challenged by changing circumstances or external pressures.

    In business, invest in building a solid product and good customer relations. Listen to your customers and develop richer relationships with them. This will not only help you be more profitable but insulate you from increased competition.

    In Mathew 7:24-27 (New International Version), Jesus said “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

    Are your goals this year indicative of a wise man (or woman) or are you building your success on sand?

    2 – Make Hay While the Sun Shines

    I stumbled upon this idea last year…if you look around; you will notice that it is true. Those who succeed in life are those who harness the power of delayed gratification. Delayed gratification is the ability to wait in order to obtain something that one wants.

    When a drug addict or an alcoholic wants something, they do all they can to get it right away. Their timeline is between now and a few hours. On the other hand, a medical student is willing to wait for seven years to become a doctor. Successful people look further into the future. Whether it is a business or a relationship, they are willing to put in the work now for rewards that may take years to realize.

    There is a time for everything; a time to plant and a time to harvest. Do what you have to do now even if your pay off may be somewhere down the line. Set goals that allow you to stockpile now incase of tough times ahead.

    The best time to fix a leaking roof is when the sun is shining. Do not wait for the rains to pound before looking for a fix. Doing it in good time will save you both time and money.

    Joseph in the Bible interpreted Pharaohs dream (Genesis 41:28-31, New International Version), “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.  Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe”

    Are you in good physical health now? Do you have a job? Do you have blessings in areas of your life today? Maybe you have seven years of this and seven years of ravaging famine ahead. Ok, that is a gloomy way to look at it. But am sure you get my point don’t yah?

    I have recently opened a new bank account that I intend to start an automatic saving/investment plan. This is something that I have been postponing for a long time. Every month I will automatically deposit a percentage of my earnings into that account. Is there something you can do in your life to be a good custodian of blessings in good times?

    3 – The Only Thing to Fear is Fear Itself

    Franklin D. Roosevelt said in his first inauguration speech “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance”.

    If you want to advance in life this year you have to shun fear like a plague. Fear paralyzes action. Fear is the devil incarnate.

    Fear is that little voice telling you that you cannot do it. Fear is that friend that makes you doubt yourself. Fear is what will make you sink to the depths of mediocrity.

    In Matthew 14: 25-31 (New International Version), Peter walked on water before he let doubt creep in, then he started sinking.

    During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

    But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. don’t be afraid.”

    “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

    “Come,” he said.

    Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

    Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

    Have faith in yourself and in your abilities. Develop your self esteem and self confidence. They will help you achieve more of your goals. Fearing that you might fail will precipitate failure. The more you allow self defeating thoughts into your mind, the more likely they are to become true. How much more would you achieve in life if you were not afraid?

    4 – Attitude Determines Altitude

    Zig Ziglar said “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude”.

    The kind of attitude you bring to your work, business, relationship, health will determine how far you go. Consciously work on your attitude.

    5 – Use It or Lose It

    The final lesson today is very important. It is a parable by Jesus about using our talents. Purpose it in your heart to use your God given talents to succeed in life. Set goals that will stretch your potential.

    Let us look at Matthew 25:14-30 (New International Version).

    “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.  To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

    “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

    “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

    “The man with two bags of gold also came.’Master’,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

    “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

    “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came.’Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

    “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

    ‘Take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For those who have will be given more and they will have abundance. As for those who do not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

    Mark those words: “For those who have will be given more and they will have abundance. As for those who do not have, even what they have will be taken from them”. Before you complain that the rich get richer, think about what you have been blessed with. Are you using it to its true potential?

    Summary

    This is a blog post that I should have written months ago. I will personally revisit it severally in the course of this year. We can all apply these lessons to help us achieve more of our goals.

    Remember to build yourself a strong foundation. Shun the desire for instant gratification, have a positive attitude towards life and shun fear. Use your talents and blessings to get ahead in life.

    Other articles you may enjoy :

    1. 50 Blog Posts Milestone! It is now about two months since I launched...
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    3. Blog Revamped to Inspire More After 50 daily blog posts, I took a moment to...
    4. Chapter 14: The Impression of Increase WHETHER you change your vocation or not, your actions...
    5. How to put Jealousy on a Leash Charley Reese said that if malice or envy were tangible...
    6. Personal Branding Outside your Comfort zone Real growth is only experienced when you step out...

She Blossoms...

  • Casting Call

    Posted: February 6, 2010, 9:52 pm by She Blossoms...
    Hey good people! Something big and fresh is about to hit the screens and we want YOU to be a part of it! Auditions are happening this February 15th-17th 2010, so get your dates marked and creative juices flowing! Please find all the info on the attached PDF. Good luck!! Regards Se’ydou Feature Producer/Director seydou.mukali@gmail.com AUDITIONS POSTER Click to see. Filed under: Current Events [...]

Black Looks

  • Seun on Fela

    Posted: February 6, 2010, 9:23 pm by Sokari
    After intensive pressure from members of the National Assembly, the media, trade unions, political activists and the Nigerian people, President Yar’Adua has agreed to hand over the Presidency to his deputy, Goodluck Jonathan. I think Fela would have loved this – the beginnings of “people power” in Nigeria – here Seun talks [...]

The Night Book

SIMON KITURURU- MAWAZONI

  • Tukiangalia HALI HALISI ,labda HALIHALISI NDIYO inamlazimisha MKULIMA kuwa MKULIMA!:-(

    Posted: February 6, 2010, 8:23 pm by SIMON KITURURU
    Labda HATA nesi kawa nesi,....
    ...... kwa kuwa hali halisi imefanya ahitajike nesi.


    Na labda Mkulima angekuwa TANDIBOI ,....
    .... kama KIHALIHALISI kungekuwa na basi KWA WAKULIMA lihitajilo TANDOBOI.:-(



    Swali:
    • Unafikiri Ni wakulima wangapi wangekuwa na chaguo tofauti wangeamua kuwa wakulima?
    • Unauhakika pamoja na KIRUKA NJIA kupigwa vita , HALI HALISI ya uwepo wa KIRUKA NJIA hailetwi na hitaji kubwa la kidude cha Kiruka NJIA ?
    • Unafikiri ni kwanini Mtakatifu Simon Kitururu sio Mkulima?
    • Unauhakika kama wewe sio malaya , wee SI MALAYA kwakuwa TU hali halisi haijaruhusu tu?





    Hali halisi yaleta shughuli,....
    ... na shughuli yenyewe yawezakuwa inahitaji MZIBUA choo.


    Na ni HALI HALISI KUWA Mzibua choo KWA KAWAIDA anahitajika kwenye CHOO.:-(





    NI HILO TU na NI WAZO TU hili Mheshimiwa Bulicheka!

    Au tu turudi Kameruni Bebe Manga arudie-Mota Benamaa





    Au tu Bebe Manga arudie tena na-Amio




    Asanteni wadau wote hasa kwenye African Party mlionisaidia kwa muda fulani KUSAHAU kuwa DUNIA NYOKO , hii siku ambayo kwangu ilikuwa ni mara ya kwanza kula nyama ya Pundamilia ,- ambao baadhi mpo kwenye taswira zangu baadhi zifuatazo...




























































































































Kikuyumoja's realm

  • OtterBox Commuter, ftw!

    Posted: February 6, 2010, 8:20 pm by jke

    I know I’ve already mentioned this on my Posterous blog earlier today, but the truth is: I’ve never been so excited about a gadget/ an accessory since maybe when I unpacked my Leatherman Wave some years ago.

    I was looking for a decent cover for my Nokia E72 as the leather pouch it comes shipped with isn’t that great. It opens to the side and is very tight, so you’d have to push the phone inside (with some force) and pull it out (with even more force). Not that smart.

    Another reason – and explanation why I went for a cover instead of another pouch/sheath – is that the E72 is rather thin, maybe too thin for a phone. It lacks a rubber back, like the one on the E63 for instance. So any potential cover would have to ensure that the phone gets a better grip on the back side.

    I then checked the market and bought a cheap (3€) silicone cover. The one that came delivered wasn’t good at all – the silicone was too stubborn and didn’t even cover all the edges (as pictured above). Such a cheap quality. I threw it away after taking these pictures.

    So I kept on looking and stumbled upon this OtterBox Commuter Case. There are almost only positive reviews on the cover online, the people behind OtterBox seem to be innovative and responsive to customer input (they are on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) – and such a cover costs around 29 €.

    Now, I can probably get two used Nokia 1208 phones for the price of such a cover, and it took me some time to think about this investment. Why should I invest 29 € on a cover that will only add weight to my phone? And it’s a lot of money for “just a cover”…

    I am so glad I just bought it in the end. The cover instantly worked for me – it’s such a pleasure to handle the phone now (almost as thick as an E63 now, yay! :-). The OtterBox Commuter really is the BEST phone cover I’ve ever bought for a phone so far, makes so much sense on this particular Nokia phone and I am sure I’ll also never again waste any money on cheaper alternatives that just won’t work.

    It also came shipped with a screen protector (sticker), a little card and a cleaning cloth which will help you apply the sticker onto the display. Amazing. I am yet to see something like that (the card) on other – also professional – screen protectors. Sooo… yes, I can only highly recommend the OtterBox Commuter Case to other E72 users.


Kenya Christian

  • Maker Faire Africa 2010

    Posted: February 6, 2010, 5:00 pm by KenyaChristian
    The aim is to identify, spur and support local innovation. At the same time, Maker Faire Africa would seek to imbue creative types in science and technology with an appreciation of fabrication and by default manufacturing. The long-term interest here is to cultivate an endogenous manufacturing base that supplies innovative products in response to market needs.
    Read more here. Visit the website 
    Date: August 6-7th 2010Venue: Sarakasi Dome, Ngara, Nairobi
    Maker Faire Africa 2009: Ghana


Gathara's World

  • Redeemer vs Teacher: Towards the United States of Africa

    Posted: February 6, 2010, 3:28 pm
    African Union summits rarely escape a Muammar Gaddafi lecture on his pet project: the United States of Africa. The Libyan leader’s harping on the need for common government is derided by some as a plot for hegemony. The idea of continental unity, though, is not new and neither is the cynicism.

    In a sense, Gaddafi is unwittingly summoning us to our etymological roots. The original meaning of the word “Africa” may be unclear, but, in ancient times, it referred only to the north coast of the continent, replacing the Greek word "Libya," to refer to the land of the Berbers.

    It only encompassed the whole continent from the end of the first century BC. As it did so, it was slowly divorced from North Africa and soon confined to the region that, in less politically correct times, was also called Black Africa. According to Paul Tiyambe Zeleza, professor of African American Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the conflation of Africa with sub-Saharan Africa “ultimately offer[ed]a racialised view of Africa as the ‘black’ continent... from which North Africa and especially Egypt [was] excised and attached to Europe.”

    “Africa” no longer described a geographical entity, but was imbued with ideas of blackness and a mystical cultural unity. The transatlantic slave trade and the consequent forced immigration of millions of “black” Africans served to spread and cement this association abroad. On the continent, European colonisation had much the same effect. As Mwalimu Julius Nyerere observed, “Africans all over the continent, without a word being spoken either from one individual to another, or from one country to another, looked at the European, looked at one another, and knew that in relation to the European they were one.”

    Slavery and colonialism also gave rise to Pan-Africanism, the idea that black Africans and their descendants belonged to a single "race," and shared both cultural unity and historical fate (a notion rejected by black American actress Whoopi Goldberg in 1998 when she declared: “I dislike this idea that if you're a black person in America, then you must be called African-American. Listen, I've visited Africa, and I've got news for everyone: I'm not an African. The Africans know I'm not an African. I'm an American.”)

    Refined by the writings of Edward Blyden, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Marcus Garvey, Pan-Africanism became the orthodoxy among the emerging class of political reformers on the continent. The 5th Pan African Congress, organised in 1945 by Ghanaian leader Kwame Nkrumah, was attended by many scholars, intellectuals and political activists who would later become influential leaders in various African independence movements including Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta, Malawi’s Hastings Kamuzu Banda, and Nigerian leaders Obafemi Awolowo and Jaja Wachuku.

    While generally endorsing the Nkrumah’s ideas on cultural and historical unity, the soon-to-be-all-powerful-potentates viewed political unity as a different proposition. In May 1963, many of them were among the 32 heads of state and government meeting in Addis Ababa to sign the Organisation of African Unity Charter, whose preamble prophetically stated 'we the heads of state' rather than 'we the people'. When Nkrumah simultaneously released his book, Africa Must Unite, (undoubtedly thinking it was appropriate for the occasion), the assembled presidents suspected an attempt to dominate the continent and realise Nkrumah’s ambition to become the president of a United States of Africa. As Nyerere later remarked, once “you multiply national anthems, national flags and national passports, seats at the United Nations, and individuals entitled to 21 guns salute, not to speak of a host of ministers, prime ministers, and envoys, you have a whole army of powerful people with vested interests in keeping Africa balkanised.”

    The Tanzanian leader was opposed to Nkrumah’s approach. A strong proponent of East African federation, Nyerere regarded regional integration as the more realistic way to achieve continental unity. Nkrumah was implacably opposed to what he called “balkanisation on a grand scale” and deemed Nyerere a rival to his leadership of the continent, one who might eclipse him as the first African leader to successfully unite independent countries, following the failure of Nkrumah’s own Union of African States.
    For his part, Nyerere dismissed Nkrumah’s opposition as “attempts to rationalise absurdity.” In fact, so eager was he for regional integration that he repeatedly told Jomo Kenyatta, the least interested of the three East African leaders, Tanzania would renounce its sovereignty right away if Kenya were ready to unite. During the 1965 Commonwealth Conference he declared that “if Mzee Kenyatta today says he is ready, then we will federate tomorrow.”

    That, of course, never happened and the search for political unity soon took a back seat to moves towards economic integration. The 1980 Lagos Plan of Action for the Development of Africa and the 1991 treaty to establish the African Economic Community (also known as the Abuja Treaty), proposed the creation of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) as the basis for African integration, with a timetable for regional and continental integration to follow. The AU, established in July 2002 (at Gaddafi’s behest) to replace the toothless OAU, today recognises eight RECs including the East African Community.

    Still, the rhetoric of political union remains. A 2006 study adopted by the AU proposed a three-phase, nine-year roadmap to the United States of Africa commencing “immediately after the decision of the Assembly at the next session of the AU summit” in Accra, Ghana. However, at the 2007 summit, the old arguments over regional versus immediate continental unification resurfaced with some (notably Libya) advocating a common government with an AU army; and others (especially the Southern African states) preferring to strengthen AU bodies and make them truly effective.

    Following heated debate, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government issued the Accra Declaration, recognising the US of Africa with a Union Government as the ultimate objective of the AU and proposing steps towards this including rationalising the RECs and reviewing their relationship to the Union Government of Africa. All mention of a timetable disappeared. No AU Summits since have taken any firm decisions on the plan, each deferring the issue, for “final” debate to the next meeting.

    Meantime, the RECs are pursuing further integration. They are linking up to fulfil the century-old dream of a trade zone spanning the length of the continent. In October 2008 SADC, Comesa and EAC, announced an agreement to create the African Free Trade Zone, grouping 26 countries with a combined GDP of $624 billion.

    To quote Prof Zeleza, “‘Africa’ the map and the place is becoming increasingly ‘Africa’ the idea and the consciousness, buttressed by an intricate web of continental institutions.” In the second decade of the 21st century, the continent is “perhaps more ‘African’ than it has ever been… more interconnected through licit and illicit flows of commodities, capital, ideas, and people... more conscious of its collective identity.” As the pressures of globalisation continue to buffet and mould the continent, as they always have, a continental economy and, eventually, government is inevitable — with or without Gaddafi’s harangues.

A Mzungu who loves Kenya

  • Bucket List - Things To Do Before I Die

    Posted: February 6, 2010, 1:08 pm by BabaMzungu
    Earlier, I wrote that my proposed overland driving trip to Kenya was one of the things I want to do before I die, and I could not think of anything else that falls into this category. But now I have thought of something else I would really like to do. I would love to see the Rio Carnival. So, having started, I am going to try to make a list of ten things to go on my bucket list: Drive from the

Mashada Baraza

  • Pissed off at Kristof

    Posted: February 6, 2010, 12:13 pm by dorcas
    Earlier this week NY Times published Nicholas Kristof’s report on a nine year-old Congolese rape survivor. The Times included the minor child’s name as well as a picture of her face with her aunt standing behind her. It has since become clear that Kristof’s decision to include personal identifiers like real name, age, location and the picture [...]

    Pissed off at Kristof is a post from: Mashada Baraza

Rugby in Kenya

You Missed This

  • Mwakwere Dismissed, Bring Back Michuki

    Posted: February 6, 2010, 11:00 am by Taabu
    Mwakwere's loss of his parliamentary seat via petition could be a blessing in disguise for Kenya. Now Kibaki can bring back Michuki to head the Transport ministry and restore sanity.

    At least the popular demand to have Michuki back at transport has less political fallout than the heat at education. But again, Kibaki is one ruler immune to public wishes, or is he?

    But the petition's success has once again exposed the rot that was ECK. But again they both rigged and so the whole lot should be illegitimate. This election petition thing needs to be urgently addressed since almost 1000 days after polls is no justice at all.

    Which leaves you asking weather losers should be made to pay back what they earned while on the job. Democracy must be so expensive.Kumekucha


Cock And Bull

  • Progress In Bytes

    Posted: February 6, 2010, 9:38 am by Administrator

    I couldn’t wait to get to the office this morning. The reason is because I was excited to see if my downloads completed overnight. Among others, I am downloading Season 5 of “Entourage”, the complete works of George Michael, Celine Dion, Dido, and James Last, and my favorite – a whole 95 episodes of “The Muppet Show”. When I look at the statistics on my computer, I have downloaded 10 GB or data and uploaded 5 GB of data. Part of the excitement is because until a few days ago, Safaricom would sell 1 GB of downloaded data for KShs. 2,500. Now, for KShs. 1,000 you have unlimited internet access for 7 days. In just 2 days, I have downloaded data worth over KShs. 25,000!

    For me, the proliferation of the Internet and the mobile phone are among the top indicators of just how much things can change in a few years. Slightly over 10 years ago, we would leave a 1 MB download to run overnight for 2 reasons; One, because it would take hours, and Two, because it was only at night when there would be a good chance that the download would complete successfully without timing out. It could take up to a week of daily attempts to successfully download a 1 MB software using a computer modem over the Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation’s telephone line. Of course back then having a land line was a great achievement.

    In 1990, I met a girl who had a key like none I had ever seen before. When I enquired what the key was used for, she said, “It is for my family’s home computer.” At that time, I had never seen a computer, and I couldn’t believe that anyone might have one at home. And from her description, I imagined that a computer had to look like a TV, but my deduction led me to conclude that it required an ignition key to turn on, just like a car!

    In 1999, I was ecstatic at buying my first computer – a Pentium 1 with 4.3 GB hard disk. I remember the Dixon my Tech savvy friend telling me, “The hard disk in this computer has so much space that even your children will never fill it with data!” Given that the largest storage medium I had at my disposal was the 1.44 MB floppy disk, that was easy to believe. Now, I don’t have children yet and have already filled hard disks with hundreds of GB worth of data.

    From how we know it today, how different will the world be in 20 years?

  • I Bet You Can

    Posted: February 6, 2010, 8:50 am by Administrator

    The other day, I made a bet with a total stranger who didn’t believe that it is possible for anyone to swim 50 lengths of the swimming pool without stopping. And it all started when I mentioned that I like swimming. That is when she asked how many lengths I can make in a pool. And so I said 50 because that was the number that I had done earlier in the day. She called me a liar, and that is when we shook hands on the bet for KShs. 1,000.

    But neither would I have thought that swimming for a long distance was possible had I not lived in Mombasa about 2 years ago. In fact, I would have summed it in the same way that my friend did in an email, “When I go into the pool I’m so anxious to make this lap… and that lap… up to there, then I have chlorine in my eyes and in my mouth and after a few minutes I want to get out .” In the 6 months that I stayed at the coastal town, I would swim out into the open sea each day that I went to the beach. I would swim for as far as my courage and strength would allow me to. In the process, I learnt that the secret to swimming for long or far is to be relaxed; and especially if you are swimming in salty water, and against the waves.

    Now, what is the number 1 secret to being relaxed? Breathe!

    If you breathe effectively as you swim, it can become as effortless as walking, and with a little practice with your stroke you can easily do 50 or more lengths. It is possible to do this because it requires very little effort from your side to float or for your body to move through water. Why? Because of the buoying properties of water. Now imagine, if you were to walk up and down the length of a pool, how much effort would you require to do 50 lengths? Now imagine once again, if you were to walk up and down the length of a pool while holding your breathe, how many lengths would you be able to make? The only reason why many people only manage to blindly churn across the pool for a few meters and come up dazed is because they do it while holding their breathe. For anyone who thinks that swimming is hard work, learning how to breathe while in water totally changes everything!

    If you can breathe effectively as you swim – or as you do anything else for that matter – then it becomes as effortless as walking.

Rugby in Kenya

SIMON KITURURU- MAWAZONI

  • Faraja za kuumia kwa wengine za : ``Mkuki kwa KIRUKA NJIA, kwa malaya wa kiume MCHUNGU!´´

    Posted: February 6, 2010, 7:03 am by SIMON KITURURU
    Kuna FARAJA katika kulalamikia ya WENGINE ,....
    ....kwa kuwa KWA MUDA MFUPI huondoa kufikiria YAKO.:-(



    NA UBAYA wa ya wengine,...
    ... ni kwamba kunauwezekano ni kweli hayo NI YA WENGINE na hayakuhusu na sio kwa kuwa tu si YAKO.:-(


    Na wakati unanyege ya kulalamikia WENGINE,...

    .....chunguza kwa kuangalia ZAIDI yako na waweza KUSTUKIA kikukeracho hasa KATIKA YA WENGINE labda NI UDHAIFU wa YAKO.:-(





    Swali:

    • AU?

    Wakati unahangaika na YAKO hata kabla HAYAJAKUSHINDA yako,...
    ... yaweza kukufanya UWE MKALI kweli kwa ya wengine wasio HUSIKA.:-(




    Na wakati UNALENGWA na MTU kuhusu yako,...
    ... inawezekana kabisa AKULENGAYE yuko tu katika KUHANGAIKA NA YAMSHINDAYO YAKE kwa kuyavalia njuga YAKO na kifaraja ANAKABILI YAKE kwa kujaribu kujifanya katika yako ANAHUSIKA.:-(


    Swali:

    • Unataka kusema hujastukia uwezekano wa MTU AKERWAVYO na YAKO atambulishavyo YAKE MAPUNGUFU?

    Ndio ,..
    ...MKUKI kwa nguruwe,...
    ... kwa BINADAMU mchungu.



    Ndio,....
    ...MKUKI kwa mmoja nguruwe ,....
    .... labda kwa nguruwe wengine wala sio MCHUNGU ndio maana nguruwe unaweza kumlisha KITIMOTO.:-(


    NI wazo tu hili Mheshimiwa MAMA Kisebengo na wala USIKONDE kuendelea nalo kwa kuwa nimelisitisha ghafla kabla ya KUKUNA KIPELE!





    Hebu Frank Sinatra aseme- Somethin' Stupid




    Au tu Louis Armstrong adai pamoja na kibanochote maishani-What a Wonderful World

  • Labda VITA ya MALAYA ilishaisha wakati MALAYA WANASUTANA na mshindi wa UPASHKUNA alishapatikana kabla ya KUBWENGANA!:-(

    Posted: February 6, 2010, 4:06 am by SIMON KITURURU
    Kuna baadhi ya MAPIGANO YASHUHUDIWAYO ambayo hufanyika tu,...
    .....ili tu kukamilisha KUJISHEBEDUA kwa kuwa vita ilishaisha na aliyeshindwa alishajua kashindwa WAKATI anafunuliwa TU sketi na KUSHIKIWA kiuno AKISUTWA.


    Na aletaye VITA ya uso kwa uso ili AKUUMIZE HUKU akikuangalia usoni KATIKA KUJIAMINI NDIO ANAKUFUNDISHA ADABU kwa KUKUBWENGA kwa kuwa ANAAMINI wewe ni MALAYA kwa kuwa TU ulihitaji KUWA NA UHAKIKA kwa kuonja VIMILIKIWAVYO na wengine vifanyavyo waonekane kama wanafaidi sana KULIKO WEWE hata kama ni vile ujuavyo kwa vyovyote kunasiku vinanuka mkojo tu,...
    .....aweza kuwa anahangaika na VITA ulioishindwa ,ULISHA ITUBU TAYARI KWA PADRE na MUNGU , ulisha JILAUMU au tu uliyofikia HITIMISHO ZAMANI kuwa yamekushinda na umekoma kuonja vya watu ambavyo labda wala havikukunogea na ULISHA KOMA kwa tu KUTETWA.:-(

    Swali:
    • AU?
    • Kwani WAKATI UMEUSHINDWA MTIHANI hujui UMESHINDWA mtihani mpaka ukabiliane na KURUDISHIWA ulioushindwa mtihani?
    • Kwani kuna jipya ujifunzalo kwa kurudishiwa matokeo ya MTIHANI ULIOFELi ambalo hujifunzi wakati unafeli MTIHANI?







    Na labda,....





    VITA haihitaji silaha,....
    .... kwa kuwa matumizi ya silaha sio vita.

    Na wakati MAPIGANO yanaendelea yatumiayo SILAHA,....
    .... labda ilishakwisha VITA.:-(

    Swali:
    • Si unakumbuka wapiganao VITA huwa walishaweka wazi ni nini wanakipigania?
    • Unauhakika MAPIGANO ni vita?
    • Unauhakika VITA haipiganiwi UBONGONI na ashindwaye hushindwa tu kwa afikiriavyo UBONGONI?
    • Unafikiri kwa kumbwenga MTU na ukashinda kwa kumtoa ngeu maana yake umembadilisha mawazo?
    • Si unakumbuka matumizi ya BUNDUKI katika vita yalisababishwa na aliyekuwa anashindwa kupigana na kushinda kwa mapanga na mikuki kutunza AAMINICHO kustukia mwenye misuli kilaini anadondoshwa vitani na GOBOLE?
    • Si unajua mwenye bonge la misuli kuna vita azishindwazo hata kabla ya MAPIGANO kisa silaha ya ADUI itumikayo ni sauti nyororo na macho kama BUNDI ya kurembua?

    NI wazo tu hili MHESHIMIWA!

    JUMAMOSI NJEMA!



    Au ngojea The ROOTS warudie -Next movement na Pussy Galore(sex in consumerism)



    Au tu twende Senegal Baaba Maal arudie tu kitu- Yela

Me thro my own eyes

  • the best day since yesterday

    Posted: February 6, 2010, 3:35 am by csmith23
    Pure and simple: today was a good day. I got up, and the sun wasn't scorching, and it wasn't raining either, and I got someone to drop me at work so I didn't have to walk the whole way, and I cleared those accounts I'd been preparing all week and handed them in for review, and then in the evening, friends. Old friends. Good friends. We sat for four-odd hours and did nothing but catch up. And remember the good ol' days. Business school was a carnival ride. See I can say that now - business school - my uni changed names from just Faculty of Commerce to School of Business. Man, fun times. You know how in the middle of January you go to the chart and see the assignments they have lined up for you and you know it's going to be the four weeks from hell, and you have no choice but to take it. Ya, three weeks ago that was me. I was trying to look ahead and see the light at the end of the tunnel, couldn't even see the walls of the tunnel. Twas like an abyss, black as the Pit from pole to pole (William Henley, anyone?). And then in the middle of it all, when it seems like you can't possibly sink any lower, the curveballs stop coming. You get up and the weather's just right, and you can immediately smell the coffee, and your heartrate's not as jacked as it's been all month. And then when the call comes, "Dude, pizza today, you in?" You know, nothing's going to go wrong today. Whatever else happens, this day is going to be an oasis of hope in the middle of all the plodding and toll, under the bludgeonings of chance. Last year, just before my epic trip to the Sudan(!), I remember creating an album, with pictures of various happy times during the year, and at the end of the album on the very last one the caption I put as, "What, then, shall we say to all these things; friends make me happy." And today I was reminded just how true that really is. I keep learning to never underestimate the power of Providence to surprise you when you least expect it. And to always expect Him to come through for you.

    Tomorrow, the sun might not be just so. And the deadlines might become more ridiculous due to this relentless drive of ours to be the standard of excellence. And I might not see anyone I like or even know. And, worse, I might actually be required to work all day (ya, it's gonna be one of those Saturdays). Hell, tomorrow might not even come. So if this is going to be it, if this is as good as it's gonna get, I should enjoy it while it lasts. "Paradise was a place of bliss," said Locke, "...without drudgery and without sorrow." Today, I was in paradise.

    END

EK13 Photography

  • A Foto A Week – Wk 5

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 1:33 am by EK13
    This picture got me thinking this week……

  • A Foto A Week – Wk 4

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 1:29 am by EK13
    Disclaimer: This pic is actually a week late. So I will upload two photos this week. Just playing catch-up. One thing I don’t like about England is the grey skies. It has been a while since I saw a sunset. Just love the warm fuzzy feeling they give you. Bring on Spring and the Summer months! [...]

A Mzungu who loves Kenya

  • Gentle Drive to Kenya

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 1:12 am by BabaMzungu
    This blog is getting taken over by my dream/hope or whatever it will eventually turn out to be, so I have decided that all further posts relating to it will be on this new blog.

  • Even More musings - Gentle Drive to Kenya

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 11:40 pm by BabaMzungu
    Dreaming of (or maybe secretly planning) a 'gentle' drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles. When I ... sorry, if I ever get my project going, I will be driving through the whole of Europe, through Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and finally Kenya. But then what? I will be in Kenya with a car I cannot sell, 

Martyns in Africa

Gathara's World

Yipe.org

  • Where nobody needs to work or study hard anymore

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 10:01 pm

    An article published in this week's Pambazuka raises issues about policies to promote economic development.
    The article, “South Africa’s ‘bling’ culture is a disgrace” by William Gumede tells of a growing new-money class, living a Hollywood-esque life in the midst of poverty.
    He writes that this bling lifestyle of parties and fast flashy cars amongst South Africa’s elite, is encouraging others to look for the fast buck, rather working hard or studying.
    Even the leaders have joined this new life, with no less than President Zuma’s party the ANC launching a fashion line of leather jackets; the cheapest costing US$ 217.
    All this social pressure to live the bling life has for some compromised their integrity and ethical business behaviour because of links to sugar daddy’s, senior politicians and even crime bosses.
    Gumede faults South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) programme as having contributed to this state of affairs. Because one does not have to build a business brick and mortar, entrepreneurial drive has been culled. 

    And even for those that have slogged to build their enterprises, corruption in the big business market of public procurement has only benefited a few well connected entrepreneurs.
    And Gumede warns that “this ‘bling’ culture will break down South Africa’s productive capacity. We are ‘eating’, but we are not building any new factories or plants that can create jobs …”
    Lamentably for the young aspiring entrepreneur, it seems that it may be more worthwhile to try and connect with a blinged elite patron, than to put pen to paper and write their business plan.
    Read South Africa’s ‘bling’ culture is a disgrace here >>Youth Interactive Portal for Enterprise, 2008

HIV in Kenya

  • Predicting the Predictable

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 8:35 pm by Simon
    Often in natural disasters, it's not the disaster itself that causes widespread injury, loss of life and damage to property. Where people are well off enough to protect themselves and their property against whatever disasters may occur, far fewer people suffer. Therefore, the magnitude of natural disasters in developing countries is often measured in people killed, injured or displaced. But in developed countries, the magnitude is usually measured by insurance claims for damage to property.

    There are exceptions, of course, but generally where people are vulnerable, natural disasters have a high human cost. Where people are less vulnerable, property is more likely to be the main loss. Developed countries, such as Japan and the US, experience natural disasters without anything like the human costs experienced by developing countries, such as Haiti. The hurricane that devastated New Orleans is not an exception just because it happened in the US. A lot of the people most affected were poor, vulnerable and marginalised.

    When a natural disaster hits a vulnerable country, the disaster itself may not have been entirely predictable, at least, not by people in that country who were able to do anything about it. But it is pretty predictable that, when a country has little infrastructure (especially water and sanitation), minimal health services, low levels of food security and the rest, most disasters will have a huge human cost. Insurance claims may well be negligible for people who have very little to insure and no money to insure with.

    Kenya and most other Sub-Saharan African countries are like Haiti in many ways. They have been treated as pawns in the political and commercial games of various Western countries; they have few social services of any kind and little or no resilience to any kind of disaster; they have huge debts and widespread poverty, poor health and malnutrition. We don't know what disasters await them, we just know that there will be disasters and that the consequences will be severe. Perhaps when some disaster strikes, there will be massive press attention, pledges of money, influxes of aid agencies driving white four wheel drives and resolutions to cancel debts.

    But all these pledges and other post disaster phenomena won't reduce the immediate impact of the disaster. The human cost will be high. The press will bemoan the fact that the country is so poor and infrastructure is so bad and debts are so high and politicians are so corrupt and whatever else they tend to bemoan in developing countries when it's too late. The amounts of money that are pledged, and even the amounts that actually reach the country, may be far higher than the amounts that were previously needed to strengthen the country's capacity. But that doesn't result in money being spent on increasing the capacity of developing countries to increase their resilience.

    Kenya has what could turn out to be a pathological attachment to maize, a non-indigenous crop introduced by the colonials because it's cheap and it's easy to grow large amounts on small areas of land, it fills you up, although it has little nutritional value. This pathological attachment could be compared to Ireland's staple food in the decades before the Great Famine, though I suspect the potato may be a bit more nourishing (or perhaps I'm biased). The potato is not indigenous to Ireland and eventually the inevitable happened. The ideal conditions came together for potato blight that wiped out most of the country's crop.

    Much of the currently used agricultural land in Kenya is covered with crops that can not be used for sustenance, such as tea, sugar or coffee. Much is used for non-food crops, such as sisal or flowers. And much of the food that is grown is maize. For many years, maize crops have been threatened or have even failed because of the dependence on rain fed crop growing. But the country still plants mostly maize and it's still mainly rain fed.

    The question is not whether disaster will strike in Kenya, it is when and how bad it will be. If the crops just fail in places where there is not much rain, several million people will be affected. If places that usually get a lot of rain have problems, several million more will be affected. Some countries around Kenya, even many areas in Kenya, have recently seen army worms attack, and they can obliterate entire fields. And there are other pests and factors that can take a large area by surprise. Maybe this year most people will survive, maybe not.

    But one thing is certain: millions of people are vulnerable. And they are vulnerable in more than one way. If a crop fails, they risk starvation. If the aid agencies come in, the food may not get to people in time because of the infrastructure problems or because of widespread corruption. Or people may die of whatever diseases start spreading, unchecked because of the terrible health service. There's a hair's breadth between Haiti's circumstances and Kenya's circumstances.

    It's now that the press should be clamoring for education, health, infrastructure and other social services to be improved, now that pressure needs to be put on the government to deal with corruption, now that individual people need to stop depending on rain fed agriculture, now that they should grow (and consume) things other than maize. And now is the best time to cancel the huge debts that developing countries have been arm-twisted into amassing for decades. Recognition that these circumstances make people vulnerable to inevitable disasters doesn't need to wait until it's too late.

The 411...

  • M-Pesa Fraud – Agents Beware!

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 8:26 pm by kipsang
    Tricksters & dishonest people have always existed in our midst. It is definitely naive to imagine our techno-savvy way of life is an exception to the old age social patterns. This afternoon, an M-Pesa agent was a victim of a new line of M-Pesa fraud. On Febuary 1st, 2009 in a peri-urban setting about 24 kilometres [...]

bankelele

  • Mobile Web East Africa: Day Two

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 8:21 pm by bankelele
    Day 2 of the Mobile East Africa that was held in Nairobi Kenya on February 3 and 4 2010. John Karanja, Founder, Whive.com, a social media platform targeting East Africans and also a blogger (his blog) ran the day’s forums Erik Hersman Director of Operations, Ushahidi (his blog) spoke about exploring the social and political opportunities presented by mobile’s expansion - Ushahidi was born out

Rugby in Kenya

  • Wellington Rugby 7's Update: Day 1 Wrap Up

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 7:42 pm by ruggerbug
    Perhaps we expected too much from the lads. Perhaps they have over-trained. Perhaps they are jaded. Perhaps they are homesick. I just don't know. Our mental strength does not seem to be up to the task and we're struggling. Despite over a week at a high performance centre, we don't seem to be showing much for it. My own experience tells me we tend to relax after such an exposure. We tend

Odegle Nyang

  • mwakweres exit

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 7:11 pm by odegle
    Wow. the reaction to the news of Mwakwere's lose of the matuga parliamentary seat is overwhelming. Does it mean the man was this unpopular?

...HoW I sEe IT...

  • Futures, Commodities Exchange in Kenya…..?

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 7:05 pm by Cynthia
    If you ask me – Kenya is ripe for a formal Futures and Commodities Market/Exchange. It was reported (and I paraphrase), that we have had a 561% increase in milk production since 2003 – exponential growth! The milk handling agencies are hard pressed as to what to do with all this milk ( Duh – [...]

Kahenya

Kenyanpoet

  • Soweto Gospel Choir, Akon & Keri Hilson bring some African touch to Football

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 6:19 pm by N.W

    A combination of good sounds and great video to bring you a song that will become almost an African Anthem during the World Cup in SA next year.

    I might sound like a hater but I felt that AKon was giving the whole song a thugish, whoreish, smack that A$$ effect to it removing the patriotism in the lyrics. ( I guess I have heard too many of his "listen to the edited version" music) and  he is starting to sound like Beyonce - Like the music they'd play in a torture chamber.

    The video is however very well done, great images showing that Africa is full of colour, art, life and rhythm. I also loved the scene where all these football icons hit a ball which turns to paint splattering their image on a wall- quite creative. It would have been great, had he Akon worn some Agbada(something African) at some point coz after all, he still an African. - He still had the rapper look.

    But all in all, I hope it makes your weekend.

Black Looks

  • Death of a language & invasions of the mind

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 5:55 pm by Sokari
    Boa Sr, the last speaker of Bo’, “one of the ten Great Andamanese languages has died”. The death of Boa Sr and the language she spoke is the end of 65,000 years of linguistic heritage and culture. It is estimated that a language dies every two weeks and by 2100 90% of languages of the [...]

Kenyanpoet

  • 2010 Summer Literary Seminars; Unified Literary Contest - Essay and Poetry call for Entries

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 5:33 pm by N.W
    Summer Literary Seminars is announcing its annual unified (Montreal, Lithuania and Kenya) literary contest, held this year in affiliation with Fence Magazine. The Judges this year will be, Mary Gaitskill judging the fiction, and Mary Jo Bang judging the poetry.

    Contest winners in the categories of fiction and poetry will have their work published in Fence, as well as the participating literary journals in Canada, Lithuania and Kenya. Additionally, they will have the choice of attending (airfare, tuition, and housing included) any one of the SLS-2010 programs – in Montreal, Quebec (June 13 - 27); Vilnius, Lithuania (August 1 - 14); or Nairobi-Lamu, Kenya (December).

    Second-place winners will receive a full tuition waiver for the program of their choice, and third-place winners will receive a 50% tuition discount.
    A number of select contest participants, based on the overall strength of their work, will be offered tuition scholarships, as well, applicable to the SLS-2010 programs.

    Contest Deadline: February 28, 2010.
    Poetry Judge: Mary Jo Bang is professor of English and director of the Creative Writing Program at Washington University.
    Fiction Judge: Mary Gaitskill is an author of essays, short stories and novels

    The complete guidelines for the 2010 contest are as follows:

    One short story or novel excerpt, maximum 25 pages per entry.
    No more than three poems per entry.
    Only previously unpublished work can be submitted.

    Entries can be submitted electronically, to: SLS Fiction Poetry Contest: sls.contest@gmail.com

    A $15 US reading fee must accompany each entry. Multiple entries are permissible, as long as they are accompanied by separate reading fees.

    Fees can paid paid online, via Paypal, or by cheque.
    Log on to the SLS website for more details

    (I have gotten intouch with the SLS team on payment modes as Paypal is not practicle in Kenya,will post solutions if found)

Kenyan Pundit

A Nairobian's Perspective !

  • Kenya thrushes US in the Wellington IRB match

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 4:33 pm
    The wait is now over as the second leg of the IRB World 7s series and the first 7s tournament of 2010, the New Zealand International 7s in Wellington, starts today. The Kenyan team has already secured a ticket to the quarter finals of the game after thrushing the United States 24-7 this morning with Lavin Asego scoring two trials, Collins Injera and Innocent Simiyu scoring one try each.

    Kenya is expected to play England later in the day.The New Zealand International 7s is rated as one of the best in the IRB World 7s Series.Rugby fans around the world will be cheering for their teams today and will be ecstatic to see their sides make it to the Cup quarter-finals, even going on to win the tournament tomorrow evening.


Yipe log

  • On Zuma Leadership and Africa’s Youth

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 4:31 pm by yipe
    Leadership can be described as a process of social influence. It is not just the ability to lead a group of followers effectively. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle cited character as the foundation of leadership – “to the right person, to the right extent, at the right time, with the right motive, and in the right way [...]

a search for sanity or..........

  • Expansive consciousness

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 4:20 pm by gal africana
    When I read Byron Katie, I can feel my whole mind shifting, and even feel the times when it doesn't want to shift. The lower mind likes to hold onto stuff, like a dog with a bone, and Katies words are, in my opinion, all about fluid, infinite and undefinable consciousness. This bogggles my lovely mind at times, and other times, I let go, and get a glimpse of a freedom...freedom that is blissfully indescribable :-D:

    "A clear mind sees that any past is just a thought. There's no proof of the validity of any thought, other than another thought. And even that thought is gone, and then the thought "that thought is gone" is itself gone. There is only "now" and even "now" is a thought of the past. Actually the universe has no beginning, and it is always over."

    Just a thought...oops!

SCHOOL FOR THE GIRLS

  • Italian lesson #1

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 2:56 pm by Miss Welby
    Here at the school of the girls we have a new subject: lessons in Italian language!

    Of course Rebecca and the girls know international language English, but Italian is superior, another thing altogether: it's the language of art, music, poetry, love and inspiration.

    It'll be fun as my lessons are gonna be musical, starting with Elisa Toffoli, or simply Elisa, the most talented young Italian singer, with her lyrics in English:



    ... but now get the same song translated into Italian. Are you ready? There we go!



    That was Italian lesson #1. More will follow. In the meantime, enjoy the latest one by Elisa (with lyrics in Italian only, try and translate). Anyway, open comments for the lyrics

    Girls (member of school for the girls) Have started some income generating programes, where they sale some African Kikoy fabrics (check on the side bar). you can buy one Kikoy fabric for 20 us dollars to support the Girls or pay school fee for one girl ang get one kikoy free!!!

Rugby in Kenya

  • Wellington Rugby 7's Update: Kenya 10 England 24

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 2:37 pm by ruggerbug
    Fired first then lost the plot. Only Weru and Simiyu across the line. We await our quarter final parings. I will post my comments later on today. Been up from early and still have a full day's work.Have a good Furahiday.UPDATE: We meet Samoa in the second quarter final at 04:55 a.m. EAT.

KA-INVESTOR

  • Changes at Nakumatt

    Posted: February 5, 2010, 2:17 pm by kainvestor
    The last two years have been tough for Nakumatt. First came the Thika road demolition, then the downtown fire tragedy and the wetland encronchment claim on westlands Nakumatt Ukay. All these have cost the supermarket chain quite a fortune. Its major recent expansions have been into Kampala and Rwanda, where they seem to be doing well.

    In the wake of news that Nakumatt CEO, Mr. Atul Shah, was named one of the top 50 emerging market business leaders by Financial Times, it has emerged that its top management has been resigning over the recent months. Including their media friendly COO, Thiagarajan Ramamurthy.

    Probably all this is linked to the incoming new investor, who is set to take up 30% shareholding in the firm at a cost of about US$25 million. The other main shareholders being Mr, Shah - the CEO and Hotnet Ltd – associated with Harun Mwau [Assistant Minister for Transport]. Like many other, Nakumatt’s bid to list on the NSE has taken a back sit until further notice.

Blah blah blah

Fish cakes

Alas a fish cake.

Yet more fish cakes

Guess what ... yeah ... fish cakes.

The end of the fish cakes

Kenyan Blogs