tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26021981284410971652024-02-08T18:58:15.638+03:00kenyanomicsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-20033823775220061552012-10-03T14:04:00.003+03:002012-10-03T14:06:00.510+03:00The urbanisation trap<br />
<h3 class="ec-blog-headline" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 2.2em; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</h3>
<div class="ec-blog-body" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Moving from farms to cities does not always translate to gains in income</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
AS A general rule, moving to work in cities is synonymous with economic growth, and the more people do the first, the more countries get of the second. The left-hand chart, drawn from the World Bank's latest <a href="http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTWDRS/0,,contentMDK:20227703~pagePK:478093~piPK:477627~theSitePK:477624,00.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #08526d; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">World Development Report</a>, shows the processes at work in Asian countries in 1985 to 2010. But general rules are made to be broken. As the right-hand chart shows, in many African countries an increase in the size of the urban population has not necessarily been associated with growth. Excluding the extreme case of Liberia (which had a civil war during the period in question), several of Africa’s largest countries, notably Nigeria, saw a big increase in what seem like relatively unproductive slums, and those countries that are following the Asian example (Kenya, Ghana and Ethiopia) are doing so modestly and tentatively. The report examines the role of job creation in development, and suggests that while policies to encourage jobs and to encourage growth are similar, they are not identical. Growth policies do not always pay enough attention to female or youth employment, or to the multiple problems that self-employed people have in increasing skills or improving their businesses.</div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="content-image-full" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media.economist.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/full-width/images/2012/10/blogs/graphic-detail/20121006_woc195_0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="imagecache imagecache-full-width" height="233" src="http://media.economist.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/full-width/images/2012/10/blogs/graphic-detail/20121006_woc195_0.png" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="" width="400" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-41212602146934426922012-06-29T08:21:00.001+03:002012-06-29T08:26:06.908+03:00Africa's middle class: Fact or fiction<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Africa's billion-plus population is increasingly being investigated by foreign and local companies alike for signs of a burgeoning middle class.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Potentially, it represents one of the biggest markets in the world - people with a disposable income which companies can turn into profit.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As part of its focus on emerging markets, the drinks giant Diageo has bought one of Ethiopia's previously state-owned breweries.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Order a drink in one of the increasingly numerous bars in Addis Ababa, the country's capital, and alongside Diageo's premium brands such as Johnny Walker and Smirnoff sits the more humble locally brewed Meta beer.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Our strategy is to invest in the Meta brand," says the country's Diageo managing director, Francis Aghom Agbonlahor.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"It is an iconic brand. We want to see it reflecting its past glory and we want to double the size of the newly acquired brewery within the next three years."</span></div>
<br />
<span class="cross-head" style="color: #505050; display: block; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">'Realities'</span></span><span style="display: block; width: 224px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">High fashion is a luxury very few can afford in Africa</span></span><a href="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/60904000/jpg/_60904986_africafashion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img alt="Model at Senegalese fashion show" border="0" height="299" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/60904000/jpg/_60904986_africafashion.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0px; position: relative;" width="224" /></span></a><br />
<br />
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mr Agbonlahor is happy with the government's privatisation process but there are still hurdles when running a business in a country like Ethiopia.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Bureaucracy is a bit of a challenge," he says, "Sometimes you have to go at it two, three or five times before you can get something approved. You need a little patience."</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Around Addis Ababa there are are huge billboards displaying Diageo products.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Advertising was near dormant before we came here. When we put up our first 15 billboards, we were the only ones across the capital," he says.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Within a few weeks, every other competitor had placed similar hoardings around the city.</span></div>
<div id="story_continues_2" style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />He believes this will lead to increased consumption as the economy begins to grow, and then it depends on choices and what people can afford.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Competition is good for the market and good for the consumers. The consumers have been neglected and now everyone is copying what we started," he says.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"The key thing is to be able to provide what the consumers are looking for."</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But is an increase in the company's African business a sign of a middle class emerging?</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I'm not sure what middle class is in the context of Africa," muses Nick Blazquez, head of Diageo Africa.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"They aspire to improve their lot; to provide education for their children; to progress themselves. In that regard they aspire to brands in the same way as consumers around the world aspire to brands," he says.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"We are seeing consumers coming out of the illicit and informal sector - leaving illicit and sometimes unhealthy alcohol and into the consumer branded goods sector, so we see trading up from illicit to formal sector, and within the formal sector people are trading up to more premium brands."</span></div>
<div id="story_continues_3" style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />Not everyone equates the rise in GDP as proof of there being a middle class.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Within the alcohol beverage sector, consumption correlates most closely with GDP (gross domestic product) growth, so the more money people have, the more they spend it on brands and on premium brands," he asserts.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">According to Duncan Clarke of the management advisory group Global Pacific, 70% of Africans live on or below the $2-a-day range, and in some countries the figure is higher.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"You have a mix in Africa of medieval and modern economies in which there is not an overwhelming middle class, so it is important to have an accurate perspective and look at the prism of this through the realities of the historic evolution of the economies," he says.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"While markets and consumers will grow, it is nothing like the image of middle class bliss as projected by the media and the corporate cheerleaders."</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So are the likes of the retailer Walmart and Diageo making a mistake by investing?</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"They can judge for themselves. They can spot opportunities," he says.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I am just trying to put a perspective into context about the real scale of the middle class in Africa.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"The actual real middle class in Africa that sits in a global middle-class income level is less than 5% - that would be about 50 million people spread in different countries across the continent, concentrated largely in some high-income countries such as South Africa and Nigeria."</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mr Clarke maintains that even in Ethiopia and Kenya, where there are some rich people, the impression that there is this vast middle class does not stack up to the world's values and standards.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"There are people with more money and they are benefiting from the growth over the past couple of years," he says.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But with economic growth comes the downside, and everyone complains how prices are rising every time they go into a shop, and how they have to constantly make decisions about whether to buy food or clothes, or put petrol into their cars.</span></div>
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"How governments handle this inflation will determine how the economy will play out and whether this upbeat mood about the economy will continue," adds Mr Clarke.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-81800857688715022032012-05-23T10:20:00.002+03:002012-05-23T10:22:09.853+03:00The Rise of Eastlands As Top Investment Hub<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img height="232" src="http://fenesi.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Eastlands.jpg" width="320" />
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Eastlands is rising rapidly as a middle class residential area, as land and property prices move out of reach of entry-level buyers in most other areas of Nairobi, but remain easily accessible in the widening tracts of Eastlands now being opened by new public transport routes – and spawning the launch of projects such as Casa Mia, selling 3-bedroom houses at Sh5.25m that are expected to be worth 30 per cent more within one-and-a-half years.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The latest Hass Index report on neighbourhood rents and property prices at the end of 2011 revealed Eastlands as an upcoming investment area, in sharp contrast to upmarket areas that are experiencing a decline in both rental price and property prices: with few middle-class Kenyans now able to reach their escalated prices.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">According to the fourth quarter 2011 report, rental prices in high end areas in and around Westlands, including Lower Kabete, Parklands, Spring Valley, Rosslyn, Gigiri, and Muthaiga, fell by up to 8 per cent last year, as tenants stretching to pay the high prices negotiated rental prices downwards.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But the trend was exactly opposite in Eastlands, where rents in Buruburu, Donholm, Nyayo estate, Komarock, Tena, Imara and Daima all appreciated by up to 9 per cent over the same period, as tenants who had been living in high end areas shifted to cheaper homes in Eastlands as a way of cutting household expenses.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Likewise, the selling price for houses in Brookside and Westlands declined by 5 per cent, the biggest dip experienced in Nairobi during 2011, while eastlands prices rose by up to 9 per cent. This was despite Westlands benefiting from reduced traffic congestion on the expansion of University Way and opening of the Northern Bypass.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With average house prices in the inner Westlands areas running at Sh20m, compared with Sh5m in Eastlands, the appeal of more space in self-standing houses and villas in Eastlands began driving a new rush into the area that was further fuelled by reduced travel times.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The area, which was for many years snubbed by investors due to traffic congestion and poor housing, now boasts an efficient railway commuter system running from Nairobi Railway station to Embakasi Village that has cut down travel time for residents by up to 75 per cent, while easing road pressure and allowing motorists to get to CBD more quickly.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">According to Meg Otieno, a Donholm resident, “It used to take me one and a half to two hours to get into town, but since the introduction of the railway system it now take me as little as 15 minutes to get to work.”</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For motorists, the government is also this month completing the Sh. 8.5bn Eastern bypass, which starts on the Ruiru-Kiambu road crossing to Ruai, then to Kangundo Road before proceeding to Mombasa Road via Embakasi, in a move that will further reduce travel time for motorists by up to 70 per cent. A 25 km special road dedicated to buses plying the JKIA – Nairobi CBD route to reduce pressure on roads is also in expected to be developed in the Nairobi Metropolitan Region Rapid Bus Transit system in the next four years.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“The improved transport system and ongoing works have positioned Eastlands as a commercial and residential powerhouse and has also created a demand for quality housing with adequate open space for children to play as more residents settle in the area,” said Sakina Hassanali of Hass Consult.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Private developers and various corporates are now further fueling Eastlands’ commercial growth, with the development of two malls that have in the last year been flocked by banks and businesses. The area now has 8 bank branches, 5 major supermarkets, 2 malls and is home to numerous private enterprises.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This has seen HassConsult now mark out the area as one of Nairobi’s best residential investment, for current returns and yields.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It forecasts that developments, such as Casa Mia, which is located 15 minutes from the Kangundo Road junction with the Eastern Bypass and is within 45 minutes reach of the CBD and less than 30 minutes from Jomo Kenyatta Airport, will now experience further sharp price gains.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The development also represents a new kind of mid-income property. “The homes have been designed for upcoming professionals with young families who want a nice first home in a beautiful environment that their children can grow in, at a viable entry price of Sh5.25m,” said Ms Hassanali.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Each 3 bedroom house measures 915 sq.ft and is built on approximately 1/12th of acre.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Do you believe that Eastlands is repla</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">cing Westlands as a top place to invest in?</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-17815045364866468422012-02-08T10:32:00.002+03:002012-05-23T10:19:32.512+03:00GMO Africans<div class="postmetadata">
<br /></div>
<h2>
Will GMO Africans all be blond and blue eyed?</h2>
<a href="http://magatte.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/lorea1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-846" height="100" src="http://magatte.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/lorea1.jpg?w=604" title="lorea" width="200" /></a><small><b></b><b></b></small>
<br />
My friend just forwarded a link about how L’Oreal and western mass market beauty companies are
now looking to African women in Africa as their next frontier customer
base.<br />
The only little piece of good news (and I even see that one as a
poisoned one) is the jobs that will hopefully be created locally by the
installation of new manufacturing plants. I say it is a poisoned good
news because of all that it could mean in the long run for our cultural
heritage.<br />
<span id="more-844"></span>Besides that, articles of this nature reinforce my urgency in growing my current skin care company, Not because I am afraid of having competitors. First of all, there is a
lot of room for many to succeed, but most importantly l’Oreal and its
like cannot compete with my type of company simply because our values
are so fundamentally different. But my problem is all the good, healthy
hair and skin that is about to be ruined by the horrible products they
offer this demographic. Think about it: hair straightener, skin
lightning skincare products and complexion concealers (that only results
in a zombie-like look when women have a face that looks so light
compared to the rest of their skin). All the products and brands cited
in the article are full of very harmful chemicals. It is all about
emulating the white woman. The picture that accompanied the article (see
above) is a perfect illustration of that flagrant display of lack of
self esteem.<br />
We know that black women in the western world are returning to their healthy roots. Indeed <i>“the
number of black women who say they do not use products to chemically
relax or straighten their hair jumped to 36% in 2011, up from 26% in
2010, according to a report by Mintel, a consumer spending and market
research firm. Sales of relaxer kits dropped by 17% between 2006 and
2011, according to Mintel”</i> (see the whole article <a href="http://yourlife.usatoday.com/your-look/story/2011-12-21/Natural-hair-is-making-waves-among-black-women/52147456/1">here</a>).
So because these companies are now loosing revenue at a rapid rate
because their usual customers have become more savvy and gained
self-confidence, they are now turning their clout of toxic ingredients
to those who did not bother to question what is going on, completely
blinded by their complex of inferiority.<br />
Sooner or later I know that more African women will also come to
value and join the “natural hair” movement, natural skin care, and love
their own dark complexions, but not before too many bodies have been
ruined by these poisons in a bottle. So the faster brands like <a href="http://magatte.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/will-gmo-africans-all-be-blond-and-blue-eyed/www.tiossano.com" target="_blank">Tiossano</a>
can grow, and with them all the proper awareness around healthy
ingredients and rituals as well as a sense of indigenous pride, the more
healthy bodies and beautiful African faces we will preserve. To add
insult to injury is the use of brand names like “Softsheen”, “Fair &
Lovely”, and what they imply.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://magatte.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/magatte-wade-photo.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-856" height="200" src="http://magatte.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/magatte-wade-photo.jpg?w=199&h=300" title="Magatte Wade photo" width="132" /></a></div>
<br />
So wake up, dear African sisters! Know that you can be beautiful and
loved with the skin and hair that God gave you. My husband
constantly admires me and regards me as the most beautiful woman on the
planet, BECAUSE of my very dark skin and African hair. Find a man who
loves you as you are, and take good care of your healthy, natural skin
and hair.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-14893211778043455862012-01-25T13:30:00.001+03:002013-10-09T14:41:18.093+03:00RoboticsReal Robot here <a href="http://www.theworkpaid.com/?share=38178" target="_blank">http://www.TheWorkPaid.com/?share=38178 </a><br />
Todays world is soo damn different from the world our fore great
grand parents knew. if they were to resurrect today, they will not
belief on the advancement in in key things in on earth from farmig
methods to technoloy. this has been made possible by mans curiosity on
developng new things and descovering the undiscovered.
<br />
the most striking one that marvels me is machines created that make
work easier. this is in the form of robots that act the same way human
beings work in the daily running of business. ling erms, can walk and
the most significant is at wor fronts. spy cameras are fitted on robots
to aid grounds men in locating enemies and others can even take down
enemies as they are fitted with rifles and grenades. there accuracy is
good as they are lesser guided and use GPS technology to get the precise
location. am waitning to see where this wil go next. the US army
demonstrated this in war with iraq. drones and land moving unmanned
tanks<br />
the world at large has in the past made sure that all work is done in
the most efficient way and as quickly as posssible and with precise
accuracy. this has made every company and evry firm to ensure that they
get the latest on technology to inprove on their profits by cutting down
costs and opreating effciently. this has made the same firms and other
colloborating firms to invest massively and research to ensure that they
get to the right tools for the right job.<br />
although this has cut down on jobs since some work realy depended on
labour, which in esssense was more expensive but again job cuts have had
negative impacts in the population. unemployment has doubled in some
countries that job creations is still below par and at the same time
they are still paying very low wages on the same.<br />
An amazing revolution is taking place on the battlefield, starting to
change not just how wars are fought, but also the politics, economics,
laws, and ethics that surround war itself. This upheaval is already
afoot -- remote-controlled drones take out terrorists in Afghanistan,
while the number of unmanned systems on the ground in Iraq has gone from
zero to 12,000 over the last five years. But it is only the start.
Military officers quietly acknowledge that new prototypes will soon make
human fighter pilots obsolete, while the Pentagon researches tiny
robots the size of flies to carry out reconnaissance work now handled by
elite Special Forces troops.<br />
<i>ever read a jornal called Wired for War</i>? It takes the
reader on a journey to meet all the various players in this strange new
world of war: odd-ball roboticists working in latter-day “skunk works”
in the midst of suburbia; military pilots flying combat mission from
their office cubicles outside Las Vegas; the Iraqi insurgents who are
their targets; journalists trying to figure out just how to cover robots
at war; and human rights activists wrestling with what is right and
wrong in a world where our wars are increasingly being handed over to
machines. <br />
If issues like these sound like science fiction, that’s because many
of the new technologies were actually inspired by some of the great
sci-fi of our time from Terminator and Star Trek to the works of
Asimov and Heinlein. In fact, Singer reveals how the people who develop
new technologies consciously draw on such sci-fiction when pitching
them to the Pentagon, and he even introduces the sci-fi authors who
quietly consult for the military. <br />
<br />
But, whatever its origins,
our new machines will profoundly alter warfare, from the frontlines to
the home front. When planes can be flown into battle from an office
10,000 miles away (or even fly themselves, like the newest models), the
experiences of war and the very profile of a warrior change
dramatically. Singer draws from historical precedent and the latest
Pentagon research to argue that wars will become easier to start, that
the traditional moral and psychological barriers to killing will fall,
and that the “warrior ethos” the code of honor and loyalty which
unites soldiers will erode. <br />
<br />
Paradoxically, these new unmanned
technologies will also seemingly bring war closer to our doorsteps,
including even with videos of battles downloaded for entertainment. But
Singer also proves that our enemies will not settle for fighting our
high-tech proxies on their own turf. He documents, for instance, how
Hezbollah deployed unmanned aircraft in the Lebanese war of 2006, and
how America may even fall behind in this revolution, as its adversaries
gain knockoffs of our own technology, or even develop better tech of
their own invention. <br />
<br />
While his predictions are unnerving,
there's an irresistible gee-whiz quality to what Singer uncovers and the
people he meets along the way. It is packed with cutting edge research
and hard to get interviews of everyone from four star Army generals and
Middle East leaders to reclusive science fiction authors. Yet it also
seamlessly weaves in pop culture and illuminating anecdotes to create a
book that is both highly readable and accessible. In laying out where
our technologies are taking us to next, WIRED FOR WAR is as fascinating
as it is frightening.<br />
.Eventually a stage may be reached at which the decisions necessary
to keep the system running will be so complex that human beings will be
incapable of making them intelligently. At that stage the machines will
be in effective control. People won't be able to just turn the machines
off, because they will be so dependent on them that turning them off
would amount to suicide.<br />
all in all we are suggesting neither that the human race would
voluntarily turn power over to the machines nor that the machines would
willfully seize power. What we do suggest is that the human race might
easily permit itself to drift into a position of such dependence on the
machines that it would have no practical choice but to accept all of the
machines' decisions. . .Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-64980339949094066662012-01-20T12:49:00.004+03:002012-01-20T13:00:15.242+03:00If we always feel cheated in a relationship this is a must read…<h1 class="post-title">
If we always feel cheated in a relationship this is a must read…</h1>
<div class="date">
<div class="bg">
<span class="day">20</span> JAN
</div>
</div>
In a relationship, married or not… You should read this.<br />
Marriage.<br />
“When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand
and said, I’ve got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly.
Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.<br />
Suddenly I didn’t know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her
know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly.
She didn’t seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly,
why?<br />
I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the
chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn’t
talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what
had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory
answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn’t love her anymore. I
just pitied her!<br />
With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which
stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my
company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who
had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt
sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take
back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried
loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her
cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had
obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.<br />
The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing
something at the table. I didn’t have supper but went straight to sleep
and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with
Jane. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just
did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.<br />
In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn’t want
anything from me, but needed a month’s notice before the divorce. She
requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a
life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a
month’s time and she didn’t want to disrupt him with our broken
marriage.<br />
This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to
recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day.
She requested that every day for the month’s duration I carry her out of
our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going
crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd
request.<br />
I told Jane about my wife’s divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly
and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to
face the divorce, she said scornfully.<br />
My wife and I hadn’t had any body contact since my divorce intention
was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we
both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy
in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to
the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in
my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don’t tell our son about
the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside
the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the
office.<br />
On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on
my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I
hadn’t looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she
was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair
was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I
wondered what I had done to her.<br />
On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy
returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me.
On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was
growing again. I didn’t tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry
her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me
stronger.<br />
She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few
dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my
dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so
thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily.<br />
Suddenly it hit me… she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.<br />
Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it’s time to carry mom
out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an
essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer
and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I
might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms,
walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her
hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly;
it was just like our wedding day.<br />
But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held
her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I
held her tightly and said, I hadn’t noticed that our life lacked
intimacy. I drove to office…. jumped out of the car swiftly without
locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind…I
walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I
do not want the divorce anymore.<br />
She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you
have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I
said, I won’t divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she
and I didn’t value the details of our lives, not because we didn’t love
each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home
on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart.
Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then
slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove
away. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for
my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and
wrote, I’ll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.<br />
That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face,
I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed – dead. My wife had
been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even
notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from
the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push through
with the divorce.— At least, in the eyes of our son—- I’m a loving
husband….<br />
The small details of your lives are what really matter in a
relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the
bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot
give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse’s friend
and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a
real happy marriage!<br />
If you don’t share this, nothing will happen to you.<br />
If you do, you just might save a marriage. Many of life’s failures
are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they
gave up.”Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-251758656743354302012-01-17T13:17:00.002+03:002012-01-17T13:17:57.924+03:00Miguna Miguna Leaked Bookif this report from the ireport is anything go go by, it will definetley blow a dent to Hon Raila Odingas presidential campeigns and his ambitions to be the neshe two books t president of kenya. the two books seem to have much more and there is also more to it than meets the eye<br />
follow this to read more on the same<br />
<br />
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-731466Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-67361712931975136502011-12-16T15:40:00.002+03:002011-12-16T15:40:43.533+03:00War on somalia<div class="ec-blog-body">
ACCORDING to Kenya, it is not at war with Somalis but with the
al-Qaeda-linked Shabab militia that controls most of south Somalia.
Theoretically that may be true. But with several thousand troops on the
ground, and with air, special forces and intelligence support from
America, Britain, Ethiopia and France, the Kenyan message of peace for
all Somalis rings somewhat hollow.<br />
The Shabab are adept at
propaganda. They lie about battle statistics. They have been accused of
dressing up their own dead fighters to look like civilian casualties.
Baobab recently asserted that in Somalia the untested Kenyan military
needed to be competent and the jihadists inept. Kenya failed the first
test by invading Somalia during the rainy season: its assault has
already got stuck in the mud. The Shabab fighters are enured to the
mosquitoes, thorniness and dysentry of bush fighting. The Kenyans may
fare less well. None of this may matter. Kenya has geography and
firepower on its side. Somalia has no Tora Bora in which the Shabab can
hide. Even if its fighters scuttle to the mangrove swamps, they are
likely to be picked off as they emerge.<br />
Yet the Kenyans seem
already to have squandered more of their advantage with their alarmingly
muddled reporting of recent fighting. On October 30th, the Kenyan
military spokesperson, Major Emmanuel Chirchir, announced that a Kenyan
air strike on the Somali town of Jilib had killed 10 Shabab fighters and
injured 47. He was adamant that no children or women among the
casualties—just militants. The next day a report emerged from Médicins
sans Frontières (MSF), a medical charity, stating they had attended five
dead in their clinic in Jilib: three children, one woman, and one man.
MSF said 45 people had been wounded, 31 of them children, 9 of them
women, all with shrapnel injuries.<br />
The Kenyan military explained
that they had hit a Shabab lorry filled with ammunition, which had
driven towards a crowd where Shabab officials were handing out food
rations to displaced people. The Kenyans had no video to back up their
claim, but even if true what matters is that the Shabab were handed a
propaganda victory by dodgy Kenyan reporting. They will use the images
of ruptured children for their ends.<br />
Chastened, Kenya now says it
will be in Somalia for as long as it takes to obliterate the jihadists,
years, if necessary, say the senior Kenyan brass. Things will escalate
further if Kenyans launch their promised assault on Kismayo and the
Shabab respond by using weapons allegedly flown in by Eritrea and with
threatened major terrorist strikes in Nairobi and beyond.<br />
</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-25163945180443867842011-12-11T11:27:00.001+03:002011-12-11T11:30:24.073+03:00pilner ice<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pilsner-Ice/151283401645072?sk=wall" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pilsner-Ice/151283401645072?sk=wall</a>i hear its back, with greater taste, great price... for those of us who trusted this good bevarage. it back and there is a reason to smile. hit this page and lets reconnect and have fun. lets hear those comments and review
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pilsner-Ice/151283401645072?sk=wallAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-61906010745732655402011-09-27T18:42:00.000+03:002011-09-27T18:42:13.488+03:00Professor Wangari Maathai(The Baobab)I call her The Baobab. I name her name after a tree because a tree nurtures, it holds together the land and provides sustenance and a gathering point for a local community. The Kenyan environmentalist, Wangari Maathai, understood these qualities better than anyone. The winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, who died on September 25th while undergoing treatment for cancer at a hospital in Nairobi, worked tirelessly over the last decades to plant over 20m trees throughout Africa. As a woman she understood that women were strong like trees; they should do the planting.
She was lionhearted. She took on Kenya's strongman, Daniel arap Moi, and stood up to the crooks in his government who were trying to steal Nairobi's central park for development. She was imprisoned and brutalised, but she won: Uhuru Park will be her legacy.
Ms Maathai's organisation, the Green Belt Movement will outlast her. In life she was marginalised and her green agenda ignored; now she is dead and cannot excoriate the ruling class for its venality, vanity and lack of vision, Ms Maathai will be reinvented as a saint and a heroine. Environmentalists should extract the highest price from African politicians seeking to burnish themselves with Ms Maathai's life: a commitment to sustainability. In particular, they should be forced to accelerate her visionary campaign to replant indigenous trees along river banks and ravines where the continent's life-giving top soil is being swept away.
The first woman in Africa to win the Nobel Prize. Indeed you found a worthy cause to fought for, democracy and freedom as well as environment.
The world will never forget you. Indeed we really miss you. We cannot imagine how we can survive in this Country Kenya without your, the voice of hope, sobriety and freedom. I am terribly afraid that we might lose what you gave us with so much corruption in Kenya.
I clearly see that the words of Martin Luther King Jr. applies to you, ...' That one is not fit to live if he or she has not found a cause worth dying for,..' you fought for liberty with your life but survived... Its sad that Cancer had to snatch you from us.
RIP Prof. Maathai
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-51512103905835904842011-09-27T18:01:00.000+03:002011-09-27T18:01:58.185+03:00Kenyas Weakening ShillingA quick aside: I'm obviously of the opinion that monetary policy can do much more to boost recovery, and I agree that the central bank often (though not always) moves last—that is, it has the ability to cancel impose price ceilings on commodity prices to tame the spiraling depreciation of the shilling because of high cost of imports. it sees as unnecessary.it's difficult to conclude that monetary policy generally pulls against fiscal stimulus in order to provide a constant total level of desired output that will counter the deficit in the balance of payment. The big drop in government support for the economy in the second half of 2010 was not a shock to anyone, and yet the treasury resisted stepping up to offset the end of fiscal stimulus until it became clear that deflation was a real threat. If the treausry were credibly targeting nominal output, there might be a case for leaving discretionary fiscal policy out of the mix. Given the who-knows-what-they're-doing strategy currently on offer from the treasury, it makes complete sense for the government to do what it can to support recovery. That's a point libertarian-minded critics of monetary stimulus ought to note; when the Fed does too little, the pressure on the government to spend more will be too great too resist.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-68660657149251688172011-08-04T23:29:00.000+03:002011-08-04T23:29:47.801+03:00classic 105 madnessClassic 105 Trash<br />
Next time you send a text to an FM Station<br />
know that they log your number and<br />
conversation. Be warned. Do you know the<br />
numbers below?<br />
Topic today was partying without<br />
panties.<br />
Why do ladies go nuts whenever they see<br />
celebs?<br />
254737933906<br />
Classic fm. Maina its not our fault u guys drive us<br />
craizie na if u mix wid manyege wat cant we do?<br />
Luv u guys<br />
254721969828<br />
Fally Ipupa ni msupuu. I didn't remove my pant<br />
but had an orgasm by imagining him in me.............<br />
I didn't misbehave that much.<br />
254721861010<br />
Mornng maina & mwalimu, i was @ mike murimi<br />
mugithi wth bibi wa bro wangu. nilimwona akijitia<br />
kidole halafu akalamba na akaonyesha murimi! All<br />
the ladies were doing it. Karibu nikufe na heart<br />
atak.<br />
254723055493<br />
Maina! Wanawake wana wazimu, mwingine<br />
alirushia husband yangu panti yake kwa uso<br />
tukiwa lunch wimpy! Na huzzo akaiweka kwa<br />
mfuko. Nilifeel mbaya.<br />
254722777034<br />
Maina, I hiked a lady neighbor-senior admin UNEP.<br />
Frm the blues she told me "am in red thongs",<br />
unziped n asked me if i could run my fingers<br />
A few from the archives......<br />
254720428104<br />
Hi maina.i couldnt contribute on y'days topic coz i<br />
was wth my hubby who soils & urinates on hmself<br />
mpaka ndani ya viatu akilewa.pls ask such men wat<br />
goes on in thea minds b4 & afta such deeds.wats<br />
thea xcuse?do they gve a damn abt th family<br />
feelings?pls i need 2kno.Dont call me now.he is<br />
asleep. Ameingia kwa keja 5am. LENA<br />
254714924039<br />
maina, mine is terrible-he has nothin, haja soma-<br />
yani my peroz and family dont penda him-I wish I<br />
"road tested" him first coz after kumuoa, I found<br />
out ako na kitu kama ya mtoi. am sexually starved-<br />
pals tell me to get shag buddy, dildo, av thought of<br />
goin gay yani the options are still comin-i am<br />
absolutely single and willing to mingle though<br />
married-love you guys<br />
254722170198<br />
Hi, maina cal me if u find time. I walked into my<br />
house only to find my husband having sex with his<br />
younger sister. Akaniuliza 'havent you heard of<br />
privacey'. I'm confused. Gday<br />
254725616895<br />
Maina,my boyfrnd who is maried wants 2 funguwa<br />
my boot na hajawahi funguwa ya bibi yake.pls help<br />
mi cz istl lov him.mary 4rm kisii.<br />
254726656190<br />
Mina its just naturall a woman can make love with<br />
more than 3 men in one day so long as u know<br />
how to take a shower well no man will ever know.<br />
Me I must get it from our tea boy at work juu ni<br />
msupuu, a mechanic who operates in the plot next<br />
to jobo and a neighbors son when he's on<br />
holiday. Na bado mzee wangu kant notice.<br />
254725555409<br />
Hi maina, am screwed daily b4 i get home, i get 2<br />
the house take a bath and if my man wants i'll give<br />
it 2 him ave aborted 2wice nd he's nvr known.<br />
From Milli<br />
254718782326<br />
Classic H! MaUna n mwalim am munaa frm mbs n<br />
am in luv with my father in law n am 26 yrs his<br />
57yrs n i luv him more than my hasband. We've<br />
been sleeping with him tangu my first yr in<br />
marriage. Ako na kitu kubwa!<br />
254712405656<br />
Classic 105, Hi maina, mine was worse coz my<br />
mum's boyfriend alifanya juu chini tulale pamoja,<br />
and he succeeded kumbe he turned out to be HIV<br />
positive. Nimeregret sana.<br />
254720474236<br />
050003E70301Hi Maina,i was married, I cookd<br />
4him variety of food,respectd him,na palepale,i<br />
was da driver.He askd m 4 a3rd party,n brought<br />
her as he wishes.He statd beating m up,akaninyima<br />
my right place of sex coz he wntd ma Ass !Men cnt<br />
b satisfied wit 1woman<br />
254726837722<br />
0500034A0201Ma husband's libido is veri<br />
low.Marrd 3yrs now and have neva seen his goods<br />
only by accdent. Now its 3mnths snc we had sex.<br />
We have bcam a Bro an a sis. Am suffering sexualy<br />
wat do i do.But am hapi in al other areas<br />
254733251855<br />
Maina todays discussion has to be longer,we are<br />
miserable women..we end up having affairs with<br />
relatives...help us. Like now am sleeping with my<br />
first cousin...wambui<br />
254729787848<br />
Hi Maina. Been in a rut too .Married 4 the last 24<br />
yrs to this ng'ombe. Love was alive for only the first<br />
year then we became hse mates. It's too bad<br />
mpaka he can't rise to the occasion for me. And<br />
he's also tiny. So imagine a small thing that can't<br />
wake up. Pathetic!<br />
254722786970<br />
0500032B0202 this lady has being using my<br />
husbands 4ne when they r 2gether in bed telng mi<br />
2listen hw sweet my husband is en then she<br />
screams. God wht im i sapposed 2do.<br />
254721691952<br />
Nothing wrong with a woman who can control her<br />
drinking like me. My hubby is a drunk who cant<br />
control his drinking. Alikuja sato morning high<br />
akakojoa ndani ya wardrobe badala ya choo yet he<br />
keeps saying am the drunk! Karo<br />
254716671031<br />
Dnt be stupid Maina...I have a woman who drinks<br />
n she is generally n extremely dirty, first her<br />
genitals! Beer aint good 4 women... am tired of<br />
being woken up at 3am four times a week<br />
kumfungulia. Last week I refused to open and<br />
found her in the watchman's kibanda in the<br />
morning on my way to work. I've kept wondering if<br />
she gave him.<br />
254722609997<br />
Maina morning am a drinker n trust me i hv never<br />
ceased to be a gud mother to my 3 kids n wife to<br />
ma hubbi. The fact that naweza maliza 2 bottles of<br />
viceroy in one night doesn't make me a bad<br />
mother! Jana nilikunywa 3 quarters juu kulikuwa<br />
Sunday.<br />
254722483913<br />
So maina what if she drinks and doesnt come<br />
home and doesnt want to be asked where she is?<br />
Mine went out on Friday jioni and akarudi jana<br />
morning. Nikamuuliza ikakuwa vita. We have 3 yr<br />
old twins. Naogopa ukali wake.<br />
254715786001<br />
Hi Maina,salimia King'ang'i. Maina,wachana na hao<br />
wanasema ati bibi asilewe. My wife drinks,I don't.<br />
Na mimi humpeleka kwa bar namwacha huko<br />
akitosheka ananipigia ama analetwa na rafikfi zake.<br />
Only one day I was worried. Alinipigia akiwa florida<br />
5am and her friends walikuwa wamemwacha.<br />
Apart from that day, I see no issues with her enjoy<br />
a drink.<br />
254722162484<br />
Hi Maina, am irene 24 yrs. I was involved with a<br />
catholic priest . He took me from my rural home<br />
and rented a hse 4 me . akaleta brother yake<br />
akanilazimisha nilale nayeye. Sikujua alikuwa<br />
anapenda porno pia. When I refused kuwatch<br />
nayeye akanifukuza. Plz help me kol him juu<br />
hachukui simu zangu. His fone no. 0721 895762 or<br />
0735854143(Fr.Joseph<br />
254725939592<br />
Maina, his weight bothers me coz it affects<br />
palepale imagine ana choka haraka sana and he<br />
drips streams of sweat!na style zingine hawezi!<br />
Every time we do it, am worried atakufa juu yangu<br />
na vile ni mzito! mariam<br />
254703974613<br />
Av bn married 4one yr.Hez gaining weight n maina<br />
u knw the kitambi bng a pivot on me that puts me<br />
off! Namuona akiwa naked sometimes nakimbia<br />
kwa choo nitapike! n the longest he cn go is<br />
4mins!he rols over n snores.nkt! I normally just sit<br />
and stare at his kathing vile kamekunjika naskia<br />
huzuni.<br />
254721230670<br />
Yes! I hate my husband of 23 years he eats like a<br />
big pig! Kitambi kama ya ngombe! Yeye huleta<br />
food kutoka fridge ili akule kwa bedroom usiku. Na<br />
bonoko ni kama yesu. Bado nangoja irudi.<br />
254750383848<br />
Morning Maina? Can you imagine comìng home<br />
5pm and ur wife in nities with a stocking on, matiti<br />
hunging kama socks, the hse is dirty and the bed<br />
is not even made. Why not stay away get drunk<br />
and come at 3am and find this monster asleep.<br />
Ubaya nakuja nimelewa and see her thing juu<br />
amelala fuaa and she doesn't shave. She makes me<br />
sick!<br />
254721331466<br />
Hey Maina and Kingangi,i use to treat my huby like<br />
a king,gave him all the fredom and happiness in<br />
the world but u know how he repayed,he left me<br />
and now he's living with an old woman whom you<br />
Maina know.He left me with a kid of 11/2yrs.<br />
254727113432<br />
Maina, my man is always at home early. What is the<br />
formula for sending him away? Every time I pass<br />
him, he wants sex. It's too much! Take him with<br />
you to your bar. I'll even pay you.<br />
And on today's topic on doing it with in-laws, here<br />
are some texts....<br />
254716191962<br />
Me i do it every 9te 4 de last 3month wid my bro-<br />
in-law iam 18 i dont like it coz ihv ma boyfriend in<br />
coast n ihv never sexed wid him I dont know wat<br />
2do ATÂ<br />
\<br />
254722489878<br />
Maina my real mother has been molesting me.<br />
Niliamka nikamukuta akininyonya. Who can I report<br />
to? Steve<br />
254724370542<br />
MAINA NOT OUR DAD ALOME. AV BIN HAVING<br />
AFFAIR WITH MA ELDER BRO NA TUMEZAA A BABY<br />
BOY. TOO MUCH ATTACHED N NONE OF US IS<br />
MARIED.HE REALY SATIFIES ME SEXUALLY<br />
254723147780<br />
Hey Maina pliz help me cos i found out that am<br />
datng my half bro. na ninaexpect! help. Brenda<br />
And a karandom one...<br />
254733573281 My wife is so dull, every time I try<br />
some positions all I get is "Baba nani, usiniharibu<br />
huko nyuma!" na dada yake ananicheki.<br />
Posted by ngoro1017 at 2:34 AM 1 comments<br />
Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Google Buzz<br />
Tuesday, December 21, 2010<br />
Merry X-mas n iFux tha nu year<br />
<br />
Ok Ok this be ma last piece am doin this year as iListen to ma nikka @liltunechi's nu single off tha Carter 4....6' 7"....Am seated here jus to wish u merry christmas n a fab 2011 n let tha year be better than tha past cz tha future b tha realest.....Am sayin fuck life insurance n only live for tha moment.<br />
Thank God n Love ya mum if u lucky to still have 1...May we all life a life worth we n never disrespect any1 unless u told to... Am doneAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-63477756969184690352011-07-12T12:24:00.001+03:002011-07-12T12:26:26.320+03:00Kenyan Job Market and PoliciesEveryone who has been looking for good news on the economy this morning cannot help but be deeply disappointed BECAUSE OF LOW JOBS . Job losses were widespread across most sectors of the economy, including government; and extended to both full time and part-time jobs; labor force participation was down; wages were down and unemployment was up. It seems like the job engine of the economy is shot down.<br />
<br />
What makes these numbers particularly dire is that they come after an unprecedented monetary easing that included two rounds of quantitative easing that drove already record low interest rates to near zero levels; and an unprecedented fiscal stimulus that extended kibakis call for lower interest ratese; a payroll tax, credits to buy houses, money for mortgage modification, cash for clunkers, a prolonged extension of unemployment benefits—and all this in the face of soaring national debt.<br />
<br />
Obviously, there is something fundamentally wrong with these policies. They have been destroying rather than creating jobs, especially the CBK's ultra-low interest policy that misguides animal spirits of entrepreneurs—the ultimate source of genuine job creation of this country.<br />
<br />
To understand how ultra-easy money for a prolonged period of time misguides animal spirits, we define and distinguish two forms, demand-side entrepreneurship and supply-side entrepreneurship. Demand-side entrepreneurship begins with “market gaps,” consumer needs that have yet to be fulfilled, and comes up with a viable business concept to bridge that gap. This means that the consumer is the center of the business universe, the guide of the “animal spirits.” Economic resources, including capital, are amassed after the business opportunity has been identified and explored. Factories and buildings are built because they have a use, not just because borrowed funds are easy to find. This sort of entrepreneurship places the economy into a “virtuous,” cycle of economic growth and job growth, as investment projects remain viable after they are completed.<br />
<br />
Supply-side entrepreneurship, by contrast, begins in the opposite direction, with economic resources, and comes up with a business concept to deploy these resources. This means that economic resources, including capital, are amassed before a business opportunity is identified and explored. Shopping outlets around the country are built because someone had the land and someone else (a financial institution) was willing to provide low cost financing rather than to fill the shopping needs of the local consumers. The Government rather than the consumer guides animal spirits! This sort of entrepreneurship gives a temporary boost to economic growth and GDP growth, as it sets off a “multiplier,” but not an “accelerator effect.”—Growth and jobs lasts as long as the investment last, but fades afterword.<br />
<br />
Supply-side driven entrepreneurship misguides animal spirits, wasting resources and talent, fueling asset bubbles that end up in financial crisis like the US recently experienced, the sovereign debt crisis in Europe, and the Japanese real estate market collapse of the 1990s. Let’s not forget that it was also one of the features of the former Soviet Union, whereby communist party leaders and government bureaucrats were in charge of all economic resources building residential and commercial real estate for the primary purpose to deploy these resources rather than to address consumer needs. We do know for sure by now that was the right way to create jobs.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com2Nairobi, Kenya-1.2833333 36.816666700000042-1.4233928 36.614689200000043 -1.1432738 37.01864420000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-4817018849346223662011-05-14T12:20:00.000+03:002011-05-14T12:22:16.911+03:00walalahoia significant number of young women in Kenya earn their living by engaging in relationships with executives, diplomats, senior security officers as well as tourists. The relationships usually involve the lavishing of gifts, housing, cars and cash in exchange for sex.<br /><br />Apart from young women, youthful men are getting into the game by offering sexual services to upper-class men and women. As it turns out, many women who have succeeded in Kenya’s corporate sector find themselves single. Often, these women are willing to engage in relationships with younger men in exchange for providing cash and jobs.<br /><br />At Kenya’s coast, there are cases of married men getting involved with female tourists for money with the full knowledge of their own wives.<br /><br />So brazen has the sex industry become that recruitment is done openly through newspaper classifieds and websites. One notorious website invites job applications complete with a passport photo with promises of, “immediate employment.”<br /><br />It used to be that the epicentre of Kenya’s sex trade was on Nairobi’s Koinange Street. For many years, the street was a haven for scantily-dressed women patronized by men in limousines. Not any more. Well, there’s still some business on Koinange Street. However, the fact is that after dark, every street in Nairobi becomes a den of prostitution. Those who know where to look can find a woman or a man willing to have sex for money. Famous restaurants are included in the list of sexual liaison facilities in Nairobi.<br /><br />Sex trade is taking place right in the heart of the capital city. Certain buildings which house executive offices have rooms hired out for the sex trade. However, knowledge of these facilities is restricted to practitioners and clients in the trade. Its indeed ironical that hundreds of thousands of Nairobians walk past the premises with little knowledge of the actual activities within these panelled walls.<br /><br />Nairobi’s massage parlours have achieved international notoriety. They are actually brothels in disguise, using the veneer of massage services to operate legitimately. Once inside the parlours, clients are told that for an extra Kshs1,000, they can get “special” services.<br /><br />The massage parlours are located in respectable, upper-class residential areas such as Hurlingham, Westlands, Parklands, Spring Valley, Upper Hill, South C and even around State House. It is not possible that these establishments exist without the knowledge of authorities. The parlours have a potential destabilizing effect in the minds of young children because of their location. In some cases, clients visiting the parlours have to jump over children playing within the corridors.<br /><br />Strip clubs are another growing concern, especially within Nairobi. Due to competition, an increasing number of restaurants are introducing strippers in order to gain clientele. Many of the girls are highly educated college graduates who turn to stripping for lack of employment. A monthly take-home pay of about Kshs20,000 a month (US$322) is very tempting in a poverty-stricken economy such as Kenya’s.<br /><br />And then there’s the hidden face of prostitution: international dating. A survey in Nairobi cyber cafes found an overwhelming number of youth scanning their photos and uploading them to dating websites such as Match.com and Adultfriendfinder.com.<br /><br />One thing that must be understood is that young people in Kenya do not join dating websites so as to get their own age-mates for romance. Far from it, majority of youths joining dating websites want to hook up with elderly, rich white men from Europe and America. The hope is that with marriage, comes the prospects of gaining citizenship in those countries. In the meantime, there will be constant demands for money to take care of “emergencies,” “school fees,” “rent,” and the like.<br /><br />As a consequence, all across Nairobi will be found women renting expensive apartments, living big and buying the latest mobile phones. The women, more often than not, do not have an identifiable source of income.<br /><br />Occassionally, some of the foreign men come to Kenya to visit their newly found girlfriends. Scenes of octogenarian Caucasians walking arm in arm with young Kenyan girls are quite common in our streets. Maternity hospitals in Kenya are also recording an increase in inter-racial babies born to unmarried mothers.<br /><br />There is strong evidence that the sex trade is contributing to human trafficking. Some of the massage parlours and strip clubs in Nairobi are providing women from as far as India, Phillippines, South America and Eastern Europe. Experience from other parts of the world would indicate that these women are subjected to horrific human rights abuses. It is a well-known fact, for instance, that clubs in Nairobi specializing in Eastern European women are patronized by shady personalities from former communist countries.<br /><br />One girl working in a massage parlour told the Nairobi Chronicle that, “its a crazy life.” The women are subjected to long working hours with few breaks. Those who provide hotel or home services often get sent off without pay. Meanwhile, things are not better for those young people dating over the internet.<br /><br />There are rumours that a well-known fashion model who was dating online, got severe injuries when her “boyfriend” visited her in Kenya. It is said that the young woman had to spend thousands of shillings in medical treatment following the rendez-vous.<br /><br />Kenya’s economy is growing but not fast enough to provide jobs to its youth. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people join the labor market from universities, colleges, high schools and grade school. There are simply not enough jobs for all of them. Its obvious that many of these youth will turn to the sex trade in order to acquire the glitzy lifestyle they so much want to achieve.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the sex industry isn’t going to do much in creating a better society. There’s going to be an increase in rapes, in child sex and in perverted sexual practices. There will be a growth in homosexuality. Morals will become relative, that is, as long as it pays then it must be good. That is the crisis facing the youth today and which bodes ill for the future of Kenya.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-28780311395014534802011-03-16T10:22:00.000+03:002011-03-16T10:24:31.755+03:00local media (tv) wrongThe local media is awash with reports of politicians trading barbs, daring opponents and name-calling. This has been occupying the first few pages of most of the newspapers on any given day. The same dominates the highlights of the first six to seven minutes on most TV newscasts.<br /><br />News time is almost always dedicated to political pronouncements at the expense of other occurrences of human and development interest.<br /><br />It should be a point of concern what scenes investors or entrepreneurs visiting the country get exposed to. Bickering and grand standing by politicians at funerals, of all places, does not do well for Kenya’s image.<br /><br />A good number of Kenyans are now no longer watching TV news seriously because it is the same old story. <br /><br />Amid all the challenges in Kenya, there are many good things happening. For example can the TV stations dedicate five minutes every Friday to give Kenyans an update of the construction of Thika road and others being done elsewhere? <br /><br />Can newspapers dedicate even more space to showcase best performing CDF committees, progress on road construction, the extent of electricity distribution in rural areas, while cutting down on the space provided for political banter and commentary? <br /><br />A strong Country Brand is defined by among others, economic achievement, freedom of speech and attractive destinations. But above all, the country has to be seen to be making its citizens lives better.<br /><br />According to FutureBrand, an international marketing consultancy with expertise in Nation Branding, countries that are geared around their People score highly. The country also has to create a strong emotional connection with other people (foreigners) to make them want to visit, do business and build their lives in Kenya.<br /><br />FutureBrand says that a strong sense of identity, developed over time, can provide the forgiveness that a country brand needs to weather short-term difficulties that negatively influence public perception of a country.<br /><br />However, repeating the same mistakes over and over, will definitely not endear us to visitors and investors.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-26676100081059653662011-02-03T10:45:00.000+03:002011-02-03T11:10:21.095+03:00Kenya is riding on a dangerous pathukiona vyaelea jua vimeundwa....its a saying that i tend to concur with like i have never before considering the current political situation in kenya. soo many events have unfolded in the recent past that i can say they are related and well planed. the recent appointamet by the president on the four top judicial organs marked a start and and a continuation of the current events that tend to unfold each day....just yesterday the PNU wing of the government are threatening to pull out of the coalition government due to the current misunderstanding in the coalition government.<br />to me this is not just out of no where, these goons want to take Kenyans for a ride with their selfish interests of retaining power and also to have their cronies in the top government positions.<br />the grand project here is to pull out of the coalition government and thus calling for a general election and because the know that they have disinter-grated ODM and taken part of it to their side and are thus guaranteed a win if they go for a majority of seats in paliament, they also want to make sure that they have the numbers in order for them to pass any bill they feel is of their good and frustrate the other side of the government.<br />i was just comparing the share prices and i have noticed a drop in price of shares and also the shilling has weakend and i predict that so long as this stalemet still continues it will deep further unless drastic measures are taken to guarantee back the investor confidence.<br />if this will continue, we will roll back on the huge steps we had taken in realizing the vision 2030 and also erode the 6% growth rate we have registered in he last few monthsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-53915591747190175852011-01-11T09:19:00.000+03:002011-01-11T09:32:54.792+03:00Causes of DeflationCauses of Deflation<br /><br /><br /> <br /><br />Deflation is nothing but a fall in the general price level. In order to understand the circumstances under which Deflation occurs and affects an economic condition, one needs to go through the causes of Deflation. Causes of Deflation:<br /><br />Capitalism characterized by sufficient existence of competition, is regarded as one of the factors responsible for the emergence of Deflation. In this case, with the improvement in the capital stocks, competition increases million fold. Escalation in the total number of competitors boosts up the supply of goods, indicating that the prices must decrease in order to stabilize the demand, thereby bringing in Deflation. Capitalism also brings in innovation and efficiency, which also contributes towards the initiation of Deflation. <br /><br />In an economy based on credit, a decrease in money supply results in remarkably less lending trend, followed by a sharp decline in the money supply. As a result, there occurs a sharp reduction in the demand for goods. A decline in the demand is followed by a decline in the prices, owing to the development of a condition called the supply glut. Gradually, this assumes the form of a deflationary spiral, where the prices go down below the costs of financing production. <br /><br />With the advent of deflationary spiral in an economy, the commercial sector of the country stops incurring profits, despite lowering the prices of their finished products. Ultimately, a situation arises where this commercial sector is forced to become liquidated. In order to prevent or slacken down the deflationary spiral, it is necessary for the banks to avoid the collection of non-performing loans. <br /><br />According to the monetarist viewpoint, Deflation occurs when there is a decrease in the velocity of money, and/or in the amount of monetary supply per person. Deflation helps the economy grow and develop at a rapid pace, even faster than the creation of hard money.<br />To sum up, deflation arises due to the following conditions stated below:<br /><br />Decrease in the money supply<br />Increase in the supply of goods<br />Fall in the demand for goods<br />Escalation in the demand for moneyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-71029547661679837872011-01-10T15:50:00.000+03:002011-01-10T15:51:53.587+03:00why southern sudan separation is important to kenyaIn just seven days, the geographical and political landscape of East and Central Africa will undergo a major change if Southern Sudan votes to become the region’s newest state.<br /><br />Southern Sudan’s 3.5 million voters go the polls for seven days starting Sunday, with the entire continent watching but with a keener interest by Kenya, whose interests in Sudan are vast.<br /><br />Kenya has about 70,000 of its citizens making a living there and investments by the government and Kenyans are so important that the semi-autonomous south has often been described as Kenya’s economic outpost.<br /><br />All indications are that the Southerners will vote to secede, and Kenya sees this as an opportunity to not only have the country integrate into East Africa but also develop its investment opportunities.<br /><br />While Kenya remains the biggest economy in the East Africa Community, the recent discovery of oil in Uganda and intensified exploitation of gas and mineral finds in Tanzania mean its dominance as an exporter will be tested in coming years.<br /><br />In Southern Sudan, Kenyans virtually control the hospitality, banking, aviation and construction sectors, and there have been indications that more are waiting in the wings once the referendum is concluded.<br /><br />Among the firms in operation there are the Kenya Commercial Bank, which has 11 branches, UAP Insurance with four branches and Bidco Oil Refineries.<br /><br />“The fact that the Southerners want to run their own affairs independently is better for them since they can then decide to join the East African Community and stand to enjoy the benefits within the trading bloc,” said KCB chief executive officer Martin Oduor-Otieno.<br /><br />He said chief among the resources that would have an immediate impact on Kenya would be the oil, and the development of infrastructure to better link the two countries would lower the price of oil products.<br /><br />Oil from the south is currently exported through Port Sudan, 3,000 kilometres away, and the link to Lamu would reduce that distance to 1,700 kilometres.<br /><br />Mr Otieno naturally looks to helping the new country develop its banking system.<br /><br />“With independence, the south can manage her taxes and choose a preferred money investment programme,” he said.<br /><br />Mr Mugo Kebati, the director of Kenya’s development blueprint, Vision 2030, also described Southern Sudan as an opportunity for growth for Kenyans.<br /><br />“The greatest project that will integrate that country into Kenya’s economy is the proposed Lamu Port and the northern corridor project that are associated with it including the railways line, pipeline and airport,” said Mr Kebati.<br /><br />“Once complete, it will fully integrate the youngest nation – if Southern Sudan secedes - into the greater East African Community,” he added.<br /><br />Although acting Foreign Affairs minister George Saitoti stressed at a press conference this week that this is purely for regional integration, one cannot fail to notice the benefits to be reaped from that connection.<br /><br />The effect of the transport link and the refinery would naturally result in the development of areas along the route, and this to the benefit of the Kenyan economy.<br /><br />The Kenya National Examinations Council offers examinations to students in Southern Sudan and the expectation of their CEO, Mr Paul Wasanga, is that the country would fully adopt the Kenyan education system.<br /><br />“Kenya stands to benefit a great deal with the independence of Southern Sudan. If you want to do trade with any country, the best way is through having a similar education system,” he told the Saturday Nation.<br /><br />“If we have a similar education system with Southern Sudan, then the two countries will be on the same ground going forward. Language and communication is shaped by an education system,” he added.<br />Kenya Association of Manufacturers chairman Vimal Shah said the emergence of a new state would provide a serious opportunity for everything Kenya does.<br /><br />“As a new country, Southern Sudan will need basically everything and Kenya among other neighbours stands to benefit in terms of the increased demand. With secession, the country becomes landlocked and Kenya will automatically provide them access to the sea,” said Mr Shah.<br /><br />Mr Joe Kiboi, the managing director of Cee Express Sudan Limited, a courier service company, said employment opportunities would also increase as the South begins the development of its infrastructure.<br /><br />“But the Kenyan Government, seriously, needs to do the Nairobi-Lokichogio road so that business people can tap the opportunities with ease,” he said.<br /><br />But the risk of a violent turn of events remains, and Kenya is already prepared to handle the spill-over effects should things were to go terribly wrong, with the government saying it is ready with humanitarian and logistical support for any refugees.<br /><br />It would by all accounts be disastrous for the Kenyan economy if trouble was to break out in the country.<br /><br />According to a recent report by a coalition of African and European economic and political think-tanks, the losses to Kenya would top Sh926 billion in 10 years if war breaks out.<br /><br />This would be in addition to the loss of livelihoods for the 70,000 Kenyans that live there. Kenya has, however, played a deft political game with Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir whose success would prevent war.<br /><br />President Bashir was invited to the ceremony of the promulgation of the new Kenyan Constitution, with his surprise appearance almost threatening to overshadow the occasion.<br /><br />In the wake of that visit and the government’s defiant statement when put to task, analysts said it was a deliberate move by Kenya to assure President Bashir of its support.<br /><br />The efforts appear to have paid off with President Bashir’s declaration in Juba on Tuesday that he would celebrate the result of the referendum even if the Southerners chose to secede.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-63556991088895161902010-12-23T13:04:00.000+03:002010-12-23T13:24:57.400+03:00THIKA ROAD IS A POLITICAL PROJETmany kenyans do appeiciate the building of thika Road as to many it will decongest the city he ,anace and try to solve to solve the traffic jam mance on the road....to me it is a well alculated move by th epresident to award his pears and his commiuniy. i like the way president kibaki does things in a well calculated manner to bind the kenya nad at the same time rewad his own community for being loyal to him and also o try and make central kenya the hub of this economy.<br />i have several facts to substanciate on this. one: being in government in his firdt term he made sure that all machiney that will make a smooth decisions on the economic policies that were tto be undertaken including nming his OWN in the dockets that where deemed necessary for the implimentation of the policies and these include the ministry of finance, planning, nairobi metropolitant, KIPPRA. it was complete and the next big challange was to get the second term to roll out the decisions tha were at the time of the of his first term still pending<br />Two: the reasn fro the thika high way to be built was to open up the central part of kenya....most people will now move to live along thika road to avoid the traffic jam to which most of the busineses there are owned by his keens men...testiomony to this is how high rise residential buildings are comming up along thika super high way as many would love to call it.<br />three. the resent publication by the ministry of planning an vision 2030 to start a city called tatu town in thika is evident of the intentons of the building of thika road. and for that reason, like kibaki and his way of tackling issues betwee helping his people without making the others raise a finger. and by the way mombasa road has the worst traffic jam in the country but ws not given the priority<br />more insight of this to come in my next blog as i tske you into details of the plans and its executionsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-44277823695915038122010-12-17T15:45:00.000+03:002010-12-17T15:46:28.091+03:00china in Africa...complex relationship.The increasing role that China is playing in building Africa’s infrastructure and managing its economy has become the subject of much discussion not only within Africa but also abroad. To capture the true scale of China’s irresistible ascent within Africa – its evolution, methods, actors and relations with EU and United States – Afronline.org, in collaboration with three African newspapers (Addis Fortune, Ethiopia; Sud Quotidien, Senegal and Les Echos, Mali) has interviewed Jonathan Holslag, head of research at the Brussels Institute of Contemporary China Studies (BICCS).<br /><br />China differs to the West in that it has a more strategic approach in its dealings with the continent. Its leaders advocate a policy of non-interference in what they describe as “sovereign affairs.” But China has been criticized for overlooking human rights violations and the absence of good governance by some of the regimes it has chosen to deal with. Two such examples being Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.<br /><br />The numbers tell us that as of 2000, trade between China and Africa has grown at an average annual rate of 33.5 per cent. Although still second to the United States (US trade with Africa amounted to US$140 billion in 2008), trade rose from US$55 billion in 2006 to around US$107 billion in 2008, accounting for 4.5 per cent of China’s total trade and surpassing the US$100 billion trade target set for 2010 at the 2006 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). An extraordinary growth rate which reflects China’s increasing demand for raw materials and food which in turn is caused by an internal consumption boom. Africa is an ‘Eldorado’ that allows Beijing to strengthen its influence on the international geopolitical scene.<br /><br />Professor Holslag, why is China so interested in Africa? What place does Africa hold in Beijing’s foreign policy?<br /><br />Clearly, the most pressing need remains to gain access to Africa’s natural richness. However China tries to reduce the resource intensity of its industrial growth, its dependence on foreign supplies of energy and minerals will only continue to grow. But Africa also helps Beijing soft balancing against the West. Although China has made remarkable progress in its domestic development, it has still many interests in common with third world countries. In international organizations it therefore continues to work closely with African countries in promoting alternatives for the economic and political norms that the West has been promoting. We have seen that in the context of the Human Rights Council, negotiations for a new world trade agreement, talks about climate change, etc. It’s thus a matter of both economic and strategic political objectives.<br /><br />What is the magnitude of Chinese investment in Africa? Which economic sectors and geographic areas are the most valued by China across the African continent?<br /><br />Statistics remain probably the most slippery part in the China-Africa relations. According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, China on average has been investing around one billion USD in the last three years in Africa. This is still fairly small. Even if one would include investments via Hong Kong or the Cayman Islands, this would not make China’s investment much bigger. Beijing often presents huge packages of investment to Africa, but often these are compilations of several existing or forthcoming smaller projects.<br /><br />Moreover, so-called investments are often loans. The volume of Chinese loans is much lager than the direct investments. Most of these loans are used for contracted projects like the construction of roads, railways, government buildings, schools, etc. Last year China realized for about 15 billion of such projects. It all looks like investment, but in the end China expects to see its money back.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-12604954478973613752010-12-16T14:37:00.001+03:002010-12-16T14:37:55.518+03:00arap sang is innocent until proven otherwiseThe man in question, Joshua arap Sang, an FM radio Presenter, is said to have used his morning programme to incite people to attack supporters of one of the two main political parties.<br /><br />But the fact that ICC's Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo singled out a media practitioner is an ominous sign that journalists can and should bear responsibility for their actions, if they go against the spirit of serving the public's interest.<br /><br />There is no denying the fact that many more journalists remain culpable, guilty of helping to fan the mayhem that characterised Kenya's darkest moments.<br /><br />It is highly probable that Joshua is just being used to represent the indictment of the entire media in Kenya, with regards to the post poll chaos.<br /><br />If the KASS FM Presenter gets convicted, nay, even before his case passes through ICC's Pre-trial chamber and summons are issued, journalists should take heed and see it as a major wake up call.<br /><br />You just don't use your privileged position and ability to influence a mass audience, to propagate ulterior motives, contrary to acceptable media ethics.<br /><br />And more importantly perhaps, there is no hiding behind or in front of the microphone, camera or keyboard and claiming it is a journalist's duty to just report or provide an account of what is happening.<br /><br />If it borders on enhancing impunity, then journalists too are not immune from bearing responsibility.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-84669426842308167992010-12-16T14:10:00.000+03:002010-12-16T14:18:04.365+03:00why its ocampos case is unstopableI don't think the indictment part is a big deal. All Ocampo needs to do is to prove that the suspects have a case to answer. Remember with Bashir the Pre-Trial judges refused the genocide charge but accepted the rest. Ocampo had to go the the ICC Court of Appeal judges accepted it. One thing with Ocampo is that when he goes after you, he is like a bull dog. He will chase you to the end of the earth. The passion with which he takes his work is incredible.<br /><br />I hope Biwott doesn't poison him. The guy is tenacious. He is not just a technocrat doing his job. He puts his heart in it. Look what he has done to these guys. He told them that he will seal the cases until he gets indictment at which point things become public. Then Ruto started messing around, going to the Hague and having Daily press conferences, parading some fake witnesses and even stalking Ocampo when he came to Nairobi.<br /><br />Then Ocampo told them he will release the list to avoid unnecessary speculations and interference with witnesses. That is exactly what he has done. So with Kenyan politicians who like to bully prosecutors, bully judges and strut around with weekly funeral rallies, Ocampo is going to be their worst nightmare. Already Ocampo has set the "bail conditions". He is now watching everybody like a hawk. You screw up you are going to stay in jail during the trial.<br /><br />Now it terms of indictment, we are lucky in very many ways. The Kenyan case has been handled with the speed of lightning in terms of how slow the ICC process usually is. The case is still fresh in everybody's mind. Ocampo just got the Pre-Trial 1 ruling a few months ago with a 2-1 decision. I think it is the same judges who will hear the indictment case. The one dissenting judge gave a very weak argument about general lawlessness. Ocampo can easily convince even that one and get 3-0 ruling to indict.<br /><br />There are no cross examinations here. You simply present the facts and the evidence and ask the court to let the defendants go to a full hearing. Most judges will grant that. After all if they are innocent the will be set free after a full trial. The issue here is merely to establish that the Prosecutor is not abusing the system or filing frivolous or charges that would be impossible to prove. That is why the pre-trial judges in Bashir's case rejected the genocide charge. They thought it would be impossible to prove and the ICC court of appeal disagreed.<br /><br />So Ocampo just has to line up his stuff get the indictments and then people are going to calm down because we will be talking 4 or more years as the trial goes on. There will be endless appeals and applications from both sides. It will go on forever. The issue for the suspects is to be of good behaviour to avoid being locked up as the trial goes on. That is a lot to ask from a Kenyan politician.<br /><br />From what I have heard, the ICC investigators are like a locust attack. When they hit a place, nothing remains standing. Kenya is one of the few countries where they had a free reign plus six boxes of info and data handed to them. You give Ocampo that, you are in trouble.<br /><br />Like I said I see Kibaki flipping off and going for the STK. Mama Ngina is going to kill him if he let's the prince go to the Hague. And poor Muthaura, how can Kibaki let him send his last years in the Hague. Lucy won't allow that. I can tell you th e amount of night meetings going on as we speak is a record. They better make sure that Ocampo's eyes and ears are not anywhere near. You never No.<br /><br />But I know one thing, the drama has not even started yet and Kibaki has very little time. He is out 2012 and one of the big deals was to find someone to protect Uhuru and the big ones. May be Kalonzo can do that but how the heck do you protect someone already in the Hague. The idea was to avoid going there in the first place. Any Mr. Kati Kati has already issued a statement condemning Ocampo for releasing the names before getting indictments. I tell you, Kati Kati politics can be tough. Kati Kati wants to be with the suspects and the victims all at the same time. Hard road to walk.<br /><br />Interestingly it is the man they have insulting and plotting against all these, one Amolo Odinga, who has tried to help them in any meaningful way. Raila fought heard for the STK. They laughed at him and said he was trying to fix some people. Then now they say Ocampo is working for Raila. Very soon after they are indicted they are going to claim even the judges at the ICC are working for Raila and have been bribed to finish them. That is hiw ridiculous these people are.<br /><br />I am sure Raila would have gone for the STK being linked up to the TJRC to put everything to rest. But NOOO. They wouldn't listen. That is still my favourite option. I don't want to see an old man rotting at the Hague with Taylor. These are citizens of the republic of Kenya just like me. If they were willing to work towards a solution I would be the first the jump on their side. But they thought they can just bully everybody around. Now let them try bullying Ocampo.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-66442742998826310492010-11-17T13:21:00.000+03:002010-11-17T13:25:46.134+03:00kenyas poorest population deprived health servicesThe Kenyan media is replete with reports of patients held in public hospitals because of unpaid hospital bills. Quite often it has required a public outcry, sometimes political intervention, to get such patients released. But the message is only too clear to them- the public hospital is no longer the first option for the poor seeking health care. Only recently, there was a question in parliament regarding treatment of cancer cases in public hospitals in Kenya, in answer to which the Honourable Minister of Medical Services admitted that adequate radiotherapy is only available in one public hospital, the Kenyatta National Hospital, but the equipment there has not worked for many months (see Hansard 26 October 2010; www.parliament.go.ke). This means that any Kenyan who cannot afford private care either at home or abroad, has to remain in a long and uncertain waiting list for cancer treatment.<br /><br />Right to Health is an important constitutional provision<br /><br />The new Constitution of Kenya, which was promulgated in August 2010, is among the most progressive constitutions in Africa[i]. It provides for the right to health care services. Chapter Four on the Bill of Rights states in Article 43(1a) that every person has the right to the highest attainable standard of health, which includes the right to health care services, including reproductive health care, and in Article 43(2), that a person shall not be denied emergency medical treatment. Article 27(2) guarantees equality and freedom from discrimination, and the full and equal enjoyment of all rights and fundamental freedoms. The Constitution obligates the government to take legislative, policy and other measures to achieve the progressive realization of the rights as guaranteed in the Constitution, including the right to health. The Right to Equality encompasses within itself the right of a poor patient to quality health care, regardless of their ability to pay.<br /><br />The right to health is fundamental to the physical and mental well-being of all individuals and is a necessary condition for the exercise of other human rights including the pursuit of an adequate standard of living. Indeed health is fundamental to enjoyment of the right to life, and the right to a healthy life is fundamental to all other constitutional guarantees.<br /><br />Lack of equity in access to health care<br /><br />Both equity and human rights’ principles dictate the necessity to strive for equal opportunity for health for all people including the poor and marginalized groups[ii]. Unfortunately, the reality in most African countries, Kenya included, is that lack of or inadequate access to health care services remain the most prominent factors behind the persistently and unacceptably high levels of mortality and morbidity, especially among the poor and marginalized populations. Big disparities exist between the poor and the better-off with respect to access to health care services as well as in the indicators of health status; for example, there are wide gaps in child mortality rates not only between rich and poor countries, but also between the wealthy and the poor in the same countries. From available evidence it is obvious that health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) cannot be achieved without emphasis on equitable expansion of access to basic services for all.<br /><br />In Kenya, as in many sub-Saharan countries, four factors come to play in restricting access to health care for poor people: (a) where public health facilities lack essential equipment, drugs, supplies and commodities; (b) where people have to travel long distances to reach health facilities, especially where public transport is scarce and costly; (c) when fees charged for services are unaffordable, and even if there is official exemption (e.g. for pregnant women and children under five) or waiver of fees, people still end up paying on top, for drugs and transport (out-of-pocket expenditure); and (d) where people lack confidence in the services provided at local public health facilities and decide not to utilise them (e.g. poor quality services or negative provider attitudes).<br /><br />There is a world of difference in the way the poor respond to an episode of illness compared with the response by the well-to-do. In the case of the latter, the immediate response is to see a doctor. There is little worry about the cost involved; an existing health insurance will take care of that. On the other hand, when someone falls sick in a poor household, the first thing to do is wait to see if there is spontaneous recovery. When this does not happen there is the local duka (retail shop) to source an assortment of painkillers and unhelpful often outdated antimalarials. They may try mitishamba (herbal medicine) either self-prescribed or obtained from the local herbalist. It is only when all these efforts fail, and especially in the case of children or pregnant women, that the thought of going to a formal health facility is entertained. For poor households, seeking care in the formal health system entails considerable sacrifice, which may involve the disposal of household assets to raise the cash that is needed for transport to health facilities, and to pay for cost of treatment. Cost of prolonged hospitalisation and particularly surgical treatment can, and has led to, destitution (see below).<br /><br />Health financing in Kenya<br /><br />As stated above, irrespective of where poor people seek health care, this depends to a large extent on their access to cash or household assets that can be sold to meet the required out-of-pocket health expenditures. Data from the National Health Accounts (NHA) for fiscal year 2001/2002 showed that Kenyan households were financing over half of all health expenditures[iii], clearly justifying a conclusion that ill-health contributes to, and perpetuates, poverty because health costs deplete people’s meagre resources. Thus, there is an urgent need for improved health financing in Kenya. Disappointedly, there is also evidence to suggest that by and large public spending on health tends to benefit the better off more than the poor. Quite often it is the better off who benefit the most from public health services, especially hospital care.<br /><br />In a measure aimed at reducing the burden of out-of-pocket health expenditures the Government of Kenya in 2004 abolished user fees at public dispensaries and health centres country-wide, except for token payment of 10 and 20 shillings respectively at dispensaries and health centres. However, since these facilities most frequently lack essential drugs patients still end up paying for the larger share of their treatment ‘out-of-pocket’. At hospital level, the government retained a cost-sharing policy where patients are expected to pay part of the cost for their treatment. A fee waver system was envisaged to increase access to hospitals by the poor. However, the waver system has not worked efficiently, being bogged down by rigid bureaucracy. As a result, the very poor remain by and large, shut out of public hospitals. It can be concluded that imposition of prohibitive user charges in publicly funded health facilities is reflective of government’s inability to meet health care needs of the poor. This is compounded by increasingly diminishing real budgetary support for health care services, as well as inefficiency which has led to an unacceptably low-quality public health services.<br /><br />National Health Insurance<br /><br />Among the flagship projects proposed in Kenya’s Vision 2030 (www.planning.go.ke) to be in place by 2012, are two which directly address health care for the poor, i.e. creation of a National Health Insurance Scheme “in order to promote equity in Kenya’s health care financing”, and the “scale up of the output-based approach system to enable disadvantaged groups (e.g. the poor, orphans) to access health care from preferred institutions”. On 9th December 2004 the Kenya Parliament passed the National Social Health Insurance Scheme Bill which aimed to increase access by the poor to health care. However, the attempt aborted. President Mwai Kibaki declined to assent to the Bill, returning it to the House for more deliberations. The NSHIF Bill had been fought tooth and nail by the private sector, especially the Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs) and the Kenya Private Hospitals Association, who feared that private medical schemes and the quality of private care would suffer. It was also feared that equal NSHIF benefits would be to the detriment of the middle class that would end up paying higher payroll-based contributions. There was also concern about government management of the scheme- issues of inefficiency and corruption were raised. A more recent attempt by the Government to implement the insurance scheme continues to face opposition, this time round the trade unions being in the forefront.<br /><br />There is no doubt that design and implementation of a well-run and effective NSHIF is an uphill task, but it is a worthwhile challenge to take on. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) ‘the purpose of health financing is to make funding available, as well as to set the right financial incentives for providers, to ensure that all individuals have access to effective public health and personal health care’.The main objective is nothing less than granting all population groups, including the poor, access to a comprehensive benefit package of health services.<br /><br />Other avenues for health financing have included use of devolved funds and pre-payment schemes. Prudent utilisation of devolved funds such as the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and Local Authority Transfer Fund (LATIF) can provide a mechanism for increasing access to health services for all including the poor. Unfortunately, uncoordinated development has resulted in some of the health facilities built with these funds becoming ‘white elephant’ because of lack of proper planning. Corruption too has shown its ugly face in these developments, resulting in some of the buildings being condemned as unfit for the intended purpose.<br /><br />Pre-payment schemes such as Community-based health insurance and highly subsidised Voucher schemes are known mechanisms by which poor communities can manage health risks, in combination with publicly financed health care services. They can help absorb health shocks that add health expenditure to the burden of the poor precisely at the time when they can ill afford it. However, both schemes depend for their effectiveness on efficiency in the public health care services. Voucher schemes operate most successfully where there is strong administrative capacity for its implementation.[iv]<br /><br />Conclusion<br /><br />The new Constitution of Kenya has entrenched the right to health; however, enjoyment of this right by the poor will depend on what measures are implemented to improve access to health care services for all including the poor (universal access). The finding, cited above, that Kenyan households finance over half of all health expenditures highlights the huge burden the poor bear, and it explains why most of them delay seeking health care in formal health institutions until their condition becomes unbearable. Are the impoverishing effects of out of pocket health expenditure recognised as one of the challenges to be adressed in poverty reduction strategies? Indeed, for the poor to enjoy the right to health, measures must be put in place to minimize the current crippling effects of out-of-pocket expenditure on health care in Kenya.<br /><br />Despite the strong opposition, there is little doubt that design and implementation of a well-run and effective NSHIF remains a worthwhile challenge to take on. Other measures include building capacity for effective utilisation of devolved funds and expansion of affordable pre-payment (voucher) schemes for the most needy groups.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-5639940125262948422010-11-03T14:48:00.000+03:002010-11-03T15:10:09.803+03:00WHY "MADE IN CHINA"u wll agree with me that your more that 70% of yor household gadgets are from china, from your kitchen, wardrobe and even your environment, then i ask my self; why china. i have some findings to tell you why this happens. <br />1. i would like to congratulate them for their good policies that have made them surpassed japan in out put to clinch the top largest market in the world.<br />as much as you hate to love their products couse of their quality, u have to agree that they are very aggressive when it comes to marketing their products, thats why u are complaining but yet you are still going to thier shos to have one or two things. market niche and lower are powerful tools that they use to capture the market. but the best part of it as this..<br />i happen to be working with a chinese forwarding company based in kenya(Nairobi), and so i have 1st hand information on this, the only deal with goods from china...they have pitched camp in 17 African countries and the network is still growing at a very fat rate. the other part is that, they dont do it two way traffic but rather one way traffic. by this i mean, tthey only forward goods to kenya and not the other way round. by so doing , they are growing thier industrial output and increasing their revenue at the same ime taming deficits(imbalance of trade) in this case they export more than they import and thus they have a upper hand in deciding what price to charge. this is so selfish but at the same time its good for their economy as they will have better terms of trade than their partners.<br />so why this??????<br />remember also that this guys have undervalued their money.......can u guess why. ill update you on this on my next post...for now lets importAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2602198128441097165.post-82620671747794114012010-10-31T15:45:00.000+03:002010-10-31T16:11:14.711+03:002012 conspiracy theoryi too dont like consipracy theories, but a timmes they turn sooo true.... so dont ignore this one as well, it can be as true as u think its a lie.<br />now, u know how Kenyan politics are played unless u aren't a kenyan but again, even non citizens understand THE SAME. a recent wave of ministers in kenya resigning and i bet no one has , but the correct term is "step aside" is alarming as it sends a strong mesage to those who are corrupt that their days are numbered. but to me some are a mere scapecourt as those eying for the seat in 2012 are the real and the current culprits. <br />1st it was hon Rutto, then wetangula, then majiwa...then...more head to roll soon. but again i think this is all about politics. <br />kibaki is a very cunning person and very smart in what he does...his successor choice can never be Raila, come rain come sunshine.. and do u remember during the promulgation how people were ululating about raila...this gave aspirants a cold shower down their spine and things have to be strategiseid early enough to avoid upsets come 2012. Kibaki has calculated his moves well by pushing Ruttos suspension to Raila. this has caused the kalenjin community to love to hate this man with one heart, a person they were willing to die for in 2007. that's a cool 2m votes gone...as at now, kibaki is a hero among the kalenjins and since rutto has 90% of the bock votes, kibaki is counting onthat for his choice on 2012 presidential race.<br />wetangula has also been eying the seat but with the embassy saga still on his neck, his dreams have dwindled...<br />if anything to go by, all these aree calculated and timed...rutos case might drag till 2012, and so might not go for the top seat since the constitution cannot allow him to, same as wetangula. but at the same time..their votes are kept well in store and some one will definitely run away with in 2012<br />fro now, lets sit and wait to see what next n who next...so far the typing error hasn't been mentioned.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027693183790609449noreply@blogger.com0