Sad to know The Swahili Dictionary Project has run into Problems.

For most Swahili users online, this dictionary(http://www.yale.edu/swahili) was very useful. I wish a solution to this problem is found soon.

The Internet Living Swahili Dictionary has been taken offline.

The project has been ordered to remove all links to the sites that the project has relied on to raise revenue for project maintenance and improvement. Without these links, the project has no income source and cannot function; the project will have a negative account balance after outstanding debts are paid.

We sincerely regret this interruption. The Kamusi Project usually serves over one million pages per month to users around the world.

We are working to resolve the situation. However, the site will remain offline until the following issues have been resolved:

• can the Kamusi Project raise funds through the sale of clocks and other merchandise?
• can the Kamusi Project acknowledge gifts from major supporters?
• can the Kamusi Project include passive advertising alongside search results and other pages?

The relevant section of University policy is the following:

ITS Appropriate Use Policy 1607.C.2 Use that is inconsistent with Yale's non-profit status. The University is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization and, as such, is subject to specific federal, state, and local laws regarding sources of income, political activities, use of property, and similar matters. As a result, commercial use of IT Systems for non-Yale purposes is generally prohibited, except if specifically authorized and permitted under University conflict-of-interest, outside employment, and other related policies. Prohibited commercial use does not include communications and exchange of data that furthers the University's educational, administrative, research, clinical, and other roles, regardless of whether it has an incidental financial or other benefit to an external organization.

The Kamusi Project was in the past granted authorization to raise funds through certain merchandising links. However, documentation for that authorization is no longer available. Therefore, the site must remain offline until all questions about whether the project has authorization to raise funds through passive revenue generation on the site have been resolved.

With sincere apologies,
The Editor

5 September, 2007

What is so natural anymore?

I thought the biologists hinted that species always evolved through natural selection.
I still hear faint voices of those true to natural beauty and....

With all this global warming talk, supposedly man made.....
With all this plastic surgery and.... , to beautify Michael Jackson and friends.......
Well, I know that there are those who really need plastic surgery as it is a matter of life or death.

But check out how this intelligent doctor solves a dimple prob..

Wow!:-)Finally somebody is going to get dimples!

I stil wonder.....
All these genetically modified crops and........
Doping in sports etc.......

What will remain natural in the future is a mystery.
Or

Is it really important that things remain natural?

It feels sometimes like people are preparing themselves to self destruct.

If you read historical stories of the Conquistadors, and how they fought to destroy what to others was so natural now, one might forgive them for not knowing what they were doing.
In the present day, what the human race is doing just seems so unforgivable.

Unfortunately while humans are self destructing, are affecting if not destroying other species and their habitat.

Well, may be it is another survival of the fittest challenge !

I am pro anything natural!
Ironically, I still love some products from unnatural specimen like this...

While Mugabe's Zimbabwe celebrates its independence!

Once upon a time, as an African, it would be strange not to be proud of Mugabe, a freedom fighter who fought for Zimbabwe.It is sad to see how things seem to keep going wrong for the one, once regarded as a great leader and once a prosperous country , the envy of many.

Following the history of the country and the continent , it is not difficult to see how complicated the politics of Zimbabwe is. But still , it is easy to see why by keeping Mugabe as a Zimbabwe's leader complicates things even more.I think Mugabe has become a dividing factor and one who easily divert the focus from the real issues. Of course Zimbabwe's leadership as a whole is one of the issue, but Mugabe reduces it into a one leader's problems.

I can not dispute what Mugabe was saying during the celebrations.

But...

I think whatever good intensions he has ,they have long lost their positive touch.
I think he has to find a person to succeed him. Yeltsin in Russia did.
Just like war, these african presidents need to have an exit strategy while entering the office. I find the majority of them find themselves stuck in the office fearing what the future brings.

I think it should be clear to the Mugabes and the Musevenis that, There is always going to be another person capable of leading the country. Staying long just makes you guys lose focus on what is good for the betterment of your countries.As respectable leaders it is just fine to step down as respectable people.

I can not help remembering Bob Marley's song and how much sparkles of hope it was providing. Listen..

A Tanzanian eye on the resurrection of Mandela chieftaincy

South Africa is no Tanzania, but one can not stop to wonder, what would have happened if chiefdoms were not abolished in Tanzania.Most predictable answer from a lot of people could be that, some tribes and areas would suffer disadvantages. Now, few decades after the abolishment of chiefdoms , all that is visible is the disparity that keeps growing. Dar es Salaam is no Mtwara, and for sure one can not compare tribes either.

Well, so might argue that Tanzania is better off the way it is now compared to a lot of countries in Africa, partly due to the removal of chiefs and uniting the people under one ruler. I agree with that, but I also think where we are going it would not be a big suprise to find the country back in square one. Right now the gap between the rich and poor is growing fast.

Would the resurrection of chiefdoms in Tanzania suprise you?
Well, in South Africa, Mandla Mandela becoming a chief with Nelson Mandela (who chose to be a lawyer and not a chief) was not that much suprising.

The case of Mt Kilimanjaro evaporating and not melting!

Photo by Yosemite

It was sad to know that it is still a fact that Mt Kilimanjaro is losing its glacier. Well, atleast now some scientist try to offer different dates for the grand occasion.

The language and the technicality of the processes that robs the mountain its glaciers is fascinating at many meetings , including the European Geosciences Union General Assembly meeting.It is just heartbreaking that knowing that it is actually precipitation and not temperature that contribute the most to the reduction of glacier does not help much if there is nothing that can be done reverse the situation.

The only relief for some, is the fact that the glacier never played bigger role as the source of water for the area.Well, that is if no other explanation from other scientists that might contradict the one popular now. Its tiring to hear all these different explanations about climate warming come up everyday. Atleast we now know that the Kilimanjaro glacier is evaporating and not melting.

It would be nice to know to what extent the climbers of Mt Kilimanjaro are drawn there by the icy top. Tourism would suffer if height and natural beauty minus the ice are not exerting enough pull.

I hope the ministry of environment and tourism are working out some workable plan to take care of the mountain and its legacy.

What about the nuns?

I just wonder why we only hear about the male priests wanting Pope to allow them to marry. What about the nuns? Are they not interested in the matter?

I love how GADO put it.....

I have a Dream!

While we remember Martin Luther King Jr, it is sad that much has not changed



So much need to be done. I know there is other young gifted and black , just like Martin Luther out there.

Atleast Nina Simone and me believe so!

Seriously Speaking!

Why we do not act on what we know already is the way forward?

As the new year, birthdays or even just as we wake up in the morning, it is common to concentrate on what we are helpless about.

We dwell on problems and all that seem impossible.

The truth is, there a lot of what need to be done , are doable and within our power to accomplish.

Funny thing is, these dowable things are what we leave undone!

Why?

Why things we can not do seems to take our attention, energy and action more than things that are good for us that we just do not attempt to do?


Is it fear?
Are we not motivated enough ?
Are we not rewarded enough by doing or acting on what we were already supposed to do and what we know that we can do?

Lets just do them, act on them, do something about them!
I hope now is the time for all of us to start doing that.
Goodluck!

Happy New year!