Read more here.Moreover, these top schools have sent kids to Ivy League colleges in the US before, colleges that supposedly churn leaders. I have not heard of any that is turning heads for having put to use the skills and super education received from these famous schools.
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23:20
African Leadership Academy
» Kenya Imagine Patience Wanga on why the premise of an African leadership educational institution misses the mark. -
Afri
» Kenya Imagine Afri
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22:33
The Discussion is Here to Stay-Angel Africa on Trade vs Aid
» The Benin Epilogue Part I: Africa-Ready for Business Hi, I just wanted to highlight a very beautiful discussion that I witnessed and participated on recently. The discussion took place on Angel Africa. It all seemed to start when Emeka Okafor of Timbuktu Chronicles commented about TED. From there, Amini Kajunju, the director of Angel Africa chimed in with her thoughts on why trade is so relevant in Africa right now and from there the conversation got quite interesting. Hopefully, they don't mind me doing this but I will post part of the conversation below.
Emeka:
For a taste of where the Aid debate is going take a look at the Andrew
Mwenda vs Bono encounter at the recently concluded TED Global event :
On the first day of the conference, the discussion between Andrew
Mwenda and Bono electrified the audience and those following the conference via
blogs.Here's what bloggers both inside and outside the conference had to
say:
Felix Salmon's Market Movers blog for Portfolio.com gives an
overview:
... the conference kicked off with[William] Easterly-by- proxy Andrew
Mwenda. Ethan Zuckerman was there tohear Mwenda run down the standard Easterly
talking points –- but at TEDconferences, the points have a way of talking back.
And when Mwendachallenged the audience to name a country where aid had led
todevelopment, Bono, of all people, stood up and named Ireland, in thedays of
the potato famine.
Bono was scheduled to speak [in Session] Two, and he
devoted his time not to his own ideas but to rebutting Mwenda's. ...
And a report on the confrontation as it went down comes from fifthculture:
Andrew Mwenda [is] a journalist and socialcritic (read troublemaker –
my kind of guy), and passionate speaker.... [A]ccording to Andrew, all of us
bleeding hearts from richcountries are doing the absolute wrong thing by giving
aid to Africancountries. Andrew asked "has anyone in this room benefited or had
arelative who benefited from aid?" A surprise answer came from Bono (allI could
make out of the comment was "bullocks," but Bono would elaborate a little
later). Liz Dolan from the Huffington Post reports in
detail:
Addressing the growing feeling that debtrelief will not get African
nations nearly as far as western directinvestment, Bono said "You'd think
somebody farted in here when thewords 'debt relief' came up -- ooh, that's so
uncool. Well, I will tellyou that 20 million children in Africa are going to
school today as adirect result of debt relief, 3 million right here in Tanzania
alone.
David McQueen reports on the talks and the
reaction:
... Talking to a number of peopleafterwards there were many mixed
messages. Most believed that tradeshould be the primary focus but with incumbent
governments still verydependent on aid that the focus should change. Personally
I lean moreto the position of Mwenda. Here is a man looking at the situation
fromthe ground, and with possible prison sentences hanging over him fromhis
native Uganda. OK he may not have all the solutions but his disdainfor people
looking down at Africa trying to solve issues from theoutside in definitely
resonated with me and many others.
Ecorica-Blog offers some more background on
Andrew Mwenda's analysis:
One important remark: He admits that aid can bring
humanitarian relief and can save lives, but he does not believe in the idea that
aid can support long-term development of asociety.Live-blogging hero Ethan Zuckerman writes at length about both Mwenda's and Bono's talks. (The title of this blog post is borrowed from his
indispensable blog.) White African also offers a good look at the talks, as does Ramon Thomas.
Technorati tags: Africa, Andrew Mwenda, Bono, TEDGlobal, TEDGlobal2007 ..."
From Nvalaye Kourouma:
What Does Africa Need Most: Technology or Aid?Folowing up on Emeka's email, this an article that further expand on what
Afirica really needs. I believe entrepreneurship and business is what is
needed adn any aid has to be directed towards creating the right environment for
business to serve people. Any thought?
____________ _________ _________
_________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________
_________ _________ _______
By JASON PONTIN for New York TimesI AM just back from Tanzania in East Africa.
"...Very poor farmers and their children stared curiously at me as I
passed.
In the afternoons, I attended the TEDGlobal 2007 conference, held by the
Technology, Entertainment and Design organization in the modern Ngurdoto
Mountain Lodge. The contrast between the two experiences troubled me.
TED conferences, mostly held in Monterey, Calif., are invitation-only
affairs, are attended by the aristocracy of Silicon Valley and are known for
their adventurousness in drawing together wildly disparate trends in technology,
business and the arts.
On this occasion, Bono, the Irish rock star and champion of African
causes, had persuaded the conference's organizer, Chris Anderson, to invite the
usual crowd, as well as African entrepreneurs, activists, health care
professionals and artists to this tropical, leafy region midway between the
Serengeti Plain and Mount Kilimanjaro.
But beyond this Panglossian message, however much a corrective to the
common images of African misery and however flattering to the pride of TED's
African attendees, was something that everyone at the conference knew (and which
I saw every morning on my runs). Whether measured by per capita income or by the
gross domestic product of its nations, Africa is the poorest place on earth. The
question that the conference was really exploring was this: How can we make
every African family richer?
At TED Global 2007, I witnessed one small skirmish in a larger ideological
conflict between those who believe that Africa needs more and better
international aid, and those who think entrepreneurialism and technology will
lift the continent out of poverty and thus reduce its miseries.
Predictably, TED's attendees and speakers were spellbound by technology and
entrepreneurialism and, at the same time, distrustful of international aid.
"What man has ever become rich by holding out a begging bowl?" asked Andrew
Mwenda, an Ugandan journalist and social worker, now a research fellow at
Stanford in California.
Mr. Mwenda argued that $500 billion in international
aid over 50 years had achieved nothing in Africa and that the persistence of
African poverty could be explained, in part, by aid. Charity, he said, had
"distorted the incentive structure" and had persuaded the brightest Africans to
work for corrupt governments. He called upon African entrepreneurs to build
African businesses and the American investors in TED's audience to finance them.
Echoing Mr. Mwenda, Russell Southwood, the publisher of Balancing Act, a
newsletter about technology in Africa, implored African entrepreneurs and
Western business leaders to "invest in shortages." Africa, he said, could
"leapfrog" the industrial technologies that Westerners use and build truly
21st-century technology systems and networks.
As an example, Mr. Southwood
pointed to a near absence of telephone landlines in sub-Saharan Africa; cellular
networks for mobile phones could quickly bring modern communications to hundreds
of millions of Africans.
At least one of the African attendees of the conference was representative
of the kind of technological entrepreneurialism that the show advocated.
Alieu Conteh, the chairman of Vodacom Congo, was born in Gambia, in West
Africa, 55 years ago and moved to Congo in 1981. For years, he was a successful
coffee buyer and exporter.
Congo is about the size of Western Europe and has
an estimated population of 65 million people. It is one of the least-developed
nations in the world, with less than 300 miles of roads, most of them in poor
condition.
MR. CONTEH is building a telecommunications network where none existed
before. With 600 employees and 5,000 contractors, Vodacom Congo is one of his
country's biggest employers. If he realizes his ambition to create a stock
market and offer shares in his company, he will have created new wealth. But the
tale of Vodacom Congo also illustrates the difficulties of creating new
businesses in Africa and the limits of entrepreneurialism as an alternative to
international aid.
Mr. Conteh accepted risks that few businesses would, and for many years he
found it impossible to attract more than a few eccentric investors. More
significant, it has taken Mr. Conteh more than a decade to provide
telecommunications to less than 10 percent of the country. While the existence
of Vodacom Congo may one day help build other businesses, the country's general
poverty is not alleviated by the existence of the company.
In truth, Africa will need both investment in entrepreneurialism and aid,
intelligently directed toward education, health and food..."
And from Amini Kajunju:"...Africa needs entrepreneurs like the men who started Vodacom or Celtel.
It does not need aid. We need investors. Here is the truth of the matter as Mr.
Mwenda said:
Mr. Mwenda argued that $500 billion in international
aid over 50 years had achieved nothing in Africa and that the persistence of
African poverty could be explained, in part, by aid. Charity, he said, had
"distorted the incentive structure" and had persuaded the brightest Africans to
work for corrupt governments. He called upon African entrepreneurs to build
African businesses and the American investors in TED's audience to finance
them
Frankly, if it was up to me, I would put a 30 year moratorium on
aid to Africa. I would create a world where African goverments only accept "free
trade" and investors. No AID. No Bono..."
And here is a section of my comments:"...Thinking further let me say that Pontin's argument pre-supposes that it
almost sounds as if Mr. Pontin thinks that all 900 million plus on the African
continent face poverty. Of course we know this to be grossly inaccurate.
Furthermore, by default hisargument seems to lump all of Africa's poverty into
thecategory of being situational (resulting from one-timecatastrophies) , again
we know this to be untrue aswell. In fact, though I dont have figures I would
probably say that this would probably account for less than 15 percent of the
poverty that he talks about. So Mwenda and Ayittey do have a very solid argument
then, but it is only that I have not heard them address the types of poverty
resulting from natural or human disaster.
However in the vast majority of cases on the African continent where
communities seek to reduce or eliminate poverty, there is a strategy that is
being tested by organizations like Technoserve, which I think will help
immensely..."Also, for the record I believe that trade and investment on the African continent will continue to be the driving force for reducing the income gap between some of the continent's lower producers and some of the world's middle and upper income nations. However, in when it comes to tackling humanitarian issues aid makes more sense. I will say that the number of disasters on the continent is smaller than the media will have you think. Thus, more trade than smart aid is needed.
Of course, I love your comments. But, if you can't comment at this particular time- but would like to let us know that you were here; please sign and View my guestbook
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20:40 Kenya’s Changing Mortgage Industry
» Kenyanentrepreneur.com A dear friend of mine emailed me this article yesterday (thanks EW!) that appeared on NBC’s cable website. It mentions Kenya’s changing mortgage climate, which according to the article, began when ….. “Kenya’s financial laws changed, requiring banks to have less cash in reserve. {also} ….Lower interest rates on treasury bonds ….. encouraged banks [...] -
20:09
Safaricom: Say What?
» Kenyanentrepreneur.com I was breezing through the standard’s business section and I came upon this article on Safaricom. It made no sense to me. So, I’m asking you (anyone) to read it and tell us what on earth the author of the article was trying to say. The article begins like this: “Finance minister Mr Amos Kimunya says [...]
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15:18
Ramblings of a dusty traveller…
» Me, Life & Everything time: 2318hrs length: odd mood: confused stars: a thousand at: home level: zero track: enchantment - corinne bailey rae, corinne bailey rae. I have been a member of the Jav club for the past week and a half courtesy of Mona checking in to the plastic surgeon **read garage** for some much needed face lift or is it butt tuck…any who..so [...]
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13:03
African fellows at Poptech
» Kenyan Pundit I’ve blogged about it several times, now you can watch or listen to the African fellows at Poptech (includes my attack on the interviewer ).
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12:21
What Were The Intended Objectives Of The Leaked Dossier?
» You Missed This archive
Was The Leaked Dossier Itself “Cooked” To Achieve Certain Objectives?
Yesterday I gave you the views of my better half but today I will move on to mine. This is concerning the so-called leaked ODM dossier.
Let us start by agreeing that voting patterns have changed significantly since 2002 and to base any research on how Kenyans have voted in the past is a little dangerous. I believe that voters have grown much wiser in leaps and bounds since the times of "Kibaki tosha."
Secondly I agree with the readers who say here that the figures were "cooked". As they say, figures can be used and "tweaked" to prove anything. More so where it is claimed that William "YK’92" Ruto is at number 2 in the projected presidential votes.
What makes me even more suspicious is the fact that the latest Steadmann polls already in the hands of newspaper editors have not been released. Is there anybody putting pressure on them not to release them? According to my sources, the latest poll puts Raila Odinga at No 2 after the incumbent. KM is of course at Number 3. Still as I have often said here before, something about the Steadmann polls made me lose faith in them early on and I am yet to change my position on this (if ever).
I wonder what it did to Ruto to see his name at number 2 on the much publizised dossier published on the front page of the Sunday Nation? I mean the figures would suggest that he was just a breath away from the presidency. I am sure he dreamt of long motorcades with motorcycles riding next to his limousine. What would he not do now to win the ODM-Kenya nomination?
Interestingly in view of the 40:40:20 rule in ODM-Kenya (which gurantees Kanu a 40% share of the party), there is just an outside chance that if the delegates system were to be used, Ruto on paper would look like he has a decent chance of winning, especially in the absense of his party chairman Uhuru Kenyatta. But in the game of politics what is on paper is almost always very different from the reality of things.
I also agree that the buck stops with Hon Fred Gumo as far as the alleged leaking of the report is concerned.
Discover how the exciting new video web conferencing can make your business or web site much more profitable today.
Vote for a fellow Kenyan today because when he wins, Kenya wins -
What Is The Role Of NSIS In An Election Year?
» You Missed This archive
Many readers here have repeatedly stated that removing an incumbent from power in Africa is very difficult.
One of the reasons why this is so true is because the presidential team has the benefit of intelligence reports from the shadowy NSIS (National Security Intelligence Services) which covers the entire country.
As you read this the incumbent has a pretty good idea of the possible voting patterns on the ground in every constituency in the country. In other words taxpayers are paying for President Kibaki’s campaign.
This is one of the reasons why predictions sometimes are so difficult to believe. I now have two different sources who have predicted that the incumbent will lose these elections. One is a man whose predictions have been spot on since ‘92.
Discover how the exciting new video web conferencing can make your business or web site much more profitable today.
Vote for a fellow Kenyan today because when he wins, Kenya wins -
Kumekucha appreciates Vikii
» You Missed This archive
Vikii my man thank you for your considerate remarks on Mrs Kumekucha. I will share them with her when I see her next and I am sure they will bring a smile on her face. As for the man who left an abusive comment while hiding under the shadow of being anonymous, I would like to say that I have left the comment intact as a constant reminder to all of us about the many cowards walking around in trousers.
My view is that Vikii’s comment is a perfect example of mature debate where you can disagree without being offensive and thus leave room to get your points across. I keep on repeating that this is precisely the reason that made the Greeks such a great nation and it is something we Kenyans must learn.
Having said that I am grateful to all you frequent readers and commentators in this blog, because we have come a long way and today it is a joy for anybody to read most of the non-abusive and very well thought out positions expounded here, which quite often overshadow the main post. Hongera Wandunga na wadada wangu.
Discover how the exciting new video web conferencing can make your business or web site much more profitable today.
Vote for a fellow Kenyan today because when he wins, Kenya wins
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12:00
Safaricon II
» tHiNkEr'S rOoM My opinion of Safaricom is not favorable. I deeply resent giving so much of my money to a company that offers such mediocre service. Their customer care is hapless. It is always a pleasant surprise when their services work as advertised. I'd decamp in an instant but like a bad ...
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11:48
WAPI Presents Bamzigi, Fundi Frank, MC Sharon, St...
» Kenyanpoet WAPI Presents Bamzigi, Fundi Frank, MC Sharon, St... -
'Poetic Licence'
» Kenyanpoet 'Poetic Licence'
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11:20
African MiGs : Uganda
» My Africa Today 
Entebbe IAP, Uganda, sometimes between 1972 and 1977; the original Ugandan Air Force was formed with Israeli support, in 1964, initially operating 12 Fouga Magisters, six C-47s, and one N.2502D Noratlas, all supplied from Israel. The Israeli influence could have been also the reason for the camouflage colors of the MiG-17F seen here, which is one of around a dozen supplied from the USSR, either in 1966 or in 1972, together with some helicopters and L-29 Delfin trainers. The Israelis also destroyed at least four Ugandan MiG-17Fs during the Entebbe raid, in 1977, when their commandos were rescuing hijacked El Al passengers. The last Ugandan MiG-17Fs flew several sorties during the war against Tanzania, in 1978 and 1979. One was shot down by Tanzanian SA-7s on 11 October 1978, and the remaining two or three captured and then wrecked by Tanzanian troops on Entebbe, in April 1979. 
Uganda, early 1970s; African MiGs are not very often seen in flying, but this one was - and at a very low level, sometimes in the early 1970s, when the UAF MiG-21MF was still largely intact. Ugandan Air Force acquired at least 16 (but probably 18) MiG-21MFs and at least two MiG-21Us from the USSR in the early 1970s. The Israelis destroyed seven of these during the Entebbe raid, in 1976, and at least one was lost during the war with Tanzania, in 1978. It is unknown if this example survived: the MiG-21U "U901", for example, can still be found on the scrap yard near Entebbe IAP, together with remnants of two or three other examples. 
Entebbe, Uganda, 5 April 1979; this MiG-21MF was one of only seven survivors from the original batch supplied by the USSR, in the early 1970s. It was captured by Tanzanian troops at the Entebbe IAP, at the end of the war between the two countries and then flown out to Tanzania. Note that it is possible the serials of Ugandan MiG-21s were applied in a lighter color than black: eventually red or green could have been used either.
Customize your mobile with your Complimentary Ringtone!
Despite some rumors to contrary, Uganda never operated any MiG-21F-13s. Nevertheless, in 1998 five ex-Polish Air Force and one ex-Polish Navy MiG-21bis were purchased, three of which were then given to IAI for refurbishment and upgrade to a standard similar to that of the MiG-29. These three aircraft were seen at Lod IAP, in Israel, last year, probably short of their delivery. Flown by - probably Byelorussian - mercenaries, they were finally delivered early this year, but one crashed on 15 July, killing the pilot.
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10:56
S Corp Or Llc? That Is The Question.
» Bizmambo As a business owner, it only makes sense to protect your personal assets from company debts and liabilities. The question is: what’s the best way to do that? If you’re going back and forth between the limited liability corporation (LLC) and the S Corporation (standard corporation), you’re certainly not alone!
LLC vs Corporation – The Similarities
So what benefits do these two business entities share? Owners of an S Corp or LLC both enjoy limited personal liability, they both avoid "double taxation," and they both pay income taxes on a flow-through basis like sole proprietors and partners.
In the past, business owners who wanted to protect their personal assets but also wanted to report income and losses on a personal tax return had to create an S Corporation. Today, that can also be accomplished with an LLC. And for many small businesses, the flexibility of the LLC makes it a pretty popular option. In fact, in the LLC vs S Corp battle, the LLC is quickly becoming the entity of choice among small business.
Benefits of LLC vs S Corp
•Simple & Fast – An LLC can be formed in one easy step, while an S Corporation election is made only after a General Corporation is formed first.
•Skip the Formalities – S Corporations are required to hold annual meetings and keep formal minutes, while an LLC is not.
•Flexibility – LLC members can split profits/losses in any way they choose. In an S Corporation, shareholders must receive dividends according to the number of shares that they own, regardless of the amount of effort put into the business.
•Ownership Freedom – Any combination of individuals or business entities can own an LLC. Only United States citizens and resident aliens may own an S Corporation.
Still, when it comes to the question of S Corp or LLC, a clear winner cannot be named. While many business owners are enjoying the simplicity and flexibility of the LLC, it’s not the best choice for everyone.
Benefits of S Corporation
•Issuing of Stock – If you want to entice or compensate employees with stock options or stock bonuses, the S Corp is still the way to go since LLCs do not issue stock.
•Tax Benefits – S Corp shareholders pay Medicare and Social Security tax only on money received as wages or salary, not on profits received as dividends or that stay within the company.
•Fewer Audits – An S Corporation is said to have less risk of government audits as a corporation, compared to an LLC.
As you can see, there’s no clear cut answer as to which form of business entity is better. Each individual business owner will have to weigh his or her options in the battle of LLC vs S Corp. If you’re still feeling overwhelmed, it might be time to talk to a business attorney or accountant about what’s best for you. Another great option is utilizing an online incorporation firm – they can answer your questions and assist you in setting up your S Corp or LLC for a reasonable fee.
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10:43
THE GUY'S RULES. NOT FUNNY!
» assidous This post landed in my inbox and i thought that the men out there need to read it for future use. Just a thought. I know the women will start hyperventilating. Sorry sisters.
AT LAST A GUY HAS TAKEN THE TIME TO WRITE THIS ALL DOWN
FINALLY, THE GUYS' SIDE OF THE STORY.
(I MUST ADMIT, IT'S PRETTY GOOD.)
WE ALWAYS HEAR "THE RULES"
FROM THE FEMALE SIDE.
NOW HERE ARE THE RULES FROM THE MALE SIDE.
THESE ARE OUR RULES!
PLEASE NOTE.. THESE ARE ALL NUMBERED "1"
ON PURPOSE!
1. MEN ARE NOT MIND READERS.
1. LEARN TO WORK THE TOILET SEAT.
YOU'RE A BIG GIRL. IF IT'S UP, PUT IT DOWN.
WE NEED IT UP, YOU NEED IT DOWN.
YOU DON'T HEAR US COMPLAINING ABOUT YOU LEAVING IT DOWN.
1. SUNDAY SPORTS. IT'S LIKE THE FULL MOON
OR THE CHANGING OF THE TIDES.
LET IT BE.
1. SHOPPING IS NOT A SPORT.
AND NO, WE ARE NEVER GOING TO THINK OF IT THAT WAY.
1. CRYING IS BLACKMAIL.
1. ASK FOR WHAT YOU WANT
LET US BE CLEAR ON THIS ONE:
SUBTLE HINTS DO NOT WORK!
STRONG HINTS DO NOT WORK!
OBVIOUS HINTS DO NOT WORK!
JUST SAY IT!
1. YES AND NO ARE PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE ANSWERS TO ALMOST EVERY QUESTION.
1. COME TO US WITH A PROBLEM ONLY IF YOU WANT HELP SOLVING IT. THAT'S WHAT WE DO.
SYMPATHY IS WHAT YOUR GIRLFRIENDS ARE FOR.
1. A HEADACHE THAT LASTS FOR 17 MONTHS IS A PROBLEM.
SEE A DOCTOR.
1. ANYTHING WE SAID 6 MONTHS AGO IS INADMISSIBLE IN AN ARGUMENT.
IN FACT, ALL COMMENTS BECOME NULL AND VOID AFTER 7 DAYS.
1. IF YOU WON'T DRESS LIKE THE VICTORIA 'S SECRET GIRLS, DON'T EXPECT US TO ACT LIKE SOAP OPERA GUYS.
1. IF YOU THINK YOU'RE FAT, YOU PROBABLY ARE.
DON'T ASK US.
1 IF SOMETHING WE SAID CAN BE INTERPRETED TWO WAYS AND ONE OF THE WAYS MAKES YOU SAD OR ANGRY, WE MEANT THE OTHER ONE
1. YOU CAN EITHER ASK US TO DO SOMETHING
OR TELL US HOW YOU WANT IT DONE.
NOT BOTH.
IF YOU ALREADY KNOW BEST HOW TO DO IT, JUST DO IT YOURSELF.
1. WHENEVER POSSIBLE, PLEASE SAY WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO SAY DURING COMMERCIALS.
1. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DID NOT NEED DIRECTIONS AND NEITHER DO WE.
1. ALL MEN SEE IN ONLY 16 COLORS, LIKE WINDOWS DEFAULT SETTINGS.
PEACH, FOR EXAMPLE, IS A FRUIT, NOT A COLOR. PUMPKIN IS ALSO A FRUIT. WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT MAUVE IS.
1. IF IT ITCHES, IT WILL BE SCRATCHED.
WE DO THAT.
1. IF WE ASK WHAT IS WRONG AND YOU SAY "NOTHING," WE WILL ACT LIKE NOTHING'S WRONG.
WE KNOW YOU ARE LYING, BUT IT IS JUST NOT WORTH THE HASSLE.
1. IF YOU ASK A QUESTION YOU DON'T WANT AN ANSWER TO, EXPECT AN ANSWER YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR.
1. WHEN WE HAVE TO GO SOMEWHERE, ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING YOU WEAR IS FINE...REALLY.
1 DON'T ASK US WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT UNLESS YOU ARE PREPARED TO DISCUSS SUCH TOPICS AS BASEBALL, THE SHOTGUN FORMATION,
OR GOLF.
1. YOU HAVE ENOUGH CLOTHES.
1. YOU HAVE TOO MANY SHOES.
1. I AM IN SHAPE. ROUND IS A SHAPE!
1. THANK YOU FOR READING THIS.
YES, I KNOW, I HAVE TO SLEEP ON THE COUCH TONIGHT;
BUT DID YOU KNOW MEN REALLY DON'T MIND THAT? IT'S LIKE CAMPING.
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7:37
Mostly Safaricom II
» bankelele Safaricom, the largest, (acknowledged) most profitable company in Kenya has returned a profit of Kshs 17 billion ($250 million) for the year ended in March 2007 - 40% better than the year before. What are the seven deadly sins again? I just want a decenet election year IPO.
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7:26
Another Flashback......
» My part of the world....... Seeing as it has been a long time, I think it's time for a flash back post.
And the crowd goes yaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This weekend my sister and a pal wanted us to go clubbing with them but I declined. This is because most clubs in the States don't do anything for me. First of all there is the pretentiousness, dress codes, snotty bouncers, high cost of everything (water for $10) and the fact that there are very few diverse joints esp since this is the South. It's either predominantly black, white, brown or yellow. Add to the fact that if you did read Chatterly's post about Kenyan bashes, once you go for one Kenyan bash you have gone for them all; little changes.
Anyway I was remembering how the club scene used to rock in Kenya. So much so that people would do anything to get cash to go clubbing. I once recall taking pal to the local shopping center to sell tons of newspapers, another pal once went to the extent of selling a gas cylinder (that still had gas in it!). It was hustle hard or stay at home and listen to Saturday Night Show, DJ Adrian or whatever plays on Saturday night in your neck of the woods.
Then of course during times of poverty there was the mandatory visit to the locals before going to Carni and the other expensive clubs. In the old broke days if you met someone sober drinking beer in an expensive club it meant one of two things, they were driving or they were in the money. Yes that was true Kenyans for you, chaps walking into the club only one beer away from being totally wasted. It was also amazing the thorough budgeting people used to do to go clubbing. I had a pal who had a budget that was so well done to the cent that was needed to buy the quarter chicken at Topaz in the morning. Needless to say one day he was distraught when a chic prevailed upon him to buy her a drink, thus destroying his budget for that night; but since it was for a good cause we were more than willing to bail him out. Talking about early morning meals, is Big City in The Mall (Westlands) still open? That place had the best fried fish ever, for that hour at least.
Anway what is a flashback about the rave without me including one about my nefarious pals. You see I had this pal, let's call him Mike. Mike's pal John decided to have a bash in his house and invited him and other dudes. So you see this bash turned out to be a bull party aka sausage fest. So what happened is that one John decided to liven up the bash by going to the local red light district aka K-street to pick up some women of easy virtue to liven up the bash. Needless to say as the hard liqour, weed and easy women checked in the party was on and popping. So in the morning what happens is that Mike wakes up from the black out to find that most of the other guys have left leaving him and Mike who was waking up. Well it seems to hangover that was a result of hard liqour, weed and possibly rauncy sex didn't do much for John's mood, so he grabbed a panga and threatened to slash anyone who was left in the house when he was done counting to ten. So my pal Mike and the girls run out of the house. Needless to say the only thing my pal could do at this point in time was to go home. So he got into the next matatu and the girls (or should I say h...?) jump in with him. Well you see this was one of those large suburbs where you had to take one matatu from within the estate to get to the bus stop and another one to get to town. So while in the matatu going to the bus stop the girls begin telling him, how they slept with the other dudes (John included) and how they were not given any money, so Mike should do the right thing and foot the bill. Of course this was a thinly veiled threat because the 3 girls were more than willing to start raising hell if he wasnt going to pay up. And there is nothing as humiliating as one man being accused of not paying members of the world's second oldest proffesion for their trade in the open air. So being as slick as he is Mike demurred and said he would hook them up, so he laid back and pretended to be dozing. What the girls didn't know was that Mike lived in the neighbourhood, so as the matatu slowed down to navigate round a pothole he opened the door and jumped out running.
It took a split second for the girls to notice, but they jumped out, pulled up their already skimpy hemlines and chased after him. But you see Mike was smarter than these girls knew because he knew where he was. He was pals with the caretaker of an empty house that was in that neighbourhood and knew the gate was open. So when he ran to the house, opened the gate and quickly shut it. The caretaker was shocked by the sudden intrusion but as soon as Mike stopped hyper ventilating he told the caretaker that there was this group of women that was trying to rob him and that he should shut the gate and disown his presence if asked. Mike sat on the grass and kept quiet and a few minutes later heard the group of girls passing outside the house wondering aloud where Mike had gone. He spent two hours in the empty house just to make sure that the coast was clear and then walked to his house which was 10 minutes away.
Moral Of The Story
Always Ask For Your Pay Upfront or Always Be Ready For Drama.
If you have any fun club/party related adventures feel free to share!
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6:37
professionaaaal titooools
» Kikuyumoja's realm So I caught myself updating my profiles on xing.com and linkedin.com (isn’t that enough already? facebook, twitter & co for private stuff, xing & linkedin for the pro section?) and realized that I actually can’t think of any professional title, something like an instant keyword that describes my job.
Well, which job? My rummaging here, here, here, here and here?
And what do I put there?
a) what I learned? (~industrial manager, oil business)
b) what I studied? (~ environmental & civil engineering, with an emphasis on sustainable waste (water) management & eco-efficient product design)
c) what I’ve been employed for in the past? (~ list too long)
d) what I actually did ? (~ office “best boy”)
e) what I consider myself? (~ imagineering dude)
f) my current job description? (~ intern)
g) what I am currently doing? (~ editing technical datasheets & setting up a CMS)
h) ……?
As for those social network platforms online, I’ve started mentioning my own (imaginary) company called Kikuyumoja Inc.. Job description: “optimizing idle time”. The dude abides…
AOB: thx GoogleAdSense for adsensing my blog with “composting toilets” and “biological dry toilets”!
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6:19
Solstice yoga in Times Square: "Mind over Madness", free, June 21st
» Marian's Blog This is zehr cool... Mind over Madness public yoga, June 21st in Times Square, 7am to sunset. Has anyone else done this yet, say, in Nairobi, Sarajevo, Point-a-Pitre or elsewhere? About twenty-five NYC yoga studios are participating in this "free...
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4:15
TOURIST POLICE
» stranded in me motorists beware!! there's a bunch of money hungry tourist police who will stop at nothing to steal your hard earned money. one of them is a corporal and claims to have spent 18 yrs in the force. Last friday we had the misfortune of encountering these thieves. our offence we had used a 'one way' road at 2:34 a.m!! they followed us(in a car clearly marked tourist police) stopped us and asked us to show them the route we'd used. which we did. n were promptly asked to drive to central police station. where they took us to the 1st fl to a room marked general accidents. the corporal took some piece of paper asked some questions and then said we'd have to wait till 5am so we could post cash bail. they left us on the 1st fl. but took the car keys. my b/fwent outside to lock the doors n noticed the cop at the desk didnt ask him to stop, i followed later and the same happened. we returned looking for our keys n the cop said he didnt know those people we go look for them at headquarter!!! shocked, confused we left the st. at the gate some cop told us he'd take us to them. which we did. they took all the money we had which wasnt much and which had angered him into to taking us thru the ordeal as he probably thought we had more!!! what a moron!!! i kept pointing out the fact that he was tourist cop n i having been born, n living in nairobi didnt qualify as a tourist!! maybe the trave advisory to kenya should read beware of tourist police the new genre of terrorists!! i wonder how many tourists were being mugged at the time when the people who r supposed to take care of them were harrasing motorists!!
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GOODBYE BARCLAYS' EAGLE?
» assidous 
If and its a big 'if' when Barclays PLC takes over Dutch bank ABN Amro, it may be forced to use another logo and dump the eagle due to 'connotations with German Eagle emblem as adopted the Nazi who occupied Ntherlands (home to ABN Amro) during WWII.'
The Barclays Eagle dates back to the 1700's when the sign was a Black Spread Eagle later tempered down by brand consultants during the 1999 makeover.
The German Eagle is an old symbol used by the Emperors and Kings of the region and became adopted as the Imperial Arms after the German Unification in 1871.
During the Nazi Era, the Swastika was held by the Eagle.
Lets wait and see what will happen.
http:www.barclays.co.uk
http:www.abnamro.com
Info sourced from Reuters
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last week
» stranded in me The past week has been an emotional and painful one. had an appointment with the dentist n now have a beautiful grill on my front teeth. the physical pain has been evoking alot of reactions mainly resentment n av decided to shelve making important ideas for awhile coz all i feel now is pain and resentment.
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Why Kenya Needs a Military Draft
» Kenya Imagine Dave Nyambati proposes a compulsory military draft in Kenya to make use of the increasing number of unemployed youth.
Read more here.The current work force can only absorb so many high school graduates and the jua kali opportunities are limited. This could spiral into a situation where we have whole generations who feel disenfranchised and indifferent towards the idea of a common Kenyan brotherhood. The government has to find a way to turn these unaccommodated youth into responsible adults and upstanding citizens or risk loosing control of an already fragile situation with subversive ideologies like the Mungiki's taking hold.
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