The Crime Behind the Lira Medical Workers’ Industrial Action

Albert Einstein, a popular Philosopher Scientist, once said; “only a lived life for others is worth living.”

I am coming back to post here ahead of schedule because of something tragic that happened in the Northern part of Uganda!! It attracted little or no media attention compared to the Land Bill, and the cheap political squabbles.

Apparently, 15 patients died in a Lira hospital as a result of a medical workers’ industrial action over unpaid allowances. Why 15 people had to die, under the perceived care of medical workers, is beyond my feeble understanding!

We join the health care field because most of us hold this deep and personal connection to caring for others. Health care professionals are an embodiment of not only the core values of “caring” but of patient advocacy, collaboration, and accountability.

It is true that there have been numerous medical workers’ strike actions before. The difference is that most of these strikes were carried out in a proficient manner that did not compromise the quality of life and indeed the interests of the patients.

If these heath care professionals had no option but to strike they should have been entirely certain that delegated care was not only professional and competent, but also adequately set in order to uphold the concept of continuous care. And why their union activism did not express their dissatisfaction through advocacy prior to this industrial action, bothers me!

In whatever way you prefer to look at this tragedy, the fact remains that reducing patients into objects of negotiation is a violation of patient rights. In this regard, Lira hospital medical workers appear to have neglected their professed duty of care resulting into deaths and therefore, should face criminal charges (willful criminal negligence, second degree murder et al.) as a result.

By this action, the Lira hospital doctors that participated, whilst neglecting to provide continuity through alternative care, violated the first dictum of medicine: primum, non nocere (translated as: “First, do no harm") and the Hippocratic Oath. What a shame!!

My endless whining about the grotesqueness of the unprofessional behavior of these few bad apples does not negate my belief in industrial action as an effective bargaining tool in the labor market, so long as the actual needs (human life protection and preservation) are respected and put ahead of potential future benefits.

Meanwhile, I pray that somebody is held accountable for these crimes committed at the Lira Regional Referral Hospital.

Should Global Warming Solutions Start At Home?

Happy Easter my inshutis. I hope you all had a blast

A couple of days back, Hopes showed me pictures he was about to upload on to his Flickr page (find one attached here-below). His excitement emanated from the fact that he captured with utmost clarity, the Toronto Skyline from the Hamilton Mountains, which is a distance of about 90 km (56 miles).


Hopes' snap depicting beauty and the beast. Dofasco (above)
accounts for 14.6% area pollution. Both Dofasco & Stelco
have agreed to pay for clean up. Source: Hamilton Spectator


I am not bringing this up to brag about his camera, but rather, the evidence of thick gas emissions from Ontario’s largest Steel Industries (Dafasco Industries and Stelco Inc.) located in our city of Hamilton. According to Environment Canada (Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting Program) Dafasco alone contributes 14.6% of this area's total emissions and Stelco Inc. 11.5% which is, by simple calculation, a national emission accumulation of 2.6% by both polluters.

According to a similar report, large Industries in this country have emitted into the atmosphere more than 4.5 billion kilograms of pollutants that cause health complications like cancer, respiratory ailments et al. and environmental degradation that accelerates climate change and yet the current regulations under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act that supposedly set national air quality standards, are so flimsy they might as well not exist, owing to the mere fact that they do not trigger any punitive action to violations.

The way climate change is hastily affecting us, it’s up to all of us to commence responsible energy consumption other than laying all the blame onto Industries and Governments. I for one signed a petition against the central government’s planned giveaway of Mabira forest in Uganda, but as petitioning locals, aren’t we late or indeed exhibiting double standards after doing virtually nothing for decades as this forest reserve got depleted for her wood resources, new settlements and farming by the local peasants around her? Shouldn't we - the media, Ugandan environmentalists, anybody agitating against gov't's move today, have tried fighting for the forest ages back?

Like wise a vast majority of Canadians that responded to a recent poll thought that the environment should be the top priority of Ottawa than terrorism and Afghanistan; that they are personally careful to avoid polluting; and that Ottawa should do more to be involved in the International politics of global warming. The million dollar question is, are we individually trying hard to avoid polluting the world or is it just lip service?

I am of the opinion that both the Provincial and Federal gov’ts agree on how to decrease on the supply of energy to consumers other than leaving the initiative to us. If all of us knew that on a certain day between say 10:00pm to 6:00am there will be power cuts but only enough to run essential services like hospitals, then I am sure we will all plan on alternatives like running our clocks on batteries, pouring buckets of water into toilets than flushing or even using energy reserving bulbs that actually save on energy. I believe this fight is contagious. If charity begins at home, I am convinced that big time polluters will finally jump onto this band wagon as a result.

The problem is the difficulty of putting these abstract thoughts into action, because to be fair choices are sometimes difficult. However, if people in Uganda, Rwanda and other developing countries can live relatively comfortably in their world of energy shortage and power cuts, why can’t we?

Kagame; Think Hard Before You Commence Legislating Morality

8 March, 2007 was the International Women’s Day, a day where we all commemorate the achievements of women in all aspects of life and where the rhetoric of the emancipation of women is celebrated.

On this day in Kigali, the Rwandese President General Paul Kagame chose to officially join forces with the ever vocal group that seeks criminalization of prostitution under the belief that this trade has no intrinsic value attached to it and that the advantages of its eradication through indiscriminate enforcement of the criminal law are undeniable.

I agree with the value concept of this school of thought because to me prostitution is something I abhor and distaste. However, despite my beliefs, I concur with the notion that prostitution should only be branded as immoral just like alcohol consumption, but not as a criminal act.

Kagame’s assertion that “the legal arm of this land should take immediate action and sweep our streets of the prostitutes” worries me, because not only does this directive sweep the causes under the carpet, it is also a bold attempt by the executive body to initiate passing laws whose primary concern is morality and not civil value. Laws whose primary objective is civil are intended to ensure the safety and indeed order of all residents of the country and also ensure other values that uphold freedoms, liberty et al.

I believe that generalizing all immoral things as illegal is fundamentally wrong and self defeating. Take for instance the Christians’ stand on worshipping other gods other than the biblical God; it is considered as immoral, despicable and punishable by everlasting condemnation and yet the right to exercise preference in worship is enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and indeed the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted in 1948 by the General Assembly. In my opinion, the state can not prohibit any individual’s liberty in social interactions, most especially where the parties in question are two consenting adults.

Mr. Kagame was right when he observed that “Prostitution is a clear and explicit reflection of moral decay, the erosion of moral values and the collective failure of the family institution in carrying out the responsibility of getting the young internalize and measure up to societal expectations.” But fails to recognize that moral decay is considered an outright sign of government’s mismanagement 'kubanga' prostitution is one of many evils taken to symbolize collapse of the pillars of society.

A quick fix, in my opinion, is government’s lazy way of trying to handle this “problem” of prostitution without meeting her own obligations to society like educating her people about this evil; building an inclusive economy and strong social welfare systems/networks; and promoting/upholding African values – Not legislating morality, because, like I said the primary deliberation of laws should be civil and not a moral function.

I am sincerely hoping that the president had child trafficking, sexual slavery, exploitation and pimping in mind. Heavy enforcement laws against trafficking and pimping would do justice to the plight of prostitutes who are victims of harsh economic environments that lack viable alternatives; victims of the injustice of criminalization and social stigma from "legitimate" society that figures that prostitutes brought their troubles onto themselves; and the education system that promotes job seeking mentalities minting out fresh graduates each year to do just that…job seeking.

Our Rwandese society has digressed to new levels, when daily stories in the media revolve around young university girls exchanging sexual favors for good marks; where essays and thesis are only presented but not prepared/researched by the student; when impoverished parents give away their young daughters to rich men in exchange for a herd of cows in dowry or to work as house girls; where reputable men with assumed inferiority complexes believe exchange of money or other favors for romance rejuvenates them…absurd!!

With such instances stipulated above, the definition of prostitution and the line between consensual and commerce; invisible 'prostitutes' or/and exploiters will be tough to demarcate. For instance, is exchanging sexual favors for good marks or a great thesis a kind of prostitution or likewise isn’t the act of receiving such favors exploition? Btw, by definition wouldn’t I be prostituting if my husband bought me a special gift with expectations of some kind of return or favor? Think about this objectively

Whereas Kagame has good intentions, I believe abolitionism which is a balance between his preferred criminalization and de-criminalization maybe the only legal regime viable to reduce on the alarming rate of prostitution in his country. It criminalizes perceived activities of those assumed/seen as exploiting or coercing prostitution and trafficking whilst absolving the burden of regulation from the prostitutes, period.

Rwanda should endorse the UN’s Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Person and the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others (if she hasn’t yet). This convention does not condone prostitution but seeks to free prostitutes from the criminal code (according them special protection under the law) whilst endeavoring to reintegrate prostitutes back into society.

It all boils down to the question of morality. I honestly believe that the immorality of hypocrisy in today's society is more dangerous than sex for favors, because all evils attached to prostitution can easily be attached to many other social interactions that are built through lies and hypocrisy. I guess what I am attempting to convey here is my “slippery slope effect forbia.” In future the mere holding of hands and kissing in public by lovers which is deemed immoral in our culture may end up to be legislated without considering the genesis of the “immoral act” and government role.

I am out like you know who

My World Of Inconvenience

Aha, at long last winter finally shows up and with this exhibitionist attitude that is throwing off casual winter enthusiasts like myself. We have been thumped by intense snow for a good two weeks now. This long forgotten daily routine of shoveling drive ways and side walks and scraping snow off cars is back on our “to do” list. Days like these remind me why I should move to an apartment building, condo or a house with a garage and a very narrow drive way.

I feel mysterious when my identity confuses people, most especially East Africans. On so many occasions, I have easily been mistaken for an Ethiopian or a Somali. I can’t recall how many times I have waived off Ethiopians passing off greetings to me in Amharic or Somalis trying to engage me into a meaningful conversation in their language. Anyways, two days ago I ran into an old Eritrean friend/roommate from the Ryerson University days, at the Hamilton Sheraton Hotel where she works as a Reservation Manageress. I do recall with utter clarity the enmity Shreddah had towards me for a while and then a later change of heart to a sweet, warm hearted and generous girl…unbelievable. Apparently, she had thought I was Ethiopian masquerading as a Rwandese until when she had a glimpse of my passport, flight tickets, and other contributory clues!!!! It beats my feeble mind, why people of similar backgrounds i.e. common social-cultural values owing to historical antecedents, could harbor such deep resentment against each other? Well, as a Rwandan, I am in no better position to judge them.

Some time back, blogger Dennis Matanda wrote an article on how loan sharks use these agencies for unscrupulous loan dealings. I must have commented that these are mafia organized agencies bent at exploiting the unsuspecting clients by conspiring to unlawfully cause them to pay interest at a criminal rate. Dennis, to follow up on your post is a Windsor judge who has allowed a class action suit against Money Mart and its parent company, Dollar Financial Group to proceed towards trial. The plaintiffs argue that short term pay day loans end up costing borrowers interest rates that are criminally high. The judge has agreed with this charge and finds that the defendants have a case to answer. The catch here is that if the plaintiffs win this case, disgruntled Rwandese and Ugandans broken by unfair interest rates on pay day loans, will be able to reference this case in their own law suits against these thieving companies. Amen.

Talking of courts, another interesting lawsuit to watch for has been okayed to proceed by a judge in New York, USA. In my opinion, copyright laws are getting out of control because of their complexity. If you own a XM Satellite radio the future of your free lunch is getting uncertain, that is if record companies win this law suit filed against XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. The charge sheet alleges that XM directly infringes on record companies’ “exclusive distribution rights” by letting listeners record songs onto their receivers. I am afraid of the slippery slope effect, if these record companies win this case. Today its XM Satellite Radio, who knows tomorrow it maybe FM radio stations by implication or that dude providing you with that free software that helps record audio from your computer sound card – streaming internet audio, MIDI et al. or even You Tube. Scary notion, eh?

That reminds me, I have failed to keep a promise I made in one of my posts ages back. My inshutis Laurette and Bella (Italian word for beautiful) had been working on a project that would assist You Tube fanatics like myself to download You Tube videos onto their PCs in a format compatible with most DVD players. Needless to say, my computer stars have failed on numerous occasions. Hey, I can’t fault them for not trying and to that I applaud your efforts pretty ladies. Btw gals, my Bottoms Up offer is still open let’s fill ‘em up sometime next week. However, “agitators” like Kadama and Nyakahuma, please visit with YouTube X and follow instructions there. Thanks for your reminders though.

Okay, so the Chinese blow up a satellite and try to pretend nothing happened, yet indirectly sending a message to Washington. Big deal? Come to think about it; figuring out how to neutralize a satellite far away in the sky is one thing, deliberately blowing it up is another. The genesis of all this commenced when Bush thwarted Chinese protests in the UN against an arms race in space by quipping that there is no such a thing as arms race in space and then going on (in contradiction) to smooth talk his Canadian conservative counterparts into a space protection plan or something close to militarization of the space to protect North America. When the Chinese decided to pull the rug under Bush’s flimsy feet, he cries foul loudly. We used to call such reactions from the Americans “hysterical hypocrisy.” We all know that the Russians and Americans have tested satellite eliminations and have capabilities to so. Equally important is that these satellites were installed for military and spying purposes including the GPS satellites. It is only natural that China, in her own national interests, would want to neutralize such military advantages in case of an armed confrontation. The message to Bush; The arms race in space is a reality. Please, get back to the round table and talk it out.

These Washington bullies are at it again. Remember when they cornered the world with that poisoning slogan “you are either with us or with them” whilst starting an illegal war in Iraq? I believe that if you declare war on a sovereign country you are signing onto the benefits of the profit and loss account of that war and occupation. Recently, a pathetic delegation from Washington was in Ottawa urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper to disregard the standards and guidelines of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board and accept more refugees from Iraq mostly Christian Iraqis. My question is, why doesn't USA absorb them into their refugee system (they are part of the profit and loss account of that war); why only Christian Iraqis (it seems like persecution in Iraq has no boundaries or religion); and by not taking them is USA indirectly saying that these refugees would not have a safe haven in the “land of the free?” Unless USA meets the full costs of absorption into our system, we should leave Bush and his supporters to learn a lesson in consensus building 101 before starting another meaningless war.

Perhaps blogger Omar Basawad was right, Americans badly need a fresh start probably from a person that is free from power drunkenness. Somebody who will have universal health care high on a priority list, somebody that recogonizes the fact that health care is a right for every american not just the rich or those with health insurance. First, they have to take those blindfolds off to pick the "chafu" from the rice. Right?

I am out. Thanks for your patience reading my endless yada, yada.

Mixed Reactions; The New Years' Bash, Warm Weather and Defections

I am back to earth, kuba we survived a road accident whilst driving to my cousin’s family get together party (on new-years’ eve) in Windsor, Ontario. I must say, God was with us that day. Imagine traveling at 140 km/hr on that busy 401 West highway and emerging from the wreck unscathed, GOD IS GREAT.

All this commenced with a fierce knock at the rear, then violent shakes before skidding off the highway. On disembarking we realized in horror that both rear tires were “kaput!!” It turns out six other cars had skidded off the same lane with bust tires, probably something we run over. All in all, this close call was a manifestation of his presence.



Hopes Standing at the scene (like nothing happened) 45
minutes after the accident. I refused, categorically, to have
my snap taken with what would have been our coffin.


Anyways, we made it to Peruth’s home intact and had a wonderful time mingling with all these cousins most of whom were on holidays from Africa. The house basement hosted the party as Chameleon & co. club music mix blared fiercely till morning. It was a wonderful day for me.



Feliste encouraging the troops to trump on.

Btw, I have just learnt that I did not do the Acute Care & Traumatic Condition exams well. Unlike Quantitative Methods which I barely passed, I was certain of a super mark in Acute Care and I am still wondering what went wrong. I do not have to re-write Acute Care exams though since it does not seriously affect my GPA, but a C grade does not cut it with anything dealing with Pharmacology (QM) in a Nursing program. So I am back to the drawing boards, cutting out slacking time to make sure I am sure of a better grade in QM this time around.

Last week Liberal MP of a Toronto area riding of Mississauga-Streetville, Wajid Khan, crossed the floor to Harper’s ruling Conservatives in fashion thus affecting the balance of power in the House of Commons. This is not the first time defections are happening and I am sure not the last time. People like David Emerson crossed from the Liberals to the Conservatives, Belinda Stronach from Conservative to Liberal, Scott Brison from Conservative to Liberal, David Kilgour from Conservative to Liberal, Jack Horner from Conservative to Liberal, Paul Helyer from Liberal to Conservative et al.

The question is, how ethical is it for an MP to defect from one party to another without consulting his constituents? Most voters cast their ballots for a party and expect the person entrusted to represent them in upholding their beliefs, values, principles, ideas, or policies on party lines. Wajid Khan breached the trust the electorate in the Mississauga riding had in him by seeking personal gain over their values. Enough said.

It is January and here I am bedecked in a springtime coat! Mother Nature is still holding her weather cards tightly close to her chest with a poker face on. It seems that the days of long, cruel, cold winters are long gone, but with that poker face, who knows what the future holds?

I have mixed feelings towards this bizarre occurrence. With a black X-mas of a high 10°C in Hamilton (the term black Christmas refers to a Christmas without snow) it was not a surprise that many Hamiltonians directed their anguish, shaking their clenched fists towards the barren sky for all the wrong reasons I would imagine.

A warm winter has finally rejuvenated our financial standing. Gas is as cheap as it comes owing to the low demand for heating fuel and the municipality’s snow clearing. This means many households and indeed corporations are breaking even with a double cut on automobile gas costs, heating costs, miscellaneous expenses (i.e. frozen batteries or fuel lines in cars), a break on tax and fewer potholes on our roads this spring.

However, for that we pay a price. Cold weather usually kills infectious germs and their couriers. This warm winter is helping roaches, pests, rats, snakes et al. to thrive through a normally tough season and as a result the city is expecting a higher population of these rodents this summer. Farmers are not particularly pleased with a snow less winter since the soils need this snow for water and the plants need it to protect their roots from summer’s harsh winds and heat. Wine producers for instance are preparing for huge financial losses, leaving many winery jobs exposed to lay offs. This is a common phenomenon with many other snow dependant industries like ski operations et al.

Finally, I thank all of you that passed on encouraging and uplifting comments on my last post and to Eddie, I wish you a year flowing with milk and honey. Right there, just translated (for you) the Nyaru greeting in my previous post.

Ciao.

2007; New Beginnings, Fresh Resolutions

My rafikis and all of you folks who happen to drop by each day, perusing through my boring posts about my dysfunctional life and experiences, HAPPY NEW YEAR. May this New Year bring you many blessings of good health, dreams to come true, prayers to be answered, and gratitude for all. Remember: “Life is a series of new beginnings and in every ordinary moment there are a thousand miracles to behold.” -Flavia Weedn.

I read all your posts blogger friends every day. I may not comment sometimes, but I do read each of your posts. They are all refreshing, inspirational, informative and educational. Blogger gave me new meaning in 2006. Dennis Muhumuza, Jovial, Omar, Zack, Cindy, Joshi, Feliste, L.A, UnDo, The Goddess, Degstar, Minty, Denis Matanda, Kisiki, Jay, Savage, Scotchie, Eddie, Ivan, Iwaya, Carlo, Be Silent, Pea, Baz 2007 uzababere umwaka wa amata nu ubuki.

I always succumb to this popular ritual of listing a galaxy of new year resolutions which I never keep. Tomorrow will be another year and yet another good excuse to party all night long and ofcourse tackle resolutions...lol. This time around my new year resolution grounds at recycling old ones that were not kept hoping that I'll stay true to them.

"A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history - with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila." - Mitch Ratcliffe. Well, I am just recovering from this horrible experience of a computer crash. I saw all the warning signs, spyware and viruses, but each time I postponed utilizing registry mechanic. I had noticed, for instance that each time somebody visited or commented on my blog my PC attached my IP address to the source PC. I am still baffled and scared to know that such network manipulation is possible.

Anywayz, I'll take this opportunity to share Prof. Smith's 12 thoughts for a happy new year;

“Live each day so that you will neither be afraid of tomorrow nor ashamed of yesterday.” - Author Unknown

H-ope
A-spiration
P-rosper
P-recious
Y-earn

N-etwork
E-ager
W-isdom
Y-esterday
E-loquent
A-dvertise
R-eward

1. To face the coming year’s problems use HOPE, faith, and your trust in God and His wisdom to guide you to the future that’s right for you. You can create your own future by focusing your thoughts on what you wish to accomplish. Know that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life – both good and bad.

2. Make it your ASPIRATION to achieve something worthwhile. Learn a new skill, or seek greater knowledge in areas you don’t now have. Seek and master new ways to do something that’s already been done -and- do it better! Use the power of purpose by giving whatever it is you desire the highest amount of your attention. This determines how successful you will become.

3. Make a concentrated effort to improve, grow, and PROSPER. Increase your financial security. Dare to be happy. Exercise and stay in good health. Keep a positive attitude. Do whatever it takes to improve your personal and business image. And know that your relationship with giving is the spiritual source of your true prosperity.

4. Treat your life, family, friends, and others you meet as a PRECIOUS gift to be enjoyed, and of great value. Regard them with a love that is special and - it will all come back to you. Send forth good and it multiples. Honor every one you come in contact with today, tomorrow, and make it an ongoing behavior. This too, is paid back to you by the Universe.

5. To YEARN is to express compassion. In this coming new year, experience it and show compassion for those less fortunate then you are. Offer ways to help others whenever and wherever you can. Give only good. The more you give of yourself, the more comes back to you. It may help make this a better world.

6. Learn to NETWORK and link to other like-minded individuals; whether it’s in an educational, business, or social setting the benefits can add to your growth and success. Celebrate and share your abilities so that you can attract more of the same.

7. Be EAGER to learn new things. Opportunities are all around you. Having an intense passion or desire to find new opportunities is the sign of an enthusiastic person. This desire comes from God. In order for you to find new opportunities, always move toward your goal with a spiritual awareness.

8. WISDOM - the ability to make well thought out decisions comes from maturity and understanding. In any given situation, it is wise not to judge until all facts are understood. Be open to understanding another’s point of view. Do you look at the world with a positive or a negative vision?

9. YESTERDAY is a day that has just passed. Now you are free to live in the present. Use each new day wisely and full of gratitude for every hour, every minute, and every second. Set goals for each day and take specific actions that will help you accomplish them.

10. ELOQUENT. Are you confident, persuasive and effective in the way you communicate? When speaking with others how would you rate yourself? Are you always voicing negative opinions? Or, are you positive in expressing your thoughts?

11. ADVERTISE. For those in business, always make the positive features and benefits of your product or service known. Appeal to the emotions of your prospective client. Give quality service and products so that your self-esteem is strengthened and your reputation is valued.

12. - In the coming new year, here’s hoping that you will REWARD yourself for any successful personal and business achievements. Improve your skills where and when needed. Change any negative habits, and always follow His guidance in all things you attempt to do.

Once again; HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR MY INSHUTIS

QUEBEC; A Nation Within A Nation?

One constitutional lawyer Stephen Scott of McGill once said: it would be "disastrous for constitutional negotiations to proceed on the premise that a province, if dissatisfied, can overthrow the state," for no federation could possibly survive such a premise.

Not long ago, our Conservertive Prime Minister, Stephen Harper ambushed a proposed motion by the Bloc Quebecois calling for Quebec to be recognized as a nation by introducing his own motion in the House of Commons, that actually recognizes Quebecers as a nation “within a united Canada.” To quote; “this House recognizes that Quebecois form a nation with in a united Canada.”

Yeah, you heard me right, a nation within a nation. This is where I think Mr. Harper to be playing a dangerous game of dominos, because such sentiments that seem impotent always evolve into something else that sparks off waves of undesired repurcussions ignited by those who least intended them. Take a good example of Mikhail Gorbachev, whose good intentions of democratising and opening up of the USSR to a competitive and a free market economy led to the disintergration of the Soviet giant, her competitive advantage and a economically secure peasantry. The same sentiments in Uganda towards Buganda have left both the central government and the ever whinning Buganda kingdom weakened in the eyes of a Ugandan nationalist.

I recognize that Harper based his convictions on the definition of Quebecois. I agree that in French unlike English, a country and a nation are not synonymous because the later means a people sharing a common culture, background and language, whereas its meaning in English of geographical boundaries is categorically different. His motion scribes its salt from the word QUEBECOIS (people) and not QUEBEC (territory). However, if by constitution Canada is a bilingual country with both English and French recognized as official languages of equal status, who would be able to legally halt the separatists in Quebec from challenging the constitution in their quest for separation using the English definition?

If Quebec seceeded, Canada will cease to be the Canada I know and cherish. Just like Mikhail Gorbachev – the president without a state- the downward slope may catch Harper with no country to govern. Who knows Alberta may be next or New Brunswick. Btw, if the Quebecois are a nation clearly the Cree in Quebec itself are a nation too. Well, actually they will be a nation inside a nation of Quebec, which is inside a nation of Canada. It always has to start with one small thing leading to another and that, unfortunately’ is the problem Harper has not realized yet.

Most Canadians applaud when they hear about other distinct societies pushing for autonomy such as the Kurds who are seeking for self governance from Iraq and Turkey or the Irish from the United Kingdom, ebony Sudan from the Arabic Sudan, Chechnya from Russia et al. We applaud because we believe that separation (of others) as their fundamental right as dinstict peoples and yet, we seldom stomach the Quebec agitation. This is the hypocrisy that envelopes most of us here, if its not in your backyard, it’s a good cause.

I recognize Quebecors as a separate people with a rich history that binds Canada, but again so are the anglo-saxons, the chinese, Italians, acadians and many other immigrant communities that arrived here long ago and established successful communities. In essence we are one Canada by the Confederation Act (1867) with different rich backgrounds that have enabled this society to tolerate other school of thought and cultures manifesting it with the Multicultural Act.

A province can only propel itself in the confederation and not out. If I rented a room in this huge house would I then be justified to nullify the rental agreement, declaring my room a house and commencing paying myself the rent?

One great Canadian once said and I quote; “So the truth seems to be that under the laws of Canada, there can be: No unilateral referendums by provinces to decide the fate of the whole nation. No unilaterally declared “nations” formed inside the nation of Canada. And no unilateral claims by provinces to sovereign territory or property belonging to all Canadians.” – William Gardner.

For once people, Hopes and myself are on the same political page on this contentious issue. We believe in one Canada, because divided we fall.

A Tribute to Gerald Levert

I am on a 30 minutes lunch break, not enough time to work through this post, so please bear with me.

First, it is amazing how Gerald Levert’s untimely death passed unnoticed on our ‘kafunda!’ It could have for me if Feliste and Nada didn’t leave SMS’ on my cellular phone a couple of days ago. I am always out of the scoop but these seemed like messages of doom, so I pushed my treo phone to search web news on G.L... I couldn’t believe my eyes and was in utter shock later when much vibe confirmed it on our School of Health Sciences canteen TV!!!

I send my deepest sympathy to the Levert family during these trying times and I hope they stay strong. Teveria said it better and I quote; “God only takes the best. Hold on family and trust in him for comfort. We all are grieving with YOU in your loss, he was a wonderful young man whom we all admired and loved.”



A glowing tribute to Gerald Levert

Is it only me, but doesn’t it seem like all our pure R&B and Swing music icons of the 90's are sailing off the earth crust? We need them here to restore the dying R&B respect back to the mainstream…classics from Al B Sure, Shai, Silk, Gerald Levert, Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, NE, Jodeci, After 7, Portrait, Boyz II Men, All 4 One, Azyet, 4 PM, Tevin, 3T Brotherhood et al. speak for themselves. It is against this background that I attempt to revive some of my favorite old school 90's courtesy of YOU TUBE links, just in case something happens to any of the remaining R&B soldiers. Enjoy in rememberance of the hasky voiced teddy bear GL...

Baby Hold on To Me (GERALD LEVERT)
If I Ever Fall in Luv (SHAI)
My, My, My (JOHNNY GILL)
Freak On You (JODECI)
Water Runs Dry (BOYZ II MEN)
Hard To Say I am Sorry (AZYET)
Freak with You (SILK)
Nobody Knows (TONI RICH)
Why Me Baby (KEITH SWEAT)
Right Now (AL B SURE)
Tell Me Its Real (KCI & JOJO)


R.I.P Luther Vandross, Left Eye, Gerald Levert, Barry White et al. A quick recovery to Al B Sure, Teddy Pendergrass…

Umeze Gute My Rafikis

Muraho my inshutis? I have been attempting to post something here since I got back. It has been hard to cope without my kids and the mayhem that seems to follow them. Believe me; this house is like a quiet cathedral lately that I am disheartened! I have lost a lot of weight as a result and if this continues, I may lose my cherished plump mass in a wink! That my friends is a frightening …




Back home; do you agree I lost alot of weight? I am not
pleased that my pleasantly plump body is yielding to a cough
and malaria.

Equally important, I developed malaria symptoms a day after my arrival only to realize in horror that I had somehow managed to leave my Fancida pills in Kigali! Horror, because tropical symptoms here can easily be misdiagnosed, which is fatal. I recall with utter clarity, one Congolese lady who was rushed off the plane to an evacuated hospital (evacuated in advance) with “Ebola-like” symptoms; it turns out a year and so later that she had malaria that had turned cerebral! By that time the whole fiasco had cost the tax payer a ton and the biased media’s profiling reports reduced the poor lady to a psychological mess! I am Thankful to Zahor whose malaria pills (Arinate 100g) came handy for me.

My trip was uneventful really, other factors remaining constant. I was so worried about that 12 hour transit at Frankfurt; with two hyper kids, I was bound to go nuts. For the test of things to come, we waited in line at Pearson International Airport in Toronto for at least an hour and my daughters were going “this is boring mummy” and “why do we have to stand” whilst running and pushing empty luggage carts all over, Geez! We had failed to nail down a last minute reservation with any of the hotels close to the Frankfurt airport only to be rescued by a cousin whom I had no clue worked in Germany…oohff, what a relief that was.

We camped at my sister’s joint in Remera as planned, which is a 20 minute okapi ride to downtown Kigali and a mere 5 – 10 minutes if I hitched a ride with either my sister or brother in law. It appeared to me that most people (at least those I visited with) led polished lifestyles with huge double storied homes bedecked with red tiles and had lavish cars. I wondered aloud how they could not only afford but sustain that lifestyle in such a costly and economically unstable environment. Wouldn’t you?

Think about it; the cost of living is higher than I had imagined, so savings should be hard to mantain. Secondly the gap between the haves and have-nots is wider than the land depression of the East African rift valley, which raises red flags about the management of the economic factors that sustain the middle class and those on top, do you smell class friction In future?

It is a costly environment, IMO, because there does not seem to be anything in abundance to drive prices down; you know the demand and supply thingies? Everything seems to be imported, from food to… I am told taxes and the cost of importation fattens the retail price. For example; creamy cheese spread 300g costs $20 at La Galette and $9 in Mbarara. I settled for Nutella at $12. These exorbitant prices do not stop with packaged/bottled groceries but extend to fresh food and fruits, basic needs that require a fortune to satisfy!

Kigali has seen her share of economic growth though, signs of growth stare at you from every corner. There were so many changes that I gasped for air in sheer disbelief. I heard about some of the changes such as our national instruments notably the national anthem and the flag but the airport? It should not be a surprise though, but I did not see it coming you know, changing the name from Kayibanda to Kanombe and not Kigali International Airport which is used by IATA.

The city is so clean with waste bins planted everywhere for ease of access to habitual city trashers. BTW, I hardly saw anybody carrying along bags/kaveera (with groceries) rather paper bags are the norm with all supermarkets and vendors alike that I suspected it maybe a by-law. If that is not a brilliant idea then I do not know which one is, especially in countries where garbage recycling is unheard of. We all know what buveeras can do to the agricultural productiveness of soil and indeed our environment.

Cleanness aside, Kigali is summed up into three things; Dust, dust and more dust! Since I did a lot of walking to the city in the first days, dust became part of my menu so much that I quickly developed a bad cough and partially lost my voice in the second week of my pilgrimage. My cloths had to be washed everyday and that’s when it hit me, a serious lack of water in the city. That people, is a big problem especially if your washrooms are flash toilets, you are so picky to have your cloths washed everyday and those twice a day showers!! Rationing of water is not a bad idea in this case after all.

The city is littered with internet cafes, which is a good sign of things to come in future. However, the internet was ridiculously slow in every café I visited! I tried on two occasions to access my blog and a Toronto sports channel (Fan 590 AM) but got stuck in search mode for a whole 11/2 minutes that I lost patience. I tried my brother’s and a cousin’s connections with similar results. Basically, I needed to write a draft posting on my brother-in-law’s PC, save on a disk and later transfer all that to my blog, a practice a despise. Well, I reserved two hours for just that and waited for what seemed like ages for the computer to load my blog and just as I was reconfiguring my entries, bheew…power outage!!

All in all I was thrilled to be in Kigali, and despite the shortcomings and household economic hardships, people are happy and stress free. They enjoy the little things they have and seldom whine for not having much. Ibihyimbo (beans), igitoke, Inyumbati (cassava) and posho on a daily basis seems to be the main diet for most folks here. If such sudden power cuts were here in Canada life would stop believe me, and yet my people go ahead with having fun enjoying whatever little they are blessed with. I applaud the spirit.

Fun of course revolves around intoxication from local brew or beer. Believe me some hobbies die hard, I was dying for a gulp of Primus after a long time, but the soapy blunt taste and the fact that one has to contend with a 1 litre bottle threw me off. The cough didn’t help my good intentions either. I recall my encounters with primus at the Mardi gras in Hamilton, but this taste in Rwanda seemed different from the Hamilton one, bootlegged?

Interesting that alcoholism has not been identified as a potential threat to Rwanda’s social/economic growth since a lot of “abled” members of the workforce spend quite a lot of valuable time ‘socializing’ and that is every night! Drinking a bottle for recreation and relaxation is one thing and routinely drinking gallons upon gallons of beer as a hobby is another? Just imagine having half of your employees showing up with dreadful hangovers each morning!

Nevertheless, the way I see it Africa is on fast track to the take off stage of economic dev’t. However there is an urgent need to invest in people (as a resource) and emphasize on scientific subject matter at early childhood education level. It is rewarding to have a job creating human resource to fire up an economy than a vast army of job seekers. There are too many skilled and qualified people in Rwanda seeking to share a piece of the pie other than baking their own. Why should a Computer scientist graduate be on the street for 3 years searching for a job, unless I am missing something here? I understand Rwanda has adapted Uganda’s UPE or “bonna basome” which is a good start in achieving a self sustaining human resource. IMO, the investment in people should not end at education alone.

I also think we need reliable sources of energy that are renewable. Rwanda's reliance on imported energy that in itself is not reliable is costly. I know nuclear energy is a taboo in today’s world order of arms race control and environmental protection. But if 45% of Ontario’s energy comes from nuclear plants, why shouldn’t developing countries seeking to fire up their economies with a reliable, renewable and cheaper energy source be granted supervised or limited access? I still believe that with this out of hand population growth and decreasing water to levels that can hardly sustain hydro consumption, adaptation to nuclear energy is inevitable. One thing is for sure though, there is a need to educate the “baturagyes” on how to and why they should conserve power and water because our existence and that of our environment relies on conservation, atleast to some degree.

Hey, I am not lecturing what folks there have to do, but that is my honest and amateurish take on things there. One thing I have learn't is that earthly things are nothing, just "bisusunku na birerya" if I am to borrow Hopes' term. The world does not end when one suddenly runs out of salt. Actually it doesn't...

I have no clue whether what I have just posted makes sense because it is random, but one thing that pumps me up is that you had the gutts to stay the course and actually read it. Thanks.

Blogging Time Out; Off to East Africa

My rafikis I have read all your comments in my last post Satan's Mind Games , and I appreciate all your kind words. Believe me, my soul is at peace now because of your support; Kiiza, Kandi Kandi, Katureebez, Hodari, Musayidiziz, Mbonyez and R. Nagenda, your emails were unbelievable; and to my Blogger pals I once again send props to you, asante sana.

In just 12 hours the kids and myself will be trekking to East Africa and hoping that the "bisiraani" do not follow us to my mother land. My Canadian born kids are excited to see the land of their ancestors and will be making Kigali their niche for the next 2 years whilst I complete my studies. It seems like a brutal and selfish decision to be taking, but deep in my heart I know that this though hard was the right decision I had to take, if not the last option. One thing is certain, I am gonna miss them soooo much...actually, I am missing them already.


My daughters Prim and Faith.

The most disheartening thing with this trip is the 12 hour transit at Frankfurt airport! We bought the tickets late (very late) and couldn't nail down atleast a reservation with any affordable hotel or motel close to the airport. Now with kids, especially the youngest notorious for running riot, at any slightest opportunity, in malls and shopping centres, I am destined for a looooong and treacherous wait...the right word? Docker! Nevertheless, I have amassed a huge collection of video now cartoons from Treehouse TV and Leapster L-Max Learning Game Systems to help baby sit them, atleast for a while. You can't blame me for having a toddler leash handy too, eh?

Equally important is the realization that I may not be able to blog or even peruse through all your blogs for all that time I'll be away doing rounds at the base. Yes, I know a couple of my cousins and a brother-in-law have direct access to internet and I have heard of the various internet cafes in both cities, but I figure time will be a factor if my planned grass root 'networking' with the "baturagyes" is to hold in such a short time! So please bear with my disorganised agenda.

I hope to be in Kigali for two weeks before flying to Kampala for a week to check out my mama at the Mousa Courts, the grannies, Hopes' family and hook up with Feliste (who has not showed up at McMaster yet!!). I know 24 days aren't enough to enjoy the festive moods of these two countries most especially if one has been away for a while, but shuleni commences early next month...no choice people, no choice!

THINGS I WON'T MISS;

a) North American Sports TV channels. Why would I when what they show lately is baseball, American Football (NFL) and Pocker. Have you folks noticed how pocker is slowly creeping into our pyche as a real sport? I don't get it!

b) My fridge, the freezer, microwave, oven et al. You know where I am going with this folks? Freshly cooked food not frozen and microwaved; real milk; Ecoli free spinach; roasted fresh corn/maize...do I have to go on? I 've never learn't how to cook, so frozen food and vegetables have been high there on my limited food chain, lol. Thats ganna change, count on that.

c) The monotonous and ridiculous music blaring out so often from my kenwood stereo or Much Vibe, BET, MTV et al. I must blame this on maturity or probably having my own kids, but I found myself redefining african taste even to sounds I hated with a passion. Its time to give a deserved recess to my iriver mp3 player.

d) Bottoms up with their bad beer. I can't wait for the wakina Primus, and Bell lager mixed with a iced sprite for a shandy. I can't remember the last time I galloped Fanta orange and Mirinda?


People, I can rant endlessly with this thing. Somebody once said to me; "time is money..." It is high time I commenced sorting out the minor details of the journey before anything tragic happens...like forgetting my passport back home. With this, my dear rafikis I say, thanks for your readership and all the heart warming responses. It won't be long before I am back on blogsphere though, phew...how time rushes! I am out wishing myself a safe and uneventful pilgrimage.

Satan's Mind Games at My Door Steps

Hola amigos. I know it’s been a while since my last rant, but planet earth hasn’t been kind to me lately. Btw, it had never occurred to me that my seemingly aimless rants had a staunch following not until my email gat kind of roughed up by numerous concerns, I mean complaints about my slacking. I am humbled by that gesture, but a lot has been happening that blogging just got relegated to the bottom of my to-do list.

Catching a break has never been my middle name most especially this month. I traded in my VW Passat a while ago for a Nissan Altima 2005 model under the notion that i will be saving on parts in the long run. However, that is not the catch though, because a couple of weeks ago the Altima was stolen for a teen joy ride. I did not even know of the theft until the cops came knocking on my door, mbu my car was found crashed in Ancaster and that it had been towed to Lockwood. That is the price you pay for having a house that has no garage and no drive way, anti you get to park on designated road sides! Grrrr!

Just like that my budget gat under intense threat ariko I have Liability coverage popularly known as one way insurance. I had to foot the extravagant towing bill and a daily parking charge at Lockwood as I settled with the police. If I had known that this car is a high risk car to teen thefts, I would not have departed with my faithful servant the Passat! Come to think about it, the Passat is even cheaper on gas (4 cyl), safer and rivarls the altima in handling. Jesus, what was I thinking?



Parked at the wreckers/body shop. I paid $85 a day plus taxes
for storage amounting to $387.60, never mind towing charges.
You see how unforgiving this world can be?




The dusty interior.



Atleast the engine seems to have survived the ordeal.


Adding insult to injury, three days ago Hopes finds his truck broken into and vandalized in a 7 storey parking building by the Jackson Square Mall. The passenger side screen or window had been smashed; the car phone plus other items like the CD/MP3 changer, music CDs (more than 50 of them; mostly Ugandan & 'bootleged' ofcourse), car ownership cert., auto insurance slips, two new tennis rackets, the Nikon D50 SLR camera (my favorite), personal letters and some other items intended as gifts to folks in Kampala and Kigali, stolen! Yet another dent into the overstretched budget. We are advised not to leave valuable belongings in our cars at a public parking lot, why Hopes did not heed to those warnings, which are plastered all over like grafiti, beats my feable mind! Anyways, owing to all that and other contributory factors blogging, people, has been the last thing on my mind!




This is Hopes truck with the vandals work in clear view.
That glass will probably cost him a cool $200 to replace and
about $50 labor charges plus taxes ofcourse.



Shattered glass all over. A huge vacuuming job for him



The phone mount and jerk glaring at the camera. That phone
is one thing I do not miss...

Lets forget all these calamities, my sense of belonging seems to have been restored kuba Hopes just bought a new digital camera, not a Nikon (because that would have cost a fortune) but a Sony's Cyber Shot DSC-H5! I am thrilled that at least I have a camera to carry with me and my kids whilst on a pilgrimage to East Africa. It may not be a SLR but sure has a huge LCD (far larger that D50's), 7.2 Mega pixels (compared to 6.1 Mega Pixels of the D50) and x12 “optical” zoom. I think it is worth all the bucks it costs. If you have some disposable bucks handy and you are a photographic enthusiast who can't afford those high priced SLRs, this maybe just what you need...a blast, thats what it is.

On a different note, please take a moment to watch this very enlightening video about our black children in North America and the education system that imposes mind degradation and self discrimination at a tender age. It displays how even today the minds of our black children are warped by the images they see in our country, from advertisements to the daily news... Check it out... Pay particular attention to the pre-schoolers who are given the choice between a black doll and a white doll..... See which one they think is bad and which one they think is good, and then watch as the little girl realizes which one looks like her... It's kind of sad for real... All I can say is do your best to show your kids that they are beautiful and can achieve anything!

I am out like the Nikon.

Aids 2006 Conference and Harper's Disinterest

Ontario's capital Toronto has seen her streets buzzing with activity the past three weeks. Caribana Festival for instance usurped this mega city in fashion as usual, filling her blue skies with Caribbean/afro beats and jamming up her streets with energized people of African descent from Southern USA to Nunavut- Canada, dancing away in memorably colorful festival costumes.

We had no costume for the festival, so we dressed as appropriately as we possibly could. Despite the glamour Caribana exhibits, Hamilton's Mardi gras is the most exciting to me, simply because the afro-beats are only downed by the sunset on the harbor front by Lake Ontario. Equally important, where else do you get to feast on real African & Caribbean chicken (e.g. luwombo) and roast corn/maize? South Africa's very best Castle lager and some Primus from Rwanda flowed at the Mardi gras like the source was Lake Ontario.



Caribana (Mardi-gras) militants strolling at the Lake shore

However that is not why I am blogging today, because the last days have seen a galaxy of delegates, media and observers converging onto Toronto once again for the 2006 Aids Conference. They all had a great reason to offer their presence to the largest aids conference to date. The biting slogan adopted; "time to deliver" is a telling story to the neglect and misconceptions of the disease and its problems that has led to hundreds of thousands infections each year unabated! They all attended in appreciation of the fact that this is a global problem in escalation which needed a robust awareness campaign to wake up western dwellers to the effects showing up at their door steps unnoticed, and yet for doing just that, some Delta hotel employees received their employer's wrath for wearing buttons supporting AIDS awareness. Misconception at its best!

One such person that needs a rude awakening is the Conservative Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper, who despite being the host chose not to attend or even offer contribution to the fight. We chanted our disapproval in unisom at the elaborate skydome when Clement the Health Minister showed up and applauded each speaker that showed disdain towards Harper's childish stunt! He and his fellow conservatives still believe that this is a gay, crack addicts and a sex trade problem and that they should (the conservatives) not be seen as offering support to such sinners being punished by God!!

Instead our Premier chooses to bolster Canadian influence in Afghanistan and elsewhere (a costly adventure) in apparent attempt to outbid Tony Blair in pleasing Bush, at the detriment of AIDS Research, control, prevention and treatment funding promised by the previous Liberal government. Actor/Activist Richard Gere echoed my sentiments whilst responding to the lukewarm showing by the Conservatives. He stated, "Aids is the true terrorist on the planet today." How I grinned with pomp, the message was simple but loud and clear.

I applaud all the organizers that worked hard to make this event a success, the delegates that included stars like Gere, Alicia Keys, Bare Naked Ladies et al; Members of both provincial and federal parliaments; the Governor General of Canada Michaelle Jean; VIPs like Bill Clinton who offered his time to be there most especially where its known that his presence and speeches usually costs organizers a cool 100k in US dough and Bill Gates, who recently donated a half a billion dollars towards international research efforts and everybody out there that attended in spirit & soul. To all those conservatives digging in with Harper, I say, AIDS is not only a developing countries’ catastrophe. In this era of open boundaries, movement of people and globalization, when the south catches a cold the north sneezes and that’s why this epidemic is a direct global threat to the economic, social and political development and stability of humanity as a whole. The good news is that it is preventable.

Let’s get back to earth for a moment; when will the days of investigative journalism come back? Remember the days of Water gate? If you happen to watch CNN American edition or Fox News, you must have noticed how these two have become Bush's mouth piece. Seriously, what airs as a statement from the white house becomes fact without adequate scrutiny I must say. The 'mayinjas' in the media are spending more time and money reporting on unhelpful events when our respective countries and the essence of globalization are being run into gutters! As if that is not frightening enough, Harper's conservatives are reading from Dubya's script and threatening to perfect it. If you thought Uganda's investigative journalism is disheartening, you must be throwing up now, as you wake up to the realization that we have passed on our 'values' to the western world with much success. Small world!

Btw, has anybody noticed that every time there seems to be an election closing in, suspected terrorists get arrested in high profile raids? Not that I do not believe these intelligent services and their political masters. If these people in London were being trailed for a year as reported, what was with the hype all of a sudden? What is with no fluids, gels, alcohol, and lotion et al. on planes? Jesus, what next? The next thing we'll know, we won't be using planes since the human body is made up of 70% water according to my Human anatomy professor. Humans are easily controlled by medals and fear, it would seem. IMO, too much power availed to governments under any circumstance is the genesis of dictatorship in a democracy, because governments more often than not abuse their powers. It is therefore pleasing to me that ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) gave the ‘Bushites’ a bloody nose in a recent court case that attempts to protect Americans from government excesses .

My best quote of the day; Safe and Free: "There has never been a more urgent need to preserve fundamental privacy protections and our system of checks and balances than the need we face today, as illegal government spying, provisions of the Patriot Act and government-sponsored torture programs transcend the bounds of law and our most treasured values in the name of national security."- ACLU (2006).

I watched Kassim Ouma fight (on tele) a couple of weeks ago. Like everybody, I was impressed with that great personal story he enveloped himself with (don't most of us Africans make claims of killing lions protecting cattle and our pride? I know I did). This dude throws a galaxy of punches in a frightening succession, but for some reason I am not yet sold on him until that time when he develops a hard punch to actually hurt an opponent. Imagine what the hard punching and ferocious Ike Quartey would do to Kassim if they met! OK forget Quartey, the Monitor reported yesterday that our man wants to go toe to toe with Jermain Taylor; Are u kidding me Kass? I think he will be minced meat if he steps in that ring with Taylor. Hey Kassim, if you want to throw billions of punches with 'femalish gloves' against Taylor, it’s your prerogative but I won't be watching unless bulky pays a visit with your gloves. Period!! I hope it is a bluff.

I do not want to take a lot of heat on this one; but Bill Clinton just turned 60, Chuck wonders if he is spending quality time with Hillary? Is he spending any time with Hillary? He seems to be all over the world at the word GO!

OK, so Dikembe Mutombo threw a few million bucks (US$15M) here and there to build a hospital in his native DRC and yet some haters insist he is exploiting a donation loop hole in the US taxation system (IRS). You got to be impressed with the guy's commitment though, as he prepares to open this US$29M hospital. The idea that he is doing this for tax purposes is absurd, degrading and shallow.

At least some things are off my chest, phew! I am totally out.

Showed Up with My Mouth Shut

1) Inshutis, I do not know about you but believe me I am better off chilling somewhere in the Sahara than Ontario! The weather in this part of the world is brutal lately. That my fried egg will easily be well done on the hood of my Passat is an understatement. With all these irrefutable signs of global warming and the damn temperature already having a devastating impact on people, landscape and wildlife, how on planet earth can the conservatives in Washington and their new born cousins in Ottawa be so disconnected from reality? I will spare the weatherman from my unending complaints; January will be here before we know it.

2) My friend Nada just dumped her model boyfriend, reason? Inquiring minds (courtesy of Chuck) want to know; do real men wear cologne?

3) Hey Muhakanizi and Bella, I am feasting on a humble pie right now. Just landed a you tube of Andrea Bargnani, the 2006 NBA draft 'numero uno.' The SOB is unconscious beyond the ark, dropping treys like its hot, and what's up with that sick cross over move at the Vegas summer league....I am sold on him and that's my final word so get off my case! BTW, check out this And1 athletic dude, just gat himself in the genius book of world records with his sickening 720 dunk. No spin here and the video is not doctored...lol.

4) Now I know why the turbulence in the Middle East will go on for generations to come


Monday, July 17, 2006; Kiryat Shmona. Israeli
girls write messages on a shell at a heavy artillery
position to be fired into Lebanon.

...and to that, the Lebanese respond. "To the children of Israel, Thank you. We have received your peaceful gifts here in Qana."

5) With the Qana massacre and the dirty bombs dropped in Beirut and Gaza, Olmert just made it more difficult for himself and his cheer leaders in Washington to distance themselves from the factual assertion of Israeli state terror. Bravo...you just become the first terrorist to use a dirty bomb on non-combatants. One question for u though; how did you get to beat Osama and his terrorist friends in P'yongyang and Tehran to the finish line? I know, I know you are some smart guy.

GR8ONES4 queries;

6) Isn't making a smoking section in a restaurant or airplane like making a peeing section in a swimming pool? Hats off to the Liberals in Ontario, they not only passed the law banning smoking anywhere under a roofed enclosure but also stood by it whilst under pressure from powerful smoking lobbyists.

7) Ever wonder what the heck name abbr. and shortenings accomplish? Respectability, popularity, instills fear? OK...so if Kaguta is known as "Kags," the Jacksonville Jaguars as " Jags," Ninsiima as "Ninsy," Toronto Raptors as "Raps," or Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the "Bucs," what does that make the Tennessee Titans?

8) My friend Meere thinks Dr. Kiiza Besigye is a cutie...never mind her, it must be the heat wave going bonkers on her.

9) Lets get this straight, you cast a presidential vote today and wait 30 days for results, damn it. Apparently, this is an acceptable practice by the elections body in Kinshasa, if Wana's attestations are anything to go by. I hope the Congolese mojo is back for good.

10) "If Israel is not in violation of the principle of proportionality, by which Christians are to judge the conduct of a just war, what can that term mean? There are 600 civilian dead in Lebanon, 19 in Israel, a ratio of 30-1, though Hezbollah is firing unguided rockets, while Israel is using precision-guided munitions.
Thousands of Lebanese civilians are injured. Perhaps 800,000 are homeless." - Pat Buchanan. Remember this dude?

11) Trust humans coming up with philosophical terms like knocking photo-journalists over with a non-inviting term Paparazzi. Now, if you are a cunning up to no good rascal, the malevolent world I live in will happily call you a Materazzi. If you figure there is a Materazzi in your life click HERE and you will automatically turn into Sheriff Zidane. Just left click to coup de boule/head butt all your Materazzis before the chief/ref catches up with you. Have fun.

I am out like Mr. Gagne, Nada's on and off beau...

Olmert and Nasrallah; Same Wine of Terror in Two Different Bottles

Before you watch that Ugandan bootlegged music video below or read through my rantings, let us first pray to the almighty for peace in the Middle East. Pray for all the innocent caught up in this quagmire of human evil and international disconnection and hypocrisy. Pray for the children living under such horror. Pray for the women who shed blood to bring a life on this planet and yet suffer the consequences of violence. Let us pray for wisdom; appreciate the reality that whether you are American, Rwandese, Canadian, Lebanese, Ugandan, Isreali, stateless et al. we are all humanly the same in blood and in manifestation of God.

At long last the World cup came to a rude close, like it is said every good thing comes to an end. As I contemplated on how I would be wasting my early morning time to replace the month long World cup rituals, things went bonkers in the Middle East in a blink. Suddenly, Iraq, Afghanistan, N. Korea, and the new Tsunami in Asia took a back seat! I am still puzzled at how things deteriorated drastically and so violently in so short a time. Puzzling still, is the wave of good press Israel is enjoying in the western world with each indiscriminate 'laser' bombing?

The disproportionate response to the capture of Israel soldiers is being justified with utmost tongue twisting in most of our daily tabloids. Jesus, it does not matter how you look at it, but terror is terror whether administered by Hezbollah or by Israel. Look up the definition in any dictionary and you will surely understand where I am coming from with this. The art of targeting people/civilians with deadly weapons is criminal whatever form it may be packaged. Remind me on this one, but we used to call such insanity "crimes against humanity" or war crimes in the good old days. Maybe I am missing something here, but haven't the international community tried Slobodan Milosovich at the Hague for the crimes he committed whilst president of Yugoslavia; pursued Joseph Kony; Intarahamwe and the agitators of genocide in Rwanda; Charlse Taylor et al. for acting in a manner that departs from the general appreciation of the "laws of humanity?" With these horrific events in the Middle East, the list just got longer.

Followers of the Middle East current affairs know for sure that this onslaught is not a result of self defense from Hezbollah katyusha rocket attacks and the capture of the two soldiers, but a well planned strategy to deface the new Arab identity from solidifying in Israeli’s vicinity. If that does not hold water, how then would we explain the savage and brutal attacks on civilians and Lebanon’s symbols of economical revival/development such as her infrastructure, power stations, business entities et al. or the continuing reference of Syria and Iran as sponsors of terror and the convenient relegation to oblivion the mention of the mammoth sponsorship Israeli terror receives from USA and her obedient allies. I say it again, terror is terror, there is no in between, no good terrorists and no bad terrorists especially when innocent civilians are dying in a hurry as collateral damage.

We also know that the capture of the two Israeli soldiers did not come as a surprise to the state of Israel since the Hezbollah leadership had been publically expressing their desire to capture Israeli troops as bargaining chips for Lebanese prisoners. Equally important, is the fact that Israeli has not only been violating Lebanon’s sovereignty but had continued to occupy some parts of southern Lebanon at will. With such 'bwiino' it is hard to ascertain who the aggressor is and who is justified to press the self defense mode button. The bottom line is that innocent people, women and children mostly, are dying as a result of this madness and just like in Rwanda, the world looks on in horror but doing nothing to stop the senseless carnage, which leaves the impression that some lives are worth more than others.

The effects of this will be felt far and wide and I am not talking about forking a buck more for gas (which is innevitable) but something permanently shaking our understanding and viewing of the world; if any of you thought everything will go back to normal after Israel and Hezbollah achieve their goals then think again. For starters, one thing is for sure; the young democracy in Lebanon is under siege from the very people that funded it. Go figure!! I say TERROR ON BOTH SIDES MUST STOP, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! And to that I say, amen.

My dear Yvette in Kampala 'you tubed' me with this killer hit from Uganda, I am drowned in the melodies of this song and I hope it chills down your frustrations and stress too. Meanwhile, my inshuti Laurette is on a mission to create a downloadable software that can help us bootleg you tube videos on to our PCs and also converting them to formats compartible with DVD recordables (mpeg etc) and VCD for free. Check this space.



Take care people; it is a wild world.

Feeling Militant for Peace and Human Rights

I had a chance to have a glimpse at a World Vision report of 2004 on displaced and refugee children, whilst researching on the economics of child labor in the developing countries recently. Never have I ever sat back and gave an objective thought to the plight of many disadvantaged children in the world and yet their presence is so obvious in my day to day life! Homeless or street children are a common sight today as a result of the disintegration of family, which is the foundation of society; child labor, yes that dreadful “houseboy/girl” tag popular in Rwanda and Uganda which, by selfish design, deprives these children of a fundamental human right to access an education; orphaned and abandoned children; sexually abused and exploited children and so forth. My depleted powers of observation towards this have shamed me to my last nerve that I decided to do something small but substantial. My inspiration came from Ninsiima's peace rantings, Omar's struggles for equality and human rights and Cindy's proposed invisible children project.

I am targeting refugee children, who are suffering from a despicable form of double jeopardy in that they were deprived of their basic human rights in their respective countries of origin thus fleeing the comfort of their homes, but continue to suffer human rights abuses in countries of asylum. I beg you to step in the shoes of children languishing in Darfor, or Gaza, or the Eastern DRC, northern Uganda or even children who seek refuge of Gulu at night (night commuters). I am sure when you open your eyes after the ‘pretend’ tour you will have felt the pain, grief and untold suffering they go through day in and day out. The clip below courtesy of www.ninemillion.org seeks to tap on your generosity to help make a difference. Please watch the clip (by clicking on the bottom play button twice) and visit with nine million refugee children to make a donation or send a prayer and your efforts will be appreciated.



On a different note people be warned that there is a devastating computer virus going around luring World Cup fanatics to supposedly naked pictures of the world cup by email. I understand that the attachments are severely malicious to the extent that they disable your anti-virus products, crumble the firewall, download more malware on your hard drive and also forwarding itself to your e-mail addresses saved on your PC. Do any of you remember the much hyped about 1998 World Cup virus that wiped out hard drives? What about the VBSChick-F virus of the Japan-Korea world cup that was intended to cripple PCs. Well, if you were so damn shaken by those seemingly dwarfy viruses then, do not attempt to open up this one because we hear that it is a mother of all PC annihilators. I warned you!

I am still perturbed at the many cases tried by the military tribunals in Africa, ariko my study group had a lively debate over this a couple of days ago. Yes, I know the ‘Bushites’ in Washington have tribunals and use them at any slightest opportunity, but should a soldier committing a civil/tort like domestic abuse be charged under such uncompromising laws? If you look at it, our civilian courts are actually different from military courts. For example, different rules of evidence apply; you have no guarantee of appealing a conviction in a military court; a senior officer has more credibility in the eyes of their laws than a junior officer/private; and a presiding judge can actually be incompetent in the matter of law (have no law qualifications). Many of the protections afforded to defendants in civilian courts do not necessarily apply in military tribunals. Must I go on?

In Uganda we have heard of many cases tried in these tribunals such as Tinyenfuza’s and Tumukunde's but what about in Rwanda where Col. Patrick Karegeya (ex- ESO boss) faces 7-10 years in jail for insubordination and desertion from the RDF. Karegeya in his defense claims he received no such orders from his boss General Kabarebe and that is where it fails to add up. How can one decide a case whose charge sheet has not been proven owing to the fact that the orders in question were in private conversations and thus no supporting paper trail? What about the just acquitted Brig. Gen. Alex Ibambasi who was charged in the military tribunal for falsification of his marital documents. You may recall in 1989 Alex married Dorothy Uwantege in Uganda, but was being accused of marrying one Immaculate Mutoni before nullifying the first marriage. That is my point exactly; the tribunals that were mean't for grave military offences and security threats are becoming trivial (with ‘kanjanja-ism’) for my liking and while still at that, should one human being have different fundamental rights from another because of his service in the military? Do you see the contradiction here?

Everybody has been filling us in with the excitement of the World Cup. I am sooo excited about Ghana’s performance that I jumped on Hopes’ bandwagon bedecking my VW Passat with a huge Ghana flag. Hey, we even stormed 'bottoms up' a club in uptown. I have this feeling boiling through my pleasantly plump body, that Brazil is our next main course despite Essien’s absence! Yes I know it sounds like a long shot but anything can happen and at this stage who the hell knows? That reminds me, whoever came up with such fraud that rated USA 5th in the world should pack up his space bags and go back to Mars! Lol. What about these portuguese fans (or should I say vandals?) running riot in Hamilton, destroying anything in their path in celebration of each win! Now, yesterday this rot was taken to another level when this one Portuguese fella poped two Italiano dudes on James Street North for virtually nothing!! That can not be blamed on soccer craze, its inner demons unleashed unto the unsuspecting law abiding citizens. Period!!

I am getting sick and tired of every Tom and Dick criticizing referees on issues they have no clue about. Take an instance of Allan Ssekamate’s absurd article “Referees bungling up in Germany” in the Sunday Monitor June25- July 1 2006. He criticizes the Referee in the Switzerland vs. South Korea match for overruling his linesman. Does Allan care for the Fifa's standards and guidelines set for fans, players, coaches and indeed anybody interested in the game? I do not think so.

Here’s what FIFA says about offside:

A player in an offside position is only penalized if, at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his team, he is, in the opinion of the referee, involved in active play by:

- interfering with play or
- interfering with an opponent or
- gaining an advantage by being in that position.

The definitions of elements of involvement in active play are as follows:

- Interfering with play means playing or touching the ball passed or touched by a team-mate.

Mr. Ssekamatte, from match reviews, it is clear the ball passed from a Swiss player was deflected by a Korean defender before finding Frei. He sought no advantage since the ball was actually passed to him by his Korean opponent. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe with all my heart 'nti' that was a great call.


Nshutis bumping at bottoms up

I am out like the Dallas Mavericks losers of the NBA world championships.

Did The Apocalypse Pass Me By?

Trying new tricks with the Nikon D50, the trick was to make everything other than our faces B&W, and oh shortening our legs by compression. That’s me wearing a marooned out blazer and next to me is Hopes. Justine stands at the extreme end.


All my nshutis, it is official we all survived the fore told apocalypse in one piece, at least my family did. Do you remember sitting up from midnight waiting for something horrible to happen during the Y2K? Yesterday was no different but a freaky weird day in its own right, apparently the biblical 666 was to somehow manifest the end of the world on 06-06-06 (6th June, 2006). It seemed like a normal day to most folks, but to a devoted Christian waiting for Armageddon, and who has watched "The Omen" movies and has read numerous end-of-time novels like Tim LaHaye's best seller "Left Behind" the day was worth betting on at www.betus.com a service that posted 10-1 odds that there will be an apocalypse. Though the odds of the world surviving 'black Tuesday' were far much better, betting on the odds of the apocalypse would have netted one devotee a cool $10 millions. The question asked by everybody is how the winner would have collected, since they will be in heaven. Lol.

The only bad thing was all those babies that have been robbed of their actual birthdays because their expectant mothers were so afraid of bearing an anti-Christ child that they had their appointments to induce labor meant for Tuesday changed to either Monday or Wednesday. We are now being prepared vigorously for the end-of-times by most evangelicals at Rapture Ready with innuendoes like "fasten your belts..." I have been asked to access a book called "Nostradamus: Countdown to the Apocalypse and into the 21st century" written by Jean-Charles de Fortbrure, (I think) mbu I will be taken aback by some of his predictions that are creepy. For starters "The Countdown to Armageddon" by Paul McGuire will rhyme closer to home, so go get it if you are so true into the book of Revelation.

O.K people, lets get to earth shall we? If you are like me who is pissed off by ubiquitous integrated voice response systems usually called 'Emily' every time you call big government offices or corporations, you should be smiling now because www.gethuman.com a U.S. based database company that offers shortcuts to reach humans other than voiced computers, that offer no help but usually ask you to hold the line for the "next available agent to take your call," has come up with a valuable cheat sheet you can use to by pass Emily. One of them is to press '0' or # sign at each prompt, or absolutely saying nothing which always confuses the computer. Well most offices that use these IVRS may have a point when they say these systems are cost effective and time saving, but they are more often abused by the bureaucrats seeking maximum comfort and minimum service to the public. Alas, I don't have to wait on-line for half an hour anymore. Thank God.

I am not sure how auto theft is treated in Rwanda and Uganda, but here in Canada it is treated as a simple property crime equated to household thefts like a stereo or bike! Section 334 of the of the Criminal Code treats auto theft just like that, a theft. That is absurd most especially when you glance at statistics from the OPP and Insurance Bureau of Canada that tell a disheartening story that many stolen vehicles are either involved in fatal accidents or used in gang related activities that often lead to deaths of innocent people. A recent spell of gang violence in North York, Toronto has ignited combined efforts to strengthen gun control in the province but none of the politicians has considered the fact that deaths caused by auto accidents far surpass gun deaths. My friend's car, a Malibu, was stolen a week ago only to be found in Scarborough involved in a deadly accident that killed a pregnant woman from the Bahamas here visiting with her sister. The young lad driving, probably the thief is in custody, but knowing judges here a lenient sentence awaits!

Word of a victory in favor of democracy and freedom has been doing rounds here the passed hour. The senate in U.S. has rejected a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage hyped by dubya. They (dubya-ists) are now saying that the defeat is not in the wisdom of the American people and that it does not serve the interest of their 'great' nation. Wow, all along I have been thinking that the strengths of U.S. lay in the fundamentals of human rights and freedoms they enjoyed. I was wrong, but I should have known better because even their democracy is a great myth where certain voters can easily be disfranchised! Governments should not choose for us what we should do and not everybody is Christian or Muslim et al. to adhere to such religious norms cushioned in federal laws. The senate has now kicked Uncle Sam out of the American bedrooms so please bring, all other liberties and freedoms you dubyas profess to stand for, back to the American people.


Pay attention to the WC Brazil shades that costs a fortune.
These were damn FREE.

I can't believe the world cup is finally here. The hype is too much for me to handle and yet I have not zeroed in on some bucks to meet a certain need...a new TiVo or a DVD recorder and time is running out! The other day free Nike WC Brazil shades were given out to all of us that did a Umuganda around the Hamilton Art Gallery and Jackson square for the environment. Umuganda is a Kinyarwanda word for a country wide ggwanga mujje cleaning up for occasions or for bulungi bwansi every Saturday by all Rwandese citizens. Of course, the gipangu owners cheat the system leaving moderate and poor baturagyes to toil. Anyways yesterday somebody mentioned that these shades can go for $200! OMG! Any takers? I will try my luck on eBay, maybe and if not so, keep them for bragging rights just in case Brazil wins this thing again.

I am out like the Armageddon...

Walking a mile for nature and life

"We love whales" exhibition from kindergarten kids

My life with animals is a long path of contradiction. My father is blessed with a 'galaxy' of domesticated animals, infact too many to count. I have always had an inner connection to cattle for instance, beddecked with this strange feeling of oneness that is profound that I felt cows were not only family but also great communicators to the ear of good intent. I have vivid memories of conversing with these cows whilst growing up and the therapeutic resonance that came along with it. With this affection towards animals, you would think with good reason that I was a fanatic vegetarian, waaa! I would have probably been a vegetarian then if I had not crossed paths with my friend's mom, a very prominent and illustrious woman in Kigali, whose understanding of the role of humans and animals contaminated my inner convictions. To her, humans' desire to kill each other with impunity is still hampered by the presence of animals to which the thrill of indiscriminate killing is legal and that the protection of wild animals, though in good taste, is increasing competition for nature's decreasing free gifts such as fresh air and water.

I easily succumbed to this school of thought because, as Maslow once attested, It is only natural for me to fulfill my basic needs first before pursuing higher needs, because if I were hungry my desire to find food will be more powerful than the need to establish a sense of belonging with my cows, sheep et al. However, that was then and this is now. First, a few months back I joined the NDP cause against the inhumane seal hunting in Northern Canada and the arctic; secondly, I do not find beef or pork as a delicacy of inevitable inclusion in my diet anymore; and lastly I bumped into a SAVE THE WHALE community courtesy of Omar Basawad. Despite international efforts to oppose whaling and numerous global Endangered Species Acts and legislations passed to protect whales, the Japanese whaling machinery is not only unfazed but has increased killings of whales dramatically, 860 in this year alone under the ingenious disguise of scientific research! If you feel the same way I do about this please visit with IFAW and take action to help protect whales, or show your benevolence by signing this campaign and sending it to all your pals.

Talk about the Japanese fronting of the scientific research fracas to over shadow greed and the culture of 'profitism.' Their Ugandan cousins in trade at MARASA Holdings, a company I worked for as an executive more than 5 years ago and where I met my hubby Hopes (an auditor/F&B controller then), have taken the fracas to another level by trying to pull a quick one on Ugandans with their proposed golf course project at the Queen Elizabeth National Park, Mweya penisula to be precise. That Mani Khan, the Executive Operations Director, could sell the Kruger National Park golf course in South Africa as a tourist enigma with a straight face is unfortunate, but for Daudi Migereko the ex-tourism minister to give MARASA a blank cheque for a pleasure of the few at the detriment of our environment and ecological system is scandalous!


My hubby and MARASA Holdings former employee Hopes
(with military cap on) and the 'baturagyes' of Stoney-Creek,
Hamilton.


I do not golf and I could probably mistake a rugby ball for a golf ball, but even I know that to maintain a perfect golf course in a semi arid/savannah-like area such as Mweya, you will need litres upon litres of water, a need that will deprive the local population, the wild animals and vegetation the very craddle of life and therefore survival. Look, isn't Egypt floating around war threats to her fellow River Nile dependants because of her waters? Heck, East Africa's cost of consuming energy has increased to goliathan heights due to decreased water levels of Lake Victoria and these guys have the nerve to even consider such a travesity. If this golf course goes through, I am afraid that the habitant vegitation for the animals in the park will be destroyed, and the only few wetlands in the area altered. What about the potential for increased runoff from the golfcourse, which could carry chemicals into the Kazinga channel and thus affecting both Lake Katwe and George, seriously degrading and indeed destroying these water bases. God forbid!!

It is interesting that I mentioned the supply shortfall of energy as the reason for the sky rocketing costs of consuming this energy. I have reliably learnt that the most consistent thing in Uganda lately is the inconsistence of electricity supply. The increasingly dwindling resources of non-renewable fuels for energy supply is creating an un-easy feeling of global energy insecurity that is bound to transform into conflicts. Population growth in Rwanda, Uganda and indeed East Africa is higher than before and yet energy sources have remained constant in supply. We need more energy input to accelerate economic growth and yet in our paths there lies a huge burricade from the western world fearcely trying to keep our endevours at bay.

It is a good idea for Kaguta to commence construction plans for two more hydro-dams, but not the best idea as it does not address the shortfall of the resource, in this case the decreasing levels of water in Ugandan lakes supposedly caused by either drought or over consumption. That is why I am thrilled the East African Community is getting larger, together they can afford the cost and the consequences of pursuing non-conventional energy sources like nuclear energy and renewable energies like solar, geothermal, biomass and wind. I know you guys are going to have a feat over this; Iran is trying nuclear energy and being blackmailed, you will chant in unisom. But don't forget that Brazil has just finished theirs and thus joined the exclusive nuclear club with minimal hussles from the Bushites. Besides nuclear is the future, and therefore innevitable if we are to survive decades from now. You read it here first. Lol.

Folks just as we thought that Zimbabwe's land issue was the worst handled by both Mugabe and the British govenment, and as we went along with our own lives thinking Zimbabwe woes were a distant and unfortunate saga, too complicated for us to follow, then one such standoff erupts here in Caledonia, North Hamilton. The standoffs is between the aboriginals and developers and later Caledonia residents (mostly white) over land. The aboriginals are trying to reclaim all their land and to stop the illegal construction of housing projects on six nations land. Blockades by the aboriginals have been countered by those raised by the residents which has led to confrotation and violence. Govenment is moving slower than a snail to curb the escalating situation...too much procrastination on the part of both the Federal and Provincial govenments to deal with this issue. An issue that has been hidden away, far away from public scrutiny. The pictures below attempt to tell the disturbing story. I hope I was not sooo boring, but hey atleast something is off my chest.


The occupation of Caledonia...



Whats your next move six nations people...


Native protesters 'taking over' the hood


Native protesters burning tires on rural highway 6

Ragga Dee in T.O As My Boat Sinks

Trying out the soft focus effect with my Nikon on my daughter Faith


Does any one know where I can find a sober psychiatrist, I need one pretty bad and NOW!! Mr. Ndungutse in Ottawa buzzed Hopes this morning mbu Ragga Dee is set to rock the capital today saturday and that he will be in T.O tomorrow!!!! Why does this happen to me all the time? Misfortune seems to be my middle name lately as my frantic attempts to re-schedule my stuff for tomorrow are bare and in vain!! Right now it sucks to be me! Hey, didn't I just drown some load of quid on Da Vinci's Code tickets...heck, six of them! Quid I could have used to set the damn wrong right, enough for 6 tickets to Ragga Dee's show, gas, probably a 24 of heinekken...anything for christ's sake. Not that I am ranking up with Da Vinci's haters, nope, but I often go yonder awaiting for the DVD release, get to borrow or buy 'em, eh! To choose to go bananas on this incident out of many, when I had known of the show in advance is inexcusable, period!! Where is that psychiatrist, I gatta ping somebody...



Talk about pinging, did I mention the new deal skype, ebay inc.'s internet telephone subsidiary, has come up out with? Not that it makes me feel better after my goof, but hey anything free is golden and worth a peek. If your soul resides in North America, you should be able to place a call from your skypeout a/c to any traditional landline and mobile phones in U.S and Canada for FREE. Now, I know there isn't such a thing like free lunch in a purely capitalist world down south, but hey this is not just glitter its gold, believe me I have tried it already. We the consumers are beddecked with wide grins because Vonage has no option but to counter this challenge if they are to enjoy the competitive advantage they had over traditional ping corps. like Bell Canada, Sprint Canada, Rogers et al. Folks in Kigali and Kampala, try out skype for your long distance calls (it is just 2 cents@min). I do remember those calls I used to place five years ago from Kasese, Mweya and Mbarara to U.S worth 7,200ug.shs.@min, now that was outright day-time robbery, Phew!! Where is consumer protection when you need it?

Once in a while I visit with John Nagenda's fascinating column in the New Vision. He chooses to identify himself as Uganda's No. 1 columnist (which I find debatable), but informed, controversial, and provocative is right on the money. I was thinking about writing on that american fishy and selfish pardon or amnesty extended to Col. Gaddafi and his country, until when I visited this week's column, The Lion and Cream which was an ideological replica of my sentiments that I had to let my good intentions go. Libya and Cuba are two different states that were generally isolated by the americans and their proxies for entirely two different reasons. It still beats my mind why civilised humans living under a free and democratic umbrella could unleash such great untold suffering onto other humans for being ideologically different!?

The big story that Nagenda missed in his column though was the recent UN's report on USA's adherence to the world body's anti-torture treaty. The report categorically requested the prison at Guantanamo Bay to be closed (consenting that it is an illegal detention facility); that USA avoids using secret detention facilities in her war on terror; and that detainees should not be returned to any state where they are certain to face torture. Wow! The significance of this is of great magnititute, since USA is a signatory to the UN Committee Against Torture any of her current leaders (like Donald Rumsfield) who are directly implicated in torture reports from Gitmo and Abu Gharib should watch where they go in future lest they get arrested for these crimes. Ask Pinotchet who acknowledged and signed the anti-torture treaty and who made up laws refraining acts of torture in his country, found himself being arrested and deported back to Chile to face trial. The treaty he supported and the laws he upheld were used against him more than a decade later. Small victory but better than nothing.

I hate cigarettes and smoking with a passion, so when the Ontario provincial govenment passed the anti-tobacco legislation to ban smoking in work-places, all indoor public areas and outdoor public areas I was thrilled beyond comprehension. Ladies and gentlemen please fasten your belts, the legislation takes effect on June 1 and I can't wait. Some guy at our Tae Kwon Do class tried to make it seem like his rights were being stripped and vowed to join some ardent smokers in that proposed demo against the legislation. This is how I see it; it is in the best interest of the general public that irresponsible lighting is curtailed. Our healthcare system is grossly overwhelmed by the high number of smoking related health complications like cancer by a huge bill of $1.7 billions in health care costs annually according to Dr. Sheela Basrur. Non smokers such as myself and babies/kids for good measure, find themselves in this peril as second hand smoke inhalers and suffer consequences not of our own making. If somebody wants to kill himself they should do it without dragging us non-smokers into the dry plains of doom with them!

With Katrina and all that threatrics that followed sailing further away from recent memory, the New Orleans residents are at the polls again for a mayor. I am predicting the incurbent Ray Nagin, the man with a twisted tongue, is ganna win this one. I toss to your health Ray and wish you the best in your second term...in advance.

I am out.

Conteplating the Realities of the Census; Poverty and the World cup

A couple of weeks ago, we received a census form "2006 Census" in our mail box. I forgot about the form until this morning when we woke up to bulletin announcements reminding us, the absent minded, that today is the day to stand up and be counted, or sit down and fill out an on-line form at www.census2006.ca. I have no beef with the census thing, I do remember with utter clarity, the census in Uganda and Tanzania which were detailed in information extraction. This one asks a few questions that seem like introductory queries. I am aware of the benefits of a census. I know it is a useful tool for governments (both federal & provincial), planners, demographers, activists, marketers, social scientists et al. but the way this is being done, more Hamiltonians will find themselves slipping down below the poverty line with no changes in our respective balance sheets.

I am not being an alarmist but the fact that questionnaires in the booklet omit features of our finances is a big concern because it would seem like Statistics Canada is more interested in population growth only. Hamilton is certain to be well over the 500,000 population threshold which is the dividing mile mark used by Statistics Canada to calculate the Low-Income-Cut-Offs (LICO) which to them is an indicator of relative poverty.

Population growth has been at its highest for three years now owing to the city's amalgamation and Toronto's mean project of enticing welfare recipients to move to a more "cheaper and friendly" city. However, the problem is that LICO assumes that living costs generally increase with population density which means that with Hamilton's population surpassing the mile mark, we will be lumped in with our richer and more expensive cousins like Toronto, and that's where I shudder! Hamilton's poverty line, by Statistics Canada's estimation, will likely increase from $12,000 to $30,000 per annum which in my opinion is unfair since the two poverty rates would be based on different baselines, and further still, will be insensitive to the rampant cost of living changes. That's why a terrible thought has crossed my mind, I should forget completely that I ever received the census booklet and yes I missed the bulletins. But again, who losses? I guess its me!

Come to think about it, these misrepresentations would benefit us in our struggle for the alleviation of actual poverty and equal opportunities. Hamilton has a high number of single mothers struggling with the daily economics of survival. Most of whom suppliment their meagre incomes with social assistance which in itself is designed to keep them in this system of financial bondage. They have to meet the rental costs (averaging $645.00@ month), statutory and utility bills, groceries, medication, day care costs, cloths, transportation et al. despite financial handicaps. According to the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton, 81% of single mothers live in poverty which translates to child poverty and high levels of school drop outs, for a hungry child has different needs to satisfy than attending class. Single mothers are in this predicament because of the untold costs and hardships of raising a child. They often have to take up part time jobs and less paying jobs in order to have more time with their children.

Equally important is the increasing number of immigrants under the poverty line. Skilled new Immigrants come over here (often lured in by seemingly benevolent Canadian embassies) with high expectations of new lives and jobs in their respective professions, but the system frustrates them. They face an uphill battle finding work in their fields owing to stereotyping such as the belief that overseas qualifications are either insufficient, of low standard or fake; no Canadian experience is a common statement voiced by most employers, plus numerous barriers to going back to school to re-qualify or learn new skills. All that coupled with the huge burden of having kids in Canada pushes them to oblivion. Medical doctors, engineers et al. from around the globe are trapped in this Canadian quagmire of discrimination and hypocrisy and left at the feet of under-employment like cab driving, housekeepers et al. Perhaps the census will do good and help policy makers rectify the social desparity in our country and perhaps my active participation maybe what will be needed to overwhelm the mile mark. Maybe and maybe God will listen and perform a miracle through this census. To that I pray, AMEN.

The other day we went to the inauguration of Toronto FC, Hamilton Chapter in Stoneycreek. You see, a new MLS team was born and will be stationed at the Exhibition Place Stadium located by the beaches of Lake Ontario off the Hamilton bound Q.E.W and south of Toronto downtown. This reminded me of the world cup, I gatta go to factory direct liquidators to find me a DVD recorder as my TiVo took a leave of absence and I am told it will cost more in repairs than the price of a DVD recorder. I am thinking Ivory Coast and Ghana are going to make some noise and perhaps Tunisia. Togo and Angola should not tremble, I am praying for you to have a good tour of Europe and hey take some pictures of all the tourist attractions in Germany. Kidding aside, my money is on the hosts, England and Brazil.


Camila, Nada; The 'Nshutis' of hamony in a creative imagination
of a soccer ball. Welcome Toronto FC


Togo; The tourists


Togo's Sheyi Adebayor; I hope he saves Africa's face


Michael Essen; Ghana's midfield maestro


Ghana's national team in celebration


Ghananian players posing at the Varzea Stadium in Ghana


Didier Drogba Ivory Coast's sniper


Hatem Trabelsi; Tunisia's defensive auditor


Angola's national team in jubilation

With the world cup 2006 anticipation and the census on-line forms to fill, I fizzle out like the bagabos from Angola.

General Paul Kagame's controversial Canadian visit

Fellow "Nyarus" welcoming kagame (9 more pictures below)



Paul Kagame finally set foot on Canadian soil for the first time after numerous snubs by the previous Liberal leadership. The Liberals had a sound reason to distance themselves from the 'Pilato'. He is a man with a heavy baggage and I am afraid his foes are gaining the advantage here. The dilemma is that he was greeted by hundreds of drum beating demonstrators that accuse him of human rights abuses and genocide in the DRC, yet in the same token, another school of thought sees him as a great African leader who deserves a medal for his sacrifices and indeed the University of Sherbrooke presented him with a medal for reconciliation in Rwanda and not to be out done, the University of Western Ontario bestowed on him with honors too.

The controversy that surrounded his visit was so overwhelming to the extent that the conservatives had no option but to allow him visit unofficially. To me it was outrageous for a head of state to visit and not be received or acknowledged by any high ranking government official of the country he is visiting! If you let the man in you have no choice but do the needful and for christ's sake cut the man some slack, he ain't a pilato for nothing. Get that people.

Prior to his visit the lead council at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Peter Erlinder, sent an official letter asking Prime Minister Harper to disallow the visit on the grounds that as an "accused war criminal" he should not receive endorsement of the Canadian government without putting the record straight. Equal pressure was exerted onto the conservatives from the huge Congolese community in Montreal and the Rwandese expatriates Association. I was so dampened by these negative forces I consider hypocritical that I jumped onto Ndungutse's bandwagon (dragging the reluctant and sick Hopes with me) to Uof W.O in London to offer my support. Hypocritical in the sense that nobody seems to realize how big a war criminal Bush is and yet he has free passage to Ottawa!! Next time around my drums will be ready, the tide and skin stretched for Kaguta's, if his visit causes a fracas like pilato's did.


Demonstrations by students against Kagame's visit


Students at U of W.O schedules were rudely interrupted by the security presence at campus. The local papers made us know that Pilato has been perhaps the only leader after Bush visiting unofficially with such tight security and a convoy of cars. Four to five security agencies? London Police Dep't (LPD), then RCMP, Campus officers, CISS, and Rwandese security, LOL. Anyways who cares, we had fun, toured London city which I must say is one of the most cleanest cities in Ontario. I enjoyed Ndungutse and Justine's company. The best things in life are free.


Ama foto; with "Nyarus" Brazilian style

A day after storming London with "Nyaru" colors we sailed off to the Bovine, because one Nshuti of mine had mentioned that Matt Bonner aka red rocket was to spin jams off his ipod. Well if it is free why not? U also get to mingle with Raptors' NBA fratenity. That's a bonus right there, never mind the music. He floods in with his homey Pape Sow the 'undersized' Raptors' center or it seems on TV. Well, Hopes and my self got close to Sow for a chat. Man, I'll kill whoever poisoned my mind with that undersized crap, anti talking to this guy was a toll order as my flimsy neck was sent hurting. Talking to a seven footer is like you have been shrunk suddenly with overwhelming brutality, for real. LOL. Did I mention red rocket's hard rock and the spinning talent? I didn't even know he owns an ipod considering his 'sticky hand' bio, mbu, he seldom departs with his amafaranga.

Talking of the NBA, is anybody watching the playoffs lately? If u are u must be intrigued by the level of intensity in this edition, not with Lebron James, the big punisher, teaching the Wizards how to dance and Gilbert Arenas taking none of that, but with Steve Nash the court general's, ability to impose his will in the passing lanes of Kobe Bryant and his Lakers' D. Kobe is money, dropping it like its hot anytime he felt like it, but the game is a team game he gatta know that for he is blessed with Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown whose size outdwells 'the metrix' Marion. In just two hours game 7 of this match up starts, its win or go home and I am sure Kobe, Odom, Kwame, the Metrix, Nash, Diaw are all pumped up just like I am...pumped up.


Kagame's convoy leaving the U of W.O campus in London


A good glimpse of Kagame


Luncheon


Rwandese diaspora entertaining Kagame


Great move Leon!


Presenting gifts by the 'Vice-President' of the Rwandese
Diaspora


Getting close and mingling

Washington; In Dire Need of a Common-sense Revolution.

The Fiscal I.Q at Washington is just another example of
despoil of self-worth, national pride and integrity.


Dear God, the almighty. I may not be religious enough. I do not deny my deviant and immoral thoughts and deeds, yet I turn my pleas to you in desperation as I always do. Tonight, by my children's bedside(s), I will be praying to you once again to keep the Washington iconoclasts away from the idiocrisy of influencing strategy in Ottawa. In return I will go for a sex change and become a monk.

It is true people, the ignoramus crowd in Washington just lifted the national debt ceiling to accommodate their fiscally unsustainable projects and now they are actually starting to flirt with their cretin cousins in Ottawa! A mere thought of that gives me goose pimples. Do you still wonder why ours is a debt geared society with more than 60% of North Americans fighting for bragging rights in maxing out the plastic...more goose pimples!!? Ooooh

Hopes is back from 'oblivion'... Hurray. The physicians categorically made it clear to him to consider divorcing himself from beer and liquor. I do not see that happening though, Budweiser has been rivaled only by heinekken as his favorite past time. Atleast, now I have to rediscover my old plan of visiting with the old cribs in Kigali, Mbarara (hello Katunguru and the Mweya fratenity) and Kampala this coming summer and having him prepare my tax returns before the deadline. That eradicates two worries off the distraction list whilst preparing for my exams.

Damn, exams on Tuesday, and my chances of landing an A+ on these exams are as same as winning a loto; or Matt Bonner buying new T-mac balling nike snickers; or Habyarimana getting a retrial. If you follow the NBA religiously as my household does, you probably have crossed paths with Matt, Toronto Raptors' freaky red haired beyond the arc jump shooter, whose popularity is more for his sticky hands than treys. It became a big story when the poor lad figured a toonie ($2) more for extra meat on his sub (sandwich) was a rip off!! The guy makes $2 million a season (actually 8 months) and yet he owns no car, has no cable TV and a toonie more on a sub is money wasted. That is not endearing, it is pathological. Come to think about it, I hate my chances even more.

Talking of Kampala, our eyes were fixed on the elections there, the results hadly shocked me. The most intriguing part of the whole process was the loser coming up with an ingenious scheme of engaging the constitutional law in a dire attempt to have the electoral results nullified on flimsy grounds. Having been actively involved in the electoral process here, I know that it is the voters obligation to verify the information provided to them on say voter's cards prior to the day of election. It is a human thing to act surprised when your name is missing and had made no effort to consult with the disclosed voter registers prior to the big day but entirely another thing if you decide to hold the whole process in vain as a result of your incompetence. Free and fair? That is probably the most overrated utterance I've heard in my life. If life was that perfect we would not need credit cards (just to borrow a leaf from one humorous TV commercials here). Jesus, impart sense in the two time loser to come to grips with reality and vacate the leadership of FDC. That is the least we expect of our politicians here when they fail to attain the instruments of the state TWICE!! The only saddening part of this exercise is that my uncle lost his Kampala seat!! To that I say, the silent majority spoke.

I had the pleasure of having a glimpse at Rwandese and Ugandan blogs. I was fascinated by most of them. One actually mentioned blogging from a street cafe which of course sounds like he departed with a fortune for his efforts. That in my small world, is courage and determination to get a head in this competitive world of ours.

One topic that caught my eye on these blogs, was the Rwandese diplomat fiasco and the numerous conspiracy theories making rounds in this 'civilised' world of blogging. I would not be the first to throw a stone at the diplomat nor the first to protect him against the stone throwers. Well, like I said to Ivan at Ivan presents, knowing the pervesity of lifestyles in both countries, I wouldn't discard the worst just yet. I am still wondering who the victim is; is it the adulterers, the diplomat, the husband, Abanyarwanda or Abagande. There is a problem if a state starts relying on propaganda machines at any slight opportunity, hoping that their audience has no eyes to see through an open window. Lol. Like I said before, we all need that common-sense revolution to put us in line. Amen.

I am out like the Bushites and their increasingly depleting approval ratings.

Hamilton Just Turned Orange; NDP Sweeps Hamilton

NDP's Chris Chalton working the phones whilst results of her Hamilton Mountain riding victory poured in.


I am no prophet or soothsayer, but I said it here, loud and clear that our goal for the great city of Hamilton was to put the wrong right. Apparently we did a splendid job cleaning up the red mess of the Liberals in our city and giving a convincing mandate to the orange social revolutionaries of NDP. I toiled just like other NDP volunteers the whole day tracking down notable mop bearers to make sure we are sure of victory. Have you noticed the wave of the socialist liberals or leftist change sweeping across the globe? Latin America is turning back the clocks and Hamas is bracing for victory in a historic Palestinian election to mention but a few. What Harper responded with was a swift move of the Conservatives to the centre helping him to win atleast a minority mandate. A lesson learnt; you want power in Canada you gatta atleast pretend you appreciate the idiosyncrasy of a socialist liberal.

David Christopherson is back to represent Central Hamilton, Chris Chalton whose luck was always tucked away by the genie the past three attempts finally got noticed by the electorate for her great work for the Mountain. The fact that she tried three times (losing by narrow margins) without quitting is testimony enough of her strong character. Pull out your heineken and gulp it to her health and the sweet victory, and you know what? It is on me. You folks remember Paul Martin's great rafiki and political catalyst, the one only famed house leader Toni Valeri from Stoney Creek- Hamilton the slayer of establishment Goliaths, well he fell to a political David, the NDP low key challenger Wayne Marston to complete the Hamilton sweep, ofcourse off setting conservative David Sweet's victory in Ancaster and Flamborough. Sheila Copps the gallant Liberal must be thrilled not after Paul Martin's aka Valeri's down right thuggery against her last time around. One thing is for sure, politics is a blood spot but atleast we are at the helm of that this time. I'll drink to that, pheew!!

The Ugandans are in full gear rallying for their elections too, well atleast that's what they want us to believe. Unlike here in Canada, where the urban electorate decide the next Premier, back there it is the rural electorate, the villagers with the power. Interesting how politics is run in African countries, opposing parties are certain of their defeat and to that effect orchestrate unrest and indeed fore tell chaos. It is a formidable tactic most use as a fundamental basis to discredit results at the end of the day. Equally disheartening, those in power grossly benefit from state resources funded by tax payers to the detriment of the hopeless opposition.

OK, we all harbor short memories once in a while, but if you do not learn from history, even that history so recent like Kenya's last elections then you are the wrong person to take and protect the instruments of the state. Didn't the Kenyan opposition politicians, most of them former KANU biggies, gang up against Moi without well set standards and guidelines or manifesto to guide them other than one unifying factor, to topple Moi? Well, as soon as their goal was met chaos broke loose from fighting for political weight or office to outright thuggery!! My Kenyan friends like Kamau who blew change trumpets before now hide their heads in the Sahara sand like ostriches. We still shudder at the thought of the gross mismanagement in that once beautiful country!! If there is nothing to learn from that Ugandans then nothing ever will! I said it here...

Happy birthday Faith, you just turned 6...ooohlaa, horaaay. She saw her picture in the Hamilton Spectator classified under announcements hanged high at her school and felt a million times grand, if she had her own blog, you would have heard more about this, for sure. The ugly part of her birthday is a reminder that she outsprints her clothes so often that the widening of that dent in our finances is more than certain. Don't we buy extra size pants for instance to fit for atleast 6 months only to be outgrown in a month? I am soon getting a customer of the year award at the Value Village, Walmart and Zellers, and that is not a braging right to hang on my walls! Go figure! Anyways;

Happy birthday to you
happy birthday to you,
happy birthday dear Faith,
happy birthday to you.

I am out like Toni Valeri.

Old Wine in New Bottles

Paul Martin and Steph Harper, one person picture from Rick Mercer


Before I am overwhelmed by my self centered excitement, please be invited to Rick Mercers' political humour, where he gives us a sneek peek at Harper's intended war room cabinet Happy Newyear!

The year is still young and yet we are moving in turbo gear. First we finally heard with utmost relief from specialists that Hopes has nothing close to that dreaded cancer, hurray...we can live with that. He gatta drink lots of water and cranberry juice, avoid cholesterol rich foods and beer though. Secondly, the new semister at McMaster University commences with lots of assignments, we only just begun for christ's sake, why the hurray with assignments?

Talk about McMaster, we got bombarded with political literature for different candidates on the very first day. Do I have to move around in a Jack Layton's NDP outfit to make a point? Hey, I am a decided voter ready to pounce on to Martin's Liberals with my 'reality check' big stick. The Tories are having a great time in the campaigns, that worries my far left liberal school of thought, but if they arrive to Ottawa with a minority mandate that will help shake things up for the better I suppose and perhaps teach the Liberals a thing or two about the significance of segregating the culture of entitlement from their intergrity political rhetoric they so annoyingly romantize about.

There is something wrong with the weather lately. It is always fierce winter blizzards and windchill alerts in January, but when winter flirts with spring around this time of the year you know it is a rare bonus right there. If we continue this way, I am ganna be tempted to discard my winter boots and all that snow attire I bought for a fortune and wonder why I ever bought them in the first place.

I watched a news clip on CBC World about the election campaigns in Uganda, when Dr. Kiiza Besigye's platform zoomed in. I couldn't help but wonder how lucky Ugandans are to choose their leaders not on personality or looks but on meaningful traits of leadership and manifestos. If Besigye was here, I am more than certain that his looks and charm deficiency would have cancelled out his policies in a mere stroke of a pen atleast in a female vote. He looked baaad that my kids asked to have the channel changed! Can I blame his looks on Luzira? Phew!! If Kagame stood now, my vote will certaily be his even before his manifesto airs, because he looks alot more in charge and handsome. Period! Whilst here, I learn't to never overlook the power of charming personality. Ask Bill Clinton...

I can not get over the fact that Hopes is rooting for the Green Party, for christ's sake give me a break! Green party split the Liberal votes, poaching on NDP territory. If he was an ardent Greenist wouldn't he be riding a bike or buy a hybrid car instead of a Jeep gas guzzler? Double standards is an understatement for he does not even bother recycling waste, well other than lecturing me about it. Actions bwana, are better than words.

My assignments are begging for attention so ciao I am out like the Green Party of Canada.

Hamilton and My Insatiations

Downtown Hamilton, always deserted on Sundays. Picture taken on John Street South to show the Gore Park.


It is amazing sometimes how we can take a furious snow hit from mother nature one minute and then witness 7 inches of snow melt away at a record pace the next minute. 24 hours ago this area around gore park was treacherous to my snow boots, with ferocious winds compromising my purpose driven strides by a quarter of an hour. Someone once mentioned to me that Hamilton is relatively warmer than the rest of Ontario, but sometimes I question the validity of this assertion. Anyways, on a brighter note, today has been a blast, brilliant weather with no winds. I will be the most pleased woman in the city if mother nature's good mood spills over to January. To hell with global warming rhetoric, we need this land of our weather friendly to humanity.

Yesterday I was so caught up in the holiday stress wondering what gifts I can afford to throw my little hard earned bucks at that I missed the obvious. Later that evening when most malls and grocery stores were closed, It downed on me that we only have two pull ups remaining for Primrose, no cereals for breakfast and salt. SALT, for christ's sake is something you can not just ignore, we ended up with a furious Hopes behind the wheel trying to zero up on a 24 hour store! We got one at the corner of Dundurn street and King St. West only to realize everything there costs a fortune. When we got in there I was trapped between higher prices, the option of doing without any of the stuff until Monday, and Hopes' constant angry reminders that he did not waste his time and gas to opt out of the whole purpose of the trip...I can't win in this part of the world most especially if salt and pull-ups are missing in action.

Everybody seems to be talking about this movie re-do, King Kong! Some of these movie critics are now pecking on to my nerves like somebody's paying them to do the hyping on their behalf, but if what they say about this movie is what it is I am ganna watch it. Forget about going out to the movies, way tooo expensive; forget about downloading it from the internet through my k-lite pro because I gather the authorities call it pirating which makes it a dangerous and risky prospect. Rather I am ganna play the patience card for 1 or 2 months till the DVD release, then borrow it from the central library and burn it with my decrypter, sounds like a plan? Naaah, don't fall for that. That explains my new democrat blood in me, for I am learning to live with the horrors of scarcity and the enlarging govenment control or supervision of my life...everybody's life!

I was so into this new gadget on the block, the Sirius a pocket satellite radio, owing to the fact that Hopes kept on bringing it up. Well, he has a PC powered one that is stationally but picks up most channels in the world. I started planning on ways of saving some bucks to own one when reality checked in. My impression of this ipod-like gadget was that you listen to any radio station in the world with the benefit of portability. I realize now that it doesn't receive live feed at the go but that it records like 50 hours of programming on an internal hard drive, and still limits you on the radio feeds. I wouldn't be able for instance to listen to radio simba, or any Rwandese radio feed on the go!!! As if that was not enough, you need like $15 per month for subscription. There goes the S50 Sirius, waste of money in my opinion.

I am out but not before commenting on the political fiasco in Kampala, Uganda. That the ruling govenment is slowly turning larger than life is not surprising, don't all governments? What surprises me though, is the opposition's faileur to learn from the Kenyan mistakes of opposition politics of inclusiveness and mergers with only one unifying factor, WINNING the election!! I gather its the worst govenment they have had since assuming power in Nairobi. On a brighter side though, political uncertainity has gripped the globe as whole...it is a globalisation thing. We are tussling here in Canada, the Egyptians are crying foul, Venezuela, the Americans...rest be assured Ugandans, it is not only you.

Paul Martin CLUELESS

Clueless indeed!!


I have not been a citizen for a longtime, but even I know Paul Martin has been the worst federal Prime Minister in Canadian history. OK, I gather Mulronery was un-rivaled but come on, Martin must be some where at the helm of the total bust list of PMs. You should have been here when his cronies helped him topple Jean Chretien, how they sold him as a miracle worker with a touch of gold. I believe him when he asserts his innocence during that dark period of Liberal wastages and corruption, hey even the Gomery report exonerates him but this is how so incompetent Martin is that I am certain he has no clue whats going on with his own government and indeed on the streets! Shame.

Mr. Martin we are being robbed at the pumps, we are being gouged for electricity, the heating costs are sky rocketing at an alarming pace, property taxes are increasing unabated, day care services for our kids is simply unaffordable, insurance...men, I am sobbing my skull out!

Now word from the grape vine has it that your provincial cousin McGuinty, Liberal PM of Ontario, is about to amend the Taxpayers' protection act to give municipalities overwhelming powers to impose and increase taxes at will. Hey, that reminds me, didn't this McGuinty distort this same Act when he introduced a health tax? Jesus!! Yet he figures a road toll on highways should be extended from Express ways to others like the QEW, Gardener, 400, 401, 403 etc Didn't we the electorate (the taxpayers mind you) pay to have these highways in place? If so, why should I pay for using the roads I built with my tax money?!!! GROSS!!! All this over taxation and increase in household expenses (hydro bills, union gas, daycare etc) and a wage that has remained constant is a recipe for disaster, atleast in my small world.

I have just joined the Christopherson's NDP campaign with my volunteer time and vote. This is certainly my only way to vent out against the deaf liberals. I am hoping Hamilton turns orange not red, ORANGE in favor of the NDP. Politicians have to be held accountable this time around...Paul, what have you done for me lately?

Last week, Hamilton's main stream media held an account of a Ugandan at a verge of deportation!! I was in total shock seeing her on CH news shedding tears with her plight. I know Edith Kaggwa since the old days of 160 Market street as a friend and also at St Peters Hospital as a workmate, but never had a clue, not even once, that her future was in such grave danger facing a removal order to an unsafe country she originally fled from. Did Immigration ever consider the objective fear for her life if deported or what happens to "similarly situated persons" as required? You would think somebody with three Canadian born kids could stay on humanitarian basis, but mmh I guess that is old news. Well, I feel sooo bad for her that I have joined a group of nurses at St Peters to petition Immigration Canada for the sake of her children. In my daily prayers she stays.

I have just noticed we have run out of milk for Faith and Prim but hey didn't we buy milk 3 days ago? Surely that doesn't suggest we consume more than 1 litre of milk a day...I do not want to believe that, but that is the beauty of 'bwiino' and that gatta change. I am sailing off to Fortinos to stock up despite the freezing weather outside, I have just ran out of options until when web grocery shopping catches up i just have no option bear with this bitter cold!!!!

Wake me up when X-mas is over

Posing at Central Mall on Kenilworth Street North just after church

Does this sound familiar? X-mas does not sound great like it used to. I keep on listening to these monotonous x-mas sounds over and over again and yet still feel burdened or out hastled by big corporations and their retailer cousins to depart with my hard earned few bucks in my possession!! Economists are spitting out their usual unsubstantiated crap that we are spending more because of a good economy, stable interest rates, increase in wages and mbu decrease in unemployment. If you live here, it is definately obvious our increased household expenses aren't as a result of the above. Decrease in unemployment? Are these folks smoking something we don't know about? With daily bad news of Corporate outsourcing, downsizing, mergers, closures and bankrupcies how could we be so illusional!!

I wonder if they have heard of the economic turmoil in the manufacturing industry lately. Does Rheem Industries ring a bell? What about Stelco, DAFASCO, General Motors or RBG to mention but a few!! Helllloo, Dafasco and Stelco alone contribute to 35% of Hamilton's labour market. Our household gross income has remained constant and yet it changed after all statutory deductions, in other words, our net household income has suffered a decrease! That right there disputes the analysits argument that we are earning more and that unemployment has decreased. Jesus, most of us bottomed out folks are maxing up our cards and that there is no reason to give a thumbs up to our economy, even I know that!!!

I figure inflation has something to do with it or gas prices hiking up production and delivery costs. We are going to spend more because toys for example are costing more and yet these damn corporations are relentlessly bombarding our kids with persuasive advertisements for the latest toy in town. Can you believe this, Faith comes home a couple of days ago with a flyer from her kindergarten, with the X-box 360 worth $700 gigantically circled by some adult MBU THAT IS HER GIFT WISH TO POOR SANTA...go figure. Santa ain't coming here this time around, come to think about it, we gat no furnace!! I am going to sleep, wake me up when these holidays are over

Ciao

Terror again!

Now, didn't somebody say terrorism is our top priority?

I am taking a breather from this punishing exam week and the tormenting heat when suddenly my program on tele is rudely interrupted with breaking news...another spate of terror reigning in London!! That's just sick!! Is somebody trying hard to bring the war from the streets of Baghdad to the Thames? The thought of that is horrifying, but what if roles were exchanged here and Canada gets into the picture? With our freestyle, bother nobody way of living, you are right if you suspected our Go and the subway system to be virtually un-protected!

News out of the Queens land are not encouraging lately, a shoot first policy? For once Hopes was right in our philosophical battles on current affairs when he said that the act of shooting that seemingly south Asian man near the London subway by the police was a barbaric act by trigger happy sectarians under the guise of policy. I stood by the police in this debate imagining that other factors remaining constant, the terrorists needed a strong message, until when reports clarified later that this was an innocent Brazilian gunned down in cold blood! Do not forget that this poor man tripped and fell on his face, before the policemen came over and shot him several times in the head execution type. That there spoke volumes about the London police!

What will be your course of action if you found yourself up against two evils simultaneously? Government on one hand ordering for conservation and home owners selfishly disregarding government's best efforts? Would you for instance call police or rat on somebody using more than two 10,000BTU air-conditioners, most especially when we can't seem to be pealing away from 40c heat which has caused some deaths or rat on somebody watering his lawn and flowers? People do not seem to get it!! Well, I have one extra air-conditioner, and since every Tom and Dick don't give damn, I am gonna turn it on until government comes up with incentives for me to conserve...there u go and u folks thought I cannot make a resolution? U are sooo wrong!

I have been promised a DVD of the funeral of my mom. Promised is an understatement, I expect it any time by DHL. Initially I was not in favor of having a funeral re-run but after consideration I have started to appreciate the value of this DVD that I can't wait to get hold of it. It is for sure going to bring closure and will be an archive for my kids to revisit their origins in future. Thanks Frank for your thoughtfulness.

We are hoping to be in Ottawa next weekend to check on my nieces, Mado, Emmanuel and so on. Cash is still hard to wrap at the moment but its a trip everyone is glad to make, but before Ottawa, we hope to be visiting with Hopes' cousin in Brampton that is close to Toronto. We need to take a leave of absence from our old Hamilton big time, if that doesn't relieve on our stress, nothing will. The other weekend we had a blessing of Pilo's visit with us and that to be truthful was a blast.

Finally, I am sooo happy my prayers were answered. Who said God does not listen? Don will be leaving politics after that long stint, phew. I gave Heineken a beating in celebration and probably that is the whole motivation for this trip to Ottawa for another primus well invasion with Emmanuel who is equally excited. Hey, and before I lose consciousness why not a Congratulations to Don.

I am out like this Heineken in my palm...

May God rest their souls in peace

Primrose (who, for some reason, prefers to be called Nemo) stands on a swirling stool for a gig!


My rafikis, right now it sucks to be ME!!! Its a week now, but un-welcome news flowed in abundance. My bed-ridden mother battling health complications finally succumbed, I cried my scalp open! Prior to her passing, Timo left a message that Hopes' 59 year old dad a native of Holy Springs, North Carolina, had died of heart attack!! O.K, my mum was old and had lots of complications but how on planet earth would a University soccer coach and supposedly an athlete die of cardiac arrest just like that? Go figure...

The passing of our mum, has left a huge gaping hole in our family. Think about it, she was this kind of a mum that understood everybody's (her kids) divergent views and endeavored to reconcile them. As a last born in our family I got pampered by everybody, but more so by my mother, however she never lost the fact that too much of it would extinguish my light. She was there for everybody. I guess my point here is that she solidified the family in a humble way possible, somebody gatta step up to the plate, but the plate seems so amorphously gigantic to fill with our five pairs of feet! May the souls of both parents rest in peace.

When we count our many blessings, it isn't hard to see that life's most valuable treasures are the treasures that are free, for it is not what we own or buy that signifies our wealth, it is the special gifts that have no price. Our family, friends and health. When we are counting all our blessings, there's one thing we always do. We stop and say, "thank you, lord, for a special you and for our families that love us for who were are". I appreciated all the warm heart felt messages and emails of condolences I received in this period of hardship. Mr. Ndungutse and Jessica (Hopes' big sister) your long messages were a blast in reviving my spirits. Fausta, Rajab, Hemed Zahor, Mado, Cosmas, Cathy, Timo and Olivia, Esther, Peace Nagenda, Festo Kikonyogo, Muhammad, J.B Walugembe and everybody I have forgotten to mention, I truly and sincerely appreciate your thoughtfulness and comfort, thanks.

My cousins from Windsor - Ontario, to be precise Piyo, will be visiting with us here tomorrow. Its a shame, but it took the passing of bibi, to actually have this thing done with! Piyo has been trying like hell to get hold of me in vain! Right now I am thrilled they are coming over. That reminds me, Hopes' cousin, an attorney in Missussauga - Ontario, will be here too. We last bumped into her like four years ago at the IRB hearings division in Toronto and that was it. It sounds weird, but such is life here...too engaged in daily life of survival that everything seems secondary. Believe me, its true!!

It has been soooo hot and humid in Ontario that it seems living somewhere in the Sahara would be by far a better place to duck from this cruel heat! We have had two power shortages or failure owing to the use of air conditioners by Ontarians. It seems everybody in my neighborhood is blessed with two or more 10,000+ BTU air conditioners plus gigantic fans, that Provincial government's pleas for energy conservation has fallen on deaf ears, thus over stretching the capacity of hydro! Does that explain to you why power failures are becoming a norm around here? For once mother winter is enjoying the beating summer is receiving lately! Didn't we pray our souls out to have summer arrive earlier than later, well God listened and blessed us with two folds of warmth, mmmh!

I am out like hydro and thanks for your prayers.

It is a quarter to 6:00 am, but early rising sun would make it seem like 10:00 am.

HEAT and SMOG alerts are becoming a norm.

Bracing for the day's hussle.

I have not had a great recess from the blog in the actual sense! First, my mom's health worsened, so ill that she is bed ridden. I am mingled in guilt over my inability to make it to Kigali to be by her side! To make matters worse, Immigration and Citizenship Canada do not seem to be in hurry to steamline my ability to travel ....yes, i need my passport, for christ's sake!! They do not seem to figure that out, its been a year now!

The latest is that the family have gathered to ensure quality of life, but to imagine i am not there with everybody has such a distraughting effect on me that i seldom have a good night sleep or concetrate in class! That reminds me, i wrote some mid-term exams a week ago grossly un-prepared!!!

Just the other day Hopes' insincerity reared its ugly head! He said, I am working up myself the wrong way, and that I am soon becoming chronically distressed! Mbu, people with extreme worries and negativity are twice as likely to develop some form of dementia. So much for a shoulder to lean on!!

This is the first day of summer. I usually enjoy spring more than summer because of its mildness. This time around, mother nature acted like the middleman's (spring) existence is of no use, just like that we were having extremely hot and humid temperatures in spring!! We can't win with mother nature, it is sooo cold during winter and so damn hot during summer! Have u ever wondered why people here stroll around half naked? Well, don't look any further, just pay us a visit this time around and you'll be glad that you live somewhere else!

Faith commenced her soccer thing earlier in spring. The Junior Kindergarten League kicked off like 10 days ago and Faith's team has 'succeeded' in losing on consecutive outings! It is fun watching kids go at it with no apparent ambition, kicking the ball to whom it may concern. Faith seems to be at ease being a goalkeeper, but her coach still insist on a forward position. The heat and smog advisory warnings have however had numerous fixtures posponed. By smog i mean a combination of humidity and pollution! Mmmh, i wonder what summer has in store for us.

Hopes' thrilled for having his papers on was it Financial issues and the elderly and another on Elderly abuse in Canada sold over the internet for $35 each. Poor guy figures he can make a buck or two this way. This is where i disagree, doesn't that constitute to abetting academic parasites and the lazy cheating students? Making your own research work for your mid-term assignments available for sale on-line is gross, most especially if your paper was marked, but again thats me.

A Ugandan medical imaging professional, was sentenced yesterday under a mysterious law, to a jail term for having unprotected sex with multiple women, knowing that he is HIV positive and not disclosing this fact to any of them! That was horrible, brutal and in my opinion, first degree murder! But the way 'wazungus' crumble at the feet of our black 'bagabo' with less worry about their marrital status, u would kind of think they deserve this unfortunately!! For this Ugandan guy, please may u rot in JAIL!!

Hopes' cousin Festo confirmed yesterday that he will be here on 2nd of next month. We have not heard from his sister studying in London though, her trip seems much in doubt. Walugembe, Hopes' friend studying Chartered Accountancy in London just gat dissed at the highcommission, mbu being single with no kids was the reason for his being denied a visa. That reminds me, didn't Auntie Olive Kigongo promise to pay us a visit this summer? I better get on phone to confirm this. I am out.

Happy mother's day

Disembarking at Mohawk-McMaster University
(Institute for applied health sciences) for the morning
lectures.


Somebody wondered why my postings are getting less frequent lately. Don't i know it? It had not occured to me that my sick leave will turn out sooo hectic. I limp to Mohawk early in the morning, then later in the day to St. Peter's hospital for that CS Tech course i went on about a while ago. There is too much to cover in this damn crash program that my brain takes frequent breaks amidst bombardments of overwhelming course work! Now i agree with Moesha, passing this one is ganna be optional, kidding!!

It has been snowing like crazy in Labrador!! Us, its been glory time as everybody seemed benevolent towards each other and giving their respective budgets a hell of a time! If u had not figured this out, summer pulls strings on even the stingest humans. This is when we happen to move alot (which means gas), getting tempted at every corner to depart with your hard earned cash under the guise of summer thrill. I wont list anything here, but i happen to find my self in acquisition of stuff i seldom use. Go figure!

Talk about summer, Faith got drafted into a soccer team and training commences this friday. That means another expense creeping into the budget, but for a good cause. She will have this thrill of competition as early as five yet exercising to cut on the chances of child obesity owing to our household bad eating habits. Hopes did quite a job introducing ball control to Faith the past winter at the Dundurn in-door soccer complex, probably improving on her chances of being drafted into a team.

Sunday was mother's day. Theoretically, we the mothers are supposed to stretch out as somebody else figured out how to 'mildly' run a home. Motherhood is hard work, real hard work but i must say, very fulfilling. Ever caught yourself biting your tongue as everybody around you try to give rounds of child rearing advice? Say, advice from a work mate who couldn't raise a flag, never mind a family? Or your friend with three little undisciplined trolls, promising to share everything she has learn't? Everybody means well, but the fact is that at 2:00am, after 3 sleepless years, motherhood is not much of a team sport. That there makes me realize i am not alone at this and that i am not going crazy. I am a mom!

Where is the parental advice when u need it? I mean these Dr Phil characters choking air time on tele! Primrose is having a meltdown at the No-frills grocery store, running around at full speed like it has never occured to her that a part-time 'cripple' like myself can't catch up! Shouldn't No-frills management have someone on staff for emotional clean up? A parenting expert who could give on-the-spot help, with a selection of approaches. Mothers hold crisis management skills but if u pulled out kibooko to smack the brut out of her everybody closes up on you for abuse!! Ladies and gentlemen i am trying like hell to lobby for a sympathetic 'happy mother's day' greeting from u here...IT IS REFRESHINGLY HARD WORK.

What a laughing stock the house of commons has turned out to be of late! Stephen Harper and Gilles Duceppe are so intoxicated with the idea of demolishing Paul Martin's minority govenment and their NDP backers that they are unwilling to wait a week to do the job properly. The other day's vote to unsettle events in parliament was deplorable in my opinion, however it made it clear-if it wasn't certain before-that the liberal govenment is on its knees and that the question of confidence needs to be resolved. Paul Martin quest to dumpen Creatien's legacy by seating on the scandal waiting for the oppotune time to pounce seem to have back fired to him. You reap what you sow Paul!

My doctor's office left a voice mail today that my tests and ultra sound results are back! That does not sound like music in my ears, for he seldom request for your attention if results are normal. Now with my list of ailments i can't help it but imagine another one is yet to be piled on. If my body is falling apart this fast at this age, what will happen when i get even older? The thought of that send shivers down my spine. By the way did i mention that Primrose's left ear was found to be blocked again? Jesus, what can one do to straighten this out once and for all? I am perplexed, and pleeease lights out.

...and God created gas to drown the wicked and sinners...

If gas is not a headache to you lately, can i know why?

Terrific!! Now gas prices have reached goliathan heights and still threatening a run away! By gas I mean this cheap, contaminated, poor quality unleaded gas politely refered to as premium. The unavoidable cost of filling up my tank with this premium gas is sinking my spirits even further to oblivion. Unavoidable, because my knee can hardly hold to the walking rigours! However, even with these hikes, 85% of Canadians are said to prefer the costly privacy of their cars to public transit! Go figure!

It does not take a genius to figure out who to blame, govenment. Sound familiar? McGuinty, ofcourse, has not yielded to popular pressure to scrap the gas tax as yet, but even if he did will it be of any help? I imagine our demand for the black gold has far exceeded its supply.

This is why responsible persons should demand ceasation of hostilities in Iraq and elsewhere! It is retarded not to imagine for instance that tens of thousands of huge, heavy and sophiscated tanks in Iraq alone guzzle gas like crazy, and that is just tanks in one place! Imagine what fighter planes, armoury cars, submarines, navy ships, humvees, helicopters, APCs etc consume in just a day. Probably three quarters of Rwanda's economy a day! People, direct your frustrations onto the real enemy and not your respective govenments.

Poor Faith has caught a flu and red eye. This is not a flu season, it still beats my mind. Just the other day i happened to do a thorough house cleaning, throwing out unused items like clothing with an intention of reducing on clutter and consequently dust, and now it has just occured to me that the basement has moulds (i think excess atmospheric water. I am not sure that makes sense), could that be the cause of her flu? Jesus, does this require me to contract a housekeeper? Phew!

That reminds me, Primrose's hearing test appointment is due tomorrow at 10:00am. I am confident this follow up test will concur with my satisfaction of a job well done by the ear surgery. I will not be at hand though, owing to the fact that i will be writing my mid-term English test by that time at Mohawk.

Last week Hopes received a mail from one of his OBs in Sweden. A Ugandan music DVD that has set ablaze this house-hold. Faith has particularly fallen in love with this "Kunjane" hit by Blackboy probably because of their seemingly africanized dance. Myself trust me, everything this one fella called Roy Kapere touched turned gold. That humorous hit "Mukyala Neighbor" has certainly won accolades with me. I wonder if somewhere, somehow such DVDs exist, they do not seem to be profiled on any e-commerce/internet to my knowledge. For a change we watched something african, not 50 cents, Ludacris or Snoop tracks and videos that seem to blow away all the time with their filthy and minimally censored immorality.

Frank you will be disappointed to learn that the past three days Hawaii pizza made our residence home. Even after those lengthy brotherly letters and my denials, i sneaked behind your back to cut cooking. Look, i am often sooo dead tired to give cooking a serious thought, and it was reported just the other day that reserving cooked food (especially rice) and warming it up again actually produces a chemical that is detrimental to our health! This fast world we live in, will certainly be our own doom. Hey, rest be assured that was a temporarly measure taken in the heat of the moment, the problem is Primrose has just fallen for the Hawaii...

We have just learn't from Festo, Hopes' cousin studying medicine in Moscow that he will for sure be in Ontario by July. He hopes to be here for three weeks. Some Canadian girl/lady probably studying with him invited him over to her place but promises to drop by often to catch up with their old times. Walugembe and Julia (Hopes' sister) are yet to comfirm.

Is anybody bothered by the NBA playoffs? Well, at least Vinsanity and his Newjersey Nets crushed out in the first round. God actually answers prayers, i am a believer. Shaq was not as dominant as i expected, but Dwayne Wade was their to make sure Jersey's fate is sealed. Bravo!

Oh Nooooooo, not another European Pope

Look who is dancing. John Paul (RIP) teaching
Pope Benedict XVI how to dance to his
conservative tunes.


Cardinal Ratzinger the new pontiff? Is it me or...? Didn't i see Ratzinger going into the conclave all but assured of falling into things? My imagination...? Anywayz that does not matter now, the man himself perhaps the architect of JP II's (RIP) conservative rhetoric is at the helm! Not that i dislike him, but we were kind of waiting for a non-european pope, one that would surely understand the pain and need of the suffering catholic majority in the developing world. A pope that sees pro-life in two or more magnifying glasses other than one. Surely if you are anti-abortion on the grounds of pro-life, then the catastrophe of HIV/AIDS (in this matter, condom use) should be realistically up there on your agenda.


Sshhh! The holy spirit has spoken...


What a yucky day this has been! To be factual, it has been raining non stop in this part of the world for three days now! The other day, Wana collected some guts to invite us over to a Congolese party on Ottawa street and Main. Nice gesture, but who is that brave to be in a funky mood whilst mother nature's still undecided on what season follows winter? Besides, Hopes had made up his mind to watch the NBA playoff, rooting for the Wizards against Vinsanity and his Nets. In case you are not informed the Toronto Raptors were eliminated! Eliminated? they did not even have the remotest chance making it big this season!!!

Somebody commented on the forthcoming British elections, thats when it occured to me that a while ago dailys here had screaming headlines going like Blair seeking third term! If my friends in Uganda had a stomach to take on any junk, they never gat around to it. Why then wouldn't anybody somewhere remind us that indefinate eligibility is democratic too. If you rely too much on American democracy you are in for a rollercoaster as no democracy is perfect. Democracy in America is quite a myth in my estimation.

Ladies, isn't it true that we are the actual or net heads of households? That, unfortunately, is the untold truth. As a head of mine, i find it hard to compromise with this democracy theme lest Hopes, ever in the opposition, takes over! Mmmmh, sickening thought! Wouldn't the likes of Blair, Museveni and Kagame cherish that compelling idea of having the simplicity of the vatican democracy with no challengers or term opposition in their respective backyards? We envy you Pope Benedicto XVI.

Come to think about it, don't i and Hopes (the leader of the opposition) ever at practical and ideological crossroads? I tend to think i am a straight arrow who follows virtues and rules, but he bends them as much as he possibly can. I get to a bus station 45 minutes ahead of time and he is this guy dashing to the gate at the last minute. Phew, he thinks planning a schedule at an earlier time, to quote him 'robs him of spontaneity'! He is going to fix something broken when there is need to, not when it is broken. Ofcourse his laptop, the Kenwood system, Tivo, all those electronic junk and his truck are exempted!

A couple of days ago i was having my hair braided at Myra's my Liberian rafiki! Myra's country lady Sylivia pays a courtesy call blowing off the roof with her endless humor. A stand up comic she is. It was brought to my attention later that Sylivia works with Hopes, but in different sections of their nursing department. Well, the next day Hopes comes home with this "i can't believe this" expression on his face. Apparently Sylivia had complemented me and figured i am a pleasantly good natured lady. Ofcourse, Hopes doesn't agree with that assessment, mbu that is my public relations at its best! I wonder, didn't he just steal my line? I can't win here.

I will be attending church tomorrow, this time around not a cyber church. I have good intentions of praying for myself, my family, the weakening Liberal minority govenment and above all Paapa Benedicto for wisdom in his new reign. Talking of the Liberals, Paul Martin was gasping for fresh air trying his best to put on a "I am the persecuted" face to no avail. I am afraid early elections are here, just that Martin has not got the point yet! Bless his soul, he wanted to be the PM sooo bad, that he forgot the tag that comes with it.

Spring is promising and Vinny's ain't out of pansies yet

Charity begins at home? That is debatable in my small world.


I have been reminded today by some gruesome news on tele from Paris about that big fire that engulfed a hotel accomodating homeless refugee claimants and the poor of Paris killing 20, that life is way too short and to be precise worthless. You are alive and kicking now and yet the script is changing fatally in the next few minutes! Hopes' workmate, a 35 year old athletic gentleman sets off for work as usual only turns out dead later of heart faileur! Now coincidentally without fear or favour, my brother Frank bombards me with a long letter asking me to watch what i eat and my weight for my sake! That raises red flags, don't you think? Thanks for that piece Frank, i'll take heed.

That reminds me, mbu the average North American weight has risen so much to the extent that innovators are coming up with larger toilet seats to accomodate this average weight! Did you ever wonder why everything North American is big? Burgers, trucks, school buses and now toilet seats?

Our Tanzanian family friend Juma dropped by excited about his new asset acquisition, a 7 seater van. He has this habit of inviting friends over everytime he purchases new wheels. He is excited not only that he is now a proud owner of a plymouth but, one, that he succeeded in selling his Sabre Mercury that had served him so faithfully over these years and two that his plymouth was a bargain at the car auction in Burlington. Come sunday, Juma and company will be loaming our neighbourhood to give us a joy ride in this sleek vaaaan! Mmmmh.

The weather is so kind lately that i am troubled it may be up to something fishy! We do not trust very much of late you know, but i am tempted to take a stroll to Vinny's for pansies plants for my garden this one time! People, clean out the planters and get your trowel ready. Spring blooming pansies are said to be arriving by the truck load at a nursery centre near you, in my case at Vinny's. Mbu these sun-loving blossoms warm the gardener's soul with their cheerful faces and preference for spring's cooler temperatures. But here is the catch, pansies are said to lower stress levels and depression! If i am to believe this theory, then i need them in bulk for christ's sake! Now the business world of flowerists and landscapers are taking us for a ride big time, i imagine.

My Nigerian friend from the 2002 Bsc. Gerontology class at Ryerson University showed up at my door for a sleep over virtually un-announced. No phone call, email, word of mouth...nothing! She happens to be the only African i know here who still behaves more african than our grannies in africa. Anyways, i loved her company then, so i toloreted her inconvinience. I am saying this because i was pissed off by Hopes and needed something to calm my frustration, and there God sent her. Hopes had dropped me off for my doctor's appointment, and the SOB melted off the surface to the Value village for a kids spring shopping spree. His phone was off or allegedly unitless, worse still i had forgotten to go along with my house keys... he shows up 5 hours later, go figure!! Where is a gun when you badly need one!

Believe me, you do not have to be in the loop, or read a daily and blogs or watch news on tele to know political trouble is looming for the federal liberals. With the sponsorship scandal and Paul Martin's non-chalant mumbles about his moral obligation to fight federal corruption, many conservatives are itching to topple this minority govenment in hope they can capitalize on public disenchantment with the liberals. I am certainly that federal elections are here sooner than later. Folks and you thought corruption was an african sickness only. Dead wrong!

Karla Homolka will be released from jail soon, actually very soon and public opinion has greatly gone against her release! You may not believe this, but it may be the third most discussed story from the Pope and the Ottawa sponsorship scandal. Hamolka made a plea resolution with gov't prosecutors to testify against her boyfriend in the sexual abuse and deaths of fellow teens Kristen French, Leslie Mahaffy and Karla's 15 year old sister, Tammy Homolka.To add a spin on this saga, the Ontario Attorney General comes out a couple of days back saying Ontario gov't is looking at ways of either re-charging Karla or restricting her rights. Whereas this was a bad deal with the "devil" it does not negate the legislature to exhibit less concern with the administration of justice and principles. Bwana AG arent the powers of the legislature fully divorced from the judiciary? I am just curious.

Vince Carter comes to town, this time clad in a New Jersey Nets and not a Toronto Raptors uniform. STRANGE! I won a ticket and went only to boo mama's boy to oblivion, but didn't he just show us he still has game? He virtually walked through Jalen Rose avenue for a 39 point drop in! Ouch, that hurt and it hurt big time.

It is time for a developing world pontiff. A pontiff that will uphold the liberation theory of catholicism

Faith enjoying spring four days ago



Have you been missing me? Well, we are back and lots have happened since then. First, my internet connections got roughed up by web parasites seeking free high speed cable networks to take advantage of! That had to be rectified, and Cogeco did a splendid job cutting these kids off my IP address. U think i know what i am talking about? Phew, that lingua confuses me too.

Perhaps the biggest happenings were the passing of the pontiff. I was saddened, and gat glued on tele for a minute per minute updates, trying to figure out if he is dead or still fighting for dear life! When he passed, i gat over it and started whinning about this minute per minute broadcast of the vatican and the dead holy father! Hey, if he passes praise God, he is in heaven but don't have us watch that and only that for a whole week, like the world has suddenly stopped! Anywayz, trust my inconsistencies come friday on the papal funeral late in the night and i was there bidding farewell.

Now that the pontiff is buried and gone, the onus is on the Cardinals to do us a favor and elect another formidable pope. The talk here lately is about the shadowy democracy in the church. 117 cardinals will be voting for a new pope on our behalf! On our behalf? All these cardinals are appointed by the pope, so how can they be electing on our behalf? Something else, 60% of catholics live in the developing world, yet the vast majority of the voting cardinals are from Europe, no wonder Pope John Paul II stood for what is best for the Europeans at our detriment.

Catholics in Latin America and Africa for instance find the fight against gay marriage and stemcell research inconsequetial to their poor lives. Little wonder the rhetoric of liberation theory in catholicism is spreading like a wild fire to stand for the values of the poor like contraception use to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS which were regretably vigorously opposed by the departed pope.

Hard times are here people, so brace yourselves. The gas prices are going up each day, abnormal increaments that make no sense to my feable mind! Just yesterday a litre of regular petroleum was going for $1.35 in western Canada, and Ontario was fighting to be counted in this fiasco. How can we afford a litre at $0.90? That means everything here will take a biting if these lousy democratically elected govenments do nothing! The price of delivering a pizza to my door step has shot through the roof, hydro will go up even further, the cabs, grocery everything! Yet McGuinty has a nerve of saying he practically can do nothing at all! Hey, McGuinty, for beginners drop the gas tax...nothing u can do? Get out of here buddy, u must be kidding me.

Faith and Primrose are both going to upper classes starting tomorrow. Primrose for one is sooo excited after paying a visit with her new class the whole of last week. The new class has computers and that has impressed the small devil that she thinks of nothing other than playing on PCs. One thing that has noticebly improved is her speech, owing to the ear surgery she had a couple of months back. You see if toddlers can't hear properly their speech is affected as a result. U guessed right, she shouts, sings, repeats after everything, and makes hell out of her shell of heaven!

Something that is not getting off Hopes' lips (and we are getting rather exhausted by it) are the videos of his cousins' introduction promised to him by his other cousin living in UK. Timothy, called for just that, comfirm the address yet Hopes still thinks the videos will take another year to make their way into his deck. I suggest to him to have Timo send the video footages via email or web and have them downloaded on our PC here to no avail. Mbu he wants the real thing in his hands...

Did anybody read about this US Commission on Iraq report that was released recently? They found the intelligence on WMD in iraq faulty but that nobody was responsible! Who are these people kidding? The whitewash report found nobody responsible for this disaster, that left more than 100,000 people dead? Mbu, Iraq just happened and that it was a no-fault war!!! Instead it pats all the culprits on their backs. That Bush rewarded them is scandalous. Donald Rumsfield was re-named the pentagon chief, Rice asleep on guard duty on 9/11 is now Secretary of state, Paul Wolfowitz is the new world bank boss, but the biggest of all was Bush who was re-elected, proving Eric Morgolis' assertion that nothing succeeds more than faileur provided you keep the whitewash coming and you are a leader of americans.

Easter and the March madness gift

This picture of Hopes was taken 6 years ago at the Mweya Safari Lodge senior staff residence, in the western part of Uganda.


I hope all of ya had a great easter. It came and passed quietly, nothing so special to talk about. It seems, unlike most holidays, people agreed to get holed up in their cribs and that is since friday. Weird. Still the debate over the passion of christ movie goes on the air waves. Somebody needed to collect some guts to portray exactly what Christ passed through in his quest to save us from our sins. He did not die mercifully as churches would like us to believe, it was brutal and the movie did just that! Just get over it.

After that heavy snow we received on Wednesday, we are settling now into warmer weather. I can authoritatively say, dumb all your winter gab into chests. Grab your shorts, flipflops, and shades for its about time. Accuweather.com reports a high of 9c today, 10c tomorrow, 14c on wednesday, 15c thursday...my God, with this widening smile i won't be blaming the muscles around my lips if they start to get soar.

I went to church yesterday, after a long time, alone. Nobody seemed interested in joining me for the good cause. The kids were deep asleep after a long day, so i decided its not worth having them on board if Hopes is staying put. This time i went to The Church of later day saints. Long sermons which are rather boring, but i must say very fulfilling and most important educational.

Who ever saw the pictures of the pontiff struggling yesterday must have shade a tear or two for him. I must say he is a resilient human being, for after failing to verbally communicate his sermon, the pope gave the saddened crowd a sign of a cross. Very touching. Can somebody please explain to me why the pontiff can't retire?

March madness reached its hype in fashion this weekend. Do you blame me for anxiously looking forward to the end of these church sermons after the saturday quater-finals NCAA college basketball thrillers? It is a shame someone had to lose. We are still debating, if Patrick Sparks' desperation shot behind the arc with 0.09 seconds remaining in sunday's quarters was a three pointer? Wasn't his foot on the line? Don't blame us for revisiting these match-ups, but the refs too needed 5 minutes of enhanced video footage and replays and still could not be certain! Wow! My money is on Louisville University because of their perimeter pressure defence and their zone breaking offense.

The Terri Schiavo's saga does not seem to stop perplexing me! It is not that this very personal ordeal is all over the waves, but the family feud over her has gotten so bitter and vindictive. Just the other day, they could not even agree on what priest should administer last rites or what will happen to her body after death! Medical minds agree that in such a vegetative state Terri is not surfering as the whole body is shut down, their is no quality of life to give, care-wise, most especially if she has been in that state for more than 15 years.

That brings me to Terri's parents, who i must say are being selfish. If for instance they are permited to look after their daughter and they happen to pass away 5 years later do the hospice or state then permit removal of feed tubes? Isn't that the same thing? And what happened to the wishes of Terri who categorically requested to have her go if she got to such a state. Look, the husband has tried emotionally and financially to to be there for Terri, he should get the benefit of doubt.

The prodigal Treo phone

LOL!! Faith trying out the peek a boo on me?


Halleluya, i just found my Treo 300 mobile phone that went missing last month! You will not believe this, but all along this phone was tucked away in one of my dirty laundry trays in the basement! I have been trying to save on energy by washing what is necessary on 'just in time' basis, but with this revelation the writting is boldly on the wall, 'do laundry as often as possible'.

I am thrilled about going back to that organized broad with the PDA, MSN mobile, and mp3 treats on the phone, i am back to mars.

I can now walk around with ambulatory assistive devices. The clutches are gone thank God, but i have not paid for them though, since i have no insurance to meet such costs. Good enough the hospital bill for these clutches has not reached me yet which gives me a chance to postpone an expense for now. Whatever i got to do, its important i kept good grip on my finances in this cash strapped period.

Hopes is off duty today, but to tell you that he has vanished in thin air as always is an understatement! I waited for him to do some erands for me but in vain. He did not use his truck owing to gas hikes, probably the public transit system is screwing him up! Who cares, he gatta be here when he is needed!

Spring is here at long last!! We had some flurries here and there and probably tomorrow, but the sun has been out with vegeance and life is back to normal. No complaints. Today, i actually sat in my back-yard with nothing amazingly warming on.

It has just occured to me that easter is next door, i wonder why the business community has not sprung up with easter sales yet, trust me they look for ways to persuade us to depart with our hard earned kwacha, but this time silence...STRANGE! Mmmmh, very strange.

The Kyoto debate has reached goliathan heights here. I give Kyoto a thumbs up, but again we need a viable alternative that compliments the Kyoto strengths. Canada is huge and very cold, we need heating now to survive these brutal winters, yet heat generating plants can not be made environmentally friendly. Canadians are not wasteful consumers of energy. The greenhouse gas emissions tell a different story of need to survive. We need to keep from freezing in the winter and dying of heat prostration in the summer. If u guys had been here this past winter you would be agreeing with me in principle.

I read something, probably in the New Vision, that my cousin Cedric Babu has resigned as the secretary of the Uganda Tennis Association. Cedric, Dr Mbonye and their UTA committee had put Ugandan tennis onto the map that both gentlemen will be greatly missed. However with Cedric's love for the game on my mind, i find it hard to believe the reasons he is forwarding for his resignation. Anyways, good luck Cedric atleast you tried sowing some seeds.

It has taken the average American 5 years to come to the realization their country is facing doom! But, again it was there in plain black and white, even before the elections but blew their chance to rejuvinate the economy with a different school of thought. Now all stream line media is doing is to hammer on ballooning trade deficits, budgetary deficits, decreasing revenues, increasing national debt mention it they have probably said it! its a little bit too late you moroons, you joined dubya in playing mind games with the average joe! Phew!

I am getting older, wiser and 'pleasantly plump'

It is quite evident Primrose had junk for dinner. How then can i explain ketchup on her lips?


We are enjoying the day like there is no tomorrow. Who can blame us? Today has been bright and relatively warm that putting on a jacket would make you an instant member of the anti weather club. On a lower note though, some flurries are expected for tomorrow, just as we imagined we are out of this winter quagmire, mother nature pulls us back! If Mel Gibson could talk to that son of a powerful...you know that guy in the passion of the christ movie? Well, his father needs a humbled reminder to set the clock right. Mel pleeease, use your connections buddy.

Something interesting came screaming to my attention the other day as i was surfing the net. The govenment in Rwanda (by that i mean the President), decided one morning that all junior ministers should not be cruising in poshy wheels, like Prados, as they are expensive to maintain! It all sounded splendid, until when it mentioned that soldiers way laid unsuspecting ministers to impound these cars that same morning!!! LOL, soldiers impounding ministers' cars in public that same morning and without notice? Jesus, wasn't there any civilized way of doing this? Africa!

Did i ever mention that Hopes ran a red light sometime back, way back and the redlight camera got him in the act? Despite all the evidence, as in photo of his truck clearly running the red, Hopes refused to depart with $200 for the fine, opting for court to challenge it! Well, today was his court appearance and was seeking for adjournment awaiting for the results of an appeal in a similar case in London Ontario, blah, blah, blah. He comes back crestfallen, that London appeal was overturned which rendered the basis of adjournment in his case obsolete. Poor SOB had to plead guilty as charged, but atleast managed to have his fine reduced to $90 payable in three months. Wow, thats one lucky SOB.

I have just perused through Zaina's email. I am thrilled she finally responded, though it took her centuries to do just that. I imagine paying a visit to an internet cafe may cost a fortune in Dar-es-salaam, but better late than never.

By the way she mentions how much tons i have amassed. Didn't i mention somewhere in my lamentations that i ceased worrying about society's perceptions of plump? Well, Zaina my dear i am free like a bird, free from self ridicule and public bondage. I may have resented being plump then, but today i do not, i decided to have my free spirit make me be ME. A word for you my dear niece, always follow your instincts and do what u love, not what public opinion labels kool for even the goal posts for kool keeps on changing. I have no clue to what i have just said...ha, ha.

Fausta was here again, this time for keeps. Anyways, she picks me up to have me visit with her in their mansion up in the mountains. Great neighbourhood but so distant and unaccessible to public transportation. A quick message to Hopes to make it a point to pick me up at 4:30pm after his court appearance. Fausta happens to be a good cook, it did not take alot of convincing to make me eat away all the samosas she was preparing for her family whilst yapping away in kinyarwanda. No mercy Fausta, inviting me to visit with you was a big error! That was a great and enjoyable evening though.

News is just out that Robert Blake has been acquitted for the murder of his wife four years ago. I had predicted long before that until the prosecution came up with compeling proof that exhibited certainity that Blake assisted God in his duty, then there was no case for him to answer.

Unfortunately for Peterson, the jury's penalty is death!!! Now, lets get serious here, first you find somebody guilty in a criminal case on circumstantial evidence, and then you sentence him to death? Are u kidding me? My taking here is that Peterson is appealing this decision and unless the prosecution does its job to prove beyond reasonable doubt, this guy may be acquitted! My ear is on the ground people.

The Toronto Raptors battled the scoring machines of Boston Celtics all night only to lose by just a point! Oh my, the officials simply tucked away their whistles and matched off for a snack, or it seemed! No calls for obvious fouls men, somebody gatta remind you folks that this is the NBA not College basketball of NCAA, blow those whistles for christ's sake, blow them!

We do not need judges on the American idol to help us vote

A close look at Faith's messed up bedroom early this morning.


We expect some flurries today and on thursday. By flurries, for those lucky ones in warm countries, i mean light snow! Its only 5 days to bid farewell to winter, yet it shows no signs of packing up for that journey back to the north pole. If u thought we hold grudges, you are dead wrong. Apparently Mr winter is taking this title in style.

I left for my place of work to check on the human resource. You see, i have not heard from them since my surgery and yet i need all the information from them to furnish Human Resource Canada for my employment insurance. It turns out head office has to compile and redirect my records to my place of work for them to proceed! Long story, i am beginning to believe this assertion that bureaucracy is a human trait.

RCMP is passing warnings to public about fundraising scums preying on canadians mourning the four mounties slain in Alberta. Aren't people getting more mean mannered? In St. John's, Newfoundland thieves ransacked the office of the Canadian Redcross after the tsunami tragedy. They did not find any money, but trust your guts they left a big mess! We are being advised never to interrupt a burglary lest u pay with your life! Ghee!

I understand a contestant on American idol pulled out of the competition for unknown reasons of course! I wonder why these lousy judges that include Paula Abdul try to influence our votes all the time? I suggest they should not be having these people sitted there telling us who sounded awful like we can not tell, we the voting fans! What the hell is this society of ours getting to? Lobbyists here, lobbyists there just give us freedom of mind to make self conceived judgements, just give us a break! We have our tastes, u have yours and they are way DIFFERENT!

I have not rested my knee that much today, i can feel the effects big time. The Doctor is exerting pressure for me to commence Physiotherapy! I am trying like hell to make my point, that it won't be possible until i am bank rolled, in vain. Everything that will ensure this cash inflow, is currently tied up in a string of bureaucracies! What a frustration.

By the way, have u heard this? A break through in the cancer world. Mbu a study by canadian and european researchers have found a drug that disrupts DNA to stop cancer cells from multiplying can prolong the lives of people with the most common and deadliest type of brain tumor. Intriguing.

I am lucky today, i will not be cooking! Reason? I have just noticed we have packaged fish and chips in the freezer. Phew! Those are some hours saved to rest my leg. Who am i kidding, its best i gat tucked in bed for today. Ciao.

Does the household and natinal debt have something in common?

Primrose falling in love with spring water. Milk is getting distant second.


Phew! Aren't i glad to be getting used to these clutches? I guess i had no real option but to get going, thats life mwatu. If i were in Africa wouldn't i be babying around having everything done for me? Here, no dice, nobody gives a damn. Chill and don't earn a living, with bills making there way to my mail box, i've got no real options people!

Talk about bills, just the other day i read in a Maclean's magazine about USA's financial woes and a foreseen future collapse of this screwed empire when it suddenly occured to me that our plush North American lifestyle to which we are accustomed to is all on credit and debt! No kidding, we are in a debt geared economy from household to national level! What will happen when the bill is due? Jesus mackerel!

Both Fausta and Juma's family have been here to give me some company and help out domestically. I had a moment or two to baby around but all that was short lived. I have a gluesome duty now to come up with a convincing explanation to how Juma's glass dish, in which he carried pillao for us, broke!! Faith reiterates that Prim just pulled the table cloth on which the bowl rested and plushhh, it met with the floor!

Faith in her second year on this planet never really gave me hell, like Primrose is doing! She only used cry if there was a serious need to. In the contrary, Primrose runs riot at a slightest opportunity. She has messed up with two DVD players already, the 200 disc player of the Kenwood system is close to mulfuction. Prim probably figures its a microwave and keeps stuffing slices of raisin bread in there! Look at the walls and u would think we are trying out some kind of graffiti. I am still blessed she hasn't made the oven her bed yet!!

Uncertainity in a purely capitalist world of ours is no stranger. On friday employees and clients of Jetsgo woke up and were stunned to learn the airliner has collapsed with no apparent warning! Can you imagine dressing up for work, watch a little bit of morning news, drive to work and get to office only to be asked to pack your stuff in office as a farewell? What about clients that gat stuck at airports with worthless Jetsgo air tickets! Sue somebody, do something, i'll be behind u rooting for your cause.

Hopes' friend Walugembe, studying for a chartered Accountants certification in London UK left a brief message on our voice mail today. He better not be trying to opt out on his long awaited visit to Ontario, for his company is fun and always makes friends that easy. Walugembe, while working with Uganda Revenue Authority, used to visit with Hopes whilst at Mweya lighting up the Mweya community with his funny bar stories and his loud brothers. I particularly remember them in a big red SUV, i think a prado or landcruiser, singing away like pirates. Oooh those were fun times.

Does anybody watched the American idol lately? Well, we have finally arrived at the toughest stage of the competition where courage and wits far outweigh talent. I must say the boys are sooo good, the gals i am afraid you need some 'do,re, mi...' lessons otherwise you are somewhat there. Come tomorrow and the fun club of myself, Faith and Primrose be glued on tele for the show.

Successful OP, thank God!

Faith on her laptop, just after picking me up from my OP perfomed at Mcmaster hospital in Hamilton, Ontario.


Didn't i mention some weeks back that i was actually looking forward to my knee surgery? Well come D-day and anxiety took over. It suddenly bestows to me that everything may go wrong, i may come back crippled for life! Jesus, evil thoughts and pestimism overpowered my will in just a blink, but Hopes would not hear nothing of sorts, whatever!

My daughters had to be picked up from shuleni as early as 1200 hrs, for my surgery appointment was 0100 hrs, but to my astonishment nobody wanted to hang around! Both Faith and Primrose were actually napping all through the gruesome trip to hospital and for Hopes what a God sent excuse not to stay, mbu he had to have the kids in bed for their afternoon naps! Go figure! It turns out that no visitors were allowed in the OP room anyways.

Have i not waited patiently for this for a year now? Well, it come and passed in a blink. I had no clue what went on as i was put to sleep all through the process. It is still early to gauge the success of this OP, but to tell you the truth i feel rather relieved its done with. The task at hand now is how i'll go up and down the stairs at home. The bedrooms are 15 stairs up the second floor and the basement is 12 stairs. Does that suggest i make a bedroom in the lobby or what folks back home call sitting room? Oh, God i have just realized the washrooms are on the second floor, pleaaase i just can't win!

I am going to be stuck at home for 3-4 months recovering. I am not yet gotten around using these mobility assistance devices or walking sticks, clutches, whatever. I have been in touch with various Physiotherapists for favorable quotes, but it seems i won't be catching a break! The charges seem to be in the same range. I am thinking they all agree on charges, so it actually is some sort of monopoly. Meanwhile my Employment insurance cheques won't be coming for the next 3 weeks, talk of bureaucracy or red tape and yet no break on bills. Ha, ha one can not win in a purely capitalist world.

Hopes took three days off from his place of work, to be precise he asked for a leave of abscence. However, he got cornered by either stomach flu or food poisoning. I am leaning more towards food poisoning as we are living a lot more on packaged foods or what sadists call 'junk foods' You can imagine the chaos that enveloped the house, with nobody capable of being wholly useful to the kids. Faith, knowing how to operate the microwave, kept feeding her younger sister with all the junk possible. Thank God we survived the ordeal.

As if the Micheal Jackson's court saga wasn't enough, somebody goes on rampage in another court room killing the presiding judge and two others. Before all that sunk into our brains, somebody else ruins a church service killing eight people!!! The other day in Alberta, a crook ambushes the RCMP officers at his marijuana farm killing 4 young cops! Madness!! And i thought i have problems...apparently these folks are way off the mark with more problems imaginable! I don't buy that, if you are so messed up, why go on rampage? Just commit suicide and let others live!!!

March break is here people. That means NCAA march madness, spring and Easter. By the look of it, spring does not seem to be in hurry to come around town. We are getting used to that though. The real thrill is the March madness NCAA tourney shown on different tele channels all weekend. I am actually rooting for G. Tech and Duke for no apparent reason. Hopes' UNC was knocked out unceremoniously by G.Tech. I am pumped up people, this is my day.

Yesterday was auto insurance and heat costs, today day-care and hydro costs going up, tomorrow...?

Faith (5) and her sister Primrose (2)

It is a week now since i last whinned about life here in Hamilton. A lot has happened since, by that i mean A LOT! First, my pre-OP is complete. That, folks means i am ready for surgery! Ready? Not literally for christ's sake! Anyways, tomorrow my long awaited OP will be carried out at the McMaster Hopsital and rest my hope on the competence of a faceless surgeon. God be with me.

Not again! When is winter calling it quits? A snow storm warning has been aired for the next six days!! Please, just give us a break! As if thats not enough its snowing already for good measure! Let me know of anybody able to talk to the almighty, my message is in writting this time just in case he does forget i prayed hard for spring!

Day care costs are going up by 5%!!!! Ridiculous is an understatement. Look it seems everything here is going up, and yet the ontario wage rate remains constant! Does the Mcguinty govenment have an economist? If they do, he is succeeding in creating a poverty striken province. We have been paying a daily day-care charge of $38.00 per child, just do the math for 2 kids in a month and go figure! And u thought that is crazy, well hydro is going up by 3.5%, mbu to put it at par with actual costs of energy! Thats bull sh*t!! Do we have to go to welfare and social assistance to survive? Mcguinty you sure have lost my vote.

Today, was my last day at work before surgery. If you happen to mention surgery to a Canadian, they tend to measure you up for a rating. What size of breasts are u going for? Mmmh, lip enhancing surgery? Fat reduction? Dental? The attention seems to be on cosmetic surgery if its a woman. Absurd! Well, after explaining myself to co-workers again and again that its nothing of the sort, i escape to the confines of my car relieved, only to be tied up in a bad traffic jam, thats when it occurs to me that because of the endless necessity to make ends meet, i spend more time at work and in trafic jams than at home with my kids for negligible returns.

We slave hard to make ends meet, pay burdensome taxes, meet our obligations for virtually nothing! Yet, some folks sit back at home and get social welfare assistance, free everything including day-care, and all the time to meet their wishes but being paid for by my taxes. Why should i toil for such people? I do not get it! I am thinking may be i become another lazy bum straining govenment coffers to get even. I'll repeat this, just so you do not think i spent the evening on Heineken, get on welfare. Phew, thats off my chest.

Faith is growing alarmingly fast for my liking. I have just noticed all her size 6 pants are shorter. Didn't we just buy them like a month ago? Normal 5 year olds get tucked in size4-5 pants, but now we have to go shopping for size 7 for the princess! Faith you sure are proving expensive if you ganna need new set of cloths every month. I can't wait for summer where she can put on as scant as possible, in the name of material economy.

The federal govenment of Paul Martin survived a vote on the budget that would have brought to its collapse and new elections. To survive three times is a miracle to these subdued Liberals. But again, i do not think its in the interest of the Bloc Quebecois and the Conservatives to have new elections now. The Martin Liberals do not seem to be capable of shaking off the shadows of Jean Chreatien, who was hawkish a liberal PM, but atleast everybody knew exactly where he stood on issues.

Strange things never seem to tire. However strange Micheal Jackson is, his trial is fast becoming a gauge of greed on the part of the prosecutors. It turns out there isn't any physical evidence to support the charges, just hearsay from witnesses and the allegedly abused kid! These prosecution witnesses keep shooting themselves in the foot, oh pleaaase! In my court, the pendulum of benefit of doubt has suddenly come to the wako's side until further notice.

Its official, i owe the Feds tax money

Faith trying out her jungle puzzle


Everybody figures its easy to be me, you are dead wrong!! First my first attempt to file for my tax returns with McWalter Accountancy firm on John Street North, revealed that i owe the govenment more than $2,300!! That, there was a knock out for if i am broke how will i make these refunds...crazy system! I was hoping for 'manna' from heaven.

Hopes suggested to me to consider housing rent, donations and RRSP contributions for tax relief. The question is if he is right, would they be significant enough to tantamount to a relief? Where is the saviour when you needed one? The waiting game begins now.

I can't say much about that calculus test! Its true, i have never come out of a testing room clueless about my perfomance. Wouldn't a normal person tell if that exam or test was his waterloo? But here i am not knowing exactly where i stand. That is a horrible sign of what is to come, but its just a test and tests are mean't to gauge your understanding of the subject matter prior to an exam. I am doing a lot of positive consolation to myself. U go girl.

Faith now feels her hair needs re-braiding after seeing Primrose's new braids. She has tounting me for the past two days relentlessly. Hey, i don't have money for that, Hopes is not interested in having her hair done yet and Geoggette is tied up in tests at McMaster. It seems the polite 'no' and 'please understand' aren't succeeding, so tomorrow 'kiboko' is ganna be added to her vocabulary for measure. Probably that will exhibit seriousness of purpose on my part!

I still can not get hold of my cousin Grace in Kampala. It seems my calls are so secondary to the operator that there is often high traffic on her line or provider, that i innevitably can't get through. I sincerely hope thats a joke, in this world of fast changing technology we wouldn't be scoping sooo low...confusing! Grace, if u happen to read this, take my advice and dump your providers. I hear there is a health tele-communication competition in Kampala too, exploit it sweetie.

I have not heard from my niece Zaina in Dar-es-salam for quite a while. Just yesterday, i dreamt about Zaina strolling around our backyard. If i am to read the letter in the envelope, it would suggest she will be visiting with us or making Ontario home soon. I really need to know from her how her mom is doing lately and yet she has not returned my emails yet, which is unlike her.

Something is really wrong with my leg, its sooo swollen that i am afraid to put on shoes! This is gonna be tricky with winter still making a point. I managed to buy myself supersized shoes or rather snickers to ease my locomotion, only to realize an over sized shoe is the greatest safety hazard. I have just eased myself into a primitive locomotion. I need to know what is going on with me, and i sicerely hope its not gouts on top of high blood pressure!! Now i have to bug Hopes to return these giant snickers to Walmart for a refund and pray he doesn't use the refund to refill his tank! Talk about running out of options.

It seems i can't win in this house! Just the other day i prepared rice for four meals hoping that will be time saving for myself. Thats what average folks do here, since there isn't adequate time to cook fresh foods all the time, like it is back home. Anywayz back to the point, my fellow dwellers have decided not to buy into this project and think there is too much rice monopoly on the table. That means i wasted time and money in the first place. Nope, this has to end, a cooking time table has to be agreed on or else no food, period! Did somebody mention packaged cooked meals? That creepy junk will soon be high on our food chain, or else i die of stress!

Toronto lost a close one to San Antonio Spurs yesterday. They did not seem to have much of a chance, but crept back into contention in a crucked but effective way. Meanwhile these NHLers are still stealing headlines each day, now we hear the players association met and the owners met too on different occassions...somebody seal these bufoons' fate, i am puking already!

Spare the rod & spoil the child rhetoric under attack

Hopes taking some 'time off' to take a picture


I can't believe this, but its snowing like crazy around here! Owing to this, i have decided i am ain't ganna drive home, just call me a cab. I leave my car here at work. Yup, i know what u are thinking already, that its uncalled for misallocation of my scarce resources, but i do value my life and the life of my kids. The visibility is terrible and the roads so treachorous! You may drive responsibly slow and then some intellectually challenged bum comes speeding and then skidding into you, just like that. I am not kidding, that has happened with lots of people i know. Bad things happen to good people!

I have to go for my Calculus test, but Gabbie isn't here yet to help me with the kids. She goes to a High school in Westdale and with these storms, it will take her a while to be here! Gabbie's mom, Sheilla, is doing her test with me too, at least i'll have somebody to share test frustrations later.

Primrose is so proud of her hair that she is paying constant visits to the mirror to admire Geoggette's work. Kids!! Just when u think she hates everything about doing her hair, then she starts feeling hot and walking tall, please knock it off Primrose!

There is a message saved here on our voice mail for Hopes. His place of work advises him not to file his taxes yet, for the totals on his T4 were wrong. The problem is Hopes filled his taxes already, meaning his tax accounting was based on wrong figures. The good thing is that it was not a fault of his own making, so no fraudulent charges may come his way. The ornus is on him to correct these errors, before auditors do!

I read from Hopes' blog and indeed on BBC news, that Burundians are lining up to vote. This explains why several Burundians i know here in Hamilton have vanished in thin air. Rumour has it that somebody is paying for their return tickets and up-keep to go back home and participate in the voting process. I still wonder how on planet earth, for once, somebody did not mistake me for a murundi. I would have grabbed that ticket without hesitation, trust me. My only hope is for that country to have an everlasting peace.

My leg is swollen, can it be a consequence of my knee problems or does snow have anything to do with it? i wonder! I need this surgery pretty bad, but it seems the clock is getting way too pedestrian. I hope by then i would have accumulated 600 hours at St. Peters.

I heard some MP tabled a bill in the House of Commons to ban corporal punishments to children by parents!! Now, that there is taking legislative duties way too far. Why should the government impose its wishes in our homes in the first place, when its us parents who get stuck with spoilt rotten kids? Actually, Faith told me once that she and others in her class were advised to call 911 when 'mum or dad are beating you' disgraceful!! Spare the rod and spoil the child the bible says, so Mr. MP give us a break, for christ's sake!

I am a believer

This picture gives the impression that Faith is taking some modelling classes


If you have not heard this ladies and gentlemen, then here it is...there is a snow storm and blizzard warning for Ontario and the Eastern Maritime regions!!! Didn't i table a motion to impeach the groundhog a couple of days ago? There is nothing at the moment getting to my nerves like these serial snow storms. I hear we are stuck with them till thursday. Oh, great!

I just saw a clip of Western Canada, i think Victoria in British Colombia province, basking in summer-like weather. These folks were actually strolling around in shorts, no kidding! When somebody, a while ago mentioned to me to move to BC i thought he was going nuts. The cost of living is high, but hey u get to enjoy better weather than what we have here. It needs a thought or two for sure.

It was Primrose's D-day for her hair braiding, but to be mild, i understand she gave Geoggette a hard time! She kept on running up and down to Geoggette's detriment. The braiding was finally finished at around 9:00 pm nearly 7 hours. Geoggette wasn't amused at all. She had figured it will take 3 hours and off she'll leave for the Mcmaster library to prepare for her Micro-biology test. One thing is for sure, i was impressed by her braiding. Neat piece of work.

Talking of tests, i had to prepare for my Calculus 2 test. I have a tutor that has made my understanding of mathematics easier. Look, i hated anything that dealt with figures and imagined people engrossed deep in formulas and equations were half men, half amazing! Now, i hold a different view. Infact lost souls dealing with essays, reading, writing and researching have a hell of a job on their hands because to be truthful its way boring. That does not mean i got everything figured out, NOPE! Just put me in your prayers.

Somebody went over board and ruined Primrose's diapers!! I am assuming this is Primrose herself!! Now, i got to go back to stores looking for diapers for we cannot do without them! I am sick and tired of emergency spending, and they seem to be cropping up all of a sudden in this house hold. These diapers (a bag of 48) costs close to $20.00 and lasts at a maximum of 12 days...do the math people, looks like soon we'll rather skip food for diapers! Gross!!

The grammy awards were here finally, but it was much ado about nothing!! Boring watching what others think was the best movie, best actor, jesus somebody has to think for us here all the time it seems. Who does the choosing? Probably they do it under duress, may be fitigued or high on drugs for in my best estimation i figured Hotel Rwanda should not have lost out sooo badly!! Revolutionalize, do they call this democratize, the grammies gentlemen! Same old story, who cares!

Now something sent me to bed thrilled, the Raptors made minced meat out of the Los Angels Lakers in style. I am a believer, people! Kobe bryant was beginning to run riot in the first half with 21 points, but trust Mo Pete, when asked to guard the notorious gunner things fell apart for the Lakers. Lamar Odom was simply a pedestrian in the game, he does not seem to have the desire and fire any more...the LA ship is sinking, somebody send an SOS!!

Is laughter therapy for me?

Primrose posing next to her bedroom


I woke up this morning with a start! It was a couple of minutes to 6:00am and my shift commences at 6:00 am. You can imagine how crazy that moment was as i tossed my flesh all over trying to pinch some seconds off the clock! Oh boy, then i couldn't trace my car keys. To cut the long and agonizing story short, I ended up bending low for Hopes' truck and that, my friends, is not what i call fun. What a character this Hopes can be!

This whole 'borrow me your truck' thing ends up with Hopes at the wheels. He figures i am going to run into something and ruin his car, have his insurance raise even further....jesus! We made it to St. Peters' hospital in just 17 minutes, but not without encounters. We got stopped by the cops for running way over speed limits!! It turns out the policewoman knew Hopes from some place and after small chat and a warning he was given a pat on his back, narrowly escaping a speeding ticket...phew!! There goes future chances of emergency drop offs from Hopes, I am more than certain of that.

Geoggette made my day by cancelling Primrose's hair braiding appointment in favour of Sunday. That mean't Bulldogs' hockey game is on. The Copps Coliseum is actually a stone's throw away from our crib, so we hoofed. What better way to enjoy the fresh air and nature than a 20 minute walk. As expected the Bulldogs overpowered their hopeless prey.

My knee seems to act up again! I could not be efficient enough at work with it and yet here i was walking to the coliseum for AHL hockey. I am still trying to get the required hours to qualify for Employment Insurance but at what price? I have tried to take pain medications, putting on knee braces, using pain and anti-inflammatory creams, mention it, in vain! For the first time, i am actually looking forward to this long awaited surgery.

I missed filing in my calculus assignment. You want the truth? Well, my lazy bum did not get around to work for the assignment! Can u blame me? It has been a long day, first i get up late, the cops stopping us for speeding and lastly the hockey game that ended at 11:15 pm. Great! You probably are wondering how i could have screwed up my priorities, but free hockey tickets do not come by that often...the chance comes once, besides that i seldom have time for ME! Gatta be selfish once in a while.

A study from one of Australia's universities (don't bother asking me which one) found that laughing and having some quality time for yourself are sure ways of managing stress, longivity and good health in no special order. I am looking around for a laughing therapy 'bufundas' which i hear are mushrooming all over Canada to try it out, not that i don't laugh but to be a desciplined stress manager. It reminded me of that great old song "don't worry be happy" Preew, the only sure way you can always be happy in this purely capitalist world, is by getting on some kind of drugs! Mama mia.

No breakfast, no cry, nooo.....

Getting ready to leave for the day's husstle


Jesus, has this ever happened to anybody? Primrose happened to get in the groove as always this morning, ingeniously filled water into the sugar jar added some flour and mingled her mixture with bananas! Needless to say i got out of the shower to a feeding daughter of mine evidently happy with her work! I am certain her doctor is going to be busy sometime today, that will mean a call from the day care to jeopadise the days work. Mama mia!

Nothing on the breakfast table goes smoothly without 'sucre' I am trying my coffee and the cereals are just as tasteless! This is disaster, it turns out neither Faith nor Prim settles for sugarless stuff, its all your fault Primrose or, come to think about it, was it Hopes the early riser who must have left that sugar jar at Primrose's mercy? Well, all in all, corn dogs and juice with some milk seemed a better alternative. Crisis management at work...ha, ha, ha...

I have just received a huge percel from the Ontario CS Tech Association. Holly molly, the thickness of this pamphlet is un-imaginable, larger than a text-book!! They require me to read through in 2 weeks whilst training at a CS department at any hospital prior to showing up for classes, are these guys serious? We will find out pretty soon.

I am missing my treo 300 cellular phone. I have looked everywhere possible in vain! Could it be that somebody snatched it or did i drop it? I am mad i can't seem to remember at all. I seldom use my phone for calls, its only for the PDA and MP3 playing sections. If i lose it that means lots of appointments, my to-do list, budget, contacts, and music will be lost and that is not it for the tragedy here is that i will slide back that easily to that disorganised mom syndrome without it!! I am losing it already...

The Federal Immigration minister, has come out throwing this week. All failed refugee claimants with Canadian born children or married to a Canadian will have their deportation orders waived. Thats long over due. I salute our MP Dave Christopherson (NDP) for exerting sense into the Liberals.

A case in question was a Ugandan lady i know living in Toronto with three Canadian born children being ordered deported after her refugee claim failed on credibility reasons. Why would Canadian kids be forced to leave their country to another with uncomparative standard of living? Anyways, those already deported, it has been ordered for them to return to their respective Canadian embassies for a speedy process to return! Shame on the Immigration and Refugee Board!

The Raptors win , the Raptors win and the victim was the Milwaukee Bucks. Did you guys see Mo Pete's defence on Micheal Reid? This guy is getting notoriety for shutting down supreme gunners, ask Vince Carter and Reid he kept them frustrated. Oh my Bosh, what a game he had. Could not be stopped all night, not even big fella Fizer could handle Bosh! Are the Raps gaining momentum? I hope so most especially that Kobe Bryant and the Lakers will be in town on sunday. The X factor in the Laker uniform will be Lamar Odom, Bosh must man handle this beast of the paint for the Raps to keep the streak.

Tomorrow Hamilton Bull dogs are skating against Cicinnati. I got some free tickets for the game and i hope to be there to root for the Bull dogs' quest for a play-off spot. I also made an appointment with Hopes' friend Geoggette to have Prim's hair re-braided. The problem is that, no time has been agreed on, Geoggette doesn't know exactly when her lectures at McMaster University will end, so i have to raise her up prior to setting off. I hope the timing does not collide with the Bull dog game.

Should the Ground-hog be impeached?

Primrose (in-front) and Faith (back) doing a karoake
collaboration.



That groundhog messed us up big time! There is this tradition that when the ground hog comes out from yonder and sees his shadow, then winter will be a short season. On 2 February, Mister hog happen to leave a favourable prediction of 3 more weeks of winter. It seemed logical at that time, not with the spring-like weather we enjoyed in late January, but that was a ride for fools for snow has been pounding us here with utmost cruelty! Don't i hate consulting with weathermen? This time around, he says next month will be snowy for 2 good weeks...somebody get me outta here.

I hope you did not take my quest for weight lightly, i just amassed 8liters of ice cream with the capuccino flavor, burgers, chips and classic coke in my freezer for the job. I amazed Feliste with my agenda, she thought i should keep this figure and that i am behaving villager'ish'.

That reminds me, a year ago i joined a weight watchers program that required me to live on vegetables and strict meal potionings. The results were magnificent, but it was an expensive diet and equally important i was so often hungry that i decided to quit. If the rule of opportunity cost applied then why not now for i am similarly happy full figured. I am not staying ridiculously thin to suit public opinion. Nobody is ganna tell me what beauty is or how to be beautiful, its in the hands of the beholder. Galz wacha!

Irma and Didi, Faith's longtime friends, called here today. I hanged around to hear exactly what 5 year old gals would be gossiping about and just like that one was mentioning if Andrew kissed Irma...gross!! I panicked, how would 5 year olds get into the know? It may be innocent now, but doesn't that sound weired to you folks? I mean by 12 years of age i had no clue the word even existed but again i didn't know how to use a type writer, yet a computer today is another set of toy to these minitures. These are going to be a load to handle come the sweet teen years of mood swings and disobedience. God forbid.

Something historic happened today, Paul Martin announced Canada would not be joining the American Missile shield program that is intended to promote star wars disguised as a North American buffer missile shield from rouge nations. The Bushites must be pissed off, but hey, Canada has to work in her own interest not USofA's interests, sorry! It took Martin centuries to finally decide on this, but better late than never. Atleast he agreed with Chreatien on this one...WAITER, one more heineken for the road!

Rob Babcock let me down this time! How could the Raptors of all teams be in neutral gear at the NBA trade deadline!! It seemed more than certain that Jalen Rose, Donyell Marshal and Eric Williams will be traded. Jalen is a super offensive post-up player, this guy can put up points in a hurry but his defence sucks, you would think his some sort of Jalen boulevard or avenue. My only hope Alvin gets off the injury list, that is one mean hard working SOB.

My Cappuccino ice cream is finished, i either refill my bowl or crush 'Namboole' The later seems attractive to my insticts now, even then i am so exausted that lamenting right now is a chore. People, i am drawing my curtains for the night

Is Faith being Faith or....?

Faith Kirabo getting ready for an in-door soccer
session.


I went to work today, thank God. This was a late afternoon shift that runs to 11:00pm. Catherine my baby sitter did not disappoint, well, atleast i am happy. I need 600hrs to qualify for new Employment insurance benefits prior to my knee surgery. Tomorrow i will be honoring my 9:00am appointment with my surgeon for my first pre-OP session. It all sounds serious, but believe me, its way over hyped!

Did i ever mention being enrolled into a Certified CS Tech course by St. Peters' Hospital, my employer? Well, i am in possession of a letter from the Assossiation of Certified CST of Ontario (or something of sorts), accepting my application. I just heard from reliable sources, that this isn't pudding and that faileur rate has been high of late...i am shivering in my shoes already, men! Acqually the association advises us to train in a CS department at any hospital or corporation prior to commencing the course. You do not need a long, big nose to smell trouble here folks! The upside is the starting hourly wage rate is $22.00 - $25.00, isn't that motivation enough?

Faith keeps on pulling tricks on us. Very bad tricks, i am dismayed! Her dad bought her some new black boots, and emphasized to her that they were not mean't for school. Well, with the desire to show off, Faith has been smuggling the 'bulinyas' in her back pak or probably snow suit to school and changing into them later. Her luck run out this evening, when her older blue funky boots went missing which necessitated her coming back home in the black boots. Terrified that we are going to run riot, she pretended to be sick, ofcourse her body temp was normal. Now she is suggesting she gets another pair at school just incase her other shoes gets misplaced! Ingenious, but didn't we use to call that corruption? I am preparing for yet another mother to daughter lecture, to halt this growing trend of materialism.

I have just received an email from my brother Frank in Kigali. I am thrilled to hear our elder brother Don, a minister of Finance in that country is trying to put himself and family first by seeking ways to leave the ministry by standing for Presidency of the African Development Bank elections. God is great, how long have i prayed for just that, something to give him reason to be a brother again. I understand his chances greatly lie on lobbyists in the Kigali Admnistration, but atleast he has tried and for that i thank God.

I also understand my cousin Manzi is getting married in Kigali this march. I used to be close to Manzi during the renascence days of the Mosa Courts and actually lived together in Muyenga, Kampala until i landed an Executive job with Marasa Holdings and got attached to Mweya Safari Lodge. I am happy for him, infact i am going to make it paramount to search for his snap holed up somewhere in my archives for a future post. Thanks Frank for your updates.

Finally, Chris Webber has been traded by the Sacramental Kings to Philly in a six player deal. That is the least of my fantasy as that trade hurts the Raptors with the Philly's draft supposedly mean't for the Raps. By the trade deadline, i hope Rob Babcock makes a deal sending big money Jalen Rose and Donyell Marshall somewhere...we need to rebuild house here, people.

I run berseck on the annihilation of Man U at Old Trafford by AC Milan. Getting the ball off these disciplined Milan players is next to impossible. Great game that was, but i was wholly disappointed with Arsenal and Chelsea though both teams seem to have a good chance of qualifying not with that away goal rule.

Mission add some pounds on

I am trying my level best to have a
model-like pose, to no avail.



After ten days of pure hell, I feel released from that horrible spell of illness! The inevitable happened though, I lost so much weight that I am in a state of panic. I am not a glutton, but this time around i have to stuff junk in me to get back my full figure, what folks famously call pleasantly plump in this part of the world! Pray for me.

I have not gone to work for quite a bit and these folks aren't giving me a call. Just yesterday we were doing our family balance sheet only to realize we are way below normal, or rather in huge deficits. The stress is back again, and balancing our finances needs working longer hours or cutting on our expenses. Both options are bad to consider i need another one, thats for sure. But auto Insurance has to suffer a dent...

The abnormal insurance profits is a big story around here. Mbu these huge Insurance Companies made a collective net profit of more than 2 billions last year!! Thats criminal considering the way they keep nailing us, their customers, each day! Insurance here is compulsory and yet these companies enjoy a semi-monopoly in this Insurance world of business. Hopes and Kamau have just written a letter to our MP Christopherson urging him to do something about this insurance thing...ontario residents are protesting in record numbers, but who is listening? Nobody!

My knee surgery will be due soon. I was at Human resource Canada trying to fill out applications for employment insurance. Who could have advised Human Resorce Canada to move from downtown? It is not accessible any more, we found one at Queenstone in Stoney Creek and i hear the other is in the Mountains of Hamilton. How could that have happened? Another campaign should commence soon to have a HRC office here in downtown for christ's sake! Back to the point, with my knee surgery our finances will take another hit!! I will have to drop out of school again for a while. I am not trying to be an alarmist here, but its a necessary evil.

I was informed by Mrs Kerr, Faith's teacher at her Junior Kindergarten that Faith is the best student in her class. You cannot fanthom the wide grin that beddecked me. The report also says that she is sometimes a bully towards some of her classmates and plays a lot in class. I have to figure out how to cure the negatives without affecting her strides in learning. Do i need to buy a book for that? should i go for a Child Psychology course? If u had not figured this out yet, parenting is a full time job and i only afford my daughters only a quarter of my time!

Hurray! The Raptors at last had a feast over somebody...this time Vince and his New Jersay Nets. That was a sound wallop. This antlantic division is so sickening that everybody has a chance to the playoffs.

Not again, Barry Bonds the sterroids user on the screen trying to do damage control? Horrible work Barry, u just sunk public opinion further...can't anybody apologise these days?

The National budget is out, and i can't figure out the deal here, apart from the income tax cuts which by the way is negligible in my humble opinion. Bwana Paul Martin has tried to put his foot down in vain...is this the premier we voted for a just a clone without a clue, i am puking already!!

Seems like this was a long weeked

Faith having a good laugh at the the sick people
of 65 Oxford.


I have not been able to lament for the past days!! I am back, this flu can throw anthing it has at me and i'll remain standing still. I was taught to stay positive but this invasion was so gruesome, i thought my last days aren't that far! Believe me people, my eyes have been opened all of a sudden to the realization that life is too short and now i want to see everybody, my big brothers and sisters, my parents, my...i am going crazy!! I miss them more than ever now!

I appreciate all your 'pagan' prayers, i am feeling fine now and i actually managed to shavel snow today, something i have NEVER done before. 20 inches of snow on the balcony and long side walk is no mean feat...Hopes will definately collapse in disbelief and it ain't fools day yet.

Did i ever mention i have cousins here in Ontario? Well, a bunch make Windsor home and two live in Ottawa, and by Ottawa i do not mean Mado Mushi. I am thinking this summer i should, NO we must reserve some time to go visit with them. Come to think about it, Ottawa itself has lots of my people to pile on...Mado and her family is one of 'em, there is Emanuel Ndungutse, Cosmas, ofcourse my cousins ...the list goes on! Wow, lets do it!

Hopes was playing some indoor soccer last thursday night with Faith when he re-injured his flimsy knee. Friday was hell for us, for the big baby sulked and limped around like he's been doing it for a living, and now my friends the SOB is back in full gear like nothing happened! In just three days he feels no pain despite reporting to work daily, in other words giving no rest to the bad knee! You know what i am thinking? Attention seeking, (or probably to avoid chores) and its a man thing.

As all of us hockey fans mentally got out of this NHL hockey season, and then, just like that, these 'deal negotiators' pulled us back in with utmost optimism only to get us out again this time with evident cruelity!! If u had missed my point, somebody opened a window of hope only for it to be slummed and sealed! I sympathise with Lemieux and Gretzky for thinking they were the long awaited NHL messiahs...pity!

On a good note though, i was impressed by the NBA All Star weekend. Chris Bosh should have been the MVP, not with that double double posted. The guy was a monster on the board, pretty impressive. The dunk contest virtually stole the show, Steve Nash and Amare Stoudamire soccer style dunk left me speech less and that is rare! I mean, very rare. But Josh Smith's dunk over the corky Kenyon Martin stole the day. Young blood , new athletism great future for the league.

I gatta find a way of having laundry done for me! My basement is loaded with the results of laundry postponement. It needs a skilled treasure hunter to find clean laundry for tomorrow or else we rebound! We don't want to be rebounding, so i figure i have no alternative but to crush the washing machine...ciao!!!

Tsunami rip offs possible?

Myself, Hopes and Primrose about to have dinner.
Faith took this picture. I sure look like the flu
coupled with that pain medication are taking their
toll on my 'fragile' body.



Is it Hopes or all men? Faith woke up screaming again this time loudly...but Hopes did not move a muscle, slept through the ordeal like a drugged cocaine addict! I am sick with a flu and i have lost my voice on top of this pain in my knee, but he seemed worse off than me sleeping away! Of-course i pulled the comfort of the blankets off him, and alas not even a nod! Do we live with a zombie? Ha, Ha...

Nothing seems to go Raptors' way! Now the Chicago Bulls come around loaded with sophomores and rookies only to take us to basketball lessons...disheartening perfomance Raptors! The good news, everytime they lose Hopes' appetite goes down thus a food preparation relief! No kidding, these losses saves us food and time preparing it. And u thought i was mean!

All my T-4s are here. Time for tax returns, last year Hopes did the tax for me and got a healthy return. He has not prepared his yet this year, how would i then go around asking him for another annual favour without making him feel like a small god?

The Gay marriage bill has been tabled in the House of Commons today. The Conservatives distancing themselves from the fundamentals of the charter of rights. I don't get it? Why should a civilized society feel so wronged by the reality/or right of equality amongst themselves! Conservatives, please knock it off, just get the govenment out of everybody's bedroom! That sucks!!

Somebody found his way to my door soliciting for tsunami relief...i do recall with utter clarity donating a few dollars to this same nameless face for the same fund a while ago. Well, i let him know that if he had come for Darfur relief or Northern Uganda or Eastern Democtratic Republic of Congo, any where with disasters, i'll happily depart with a donation to him again. Otherwise i thought he was a conman.

Reginah in Canada? EH?

This picture was taken in Jinja - Uganda with some Hotelier friends. Standing L-R; Mr. Mucwa (F&B Supervisor, Mweya), Myself (in a cream-like blazer), a Front Office Supervisor from Nile Hotel, and Reginah (F&B Manager Windsor Lake Victoria Hotel, Entebbe). Uncomfirmed reports say Reginah is in Ontario for further studies.


I have just heard that my friend Reginah is in one of Ontario's universities for further studies. The whistle blower expects a full blown effort from me tracing down Reginah in this large and densely populated province! Give me a break folks. Hopes' experience makes me less eager to venture. He tried unearthing a friend for three years, and when he finally got hold him, he melted off the earth crust! On second thought, i'll be on her case tomorrow...

Mado just caught me flat footed, she left a comment on my blog. Most people simply send e-mails to me commenting on my lamentations, but a comment on my blog? Mado you are a head of time, i am impressed.

Now this flue bug has zeroed up on me pretty good despite that flue shot! Come to think about it, i have never had a flu shot before until now (that i am employed by a hospital for its mandatory) and needless to say never fallen prey to the bug. That, my friends supports my Drug corporations theory, the moment i took the shot, my defences against the bug fell apart! Go figure!

The only person free from the flu in this house is Hopes! Do u think that will make him help out with domestic duties? Sometimes, but hey consistency is badly needed in this regard. Men! Isn't that one of the reasons why the lesbian community is growing at fast rate?

The bullish NHL Commissioner has just drove the last nail in the coffin of the NHL league! We all saw it coming, but the negotiation theatre kept us guessing. Taking us for a ride was rude, period! Now just like most Canadians i am stuck with...NBA, with this snail pacing Raptors i will be dead from boredom before that dreadful Baseball league commences to bury me! Heavenly father save my soul.

Medicated for death?

It is raining cats and dogs since this morning! The weather man isn't so sympathetic with his forecast for tomorrow. The truth is i can't stand snow, so let it rain, London style and i'll still beddeck a smile.

My auto insurance has just gone up by 15%!!! Do the math, thats a fortune for christ's sake! I wonder if this Insurance monopoly here in Ontario isn't a brain child of the mafioso! Ontario, by the way, seems to be the only province with price increases that do not correspond with inflation. Accomodation rentals for instance go up every year, mbu the laws of the land guarantees just that to the landlords.

The medication i got for pain is drowsing me out of existence. Look, one pill sends me to kingdom come just like that. I hope the Pharmacist didn't imagine i am a 'depressed house wife' calling out for help! LOL!! Drug companies and their Physician accomplices would do anything to stay in business by keeping humanity sick and unhealthy. That is a conspiracy theory that holds water..."uncivilized cultures" like mine often have a herb or plant that heals u in a blink, believe me! Yet here i am treating the problem, and then treating side effects, then after side effects and then...Jesus! We are being made a drug dependant society, and drugs are chemicals and chemicals kills in whatever form of accumulation! Do u see where i am going, can the real terrorist please stand up? Aren't these crimes against humanity? Kidding.

Faith hardly slept at night. She kept waking up with a start and screaming. Nightmares, men with swords trying to kill her! God, i have been robbed of the only time for a successful sleep therapy session. I need one pretty bad now.

In search for a sanctuary from harsh Winter blizzards

Faith standing by her bedroom ready
to leave for the harbor front on Lake
Ontario.


We did not go to church today...as usual! We found checking out an apartment on Lake Ontario harbor front a priority. Absurd! This winter has been so taxing with snow ploughing around the house, higher gas costs, scrapping ice off cars, to mention but a few, very annoying and tiring. May be if we moved from a house to a high rise all that winter burden will slump.

Nice apartment with a great view of the lake, but that area seems colder and Hopes doesn't seem intrigued by my good intentions! I really liked the apartment...cosy is the best word for it and inside parking. That means no scrapping ice, somebody else ploughs the snow...what the hell are we waiting for?

Today the Raptors actually won a game, against Los Angeles Clippers...Bosh was running nuts dunking on people like there is no tomorrow. Eric Williams wants to be traded, like he is doing a great deal of a job here in T.O - get real Eric!! That reminds me, did anybody hear this? Mbu Barry Bonds knew all along that he was on 'roids!!!! Doesn't he owe us an apology and a jail term?

Primrose hears perfectly fine now. I noticed for once that she was responding to Dora the Explorers' chants on Tree house channel and singing along. Men, there is a God.

Is it me? These music awards are way off the mark, i used to get glued on to the tube late in the night, whilst a student in Nairobi, waiting for these awards with utmost anticipation. Now, i can hadly stand that stuff! That is age my friends, age has finally caught up with me big time. Iam hoping Mase, Usher and Kanye West win, the rest go hang!!

Pills, Pills again

Primrose back to normal life in the back yard

I missed a stair to the basement and there i went like a sack of dried beans. No broken bones, but the doctor at the walk-in-clinic on Locke Street does not like what he sees with my knee after that fall. Anyways, he equips me with prescription for extra strength pain killers and anti inflamatories.

Why do problems keep popping up every time ones coffers are dried up? Extremely tight budget, as Hopes says in 'an expense/debt geared economy'. Thats why we need our kids back in Africa for some years with their Aunt in Remera - Kigali, to learn some manners and tradition whilst giving us a chance to sort out life here and fulfill goals...sounds selfish? Well, its the best idea i have come up with, though Hopes has not bought it yet.

I have just been reminded that my Aunt Olive Kigongo, will be visiting with us this summer from Uganda. Splendid, thats exactly what i need to reduce on my stress, i can't wait to actually see family again. Hopes' sister Julie, friend JB both from London UK, and his cousin Festo studying Medicine in Moscow will be here in summer too...busy summer and i am thrilled.

The Jury is out, no NHL hockey this season. Toronto Raptors saga is fast becoming another soap opera, atleast they gat rid of Vinsanity Carter who was tunking every game whilst with Toronto!! Hopes did not move a muscle today glued on tele rooting for his soccer team Chelsea who had yet another lucky win, as they say a win is a win!

Hotel Rwanda deserves my second attention

I am standing with my eldest daughter Faith
outside a cinema hall on Upper James Road in
the Hamilton Mountains.


Did anybody bother watching the Hotel Rwanda movie? I did early this month, and i am sure will go back tomorrow to watch it again with my 'nfiira bulago' Fausta at the Jackson Square in Hamilton downtown.

Hopes picked me up from work and dropped me off at Henderson hospital. I am soon going for my delayed knee surgery and i gather its important i made these trips...waste of time, in my opinion. My car is back! Goodbye Hopes at looong last...

There is this letter i have just received from Union Gas. Are these guyz nuts or what? Mbu the rates are going up again, how can one survive in this jungle of greed!! Hopes is anti-capitalism, with what is going on here lately, i may jump on his band wagon and take these trips to anti-globalisation protests, seminars and gatherings. Next time around my vote is going NDP (Liberal Socialists in Canada), Martin and Mcguinty's Liberals are turning out to be wolves in sheep skin!

By the way, this Washington budget released yesterday was a fuss! Jesus, who is this moron fooling playing around with numbers? In a national budget and u happen to miss 2 trillion dollars of expenditure mean't for Iraq and Afghanistan is not just a minor over sight. And whats up with their social security program? Go figure!

Give that great nation 5 years with this hands off admnistration and it will be crambling like play cards! We do not need a weak America here in Canada. A lesson learn't here folks, vote wisely and most importantly strategically.

Back to day-care 4 Primrose

Faith and Primrose (at the fore front). Primrose is still recovering from a successful surgery. Both were getting ready for day care (Primrose) and Lower Kindergarten (Faith)



Bright day and the damn snow is melting! Primrose commenced her day-care 'duties' today, i must say she is doing pretty fine, thank God. I received good news 4 once, my passat has a minor problem on the alternator. I gatta do what i gatta do...replace the worn out bearings and the brush, i am thrilled its not something heavily taxing.

Hopes has been transfering Koffi Olomide music from tapes, borrowed to me by Lena a week ago, to mp3 and wav. He doesn't seem to be in hurry to do this seemingly small process and yet Lena is getting rather impatient. How to push this SOB to move (on my stuff) is still a mystery to me. I am ganna ignore his efforts, probably that way he'll do it faster...u believe that works?

Jesus! I am so exhausted, and i am debating if its worthwhile to devote time preparing supper! Ordering for pizza is so inviting, but isn't that junk? I am going berserk for i've never cooked before, nor made laundry until now! Society has promoted this cultural and moral slavery towards women to the extent that i am beginning to buy into this female emancipation thing.

Did anybody watch former Premier Jean Chretien testifying? This guy still has guts, i mean Prime Ministerial guts, men! Didn't he just reduce Paul Martin the current PM to a page boy? Hillarious!! Martin can not debate under pressure, a political under weight than his salesmen let us believe prior to the elections... i think i care less for the guy now! Chretien used to go toe to toe with the Washington morons, Trudeau style...Paul Martin, i am afraid we are yet to see u raise just an eye brow, u loser!!

Grace is back to Earth

This picture was taken at Mweya in Western
Uganda. I am sitted and my cousin sister
Grace is standing next to me.

What the hell? Wasn't it just yesterday that we had spring-like weather? Its snowing like there is no tomorrow, reminding us its still winter! I got home so early owing to this 'catastrophe'. Anywayz Toronto Raptors is hosting the Bucks, i am ganna get glued on tele despite Raptors poor showing in the Antlantic division lately. We got to win this one. I do miss hockey (NHL) pretty much...

My cousin sister Grace has been leaving messages on my voice mail. Tried like crazy to get hold of her in vain...i am worried she may have something big to fill me in for i have ot heard of her for centuries until now. Primrose doesn't seem to be in bad shape after her surgery, making noise as usual and her hearing abilities have greatly improved...Alleluya. Hopes has just enlisted Faith for soccer training pending qualification for a team spot at Westdale, God bless.

There is one family friend Mr. Ndungutse living in Ottawa. He paid a courtesy call 9 months ago and yet can not trace his email and phone to raise him up, i am getting mad over that people. I have to try Mado also in Ottawa to do the ground work for me.

Primrose's surgery a success

Getting ready to leave for McMaster Hospital.
Primrose had a surgery operation appointment at
7:00am



Once again Ontario is basking in spring-like weather in February! That, my friends, is a miracle.

Primrose has her tubes inserted in her ears at 10:45am without incident...successful operation! Faith declined to accompany us to Mac, mbu she is better off at 'Big' school than at hospital. I can't believe she actually said no to putting on a snow suit. "There is no snow and its sunny" she insisted, but my dear Faith laws are laws in ya country...anyways i won and that made her to rethink giving us a well deserved push to hospital.

Hopes is off today, but has disappeared in thin air...no word from Vargas and i am about to run riot, and here comes Cathy my baby sitter, mbu she misplaced her last check! I have to cancel that check then raise another one. Faridah Namirembe has just left a message, i gatta get back to her, she had melted off the earth and we have lots to gossip about.

Hopes is here at last! My Passat? Zero, do u blame me for blowing up? He chips in courageously "do u have the bucks?" That, folks, was a winner on his part, i had not given money that much of a thought. He is off the hook for today, lucky bustard!

What a Monday

What a beautiful day weather-wise. Who am i kidding, my Passat has just been towed to Varga's by Hopes and his crew! Hopes had imagined the symptom may be that of water in gas or bad connection on the distributor, needless to say he was wrong again!!!! The bad news, i have to bend so low to have him drop me off places...that can't be a beautiful day!

I had to be in a Calculus class at 6:30pm, but Hamilton transit didn't seem to be sympathetic. I come back home at 9:00pm to find Hopes deep in bed, mbu soar throat and fever have finally 'discovered' him and worse still he had no news from Vargas...somebody loan me a gun.

Tomorrow will be Primrose's surgery. We have to be at McMaster Hospital, at 7:00am, that means i better give my Rwandese body an early rest...grumbling as usual.

My Church in Ontario

The congregation of Stewart Memorial Church on John Street North, in Hamilton - Ontario. I am standing left of Pastor Horton and Remi at the extreme end.


This is probably the oldest African-Canadian church in Ontario. It was started by freed and escaping slaves from USof A. there are three Africans in the picture; myself (in a light blue suit), the towering Louis from Cameroun, one of the directors of Canadian African New-comer Aid Centre in Toronto, and Dr. Remi from Rwanda. Remi is Faith's god father.

Get munchie wid it

Primrose Bunjo; about to enjoy a home made snack

Look Who Is 5

Faith celebrating her 5th birthday.

This picture was taken on 25th January 2005, Faith's 'x-mas' without a Santa. A simple duo party was thrown for her and her daddy who was born a day earlier. Now u do figure what i go through each day with two Aquarious babies in the house. Damn!

Hello

Lol - Me


you are probably wondering who bears that all
smiles face....well, the host of this blog of course.
Folks, I have been trying my level best to hook
my lazy self on the blog craze...

I went to work, thats at St. Peters Hospital East
of central Hamilton, today grudgingly. The weather
man successfully managed to mess up this one
promising day! Ghee, i had to cope with Myrina's
(my work mate) long and unending lectures on
holistic care, 8 hours later my 'reliable' Passat
quits on me, that spelt a loooong walk home. Stressful,
but on the brighter side, i enjoyed the fresh air, the
cool breeze and my new blog.