One day some guy told me that women should not work because when they get money, it gets to their heads and the get arrogant. I felt insulted and actually accused this guy of being stuck in mediaeval, stone age (insert your own insult here), of being cheap and myopic.
But listening to Bishop Wanjiru insult the poor husband, who am told is an excellent cobbler, I was left niggling with the idea and thinking I was unfair to the guy who said money gets to our heads. People have their various party lines and have reasons why Wanjiru should of should not have reacted that way.
Ofcouse it is wrong to generalise about women but it has been argued that women who have money are big headed and have no time for small time niggling husbands.
But is it about money or is it about knowing their rights and stamping their authority?
Wanjiru will in the coming weeks be sacrificed as the devil personified. The question is, if Wanjiru was a man, would she have elicited the same level of criticism?
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
The chewing loverboy
I could only smile while I entered the Grand Regency hotel, one because I knew what I was up to and secondly because I met people who I knew would never guess my mission.
It was the venue I was meeting this dude, who I had called and presented myself as a very wealth but lonely and my only interest was a nice guy who could be my companion. I had made the call and demonstrated how well am doing but little did the poor dude know, my handbag was not padded by wands of cash, hard or plastic.
Once in a while I go to the hotel and that day I had strategically said we meet at 4pm, at that time, I would not expect him to ask for beer. Besides, we barely know each other so hold your horses!
The dude had described himself and there was no difficulty in identifying him. But the story got a different twist when a friend of mine who is a bishop came, he knows me and knows am single and of course knows am ready to mingle. The only problem is that the dude was like 23 and was chewing like a stupid monkey!
God! The chewing irritated me!
Anyway, the dude tells me how he is in campus has no money blablabla and all the mumble jumble psycho bubble about how he is nice and loving but ca not get a decent girlfriend. And I was like “dah… booo…haa… get a life”.
I also poured my heart, how I have this UN job that keeps me late and I can’t get a man to fulfil all my needs. In the meantime I am pinching myself as I tell him that he can actually use my car or even move to my house in kilimani. He had no driving skills so he had to learn how to drive then come use my car.
To my surprise, he said he can’t raise shs 8k for driving, and I thought, “you must be a starter” he suggested I raise the money but I insisted he had to do it as his contribution. He promised to talk to his relatives, raise some little money, and then I would top up. I agreed.
Of course he made me aware of how he can make me happy, do things never done before and I smiled and cheered him on…saying I cant wait……. We parted ways near city market where I was going to buy some fish. We agreed he would meet the following day, so I can top up the money.
Because I was using a newly acquired cell number, I donated to some street boy who was standing near city market on my way out.
I was smiling all the way……
It was the venue I was meeting this dude, who I had called and presented myself as a very wealth but lonely and my only interest was a nice guy who could be my companion. I had made the call and demonstrated how well am doing but little did the poor dude know, my handbag was not padded by wands of cash, hard or plastic.
Once in a while I go to the hotel and that day I had strategically said we meet at 4pm, at that time, I would not expect him to ask for beer. Besides, we barely know each other so hold your horses!
The dude had described himself and there was no difficulty in identifying him. But the story got a different twist when a friend of mine who is a bishop came, he knows me and knows am single and of course knows am ready to mingle. The only problem is that the dude was like 23 and was chewing like a stupid monkey!
God! The chewing irritated me!
Anyway, the dude tells me how he is in campus has no money blablabla and all the mumble jumble psycho bubble about how he is nice and loving but ca not get a decent girlfriend. And I was like “dah… booo…haa… get a life”.
I also poured my heart, how I have this UN job that keeps me late and I can’t get a man to fulfil all my needs. In the meantime I am pinching myself as I tell him that he can actually use my car or even move to my house in kilimani. He had no driving skills so he had to learn how to drive then come use my car.
To my surprise, he said he can’t raise shs 8k for driving, and I thought, “you must be a starter” he suggested I raise the money but I insisted he had to do it as his contribution. He promised to talk to his relatives, raise some little money, and then I would top up. I agreed.
Of course he made me aware of how he can make me happy, do things never done before and I smiled and cheered him on…saying I cant wait……. We parted ways near city market where I was going to buy some fish. We agreed he would meet the following day, so I can top up the money.
Because I was using a newly acquired cell number, I donated to some street boy who was standing near city market on my way out.
I was smiling all the way……
Of young men and old women (1)
I must say that I was not expecting the kind of reaction when I told my friend that I have been working on an “under cover” piece on young male gold diggers.
I was surprised when she thought that I should go ahead and publish the piece! I thought she would rebuff the idea, but she just laughed and told me how true it is.
I got the courage to press ahead because I recall that six years ago, we read the Saturday magazine and get mesmerised by the superlatives that people use to describe themselves.
“Who would not get married to such a person, with all those qualities?” I wondered.
That time, the column was known as lonely hearts, now it’s known as soul mates and is far more serious and am sure has resulted in many marriages.
The column has also evolved to include jokers and those longing for make believe life as espoused in movies and the much aped western lifestyle.
It has included the young men who feel that they can also be maintained just like some women do. Simply gold digging, look for a woman with money and yours shall be a case of emotional satisfaction!!! I agree, the reverse has for a long time been the case.
I must admit that I have no objection to men enjoying the sweat of a woman because I know that women do the same, after all, it’s a free world and we have for a long time demanded equity and equality.
In as much as I may sound biased because of my biology, it should represent a woman’s perspective.
part 2 coming
I was surprised when she thought that I should go ahead and publish the piece! I thought she would rebuff the idea, but she just laughed and told me how true it is.
I got the courage to press ahead because I recall that six years ago, we read the Saturday magazine and get mesmerised by the superlatives that people use to describe themselves.
“Who would not get married to such a person, with all those qualities?” I wondered.
That time, the column was known as lonely hearts, now it’s known as soul mates and is far more serious and am sure has resulted in many marriages.
The column has also evolved to include jokers and those longing for make believe life as espoused in movies and the much aped western lifestyle.
It has included the young men who feel that they can also be maintained just like some women do. Simply gold digging, look for a woman with money and yours shall be a case of emotional satisfaction!!! I agree, the reverse has for a long time been the case.
I must admit that I have no objection to men enjoying the sweat of a woman because I know that women do the same, after all, it’s a free world and we have for a long time demanded equity and equality.
In as much as I may sound biased because of my biology, it should represent a woman’s perspective.
part 2 coming
Friday, December 08, 2006
transvestites vs good hotel
coming to Brasil was to make sure i come out with an experience at the gay pub or street or whateve.
leaving on friday meant that i could go only on thursaday and witness the night life in SP.
Am not so much of a party animal and was wondering how i was going to rush through the nite.
but when we visited Beth, she invited us to dinner on thursday and i was torn in between.
Beth is a gracious lady and probably what i want to be when i grow up. Intelligent, she cheks her diet, dresses well and is ever elegant.
Lidia, he daughter, takes after her. Impressive!!
so i decided to go out to dinner and guess what, the best hotel in town.... nice food...tasty.
i would not however recommend it to my brother who thinks food is all about quantity not quality.
this hotel, i cant even remeber its name but its got a high ceiling making the room airly and the ambience perfect.
so, i enjoyed good food and good company, cant imagine hanging out at the gay pub and missing such an important dinner!!!
leaving on friday meant that i could go only on thursaday and witness the night life in SP.
Am not so much of a party animal and was wondering how i was going to rush through the nite.
but when we visited Beth, she invited us to dinner on thursday and i was torn in between.
Beth is a gracious lady and probably what i want to be when i grow up. Intelligent, she cheks her diet, dresses well and is ever elegant.
Lidia, he daughter, takes after her. Impressive!!
so i decided to go out to dinner and guess what, the best hotel in town.... nice food...tasty.
i would not however recommend it to my brother who thinks food is all about quantity not quality.
this hotel, i cant even remeber its name but its got a high ceiling making the room airly and the ambience perfect.
so, i enjoyed good food and good company, cant imagine hanging out at the gay pub and missing such an important dinner!!!
Thursday, December 07, 2006
claudia and becky
courtesy of Claudia, i enjoyed nice brazilian dish of pork, bacon and black beans, what in kikuyu we call `wairimu beans` rice and sukuma wiki though they have a local name for the sukuma.
the food was fantastic!!!
corinthians neighbourhood
SP is a football rich city, with current brazil champions Sao Paulo, Pele´s former club santos and now corinthians. in deed today, Ze Roberto (bayern Munich) was on TV donating stuff at Santos, i did not know the guy is a preacher too......
i remember Roberto Carlos was quoted saying that if he retires from Madrid, he can only play for santos.....
Corinthians FC
am not sure the stadium is well visible but thats where Edu, formerly of Arsenal now with Valencia, was playing. He was `discovered`by wenger in one of his many trips just like he found George Weah, Kolo Toure, Eboue and the like.
beth, steve and lidia
by the time steve left SP 25 years ago, lidia was a toddler...... now shes married!!!
beth, becky and lidia
i was happy to meet Beth and Lidia, from their office, i had a nice view of the Corinthians football club stadium
TANZANIA ENJOYS FRUITS OF CO-OPERATION
By Rebecca Wanjiku,
When Peter Ulanga was invited to visit Brazil, last year, he knew that something was going to change in the management of dot Tz country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD).
Ulanga, and a colleague, Peter Shilla, benefited from training offered by the Brazilian government on management of domain name registries using open source software.
Within two years of the training, Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority is ready to launch the dot Tz ccTLD registry. The domain has been administered by the University of Dar es Salaam and individuals.
`The training worked well, we have bought necessary equipment and we are ready to launch Tanzania Network Information Centre, TzNIC,` said Ulanga.
Ulanga says that the training was useful and the tests were successful. He added that it will now be easier to register domains and if there are any problems, then there is a central point to channel complaints.
Tanzania benefitted from the south/south solidarity spearheaded by the South American power house. Kenya was the first to train on how to use the software, Tanzania soon followed suit, while Mozambique and Sudan are lining up for the services.
The gesture by the Brazilian government was calculated to ensure that Africa can access the less costly open source software solutions and transform African registries from manual to automation.
At the on-going Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers(ICANN) conference, in Sao Paulo, renowned Brazilian Professor Hartmut Glaser could not hide his joy while confirming that he had been invited by the Tanzanian government to witness the fruits of his government´s generosity.
Apart from the training, Brazil offered technical assistance to the recipient countries in case of any problems with the software or even any technical hitches in their operations.
The drive to foster south/south cooperation started in 2002 when Brazil sent engineers to Togo to train local counterparts from more than 20 countries gathered in Lome.
Ends
When Peter Ulanga was invited to visit Brazil, last year, he knew that something was going to change in the management of dot Tz country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD).
Ulanga, and a colleague, Peter Shilla, benefited from training offered by the Brazilian government on management of domain name registries using open source software.
Within two years of the training, Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority is ready to launch the dot Tz ccTLD registry. The domain has been administered by the University of Dar es Salaam and individuals.
`The training worked well, we have bought necessary equipment and we are ready to launch Tanzania Network Information Centre, TzNIC,` said Ulanga.
Ulanga says that the training was useful and the tests were successful. He added that it will now be easier to register domains and if there are any problems, then there is a central point to channel complaints.
Tanzania benefitted from the south/south solidarity spearheaded by the South American power house. Kenya was the first to train on how to use the software, Tanzania soon followed suit, while Mozambique and Sudan are lining up for the services.
The gesture by the Brazilian government was calculated to ensure that Africa can access the less costly open source software solutions and transform African registries from manual to automation.
At the on-going Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers(ICANN) conference, in Sao Paulo, renowned Brazilian Professor Hartmut Glaser could not hide his joy while confirming that he had been invited by the Tanzanian government to witness the fruits of his government´s generosity.
Apart from the training, Brazil offered technical assistance to the recipient countries in case of any problems with the software or even any technical hitches in their operations.
The drive to foster south/south cooperation started in 2002 when Brazil sent engineers to Togo to train local counterparts from more than 20 countries gathered in Lome.
Ends
Finding Unity in Diversity
By Rebecca Wanjiku
African participants at Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers(ICANN) meeting in Sao Paulo have formed a unified body that with articulate issues from participants drawn from various sectors.
Africa Regional At Large Organisation (AFRALO) will unite users wishing to articulate their issues to ICANN. AFRALO is expected to link Africa to the global At Large Organisation within ICANN.
Alice Munyua, a member of ICANN´s At Large Organisation says AFRALO will help Africa identify their peculiar issues and call attention to the global body.
¨Through the regional body, African users can identify their challenges and design ways to deal with them. For instance, if the fibre optic cable is laid, then more people can access the internet and then we can deal with other problems other than access,¨said Munyua.
With the growing mobile telephony and cutting edge technology that provides internet via mobile, Munyua says AFRALO will ensure that African voices are heard.
Though not officially launched, preparations of a Memorandum of Understanding are in top gear.
AFRALO is expected to face challenges of language and culture, multiplicity and diversity of digital challenges. Some countries are deemed to have developed ICT infrastructure while others have not.
Munyua expects all countries to meet and point out issues that affect all sectors and the changes they would like to see. The country representatives/ liasons will forward to AFRALO which will then link with the global body.
She recognises that it will be hard to reach consensus because of the diverse interests but she promises AFRALO will work hard to adequately represent african users.
Latin America and the Caribbean have already formed LAC-RALO ( Latin America and the Caribbean Regional At-Large Organisation) which is expected to maximize participation of user groups from the region
Paul Twomey ICANN president, told delegates during the opening ceremony that LAC-RALO will be the third Latin American organisation to help ICANN in its work. The other two are LACTLD (Regional ccTLD managers) and LACNIC (Regional Internet Registry for Latin America ).
Ends
African participants at Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers(ICANN) meeting in Sao Paulo have formed a unified body that with articulate issues from participants drawn from various sectors.
Africa Regional At Large Organisation (AFRALO) will unite users wishing to articulate their issues to ICANN. AFRALO is expected to link Africa to the global At Large Organisation within ICANN.
Alice Munyua, a member of ICANN´s At Large Organisation says AFRALO will help Africa identify their peculiar issues and call attention to the global body.
¨Through the regional body, African users can identify their challenges and design ways to deal with them. For instance, if the fibre optic cable is laid, then more people can access the internet and then we can deal with other problems other than access,¨said Munyua.
With the growing mobile telephony and cutting edge technology that provides internet via mobile, Munyua says AFRALO will ensure that African voices are heard.
Though not officially launched, preparations of a Memorandum of Understanding are in top gear.
AFRALO is expected to face challenges of language and culture, multiplicity and diversity of digital challenges. Some countries are deemed to have developed ICT infrastructure while others have not.
Munyua expects all countries to meet and point out issues that affect all sectors and the changes they would like to see. The country representatives/ liasons will forward to AFRALO which will then link with the global body.
She recognises that it will be hard to reach consensus because of the diverse interests but she promises AFRALO will work hard to adequately represent african users.
Latin America and the Caribbean have already formed LAC-RALO ( Latin America and the Caribbean Regional At-Large Organisation) which is expected to maximize participation of user groups from the region
Paul Twomey ICANN president, told delegates during the opening ceremony that LAC-RALO will be the third Latin American organisation to help ICANN in its work. The other two are LACTLD (Regional ccTLD managers) and LACNIC (Regional Internet Registry for Latin America ).
Ends
in mar del plata, argentina
celebrating AFriNIC launch at the coastal city. Team Africa was very delighted.
Calling African Scholars
By Rebecca Wanjiku
African scholars interested in developing and preserving indigenous languages have been challenged to take the lead in the Internationalised Domain Name (IDN) debate.
Prof. Maxime Z. Somé, from the University of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso called on African linguists to actively participate in the IDN project.
`Scientists and scholars should constitute themselves as an exceptional authority in African affairs and move the project forward, said Some.
Some is concerned that Cambodia, Japan, China, Korea and Arabic countries seem to be moving at a faster pace and leaving Africa behind.
In his opinion, linguistic experts as well as scientists in Africa should work together and move the agenda forward. He added that the IDN project requires linguists to agree on the language and terminologies of a particular language and the scientists to work on the technological aspects.
After the agreement of the scripts and language tables, the UNICODE consortium, which consists of computer makers and other bodies, will be expected to integrate the languages into most computers sold to the Africa region.
In this regard, if I have a computer, I can choose the language to use, just like I select to use French or German. In the case of French, the computer inserts the right accents and other letters that may not be available in the English key board.
Asked whether this will lead to development of many key boards, Some says experts can work on some regional languages like Bambara, used in Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso or Fulani, used in Nigeria, Senegal, Mauritania and Mali.
`We know that this project requires a lot of financial commitment and big businesses are not going to invest if not assured of profits. That leaves governments, which have been very non committal, ` he adds.
But he maintains that scholars can jumpstart the process by learning from other countries where experts volunteered their services for the sake of development.
Some spoke at the ongoing Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN) meeting in Sao Paulo, where the urgency of IDNs has taken
centre stage and its proponents are touting it as a solution to communication problems.
While there are workshops and follow-up meetings to discuss and update on issues relating to IDNs, Africa is stuck with the obsession of listing its numerous cultural and logistical problems as the hindrance to IDN progress.
In 2004, Adama Samassekou, head of the African Academy of Languages was quoted saying there was lethargy within African leadership to use local languages even at Africa Unity meetings Swahili was recommended in 1986
but was used at the AU meeting in July 2004. Swahili is widely spoken in 15
East and Central African countries.
Ends
African scholars interested in developing and preserving indigenous languages have been challenged to take the lead in the Internationalised Domain Name (IDN) debate.
Prof. Maxime Z. Somé, from the University of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso called on African linguists to actively participate in the IDN project.
`Scientists and scholars should constitute themselves as an exceptional authority in African affairs and move the project forward, said Some.
Some is concerned that Cambodia, Japan, China, Korea and Arabic countries seem to be moving at a faster pace and leaving Africa behind.
In his opinion, linguistic experts as well as scientists in Africa should work together and move the agenda forward. He added that the IDN project requires linguists to agree on the language and terminologies of a particular language and the scientists to work on the technological aspects.
After the agreement of the scripts and language tables, the UNICODE consortium, which consists of computer makers and other bodies, will be expected to integrate the languages into most computers sold to the Africa region.
In this regard, if I have a computer, I can choose the language to use, just like I select to use French or German. In the case of French, the computer inserts the right accents and other letters that may not be available in the English key board.
Asked whether this will lead to development of many key boards, Some says experts can work on some regional languages like Bambara, used in Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso or Fulani, used in Nigeria, Senegal, Mauritania and Mali.
`We know that this project requires a lot of financial commitment and big businesses are not going to invest if not assured of profits. That leaves governments, which have been very non committal, ` he adds.
But he maintains that scholars can jumpstart the process by learning from other countries where experts volunteered their services for the sake of development.
Some spoke at the ongoing Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN) meeting in Sao Paulo, where the urgency of IDNs has taken
centre stage and its proponents are touting it as a solution to communication problems.
While there are workshops and follow-up meetings to discuss and update on issues relating to IDNs, Africa is stuck with the obsession of listing its numerous cultural and logistical problems as the hindrance to IDN progress.
In 2004, Adama Samassekou, head of the African Academy of Languages was quoted saying there was lethargy within African leadership to use local languages even at Africa Unity meetings Swahili was recommended in 1986
but was used at the AU meeting in July 2004. Swahili is widely spoken in 15
East and Central African countries.
Ends
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
at Tom Brasil theatre in SP
this is where i attended a live show by two Brazilian muscians. apparently there was no much Samba, contrary to popular belif that Brazil equals Samba. theres plenty. i enjoyed.
Loving yourself
spending a night at J´burg international airport is not one of the best thing except if you are booked at the Intercon.
i think the best is the massage palour, it has whats called ``aqua massage``. your body sprayed with water as you lie down.
not naked of course and not like those dingy joints in down town Nairobi where massage can be misataken for other things but pure massage.
its done in full view, though you have to enter into the machine that dispenses water and the whole ceremony begins.
there is also massage on the chair which is also good. so if you are stuck at the airport, make sure you have extra rands.
i think the best is the massage palour, it has whats called ``aqua massage``. your body sprayed with water as you lie down.
not naked of course and not like those dingy joints in down town Nairobi where massage can be misataken for other things but pure massage.
its done in full view, though you have to enter into the machine that dispenses water and the whole ceremony begins.
there is also massage on the chair which is also good. so if you are stuck at the airport, make sure you have extra rands.
Loving yourself
spending a night at J´burg international airport is not one of the best thing except if you are booked at the Intercon.
i think the best is the massage palour, it has whats called ``aqua massage``. your body sprayed with water as you lie down.
not naked of course and not like those dingy joints in down town Nairobi where massage can be misataken for other things but pure massage.
its done in full view, though you have to enter into the machine that dispenses water and the whole ceremony begins.
there is also massage on the chair which is also good. so if you are stuck at the airport, make sure you have extra rands.
i think the best is the massage palour, it has whats called ``aqua massage``. your body sprayed with water as you lie down.
not naked of course and not like those dingy joints in down town Nairobi where massage can be misataken for other things but pure massage.
its done in full view, though you have to enter into the machine that dispenses water and the whole ceremony begins.
there is also massage on the chair which is also good. so if you are stuck at the airport, make sure you have extra rands.
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