WHY POLITICAL PR IS GOOD FOR ODINGA'S CAMPAIGN

Miguna Miguna flees from an irate mob in Mombasa County on Sunday

When you see a grown man sprinting away on national TV, a blood thirsty mob hot on his heels, you are obliged to feel sorry for the man at his moment of desperation.

Such were the woes of PM’s former aide turned nemesis Miguna Miguna as he began a countrywide campaign for his controversial book Peeling Back the Mask: A Quest for Justice in Kenya which focuses on Raila Odinga’s alleged misdeeds in the era of the coalition government.

The campaign which is to cover 47 counties began on a negative tempo in Kisumu and Mombasa Counties when Miguna was attacked by an irate mob, comprising mainly of youths.

The youths, baying for his blood, surrounded the building that hosted Miguna and demanded that the police hand over the traitor so he could face the consequences of his actions. Were it not for the always effective police officers who equally experienced the brunt of the murderous mob, Miguna would have lost more than just his shoe, his glasses and Muslim cap.

Kenyans need no genius to decipher that the vengeful youths are acting to retaliate the damage done on Mr. Raila by Miguna’s book.

As a popular presidential candidate, Mr. Raila should therefore come out strongly and publicly condemn the series of attacks on his former ally. Not only is it a sign of his peaceful nature (peace is paramount as Kenya approaches the next General Elections) but it is also good PR for him.

Positive PR, especially towards your target audience, is always good for business. PR can transform people’s attitudes from hostile to favourable and can thus garner Mr. Raila a sizable amount of supporters from the electorate especially the undecided ones.

While others may argue that what is happening to Miguna is pure Karma because the PM is not inciting anyone, Mr. Raila should work towards neutralizing the effects of this malicious Karma.

Publicly condemning these attacks would depict him as a sympathetic leader who bears no grudges against those who do him wrong even if they are from his own backyard.

Kenya has more than 10 candidates eyeing the top seat; with most of them marred by credibility issues it would help Mr. Raila if he were to show Kenyans his ability to forgive. Not only is it noble, it is also human.

Don’t we all want a President who can prove to us that amid all that political vanity and endless debacle is a human side after all? It is time for Mr. Raila to ‘pull back the rowdy crowd.’

Passion, Pain and Pleasure

She loves me, she loves me not…He loves me, he loves me not… don’t we all wonder at the uncertainty of this thing called LOVE...

Listening to Cheaptrick’s I want you to want me; one cannot help but wonder how sad, miserable and desperate love can be. Men by nature are perceived to be strong in character and emotions. Their expression of emotions is supposedly limited to only ‘men stuff’ like when their favourite team loses a football match. This is the time that you will see them pummel their chests in sheer frustration, akin to an untamed angry gorilla. But the ugly truth is love can drive even the strongest of men to their knees.

Forget the soap opera nonsense, where perfect love is built on a virtual world as the leading man tries to conquer his beautiful damsel in distress. A friend of mine once said that soap operas are for disillusioned souls who dare to dream of a perfect love that is non-existent. Fairy tales like The Cinderella Story are no different. These are for naïve teenagers with wild imaginations who keep hoping that a prince will one day move into the empty house next door and save them from their ‘evil mothers’ or their ‘miserable lives.’ Love in the real world does not have a “and they lived happily ever after” ending as two lovers drive off into the sunset on a white chariot. It is as complex as rocket science. Love remains unsolved, complicated and enigmatic.

I come from a country that boasts of a handsomely huge coffee production.  So I often enjoy sitting at the corner table in the campus cafeteria as I slowly sip my hot coffee and marvel at the richness of this Kenyan beverage. Many times I see students stream into the cafeteria, a number of them often in pairs, and their arms intertwined as they giggle and whisper words of love into each other’s ears. Anyone who plays an audience to such lovey-dovey quickly buys into the idea that the subjects in question are definitely in love. They can even go as far as being labelled ‘Couple of the semester’, albeit silently and grudgingly by fellow students. This is what I like to call ‘love’s grace period.’ 

Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Romeo and Juliet tells a tale of love at its best and worst moments. Romeo was insanely in love with Juliet, look how they ended up. Romeo poisons himself, after killing Paris, and Juliet sticks a dagger right through her heart. Three dead bodies in Verona in a day; even the coffin maker couldn’t be that lucky! All in the name of love! For a man whose most writings are always heralding love, Shakespeare has proven more than once (Antony and Cleopatra) that love is limitless, dangerous and often painfully desperate.

Jerry, a friend of mine thinks love is overrated. He would rather just sit back and enjoy a love-free life, drinking ice cold beer and dancing to Usher’s Dj got us falling in love (notice the irony) till he drops. Jerry is highly convinced that Valentine’s Day was invented by economists who wanted to milk individuals dry of their hard earned money as they purchase expensive gifts for their loved ones. This (buying gifts) is a Valentine Day ritual you can never ignore unless you have become resistant to constant nagging. He calls those who put love on a pedestal the damned souls of the free world. I am often amazed at Jerry’s expertise at getting girls and actually keeping them.

However desperate, do not get it twisted, love is a beautiful thing. To be in love is to love someone with all your heart, without holding back. It opens you to an exciting world of passion and pleasure. Nothing can ever surpass the rapture of emotions within you at that moment. To deny your heart the pleasure of love is cruel, but to love not be loved back is a fate more cruel. Some are lucky in love; they get what their hearts desire, but some never do. They just look from a distance with absolute melancholy at what they have always wanted but can never have. In short, love is like a three course meal, there are those who enjoy the appetizer (the pleasure), others eat the entrée (the passion), and others are left with nothing but the dessert (the pain). It often helps to have Cheaptrick’s CD somewhere among your huge collection of music because in a world where love still remains elusive and invincible, it would be inexcusably selfish to be lonely, sad and desperate. Whoever came up with the phrase “the desperate kingdom of love” got it right.

Signs that you are obsessed with exercise

Signs that you are obsessed with exercise

The commonest way of losing weight and keeping fit is through exercise. Research has shown that well coordinated and routinized exercise guarantees one a healthy life free of diseases synonymous with excess fats in the body like diabetes and heart diseases. Exercising burns excess body fat that is not required by the body.

However, exercise that has been transformed into a habit can sometimes get out of hand. What started as a healthy and responsible activity can turn into an obsession that can become harmful to an individual. Just like any addiction, exercise obsession is hard to control without the professional help of an expert.

It is a sad reality that an individual may perceive exercise addiction as commitment to his/her cause and therefore refuses to see the implications of his/her actions. This addiction is fuelled by a great fear of being fat or the desire to be like someone else.

The symptoms of exercise obsession include:

a.)    A feeling of guilt or restlessness if you don’t exercise

Every time you skip an exercise session, you cannot help feeling terribly guilty like you have done something wrong. You may reproach yourself and even mutter how stupid you are, all because you missed a few hours in your exercise schedule.

b.)   Exercise is your only hobby

When you first started, you were a member of a popular club, you could hang out with family and friends, or you never missed any social event. But gradually, exercise becomes your only activity. All your former hobbies become less important or completely non-existent as all your energy is focused on exercise.

c.)    You cannot stop working out even when sick

Fitness experts and doctors alike often recommend that when an individual feels pain on the muscles, he or she has to cease exercising for a while to allow the muscle tissues to heal. Sickness rids the body of its energy, and it is not fair to the body that one exercises under such conditions. Stubbornness and perseverance beyond your physical pain can lead to serious consequences like tearing up of ligament and tendons. It can also exert a lot of pressure on the bones.

d.)   You spend too much time exercising

The recommended standard time for any work out is recommended as 30 minutes per day. This is because the human body can only take too much, and any exercise beyond this time can overstrain the body. An individual who is obsessed with exercise feels that 30 minutes is too little to achieve the perfect body that they have always dreamed of.

e.)    You think about exercise all the time

Your concentration span is always low even when attending an important occasion. You are attending an important meeting in the office and your mind keeps wandering back to exercise, no matter how many times you bring it back. You think about the new jogging sneakers you just bought or how you plan to renew your membership at your local gym. Your mind is all about exercise, exercise and more exercise.

Obsession of any kind is a serious place to be in because it can transform you into a slave and therefore an exercise obsessed individual should seek help before it is too late.

ISIS: AMERICANIZING KENYANS

ISIS: AMERICANIZING KENYANS: AMERICANIZING KENYANS Several years ago when  we were still in primary school, our committed teachers drilled into our young, confused and ...

AMERICANIZING KENYANS

AMERICANIZING KENYANS 101
Several years ago when  we were still in primary school, our committed teachers drilled into our young, confused and naive minds that the British English was to be our only English. And so we swallowed our obvious confusion and forever pledged to pay homage to colonization by speaking the language of the Queen.
This was before our conservative minds opened up to another world that gave all of us another choice. That new world was Hollywood extra extraordinaire. This was to be the beginning of a revolution in Kenya that would give rise to American English in Kenya. This metamorphosis was due to the rapid spread of Hollywood into the Kenyan mainstream entertainment.
 Before we knew it, the always prim, neat and perfect British English was facing a tight competition from the contradictory American English led by rebellious Kenyans seeking to appear cool, modern and sophisticated.

Pants not panties
However 'cool' American English has this tendency of confusing those unfamiliar with it. Such was the case of 21 passengers in an overcrowded 14-seater matatu heading for Umoja to replenish their energy in readiness for a new day.
Everyone in the bus was minding their own business doing God knows what when one 'terrible disturbing' phone call spoilt for all of us. "Pick me up when I get off." But the caller needed more clarification (I guess) because just then the 'well mannered' Nairobian lady screamed, "I am wearing green pants!" Let's rewind that, yes she said PANTS and every soul inside the matatu turned in their direction. Wide-eyed, half annoyed, half confused gazes from passengers seeking to understand this girl's obvious disrespect for her dear Earthlings.
I bet some were dying to ask and probably scold her for publicly revealing the colour of her undergarments. Did she stash her manners inside her purse or what?
One old man sitting comfortably beside me shook his walking stick in agitation, probably wishing he was her father. That idle stick would have landed hard on the young lass's derriere in a split second.
But while they were silently condemning her and spitting curses( she obviously didn't care), I was dying to explain the confusion. The young lady had said PANTS not PANTIES.
According to Wikipedia.com the word PANTS is a synonym for TROUSERS, the former is American English while the latter is British English. Wikipedia also defines PANTIES as a form of underwear designed to be worn by women and girls in the crotch area below the waist. The two are often confused to mean the same thing.The lady didn't mean any disrespect, she was just being an Americanized Kenyan, oblivious of the language of our conservative society.