Plight of the Teachers

Whenever I speak to my girl on the limited time Zain still gives us, she is almost always complaining about a cough. My brother is well from time to time complains the same. Of course they are asthmatic, and so am I. But I haven't had a cough for a long time. The only time I had it was when I was lecturing at University of Livingstonia. Chalk.

When did we notice this chalk problem, long time. Then people who had worst of the problem were allowed to transfer to other posts. But there have been many unwillingly made teachers, wanting to pursue the career of their choice such that they have abused this right so much that it makes it difficult for those who really need its benefit to get helped. So my brother and my woman are stuck in the career they have been forced into and it hurts their health and they can't get our even in their own field of education to pursue positions that are closer to their choices.

Some where in the search for solutions, nose filters are suggested. But its a solution that would cause students to make life difficult for their teacher. How about whiteboards and their markers? I should think the cost shouldn't be far from the cost of repainting the board and cost of buying new pieces of chalk. Besides the markers may last longer than the chalk and the whiteboard might not need frequent repainting. And further why stick to the past problematic blackboard? Even though the asthmatic are much more sensitive, the non-asthimatic are not left unaffected. Soon or later they might develop a worse problem from chronic exposure. It is not the chemical composition only that causes damage but also the dust itself which is a foreign body when inhaled in the lungs.

If this may be found too expensive still, the cost of their transfer should buy individual teachers portable whiteboards which they may use in the classrooms they teach and a supply of markers for each for their use. And further all for all schools being built now onwards, should have whiteboards in every classroom installed. This is the only way we can completely solve the chalk dust problem.

Of Licensing and Reality

I can't drive a car without a licence. I can't get a licence without learning how to drive. I can't start learning how to drive without a provisional licence. Is a provisional licence irrevocable? I find that it doesn't but it does expire. Suppose it has expired I am I barred from getting another provision licence after previously failing to pass a driving test to get a licence? I find that it would be unfair to do that for some are real quick learners some are damn slow learners. Hundred times Edison failed before he found the breakthrough formula to create the bulb he so much wanted.

If we are going to continue giving full licences to the newbies so many accidents are bound to happen. Look for learner drivers we put even a placard learner. So that learned drivers can drive cautiously with reasonable consideration. Traffic regulators also treat learners with reasonable consideration.

If we shall want fulfilment of every one condition of operation for a mobile operator being established, then no mobile operator can get started for everyone starts at one. It's time provisional licences were made available so that who can try can do so. Of 10 companies trying out to setup mobile operators there is bound to be at least 3 which would be successful. These can be pruned further according to adherence to conditions of licence and other laws of Malawi.

It's time licence regulators revoked licences of the two for once. Only once have I heard Zain being warned. But how many fair trade laws, consumer protection laws have, even operation laws have been violated by the two operators and the rest of the private sector? How much transparency is in the private sector for the government to be the only one to be expected to be transparent. Food for also for Transparency International. For most trouble starts brewing from the private sector which try to twist government arms for its own profit at the expense of real lives. The duty of the government is also to protect people from people without fear, favour, or partiality.

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.