News from South Africa
The incumbent leader of the South Africa's ANC ruling Party has lost badly in the Party elections.
This is out of normal in Africa where the term "elections" is synonimous with "ruling party stealing the votes to win".
Jacom Zuma is also likely to win elections to become the next President of South Africa, taking over from the current president, Thabo Mbeki. News say the key posts in the Party were all taken by Zuma camp.
So far it is quiet, although there is a grumble about charges of corruption being brought up against Zuma. I think, though, the voters have decided, trying such thing will be regarded as hindrance of peoples' choice and cause mayhem in South Africa.
Kenyan elections are coming up in one week time, and are very intriguing too, with incumbent being threatened to be voted down.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Tiësto - Nominated for a Grammy!
This is one DJ I adore, so this news makes me happy: From the star's MySpace blog, to which I subscribe:
About Tiësto - Nominated for a Grammy!
Tiësto’s career is punctuated by landmark achievements – the first DJ in the world to sell out a solo stadium event for over 25,000 people 2 nights in a row, he scored a number one hit with his single Traffic, the first instrumental track to reach the top spot in his homeland of Holland in 23 years. His remix of Delerium featuring Sarah McLachlan’s Silence was the first house track ever broadcast on daytime radio in North America, (it became an international dancefloor anthem and also spent eight weeks in the UK top 10 chart).
He played live in front of billions of people during the Parade of the Athletes at the official opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Athens. But despite his meteoric success, Tiësto remains grounded about his achievements and clearly loves making and playing music above the accolades it brings. Born in Holland, Tiësto became a DJ because he “liked to share music with other people. When I was younger, I’d listen to a radio show called the Soul Show, and to Ben Liebrand’s mix radio program, where he would remix and cut up different tracks, and I just thought - I want to do this!” The productions came later, in 1995. “I really wanted to produce music that I could play in my sets, because it brings much more fulfilment to the process.
I bought some samplers, some computer programs, and just started working on it.” He makes it sound easy – indeed; he makes it look easy as 10 years down the line his productions consistently bother the charts and frequently reach number one around Europe. In 1997 Tiësto, along with Arny Bink, formed Black Hole Recordings, the label that launched the hugely acclaimed Magik, In Search Of Sunrise, and Nyana mix compilations. The label grew to such proportions that in 2001 Tiësto started a sub-label, Magik Muzik. “It’s the home of records of mine, or of people whose work I really believe in,” he enthuses. “Everything on Magik Muzik is what you’ll find in my sets, which makes it more of my own little project.” Some of the gems from Magik Muzik include 2001 anthem Flight 643 and his artist albums In My Memory, Just Be and Elements of Life. Though known primarily for his pioneering contributions to the trance scene, Tiësto’s style is now a mix of everything: “trance, house, techno - it’s the best of all that the dance world has to offer. In 1998, I was really a trance DJ, but now I’ve travelled round the world so much, different influences have seeped in and I play a bit of everything. I think the only way forward for DJs now is to play a diverse mix of sounds.” Indeed, his brand of trance was always pushing at the constraints of the genre anyway, featuring soaring vocals from the likes of Sarah McLachlan and Jes, spine-tingling breakdowns, and euphoric melodies at every end of the spectrum. The many high profile gigs and shows have now taken Tiësto away from exclusively playing clubs, and propelled him to become a mainstream artist. “Often at my shows now, half of the people are die-hard clubbers, but the other half are people who know me from the radio, or from more mainstream gigs,” he says. “It’s more like they’re going to a concert, so now I get a great mix of both worlds.” Describing the last few years as “a journey of defining moments,” (as well as the usual club successes, his shelves are groaning under the weight of numerous awards – TMF-Awards, MTV, Dutch DJ - and gold discs…) his favourites include the second night of the Tiësto In Concert show in Holland in 2004: “I was really aware of what was going on, the music was just right – a mix of all my big tunes and new track, everything just felt perfect that night.
I played for nine hours straight, and it was my favourite gig ever.” And, of course, he was chosen by the readers as the number one DJ in the world. “The first time it happened it was so amazing, I was overjoyed. The second and the third time were also fantastic, but the first time you’re on the cover of that magazine that is so respected by other DJs – it’s like winning an Oscar!” In May 2006 Tiësto decided to become the worldwide ambassador for Dance4Life, and to invest considerate amounts of his time and efforts to the one charity in which he could really find himself. Immediately the production of a Dance4Life anthem was discussed, which resulted in an a song with Faithless’ Maxi Jazz. Continuing to explore fresh avenues, knowing that the year 2007 is now in full swing, Tiësto is currently experimenting with new sounds in the studio, and writing more vocals himself. The most recent result of this new approach of course is his latest album ‘Elements of Life’, which sky rocketed to the highest positions in today’s charts. The album features the vocals of BT, who’s been working with Tiësto on previous occasions and hit the charts with ‘Break my Fall’; and Julie Thompson. “I’m not looking for any big collaboration right now, I’m more interested in a burgeoning talent – someone whose voice is good, and that really touches you. A voice should sound like an instrument to me. A good example is Christian Burns who is the singer on the hit single ‘In the Dark’; also a track from ‘Elements of Life’. I met him through MySpace; the actual proof that the internet is the medium of choice when it comes to musical developments and careers.” The concept behind his latest album also forms the basis for his current ‘Elements of Life World Tour’ which takes the DJ all over the globe. At the same time, the tour is of a size not before known in the dance scene. Since the four elements earth, water, air and fire are the unmistakeable necessities to build and maintain life on Earth, they had to be presented in all their greatness, which results in a stunning production that features state of the art special effects, moving water systems in sync with the music and high definition video screens. It requires three semi trucks to transport the equipment. The mere knowledge that Tiësto, as one DJ with two turntables, is entertaining audiences up to 25,000 people or more has silenced even the worst critic. But that his performances can compete with even the largest stadium concerts of the known world artists is something that the industry never held possible. The amounts of energy the DJ invests for the world tour have not kept him away from the one thing everybody was waiting for: the new ‘In Search of Sunrise 6’.
In between the mayhem of touring and insane flight schedules, Tiësto still found the time to deliver a double CD compilation for the highly successful series also known as ‘ISOS’. The live mix, made without electronic or computerized gadgets, is titled ‘Ibiza’ and for a reason: “I haven’t been in Ibiza for two years. The island is known for its large discotheques, the crazy parties, the best DJs and of course the party people”, he says. “Ibiza still is a magical place for me, with beautiful secret spots to discover and an atmosphere that can only be found there. So to make sure that I would capture the love and dedication I feel for the island, I actually returned to Ibiza for the proper inspiration.” He grins: “Now I know for sure that ‘ISOS 6’ earned it to be called ‘Ibiza’.” Knowing that Tiësto’s opportunities go beyond his own music, and the world tour, one might ask what will come up next. His answer is clear: “As I said earlier, the internet is the medium of choice for modern day music. I now host my own radio show called ‘Tiesto’s Club Life’, which is available as PodCast directly after it aired on radio. Through those blessings of the internet, fans can listen to me and the music I love whenever they feel like, wherever they feel like. And at the same time, radio stations all over the world broadcast the weekly shows within their own national programming. It’s just an fantastic idea knowing that my fans are now listening to the radio as I used to do when I was just a kid!“ One of the last things we haven’t mentioned is Tiësto’s work on the music of other artists. “I’m more open to doing remixes again. I like to hear a track and right away know what I want to do with it, what I can make different, and whether it’ll work for me in my sets – all my remixes have to be tried and tested.” His most recent remix, already featured in one of his ‘Club Life’ radio shows, was one of particular interest, he says. “The best producer in the world of the moment, Timbaland, approached me to do a remix of ‘Love Stoned’ by Justin Timberlake. That means a lot to me, you know? It actually shows that I’ve grown not only as a DJ, but also as a producer.”
Recently the DJ became one of the share holders of Cineac in Amsterdam. The club presents a combination of Chinese high cuisine, dance music and live-entertainment and can be considered a personal side project. “It was something I’m now able to do you know?, he says. “The fact that I could be into having my own club, realizing my own ideas about decoration and the music, meant enough to me to make sure I’d be a part of the Cineac from the very beginning. It’s so nice to do this next to the ‘business as usual’ for me as an artist. I want it to become the place to be in Amsterdam.” The future for Tiësto promises yet further success, both as the solo artist he’s become and the DJ we know him to be. “My new ‘Elements of Life’ album is doing well, ‘In Search of Sunrise 6’ has just been released and there will be more remixes, definitely,” he agrees, “but it’s hard to look too far into the future. Every couple of months it seems that something new, unexpected and exciting is happening!”
About Tiësto - Nominated for a Grammy!
Tiësto’s career is punctuated by landmark achievements – the first DJ in the world to sell out a solo stadium event for over 25,000 people 2 nights in a row, he scored a number one hit with his single Traffic, the first instrumental track to reach the top spot in his homeland of Holland in 23 years. His remix of Delerium featuring Sarah McLachlan’s Silence was the first house track ever broadcast on daytime radio in North America, (it became an international dancefloor anthem and also spent eight weeks in the UK top 10 chart).
He played live in front of billions of people during the Parade of the Athletes at the official opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Athens. But despite his meteoric success, Tiësto remains grounded about his achievements and clearly loves making and playing music above the accolades it brings. Born in Holland, Tiësto became a DJ because he “liked to share music with other people. When I was younger, I’d listen to a radio show called the Soul Show, and to Ben Liebrand’s mix radio program, where he would remix and cut up different tracks, and I just thought - I want to do this!” The productions came later, in 1995. “I really wanted to produce music that I could play in my sets, because it brings much more fulfilment to the process.
I bought some samplers, some computer programs, and just started working on it.” He makes it sound easy – indeed; he makes it look easy as 10 years down the line his productions consistently bother the charts and frequently reach number one around Europe. In 1997 Tiësto, along with Arny Bink, formed Black Hole Recordings, the label that launched the hugely acclaimed Magik, In Search Of Sunrise, and Nyana mix compilations. The label grew to such proportions that in 2001 Tiësto started a sub-label, Magik Muzik. “It’s the home of records of mine, or of people whose work I really believe in,” he enthuses. “Everything on Magik Muzik is what you’ll find in my sets, which makes it more of my own little project.” Some of the gems from Magik Muzik include 2001 anthem Flight 643 and his artist albums In My Memory, Just Be and Elements of Life. Though known primarily for his pioneering contributions to the trance scene, Tiësto’s style is now a mix of everything: “trance, house, techno - it’s the best of all that the dance world has to offer. In 1998, I was really a trance DJ, but now I’ve travelled round the world so much, different influences have seeped in and I play a bit of everything. I think the only way forward for DJs now is to play a diverse mix of sounds.” Indeed, his brand of trance was always pushing at the constraints of the genre anyway, featuring soaring vocals from the likes of Sarah McLachlan and Jes, spine-tingling breakdowns, and euphoric melodies at every end of the spectrum. The many high profile gigs and shows have now taken Tiësto away from exclusively playing clubs, and propelled him to become a mainstream artist. “Often at my shows now, half of the people are die-hard clubbers, but the other half are people who know me from the radio, or from more mainstream gigs,” he says. “It’s more like they’re going to a concert, so now I get a great mix of both worlds.” Describing the last few years as “a journey of defining moments,” (as well as the usual club successes, his shelves are groaning under the weight of numerous awards – TMF-Awards, MTV, Dutch DJ - and gold discs…) his favourites include the second night of the Tiësto In Concert show in Holland in 2004: “I was really aware of what was going on, the music was just right – a mix of all my big tunes and new track, everything just felt perfect that night.
I played for nine hours straight, and it was my favourite gig ever.” And, of course, he was chosen by the readers as the number one DJ in the world. “The first time it happened it was so amazing, I was overjoyed. The second and the third time were also fantastic, but the first time you’re on the cover of that magazine that is so respected by other DJs – it’s like winning an Oscar!” In May 2006 Tiësto decided to become the worldwide ambassador for Dance4Life, and to invest considerate amounts of his time and efforts to the one charity in which he could really find himself. Immediately the production of a Dance4Life anthem was discussed, which resulted in an a song with Faithless’ Maxi Jazz. Continuing to explore fresh avenues, knowing that the year 2007 is now in full swing, Tiësto is currently experimenting with new sounds in the studio, and writing more vocals himself. The most recent result of this new approach of course is his latest album ‘Elements of Life’, which sky rocketed to the highest positions in today’s charts. The album features the vocals of BT, who’s been working with Tiësto on previous occasions and hit the charts with ‘Break my Fall’; and Julie Thompson. “I’m not looking for any big collaboration right now, I’m more interested in a burgeoning talent – someone whose voice is good, and that really touches you. A voice should sound like an instrument to me. A good example is Christian Burns who is the singer on the hit single ‘In the Dark’; also a track from ‘Elements of Life’. I met him through MySpace; the actual proof that the internet is the medium of choice when it comes to musical developments and careers.” The concept behind his latest album also forms the basis for his current ‘Elements of Life World Tour’ which takes the DJ all over the globe. At the same time, the tour is of a size not before known in the dance scene. Since the four elements earth, water, air and fire are the unmistakeable necessities to build and maintain life on Earth, they had to be presented in all their greatness, which results in a stunning production that features state of the art special effects, moving water systems in sync with the music and high definition video screens. It requires three semi trucks to transport the equipment. The mere knowledge that Tiësto, as one DJ with two turntables, is entertaining audiences up to 25,000 people or more has silenced even the worst critic. But that his performances can compete with even the largest stadium concerts of the known world artists is something that the industry never held possible. The amounts of energy the DJ invests for the world tour have not kept him away from the one thing everybody was waiting for: the new ‘In Search of Sunrise 6’.
In between the mayhem of touring and insane flight schedules, Tiësto still found the time to deliver a double CD compilation for the highly successful series also known as ‘ISOS’. The live mix, made without electronic or computerized gadgets, is titled ‘Ibiza’ and for a reason: “I haven’t been in Ibiza for two years. The island is known for its large discotheques, the crazy parties, the best DJs and of course the party people”, he says. “Ibiza still is a magical place for me, with beautiful secret spots to discover and an atmosphere that can only be found there. So to make sure that I would capture the love and dedication I feel for the island, I actually returned to Ibiza for the proper inspiration.” He grins: “Now I know for sure that ‘ISOS 6’ earned it to be called ‘Ibiza’.” Knowing that Tiësto’s opportunities go beyond his own music, and the world tour, one might ask what will come up next. His answer is clear: “As I said earlier, the internet is the medium of choice for modern day music. I now host my own radio show called ‘Tiesto’s Club Life’, which is available as PodCast directly after it aired on radio. Through those blessings of the internet, fans can listen to me and the music I love whenever they feel like, wherever they feel like. And at the same time, radio stations all over the world broadcast the weekly shows within their own national programming. It’s just an fantastic idea knowing that my fans are now listening to the radio as I used to do when I was just a kid!“ One of the last things we haven’t mentioned is Tiësto’s work on the music of other artists. “I’m more open to doing remixes again. I like to hear a track and right away know what I want to do with it, what I can make different, and whether it’ll work for me in my sets – all my remixes have to be tried and tested.” His most recent remix, already featured in one of his ‘Club Life’ radio shows, was one of particular interest, he says. “The best producer in the world of the moment, Timbaland, approached me to do a remix of ‘Love Stoned’ by Justin Timberlake. That means a lot to me, you know? It actually shows that I’ve grown not only as a DJ, but also as a producer.”
Recently the DJ became one of the share holders of Cineac in Amsterdam. The club presents a combination of Chinese high cuisine, dance music and live-entertainment and can be considered a personal side project. “It was something I’m now able to do you know?, he says. “The fact that I could be into having my own club, realizing my own ideas about decoration and the music, meant enough to me to make sure I’d be a part of the Cineac from the very beginning. It’s so nice to do this next to the ‘business as usual’ for me as an artist. I want it to become the place to be in Amsterdam.” The future for Tiësto promises yet further success, both as the solo artist he’s become and the DJ we know him to be. “My new ‘Elements of Life’ album is doing well, ‘In Search of Sunrise 6’ has just been released and there will be more remixes, definitely,” he agrees, “but it’s hard to look too far into the future. Every couple of months it seems that something new, unexpected and exciting is happening!”
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Here goes 2007
Personally I have only a dull recollection of the outgoing year: Tanzania was being run by a newly-elected phase four government that was, er, different. Early on, a star minister, Hon Migiro (Foreign Affairs) was taken on by no less than UN SG ki-Moon as his Deputy.
Petroleum price continued to climb, and is now perched at 1500 Shs per litre, too expensive for many persons. But as common say around bongo goes, if your tight shoe is pinching your toe, just grin and bear it, it's your personal problem--same here: we are still having many people full-tanking for long drives out of town just for fun. Some of these cars were fitted with music system (Bang and Olufsen? Boston Acoustics? All here) whose wattage could support a concert at a stadium.
Corruption and thieving stories by politicians and political had-beens started to be leaked into email and web forums and circulate lightning-fast around the web to reach Tanzanians far and near. With Internet being such an efficient means of communications, things shall never be the same again--not-so-good guys are exposed, caught in the act.
Wave of armed robbery (which reached crescendo just after phase 4 government entered into the scene) was largely quelled; and it was discovered, after all, that most kingpins were from neighbouring countries.
Some landscape changes observed during the year include multiplication of outdoor banners, mushrooming of open-yard car showrooms and inflow of low-key "investors".
Lopsided system of remuneration continued unchecked--two kids would graduate same day with identical results of the same subjects. When one of them would land a job (in government, no less) receiving salary of, say "x", the other would receive a salary of "4x", also a government employee. Reasons peddled by those who speak to media are interesting: The person who gets four times salary works at a place where he/she might accept bribe from customer. Sigh!
Chadema opposition party had a field day when its fireband MP was "admonished" for "lying" and received wholesome public sympathy.
Road accidents continued to claim their toll, and law enforcement officers seemed unable to do anything about it.
Obituary: our uncle Israel (brother of my mother) passed away aged about 77. He's survived by wife Lyimo (petite charming lady who seems forever young come rain or shine) and 8 kids.
Petroleum price continued to climb, and is now perched at 1500 Shs per litre, too expensive for many persons. But as common say around bongo goes, if your tight shoe is pinching your toe, just grin and bear it, it's your personal problem--same here: we are still having many people full-tanking for long drives out of town just for fun. Some of these cars were fitted with music system (Bang and Olufsen? Boston Acoustics? All here) whose wattage could support a concert at a stadium.
Corruption and thieving stories by politicians and political had-beens started to be leaked into email and web forums and circulate lightning-fast around the web to reach Tanzanians far and near. With Internet being such an efficient means of communications, things shall never be the same again--not-so-good guys are exposed, caught in the act.
Wave of armed robbery (which reached crescendo just after phase 4 government entered into the scene) was largely quelled; and it was discovered, after all, that most kingpins were from neighbouring countries.
Some landscape changes observed during the year include multiplication of outdoor banners, mushrooming of open-yard car showrooms and inflow of low-key "investors".
Lopsided system of remuneration continued unchecked--two kids would graduate same day with identical results of the same subjects. When one of them would land a job (in government, no less) receiving salary of, say "x", the other would receive a salary of "4x", also a government employee. Reasons peddled by those who speak to media are interesting: The person who gets four times salary works at a place where he/she might accept bribe from customer. Sigh!
Chadema opposition party had a field day when its fireband MP was "admonished" for "lying" and received wholesome public sympathy.
Road accidents continued to claim their toll, and law enforcement officers seemed unable to do anything about it.
Obituary: our uncle Israel (brother of my mother) passed away aged about 77. He's survived by wife Lyimo (petite charming lady who seems forever young come rain or shine) and 8 kids.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Google is 9: A tribute
By Daniel Makundi
--
Time does fly: it's not that long ago when I
was telling my computer class that the
leading search engine is Alta Vista (at that
time with a strangely cumbersome url.
"altavista.digital.com"
In those days there were multiple popular search
engines, such as lycos, infoseek, dogpile,
metacrawler etc etc., the latter being crawlers
of search engines.
Then came a phenomenon, a search engine with
a strange name, google, whose logo was
coloured like child picturebook of letters.
The UI was straightforward, no-nonsense: just
a text box and a submit button and, yes, the
"I'm feeling lucky" button.
Google? what kind of name? Looking into a
dictionary there is "googly" describing a
cricket ball shot intended to take a surprise
trajectory (I wonder if the google inventors
did know that this would be exactly what
Google would do to competitors!). I read
somewhere that the name could be related to
the word "googol" which is a very large
number: 10000...000 where total number of
zeros is one hundred. Could they have known
that their company would sometime reach fantanstic
heights?
The speed of fetching results became
immediately noticeable with this search
engine. Web pundits were then remarking that
it didn't have that many websites crawled, so
yahoo and altavista would likely fetch more
relevant results.
Little did we know, then, that the Google was
conceived by Stanford PhD students Serge Brin
and Larry Page--I did come across this fact
much later when some kind soul posted an
article about Internet repository, digging
out personal webpages of that time's
students. There it was, talk about use of
eigenvectors (complex branch of math we
study in the second year at UDSM) in search
engine routines and stuff, to produce the fastest
search engine listing results with such well-sorted order
by relevance that you'd think the computers were
actually very intellingent. There were gizmos too, thrown
in without as much as a hype. Such as:
- /Did you mean so-and-so?/
or
- [translate this page]
or
- [view as html].
Then came gmail, a free webmail that had a
way of grouping messages into conversations.
That would grab a handful of attachments, zip
them and download a package onto your machine
pronto. They are the ones who brought about
the stampede of gigangic free email space when
they started offering a one gigabyte storage space.
Many people never believed for once such thing
could be realized. Now not only that it came
to be possible, but other free webmails have
copied the thing too. Walla! is offering 5
gigabyte, hotmail which was the first in and
biggest dissapointer with its 2 megabyte
limit, unzipped their space to also give a
gigabyte. Heck, Yahoo has recently said there
wouldn't be storage limit any longer--someone in this
world of queers is bound to throw a monkey
wrench into works by sending himself 10 giga
of stuff to test the system resilience--tch tch.
Google has so many goodies that have worked
so much for me that I wonder if Google are
not angels in disguise:
- Picasa is the best picture manager
- Google earth (travelling the globe like a
bird would soar among trees and getting as
much excitement)
- Google Desktop to fetch that obscure
document from deep crevices of the hard disk
pronto just like its web sibling
- Google Patents
- Google Print
- Googlepages
- YouTube
- Instant messenger within gmail
- etc.
Sometime not long ago Google decided to go
public in style--auctioning their shares.
Work, the idea did, and turned the founding partners
into overnight billionaires. And the shares kept
performing beyond any imagination in the market.
Serge and Larry are now in the Forbes top ten richest
billionaires, with clean-shaven jaw and not
an inch of fat. It's not at all difficult for
me to understand this--see my archive for a
post i made on GENIUSES.
And all this thanks to the non-intrusive ads.
Google even let me try some business by
placing adsense links on some of my pages and
blog. I haven't made money yet, but I only
have myself to blame for not making the
webpages more attractive.
As if all that good was not enough,
Google.org was established as a philantropic
side of Google: some projects have already
been funded for the good of mankind.
The latest we see in the news about Google
gig is that of offering millions of dollars
for private developer of vehicle to go to the
moon!
I do break down in cold sweat imagining (on behalf of
thousands who have got to make Google their
everyday part of life) what would happen if
Google shuts down? I do pray that day will
not come to pass. I wish all at Google good
health, long life and sustainability.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Professor Mbuya's sober talk
There is a large electronic discussion group called Tanzanet comprising mostly Tanzanians who are within and outside the country. Members come in all ages and carreers, from students to professors; from enterpreneurs to CEOs.
Most discussion that takes place there arise from Tanzania news items. I have taken liberty to post this Professor's reality message here for visitors to check reflect and forward...
********Beginning of paste****************
From: ...a@comcast.net
Reply-To: ...t@tanzanet.org
To: ...@tanzanet.org
Subject: [tanzanet] LOWASSA na KILIMO
Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2007 15:08:21 +0000
Mbona mahindi yanawaozea wakulima wa Songea?
Why should farmers produce if they cannot sell for a profit?
Foreign investors are NOT and will NOT be the silver bullet for the agricultural sector in Tanzania.
You heard it from me and you can quote me if you wish.
We have to address the basics of agricultural production (or any production).
1. Improve extension services
2. Secure markets (internal and external) for agricultural produce and products ...why produce if you can't sell?
3. Post-harvest processing and storage (preserve and store excess during peak (bumper) production to avoid spoilage aand waste)
4. Transportation infrastructure to reach the farmer and farms
5. Subsidy of farm inputs (fertilizers, pesticides) whenever appropriate
6. Mechanization and Irrigation
Tanzania need to encourage, support and protect small farmers from unfair competition from the "big sharks".
Would the farmers (80% or so of the population) be able to afford the food produced by the foreign investors?
And what would the small farmers do then? Go to Malawi?
Mimi nilianza kazi kama Bwana Shamba wa Tarafa kule Sikonge (Tabora) mwaka 1980.
Kwa wale wanaotoka Sikonge, nilikagua mashamba mengi sana ya tumbaku na mihogo kule Tutuo na Kiwele (karibu na Rukwa). Bila kusahau "kipigo" cha mbung'o (tse tse fly).
Baada ya kufanya kazi hiyo ya extension, vile vile nilifanya kazi kama Afisa Kilimo Utafiti katika Kituo cha Lyamungu.
Vile vile niliwahi kufundisha shule ya Sekondari kule Uru (Mwl. Mkuu alikuwa anaitwa Mr. Ndaskoi). Dada Selina unafahamu pale kwa Kisawio? Nilipita maeneo hayo sana.
Nimewahi kufanya utafiti na extension (Farming Systems Research) kule Colombia (Latin America) mwaka 1986 na mkazo ulikuwa wakulima wadogo wadogo (nilifika miji ya Cali, Medelin, Bogota, Pasto, Palmira na miji mingine midogo midogo). Wakati huo nilikuwa chini cha taasisi ya CIAT (Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical, i.e. Center for Tropical Agriculture).
Hapa Marekani tunashughulika na wakulima wadogo na wakubwa, at different levels of sophistication.
I have been in South Africa twice as a Consultant (Irrigation, Marketing and Post-harvest processing) on behalf on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
I have served in may agricultural panels (State, National and International).
Why am I giving you all this personal information?
Because I think it is time someone (e.g. the government, politicians) take us (myself and other Tanzanian experts) seriously. I presume, at least we have something to offer, across disciplines and continents.
Kama ni utafiti tunaufahamu na tumeshafanya mwingi. tu
Kama ni extension tumefanya vile vile (kuanzia Sikone mpaka Colombia).
Kama ni kufundisha ...kazi hiyo tunaimanya vile vile (kuanzia Uru hadi Florida).
Otherwise the Americans wouldn't keep us around.
How come we cannot be heard at home?
Bongo tumekuwa mabingwa wa biashara ya maneno isiyokuwa na wanunuzi.
Wataalam tunao, lakini kwa sababu tunazozijua wenyewe, serikali inaamua kwenda kutafuta "wataalam" wa mvua kutoka Thailand.
Ati wamekuja kufanya utafiti! Utafiti wenyewe ni utafiti wa kunyunyiza "silver iodide" kwenye mawingu. (please read the literature on this subject).
Where was the Thai research proposal submitted for review?
Who was the highest and lowest bidder?
How were the local (Tanzania) experts involved?
Give me a break!
Now, let me be accused of wanting to be serious :-)
Have a nice weekend.
Mbuya
===================
-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Mwasa2" <....m@blueyonder.co.uk>
2007-09-15 08:36:15
By Lusekelo Philemon
The Prime Minister Edward Lowassa has underscored the need for collective efforts to promote the untapped opportunities in the agricultural sector.
Speaking at the Tanzania Investment Center (TIC) tenth anniversary`s climax in Dar es Salaam yesterday Lowassa said agriculture is one of the important sectors that need special attention.
`This sector still remains the important sector for the country`s socio-economic development hence more investments are highly needed for the country to register tangible success,` he said.
He said agriculture employs more than 80 per cent of the country`s total population, but there were minimal investments in the sector.
`More efforts are needed to ensure that serious investors come in the sector for vibrant returns,` he noted.
Lowassa urged TIC to collaborate with ministries, public institutions and key stakeholde rs to come up with viable strategies that would ensure there is an in crease of investors in the sector.
He said that there is no way we can get out of poverty without agriculture which is the engine for Tanzania?s economic prosperity.
The premier has also challenged TIC?s staff and management to work hard and ensure they seriously promote viable areas for the country`s economic development.
`Apart from today`s success, TIC needs to work hard to make sure that the center`s efforts contribute to the country?s economic growth,` he said.
The TIC Executive Director, Emmanuel Ole Naiko said during the ceremony that the center approved about 680 projects last year and expects to approve more in the near future.
Ole Naiko said: `Next year the centre is expected to approve about 800 projects. This is a good move to us.`
He said the centre has managed to reduce unnecessary delays for an investor to approve his/her projects.
`Currently, it takes only two weeks for the project to be approved by the centre. This is a good development for it as before that an investor spent more than three months,` he said.
He said the center is working hard to make sure that all potential investors come in the country and invest for the benefit of the entire Tanzanian population, and that friendly investment environment has made TIC to be one of the best centres in the world.
* SOURCE: Guardian
***********End of paste******************
Most discussion that takes place there arise from Tanzania news items. I have taken liberty to post this Professor's reality message here for visitors to check reflect and forward...
********Beginning of paste****************
From: ...a@comcast.net
Reply-To: ...t@tanzanet.org
To: ...@tanzanet.org
Subject: [tanzanet] LOWASSA na KILIMO
Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2007 15:08:21 +0000
Mbona mahindi yanawaozea wakulima wa Songea?
Why should farmers produce if they cannot sell for a profit?
Foreign investors are NOT and will NOT be the silver bullet for the agricultural sector in Tanzania.
You heard it from me and you can quote me if you wish.
We have to address the basics of agricultural production (or any production).
1. Improve extension services
2. Secure markets (internal and external) for agricultural produce and products ...why produce if you can't sell?
3. Post-harvest processing and storage (preserve and store excess during peak (bumper) production to avoid spoilage aand waste)
4. Transportation infrastructure to reach the farmer and farms
5. Subsidy of farm inputs (fertilizers, pesticides) whenever appropriate
6. Mechanization and Irrigation
Tanzania need to encourage, support and protect small farmers from unfair competition from the "big sharks".
Would the farmers (80% or so of the population) be able to afford the food produced by the foreign investors?
And what would the small farmers do then? Go to Malawi?
Mimi nilianza kazi kama Bwana Shamba wa Tarafa kule Sikonge (Tabora) mwaka 1980.
Kwa wale wanaotoka Sikonge, nilikagua mashamba mengi sana ya tumbaku na mihogo kule Tutuo na Kiwele (karibu na Rukwa). Bila kusahau "kipigo" cha mbung'o (tse tse fly).
Baada ya kufanya kazi hiyo ya extension, vile vile nilifanya kazi kama Afisa Kilimo Utafiti katika Kituo cha Lyamungu.
Vile vile niliwahi kufundisha shule ya Sekondari kule Uru (Mwl. Mkuu alikuwa anaitwa Mr. Ndaskoi). Dada Selina unafahamu pale kwa Kisawio? Nilipita maeneo hayo sana.
Nimewahi kufanya utafiti na extension (Farming Systems Research) kule Colombia (Latin America) mwaka 1986 na mkazo ulikuwa wakulima wadogo wadogo (nilifika miji ya Cali, Medelin, Bogota, Pasto, Palmira na miji mingine midogo midogo). Wakati huo nilikuwa chini cha taasisi ya CIAT (Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical, i.e. Center for Tropical Agriculture).
Hapa Marekani tunashughulika na wakulima wadogo na wakubwa, at different levels of sophistication.
I have been in South Africa twice as a Consultant (Irrigation, Marketing and Post-harvest processing) on behalf on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
I have served in may agricultural panels (State, National and International).
Why am I giving you all this personal information?
Because I think it is time someone (e.g. the government, politicians) take us (myself and other Tanzanian experts) seriously. I presume, at least we have something to offer, across disciplines and continents.
Kama ni utafiti tunaufahamu na tumeshafanya mwingi. tu
Kama ni extension tumefanya vile vile (kuanzia Sikone mpaka Colombia).
Kama ni kufundisha ...kazi hiyo tunaimanya vile vile (kuanzia Uru hadi Florida).
Otherwise the Americans wouldn't keep us around.
How come we cannot be heard at home?
Bongo tumekuwa mabingwa wa biashara ya maneno isiyokuwa na wanunuzi.
Wataalam tunao, lakini kwa sababu tunazozijua wenyewe, serikali inaamua kwenda kutafuta "wataalam" wa mvua kutoka Thailand.
Ati wamekuja kufanya utafiti! Utafiti wenyewe ni utafiti wa kunyunyiza "silver iodide" kwenye mawingu. (please read the literature on this subject).
Where was the Thai research proposal submitted for review?
Who was the highest and lowest bidder?
How were the local (Tanzania) experts involved?
Give me a break!
Now, let me be accused of wanting to be serious :-)
Have a nice weekend.
Mbuya
===================
-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Mwasa2" <....m@blueyonder.co.uk>
2007-09-15 08:36:15
By Lusekelo Philemon
The Prime Minister Edward Lowassa has underscored the need for collective efforts to promote the untapped opportunities in the agricultural sector.
Speaking at the Tanzania Investment Center (TIC) tenth anniversary`s climax in Dar es Salaam yesterday Lowassa said agriculture is one of the important sectors that need special attention.
`This sector still remains the important sector for the country`s socio-economic development hence more investments are highly needed for the country to register tangible success,` he said.
He said agriculture employs more than 80 per cent of the country`s total population, but there were minimal investments in the sector.
`More efforts are needed to ensure that serious investors come in the sector for vibrant returns,` he noted.
Lowassa urged TIC to collaborate with ministries, public institutions and key stakeholde rs to come up with viable strategies that would ensure there is an in crease of investors in the sector.
He said that there is no way we can get out of poverty without agriculture which is the engine for Tanzania?s economic prosperity.
The premier has also challenged TIC?s staff and management to work hard and ensure they seriously promote viable areas for the country`s economic development.
`Apart from today`s success, TIC needs to work hard to make sure that the center`s efforts contribute to the country?s economic growth,` he said.
The TIC Executive Director, Emmanuel Ole Naiko said during the ceremony that the center approved about 680 projects last year and expects to approve more in the near future.
Ole Naiko said: `Next year the centre is expected to approve about 800 projects. This is a good move to us.`
He said the centre has managed to reduce unnecessary delays for an investor to approve his/her projects.
`Currently, it takes only two weeks for the project to be approved by the centre. This is a good development for it as before that an investor spent more than three months,` he said.
He said the center is working hard to make sure that all potential investors come in the country and invest for the benefit of the entire Tanzanian population, and that friendly investment environment has made TIC to be one of the best centres in the world.
* SOURCE: Guardian
***********End of paste******************
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Tanzania sliding back to pre-civilization: sitting ducks waiting for a miracle?
The provocative subject may mean different things to different people. I'm, however, posting to address what appears to be increasing belief in the nonexistent--call it occult, witchcraft, stuff, I don't care.
Tanzania ought to have matched into the 21st century with the rest of the world. Some statistics even indicate good upswing in technology use, improved information and communication systems, throbbing construction industry. Yet I sadly note that among us there are several persons, some in good standing in society, some highly educated who still believe there is a "medicine-man" somewhere who can help them keep their office, win election, make their businesses thrive, make their team win soccer match and so forth.
The amount of stories reported in air and print media are on the increase. I wouldn't rush headlong to say the paradox is on the increase because it could simply imply that more news is reaching me compared to when I was reading and hearing fewer stories. Is it, though? Why would this bugger go to graveyard at night, dig a kid's body out, open up its chest, cut off the heart, hastily re-bury the body? In this one case, someone saw the process and told on him, he was caught red-handed while drying the newly-acquired key to the riches: a child's heart that he'd been asked to get by witchdoctor. This story was in the media a few days ago.
I am a scientist, and many people innocently ask me questions about how things work. I try to use as simple language as possible to explain, for example how lightning and thunder are created, because these things are taught in science subjects.
Other come up with a thoughtfully-conceived idea of building up a machine that, once started, shall continue running without requiring any energy input in effect producing net energy. What a lovely world we would have if such thing was possible! no need to buy petrol, no need to pay for electricity. But I slowly and patiently explain that it's only possible to convert energy, not to create or destroy: those are laws of nature equally applying on earth and in outer space. Gravitation, magnetism, heat, light, sound are all explained by different principles of science. I also know sadly only a small fraction of those who got to finish primary school went on to secondary education.
The point I'm coming to is, many people who visit witch doctors do so due lack knowledge, and the sharp fella plays with their desperation to request them make such impossible task as digging a copse up and obtain an organ as a means of making them feel big achievement, building self-confidence whose spill-over effect is that of better performing daily chores and going about thinking, that witchdoctor treatment really works. Talk about faith making a sick person feel better by taking a placebo :-).
That, however, does not end with witchdoctors. Tanzania has been invaded with religious sects of all sorts who are not preaching love and forgiveness, but tell their audience what they expect to hear: there are evil spirits within and around, hindering their success. I bundle these preachers with the witchdoctors. You might ask, "Dan, you mean no evil spirits, no miracles?" The answer is, those things are virtual, and within one's inner self or even subconcience: a person who has a dream while in deep sleep and, upon waking up, becomes convinced the dream is a fact is a person who needs to see a shrink--(s)he is a psychological case.
I therefore get roundly annoyed hearing again and again of news stories of people slaughtering their own grandparents, witchdoctors and preachers alike making small ads on papers etc while there are several more serious things to attend to (and report about and advertise about) for this country which is the richest with resources in the region but doesn't seem to get off the ground. No wonder our neighboring countries are all excited about the advent of federation: they see a land of milk and honey with a small pack of individuals who feel the only way to develop is by attaining a political post (higher, better) at any cost including bribing. Their idea of development is that of themselves and close members of family, not nation.
What should we do to stem the damage course?
Tanzania ought to have matched into the 21st century with the rest of the world. Some statistics even indicate good upswing in technology use, improved information and communication systems, throbbing construction industry. Yet I sadly note that among us there are several persons, some in good standing in society, some highly educated who still believe there is a "medicine-man" somewhere who can help them keep their office, win election, make their businesses thrive, make their team win soccer match and so forth.
The amount of stories reported in air and print media are on the increase. I wouldn't rush headlong to say the paradox is on the increase because it could simply imply that more news is reaching me compared to when I was reading and hearing fewer stories. Is it, though? Why would this bugger go to graveyard at night, dig a kid's body out, open up its chest, cut off the heart, hastily re-bury the body? In this one case, someone saw the process and told on him, he was caught red-handed while drying the newly-acquired key to the riches: a child's heart that he'd been asked to get by witchdoctor. This story was in the media a few days ago.
I am a scientist, and many people innocently ask me questions about how things work. I try to use as simple language as possible to explain, for example how lightning and thunder are created, because these things are taught in science subjects.
Other come up with a thoughtfully-conceived idea of building up a machine that, once started, shall continue running without requiring any energy input in effect producing net energy. What a lovely world we would have if such thing was possible! no need to buy petrol, no need to pay for electricity. But I slowly and patiently explain that it's only possible to convert energy, not to create or destroy: those are laws of nature equally applying on earth and in outer space. Gravitation, magnetism, heat, light, sound are all explained by different principles of science. I also know sadly only a small fraction of those who got to finish primary school went on to secondary education.
The point I'm coming to is, many people who visit witch doctors do so due lack knowledge, and the sharp fella plays with their desperation to request them make such impossible task as digging a copse up and obtain an organ as a means of making them feel big achievement, building self-confidence whose spill-over effect is that of better performing daily chores and going about thinking, that witchdoctor treatment really works. Talk about faith making a sick person feel better by taking a placebo :-).
That, however, does not end with witchdoctors. Tanzania has been invaded with religious sects of all sorts who are not preaching love and forgiveness, but tell their audience what they expect to hear: there are evil spirits within and around, hindering their success. I bundle these preachers with the witchdoctors. You might ask, "Dan, you mean no evil spirits, no miracles?" The answer is, those things are virtual, and within one's inner self or even subconcience: a person who has a dream while in deep sleep and, upon waking up, becomes convinced the dream is a fact is a person who needs to see a shrink--(s)he is a psychological case.
I therefore get roundly annoyed hearing again and again of news stories of people slaughtering their own grandparents, witchdoctors and preachers alike making small ads on papers etc while there are several more serious things to attend to (and report about and advertise about) for this country which is the richest with resources in the region but doesn't seem to get off the ground. No wonder our neighboring countries are all excited about the advent of federation: they see a land of milk and honey with a small pack of individuals who feel the only way to develop is by attaining a political post (higher, better) at any cost including bribing. Their idea of development is that of themselves and close members of family, not nation.
What should we do to stem the damage course?
- Round up the witchdoctors who are known to have been hired for assisting robbers or such other innuendo and give them hell of their lives such as shaming them in public;
- Basic religions strengthening and actually fighting the two-bit emerging sects which are no better than pulpit witchdoctors, however big they grow;
- People are encouraged to write books and paper articles on the subject to shed light on fact that deceptive people are having their field day cashing in on their apparent ignorance. Scientific books for easy reading in kiswahili language can be quite a tool in killing the ingrained culture of occult such as found in some Tanzanian communities.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Solidarity Forever - The Dar-es-Salaam Workers Peace March
On Saturday 11 August 2007, The Trade Union Confederation of Tanzania (TUCTA) Dar-es-Salaam Region branch organised a peace march aimed at calling for the Government to raise salaries, particularly the minimum wage which currently stands at about TShs 84,000 [USD 67] per month in public sector, but as low as TShs 45,000 [USD 36] in private sector.
The march was a long one, starting from Mnazi Mmoja grounds to Jangwani grounds, some 3 km distance. Now, trekking is not my favourite pastime, therefore i brought up in the rear at a slow pace. Trekking back there I was looking at the development contrasts along the way: apartment blocks rose on roadsides, and there was a park of sorts, complete with fine, rather new concrete benches. The park had been taken over by humanity at the lower echelons of society, not necessarily mentally deranged, but some who had nowhere to turn to for shelter. This you could tell by the threadbare cloths that have endured soapless washing several times to have acquired a tone distant from the original dye. They also each habitually had a large plastic bag where all they had was stored--toothbrush, a doll picked somewhere in hope of getting a buyer some lucky day, etc, mostly scavenged from trash the occupiers of apartments were throwing away.
I also couldn't help but notice car yards where new, reconditioned and used cars of all sizes were on display for sale. Judging by the number of such open yards mushrooming in all parts of the city of late, several among us had money to buy the mechandise. "Just as well I'm participating in this march", I mused, because with my two degrees and more than twenty years of honest and loyal work, I wouldn't be able to afford a decent station wagon of USD 8,000 (which works roughly to TShs 10,000,000) at the monthly takehome of USD 300. If a miracle would occur and freeze all the bills, and I and my dependants wouldn't need any food to eat, so as to pay for the car, it would take me 27 months to settle the score. But not only do I have to eat and pay bills, the car company shall need its money intact in exchange for the car, not pay in instalments while it uses up the garage space.
Back to the events of the march. I eventually caught up with fellow workers just in time to join hands to sing "Solidarity Forever", signifying things have begun: introductions, some speeches some brass band song (which played more than once the song "Mwalimu Nyerere" a tribute song for the late Father of Tanzania nation). Whenever this music in minor scale is played, it sends deep feelings to the minds of many Tanzanians who feel short-changed by politicians and cunning businessmen who are greedily helping themselves to the national cake while umma goes suffering--there couldn't be such a thing if Nyerere was alive, even if in comma.
The key speech given by the TUCTA Dar-es-Salaam Secretary bared it all:
The march was a long one, starting from Mnazi Mmoja grounds to Jangwani grounds, some 3 km distance. Now, trekking is not my favourite pastime, therefore i brought up in the rear at a slow pace. Trekking back there I was looking at the development contrasts along the way: apartment blocks rose on roadsides, and there was a park of sorts, complete with fine, rather new concrete benches. The park had been taken over by humanity at the lower echelons of society, not necessarily mentally deranged, but some who had nowhere to turn to for shelter. This you could tell by the threadbare cloths that have endured soapless washing several times to have acquired a tone distant from the original dye. They also each habitually had a large plastic bag where all they had was stored--toothbrush, a doll picked somewhere in hope of getting a buyer some lucky day, etc, mostly scavenged from trash the occupiers of apartments were throwing away.
I also couldn't help but notice car yards where new, reconditioned and used cars of all sizes were on display for sale. Judging by the number of such open yards mushrooming in all parts of the city of late, several among us had money to buy the mechandise. "Just as well I'm participating in this march", I mused, because with my two degrees and more than twenty years of honest and loyal work, I wouldn't be able to afford a decent station wagon of USD 8,000 (which works roughly to TShs 10,000,000) at the monthly takehome of USD 300. If a miracle would occur and freeze all the bills, and I and my dependants wouldn't need any food to eat, so as to pay for the car, it would take me 27 months to settle the score. But not only do I have to eat and pay bills, the car company shall need its money intact in exchange for the car, not pay in instalments while it uses up the garage space.
Back to the events of the march. I eventually caught up with fellow workers just in time to join hands to sing "Solidarity Forever", signifying things have begun: introductions, some speeches some brass band song (which played more than once the song "Mwalimu Nyerere" a tribute song for the late Father of Tanzania nation). Whenever this music in minor scale is played, it sends deep feelings to the minds of many Tanzanians who feel short-changed by politicians and cunning businessmen who are greedily helping themselves to the national cake while umma goes suffering--there couldn't be such a thing if Nyerere was alive, even if in comma.
The key speech given by the TUCTA Dar-es-Salaam Secretary bared it all:
- can't thwart corruption by public servants if you are offering them salaries that won't last more than a week to buy only essentials.
- can't contain the propagation of HIV/AIDS among the population when the workers have to do anything to make ends meet.
- can't reverse the infant mortality if parently can't afford the very bus fare to health centre (in the cases there is one at all).
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
With Internet, fraud shall be tamed
Local Tanzania media had recently been talking about Department of Wildlife systematic plunder. Big names were being mentioned, the matter arose in the Parliament. Whoever the source of well-informed anonymous dossier that reached multitudes of online Tanzanians near and far, the recent changing taking place in that ministry are not entirely separated from that news, I daresay.
Daily News, Thursday,July 26, 2007 @00:02
THE government has raised game hunting fees this fiscal year as part of efforts to boost revenue from tourism and ensure greater contribution of the sector to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), currently standing at 17 per cent only.
Tabling the Ministry of Tourism and Natural Resources budget estimates for 2007/8 in the National Assembly here yesterday, the Minister, Professor Jumanne Maghembe, said that the new rates were aimed at aligning the fees with the rest of the 14- member SADC states, of which Tanzania is a founding member.
"Under the new fees, hunting a lion or a leopard, for example, will cost $12,000 (about 12.5million/-) compared to the previous dollars 2,500(about 3m/-)," he said.
The licence to kill a jumbo will now be dollars 15,000 instead of dollars 5,000 whereas a crocodile will cost dollars 2,500 instead of dollars 1,050 previously.
"The rates for leasing hunting blocs have been raised from dollars 10,000(near parks --category A) to dollars 50,000 and dollars 40,000 for blocs near forests(category B) per annum. The amendments are expected to raise the income from 11bn/- last year to $33bn/- this year," said Mr Maghembe.
Prof. Maghembe said plans were underway to prepare new General Management Plans (GMP) for some selected forests, adding that Usangu forests would be merged with the Ruaha Park , to create Africa's second biggest park with 22,226 square kilometres.
The ministry will bring bills to establish Mkomazi Park and another park on Saanane Island, near Mwanza on Lake Victoria.
To increase efficiency in park fees collection, the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) will introduce system of payment through credit cards. The CRDB and Exim banks have been engaged to ensure verification and collection of payments.
The minister added that the government's determination to attract 1.2 million tourists by 2012 was on course, saying that massive publicity and marketing drive was underway to promote Tanzania's world famous attractions. About 600,000 tourists, mainly from the western countries visited the country last year.
Prof. Maghembe said a Bill on wildlife regulations was being prepared to allow establishments of ranches , zoos and a law on commercialisation of live animals.
The government also plans to increase price of logs by at least 30 per cent to match with the global market price. The increase will fetch the government 45bn/- from the current 11bn/-.
He said the ban on exports of timber remained intact and that all those involved in smuggling are being dealt with at appropriate levels.
The ministry is also working out ways of reviving the beekeeping industry and the first step towards that goal was the re-establishment of the Beekeeping College in Tabora.
About 400m/- has been set aside in the budget to rehabilitate the college's buildings.
===============================================
Daily News, Thursday,July 26, 2007 @00:02
THE High Court's Commercial Division has restrained Member of Parliament (MP), Mrs Halima Mohamed Mamuya, from dealing with tourist hunting activities in the name of Morogoro Hunting Safaris Limited, which operates in Southern Tanzania.
Judge Bernard Luanda issued the temporary order yesterday after considering an application and submissions made by advocate Deusdedith Dankan on behalf of the company.
The judge further stopped the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) MP under Women Special Seats, her agents, heirs or any person acting under her instructions from entering Sasawala Hunting Block located in Ruvuma Region, which is the lawful asset of the company.
Judge Luanda, however, ruled that the said temporary order would remain in force for six months from yesterday pending determination of the main suit lodged by Mrs Mamuya, who is demanding 350m/- damages from the company. The suit will be mentioned on September 3.
In the suit, the MP is also challenging her termination of membership from the company. Before institution of the suit last year, Mrs Mamuya was a director holding 8,518 shares. Other directors were Mr Jamal Abdallah Suleiman and Mr Alli Ahmed Saeed holding 8,519 and 8,518 shares, respectively.
The company disputes the MP is a shareholder, a director or its managing director. The current directors and shareholders are shown as Mr Suleiman, Mr Mohamed Jamal Abdallah and Mr Ahmed Jamal Abdallah.
The directors want the court to declare Mrs Mamuya as unlawfully interfering with their company and in a counter claim want her to pay them 200m/- damages for unlawfully utilising the company's assets and interference with its business.
It is alleged that Mrs Mamuya, Mr Suleiman and Mr Saeed formed the company in 2003 for the purposes of carring on business of, among others, light and big game professional hunters, export of trophies, stuffed animals and deal with business of tour guides and tourist consultants, trappers and mini-zoo keepers.
My tears flowed for the young martyr, Amina. I dedicate the Pink Floyd song Shine on you crazy diamond. It's describing her well, she aged unnaturally and just vanished.
Remember when you were young,
you shone like the sun.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Now there's a look in your eyes,
like black holes in the sky.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
You were caught on the crossfire
of childhood stardom,
blown on the steel breeze.
Come on you target
for faraway laughter,
come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon,
you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Threatened by shadows at night,
and exposed in the light.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Well you wore out your welcome
with random precision,
rode on the steel breeze.
Come on you raver, you seer of visions,
come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine!
Nobody knows where you are,
how near or how far.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Pile on many more layers
and I'll be joining you there.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
And we'll bask in the shadow
of yesterday's triumph,
sail on the steel breeze.
Come on you boy child,
you winner and loser,
come on you miner for truth and delusion, and shine
Keywords: Amina Chifupa, heroine, dirty politics, martyr, Tanzania, Queen of Hearts
Zitto Kabwe, MP, gave a heart-rending one-on-one to the late Amina Chifupa.
****************************************************
Subject: [tanzanet] Amina - Kwenye macho ya Zitto Kabwe
Comments on TanzanNet
On 6/29/07, Sir Nyamranga wrote:
Yesterday evening 21 hrs East African Time, a soccer game kicked off in Oagadugu, Boukirna Faso.
This narrowish West African nation is perhaps most well known for myth: voodoo. I do remember at one time when I was chatting with a certain diplomat who'd been there on a UN mission who was thoroughly convinced that voodoo really worked there--with several stories to tell. He got really cross with me when I said that was all gogolamba (bullshit in Zamundese language). I don't believe the stuff.
Back to the ball game. It was Bukirna national side against Taifa Stars of Tanzania. It was a repeat match, first having played in Dar es Salaam awhile back where Tz team beat the visitors 2-1. Tanzanian team that played at that first encounter had been a weakling that fluked a win. The team lately has been really hard-swinging, holding Senegal National team to a draw some weeks ago in a home tussle (lost badly during the first encounter in Dakar--understandably because the Senegal cards were well-stacked, especially cheers of home crowd). In a patriotic revolution, Tanzanians led by no less than the Tanzanian President, Hon. J.Ml Kikwete, egged on the boys. And there is also this superb coach, the Brazilian Maximo.
Bukirna didn't know what hit them. Tanzanians commanded the ball all the way from the start whistle, and the hosts did their utmost not to get embarrased infront of their home crowd, therefore literally packed themselves at their goalmouth like sardines in a can.Occasional efforts by the Bukirna attackers ended in frustrating fluid motion of Evo Mapunda snatching the ball and diving with it, pausing down there for a sec, likely uttering a short prayer, "Thanks again, God".
Meanwhile the seconds arm of clock kept sweeping, and things seemed certain to end nil-nil, such a fortress the Bukirna side had built around their goal, hardly anytime did the ball even reached their custodian. The opportunity came though, some five minutes or so before full time. The goal was professional, attributed to attacker Haruna Moshi, to put it simply. It broke whatever reserves the hosts still had, kind of like throwing a stone at the nest of hornets. But nuthin' seemed to matter to the emboldened Taifa Stars. Much to the overjoyed multitude of Tanzanians watching the ball live on Television ya Taifa, The whistle went 3 extra minutes after full time putting the gallant boys of Tanzania 1 up.
Tempers flared. One player from each side got awarded a red card, maintaining things scalar balance. Smelling the kill, Maximo didn't want to leave anything to chance. His effort to urge the boys awarded him with a red card. Tanzanians like me would concur that the red card for the coach, if anything, was like a certificate of achievement.
A fresh assessment suggests the famous ice fields on Africa's tallest mountain will be around for decades yet.
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Daily News, Thursday,July 26, 2007 @00:02
THE government has raised game hunting fees this fiscal year as part of efforts to boost revenue from tourism and ensure greater contribution of the sector to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), currently standing at 17 per cent only.
Tabling the Ministry of Tourism and Natural Resources budget estimates for 2007/8 in the National Assembly here yesterday, the Minister, Professor Jumanne Maghembe, said that the new rates were aimed at aligning the fees with the rest of the 14- member SADC states, of which Tanzania is a founding member.
"Under the new fees, hunting a lion or a leopard, for example, will cost $12,000 (about 12.5million/-) compared to the previous dollars 2,500(about 3m/-)," he said.
The licence to kill a jumbo will now be dollars 15,000 instead of dollars 5,000 whereas a crocodile will cost dollars 2,500 instead of dollars 1,050 previously.
"The rates for leasing hunting blocs have been raised from dollars 10,000(near parks --category A) to dollars 50,000 and dollars 40,000 for blocs near forests(category B) per annum. The amendments are expected to raise the income from 11bn/- last year to $33bn/- this year," said Mr Maghembe.
Prof. Maghembe said plans were underway to prepare new General Management Plans (GMP) for some selected forests, adding that Usangu forests would be merged with the Ruaha Park , to create Africa's second biggest park with 22,226 square kilometres.
The ministry will bring bills to establish Mkomazi Park and another park on Saanane Island, near Mwanza on Lake Victoria.
To increase efficiency in park fees collection, the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) will introduce system of payment through credit cards. The CRDB and Exim banks have been engaged to ensure verification and collection of payments.
The minister added that the government's determination to attract 1.2 million tourists by 2012 was on course, saying that massive publicity and marketing drive was underway to promote Tanzania's world famous attractions. About 600,000 tourists, mainly from the western countries visited the country last year.
Prof. Maghembe said a Bill on wildlife regulations was being prepared to allow establishments of ranches , zoos and a law on commercialisation of live animals.
The government also plans to increase price of logs by at least 30 per cent to match with the global market price. The increase will fetch the government 45bn/- from the current 11bn/-.
He said the ban on exports of timber remained intact and that all those involved in smuggling are being dealt with at appropriate levels.
The ministry is also working out ways of reviving the beekeeping industry and the first step towards that goal was the re-establishment of the Beekeeping College in Tabora.
About 400m/- has been set aside in the budget to rehabilitate the college's buildings.
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Daily News, Thursday,July 26, 2007 @00:02
THE High Court's Commercial Division has restrained Member of Parliament (MP), Mrs Halima Mohamed Mamuya, from dealing with tourist hunting activities in the name of Morogoro Hunting Safaris Limited, which operates in Southern Tanzania.
Judge Bernard Luanda issued the temporary order yesterday after considering an application and submissions made by advocate Deusdedith Dankan on behalf of the company.
The judge further stopped the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) MP under Women Special Seats, her agents, heirs or any person acting under her instructions from entering Sasawala Hunting Block located in Ruvuma Region, which is the lawful asset of the company.
Judge Luanda, however, ruled that the said temporary order would remain in force for six months from yesterday pending determination of the main suit lodged by Mrs Mamuya, who is demanding 350m/- damages from the company. The suit will be mentioned on September 3.
In the suit, the MP is also challenging her termination of membership from the company. Before institution of the suit last year, Mrs Mamuya was a director holding 8,518 shares. Other directors were Mr Jamal Abdallah Suleiman and Mr Alli Ahmed Saeed holding 8,519 and 8,518 shares, respectively.
The company disputes the MP is a shareholder, a director or its managing director. The current directors and shareholders are shown as Mr Suleiman, Mr Mohamed Jamal Abdallah and Mr Ahmed Jamal Abdallah.
The directors want the court to declare Mrs Mamuya as unlawfully interfering with their company and in a counter claim want her to pay them 200m/- damages for unlawfully utilising the company's assets and interference with its business.
It is alleged that Mrs Mamuya, Mr Suleiman and Mr Saeed formed the company in 2003 for the purposes of carring on business of, among others, light and big game professional hunters, export of trophies, stuffed animals and deal with business of tour guides and tourist consultants, trappers and mini-zoo keepers.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Phew, what a week
All world media has been reporting disasters, from burst steam pipe in New York to freak aviation disaster in Brazil, to earthquake of 6+ Richter in Japan.
Closer to home, there were earthquakes in Kenya and Tanzania which is not a normal occurence. There were also a series of daring robberies in what looked like the giant that had been humbled was waking up again. It seems, though, it is crooks from neighbouring countries who regard our country as a soft target to rob.
Crime: This is one of the reasons I am very much against the East African federation: such a union ought to come gradually and not to be imposed by leaders who may have ulterior motives.
Closer to home, there were earthquakes in Kenya and Tanzania which is not a normal occurence. There were also a series of daring robberies in what looked like the giant that had been humbled was waking up again. It seems, though, it is crooks from neighbouring countries who regard our country as a soft target to rob.
Crime: This is one of the reasons I am very much against the East African federation: such a union ought to come gradually and not to be imposed by leaders who may have ulterior motives.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
A tribute to Amina Chifupa
My tears flowed for the young martyr, Amina. I dedicate the Pink Floyd song Shine on you crazy diamond. It's describing her well, she aged unnaturally and just vanished.Remember when you were young,
you shone like the sun.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Now there's a look in your eyes,
like black holes in the sky.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
You were caught on the crossfire
of childhood stardom,
blown on the steel breeze.
Come on you target
for faraway laughter,
come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon,
you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Threatened by shadows at night,
and exposed in the light.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Well you wore out your welcome
with random precision,
rode on the steel breeze.
Come on you raver, you seer of visions,
come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine!
Nobody knows where you are,
how near or how far.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Pile on many more layers
and I'll be joining you there.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
And we'll bask in the shadow
of yesterday's triumph,
sail on the steel breeze.
Come on you boy child,
you winner and loser,
come on you miner for truth and delusion, and shine
Keywords: Amina Chifupa, heroine, dirty politics, martyr, Tanzania, Queen of Hearts
Zitto Kabwe, MP, gave a heart-rending one-on-one to the late Amina Chifupa.
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Subject: [tanzanet] Amina - Kwenye macho ya Zitto Kabwe
| Zitto Kabwe |
|
AMINA, umetangulia kwa Mola. Umetutoka tukiwa bado tunakuhitaji. Taifa lako ambalo ulianza kulitumikia ukiwa kijana mdogo linakulilia. Nchi imezizima, hakuna anayeamini. Safari hii ni yetu sote, wewe umeanza. Msalimie Bibi Titi. Unakumbuka nilikuwa nakwambia kupitia kwako namwona Bibi Titi? Wengi wanadhani wanakujua. Umeondoka bila kuwaonyesha kuwa wanakujua ndivyo sivyo. Kila mtu anasema chake kutokana na ama amesikia nini au amekuona katika nini. Unakumbuka ulipochaguliwa kuwa mbunge watu walisemaje? Eti hata Amina naye kawa mbunge? Utafanya nini bungeni. Haikukuchukua mwaka ukawaonyesha tofauti. Ukafanya yale ambayo wengi kwa kweli yalitushinda kufanya. Ukaanza vita kubwa na ngumu ambayo hujaimaliza mpaka unaingia kaburini leo. Hata hivyo si lazima umalize vita uliyoianza. Edward Mondlane wa Frelimo alituaga kabla hajaona mwisho wa vita aliyoanzisha ya kumng'oa Mreno Msumbiji. Kina Samora wakamaliza vita hiyo. Umeianza vita, tutaimaliza. Umetupa changamoto. Swali lako la mwisho bungeni lilihusu wizi wa mitihani. Hukupata bahati kuliuliza. Uliuliziwa na jirani yako, Ruth Msafiri, wa Muleba Kaskazini. Najua kama ungekuwapo ni aina gani ya swali la nyongeza ambalo ungeuliza. Nilikuangaza kule unakokaa sikukuona. Lakini nilijua utarudi muda si mrefu. Amina ulikuwa mwepesi kujifunza na wala hukuona aibu kuomba msaada, tena bila kujali itikadi ya chama ya unayemwomba msaada. Mimi nilikutana nawe kwa mara ya kwanza pale tulipoitwa na Mheshimiwa Spika kuhesabu kura za kumthibitisha waziri mkuu. Tukapeana namba za simu na kupoteana tukiwa tunasalimiana pale tunapoonana tu. Sikutegemea hata siku moja kama utakuwa karibu yangu kiasi tulichofikia. Niseme kweli, hata mimi nilikuwa najiuliza utafanya nini bungeni wewe, nikijisemea kuwa wewe ni kilaza tu. Rafiki yangu, na pia rafiki yako kipenzi, Omar Ilyasambe, kwa sasa yupo masomoni nchini Marekani, alinitahadharisha nisiwe kama watu wengine wanaokutafsiri kwa ujumla. Akaniambia nikupe muda wa maongezi na msaada kwa yale ninayoyajua. Urafiki ukaanzia hapo. Urafiki wa kujifunza na kujadiliana mambo mengi ya nchi yetu. Nakumbuka ulikuwa unanilaumu kwa kuwa mkali kwa serikali yako ya CCM na kwamba wakati mwingine nazidisha. Nilikwambia ndiyo kazi yangu katika upinzani. Ulinielewa. Tulijadiliana maswali yetu na maswali gani ya nyongeza kuuliza. Tulijadiliana kuhusu masomo yako na masomo gani ya kuchukua katika juhudi zako za kutafuta elimu. Tulibishana sana kuhusu ni wapi ukasome shahada yako ya kwanza. Wewe na Omar mkitaka uende kusoma nje, mimi nikitaka usome hapa hapa nchini ili pia ufanye kazi zako za ubunge. Niliwashinda na kweli ukaanza kusoma. Ukajitahidi kusoma kwa bidii sana. Walimu wako watakukosa. Amina, ulikuwa na malengo makubwa sana katika maisha yako. Ulianza kujiandaa kuongoza umoja wa vijana wa chama chako katika matayarisho ya kupata mafunzo thabiti ya uongozi. Mapema kabisa ulianza kupambana na vikwazo, lakini hadi unaanza kuumwa, zote uliona ni changamoto tu za maisha ya kisiasa. Siku uliyoanza kuumwa ulikuwa uende Lindi kufanya kazi za vijana, lakini pia kujiandaa na changamoto za uchaguzi mwakani. Masikini umeondoka na ndoto yako. Inauma sana kukupoteza. Wakati tunaokujua tukitafakari kuhusu kifo chako, hatuoni tumempoteza mbunge tu, tunaona tumepoteza mpiganaji mahiri. Mpiganaji wa mstari wa mbele katika vita ya kunusuru taifa kutokana na ubadhirifu wa mali za umma. Wakati mwingine tunaona tumepoteza kamanda mwema, mwenye uwezo wa kupata habari zote za adui na kushauri njia bora za kukabiliana na adui. Amina, maisha yako yana tafsiri nyingi. Umepitia mambo mengi sana. Ulitaka kuandika kijitabu kuhusu maisha yako ili watu wakujue vizuri. Wakati tunajiandaa kukusanya vya kukusanya, ukawa mgonjwa. Umeondoka kabla hujakamilisha azima yako. Bado watu hawakujui. Tutakamilisha kazi yako ili vizazi vijavyo vijue kuwa kulikuwa na kijana kiongozi mahiri mwenye msimamo thabiti. Amina niseme nini kukuelezea wakati tunakupumzisha pumziko la kudumu? Maneno hayaji, vidole vinatetemeka. Tutakukumbuka. Ucheshi wako na umahiri wako katika kuhakikisha unapata unachokitaka. Usiku wa tarehe 6, Mei ulinipigia simu kuniambia kuwa Mkwawa anakuita, na kwamba Mwalimu Nyerere ananipa salamu. Mimi naomba uwape salamu. Uwaambie nchi yao ipo inaendelea, na kwamba huna uhakika ndoto yao ya kujenga taifa imara itafikiwa karibuni. Waambie Mkwawa na Mwalimu kuwa siku hizi ili uwe kiongozi ni lazima upande mabegani mwa mwingine na kumwangusha na wala si uwezo wa mtu. Amina, nakutuma kwa Bibi Titi, mwambie kuwa juhudi zake za kutaka mwanamke, tena mwanamke wa Kiswahili kuonekana ana uwezo wa kuwa kiongozi, bado zinaendelea, na wewe umeziacha zinaendelea. Umefanya kazi yako, umewaachia kijiti wengine wafanye pia. Nenda Amina, nenda kapumzike. Umetuonyesha kuwa vijana tunaweza. Tumejifunza, hatutakuangusha. source : www.freemedia.co.tz |
Comments on TanzanNet
On 6/29/07, Sir Nyamranga
Simba,
Hon. Amina alikuwa Amina na ndio maana watu walimpenda. Alikuwa ni average joe kama kijana yoyote wa Tanzania na ndio maana watu wengi waliona kama anawawakilisha. Wazungu huwa wanapenda kutumia msemo wa "Be Yourselff" na ndio Mheshimiwa Amina alivyokuwa hivyo.
Hakutaka kubadilika kwa vile ni mwanasiasa. Hakutaka kubadilika na kuwa kama kama lile group la wanasiasa tuliowazoea waonavaa kaunda suti na vitambili kwa sababu alikuwa ni Amina. Amina alikuwa ni new generation ya politician ambayo ingeweza kubadilisha mambo mengi sana nyumbani.
Pia sidhani kama Mh. Zitto anataka ku socre point yoyote. Kaandika nakala nzuri sana na inaonyesha ni jinsi gani vijana walivyokuwa wanasaidiana kutetea maslahi ya nchi bila kujali itikadi ya chama walichotoka.Uhusiano wao wa karibu umedhihirisha hilo.
Nilishawahi kupata nafasi ya kuongea na kufanya mahojiano na Mh Kabwe na naweza kusema ni mmoja wa vijana makini sana nchini Tanzania. Mheshimiwa Zitto hakuanzia CHADEMA tu bali alikuwa makini tangia enzi za National Youth Forum. Sidhani kama atataka kufanya hayo unayoyasema.
----------------
On 6/29/07, Simba Yahya wrote:
On 6/29/07, Simba Yahya
Nilichangia huko nyuma kuhusu kifo cha bibi huyu "nyota" machoni mwa sehemu kubwa ya jamii ya watanzania.
Baada ya kusoma "Mmtazamo wa Zitto Kabwe" na yale yalioendelea katika kipindi kifupi cha uongozi wa Bi Amina, sina shaka kwamba hiyo haikuwa changamoto ndogo ambayo binti yule kichanga angeweza kuimudu kwa muda mrefu.
Kwa Amina, kuwa Bungeni na kuwa na mahusiano na Wabunge wengine alikuwa anaichukulia kirahisi (business as usual) na kuacha sehemu kubwa ya political mechanics (machination?) nje ya equation za siasa sio tu hapa nyumbani, lakini kwingine kokote! Lau angebahatika kuwa kama kina VITA KAWAWA, Dr. HUSSEIN MWINYI, KIPI WARIOBA na wengine ambao wamebahatika kutoka familia za wanasiasa wakongwe, naamini angepata msaada mkubwa wa kumwongoza ndai ya safu za siasa. Yaliyomfika binti huyu wala yasingemtokea....
Ni mategemeo kwamba the likes of Kabwe hawatatumia kifo hiki ku-score political points ambazo kwao zinaweza kuwanufaisha, lakini kwa kiasi kikubwa kuongeza machungu kwa familia ya Amina Chifupa!!
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Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Fast-changing ICT: why I'll start an ezine
I made an effort of writing a computer hardware book some three years ago. I photographed stuff, I scanned pictures I browsed the web etc, I had quite a cache of material. When I would pause for a couple of weeks or so then get back to the writing work, I would discover some information needed to be updated. After some time I gave in--too much patching up.
My favourite indicator of the computer world gallop is a cutout from Newsweek titled Model price cuts, where they were talking about "fast 386s" and "screaming 486s". Not that far back, that was just 1992. The prices were USD 2,286 and USD 4,891 (down from USD 7,198 a year before.
I bought my Pentium in 1999 and felt really good about it. It was boasting a 3 gigabyte hard disk and 16 megabyte of RAM. A tower design clone, it didn't have sound card, no CD-rom drive and definitely no USB port. At that time 16x cd-rom drive was very good. CD writers were virtually nonexistent and DVD wasn't in the vocabulary.
I like reading the past, therefore I have with me the whole load of magazines--news, computers, aircraft, etc etc. I also browse through old catalogs that I possess, such as Sears. It's interesting that the older non-ICT catalogs don't have much difference with the currernt ones (I guess everyone has heard that humour about Microsoft and GM exchange about their respective technologies).
This yearning for reading the past led me to thinking, heck, whyn't write the current bits of ICT information and publish them somewhere or other, and when they get obsolete they become history? We all know that so many good guys are offering loads of free space on the web, such as this blog.
This therefore announces my intention of publishing an ezine. The idea is still a mere sketch--how often to update, whether it will be on a website, in a blog or mailing list, those matters are still undecided.
My favourite indicator of the computer world gallop is a cutout from Newsweek titled Model price cuts, where they were talking about "fast 386s" and "screaming 486s". Not that far back, that was just 1992. The prices were USD 2,286 and USD 4,891 (down from USD 7,198 a year before.
I bought my Pentium in 1999 and felt really good about it. It was boasting a 3 gigabyte hard disk and 16 megabyte of RAM. A tower design clone, it didn't have sound card, no CD-rom drive and definitely no USB port. At that time 16x cd-rom drive was very good. CD writers were virtually nonexistent and DVD wasn't in the vocabulary.
I like reading the past, therefore I have with me the whole load of magazines--news, computers, aircraft, etc etc. I also browse through old catalogs that I possess, such as Sears. It's interesting that the older non-ICT catalogs don't have much difference with the currernt ones (I guess everyone has heard that humour about Microsoft and GM exchange about their respective technologies).
This yearning for reading the past led me to thinking, heck, whyn't write the current bits of ICT information and publish them somewhere or other, and when they get obsolete they become history? We all know that so many good guys are offering loads of free space on the web, such as this blog.
This therefore announces my intention of publishing an ezine. The idea is still a mere sketch--how often to update, whether it will be on a website, in a blog or mailing list, those matters are still undecided.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Taifa Stars, you done us proud men!
Yesterday evening 21 hrs East African Time, a soccer game kicked off in Oagadugu, Boukirna Faso.
This narrowish West African nation is perhaps most well known for myth: voodoo. I do remember at one time when I was chatting with a certain diplomat who'd been there on a UN mission who was thoroughly convinced that voodoo really worked there--with several stories to tell. He got really cross with me when I said that was all gogolamba (bullshit in Zamundese language). I don't believe the stuff.
Back to the ball game. It was Bukirna national side against Taifa Stars of Tanzania. It was a repeat match, first having played in Dar es Salaam awhile back where Tz team beat the visitors 2-1. Tanzanian team that played at that first encounter had been a weakling that fluked a win. The team lately has been really hard-swinging, holding Senegal National team to a draw some weeks ago in a home tussle (lost badly during the first encounter in Dakar--understandably because the Senegal cards were well-stacked, especially cheers of home crowd). In a patriotic revolution, Tanzanians led by no less than the Tanzanian President, Hon. J.Ml Kikwete, egged on the boys. And there is also this superb coach, the Brazilian Maximo.
Bukirna didn't know what hit them. Tanzanians commanded the ball all the way from the start whistle, and the hosts did their utmost not to get embarrased infront of their home crowd, therefore literally packed themselves at their goalmouth like sardines in a can.Occasional efforts by the Bukirna attackers ended in frustrating fluid motion of Evo Mapunda snatching the ball and diving with it, pausing down there for a sec, likely uttering a short prayer, "Thanks again, God".
Meanwhile the seconds arm of clock kept sweeping, and things seemed certain to end nil-nil, such a fortress the Bukirna side had built around their goal, hardly anytime did the ball even reached their custodian. The opportunity came though, some five minutes or so before full time. The goal was professional, attributed to attacker Haruna Moshi, to put it simply. It broke whatever reserves the hosts still had, kind of like throwing a stone at the nest of hornets. But nuthin' seemed to matter to the emboldened Taifa Stars. Much to the overjoyed multitude of Tanzanians watching the ball live on Television ya Taifa, The whistle went 3 extra minutes after full time putting the gallant boys of Tanzania 1 up.
Tempers flared. One player from each side got awarded a red card, maintaining things scalar balance. Smelling the kill, Maximo didn't want to leave anything to chance. His effort to urge the boys awarded him with a red card. Tanzanians like me would concur that the red card for the coach, if anything, was like a certificate of achievement.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Kilimanjaro snowcap good news
Kilimanjaro's ice set to linger
| By Jonathan Amos Science reporter, BBC News, Vienna |
Kilimanjaro: Ice fields at the equator are a huge tourist draw
A fresh assessment suggests the famous ice fields on Africa's tallest mountain will be around for decades yet.
Recent concerns that climate warming would rob Mount Kilimanjaro of all its glaciers within 20 years are overly pessimistic, say Austrian scientists.
Their weather station data and modelling work indicate the tropical ice should last well beyond 2040.
Precipitation and not temperature is the key to the white peak's future, the University of Innsbruck-led team says.
"About five years ago Kilimanjaro was being used as an icon for global warming. We know now that this was far too simplistic a view," said Thomas Moelg.
"We have done different kinds of modelling and we expect the plateau glaciers to be gone roughly within 30 or 40 years from now, but we have a certain expectation that the slope glaciers may last longer," added colleague Georg Kaser.
The group's assessment was presented here at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly meeting. 
If one wants to be more precise, I would call it the 'evaporating glaciers of Kilimanjaro' 
Dr Thomas Moelg, University of Innsbruck
It acts as a counterpoint to the most doom-laden projections for the 5,895m-high (19,340ft) peak, which draws thousands of tourists intrigued by the idea of seeing ice just three degrees south of the equator.
Hanging on
The research team has been using three automated instrument stations on the top of the mountain to collect continuous data on temperature, pressure, solar radiation, humidity and wind.
The recording effort was in position late last year to witness heavy snowfall, which will have led to a slight increase in Kilimanjaro's overall ice volume.
This glacier growth is only temporary, however. The mountain's ice is dependent on the pulses of moist air that sweep across from the Indian Ocean. 
Weather station (dot inside circle) data provides new insight
Since the late 1800s, these have become less frequent, and the regular snows that would maintain the ice fields are now a rare occurrence in what has become a much drier climate in East Africa.
Today, the total ice extent - on the slopes and on the plateau - is about 2.5 sq km, down from more than eight sq km in the early 1900s.
Some scientists have drawn a fairly straight-line curve and forecast a rapid final retreat to a totally bare mountain.
But the Innsbruck team is more optimistic about the medium term having now put real field measurements into a comprehensive modelling programme.
"Glacier recession has been a feature on Kilimanjaro for more than 100 years, but this is the first time we really have a precise understanding of the physical processes that control the glacier-climate interaction on Africa's highest mountain," said Dr Moelg.
'No reservoir'
This work emphasises the significance of the lack of precipitation (250mm per year on the summit) versus temperature (a mean of -7C).
It indicates that glacier mass loss would be about four times higher if precipitation decreased by 20% than if air temperature on the mountain rose by 1C.
Furthermore, it suggests that two-thirds of the ice that is lost goes straight into the atmosphere through sublimation (the direct conversion of snow and ice to water vapour).
"In recent years many people have talked about 'the melting glaciers of Kilimanjaro'. If one wants to be more precise, I would call it the 'evaporating glaciers of Kilimanjaro'," said Dr Moelg.
This confirms the view that the African peak does not play an important role as a reservoir for water, unlike in the Andes and the Himalayas where some lowland cities and agricultural systems are dependent on summer melt high in the mountains.
"This is not a factor at all at Kilimanjaro and it never has been," said Professor Kaser.
"If you brought all the remaining ice down to the Amboseli National Park and melted it, the water would only cover the park to a depth of one or one-and-a-half millimetres. There is nothing in terms of water up there."
The Innsbruck research was conducted in collaboration with the University of Otago, New Zealand, and the University of Massachusetts, US.
The team stresses that the drying of the East African climate around Kilimanjaro may itself be a regional impact of global climate change.Monday, March 19, 2007
ICT in Tanzania 2007. Quick evaluation.
TTCL which boasts the widest network of copper and microwave in the country has moved a stage further in grabbing its share of internet subscribers. The (trial?) provision of mobile phone-cum-wireless-modem with flat-rate subscription of about a dollar a day was received with enthusiasm to the point of the pipe being congested making the connection reallly slow.
This month they changed the business model and, while still prepaid, the user will be charged per megabyte, which is fine for anyone not downloading huge files.
Such a move is welcome although one wonders where they were all along...
Meanwhile Vodacom, whom I've regarded as greediest cellphone service provider, made a bold move of leapfrogging the rest by introducing 3G services. I don't know if they will have infrastructure to have the service far and wide, though. Besides, the 3G services require much more expensive handsets that I doubt will be embraced easily by the clientele.
Zantel who don't have own infrastructure on Tz mainland, (roaming using Vodacom network) has launched a bold advertising campaign that has covered everything in green. They also claim lowest tariffs. I don't know what area they cover, and if they can continue piggybacking on vodacom which has its own teething problem with value-added services being introduced rather late after the rest of networks had done so.
TCCIA has a very ambitious plan of having a country-wide network of VSATS at all regional headquarters, providing a high-speed internet connection to small LANs for their members. With a hub at SatCom Network in Dar, this project may be key to internet reaching even further than ever, and starting radiating to district headquarters. Similar WANs are being set up by the Open University of Tanzania. I wonder, though, about sustainability of these two efforts, which begin with donor funding.
The losers in near future seem to be Internet Cafes. With all schools and colleges about to have Internet-connected LANs, and individuals having unlimited internet at home for as little as TShs 15,000 per month, I'm not seeing much prosperity in the once very successful biz venture.
We wait and see...but one thing is sure: things are getting better and better for end users, as more and more players are making more and more efforts in ICT.
This month they changed the business model and, while still prepaid, the user will be charged per megabyte, which is fine for anyone not downloading huge files.
Such a move is welcome although one wonders where they were all along...
Meanwhile Vodacom, whom I've regarded as greediest cellphone service provider, made a bold move of leapfrogging the rest by introducing 3G services. I don't know if they will have infrastructure to have the service far and wide, though. Besides, the 3G services require much more expensive handsets that I doubt will be embraced easily by the clientele.
Zantel who don't have own infrastructure on Tz mainland, (roaming using Vodacom network) has launched a bold advertising campaign that has covered everything in green. They also claim lowest tariffs. I don't know what area they cover, and if they can continue piggybacking on vodacom which has its own teething problem with value-added services being introduced rather late after the rest of networks had done so.
TCCIA has a very ambitious plan of having a country-wide network of VSATS at all regional headquarters, providing a high-speed internet connection to small LANs for their members. With a hub at SatCom Network in Dar, this project may be key to internet reaching even further than ever, and starting radiating to district headquarters. Similar WANs are being set up by the Open University of Tanzania. I wonder, though, about sustainability of these two efforts, which begin with donor funding.
The losers in near future seem to be Internet Cafes. With all schools and colleges about to have Internet-connected LANs, and individuals having unlimited internet at home for as little as TShs 15,000 per month, I'm not seeing much prosperity in the once very successful biz venture.
We wait and see...but one thing is sure: things are getting better and better for end users, as more and more players are making more and more efforts in ICT.
Friday, February 16, 2007
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About Me
- [Dan]
- I listen a lot and talk little. I thank the stars for what I have. I believe I can fly. I go distances not to load my conscience. I think a person born and living in Tanzania is probably the happiest person on earth-I wouldn't change places with anyone.
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