Britain stops aid to Uganda

I am tempted to say "well done", especially if I have the statements in mind, which are cited in the last paragraph of the article cited below.



"Britain blocks aid to Uganda By Hussein Bogere KAMPALA - The British government has withheld about Shs17 billion in aid to Uganda since last month citing concerns about the handling of several aspects of the country’s political transition.

A statement from the British High Commission says Britain was also particularly unhappy with the progress made towards establishing a level playing field for parties in the country.

“When our last release of the budget support fell due in March we were concerned by several aspects of the transition, including that insufficient progress had been made towards establishing a fair basis for a multi-party system. We withheld 5 million pounds,” the statement signed by Mr Nikesh Mehta, the 2nd Secretary External Political at the British High Commission, Kampala says.

Mehta’s statement was in response to calls by the opposition Forum for Democratic Change for donors to freeze aid to Uganda.
FDC was prompted to write to the diplomatic community asking for a freeze on aid after the arrest of two MPs Reagan Okumu and Michael Ocula, a week ago. The two were arrested and charged with the murder of Alfred Bongomin, the LC 3 council chairman of Pabbo sub-county in Gulu in February 2002.

When The Monitor probed further this week about the British government’s stand
on the FDC request, Mr Mehta said further that the next tranche of aid due in September will also be subject to an assessment.
“Britain provides budget support that is linked to government performance in implementing the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP), including governance issues.

The next tranche falls in September when there will be an assessment of performance against an agreed set of indicators (derived from the PEAP) that cover the process of political transition alongside macro-economic and sector policy,” the statement said.

After writing, FDC met several officials from several embassies including Denmark, Norway, US, the European Union, Britain, Ireland, among others last Friday.
In their letter FDC requested for a temporary suspension of foreign aid to prove to President Museveni that democracy is the only option and that terror will not be tolerated.

FDC’s spokesman Mr Wafula Oguttu told The Monitor last Monday that the diplomatic community was hesitant to freeze aid to Uganda abruptly because it had a moral obligation towards the people of Uganda.

He said donors pledged to cut aid to a bare minimum in the next budget. The donors contribute more than 52% to Uganda’s budget. As the former colonial power with the longest association with Kampala, Britain’s actions towards Uganda tends to guide other donors in assessing their relationship with the country.

The donors have increasingly come out to criticise several aspects of the transition including the proposed constitutional amendments especially about lifting of presidential term limits to allow a third term for President Yoweri Museveni. They have also criticised the need for a referendum, which would cost about Shs 30 billion yet both sides, the government and the opposition, are going to campaign for the same thing - allowing multipartyism.

The president has on several occasions shot back at the donors’ interest in the country’s politics. Museveni at one time told a donors meeting in Kampala on May 16 2001 that he would not entertain them meddling into his government affairs.

He warned that Africa is witnessing conflict, but could unite and fight [donors] “like we fought” the colonialists. “I don’t know why you want to recreate all this tension all the time. So much of this arrogance, I find very annoying. It should not be there. I advise you against it,” Museveni warned, adding that he could afford to reject donor handouts."

SOURCE: The Monitor, published on 29th April 2005.

Time for a little restaurant review… (II)

Okay, I was right. The restaurant of the Emin Pasha is great. I am not a big fan of fish. However, yesterday's fish was delicious. I will definitely go there again! And next time I will go for the steak because they added French Fries to the menue. I know this is a disgusting choice for most dishes, however, I think it is one of the best for steak.

And I fear I am not the only person who likes the restaurant. It was so crowded yesterday. Among others there was also the German delegation around the CSU-Landesgruppenchef und Erster Stellvertretender Vorsitzender der CDU/CSU-Bundestagsfraktion, Mr. Michael Glos. Although we expected him to order a Weißbier, a well informed source of the delegation told us that he did not do that...

M7 sets priorities...

... and it is not the Home Bill. Who is wondering?
If it would pass as envisaged the traditional men's role would change and e.g. domestic rape would become a criminal offence and having more than one wife would only be allowed for Muslims (under certain conditions). So, why should any man in Parliament be interested in passing the law so close before the elections?





The original article from The New Vision:

Home Bill may wait – Museveni

WARRIOR: Museveni holds a spear and a shield at the Hoima Boma grounds on Tuesday

By William Rwebembera THE Domestic Relations Bill (DRB) may not be passed as a law, following complaints and resistance it has faced from the public, President Yoweri Museveni has said. Museveni said the Bill was not urgently needed and could be halted to allow consultations from both the public and the government. He said halting it would calm Muslims and other men who feel that it had marginalised them. “It has raised a lot of public outcry and it is something which is not urgently needed. I am going to talk to Cabinet and the concerned committee and see if it can be put aside for the time being, and it will be brought back after some consultations,” he said. He was on Tuesday addressing Hoima district local leaders in the town. The leaders expressed discomfort over the proposal of one man one wife, saying it would not favour the many women who would remain unmarried because of the unequal ratio of men to women. There are about 500,000 women more than men. The President also commissioned a multi-million British American Tobacco store at Kibati and launched The Liberty Broadcasting Services, a local FM station. Published on: Thursday, 28th April, 2005

American Students suffer from the American Administration

Please check this serious source out:

http://www.theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4117&n=1

Using Skype in Uganda (2)

My previous comment on "Using Skype in Uganda" is now being referred to on an Skype forum:
http://forum.skype.com/viewtopic.php?t=25219

Well, I better pay attention what I write :->

The official position can be obtained from the Uganda Communication Commission:
http://www.ucc.co.ug/faq.html

So, basically only UTL and MTN are allowed to offer VoIP:
"An Exclusivity Period was granted to these two national telecom operators in which the provision of what is termed as protected telephony service was restricted to these operators and those other service providers licensed prior to the beginning of this Exclusivity Period to provide the same services. This protected telephony service consists of basic telephony service (real time voice communications including voice over internet protocol - VoIP), Cellular telecommunications service and satellite service. The Exclusivity Period runs for five years beginning 25th July 2000."

1st May 1985

I decided to break a self set rule. I admit that I have never really overcome an event that took place almost 20 years ago. It is because I find myself mentioning the event every year around this time. Why? It is long ago. It has no impact on me any more. Or is that wrong? Probably and I have been thinking about consulting a psychologist before. But what shall that person tell, what I do not know? Nothing.

Well, so far, I have decided to keep it as I traditionally handled it. I will do nothing on 30th April and 1st May. Until I moved to Frankfurt, I had been going to Gütersloh every year. But then I skipped it. Maybe, it is time to fully go on and come over it. I have an invitation for brunch for Sunday. Maybe, I should just confirm. I mean, what is the point of continuing mourning.

HIV/AIDS orphans II

Today, my new colleague asked me, what he shall do. He could take over the house of another colleague subject to taking over the house maid, too. The reason is that the maid and her child are HIV positive and their treatment is being paid for by the current lessee. Basically, he wants a new lessee who would take care of her and the child.

What would you do?
Immediately, I said: Do not do that![1]

It is definitely not because of their medical condition. It is because of the additional responsibility that is put upon him. Why should he bear the burden of having to care for two persons whom he barely knows? What if the mother dies first? Shall he raise the kid?

---

[1] If I suggest decision to be made by others, I can be pretty tough…

419 Spam

When I read today’s World Bank Press Review, I came across the following news:

“Nigeria At Risk Of $33 Billion Default
Nigeria is heading towards an Argentinean-style default on its $33 billion of overseas debt unless western creditors accept a deal to alleviate the country's financial burden, The Guardian (UK) reports a delegation from west Africa's biggest economy said in London yesterday. (…)”

Immediately, I had this brilliant idea of how the pitiful government of Nigeria could avoid its default of 33bn USD. They should impose a tax on all deposits of deceased people and they could immediately repay their international debt. I mean considering the number of emails I receive from Nigeria, there must be billions of USD on dormant accounts. Thus, this country’s problems are solved. Give me another one!

Honestly, I kind of enjoy reading those 419 spam emails and if I can barely stop laughing I reply. Other times, it is just terribly stupid what they come up with. Then I suggest attending courses at the University of Nigeria :-) But what I cannot understand is, why anybody can be so stupid thinking that those stories are real.

Using Skype in Uganda

I have always thought that I would be sufficiently computer literate to solve all computer challenges that I encounter. However, I had been disappointed when I could not install and run Skype properly. It was just not possible to sign-up. Thus, I did it at my brother in law’s home, but still it was not possible to set up a connection, when I was back in Uganda.

Yesterday, I learnt why it has not been possible in Uganda. There are some internet service providers which obey the current laws and those prohibit the use of Voice-over-IP (i.e. the underlying technology of Skype)… But fortunately the law is supposed to be changed in July.

Until then, most internet service provider block access to Skype. I wonder, what would happen if the respective Ministry/Council would know about this possibility. Would they block access to certain other content, which might harm the moral of the Ugandan people? Since the Ugandan government is good friends with the Chinese, they probably already know about all those scary technical possibilities.[1]

I was reliefed because I thought, I was too stupid to install a simple program, plug in speakers and turn on the microphone… I mean, come on, the most challenging part – to install the program and to sign up with Skype – was designed for Americans, too[2] :->

---

[1] I am also wondering, whether everything I type is monitored. It is possible to log all keystrokes, sites visited etc. – I am aware of the fact that I am a completely transparent user. If others want to know anything about me, they will find all they need online. Isn’t that scary…

[2] Actually, it was my 63years old American colleague who conviced me to use Skype…

Hitch - The Date Doctor

Hitch is a funny movie. I can highly recommend it! Although I fast forwarded some parts, when I knew it would end tragic...

And of course, it is worth watching it just because of Eva Mendes alone - she is just such an eye candy! Especially in that scene, when she was waiting for her friend in the bar when she wore her glasses.

Comment on the St. George's Ball

I forgot to post my comments on the St. George’s Ball.

It was very British, so I feared that they would serve British dishes, too. And indeed they did but surprisingly, it tasted good. The people were nice, especially those at our table. But what could I complain about…

Music: It was not really my favourite music collection that this German DJ played… And the speakers sucked. The sound was terrible.

Beverages: They served nothing, I particularly liked. Therefore I drank water and juices except for the drinking games. Then, I necked/downed[1] a glass of white wine during a “boat race”…oh and I sang….

Songs: I got a lot of insights into the mysteries of the British society. They sing strange songs and do not provide lyrics for non-Brits. That was interculturally insensitive.[2]

Rest rooms: No water and too few – shall I continue explaining the situation?

Service: The usual Ugandan standards were met…

Best excuse: The Sheraton could not deliver the dinner on time because there was a traffic jam on the way to Garden City.[3]

Venue: It was a bit strange to walk through Garden City with a tuxedo but at least I was not wearing high heels like the women…[4]

---

[1] It is just wonderful to have a native speaker around who can answer all my questions and who speaks perfectly German, too.

[2] I will have to learn the lyrics of the British musical heritage so that I can contribute accordingly next time. My new British colleague will take care of that part. He will of course start with "Jerusale" and he also insisted on an intensive training weekend where we will train "real" boast races. He said, one usually does not stop until at least one team member falls off the boat - I figure "passes out" would be another appropriate synonym. I hope he will not find other training partners too soon...

[3] Those who are familiar with the traffic situation in Kampala will immediately know that there was no traffic jam on the extremely short distance between the Sheraton and Garden City.

[4] Indeed I wore my new shoes – tailormade from Crane Shoes. Very nice and comfortable. I can recommend them

HIV/AIDS orphans

There are some situation I simply cannot cope with. One oft those was on Saturday. My former favourite waitress from the Lebanese restaurant at Garden City met me because she had - as usual – a problem. Before, I supported her after she was fired for being ill for two days, then I took care of the financial aspect of her medical treatment etc. Well, although she said that this time she needed no financial assistance I was well prepared to bail her out.

Unfortunately, she was (partly) right. She did not ask for money but she disclosed that she was recently tested HIV/AIDS positive and that she would not qualify for any kind of advanced treatment (like ARVs).[1] Her relief and concern was her six-year old son. He was tested negative and facing death, she is worried about her son’s future. What else would one expect from a caring mother?

So, but what was I supposed to do? I avoided committing myself and promised to find out whether there is an organisation that deals whith those cases…

---

[1] By then I realised that I still have no clue about HIV/AIDS treatments.

Die spinnen, die Amerikaner...

... oder zumindest manche von Ihnen: http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,353072,00.html

Announcement of the Knights and Ladies of the Order of Just Kicking (Kampala) - Annual Ball of the St George's Society of Kampala

Following the tradition of the St George Knights of the Garter I have the priviledge to be invited to attend the inaugural meeting of the aforementioned Order and I was called upon as the

Baron Torsten Greased Lightening von Schlink, The Rt Hon Baron of Nakasero. Lord Chancellor of the Privy Purse

I am graceful.


Yours-in-chivalry
Torsten

Kardinal Ratzinger is Papst Benedikt XVI

He was chosen, so let us see what he will contribute. It might not be too bad to have conservative Catholic leader. And I say this as an enlightened, liberal protestant. I appreciate open mindedness but at the same time I appreciate a clear set of values. And this is something Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedikt XVI has stood for.

One should not forget that it is the Catholic Church and not a lifestyle company, which has to catch up any trend to attract costumers. Therefore, the Pope need not be someone who indifferently follows or declares new sets of values. No, actually, I believe that the values set by the Catholic Church must be timeless and should not be changed to accommodate every new development in our modern societies.

I say this knowing that some of the rulings can (or shall I say should) be criticised and might be based on single-sided interpretations of the Holy Bible. I would even be worried, if I would see tendencies of fundamentalism. This is fortunately not yet the case. Furthermore, I believe that religion is a personal issue and that everybody should be free to believe or not.

But I admit, I have the German society in mind, which might not do justice to less open societies, which obviously exist and where the church (the Catholic Church) has a bigger influence. Having this in mind, I should maybe reconsider my opinion…

Un hommage á la Suisse et ma famille!

Oh, I would have loved to join my father visiting my sister in the Suisse Alpes!

But rather than enjoying l'après-ski, the snow and sun, I am "here". I felt so jealous, when I saw the pictures of the beautiful landscape the great ski pistes and of course Genève...

On Sunday, it was my sister's birthday and my other younger sister and her boyfriend visited her. They had a great party. Well, I had the same, just not quite like them and in a completely different environment.

Class of 2002 - Business School of Finance and Management (formerly known as HfB-Hochschule für Bankwirtschaft)

It was such a nice day. Those who find me, will be invited for dinner![1]


_________________________
[1] Eligible are only people living in Kampala and this invitation is only valid until 30th April 2005 and I will chose the restaurant (i.e. it will be probably the Belgian one).

"Found" a new singer

It is Damian Rice. I like his music. It sounds a bit melancholic.

How do you listen to music? Do you immediately pay attention to the texts? I guess you do. I do not do that, if it is not a German song. Then, I do not have to pay attention; I follow the text unconsciously.

I enjoy the rhythm and beats first. If I listen to it a second time, I try to understand the text and usually after the first time listening while running, I understand the text partly. Then I usually search for the lyrics online and if I am in a good mood, I even start singing ;-)

But honestly, until my exchange semester I had not understood any English song. Maybe that was one of the reasons, why I had not any interest in listening to music.

Another Saturday, another Ball...

I really get used to it. On Saturday there are balls, parties or fashion shows. Next Saturday there is the St. George's Ball. I wonder whether anybody had thought I would hesitate to buy a ticket :->

Well, there is still this issue with my principles ("Never attend a ball without company."), but I interpret this generously. These balls here are not as formal as they are in Europe.

Time for a little restaurant review…

Yesterday, I had dinner at this new hotel/restaurant: The Emin Pasha [1]

It has an amazing design, it is greatly located and on average people liked it and praised the food. So, it was time to check it out. And indeed it was surprisingly nice designed and looked quite good. Let’s consider the facts:

Starter: Mozzarella and Tomatoes
Just delicious!

Main Course: Rump Steak, Rice and Pepper Sauce
I wonder what you can do wrong. “How to grill a steak” is probably one of the first lessons for chefs, so I thought it might be insulting to order a steak instead of some fancier dish. Probably it was insulting because my steak was terrible. I ignore the fact that I had to go for rice (alternatives were mashed potatoes or couscous) instead of more appropriate “normal potatoes or even better French fries/chips and I also do not comment on the fact that it was no pepper sauce… The worst was the steak itself. It was terribly sinewy.
Okay, I should not complain here but there. However, I do not like to complain in restaurants. They are supposed to get it right in the first place.

Dessert: First nothing, then Citrus-Lemon-Tart (with vanilla ice cream)
My company ordered Citrus-Lemon Tart while initially I did not want any dessert after the disappointment with the main course. But after tasting the tart, I also ordered a piece. We took this chance and remembered the waiter to bring the ice cream, which did not come with it. Well, first the waiter came back and told us that there was no ice cream any more. I would lie if I said I was surprised. Then he returned again and told me that they had no tart any more…

Bar: Single Red Label with Coke and a lot of Ice
It was a challenge to make him understand my order. And the most challenging part “ice” must have been really too complicated. Well, after some minutes waiting on the very comfortable sofa, I got my ice, too.

Well, finally, we also had a look at the rooms. Very impressive. Very clean. Very comfortable and nicely decorated. It is indeed an up-class hotel. However, isn’t it interesting, the better something is the more one concentrates on the details and one starts to criticise the itty-bitty details? But I will stop now. I should not forget where I am ;-)

Conclusion 1: Would I go there again?
Yes. It is just nice. Especially the comfortable bar area is perfect for e.g. a date. Since there are various other dishes on the menu, I will try something different from the steak next time.

Conclusion 2: Would I stay there? No, although it is nice, I would not pay 250 USD for a night.



[1] If anybody is interested to learn more about the name of the place, check out Wikipedia.

Finally...

The internet site from Rouge is online.

Boy drowned in our pool

I removed the posting from this morning 7.00 a.m. [1]

When I woke up an hour ago and looked down the pool, where there were the two Ugandan boys playing as usual. Now, there is only one boy left. Dead. He must have drowned. A couple of people from the AAR are standing around and his body lies awkwardly turned at the pool side.

This makes me feel sick and angry. Of course there is the sign, which says “Swim at your own risk/no life guards” etc, but this could (probably) have been prevented.

It took three hours until the police came and moved the dead boy's body away. Before there was someone who examined (or more likely declared the demise of) the boy and who has tried to arrange the head, the arms and legs... That looked terribly cruel, although it was probably necessary - to made him fit into the coffin.


[1] For those, who may wonder what I post in the early morning, this is a short version of that morning's posting:
Firstly, a woman said, I was invited to a party by saying „tomorrow, we will have a party at our house“. I did not understand this as an invitation at all and therefore I wished her fun (without any second thought). Previously, she also mentioned parties and I am pretty sure that she never intended to invite me.
Secondly, I was accused of preferring to talk with a German woman. Of course, I prefer to talk with other Germans when I am drunk instead of talking to e.g. someone who turned me down two times and who usually does not wait for my answers.

So, what was the point then yesterday? Why did I have to defend myself? Despite the fact that I read the dictionary Men-Women (a German bestseller) while I was at the airport in Dubai, I still do not have any idea. Usually those discussions come up during a relationship, don't they? But this is not the case at all.
Thus, my help- and clueless conclusion is : Women simply behave strangely and I should not make efforts to understand them.

Pharmacies in Uganda

Pharmacists in Uganda are said to be able to avail anything as long as you can pay for it. No, not anything! They do not have Viagra. I do have a hilarious colleague, who likes to tease everybody[1]. So, since this Indian pharmacist is known for having anything, the colleague asked the Indian, whether he could help him coping with his demanding significant other and whether he could e.g. have some Viagra. Well, he was very sorry not being able to offer the infamous blue pills but only “medications” on herbal basis, which would have the benefit of not affecting his heart. Isn’t he caring, our Indian pharmacist? Since then, the significant other does feel a bit uncomfortable going to that pharmacist and my colleague was disappointed because his heart was considered to be weak and he found out that the pharmacist does not have any drug (or at least not for him at that moment…) But I have been lucky with the service of this pharmacists. I could buy the birth control pills for my colleague. Although it was a challenge. They come in so many versions. I was surprised. Fortunately, there is no such pill for men. I would just be swamped with the decision, whether I need ferrous supplements and what else.

Just today the pharmacist we trust helped me. But this was not even remotely as complicated as dealing with pregnancies[2] ;-) No, it was just my generally unattractive outward appearance, which has been further negatively affected by a strange kind of infection (as I would call it). It started on the left side of my face as little hard swellings that hurt if squeezed. After one week it “wandered” to the right side of my face. Furthermore, my skin became over sensitive, so shaving became also painful procedure… Thus, I finally decided to visit the pharmacist’s. He gave me broad spectrum antibiotics… I would never apply any drug without prior consultation of a medical doctor in Germany. But here, I walk into a pharmacy and I take whatever I am offered. This is just stupid. Besides, my mild form of neurodermatitis seems to start again and like in New York, it started again at my wrists[3], which might become very unpleasant. Okay, it already started in March but since it has not been painful yet and since have been able to control scratching, I did not spare time to visit my dermatologist, when I was in Frankfurt. So, I decided, it should just disappear again having in mind that it has usually a psychological reason… The pharmacist might have also something against this problem. Just in case, I can really stay longer in Kampala and it does not disappear.



[1] Once, he ordered vegetarian ice cream in a Chinese restaurant…
[2] Well, I have second hand experience how men deal with pregnancies, especially “unexpected” pregnancies. I tell you, this can be anything between nightmare and heaven on earth… And I would definitely not contact the nice Indian chap in those cases…
[3] And somewhere else, which is really annoying.

Another nice paper...

This morning I scanned my newsletters for new papers, which relate to my research but as usual I also openend other paper, which were just interesting like this:

Shapo, Marshall S., "Are Babies Efficient?" . Oregon Law Review, Vol. 83, pp. 287-288


It is basically a short story about the actions of a one year old granddaughter, whose actions seem to be efficient and thus capable of tort.

Well, since it was only two pages, I immediately read it. I would be happy if I did the same with the papers I am supposed to find interesting :->

I am too long in this country

For the tenth of a second, I thought the newspaper article, which is copied below, would make sense... But then my brain rebooted and let me know that there must be something wrong with it. There must be some links to Toyota.

Please mind the thoughtful order of the statements and the reasoning.

I'll miss it. In only a few weeks, I will sit in my kitchen and read the (paper version of the) F.A.Z. while I will have toast, strawberry marmelade, muesli and cacao for breakfast... Here it is mandasi, or samosa, or ferry cake and tea and the online versions of all local and some German newspapers - it is just styleless.


"Ministers to use Land Cruisers

THE Prime Minister, Prof. Apolo Nsibambi, has said it has been recommended that ministers use Land Cruisers instead of Pajeros, as their official vehicles, reports Joyce Namutebi. He was responding to concerns raised by MPs during discussions with the parliamentary committee on presidential and foreign affairs. The committee had called the Premier to review allocations to his office and priorities for the next budget. Aggrey Awori (Samia Bugwe North) said the Government was too large and a lot of money was being spent on maintaining people. He questioned the rationale of having so many expensive vehicles instead of having vehicles of smaller engine capacity. He asked Nsibambi to explain why government vehicles transport matooke, saying they should be parked at the ministry at 6:00pm. “The new recommendation is a Land Cruiser. It’s more durable and our roads are in a bad state,” he said, adding that ministers were required to travel all over the country and should have vehicles that can traverse the difficult roads. He said attendance of performance of ministers in Parliament was poor. Nsibambi said it was the policy of the Government that ministers use Prados but “we have discovered that even those cars are unstable.” “The new recommendation is a Land Cruiser. It’s more durable and our roads are in a bad state,” he said."

Published on: Wednesday, 13th April, 2005 in The New Vision

Recently at the Veterinary's

A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon. As she laid her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest.

After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I'm so sorry, your Duck Cuddles has passed away."

The distressed owner wailed, "Are you sure? "Yes, I am sure. The duck is dead," he replied. “How can you be so sure," she protested. "I mean, you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."

The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room, and returned a few moments later with a black Labrador retriever.

As the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.

The vet patted the dog and took it out, and returned a few moments later with a cat.

The cat jumped up on the table and also sniffed delicately at the bird from head to foot. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and strolled out of the room.

The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck."

Then the vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman.

The duck's owner, still in shock, took the bill.
"$150!" she cried, "$150 just to tell me my duck is dead!!"

The vet shrugged. "I'm sorry. If you'd taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20, but with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it's now $150.00."

After an usual Weekend in Kampala...

Why do people commit shoplifting?
Some might have already guessed that I am alluding to the poor chap who happened to find some panties and a pen in his pocket, when he left a local supermarket, which unfortunately were not paid for when he passed the check-out. However, since I do not know the facts, you may follow-up the case in the newspapers. And since one daily is even threatened to be suit, it might become even funnier…

No, I am wondering why anybody might be tempted to put some panties into his trousers’ pocket and take a pen, if he or she could easily afford buying those cheap things. What can be the driving force to commit shoplifting? Maybe the panties were ugly and the person might not want to see others using him cheap office supplies… Honestly, I would mind if such a person be sacked.

Does it make any difference who steals? Is someone who is less favoured more eligible to steal a pair of underwear and a pen than someone who belongs to the social/political elite? Is it appropriate to “sentence” them to pay ten times the amount the stolen (and recovered) items cost and leave them going without formally suing them? Isn’t that a discriminating against poor people who may deserve the right to steal certain things in order to survive? And what is the ethic answer to that question anyway: Are people allowed to steal, when they are hungry? What about the needy in general? Where is the limit of ethically sanctioned stealing?

Completely unrelated to this:
Rumours go that I had a girlfriend. Depending on whom you believe it is either a French or a British girlfriend… But obviously this is not true, why should I change my usual status shortly before I leave? I just have a couple of female friends – nothing more and there are no further intentions. Moreover, I still like that American lady. But whenever, we talk to each other it is always about her pair of glasses or we talk about her boyfriend or to be more precise male friend – he was not very clear, when we talked about her recently and since he showed more intentions I had backed off anyway several weeks ago. Nevertheless, she is nice and I like to give her shit :-) (which was by the way the only colloquial expression that she ever used when we talked with each other). But would fulfil most of the list of requirements: she has a beautiful outward appearance (bei der sich Mutter Natur nicht in ein paar Jahren rächen wird…) she has the right profession, can behave in public in general and at official functions, does not have this terrible North American voice, and does not seem to be as superficial as one might expect.

And for those who might wonder, what happened to the 1l-bottle of Jägermeister. It is empty. We emptied it this morning. It was a funny birthday party and I was happy to be able to offer an alternative to Sambuca or Tequila. I had to drink Sambuca at the Irish pub on Friday. That was tough enough. The have now white waitresses, of which one can speak German. This was partly conducive to their turnover, I have to admit and I think it was also in favour of her tips…

So another weekend is almost over and there are only seven left until I will head back to our headquarters in Frankfurt, unless I get an extension. But since I am not sure, I will take all remaining leave days and go to some national parks.

It is just so unfair. It always takes me so long to find friends and to settle down in a new environment and then I have to leave again. Maybe, I should settle down somewhere. I thought about applying at a bank in Uganda. That would be fun and I could start playing golf ;-)

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that I stood just two meters away from the President on Wednesday evening. He was also in Munyonyo and his guards did not let us pass to our reception because we would have crossed his way. I was talking to a friend on the phone and when I was spotted by one of the presidential guards he signalled me to switch off the phone. So I hung up and turned to some colleagues asking them what would happen if I tried to take pictures – “Don’t dare that! And turn around”, our country director said and there he was: The President of the Republic of Uganda. I was surprised to see that he was not as tall as I expected. And in contrast to his speeches I heart, his small talk was clear and fluent. I was indeed surprised.

The "real" and unpublished answers of Dr. Sommers

I got a kick out of it, when I read those comments for the first time. So, I would like to share the fun with others and post them here. But do not ask what I had intended to find, when I came across those "real" answers of Dr. Sommers....

RACHEL, 15: Ich habe seit einem halben Jahr einen Freund, und allmählich wollen wir auch miteinander schlafen. Doch da gibt es ein Problem, das mich sehr bedrückt. Als ich nämlich mit meiner Freundin darüber sprach sagte sie, dass sich der Körper nach dem ersten Mal nicht weiterentwickelt. Davor habe ich Angst, denn meine Figur ist noch sehr kindlich. Wenn das stimmt, würde es auch meine Mutter bemerken. Das will ich auf keinen Fall....

Eine interessante Theorie, so stoppt man also den Alterungsprozess!

CAROLINE, 17: Vor acht Monaten schlief ich zum erstenmal mit meinem Freund. Aber ich habe noch nie einen Orgasmus erlebt. Ich hatte zwar oft ein super Gefühl, aber ich war noch nie so richtig high. Manche Mädchen schreien doch dabei, verlieren sogar sekundenlang das Bewusstsein. Oder ist das nicht die Norm?

Bewusstlosigkeit beim Sex? - Aha, ich dachte immer die wären dabei eingeschlafen. Danke Caroline!

MANUEL, 13: Ich habe was Komisches an mir entdeckt und weiß nicht, ob es in Ordnung ist. Vor kurzem habe ich versucht mich selbst zu befriedigen. Dabei hüpfte mein Penis im steifen Zustand eine ganze Weile von selber auf und ab. Dann kam eine wässrige Flüssigkeit heraus. War das ein Samenerguss? Und wieso bewegt sich mein Penis selbst?

Manuel, er nickt doch nur weil es ihm gefällt!

KATI, 14: Mein Freund (14) ist total süß und lieb. Wir sind sehr offen zu-einander und reden über alles. Wir haben schon viel ausprobiert. Zum Beispiel berühren wir uns überall. Manchmal liegen wir auch ausgezogen übereinander und bewegen uns wie beim Geschlechts-verkehr. Das geht oft so lange, bis mein Freund einen Samenerguss kommt. Ich habe manchmal ein bisschen Angst, denn ich habe ja auch schon meine Regel. Richtig tun wollen wir "es" erst so mit 16 oder 17 Jahren. Jetzt würde uns interessieren, ob das okay oder in unserem Alter irgendwie schädlich ist.

Wirklich interessant, was die Jugend heut so in ihrer Freizeit tut. Richtig würde ich es an Eurer Stelle noch nicht tun, da hört man auf zu wachsen, kann ohnmächtig werden und kriegt einen krummen Rücken. Haben Eure Eltern Euch das noch nicht erzählt??

BIANCA, 12: Mich beschäftigt eine Frage zum Thema AIDS. Die Jungs und Mädchen in meiner Klasse trinken manchmal aus dem selben Glas oder gleichen Flasche. Kann man sich dadurch nicht auch anstecken? Und wie ist das beim Küssen?

Liebe Bianca, Dein Brief hat mich ja schockiert.. Haben Deine Mitschüler echt alle AIDS? Bist Du etwa in einer Schule für Frühreife? Sollte es bei Dir noch nicht zu spät sein, wechsle die Schule!

EVA, 15: Seit längerer Zeit sind auf meinen Schamlippen so komische Pickel. Sie gleichen denen, die man manchmal auf der Zunge hat. Ist das was Krankhaftes? Wenn ich meine Tage habe, riecht das Menstruationsblut fürchterlich nach Fisch. Hat das vielleicht mit diesem Ausschlag zu tun? Außerdem sind meine beiden Schamlippen lang und schrumplig. Die linke ist sogar länger als die rechte. Das sieht echt eklig aus.

Also das ist wirklich eklig, ich kann gar nix dazu sagen *würg* ...

KARIN, 13: Aus meiner Scheide hängen zwei dicke Hautlappen heraus. Ich kann mir nicht vorstellen, dass das normal ist. Bei meiner Freundin, die ich schon mal nackt gesehen habe, ist mir das nicht aufgefallen. Ich habe Angst, dass ich Probleme bekomme, wenn ich später mal mit einem Jungen schlafen will. Tampons kriege ich auch nicht in meine Scheide. Ich habe es schon ein paar Mal vergeblich versucht. Kann ein Arzt so was operieren?

Du solltest Dich mal mit Eva (15) in Verbindung setzen, vielleicht kann sie Dir ja helfen. Was das Tampon-Problem betrifft: Die kommen längs rein und immer nur einer!

MANUELA, 15: Ich habe einen Freund, mit dem ich auch regelmäßig schlafe. Ich nehme die Pille, er zusätzlich ein Kondom. Wir haben aber ein Problem dabei. Weil der Penis meines Freundes recht groß und dick ist, hat er Schmerzen beim Geschlechtsverkehr. Das Kondom ist nämlich zu eng und passt auch nicht in der Länge. Es ist schon passiert, dass das Kondom geplatzt ist. Bei der Anwendung machen wir bestimmt nichts falsch. Gibt es Kondome in Sondergrößen?

Das Kondom ist zu eng und zu kurz und platzt beim Gebrauch? Ja, das kenn ich ist man erst mal in dem Scheißding drin, fällt einem das Atmen schwer und kaum holt man mal tiefer Luft, platzt es. Außerdem spannt es im Gesicht. Vielleicht sollte Dein Freund das nächste Mal erst mit den Füßen in das Präservativ (Anmerkung: das heißt auch Kondom) steigen und nicht wie sonst mit dem Kopf voran.

BEATE, 15: In meiner Clique reden die Mädchen viel über Sex. Kürzlich haben sie sich darüber unterhalten, dass man einen Orgasmus vortäuschen kann. Aber keine hat genau gewusst, wie man das macht. Können Sie es uns sagen?

Also ich könnte da eher den männlichen Lesern helfen, aber die Sache mit dem warmen Joghurt ist ja eigentlich ziemlich bekannt. Dir Beate kann ich nur sagen, wenn ihr irgendwann mal im Cliquen-Kreis die Vortäuschung eines Orgasmus übt, ruft mich an, da möchte ich dabei sein!

TANJA, 14: Ich bin sehr gespannt auf mein erstes Mal. Aber ich habe panische Angst vor einer ungewollten Schwangerschaft. Die Pille möchte ich noch nicht nehmen. Also bleibt das Kondom. Kann man nicht zwei oder drei Kondome übereinander ziehen, damit nichts daneben geht? Meine Freundin sagt jedoch, dass dann der Penis nicht mehr in die Scheide passt. Stimmt das?

Klar kann man mehrere Kondome übereinander ziehen, wenn's regnet zieh ich auch zwei paar Gummistiefel übereinander. Was Deine Freundin sagt stimmt, deswegen solltest Du nicht Opas Leinenkondome benutzen.

JAN, 13: Seit längerer Zeit habe ich gelbliche Pickel am Penis. Wenn ich sie aufdrücke, kommt ein eitriges Zeug heraus, das eklig riecht. Kann das vielleicht davon kommen, weil ich fast täglich onaniere? Ich kriege dann nämlich schon nach ein paar Sekunden einen Orgasmus. Ein Freund von mir sagt, das seien sogenannte Orgasmuspickel, ich müsse auf jeden Fall zum Arzt gehen.Davor habe ich aber schreckliche Angst.

ORGASMUSPICKEL......*uhahahaha*

NICOLE, 13: Seit einiger Zeit nehme ich Tampons.. Als ich den Tampon, den ich vor fünf (!!!!!) Tagen eingeführt hatte, wieder herausholen wollte, ist das Band abgerissen. Ich bekomme den Tampon nicht mehr aus meiner Scheide heraus. Ich habe das Gefühl, dass er sogar immer weiter hinein rutscht. Was soll ich tun? Ist es schädlich, wenn der Tampon in meinem Körper bleibt? Oder löst er sich irgendwann selbst auf?

Ja, ja, genau so war es auch bei meinem Gewehr das ich bei der Bundeswehr reinigen wollte, ich zog am Faden und er riss. Der Reinigungsdocht blieb im Lauf. Mein Unteroffizier meinte es wäre gefährlich, wenn der Docht im Lauf bliebe, deswegen hat er ihn ja dann auch rausgeholt. Ich kann Dir also nur das gleiche raten - Wende Dich an meinen Unteroffizier!

JANINE, 12: Mit meiner Freundin habe ich neulich überSelbstbefriedigung gesprochen. Zu Hause versuchte ich es nachzumachen, woran ich mich erinnerte. Ich hatte schnell so ein komisches Gefühl in der Scheide. Als ich weitermachte, wurde dieses Gefühl stärker, ich musste unwillkürlich dabei stöhnen. Und auf einmal zuckte ich zusammen. Dann war alles vorbei. War das wirklich ein Orgasmus oder nur Einbildung?

Also erst mal: Hättest Du Dir was zu Schreiben zu Deiner Freundin mitgenommen, hättest Du sicher noch mehr probieren können und zusammengezuckt bist Du nur, weil Du Dich erschrocken hast, als Papa in Deinem Zimmer stand. Aber mach Dir nichts draus, es ist ganz normal für ein Mädchen in Deinem Alter, sich in einer solchen Situation zu erschrecken.

LUKAS, 15: Ich habe noch keinen Geschlechtsverkehr gehabt und möchte deshalb wissen, wie das so abläuft. Tut es auch dem Jungen weh, wenn er zum erstenmal mit einem Mädchen schläft? Ist es schwer das Jungfernhäutchen zu durchstoßen? Soll der Junge besser versuchen, dem Mädchen zuerst mit den Fingern in die Scheide zu gehen? Wie ist das eigentlich, verwendet das Mädchen nach dem ersten Mal einen größeren Tampon?

Also, es braucht schon eine ganz schöne Kraftanstrengung das Jungfernhäutchen zu durchstoßen, würde Mann sonst stöhnen? Was willst Du mit den Fingern in der Scheide? - Das Jungfernhäutchen erst suchen? Größere Tampons nach dem ersten Sex? - Nein, das Mädchen rollt sich dann die Binde...

STEFAN, 14: Kürzlich bekam ich beim Fußballspielen einen Treffer ganz dicht neben meine Hoden. Jetzt hab ich richtig Angst vor dem nächsten Spiel. Es muss doch höllisch weh tun, wenn der Ball direkt die Hoden trifft. Kann man sich davor schützen?

Du brauchst doch keine Angst haben, Stefan. Sollte Dich beim nächsten Spiel der Ball echt in die Hoden treffen, dann wirst du halt nicht Fußballer sondern kommst in den Knabenchor. Musiker sind eh besser bezahlt als Fußballer.

JUDITH, 15:Mir ist was Schlimmes passiert. Ich habe mit meinem Freund während meiner Tage geschlafen. Denn er sagte, der Tampon sei ein gutes Verhütungsmittel, weil er das Sperma aufsaugt. Doch hinterher fand ich den Rückholfaden des Tampons nicht mehr. Der Tampon ist noch immer in meiner Scheide! Ich weiß nicht was ich tun soll. Mein Freund sagt, ihn ginge das nichts an.

Also, Dein Freund sollte mal das aufgeweichte Brötchen aus seinem Kopf nehmen! An dieser Stelle noch einmal: Es scheint ja, das so was mit den Tampons die nicht mehr raus wollen öfters passiert. Nicht das Ende mit dem Faden zuerst rein sondern andersherum. Am besten ihr knotet an das Ende des Fadens irgendwas (z.B. ein kleines Plüschtier) dann kann er nicht mehr verschwinden. Ansonsten kann ich wieder nur an meinen Unteroffizier verweisen.

LILLI, 15: Meine Freundin und ich haben uns nur so aus Scherz ein Kondom gekauft. Wir wollten mal sehen, wie sich das anfühlt. Können wir eigentlich die Kondome aufheben und sie vielleicht erst nach ungefähr einem Jahr benutzen? Oder sind sie nach einer bestimmten Zeit nicht mehr sicher?

Wenn ihr keine Löcher reingemacht habt (das ist wichtig!), sie wieder ordentlich zusammenrollt und in die Verpackung tut, könnt ihr sie aufheben und irgendwann benutzen. Das habt ihr aber nicht von mir gehört!

MARKUS, 14: Lieber Dr. Sommer, Ich möchte bald zum ersten Mal mit meiner Freundin schlafen. Meine Freundin hat mir gesagt, dass dabei das Jungfernhäutchen platzt. Nun habe ich Angst, dass meine Eltern durch den Knall wach werden und uns erwischen!

Ja ja... das erklärt auch die Risse in den meisten Hauswänden....

Some things seem to change never …

There will be my/our ten year Abitur anniversary on June 4th. Apart from the fact that I am faced with the fact that I left the Gymnasium ten years ago, I also wonder what I did in between and I think about what I thought I would have accomplished by now. Well, but this shall not be the topic.

So someone set up this internet site so that we could “find together” and I could not resist to post a bit. And the replies were as they used to be: I said, I would be happy to come to the party and that it was wisely timed because I would be back from the jungle[1] just three days earlier. Someone who did not know, what I am going here asked, and another person, whom I met in October replied that I would manage the wealth of some African dictators. Since that is not true at all, I replied. Maybe this was a too comprehensive answer, because then I was asked to prepare a presentation.

Now, you need to know, that I always love to give presentation (on anything). I like to stand in front of an audience and talk. I even prefer being asked – any question. This has not changed since school days. However, in those days I was not really liked for this preference by the “cool” guys of my classes. And the one who asked for the preparation was among them. Instead of replying immediately in an unfriendly way[2], I just dropped him a personal message asking, whether Powerpoint would be fine, how many pages for the hand outs and whether he could provide the beamer.

Fortunately he understood my sarcasm and he had become more mature since those school days. He just replied that his strength were to make fun of me and my presentations rather than preparing own ones and that instead of dwelling on those old “friction” and have some beers instead. I agreed.

Maybe, people do change.


________________________________
[1] Actually I wrote “Busch”, which is more general for some remote places on forgotten continents in German.
[2] I had been tempted to reply by using neither nice nor polite words but I refrained from doing so – something, I would have never dared back in the 90s.

NIce advice in the Blog's comments...

Out there in the internet, there are so friendly caring people. It is amazing. Today, I received a comment, which I had to delete – it is not that I do not appreciate feedback and recommendations given comments in general. No, it is more that I do not want to share the private information, which this comment would disclose with the general public. People might think I have a problem or even more than one.[1]

Well, but maybe I was just to fast deleting the posting. I should share the valuable information with others, because others might be tempted to buy thing, which that friendly chap warned me for: His advice was not to buy certain drugs like Tramadol, Fioricet, Penis Enlargement Pills, Penis Pills[2], and weight[3].

I admit I did not know what Tramadol[4] and Fioricet[5] were used for so I looked it up and decided I would have never considered buying either of them. I do not suffer from acute pain (does this involve broken hearts, then I might consider it next time) and I have not had any migraine attack for months and moreover, I would rely on my prescribed ones only.

I do not know, what a Penis Pill is good for, but I think I do not need it unless I get a doctoral advice. Weight – I really do not need more weight ;-) and I do not believe in weight loss pills. I know that I have to do eat less and do more exercises and I will lose weight. As regards to the Penis Enlargement Pills – well I think no man needs it. We all have at least 30cm/12in between our legs, don’t we? And besides, even it that it not the case for some poor chaps – sorry for you guys[6] - weren’t we all told that size doesn’t matter. I for my part have not had any complaints yet[7] ;-)

So, what was the point of that useless comment? I now know the scope of application for two more drugs and apart from that useless information was distributed. I do not even see how that guy could have made money with it. Hm. But wait. There are even some fellows who lost money to some 419 scam-mails (http://www.419eater.com/html/419faq.htm)…


________________________________________
[1] I probably do have, but this is another story.
[2] I assume there is a significant difference to the previous one, otherwise the friendly person wouldn’t have mentioned them, right?
[3] I assume, he meant weight loss pills.
[4] Tramadol: “This combination medication is used to treat acute pain. It is only recommended for short-term use (5 days or less).”
[5] Fioricet: “This medication is a pain reliever and sedative. It is used to relieve mild to moderate pain and tension headaches. OTHER USES: This medication may also be used to treat migraine headaches.”
[6] Okay, those were my five minutes as a macho for this year. I just could not pass on this assist...
[7] Although, as a prudent researcher, I would have to state the sample size and some descriptive statistics, which I prefer not to disclose unless I am directly asked by someone with some good reasons to do so. Or come and demand a sample :-) Okay, admitted. The five minutes as a macho were not over yet :-)

Morality and Ethics - Who is to set the standards?

I took the enclosed article home and expected my personal views be confirmed. Well, partly this was true. But I would never dare to compare the decisions made by the Media Council in Uganda with those of the Nazi regime. This is way to drastic and inappropriate. There are other cruelties and inhumanities, which might (or should) be compared with the worst inhumanity.

Although I would like to argue that censorship and exclusion by governments are generally unacceptable, I have to admit that this is not well thought through. What about child pornography (there are some cases in Germany right now)? What about the Playboy (just imported one into Uganda)? Where is the line to be drawn? What about right-wing extremists and left-wing extremists or royalists? Who shall have the freedom of speech or to right to be elected?
What about different sexual preferences? What is normal? Who is to decide on what is good and what is bad/evil (ethics)? Who is in the position to judge the morality? I doubt whether a media council or a respective ministry is the appropriate institution to do that.


The article:
"Inside Politics Inside Parliament Mar 30 - Apr 5, 2005 Somebody save "us from the hypocrites behind the Media Council By Badru D. Mulumba The morning the Media Council banned the Vagina Monologues play, I sent an SMS to Radio Sanyu host Seanice Kacungira.

Her co-host, James Onen was close to pronouncing the Media Council Special Person of day.I said, "This is one issue on which you can't be on the other side. It is a return of state censorship. Who knows, soon they censor your show.

“The Nazi came after the Jews, he said, 'after all I am not Jew’. They came after other races, he said ‘after all I am not one’. Then, they came after him and there was no body to help. Moral is, never sit on the fence.
"I was paraphrasing arguably the greatest moral lesson of the past century, if not of all times - a poem Germany pastor Friedrich Gustav Emil Niemoller, survivor of Adolf Hitler's death camps composed.

Niemoller (1892-1984), a submarine captain during World War I before becoming a pastor, backed Hitler's ascendancy to power in 1933 under popular mandate. Nazis detained him July 1937 for underhand attacks at the state. A special court martial sentenced him to eight months in prison. Re-arrested by Germany's secret police, Gestapo, upon his prison release, Niemoller narrowly survived execution in concentration camps, stepping out to freedom when Germany fell in 1945. After the V-Monologues were banned, East Africa TV faces closure over "inappropriate programming" and "sexually suggestive dances".

I tried hard to decipher the inappropriate scenes on EATV and concluded either I am blind or the pornscenes are coded and I couldn't break the code. A so-called Coalition for Morality, Ethics and Integrity writes to the Minister. The following day, the Minister directs the Media Council to take action. That same day, government's censorship arm writes to the TV threatening to withdraw the license. Familiar tale?

Significantly, after he made sure the Media Council banned the Vagina Monologues, Information Minister Dr. Nsaba Buturo went further to attack The New Vision over the same crime he now accuses EATV of.

Soon after, Makerere University Vice Chancellor Livingstone Luboobi, led a largely low-key demonstration, not just against what he called pornography, but also the internet.

A small vocal group of moralists are holding the nation sway. Trouble is they wield immense power. Which is why, their perverse xenophobia is moving from merely disgusting to very scary. Scary because such xenophobia is usually the harbinger to total break down of states.

Look at Zimbabwe. Robert Mugabe only discovered his anti-gay passion when his regime faced collapse. And in Germany, in 1933, as Nazis banned a gay center and 20,000 books --- which they said corrupted morals -- the church fully backed them. Soon, the Nazis were sterilising the mental patients, executing insane people, criminals, the terminally ill, the blacks and the Jews. And when they were done, they came after the Church, censoring its sermons and replacing unwanted priests with those beholden to Nazism. And in Uganda? Bishop Balaggadde Ssekadde reportedly remarked: "[Government] should go ahead and condemn all those imported cultures that are entering our society.

"When Media Council turns its teeth on him - or his church - there will be no EATV to back him up. By the time, Pastor Niemoller was prisoner, Hitler who had started out as a gay-bashing president had progressed to playing God, replacing Church replica with his own idols and photographs.

Hitler is 60 years gone, but, Uganda's tiny, paranoid, yet powerful mob could soon be playing God, the way he did. Who knows, next time, the Media Council could say WBS programmes are corrupting young people. But of course the real reason might be that it is not airing as much state propaganda as state TV.

Then, they could probably ban some magazines in newspapers; high heels, hot pants, and lip gloss because it draws' men's attention to ladies' lips; and internet and e-mail because regime opponents use it to abuse the President.

Internet might be blamed for spreading evil. But it is probably the last century's best innovation. It has changed the world much more than was thought possible. Zimbabwean exiles can now write a newspaper from outside their country. Kenyans were able to read internet versions of Ngugi wa Thiongo's books, which Moi had banned. Internet has changed a lot. Which is possibly why, dictators amongst us are scared stiff. Their end is nigh - and they know it. Trouble is that those dictators will stay a while - as they try to make life as miserable as possible.

The problem is most of us who are not willing to see the danger the small dictators amongst us pose.

Kenya's Roads and Public Works minister Raila Odinga brings this lesson home in his lecture on Political Party Leadership at the International Republican Institute seminar this month. First, a man prepared a trap, Raila said. Seeing the trap, the Rat ran and asked the chicken to help remove it. The chicken replied, "the trap is not for me". The goat, and cow were equally not concerned.

The trap grabbed a snake. The man thought the trap had grabbed a rat. When he went to check, he found a snake. It bit him. He died. People came to keep vigil. The chicken was slaughtered for breakfast. By midday, the numbers swelled; the goat was slaughtered. On burial day, the cow was slaughtered. Only the rat survived. "I want you people to remove the trap before it catches up with you." Lesson one: some times the trap gets the person who sets it.

Lesson two: don't seat on the fence when you see a trap some one else"
badru.mulumba@gmail.com
Published on 4th Arpil 2005 in The New Vision
Source

An interesting Fashion Show and General Thoughts

After some Jägermeister and several usual long drinks and a spontaneous “Yes” at 3a.m., I ended up slightly overdressed at a fashion show on Saturday evening, where some amateur models presented Indian fashion and in between there were two dance performances.

I was a surprisingly interesting event. I learnt that walking on the catwalk seems to be difficult indeed and that knowing the dance steps does not make you a good dancer… Well, but those were things I knew before but man keep on forgetting, don’t they? I will not comment on the performance of the models and the dancers because I am completely out of shape and it would be inappropriate. Just so much: There were some women, who are part-time models who did not have their best day and there were others, which do not only look beautiful but who really outperformed.

When I was young(er) and thin(er), we had to attend two seminars on how to dress, walk, present, greet and all this nonsense, which makes you look arrogant and untouchable. In addition my admired dancing trainer did not hold back his comments (to put it mildly), when he did not like my walking, shirt or what else. Mostly because I did not want to embarrass him, my dancing partner, and not myself of course, I obeyed and followed his advice and I still do - sometimes. On Saturday, I thought it would be time again to pull out a nice suit, the nice shoes etc. But apparently, if you belong to the Indian upper class, there is no need for style any more – at least not for the male part of it. The women wore their beautiful dresses and the men … well or those men are just more self-confident, which I am not at all.

Later (at the kind-of after-party) I told one of the best models – which is obviously a very subjective judgement – that she could do that professionally, but then she just referred to the minimum height, which made me think about the strange requirements but even more about my superficiality. The people had fun. The dancers were proud and the models looked all beautiful in their dresses. Nobody really cared about the remaining details – well they all complained about the late dinner… But I think I was the only person who cared about missing napkins, whether the handkerchief in my breast pocket is correctly folded and things like this. That is just stupid and completely irrelevant!

If you are wondering about the Jägermeister: I imported three bottles :-> It is not so much the shot itself but the memories. I had my first Jägermeister in a bar in New York. After I poured two of them with my friend, we went to the Coyote Ugly bar. The second time, it was in a bar on Houston Street, where I met the lady who was responsible for adult videos at this online shop…and so on and so on. But the very best thing was still New Year 2001/2002 (again in New York). Well, memories…
I wonder, what I will remember, when I leave this country and with whom I may stay in contact. Fortunately, I have no significant other. This has always been my biggest fear and it was a big issue, when I decided to go to Uganda on a long-term contract. I just could not stand to have to leave someone behind. But honestly, there has been and there will be no reason to worry about the last part in Uganda.