tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43056833212816966222024-02-06T20:51:39.098-06:00Window of LifeAn insight like a window in just one of many cultures on earth, also a window of my life, dirishani's life ... at least some interesting observations about my country's lifestyle, Kenya...what has not been said about it, traveling experiences in different places, recipes and much more.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-5214112199699472042012-06-01T02:44:00.000-06:002012-06-06T07:28:16.078-06:00Voting Behaviour: Everyone Has a Box<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
Now that the elections are around the corner for Kenyans, do you already know who you will vote for in the coming general <a href="http://www.kenyaelections.com/" target="_blank">elections</a>?
Is your choice of
<a href="http://eyesonkenya.org/blog/?p=67" target="_blank">political party</a> influenced by your personal reasons or a set of external factors? Are you one of the late-deciders making your choice in the moment you see
the ballot paper?<br />
<a name='more'></a>These are some of the questions running through my head, trying to figure out how people vote.<br />
<br />
No matter what voting type you are, you will probably be convinced
that the decision you make is your own and only influenced by your political
views and personal principles.<br />
<br />
<br />
We should not forget the impact of our friends and the conversations we have with them, is one of
the main factors which influence the way people vote. I believe there are two types of voters: ‘Opinion-<a href="http://www.quibblo.com/quiz/dIBdqB/Are-You-a-leader-or-follower" target="_blank">Leaders</a>’
and ‘Opinion-<a href="http://www.quibblo.com/quiz/dIBdqB/Are-You-a-leader-or-follower" target="_blank">Followers</a>’. Both groups have the same socioeconomic background, but
what separates them is a higher interest in the elections and media
coverage knowledge by the opinion leaders.<br />
<br />
Additionally, the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-adv/media_kit/wp/pdf/OpinionLeaderBook_MediaKit.pdf" target="_blank">opinion leaders</a> also have a grounded knowledge on
the political issues and are often equipped with a kind of formal authority
towards their opinion followers. According to my previous and current observations the opinion followers fraction is bigger than the opinion i.e. more than 50% of the voters are opinion followers. This means that if you belong to the opinion followers group then your choice is born out from information filtered by
your opinion leaders, not the news, media or other sources.<br />
<br />
<br />
Other people have tendencies to
vote for someone who is about to win, even if this contradicts their own political
views because they want to be on the
winner’s side after the election. The winner predictions can be obtained forehand by the survey reports released by the media from time to time done cleverly to effect this. Although the ratio of the people sampled for the survey to the total country's population is normally very small.<br />
<br />
There is a small segment of the population that vote for the less popular because of personal reasons and the candidate's personality.<br />
<br />
It is clear that media and your acquaintances can have a big impact on your <a href="http://www.voxeu.org/index.php?q=node/1032" target="_blank">voting decision</a> without even realizing it yourself.We should all stay focused and select candidates we feel can
tackle the upcoming difficulties in our constituencies, counties and country as a whole for a better tomorrow. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-41519936904319622232012-04-26T12:12:00.002-06:002012-05-23T03:42:44.730-06:00Should I Buy Those Cheap/Fake Sunglasses?Many times when walking along the streets and in some stores I have been distracted and pulled by the cheap sunglasses stand. They look sleek and always convince myself nobody would even notice I’m wearing cheap glasses. The thought of any damage that can be cause by them is normally out of question, does not even ring my mind. Just out of curiosity I wanted to find out how cheap are those cheap sunglasses? Will my eyes be damaged from wearing such sunglasses? How does the eye respond to different light conditions?<br />
<br />
The eye regulates the amount of light entering it by adjusting the size of the <br />
<a name='more'></a>pupil. The pupil is the central dark window formed in our eyes by the Iris. At the center, the Iris has a circular window called the Pupil which normally measures about 3-4 mm in diameter.<br />
<br />
When exposed to bright light, the pupil <a href="http://www.moillusions.com/2012/03/evening-dusk-optical-illusion.html" target="_blank">constricts</a> to just about 2 mm in diameter or less hence restricting the amount of light entering our eyes. When we go out in the sun, our pupils constrict so that the excessive light is cut off to avoid discomfort.<br />
<br />
When we enter a dark room, or the sun goes down, the reverse happens. Because the light reaching our eye is too less for us to see well, the pupil <a href="http://www.moillusions.com/2012/03/evening-dusk-optical-illusion.html" target="_blank">dilates</a> to about 5-6mm. This helps us to see better in the dark.<br />
<br />
You can now imagine what happens when we put on a dark glass while going out in the sun. The dark lenses cut off the light entering our eye, and our pupil dilates hence allowing more light into the eye.<br />
<br />
But dark glasses only do not block out the <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/613529/ultraviolet-radiation" target="_blank">Ultraviolet Radiation</a> (UV Rays) in the light. UV Rays cause severe damage to our retina. They are known to cause <a href="http://bodyandhealth.canada.com/channel_condition_info_details.asp?disease_id=84&channel_id=2022&relation_id=16665" target="_blank">macular degeneration</a>, <a href="http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/macular-holes.htm" target="_blank">Macular Hole</a>, <a href="http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/cataracts.htm" target="_blank">Cataract</a>, <a href="http://www.google.co.ke/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CEIQtwIwBA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DQCA-1XRelF4&ei=fY6ZT80QkaTgBJXLkMUG&usg=AFQjCNFtaiBPQJ6NNAhk676jV5ZTPx4_Gg" target="_blank">Pterygium</a>, etc.<br />
<br />
When you wear dark glasses without UV filter, more lights passes through the eye, allowing the dangerous UV rays through. This damages the eye completely with time, ultimately paying a bigger price of your own sight.<br />
<br />
It is therefore imperative that the dark glasses we use should have a UV filtering capacity. If UV protection is not available on the dark glasses that you wear, it is better to go out into the sun without them at all than to wear them.<br />
<br />
It is good to wear UV protective sunglasses while out in the sun. Sunglasses without UV protection must be avoided at all costs as they are more damaging to the eye.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-17752876197342220792012-01-08T07:25:00.001-06:002012-01-08T07:28:13.748-06:00Kenyans Love Money<br />
Except me of course :-)<br />
<br />
Immediately after launching my blog two years ago, I embarked on a mission to connect with other Kenyan bloggers. The task of finding my fellow <a href="http://dirishani.blogspot.com/p/map-of-kenya.html" target="_blank">Kenyans</a> with similar interests as mine proved difficult. I was eventually disappointed and resigned the search after realizing there were none.<br />
<br />
I have never come across a Kenyan who blogs without the ulterior motive of making money at the end of the day (I mean Kenyans who live in Kenya not outside). Kenyans do not see any point of starting and maintaining a blog just for the sake of blogging.<br />
<a name='more'></a>They have not realized other benefits of blogging e.g. improves writing skills and opens one to the rest of the world. If they have, then that does hold water for them. When I was started my blog, I was not concerned about how many visitors or money I will get at the end of the day. No matter your writing skills, if your content is good, readers will come.<br />
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It is actually sad to see that 99% of Kenyan bloggers write either to publish their blog as a book later; advertise and sell their skills or services, looking for donations, lots of <a href="http://www.google.com/ads/" target="_blank">Google ads</a> all over the pages and the list of goes on.<br />
<br />
Are there Kenyans who love blogging and do it as a hobby after a long day or week of work? A Kenyan who undergoes the hustle of maintaining a blog just for fun, share and learn? I haven’t found one yet. <br />
<br />
What has happened to the Kenyan society? Is life only about making money?Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-49051637413743931142011-12-03T07:13:00.000-06:002011-12-03T07:13:57.523-06:00What is High Fructose Corn Syrup?I have been hearing all the buzz about High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and just like everyone, believed what I see in the media. But then there are always conflicting advertisements made by the producers of HFCS to confuse the consumer. Amid the confusion I decided to read the facts and make my own decision.<br />
<br />
I knew HFCS is not good for anyone's healthy and doctors have said it over and over again. It is absolutely not natural; natural product is the one you consume straight from nature, one that doesn't need to undergo any chemical procedure to transform it.When you eat any food that has HFCS you become hungry again within a very short time<br />
<a name='more'></a> because that is how it works, to make you hungry all the time. Eating anything that has HFCS is like taking empty calories and leads to obesity.<br />
<br />
The producers and processing food companies in the US who use HFCS in everything they produce are in denial that it is one of the major causes of obesity. They say there is no solid evidence to prove it. They forgot back in the beginnings, HFCS was marketed as an appetizer to make you feel hungry and eat more. It’s like the tobacco companies when at first there was some research pointing that cigarettes are harmful, they were in total denial.<br />
<br />
<br />
They say that it is not bad if taken in moderation. The problem is if you look at the processed food labels, 99% of them has HFCS as an ingredient. How can it be eaten in moderation when it is in breakfast cereal you eat, the burger, processed meats, mayonnaise, ketchup, in your desert, in the pizza, baby formula, diet food, almost in everything you put in your mouth? <br />
<br />
The latest advertisement for misguiding and confusing people says that the body cannot tell the difference between corn sugar and cane sugar. This is absolutely not true, the tongue cannot but the body tells us the difference very well. Look at the obese people in the US.<br />
<br />
I was in Kenya when I saw an episode in Oprah about obesity and saw this lady sitting in the audience front row. She was not only fat but her stomach was actually on top of her thighs almost reaching her knees. We were first asking ourselves what was on her lap before realizing it was her stomach. We were all shocked, we have fat people in Kenya of course but we had never seen anyone so fat around the stomach area before. We were wondering what she had to eat to have so much fat around the stomach.<br />
<br />
There is a popular fruit juice processing company in Kenya that markets its products as 100% natural, no added sugar or artificial ingredients. When I first bought the juice, I drunk directly from the package and was surprised how sweet it was. I asked myself how could it be so sweet without any added sugars? Now I'm cogitating whether they too use HFCS because it is marketed as a natural product. <br />
<br />
Lets go back to science now.<br />
<br />
<b>How is High Fructose Corn Syrup produced?</b><br />
<br />
Production of high fructose corn syrup is a bit complex. Cornstarch originally contains very long chemical chains of pure glucose, which must first be broken down into shorter chains called polysaccharides. This is accomplished by adding an enzyme called alpha-amylase, which is derived from a bacteria.<br />
<br />
Once the cornstarch has been broken down, a second enzyme called glucoamylase is added to the vat. Glucoamylase is derived from a fungus called Aspergillus. The continued fermentation converts the slurry into almost pure glucose.<br />
<br />
The third step an enzyme called glucose-isomerase is added to the glucose. The enzyme converts the pure glucose into a combination of fructose and glucose, but not at the final percentages desired. A process called liquid chromatography essentially distills the syrup into 90% fructose. This concentrated fructose product is then blended back into the original mix to create the final 55% fructose, 45% glucose product called high fructose corn syrup.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Uses of High Fructose Corn Syrup</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In baked goods, high fructose corn syrup gives a pleasing brown crust to breads and cakes, contributes fermentable sugars to yeast-raised products, reduces sugar crystallization during baking for soft-moist textures, and enhances flavors of fruit fillings.<br />
<br />
In yogurt, high fructose corn syrup provides fermentable sugars, enhances fruit and spice flavors, controls moisture to prevent separation, and regulates tartness.<br />
<br />
In spaghetti sauces, ketchup and condiments, high fructose corn syrup enhances flavor and balance (It replaces the “pinch of table sugar" grandma added to enhance spice flavors.) and balances the variable tartness of tomatoes.<br />
<br />
In canned and frozen fruits, high fructose corn syrup protects the firm texture of canned fruits and reduces freezer burn in frozen fruits.<br />
<br />
In beverages, high fructose corn syrup provides greater stability in acidic carbonated sodas than sucrose, so flavors remain consistent and stable over the entire shelf-life of the product.</blockquote>
<br />
In short HFCS is used as a sweetener and a preservative agent to prevent food from rotting.<br />
<br />
Lets not forget that food is meant to rot, that is the way nature intended.<br />
<br />
There are so many articles about HFCS online, you have to check them out yourself to become more informed. <br />
<br />
Resources:<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012601831.html">Mercury found in HFCS</a> <br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-fructose_corn_syrup"></a><br />
<a href="http://articles.sfgate.com/2004-02-18/food/17412906_1_high-fructose-corn-syrup-nutritionists-food-supply">high-fructose-corn-syrup-nutritionists-food-supply</a><br />
<a href="http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/295572">http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/295572</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-fructose_corn_syrup">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-fructose_corn_syrup</a>Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-87059705552403485472011-10-08T09:29:00.000-06:002011-10-08T09:29:22.938-06:00Are You Dying for the Hit?The reason I started <a href="http:///#">blogging</a> is to learn and share my experiences, what I knew before and after exploring the world a bit <strike>I believe I can say so</strike>. I expected to have some readers of course, maybe one in a day at least.<br />
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I was surprised of the rewards, I have many readers, more than I anticipated and my writing has improved so much. I never knew my writing would impress so many, thank you for reading my blog over and over again and always appreciate your comments.<br />
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What turns me off when it comes to blogging are those people who want to be friends with you then beg you to <a href="http:///#">click</a> on their blogs and back-link them. I mean, they are <br />
<a name='more'></a>not even interested in your feedback so as to change or improve their writing, they just need a <a href="http:///#">hit</a>. The blog has become a drug to them and they must get hits everyday to feel high. Its like they do not appreciate and value their own work, someone has to do it for them. For those people who grant these people wishes, you are feeding and encouraging their addiction. Read someone's blog if you like it and give genuine reviews as well.<br />
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Your writing does not even have to be good, if your message touch people; hits will come automatic. <br />
<br />
<i>Off Track:</i> What about the websites you have to subscribe to gain access to information? Don’t you wonder how many subscriptions you would have by now had you subscribed to all of them? I call it <a href="http:///#">subscription mania</a>!!Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-35486187760418482562011-07-19T23:38:00.001-06:002011-07-20T11:22:37.897-06:00The Native AmericansThe Native Americans are the owners of the American continent and were the only occupiers of the continent before the European <a href="http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/christopher-columbus.htm">Christopher Columbus</a> discovered it accidentally on his way to India. He ended up calling the people Indians believing that he was in India.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8IqUDXx6vYMGMPaOaRQRMZFUUFQlDVXot880pic3NE-NwypwqM4ckGbRAwg6Oq-SCy6SPeMWcluyIQTGwYbinW1RGCgOXL9WuiC_B_7KkwvBW0BC6N-C8DyTOFvGJe2QrUkUtF60EFmY/s1600/native-belizean-kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8IqUDXx6vYMGMPaOaRQRMZFUUFQlDVXot880pic3NE-NwypwqM4ckGbRAwg6Oq-SCy6SPeMWcluyIQTGwYbinW1RGCgOXL9WuiC_B_7KkwvBW0BC6N-C8DyTOFvGJe2QrUkUtF60EFmY/s200/native-belizean-kids.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Most people are curious to know about Belize, Central and South America in general because very little is known about these places. They want to know how the people look like, even I was curious the first time I knew I’ll be traveling there. I wanted a preview of how life is there, what is the culture and such things.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Well I was in for a big surprise; people look completely different from what I was thinking. You know the Mexican soaps are very popular in East Africa as they are considered to be family shows. The soaps don’t show hot steamy scenes and majority would not feel embarrassed watching with their parents. But like in the Indian movies, the Mexican actors and actresses are filtered and do not reflect the real Latinos or<a href="http://www.matrixbookstore.biz/"> natives.</a><br />
<br />
Most of the actors are light skinned although the majority or the pure latinos are not. Those light skin Latinos are all mixed races mostly Europeans. The real latinos are dark skinned, short in height and have dark straight hair. Their noses are not long and straight and their native language is not Spanish, they adopted Spanish from their Spain colonizers. There have different tribes and cultures. Although most of them speak Spanish as their first language and mother tongue, there are still other tribes which speak their native language.<br />
<br />
Those living out of big cities in the jungle still practice their culture and traditions passed down from generation to generation. There was a tribe which was recently discovered living in the jungle. This tribe had no contact with the current world even their government did not know they existed. They were spotted by a plane as it was flying over them. In this tribe both men and women were walking naked just patched up their sexual parts. I used to think only Africans used to walk naked, but it is clear that is how early man lived before civilization, just like the ancient cave man.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-65707374370238945822011-06-02T08:32:00.001-06:002011-06-02T08:33:44.860-06:00Traveling the Alchemist WayAfter my arrival in <a href="http://dirishani.blogspot.com/p/map-of-kenya.html">Kenya</a>, most of my friends were excited to see me as well as envying my opportunity of traveling half way around the world. They were telling me how lucky I was having traveled and got to know all those countries. I did not fully agree with them.<br />
<br />
There is a big difference in the way people used to travel in the olden or if I may say <a href="http://www.fjkluth.com/travel.html">ancient times</a> compared to modern days. During ancient days all you needed was a bit of savings to take you to the next stop and maybe u have to stay there, work a bit <br />
<a name='more'></a>to make some money before proceeding with your journey while exploring the transit town at the same time. By the time you leave the town, you would have known the people, their culture, tradition and their way of life.<br />
<br />
These days it’s just hustle and bustle and so much stress. You could be denied entry to a country even if you have enough savings and could pass all the requirements. Just because few people did not follow the right procedure and were able to sneak in a particular country, we all have to pay for it. Even if you are allowed in the country, you end up just staying in a hotel fearing bandits and thugs who can sniff newcomers.<br />
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An example of some tourists who come to visit Kenya for one or two weeks and stay all the time in a hotel ‘caged’ or they say protected from the locals and are only able to see what the hotel management authorises. Then they leave Kenya happily and proudly speak in their home country how beautiful Kenya is when in real sense they did not get to see the actual Kenya and do not even know the name of the street which their hotel was.<br />
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On the other hand, as travelers we want to be protected, we hear different scary stories everyday and also want to be free and explore the countries we visit. I’m still wondering which is the best way to travel? Take the risk and pack up your bags and explore countries as a <a href="http://corporate.tourism.nsw.gov.au/Backpacker_Tourism_p726.aspx#1">backpacker</a> or be secluded in a luxurious hotel with sandy beaches?<br />
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The <a href="http://bookreviews.nabou.com/reviews/thealchemist.html">Alchemist</a> is nice short story book but very dynamic detailing traveling during the ancient times and following your dreams. I could read this book over and over again, never get tired of learning the lessons. Maybe because I'm also traveling looking for the Alchemist.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-91683867272392339012011-04-13T07:32:00.000-06:002011-04-13T07:32:54.943-06:00Origami<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkS7BKi0wgfnGCKn_kzMBgVGKXA2jqVRKMQxPC0azmgDvBCiwwMqkW2j1A2Z-z6tLX3C8cKOowe3O5Fm7tXgKEOE34cVviO-h1xQJqDekBBY9t-PS0eYqkIgfpMp3u2EfZtFQQEdmoHFM/s1600/origami.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkS7BKi0wgfnGCKn_kzMBgVGKXA2jqVRKMQxPC0azmgDvBCiwwMqkW2j1A2Z-z6tLX3C8cKOowe3O5Fm7tXgKEOE34cVviO-h1xQJqDekBBY9t-PS0eYqkIgfpMp3u2EfZtFQQEdmoHFM/s1600/origami.jpeg" /></a></div>We all remember doing <a href="http://www.origami-instructions.com/">paper folding</a> during our early stages in school, the popular ones being <a href="http://www.origami-resource-center.com/origami-boxes.html">paper box</a>, ball and<a href="http://www.origami-resource-center.com/paper-airplanes.html"> plane</a>. In Kenya kids are taught the paper folding art in Nursery schools during which children are very young to learn and take anything that is so diverse seriously. So it normally stops there and most people take it as a children art. I never knew that very complex structures and models can be made using a flat sheet of paper.<br />
<br />
The history of origami is under debate. Unlike other art forms, paper degrades quickly leaving no artifacts to suggest where origami originated and who first invented it.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-origami.htm%20">Origami</a> is believed to be a Japanese compound word which means “paper folding.” <br />
<a name='more'></a>It is used to describe crafts made from folded paper in Japan as well as pieces originating in other regions, since so many people associate folded paper crafts with Japan in particular. Individual <a href="http://www.origami-resource-center.com/types-of-origami.html">origami pieces</a> can vary widely in size and design, from simple folded boxes, <a href="http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-crane.html">cranes</a> to ornate creatures made by joining several different sheets of paper. Many young people learn origami in school, and some people continue to practice this craft into adulthood.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8TaZfgFXrS-vIV5LUMtYtjzOKBJrZSMFjyAaYxE_D_OOYEbzsrjQuNLYE2Z4Ggx1b3ihBu6e6hHcAqna6DdRSv9ee-hdID9a4M9N3t631xN2rqGuUNtQVlJLKyyg87XvIS0o-YO6RZc/s1600/moneyFIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8TaZfgFXrS-vIV5LUMtYtjzOKBJrZSMFjyAaYxE_D_OOYEbzsrjQuNLYE2Z4Ggx1b3ihBu6e6hHcAqna6DdRSv9ee-hdID9a4M9N3t631xN2rqGuUNtQVlJLKyyg87XvIS0o-YO6RZc/s1600/moneyFIT.jpg" /></a>Paper-folders are a diverse group of people ranging from artists to scientists to therapists. Artists and craftspeople use origami as a way to express themselves creatively. Scientists, architects, and mathematicians explore the geometry of origami for its own beauty and for practical applications. Therapists and teachers use origami as a tool to help their patients recover from illness or to help their students learn. Many people fold paper simply because it is fun.<br />
<br />
Using origami technique, scientists are exploring and have developed ways of ‘twisting’ segments of DNA to create Mobius bands, closed structures with only one side. A complex version of the structure can be used in the future for molecular engineering, the Nature Nanotechnology.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.britishorigami.info/academic/lister/errors.php"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Errors and misconceptions about the history of paperfolding </span></a><br />
<a href="http://free-pdf-ebook.com/2008/01/01/what-is-origami/" target="_blank">http://free-pdf-ebook.com/2008/01/01/what-is-origami/</a>Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-84197467449428372092011-03-30T06:54:00.003-06:002011-03-30T06:57:32.119-06:00Ugali - Kenyan Staple Food - is Tamales in Belize<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0KbD_Cnfs1mfyEpeK93RZaqKnttTQRsSSjq8WhoOMwGdIdwacbLaHsjh5gvcznH3diJhsKbODbJH-FjC4kdu6OsK9aBA3tM45J9riPqzBZl-x5Cw5Tw6lnFFiYV8AVyy8mtPH0DKl0A/s1600/tamales2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0KbD_Cnfs1mfyEpeK93RZaqKnttTQRsSSjq8WhoOMwGdIdwacbLaHsjh5gvcznH3diJhsKbODbJH-FjC4kdu6OsK9aBA3tM45J9riPqzBZl-x5Cw5Tw6lnFFiYV8AVyy8mtPH0DKl0A/s200/tamales2.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>There was a time I was watching Oprah and she was talking about the poor Kenyans and their staple food <a href="http://www.elimustrive.org/blog/?p=41">Ugali</a>. She pathetically said how people eat ugali and that it is just a corn meal. What she missed or was not told is that ugali alone does not make a complete meal; eating ugali on its own is like eating pasta without sauce, or potatoes without sauce, of course that would be tasteless. Ugali is normally eaten with a sauce and greens most preferably; the tastier the sauce the more enjoyable the Ugali. Okay back to ugali in <a href="http://dirishani.blogspot.com/p/map-of-belize.html">Belize</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi469hy95rwZnKuYK-YutJLTQ60nkgveNYxlGb4Qv1vhZx736VyMTgwhbGRurRKersjRm7_tcZnunqrE4Sf_EwrbvhdfiLVjueq1i_Xo-effUGU7xoWM7SBvdns4AsqNRZTvj4QHaQmjJQ/s1600/tamales.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi469hy95rwZnKuYK-YutJLTQ60nkgveNYxlGb4Qv1vhZx736VyMTgwhbGRurRKersjRm7_tcZnunqrE4Sf_EwrbvhdfiLVjueq1i_Xo-effUGU7xoWM7SBvdns4AsqNRZTvj4QHaQmjJQ/s200/tamales.jpeg" width="199" /></a>I was introduced to a food called <a href="http://www.belizeanjourneys.com/features/maize_men/tamales.html">tamales</a>. It was <br />
wrapped in banana (sometimes maize/corn) leaves and looked like it was actually steam or boiled in the leaves. So I unwrapped it and saw something like corn meal. I decided to cut through with my folk and voila! A surprise; inside there was a filling. Looks like a sauce was filled inside (similar to the way we prepare <a href="http://dirishani.blogspot.com/2010/12/cutlets.html">cutlets</a>). And when I took a bite I was surprised that it tastes like ugali! There is ugali in Belize! Yes the corn meal surrounding the sauce tastes exactly like ugali. <a href="http://www.cooking-mexican-recipes.com/tamales-recipe.html">Tamales preparation</a> method is different but the finished product is the same as ugali.<br />
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The only difference between tamales and ugali is that tamales is like ugali with a filling inside and Ugali is just corn meal which you have to prepare the sauce separately. It also takes around 2 hours to prepare tamales because of the steaming process but it takes only 10 to 15 minutes to prepare ugali. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSmb3mOFMEE25-UwCwfwd9Fd9144d5MRp_xkwWlTIYTmq0h4D5S1UjTIa0aXg2R0uWVIKMv3HLoyXt7hhQwyWOXD4R5G8u2eyrOw5vpRphm94Ds21QjF8G5Za0sYK4ritBYKelvFNhRI/s1600/ugali.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSmb3mOFMEE25-UwCwfwd9Fd9144d5MRp_xkwWlTIYTmq0h4D5S1UjTIa0aXg2R0uWVIKMv3HLoyXt7hhQwyWOXD4R5G8u2eyrOw5vpRphm94Ds21QjF8G5Za0sYK4ritBYKelvFNhRI/s200/ugali.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The process of ugali preparation is simple but takes years to master. I started learning cooking when I was around 12 and knew how to properly prepare ugali in my early twenties. I remember my mom used to complain my ugali is not properly cooked through but had a problem figuring that out. This is the main problem with ugali first learners; not knowing the difference between a properly and unproperly cooked ugali.<br />
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There are so many <a href="http://kenya.rcbowen.com/recipes/ugali.html">recipes for ugali</a> online but someone has to show you the technique to know how to prepare it properly.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-27928388405672028142011-03-17T12:16:00.002-06:002011-03-18T09:25:10.201-06:00Martin Air ExperienceI’m now back in Kenya after a couple of long arduous flights. This time I travelled with <a href="http://www.martinair.com/nl_en/">Martin air</a>. Immediately after buying my ticket I was frequently on their website checking on my flight status which I did not get. Instead got information on other websites which troubled me alot.<br />
<br />
I was able to find Martin Air <a href="http://flightaware.com/live/flight/MPH640">flights status</a> from another website as well as <a href="http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews-all-7507.html">their ratings</a>. So many people were complaining about their services from their seats, seating arrangement, flight delays and so on. I was worried and wondered what I’ve got myself into especially because my ticket involved several connecting flights. There was nothing <br />
<a name='more'></a>I could do except wait and see for myself.<br />
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I’m now happy to say the only disappointment I had was at Cancun airport while waiting to check in our baggage. The customer service was so poor, if I was to rate it I would give it below zero (0). Martin Air is also very strict on baggage; you have to pay for any baggage weighing over 23Kg. Their checking in staff had no idea how many baggages I’m allowed to carry and were arguing with me while the information is clearly available on their website. They could also have more details about flights status on their website. Other than that everything was as you would expect from any airline. The flights were on time, seats inside were okay, the food was good and the cabin crew was friendly. I don’t know why some people posted very bad reviews about Martin air.<br />
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If I was to travel again Martin air is now added on my list.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-81307826704389529392011-03-08T09:20:00.002-06:002011-03-08T09:26:58.250-06:00Customer Service in KenyaJust as I was glad and happy to be back in my country Kenya, I always get a quick grip of reality of how normal things are. I wanted to have internet right away so I decided to restore my previous cellular phone numbers which I had a problem remembering as I always stay in Kenya for a short time before going back to Belize.<br />
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I walked into <a href="http://africa.airtel.com/kenya/">Airtel</a> office and ask for assistance at the first counter and was directed where to go. So I went to the sales lady and following is the conversation we had: -<br />
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Airtel: (Just looking at me without even smiling or saying hello, her energy told me ‘Just tell me what you want my time is more precious to serve you’)<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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Dirishani: I would like to restore my old number which has been inactive over a year<br />
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Airtel: Do you have the sim card!?<br />
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Dirishani: Yes I have (I handed it to her)<br />
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Airtel: What is the number!?<br />
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Dirishani: I can’t remember it because I used it for a short period of time and thought….. (she interrupted me)<br />
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Airtel: No, I need to know your number for me to restore it (her energy told me "and get the hell out of here because I have better things to do"…then immediately she turned to her colleague and continued chatting).<br />
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Finishing my interrupted line which the Airtel saleslady was not interested inlistening: -<br />
<br />
Dirishani: .....maybe it is possible for your office to trace back my number because the sim card is detected by the phone when inserted. What other options can you give me?<br />
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I wanted to buy another line and a wireless modem but had to leave to digest the first dose of cold treatment.<br />
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The other cellular phone company (<a href="http://www.safaricom.co.ke/">safaricom</a>) is even worse. There offices are always overcrowded with customers, their excuse being they have lots of customers. But instead I see that their office is small and they are understaffed. I wonder why they don’t open more offices? It is like they are telling their customers ‘their time and money is more important than their customers’. The automatic voice answering machine is a big joke; I don’t even know why they have it… maybe just to frustrate their customers.<br />
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This is the treatment you get almost everywhere in offices in Kenya. Sales people are not motivated to serve customers and make customers feel unwelcome. Sometimes I wonder if there is a way to make those lousy customer care representatives to realise there is a better way to serve people. I’m just one person after all, they make millions of profits. If they just loose me, they will not feel it in their financial accounts.<br />
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They all can learn something from <a href="http://www.orange.com/en_EN/">Orange</a> who are very friendly, their service is very quick and you feel important and valued as a customer.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-73669569794976135222011-02-19T10:39:00.000-06:002012-05-29T06:24:44.846-06:00Racist? Just a Cover Up of Who You Really AreWhenever I go to the farmers market here in Belize, I avoid going to stalls served by ‘African/Black Belizeans’. When I do they serve me assuming I’m a Belizean based on my looks. But as soon as they realize I don’t understand creole, I immediately become their subject of mockery. They talk about you when you are just standing there waiting to be served and try to exploit you anyway they can. <br />
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One time I was at the market the vendor tried to give me less change because they know how confusing currencies are when you are in a foreign country, only to pretend to be embarrassed when I told him I’m still waiting for my full change. This happens several times.<br />
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You will think that because these people are so wrapped up in their strong <a href="http://www.biography.com/blackhistory/">African/black history</a>, they will welcome you with open arms and embrace you once they realize <br />
<a name='more'></a>you are coming from the roots they proclaim to be proud of. But that is so wrong. Once they realise you are not a Belizean then they make sure you know that you are not one of them. I also believe that they do discriminate among themselves too, as long as people are individuals and different, they will always be something to discriminate against whether you are in the same race or not.<br />
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Unlike the<a href="http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-latino-chicano-and-hispanic.htm"> Latinos/Hispanic</a>, they respect you and seem not to care whether you are a belizean or not, I guess it would be a different case if I looked like them. There are racist Hispanics too mainly the light skinned ones. They believe there are better than others because of their fairer skin colour and always try to fit themselves in the Caucasian communities. They are doing exactly what was/is done to them by the white racists. We also have these people in Kenya.<br />
<br />
These incidents remind me of previous incidents in Kenya that happen to foreigners all the time and Caucasians are the worst victims. One time I was in an Indian shop and decided to help a Caucasian lady with the price discounts, the owner of the shop asked me why I cared so much about the discount when the Caucasians have a lot of money and can afford any price they are told.<br />
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It is clear people who are racists also have so many other bad qualities and use the racism to hide <a href="http://www.utpsyc.org/personality/">who they really are</a> as humans and try to make it okay for themselves to do injustice to others.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-49069558099722544382011-02-10T12:35:00.001-06:002011-02-10T12:36:54.653-06:00Kenyans Were Given Animal Feeds by the US Gov'tIn the nineties there was drought in Kenya and as a result there was shortage of food especially <a href="http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/library/maize/www.ag.iastate.edu/departments/agronomy/name.html">maize (corn) </a>which is highly consumed by many communities. (In Kenya we call it maize, if you say corn people become confused because there are different types of corn (e.g wheat, oats, barley) and maize is one of them, corn is the family name, it is like calling a pistachio nut when we know there are different types of nuts). As a result of the drought, the US government was generous enough to donate <a href="http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/library/maize/www.ag.iastate.edu/departments/agronomy/name.html">corn </a>to the Kenyan government.<br />
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Just as the corn was received, a politician who was holding a rally told Kenyans that the corn donated by the US government is specifically grown to feed cattle in the US<br />
<a name='more'></a>and is not meant for human consumption. That was so insulting; we were wondering what the <a href="http://www.trademap.org/stDevelopedCountries.aspx">developed world</a> thought of a poor <a href="http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/third_world_countries.htm">third world</a> country. They thought we must be so desperate and dying of starvation that it is okay for them to give us animal feeds. I guess the politician felt insulted and violated and wanted to inform Kenyans and let them make their own decision. Well we did because my mom ensured that corn flour does not enter our household.<br />
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I actually continued to believed so and would still be had I not travelled. As Kenyans we knew for sure the Americans do not consume maize meal, they are the bread and meat people. After travelling I was surprised to see that corn is very widely used and is also the staple food for the <a href="http://www.google.com.bz/images?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=0MH&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=Native+Americans&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=IC9UTZMDgoLyBr-_vJ4J&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CEoQsAQwAg&biw=1280&bih=610">native Americans</a>. I saw the yellow corn sold in supermarkets and I realise how misinformed the politician was. <br />
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Yes the cattle in the US are fed with corn but there is no corn that is specifically grown just for the cattle. This is the same corn that is also used for human consumption. I think we believed the ‘cattle feed’ theory because in Kenya as well as Tanzania the maize meal is made from white maize unlike the yellow one we received from US.<br />
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Travelling is the best experience anyone could have. We all live in our bubbles and always use narrow lens to view Life. We cannot depend on the media because it does not give the full picture.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-86135750584902067992011-02-02T14:57:00.007-06:002011-02-03T10:35:02.945-06:00I Do Not Celebrate Valentine's DayValentine is around the corner and the media has already begun advertising their products. Stamping in our heads ideas of how love should be celebrated; chocolate, roses and dinner date is a must. It used to be that everything must be in red but not anymore.<br />
<br />
<b>Whether you decide to celebrate or not, here is a brief history of Valentine’s Day: -</b><br />
<blockquote>It originated from the pagan customs between the 3rd and 4th Century B.C. when the Festivals of Purification were celebrated in Ancient Rome between February 13 and February 18. This was also the time of a Fertility Festival which celebrated a young man's rite of passage and involved animal sacrifices and fertility rituals. During the celebrations the priests would sacrifice a dog and a goat, smearing the animal blood onto the foreheads of two virgin youths of noble birth who, clad only in a goatskin thong.<br />
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The names of willing young women were placed into a box or urn and drawn <br />
<a name='more'></a>by lot by every young, unmarried man. The youths and maidens who were matched would then be considered partners during the course of the coming year, which began in March. Such matches were purely for sexual gratification but was not unusual for the pairings to eventually culminate in marriage.<br />
<br />
Select these links to read more on the <a href="http://www.novareinna.com/festive/valentine.html">origins of Valentine’s day</a> and how it was<a href="http://www.novareinna.com/festive/valentine.html"> integrated into Christianity</a>.</blockquote><br />
These days we know <a href="http://www.wishafriend.com/df/valentinesday/">Valentine's day</a> is lovers' day but the celebrations are so commercialized and at the end of the day, the essence of that special day is lost because it eventually goes down to ‘the expensive the chocolate and roses or any gift you bought for me the more loved I feel’.<br />
<br />
People are being directed towards the idea that you don’t necessarily have to celebrate with the man you love, you can celebrate it with anyone special in your life; could be your mother, sister or friends. The more the people celebrate Valentine’s Day the more money the business people make.<br />
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Growing up, I did not understand how it is that a rose especially red one is a symbol of love. I had problems comprehending how all the love someone feels for me is contained in the roses? But still I pretended I’m really feeling it and that the person has taken all the measures a woman expects from a man to show their love, and I always longed to receive that rose. I still don’t get it; I think it has to do with the fact that I was born and grew up in Africa. But I know for sure that if you want to show your love to someone special then you just open your heart and let them in, let them see through, let them feel it, no chocolate or roses can do that.<br />
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So don’t feel bad or left out if you do not get to celebrate <a href="http://holidays.kaboose.com/valentines-day/">valentine</a> this year, the years before or to come. Set your date to celebrate love, or even better just let it happen spontaneously!Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-1557741211199886862011-01-22T10:23:00.010-06:002011-01-26T10:55:05.181-06:00The Menonnite and Amish Communities<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEZLBazfNgCYg8MLmz6pVbSZprwevM_MokShuVRXwYoLq4P-LLiNlGhljxW0fcwd7Fl_FPkDvahWgQ_FGGo4azTnNUtO7JLdDNjHjEw7Lr1_TDwIwr5qT9Dk_ISNB_hbT6o-XNPLI4nU/s1600/amish1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEZLBazfNgCYg8MLmz6pVbSZprwevM_MokShuVRXwYoLq4P-LLiNlGhljxW0fcwd7Fl_FPkDvahWgQ_FGGo4azTnNUtO7JLdDNjHjEw7Lr1_TDwIwr5qT9Dk_ISNB_hbT6o-XNPLI4nU/s200/amish1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I’m sure there are a lot of people who have no idea who the Mennonites or Amish are, leave alone knowing their existence. I was one of those couple of years ago; thanks to traveling I cracked out of my shell.<br />
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There is a <a href="http://www.belmopancityonline.com/belize-mennonites.aspx">Mennonite community here in Belize</a> located in Spanish Lookout in Cayo which settled in the 1950’s. They normally go to Belize City on Fridays to sell their products and navigate freely without anyone staring because they are Belizeans and form part of the Belizean culture - this is one good thing about Belize, a multi-cultural country.<br />
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<b>Who are the Mennonite and Amish?</b><br />
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Both the Mennonites and Amish originated from <a href="http://www.essortment.com/all/mennonitesamish_rfue.htm">Anabaptist</a> movement <br />
<a name='more'></a>which arose in the 16th century in Europe in opposition to the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformation movement. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FlCUvhrRfBzBvUrxlWh2876qfARG_Nx2VXpPdTii8VPi1LUTDdzgV7mw8rZ7N-Pa5aXUlYIgSfFKy5P-vthPGmDQFZyJFRt1RmCKeFbgd0FLJ4XpZM0rfZy1KDvlSf-jSzkWzsae15I/s1600/mennonites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FlCUvhrRfBzBvUrxlWh2876qfARG_Nx2VXpPdTii8VPi1LUTDdzgV7mw8rZ7N-Pa5aXUlYIgSfFKy5P-vthPGmDQFZyJFRt1RmCKeFbgd0FLJ4XpZM0rfZy1KDvlSf-jSzkWzsae15I/s200/mennonites.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
The <a href="http://www.welcome-to-lancaster-county.com/amish-religion.html">Anabaptists believe</a> on the emphasis of returning to the purity and simplicity of faith and practice as lived by the early Christian church. They do not practice the popular concept of infant baptism and believe only adults who have confessed their faith should be baptised and should remain separate from the larger society.<br />
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These Anabaptist groups were severely persecuted throughout Europe. Thousands were put to death as heretics by both Catholics and Protestants. To avoid this persecution many fled to the mountains of Switzerland and southern Germany. Here began the Amish tradition of farming and holding their worship services in homes rather than churches. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYuHPdW1xpv4P2MbxfdSFWWsL491q50jfTyNqWnzHlqT3ShCwjB5CY8hNZNddXJYWY9xR8gxacEDaIeBrvoU7p9cVRB2lITYvNOvtnbrqgGx8w1do-KKAMi6-5xIHGaKSpXZdM2vSBpk/s1600/amish-buggy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYuHPdW1xpv4P2MbxfdSFWWsL491q50jfTyNqWnzHlqT3ShCwjB5CY8hNZNddXJYWY9xR8gxacEDaIeBrvoU7p9cVRB2lITYvNOvtnbrqgGx8w1do-KKAMi6-5xIHGaKSpXZdM2vSBpk/s200/amish-buggy.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
The Amish and Mennonites worship is against rituals, religious icons, and ostentation. The Mennonite churches are separate designated buildings used primarily for worship and are not ornate by any means.<br />
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In the <a href="http://www.welcome-to-lancaster-county.com/amish-culture.html">Amish</a> community, when children reach the age of 16 they are allowed to freely interact with the outside world until they reach 18 after which they have to decide whether they would like to join the Amish church or they are better off in the outside world. If you decide not to join the church then you are shunned, banned and avoided by the church members. But you are allowed anytime upon repentance to re-join the church. The Amish believe that influences of the outside world only interfere with the purity of their faith. They forbid higher education, refrain from the use of electricity and ride in horse-drawn buggies.<br />
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The Mennonites on the other hand tend to be more tolerant of technology and the outside world. Furthermore, the Mennonites accept higher education and modern technology. They tend to see these influences as ways that can be used to strengthen their religious beliefs.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDS1v8TolevxMONW3p3RfHMWCo7wLzIPTP17sTkmbdtwYjIBu0l6kOD1LjrAIffR9sqN5_43dEPUXYKQJg2byYOgQdTkS8jm1yjTEWIzVSDucIGmwH1bTrUxaspyjFwO1bJobueYvuuHs/s1600/amish_kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDS1v8TolevxMONW3p3RfHMWCo7wLzIPTP17sTkmbdtwYjIBu0l6kOD1LjrAIffR9sqN5_43dEPUXYKQJg2byYOgQdTkS8jm1yjTEWIzVSDucIGmwH1bTrUxaspyjFwO1bJobueYvuuHs/s200/amish_kids.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Both men, women, and children dress modestly in dark colours (usually black and blue) and seek to avoid any form of vanity. Some men wear no neckties or buttons on their clothes. Women wear long skirts, small bonnets and tie their hair in buns. Neither men nor women wear wedding rings or jewellery of any sort. <br />
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They are strongly attached to the land, most being in the dairy and farming business and also do carpentry work. Despite their restricted modes of transportation (horse and buggy), the Mennonites employ rather modern techniques on their dairy farms. Mechanical pumps and state-of-the-art medicines are all utilized. <br />
<br />
The Mennonites have historically sought to increase their fellowship through missionary activities throughout the world, whereas the Amish have never felt the need for such activities.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-1652058646829027562011-01-19T15:57:00.002-06:002011-01-19T17:23:04.465-06:00The Swahili Roses I Know<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Kq3Aqb_05BIE9XpdpEKc1_-WTSfDgD23fo_QB_BDcJefk_cccCBNRjvbDYAi7-tKB0jPDOPCx8jrsmtfIOQiRp3-DKilWrLX79ibgut5cJd1hwNo9ASP8izM3Mq7-Vuwk_PeY2UAFEk/s1600/asumini1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Kq3Aqb_05BIE9XpdpEKc1_-WTSfDgD23fo_QB_BDcJefk_cccCBNRjvbDYAi7-tKB0jPDOPCx8jrsmtfIOQiRp3-DKilWrLX79ibgut5cJd1hwNo9ASP8izM3Mq7-Vuwk_PeY2UAFEk/s1600/asumini1.jpg" /></a></div>Growing up flowers were a major part of our lives and I started seeing roses as young as I could remember. The smell of the roses was unique, just one rose inside a room would fragrance the whole room and you don’t have to place the rose under your nose to smell it.<br />
<br />
When I went to high school I got introduced to another family of roses which looked beautiful than the ones my mom used to bring home. The petals were firm and the colors were rich but had no smell at all. Even when I placed the rose under my nose still could not get any smell and that <br />
<a name='more'></a>was a turn off for me. I was very disappointed and wondered what is the point of having a rose that does not smell like a rose?<br />
<br />
When I was young my mom used to buy a small bouquet of flowers, very small if you compare to the modern bouquets, but the smell was very strong. The bouquet of flowers consisted of jasmine, roses, <i>viluwa</i> and <i>mrehani</i> leaves. All these flowers are left to grow naturally without interference by humans to alter their growth or natural appearances. Believe me you only need a plateful of flowers to fragrance your whole house. These flowers have very strong beautiful smell especially the <i>viluwa</i> flowers.<br />
<br />
The traditional Swahili bouquet known as <i>kikuba</i> or <i>shada</i> consists of the above flowers arranged and stitched together in a thread using needle. These bouquets are normally placed inside the house to freshen the smell; could be in the living area or bedroom. Also during celebrations they are pinned on men’s coat or on one shoulder of the women's dress. During weddings, it is a must for the bride and groom to have a flower necklace arrangement known as<i> koja</i> that is placed around their necks during the celebrations. Most of the time it is a family friend who opts to bring the necklace as a present during the wedding.<br />
<br />
If you make a big bouquet like the modern ones from the flowers that we use, you will not be able to sit in the house because the smell will be so strong and overwhelming for anyone to tolerate.<br />
<br />
I don’t know what happened or who decided that the natural growing flowers are not good enough and decided to create the artificial ones which beat the purpose of flowers, but surely they missed the biggest point of flowers which is smell. When I say artificial I don’t mean the silk or plastic ones but the ones that are natural but have been scientifically modified.<br />
<br />
If you have the original roses, you don’t need your house to be full of them, just a couple will fill your house and emotions with unique satisfying relaxing fragrance for at least 24 hours.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-28578945108006437892011-01-10T12:22:00.012-06:002011-01-25T17:06:54.626-06:00The Coconut Grater - Lessons in Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIZqZwCHN6kYViO4Q0GPzEzGzLXJpbGYtvxeII6Ql_Q8oRTPxKKf3OmVzKsH6j9l8N41tSlWV6fLJAUnYJgE7Ez7lEU_Grc1FAaJUCH6RmNzzv1aAPWKUIsjYoFABvvBuptyQR20VB8I/s1600/coconut+Grater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIZqZwCHN6kYViO4Q0GPzEzGzLXJpbGYtvxeII6Ql_Q8oRTPxKKf3OmVzKsH6j9l8N41tSlWV6fLJAUnYJgE7Ez7lEU_Grc1FAaJUCH6RmNzzv1aAPWKUIsjYoFABvvBuptyQR20VB8I/s200/coconut+Grater.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Sometimes back in Kenya I ordered a local man who makes coconut grater (locally known as <i>mbuzi</i><goat> - meaning <i>goat</i>) to make me one. Big one just like the old ones, because you can sit comfortably on it when grating coconut.</goat><br />
<br />
This type of grater is very old; I guess more than a hundred years, because it is displayed in our Mombasa museum - <a href="http://www.museums.or.ke/content/blogcategory/48/76/">Fort Jesus</a>. In fact I have never seen anything better than it for processing coconut at home. Earlier we were made to believe that it was used by either the Portuguese or Arabs during those times and we are still using it today. But if you look in the recipes for both the Swahilis, Arabs and the Portuguese, the Swahilis utilize coconut in almost all their recipes and I think the others actually adopted it from us.<br />
<br />
The man brought the grater after 2 days and he made it just like the old one <br />
<a name='more'></a>we used to have, I was happy. Then he told me the price and just out of impulse I started negotiating. I wanted to take the price as down as possible. Amidst the negotiations, for a moment I was zapped into reality. I looked at this man thinking how many hours of work he had put into making this gigantic grater. Of course he couldn't afford any machinery so everything was made by hands and took him at least one whole day of hard work. His shirt was torn but clean, these were his business clothes, I told myself. I was sure this man is married, had children, and he has chosen to earn money the right way. I'm not turning myself into one of those unscrupulous people who take advantage of other people who are desperate and will take whatever is offered to them, I told myself. He deserves to be paid what he has asked for and I should just shut up and pay. <br />
<br />
I have traveled half way around the world and have seen people involved in illegal activities as their way of making money.Their excuse could be because they did not go to school or they cannot find a job. This man in front of me, I will not be surprised to learn that he did not go school too, but he found a genuine way to make money. He knows he has hands and legs and brain which he can use to earn legal money whether he went to school or not.<br />
<br />
Can you imagine all these things running in my head in just a few seconds while I was negotiating? I just handed the man the cash I had in my hand and told him to keep the change, he was surprised. I did that not because I am rich of money, which I'm not, but because I could afford it. It is the money that I pay this man that decides whether he will have food on his table or not for that day. That was a very enlightening moment for me.<br />
<br />
In other parts of the world this man would be homeless, eating garbage, his kids taken away from him. I realized I was in Africa and just like other people would say they are lucky to be born in the US or Europe, I felt lucky and lucky for this man that we were born in Africa.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-14886116581991311082010-12-29T15:48:00.001-06:002010-12-30T08:46:37.817-06:00Is Emotional Energy Transferable?Do you believe that emotional energy is transferable verbally and written? It’s not only human energy but from my experience almost everything in the world has energy and it always affects us. For instance the picture of <a href="http://dirishani.blogspot.com/2010/09/reflections.html">Belize River</a> in my blog I posted earlier, I remember very well how I felt when I was there. It was like everything else around me stopped and the river was speaking to me. It was so calm so beautiful so peaceful and after staring deeply I also had the same calm feeling. When I took that photo the energy was also captured and is now transferred to whoever looks at it.<br />
<br />
So what is it about this energy? Something that is intangible, something that is possessed by both living and the non living (so we think) like the sea? <br />
<a name='more'></a>This energy is not only infectious verbally but can be felt long after the source had left, for instance in writing. Reading someone’s writing you can vividly feel the energy the person had when they were writing. It is clear that energy is passed on and left on the writings and it is transferred to whoever reads it. That is powerful!<br />
<br />
We have no control over what energy to absorb because we are like a sponge just sucking in whatever is presented to us but we have the control over what to do with the energy; either to pass it own or relinquish it with a positive one.<br />
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All the emotional energy created is tremendously powerful and should be put in good use. Any energy that you give out is taken in by someone or something else without our realization. So next time before you post that angry comment on a board you should know that the negative energy stays there and gets absorbed by everyone reading it; some get angry just like you were and some feel sorry for you.<br />
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What is your purpose in life if all you do is <strike>try to</strike> make other people’s life miserable?Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-34288830827178378442010-12-28T20:16:00.003-06:002011-01-28T13:16:58.524-06:00Cutlets<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<br />
250gm (½ lb.) minced beef<br />
I cup onions very finely cubed<br />
500gm (1 lb.) potatoes<br />
1 teaspoon ground cumin<br />
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />
1 teaspoon ground black-pepper<br />
<a name='more'></a>I tablespoon ginger/garlic paste<br />
½ teaspoon garlic paste<br />
A bunch of fresh coriander/cilantro leaves<br />
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)<br />
1 tablespoon lime juice<br />
2 eggs<br />
Salt<br />
Breadcrumbs (optional)<br />
Oil for deep frying<br />
<br />
Boil all potatoes with skin.<br />
<br />
While the potatoes are boiling, place the minced meat in a cooking pan on medium heat, add salt, cumin, cinnamon, black-pepper, ginger/garlic paste and coriander. Keep mixing and separating the meat to avoid formation of big chunks until all the water has dried up for about 15 minutes.<br />
<br />
Remove the pan from fire and immediately add the onions, mix them well and let them steam from the heat.<br />
<br />
When the potatoes are ready peel them, add the garlic, lime juice, cayenne pepper and salt and thoroughly mash them until very smooth.<br />
<br />
Take a handful size mashed potatoes on your palms make a ball, then make a depression into the ball so that it becomes like a bowl curving upwards. We want to make the potato layer as thin as possible.<br />
<br />
Add one or two tablespoons of the minced meat and close the ball tightly making sure all the air is pressed out otherwise the balls will burst open when deep frying. You can flatten the ball a bit from top. Roll the cutlet on the breadcrumbs.<br />
<br />
Do the same for the remaining potatoes, if any meat is left you can make meat-balls.<br />
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Heat a wok on medium fire and add oil to a level that will completely cover the cutlets when frying.<br />
<br />
Beat the 2 eggs in a bowl.<br />
<br />
When the oil is hot enough, dip the cutlets in the eggs turning both sides making sure it is all covered with eggs otherwise it will disintegrate when frying, then gently drop in the wok to fry it. You can add as many cutlets as the space in the work allows, but I like doing four at time (one fits inner palm).<br />
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When one side becomes golden brown gently turn them onto the other side. <br />
<br />
When both sides are done, remove and place on a paper towel to drain the oil.<br />
<br />
Serve with lettuce/tomato salad and lemon wedges.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-20659465115798350342010-12-14T12:40:00.002-06:002011-01-10T21:49:28.801-06:00Do Africans believe in Obesity?Yes we do, although it is always a compliment when someone tells you have gained weight, there is a line when you cross, you are considered obese or fat. In Kiswahili language we have some of the ugliest and disgusting names for obese and very thin people that anyone becomes offended when used to describe them. <br />
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For a Swahili woman to be a total package she must be curvy and her legs and arms must be smooth and rounded, no hard muscles protruding like with the western women. Muscles on women is considered very ugly, unattractive, unsexy and repels men. <br />
<a name='more'></a>Masculine legs and arms should be men’s. The waist must be clearly defined and from behind you should be able to differentiate her shoulders, waist and below. The back should not be straight like a vertical wall.<br />
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<br />
An example of a perfect curvy woman that would turn on most African men is Oprah. That is the way a perfect African Woman’s body must be from head to toe and that should also be the maximum weight, beyond that it becomes ugly.<br />
<br />
For men, protruding tummy is not considered sexy at all and women are not looking for a man with six packs like in the west. A man must possess some degree of physical masculinity to ensure that he can protect her woman. Thin men are a total turn off to a woman as well as overweight. <br />
<br />
When you become overweight you are considered ugly and always placed in the old age group even if you are young, sometimes there are health concerns. Thin is not considered beautiful neither, if you are slim then people think you must be undergoing some sort of suffering either physical or emotional and they always feel sorry for you.<br />
<br />
However being overweight or thin does not play a major role in our society because people associate with whom they have the same values on the inside not outside and there is no stigma associated with weight. People maybe concern with your health but will never address it in a mean way. If you have foes then they will always try to hurt you. It’s not like in the US people are so mean, opinionated and judgmental that family members, friends and total strangers stare, laugh and point fingers at you while walking around.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-27386276603893231462010-11-17T11:51:00.008-06:002011-01-24T19:40:06.538-06:00Was the AIDS Virus Made in the USA?After learning that most <strike>if not all</strike> of the deadly drug resistant diseases and viruses are man-made, could not help but research on the origin of AIDS and what I found out blew my mind. Read the article below and make your own decisions.<br />
<br />
<b>The AIDS virus: Made in the USA?</b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Online Journal</span>, <span style="font-size: x-small;">written by Jerry Mazza</span><br />
<br />
<i>October 26, 2005—You mean AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) didn’t come from a green monkey that bit a black African on the ass? Are you lying to us again, Uncle Sam? I think so.</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">In fact, on July 29, 1969, only days after the Department of Defense (DOD) asked for $10 million from Congress to fund the development of a “synthetic biological agent,<br />
<a name='more'></a>an agent that does not naturally exist and for which no natural immunity could have been acquired . . ." on that day, the chairman of the Republican Task Force on Earth Resources and Population, the Honorable George H. W. Bush, U.S. Representative from Texas, 7th District (1967–71), stressed the pressing need for population control activities to fend off “a growing Third World crisis.” Imagine.</div><br />
Here is the linked text of the Dept. of Defense request for Appropriation for 1970, HB 15090, from page 129. Quoted is Dr. MacArthur from said Pentagon, speaking to Robert L.F. Sikes, Florida, about the need for the above mentioned “synthetic biological agent” (italics mine).<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are two things about the biological agent field I would like to mention; one is the possibility of technological surprise. Molecular biology is a field that is advancing very rapidly and eminent biologists believe that <i>within a period of 5 to 10 years it would be possible to produce a synthetic biological agent, an agent that does not naturally exist and for which no natural immunity could have been acquired.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Mr. Sikes:</b> Are we doing any work in that field?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Dr. MacArthur.</b> We are not.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Mr. Sikes:</b> Why not? Lack of money or lack of interest?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Dr. MacArthur: </b>Certainly not lack of interest.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Mr. Sikes:</b> Would you provide for our records information on what would be required, what the advantages of such a program would be, the time and the cost involved?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Dr. MacArthur: </b>We will be very happy to.</span></div><br />
<b>The information follows:</b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The dramatic progress being made in the field of molecular biology led us to investigate the relevance of this field of science to biological warfare. A small group of experts considered this matter and provided the following observations:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>All biological agents up to the present time are representatives of naturally occurring disease, and are thus known by scientists throughout the world. They are easily available to qualified scientists for research either for offensive or defensive purposes.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Within the next 5 to 10 years, it would probably be possible to make a new infective microorganism which could differ in certain important aspects from any known disease-causing organisms. Most important of these is that it might be refractory to the immunological and therapeutic processes upon which we depend to maintain our relative freedom from infectious disease. </i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>A research program to explore the feasibility of this could be completed in approximately 5 years at the total cost of $10 million.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;">It would be very difficult to establish such a program. Molecular biology is a relatively new science. There are not many highly competent scientists in the field. Almost all are in university laboratories, and they are generally adequately supported from sources other than DOD. However, it was considered possible to initiate an adequate program through the National Academy of Sciences - National Research Council (NAS—NRC).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;">The matter was discussed with the NAS-NRC and tentative plans were made to initiate the program. However, decreasing funds in CB [chemical-bio warfare], growing criticism of the CB program, and our reluctance to involve the NAS NRC in such a controversial endeavor have led us to postpone it for the past 2 years.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is a highly controversial issue and there are many who believe such research should not be undertaken lest it lead to yet another method of massive killing of large populations. On the other hand, without the sure scientific knowledge that such a weapon is possible and an understanding of the ways it could be done, there is little that can be done to devise defensive measures. Should an enemy develop it, there is little doubt that this is an important area of potential military technological inferiority in which there is no adequate . . . </span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">And so on. And thus spake Dr MacArthur and the $10 million appropriation was granted. And it worked, perhaps the beginning of the end.</span></div><br />
<b>Enter Dr. Robert Strecker</b><br />
<br />
Flash forward to 1983. Dr. Robert Strecker of Los Angeles, a practicing gastroenterologist with a Ph.D. in pharmacology, is hired as a consultant to work on a health care proposal for an HMO of the Security Pacific Bank, concerning coverage costs in the event any of 30,000 employees came down with AIDS. Along with the help of his brother, Theodore, a lawyer, the two compiled extensive research of the epidemic which ultimately became The Strecker Memorandum.<br />
<br />
In it, Dr. Strecker indicated that the AIDS virus was in fact developed by the National Cancer Institute, in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO), in a laboratory at Ft. Dietrick in Maryland. From 1970–74, this laboratory facility was part of the U.S. Army’s germ warfare unit, known as the Army Infectious Disease Unit, or Special Operations Division, also referred to as the Army’s Chemical Biological Warfare Laboratory. Post 1974, the facility was renamed the National Cancer Institute (NCI). According to researcher William Cooper (former Navy Intelligence), noted in Larry Jamison’s article Is The AIDS Virus Man Made?, this work was supervised by the CIA under a project called MK-NAOMI.<br />
<br />
Dr. Strecker has also traced some of the research and researchers at Ft. Dietrick/NCI to a group of Japanese scientists captured at World War 2’s end and given amnesty in exchange for information on racial and ethnic bio-weaponry, their research dating back to 1930. What’s more, expatriated Russian scientists were brought in to help as well.<br />
<br />
Dr. Strecker, one of the original and foremost authorities on the AIDS virus, found that the virus creation was conducted under the leadership of Dr. Robert Gallo, who later claimed to discover the virus. Dr. Gallo and his team created the AIDS virus by combining the bovine (cattle) leukemia virus and visna (sheep) virus, and injecting them into human tissue cultures.<br />
<br />
They discovered, as Strecker did, that bovine leukemia virus is lethal to cattle, but not to humans. And the visna virus is deadly to sheep, but not to man. However, when combined, they produce a retro-virus that can change the genetic composition of the cells they enter. In fact, as Larry Jamison points out, early field tests on prison convicts led to sickness then death, which inspired Gallo and friends to bigger and more terrible things, including injecting brothers and sisters with the tainted vaccine to see who died first. This was done to study HLA (human leukocyte antigen processing), to see how related people reacted. Frighteningly, whole families got sick at once! And there was worse to come.<br />
<br />
The AIDS retro-virus works, as Dr. Strecker states, by causing the destruction of the immune system, fundamentally the body's white blood or T-cells essential to the effectiveness of the immune system particularly against opportunistic infections diseases. The B-cells deal with more benign, bacterial infections. AZT, the drug which is a kind of junk food that starves the AIDS virus, often kills the patient as well. It provides dubious consolation.<br />
<br />
Predictably, when Robert and Theodore tried to share their findings with national, state and local authorities, they received only two responses. On August 11, 1988, Ted Strecker, was found shot to death in his home in Springfield, Missouri. The death was ruled a suicide, in spite of the fact that Dr. Robert Strecker had spoken to his brother on the phone the night before, and Ted was both healthy and in good spirits. On September 12, 1988, the lone political official who had responded to the Streckers’ findings, Illinois State Representative Douglas Huff of Chicago, was found dead in his home. The autopsy claimed he died of a stroke as a result of an overdose of cocaine and heroin. Huff had been an outspoken supporter of Dr. Strecker’s work to publicize what was in essence an AIDS cover-up.<br />
<br />
Dr. Strecker himself is said to have “gone underground” about five years ago. Yet copies of his Strecker Memorandum are available on DVD and VHS. His passion and massive knowledge have not faded since 1988 when the piece was produced. See it if you can.<br />
<br />
The common disinformation on AIDS that Strecker fought was the claim that AIDS origin came from a green monkey biting a black man’s backside in Africa. Strecker and a number of virologists pointed out that the AIDS virus doesn’t appear naturally in any animal. Plus, it would have been impossible to reach the point of millions infected from a single episode. More likely, they said, if the virus had come from green monkeys, it would have surfaced with the Pygmies, who are closer to them, and use them as a food source. Ironically, Pygmies contracted AIDS later on when they had intercourse with prostitutes in cities, where the AIDS virus first appeared, not in the jungle.<br />
<br />
Also, concerning green monkeys, Dr. William Campbell Douglass, MD, writes in 1987 in <a href="http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/who.htm">W.H.O. Murdered Africa</a> : “<i>This is the origin of the green monkey theory. The polio vaccine was grown on green monkey kidney cells and the geniuses who brought us polio vaccine said: ‘We got away with it once so let's use it again.’ But they didn't get away with it and in spite of the fact that polio was rapidly disappearing without any medical intervention, 64 million Americans were vaccinated with SV-40 contaminated vaccine in the 60s. An increase in cancer of the brain, possibly multiple sclerosis and God only knows what else is the tragic result. The delay between vaccination and the onset of cancer with this virus is as long as 20–30 years. Nineteen sixty-five plus 20 equals 1985. Get the picture</i>?”<br />
<br />
<b>Why, Where and When the AIDS Epidemic First Reared its Head</b><br />
<br />
In 1972, under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO), there was a massive vaccination program for smallpox, literally for millions of Africans. Strecker and others believe that the smallpox vaccine laced with the HIV/AIDS virus was given the population, which was mostly black, poor, and part of that startlingly growing African population that GHW Bush, among many elites, the Rockefeller family, the Club of Rome crowd and Bilderbegers, had been concerned with in 1969, and back to 1965, when “the Club” was formed. The intent was to achieve their awful goal—of reducing the world’s population by 75 percent—as mentioned in <a href="http://www.modernhistoryproject.org/mhp/ArticleDisplay.php?Article=FinalWarn08-5&...">The Modern History Project</a>. This is the main reason the AIDS pandemic occurred almost simultaneously in Haiti, Brazil, Japan, and the United States, as well as Central Africa.<br />
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As Jamison tells us, “There was a book in 1968 titled The Population Bomb, by Dr. Paul Ehrlich that had a very telling paragraph on page 17 that probably tells us the key thinking that was behind the decision. Dr. Ehrlich says ‘in summary, the world’s population will continue to grow as long as the birth rate exceeds the death rate; it’s as simple as that. When it stops growing or starts to shrink, it will mean that either the birth rate has gone down or the death rate has gone up or a combination of the two. Basically, then there are only two kinds of solutions to the population problem. One is a birth rate solution (remember the ZPG—Zero Population Growth—movement?) The other is a death rate solution in which ways to raise the death rate—war, famine, pestilence—find us. The problem could have been avoided by population control, in which mankind consciously adjusted the birth rate so that a ‘death rate solution’ did not have to occur.’" How thoughtful of them all.<br />
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Jamison goes on to say: “The late William Cooper, in his excellent book Behold A Pale Horse notes that Dr. Ehrlich’s wife, Anne, is a member of the Club Of Rome, a think tank group that produced a computer model called Global 2000 which not only outlined the recommendations for AIDS, including a special prophylactic for the ruling elite, and a cure at the very same time which is to be released to the survivors when it is decided enough people have died. According to Cooper, the Global 2000 plan was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and then presented to President Carter. Cooper’s research determined that the order to proceed with the plan ‘was given by the policy committee of the Bilderberg Group in Switzerland.’”<br />
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He adds, “The Bilderbergers . . . are a powerful alliance of elite world political leaders and international financiers. . . . In his book, Cooper also mentions the ‘Haig-Kissinger depopulation policy which has taken over various levels of government and in fact is determining U.S. Policy. The planning organization operates outside the White House and directs its entire efforts to reduce the world’s population by 2 billion people through war, famine and any other means necessary.’ Active policies of our State Department go beyond the implementation of AIDS, because Cooper mentions the existence of the office of Population Affairs whose Latin American case officer Thomas Ferguson actually made the statement that ‘There is a single theme behind all of our work: we must reduce population levels. Either they do it our way through nice clean methods or they will get the kind of mess that we have in El Salvador, or in Iran or in Beirut.'" That ‘messy and clean’ language has a familiar ring to it.<br />
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And in fact, on May 11, 1987, as <i>The Modern History Project</i>, Jamison, and others point out, no less than the London Times broke the story “Smallpox Vaccine ‘Triggered AIDS Virus.’” It was written by Science Editor Pearce Wright, who, challenged by independent investigators' research, went on to tie the World Health Organization’s mass vaccination program to the AIDS outbreak. Since Central (Sub-Saharan) Africa was the focus of the program, it has tragically become the most hard-hit area of the world. The London Times article, which spread like wildfire over Europe, never touched the shores of America. The story was buried like the first AIDS victim.<br />
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The irony is that AIDS is considered a heterosexual disease in Africa, while in America it has been stigmatized as a ‘gay’ disease. The dark heart of that matter begins in 1969, with a Dr. W. Schmugner, a Polish physician educated in Russia, who came to America where he became head of the New York City Blood Bank. He established guidelines for a Hepatitis B vaccine study, in which only “promiscuous males,” ages 20 to 40 were included in the study, managing to somehow single out only gays.<br />
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In 1978, more than a thousand “promiscuous homosexual” males were the victims of this “experimental” Hepatitis B vaccination, sponsored by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Since the vaccine was not produced from human tissue culture, it’s impossible to have an accidental contamination. In plain language, the AIDS virus was intentionally laced into the Hep B vaccine. By 1981, the CDC claimed that only 6 percent of the Hep B vaccine recipients were infected with AIDS. In 1984, the truth was outed: the number was 64 percent. That’s right, 64 percent. Not surprisingly, these Hep B vaccines studies are now under lock and key at the No Justice Department in Washington, DC. And no one can see them. No, no, no, not you, not you, not you.<br />
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<b>Helping to Further Spread the Disease</b><br />
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To help the disease really dig into the population, vital information was additionally covered-up. Emphasis was put on the prime cause of AIDS infection as the exchange of body fluid through sexual activity and intravenous drug use. This gave birth to a campaign for using clean unused needles as well as condoms. Lovely. The fact is condom use is not a guarantee against contracting the disease. One AIDS virion (a virus particle with outer coat intact) is 500 times smaller than the smallest sperm and 10 times smaller than the smallest hole in a condom and therefore can pierce it. Failure rates of 30–50 percent have been noted, and condom quality itself is under scrutiny. Nevertheless, this is not, I repeat, not a recommendation to anyone not to use a condom.<br />
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What’s more, the risk of casual contact has been understated. I don’t mean to anger anyone here or bail on the afflicted, but AIDS is highly contagious. There is hard evidence, which Strecker mentioned, that the AIDS virus can survive on a dry petri dish for 7 days, and up to 15 days in a wet environment. Incubation in a host can last for 10 to 15 years before there is noticeable sign of illness. This means a carrier could unknowingly pass on the disease in that time. It’s a painful proposition all around, including the caution of Professor William Haseltine of Harvard Medical School: “Anyone who tells you categorically that AIDS is not contracted by saliva is not telling you the truth. AIDS may in fact be transmissible by tears, saliva and bodily fluids.<br />
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Whether you agree with the above or not, the larger context is that this pox, this abomination, was created and spread consciously by the United States government against black heterosexual populations and then gay white populations, and then spread to populations at large around the world. This mass-murder has already dwarfed the holocaust, in which six million people were murdered with industrial technology. The evil geniuses behind this virus have bio-engineered an organism that multiples 100 times faster than influenza. There are more than 180 different AIDS viruses and 300 strains, which makes blood testing meaningless. Strecker’s number for possible AIDS viruses was 9,000 (base pairs on the genome) to the fourth power.<br />
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<b>Conclusion for Now</b><br />
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Concerning total AIDS deaths, Dr. Campbell Douglass writes: “Dr. Strecker points out that even if the African green monkey could transmit AIDS to humans, the present known amount of infection in Africa makes it statistically impossible for a single episode, such as a monkey biting someone on the butt, to have brought this epidemic to this point [1987]. The doubling time of the number of people infected, about every 14 months, when correlated with the first known case and the present known number of cases, prove beyond a doubt that a large number of people had to have been infected at the same time. Starting in 1972 with the first case from our mythical monkey and doubling the number infected from the single source you get only a few thousand cases. From 1972 to 1987 is 15 years or 180 months. If it takes 14 months to double the number of cases then there would have been 13 doublings, one then 2, then 4, then 8, etc. In 15 years, from a single source of infection there would be about 8,000 cases in Africa, not 75 million. [That’s his bottom line then for Africa alone] We are approaching World War II mortality statistics here—without a shot being fired.”<br />
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Thus, we are faced with a species-killer, a global war on humanity, silently out-pacing anything but all-out nuclear conflagration. To those of us in North America, to those of us who are healthy (we hope), these figures, this plague, seem distant often, happening to others, a subject already talked to death. Unless light can continue to be shed on AIDS soon, even from some dark figure among those who perpetuated it, where is the future and how do we take life today for granted tomorrow? In the haze of a television culture, of endless ballgames, “reality” shows, sitcoms, apocalypse movies, and romantic comedies, where is the light? AIDS was man made in the USA, and is not God’s wrath on gays, Africans, Latinos, or women, as various crackpots would have us believe. AIDS is about all of us and our generations surviving the crass dementia of some ruling class. Like the virus, the enemy is within the social body, feasting on it. It’s time, one way or the other, to turn this dark light and its ops out.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-84038966318263808832010-11-13T09:45:00.003-06:002011-01-10T21:51:39.166-06:00Memories of My Grandma….She refused to eat any type of margarine or artificial butter; she preferred the real butter made from cow’s milk<br />
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She never used any kind of hydrogenated fat for cooking; she always used ghee which is also made from cow’s milk<br />
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If you talk with her and use an English word, she catches it and deciphers it <br />
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She always advised that when going to sleep, never leave knives or any weapon in the open <br />
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She did not like eating anything that is made with powder milk, unless you trick her by not telling her the truth. She knew that powder milk is made from corn (I have no idea who told her that)<br />
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She will not eat any food that is left open in an area where there are flies. She told us she read a book about the flies and how nasty they are and has no desire to share food with them. <br />
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She never went to school but taught herself how to read Kiswahili.<br />
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Had a problem with lazy people; if you sleep during the day you are lazy, if you wake up late in the morning you are lazy, you must be awake at least 6am in the morning.<br />
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Refused to eat any processed ready to eat food. You have to cook from fresh ingredients for her to eat.<br />
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Rice is our staple food and her rice must be made with coconut milk always<br />
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She always preferred cooking using fresh coconut oil, which we used to make in our home most of the time.<br />
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If you really want to make her happy then you would cook her favourite dish in one of her legendary clay pots.<br />
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She never brushed her teeth with toothpaste and plastic toothbrush; instead she used salt with the traditional brushing stick. Amazingly her teeth were very white and never had any problems with her teeth.<br />
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She always dressed up in the traditional Swahili attire (<a href="http://www.glcom.com/hassan/kanga_history.html">kanga/leso</a>), would only wear a dress if she has to go outside the house.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-87205811024503487862010-10-27T16:35:00.004-06:002011-01-10T21:52:40.961-06:00Drowning in SweetnessFor some time now I have been wondering why I have sweet cravings, because I never have this in my country, Kenya. Then I realize it’s the food I’m eating that is different. I hardly eat anything sweet for days. Unlike when I’m in <a href="http://dirishani.blogspot.com/2010/04/history-of-mombasa.html">Mombasa</a> Kenya, there is always something sweet for breakfast and sometimes for dinner because we eat very light in the evening like in the morning.<br />
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I like ice cream and have found few Caribbean brands here (in Belize) which I like. Then a <a href="http://dirishani.blogspot.com/2010/05/people-of-belize.html">Belizean</a> told me I have to try a particular USA brand because it’s the best of all <br />
<a name='more'></a>the brands. I gave it a try, was a bit sweeter than the normal ice cream in my country and the caribbean. I thought maybe it’s because of the flavor, so I decided to try another flavor. Bought 2 favours; one had cherries inside and the other had cookies inside. I did not like the idea of cookies inside an ice cream because it sounds like a junk food but decided to give it a try. <br />
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Of course I first opened the cherry one, and the look inside was not inviting, I expected it to be white and maybe bits and pieces of red cherries but instead it was brown so it was clear it’s chocolate flavoured. When I tasted my first scoop, my taste buds exploded and collapsed, I felt pain in my brain because of the sweetness. It felt like I’ve just eaten a ball of sugar. The cherries inside the ice cream were not real; they were soaked in sugar until they also became sugar balls. The taste of sugar was so strong and overpowering everything that I could not even taste the ice cream. <br />
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The ice cream was blended with chocolate and had very sweet chocolate chips inside. Chocolate flavoured ice cream with chocolate chips and cherries? Wow! what a combination. I felt like my taste buds were being terrorized and had to stop, threw away the remaining ice cream to relieve myself. <br />
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What an experience! Ironically this was one of the most expensive ice creams in the store's freezer; really? I have never eaten anything so sweet in my life before except in the American Airlines plane when I had a cookie. I’ve also tried other US ice cream brands and they’re all very sweet but the latter tops the list. Why do Americans consume so much sugar? I now ask myself. Can something be moderately sweet?<br />
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This incident made me miss the ice cream in my home town. We have several brands but my favourite is from an Italian company. Clean flavours, you can taste the flavours and enjoy the ice cream too. If it has cherries inside then they are real, few and tasty not sugary. You can taste the milk richness in the ice cream and not a single ice crystal inside, just smooth.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-59727010929079479322010-10-21T11:09:00.003-06:002010-12-16T22:42:52.688-06:00Products Recall in the USProducts recalls in the US happen so frequently that it’s annoying especially because most of the products here in Belize come from US. <br />
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The <a href="http://www.fda.gov/">FDA</a> (US Food and Drug Administration) recall products several times in a month and I ask myself why these products are released to the public before they are properly inspected? This month FDA will give approval of a certain product, after several months the product is recalled. Is it because products are no longer tested on animals due to animal cruelty and instead are tested on us?<br />
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When products are recalled no one alerts anyone here in Belize and they are definitely not removed from the store shelves. It’s up to the consumer <br />
<a name='more'></a>to be alert and watch (US) news all the time. I will not be surprised to learn that most of the recalled products actually end up here in Belize. It seems like there are no strong regulations and being the small fish among the big, you will end up being the dumping ground for substandard goods.<br />
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Most of the recalls are <a href="http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/default.htm">drugs</a>, <a href="http://www.fda.gov/Food/default.htm">food</a> and baby products. Last month I saw a recall of a baby formula. There was a woman who actually had the formula and showed it in the television, a live bug was walking inside the baby formula and the expiry date was still one year ahead. That was disgusting. Just this week there has been a recall of hormones drugs for oestrogen and progesterone, and a recall for (I think it was) 2 million baby trolleys. I wonder if they destroy these baby trolleys or they could end up in my country Kenya.<br />
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On the hand I said to myself, mmmhhmmm… there are hardly any recalls in my country Kenya. So does it mean my gov’t is doing a great job in inspection or are they doing nothing? It can’t be that they are so perfect. I’m curious to know what would happen if they do their job properly; will we have so many recalls like in the US? But one thing you can be sure of, you can never walk in a store/supermarket and see an expired product still lying on the shelves sold at a discount price like here in Belize. <br />
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Most of the recalls are of USA made products, for China made the list is infinite and needs its own post.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4305683321281696622.post-88663370419419488182010-10-14T17:28:00.004-06:002010-10-14T17:36:57.623-06:00How Were Languages Formed?I was looking at the slide show on my blog and observed the picture of the old <a href="http://dirishani.blogspot.com/2010/05/market-in-mombasa.html">Farmers Market</a> with the huge ‘Market’ letters on the main entrance. It took me back and reminded me how languages were formed. Recently there has not been invention of any new languages; we have schools to learn any language of our choice. But before we had formal schools people used to travel and had to find a way to communicate with the communities they came across. Adopting new words from different languages to ease communication was one of the major ways; at least I know that is how Kiswahili was formed. There are Portuguese, English, Indian and Arabic words in Kiswahili language. <br />
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The<a href="http://dirishani.blogspot.com/2010/05/market-in-mombasa.html"> farmers market</a> was build during British colonization. The locals <br />
<a name='more'></a>did not know English at all because the British did not like to mingle with the locals (except for the missionaries). As a result the local people had to read the letters in their native language. They pronounced it ‘mariketi’. <br />
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In Kiswahili, words are spoken and read exactly the way they are written and most of the time there is a vowel between consonants. The word market was Swahilirised. Of course there is a Swahili word for market but because no one could tell the Swahilis the meaning of the word they had no idea what it meant. Later on the whole neighbourhood near this ‘market’ area became to be known as ‘mariketi’ and still is up to now.<br />
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Same thing is with the <a href="http://dirishani.blogspot.com/2010/05/people-of-belize.html#Creoles">creole/kriol</a> language in Central America. If you listen to <a href="http://centralacadianatourism.com/CreoleCulture.html">kriol</a> for the first time – which was my case when I arrived here in Belize – it sounded mostly like broken English . English without the English rules, it sounded like a child trying to learn to speak English. Don’t be fooled by thinking that because it’s broken English you’ll understand it; you still have to learn it like any language. The words him or her do not exist in kriol and most of the words are shortened, spoken halfway like ‘what’ is ‘wah’. Most of the Africans brought here during slavery came from West Africa and did not speak one language. They had to communicate with each other and their European ‘masters’ and it is clear no one taught them any language. They had to figure it out themselves and create a new language. They used the same principle like the Swahilis and kriol is now the second most popular language in Central America after English. <br />
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In fact here in Belize English is the national language but kriol is widely spoken than English. The only time someone will speak English to you is when they realize you are not a Belizean.Dirishanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14632091863850505857noreply@blogger.com0