Anti-Surveillance Fashion?

With the governments’ perpetual encroachment on our privacy, there is a growing market for positive and friendly anti-surveillance solutions. The ever-widening surveillance state and recent scandals have given rise to a type of counter surveillance fashion, which incorporates anti-surveillance technology into fashion trends, making it available to the everyday consumer. The counter surveillance fashion items are a far cry from the typically expected tinfoil hat. The trend has led to the creation of anti-surveillance pouches, hoodies, jackets, ponchos, and even an LED purse that’s activated when a flash goes off and distorts the photo with a glaring white light.

With the increasing concern for security and privacy, there appears to be a growing market for items which can help to enable the consumer in avoiding detection. Stealth Wear, is a new line of apparel which incorporates anti-drone technology into clothing. The clothing can thwart cameras and block tracking signals. The creator, Adam Harvey, designed the high-tech clothing items using the same metallised material that is used to counter infra-red cameras that spy drones use to locate people. The clothing line also offers a pouch for carrying mobile phones, the fabric of the pouch blocks the signal so it can’t be tracked.

“People see it as technology [which] they can use in their own way,” – creator, Adam Harvey

The collaboration is spreading, Youtube users are giving makeup tutorials on how to avoid facial recognition, the pro-privacy fashion trend is even showing up on the runway in the shows of Umit Benan, Martin Margiela, and others. There is a market for products which can help people get around having their rights and privacy violated.

The Stealth Wear designs could cost you upwards of $500. Meanwhile, more reasonably priced anti-surveillance items, minus the anti-surveillance technology, are also available: t-shirts, ties, sweatshirts, baby clothes, jackets, and other items.

 “These pieces are designed to live with [surveillance], to cope with it – to live in a world where surveillance is happening all the time,” — Adam Harvey, Stealth Wear creator

With the increasing threat of drone usel, it is no wonder that some people are interested in items which can help them to avoid any remote detection from technology that is unjustly invading their privacy and endangering their personal safety. And because it seems almost all of us can agree we should have a certain right to privacy, I am unsure as to whether the merger of anti-surveillance technology into fashion items is comical, or depressing because of its necessity.

RIGHT TO VOTE

You do your country and your self no favors by refusing to vote. Some reasons why we need to register to vote and vote as well.

• The only way we can change the destiny of our country is by our vote. We can talk and sing, and paint and go

 for protests but if we don’t vote, we have little chance of changing anything.

• If we don’t vote, we do not have a right to judge the leaders of this country or its policies. If you don’t vote for good leaders you do not have the right of judging bad leaders. If you sit at home watching your country go wrong while you do nothing you have no right to complain.

• Your vote counts. Many people are asking why should I vote? I am only one person. Your vote is important. One vote multiplied by thousands makes a very big difference.

•Your right to vote is one of the rights that you enjoy as a citizen of your country. Use it responsibly.

• As youth this is the time to stand up for what you believe. Its time to show that you are the leader of today not tomorrow. One way of showing this is by voting. Kenya will be changed by people who believe that change can happen. We have to believe that things do not have to stay at the status quo they are at right now. By voting we change the course of the river that is Kenya. The constitution was a right step in changing the course of our destiny. Yes it is many times being used for selfish ends by politicians but despite that or in spite of that it is changing things. It is time for us as Kenyans to decide that we have had enough of the same recycled politicians. Its time for us to choose leaders who like us, care about this country and not just about themselves. As we vote, please don’t vote for leaders just because they are from your tribe or because you know them. Please vote for your leaders based on issues, and their track record. The only way to change Kenya is to vote for leaders who have a vision for this country and a development record.

The Soda Epidemic

The addict feels low. His body needs a boost. He reaches into his pocket and finds a 50 shilling bill. He slides it into the machine and a can rolls out. He opens the can and guzzles. He feels his energy return. His fix will last a couple of hours, enough to keep him alert for the rest of the morning. The addict is twelve years old and his drug is a soft drink, purchased from a vending machine in his school.

Once upon a time, fizzy drinks were an occasional luxury treat. 

Now, many of us think nothing of having at least one every day — maybe a lunchtime can of cola or a ‘natural’ orange juice from Minute Maid, Del-Monte or Afya. We use them as instant pick-me-ups, and even as ‘healthy’ sports aids bought from vending machines at the gym. No trip to the cinema is complete without a supersize soft drink, either.

It’s no surprise to learn, then, that our consumption of soft drinks has more than doubled since 1985 — from ten gallons per person a year to more than 25 gallons. We know this is not entirely good for us — but could sugary soft drinks be so dangerous that they should carry health warnings? 

This may sound alarmist, but new medical studies have produced worrying results.

Even moderate consumption — a can a day, or just two a week — may alter our metabolism so that we pile on weight.

TARGETING THE YOUNG

Huge increases in soft drink consumption have not happened by chance-they are due to intense marketing efforts by soft drink corporations. Coca Cola, for example, has set the goal of raising consumption of its products in the US by at least 25 percent per year. The adult market is stagnant so kids are the target.

Huge increases in soft drink consumption have not happened by chance-they are due to intense marketing efforts by soft drink corporations. Coca Cola, for example, has set the goal of raising consumption of its products in the US by at least 25 percent per year. The adult market is stagnant so kids are the target.

Soft drink companies spend billions on advertising. Much of these marketing efforts are aimed at children through playgrounds, toys, cartoons, movies, videos, charities and amusement parks; and through contests, sweepstakes, games and clubs via television, radio, magazines and the internet. Their efforts have paid off. Last year soft drink companies grossed over $57 billion in sales in the us alone, a colossal amount.

Today Coca-Cola sponsors events of all types mostly targeting young people. They have sposnored local football leagues, local beauty pageants and even gave Sh5m to the National Olympic Committee of Kenya to support the Olympians. On the world stage, they sponsor the Big Brother Africa reality TV show and other sporting games. 

In 1998 the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) warned the public that soft drink companies were beginning to infiltrate our schools and kid clubs. For example, they reported that Coca-Cola paid the Boys & Girls Clubs of America $60 million to market its brand exclusively in over 2000 facilities. Fast food companies selling soft drinks now run ads on Channel One, the commercial television network with programming shown in classrooms almost every day to eight million middle, junior and high school students. In 1993, District 11 in Colorado Springs became the first public school district in the us to place ads for Burger King in its hallways and on the sides of its school buses. Later, the school district signed a 10-year deal with Coca-Cola, bringing in $11 million during the life of the contract. This arrangement was later imitated all over Colorado. The contracts specify annual sales quotas with the result that school administrators encourage students to drink sodas, even in the classrooms. One high school in Beltsville, Maryland, made nearly $100,000 last year on a deal with a soft drink company.

While our children are exposed to unremitting publicity for soft drinks, evidence of their dangers accumulates. The consumption of soft drinks, like land-mine terrain, is riddled with hazards. Practitioners and advocates of a healthy life-style recognize that consuming even as little as one or two sodas per day is undeniably connected to a myriad of pathologies. The most commonly associated health risks are obesity, diabetes and other blood sugar disorders, tooth decay, osteoporosis and bone fractures, nutritional deficiencies, heart disease, food addictions and eating disorders, neurotransmitter dysfunction from chemical sweeteners, and neurological and adrenal disorders from excessive caffeine.

INGREDIENTS IN SOFT DRINKS - A WITCH'S BREW OF DEATH!

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup, now used in preference to sugar, is associated with poor development of collagen in growing animals, especially in the context of copper deficiency. All fructose must be metabolized by the liver. Animals on high-fructose diets develop liver problems similar to those of alcoholics. Juicing-for-health.com explains that soft drinks contain up to 15 tsp. of sugar content per 325 m can, which is more sugar than your body needs for an entire day. Sugar can be harmful as it rots teeth, increases your risk of diabetes, heart disease and indigestion.

2. Aspartame, used in diet sodas, is a potent neurotoxin and endocrine disrupter.

3. Caffeine stimulates the adrenal gland without providing nourishment. Caffeine is used to increase the flavor in soft drinks, but it is also very addictive. In large amounts, caffeine can lead to adrenal exhaustion, especially in children.

4. Phosphoric acid, added to give soft drinks "bite," is associated with calcium loss.

5. Citric acid often contains traces of MSG, a neurotoxin.

6. Artificial Flavors may also contain traces of MSG.

7. Preservatives are put into soft drinks so that they last longer. However, Juicing-for-health.com explains that preservatives like sodium benzoate or sulfur dioxide can cause asthma, rashes, hyperactivity, fainting, shock, or a coma.

8. Water may contain high amounts of fluoride and other contaminants.

HAZARDS OF SODA AND OTHER SOFT DRINKS

A growing body of research suggests a link between sugary soda consumption and high blood pressure, liver disease, gout and some types of cancer as well. Some recent findings show just how bad soda is for your health:

A child’s risk for obesity increases an average of 60 percent with every additional serving consumed per day of sugar-sweetened beverages, including sugary soda, according to a study conducted at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Harvard studies have also shown that women who drink the most sugar-sweetened beverages have a 35-percent higher risk of coronary heart disease than those who drink the fewest. 

Researchers at the University of British Columbia and the Harvard Medical School have discovered that men who consume two or more servings of sugary soda per day have an 85-percent higher risk of developing gout compared with those who consume less than one serving per month.

People who drink two or more sweetened soft drinks a week have an 87-percent higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared to those who drank fewer, according to a study analyzing data from the Singapore Chinese Health Study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

SUGAR: THE BIGGEST DANGER HIDDEN IN A CAN OF COKE

Doctors are in no doubt - the biggest danger from cola doesn’t come from the hidden additives, flavourings  or colourings, but from sugar.

Too much sugar leads to obesity, the major cause of cancer in the western world.

It also increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, causes heart disease and increases the risk of stroke.

The over-consumption of sugar has been linked to depression, poor memory formation and learning disorders in animal experiments. And it rots teeth.

Each regular can of  cola contains eight teaspoons of sugar. When you drink that much sugar so quickly, the body experiences an intense sugar rush. 

The cane and beet  sugar used in Coca-Cola is used up quickly by the body,  which soon experiences a  rapid drop  in energy, leading to cravings for more sugar.

    

CITRIC ACID: HELPING FIZZY DRINKS ROT YOUR TEETH

Citric acid gives lemons, oranges and grapefruit their kick and cola its bite, helping to make the drink nearly as corrosive as battery acid when it comes to teeth.

Prolonged exposure to cola and other fizzy drinks strips tooth enamel causing pain, ugly smiles and — in extreme cases — turning teeth to stumps.

A study in the journal General Dentistry found that cola is ten times as corrosive as fruit juices in the first three minutes of drinking.

The researchers took slices of freshly extracted teeth and immersed them in 20 soft drinks. Teeth dunked for 48 hours in cola and lemonade lost more than five per cent of their weight.

A study in the British Dental Journal found that just one can of fizzy drink a day increased the risk of tooth erosion. While four cans increased the erosion risk by  252 per cent.

FRUIT JUICES

Consumers often drink commercial fruit juices in the belief that they are healthier than soft drinks. However, the manufacture of fruit juices is a highly industrialized process. Orange juice, for example, is made in huge quantities. The entire orange is squeezed and goes into the tank, which means that neurotoxic cholinesterase inhibitor pesticide sprays on the peel end up in the juice. Although the juice is pasteurized under high temperatures and pressures, pressure-resistent and temperature- resistant fungi and molds can remain in the juice. Many mutagenic factors have been detected in commercial orange juice. A compound made of soy protein and pectin is added to orange juice so that it remains opaque and doesn't settle.

Other fruits, such as grapes, present additional problems because of the large amounts of fluoride-containing pesticides used on the crops. Fruit juices are very high in sugar and have actually been more detrimental to the teeth of test animals than sodas!

If you want to drink fruit juice, buy a juicer and make your own with organic fruit. It's best to dilute a small amount of fruit juice with mineral water (either flat or carbonated). The juice of one-half grapefruit added to a glass of sparkling water, for example, makes a delicious, refreshing drink. A recipe for a pineapple cooler, made from equal parts of fresh pineapple juice and whole raw milk, is found in old cookbooks. In restaurants, order mineral water and some pieces of fresh lemon or lime.

1. SOLUTION

   • 
     

     Because there is no way to rid soft drinks at stores or restaurant, the best solution is to take responsibility for yourself. Rather than order soft drinks, try to get vegetable or fruit juices.

     
     

     
     

     

     
     

     
     

     
     

     Remember, research continues to prove that soda is bad for your health, but you can never go wrong with water.

     
     

     

     
     

     
     

Mountains in Kenya

Mountains in Kenya

For all you nature lovers out there, here is a list of mountains you could visit, be it for camping, team building or a day/week long hiking expedition. 

Kenya is home to the two of the three highest mountains of the African continent  Mt Kenya and Mt Elgon.

• Mt Kenya
• Mt Longonot
• Mt Elgon
• Namanga Hills
• Taita Hills
• Chyulu Hills

Many of these mountains are surrounded or have national parks. Mountain climbing, camping and game viewings are among some of the activities organized in the parks. Lodges hotels and campsites accommodate visitors.

Others Mountains and hills in Kenya

• Menengai in Nakuru,
• Loroghi Hills in Samburu
• Cherangany Hills in Trans Nzoia
• Shimba Hills
• Mt Marsabit on the Ethiopia border
• Mt Dukana on the Ethiopia border
• North Island Volcano near Lake Turkana.
• South Island Volcano near Lake Turkana.
• Barrier Volcano near Lake Turkana.
• Namarunu near Lake Turkana.
• Nyambene Hills in Meru
• Ngong Hills
• Mt Kilimambogo
• Mt Homa in the Winam Gulf
• Suswa in Maasailand

Water towers in Kenya

Kenya has five key water towers:

• Mau Escarpment
• Mt Kenya
• Aberdares Ranges
• Cherangany Hills
• Mt Elgon

The Government of Kenya has set out programmes to not only rehabilitate the water towers, but also protect them.

Kenya 2012 SuperBrands !

Influential Superbrands list reveals the strongest consumer brands in Kenya for 2012 

 Safaricom, one of the leading integrated communication companies in Africa, was this year named Kenya’s leading Superbrand following a detailed research process overseen by London based The Centre for Brand Analysis (TCBA).

The research incorporated the views of both an expert council and over 600 consumers, the latter surveyed in Kenya by TNS Research International, and sought to identify the nation’s strongest brands.

According to the study a Superbrand is a brand that represents high quality, reliability and distinction. In addition Superbrands are deemed to have established the finest reputation in their field, they offer customers significant emotional and/or tangible advantages over other brands, which (consciously or sub-consciously) customers want and recognize.

Safaricom, which was previously placed 46th in a pan-East African study by TCBA for Superbrands, beat newspaper The Daily Nation, which was placed second. Two other media brands reached the top ten, in the form of Citizen TV in fifth position and Citizen Radio in tenth.

In third position in the survey was Kenya Airways, followed by global brand icon Coca-Cola in forth. Nokia, which had topped the previous pan East African study failed to make the top 20, in the latest research. The internationally struggling handset manufacturer was down in 37^th in the new Kenyan study.

The official top 20 Consumer Superbrands for 2012 are:

1. SAFARICOM
2. THE DAILY NATION
3. KENYA AIRWAYS
4. COCA-COLA
5. CITIZEN TV
6. M-PESA
7. EQUITY BANK
8. CROWN PAINTS
9. COLGATE
10. CITIZEN RADIO
11. NAKUMATT
12. SAFARICOM MARATHON
13. THE KENYA RED CROSS SOCIETY
14. TOYOTA KENYA
15. VASELINE
16. VITAFOAM MATTRESSES
17. OMO
18. KASUKU
19. DETTOL
20. SERENA LODGES AND HOTELS

Stephen Cheliotis, Chairman of The Centre for Brand Analysis said: “In difficult global economic times a strong brand provides businesses with a powerful advantage over rivals. As such all the brands rated highly by both the experts and consumer we surveyed should be delighted that their reputation might provide them with a vital foundation in which to outperform the market. Safaricom in particular should be delighted that among the large number of brands we researched they came out on top. This is testament to their hard work in building consumer trust”.

Cheliotis went on to add “it is notable and pleasing that although many international brands, such as Coca-Cola, have performed well in the study that the top end of the rankings are not dominated just by multinational brands”.

The leading brands will be showcased in the next edition of the Superbrands East Africa publication.

www.superbrandseastafrica.com 

MPs Antics a Reminder to VOTE and VOTE WISELY ! ! - EACLG.org

“We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.” 
― J.K. Rowling,

In October, the President declined to sign in the controversial Finance 2012 bill. He termed it as unconstitutional and unaffordable. What President Kibaki has did is laudable and he should be applauded. The Salaries and Remuneration Commission was established by the The Constitution with a mandate to set and regularly review the remuneration and benefits of all State Officers and to advise both the national and county governments on the remuneration and benefits of all other public officers. Both the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC) had vowed to move to court to block the package in case the President assented to it.

The MPs had previously added a last minute amendment to the bill which would have given each of them somewhere close to KES 10,000,000 as soon as parliament disbanded in January 2013. Placard waving protesters on Tuesday 9th October stood outside parliament shouting 'mwizi' to every MP they saw drive by. After a weekend of ranting and raving on the social media, Kenyans on Twitter organised themselves to peacefully show their disapproval of the move by marching to parliament. The MPs could not have picked a worse time to give themselves the KES 2 Billion send off package. The government had just faced strikes in the public sector with both the teachers and the doctors agitating for better pay and working conditions. The Finance Minister, Njeru Githae, was categorical that there was no money left to implement the salary increases being demanded. After several negotiations however, the teachers and then the doctors got their way, but this would come at a cost. The government said that in order to foot the bill, it was considering halting some development projects that hadn't yet been initialized while at the same time increasing taxes. Kenyans are already some of the highest taxed people in the world.

So in the eyes of many, the Tenth Parliament has gotten itself the reputation of being some of the most greedy and selfish group of legislatures Kenya has had since independence. Despite constitutional safeguards, this year alone, the MPs have raided the public coffers at least twice. For instance, some time in April they sparked public outrage by awarding themselves about KES 1 Billion in gratuity payments. Last week, the elections (amendment) bill 2012 was passed to prevent the legislators from losing their seats by party hoping. They had also in the recent past watered down the Political Parties Act which would have locked out many of them for not having degrees. Many suspect that this group of MPs are apathetic because many of them fear that a more informed public would not vote them back in come the next elections. And this is the crux of the matter. Kenyans need to be more careful as to the kind of leaders they are voting in. Bad leaders mean bad policies, which will in turn mean a poor and retrogressive society.

We need to know what the MPs role will be in the new constitution if we are to understand the kind of responsibility we will be giving our elected leaders. According to the new constitution, it is the MPs function to

➢ Represent the people of their constituency and to represent these people's interest at the National Assembly.

➢ Enact legislation in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution

➢ Determine the allocation of national revenue between the levels of government.

➢ Appropriate funds for expenditure by the national government and other national state organs.

➢ Exercise oversight over national revenue and its expenditure

➢ Review the conduct in office of the President, Deputy President and other state officers. They are also the ones to initiate the process that would remove them from office.

➢ Exercise oversight of state organs.

➢ Approve declarations of war and extensions of states of emergency.

The need to vote in leaders of integrity, who have the national interest at heart, cannot be overstated. Someone who was on the campaign trail during the recent by elections correctly noted that Kenyans need to shoulder some of the blame for the MPs antics. Any politician in Kenya will tell you that very few people would listen without you giving them hand-outs first. Men and women, both young and old will openly ask for 'something' before they listened to you. A significant chunk of the electorate isn't interested in talk of 'future prosperity of the nation' because their mind-set is on how they can benefit immediately. The mind of the typical electorate tells them that election time is the one chance they get to milk the politicians. The politicians know this, they are after all the ones who trained the people to think like that. So they give the hand-outs, knowing that after the elections, they will find a way to recover their money. And so the vicious cycle continues. This situation has to stop and it WILL stop if we as Kenyans took a stand and changed our thinking. We need to look beyond our stomachs and tribes.             

The future of our nation can be very bright. We have all the ingredients. Diversity in people and cultures, a relatively well educated work force, natural resources, a strategic location in the continent, relative peace, good weather and good will in the international community to name but a few things. With the right leaders, Kenya can be one of the greatest African countries ever. It starts with us. Good leaders mean good policies, which in turn will mean a great and progressive society.

by www.eaclj.org

Look at what YOUNG KENYANS and a new generation of activists are capable of doing for KENYA!

Kenya Naipenda, Amani Naikumbatia!

Dare to Care!

Make Your Vote COUNT!

Voting in Kenya

Electoral process in Kenya is conducted by the Electoral Commission of Kenya.

What do I need in order to vote in a national election?

• Be a Kenyan citizen.
• Aged 18 years and above.
• Have a national identity card or a passport
• Have a voters card
• Be residing in Kenya on the day of election

The electoral Commission of Kenya announces registration dates before a national election. New members can register and those who have changed names can have corrections made. Deceased are also removed from the register. During other times, the register can be accessed from district administration office.

When you get a voter's card, ensure the names on the card match those on your identity card. If they do not you will be disqualified from voting.

Do I need to belong to a political party?No you do not have to be a member of a political party to vote. All you need is to have an idea of whom you want to vote for. Belonging to a political party is a personal choice. You should not be coerced to join a party in order to be provided with services at constituencies’ offices.

How to voteOn the day of voting, you must present yourself to a voting station in the constituency where you registered as a voter. You must carry with you an identification document i.e. your ID or Passport and your voter's card. You shall present this at the voting desk. Tick the candidate of your choice and put each form in its designated ballot box.

Remember voting is your right. Do not allow to be influenced when at the voting centre to vote for someone other than candidate of your choice.

Where can I voteYou can only vote in the constituency where you registered as a voter. Currently, there are 210 constituencies in Kenya. You are free to register to vote in any part of Kenya.

Why should you vote 

Voting is your right and EVERY vote counts. Imagine a scenario where YOUR 'ONE' vote makes a decision whether a bad or good President gets voted in. Look up 'Swing Vote'. Go make your vote count!