Bidii Africa…

The year that was… 2009, here we come!

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

Guys, this is an article my small sister wrote for her high school newspaper which I thought was a good analysis of 2008. Feel free to share your thoughts on this!

2008 was probably the year that will go down in history as the most remarkable one. Records were broken, history was recorded & controversial decisions were made. As the curtains fall on the year 2008, let’s make a brief recap of the year that was…

Firstly, who’d want to remember all the post election violence & its devasting effects? As people were mercilessly killed, our politicians were busy arguing at KICC about spoilt Form 16As. An old African proverb says, “When two elephants fight, the grass suffers.” That was exactly what happened. Months down the line, Kenyans aren’t all smiles but a “grand coalition” was established. Will it be efficient? Will it lead Kenya to the land of manna? Only time will tell…

Secondly, the Olympics took another big chunk of the year. The festival held in Beijing was the most entertaining exhibition of sportsmanship. Kenyan athletes did us proud by getting a total of 19 medals & being the topmost ranked country in Africa. From Chepkoskey to Wanjiru… Yes, we did it!

On the other side of the world, economic crisis had reached its peak. It started with the fall of Wall Street then the rapid recession in its economy. It spread to Europe then to Eurasia & was later unleashed on Africa. This confirms that, “When America sneezes, Europe catches a cold, Asia gets a serious case of tuberculosis & Africa’s pnuemonia worsens.” How true! Apparently, crisis was the word of the game. Food crisis, oil crisis, economic crisis… The list is endless!

Every cloud has a silver lining. Obama is exactly that! Elected 44th President of the United States of America, the world rejoiced with disbelief. We embraced: “Yes we can!”, accepted it & because of those simple words, change came the world over. I think Kenyan politicians should emulate such a great man. In fact, to add insult to injury, he’s of Kenyan heritage! The “Son of Kogelo” is now the most powerful man in the world. Bulls were slaughtered, chickens had their last crow & there was plenty of merry-making. It was the post Obama euphoria.

With all the highs & lows, joys & sorrows , tears & laughter that we all faced this year, I only hope you played your part in being the change you want in the world. Oh! Don’t make resolutions you’ll know you won’t keep & most probably forget them by February.

Have a happy holiday & a splendid new year!

Jeptum Bullut,

Form 3L,

Riara Springs Girls High School.

Obama unveils new presidential website…

In keeping with the theme that swept President Obama into the Oval Office, change has come to the official White House Web site…

Full story: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/20/white.house.website/index.html

Study finds few Internet predators…

The Internet may not be such a dangerous place for children after all.

A task force created by 49 U.S. state attorneys general to look into the problem of sexual solicitation of children online has concluded that there really is not a significant problem. The findings run counter to popular perceptions of online dangers as reinforced by depictions in the media.

Full story: http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/14/america/net.1-407132.php

Zain lowers Vuka Tariff calling rate…

Zain has lowered calling rates within its popular Vuka tariff in a move meant to consolidate its subscriber base.

The new package dubbed “Friends and Family” allows local subscribers to make calls within the network for only Sh3 per minute for 24 hours a day down from the Sh8 per minute for the same period.

This effectively makes it the mobile phone firm with the lowest intra-network charges in the country.

It has been argued that the mobile phone war will this year not be fought on price but the value and quality of service.

“We shall continue adding value to our product offerings through exciting packages and also enhance our customer service,” Mr Meza added.

Under the new package, prepaid and post paid customers will be required to select 10 numbers of friends and family members which they will call for only Sh3 per minute inclusive of all taxes.

“The Vuka tariff (launched last year) which enables subscribers to call any network for a flat rate of Sh8 per minute had been very successful since it was launched four months ago,” said Zain Kenya MD, Rene Meza.

“We have grown our subscriber base significantly since we launched Vuka last year. We are confident that besides increasing usage, the Friends and Family package will increase our market penetration.” It is widely anticipated that the offer will also increase customer loyalty by tying in loved ones.

To access the package, subscribers will be required to dial *124# and dial 1 from the menu free of charge.

He clarified that the service will however not be applicable when making calls to subscribers on One network or when a customer is roaming since the package is limited to local use only.

According to the firm, subscribers on the Vuka tariff will still be able to access Club 20 which offers unlimited SMS all day and Jiachilie which allows subscribers to make unlimited calls all day for only Sh65.

This is 2009 for you…

Let me know if any one statement is untrue!!!

1. I say no to alcohol, it just doesn’t listen.
2. A friend in need is a pest indeed.
3. Marriage is one of the chief causes of divorce.
4. Work is fine if it doesn’t take too much of your time.
5. When everything comes in your way you’re in the wrong lane.
6. The light at the end of the tunnel may be an incoming train..
7. Born free, taxed to death.
8. Everyone has a photographic memory, some just don’t have film.
9. Life is unsure; always eat your dessert first.
10. Smile, it makes people wonder what you are thinking.
11. If you keep your feet firmly on the ground, you’ll have trouble putting on your pants.
12. It’s not hard to meet expenses, they are everywhere.
13. I love being a writer… what I can’t stand is the paperwork.
14. A printer consists of 3 main parts: the case, the jammed paper tray and the blinking red light.
15. The guy who invented the first wheel was an idiot. The guy who invented the other three, he was the genius.
16. The trouble with being punctual is that no one is there to appreciate it.
17. In a country of free speech, why are there phone bills?
18. If you cannot change your mind, are you sure you have one?
19. Beat the 5 O’clock rush, leave work at noon!
20. If you can’t convince them, confuse them.
21. It’s not the fall that kills you. It’s the sudden stop at the end.
22. I couldn’t repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder!
23. Hot glass looks same as cold glass. – Cunino’s Law of Burnt Fingers
24. The cigarette does the smoking you are just the sucker.
25. Someday is not a day of the week
26. Whenever I find the key to success, someone changes the lock.
27. To Err is human, to forgive is not a Company policy.
28. The road to success…. is always under construction.
29. Alcohol doesn’t solve any problems, but if you think again, neither does Milk.
30. In order to get a Loan, you first need to prove you are solvent enough – which means that you don’t need it.

And my favourite…

31. All the desirable things in life are illegal, expensive, fattening or married to someone else!!

Father: A Title or a Position?

In the US, over 70% of the African American children are born to unwed mothers. Of this population, 50% of the males do not graduate from high school. This has been connected to the lack of male role model (dads) for this young males.

Eventually, so many of these males end up in jail, and thousands are killed in gangs and shootings. Those who make it through high school are not motivated to go to college and they end up working in fast food restaurants for the rest of their lives.

Although this cast is in America, it is also encroaching  in our African society. There is a lesson we can pick from this scenario. As fathers we mean a lot to our sons and daughters. They need us at home to provide their needs and motivate them in all aspects. Beside a having a title of a “father” we need to face all the responsibilities that comes with that position.

Fathers (current & future) what is your opinion?

Vietnam to widely use Open Source Software…

Minister of Information and Communications Le Doan Hop asked that 100% of servers of IT divisions of government agencies must be installed with open source software by June 30, 2009.

VietNamNetBridge – The Ministry of Information and Communications has issued an instruction on using open source software products at state agencies.

Accordingly, by June 30, 2009, 100% of servers of IT divisions of government agencies must be installed with open source software; 100% of staffs at these IT divisions must be trained in the use of these software products and at least 50% use them proficiently. IT divisions at government agencies comprise the IT departments of ministries and government agencies, provincial and municipal Departments of Information and Communications. Open source software products are OpenOffice, email software for servers of Mozilla ThunderBird, Mozilla FireFox web browser and the Vietnamese typing software Unikey. The instruction also said that by December 31, 2009, 70% of servers of ministries’ agencies and local state agencies must be installed with the above open source software products and 70% of IT staff trained in using this software; and at least 40% able to use the software in their work. The above agencies are requested to increase the number of documents and information exchanged among them processed by the above software. By December 31, 2010, all staff at these agencies must be able to use open source software in their jobs. The instruction asks IT associations to assist state agencies in the implementation of this plan. The instruction also requests that computer traders not sell PCs installed with cracked software, but open source ones.

How To Tell If You Need To Pray At Work…

And Lastly…

I.E. continues to lose market share as Firefox, Safari & Chrome gain…

Internet Explorer, including the latest IE8 betas and the existing stable IE7, are still losing market share to its “alternative” competitors…

Full story: http://www.techspot.com/news/33047-ie-continues-to-lose-market-share-as-firefox-safari-and-chrome-gain.html