Kamajuala

HOW SINGAPORE FOUGHT CORRUPTION, THE LESSONS FOR KENYA

2017-02-13T00:13:00.003-08:00

In 5 November 2015, The people's government published a story comparing Singapore and Kenya on their main page. According to Wikipedia, Singapore is an island city-state off southern Malaysia and is a global financial center with a tropical climate and multicultural population. It is also the home to some ancient Budha relics. Kenya on the other hand, is a country in East Africa with coastline on the Indian Ocean. It encompasses savannah, lakelands, the dramatic Great Rift Valley and mountain highlands. It's also home to wildlife like lions, elephants and rhinos.

While this story is an excerpt and dwells mostly on the socio-political aspects and the transitions in these two diverse countries, the full story and the engagements thereof, are found at The people's government page. This is how the story went:

Images source: http://www.findthedata.com/

Initially Singapore, when it started off as a developing country did face the crisis of corruption, but they left no stone unturned to achieve a level that has become the subject of study to many foreign Nations. During the 1950’s the police inspectors of Singapore stole 1,800 tons of narcotics and forced the British to form some sort of vigilance commission named- CPIB (Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau). This didn’t help much until major restructuring and improvements were made inside CPIB itself. “In response, in the 1970s, Singapore reorganized the CPIB and gave it considerable powers to curb endemic corruption. The reorganized CPIB concentrated its activities on investigation and enforcement. Evidence of the CPIB’s success in reducing corruption is present from Singapore’s highly favorable investment climate that “typically ranks among the top twenty recipients of foreign investment in the world in absolute terms.” This success in attracting investments attests to that government’s ability to overcome the perverse effects of reputation in the persistence of corrupt behavior.” “Among the CPIB’s unique characteristics are its small size, narrow police emphasis, and service to a semi-authoritarian regime. With only 75 staff members, the CPIB lacks the presence of Hong Kong’s ICAC, and it has accordingly a narrow investigative function. The CPIB has relied on deterrent strategies; for example, a conviction for corruption may carry a $100,000.00 fine and up to five years in prison.”

But it’s not only the CPIB which makes all the differences there are others parts as well. Let me summarise those in order.
In an article on Corruption Control in Singapore, Mr Koh Teck Hin, Deputy Director CPIB, Singapore outlines those salient points which forms the core of the anti corruption campaign of Singapore:-

POLITICAL WILL
Mr. Koh Teck Hin, says, “These sentiments reflect the determination and political will for the fight against corruption. Political will is a key ingredient in the transformation effort from Singapore’s corruption infested past as it forms that all important sub-structure, upon which all the super-structures of anti-corruption work rest. It provides the soil and the nutrient which allows the seeds of anti-corruption work to germinate and grow. The government has matched its words with deeds – it mobilized the public, and the entire civil service to fight corruption.”

FRAMEWORK OF CORRUPTION CONTROL
With a strong political will as the foundation, the framework of corruption control consists of four pillars, consisting of 4As, as follows:
A. Effective Anti Corruption Acts (or laws)
I. This allows CPIB to inspect both private and public cases. Since Public cases are also vital to ensure corruption free run of corporate and attract investment.
II. The public official has to prove his innocence if he is reported to have accepted bribes or under table payments.
III. A bribe acceptor would still be punished if he fails to return favour after accepting the bribe.
IV. The act forbids to public officials to accept gifts.
V. The act empowers the official to pay the exact amount of bribe he received apart from other punishment.
VI. The act reserves punishment for any cases of corruption committed outside Singapore.
B. Effective Anti Corruption Agency
I. The CPIB is the only agency empowered with the right and independence to deal with any cases of corruption.
II. It can investigate cases of any person however high in the hierarchy he may be.
III. It directly reports to the Prime Minister and no one else.
IV. The Bureau’s slogan is “swift and sure” by which it ensures fast and outright coverage of cases.
C. Effective Adjudication (or punishment)
I. Transparency in the Judicial Process.
II. The court slams a penalty to the offender, which is, to pay the exact amount of bribe taken.
III. The Government nullifies all the contracts or favours granted by any convicted corrupt official, while in service. The contractor who gave the bribe is barred to enter into any government for five years.
IV. There can be court ruling of double payment. For instance if an official in a MNC accepts bribe, he has to pay the government the money he accepted as bribe, adding to that if the company where he served asks for compensation he has to pay the company as well.
D. Efficient Government Administration.
Preventive and Administrative Measures in the Public Sector.
I. A public officer cannot borrow money from any person who has official dealings with him or her;
II. A public officer’s unsecured debts and liabilities cannot at anytime be more than three times his other monthly salary;
III. A public officer cannot use any official information to further his or her private interest;
IV. A public officer is required to declare his or her assets at his or her first appointment and also annually;
V. A public officer cannot engage in trade or business or undertake any part-time employment without approval; and
VI. A public officer cannot receive entertainment or present in any form from members of the public.
Proper care is taken so that the Public officers are paid well and,
I. identifying and removing opportunity for corruption in Government work procedures;
II. streamlining cumbersome administrative procedures and slashing red tape to provide an efficient and transparent civil service so that no one needs to recourse to corrupt civil servants to get things done;
III. reviewing public officers’ salary regularly to ensure that they are paid adequately and comparable to that of the private sector;
IV. reminding Government contractors at the time when contracts are signed that bribing public officers administering the contract may render their contracts to be terminated. A clause to this effect forms part of the standard contract conditions.

EFFECTIVE ADMINSITRATION:
a. An effective administration reduces hurdles and provide swiftest the delivery of the public benefit.
b. Major Reforms in 1995 called “Public Service in the 21st century”.
c. Zero in Process: By which passing a file “from one desk to the other” is reduced.
d. Public Officers have websites where in they point those areas where improvements are needed and accordingly improvements are made.
e. The general public can put their grievances and suggestions online, it is obligatory for public officers to reply those issues.This keeps the Governments “at their toes”.
f. A new system known as OBLS (Online Business Licensing Service) has been taken up. Where even a hawker can apply for licence over net, instead of physical going to door to door and thus receive his licence sitting at home.
g. The CPIB organizes workshops where it invites administrative officials from UK, US, France, Australia, Korea, and Hong Kong for cross learning and knowledge sharing.

----I think Kenya can learn a lot from Singapore since both countries attained independence at the same time but Kenya is like 50 years behind in progress due to high level of corruption

Spiritual and metaphysical answers 101

2014-12-16T09:13:00.001-08:00

kscout: Of Luo jokes: is it a coping mechanism or ethnic profiling?

2014-10-21T00:26:00.001-07:00

Bluetooth, taken literally

Folklore has it that the Luo are a very proud people with egos akin to those of the Greek gods, even at the expense of their very existence. Rumour has it that a Luo owning one car purchased from a lifetime of savings and loans would consider himself wealthy while a Kikuyu with 15+ cargo trucks operating a multi-national business would feel that he is "just trying." The internet is rife with jokes about the Luo's liberal use of the Queen's language, punctuating it with ad hoc vocabularies, often times conjuring heavy slurring accents and a general massacre of the consonants *sh*. It is also rumored that they can easily slide in some Luo words in a conversation and make it appear like very normal conversation, though only those who understand the language would get the meaning while the rest of the listeners would be left scurrying for dictionaries or in awe of the literary prowess of the speaker, donge?. Whether this state of affairs is an evolutionary adaptation or is a form of ethnic profiling is a point of debate. On a lighter note, the link below is a recent post that arrived from an e-mail thread from a colleague. Enjoy.

kscout: Of Luo jokes: is it a coping mechanism or ethnic profiling?

So Sexting is here in Kenya and I was clueless

2013-01-28T04:17:00.002-08:00

George Matau asserts that sexting is a menace in Kenyan High schools through an article in 2010 available at UPIU's website. Sexting is exchanging sexually suggestive text, images or other content via a mobile phone or other messaging device. At least that is how I understand it. Mostly used by teenagers behind their parents backs, it is a trend that has swept the modern world, leaving parents clueless about their children's escapades with their mobile phones. The big question though; is the activity criminal and if so, to what extent? Secondly, are there any remote negative consequences of sexting?

You may be surprised to learn that not all people or teens recognise the term sexting - they may know it as "phone sex," "booty call," or "hooking up". Many teenagers actually do not realise the possible consequences of sexting - they often see it as a joke or a bit of fun. (emphasis on the FUN!). Teens may be being influenced by their peers, or do it as a way to get noticed, or think it will make them more popular.

Why teens need to be very careful, and afraid
What many fail to realise is that once they press "send" on that sexy image, there is no way they can ever get it back. Neither should they assume it will remain private - it may come back to haunt them years from now... social lives,repuations and future careers can be ruined as a result of explicit pictures being made public, to say nothing of embarrassment and social humiliation (as many an A lister has discovered).

Is teen sexting such a big deal, then?

Yes, on at least two counts: tragically, there are well documented cases where teenagers have committed suicide over sexting photographs which have not stayed private...
And what of the Law? Does sexting come under Child Pornography or Obscenity laws? Yes, in some States in the USA and some parts of the world. Some States viewe sexting matters very seriously and not only the teens involved but their parents can face charges as well. The Child Pornography laws in many States and countries have been in place for many years, way before cell phones were around. This is why this is such a "grey" area and can lead to sexting offenders being placed on the Sex Offenders Register or even prison terms. Check the Laws where you live - some States now have lighter penalties for a first sexting offence, such as a $60 fine or the teen may have to join an educational program.(This is now the case in Florida).

Some parents have an agreement with their child, (particularly if they seem to be turning into a teen text addict), that they will check their cell phone from time to time - just to see that all is well. Now while this may seem very reasonable, some teens who are involved in sexting have two strategies: have a second phone they use for sexting (which parents do not get to see!) or they use acronyms which they figure will be a complete mystery to their parents. (Paying for the second phone can cause all sorts of problems, as you can appreciate and is much more common than many parents want to admit...)

Sexting examples

Here are some Messages That are supposed to "Make Her" Hot:

Queen of tease. That's what you are.
Fantasy: you and me...cabin, fireplace, marshmallows and wine
I'm sensing a steamy vibe from you. My phone is melting.
I can't pick favorites. Your lips are both equally aesthetic.
I'm not a tramp stamp kind of guy. On your back though, it'd be a class stamp.
I'll cook you delicious angel hair pasta. If you let me play with your beautiful angel hairs tonight.
You must have my remote control. Every time you push my buttons I get turned on.
I can love you standing up against the wall. That's the direction my stick is going in anyway.
If you're not screaming, I've still got work to do.
You deserve an oily, soothing massage. All over.
I feel bad for my friends watching porn. Your sexiness is all I need now.
I still don't know what gangnam style is but it sounds like we should be trying it.

With 3 in 10 teens at least known to be involved in sexting, now for some of the popular sexting acronyms:

1 8 =Oral sex
2 1337 =Elite
3 143 =I love you
4 182 =I hate you
5 459 =I love you
6 1174 =Nude club
7 420 =Marijuana
8 ADR =Address
9 ASL =Age/Sex/Location
10 Banana =Penis
11 CD9 or Code 9 =Parents are around
12 DUM =Do You Masturbate?
13 DUSL =Do You Scream Loud?
14 FB =F*** Buddy
16 FMLTWIA =F*** Me Like The Whore I Am
17 FOL =Fond of Leather
18 GNOC =Get Naked On Cam
19 GYPO =Get Your Pants Off
20 IAYM =I Am Your Master
21 IF/IB =In the Front or In the Back
22 IIT =Is It Tight?
23 ILF/MD =I Love Female/Male Dominance
24 IMEZRU =I Am Easy, Are You?
25 IWSN =I Want Sex Now
26 J/O =Jerking Off
27 KFY or K4Y =Kiss For You
28 Kitty =Vagina
29 KPC =Keeping Parents Clueless
30 MorF =Male or Female
31 LMIRL =Let's Meet In Real Life
32 MOOS =Member Of The Opposite Sex
33 WYCM =Will You Call Me?

There you have it. But the reason I am more curious is, how often and in what forms does it occur in Kenya, or Africa for that matter?

References:

Back to the basics: Do we live to eat or do we eat to live? A motivational note

2012-06-08T05:41:00.000-07:00

Compassion is a language that is understood even where there is a dialogue barrier

Fate of the world and change agents

The problems of the 21^st century world are such that it seems there is no hope for humanity redeeming herself from wanton self-destruction as a consequence of power struggles, greed, hatred, complacency war, among other societal vices. Nature is equally known to exert devastating disasters through pestilence, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes etc, but not without a warning sign.

Having grown up almost in abject poverty, I have been inspired by some outstanding people who have crossed my path at different points, the education I got and the motivation that one day my work will directly impact on other people’s lives in a manner that they will always stay hopeful in their endeavours.

The question, ‘do we live to eat or do we eat to live?’ has been a paradox that has left me reconciled to the contemplation that “we live to, among other things, eat; and eat to, among other things, stay alive.” But I have also learnt that staying alive does not imply one is living, especially when one has to ask themselves the question, “What will I eat?” or otherwise, “when will I eat anything?”

The insecurities of the world have left millions of people vulnerable and at a loss of even where to begin a remedial action. I grapple with some of those insecurities in spite of the fact that at least I am able to meet some of my basic needs. It is understood that meaningful change, especially a positive one, requires ownership. However, sometimes agents of change have also contributed to life changing circumstances for which humanity become grateful years after the agents are long gone.

Health and development equity

Globalisation is rapidly changing the world; especially in the health and development sector- and populations have to adjust quickly to the transitions in order to cope with demands in all aspects of life.

Although health is a fundamental human right, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified unequal distribution of power, income, goods and services and substandard healthcare, education, working conditions and homes as the major factors leading to poor health.

In sub-Saharan Africa, the situation is compounded by perpetual internal and cross boarder conflicts, food insecurity, poverty, administrative and imperialist governance, lack of capacity and the recent advent of the dual burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases. I believe this can change.

Career History

Not today (J)

Looking ahead

I strongly believe that man's contributions to humanity would be greatly enhanced by the social innovations, and the creative solutions that the cosmic intelligence proffer.

[1] According to WHO, Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Picture courtesy of worldhum.com

ECONOMIC SITUATION AND GROUND RULES

2012-02-12T22:48:00.000-08:00

My boss promotes office humour, so she forwarded the message to all staff. Read on.....................

Dear All,

HOME INTERNAL MEMO

FROM: FATHER

TO: ALL DEPENDANTS AND RELATIVES

CC: MOTHER

DATE: TODAY

ECONOMIC SITUATION AND GROUND RULES

Due to the current economic situation, all domestic rules and regulations have been revised as below and under no circumstance is any violation going to be accepted.

1. The Kitchen and all pantries are declared Restricted Zones. Entry and/or passage shall require express permission from myself upon submission of written request.

2. Breakfast is banned. This matter cannot be discussed!

3. Such food items as rice, chicken, butter, jam, eggs, bread and milk are Restricted. Anyone intending to eat any of such foodstuffs must write to me in triplicate, with three days notice, giving justifications backed by a qualified dietician's report.

4. Watering with hoses is banned. Further, only food-giving plants shall be watered. No lawns or flowers shall receive water. For internal decoration, only plastic and dry-flower arrangements shall permitted.

5. Bathing in the morning is limited to 5 litres of water per day per person while bathing in the evening is banned unless there are medical reasons.

6. All security lights should be removed with immediate effect. All dependants shall abide by an all-night guard-duty roster I shall make available shortly.

7. No dependant shall entertain friends indoors, far less attempt to offer food, drinks or even music. Those who want their guests to listen to music shall sing for them.

8. No one is allowed to talk to officials from police, Council or Court Bailiffs; doing so shall carry an instantaneous penalty of ejection from the house.

9. Anybody who breaks a glass, furniture or any other property in the house, shall immediately have to seek temporary employment somewhere to earn money to replace such broken item(s).

10. All visitors intending to spend a night/week or more shall apply in triplicate and give two months notice, with an endorsement from their town Mayor, Village Headman or Church Priest, giving convincing reasons why they can't stay at their homes. Failure to do this shall result in their being turned away, at the gate, upon arrival.

THESE RULES ARE BINDING AND NOT SUBJECT TO ANY DISCUSSION WHATSOEVER!!!

Signed: DAD

Chairman of Home Affairs

Looking back at the journal log

2012-02-04T16:06:00.000-08:00

Looking back at this log, I can only smile. It is a month and a week now. If you want a sequel of events, like and follow my blog.

Am I shoving it in so hard Vanessa wants out?
Journal Log 4/5.02.2012

Forgiving, unforgiving ...............

It is now exactly 20 hours since we had a meaningful husband-wife conversation. My wife and I are not communicating. We are talking though, but only when it is unavoidable. Again we are talking for the benefit of the guests in the house. They happen to be her cousins; the one who arrived a day earlier has a young baby boy while the one who arrived a day later is living alone.

The disagreement was triggered by my having to go to work on a Saturday. Venessa is questioning the logic behind my having to do this for now three consecutive Saturdays, of which the last two I didn’t actually go and with good reasons. When I explain these reasons, and I guess I owe it to her, she strongly disbelieves me.

Bottom-line, she thinks I am lying to her and that I am actually playing games with her behind the scenes.

Now, any self respecting person knows how terrible it feels to be accused of something that you know you have not even thought about, to say the least. And it then gets into you and you start wondering, where does this come from, could it be a subconscious projection of what happens behind your back?

We have not been spared the hustle and bustle of city life, with the economic conditions biting so hard – the true meaning of life has become very difficult can never be any more apparent than now. Our first born son is in class one, the second one is barely over a year old. I am the only one working and my salary suffers huge deductions given that I am servicing three loans including the higher education one, the usual taxes, pension etc notwithstanding. By the time these are deducted, the rent, the usual bills paid and a monthly subsistence shopping done, I am barely left with anything to save, let alone commute to and from work. And then again recently we had to relocate to a new apartment which could comfortably accommodate our growing needs. This effectively means two things; we live from hand to mouth and in enough debts which just adds to our predicament come end month.

I love my wife and have tried to be as supportive as possible, trying to meet her emotional and other needs as I am obligated to and having honestly attempted to explain all these conditions and the reason we need to hang on to ‘having to create an understanding environment at least for the sake of peace’. Unfortunately, we seem to be reading from different scripts almost all the time.

My experience so far has taught me to sort out issues the moment they arise, not to hold grudges or feel resentment especially towards someone who sacrifices her time to manage the house; cleans, does laundry, prepare meals, takes care of the kids, prepares them for school and takes them to and from there among other household chores.

But what happens when communication deteriorates into monosyllables and misunderstandings with no hope of resolving? How am I supposed to maintain a level head when temperatures are boiling at the home front, let alone the usual office challenges?

What is the purpose of living if one cannot find an iota of peace, understanding, genuine love and happiness? Granted, a time reaches in a couple’s lives that things are so bad they have to tolerate each other, at least for the sake of the children and maybe prestige. But for how long is this supposed to continue and what is the joy in living in a trapped existence?

At this point in time and given that this king of misunderstanding and communication curfew is something that has been happening for quite a while now, unless of course I be the one to initiate a compromise, I am not particularly sure this is the right legacy to give our children.

Could there be some unresolved issues that tend to cloud reasoning here? Could it be that my conviction that I am a supportive person is just an illusion and that I fall way too short in meeting some of my obligations? Is it possible that the love we once shred has run dry and what remains in its place is a wound that seems to have healed on the surface while deep inside it is actually rotting into a bad scar?

What happens on the day I decide that okay, let the stand-off continue till God-knows-when? Could this be a provocation for me to make some silly mistake and take the blame for whatever fall, in spite of all the years I have spent trying to be careful and dedicated?

Is it possible that the pressures of life are bearing down on Venessa and that she is actually at a loss on what to do hence ending up nailing the rap on me, albeit subconsciously? Or is it a dearth of life-skills and coping strategies necessary to go through this stage in life?

I will now go into more introspection for the next four hours and initiate another dialogue in attempting to resolve this crippling stand-off. So help me God.

Kenyans dying of hunger, where? Dr Mutua asks - SkyscraperCity

2011-07-28T23:31:00.000-07:00

Kenyans dying of hunger, where? Dr Mutua asks - SkyscraperCity

15 Ways to Tell If Your Relationship is in Serious Trouble - Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com

2011-06-06T07:49:00.000-07:00

15 Ways to Tell If Your Relationship is in Serious Trouble - Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com

You and your guy have been dating or living together for some time now, the sex has cooled off and you are beginning to wonder if the long-term relationship has fizzled out for you and maybe him, too. It might be time

for you to move on. Here are ten guidelines to help you decide.

8 Signs You're in Relationship Trouble: Savvy Miss, LLC

2011-06-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

8 Signs You're in Relationship Trouble: Savvy Miss, LLC: "Things started out great. Your first date was wonderful and it was smooth sailing toward “relationship” land. But lately you've been asking yourself, 'Is my relationship in trouble?' Maybe things have cooled off or you’re just not as happy as you used to be. As much as you hate to admit, it may be time to give him his walking papers—or at least make some changes. If you’re not sure, check out these eight signs to see if you're in relationship trouble:"

We're becoming lesser everyday ...

2011-06-06T07:47:00.000-07:00

Our communication - Wireless

Our dress - Topless
Our telephone - Cordless

Our cooking - Fireless
Our youth - Jobless
Our food - Fatless
Our labour - Effortless
Our conduct - Worthless
Our relation - Loveless
Our degrees - Useless

from Joshua Mbaga-Laugh Factory

kwacha - make money, life lessons, motivation

2010-12-02T23:31:00.000-08:00

kwacha - make money, life lessons, motivation

Home - FanBox

2010-12-02T23:30:00.001-08:00

Home - FanBox

Welcome to LiveJournal

2010-12-02T23:30:00.000-08:00

Welcome to LiveJournal

Indoblogger Independent Blogging Network -

2010-12-02T23:28:00.001-08:00

Indoblogger Independent Blogging Network -

TC | VeryVIP International Reseller's Hosting Package

2010-12-02T23:23:00.000-08:00

TC | VeryVIP International Reseller's Hosting Package

Indoblogger Independent Blogging Network -

2010-12-02T23:06:00.002-08:00

Indoblogger Independent Blogging Network -

kscout | Everything Kenyan and African

2010-12-02T23:06:00.000-08:00

kscout | Everything Kenyan and African

Which Tree Did You Fall From?

2010-12-02T23:05:00.002-08:00

Sounds like an email forward, right¿? Well, it is. Kinda (Kenyan lingo) cool though, I mean it was right about 80% of my character.

I was born on August 14^th, if you must know.

Jan 01 to Jan 11 – Fir Tree
Jan 12 to Jan 24 – Elm Tree
Jan 25 to Feb 03 – Cypress Tree
Feb 04 to Feb 08 – Poplar Tree
Feb 09 to Feb 18 – Cedar Tree
Feb 19 to Feb 28 – Pine Tree
Mar 01 to Mar 10 – Weeping Willow Tree
Mar 11 to Mar 20 – Lime Tree
Mar 21 (only) – Oak Tree
Mar 22 to Mar 31 – Hazelnut Tree
Apr 01 to Apr 10 – Rowan Tree
Apr 11 to Apr 20 – Maple Tree
Apr 21 to Apr 30 – Walnut Tree
May 01 to May 14 – Poplar Tree
May 15 to May 24 – Chestnut Tree
May 25 to Jun 03 – Ash Tree
Jun 04 to Jun 13 – Hornbeam Tree
Jun 14 to Jun 23 – Fig Tree
Jun 24 (only) – Birch Tree
Jun 25 to Jul 04 – Apple Tree
Jul 05 to Jul 14 – Fir Tree
Jul 15 to Jul 25 – Elm Tree
Jul 26 to Aug 04 – Cypress Tree
Aug 05 to Aug 13 – Poplar Tree
Aug 14 to Aug 23 – Cedar Tree
Aug 24 to Sep 02 – Pine Tree
Sep 03 to Sep 12 – Weeping Willow Tree
Sep 13 to Sep 22 – Lime Tree
Sep 23 (only) – Olive Tree
Sep 24 to Oct 03 – Hazelnut Tree
Oct 04 to Oct 13 – Rowan Tree
Oct 14 to Oct 23 – Maple Tree
Oct 24 to Nov 11 – Walnut Tree
Nov 12 to Nov 21 – Chestnut Tree
Nov 22 to Dec 01 – Ash Tree
Dec 02 to Dec 11 – Hornbeam Tree
Dec 12 to Dec 21 – Fig Tree
Dec 22 (only) – Beech Tree
Dec 23 to Jan 01 – Apple Tree

TREES (in alphabetical order)

Apple Tree (Love) – quiet and shy at times, lots of charm, appeal, and attraction, pleasant attitude, flirtatious smile, adventurous, sensitive, loyal in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and tender partner, very generous, many talents, loves children, needs affectionate partner.

Ash Tree (Ambition) – extremely attractive, vivacious, impulsive, demanding, does not care for criticism, ambitious, intelligent, talented, likes to play with fate, can be very egotistic, reliable, restless lover, sometimes money rules over the heart, demands

attention, needs love and much emotional support.

Beech Tree (Creative) – has good taste, concerned about its looks, materialistic, good organization of life and career, economical, good leader, takes no unnecessary risks, reasonable, splendid lifetime companion, keen on keeping fit (diets, sports, etc.).

Birch Tree (Inspiration) — vivacious, attractive, elegant,friendly, unpretentious, modest, does not like anything in excess, abhors the vulgar, loves life in nature and in calm, not very passionate, full of imagination, little ambition, creates a calm and content atmosphere.

Cedar Tree (Confidence) — of rare

strength, knows how to adapt, likes unexpected presents, of good health, not in the least shy, tends to look down on others, self-confident, a great speaker, determined, often impatient, likes to impress others, has many talents, industrious, healthy optimism, waits for the one true love, able to make quick decisions.

Chestnut Tree (Honesty) – of unusual stature, impressive,

well-developed sense of justice, fun to be around, a planner, born diplomat, can be irritated easily, sensitive of others feelings, hard worker, sometimes acts superior, feels not understood at times, fiercely family oriented, very loyal in love, physically fit.

Cypress Tree (Faithfulness) — strong, muscular, adaptable, takes what life has to give but

doesn’t necessarily like it, strives to be content, optimistic, wants to be financially independent, wants love and affection, hates loneliness, passionate lover which cannot be satisfied, faithful, quick-tempered at times, can be unruly and careless, loves to

gain knowledge, needs to be needed.

Elm Tree (Noble-mindedness) — pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest demands, tends not to forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but not to obey, honest and faithful partner, likes making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor, practical.

Fig Tree (Sensibility) — very strong minded, a bit self-willed, honest, loyal, independent, hates contradiction or arguments, hard worker when wants to be, loves life

and friends, enjoys children and animals, se xually oriented, great sense of humor, has artistic talent and great intelligence.

Fir tree (Mysterious) — extraordinary taste, handles stress well, loves anything beautiful, stubborn, tends to care for those close to them, hard to trust others, yet a social butterfly, likes idleness and laziness after long demanding hours at work, rather modest, talented, unselfish, many friends, very reliable.

Hazelnut Tree (Extraordinary) — charming, sense of humor, very demanding but can also be very understanding, knows how to make a lasting impression, active fighter for social causes and politics, popular, quite moody, sexually oriented, honest, a perfectionist, has a precise sense of judgment and

expects complete fairness.

Hornbeam Tree (Good Taste) — of cool beauty, cares for its looks and condition, good taste, is not egoistic, makes life as comfortable as possible, leads a reasonable and disciplined life, looks for kindness and acknowledgment in an emotional partner, dreams of unusual lovers, is seldom happy with its feelings, mistrusts most people, is never sure of its decisions, very conscientious.

Lime Tree (Doubt) – intelligent, hard working, accepts what life dishes out, but not before trying to change bad circumstances into good ones, hates fighting and stress, enjoys getaway vacations, may appear tough, but is actually soft and relenting, always willing to make sacrifices for family and friends, has many talents but

not always enough time to

use them, great leadership qualities, is jealous at times but extremely loyal.

Maple Tree (Independence of Mind) – no ordinary person, full of imagination and originality, shy and reserved, ambitious, proud, self-confident, hungers for new experiences, sometimes nervous, has many complexities, good memory, learns easily, complicated love life, wants to impress.

Oak Tree (Brave) — robust nature, courageous, strong, unrelenting, independent, sensible, does not like change, keeps its feet on the ground, person of action.

Olive Tree (Wisdom) — loves sun, warmth and kind feelings,

reasonable, balanced, avoids aggression and violence, tolerant, cheerful, calm, well-developed sense of justice, sensitive, empathetic, free of jealousy, loves to read and the company of sophisticated people.

Pine Tree (Peacemaker) — loves agreeable company, craves peace and harmony, loves to help others, active imagination, likes to write poetry, not fashion conscious, great compassion, friendly to all, falls strongly in love but will leave if betrayed or lied to, emotionally soft, low self esteem, needs affection and reassurance.

Poplar Tree (Uncertainty) — looks very decorative, talented, not very self-confident, extremely courageous if necessary, needs goodwill and pleasant surroundings, very choosy, often lonely, great animosity,

great artistic nature, good organizer, tends to lean toward philosophy, reliable in any situation, takes partnership seriously.

Rowan Tree (Sensitivity) — Vivacous, full of charm, cheerful, gifted without egoism, likes to draw attention, loves life, motion, unrest, and even complications, is both dependent and independent, good taste, artistic, extremely passionate, emotional, good company, does not forgive.

Walnut Tree (Passion) — unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egotistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous

and passionate, no compromise.

Weeping Willow (Melancholy) – likes to be stress free, loves family life, full of hopes and dreams, attractive, very empathetic, loves anything beautiful, musically inclined, loves to travel to exotic places, restless, capricious, honest, can be influenced but is not easy to live with when pressured, sometimes demanding, good intuition, suffers in love until they find that one loyal, steadfast partner; loves to make others laugh.

Courtesy of Savvy Kenya

Funny Pictures courtesy of www.katameeta.blogspot.com, www.funiacs.com, www.beauty-bridals.blogspot.com, www.perezsolomon.com

HomeNetPro.Com's Work From Home Blog

2010-12-02T23:05:00.000-08:00

HomeNetPro.Com's Work From Home Blog

Google Reader (1000+)

2010-11-17T01:48:00.000-08:00

Google Reader (1000+)

http://www.dataentrywork.net/?id=257936

COPY AND PASTE CULTURE OF AFRICAN INTELLECTUALS AFFECTING IMPACT ANALYSIS AND EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY MAKING IN AFRICA, a Forum on Impact Evaluation in Africa is told, Benin | jowor

2010-11-08T04:30:00.000-08:00

COPY AND PASTE CULTURE OF AFRICAN INTELLECTUALS AFFECTING IMPACT ANALYSIS AND EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY MAKING IN AFRICA, a Forum on Impact Evaluation in Africa is told, Benin | jowor

Health News from Medical News: Google Reader (96)

2010-11-08T01:27:00.000-08:00

Health News from Medical News Today (8)

Siemens Celebrates 1,000th Installation Of SOMATOM Definition AS CT Scanner At UNC Siemens Healthcare celebrates a milestone of its SOMATOM® Definition AS CT scanner with the 1,000th system installation at the UNC Health Care in Chapel Hill, N.C. The SOMATOM Definition AS is the world's first adaptive scanner. The system ...

Allon Receives Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project Grants For Drug Development From U.S. GovernmentAllon Therapeutics Inc. (TSX: NPC) announced that its wholly-owned United States subsidiary has been awarded two non-taxable grants totalling approximately $500,000 from the United States government under the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project ...

Xeomin® (incobotulinumtoxinA) Data To Be Presented At The 71st Annual Assembly Of The American Academy Of Physical Medicine And Rehabilitation Merz Pharmaceuticals announced that data from stability and clinical studies evaluating Xeomin® (incobotulinumtoxinA), a botulinum toxin type A free from accessory proteins, will be presented at the 71st Annual Assembly of the American Academy of ...

Health News from Medical News Today (8)

To Cut Or Not To Cut? Asks New Issue Of Mambo Magazine - Terrence Higgins Trust Could circumcision be a "magic bullet" for HIV infection? This is the question asked by the new issue of Mambo, the healthier lifestyle magazine published by HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust (THT). The magazine, which targets the ...

FitSugar (22)

Kinesis: Smooth Style Weight Training When it comes to strength training, I like it all - from detail oriented Pilates to rough and tumble boot camps, which is probably why I enjoyed the smooth and stylish Kinesis system at Sports Club LA. The machine seemed part Reformer and part weight ...

3 Tips to Keep Veggies From Spoiling I hate wasting food, especially when it's due to my own irresponsibility. Just last night I opened my crisper drawer to discover a sad bunch of broccoli rabe and a wilted red pepper. I need to get on the ball. This week, the New York Times published ...

5 Ways to Pamper a Marathoner You've already given your running buddy some gear to keep her energized and comfortable during the long race, but what about *after* the race? With the NYC marathon sneaking up on us this weekend, it's the perfect time to present you with some fine ...

See more from Health and Fitness (22) »

BuzzSugar (45)

What to TiVo: Monday - 8:00 *Dancing With the Stars* (new) 10:00 *Castle* (new) 12:05 *Jimmy Kimmel Live* (new, with guest Neil Diamond) - 8:00 *How I Met Your Mother* (new) 8:30 *Rules of Engagement* (new) 9:00 *Two and a Half Men* (new) 9:30 ...

Hall Pass Trailer: Wilson and Sudeikis Want to Break Free Big screen infidelity: so hot right now. In the latest Farrelly Brothers movie, Hall Pass, Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis play a couple of married men who can't keep their eyes off other women. When their wives (Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate) ...

Buzz Gift Guide: Grandma and Grandpa It's time to get a jump on your holiday shopping, but don't start stressing out just yet, because my gift guides are here to help. I showed you my entertainment-related ideas for mom as well as presents for dad, and now I'm looking to *their* ...

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Digital Inspiration Technology Blog (13)

How to Enable Google’s Speed Module on Dreamhost *If you are running a self-hosted version of WordPress or have your static website hosted on an Apache web server, this may interest you but rest all may please skip.* As part of their “Make the Web Faster” initiative, Google has recently released a ...

A Subscribe Button for your YouTube Channel *If your RSS newsreader is unable to render IFRAMEs, please click here.* Do you have a video channel on YouTube? Then you may want to add this simple “Subscribe” button to your website that will help visitors subscribe to your YouTube channel with a ...

Comic: How the Browser Works? [image: web browser] If you were to explain to someone how the web browser works, this wonderful comic strip from Vlad Gerasimov should come handy. The user, seen here as the king, orders the browser to fetch a website who goes around talking to DNS ...

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The latest messages from the Google Reader team

Turning off the track changes feature

via Official Google Reader Blog by Brian Shih on 9/30/10

As of September 30th, we’ll be turning off track changes in Reader. While this isn’t a widely used feature, we wanted to let you know in advance so you can set up a suitable alternative (such as http://page2rss.com). Your previous updates will not go ... See more »

What are chronic and non-communicable diseases?

2010-11-05T05:26:00.000-07:00

What are chronic and non-communicable diseases?
Do you think you are or someone you love is at risk?
Find out more about NCDs how you can help change lives by just posting your experiences on these pages.

One of the major health challenges to global development in the 21st century is the rapid rise of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs). It threatens economic and social development, as well as the lives and health of millions of people there-fore it requires concerted and coordinated action for its prevention and control.

Currently, four types of NCDs -cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases make the largest contribution to mortality in the majority of low and middle-income countries ( principally sub-Saharan Africa) accounting for 79 percent (i.e. 27.5 million) of worldwide deaths.

Preventable heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancers and asthma contribute to half of these deaths. The main factors aggravating the NCD burden are: (1) risk factors for NCDs - mainly increased levels of exposure to tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity and the harmful use of alcohol; and (2) ineffective and inequitable health care services for people with NCDs.

What is your role in fighting NCDs?

Do you believe the time is now to start changing the way we think?

HOME INTERNAL MEMO

2010-10-28T05:40:00.000-07:00

HOME INTERNAL MEMO

FROM: FATHER
TO: ALL DEPENDANTS AND RELATIVES

CC: MOTHER

SUBJECT: FINANCIAL MELTDOWN/COST CUTTING MEASURES FOR YOUR URGENT
ATTENTION

Due to the current economic situation, all domestic rules and
regulations have been revised as below and under no circumstance is any
violation going to be accepted.

1. The Kitchen and all pantries are declared Restricted Zones. Entry
and/or passage shall require express permission from myself upon
submission of written request.

2. Breakfast is banned. This matter cannot be discussed!

3. Such food items as rice, chicken, butter, jam, eggs, bread and
milk are Restricted. Anyone intending to eat any of such foodstuffs
must write to me in triplicate, with three days notice, giving
justifications backed by a qualified dietician report as supportive
documentation.

4. Watering with hoses is banned. Further, only food-giving plants
shall be watered. No lawns or flowers shall receive water. For
internal decoration, only plastic and dry-flower arrangements shall be
permitted.

5. Bathing in the morning is limited to 5 litres of water per day per
person while bathing in the evening is banned unless there are medical
reasons.

6. All security lights should be removed with immediate effect. All
dependants shall abide by an all-night guard-duty roster I shall make
available shortly.

7. No dependant shall entertain friends indoors, far less attempt to
offer food, drinks or even music. Those who want their guests to listen
to music shall sing for them.

8. No one is allowed to talk to officials from police, Council or
Court Bailiffs; doing so shall carry an instantaneous penalty of
ejection from The House.

9. Anybody who breaks a glass, furniture or any other property in
The House, shall immediately have to seek temporary employment somewhere
to earn money to replace such broken item(s).

10. All visitors intending to spend a night/week or more shall apply
in triplicate and give two months notice, with an endorsement from their
town Mayor, Village Headman or Church Priest, giving convincing reasons
why they can't stay at their homes. Failure to do this shall result in
their being turned away, at the gate, upon arrival

THESE RULES ARE BINDING AND NOT SUBJECT TO ANY DISCUSSION WHATSOEVER!!!