TIGblogs - Sean Amos's TIGBlog http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/ What's on the minds of young leaders from around the globe? en-us Kenya on Monday confirmed the first case of Swine Flu http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/718149

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 29 - Kenya on Monday confirmed the first case of Swine Flu involving 20-year-old British student who is on a field trip in Kisumu.

Public Health Minister Beth Mugo broke the news on Monday, saying that the patient may have had contact with the initial suspected case that turned negative on Saturday in Nairobi.

“The patient has been quarantined at a hotel in Kisumu,” she told a press conference at her Afya House office.

On Saturday a suspected case of Swine Flu in Kenya tested negative after momentarily spreading panic across Nairobi.

Ministry of Public Health officials said tests conducted at the Kenya Medical Research Institute – based Centre for Disease Control produced no traces of the H1N1 influenza virus.

Samples were taken from a 20-year old Kenyan female student who had arrived from London and reported that she may have come into contact with someone exhibiting symptoms of the flu.

She was rushed to the AAR Health Clinic at Sarit Centre, Westlands where doctors immediately alerted KEMRI officials who took over the case.

AAR Public Relations Officer Juliet Ratemo said: “We closed the AAR Health Centre and took all measures to ensure that our staff and other patients present did not come into further unprotected contact with the patient.”

News about the patient had spread across Nairobi via SMS overnight on Friday, spreading panic as people sought to know the authenticity of the text messages.

In mid this month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) raised the Pandemic alert status from phase 5 to phase 6, which meant that the disease had reached the emergency level.

“It’s not killing more people, it’s not more aggressive than before so don’t think because we have elevated the phase to 6 the disease has become more severe, no! It is about geographical spread. We have been expecting the worst, we are lucky it’s not that bad,” Dr David Okello, WHO Kenya Director had said.

After the alert was raised, Public Health Minister Beth Mugo said the government had stepped up surveillance of the influenza H1N1 and over 50,000 doses of the drug Tamiflu was in the stock pile for use in case of an outbreak in the country.

She had also said there was a ready isolation facility at the Kenyatta National Hospital in case of an outbreak.

The first case of influenza H1N1 virus was reported in late April in Mexico.

According to the WHO website, by Friday, there were 59,814 confirmed cases of the swine flu around the world. 263 people have died of the disease.

The H1N1 strain is a new type of virus that has not circulated previously in humans. The virus is contagious, spreading easily from one person to another and from one country to another.

Young people under the age of 25 years are the main casualties in all the countries.
A similar outbreak occurred in 1918 but was more severe than the current epidemic but the WHO warned that this may change hence the need for more vigilance.

Kenyans can get more information on the disease through the following contacts: 0722- 331 548,020-204 0542, 271 8292.

HOW IT SPREADS AND SYMPTOMS

The virus typically spreads from coughs and sneezes or by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching the nose or mouth. Symptoms are similar to those of the seasonal flu, and may include fever, sneezes, coughs, headache, muscles or joint pain, sore throat, chills, fatigue and runny nose.

The CDC notes that most hospitalizations have been people with underlying conditions such as asthma, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, or a weakened immune systems. In an attempt to slow the spread of the illness, a number of countries, especially in Asia, have enforced strict quarantines on travellers showing any symptoms, along with travellers seated nearby any infected persons.

]]> Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:06:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/718149 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 2 lost icons: For Generation X, a really bad day http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/716003

A record-shattering vinyl album and its moonwalking maestro. A paper poster of a golden-haired beauty in a one-piece swimsuit that was gossamer and clingy in all the right places.

It all seems so quaint now, the fragmented dream memories of a fleeting micro-era that began with words like "bicentennial" and "pet rock" and ended with MTV, Atari and absurdly thin cans of super-hold mousse.

The man-child named Michael Jackson and the luminous girl known as Farrah Fawcett-Majors jumped into our consciousness at a plastic moment in American culture — a time when the celebrity juggernaut we know today was still in diapers. When they departed Thursday, just a few hours and a few miles apart, they left an entire generation — a very strange generation indeed — without two of its defining figures.

"These people were on our lunchboxes," said Gary Giovannetti, 38, a manager at HBO who grew up on Long Island awash in Farrah and MJ iconography. "This," he said, "is the moment when Generation X realizes they're grown up."

It was a long time coming. Cynical, disaffected, rife with ADD, lost between Boomers and millennials and sandwiched between Vietnam and the war on terror, Gen X has always been an oddity. It was the product of a transitional age when we were still putting people on celebrity pedestals but only starting to make an industry out of dragging them down.

Its memorable moments were diffuse and confusing — the Ronald Reagan assassination attempt, the dawn of AIDS, the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger. It had no protest movement, no opponent to unite it, none of the things that typically shape the ill-defined beast we call an American generation.

These were the people who sent to the top of the charts a song called "We Don't Need Another Hero," then figured out how to churn them out wholesale, launching the celebrity obsession that is now an accepted part of American cultural fabric.

And that was personified nowhere better than in the two people who died Thursday.

She was, perhaps, the last in a line that began with Betty Grable in World War II — the bathing beauty who seemed kissed by the sun and exuded a potent combination of innocence and sexuality. But her "Charlie's Angels" jiggle-show image presaged another world entirely. It was the one that would come to be dominated first by Brooke and her Calvins and ultimately, as the hunger grew tawdrier, by American Apparel ads and the celebrity sex videos of Pamela Anderson and Paris Hilton.

She struggled for credibility after the poster and the Angels. She got it in 1984 with a dramatic turn as an abused wife in "The Burning Bed." But her last stand — a documentary about the cancer that killed her — was tainted by her run-ins with insatiable paparazzi and tabloids.

He was another thing entirely — perhaps the most recognizable face in the world, even more so than the pope or Barack Obama. His musical genius and energy seemed boundless for a time. They were rivaled only by his quirks, which consumed him.

He had a bumpy, extraordinarily public childhood. Then he spent an off-the-wall lifetime trying to get it back, erecting a ranch named after the fantasy land of Peter Pan and inviting children to share his life and his bed — with results that some said drifted into the criminal.

He caught fire in a Pepsi commercial. He shrouded his children in full-body coverings and dangled one over a balcony to show his fans below. His fabled multiple plastic surgeries turned him into someone almost unrecognizable. Nose sunk into face, cheekbones became caricature, ebony drifted into ivory.

Yet through it all, even when the years of his quirks outstripped the years of his glory, he remained one of the planet's most popular figures, selling out shows wherever he went. "Icon," the Rev. Al Sharpton said, was "only a fraction of what he was." But icon was, of course, what he always acted as if he wanted to be.

Today, celebrities aren't merely created for our consumption. Audiences are passive no longer. We demand a part in creating our icons: Jon and Kate Gosselin and their ilk might as well be publicly held companies, and we all insist upon buying a few shares. Farrah and Michael Jackson were other — above us, maybe, or apart from us. Now, when we crown new icons, we want them to BE us.

"We want everything right now, and there's a blurring of reality. When does the celebrity world stop and our world begin?" said Penni Pier, an associate professor of communications at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.

When Farrah gazed at us in her swimsuit and, a single moment in history later, MJ dared us to moonwalk, they commanded giant audiences. The world had not yet become fragmented into the microcommunities that exist today. We liked them or we hated them, but we shared the experience just as Walter Cronkite told us each night that "that's the way it is."

Today, when Lindsay Lohan Twitters pictures of herself to her legions of followers, the notion that a paper poster bought in a shopping-mall Spencer Gifts could change the celebrity game seems rustic. And the vinyl version of "Thriller," redolent of raw materials and production lines, is a ghost in the virtual world of iTunes — a world that the generation after X negotiates with the fluidity of natives.

In the 1990s, members of Generation X would often laugh in bars about how the time of the Boomers was passing — about how the quaintness and naivete that made up the 1960s was, finally, a grave being danced on by Kurt Cobain. Today, members of that same generation sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings of pop.

A sexy poster upon a boy's wall in which a young woman grins wholesomely. A record album called "Thriller" and its attendant music videos, built upon the notion that sexiness came in the frisson of hints and suggestions rather than in cutting directly to the big reveal.

In the end, finally, they stand as the relics of a generation — one that struggled to find its place and now, suddenly, while still young, one that must wonder if it is as passe as the paper and vinyl that its icons' most memorable moments were etched upon.

We don't need another hero? After this week, are we sure?

]]> Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:06:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/716003 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 Michael Jackson, the King of Pop is dead at 50 http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/715829
For his legions of fans, he was the Peter Pan of pop music: the little boy who refused to grow up. But on the verge of another attempted comeback, he is suddenly gone, this time for good.



Michael Jackson, whose quintessentially American tale of celebrity and excess took him from musical boy wonder to global pop superstar to sad figure haunted by lawsuits, paparazzi and failed plastic surgery, was pronounced dead on Thursday afternoon at U.C.L.A. Medical Center after arriving in a coma, a city official said. Mr. Jackson was 50, having spent 40 of those years in the public eye he loved.

The singer was rushed to the hospital, a six-minute drive from the rented Bel-Air home in which he was living, shortly after noon by paramedics for the Los Angeles Fire Department. A hospital spokesman would not confirm reports of cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead at 2:26 pm.

As with Elvis Presley or the Beatles, it is impossible to calculate the full effect Mr. Jackson had on the world of music. At the height of his career, he was indisputably the biggest star in the world; he has sold more than 750 million albums. Radio stations across the country reacted to his death with marathon sessions of his songs. MTV, which grew successful in part as a result of Mr. Jackson’s groundbreaking videos, reprised its early days as a music channel by showing his biggest hits.

From his days as the youngest brother in the Jackson 5 to his solo career in the 1980s and early 1990s, Mr. Jackson was responsible for a string of hits like “I Want You Back,” “I’ll Be There” “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” “Billie Jean” and “Black and White” that exploited his high voice, infectious energy and ear for irresistible hooks.

As a solo performer, Mr. Jackson ushered in the age of pop as a global product — not to mention an age of spectacle and pop culture celebrity. He became more character than singer: his sequined glove, his whitened face, his moonwalk dance move became embedded in the cultural firmament.

His entertainment career hit high-water marks with the release of “Thriller,” from 1982, which has been certified 28 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, and with the “Victory” world tour that reunited him with his brothers in 1984.

But soon afterward, his career started a bizarre disintegration. His darkest moment undoubtedly came in 2003, when he was indicted on child molesting charges. A young cancer patient claimed the singer had befriended him and then groped him at his Neverland estate near Santa Barbara, Calif., but Mr. Jackson was acquitted on all charges.

Reaction to his death started trickling in from the entertainment community late Thursday.

“I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news,” the music producer Quincy Jones said in a statement. “I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”

Berry Gordy, the Motown founder who helped develop the Jackson 5, told CNN that Mr. Jackson, as a boy, “always wanted to be the best, and he was willing to work as hard as it took to be that. And we could all see that he was a winner at that age.

Tommy Mottola, a former head of Sony Music, called Mr. Jackson “the cornerstone to the entire music business.”

“He bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and pop music and made it into a global culture,” said Mr. Mottola, who worked with Mr. Jackson until the singer cut his ties with Sony in 2001.

Impromptu vigils broke out around the world, from Portland, Ore., where fans organized a one-gloved bike ride (“glittery costumes strongly encouraged”) to Hong Kong, where fans gathered with candles and sang his songs.

In Los Angeles, hundreds of fans — some chanting Mr. Jackson’s name, some doing the “Thriller” dance — descended on the hospital and on the hillside house where he was staying.

Jeremy Vargas, 38, hoisted his wife, Erica Renaud, 38, on his shoulders and they danced and bopped to “Man in the Mirror” playing from an onlooker’s iPod connected to external speakers — the boom boxes of Mr. Jackson’s heyday long past their day.

“I am in shock and awe,” said Ms. Renaud, who was visiting from Red Hook, Brooklyn, with her family. “He was like a family member to me.”

Dreams of a Comeback

Mr. Jackson was an object of fascination for the news media since the Jackson 5’s first hit, “I Want You Back,” in 1969. His public image wavered between that of the musical naif, who wanted only to recapture his youth by riding on roller-coasters and having sleepovers with his friends, to the calculated mogul who carefully constructed his persona around his often-baffling public behavior.
]]> Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:06:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/715829 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 Ha..ha..ha http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/707361 A wealthy old lady decides to go on a photo safari in Africa, taking her poodle along for company.

One day the poodle starts chasing butterflies and before long, discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a hungry-looking leopard heading rapidly in his direction.

The poodle thinks, "Oh, oh!" Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard is about to leap, the poodle exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I wonder if there are any more around here?"

Hearing this, the leopard halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. "Whew!", says the leopard, "That was close! That poodle nearly had me!"

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So off he goes, but the poodle sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up. The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard.

The leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here, monkey, hop on my back so you can watch me chew that poodle to bits!"

Now, the poodle sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, "What am I going to do now?", but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and waits until they get just close enough to hear.

"Where's that damn monkey?" the poodle says, "I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!"
]]> Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:06:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/707361 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 Did you know this.... http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/707363 Personally I wouldn't marry someone I don't know. You need to know what
you are committing yourself to. After all we are talking about a
life-long commitment. Like the author, I also don't believe that one
should be in a relationship for five years before committing without a
sound reason, whatever that means. The point is: five years is too long a
time for two people to be involved without any progress.

They stay in relationships with hope. My advice to all the women is:
Start from now and ask your long relationship partner what he thinks about
you!

I am a man myself but I am sure that it will not take me years to marry a
woman Once I get a right woman with all the qualities or I need, I will
get married immediately. It will not take years, a year will be too long,
and a delay will be caused by arrangements. I also blame you women why
don't you ask your partners?

There are plenty guys who are interested in you but you always tell them
about your boyfriend that you have been involved for 4yrs and you are
happy, my question is if you are happy why are you in relationship for so
long
(4yrs) without marriage Women are not clever enough when it comes to do a
feasibility study about men.

WAKE UP AND ASK HIM (boyfriend): What will be my future with you? Do not
take excuses? Tell him your future plans Enough is enough ask him what
he is waiting for? If possible give him your parents' address and he must
tell them what he wants from you. If he came to play around with you he
will never come back. You must rather stay without a man rather than
wasting your time with someone who will hurt you and leave you, for how
long will you live like that? Once you are able to do that you will see
the future you were dreaming of.

A RIGHT MAN WHO LOVES YOU WILL COME AND DO THAT. You ladies with
long-term relationships ask your boyfriends today, if he is mumbling,
leave him because you will be depressed one day if you find out that he is
getting married to someone whom he met within 4 months. Imagine (4years =
4months) I am just picturing how your feeling will be? Ladies stay away
from those relationships, they are 3% useful and 97% wasting your time.
There could be someone out there who was going to marry you during this
4yrs maybe it was going to take him a year to marry you but you refused
you wanted to stay in a relationship with no due date. We are all working
according to time
(Projects, Deliveries, Purchasing, Contracts, etc.) Why Not Love Affairs?


I have sisters I always tell them because I want the best for them. Some
of you might not agree but I am sure this can help some of you.

PLEASE REMEMBER THIS: "IF A MAN IS STABLE IN LIFE, IN A RELATIONSHIP, BUT
NOT MARRIED, THEN IT IS BECAUSE HE IS NOT SURE ABOUT THE WOMAN THAT HE IS
WITH."

He is not willing to commit to her and constantly has his eye open for
something better or is waiting for her to become something better. Point
blank. When he finds a woman that he is satisfied with, he will make her
his wife. And ladies, sorry to tell some of you, but it doesn't take 4 or
5 years for that man to figure it out. It doesn't take 2 or 3 years
either.
The only reason that a man will get married after that long of a time is
because he's tired of looking for something better. And trust me, that's
definitely what he was doing all of those years. So if you should happen
to find yourself in one of those "long term" relationships then maybe you
should step back, take a look at yourself and wonder what it is that
you're missing by doing favors for this man who is not willing to fully
commit.

Don't make excuses to yourself and your girlfriends saying things like "Oh
he's waiting 'til he gets a better job" or "he's waiting to finish school"
or "he's waiting until he moves from his apartment to a house".

DON'T FOOL YOURSELF, IT'S NOT THAT COMPLICATED!!

Which one of those things can't be done with a wife or fiancé' by your side?
So ladies, when you read this think about your situation and that man that
you are living with, or the one that you spend many nights over his house
or him over yours. Think about your baby's father that you are still in a
sexual relationship with. Think about your "ex" that you are in a sexual
relationship with. Think about your "boyfriend". And definitely think
twice before you brag on a relationship that's a couple of years long and
you still have no commitment.

Like I've said before, I'm a man and I know the situation. I've been
there and I know that we can come up with some extremely reasonable
excuses, but.... DON'T FOOL YOURSELF, IT'S NOT THAT COMPLICATED!

"Ladies, can i hear you say Amen!!"

And

"Guys, let's be honest"
]]> Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:06:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/707363 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 Safari Sevens Countdown: Big guns coming to Nairobi http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/695887 Breaking News: Argentina, Fiji, France, Samoa and Japan set for Safari
Sevens 2009.

Reliable sources within the Kenya 7's team have confirmed that 5 high
profile IRB Series teams named above will participate in this years
tournament.

Confirmations are being awaited from world champions Wales and
Scotland while England have declined citing fatigue. New Zealand All
Blacks and Australia have indicated they will consider participating
in the near future while South Africa have continued with their policy
of sending the Junior Boks. How long they can avoid sending the main
Boks 7's team remains to be seen. The IRB Sevens Series champions
would be a welcome addition to the event.

With Uganda, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Namibia, Tanzania and Zambia filling
the African quarter this promises to be a very competitive competition
with defending champions Kenya the star attraction this time.
Scorpions will be the other Kenyan side. With so many IRB teams coming
this must be the best tournament ever.

Kopo's injury sustained against KCB is a worry as he was stretchered
off in the second half. We hope he will recover and be part of the
Kenya 7's squad. With Ayimba as the Mean Machine coach, he will surely
be monitoring his fitness closely.

]]> Thu, 11 Jun 2009 05:06:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/695887 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 Twitter: Efficiency engine or workplace distraction? http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/687699
Globe and Mail Update, Friday, Apr. 10, 2009 12:26AM EDT

taviag: Am tweeting while at work. Which, coincidentally, is what I'm writing about: time waster or career builder? 11:57 AM from web.

nejsnave@taviag: i think the correct answer is ‘both'. ;) about 24 hours ago from web

It used to be whistle while you work. Now, it's tweet.

That, for the uninitiated, is how you post on Twitter, the coolest kid on the social networking block.

Twitter is a microblogging tool that lets users send and read updates – or tweets – of up to 140 characters. People post random thoughts, a new Web link or business updates. In just a sentence or two.

In the past year, Twitter has caught on like wildfire. There are now about 4.5 million users over all, 70 per cent of whom joined in 2008, estimates market tracking firm HubSpot Inc. It calculates that 5,000 to 10,000 new accounts are being opened every day.

No wonder Twitter has become one of the fastest-growing social networking sites, according to Nielsen Online.

Canadians are in on the act: Toronto has become the world's sixth-most twittery city, HubSpot says.

And Twitter is infiltrating workplaces.

As growing numbers sit at their desk reading updates about a plane crash in Amsterdam, checking whether Barack Obama has posted his first tweet since becoming U.S. President – he has attracted more than 300,000 followers – or finding cool people to follow (hello, Stephen Colbert), it's a wonder any work gets done these days.

The debate over Twitter, as with all social networking sites, is whether it's a productivity enhancer or a workplace distraction.

Twitter 101 Here's how it works.

Sign in and fill out a profile. A box appears at the top of the page, asking “What are you doing?” Fill in the answer.

People who have signed up to track your postings (“followers”) receive your updates; conversely, you can receive musings from people you have chosen to follow – ranging from your company chief executive officer (Sun Microsystems CEI Jonathan Schwartz tweets) to basketball great Shaquille O'Neal.

Companies are learning how to put Twitter to work. Employees at Sony BMG Music Canada Inc. have been posting concert and album release dates, and WestJet Airlines Ltd. employees have given updates on seat sales and flight delays.

The proponents

Jen Evans, president of Toronto-based Sequentia Communications, has 1,649 followers and tracks the musings of 1,283 others. She is a huge Twitter fan – for herself and her staff of 16.

Her business involves connecting businesses with clients, and she's found Twitter invaluable for recruiting, drumming up business and building her brand.

Having staff on Twitter can be a “visibility enhancer,” she says.

Larger companies, too, are jumping on board.

Telus Corp. allows Twitter time at work. “You have to trust employees,” says spokesman Shawn Hall, who personally uses it “all the time” to stay connected to journalists, public relations groups and the telecommunications community.

The opponents

Employers are still wrestling with policies on Facebook and other more established social networking sites, never mind Twitter. But some, including several government departments, such as those for the City of Toronto, ban personal use at work.

Murray Key, operations manager of a steel warehousing company in Edmonton, can't stand to see staff whittle away their work hours on any kind of social networking.

“There is a time and place to be a social butterfly, to play inane games and to waste personal time, but for the vast majority of us, that place is not at work,” he says.

Experiment with it

Experts who have studied social media are landing on the side of permissiveness.

“The impression I have is that Canadian companies still don't get the value of these tools,” says Don Tapscott, chairman of business strategy think tank nGenera Insight and author of Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing your World.

Twitter has emerged as a “powerful tool that can speed up the metabolism of an organization, keep everyone better informed and enable greater agility and responsiveness to changing conditions.”

He encourages people to experiment with it. Managers should try it out – at least to understand how it works – and give employees a chance “to self-organize and collaborate using these tools,” he says.

Twitter can be a key marketing and networking tool, says productivity expert Steve Prentice, president of consulting firm Bristall Morgan in Toronto. He suggests companies start trying it out on an internal basis – starting from the top, with CEOs, to boost communication with staff. And companies should have a policy in place so workers understand perimeters.

Given the growing desire to share information, in real time on the Web, employers take note: The tweeting will only get louder.

Have ideas on any innovative trends in the workplace? Send a tweet to @TaviaG.
]]> Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:04:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/687699 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 Ten big lies that Kenyans tell themselves to escape reality http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/678205

OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, Kenyans seem to have developed an almost pathological ability to lie to themselves. Today, everywhere you turn, somebody is buck-passing. Nobody wants to take responsibility any more. Psychologists probably explain it best as a desperate mechanism to cope with the harsh realities of life, but this doesn’t make it less bizarre and surreal. Doubt me? Consider these 10 common lies.

One, that the government has to help us with our personal problems. How many times have you seen on TV a Mama Mboga whose kiosk has been demolished, or somebody who, somehow, has sired 16 children saying, “naomba serikali itusaidie…”?

Fact is, there is no animal known as government that has bottomless pockets to solve people’s individual problems. Government is there to formulate policy and construct basic infrastructure with tax money. Anyone who wants to benefit from your tax money is a parasite.

THE SECOND LIE IS THAT KENYA IS a rich country whose wealth is looted by its leaders. Ha ha ha! Kenya is actually extremely poor. With nearly 40 million people, according to the CIA’s factbook, the country has a Gross National Product of just $31 billion. Contrast that to Singapore, with a population of about 4.7 million and a GDP of $155 billion. Kenyans should be thinking of baking a bigger cake, not how to share crumbs!

The third lie? That Kenyans are decent, hardworking people, but their leaders are bad. Go tell it to the birds. People get the leaders they deserve. And on that hard-working bit, it is only true for a very small part of the population, mostly women.

If you go to the rural areas, you will find most shopping centres clogged with .drunk men as early as 9 am. Without women, this country would be as poor as Sierra Leone! Lie number four is that a new Constitution will solve all our problems. Fat chance. We have laws against murder and arson, but did that stop the atrocities of early 2008 and the mayhem wreaked by Mungiki?

Fact is, a Constitution is as good as its implementation, otherwise it is just a piece of paper with ink stains. Countries like Britain don’t even have a written one. We need to rediscover our moral direction more than we need a Constitution. Lie number five is that foreigners, especially diplomats like US Ambassador Michael Ranneberger love us very much.

Let’s be blunt here. Diplomats are sent here by their governments to represent their own interests. They don’t love Kenya any more than they love Bhutan or Haiti. This to them is just a work-station. Nobody loves Kenya as Kenyans do, or should. This is your home, and only you can change it for the better. Start working on it.

The sixth lie is that Kenyans are a Godly, peace-loving people. OK, maybe we go to churches and mosques, but that doesn’t make us more God-fearing than the Russians or the Chinese. Which God-loving people wake up one day and start hacking each other with pangas (machetes)?

The seventh lie? That to jumpstart Kenya we need free education, free healthcare…. Let’s all get this clear: There’s nothing like a free lunch. When you are a poor country with no infrastructure and you spend the little you have on NGO-driven freebies, you’ll remain just that — poor. Free things should only be for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, such as the old and disabled.

Lie number eight — that it is poverty that leads to crime and acts of stupidity — has become popular of late. People burn while looting a fuel truck, or steal from the corpses of road accident victims and all you hear is the “poverty” excuse.

NOW, IF POVERTY WAS THE ROOT OF all evil, how come there are some really good people like national rugby coach Ben Ayimba from places like Kibera? Lie number nine? That a Kenyan ‘Obama’ will swoop down to save this country and lead us to everlasting prosperity.

The messianic narrative may make you sleep better, but it won’t happen. Look at China, the greatest economic miracle on earth. It has taken the sacrifice of an entire generation to pull millions out of poverty. One ‘Obama’ cannot do the job alone. Lie number ten. That your ethnic community is more hardworking, more honest than the others. If that were so, how come you — as a person and as a community — are still as poor as you are?

Mr Kimani writes for The EastAfrican.]]> Mon, 25 May 2009 04:23:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/678205 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 Sean in Switzerland http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/559229


]]> Sun, 07 Dec 2008 01:12:00 EST http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/559229 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 Shedding some light on Africa http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/532479
Question: I am thinking of going on a mission trip to Kenya, but my mother is against it, because she was watching the National Geographic channel the other day and found out that there are lions there. Is that true and how do I protect myself? -- Mike, New York.

Answer: Yes, there are lions in Kenya and most of them, as your mother may have told you, are big and hungry. Now you know why Kenyans are such good runners. You can protect yourself by wearing a good pair of running shoes and always carrying a spear. It's also wise to travel with a companion, preferably one who's slower than you. I don't mean to scare you, but most lions in Kenya are tired of eating local people and consider foreigners a delicacy. So please give your mother a big hug before you leave. And don't forget to write a will.

Q: My company has offered me a short stint in Zimbabwe. Before I accept, I have a couple of questions. Does Zimbabwe have any cities? What about electricity? -- Luther, Maryland.

A: There are no cities in Zimbabwe, only villages. Harare is the capital village. There's no electricity either, just something called electrivillage. Don't worry: It will provide enough light for your hut, as long as you remember to fill it up regularly with fireflies.

Q: My husband and I are traveling to Somalia next month. Do they accept credit cards there or should we carry cash? -- Jennifer, North Carolina.

A: Neither. Your best bet is to carry lots of shells. You can buy them at a crafts store or collect them at the beach. Five hundred shells will get you a room in a decent hotel, but if you want to stay in a first-class one, you'll probably have to shell out more.

Q: My friends and I will be visiting South Africa soon, but would also like to see the magnificent Victoria Falls in Zambia. Can we travel there by air? -- Josh, Washington.

A: Yes, you can certainly travel by air. Just get on a tree and keep swinging. You'll be there in no time. And you're right: the Victoria Falls is magnificent. It's like the Niagara on Viagra.

Q: I'm going to be spending two years in Uganda as a Peace Corps volunteer. I will have plenty of work during the day, but I'm not sure how to spend my nights. What do Ugandans do for entertainment? -- Donna, Connecticut.

A: Ugandans are just like other Africans. They entertain themselves by sitting in a circle around a fire and singing "Kumbaya." In some remote villages, they may even tell jokes about any foreigner in their midst. But if they start calling the event a "roast," be prepared to run.

Q: I am hoping to visit Namibia in a few months. Just wondered if I should take my cell phone with me. Will I be able to communicate with it? -- Nathan, Indiana.

A: You will certainly be able to communicate with it. Just use the buttons to make clicking sounds. Here's the key: one click means 'I come in peace,' two clicks mean 'Take me to your leader,' and three clicks mean 'No, I am not edible.']]> Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:33:00 EST http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/532479 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 Barack Obama's Kenyan relatives cheer win http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/517979
In the western village of Kogelo, where the Democratic candidate's late father was born, police had tightened security to prevent hordes of media and onlookers from entering the rural homestead of Obama's step-grandmother, Sarah.

But the elderly woman and several other relatives came outside Wednesday to cheer for Obama in a country where the Democrat is seen as a "son of the soil."

Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki declared Thursday a public holiday in honor of Obama's victory.

Across Africa — where Obama is wildly popular — people stayed up all night or woke before dawn Wednesday to watch the U.S. election results roll in. In the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, people chanted "Obama! Obama!" as the results were announced on television.

"He's in!" said Rachel Ndimu, 23, a business student who joined hundreds of others at the residence of the U.S. ambassador for an election party that began at 5 a.m. "I think this is awesome, and the whole world is backing him."

Many hope an Obama presidency will help this vast continent, the poorest in the world. Some are looking for more U.S. aid to Africa, others simply bask in the glory of a successful black politician with African roots.

Obama was born in Hawaii, where he spent most of his childhood reared by his mother, a white American from Kansas. He barely knew his late father. But that has not stopped "Obamamania" from sweeping the continent and particularly Kenya, where his picture adorns billboards and minibuses.

Hundreds of chanting people marched through the streets of Kibera shantytown, one of Africa's largest slums, cheering Obama's win.

Samuel Ouma, 36, said the victory alleviated some of the pain suffered in December after Kenya's disastrous presidential election, which unleashed weeks of violence.

"We finally have got the stolen election," he said.

Gibson Gaitho, 14, said he does not believe an Obama presidency will change his life much but said he is inspired by the rise of a man with Kenyan roots. His teachers at Mangu High School in Thika brought the students to watch the results at the ambassador's residence in Nairobi.

"As Kenyans we feel proud," he said. "But we know Obama will be working for the United States."]]> Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:57:00 EST http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/517979 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 Outrageous excuses for missing work http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/517957
• Employee said he was crabby and it wouldn’t be good for business
• Employee got whiplash from brushing her hair
• Employee said her psychic told her to stay home or something awful would happen to her
• Employee said he wasn’t feeling well and wanted to rest up for the company’s holiday party that night
• Employee said her chickens’ feet were frozen to the driveway
• At her sister’s wedding, the employee chipped her tooth on a Mint Julep, bent over to spit it out, hit her head on a keg and was knocked unconscious with a mild concussion
• Employee claimed to have met a movie star and was spending the day with him
• Employee was injured while getting a haircut
• Employee tasted some dog food because the dog was not feeling well and now the employee is sick
• Employee’s roommate locked all his clothes in a shed for spite
• A groundhog bit the employee’s car tire, causing it to go flat
• Employee had been up all night because their favorite “American Idol” contestant was voted off ]]> Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:42:00 EST http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/517957 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 I sure am proud to be a Kenyan http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/507730
Then the strains of our national anthem drift round the stadium, as our beautiful flag proudly flaps along. It is the only moment when the slogan, “I’m proudly Kenyan”, makes sense to me.

I rarely cry. In fact, I cannot remember the last time I cried, but watching Kenya stamp its sporting prowess during the Olympics — stolen votes, post-election violence and buying our athletes notwithstanding— stirred something in me. It touched a chord that almost brought tears to my eyes.

There are many reasons to be proudly Kenyan, as this e-mail I received from an old schoolmate, Edwin “Edushe” Njuguna, and which I hear corrupt, attests.

You could be proudly Kenyan because: It’s only in Kenya where University students can riot a week before exams and get a year’s holiday at home to prepare for the same exams.

You can buy certificates or degrees from River Road. Some schools and colleges are located above pubs. You have to attend tuition to make it to a national school. Graduates and Form Four leavers “tarmac” for jobs.

No one cares about curfews or age restrictions on beer drinking. You can buy booze, grilled meat and play darts in a police canteen.

Furahi Day

You can start smoking at 10. We have the most delicious roasted nyama choma (roast meat) in the world. You can get a driver’s licence without ever taking a driving test.

Eating Pizza is “high life.” We have some of the most beautiful, stylishly dressed women yet they don’t realise it. Hot tea is compulsory every morning.

“Matatus have to play loud music to attract passengers. The only country where people fear rain more than car accidents.

Wednesday is Lady’s Night and Friday is “Furahi Day” (happy day) that spills over to the weekend…which other country can match that?

“You can “have fun” on Sh40 by drinking some illicit brew. You can grab a school compound, cemetery even, and get away with it. Ten bob (ten shillings) can buy you lunch—Githeri (maize and beans) and Uji (porridge). Ugali is everyone’s staple diet.

“Your things can be stolen while you are looking. The police can take 24 hours to come to your rescue because there is no fuel. You can brush your teeth by chewing a one-shilling roasted maize cob.

“You can report to work at 8a.m.,drap your coat on your chair and return to pick it at 5p.m. and still get paid. You know the election results before the campaigns begin.

“It’s the best place on earth for a vacation. You almost always have to have a godfather to get employed.

“We’ll take you in if you get deported from wherever. You can share a house with chicken, cows, goats and sheep, wake up, dress in a suit and a tie while smelling like an animal and no one will care.

“Robbers can invade a bank, lead the hostages in singing church hymns, deliver a sermon on the value of earthly possessions, collect the “offering”, give the watchman fare home and invite everyone to a celebratory bash in a downtown club before leaving and not get caught.

“An Mbwa kali (Fierce dog) sign is supposed to scare away thieves. “Flying out” is a culture of sorts.

“If one person stares into the sky, a crowd will gather and do the same and before long, a story is formed about how a guy jumped from a building...blah! blah! blah! Fish cake.

You can strategically pose for a snap looking like you’re sitting on top of KICC.

Of thee I sing

Tourists are given booklets on how to say Jambo (Which Kenyans greet others like that?) and ask for directions in Kiswahili, but no guidebook on the answers. Sasa? doesn’t mean “now”; it’s a greeting much like “Otherwise?”

Being called mad is a compliment. “Man, this guy is mad. You know what he did...” then they’ll recount some of your admirable exploits.

On the other hand, “Are you normal? (pronounced “nomo”), means your marbles upstairs could be chipping.

“Reassure your doubters (also called haters) by buying another round.

Indeed, you are proudly Kenyan since it’s the country of your ancestors. You were born, and will probably will be buried here. And didn’t your grandfather fight for our independence?

And so, my country—where justice isn’t always our shield and defender, where dwelling in unity, peace and liberty depends on which community the president comes from, where plenty is found within our borders, but not for everyone.

My homeland of Kenya, a heritage of splendour—of thee I sing, “I’m proudly Kenyan!”
]]> Sat, 25 Oct 2008 09:04:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/507730 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 An unknown candidate running for the US of A presidency.... http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/501775 Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:44:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/501775 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 POVERTY-POEM http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/501627 No permanent place to sleep
Hunger, hunger my stomach complains
The mouth always dry
Bins are the sources of my food
Clothes are tattered and torn
When I cry for help , no one come to my rescue

Everyday I am always shouting
Begging in the city centre streets
Where the riches do their shopping
Sometimes I don’t
± ± ± ± because of weakness and hunger
They always scold me and neglect me

I walk barefooted
My teeth always dirt
My hair scruffy
No toothpaste and soap available
I use water from public places

My fellows go to school
Whilst I am busy walking in the streets
My relatives denied me
I am an opharn
I have no one to care for me

When I seek help from churches
They say we have no money
Public places are the source of water
I hope one day in my life
God will rescue me
From this bondage of poverty

poem by
HANDSEN CHIKOWORE from Zimbabwe]]> Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:57:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/501627 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 Poverty http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/501623
Violence often results from the refusal to share, from exclusion, from inadequate education and poverty; the resulting sense of frustration manifests itself through the outbreak of all sorts of violence.

The demographic explosion, human movements, violence, exclusion, poverty, aggression against migrants and terrorism are problems which must not be dealt with in an isolated manner, within one country or group of countries, but rather in a perspective of solidarity and co-operation.

Over the years, we have heard theories advanced by leaders of G8 countries, NGOs, the World Bank and other donor agencies as the causes of poverty in Third World countries.

What is more intriguing is that they are all in agreement that poverty in poor countries is caused by corruption and poor governance. They deliberately side step the more critical issue of external debt.

More than two billion people in the world today live in extreme poverty, lacking access to clean water and without basic sanitation. Statistics from Unicef shows that this year alone, 15 million children under the age of five years will die of preventable diseases.

For those children who live past five years, more than 300 million will work instead of going to school.

Several hundred millions live in countries where crushing debts stand in the way of lasting poverty reduction.

It is imperative to understand the genesis of debt in our country and indeed other poor nations for the sake of posterity.

Unless factors which perpetuated poverty are acted upon decisively, next year, there could be a large proportion of people living in poverty than today.]]> Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:48:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/501623 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 British firm to invest $162 mln in Kenya's energy plant http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/498663
The plant to be constructed by Aldwych International Ltd (Aldwych) and Burmeister Wain Scandinavian Contractor A/S (BWSC) is expected to bring stability and prosperity to Kenya's electricity consumers and its citizens.

"As developer and contractor of the Rabai power plant, we at BWSC are very proud to have been associated with the development of this vital project and awarded this important milestone," SorenBarkhold, Executive Director at BWSC told journalists in Nairobi.

"We are looking forward to becoming part of the Kenyan community and to participating in the country's further development and prosperity," Barkholt said.

The Rabai Power Plant is the largest single investment in Kenyasince the establishment of the new administration and will be delivering much needed power to the national grid before the end of 2009.

"Electricity is fundamental to Kenya's economic prosperity and development. In implementing the Rabai project we will do our very best to contribute to the Kenyan goal of providing a reliable and cost effective supply of electricity for the whole country", stated Mark Fitzpatrick, Managing Director of Aldwych.

The task of developing, financing, constructing and operating the 90MW diesel engine based power plant was awarded to Aldwych and BWSC on Nov. 30, 2006.

"I am thrilled to have such experienced and professional sponsors responsible for the construction and operation of the power plant. For Kenya, the project is a vital catalyst for the further development of the country, and I am confident that the sponsors will fulfill all their obligations. I wish them every success in their new venture," said Joseph Njoroge, CEO of KPLC which was responsible for awarding the contract.

The output (90MW), sufficient to provide power to up to 400,000households, will be sold to Kenya Power Lighting Company Ltd. (KPLC), through a 20-year power purchase agreement.

The project was awarded on a build-own-operate-transfer basis through an international competitive bidding process.

The facility's output will be sold to Kenya Power and Lighting Co. in a 20-year power-purchase agreement.

The new plant, located 20 km from Mombasa, will be not only the most efficient thermal fuel plant in Kenya but also one of the cleanest, as it will be operated to meet stringent international environmental and social standards.

Following commercial operations, BWSC and Aldwych have forecasted savings of billions of shillings as the Rabai plant will displace some of the older and more costly emergency diesel plants that are currently being used to bolster the constrained Kenyan power supply. ]]> Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:43:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/498663 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 5 Examples of Student Ingenuity in Kenya http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/498473 FROM BLOG: White African - Where Africa and technology Collide

My good friend Josiah Mugambi in Nairobi was at the Kenya chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) exhibition in Nairobi last weekend. This is where students showcase their innovation in engineering, ICT, mobile application and renewable energy. He did me a great favor by sharing some pictures and research that he did on some of the really interesting students he came across.

1. MPESA Online Shopping

By Denis Ndwiga Nyaga

Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph was especially interested in this one for obvious reasons. Denis called it ‘nakupesi‘, Naku for Nakumatt (the local mega-store). nakupesi is an online shopping mall, with payment based on MPESA. One would need to be registered on MPESA to be able to pay for items online via MPESA. One thing that is possibly lacking is delivery to one’s residence or office after purchase. This shouldn’t be too hard to incorporate though.

2. Green Tree Markets - a Business Intelligence tool for farmers

By Andrew Owuor

This looked quite interesting - A business intelligence tool that allows a farmer to choose where to sell his produce based on price, and location. Some of the obstacles that the developer Andrew Owuor mentioned include the need for real time market data from markets round the country, for the system to be of use. This isn’t a completely new idea, but it’ll be interesting to see what local twists are created for East Africa.


3. Automatic headlight dimming for two approaching vehicles -

By Jemimah Wachenje

Jemimah has developed a system that automatically dips two vehicles head lights when approaching each other at night. Josiah has ranted about headlights before, and I agree, it would be very useful and potential could reduce some accidents on those dark lightless roads around Kenya.

4. Energy harvesting using piezos to charge mobile phones -

by Richard Assanga Otolo and Gilbert Barasa

Very interesting, yet practical.

5. Synchronous Solar Heliostat -

by Samuel Njoroge

Sammy Njoroge’s demostration of a synchronous solar heliostat used to track the sun, and orient a solar panel accordingly thus improving the efficiency of solar panels. Automatic tracking of the sun to increase the efficiency of solar panels, Makes economic sense. Innovation runs in the family it seems.
]]> Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:25:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/498473 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 By all Means... MARRY! http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/489681 That must be why my wife treats me like toxic waste.
David Bissonette

When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her.
Sacha Guitry

After marriage, husband and wife become two sides of a coin; they just can't face each other, but still they stay together.
Hemant Joshi

By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. Socrates

Woman inspires us to great things, and prevents us from achieving them.
Dumas

The great question... which I have not been able to answer... is, "What does a woman want?
Sigmund Freud

I had some words with my wife, and she had some paragraphs with me.
Anonymous

"Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays."
Henny Youngman

"I don't worry about terrorism. I was married for two years."
Sam Kinison

"There's a way of transferring funds that is even faster than electronic banking. It's called marriage."
James Holt McGavran

"I've had bad luck with both my wives. The first one left me, and the second one didn't."
Patrick Murray

Two secrets to keep your marriage brimming
1. Whenever you're wrong, admit it,
2. Whenever you're right, shut up.
Nash

The most effective way to remember your wife's birthday is to forget it once..
Anonymous

You know what I did before I married? Anything I wanted to.
Henny Youngman

My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met.
Rodney Dangerfield

A good wife always forgives her husband when she's wrong.
Milton Berle

Marriage is the only war where one sleeps with the enemy.
Anonymous

A man inserted an 'ad' in the classifieds: "Wife wanted". Next day he received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: "You can have mine."
Anonymous

First Guy (proudly): "My wife's an angel!"
Second Guy: "You're lucky, mine's still alive."
]]> Mon, 29 Sep 2008 05:07:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/489681 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 Barack and Sarah: Yes, We Kenya! http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/489655
Readers of this blog know that I have long been fascinated by the East African nation and former British colony.

It was Kenya, of course, that the young Princess Elizabeth was visiting in 1952 when her father King George VI died in London. Elizabeth was staying at the famed Treetops Hotel (essentially a five-star treehouse) when she received the news that her beloved father had passed on, making her Queen. Indeed it was said she "went up a princess and came down a Queen."

I oftentimes imagine myself as a bellhop at the Treetops hotel, on duty at the time of Elizabeth's visit and tasked by the hotel's manager with delivering the news. (It's not the kind of information you convey with a call from the Front Desk.) Would I climb the tree and pin a note to the branch outside her window? Or would I clear my throat from the bottom of the Queen's tree to get her attention, then discreetly deliver the news? Perhaps I would blow into a conch?

Of course the news was a double whammy: her father had died, yes, but she was now Queen. So maybe this called for the classic "I've-got-some-good-news-and-some-bad-news" approach:

"Bad news first, Princess. Your father is dead. I'm deeply deeply sorry." (Wait a beat.) "But on the bright side, you now get to be Queen!"

As a child I used to gaze at the pictures of a cosmopolitan Nairobi in the 1974 World Book encyclopedia. (My mother still has the set in the house where I grew up. I feel badly for kids that don't have the giant set of encyclopedia spanning the shelf in their family room.) Everyone was impossibly chic, long lithe figures sashaying down the left side of the city's main thoroughfare. Drenched in sunlight but never breaking a sweat.

I did wonder why Kenya had so many long distance runners but so few world-class sprinters. (Conversely I've always understood why Jamaica, Kenya's track-and-field opposite, has so many great sprinters: Jamaica is simply too small and densely populated for long distance running. One would become nauseated constantly running in tiny circles.)

Suffice it to say, Kenya existed primarily in my dream-life. But now Kenya has become a reality. A campaign '08 reality.

First there's the conspicuous absence of Barack Obama's father, the globe-trotting grad school student Barack Obama, Sr. That very absence, the candidate has said, shaped and strengthened him.

(How can I put this delicately? That the candidate's Kenyan father is "unavailable" for comment might not be such a bad thing for the Obama campaign. It's not just the questions over the father's religious beliefs – questions which have unfairly cast a shadow over the son. For Barack Sr., "study abroad" apparently meant "study a broad" – or was it "studly abroad"? -- traveling from continent to continent on scholarship and fathering his own Model UN along the way. Grad school is a dreary slog for most people. Not for Barack, Sr.)

His father's restlessness aside, Kenya has loomed large in Barack Jr.'s political identity. The candidate describes himself as a "citizen of the world." No doubt Barack's late mother, the intrepid Ann Dunham, was the main influence. But his Kenyan relatives, including his irrepressible Granny Sarah, are key.

And now comes word – and YouTube evidence – of Sarah Palin's consultation with wacky witchdoctor and Kenyan Thomas Muthee, only months before she filed to run for governor of Alaska:

The most controversial line of the video: Muthee's prayer to "make her way my God. Bring finances her way even for the campaign in the name of Jesus. ... Use her to turn this nation the other way around."

Naturally the soliciting of campaign contributions in Jesus' name raises all sorts of thorny issues:

Did Palin list Jesus as a donor? Under Federal election law, this is mandated.
If so, did Jesus observe the $2300 hard money limit established by McCain-Feingold? Or did He contribute through a PAC, in which case the limit would be $5000? A violation of either limit would be ironic, considering the law's co-sponsor!

(Of course Jesus could create a 527 and give unlimited money for the production of issue ads. Those ads may not endorse a specific candidate, though they may criticize an opponent. Hence the legality of the swift boat ads in 2004.)

So what do you think of Kenya's role in the 2008 election? Is it troubling? Or cool and refreshing?!
]]> Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:43:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/489655 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 BE CAUTIOUS - EVENT SCAMS! http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/480345
I received this e-mail in my TIG inbox from a user using the user name gcwyo and both names are GLOBAL YOUTH from USA.
Many scams invite people to register for a youth conference and are meant only to collect registration fees. Please be aware and only pay fees when you are certain it is a legitimate even. Common schemes include events taking place in both Guinea-Bissau or other country and the USA.
These may be scams:
>The International Conference on Racism and Child Abuse, in the USA and Napoli.
>World Conference Against Racism and Discrimination, in Washington D.C, USA and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
>Global Change World Youth Organization in Dakar and New York City.

The email i received:

GLOBAL CHANGE WORLD YOUTH ORG.
No 157 West 47th
Street New York,
NY 10036
UNITED STATE OF AMERICA
TELE-+1-206-888-4105
FAX-+1-610-885-5827


CONFERENCE/INVITATION
Dear Friend,
My name is Madam Williams Beauty, working with (GLOBAL CHANGE WORLD YOUTH ORG)
New York, U.S.A. We are organizing a global youths combined conferences taking place from
OCT 5TH-8th 2008 at Johnstown NEW YORK in the United States and in, Dakar Senegal from
12TH-15TH OCT 2008.
In our request to invite people from various countries around the world,
If you are interested to participate and want to represent your country,
you may contact the secretariat of the organizing committee for details and information.
I believe that we may have the opportunity to meet if you may be willing to participate in
this event.
You can also inform youths NGOs in your country about these conferences.
The benevolent donors of the Organizing Committee will provide round trip air tickets
and accommodation for the period of participants Stay in the U.S.A,
to all registered participants. All Delegates and Participants will be responsible only for
their hotel Booking where the second phase of the Conference will be held in Dakar Senegal
If you are a holder of an international passport that may require visa to
enter the United States you may inform the conference secretariat at the time of
registration, as the organizing committee is responsible for all visa arrangements
and travel assistances. Below is the contact address of the conference secretariat:
By +1 (206) 888-4105 OR
by Fax +1 (712)-(403-4963)
emails:
globalrevolution@newyork.usa.com
OR
globalchanga@africamail.com

Thanks
Yours Sincerely,
Madam Williams Beauty,
GCWO Secretary General]]> Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:37:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/480345 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 How to Write a CV http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/478279
Do
# Keep your CV simple and easy to read with well demarcated sections.

# Use bullet points. Bulleted points are a great way to save space and add impact. They are effective and easy to read.

# Thoroughly check spelling and grammar. Ask friends or colleagues to read through your CV. They can easily spot obvious errors. Spelling or grammatical mistakes suggest poor attention to detail and makes a poor impression.

# Balance content versus length. A two page CV is ideal, but do not use ridiculously small text to accommodate two pages, an extra page will do no harm.

# Adjust the CV to suit the role. CVs with specific roles in mind are always more successful than general CV‘s.

# Sell your skills and all the benefits you have to offer the employer.

# Treat your CV as work in progress and give it a polish often.

Do Not
# Do not write in shorthand, text talk, ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, poor or broken English.

# Do not add your photo to your CV. You will be hired because of your skills not looks.

# Do not have an overly elaborate or stylistic CV. Avoid a multitude of colour and a range of fonts. Use time on CV content not CV design.

# Do not insert trivial details like what primary school you went to, place of birth or marital status.

# Do not include humour.

# Do not undersell yourself. If you have something marketable, then indicate it in a clear and concise manner. ]]> Mon, 15 Sep 2008 08:04:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/478279 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 How is artificial rain produced? http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/465355
The need to develop and improve rain-making techniques in terms of design, operation, monitoring and evaluation by giving them a more scientific character is today's need.

This includes using computers to study cloud formations and help the rain-making operations achieve the goals of the project. The role of weather modification, or rain-making, is an important component in water resource management.

The process involved in artificial rain-making involves three easy-to-understand stages. The first stage is agitation. That is using chemicals to stimulate the air mass upwind of the target area to rise and form rain clouds.

The chemicals used during this stage are calcium chloride calcium carbide, calcium oxide, a compound of salt and urea, or a compound of urea and ammonium nitrate. These compounds are capable of absorbing water vapour from the air mass, thus stimulating the condensation process.

The second stage is called building-up stage. Here the cloud mass is built up using chemicals such as kitchen salt, the T.1 formula, urea, ammonium nitrate, dry ice, and occasionally also calcium chloride to increase nuclei which also increase the density of the clouds. In the third stage of bombardment chemicals such as super-cool agents: silver iodide and dry ice are used to reach the most unbalanced status which builds up large beads of water (Nuclei) and makes them fall down as raindrops.

In planning every stage a high degree of expertise and experience is required, in selecting the types and amounts of chemicals to be used, while taking into consideration weather conditions, topographical conditions, wind direction and velocity as well as the location or delimitation of the area for chemical seeding. Several other ideas are also involved in rain making. Rockets containing rain-making chemicals can be fired into the clouds either from the ground or from aircraft.

A jet of rain-making chemicals is shot from a highly pressurised cannister directly into the cloud base, so as to coerce clouds which normally hang above mountain tops to cluster up and rain on the mountain or their slopes.

Rain-making chemicals are added to super-cooled clouds, i.e., those at altitudes above 18,000 metres, to stimulate the formation of ice crystals in the cloud or cloud cluster. ]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:29:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/465355 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 Mugabe heckled by opposition during opening of parliament.... http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/464427
HARARE, Zimbabwe - Opposition legislators jeered President Robert Mugabe on Tuesday as he opened Zimbabwe's parliament, singing and chanting and sometimes drowning out his voice.
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The rare show of defiance — broadcast live on national television — set the stage for a combative legislature, even as Mugabe and his political foes try to negotiate a power sharing arrangement after disputed elections.

Mugabe's speech could sometimes not be heard over the jeers of his opponents, who clapped and sang songs deriding him and the ZANU-PF. "ZANU is rotten. You are great liars," they sang.

"We are tired of you," they shouted.

Looking annoyed, Mugabe first raised his voice then raced through the final lines of a speech railing against the West for sanctions it has imposed on people and companies linked to him, including travel bans and asset freezes.

Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe with increasing authoritarianism since declaring independence from its former colonizer, Britain, in 1980 and had turned parliament into a rubber-stamp body.

But, with the country in economic freefall, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change has gained a strong following in recent years and this March clinched a parliamentary majority, posing the most serious threat yet to the 84-year-old leader's decades-long rule.

Tuesday's raucous session may be a glimpse into a future of bitter debates and close votes in parliament.

Opposition legislators also presented a petition Tuesday pointing out that the opening of the parliament was "a clear breach" of the agreement that led to power-sharing talks.

It called Mugabe "the illegitimate usurper of the people's will."

The petition also condemned the arrests of opposition legislators. When parliamentarians reported Monday to be sworn in, two were arrested. A third opposition legislator who is on the team negotiating power-sharing was arrested at his home early Tuesday, the opposition reported.

Opposition spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the arrests are an attempt to subvert his party's slight majority in parliament.

Some 2,000 opposition activists remain jailed in Zimbabwe months after March 29 elections where they garnered more votes than Mugabe and his party.

Mugabe reacted violently, unleashing soldiers, police and militants accused of killing nearly 200 opposition members, breaking the limbs of thousands and forcing tens of thousands from their homes with fire attacks.

In March, Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change won 100 of the 210 seats in parliament, upsetting ZANU-PF's long-held majority. Mugabe's party won 99 seats and a splinter opposition faction won 10. An independent who broke away from Mugabe's party has the remaining seat.

In parliament Monday, the opposition's Lovemore Moyo won the race for speaker by a surprising 110 votes to 98. The ballot was secret, but Moyo apparently got votes from both Mugabe's party and the splinter faction to win a post that puts him in charge of parliament's debate and schedule and gives him the power to appoint committee chairmen.

Parliament's first order of business will be to approve funds for government ministries and projects — a budget vote that normally would have been completed months ago. So government business will remain largely paralyzed until legislators meet again on Oct. 14.

If the opposition continues to win support from the splinter faction, it would have the simple majority needed to block those funds. But if there is deadlock, Mugabe could dissolve the assembly and rule by decree. It is unlikely the opposition could summon the two-thirds vote needed to impeach Mugabe.

Meanwhile, there is a standoff in the negotiations over how Tsvangirai and Mugabe would share power.

Tsvangirai beat Mugabe and two other candidates in presidential elections held alongside the legislative balloting, but did not gain the simple majority needed to avoid a runoff. Mugabe held a one-man runoff and declared himself victor despite Western condemnation.

The opposition blames Zimbabwe's crisis on Mugabe's increasingly autocratic and corrupt rule. Zimbabwe began unraveling after Mugabe ordered the often-violent seizures of white-owned commercial farms for landless blacks. Instead, most farms went to Cabinet ministers and generals who let the land lie fallow and destroyed the country's economic base.

Mugabe has repeatedly blamed his country's woes on European and U.S. sanctions, which he called illegal on Tuesday.

"Sanctions must go," he said, to cheers from his supporters. "They cannot last a day longer if we as Zimbabweans speak against them in deafening unison." The sanctions target people and companies linked to Mugabe with travel bans and asset freezes.

While they are meant to spare ordinary Zimbabweans, already suffering from chronic shortages of food, medication, electricity and water, Zimbabwean officials say the sanctions help discourage foreign investment, loans and aid.

More than a third of Zimbabweans depend of foreign food aid but Mugabe has barred charities for handing out the food, charging they were favoring opposition supporters. Opposition legislators on Tuesday called on Mugabe to honor his agreement to allow food to be distributed, signed as a prerequisite for the power-sharing talks.]]> Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:33:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/464427 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667 Police investigate possible plot to kill Obama at Invesco http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/463405
Authorities are investigating a possible assassination plot against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

At least four people have been arrested in connection with a possible plot to kill Obama at his Thursday night acceptance speech at Invesco Field at Mile High, according to CBS4 News. The suspects are being held on either drug or weapons charges.

Aurora police arrested a longtime drug user Sunday afternoon during a routine traffic stop where the man was seen "weaving," sources said. Three possible other accomplices also were arrested, according to police.

Police found four weapons, including two rifles and two handguns, in a rented pickup.

That arrest then led authorities to a second man staying at the Cherry Creek Hotel at 600 South Colorado Blvd in Glendale. When authorities knocked on the man's door, they say he jumped out of his sixth floor window, landing on an awning and running from the scene. They say they soon found him with a broken ankle. He too was arrested.

CBS4 reported one of the suspects told authorities they were "going to shoot Obama from a high vantage point using a ... rifle … sighted at 750 yards."

Law-enforcement sources told CBS4 that one of the suspects "was directly asked if they had come to Denver to kill Obama. He responded in the affirmative."

One of the suspects has been identified as 28-year-old Tharin Gartrell.

Police found a rifle in the man's rented pickup and methamphetamine. The man allegedly made comments about Sen. Obama, but sources wouldn't say what they were.

It was enough, however, to make police believe the man might have been plotting to somehow harm Obama.

A second source told CBS4 News that they are concerned they may have come upon a possible "assasination plot."

The Secret Service, ATF and U.S. Attorney's Office are investigating.

Brian Maass of CBS4 News contributed to this report.]]> Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:18:00 EDT http://Seanamo.tigblog.org/post/463405 -1.2833333 36.8166667-1.283333336.8166667