Kenya

In response to the KBW request, I have felt the desire and the proud allegiance to write about Kenya in unison with my fellow KBW folk.

I guess at my age, Kenya exists as a pre Kibaki and post Kibaki country for me. Unlike many other Kenyans, I see reason to be very proud of what Kibaki's government has achieved. I believe it is absolutely unrealistic to have expected an immediate turnaround on everything after the new government took over. And this doesn't mean that I agree with everything that has come out of the current government (Why do I feel the need for a disclaimer here, dear cannot wait to argue Kenyans?).

For me, the glass is definitely half full. I realize it can quite easily be knocked over. However I wanted to write a messgae of hope. Hope for the future because Kenya's future will have the majority of adults knowing how to read and write, thanks to free primary education. Hope for the business sector as the Nairobi stock market flourishes now that it is open to all qualifying businesses. Hope for agriculture as the co-operatives revive and delayed payments start to make way to the farmers. Hope for the health of every Kenyan as the health Ministry looks at the possibility of a new health system. Hope for a bright future, because for the first time this year, the budget is expected not to include donor funds. With this expectation, how can you let anyone convince you that corruption has not been dealt with to any extent? No one is claiming it is done away with, quite frankly I am yet to find a non- corrupt country. Those wagging fingers at Kenya are as bad, actually much worse if you ask me. Rome was not built in a day and Kenya will not be turned around in 4 years either. Progress is what we are to demand and to expect.

As a Madaraka day wish, I urge that you all start seeing things as they have changed. Support the no smoking in public places ban. It will save lives including those of your loved ones. Revisit the breathalizer tests. Make the roads safer for all, young and old. It really doesn't matter who supplied the breatherlizers. Someone had to. As long as they weren't overpriced and the governement ripped off, there isn't an issue of concern. Keep your eyes focused on the real issues and don't fall prey to propaganda so easily. Support the media, but beg for integrity from them. Question Michuki either on his acts or his methods. Figure which one out. Remember that Rwanda April 1994 may not have happened if someone had stepped in and controlled the radio stations. Most importantly, stop echoing the wealthy nations' sentiments like a bunch of sheep. Take ultimate control of Kenya and its progressive path. This you do by entrusting all faith of capability and entitlement of Kenya to no one else but the actual Kenyans.

Madaraka cannot be given to you beyond being made available. The next step is to take it and to exercise it. And this part is up to every individual. You are as free as you let yourself be. Claim Madaraka. Take Madaraka. Be Madaraka.

Long live Kenya!

Wishing everyone a bright, positive and literal Madaraka day!

The Genesis...

I've been wondering why the US has become so arrogant as to ban people out of the states under what they call an anti-corruption law. Never mind that their current government is running with more corrupt deals and allegations than the Kibaki government.

It's the same arrogance I see with this US government that has them interfering with Iran and their nuclear program under a "cannot be trusted with those" guise. Surely, can the US of A who already have nukes be any better trusted? If what the ex-CIA official said is true, there's a tape out there that guarantees that Bush and Blair were plotting a war that had no basis. The CIA has a conversation between these two men of the "trusted" nations that has them discussing how to force a relation between Iraq and al-Qaida, despite knowing that there are no links, saved.

I'm to the point I'm both frustrated and exhausted with this attitude. Simply because it insults me. Every time I hear a politician open their mouths and justify an obvious wrong, every time someone comes out and tries to pretend that all is well, if you look at it from their point of view, I want to scream. I don't want the modern day politician speaking on my behalf. Do not speak to represent me. I would call for a disclaimer be introduced before they speak. One that goes like "As I speak, I represent only those dumb enough to agree with me. I emphasize that I do not represent those smarter and more conscientious than I". I will belong to those this disclaimer excludes. And I would like a badge of honor made for me to wear to show this. I'm smarter than all this, and definitely better than it too. Don't lump me into what seems to be the majority world population. You are drowning my voice and it's singing a very different tune from yours.

As always, I'm going to the root of the problem. And I'm blaming you people out of there that belong to the following categories. If:
1. You hear things and believe them without question, especially if you believe them because they are from people who you have things in common with you such as tribes, race or business/wealth inclinations.
2. Do not vote. Complain under the table and just never bother to get involved beyond bickering. I call you whinny.
3. Do not read the paper, watch news and bother to enlighten yourself, objectively I might add.
4. Write for any news outlet, especially major ones in one of the following ways. Write inaccurate information, intentionally or not. Write biased news for the masses as if it were truth and do not involve yourself with due diligence before printing influential materials.
5. Refuse to stand alone to fight for what you believe in ever. Always pick the safe/majority side and refuse to just risk being different even for things you believe in. Swayed convictions. Must agree with the masses.

To me you are all the genesis of my problems. You are the reason why these idiots first and foremost, get elected. Then the reason why they confidently and in a non chalant manner proceed to do atrocious acts. They then come forward and justify these actions. And moreover, some of you continue to support them either because they paid you money, or because they added a gay vote to the ballots amongst other important issues. Worse, because they are from your tribes. You are my problem. If this type of habit, attitude or leadership is a drug, you are its enablers. You are the reason no amount of rehab could change anything around me.

I appreciate the freedom to express yourself always. To do what you want to within the law. Even to be stupid. It's all your prerogative. But I draw a line on any of these freedoms. At the point where your actions/ freedoms start to affect me. And all of yours have been and continue to affect me and a lot of those people without voices. You are the genesis of the wrongs that are going on in this world. So now that it's been explicitly pointed out to you, what are you going to do about it? How are you going to confine the consequences of your acts, mainly selfish and lazy ones, to yourselves?

Men - The last generation?

I came across an interesting, though somewhat alarming article. Women, you may want to read on to understand why chances that your son will be gay are increasing daily.This article, amongst many other things, says the following.

"This study postulated that "environmental influences," particularly widely used chemical compounds with an impact like that of the female hormone estrogen, might be contributing to a drop in fertility among males."

While the article begins with the discussion that teenage pregnancy has dropped by some 28% it ends up by advising that we don't blindly give this credit to all the efforts, both right and left wing, that have gone into this.

The impact, socially, economically and politically if all that this article claims to be true is so would be of extremely huge proportions.

"Among the evidence presented are several trends that seem to point to a subtle feminization of male babies: a worldwide rise in hypospadias, a birth defect in which the urethral opening is located on the shaft of the penis rather than at the tip; a rise in cryptorchidism, or undescended testicles; and experiments Swan has done showing that in male babies with high exposure to compounds called phthalates, something called the anogenital distance is decreasing. If you measure the distance from a baby's anus to the genitals, the distance in these males is shorter, more like that of girls."

This indicates that the chemicals we are using could possibly be slowly moving our male genes, namely the Y chromosome, into oblivion. It means that if this research is accurate, give it an insignificant amount of time in political timeframes, our debates will change drastically. It means that the church may have to reconsider its stand on gay and lesbian situations. It also means we as a species are on the way to becoming extinct. Let's first discuss the present.

Churches and morally upright groups are forever up in arms against gay and lesbian practices. I can see why the church needs to harness this situation. What I've always felt about this is that the church needs to take a stand and stick to it. If you're thinking that the church has denounced homosexuality, and that's taking a stand, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about in responding to, "what is gay?". There are two theories when thinking of homosexuals. Either as having made a moral decision to have different sexual tendencies, or as being born that way, and having no choice in the matter. If you pick the former, gay people then are just simply promiscuous, and should be handled just like the prostitutes as far as religion goes. If you pick the latter, then these people need a lot more understanding support and research money invested to save them from this...Whateverr word the churches want to use to complete that sentence. Churches or not, homophobic or not, I believe any one forming an opinion on this issue should base it on one of these two theories.

This article though seems to support the latter. That gay is becoming an issue that we are causing. Let's talk about the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) here. Numerous lobbyist groups have been talking to this body in regards to making safer regulations, first by investing in due diligence when it comes to research and also choosing safety before money. They have been resistant and really don't seem interested in making major changes. Maybe because I'm female, but if these tests continue to show that men are becoming extinct, thanks to what the FDA approves, who wants to bet the quickest turnaround in their opinions? Maybe this is the saving grace. Maybe because of this, obesity will be managed.

What about politicians? Here in the US, they influence votes of different issues by adding a homosexual related vote into the ballots. The religious states always go with whomever is anti-gay. The constant manipulation of simple beliefs and practices. What would they say to us, if we could prove that they've caused this? This article expressly mentions that the 3rd world countries seem to be unaffected. This is largely due to the fact that they are mainly eating organic foods, now. All that is beginning to change slowly and they too will start to experience the same symptoms, if they haven't already. Ass far as this conversation goes, the person that is altering a gene, is the male species. While women are developing cancers from excess estrogen levels, men are becoming estrogen filled. Men are, everyday, shifting towards becoming women.

What if this trend continues? What about the future. Does that mean say in 2 centuries, Lesbian couples will be normal, and gay men forbidden, because the few men that exist must be used to continue the species? How would that affect political debates? Protected classes such as gender equality?

Reuters has been asking if we trust the media. Let me answer that by asking a question. Would an article such as this one, given its expected economic impact, ever make its way to the major headlines? Would the media companies be willing to risk going into battle with major economic giants to highlight such information? Would they risk lawsuits, losing major sponsors and all so that the average citizen would be aware of the possible effects of the food he consumes?

In a nutshell, men you now have a reason, beyond obesity, to watch carefully what you eat. Women it may translate to the fact that obesity is directly proportional to the chances that, that male's male offspring will be gay. Or maybe not. Maybe I read too much into this article.