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• June 15, 2008
• 19:25

  49 minutes

   » ‎ Kikuyumoja's realm

  Tags:  mazingira  

  …on why waste = food.

  “The goal is very simple and technical. And the goal is a very delightfully, safe, healthy and just world with clean air, soil, water and power, economically, equitably, ecologically and elegantly enjoyed.”

  Enjoy! :-)

  (disclaimer: a) just found this while searching for the Silent Spring link on my previous post, b) Braungart is (was) my professor @ varsity, c) I’ve already mentioned their philosophy aka the Cradle-to-Cradle approach a few times here on my blog since 2005. I really believe in the C2C idea and took up my work within ecosan because it’s one doable way to close the loop. Oh, and thx 4 this documentary!)

  

• 18:25

  well…

   » ‎ Kikuyumoja's realm

  Tags:  mazingira  

  I’ve (eventually) just watched “The Inconvenient Truth” for the first time and learned that:

  Apple MacBooks (Pro) seem to be great.

  Seriously, what’s so special about this documentary?

  [The film's director] Guggenheim, who was skeptical at first, later saw the presentation for himself, stating that he was “blown away,” and “left after an hour and a half thinking that global warming [was] the most important issue. . . . I had no idea how you’d make a film out of it, but I wanted to try,” he said.
  (source)

  Sorry folks, but - as much as I appreciate activism and Al Gore’s commendable approach to inform ppl “city by city” - I think the film’s main purpose is to inform ppl about an already happening climate change and that they themselves can and have to do something about it. I think he even says that during the film.

  If it takes such an approach - fine, good job, Mr Gore.

  But where’s the news*? Oh, wait - someone just told me: “THAT already IS big news for the USA.”

  Ok, now I got it.

  (*here = putting these alternatives or positive aspects in focus instead of just showing what’s so bad about climate change. Me thinks we’ll need more documentaries on how change has already been implemented by normal folks like you or me and what we can do to further improve it.
  Also, I’m just surprised that the whole world (ok, ./. the USA) is already talking about these issues since the publication of “The Silent Spring” in 1962 and yet only through a much celebrated and half-baked documentary this important issue is put in front of iPhone-loving consumers in the US who apparently need a multimedia slide-show to understand the danger of a climate change and on the other hand - as a majority - hardly ever question the impacts their industrial progress has had on the environment in the past.
  I also think that the environment will not only be saved by reducing our emmissions, but also by changing our products and the way we consume stuff every day. Such an important message though isn’t conveyed in the documentary, so my criticism is towards this and that Al Gore or rather the filmmaker didn’t use the opportunity to even provide much more “what YOU can do to help”-approaches/messages once everyone is already listening/watching. For instance, this “run for congress”-appeal is only shown in the end titles /credits of the documentary. Why?).

  

• 14:38

  Efforts to Reclaim Kenya Once Again

   » ‎ You Missed This
  Brainstorming can be a paradox of sorts. On one hand lies the beauty of open mindedness fro you brilliant superb ideas originate. While on then other hand pragmatism nags you into exploring the naivety of exhausting yourself into re-inventing the wheel. So what am I upto? Posts here at Kumekucha that touch on the cancer of TRIBALISM elicit the most vitriol and heated debates. The last one twining our clergy to their tribal leanings was no exception. The gem is that in the din of all the heated exchanges often emerges some challenges like this one from one blogger Kimi:
  
  ……….in the spirit of thinking outside the box what do you think of the idea that young people should now form their own strictly issue based political party in readiness for 2012, deliberately limited to those between 18 and 50 years old who desire political office? Even an 18 year old can have leadership qualities. Many of the current leaders(wazees) and their political parties were leaders in their late 20s many years ago, are now too tainted and untrustworthy and do not really understand the aspirations of younger Kenyans or even the modern world in the 21st century.
  
  Social engineering not domo
  This brilliant idea underscores the need for social engineering despite what many deride as mere politicking. Human beings can never prosper without a vehicle that galvanizes their collective aspirations and ideals. A political party is one such vehicle. The problem comes whether and EXCLUSIVE age restricted edifice would deliver this need. In my book age is not the problem and Kenya is not in the present hole because of lack of ideas. Instead we are prisoners to our sectarian mentality couched in DECEPTION.
  
  This suggestion may look a revolutionary idea worth pondering. But on retrospection (am not pouring cold water) one’s intellectual nerves immediately gets jaundiced and fatigued given the litany of such related great ideas littering our political landscape that ended croppers thanks to competing self interests. We may have all it takes but measuring up to the challenge is a different kettle of fish.
  
  Granted, FOCUS and PERSISTENCE are ingredients guaranteed to disabuse failure in the face of challenges. Success for this promising endeavour must be singularly premised on our undergoing a NATIONAL RENEWAL. No amount of pretense will wash if we chose to continue perfecting our tradition of rewording high sounding ventures than only succeed in soothing our individual and selfish egos.
  
  The BIG question is, as a nation are we ready to look at our past straight in the eye and HONESTLY roll up our sleeves collectively to rescue ourselves in chatting the path for a prosperous and united Kenya? Or are we simply engaging in another charade of ego trip? Let Kenyans and bloggers out there dissect and decide. The jury is out and please keep it relevant and civil for our motherland.

• 14:02

  4 Excuses To Avoid Healthy Eating And Exercise - Which One Do You Use?

   » ‎ The Displaced African

  As I mentioned in my Contact page, I write articles for the article marketing site, Ezine articles. Below is one of the articles I wrote for the site a couple of months back. As African people, we probably have the worst diets I have ever seen outside of the SAD (Standard American/Standard Aussie Diet) which in truth can’t be beat in terms of the amount of stuff that goes into the mouth vs how little of it is actually food. I am on a campaign to improve the way we eat and the way we live so this one is for those of you who have millions of excuses not to get your butt in shape. To find the original article click here.

  

  In this day and age, it is taken as a Universal truth that we need to eat healthier and exercise in order to increase the quality and quantity of our lives. This means eating regular servings of fresh vegetables, fruits, nut, grains, seeds and any natural food mixed in with regularly moving and challenging ones body. So why is it that so many people end up eating so much junk and live such sedentary lifestyles? One major reason: excuses. Below are some of the common excuses used to justify living life at a much lower level in this important area and rebuttals for every excuse.

  1) Life is Short. I want to live now!

  Well then first of all, congratulations for making your life shorter. This life has so many wonderful things to be experienced, seen, heard, touched, smelt and felt. If the only way you can find to experience happiness is ingesting the poison that is junk food, isn’t that a sad indication of just how empty your life is? Perhaps, try nourishing your body a bit more so that you have more energy to go out there and live, really live.

  2) I Don’t Want to Live that Long Anyway

  Whenever some people come up against the obvious argument that moving and feeding your temple prolongs your life, they immediately rebut with:

  I don’t want to live that long anyway. Why would I want to live till I’m 90 just to have rickety bones/ bad posture/ be a burden…..etc etc etc

  Here’s the deal. Eating healthier not increases the quantity but also QUALITY of your life. If you want to avoid having the rickety bones, bad posture, huge hospital bills NOW, let me suggest that you put down the junk and get yourself to the local farmers market. To see the extremes of what can happen if you don’t nourish yourself, watch the movie La Vie En Rose and let that be a lesson to you.

  3) I Just Can’t Quit/ The Food Tastes too Good

  That’s why psychology and the science of persuasion was invented: to allow you to have greater control over your body and mind. For most of you, this is an untested hypothesis. You have not tried EVERYTHING YOU KNOW OF to change the way you think and feel about certain foods. There are a plethora of therapies, groups, blogs, books and resources that you can use to change the way you look at food.

  In addition to that, you can substitute most of the junk in your life with much healthier alternatives.

  4) It’s Just Too Hard

  Guess what, so is everything of value in this world. If something is of value in this life, it can only be achieved by hard work. You perform the hardest task of all: you go to work 40 hours a week (probably more) just so that you can have enough money to live. Surely if you can make that much sacrifice to have monetary resources, you can use these resources to nourish your temple. Why gain all the money in the world if you’re carrying it in an obese, unhealthy body?

  Something to think about.

  My name is Mwangi, and I am an African immigrant who has lived in Australia for six years. You can read my story for free by clicking here
  My website, the Displaced African, is dedicated to the happiness and peace of mind of African immigrants. You can learn more about maximizing the immigrant experience on the site.
  In addition to that, the site also has current commentary on the important issues of the day, such as with the article, the Empty Symbol that is Barrack Obama

  Article Source: [ezinearticles.com]

• 7:59

  DNA Lie In Kabuga Arrest

   » ‎ You Missed This
  Was DNA test carried out in record time?
  
  Something very fishy is going on in Kenya.

  Last night within hours of the announcement of the capture of Felicien Kabuga (a story that we broke here in Kumekucha) the government announced that they had established that the man in police custody was NOT Kabuga.

  Now the government needs to answer one simple question. How quickly did this DNA test come back to establish that the man was not Kabuga? 8 hours? That is laughable because we know that the country does not even have the facilities (they are normally sent down to South Africa) and even if they did, you want to tell me it took one day to get the samples into the country from Arusha and then test and compare them to what was obtained from the suspect?

  The truth is that if Kabuga were to be arrested, the number of big names in Kenya that would go down with him would shock the world. Pure and simple.
  

  One of our readers left an interesting comment that I hereby include here but I dare say that Mr Cheruiyot is small fry fronting for much bigger names;

  Kabuga's point man, protector, shelter and front in Kenya is none other than ODM's Zakayo Cheruiyot, this is fact that has been stated by the US State Department and through diplomatic channels over the years. It is time to arrest and charge Zakayo with harboring and aiding a international fugitive who is wanted for the murders of over 800,000 innocent Rwandese citizens.
  
  Zakayo Cheruiyot, a former civil service chief and one of Mr Moi's closest advisers, was last month accused by America of harbouring Mr Kabuga.
  
  "Our information indicates that this individual, Mr Cheruiyot, has used the government infrastructure to maintain the fugitive status of Mr Kabuga," said America's special ambassador for war crimes, Pierre-Richard Prosper.
  
  "In the last few months information has really come in pretty concretely and focused on Cheruiyot and his apparatus."

  ----------------------
  

  Anybody who digs a little deeper into the personal lives of Kenyan legislators will be shocked at what they will find. Frequent sex with under-age prostitutes along Koinange street is just a tip of the iceberg. Interestingly I have passed on to Chris some rather shocking revelations (all confirmed by several independent sources) about the love lives of the two legislators who perished this week in an air crash and I have already been informed that the startling details have been included in this week's raw notes.