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Wednesday 21st of January 2015 |
Morning Africa |
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The Latest Daily PodCast can be found here on the Front Page of the site http://www.rich.co.ke
Macro Thoughts |
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Do you love the good smell of rain? If so, you're not alone. @techEpalermo @livescience Africa |
In fact, some scientists believe that people inherited their affection for the scent of rain from ancestors who relied on rainy weather for their survival.
But what makes rain smell so nice? There are several scents associated with rainfall that people find pleasing.
One of these odors, called "petrichor," lingers when rain falls after a prolonged dry spell. Petrichor -- the term was coined in 1964 by two Australian scientists studying the smells of wet weather -- is derived from a pair of chemical reactions.
Some plants secrete oils during dry periods, and when it rains, these oils are released into the air. The second reaction that creates petrichor occurs when chemicals produced by soil-dwelling bacteria known as actinomycetes are released. These aromatic compounds combine to create the pleasant petrichor scent when rain hits the ground.
Another scent associated with rain is ozone. During a thunderstorm, lightning can split oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere, and they in turn can recombine into nitric oxide. This substance interacts with other chemicals in the atmosphere to form ozone, which has a sharp smell faintly reminiscent of chlorine.
When someone says they can smell rain coming, it may be that wind from an approaching storm has carried ozone down from the clouds and into the person's nostrils.
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Hannah riding along the Shore Lake Elmentaita @SerenaHotels Africa |
As You have no doubt worked out by now the Little one Hannah is a kind of indescribable Love Affair for me [and I love my Older Daughters but the Teenage World is a whole another Ball Game] but in her eighth year, she has become a very cheeky Pixie. And I here I am swinging a Line and wanting my day to start real smooth and it starts with Hannah. Lately, she has taken to asking;
''And what are you doing in my room?''
And I let my breath out slowly and look at her and ask sotto Voce ''What I am doing in your room, Hannah? I have come to tell you I love you and I want to start my day with your smile.''
And today I asked ''Darling, Do You know the story about Emperor Babur and Humayoun?''
And she said ''No.''
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One day Humayun fell ill and Babur became very sad Africa |
One day Humayun fell ill and Babur became very sad. He summoned the best doctor in his empire. The doctor treated Humayun with utmost care, but his condition did not improve. The doctor finally said, "His condition is now fatal and only God save him."
Babar lost all hope and with great sadness, he knelt down and prayed. "God, please save my son." Just then, he heard the Queen weeping. He consoled her and said, "Have faith in God. He alone can save our son." The Queen requested the king to consult with Abdul Baka, the most pious man in town.
"Medicines have failed," said Abdul Baka. "Still I believe that Humayun will be alright. Pray to God and offer him the most valuable thing in your house". "What's the most valuable thing in my house?" asked Babar. "You have the most valuable diamond with you. Sell that diamond and you will get lakhs of rupees. You may give the money to the poor. God may then save you son's life", said Abdul Baka.
"The diamond is no doubt very valuable, but my life is more valuable than the diamond," the King said to the pious man. "I offer my life". Saying this Babar walked round the bed of Humayun. He knelt down and said, "God, take my life and give life to my son".
Suddenly the doctor saw Humayun uttering a few words. "Oh Emperor! I can see his pulse beat". Your son will be normal soon, cried the pious man. "God has answered my prayer". So saying, Babar fell down and died a little later.
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Full text of @BarackObama's State of the Union address H/T @kuirab @Reuters Law & Politics |
We are fifteen years into this new century. Fifteen years that dawned with terror touching our shores; that unfolded with a new generation fighting two long and costly wars; that saw a vicious recession spread across our nation and the world. It has been, and still is, a hard time for many.
But tonight, we turn the page.
Tonight, after a breakthrough year for America, our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999. Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis. More of our kids are graduating than ever before; more of our people are insured than ever before; we are as free from the grip of foreign oil as we've been in almost 30 years.
The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong.
At this moment - with a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry, and booming energy production - we have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on Earth. It's now up to us to choose who we want to be over the next fifteen years, and for decades to come.
"It is amazing," Rebekah wrote, "what you can bounce back from when you have to...we are a strong, tight-knit family who has made it through some very, very hard times."
We are a strong, tight-knit family who has made it through some very, very hard times.
America, Rebekah and Ben's story is our story. They represent the millions who have worked hard, and scrimped, and sacrificed, and retooled. You are the reason I ran for this office.
We believed we could reduce our dependence on foreign oil and protect our planet. And today, America is number one in oil and gas. America is number one in wind power. Every three weeks, we bring online as much solar power as we did in all of 2008. And thanks to lower gas prices and higher fuel standards, the typical family this year should save $750 at the pump.
So the verdict is clear. Middle-class economics works. Expanding opportunity works. And these policies will continue to work, as long as politics don't get in the way. We can't slow down businesses or put our economy at risk with government shutdowns or fiscal showdowns. We can't put the security of families at risk by taking away their health insurance, or unravelling the new rules on Wall Street, or refighting past battles on immigration when we've got a system to fix. And if a bill comes to my desk that tries to do any of these things, it will earn my veto.
21st century businesses need 21st century infrastructure - modern ports, stronger bridges, faster trains and the fastest internet.
I want Americans to win the race for the kinds of discoveries that unleash new jobs - converting sunlight into liquid fuel; creating revolutionary prosthetics, so that a veteran who gave his arms for his country can play catch with his kid; pushing out into the Solar System not just to visit, but to stay. Last month, we launched a new spacecraft as part of a re-energized space program that will send American astronauts to Mars. In two months, to prepare us for those missions, Scott Kelly will begin a year-long stay in space. Good luck, Captain - and make sure to Instagram it.
Of course, if there's one thing this new century has taught us, it's that we cannot separate our work at home from challenges beyond our shores.
My first duty as Commander-in-Chief is to defend the United States of America. In doing so, the question is not whether America leads in the world, but how. When we make rash decisions, reacting to the headlines instead of using our heads; when the first response to a challenge is to send in our military - then we risk getting drawn into unnecessary conflicts, and neglect the broader strategy we need for a safer, more prosperous world. That's what our enemies want us to do.
I believe in a smarter kind of American leadership. We lead best when we combine military power with strong diplomacy; when we leverage our power with coalition building; when we don't let our fears blind us to the opportunities that this new century presents. That's exactly what we're doing right now - and around the globe, it is making a difference.
We will continue to hunt down terrorists and dismantle their networks, and we reserve the right to act unilaterally, as we've done relentlessly since I took office to take out terrorists who pose a direct threat to us and our allies.
Second, we are demonstrating the power of American strength and diplomacy. We're upholding the principle that bigger nations can't bully the small - by opposing Russian aggression, supporting Ukraine's democracy, and reassuring our NATO allies. Last year, as we were doing the hard work of imposing sanctions along with our allies, some suggested that Mr. Putin's aggression was a masterful display of strategy and strength. Well, today, it is America that stands strong and united with our allies, while Russia is isolated, with its economy in tatters.
That's how America leads - not with bluster, but with persistent, steady resolve.
Our diplomacy is at work with respect to Iran, where, for the first time in a decade, we've halted the progress of its nuclear program and reduced its stockpile of nuclear material. Between now and this spring, we have a chance to negotiate a comprehensive agreement that prevents a nuclear-armed Iran; secures America and our allies - including Israel; while avoiding yet another Middle East conflict. There are no guarantees that negotiations will succeed, and I keep all options on the table to prevent a nuclear Iran. But new sanctions passed by this Congress, at this moment in time, will all but guarantee that diplomacy fails - alienating America from its allies; and ensuring that Iran starts up its nuclear program again. It doesn't make sense. That is why I will veto any new sanctions bill that threatens to undo this progress. The American people expect us to only go to war as a last resort, and I intend to stay true to that wisdom.
I have no more campaigns to run. My only agenda for the next two years is the same as the one I've had since the day I swore an oath on the steps of this Capitol - to do what I believe is best for America.
My fellow Americans, we too are a strong, tight-knit family. We, too, have made it through some hard times. Fifteen years into this new century, we have picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off, and begun again the work of remaking America. We've laid a new foundation. A brighter future is ours to write. Let's begin this new chapter - together - and let's start the work right now.
Conclusions
Sometimes I think he is just too cerebral. He has progressed the US National Interest [and I have my issues with the Assassination program which he has taken to a whole new level] in a really c21st and sophisticated manner using Oil Currency and plain coercion in a manner that his Predecessors probably would never even have understood.
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01-DEC-2014 US Emerges As New Price Setter For Oil Market Law & Politics |
On 13-OCT-2014 I said: "The conditions [and I will explain them momentarily] are optimal for a complete wash-out [a 'blow-off bottom' was more earthy description in my time] down as far as $50 a barrel''. That prediction of $50.00 a barrel looks in sight now.
''It is the US that is the new price setter for the oil markets and this is a deep and important geopolitical development ''
The meeting in Vienna merely confirmed that the US has wres- tled control of the oil markets. President Obama while getting creamed in the mid-terms, has been a very subtle, skilled and hard-nosed exponent of currency and now oil warfare.
This plan to undercut oil was exquisitely constructed and executed.
The Russian Ruble has been crushed, the Russian Central Bank has dropped a $100b defending the currency. Iran might have got an extension but the new oil price normal keeps them on the ropes. Venezuela's oil income has fallen by 35 per cent and is set to tumble further.
This is a very 21st century 'Shock and Awe 'and a bullet has not even been fired.
The oil price collapse marks a major inflexion point. The global consumer is back. The value of this stimulus is worth a $1 trillion to the US.
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13-OCT-2014 Who Kneecapped Prices in Global Oil Markets? Law & Politics |
President Obama and his administration is the answer to my question: who kneecapped oil prices?
In fact, as long ago as 2011, Thomas Donilon, who was then a US national security adviser, was signalling this and very clearly.
"America's new energy posture allows us to engage from a posi- tion of greater strength. Increasing US energy supplies act as a cushion that helps reduce our vulnerability to global supply disrup- tions and price shocks. It also affords us a stronger hand in pursuing and implementing our international security goals."
The US administration has turned price slasher and like in Alfred Hitchcock's totemic movie "Pyscho", oil has been sliced up real good. The US has flooded the oil market and the commodity is now a geopolitical spear [Michael Klare and Tom Engelhardt].
It is the US that is the new price setter for the oil markets and this is a deep and important geopolitical development. The new price levels will have immediate and enormous geopolitical and financial knock-on effects. It will place intolerable pressure on oil producers and particularly those operating from a higher base price.
It is not too difficult to calculate who are the biggest losers in this new price normal, and Vladimir Putin's Russia springs to mind first.
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Gorbachev: It gives one a feeling of déjà-vu. Perhaps that would even make a good headline for this interview: Everything appears to be repeating itself. There was a time for building a Wall and a time for tearing it down. @DerSPIEGEL Law & Politics |
Gorbachev: It gives one a feeling of déjà-vu. Perhaps that would even make a good headline for this interview: Everything appears to be repeating itself. There was a time for building a Wall and a time for tearing it down. I'm not the only person to thank for the fact that this wall no longer exists. (Former Chancellor) Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik was important, as were the protests in Eastern Europe. Now, new walls are being built and the situation is threatening to escalate. I do, in fact, see all the signs of a new Cold War. Things could blow up at any time if we don't act. The loss of trust is disastrous. Moscow no longer believes the West and the West doesn't believe Moscow. That's terrible.
SPIEGEL: Do you think it is possible there could be another major war in Europe?
Gorbachev: Such a scenario shouldn't even be considered. Such a war today would inevitably lead to a nuclear war. But the statements from both sides and the propaganda lead me to fear the worst. If one side loses its nerves in this inflamed atmosphere, then we won't survive the coming years.
SPIEGEL: Aren't you overstating things a bit?
Gorbachev: I don't say such things lightly. I am a man with a conscience. But that's the way things are. I am truly and deeply concerned.
SPIEGEL: The new Russian military doctrine labels NATO's eastern expansion and the "reinforcement of NATO's offensive capabilities" as one of the primary threats facing Russia. Do you agree?
Gorbachev: NATO's eastward expansion has destroyed the European security architecture as it was defined in the Helsinki Final Act in 1975. The eastern expansion was a 180-degree reversal, a departure from the decision of the Paris Charter in 1990 taken together by all the European states to put the Cold War behind us for good. Russian proposals, like the one by former President Dmitri Medvedev that we should sit down together to work on a new security architecture, were arrogantly ignored by the West. We are now seeing the results.
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What Game is the House of Saud Playing? Pepe Escobar Law & Politics |
The House of Saud now finds itself in times of extreme trouble. Their risky oil price war may eventually backfire. The succession of King Abdullah may turn into a bloodbath. And the American protector may be musing a change of heart.
US President Barack Obama, in this interview, openly admitted that he wanted "disruptions" in the"price of oil" because he figured Russian President Vladimir Putin would have "enormous difficulty managing it." So that settles the argument about hurting Russia and US-Saudi collusion, after US Secretary of State John Kerry allowed/endorsed King Abdullah in Jeddah to simultaneously raise oil production and embark on a cut price strategy.
Conclusions
They are not playing a Game - They are taking instructions.
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Commodity Markets at a Glance WSJ Commodities |
12-JAN-2015 I do not see a near-term bounce in the oil price. I think it could average $50 a barrel for the next 24 months. There is no 'Hail-Mary' pass coming that I can see http://www.rich.co.ke/media/docs/038NSX1201.pdf
I do not see a near-term bounce in the oil price. I think it could average $50 a barrel for the next 24 months. There is no 'Hail-Mary' pass coming that I can see for the oil producers and it's going to stay very Darwinian. Oil supply is not reducing as prices implode, it's actually increasing as producers try to make up for some of the shortfall by selling more barrels. This lower oil price structure is a silver bullet for the G2 - the US and China. Of course, it also benefits Asia, Japan, places like the Philippines and ourselves [once the Energy Regulatory Commission passes on the price cut in a meaningful manner].
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10-NOV-2014 Ouagadougou's Signal to Sub-Sahara Africa Africa |
The tipping point for this accelerated sequence of events was President Compaoré stacking parliament in order to extend the presidential term limit. There are plenty of African presidents who are seeking to pull off the same magic trick and events in Ouagadougou have surely put them on notice.
Martin Aglo, a law student from Benin, told Reuters: "After the Arab Spring, this is the Black Spring".
During the Arab Spring [now in the bleak mid-Winter], nearly all commentators spoke of how this North African wildfire could not leap the Sahara and head to sub-Saharan Africa. The reasons were that the State [incumbents] had a monopoly on the tools of violence and would bring overwhelming force and violence to bear. We need to ask ourselves; how many people can incumbent shoot stone cold dead in such a situation - 100, 1,000, 10,000? This is another point: there is a threshold beyond which the incumbent can't go. Where that threshold lies will be discovered in the throes of the event.
Therefore, the preeminent point to note is that protests in Burkina Faso achieved escape velocity. Overthrowing incumbents is all about acceleration, momentum and speed best characterised by the German word 'Blitzkrieg'.
Out of a population of 17 million people in Burkina Faso, over 60 per cent are aged between 17 and 24 years, according to the World Bank, and this is another point to note. The country's youth flexed their muscles. What's clear is that a very young, very informed and very connected African youth demographic [many characterise this as a 'demographic dividend'] - which for Beautiful Blaise turned into a demographic terminator - is set to alter the existing equilibrium between the rulers and the subjects, and a re-balancing has begun.
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Nigeria Ignores Call for Devaluation as Key Rate Kept at 13% Africa |
The naira has slumped 14 percent against the dollar on the interbank market in the past six months and was trading at 189.05 as of 3:04 p.m. in Lagos, the commercial capital.
The central bank kept the cash reserve requirement on private-sector funds at 20 percent, following a 500 basis-point increase in November. The ratio for public funds was retained at 75 percent.
"There was no need for a change because the policy measures announced in November need to take effect," Kunle Ezun, Lagos-based strategist at Ecobank, said by phone. "We project the naira to hover between 185 to 190 naira per dollar before the next MPC. That of course will be sustained by central bank interventions and administrative measures."
In a presidential poll set for Feb. 14, chief challenger and former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari will try to unseat incumbent Goodluck Jonathan, who is seeking a second, full term ruling Africa's biggest economy and most populous nation.
20-Jan-2015 14:23 - NIGERIA CENTRAL BANK NOTES CONTINUED DOMINANCE OF NON-OIL SECTOR IN ECONOMY - CENBANK GOVERNOR GODWIN EMEFIELE 20-Jan-2015 14:24 - EMEFIELE: CONCERNED ABOUT WEAKENING CONTRIBUTION OF OIL SECTOR TO GROWTH 20-Jan-2015 14:24 - EMEFIELE: NIGERIA NOTES INFLATION WITHIN TARGET RANGE 20-Jan-2015 14:25 - EMEFIELE: UPSIDE RISKS TO INFLATION EXIST 20-Jan-2015 14:28 - EMEFIELE: BEARISH CONDITIONS IN CAPITAL MARKETS CONTINUE 20-Jan-2015 14:29 - NIGERIA CENBANK GOVERNOR EMEFIELE: SIGNIFICANT PRESSURE ON FOREX MARKET 20-Jan-2015 14:31 - NIGERIA'S EMEFIELE: EXTERNAL RESERVES AS OF DEC 21 $34.25 BLN 20-Jan-2015 14:32 - EMEFIELE: CONCERNS ON A NUMBER OF RISK, INC. SECURITY, SUSTAINED DECLINED IN OIL GDP 20-Jan-2015 14:34 - NIGERIA'S EMEFIELE: CENBANK HOLDS RATES AT 13 PCT 20-Jan-2015 14:34 - NIGERIA LIQUIDITY RATIO RETAINED AT 30 PCT - CENBANK
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"We are the ones that carried out the attack and it is just the tip of the iceberg," the man says. "There are more coming." Africa |
Commenting on weapons seized from Baga, he says they are "enough to annihilate Nigeria."
Soldiers fled the area after the nearby army base, which is the headquarters of a multinational force comprising troops from Chad, Niger and Cameroon, by Lake Chad was overrun. Chad and Cameroon are being drawn into the fight against Boko Haram, but mistrust has hampered cooperation.
The main claiming to be Shekau taunted the leaders of Cameroon, Niger and Chad: Paul Biya, Mahamadou Issoufou and Idris Deby.
He also made it clear he doesn't care for either Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, a southern Christian, or his main opposition contender in Feb. 14 presidential elections Muhammadu Buhari, a northern Muslim.
"Jonathan you are in trouble," he says. "And Buhari, do you think he is a true Muslim? He's an infidel."
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Qalaa Invests in East Africa Cargo as China Builds Rail Link Africa |
Egyptian private-equity company Qalaa Holdings SAE is investing $70 million to accelerate the movement of rail cargo carried from East Africa's busiest port, as it faces competition from a new Chinese-backed link.
Qalaa controls Rift Valley Railways Ltd., the operator of a railway built almost a century ago running from Kenya's Mombasa port to neighboring Uganda. It covers a portion of the same route as a new rail line under construction from Mombasa, designed to speed up freight-transit times, cut transport costs and boost mining and agricultural exports. It isn't yet clear who will operate the second railway.
Qalaa "is investing heavily in a new subsidiary, which will complement RVR by handling cargo at the port of Mombasa in Kenya," Karim Sadek, managing director of the company's transportation division, said in an interview from Nairobi.
In neighboring South Sudan, Qalaa, through its Nile Logistics arm, plans to acquire additional handling equipment for its river-transport and marine-port businesses, he said. Its service, operating a fleet of barges between the north and south of the oil-producing nation, was disrupted in December 2013 when a power struggle in the ruling party sparked civil war.
Tens of thousands of people have died and almost 2 million others have been driven from their homes as the violence continues, according to the United Nations. About 1.5 million people are receiving food aid, less than a quarter of those in need, amid funding shortages and due to bad roads, which are inaccessible in the wet season, according to the UN.
"We are moving cargo for the World Food Programme and International Committee of the Red Cross from Juba to the north," Sadek said on Jan. 13. "Depending on how that goes, we may expand our fleet in South Sudan."
Spending by Qalaa this year in South Sudan will probably reach $35 million, he said.
Qalaa, formerly known as Citadel Capital SAE, in April bought the 34 percent stake that Kenyan-based Transcentury Ltd.'s Safari Rail Co. owned in RVR, raising its shareholding to 85 percent. Citadel first acquired a minority interest in RVR in 2010. Since then, it's led investments to upgrade hundreds of kilometers of tracks, rehabilitate rolling stock, and restore service on a rail section in Uganda that was idle for two decades.
RVR said in September it agreed to borrow $20 million from Standard Bank Group Ltd. and other lenders to buy 20 locomotives, which should all be delivered from General Electric Co. (GE) by April.
Currently, more than 90 percent of cargo is ferried by road from Mombasa. Kenya is the largest economy in the five-nation East African Community, also comprising Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, which formed a customs union in 2010 to strengthen intra-regional trading. South Sudan is seeking to join the EAC.
"Kenya remains the pivot state in East Africa and the route to the sea and the world markets for a lot of countries in East Africa," Aly-Khan Satchu, chief executive officer of Nairobi-based Rich Management Ltd., said in an e-mailed response to questions. "RVR has devised a good strategy of integrating the railway with a door-to-door delivery service."
An estimated 23.5 million metric tons of freight was expected to pass through the Mombasa port last year, up about 5 percent from 2013, according to the Kenya Ports Authority. Durban, Africa's busiest port according to the Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa, handled 44.8 million tons of cargo in 2013-14.
Qalaa's planned spending on RVR in the 12 months through June comes as construction gets underway on a $3.8 billion railway linking Mombasa to Kenya's capital, Nairobi, being 90 percent financed by the Export-Import Bank of China.
It's expected to take 42 months from October to complete, and the link will eventually continue to Uganda and the landlocked states of Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan. The "high capacity" standard-gauge railway will enable locomotives to travel as fast as 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour for passengers and 80 kilometers per hour for cargo, according to the government.
"Our rates should be more competitive, even when the new railway is complete because of a lesser debt burden," Sadek said. "The agreement we signed with the governments provides for compensation for any business lost as a result of a new railway. But it has not yet been worked out how."
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Swazi King Delays School so That Students Can Weed His Fields Africa |
Swaziland's King Mswati III has delayed the start of the school year, ordering students to complete the weeding of his fields instead.
Tending to the monarch's farmland is a "national duty," the education ministry said in a statement carried in the Times of Swaziland. Private schools that reopened on Jan. 13 were ordered to close and government schools set to resume lessons today have to push back the start of teaching by a week, when all students will return after the weeding is completed.
Mswati, 46, rules over the landlocked southern African country's one million people as the continent's last absolute monarch. Political parties are banned in the country, which gained independence from the U.K. in 1968. Forbes Magazine said in June the King's personal wealth was at least $50 million, the amount of the annual salary he is paid from government coffers.
"This borders on being child labor," Nomsa Cembi, a spokeswoman for the South African Democratic Teachers Union, said in an interview with eNCA television news in Johannesburg. "We see it as exploiting children."
News of the delay to classes "came as a shock," Cembi said. The union appealed to the Southern African Development Community to put pressure on Swaziland to end the disruption to the country's schools.
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Coca-Cola joins list of global firms cutting Kenya jobs Kenyan Economy |
"In Kenya this exercise has just begun and the extent of its impact will only be known at the end of quarter one," said Coca-Cola's regional communications director Norah Odwesso in a response to Business Daily queries.
Other local subsidiaries of global firms that have recently sacked staff are Nestlé, Tata Chemicals Magadi, Sher Karuturi and Cadbury who together have trimmed over 600 jobs in the last one year.
Food group Nestlé last week sent home 46 staff in its Kenya and regional hub.
The job losses stem from a mix of corporate cost-cutting strategies meant to improve profit margins for the multinationals in the increasingly competitive fast-moving-consumer-goods market.
Conclusions
Not good.
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The next frontier in the final frontier @changarampatt Kenyan Economy |
Secondly, an ex-colleague explained to me that the coders/developers fear sharing an idea or even thinking out aloud. Why would that be an issue? If you are innovative, you will forever be innovative. Yes, it is a bit scary to even think that someone will run with your idea and be successful. I agree too. But let me explain it differently: The Ocean/Sea is common for all. But some take out pearls, some take out fish, some go on cruises (holidays), some just wet their leg and some live on boats. You see, it is food for some, shelter for some, business for some and leisure for some others. More generally, the world is the same for all but we get what we look for. So are the ideas.
The most important thing in a startup company is the startup team.
Don't beat yourself up; there are exactly two ideas in my opinion, viz., a quantum leap idea and a locally marketable idea. For the first one, this is now the innovators and game changers (read Hotmail, Tweeter, Facebook and the Instagram). These ideas will thrive for yours to come unless somebody else gets it too and markets it before you do. On the other hand, there a number of ideas that exist globally but not marketed yet with a locally tweaked version. This later one better be on the right time otherwise it is easier to lose it in a jiffy.
So how about an experiment; let us give motivation, confidence, funding, tools, resources and the right mentoring from the early days. I must say that life keeps training me and teaching me, I pray I don't stop learning.
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