Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Jibber Jabber

**Title adopted from one of Boston Legal's senior citizen judge.

One of my new instructors might be a schizophrenic. I had the idea he was a timid man, very agreeable and possibly a push over. 15 minutes into the class and Joseph Stalin, Hitler or Mao Tse Tung stood before the class. Demanding that we understand he will push us to the ultimate level and that he is not to be challenged. Not to be challenged? This man does not want to be asked how long a paper should be. Moreover, he does not want us to use certain words (7 in total) that are all over the course materials, both in class and within our homework after week 3. And since he will deduct 50 (out of a possible 600) points if you challenge him, well then, we aren't arguing.

Having said that, he seems like a very intelligent man. A self made millionaire with very good intentions. Working at some college that's specifically for the underprivileged as well and his mission is to teach them how to be pushed and how to push themselves. He knows this grows their confidence as they overcome hurdles. Best, is that he loves international students or foreign educated students. He says they just get it. My opinion of him? A little scary but definitely my kinda guy. I think too he used to be timid and has had to learn how not to be timid, perhaps from abuse. So he is way in the other extreme. But he is definitely good people. Gives a lot of homework but he did warn us we would be pushed to the limit, right?

The temperatures have started the dance. Its 77, no its 47, no, it will be 28 all in 72 hours. My body just starts screaming when this happens. I'm ready for a steady 37 degrees now. "Oh, Nairobi, where art thou, Nairobi?" Maybe it's not a good idea to phrase my love for Nairobi around excerpts from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet given it's ending.

The campaign ads in this city are nasty! Swing state, we get it, but hello??? Could these ads get any nastier? Some people are writing to the TV stations carrying these ads to complain about it and threatening not to vote because of the same. One station that gives an occasional commentary by their president has him educating the people to vote so that this kind of pettiness can be done away with. OK, these ads are nasty!!! And Michael J fox found himself in the midst of this nastiness. Plus some poor lady who had filed a sexual harassment suit some 15 years ago, whose story was being used without her consent. They don't need it though. It's public information. Not to mention frustrated veterans. And as of this morning, the polls showed the two possible incumbents at a tie. 47% each. Next Tuesday better hurry in, so Wednesday can be ushered in and we can be done with this nonsense.

Halloween? What the heck? You want to be spooked? Take a good look at the cost of books for grad school!

Nairobi and the hawkers... mmmhhhh. OK. Let me get this straight. The residents of Nairobi complain about a dirty city, crowded streets and insecurity, correct? But the same residents of Nairobi have beef with the city for kicking hawkers out of the cbd and allocating them specific quarters? And some bloggers are somehow linking this to the extinction of the middle class???! Now if that is not alarmist! This blogger should seek a job with the Standard Newspapers. Basically people, get educated about cause and effects. Makes you better able to make what I'm willing to accept as intelligent arguments!

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Peek through the blinds...

I keep getting asked about how my brain is wired. Here's how.

1. Whenever there are 2 opposing parties, I make choices/decisions based on pure fact. Forget sentiment. Simply it means that if I switched sides I'd still make the same decision or hold the same opinion. And if not, I'd carry the knowledge that I was being self serving and not necessarily fair. That's as fair as it gets.

2. I hate people who abuse those they deem lesser than them. physically or emotionally.

3. I'm simply lost when it comes to this one. Why again are you with a spouse who abuses you?

4. I value most my peace of mind. The first signs of a relationship infringing on this and we're done.

5. I only break up once!

6. People who get to know me tell me I was intimidating when they first met me. Until I heard this several times, I used to think I was very approachable to strangers. Interestingly, no one has clearly explained how it is I intimidate people yet.

7. I have patience proportional to your expected knowledge base on the subject matter. This is a very elastic area for me. 0-100%.

8. I emotionally dump people who insist on seeking pain in their lives to play the perpetual victim role. Logic behind this is if I'm choosing happiness and they insist on calling me to join their painful choice of a world; then they're antagonizing my efforts. Kwaheri!

9. It's all very clear to me. Almost always. crystal clear!

10. I'm very angry at the idea of death. I've accepted that it happens but I'm still very angry about it. We could all just leave when we were ready to. Who wants to continue living when all their body parts don't work any longer?

11. I feel quite sure that Christianity is the way to the truth. Having said that, I've lately come to believe that the enemy is within. Organized religion is causing Christianity to be deemed stupid. I can see why people would think so.

12. I have 2, potentially 3, people I admire or that inspire me. First is Mother Theresa, hands down. 2nd is Bill Clinton. If you want to go on about adulterous scandals, I said people I admire, not gods. And a possible 3rd is Princess Diana. I wish I knew more. But there's so much potential there.

13. I really don't care what people think of me as much as I care that I can stand myself at the end of the day.

14. Music and books are alike to me. I will listen to or read anything.

15. As far as I'm concerned, "stupid" is not an insult. It's a condition that can and should be rectified. Usually through self edification.

In a nutshell!

Monday, October 02, 2006

Processing...

Lists of shame:
Barrack Obama fueled by ignorant kenyans : I have said many times before, that the opinion of the west is to be left in the west or to be left only to proper diplomatic forums. I have begged before that Kenyans start to value only their own opinions after ascertaining that they are informed. Barrack cannot claim that the Kenyans he spoke to have depth, which he claims is missing from the response letters he got from his speech. These Kenyans with depth are looking for any cult like figure or following; and just look at the orange, banana shenanigans that went on in there just a few months ago should you want to argue. Information from this crowd or an opposition hell bent on destructive politics is not depth. As a politician himself, Barrack should be able to see this from far. But is it possible he is plagued by his own ghosts? Remember Auma his sister in his book "Dreams of my father"? What did she insinuate to him was the reason behind why his father couldn't get a job at some point? She claimed tribal politics. Forget that it was the universal political game; you antagonize the leader, you fall. No one would blame Barrack for holding this grudge with all the one sided information he has had access to. Still, it's no excuse for a smart man like Barrack to act like he wasn't. And feel secure because there is a loud chorus of ignorant Kenyans backing him up. Again, I repeat, let the Kenyans run Kenya. It is these random acts where you allow a select few foreigners, say Clay and Barrack, to make derogatory statements randomly that lead to the comments made by Bush and the Tanzanian president. That you scoff at? You created the environment that lets these kinds of things happen. And those that want to argue with Barrack being kenyan so he can comment, BS!!! If he was THAT Kenyan, he wouldn't be on the US senate!

John Githongo: If ever there was a man to be ashamed of, it's this one. Pretending to run for shelter from peopel that want to kill him and acting like a perpetual victim. This might be a condition of overvaluing self. And now you think you deserve a seat in our kenyan parliament? Tell us Githongo, say you were president, where would you run to should a difficult situation arise? Where? Into whose arms? The UK, US, those people you run to, to disclose information that tax payers, via the government paid you to gather. Information they expected you to deliver to their hands that you took and delivered to another independent government?Your job was to deliver this dossier to the government that paid for it first, not other governments. What you did was abscond your duty and absolutely abuse tax payers money. Your good fortune lies in the fact that they, the taxpayers, are mostly too dumb to realize that.

The government on dropping the standard newspapers journalists case: I personally believe there is a small fire hidden somewhere here. I think that the Standard either had or has a leak in the state house. What this does for national security makes me shudder. Plus, I think that the government dropped these cases so as to be in agreement with the masses. The pontius Pilate syndrome at work here as well. Personally, I need a government that can protect me, and follow through on what they start out to do. At releasing these journalists, they indicate these people were never at fault and should therefore immediately indict Michuki and his crew for harassment and property damage.

Lists of kudos:
Warren Buffet: On starting a trend that has caught on, when he gave a very huge chunk of his wealth to the bill and Melinda Gates foundation. Kudos!

National Geographic channel: For more information than anyone will ever need to have on the entire process of birth right from conception. Details on details and 3d picture of a developing female foetus. Brilliant! The documentary is in the womb and it's strangely fascinating.

Kenyan government: for making the abuse of malaria drugs more expensive and therefore harder to reach. And especially for making malaria treatment free in clinics. Very big kudos!

Wangari Maathai: On a brilliant autobiography and just a wonderful journey through life. Long live!

Resting my case(s), for now anyway!