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23:50
From: assidous
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 When Kenya Posts & Telecommunication Corp was unbundled, it bore three entities. Among them, only CCK hit the ground running what with the revolution in mobile telephony which seemed to have been the last straw that would have killed Telkom the landline sibling with a record 1000 watchmen in its payroll! Then there was Posta, the mail and parcel service who seemed to limp from one error of parcel loss to the other opened mail. While carrying out business this way, private entities realised that there was money in courier business that was the preserve of Posta and Securicor Courier. The gave the postman a run for his money with innovative same-day delivery and overnight delivery where the postman took a week or more to deliver. Now the postman seems to have got their groove back, if the adverts running in the media are anything to go by. And they are using some very touching ads which resonate with those of us who used the service before the advent of the sms and email services in Kenya. In the dailies, it says ' nothing says 'I Love You' like a letter...' like a letter '....we deliver emotions.' Reminding me of the high school days, donkey years ago when it was the only way to send the missive to that girl one had 'hooked' in the last Rally or drama fests. The TV ad is more to the point, with the dove flying next above the mail delivery van as well as when one is reading the received letter, it lets you know that you can not only deliver a letter anywhere, but that Postal services are just next to you. Truly, Posta is the 'heart of the community.' Lets hope that Posta keeps up the ante and delivers on time. I can say that the delivery time on their part has somehow improved but they cant rival parcel couriers like G4S, Coast Bus and the ilk.
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20:54
From: Kenyanentrepreneur.com
Read This Entry & More At Kenyanentrepreneur.com
I was scanning the Standard’s business section and I came upon this quote by an MP:
“Fresh allegations came after Khwisero MP, Mr Julius Arunga, demanded a ministerial statement on whether Mwangi could legally hold a senior bank position after being a manager in a bank that collapsed. Mwangi was a senior finance manager at Trade [...]
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18:38
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Among all the many smart ideas the N95 comes with, a rather unimportant little application caught my attention: the mobile code reader .
And according to Nokia’s BetaLabs, mobile codes are supposed to be “encoded, exposed and discovered”. This Symbian S60freak (the operating system on which this phone’s firmware is based) actually gives us a 10-point manifesto on why Barcode will rule the world (one day).
So I gave it a try and came up with a short but still meaningful phrase that I encoded, printed on paper and cut in small pieces. After a loooong day in the office, decorating the environment with secret messages for those Amélie-characters out there who still have an interest for the small things surrounding us, especially in urban areas, is just a perfect little amusement.
I wonder if anyone manages to decode this. :-)
The-Oh-I-Forgot-To-Mention-This-Last-Night-Update:
This of course doesn’t only work with the N95 - yani this time around Nokia decided to implement it into the standard software package that comes shipped with you N93 or N95. There are a few free barcode readers available on the net and the best reader seems to be the Kaywa Reader, which is already compatible with selected Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and SonyEricsson phones. If there’s a GPRS or 3G conection available on your phone (~ if you can access a website through your phone), make sure to type in the http://reader.kaywa.com/ address and select a phone (or one which seems to be similar) to download a copy of the reader.
Oh, and while I am already at it anyways: a Nokia is a Nokia, and this N95 with its silver frame strongly reminds me of the year 1999 (2000) when the Nokia 7110 came out. Somehow strikes me that both phones are riding on the same wave in terms of a) a similar slider mechanism, b) similar haptics (~ the silver frame surrounding the screen) and c) a way too narrow and small keypad that doesn’t provide enough space for the user’s thumb.
And while going through that list of supported phones, I just can’t hide the feeling that some SonyEricsson phones are actually way much better than Nokias. Except for the keypad of course. In one of those typical comparisons, Nokia phones are like buying a VW Passat, while a SonyEricsson is like getting a Toyota Avensis. Lots of extras with the latter - you normally have to pay for extra (hence the name) with a Passat. Maybe one day I should try those SonyEricsson phones. Only maybe.
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12:12
From: Black Looks
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Last Sunday two more South African lesbians were brutally raped and murdered in Medowlands, Soweto. Sizakele Sigasa, lesbian activist and outreach worker with the Positive Women’s Network (PWN), and her friend, Salome Masooa, were first tortured and then murdered.
Sizakele was found with her hands tied together by her underpants [...]
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11:22
From: You Missed This
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It is amazing what happens when two or three minds get together. You can imagine what will happen when our numbers reach 2 or 3 million, which will be very soon. As I write this I already have very workable detailed strategic action plans of how to meet our objective here that have arrived via email. I take this opportunity to thank all those who have already volunteered to "get their hands dirty" towards meeting our 4th-President-project whose objective is to put a president of our choice into State house. I really like what Jeff said in a comment elsewhere in this blog. I have reproduced his comments below. The most striking thing is that things have already started happening and if anything comes out of this we can never claim to be the ones who started it. Kenyans everywhere are already fed up and have decided to do something about it. Read more...
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11:18
From: You Missed This
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How two unqualified chaps fooled a nation, the third simply appended his signatureThe last time I checked, Kenya is not a kingdom. And yet that is precisely how even highly educated Kenyans some of whom read this blog treat the office of the president. This is proving to be a big obstacle in the search by ordinary Kenyans for the right candidate. For those who are unaware, a King owns all their subjects and everything that they have. You breathe and live at the pleasure of your King. (An interesting aside here is that in our country all civil servants still serve at the pleasure of the president and that is why President Moi was within his constitutional rights one day when he instructed at a public meeting; Nikifika Nakuru sitaki nione hio nyangau English translation; "When I reach Nakuru, I do not want to see that animal in office." The Kings's word is not just final, it is the law... Read more...
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11:16
From: You Missed This
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As the police supposedly continue to win their war against crime, a child disappeared on Sunday in the Baba Dogo area of Nairobi and the mother has been looking everywhere for the 3 year old boy. Her search ended yesterday on the banks of Nairobi River when a hawker in search of maize to sell stumbled upon the body parts of what remained of the boy. It is not clear who informed the mother and she arrived at the scene before the police arrived to remove the body, to confirm that the head was indeed that of her missing son. Naturally she could not be consoled. Read more...
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11:11
From: You Missed This
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Your guess is as good as mine over what the fate of the Kenyans talked about in the following guest column was. This piece is from a lady who runs the blog Jamii ya Kenya. Visit her blog and leave some encouraging remarks. Let us promote everything Kenyan, especially our ladies who have so far "chickened out" of leaving comments here (but I know they read); Read more of this story
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11:07
From: You Missed This
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ARTICLE DIRECTORY category; publishing books By Faith McCoy Nothing opens doors for people like publishing books related to their expertise. And I have even bigger news for you; there has never been a better time in history for you to publish a book based on yourself and what you like to do. Yes, yes, I hear you point to the massive unlimited free information available online. Yes, I hear you point to the fact that all sorts of media, which drives folks crazy and should also be driving them away from books, bombard us all. But let me tell you a short story to get my point across. In the early days of radio, nobody wanted his or her songs aired on radio. Many were sure that radio spelt doom and would inevitably bring down the music industry. Instead radio opened the door for mega-hits and mega stars like Michael Jackson. And these days people are desperately fighting to get their songs on radio. So, what happened? You see it was assumed that if somebody heard your song on the radio, they would not feel the need to buy your records (in those days). But instead the very opposite happened. Tens of thousands of people who would otherwise never have heard your song, hear it and a substantial percentage can't get enough of it and therefore troop to the store to purchase your tracks. Books are enjoying a similar boom courtesy of the Internet. That is one of the reasons why Amazon.com is so big and prosperous. However many other smaller book selling operations are doing roaring business on the World Wide Web. You see the web opens up a market of tens of millions of potential readers who would never have heard of your book in hundred years. The truth is that apart from getting to do what you enjoy most by publishing a book on your life experience, you can also very easily make quite a bundle, while you are at it. Why Are The People Publishing Books Getting Such High Sales?Why should books sell in millions when we have so much free information floating around on the net? The answer is simple. The information available on the World Wide Web often creates more hunger for information, which can only be satisfied by detailed books. Just like radio still creates more hunger for the songs aired. In fact the problem is that most of those publishing books have not yet learnt how to make full use of the Internet—the most powerful book promotion tool ever invented. You'll agree with me on this by the time you finish reading this article. What Should You Write About?Publishing books is an excellent way to promote your business and unique skills. Books quickly make you an expert in the eyes of the public and is a brilliant and effective way to launch a career as a consultant in whatever it is you are so good at doing. This is exactly how so many have ended up being able to do what they enjoy most for a living. Usually even the books themselves end up being a significant profit center in a consultant's career. For example they can be sold at the back of the room every time you are invited to speak somewhere. Alternatively you can refer to it when giving free consultancy services online at forums (as a strategy to promote your services). There are numerous other ways to promote both your consultancy services and your book. Promoting Your Book With Popular Keywords And (SEO) Search Engine Optimized ArticlesPublishing books is one thing but selling them is quite another. The secret lies in exposing it to your target market and hottest prospects. When you do this you will usually make it all look very easy. It is very easy to do this online because all you need to do is use the right keywords and a little seo (search engine optimization) skills. In fact you don't need to do it yourself, you can just look for a ghost writer who understands books and how to promote them online. Publishing And Selling Books Is Easier With BlogsBlogs are the most wonderful and effective promotional tool for selling books. You can publish excerpts as the book is in progress, or you can publish teaser posts once your book is out. There are actually numerous ways to use blogs to guarantee that publishing books is a rewarding and lucrative cash cow for you. ConclusionIt really does not matter how humble your vocation is, as the saying goes everybody has at least one book in them. Therefore you must seriously consider publishing books on what you know or love.
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10:27
From: For Love and Money
Read This Entry & More At For Love and Money
 I was going through my old receipts for capital purchases I've made in Kenya and I came across an interesting co-incidence. On the 9th of September 1999 (9/9/99) I bought an Ariston cooker for my parents costing 29,000 Shillings. This past Saturday, on the 7th of July 2007 (7/7/07), I bought a similar sized Ariston cooker from the same shop for 31,000 Shillings for my parents-in-law. The only difference being that the newer cooker comes with three gas burners and one electric hot plate (3 x 1) while the old one came with two gas burners and two electric plates (2 x 2). Though they are of the same color, I was kind-of disappointed that they were not exactly the same. Coincidentally, I bought the cooker from the same shop and I was served by the daughter of the owner of the shop who served me almost eight years ago. It's interesting to note that the (nominal) price of the cooker has not increased significantly after eight years though the two products are very similar. Factoring the increased labor costs, inflation and the increased price of metals used to make the cooker, I would have thought the price would be much higher than I paid.
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8:45
From: My Africa Today
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I HAD NO IDEA SHE WAS NIGERIAN Its that Isabelle FROM THE 4400 ON USA NETWORK Megalyn Echikunwoke is an American actor born on May 28, 1983 in Spokane, Washington. She is best known for her role as Isabelle Tyler on the TV Series The 4400. She is of Nigerian and Causian-American heritage and grew up on a Navajo reservation in Chinle, Arizona. Her last name, Echikunwoke, means "leader of men". She has a younger brother, Miki. Megalyn has been acting since 1998 when she won her first role in Peter Benchley's Creature. She has guest-starred on several TV series including ER, 24, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Supernatural. She had a recurring role as Hyde's sister, Angie Barnett, on That 70s Show. She is also passionate about singing and someday hopes to pursue a career in that area as well.     Customize your mobile with your Complimentary Ringtone!
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6:00
From: tHiNkEr'S rOoM
Read This Entry & More At tHiNkEr'S rOoM
[Special Shout Out to Salome] Unlike most of my brethren, my interest in cars begins and ends in their exterior. We can debate whether the VW Touareg indeed looks better than the BMW X5, or whether the S Class looks better than the 5 Series. Once you pop the bonnet ...
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5:53
From: Cock And Bull
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There is a grouchy bull dog called Spike that occasionally makes as appearance in the Tom and Jerry cartoon shows. Despite being in the same locality of the cantankerous pair, all Spike wants is peace in his little corner, and to possibly sleep an afternoon off in quiet. That is why all the noisy mayhem that accompanies the never ending cat and mouse games often drives him crazy. And that is how he invariably gets sucked into the cat and mouse world of Tom and Jerry.
Spike has a son. In one of the episodes, a time comes when he has to tell his son about the facts of a dog’s life. The proud father then goes ahead to break down his son’s education into three simple lesson; learning how to be man’s best friend, learning how to bury bones, and learning how to chase cats. As it turns out, the third lesson ends up being the most unrewarding, treacherous, and time consuming of them all.
Just as it is characteristic for a dog to chase cats, there are behaviors that seem to be deeply ingrained inside us. A person might wonder why he or she does the things that they do, just as a dog might wonder what the objective of chasing a cat is. As far as I know, a dog’s obsession with chasing cats has nothing to do with appetite, and neither can I think of a way that a cat threats a dog. But through some unconscious programming, a dog with a full stomach will waddle after an innocent cat in much the same way a man with a perfectly good female partner will pant excitedly in pursuit of one skirt after another.
The instinct is so primitive that a thoroughbred dog will forget itself and venture into dirty back alleys as it chases stray cats that forage for decomposing remains from dustbins. That might as well be what a person who is blessed with money, career, and intelligence might feel while looking for a ‘fix’ in a dingy basement in a dubious neighborhood. Or it just might be a dirty little secret thought that is so delicious and yet incessantly eats its owner from inside each time it is indulged.
Sometimes, we find ourselves in cycles that we loathe, yet that seem to attract us so much. The good news is that we are not alone. Everybody has something that they are trying to resolve in their lives; even the market mad man cannot seem to collect all the pieces of paper that people keep dropping down. Whatever the magnitude - small or big –everyone’s challenge is, it is enough to drive them all day or keep them awake all night. Someone once told me about the experience of having a tiny insect lodged deep inside the ear, “It is like having an elephant running amok in your head.”
In the song Atomic Dog, George Clinton and the Funkadelics, rhetorically ask, “Why must I feel like that, why must I chase the cat?” and in the same breathe answer “It ain’t nothin’ but the dog in me.” So, as we consider the reasons why we must chase the cat, let us know that it is part of the package that comes with our incredible human experience. However bad it might feel, let us also remember that it is just another challenge that needs to be overcome. For just as there are many things that we have learnt in this life, there are equally as many things that we need to unlearn.
Each time we have found ourselves at the bottom of that barrel, God was always at our side. If we find ourselves in the bottom again, God will still be at our side. And so, there is no shame in talking to Him about it for He already knows what we are going through. He also knows what battles are raging inside the people that we Love and care about. We can talk to Him about that as well. God is on our side, we have all the help we need.
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5:46
From: Cock And Bull
Read This Entry & More At Cock And Bull
There is a grouchy bull dog called Spike that occasionally makes as appearance in the Tom and Jerry cartoon shows. Despite being in the same locality of the cantankerous pair, all Spike wants is peace in his little corner, and to possibly sleep an afternoon off in quiet. That is why all the noisy mayhem that accompanies the never ending cat and mouse games often drives him crazy. And that is how he invariably gets sucked into the cat and mouse world of Tom and Jerry.
Does that sound a bit familiar? Once in a while, one gets sucked into other people’s dramas and finds himself or herself more or less like a puppet on a string. At one point, a person might take a short reverie to ask, “I am a peaceful person, how and when did I become one who participates in shouting matches?” However, before one can get an answer, the adversary comes along and pushes the buttons that he or she so enjoys pushing, and all sense flies out of the window.
Yes, learning another’s emotional buttons is the most effective way to keep that person under leash. And yet, it is also as effective in making one detest another. And there are people who are experts in these games. For example, a man might want to have a night out, but know his female partner would object. And so he will ‘innocently’ do something that really makes the woman angry, driving her stark raving mad, which makes him ‘hurt’ and he walks out in a huff, effectively giving him the perfect opportunity to spend the night partying with friends. When he comes in the morning, they will spend a few hours in uncomfortable silence before finally finding some distraction – like an unexpected visitor - to make them start talking again. Of course the woman would never dare ask about the man’s night out to avoid raking the wounds that resulted from her uncalled for outburst.
A woman wanting a favor which the male partner has denied her will ‘innocently’ do something she knows annoys the man to the point of crawling up walls. In the ensuing madness, the man might shout at the woman, who will become ‘upset’ to tears. This will drive the guilt ridden man to apologize, and in the process of talking about the man’s seemingly uncalled for behavior, the woman might mention the un-granted favor in an offhandish way. Looking for any straws to clutch, the man will quickly explain the reasons why he could not grant the favor, but then on second thought, agree to comply. With the woman’s mission accomplished, life goes back to normal, everyone is happy, until the next time when the buttons are pushed.
Incidentally, people always know that they push each other’s buttons, without quite calling a spade a spade. For example, men believe that it is a woman thing, and discuss it all the time. A man will talk about how his partner will just want to annoy and dismiss it as a case of a woman behaving in a childish way. Women on the other hand believe that it is in the nature of men to be insensitive. It is not uncommon to find a small group of women discussing how pig headed men are by citing various personal incidences. And so, more fuel is added to the age old men versus women blame game.
In some cases, one partner might be willing to get out of these games, but the other would still be hooked by the highs and lows of manipulation. That is when one thinks to themselves, “If I were alone, I would know what to do!” Fortunately, when these games are played for long, both partners will get tired and desire to get out of them. Through mutual discussions and compromise, a relationship takes a more mature direction and partners are happier with each other through genuine care of each other’s emotions.
In admirable cases where partners can sit down to talk rationally about common problems and make mutual choices, they need not wait for crisis to push them, or time to inevitably make each decision for them in the future.
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5:43
From: assidous
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This landed into my inbox and i thought it wise to share it with my readers. I will not say 'enjoy it' because its a pity how low a country can sink just to soothe someone's cathedral-size of an ego!
There has been a wave of panic buying in many shops in Zimbabwe as the government enforces radical price cutting measures to try to tackle the world's highest rate of inflation - more than 3,700%.
One resident of Harare describes how the inflation is making life difficult for everyone, even those who are relatively well off.
At the pharmacy, I wait again in the gloom to have a repeat prescription filled.
It is for Phenobarbital tablets for my partner's mentally handicapped son, who suffers from epilepsy.
The tablets have gone up by 30,000 Zimbabwe dollars ($0.93 at the official exchange rate; $0.10 at the dominant black market rate) in a single day.
Hundreds of people are clamouring around the supermarkets, so I assume there has been one of the rare deliveries of basics like sugar or salt.
There is nothing I can afford.
A single banana costs 15 times more than I paid for my four-bedroom house seven years ago.
One candle now sells at 120,000 Zimbabwe dollars (US $3.70; $0.42).
That is twice as much as the government's stipulated farm worker's wage.
"This isn't living, it's barely surviving," I tell myself, but I know that so many Zimbabweans are not even surviving.
They are dying of hunger, malnutrition or preventable diseases.
This post is from bbc news and blogged here by assidous
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2:26
From: KA-INVESTOR
Read This Entry & More At KA-INVESTOR
 Equity Bank seem to be rubbing Western Kenya politicians the wrong way. Sometime back, Bonny Khalwale - the Ikolomani MP, was accusing Equity for allowing criminals to get bank accounts by not asking for referees when someone opened a bank account with them. assidous had a detailed discussion on this. Now Julias Arunga - Khwisero MP backed by still the one Bonny Khalwale, are on Equity's case again, but this time accusing the banks CEO, James Mwangi, for his role in the collapse of Trade Bank in the late 1980's ; owning the bank through nominee accounts and share price manipulation through Dyer and Blair Investment Bank. { see more here and here} What i was wondering is this just a case of multinationals taking competition to a higher/bad level or just a case of favouratism by the current government? If Arunga's accussations are true, then we are looking at a serious case of both insider trading and gross negligance by the Capital Market Authority. I think its time Equity stops being tribalised and politicised for their own good. I don't know the effect of bad publicity on the NSE but i think its not good.
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1:02
From: RIBA CAPITAL
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 Telkom Kenya Privatisation plans underway. The government is requesting for proposals for the privatisation of Telkom Kenya limited from potential bidders. This is at a fee of US$ 20,000.00 The RFP contains the relevant details of the revised TKL transaction structure that calls for a sale of 51% of the shares of TKL to a strategic investor as a first phase and the second one scheduled to be implemented later through an IPO of 19% of the Govt’s and 11% of the strategic investors telkom’s shares. After which the ultimate shareholding structure of TKL will therefore be 30% for GOK, 40% for strategic Investor and 30% to the public through the NSE. Do not forget that the shares of Telkom Kenya in Safaricom are being transferred to the PS Treasury and thus Telkom will seize being a shareholder in Safaricom and therefore this deal does not in anyway mean you will own shares in Safaricom indirectly. **I am heading off to South Africa for some prolonged period and will scale down on my blogging activities at least in the short run. Apologies to all the visitors of Riba Capital.
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0:10
From: assidous
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 Forty years ago yesterday, Albert Lutuli (Luthuli) died in a mysterious car accident near his home in Stanger. Born in 1898, Lutuli, a teacher, was known for his fight against the excesses of the Apartheid regime which jailed him severally in an effort to silence him. He was also a one time chairman of the ANC after he accepted the offer to become a tribal chief which he had resisited for over two years. He was later dismissed from being a chief after the government cited conflict of interest in his ANC membership and chieftainship. In 1961, he became the 1st South African to win a Nobel Peace Prize for his fight against apartheid a move that was termed as 'an inexplicable pathological phenomenon' by Die Transvaler a local Apartheid Daily. To Lutuli, his was a 'spirit that refused to submit to tyranny.'
Read the complete article at
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