IPv6

In computer science we have always learned of ways of transitioning from an old system to a knew system and these ways are designed to allow for seamless change over without disrupting normal business usage. Some of the ways include running two systems in parallel, gradual change over various system components, backward compatibility and so on and so forth.

For software/hardware changes backward compatibility has, been the favourite. This works better if the newer version of software/hardware has made major changes.

IPv6 has been designed without giving room for backward compatibility. This I think is very un Computer Science like.

There are these problems of so much hardware being dumped prematurely for not being compatible with the new IP addressing system. The ways available for cooperating ipv4 and ipv6 require careful study of the system and skilled expertise to make the change. But does this change stay permanently? Until the company can buy new equipment.

I thought the problem of IP addresses being exhausted is because we are using from the same pool world over. There used to be classes of IP addresses which have now being discarded to allow for usability of classless ips to solve the IP address shortage.

Looking at the local area network design and IP addressing, it is possible to use the 192.168.0.0 network in one organization and the same address block in another. This is a range of IP addresses.
Suppose we take the whole ipv4 range and privatize it at ISP level, then we have a big range that one isp can't exhaust(or not atleast for the time being) for no isp provides to customers of multitude the whole current ipv4 users world wide. If then the ISPs can make the changes to make ipv4 compatible with ipv6, the customers whose use ips just for communication for the purpose of their daily business wouldn't even have a worry of what ipv6 is about.

The only businesses I see being affected by the change are those who provide internet services. And not many businesses do so. If they do, it is usually through dedicated internet service providers. Very few companies indeed host their own internet services.

It therefore remains the ISPs problem.

Further more if the ipv4 pool can be privatised at isp level, the isps have chance of selling their old incompatible hardware to their customers, in favour of hardware which makes using ipv4 and ipv6 easier. It is easier to manufacture compatibility hardware than to configure incompatible hardware to be compatible with ipv6.

How about putting a Nat-device between your hardware and isp instead of rebuilding the whole network on ipv6? Let the Nat-device worry about compatibility not you. Are there such hardware yet? I would love to make one.

Operation Bwezani: Zain, TNM, (Deliberate?) Errors

The problem of communication has been the most critical in my life these days. Considering places I have managed to live with comfort, I find it easier communicating before actually going there. This has been my way of sorting out things even when I was at Mzuzu University managing Ultinets ISP. The way of communicating was not with expensive means but the same free google talk. Sometimes the network was always slow at Mzuni but stable enough for gtalk. Now out of office and out school, I have often found my blackberry 8800, very convenient and cheap than going to a cafe.

With my HTC Legend the cost of operation has been a little expensive compared to the blackberry. TNM network advertised a good solution(net mobile unlimited) which would put the blackberry out of business looking at the range of smartphones available which offer a wide variety of functionality than the blackberry. Unfortunately, the 'unlimited' as limited as 20mb is to a phone. I finish it in 4hrs just browsing and no downloads on my HTC. If I do tethering, it finishes in around 1 minute. So yeah, very limited and expensive. (maybe its success is little because people were promised much and get so little.)

I thought Zain would think better to introduce an unlimited data bundle with their 3G. So then those who can't afford the BMW of phones(blackberry) or would rather prefer the Mercedes Benzs and the rest of Phones could also be happy with an unlimited data bundle. But I guess they already have a mind of their own.

I should say that these smartphones are very under utilized and expensive on volume bound data plans. There battery life also reduces as so much power is used to try to synchronize in the background when the volume is exhausted.

The 20mb at K80 is much better pricewise than at  K150 but it is not easy to find out how much one is using for the Zain bundle than it is for tnm. As such, it is better to remain with what is accountable than to use something blindly. Both are supposed to expire in 24hrs and are used in less than 24hrs. How does one know he is using what he has bought? So in the end the cost of blindly using a service is much worse than using with full knowledge and acceptance for at least you use it with trust and peace of mind having considered all the risks.

So Zain advertises that they are cutting down the price by 56% it becomes very comparatively welcome and also a fulfillment of the promise to increase talk time to 200 minutes a day which our colleagues in India use 400 minutes. The advert puts out 56% slash down but the tariff is in fact 56% increase. Yesterday, I thought it was a mathematical mistake, but I today, having spoken to their call centre which is at their head office in Lilongwe, I am not sure it is a mistake. I visited the former head office in Blantyre and was directed to Chichiri shop where  it was confirmed that the highest charge was 39cents per minute. He could not tell me their standard rate but insisted on telling me according to my tariff plan.

In my economic use of communication tools I made calculations for the tariffs of all telecoms providers and found that the most expensive was the Zain peak tariff on macheza. But coupling with family and friends and off peak it was bearable and almost economic looking at the fact the communication with other networks was comparatively lower and not far from the home network tariff. The most expensive has been, in my observation having converted all tariffs to Kwacha, K33 and the lowest K9. Access communications must have started at K30 for this may have been perceived as being on the lower side than the competition.

Taking the K33/min as previous price and increasing by 56% I find K51.48. This much closer to their current tariff per minute. But if I slash this down by 56 percent, I get K14.52.

Here is the most accurate presentation:

On rewardz, 1 min costs 23 points and 1 sms costs 10 units. In Kwacha:

1 min costs 23 x K1.40 = K32.20

56% increase is K32.20 + (K32.20 x 56/100) = K50.23

56% decrease is K32.20 - (K32.20 x 56/100) = K14.168

So that means the previous price was between K32.20 and K33, since the current 56 percent increase is between K50.23 and K51.48.

This means that the decrease should be between K14.168 and K14.52. In other words we should be paying around K14 during peak hours and even lower off peak.

Why have I chosen K1.40 not K1.60? I think it suffices for K1.50, which is wholesalers price of 1 unit, gives 1 min costing K34.50 whose 56% increase is K53.82. So the cost of one unit is between K1.40 and K1.50.

Does having many companies to encourage competition help? TNM has advertised their tariff to be K22 off-peak and K52 peak-time emulating Zain's error. I guess they expect that after advertising there is a large population that has not noticed the blinding difference so that the fewer population that does notice this should be easily frustrated. Clever? No cheating themselves. People are not happy. They have complained and no nobody is listening and nobody is taking action.

Is CAMA seeing this? When people remain silent it is just means that they suffer in silence.

Does Macra allow these two networks to keep licences of operation after all their exploitation they have done on the citizens of this nation? It is bad to do business this way. There are many laws of fair trade violated and whoever is responsible for enforcing fair trade laws do something please. It does not have to take an individual to complain for a regulatory body to take action. But just the regulatory body to observe laws being broken and make corrections. If they are deliberate violations or violations out of ignorance, correction is still important though retribution might be different. Zain has had a warning before. It's now a different company but most management and probably legal advisers are the same and if the company keeps records, it is aware of the warnings for change of ownership does not discard the company's previous records.

Emulating they way of it's fairness, Zain after having left their customers with negative points for redeeming rewardz which Zain thinks the customers haven't earned (is it a small thing to endure these instabilities during change overs), Zain would only be fair to return to its customers all the money it has overly earned during this period of their mathematical or deliberate error. TNM should also return to its customers what it has overly earned imitating Zain's error.

Further, may they refund all the costs incurred by its customers during their times of instability.

I hope this as fair as fair should be.

Let not men suffer for the sake of companies if companies can't suffer for men. Further, let men not suffer for any reason on behalf of companies. I might add and say let companies suffer on behalf of men as men have for companies.

Something my mum

When I was young I wrote a flower verse for her.
Now I am old. Survived more because of her love. My mouth is dry of anything that more special than I have ever done. But to remember her. She has been a mother of many. Her love is wider than her own family. She has taken care of many. For she has loved them so. There are many who remember her. They have learned much from her. And yet among the many, I have been loved. Her child. Her joy. I love her. My mum.

Of Joblosses and Servicing the Citizenry

There was a time a preaching to establish/privatize a company saying its establishment would create jobs for the unemployed. So companies were privatised and jobs were lost and foreign people worked in our land. Companies were established few jobs were created the rest went to foreign people on our land. Profits went outside our land. Of course costs went high operation with foreigners is expensive. Services dwindled for there was nobody to maintain broken assets as foreigners prefered to work from home.

About everybody I know is at capital hill. For there is no stability in private companies or ngos. Capital hill is clouded.

We are still lacking though on the most vital services and we are very skilled and nobody is employing us. Will the government get the next mobile licence, and the ground line also, and many other services, for we are there and many of us to run it at profit and low cost and high quality. Then we will buy Malawian and the private companies overburdening us with high rates and poor services will lose business and leave. We will once again regain our lost glory when we lacked nothing.

Have we forgotten communication is the oil for economic development? Have we forgotten we need to ensure every citizen is well fed has a good house, good clothing, good health and good food.

We have enough hands to build us good houses, enough hands and creativity to cloth us with the envied nzika wear, enough doctors and nurses and enough equipment just lying around in hospitals because graduates who know how to use them best are in ngos. Enough food already, what is poverty then when we have so much lying around without being utilized?

Test Driven Cryptography: The Strength of the Strong.

So is it the complexity of a cryptographic algorithm? Is it the expense of the cryptographic tools?

Somebody talked about Achilles heal, somebody talked about Samson's Delirah, and all the weaknesses of the strong. The strong are really strong for even their weakness is an advantage. But is strength the size of the muscles or body? For not even the strong can stop the attack of the strong even in their weakness. I saw Samson fall and got the greatest victory. I saw Achilles weakness as his redemption. A freedom from the pains of this world. I saw Goliath fall with one stone of a kid. I saw what was supposed to be strongest cryptosystem designed on the basis of speed complexity crumble down. For matrix factorization is complex but equivalence is not. But hey, of all the keys in the world, who said there aren't good algorithms to search for a key in one step. Suppose one goes a step ahead knowing criteria of selection. And lie in wait with nobody knowing and just use it when he needs to.

So is it the complexity of the algorithm? God created the big and the small animals to add amusement as well. For what is life if it lacks the joy and laughter in it. Who said we should toil all day long when we can seat all day at home playing and chatting with our kids. Should we glory in the curse of ever-toiling? Or discover the blessing of Noah to sets us free from the curse of toiling?

And God made the lion, King of the Jungle, the elephant, the Big one of the jungle. But which one is the strong for a hare outwits them all.

So its not all about the complexity of the algorithm but also the cleverness of the protocol. And who said we can't make this strongest cryptosystem stronger? How about scrambling the length instead of getting the equivalent? So that the public key does not betray the size of the private key.

Yet another gift: Global Warming and Climate Change Demystified

This is the knowledge of a standard 7 pupil in Malawi as taught by Kamuzu:
A bare landmass cools down and heats up quickly since the soil absorbs heat and releases it quicker. Other factors that affect the climate of a place are prevailing winds ocean currents and vegetation cover. So when we get to have hurricanes in USA and other areas, consider the quick heating and cooling due to bearing the landmass of vegetation and replacing it with the concrete jungle. Consider the ocean currents with winds laden with moisture, the speeds increased by the quick heating up of the land creating low pressure, consider the sudden quick cooling when the night comes. Just correct formula for formation of a hurricane. It's time the third world taught the first world how to replant vegetation. After all it is said the first shall be the last and the last shall be first.

This is knowledge of any Christian who reads the bible and understands that God created this world. If we start understanding this from Sunday school, it is indeed knowledge of a small child not a professor:
God created the sun, moon, and stars to separate times and seasons. There are commemorations in the bible that are prescribed by God and are dependent on the sun, moon, and stars. Eg, Easter, Moslems have Idi celebrated in October. In our calendars we have always known the dates the winter and summer solstice and the spring and autumn equinoxes. Suppose we look at the dates these celebrations occur. Atleast take a comparison of the periods between these celebrations and the periods between the summer, winter solstices and equinoxes, I am giving a hypothesis that these periods have not changed. But what has changed is our way of measuring time. That is why we find that rains come very earlier or later than we expect them. For our perception of times and seasons have changed.

So when the first world thinks itself wise and forgets God, it finds itself with life problems for life is only given by God and it is God who can understand it better that we ever can. And if we ever thought we were wiser by denying God, to find knowledge, God can give the public encryption key to even small children who acknowledge him, to unlock this already existing knowledge to shame the wise who have prided in their own ignorance in denying God.

When I see the likes of Bingu Wa Mutharika, William Kamkwamba, being wow!ed world over for this same knowledge we malawians have always known and think its not worth the merited awards, its nothing else but that the world does not know what we malawians always known. For the knowledge we have, was given to us all malawians free of charge by Kamuzu. We still have this knowledge among us and its still vast but we are kept down by our inferiority complex. This why our flag today carries a bright full sun. For the world is dark indeed in ignorance.

Aim High.

Happy Birthday, m-hi.org(the blog)!

What can I say? I have made it this far(again). Most of my greatest contribution has been through a period of unemployment. There were things I wanted to achieve a job would not let me. For in office you are required to do what you are told. If you depend on someone else money you are bound to do what the person wants. If you depend on some other media to publicize your truth you are bound to have your truth delayed or rejected. You can only achieve your hearts desire by sticking to your principles even on zero income.

I understood why preachers call them gifts the donations we give them. For they come when they are needed, most of the times without asking for them, and given in love. Gifts I have called them. They have sustained this will to speak.

It is said the internet is free. It is only free to those who use it as long as somebody else is paying. Either you employer or the school you go to or a donor. It is perceived knowledge is free. Of course, you can Google and find anything you want to know. But as long as the internet is not free, no knowledge is free. When you go in and out of the library of your school you may think it will always be available. But get out of school and understand.

Knowledge is not free. When bloggers blog, making their opinions available, whether true or not, you can still get some insight from what they say and apply them in your own life. When I have spoken this much paying for internet connection from whatever little money I found, which I could use somewhere else, it's only to quench the thirst I had to speak these things.

It is given therefore as gift for whom it is of benefit. My initiative from the heart of Mzimba, where I have grown up. Mabuchi-Hara Initiative.

Balancing the Accounts: Fan the Flames

It was a slow process but it paid off. Our national football team has had low points but I notice the team had improved but not the support. How do I help our team? It started, a little campaign in my Facebook. Encouraging friends around me. Friends have friends and would see this encouragement. Putting a positive thought where there was a negative one. The ripple effect of the encouragement passed on from friend to friend until there was enough support to take the flames to Angola which was an achievement to an extent the flames captain decided to retire having achieved this glory.

The success of fan the flames encouraged me to apply the same strategy to calm down friends around me during the introduction of the quota system for university selection, the Sunday debates started by Mzondi Lungu offered a platform to dig out what was within on assurance of God's presence to speak and silence angry voices. I guess it is from here that many wanted to debate like me and passed the ripple effect of the opinion such that the opinion became a popular opinion on which every body was commenting on. Encouraging me to even hide within this opinion like everybody else and expound on what I had said adding more to help calm down and resolve the issue.

I have seen many more emulate my strategy and most have done it better than I ever thought.

I remember at one time I asked mum to knit me a sweater based on a design in a catalog. Mine being her first did not come out the most perfect. But the subsequent ones were much better as the result of her perfecting her skill. I still kept mine. It was all I had. It was also a pride that mine was the first. Is this how pioneers feel?

I guess its my pride I pioneered something in life. Even managed to forge a popular opinion for the sake of peace in our land. To fan the flames of a dying football team.

What else have I done? Some I have done in passing I never knew their value till I saw their appreciation. Of those who have been ungrateful, I could say it's because they have always had me around. Some have learned to do things on their own and better that they need me not. Some have not noticed the difference of my absence yet.

Among them all there are pockets of friends I have not helped much but are sober, appreciative and warm. These I would rather be with, than those who do what I have helped them better and remain unhumble and unappriciative.

The Hara Legacy

It comes to my attention time and again how strong this legacy is. Is it this blog, or is it winning first prize in the first Google Barcamp in Malawi (an HTC Legend) or any of the things I have done? But it does seems some people pose as me.

For their own sake and for my sake in case of the damage they may cause. I feel I must put it today on my blog. They are not me.

Anybody who comes to your door in my name would be better reachable by an email @m-hi.org otherwise they are not me and are not related to me. For only me and my relatives carry an email @m-hi.org. All other people without this email, are employed at own risk.

If you do employee someone reachable through an email @m-hi.org you are helping me or one of my relatives. This is because m-hi.org is a privately owned domain and I manage it myself. If you have doubts check with me.

Kondwani C. Hara
kondwa@m-hi.org
+265.888477737¦+265.999477737

Balancing the accounts: m-hi.org the blog

Three years have gone since the birth of this blog. It had plans and goals to achieve. Somewhere along  the way along with just speaking my mind on several issues, I thought it important to comment on issues of national importance. It amazed me how the whole nation could not know about such things and even the public media commenting falsely. I believe it opened eyes somewhere. It might have been among the few voices to encourage the decision makes, make a good ruling on Muluzi's eligibility.

There are articles the series operation bwezani have also had their influence in some places have seen organizations like MACRA,MBS being active on such issues. I remember one time some people demonstrated against unfair charges in banks. I have also seen government buying some shares in Zain on its acquisition by Barti Airtel. I guess then some of my desires to change things have been successful.

I received immediate reaction on my comment on global warming. Almost nobody have connected Global Warming with ground cover until this day. There have been campaigns against green house gases and fossil fuels but replanting vegetation has been an almost forgotten campaign. The rich countries in which Global warming and climate change effects are prominent, does not seem to think about replanting their depleted vegetation which has been replaced by the concrete jungle.

Having observed this, I wrote this article and had immediate effect. The following day, TV Malawi now MBC TV featured a documentary on the influence of vegetation on climate change. I observed a change of word in the campaign from then on. So one sentence did change the mindset of a generation.


There are issues that boil up due to abuse of freedom of speech/expression. Yes with all the freedoms we have we forget our responsibilities as well. The laws that exists are there to so that when we exercise our freedoms we should do so without harming others. For every sin/wrong/illegal thing that we do is in expressing one of our freedoms but most of the times at the expense of others. The bible describes the sexual sin as the only wrong one does against his own body. I observed the media reporting unresponsively one the Kenya issue, on Muluzi's third term bid; I saw a situation in Bangkok die down naturally and a North Korean War prevented with the world's attention diverted toward The World Cup As proof of how sometimes responsibly not exercising our freedom of speech can avoid so much catastrophe.

I saw people in Malawi calm down after being infuriated due to the introduction of the quota system in university selection. I believe my articles on Reasonable Hatred were a major influence. I could go places people speaking my own words even not knowing I was the one who wrote these words. It was humbling even to comment more on the same issue like everybody else is commenting (a popular thought). Amazing, I should say!

I once was mistaken for a big business guru  by MBC TV due to my comment on value-adding. I had just read about the gross domestic product on this day. They asked me to feature on their Business Digest programme but I guess they were put off when i told them I am not employed yet. But this mistake was really an encouragement for I had a thought of giving up even writing such articles for nothing seemed to be bearing fruits.

So here we are accounts balanced after three years of aiming high. I have achieved something. It feels good.

Reasonable Hatred: Resolution

Livingstonia Synod carries a billboard with big letters "CHICHEWA". One with curiosity would look at the top line only "we say no to". He won't even bother to look at the bottom for he is disgusted that a church in the north would hate the Chechewa.

I understand not why it was put and why chichewa should not be in the constitution. For as an official language chichewa bridges several tribes and therefore convenient for communication among the unlearned who can't understand english (farther this was proposed during the tenure of a yao president). The ngoni, to whom Mzimba region is their area of settlement, decided not to hold on to their language and learn the language of their neighbors for peaceful co-existence for they left down south due conflicts arising from language difference. The Tonga, to whom part of Mzuzu also belongs, adopted Chewa names for peaceful co-existence. Livingstonia Synod then does wrong to put this bill-board in Mzuzu. As a church it should be the first to point towards loving our neighbors. Just that.

When it is not wrong for them let down the boundaries and cross into the central region nor the Nkhoma Synod to cross up north for the sake of their flock(Nkhoma for chewa speaking population who may not understand in tumbuka or english services, Livingstonia for their flock who with difference in procedures find acceptance problems in Nkhoma Synod). But with the placard they carry, their action was interpreted on tribalistic grounds.

And very possible, the quota might have been proposed to the president to punish the north by those angry at Livingstonia's action. Since Livingstonia had taken a political responsibility to speak for the north through its bill-board and actions and the rest of the north in protesting their action again is interpreted on tribalist grounds and selfishness.

While this remains my theory, I think its time Livingstonia Synod to let go the "tribalistic" message on its bill-board. I would also love the government to throughly scrutinize the implemented quota system for their might evidence of unfairness. I would love the center and the south to let go the perception that the people of the north are selfish for not all are. Though tribalism might be present as it would be present in the center and the south.

I would love the universities to be really sped up and the quota system to go soon.

We are one people of one nation Malawi and created by the same God. We are all related-in-marriage. Why hate one another?

Reasonable Hatred: Education Distribution

Early urbanisation in the south was coupled with christianisation of a pagan population of the south. The center seems not have benefited much from this being of warmer weather(among other reasons) therefore not attracting much settlement.
The north had good weather for white settlers but not good enough terrain for economic settlements.

Most schools in the early days were built by Catholics who conditionally provided it. The condition being conversion to christianity. For people in the south who had been converted to islam earlier, this was a barrier to do school and most developed a negative attitude towards it.

In the quest to educate to educate the whole nation, government then might have partnered with missions and prioritied developing the center and north. For the center at around the same time as well as mulanje and thyolo, the need for labour might have affected the motivation to do school for at the same time schools were being built farms were also starting.

The north was lucky being blessed with terrain that limited activities other than education. The did excell educationary.

Kamuzu might have seen this imbalance and also with good intentions might have wanted to implement the quota system. This caused much pain for people of the north for among those implementing the quota system there were some filled with hatred and jeolousy against this people.

He decided to atleast educate a grown education in technical jobs like carpentry, sawing and other trades. Even School za Kwacha.

Technical Colleges might have been a temporary solution as well maybe with a hope that people will then encourage their young ones to go to
school.

But life might not have been easy still for moslem kids. They faced much stigma as moslems were percieved as sinners. As such they wouldn't receive much acceptance in government among the majority christian. School then for such students was tough.

It is only recently with the birth of democracy and sensitization on freedom of worship that moslems went to school without stigma. At Chancellor College it was only when I was in 3rd year(2003-2004) when I saw female moslems wearing their head gear. It even felt strange
then to have them around in school for I had never had them around all my life of education till then. It really felt like some kind of exagerative rebellion on their part. But its better now. It seems normal to have them even in work places.

Technical Colleges does not make people bosses unless the people on their own effort have advanced themselves in their education. This still leaves a gap among the north and center and south.

The Presidents plans to build universities over the nation is an even better solution. Are we going to let our anger stand against even this solution?

It is said none is more intelligent than the other none is less intelligent. We all know as much knowledge as has been exposed to us. And as much knowledge we have grasped. Some have had a previlage of access to so much knowledge some none. Some have had encouragement some have discouragement in its place.

A person with good intentions will encourage or discourage for good reasons. A person with bad intentions will encourage or discourage for bad reasons.

Who are bad then? Those with Bad intentions. How shall we know them? By the fruits shall you know them.

Of the 5000 students qualifying for university only 1,200 students get selected into Public Universities due to lack of Bed space.

Of these 1,200 students, I would assume a greater percentage to be from urbun schools than rural one as urbun center has a larger flock of teachers therefore a better teacher/student ration. Urbun centers have better access to learning resources than the rural ones.

The Quota System ensures that every district contributes 10 students. So that of 1,200 students, 290 students have been guaranteed a place. The rest 1,200-290 compete for a place.

Common sense tells me they don't select from the bottom up but from the top down.

Quota system has brought pain among us. But look also at all these things and then maybe we can hate reasonably.

Reasonable Hatred: Development/Urbanisation of the North

Unless the wrongs done are rightly attributed to the people who have done them, it is difficult to let go of hatred against one who
recieves all the blame.

If a wrong done is exagerated the hatred is difficult to let go as well.

If only the wrongs of one are put forward it is difficult as well to
let go the hatred in the absence of the good.

In the age of multi-party democracy, because each party wants the seat there very great temptations to misrepresent reality and exagerate wrongs. Many parties capitalise on the wrongs of others.

Why has the north been unhappy? We are very sidelined. I want to try
to remove the "very" so politically emphasised so that we might look at reality and maybe hate reasonably.

In our times, development would be intepreted in terms of urbunisation. There are natural ways a place is urbanised and also artificial ways which tries to emulate the natural ways. So many are times when we have tried to put in the results of urbanisation to urbanise a place. To no avail. Chitipa is one such example. Natural urbanisation has a life in which it grows it does not rush it does not delay. Its growth is solid. Artificial ones might grow fast and die a natural death but might resurrect slowly naturally.

Governments in the light of few resources will almost always prioritise to put in infrastructure to improve operations in already growing
sub-urbans. These now include schools, hospitals, police,
administrative centres and roads and bridges and also communication infrastructures and entertainment centres. There are few centers in the north which have had natural urbanisation growth.

Jenda is one young urban center due to the road block. The delayed
people have provided income to the regions around. People coming to settle around to do better business have attracted more people from the two regions to trade and so that the place has become a trading
center. Now the trade has encouraged growth of Tomato and other products which is now the reason why there is a factory being planed for Jenda. Soon there will be need for engineers and managers and so cars moving around the region finding more and more areas of interest. Therefore a requirement to extend roads and a more complex town is
established.

Other places Raiply, and nearby Chikangawa is becoming less and less an area
of attraction. Mzuzu's establishment follows simiral patterns being at junction of the M1 and the NkhataBay road. It is coupled with a cool weather and good climates for the then cash crops which were attractions to early settlers.

Blantyre's growth has been the same Mzuzu's with Blantyre being older and faster due to closeness to other economic regions around: Mulange for Tea and Coffee, Chikwawa for cotton and maybe Sugarcane. Blantyre itself for a good weather for settlement. And so easily a center of
trade. A commercial city.

Zomba benefited a lot being an administrative capital city and hosting the
parliament though now the permanent center of attraction for economic growth is Chancellor College. Which means its urbanisation is slowed down.

Phwezi seems much more urbanised than the time I went there for school.

Karonga and Most areas around the M1 have benefited a lot due the permanence of the Northern Corridor an inlet of imports to Malawi. A border town which becomes a center of trade. Chitipa seems to have
less and less activity but can benefit alot from the University built there than in Karonga.

The road between Chitipa and Karonga has received less and less attention due to the lack of economic importance in Chitipa. (It is
easy for a road that is used daily to be developed than that which is infrequently used).

The are towns which are older but have not grown as fast as younger towns. Mzimba would have been more urbanised than Mzuzu. But since the
M1 was diverted from Mzimba Boma it has grown slower and slower than Mzuzu. Other towns are Rumphi which could be categorised among the same. There are other towns like Dedza, Dowa, Ntchisi along the M1 having received less attention than others. Dedza is much better with structures developed there. This is an example of artificial urbanisation from which Chitipa can benefit if it is given structures attracting activity.

People have said Mponela is much more urbanised than Dowa.

All this are few examples with different factors affecting (limiting/facilitating) urbinisation other than political push.

Most politicians go into government believing the will urbanise the North in five years. All of them seem to have failed. Why? Rome is not built in one day. With all the factors affecting urbanisation including availability of resources, Politions have found they really can't urbunise it as fast as expected. Of course, there might be evidence of sidelining. It is important then to weigh it down with all these other factors. Then we will hate reasonably.

Lest We Cry Foul: YDEF Situation

It has come to my attention with already HOT hearts of outstanding
misunderstandings that a situation is developing that if added to this
pain might turn very volatile.

In Mzimba, the YDEF forms are non-partisanly being distributed. But
not always available. The Forms should have been available at the
District Youth Office or Mardef Office. It had been decided that all
forms be distributed through Mardef Office. But it seems the officer
has been ill for the most while. The main office in Mzuzu is aware,
all the related officers are aware and the MP Mr Akimu Mwanza, who is
also against Quota System, is also aware. But no replacement has been
made. The alternative would have been to return the forms to District
Youth Office who were also given the same task of form distribution
previously. For atleast at DYO, there is someone who can distribute
and there is someone(a volunteer even) who can explain what to do and
unlike the Mardef Office, the DYO seem to be more knowledgiable about
the loans. Currently an Officer has to come from Jenda to distribute
forms in Mzimba Boma.

Why do I say this? These actions might be in place to act as bridges a
very serious person has to cross. But it might be also a deliberate
calculated move to be used as a political weapon.

So lest we cry foul. Let this post be a witness.

With this I am wondering what is the situation like in other districts
and regions?

Operation Bwezani: China

Somebody lamented: "Chilichonse chalowa china". Everything
Counter-feit and Substandard.

I was talking to some guys on Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) stand
at this years international trade fair about issues of substandard
goods and what they are doing about it.

Their first reaction they said they have no control on what goods
should be on the market in a liberalised market. Is this true? But do
they not ensure use of correct weights, safe products, etc for
Malawian Products? The insence to ensure consumer safety and to some
extent fair trade?

How liberal should a market be? I wanna look at some realities about
counter-feit/substandard goods(fake goods in short).

Just across from MBS on the left there was Escom. They have a problem
of power shortage. They can't satisfy the power needs of the nation.
The lady was explaining the need for using energy savers. She did
point out some energy saving bulbs on the market a fakes they don't
last long and don't save energy. So the purpose of their use
frustrated. For there are very few shops to be trusted to sale real
energy saver bulbs. Escom does not know what to do about this.

Energy savers is not the only problem. Look at hotplates, cookers,
geysers(maybe). There some of these use energy exponentially. They
will keep drawing more and more power until they burn out. Most of the
times you have to switch off avoid their being destroyed. The list
becomes endless when you look at phone chargers, and other small
electronics using power. Has it ever occured to you why electricity
should switch off every evenning from 6 to 8 pm? It is at this time
when people are back from work and they have to cook bath press
clothes for tomorrow etc. What a consumption of energy with china
goods!

Does an increase in power production help? I doubt for some consume
like holes without a bottom. What can be done?

Ministry of Trade establishes trade relations at political level.
Companies trade at company level. MBS controls standards in Malawi as
other bodies control in their lands. MBS has certain standard
particular for Malawi and would establish relations with foreign
standard bodies. MBS can, in coraboration with foreign standard
bodies, create a list of companies that are satified by Standard
Bodies in their lands which are compatible with ours. Local companies
can access this list through MBS and Ministry of Trade and trade with
foreign companies of their choice.

Meanwhile on imports if products are imported that do not satisfy our
standards they are not to be allowed to get into our land.
Does this infringe on free trade laws? No. If these products don't
satify our standards, it means they don't satify standards in their
lands as well. Which might mean they are counter-feits(infringing
copyright laws therefore illigeal) it also means they might be
hazardous. Frustrating the whole purpose of having standard bodies.

There are some products which satisfy standards but of different
quality grades. It would also be fair if their grade be indicated on
them so that they are sold at correct prices. Otherwise they break
fair trade laws(for consumer protection and against consumer
exploitation).

In this way we have a liberal but safe market. Liberal in the sense
that companies can chose whoever they want to trade with. Safe in that
the goods they sale are safe for consumers and are not sold to exploit
the consumers.

Then maybe after cleaning away counterfeit electrical appliances, we
can conserve and be able to predict our energy consumption better and
be able to increase power generation wisely.

Consumers would also benefit from not buying fakes when they would afford
the real ones. And they would be able to buy cheaper products
according their pocket and still be safe.

If a company does not see good in this, I doubt if as consumer I would
want to buy their products. For then they are just their for profit
and not my safety.

How good can it be that while you benefit from profit of something you
sale your customer is also happy! Why have an unhappy customer when
you have already taken their money? Why give them something less than
good when you can?

I long for this day when I will go home with smiling not broken
hearted for I have been sold something fake.

Killing Viruses: Is it possible?

Of course it possible to kill computer viruses even with barehands.

Around the Kenyan Election campains I killed the kibaki virus with very simple tools (http://blog.m-hi.org/2007/12/encounter-with-kibakithe-virus.html). Last year I killed and completely removed the confiker virus in 4hrs; again with barehands(http://blog.m-hi.org/2009/07/ha-ha-wakoleka-conficker.html). Afew days ago I killed a dialer which paralysed every application and disabled cdrom to prevent removal and formating at Mayanjano Cafe.

I wanted to write some article about it. So I googled 'killing viruses'. The first result was killing viruses(http://www.livescience.com/health/080205-virus-shattering.html) with laser light. So it found priority even to me.

Just a few days ago my mum has been telling me a Chinise Doctor is using something like a burning wood(chisinga) to cure HIV. The idea seemed impossible scientifically. I have been putting it off like:
probably a way of making money. But several times she has told me people who go there go to get tested and are found without the virus.

Then with this article killing viruses with laser light by shattering the capsid at resonant frequency, it all clicked in. The device being percieved as chisinga(burning wood) from its amber laser light.

The article is 2yrs old. And 2yrs is way to long a period not to be able to find the resonant frequency for the AIDS virus. And the research is Chinese.

A cure for HIV/AIDS.

Why Banks Become Useless.

Money is defined as a medium of exchange or store of value.

Suppose I grow maize. I can either store Maize in a granery and apply preservatives to the Maize or Sell my Maize to companies like Admarc to do the preservation. By the process of preservation, they have added value to the Maize and the Maize would not be sold at the same price I sold it.

When I sell maize I exchange my maize with money which should store the value of the maize I have sold.

If I keep money at home, it might be destroyed and I have lost some value so I must keep it at the Bank. However, there are some banks which make so many deductions even from a savings account. I again end up losing value of the maize I sold by putting it the bank.

Meanwhile, when I want to buy maize later, my maize has gained value so I buy it back at highier price. I find that its even more expensive to sell my maize to Admarc than preserve it myself.

Suppose I am an employee. The value of my service is also stored in the money. If I deposit it in such a bank, its like putting my money in a porous pocket. Bad!


--
Accept The Challenge God Will Guide - Phwezi Sec. School.

Operation Bwezani: Economic and Trade Laws.

I have been reading a book: Mastering Commerce by R.R. Pitfield published by MacMillan Press in 1982 and reprinted in 1983. ISBN 0 333 31065 9. It is in very simple english and easy to understand.

Chapter 22 from section 5 talks about consumer protection. It would have been better if I could put in the whole text but I will try to summaries.

Consumers are supposed to buy wisely but their wisdom is as far as the seller's/advertisers integrity. Consumers are therefore in need of protection by:
- acts of parliament.
- consumer advise services
- industries following codes of practice
- indicating standards by labelling.

With the introduction of capitalism with liberalised economic laws, most regulatory authorities have found themselves crippled unable to act for lack of understanding or fear of breaking liberal economic laws. As a result so much consumer exploitation has gone into this country Malawi unchecked and unregulated in such a maner that it seems to be the norm of operating with everyone having complained and gotten tired, and most do not who to complain to to get help.

The book states laws of protection from:
- situations where companies might agree not to compete against one another so as to keep prices extremely high(these I have seen starting from minibuses/taxis operators, sole traders to big companies like Zain and TNM, for example - my suspicion).
- Misleading price qoutes(Game Store is really guilty).
- Inferior products(chilichonse chalowa china).
- Harmful/adultered ingredients.
- Unjust quantities.
- Dishonest advertising
- Undisclosed conditions on credit agreements (Banks are very guilty, NBS being one I have known).
- Refusal to replace or repair faulty products (with china products almost every china trader is guilty).

There is an Office of Fair Trading and a Fair Trading Act 1973(must be of the British Laws) this act should still be intact and active under the Laws of Malawi and should still be applicable today. This enforces the different consumer protection and fair trade laws.
-It describes obligations and rights on sale of goods both for the buy
and seller.
-It also defines what amounts to violation of the laws and this is reviewed periodically to catch up with trade evolution.

I would include adulteration as Zain has been doing under violation of fair trade.

Commerce students have learned all these. Why do we still suffer?

They, like all other educated staff on issues of trade, are employed by profit making organisations who's goal is to maximise profit as much as possible. Because of these consentrations of expertise, consumers(like employees on labour laws) find themselves at a very big disadvantage because of exploitation if there is no equally qualified regulatory authority to regulate companies against consumer/employee exploitation.

Workers in these companies with their division of labour do their duties to the best of abilities getting bonuses and promotions for good work done not knowing their good work is hurting fellow human beings all over.

Humans in cubicles driving big beasts called companies very efficiently not knowing these beasts are feeding on fellow human beings for fuel. What a tragedy!

WTO wants our trade laws to be aligned with international trade laws. I feel it would be very unwise to copy these laws whole sale.
- There is no, if not, very small Africa Representation to talk welfare of Africans.
- Most of the Laws might be devised to benefit already rich nations which are very vocal than poor nations(for obvious reasons).

On issues of trade, the rich would always have an upper hand over the poor.

I would agree with the conclision of capitalistic or socialist economy that it needs to be well regulated. That is to say, an economy must be regulated. Free trade or liberal economy gives very huge room for exploitation. And in this view it is only good for governments to prioritise native investments than multi-national ones. For multinational ones would really act as syphons of other countries economies to the companies' native country. Countries like Malawi find themselves then at a big disadvantage. They would have to compete at international level and again at national level. Even for international companies, it is only fair that their investiments and profits stay within the countries of operation.

Again in a regulated economy, it should be noted that the business community are very vocal than the people themselves such that they advance their interest more than the people. The outcome is that the people may still suffer even under a regulated economy if the government itself does not play the primary role of safe-guarding its people.

Most economic commentators are of the view of establishing companies to create more jobs I think this advances slavery of human beings to companies than to let them live their lives. Life is meant to be lived not to work in companies, with unfair conditions and dump ears to the suffering cries of humanity.

I hope for heaven on earth.

--
Accept The Challenge God Will Guide - Phwezi Sec. School.

Educating the Young Ones

It came to mind over breakfast this morning chatting my uncle who teaches at primary over the syllabus.

Among so many problems like under-staffing, lack of encouragement from parents/guardians, the syllabus itself fell under question.

Pupils are taught in local language from standard one to standard five. They are then taught in english. My assumption was so many students would find themselves failing. And it was so. And paradoxically there was a student who managed to pass standard eight and got selected to a secondary school without knowing how to read. Probably passed from recall exams being in multiple choice.

Why is it a problem to start english at standard five?

A person is able to understand something if he is able to be communicated to. To grasp knowledge one must understand the language in which the knowledge is communicated. Vast knowledge is communicated in english. While it is important to understand a local language, the more languages one understands the more the knowledge he is able to grasp. For pupils learning in local language, they find themselves at a disadvantage to understand english.

To learn a language, you learn better if you are able to practice it and apply it. Local languages have a lot of time to be practiced then than english. English gets less than one hour formal practice, local language gets full day at home and at school. If other subjects were taught at least in english at early level, english would have half a day of practice and application everyday.

A local language which is already known from birth may still be important for formalization especially for written form.

I believe local language might have been introduced with the assumption that our kids are too dull to grasp knowledge in english.

But are they? The advantage of english is that one is now able to grasp other forms of knowledge on their own if they fail to go further with education but have books around to read. This makes the likes of William Kamkwamba and his windmill electricity. Such boy becomes a wonder these days for there are too few who are able to grasp knowledge at a young age on their own.

It is expected that at standard five students might be able to learn comparatively in knew language but I think this is easier for adults who have learned language structures to compare than for kids. Thus I do advise still let them learn in english from early age.

--
Accept The Challenge God Will Guide - Phwezi Sec. School.

The Law

The issue of homosexuality in Malawi raised many concerns on my part that I wanted to look into the Laws.

There seems to be a disrespect or ignorance of its importance of Laws and Constitions at all levels, International and country level. What is the Law? What is it for? How
important is it?

Paul in the book of Romans talks about his tragedy in obeying the Law. He says the Law which is good brings death to him. Does he say we should do away with the Law then? He says far from it. We should uphold it! For the problem is not the Law.

God speaks to Joshua. This book of the Law you should meditate upon it day and night. Keep it deligently then you will be successful in all that you do.

Joshua did strange things. He commanded the sun to stop so he can finish his battle. He fought battles even in his old age and was still strong and Caleb got barren lands(a mountain) to cultivate.

God in giving the law with his people starts it with the Ten commandments. Like a Lecturer introducing a Subject.

These commandments talk about what hurts God's heart. What hurts other human beings and what is good to do.

The law is then expounded with different situations and applications which are recorded as part of the law. It gives resolutions to different problems arising between people. What people need to do for their own good since we have another enemy other than other people(the devil).

The laws of God therefore gives liberty to men over the spiritual enemy and also resolutions to problems developing among themselves.

How have we taken the Law? We have take it as a tool for punishing. It goes hunting for wrongs. It becomes abused to trap even the innocent. It sometimes condemns with partiality in the hands of men abusing it. And also in the hands of the spiritual enemy the devil.

Do we discurd it? When Paul describes the law as the Sword. It is really that for we can use it to justify ourselves and avoid the harms that can befall us if mislead by the enemy.

It defines what is right and what is wrong. It shows how we can deal issues when one man wrongs another. It gives many outlets for an innocent person. It gives what is expected of an offender in the resolution. If you study the law in the Bible it is the best law, giving you all sorts of freedoms.

Paul says as Christians we are not bound by the Law. Does he mean as christians we should disregard the Law? Nope, As christians, it is
expected we have understood its value and we obey it willingly knowing what it is between us and God. He however says God has instituted government to maintain order to the non-believing society.

Those who break laws found themselves punishable under their government, society and God.

I stooped down one day and thought under man made law. I found that man could change a law today and change it again tomorrow and I found myself lost in the myriad of the laws by man.

I decided that I myself should have a standard by which to live in this life and keep sane. The Word of God I found to be the best choice. I found myself by living it, I was obedient to man's laws and kept sane when man tried to go left when he was supposed to go right.

--
Accept The Challenge God Will Guide - Phwezi Sec. School.

Hear Oh, World!

Why do you bother us Malawians? We are not like you. We live simple
lives and we love one another.

It is wrong to test a law. In your hypocrisies you find it important
to legitimise a wrong you personally don't accept. A strong deliberate
blind eye to this unnatural relationship of a man and a man. Its not
for money for you politicians are already filthy rich. To you it comes
as a luxury. A deliberate slip. For what reason?

You put us Malawians, the people you claim to help, to test. You
expect us to smile to your bidding? I would ask this to you today: a
preacher preaches for the correction of the society why do you chose
to put the preacher in jail?

Whether psychologic, genetic whatever your "scientists" or
"psychologists" justify it is an abnormality. If you search long
enough, all sin is genetic(for we all sin because of the fall of Adam
and we die for this reason) but a person is still able to chose
between right and wrong. When he choses right he lives when he choses
wrong, it is said the wages of sin is death. God changes those who
have sort His help.

The government, however, does punish wrongs and God allows it to do
so. For it does not exist unless God allows.

You create laws to bar the preacher from correcting the wrongs in the
society and set free the wrongs. Why do you condemn the preacher for
homophobia and not the Sodomy offenders?

Wake up! You are humans! And there is the devil who wants death for
you; paralysing your minds over what seems to be freedoms but are
destructions of a society.

We Malawians are not happy that you have to put us through this. Your
money which you give us does not come with a clean heart. If I were
the President or Parliamentarian I would not accept such help from
you. All of you who have set this condition on us.

Label us not wrong for pointing out the wrong however rich you may be.

I remember Zimbabwe and What your Divided and Conquer strategies have
done to African Economies which you claim to want to help develop.
This infuriets me.

It is said, "Do repay not evil for evil." The President of Malawi has
not allowed this Evil in our land. But this world wants to Judge us
for labelling the wrong what it is. So because We can to forgive, we
have forgiven. What is it to you? Push us no further.

--
Accept The Challenge God Will Guide.

The Warm Heart of Africa

I used to pray some little prayers. God bless Malawi, God bless
Africa. God bless Malawi that it will be a home of a people in a time
when everywhere else there is no home. That its gates would close to
danger but cover in your people. That it would be independent enough
to withstand external pressure. I have seen the answers to my prayers.

God has blessed Malawi. And through Malawi He is blessing Africa.

I hear about two days ago, two hundred something ethiopians have been
dropped in Nkhata Bay by somebody they don't know. They seek peace and
food for there is war and famine in their land. They have crossed
borders Tanzania and Mozambique into Malawi. Because our President in
the African Leader and they seek help from him.

I find myself wanting to welcome them giving them the heart of warmth
and food for the cold nights they have been through in this warm heart
of Africa.

--
Accept The Challenge God Will Guide.

To A Hopeless Soul

In the dark alone
Paralised
In mind and so
In body.
Oh Helpless Soul
Drunk with tears of sorrow
At the thought of pain endured
Day and Night
What brings this night?
I tried to do good today.
To hope for better sleep.
No. Pain in the night.
Pain and Sleepnesses.
Bad things troubling my sleep.
Helpless I live to the next day.
Bad things in the day.
What do I?
To not do wrong?
To sleep better in the night?
A step two I fall.
Fear for the night
Helpless Soul.
Awake.
Love receive.
Shield of faith.
Sword of the Spirit.
Breast Plate of Rightiousness.
Belt of Truth.
Helmet of Salvation.
Shoes of preaching the Gospel.
Do war.
Pursue.
Destroy.
Your enemy of old.
Give no mercy.
In Jesus Name.

--
Accept The Challenge God Will Guide.

On John 3:16

Necodemus Came to Jesus by night asking for a way to enter the Kingdom
of God. By his status in the society he could not confront Jesus in
the public. But he saw his shortfall despite being religious and he
wanted to be saved from evil to get to Heaven.

Jesus told him He must be born again of Water and the Holy Spirit.
Over the ages this verse has been said and said but not many have understood.

Take it like a public key cryptographic protocal. There is one private
key for which all may go through. One needs to negotiate with the
security provider in order to establish a connection.

In our case Jesus would be this provider and key.

Flesh gives birth to flesh(John 3:6). In my own ways I can do good but
without a relationship with Jesus making peace with Him or my works
are in vain. The works would paint me red like all God's children but
if the Paint is not the blood of Jesus I still perish. If one of the
eqyptians had done what the jews did they too would have been saved
from the Angel of Death.

The wind blows where it wishes you here the sound of it but you don't
know where it comes from(John 3:8). You see the children of God living
a good life. You see them save under very difficult circumstances.
What's with them? It the Jesus they are in a relationship with. That
saves them. The Holy Spirit that comforms them to the commands of God.
And because of their relationship with Jesus where they fail Jesus
becomes their fulfilment.

So it is Jesus the one to make peace with and get to Heaven. He is not
far but as far as your trust in Him and your confession, in really
speaking to Him, in realising your short falls and really asking Him
to save you. To change your flesh by the Spirit. Did not John the
Baptist say, Jesus will baptise by the Holy Spirit? It falls within
His power to do so.

--
Accept The Challenge God Will Guide.

Comment on Value-Adding

I want to point out a self betrayal on value-adding. Under-valuing the raw material, devalues the end product however much additional value is added.

In Malawi we have often under paid laborers and under-valued the raw material. Even on export the outcome of that product is a very little contribution to the GDP. No wonder the GDP of most African Countries is very low. For they are raw material producers and they are betraying themselves by under-valuing labor and raw materials.

I would advise before thinking about exporting an expensive valuable product think about the end of that product in the case it is not found to be valuable by the end buyer.

It comes to a point of producing what we ourselves really need.
In the case of Tomato Processor: Most Malawians use fresh tomato and not preserved one. If external market fails we have effectively reduced supply at country level and wasted it as it is not as valuable at country level. Because we would rather have the fresh product but what is available is a processed product, we have effectively devalued the product but increased its price.

The GDP per capita which seem to be calculated from the GDP itself is really faulty than starting with the distribution of the per capita income across the population. If this distribution is normal and not highly skewed towards the fewer rich population it is an indication that things are good. And then calculation the total GDP from the per capita.

While the GDP can indicate the overall income its reality on the ground might not be rosy. For example:
1. A region might have a high GDP but the product does not benefit its population rather exported and in the end the population suffers from lack of basic needs (Obviously not our goal).
2. A region might have high GDP but the economic machinery might not allow the majority of the population to benefit(rich getting richer, the poor remaining poor)
(By its commission, the government which drives the direction of the economy for the benefit of its citizen, should not want this).
3. A rise in GDP can also be an indication that the value of a product at raw material level has been increased. (So effectively Malawi's GDP will rise highly if the laborer and the raw material are not under-valued).

We might price ourselves highly, but nobody can buy us. This, in the end, is what reduces our value. Therefore I see it very important to put our valued labor to what we really want. While mining can increase our national income on exports, it destroys the land, which we live in and benefit from, in such a way that we might have to start importing basic needs as well. While the $500million/ billion from uranium we get seems to be a lot, it might not even be one hundredth of the real value and much more worse the pollution stays on our land the profit in another land. If every thing has to have trade offs for optimal benefit, this is the reason why Kamuzu might not have exploited mining and concentrated on agriculture. And effectively the reason why we still have a lot of minerals.

Muluzi's government drilled a lot of boleholes receded the water table and there was no rain. (Just an economic policy, huh?).

Bingu's government added just a tit bit of fertilizer to the rain. What a harvest.

Does Bingu's government destroy this same land by an economic policy? Tread carefully.

Malawi(Africa) is not poor and its riches are not dependent on what others value but on what we ourselves value. There have been tales, stories, or why the white men kill themselves and others over stones which they don't eat(africans wondering).

Where is our value? If we put our energy where our value is needed we will have the income we really deserve.

Share this where it might benefit before we destroy so much with inverted ideologies.

Sent from my BlackBerry smartphone

Test Drive Cyptography: Reloaded

24 Series
Pirated Version Season 9. Given an ultimatum to crack a message for
the wife's release.
What's the encryption protocal?
Blowfish 1024 bits
What's the word length?
32bits
Where is my wife?
We will bring her when its done. How long will it take?
Its done.
They say, He is a level 6 as the wife.
Wow! Do these things happen?
So people have to be trained to be level 6. So people stumble themselves up.
Some people get punished for stumbling to level 6.
Some people take the long winding road called cryptography to go round
and round and never understand. So that the best of them can't crack
the simplest. Because the expert says so nobody else tries. So the
secret stays secure.
I thought: how clever!
There is an animal that passes its nest/home to lead its prey away and
protect its eggs or young ones. Cryptography in real life then.
Why am I saying this?
Today or tomorrow the secret will be found out. When its found its
better be a good thing.

Is cryptography useless? In so many ways, it isn't. It saved the
animal's young ones by leading the prey away. What's bad is to punish
someone for stumbling on a hole that seems so obviously open.

When one is not accepted for a good thing they may resort to the bad
thing they have been trying to prevent. I guess that's what makes a
BlackHat from a WhiteHat. Because he may still remain with some good
in him. Against those who have done him no wrong he will do good. In
world of survival of the fittest, a GreyHat strives, a WhiteHat
endures in places of love, a BlackHat destroys.
WhiteHat has to do more work for so little. While the WhiteHat and the
GreyHat may be conservative in their ways, the BlackHeart stops at
nothing.

Can a secret prevail? Good triumphs over evil not by repaying back
evil but continuing to be good. Evil may be strong but Good attracts
masses that save him. Evil might paint evil on Good to get
sympathy/support from the masses but in prevailng to be good, Good
proves himself before the masses.

Walk an extra mile for a solder who forces you to walk a mile. Give
another cheak to one who slaps you. Give another coat for someone who
gets yours. He wanted to inflict pain. Do him good.

--
Accept The Challenge God Will Guide.

Of Balances in Economy

I thought about exchange of goods. Money is just a median of the
exchange. It seems to have become the most important thing than the
goods themselves. People would hold on to money than the goods. It
might be good at country level but not internationally. For we don't
eat money but the goods we can.

Going back at personal level: almost every bank and advert insurance
this insurance that with a few savings for help in a time you might
not have money. Health insurance, Life insurance, etc. so many other
public services that at one time were provided free. Oh yes they said
you don't give freebie to people they won't develop. I guess it
matters as well how you define development. Many people who have money
cannot afford to buy a cow which one can have free in the villages.

In a business arena where every body is really trying to maximise
profit goods become undervalued. The highier the product goes in the
exchange chain, the highier the price though the lesser the value
added and the graph of the price against value added would be found
to be exponential.

When we get so much forex as indication of financial growth it is the
same as selling all you maize and keeping the money. Suppose everyone
sells all the maize, where does it go? Surely its just not lying
around somewhere. If it is, when the farmer needs it again later, he
will have to pay a highier price. If it is not, it might have gone
somewhere it can't be taken back(like outside the country for
example). Then when the farmer needs the maize back, there will be too
few available for everyone and not to mention the price which is even
highier. So in the end, we have a country full of money but no food.
Money can be eaten by rats and be useless. At least if one had maize
if eaten by rats there is still plenty to eat and the worst case is
that it will be given to cattle which we can still eat and drink milk.

Is tobacco a solution? Grow so much tobacco, and no sale you just
wasted a lot of resource on imported inputs which we don't eat.
Suppose we grow what we need which if not sold we can still eat.
Maize, Groundnuts, Beans, Bananas, Oranges, Cattle, Chicken, pa dziko
padzikhala pa mwana alirengi. If one has some food and shelter they
can live another day with an empty pocket. But if even food and
shelter they have to buy as well, there comes a day when the pocket
runs dry when they sleep with an empty stomach.

A question I should ask, I don't if I will get the answer from any
reader but its worth asking: can fertiliser be made from tobacco? For
if the buyers don't buy the useless leaves, it can atleast be bought
at its value to give back to the growers and processed into fertiliser
to give back to the fertility of our land. Than selling at a give away
price. Then a farmer disappointed by the sale would also be encouraged
to grow food crops.

I believe the former government(Kamuzu's) limited the growth to a few
who really had the expertize and resources to produce better quality
and it must have been a quotaed growth based on the demand and Malawi
as whole benefitted. Other's who saw these tobacco farmers prospering
found this unfair. While it might not be achievable to return to this
restriction honest truth without restriction would help more while
means are also being found to what tobacco can be useful to Malawi
itself. Letting people see this reality (better what you can eat and
sale, than sale or throw away) and encouraging them to grow food
crops. Practice our good agricultural ways as we used to. Kodi kukhala
ndu nkhokwe pakhomo nchimidzi? Koma chakudya chimasungidwa bwino
munkhokwe than muchipinda (no actellic superguard, no mbewa
mukagwiritsa nthito mouse guard). Kodi tikufuna kuti azungu adzabwere
azatiphunzitse kumanga nkhokwe? A Malawi lekani enawo aziseka ino
konzani moyo wanu.
I know people are being encouraged to be in farm clubs I guess this is
towards cooperate farming of tobacco and other crops which cannot be
managed individually, can be grown in this way. But even these
individual farmers could be encouraged to grow food for their own.

Akuti musangowapatsa zaulere muziwagulitsa azilimbikira nthito. Kodi
zikakhalapo zaulere tisawapatse? Kodi tikachite kuchepetsa zimene
alinazo kuti azikakugula? Kodi tikachepetsa zimene alinazo zina
zipezeka kuti? Kodi kukhala ndi moyo, mesa nkukhala ndi chakudya
ndipogona, ndi kusangala ndi abale ako?

At the end of the day, when everything else is said and done, even the
best economy gives money for free to achieve the balance. I guess now
it becomes a choice of what to give for free: money to buy good
health, food, shelter and clothing or good health, shelter and
clothing so that people are strong and healthy and with peace of mind
to grow their own food or if available, why not all free?

--
Accept The Challenge God Will Guide.

Of Controversies: Right and Wrong.

Here we are in 21st Century. We have gone through and learned from
history. There are laws defining what is right and also what is wrong.
Clearly some wrongs have been done in certain circumstances and been
found to be good. There are evidences of these all over the world all
through out history. There have been a lot violencies of angry people
convinced that a wrong they are fighting for is good. There have also
been a lot of violencies of people fighting for themselves against a
wrong being done on them by some people who either do the wrong
thinking that it is good or do the wrong selfishly. What's to do?

I was going through my life I found that there was a time I knew a
right and a wrong. I found that I was able to speak much about the
right I knew than a wrong I knew. If I had a way out on the wrong, I
would be able to avoid it. But in my mind this wrong could be done for
there is no other way. It became a necessity. With time I saw there
were other better ways it could have been done. I began to regret. But
I understood the mind of a lawyer who would be found bending the law
to meet his end. The Art of War encourages to capitalise on the other
person's weaknesses. While it solves my problem, I have done wrong to
my collegue if the problem I solve for myself did harm to him and he
was the innocent one. My responsibility was to still not do the wrong
against him.

A person meaning to do right, would not do wrong unless he is
convinced that what he is doing is right. A person who has done wrong
might have done wrong knowing what he was doing was wrong but
convinced himself he had a necessary reason; he might have done the
wrong not knowing; or might have known he was doing wrong and he meant
to do it any way. Of these people would forgive the first two after
having understood their situation. A person defending himself is doing
so to save himself. It might be from punishment that is to follow for
the wrong he has done with him still thinking he is innocent, or with
him having understood that he was wrong and so ask forgiveness, or
because he knew he was wrong in the first place and has been caught to
as long as he can survive. In many cases the one asking forgiveness,
would get lighter punishment than the one who is admant in
selfrightoousness. The last would use any of the two ways in which the
former would react to gain sympathy to avoid punishment.

Here is world so learned in the psychology of man. Education awards
high marks for applying the learned ideas well. And in a way it has
taught us it is good to apply classroom ideas even though they might
have bad effects on other human beings. Marketing, Business
Administration, Maximising profit, Good business ideas.

First Merchant Bank has given loans to farmers to give back after the
tobacco sales. I can see many farmers crying foul in the end. A good
business idea, capitalizing on the farmers weakness. They advise well
as though you will have no problem but how painful when they tell you
in the face the things you did not know and even tell you: This is
business my friend as if it is good to do the "business" they have on
me.

Responsibility, do not do this. Don't capitalize on other people's
weaknesses and do them wrong.

Politicians world over have used these controversies here and there to
find their way up in politics. Many people have found themselves in
conflicts over and over again after have be infuriated by a political
agenda. The media is in the same situation. People react to what they
hear and they would believe somebody a bad person because a fellow
politician has said so. It is always too late when they come back to
their senses and understand the said bad person and really too late to
make amends.

The Democratic government as it has been put forward with its
mechanisms much of which really treats human beings at animal level(as
though human beings can't understand and make better decisions) has
brought much of the problems. While democracy might have been
understood in the way it is presented, the reality of the practice
might be very far from the way it is presented.

The birth of the United States talks about people coming together from
all over to a new land with a purpose to leave behind the problems
they have left at home. They found the law of God as the best to
follow in establishing a government and based the constitution of the
word of God the Bible. Is it possible to follow somebody's laws
without really following him?

This government encouraged fairness at all levels as the Bible defines
it. According to its characteristics this government seems to have
been closer in its ways to the greek government which was called
democracy. We then named this new found government democracy. So many
studied the greek government and forgot the foundations of this new
government. Some of the ways of the greek government had flaws which
could be the reason why it failed and was once again replaced by one
man led government.

This new government which was found to be fair was presented and
understood to be based on the greek foundations. So others
implementing similar governments to this new found government
implement it basing on a wrong foundation. Can these other governments
stand?

America still stands strong. Its principles are the same embedded in
the peoples hearts for they understand what they have but have not
explanation how they had it. Basing on the similarities of its ways to
the previous government, they think that's what they have. But because
its not, they do not have the problems other governments have.

The law of God teaches love at all cost. Love your neighbour as
yourself. If you loved your neibour you would not steal their wife or
car or anything theirs you would do no harm on them. If you love your
woman you wouldn't rape her. Or cheat on her. You wouldn't want to do
to them what would hurt you. The book of Romans has put in a better
way what I want to say from Romans 12 verse 9 to Romans 13 about a
man's relationship to neighbours, and government. Read more discover
yourself much more the treasures in the word that you would appriciate
and find helpful.

Do we leave out the creator of this perfect law? Science has required
proof of His existance. God has proved his existance in many ways for
those who have accepted him. Does he not seek and you will find? Does
he not say He has put us in the lands or situations we leave so that
we might seek him and find him? He challenges you to seek him and you
will find him. The Bible defines faith in Hebrews Chapter 11. Faith is
the substance of things hoped for. Faith is the evidence of things
unseen. If there was no substance of those things it would be mere
hope. But there is substance. If there was no evidence of thing not
seen there would be no faith.

Does Science want proof that not all of its ways are based on
evidence? For a student to believe a teacher of the things he has not
understood he believes they are true on the trust that the teacher
knows more than he himself. How many mathematical proofs even today
are based on how so and so proved them? For the first voyager to go
out to sea and around the world which has become the evidence that the
world is round and not flat it had to take a step of faith(courage
based on the evidence he has which many don't have). Its only when he
had gone round the world did many believe the truth that all the
people(now called great scientists) said about the word being round
and not flat. The church was among those who did not believe but they
were many more who didn't outside the church and included scientists.
The thing is if a there is a truth. It will be found out however one
tries to bend it and it does not depend on an individual opinion for
even if the church can not know all truths but as much God has
revealed.

This law though very perfect God admits bitterly nobody understands.
They have all sinned. All of them. Paul says in Romans I try to do
good but I end up doing wrong. So without God we fail to live by this
perfect law.
God has provided His Son and The Holy Spirit to teach us His ways.
Those that seek him they find Him.

--
Accept The Challenge God Will Guide.

Just A Thought

Before we implement the rest of ideologies the west holds. The west is changing so many of its ways. The Banking Sector, the Health Sector etc. After objectively looking at their own problems. Malawi like many new democracies are borrowing wholesale western ideologies. And most of these ideologies are really attractive to greed. But in the end they destroy the ordinary Malawians who are really the Nation.

A few days ago people demostrated against the Banks. It is important to remember that people did not have issues with Banks before the
change from Kamuzu's Government. Money was not a worry for Malawians. Malawians had a life and could afford luxury. Not a spoilt kind of
luxury but enough for happiness. The law defines a corporation as a person. In the end the corporation is treated with preference over
real human beings. And real people become slaves of corporation.

We might have interprated the great depression in the 30s US as a way of getting rich quick to the status the US is. But in my opinion,
while great prosperity followed the great depression, we don't have to simulate this depression on our land to get it rich for the seeds of what followed after the depression are still reaping their fruits on the land.

A simulated life created from human ideologies sooner or later will have so many loopwholes that require patching up. One might create an economy. But it might take everything in life to sustain it. Is life meant to sustain an economy or an economy to sustain life.

There was a time Malawi Government did not require donors. But we sold away our sources of income and let somebody else feed us. And we
wonder when they can deny us help for not a supporting a wrong in the name of homosexuality. We are still fighting prostitution, by the way.

There have been decisions made in the past on what to educate the students. That is create a work force to feel the need of the industry. Strimline the education system train workers. After creating
so many workers the market becomes flooded. For those who have been trained fewer trades, survival is hard. It is difficult as well for
the trained to come out and stand on their own. In the end we are filling up holes that have little outlet. No wonder we will end up with unemployment in vast amounts. I am glad Dr Bingu Wa Mutharika has provided facility for the youth to start businesses and required
training. I would love further first degrees be less specialised as possible. This creates a wider understanding for students and helps them overcome life problems better.

There is a health sector that is being destroyed by the western ideologies. It is good to have good health services. They do come with a price. And little by little we are changing a health sector from how it used to be caring for all people to caring for only the rich as is the situation in America which Obama is trying to sort out. Before we
can say, its expensive to care for all, we should ask how did we manage in the previous 30 years.

I think the drug shortage problem started with decentralisation of the drug distribution. The Central Medical Stores has been responsible for all the drug ordering and distribution. When they decentralised the
distribution system ie making the Central Medical Stores act as drug wholesale and each health center given a budgeted amount to purchase its
own drugs. Now here is where it I think it went wrong: with the late budgets approvals in parlament, the health centers had to go on their daily business and ordered without the money inorder to pay back when the budget is passed. So debts accumulated and began to be intepreted as mismanagement of funds(not ruling it out though). And so drugs stopped
flowing.
Here is what resulted:patients began to receive less care. And with the civil service after the government lost its source of income began to receive less and less compasation and became demotivated, even lesser care came to patients from clinicians. Insurance Corporation took advantage. Working with companies to insure its employees health.
While the health services are cheap for companies than individuals it is no problem for companies to insure its employees (by the way, the
better the position the better the care) the unemployed receive less and less care. Then it becomes a trend and a better option for health providers to work with companies than individuals. But who are suffering? The whole nation Malawi of which it is said that 58% are receiving less than K10,000 and around 1% it seems can afford the bills and its only because they are employed. And of these very few are trained enough to establish their own business without corrupt means given the conditions in banks and heavy taxation on the middle class. So Obama saw all these problems that there are major gaps in the population of the United States which are unreached. That's the path
we have been following. A stop and 180 degrees turn back would be helpful indeed.

To build the Malawi he built, Kamuzu wanted it to sustain itself without external support. He looked at all means so that his people
might have Food, Good Health, Shelter and Clothing. Four fundumental priorities of which money is secondary.

He built an economy so strong that at one time we exchange one USDollar to 1MwK. Except for fear of political persecution of which I believe Kamuzu himself is to so many ways might have been very innocent, Malawian People were happy.

While we require checks on absolute power, we don't have to change our culture, economy and way of life for they are nothing to do with democracy.

I think there are ways to solve the drug problem. Forget the decentralisation let the money problem be taken care of by the Central Medical Store's as it has always been. Private Clinics are the one's that buy. And Private clinics here shall mean those that charge for their drugs and treatment. The other health centers, concentrate for the accounting of their drug usage and distribution. This information is vital on predicting what the Central Medical Stores orders. With this setup, little by little patients will start opting for unpaid health centers so private clinics will see less and less the need to buy in bulk the medicine and so stop buying from the health centers corruptly. There might be facilities in place to allow health centers to sell to private clinics and provided its not starving its patients and every transction is accounted for both on the side of the private clinic and on the health center. For the private clinic to declare its source and the said source to confirm.

While this seems wasteful at a quick glance, at national level the expenditure on drugs is the same on a fixed/predictable/known population of Malawi. If it is rationalization, it is better for the Central Medical Store to control the distribution other than money control the distribution. Where do the Money to buy drugs come from? It is the same money that was supposed to be distributed that is now centralised. Better if th money changes a few hands and goes straight to buy the needed medicine than for it to circle around and come back the medicine.

Learning from the fuel shortage solution, while people had fear of its not going to be available tomorrow they would buy so much and keep at home. While the media spoke everyday about this shortage, the people's fear was kept fanned. With people buying more than they needed there was always less and less fuel to be distributed to more and more who came late to buy their share. It isn't really fuel shortage then; for the Government might be stretching its arms to sort this out already. So, let the media stay silent or atleast give assurance. Each person should buy at most a tank full which he will stay with a few days and others would be able to buy their share in this time and the government would have a predictable amount of fuel to import basing on a full tank of an average car for so many cars and so it should be easy to normalise the problem. It worked.

This same principal/concept should work in other areas where distribution is distabilised for fear of tomorrow's lack.

Operation Bwezani: Celtel - Zain - Airtel

Its not long ago we(the Celtel Subscribers) were rebranded into Zain.
We still haven't forgotten the mix up yet and Zain is bought and we
the Customers of Zain are to be rebranded again to AirTel?

While business commentetors have had only good words for this move,
this seems to be very clear and vivid: Buy a company, Squeeze as much
as they can get from it. Put it in trouble resell it Cheap. Pure
business the reseller makes profit(good for him), the buyer(good for
him) what about us(the customers?)

I, a customer, I like Celtel. I used to boast Celtel has the best
services. Zain came it had its own style. To maximise profit, they
change customer care into marketing team. I wonder how we can be this
blind(CAMA?). Technically legally they would justify themselves about
the move since they have an automated menu but its the story in local
folk tales where a hare taking care of the lions children eats all the
meat and smears some blood on the mouths of the little lions and the
mother lion thinks that everything ok till she sees some malnutrition.
Despite the automated menu available, the menu itself hasn't been
accessible for so long.

Here is a situation: companies can make business decisions. And can
indeed exploit its customers. What laws do we Malawians have to
self-guard the consumers? Mmh CAMA? And what laws concerning how
international companies like Zain Operate? We might be running out of
forex but the problem may not be too far(we have opened door to
foreign servises which are expensive). Yes(Minister of Finance) we are
an importing nation that is why we have more imports than exports. The
proper decision is not just to sit and watch, but turn ourselves into
self servicing for a start and then start exporting. We produce raw
materials in bulk and buy the processed products. If the west bought
and processed our products and sold them back to us, should we wonder
why we are not developing?

We the customers, though not highly regarded, also needs stability of
the services we buy. The services providers changing ownership just
like that is really inconsiderate for us consumers. We have preference
also. We should not be taken for grunted. I believe there are or
should be laws which say a company should operate for so long before
being resold. What would stop me from buying a company squeeze a lot
from it, resell it to my brother to rebrand it. My brother squeezes a
lot from it resell it to me to rebrand it(marketing brilliant! so many
promotions and bonuses to the marketer). But what about us consumers?
What of the laws for international companies? Isn't the west
capitalistic? Does it not fight for democracy? Does it not push for
liberalising the economies of us little nations? How many of its
"democratic" ways are to find business for themselves? Yes laws, while
laws are bendable eg. Even in football it is said two yellow cards
before a red one. The coach encourages cripple the stricker and then
we will substitute you. Everybody says good decision for the coach. I
would love to punch and cripple the aggressor even if I am give a red
card by the "law". Laws can be used on an ignorant to exploit them.

I like Mugabe's decision today and would love to boot these foreign
investors like Zain (or is Celtel? or AirTel?) out. It wears a name
like a suit. What do we call it? It has no name, really.

Consumer Association of Malawi(CAMA) you should be able to find a lot
of business for almost every company is in the business of exploiting
its consumers. Its time you got to work.

Aside:
I understand Arsenals problem: it does not give a coach pleasure to
put his own kids in a hostile environment where laws of football don't
even protect. What's with the cup if someone loses a life over it. If
it were war defending one self, I would say fight to the death. But
its play and some people try to put violence in it.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Accept The Challenge God Will Guide.

Of Professionalism and Favours

I thought over my problems with my previous employers and I got it.

When you employ someone with the attitude you are doing him a favour(ie nobody wants him so let me take him to help him), you become blind to some of his good qualities and to his real needs. Everyday he tries harder to deliver his very best but it does not get appreciated for the empoyers expectation is that the guy can't do a good job anyway. The guy sees all this. In his patience hoping things would get better he stays. But the patience can't stay forever.(God is not going to be patient forever, should a man be?) When the guy speaks his mind the employer thinks of him as ungrateful for he expects the guy not to speak his mind after all that he has already done for the guy.

 

He is human, he has needs, he notices injustices. Sometimes he speaks the truth he has always kept to himself in respect of the employer, the employer interpretes this as arrogance(he has never spoken like this before he must have gone real bad). He doesn't get helped anyway. He leaves the place with anger and frustration. This is not good for his CV as well. But whats a man to do? He would burst if he kept all his pain inside. How would the employers know his needs if he kept it all inside?

 

I seem to have been employed by people who were either blind to my good qualities because their employing me was doing me a favour or they saw my good qualities but were bent on abusing or taking advantage of my voicelessness. I really have hurt.

 

I would love to be treated on merit and not favours as well.

From The Heart of A Missionary

In the University House at Livingstonia University, there is a cloth depicting a hundred years of achievements by Livingstonia Mission. These includes:

-The Gorodi Road (might have been derived from gold road - basing on the golden glass along the long winding road).

- The first Electric generator which used to provide electricity for the mission(Now defunct I am told - I am yet to visit the place).

- Own clean water supply (still working)
The place quite and beautiful. While going up the Gorodi Road you get rewarded with beautiful views at each bend that you forget its danger. It really requires an experienced drive to go up it.

 

What caught my eye with interest on this cloth of achievements was Livingstone's Motto. It says "Beyond Borders I Will Try". It has been printed on some livingstonia synod cloths though shortened to "I will try". The interest comes in the light of the rungle that has been there with Livingstonia Synod establishing prayer houses in Nkhoma Synod's Region. While they have been alot of criticism, I myself thought against it, not that its bad but sister synods should not quarrel over this issue, it is really a reflection of what the missionary Dr David Livingstone had at heart in crossing borders to preach the word of God.

 

Nkhoma synod might not have been wrong to cross borders nor may have Livingstonia Synod. Nkhoma after its flock who have difficulties understanding the language in the north. While most malawians understand Chichewa not all malawians understand Tumbuka.

 

Livingstonia synod also after its flock who always have had difficulties being accepted in Nkhoma synod's prayer houses.

Yes, yes borders and regions, is it not worth learning what other people are doing? I would love after being a Nkhoma Synod service near me to once in while have a feel of worship as at home where I have grown up. Maybe Nkhoma synod can also learn from other regions.

 

Jesus said, Leave them be. Those who not against us are for us.

Paul also talked about it saying: some preach the word out of malicious motives, but to the Glory of God people of God are still not hindered from coming into the Kingdom of God. For nobody can come to God if God has not called them nor can they be stopped when God decides.