Mashada Blogs » July 30, 2008

Afromusing: Opportunities for Entrepreneurs

AfroMusing — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:48:28 -0400

Two opportunities I would like to pass along, the first is SEPS (Sustainable Energy Project Support) call for applications.

Now in its fifth year, WISIONS, a Wuppertal Institute initiative that is funded and supported by the Swiss-based foundation ProEvolution, has launched its annual call for applications for Sustainable Energy Project Support (SEPS).

WISIONS invites the submission of proposals from now until 18 August 2008. The total grant fund for financial support of SEPS projects in this, the 5th round (2008), is €500,000 (across all projects). Partial funding of projects is possible.

We are looking for promising concepts and innovative projects with an integrated approach in the fields of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Our main goal is to identify environmentally sound projects that use modern existing technologies, demonstrate the advantages of sound energy solutions and integrate local people, enabling acceptance and further replication.

The deadline is August 18th, and you can download an app here.

Via AFriWea

SeedCamp for the entrepreneurs in Europe

From securing funding to developing the right network, young entrepreneurs in Europe face challenges in building globally competitive technology businesses. Through the provision of seed capital and a world class network of mentors, we want to provide a catalyst for Europe’s next generation of entrepreneurs.

The deadline for this is August 11th.

Via Park Paradigm

Afromusing: Just-A-Band Performance Friday August 1st ‘08

AfroMusing — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:09:53 -0400

The Band, as I get to call them, will be performing on August 1st at Kwani LitFest. This is one event I did not want to miss but hope that my friends and readers in Kenya get to go and enjoy. If someone decides to stream the event (hint http://www.ustream.tv/) please oh please let us diaspora folks know.
More info on location and times, please check out the JAB blog. Just this once I will give them a pass for not tagging the location of the event in Google Earth, it seems they are hard at practice.

For the diaspora folks in Washington DC, if Jay-Z makes you ‘get that dirt off your shoulder’, if you like John Legend, Youssou Ndour, Alek Wek, Tyson Beckford and other gorgeous African stars, check out the Africa Rising concert at the Kennedy center.

Enjoy…

Afromusing: A Macbook Sleeve You Should Buy.

AfroMusing — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:18:46 -0400

When I attended the GV summit I counted myself quite lucky to meet so many bloggers from around the world, including contributors to Global voices online. The gift of a macbook sleeve from Bolivian project ‘Voces Bolivianas’ was one of the many highlights of the summit. It was such a moving gesture that some of us were fighting back tears of appreciation. You see, the Global voices logo was hand-stitched onto the sleeve, and Eduardo and his team lugged this big huge bag all the way from Bolivia to give each one of us a choice between the 15″ sleeve and the smaller 13″ sleeve.

The sleeve is lovely, it is made from traditional Aguayo textile, and I have to admit I treasure mine a whole lot.
You can buy one for yourself, and in the process, help support a very worthwhile project that is reaching out to underrepresented groups in Bolivia, getting them to share their opinions online through the use of blogs and other participatory media.
The colors are just lovely…get one!

PS: Only available in the US…

You Missed This: Uhuru Rents a Mob for Kibaki Succession War

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:14:00 -0400

Kibaki succession is taking interesting and heated shape. With Iron Lady Karua shooting from the hip and calling Prof Kiarie Kinuthia's bluff, Uhuru has reverted to Kanu’s time tested and tried rend-a-mob theartics. And Jomo Jr has an able hand in one David Murathe to do the ground work in ferrying mouths to hotels to shout a prepared script. Boy, it never stops being interesting as the delegation gimmicks of yore are replayed right before our eyes for a seat that is more than 50 months a way.

Karua is out with all her guns blazing and she seems aware and prepared of the consequences. You have to understand anger and sense of betrayal burning inside the lady from Gichugu. She stuck her neck out making herself the intellectual and visible face of Kibaki during the post election violence only to receive a generous kick in teeth as Jomo Jr pick the trophy. Martha has made her intentions known and damn the consequences. Firing her now may just turn her into a hero and a magnet for sympathy votes.

Karua has STUCK Uhuru with the most lethal venom and no amount of shadow boxing will wash UK’s design as fashioned by the old geezers behind the throne pushing for his coronation. Watching Mama Ngina’s boy ducking HARD TALK’s point blank question on how much land Kenyatta family owns only confirms why his only political option lies in PROJECT PHASE II. Karua’s has dropped the gauntlet that Uhuru would rather face her than use surrogates. Will he pick it? Your guess is as good as mine. Such a challenge would demand an astute political spine which is a rare commodity in UK’s closet.

Political top-up
Kibaki meanwhile is staring open rebellion that threatens to consign him to premature political menopause. Emilio’s minders and cronies are not doing the old man any favour in pushing him to secure their financial interests in advance. These vultures have left baba Jimmy in the middle of fires started from all directions. They won’t stop at anything in their mission to auction Kenya and new deals are popping up everyday despite array of commission of inquiries already in place to cover previous FRAUD that are embarrassingly crawling out of the wood works.

Deception in whatever shape is unsustainable and like lies its consequences are damn costly. Trying to actively micro manage a political that only exists on paper is a sure recipe to expose the rot and incompetence hitherto glossed through fraud. True to the adage whatever goes around comes around, Kibaki is destined to have eggs and tomatoes plastering his face during this time in his political sunshine. This will be sooner rather than later when the first brick comes off the political tower of Babel that is PNU.

Rants, Raves & Reviews: How the KRA & govt kill local businesses!

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:47:00 -0400

Many local airlines are suspending operations coz the KRA introduced ill-thought out tax measures. This is just after the KRA introduced KWATOS at the port... without adequately testing the system...

And the KRA is lauded for 'good work'... yeah, right...

Rants, Raves & Reviews: Poor KPLC

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:19:00 -0400

The GoK uses KPLC as a cash cow.

Petrol prices at the pump are 50% taxes... collected by the Oil Marketers on behalf of the GoK...

They do the same with electricity. GoK forces KPLC to collects taxes/VAT from consumers... so KPLC looks like the bad guy... while the GoK mandarins wallow in our money...

Rants, Raves & Reviews: African Despots - Back to the Future...

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:07:00 -0400

African despots don't retire... they just extend their terms... by all means possible!

M has a great flowchart...

1) wade of Senegal got his presidential term 'extended' by friendly MPs...
2) paul biya of Cameroon chnaged the constityiyion so he can run again after the initial 2 terms
3) mugabe of Zimbabwe stole the election. Outright.
4) kibaki of Kenya... hmmm...
5) museveni of Uganda wants to be president for life.

The list goes on and on... perhaps the only way to get rid of them is how the Klingons did it in the fictional Star Trek?

Kikuyumoja's realm: new German bridge blog

jke — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:34:41 -0400

Wenn Du, lieber Leser, an dieser Stelle fünf deutschsprachige Blogs nennen solltest, die stellvertretend für die deutsche Blogosphäre stehen - welche würdest Du dann nennen?

Wenn Du, lieber Leser, in einem deutschsprachigen Blog interessante Nachrichten aus aller Welt lesen möchtest, die es sonst nicht durch den Filter der Redaktionen schaffen - welche Blogs würdest Du hierfür nennen?

Mein Kollege Christian Kreutz hat sich wohl letztens diese oder ähnliche Fragen gestellt und gemerkt, dass wir hierzulande noch viel zu wenige sog. “Bridge Blogs” haben.

Was ist ein Bridge Blog?

Ethan Zuckermann schrieb dazu passenderweise vor ca. einem Jahr in einem Artikel über GlobalVoices:

“A number of bridge bloggers were explicit about their desire to cross cultural barriers with their writing.”

Genau diese Aussage, die sich auf die ägyptische Blogosphäre bezog, zeigt eigentlich worum es beim BridgeBlogging geht: verschiedene Welten zu überbrücken.

Christians und Frederik Richters Antwort darauf ist DRAUSSEN: ein Blog über die “transnationale soziale Vernetzung” des Mediums Internet mit dem klaren Ziel, die Diskussionen außerhalb der deutschsprachigen Blogosphäre auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar zu machen.

Jetzt ist es natürlich nicht so, dass es Versuche zu Bridge Blogs nicht schon geben würde. Viele Deutsche berichten aus dem Ausland in deutscher Sprache - vom einfachen Reiseblog bis zu Expatsblogs, in dem Expatriats über ihr Leben in der neuen Heimat berichten. Bei Robert Basic gab es sogar mal eine Diskussion über BridgeBlogs im Allgemein und wie man sich mit zB der frankophonen Blogosphäre verbinden könnte - die dann aber leider wieder im Sande verlaufen ist.

Ähnlich verhält es sich ja auch mit diesem Blog hier, in dem sich deutschsprachige und englischsprachige Beiträge abwechseln. Oftmals habe ich in der Vergangenheit versucht, verschiedene Welten so zu vermischen, wie sie sich auch in meinem Leben eine Rolle spielen.

So richtige Zusammenfassungen für deutschsprachige Leser habe ich aber erst bei der deutschen Version von GlobalVoices gesehen.

Eine ganz andere, ebenfalls wichtige Motivation für den Betrieb des DRAUSSEN blogs liegt sicherlich auch darin begründet, dass es nur wenige, qualitativ gute Blogs wie zB Netzpolik.org von Markus Beckedahl gibt, die eben nicht nur über coole Neuigkeiten aus den USA oder anderen Leitkulturen berichten. Jetzt rein inhaltlich betrachtet.

Bei all der Kritik an der deutschsprachigen Blogosphäre, die ja im Vergleich zu unseren europäischen Nachbarn eher zaghaft daherkommt und sich ihrer eigenen Idendität nicht so bewusst ist oder dafür gar einer Veranstaltung wie der re:publica bedarf, empfinde ich immer großes Unbehagen, ein zu schnelles Urteil zu präsentieren. So muss ich glaube ich auch lernen, nicht nur den eigentlichen Inhalt der Beiträge zu bewerten, sondern auch die dazugehörigen Kommentare. Immerhin lebt ein Blog auch von den Kommentaren. Nicht jeder Leser mit eigener Meinung hat die Zeit und Muse, nebenbei ein Blog zu betreiben. Und genau darum geht es auch in der Blogosphäre - um eine Diskussion anzuregen, die wir in ihrer Vielfalt hierzulande leider oft nur im Heise Forum & Co. lesen.

Insofern freut es mich sehr, dass es immer mehr gute Blogs gibt, die mitunter - und das ist für mich sehr wichtig - zu einem viel größeren Selbstverständnis des Instruments “Blog” beitragen.

My Africa Today: American women will bring out the WORST in you.

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:18:00 -0400

Feminists believe that all men are evil abusers.

When a man abuses them, deep down they feel a creamy sense of satisfaction. Their belief has been validated.

Therefore they carefully craft a life, and surround themselves with people who will create more of this abuse.

Thus further confirming their belief structure.

This type of mentality has been studied and explored by countless psychologists, and is well-understood by all people with common sense.

Also, there is a more dangerous issue, here.

Men are very "susceptible" to women's opinions of us. Let's face it guys, when we get married, we are very likely to start changing in response to our woman's needs. We can't help it...her emotions are so strong, and our sense of responsibility to her is so deep, that we can't help but slowly become the man she envisions us to be.

That can be good, or bad. A man who is married to an angry feminist will often become more abusive, fulfilling her expectations of him. She accuses him of shit he didn't do...finally he thinks "well, if she's going to treat me like a scumbag, then by golly I should just go ahead and be a scumbag."

On the other hand, a man who marries a loving woman (who trusts men) will usually become more worthy of trust, thus fulfilling her expectations of him.

The old cliche of "behind every great man is great woman" is so true.

Men, choose your wife carefully. Her mental image of men will probably become your destiny. Avoid women who think badly of men (which as you know, includes the vast majority of American women).

American women have been born and raised in the corrosive negative world of feminism. They can't help but think like a feminist and view the world like a feminist.

So they have learned to always emphasize the negative things about men, never the positive. In any given opportunity...

instead of saying "he's protective" they'll say "he's oppressive"

instead of saying "he's smart" they'll complain "he demeans my intelligence"

instead of saying "he's hard-working" they'll say "he's obsessed with work"

instead of saying "he's confident" they'll say "he's an ego-monster"

The bottom line...every one of your qualities will be spun as a NEGATIVE, not a positive.

Of course, they don't do this when you are dating. All women put up a good face early on. Later, after a few years of marriage, suddenly the real woman will emerge, and you will subjected to negative diatribes about you, day in, day out, like a constant weight on your shoulders.

So when you marry a feminist, you will slowly change to become the bad man that she sees. All the negative aspects of you (which you've probably learned to suppress and minimize) will suddenly start to crop up again. Eventually you'll say "well, fuck it, if she's going to attack me for a bad habit anyway, I might as well indulge in it."

She will bring out the worst in you.

And of course, she'll be happy, because then she can scamper off to her feminist-asshole friends and say "SEE! We're right! Men really ARE as bad as we've said!"Customize your mobile with your Complimentary Ringtone!

Kenyan Pundit: New kind of electricity meter

Ory Okolloh — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:55:28 -0400

This is pretty nifty. The soaring cost of electricity in SA has made me a turn off the lights Nazi at home. And maybe I can finally convince my mum that the TV does not need to be unplugged from the wall after its been turned off.