Author Archives: Dickens

Environmental and Health Risks of Bottled Water Consumption

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Many people often prefer mineral water rather than tapped water, boiled water or any other type of drinking water. There is often the misconception that mineral water is safer in terms of hygienic standards. How true is this? In as much as bottled water has many pros, it has a number of cons as well. These limitations have effects on the environment as well as the health of an individual. The hazards arise from the large number of plastics manufactured in order to package the mineral water, which is detrimental to both the consumer and the surroundings. Bottled water poses a number of hazards to the environment and the end user.

Recycled drinking water bottle

How does bottled water affect the environment? Due to the sheer number of plastic bottles being manufactured annually, the energy required to manufacture and transport these bottles to the market severely drains fossil fuels. The production of plastics is usually unregulated and therefore causing strain to the environment. Also, plastic is non-biodegradable and therefore it is not advisable to dispose plastics. It has been proposed that plastics should be washed and reused or recycled in the production of bottles for mineral water. This compromises the quality of the water due to the fact that phthalate leaches its way into the water as the bottle gets older. Phthalate is a harmful chemical used in the production of plastics that is known to contaminate contents of a product packaged in plastic; if it has been recycled a number of times. This chemical has been known to cause damage to the liver and kidneys. We are also not sure about the hygienic standards of the bottled water. This is because most of them are bottled at the source and therefore the water bodies are not enclosed hence cannot inhibit the public for using or tampering with the water, hence contamination of the water.

In a nutshell, bottled water is not the best option. It strains the environment as well as causes environmental pollution among other health hazards. The best alternative is tap water as it saves on resources since there is no need of packaging as well as reduces the hazards caused by bottled water. The Kenyan authorities should plan to provide safe drinking water for the citizens in order for them to develop trust in tap water. The reason why many people in the country do not consume tap water is because it is mostly not entirely treated and hence not safe enough for consumption. The government should therefore plan to come up with effective and functioning water treating plants in order to provide clean and safe water for Kenyans.

Education Bill, a step towards vision 2030

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Education is a very imperative factor towards economic and social development. Most of the industrialized countries are characterized by a large number of erudite citizens. Since primary school education was made free in Kenya, after the 2002 General elections, many of the children affected by poverty got the opportunity to acquire education. Although numerous were still locked out either because of the long distances from available schools to their homes or because of the negligence of some parents especially those from rural communities who do not value education. A lot of brilliant students were therefore denied their right to education. Fortunately, this will soon be a tale of the past if the education bill that was recently tabled in parliament is to be passed. The bill is intended to make education free and compulsory to every child.

The bill states that education should be free and compulsory to every child, and parents should enroll any child of school going age to a nearby primary school. It also states that no child should be held back until he/she completes basic education. If a child fails to attend school on a regular basis or is not enrolled in any school, the parent or guardian is to face up to one year jail sentence or a fine of 5,000 shillings. The bill also outlines that only a cabinet secretary, through a gazette notice, will exempt any child’s admission to a school. Toting up to that, the cabinet secretary in consultation with the National Education Board and County Education Board will establish primary and secondary institutions within a radius of 3 kilometers of every residential area. This will curb the problem of schools being inaccessible to some children, particularly those in rural areas.

This bill could transform the lives of many Kenyans. There are countless children unfairly deprived of education and for some, it is due to the negligence of their parents. This will also increase opportunities for the girl child to be educated as well as eliminate their early marriages since some communities are notorious for holding the belief that educating the girl child is a waste of time and resources. Additional opportunities for education will also promote economic development. This is because education increases invention and innovation. Many scholars will also be enrolled in secondary schools and this will open scholarship opportunities for secondary education. If these students pass well, they will be sponsored by various institutions and organizations for their secondary education and for some even their tertiary education. Therefore the education bill is a colossal step towards development in Kenya.

How to survive inflation

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It is almost impossible to live without purchasing products and services especially in urban areas, for this reason, expenses are already high. Inflation makes it worse and therefore one needs a few tips on how to live comfortably as well as save money and mostly survive inflation.

First, the most important thing is to monitor the prices of goods in the market. When there is a slight drop is the best time to shop in bulk. Shopping in bulk also saves money and resources as compared to constant trips to the supermarket all month long. Bulk shopping is also cheaper as the packs are more economical. Also, consumers should try and purchase goods from the wholesalers if possible as the chain of distribution is shortened, since there are less middlemen and hence prices are cheaper. That way, one can save a few shillings. Scrutinize your shopping list comprehensively by asking yourself if you really need some of the things you are spending for and how often you use them. If the answer is negative, then do not purchase the items. By this, you will find yourself cutting off unnecessary expenses and saving some for the basic needs. Reduce your consumption on the products that are rising rapidly in price, especially if they are things you can do without. For instance, the price of fuel is rising rapidly. If travelling for a long distance, one can opt to use public means, which is cheaper than fueling your own vehicle that will save you a great deal of money.

Finally, inflation is beyond our control as consumers. There is nothing much we can do about it, but the good news is that we can control how much damage it brings along financially by basically cutting down on the products and services that we do not need temporarily, or reducing how much we utilize them. This will help you save a coin or two, that can be used to buy the necessities. Therefore one does not have to live cheap but just a bit smart. Let the luxuries be a once in a while treat. Consumers should also keep in mind that purchasing commodities in bulk is usually cheaper than the opposite. Good luck as you masquerade past the economic hurricane.

Hands-free Umbrella that is turning heads

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The rainy season is here with us and for a couple of weeks we shall have to move around with all manner of umbrellas in our hands. It gets worse for cyclists during this season as they have to grapple with the harsh conditions with the heavens at their mercy. This is set to change though after the invention of the Nubrella a hands- free umbrella never mind that its predecessor was invented 3000 years ago that will blow away your mind but stand wind gusts of up to 80 kilometers per hour.
The Nubrella works by attaching a waterproof bubble which covers the head and shoulders to a shoulder strap wrapped around the user. Once the rain stops, you will not have to worry about carrying extra items as the nubrella can be slid back to sit behind the head like a hood.
Thanks to the invention by Alan Kaufman, 49, from Florida you will now be able to text ,tweet or post on facebook as you tightly clutch onto your loved one’s hand this cold season .To enjoy this extraordinary umbrella you will have to part with around 3600 shillings http://www.nubrella.com/ here .The cost aside the invention comes in handy especially for people who are always on the go or working outdoors especially this season.

The Ultimate Weather Protector Numbrella.com 4th May 2012

Did United’s complacency hand City the EPL title

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The 22nd of April 2012 for most Manchester United fans is a date worth forgetting quickly. With four matches remaining and their team leading their city rivals by 8 points the match against Everton was going to be key in their quest for a 20th Premier league title . The match started off on a low note perhaps a befitting start to the classic encounter it proved to be in the end
Complacency has been a cliché overused in footballing circles but united this season have been guiltier of this than any other time in their history. Their exit in Europe left a lot of people dumbfounded. As if that was not enough, further losses to Blackburn rovers and Newcastle United followed and from both you would have thought it would have been a lesson well learnt. Fast forwad to the fixture that many pundits believed would set United up for a record 20th title. Everton have had mixed results and big sides have fallen by their wayside among them Chelsea and Manchester city. When the toffees came to Oldtrafford everyone expected it to be an easy cruise to the premier league summit for the defending champions. However as it turned out to be, Everton had other ideas . They equaled United pound for pound goal for goal sending the old Trafford faithful who had been enjoying a sunny afternoon with their side scoring with almost every attack they mounted into shock and disbelief.
Complacency had come to bite Manchester United right at their own backyard and eventually sacrificing their title advantage at the altar of conceit. A few weeks ago whether u call them mind games or not everyone including the City faithful conceded it was just a matter of time and the reds would be up in the city atop an open bus celebrating. How quickly things turn around , now city have fate in their own hands. Whatever they do on the 30th of april at the Etihad will decide where the marathon that has been the 20th premier league will be celebrated.

And like the manager himself put it the short visit to the etihad will be the most important in his career. This time round there is a lot more at stake unlike in previous meetings where the city’s bragging rights would be at stake, there is plenty to fight for with the title being key. Manchester united will also be looking to avoid an embarrassing double loss to city with the 6 -1 thrashing memories still fresh in their minds. If United go on to lose at the Etihad then they will have no one to blame but themselves having had such a profound lead with 4 games left.

Hooligans taking Kenyan football hostage

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To say football is a passionate game would be as obvious as saying base jumping,high altitude climbing and motor cycle racing are some of the most dangerous sports. Generally spectator sports usually elicit lots of passion but nothing beats the passion in football. What makes people who rarely say a word to you on the street shout their lungs out and celebrate as if they have just become first time parents when their team scores a vital goal? What makes grown men curse and hurl all manner of unprintable words to match officials whenever decisions do not go their way?  Well the answer to these and many other related case in points is  simply, passion! Passion is  the only thing that could explain why logic is thrown-out-the-window when football is involved.
Over the years, football hooliganism has been witnessed across the world from ‘football-mad nations’ such as; Brazil and Argentina, to England, Italy, Egypt and other sub-Saharan African countries. The ugly face of the beautiful game of football, is indiscriminate. Today, Kenya got a share of what football hooliganism is, during a high octane fixture pitying perennial rivals Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards. The stadium was filled almost to capacity with both sets of fans, clad in their team colors cheering their teams the best way they know how. Some fans started streaming into the stadium from as early as 9.am, never mind, the match was set to kick off at  3 O’clock  in the afternoon.
As expected, the match started on a high note and fans were treated to end-to-end action, as both teams tried to break the deadlock. At half-time,  none of the teams was yet able, to see the back of the net of the other. The action was similar in the second-half,  with AFC leopards seeing most of the ball. Come the 66th minute,  Gor Mahia’s Victor Ali, was red carded for a high boot challenge on Leopard’s Amon Muchiri and what followed were 25 embarrassing and uneasy minutes for Gor. Gor Mahia’s fans, incensed by the decision to have Ali sent off, walked off  the stadium, while others hurled all manner of objects into the field of play. The referee had to stop the match for 25 minutes as he consulted with the other match officials. Eventually the game went on and ended in a barren draw. However,  the rivalry fans of either  team took the battle for supremacy, to the streets of Nairobi, where one fan, believed to be a Leopards supporter, was killed and scores others injured.
This is not the first time that both Gor Mahia  and AFC leopards fans, have clashed. The stakes involved in this highly publicized derby, maybe to blame more so, even alcohol and rogue fans. Whatever the reason for crowd trouble in the Kenya premier league, needs to be addressed and fast. We do not need to witness scenes such as those in Egypt in back  February where, close to one hundred people were killed, and thousands more injured, following acts of hooliganism in a league match. Its interesting to hear that FKF proposes having foreign referees officiate matches pitying Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards. Is this really the solution? Will this stop thugs posing as fans from carrying rocks into stadia, and causing havoc? Those in charge of football in the country need to act quick and cautiously, to avert a looming disaster. England had some of the worst hooligan incidences in the 70’s and 80’s,  resulting  in a resolution to reduce  the number of fans in stadiums. A similar resolution seems inevitable in the Kenyan football fraternity following today’s events ..It’s time to save Kenyan football, what happened before in England, is a good reference point.

NAIROBI | Graffiti framing Public Opinion

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On the City Market wall facing Muindi Mbingu Street, are drawn rare graffiti with a political message for the electorate: “be wise and choose only leaders with the interest of the nation ahead of their own.”

Abel and Buckley (1997) looked at the “writing of graffiti as a psychological phenomenon, a form of communication that is both personal and free of everyday social restraints that normally prevent people from giving uninhibited reign to their thoughts.” [Looking at the Writing on the Wall: A Critical Review and Taxonomy of Graffiti Texts, Jane M. Gadsby (1995)] Habitually, a similar attitude is engendered by the anonymous graffiti artists, in the “City in the Sun.” One such artist exhibits “the reminiscences of a greedy politician…” Daily Nation reported. Chronic poverty and unemployment as well as the epic struggles and conditions of a country’s marginalized people are touted as the main engines that fuel graffiti culture. But is that all there is to it? It has been found out before that”Mainstream media will never say a word of truth…” Thus graffiti is now being used as an alternative channel to the mainstream media, to disseminate the true information, which often was kept back by the latter.” It has thence, been confirmed that somehow, it succeeds in getting the message through to the masses. One professor of English pointed out that “graffiti has played a significant role in framing and times changing public opinion.”

Whether or not graffiti is considered as a medium of revolt against the authorities, or just as a channel for self expression, what is depicted is in clear print, a true and faithful reflection of a people’s attitudes toward a non-yielding system on the one hand, and on the other, a call to action by the ‘infringed’. In a nutshell, thoughts become things.

 

References:

Writing’s on the wall for greedy MPs Daily Nation March 4, 2012

Looking at the Writing on the Wall: A Critical Review and Taxonomy of Graffiti Texts Jane M. Gadsby (1995)

Graffiti: Expression Unadulterated Irfan Muzaffar Parray

 

 

Public opinion Versus Political Influence over the Media

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The Hague Suspects (two among them) presidential hopefuls have been accused of engaging with the local media, with an aim of swaying public opinion against the ICC.

The International Crisis Group (ICG), which has been monitoring the Kenyan cases at The Hague, in its report, reveals that the said suspects along with the local media, have employed a scheme casting the “suspects” as victims of the court, and of ‘sinister plots’ by their political opponents, aiming at barring them from participating in the 2012 elections.[“During the recent hearings at The Hague, the media… (Covered the cases as if) Moreno-Ocampo was prosecuting Kenya, not individual suspects.”]

Very well done! That must have worked its way to some level of success I should say. It is however prudent to note that a vast majority of Kenyan youth, who constitute a major sector of the electorate, have matured to be free thinkers, through the teachings of their life experiences, and interpersonal interactions. There has been a collective ‘paradigm-shift’ in the thoughts of today’s Kenyan youth’s-something that is sounding a loud and clear ‘revolution’. The Kenyan youth has realized that this is the ‘age of the mind’, and has started to ‘think’. A famous line goes, “You can fool some people sometimes, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.” The future of this country lies on the hands of the youths of today not on ‘whoever’ frequents the TV screens in the living-rooms at prime-time.

References:

Media in the dock over hague cases All Kenya News 4th March 2012

The Hague judgement causes Uhuru, Ruto sleepless nights The Citizen 5th Mrch, 2012

It’s Time for goal line technology

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Goals are the ultimate measure of success in any football competition; big and small alike. Most recently in one of Europe’s top flight leagues – Serie A, in a pulsating match pitying two of the league’s biggest sides; Milan, and the old lady of Italian football Juventus, the referee failed to spot Milan’s Sulley Muntari’s clear goal. Perhaps the best example of a goal denied in the biggest stage in competitive football has to be England international’s Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal at the 2010 FIFA world cup in South Africa. Up until the 38th minute when the moment that could ultimately be the game changer in football refereeing occurred, Germany was leading by two goals to one. The England team was pressing hard for an equalizer before halftime and just when they thought they had it, their celebrations were cut short . Uruguayan linesman Mauricio Espinosa failed to spot Frank Lampard’s rasping shot that had rebounded from the cross bar and crossed the line. The match ended in a 4-1 convincing victory for the Germans inflicting the biggest loss to the England football team in a world cup tournament. This loss left a bitter taste in neutrals as well as English fans who thought had Lampard’s goal been allowed then just maybe they would have won the match or lost honorably.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter who was initially opposed to the introduction of technology reversed his position following that incident and has since then been at the fore front of advocating for technology in the game to avoid a repeat in subsequent world cups. However UEFA’s president Mitchel Platini (the favourite to take on Blatter’s post), is skeptical about the issue preferring instead the addition of match officials. Platini is quoted as having said “What scares me is that if we start to use technology for things that have little point, we will also move onto offside technology, because there are five offsides per match,”.
My opinion on this issue is that goal line technology needs to be implemented as soon as possible .Other sports such as Tennis, rugby, and cricket have adopted it and the controversy and continuity in these sports is less important than the clarity the technology provides. Making a mistake in the course of duty in any profession is inevitable and referees and their assistants are no exceptions but do we really have to put up with their imperfections when we can help them? The answer to this question is a huge no something has to be done and fast. A decision on goal line technology as well as other critical decisions affecting the modern game such as a fourth substitute in extra time ,assistant referees, the triple punishment in red cards ,the hijab and vanishing spray is due in July 2 this year.
References
Ifab agrees to test goal-line technology systems before decision in July Gurdian.co.uk 3rd March 2012

Sepp Blatter says he can convince Ifab to bring in goal-line technology Gurdian.co.uk 2nd March 2012

Denied Muntari goal causes ripples Africaplays.com 26th February 2012

 

Kenya’s decision for Syrian regime change is not informed

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Kenya’s Ambassador & Permanent Representative at Kenya Mission to United Nations, Macharia Kamau, “cautioned that the UN’s call for Mr. Assad to leave office must not be interpreted as an invitation to Western intervention in Syria, as did occur in Libya in response to a UN resolution adopted last year.”

It is ridiculous to not think that the West’s main agenda is to interfere with the internal affairs of and about Syria! Even so, how much success has the west achieved by intervening in chaotic situations in other states, with the promise of bringing about peace and prosperity? Negligible if any, contrary to the so many cases, where much more violence and destruction, became the order of the day, upon the exit of foreign forces. Look back at Somali, Afghanistan, and in that case, Libya. There’s clearly something aloof. Saudi Arabia’s  U.N. Ambassador, Abdallah Y. Al- Mouallimi, was quoted saying, ” today, the U.N. General Assembly sent a clear message to the people of Syria: the world is with you.” A skeptic person may ask: “Is he really representative of Syria’s people and the situation there?” I would rather Bashar Ja’afari, Syria’s U.N. Ambassador’s comments, which actually state more or less contrary, to Ambassador Abdallah’s. (“The resolution will send a message to extremists that “violence and deliberate sabotage” are acceptable and will lead “to more chaos and more crises.”)

In respect to international law, and in the context of sovereignty of states, it is wrong to impose conditions on a state’s people. “In article 2(7) of the UN Charter, it is stated that the charter gives no competence to the UN or to the UN Members to intervene in matters that are substantially under the neutral jurisdiction of a State.” Syria is not a fallen state, unfortunately, the vote defiles the very spirit of these words. Recall that “in the classic view, international law and democracy are simply not related. International law is to remain neutral vis-à-vis any political model.”

References:

East Africa: Kenya Votes At UN for Syrian Regime Change allAfrica.com 18th February, 2012

Stance on Syria proves China as firm supporter of U.N. Charter: expert xinhuanet.com 17th February 2012

China opposes armed intervention or forcing “regime change” in Syria xinhuanet.com 17th February 2012

Egypt recalls its ambassador to Syria xinhuanet.com 19th February 2012

Syria responds “positively” to Al protocol, proposes minor amendments xinhuanet.com 18th February 2012

UN General Assembly condemns Syria The State 16th February 2012