Africans In China

A couple have married after they were reunited when a long-lost love letter sent ten years ago was found unopened behind a fireplace.

Steve Smith and Carmen Ruiz-Perez, both 42, walked down the aisle on Friday following a separation of 16 years.

The pair fell in love and got engaged in their 20s after Carmen moved to England as a foreign student.

But after a year-long relationship the couple drifted apart when she had to move back to France.

A few years later Steve wrote to her in a bid to rekindle their romance - but Carmen’s mother put it on the mantlepiece and it slipped down the back of the fireplace.

It remained there unopened for the next decade until the fireplace was removed for renovations.

Carmen - who had remained single and never forgot the love of her life - was given the letter in which Steve had written: ‘I hope you are well. I was just writing to ask if you ever married and if you ever still thought of me?

‘It would be great to hear from you, please great in touch if you can. Steve XXX.’

Factory supervisor Steve said: ‘I didn’t write much because I assumed she would be remarried. I never thought it would take ten years to hear back.’

Carmen said she was initially too nervous to call as so much time had passed but plucked up the courage and the pair arranged to meet.

They met up in Paris a few days later and have now wed - 17 years after they first fell in love.

Steve, of Paignton, Devon, said: ‘When we met again it was like a film. We ran across the airport into each other’s arms.

As they were: The couple were in a relationship in 1993 when Carmen was studying in the UK but drifted apart when she returned to France

‘We met up and fell in love all over again. Within 30 seconds of setting eyes on each other we were kissing.

‘Now we’re married, I’m just glad the letter did eventually end up where it was supposed to be.’

Carmen, who is now living with Steve in Paignton, said the wedding was the pinnacle of an ‘amazing’ love story.

She added: ‘I never got married and now I’m marrying the man I have always loved.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1200726/Couple-reunited-lost-love-letter-discovered-fireplace-years.html#ixzz0LlrsmeSX

(dailymail.co.uk)

A Finnish millionaire Jari Bär, the former owner of the Iisalmi’s company Finnritilä was handed a fine of 111,888 euros (141,661 dollars) for doing 82 km/h (51 mph) in a 60 km/h (37 mph) zone on January in Siilijärvi, Finland.

According to Savon Sanomat if the speed had been 80 km/h the fine would have been only 115 Euros.

Looks like these extra 2 km were critical and cost him more than a brand new Porsche 911 GT3. In his case 20 km more would have been a standard fine, but these 2 extra kilometers made the difference.

Why such a huge speeding ticket? In Finland fines are issued according to ones salary per day. As Mr. Bär was 2 km over the standard fine range he had to pay his 12 days income. If his income in 2007 had been 50 euros a day, then the ticket would have been 600 euros.

It turns out that in 2007 he sold a majority stake in his company and in average made an impressive 9300 euros a day, which translates to a 111,888 euros speeding ticket. Of course Mr. Bär is not happy as his real income today is not that big.

In Finland tax records are public and there is no such thing as maximum fines. The more you make the more you pay!

Source: savonsanomat

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to the library or a computer lab and found someone still logged into their user account. It used to make me angry. It used to make me wonder what was wrong with people. I don’t know if they just forget or just don’t care, but either way they deserve to be messed with for their stupidity. It took almost a year of my life to find these and to some degree I feel bad, but I’m pretty sure these people won’t ever forget to log out again.

This one is pretty intense and I questioned actually doing it for a solid 15 minutes, but in the end I had to do what I had to do. Plus, she sounds like a pretty annoying girl from the look of her course load so that helped ease my guilt.

I found this gem a week or so ago when I was going to a computer lab. Apparently this genius just bought something off Amazon and forgot to log off his user account. I delved a little deeper and found this guy also opted to save all his information, including his credit card and address. He needs to learn a lesson or two about the internet and security.

This was one of the first ones I found. The girl made a mistake I’ve seen time and time again: she forgot to log out of her e-mail account, so I did what I had to. I invaded her privacy. I looked at a couple past e-mails, then came across one from her dad sent a couple weeks earlier. I thought I’d write him a little note.

I was working on my final paper at the library late one night when I found this one. It was about 1 a.m. and I was only halfway through and couldn’t connect to the wireless so I kept aimlessly walking around to take breaks every 15 minutes. This guy was still logged into facebook. All those girls were the girls who most recently signed his now ex-girlfriend’s wall.

So treat this as a public service announcement. Watch out. Log off. I’m lurking.

(http://www.collegehumor.com)

A 6-year-old Virginia boy who missed his bus tried to drive to school in his family’s sedan — and crashed. His parents were charged with child endangerment. State police said the boy suffered only minor injuries and authorities drove him to school after he was evaluated at a local hospital for a bump on his head. He arrived shortly after lunch, Sgt. Tom Cunningham said.

It happened around 7:40 a.m. Monday on Route 360, about 61 miles east of Richmond.

The boy, whose name wasn’t released, missed the bus, took the keys to his family’s 2005 Ford Taurus and drove nearly six miles toward school while his mother was asleep, police said.

He made at least two 90-degree turns, passed several cars and ran off the rural two-lane road several times before hitting an embankment and utility pole about a mile and a half from school.

The boy told police he learned to drive playing Grand Theft Auto and Monster Truck Jam video games.

“He was very intent on getting to school,” said Northumberland County Sheriff Chuck Wilkins. “When he got out of the car, he started walking to school. He did not want to miss breakfast and PE.”

His parents, Jacqulyn Deana Waltman, 26, and David Eugene Dodson, 40, are each charged with child endangerment, Wilkins said. Waltman is being held without bond. Dodson was released on a $5,000 bond.

It was not clear if they had attorneys.

The boy and his 4-year-old brother were placed in protective custody.

“This really is a story of miracles,” Wilkins said. “The Lord was with him, along with everybody else on the highway.”
(http://news.yahoo.com)

Former president George HW Bush, father of the outgoing US commander-in-chief, has touted another son, Jeb, for a future presidential bid.

“I’d like to see him run. I’d like to see him be president some day,” the elder Bush, 84, who was the 41st president, told Fox News yesterday.

“I think he’s as qualified and able as anyone I know,” he said in an interview, adding however that “now is not the time” to push another White House run by a member of his famous family dynasty.

“There have been enough Bushes in there,” said the octogenarian, who served as commander-in-chief from 1989 to 1993. His son, George W Bush, leaves the White House on January 20 after two terms.

He said son Jeb, a former governor of Florida, would also would make an “outstanding” senator representing the state.

“He’s a guy who really has a feel for people, the issues in Florida and nationally and his political days ought not to be over,” Bush said.

The former president also had words of praise for his older son, who faces relentless criticism and historically low opinion polls as he ends his eight-year White House stint in a little over two weeks.

“The fact that everything that’s a problem in this country should be put on his shoulders, that’s not fair,” Bush said.

“He ran a clean operation, having kept this country strong and free after unprecedented in history attack, 9/11, and he’ll have a lot to be proud of,” said Bush, adding “he’ll come home with his head high.”

(http://www.watoday.com.au/)

We all know the old adage: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” But in some countries, it’s even more important NOT to do what the Romans AREN’T doing.

Disparaging the royal family in Thailand

Thailand takes its monarchy very seriously, to the extent that insulting the king or royal family, verbally or otherwise, carries a high price.

Just ask Oliver Jufer, a 57-year-old Swiss expat who ran afoul of the lèse majesté law when he defaced portraits of King Bhumibol Adulyadej after a few too many Beer Changs. A Thai court handed him 10 years in jail (out of a possible 75), but his sentence was later commuted by the same king he had affronted.

Showing affection in Dubai

Technically, it’s illegal to hold hands in public in this Emirati tourist hotspot. Try rounding all the bases, as two British beachgoers did in July of this year, and you could find yourself in court at the epicenter of a culture war.

Smoking in Bhutan

Simply bringing tobacco into this tiny Himalayan country is costly—you’ll pay a 100% tax at customs. Smoke in public and you’ll be out $225 more. But if for some reason you’re caught selling tobacco products…that might just land you in a Bhutanese prison on smuggling charges.

Photo by g-hat.

Tagging in Singapore

Among the long list of legally defined no-no’s in this tiny island nation—littering, jaywalking, and leaving a toilet unflushed, for example—is graffiti vandalism. Remember Michael Fay, the 18-year-old American who pled guilty to spray painting cars in Singapore? Then you probably also remember that he was jailed, fined, and given four strokes of the cane for his crime.

Romancing a local in Iran

Iranian law makes it illegal for non-Muslim men to maintain relationships with Muslim women. (Don’t get too excited, all you non-Muslim ladies out there—I’m sure it works the other way, too!) Though rare, arrests of Westerners on this charge are not unheard of, and it’s doubtful that an Iranian jail cell would be your first choice of where to spend the next few years of your life.

Carrying a firearm in El Salvador

To curb gun violence, this Central American nation has strict licensing requirements for firearms. Several tourists have been detained for allegedly violating these regulations, despite at first being led to believe they had obtained all the documents necessary to carry their gun in the country. Moral of the story: leave the weapons at home. Years-long prison terms await offenders.

Photo by Azizul Ameir.

Running drugs in Indonesia

You have to be pretty dumb to dabble in drug smuggling abroad, but even dumber to do so here. While many countries enforce tough drug laws, Indonesia’s are some of the toughest, calling for death by firing squad for those convicted of this crime, regardless of their country of origin.

Slaughtering a cow in India

Though it’s a misconception that “Hindus worship cows,” bovine slaughter is indeed illegal in a number of Indian states. In fact, protection of the animal is enshrined in the country’s constitution. Few perpetrators are actually punished, but the law allows for a hefty fine and imprisonment for up to five years. Just in case you were planning to open a slaughterhouse here, consider yourself warned.

Naming a teddy bear “Muhammad” in Sudan

Teacher Gillian Gibbons found this out the hard way when she allowed her Sudanese students to name the class teddy bear. They chose “Muhammad,” and she went to jail, charged with inciting religious hatred. Though the court spared her the prescribed 40 lashes, she spent eight tense days in custody before being released. Obviously, decrees governing insults to Islam in Sudan are no laughing matter.

Trafficking in cultural antiquities in Turkey

So you’ve found the perfect Turkish souvenir to take home and impress friends and family. But do you know the whole story? If your souvenir falls into the broad category of “antiquity” as defined by the Turkish legal system, and you lack the proper documentation for its possession, your departure from the country may be delayed while you become familiar with the inside of a Turkish prison cell.

Photo by WaveCult (luis.m.justino).

Taking a nip in Saudi Arabia

Officially, it’s against the law to consume alcohol in Saudi Arabia. Period. In reality, expats who live in certain areas are allowed to bend the rule, as long as they do it quietly behind closed doors. But for those who like to play it safe (or are looking for the perfect excuse to kick the booze habit), it’s best to go without. The alternative could be a public lashing.

Breaking and entering in the U.S.

Okay, okay. You don’t want to do this anywhere, and if you do, you deserve whatever punishment you get. But try it in the U.S., where as many as 50% of homeowners keep a gun in the house, and your fate might be decided well before the cops show up.

(thetravelersnotebook)

Father Federico Lombardi, the Pope’s spokesman, said that without a spiritual life, people risked losing their souls.

“In the age of the cell phone and the internet it is probably more difficult than before to protect silence and to nourish the interior dimension of life,” Father Lombardi told the Vatican television show Octavia Dies. “It is difficult but necessary.”

“There is an interior and spiritual dimension of life that must be guarded and nourished. If it is not, it can become barren to the point of drying up and, indeed, dying,” he added.

“Today, this is a very grave threat, and it is the most irreparable misfortune.”

The Vatican has long counselled against the excesses of modern life. Last month, Pope Benedict XVI said that the current global financial crisis was proof that the pursuit of money and success is pointless, and that wealth meant nothing.

“Nations once rich in faith and vocations are losing their own identity under the harmful and destructive influence of a certain modern culture,” he told a recent assembly of the Synod.

However, Pope Benedict has embraced many aspects of modern technology in order to convey the Catholic message to a young, tech-savvy audience.

At World Youth Day in Sydney, the Pope texted daily messages of inspiration and hope to attendees, while digital prayer walls were erected on-site.

The Vatican has even made some of the manuscripts, documents and ancient texts from the Apostolic Vatican Library available to view online.

(Telegraph)

Note: China-Africa exponentially growing trade and investment have been a hot topic in western media. According to them, China is stealing African resources and killing local companies and people by guns and cheap fake products. Many Western media have sent reporters in Africa for that matter. I will post link to some of the videos soon. The question about why Western is very worried and has been trying to rise an anti-chinese feeling among Africans is both ridiculous and groundless. I will talk more on this next time. This article will give you an idea of the true motivations of western media on this issue.

Enjoy reading

Daniel

UK firms losing business in Kenya to China, India
by Charles Wachira

When Kenya purchased Toyota vehicles for its military forces, instead of the all-pervasive Land Rover, it signalled a seismic change — in effect ending the most favoured status enjoyed by imports sourced from its erstwhile colonial master the UK.

Another example is De la Rue, a UK-based printing and security firm that has uninterruptedly printed Kenyan currency since independence. It is fighting to retain its contract. The administration of Mwai Kibaki broke with tradition, inviting other internationally recognised firms to bid for the job.

The London-based firm J&S Franklin Ltd served as a single-source supplier of uniforms and combat kits for the armed forces since Kenya “unshackled” itself from British colonial rule in 1963. Kenya’s Department of Defence terminated its contract to the benefit of a Chinese firm.

Similarly, Brooke Marine and Vosper Thornycroft, two British companies that have exclusively supplied ships to Kenya’s navy since independence, have had to contend with the phenomenon of open tendering.

This change of fortune for British firms is captured in the official annual economic survey cobbled together by the country’s Ministry of Finance. In 2007, imports from the UK were worth Ksh29,414 million ($4.9 million) — compared to China’s Ksh45,668 million ($7.6 million) or India’s Ksh56,815 million ($9.5 million). Compare this with 2001 during the peremptory reign of Daniel arap Moi. UK imports then totalled Ksh21,989 million ($3.7 million) while China was at a much lower Ksh6,792 million ($1.1 million) and Indian imports amounted to a relatively puny Ksh12,830 million ($2.1 million).

Since the replacement of Moi’s government in 2003, it has taken China and India only three years for their imports to Kenya to overtake those from the UK, formerly a premier source of imports. “It is as a result of prudent decision-making that the Kenyan government opened up the country to the Far East, including Asian countries. As a result, Kenya has been able to access countries that provide better deals,” says Dr Gerrishon Ikiara, a former permanent secretary in the Kibaki administration and currently a senior lecturer at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Nairobi.

“In the past, procurement of government goods was shrouded in mystery. Then political considerations mattered more than economic sense,” he said. According to the economist, Asian countries offer competitively priced goods and services compared with the UK.“Right now most of Kenya’s roads are either being refurbished or built anew by Chinese firms. And all our international airports are also being upgraded by Chinese owned firms. This is after going through the process of open tendering,” Dr Ikiara said.

Kwame Otieno, a senior researcher with the local think-tank, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), blames “the rigidity of the British system” for the dip in British imports. The IEA promotes debate on policy issues. “If a Kenyan, for example, wants to visit the UK, they face a lot of stringent requirements that act as a hindrance. But if they wish to travel to the Far East, China or India, the process is enabling and travel-friendly.”

Sources said the change in bilateral trade relations between the UK and Kenya is as a result of poor relations between the political leaders of the two countries in the recent past. It is argued that Moi had very cordial relationships with occupants of 10 Downing Street in London. Successive British governments deliberately turned a blind eye to the excesses of his government. As a result, firms with British ties continued to receive lucrative contracts at the expense of other countries.

The Kibaki regime has been upbraided harshly, particularly by local British envoys, for failing to tame corruption in high places. Confirming the bad blood between the two countries, Sir Edward Clay, British envoy from 2001 to 2005, was in early 2008 officially declared persona non grata by the Kenyan government.

(TradeAfrica)

China has spent Sh3.7 billion in an aggressive search for oil in Eastern Province and says initial tests show “positive results”, the Sunday Nation can reveal.

Industry experts said Chinese optimism is not surprising: oil was discovered at Loperot, 100 kilometres South of Lodwar by Shell in 1992 and the Chinese are prospecting in the same basin.

Shell struck oil in the so-called Block 10B after drilling 11 dry wells. A dispute between the firm and the Kanu government halted exploration and the find was hushed up, but not before 19 litres of crude was extracted.

In 1993 the US government estimated that there could be 100 million barrels of oil (worth more than Sh800 billion) at the Kenyan Coast alone.

Woodside, an Australian company which prospected for oil off the Coast of Lamu, had calculated that four out of the seven possible wells, had more than 250 million barrels of oil, according to confidential documents seen by the Sunday Nation, and as much as one billion barrels for the whole of its block.

Woodside left after its $100 million drilling came up with nothing despite high expectation that they would strike at least natural gas.

Kenya, which some experts describe as a gas rather than oil region, has a prospective 100,000 square kilometre oil field off-shore with between 600 billion and 6 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas, according to one US estimate.

There was a gas explosion in a nearby coastal island during exploration and satellite maps seen by the Sunday Nation indicate seepage of oil on the sea bed.

Exploration efforts

A Chinese company, Bureau of Geophysical Prospecting, contracted by the government-owned China Offshore Oil Exploration Corporation, has been doing tests in Merti, 260 kilometres from Isiolo town.

The Chinese project is one of five exploration efforts currently going on in various parts of the country. It also comes in the face of a mounting energy crisis which has seen the cost of fuel rise 40 per cent in 12 months and the cost of electricity follow suit.

The Chinese have identified 15 wells which they say show strong signs of oil but are narrowing down to one. They are starting more exploration in neighbouring Marsabit District this month.

In April, Lundin Company, a Swedish multinational visited Kargi and North Horr areas and informed the local community that they were to start searching for oil in the area.

“They conducted meetings with the locals to inform them about their plans to search for oil,” a resident of North Horr Hilary Halkano told the Sunday Nation.

This will be the second exploration in Kargi, the first was in 1987. A company contracted to do the job left behind holes which locals say contain water poisonous to animals.

Kenya has a poor oil exploration record having only sunk 31 wells and none between 1992 and 2007. Sudan struck oil after drilling 78 times.

BGP Party Chief Mr Ye Dong Quan told the Sunday Nation that the company identified the wells after seismic equipment, which can peer 20 kilometres into the ground using shock waves, detected oil in some points.

Another engineer Mr Zhu Shanxin, who put the chances of striking commercially viable oil deposits at more than 50 per cent, said the wells must be draining into a major reservoir through underground oil rivulets and the task that remained was to establish which one among the 15 could be drilled.

“Some of the wells might be too shallow or might have small amounts of oil not commercially viable,” he said.

The team has to establish the density, quality and quantity of oil before an announcement is made. Sources claimed that the Chinese are to spend up to $60 million (Sh3.7 billion) on the project.

The company has state of the art equipment on site, including a truck for generating seismic shocks and mobile data processing laboratories.

“We would not have brought these machines here if we were not sure of striking oil. It is so expensive to maintain and run them,” Mr Quan said.

He said his company was prospecting for oil in 17 countries across the world, including Iran, Mexico, Pakistan, Nigerian and Sudan.

The provincial administration has laid out the red carpet for the Chinese firm, posting more than 30 Administration Police officers to guard the base camp and field equipment around the clock.

Six chiefs from Isiolo and Wajir districts have also been provided with a patrol vehicle to help keep off herders from the area.

An oil industry insider, who spoke to the Sunday Nation in confidence, said Kenya does not seem to have a consistent prospecting

(more…)

Did u notice how much she is beautiful? I know it’s probably the only thing you saw. Some one said she must have done plastic surgery ( beauty).
But the real reason she is still that much beautiful despite her age is simply bcz she is Burundian. She is nnot alone. It’s common in the country of Rugamba Rutaganzwa, Rungonga and Samandari , the Burundi bwa Nyaburunga.

The so-called Burundi Donors or “Bailleurs de fonds” or “Incuti z’Uburundi” have been promising billions and billions and never give even a cent. They probably look at her face and promise what they really don’t have or can’t give. After watching this video, some people can’t say what it is about.They need a second or even a third tour. Imagine if she was still 20. Dear Barundikazi (Burundian women), for the sake of international security, leave the offices and go back home to take care of ur children.

For us who were not around or were still young during the cold war period, CIA may sound just like other strange words. How about KGB ? Does it remind you something?

From my job today, I was surfuring the Internet looking for news about Africa and Olympics and some statistics about Burundi, my beautiful mother country.
By chance I found a page describing Burundi on the CIA website.

The page in question has a lot of information about Burundi and it was last updated on 15 July 2008. Not along time ago.

For those who don’t know CIA, go ahead and visit their website. Here, I m not making pub for them, I just want to point out some of ridiculous mistakes on the website of this “reputable” organization, which knows everything,everyone and every where as you used to believe. CIA, I grew up hearing, could tell how many grams of potatoes I was eating daily. Not to mention that they had every little hidden secret of all states in the world.

I think every one wondered where they were when the terrorists attacked USA on 11 September. However, we all knew that they are just humans, powerful man and woman from a rich nation, having enough dollars to waste and spend here and there but not little gods flying in the sky with unlimited supernatural power. We understood that it could happen and their claims to know all the secrets about the mass destructive arms of Irak reminded us they were not sleeping.

But let me first tell you what they wrote about Burundi;

1. The former name of Burundi is Urundi : No no no no no no no n o …. they are wrong. Urundi is not and have never been a name of Burundi. Burundi was Burundi from the beginning of Burundi and never changed it’s name. Burundi was a kingdom “Ingoma y’Uburundi” and not “Ingoma y’Ururundi” as CIA agents would call it. Urundi is a word which existed only in the heard of Europeans, originally invented by Germans following a misunderstanding conversation between a German official and a Rwandan official, and later used by Belgians after the 1st world war.

If you haven’t heard the story , let me briefly tell you what happened:

1896, when Germans invaded Burundi, the King of Burundi(Umwami w’Uburundi Mwezi Gisabo) with his Badasigana( name of his Army) resisted to colonization as some wise and courageous African leaders of the time  and fought them for nearly 7 years. They tried several time to catch or kill the King but in vain. Unfortunately, the neighboring kingdom: Rwanda was already under control. One day a German official asked a Rwandan to show him around and they walked to the borders of Rwanda and Burundi. This is what is Rwanda, you see, He said. Over there is Burundi he added. Urundi? he asked. Because he had problems pronouncing the word Burundi he kept asking. Urundi? “Uru ni Urwanda rurya harya naho ni Burundi” (This is Rwanda and that’s Burundi) he said. The german official not able to get the difference between Burundi and Urundi and knowing already the meaning of Urundi(an other), concluded that there were 2 Rwanda. The one they already controlled and the other they are still fighting for. Later when they learn their mistake, instead of correcting it, they changed the name of Bujumbura into Usumbura and we thought it was a german word.

Dear CIA agents, Urundi is neither a former name of Burundi nor is Usumbura a former name of Bujumbura. Burundi is Burundi and Bujumbura is Bujumbura, Kumukaza if you want a synonym. But unless your are site is in the german version.

2.The Tutsi minority, 14% of the population, dominates the government and the coffee trade at the expense of the Hutu majority, 85% of the population :

According to what I know, the 2005 elections put CNND-FDD at the power. CNDD-FDD was a hutu militia and won the 2005 general elections. According to the constitution, Tutsi are no more than 40% in the government. About the coffee trade, I don’t know much about that. but saying that it’s “at the expenses of Hutu majority”, I don’t catch what they mean. Should the ethnic proportions in the government be also in the trade? According to what I know, in USA, the trade is a free business open to everyone.

3.National Defense Force (Forces de Defense Nationales, FDN): Army (includes Naval Detachment and Air Wing), Gendarmerie (2008):

For the sake of goodness, please stop lying, Burundi doesn’t have Gendarmerie.

4.Airports: 8 (2007):

Burundi doesn’t have 8 airports. We just have one small airport : Bujumbura.

5.Only one in two children go to school:

Ok, that’s right if you keep it on your site. But make sure Nkurunziza won’t see it. if you think I m lying by saying that more than one child in two are going to school, it’s alright, go and ask Nkurunziza (the president) and come back if you can to tell me what he said. For sure he will say you are pro Nyangoma and you will be treated like that. But thanks God you have Guantanamo, he will think twice.

6.children as young as 10 years of age have been conscripted into the armed forces; the enrollment of children is still not prohibited (2007):

This is false, false, and false. Burundi doesn’t allow 10 years old children in the army. If there is a case about that, it’s an isolated one like the American soldier I saw once pulling an Iraqi prisoner like a dog? Is that allowed in USA?

7.Hutu and Tutsi militias (loosely organized) :

unfortunately, they don’t name them. There is currenntly one hutu militia and it had signed the ceasefire. What are those loosely organized tutsi militias : the answer is no one. CIA is more than wrong.

…………………………………………………………………………

I can’t count how many mistakes are in their statistics, but I wonder if they can’t see what is not hidden, how will they know the hidden secrets about Iran nuclear program ?

For the sake of goodness I ask them to change it.

Daniel Hakizimana

Shanghai, china

Quand elles se souviennent du mariage, les femmes parlent de la cérémonie. Les hommes de l’enterrement de leur vie de garçon.

Une femme épouse un homme en espérant qu’il changera, et il ne change pas. Un homme épouse une femme en espérant qu’elle ne changera pas, et elle change.

Une femme s’inquiète pour l’avenir jusqu’à avoir un mari, et un homme ne s’intéresse pas à l’avenir jusqu’à ce qu’il ait une femme.

Il y a deux périodes pendants lesquelles un homme ne peut comprendre sa femme : avant le mariage, et après le mariage.

La plupart des jeunes filles de 17 ans peuvent se comporter comme des adultes.

Les garçons de 17 ans continuent d’échanger des cartes de jeux à collectionner, ou à jouer à divers jeux, et à se battre après le cours de gym. C’est la raison pour laquelle les amours de lycée marchent rarement.

Let’s talk again about the beautiful country, the mountainous green villages in the heart of Africa, the country of Rugamba Rutaganzwa, Runyonga et Samandari, the home of Gustave and world most beautiful girls ever: Burundi.

This time about internet. According to the world internet statistics, Burundi is one of the countries still far behind in scene about internet usage. Do You know what internet have changed in the world? If you’ve heard about that monster called ” Globalization ” or maybe you may have head it in french “Mondialisation”, that is eating all the poor guys on this planet and making the already rich even richer ,I want to tell you that internet is its feet and mouth.

Listen, see what could happen if people from Mugamba in Bururi were computer guru. With internet, I mean a computer connected to the internet in those small bamboo trues and a brain able to handle it, they could work at Tokyo from there and earn within a month more than their annual income.

An other example if you think it’s dream thinking that Mugamba people will work once in Tokyo and sleep in Rugo of Bamboo.

A guy started a networking website in 2005 and now his website is worth 15billions USA dollars. That’s the budget of more than 30 years for Burundi to give you an idea. I m not going to tell you his website, because he didn’t pay me for advertisement but if you want to know him, make a search of the the youngest billionaire in the world. That was 101% impossible 20 years ago.

What that mean ? With globalization, the world is going, if it has not already ,to be a single city you can cross within a minute or two or even less, the time will depend not on the BOIENG you are flying with but the connection speed of your Internet. Having minerals and oil in a country is going to be less profitable than having well educated people. Starting a company now means thinking from the beginning going global or you are bound to failure when tomorrow those big international monsters will get in.

Let’s come back to our topic, I m not the right person to discuss globalization with. It’s a big and difficult to understand concept and there are those big, tall, fat and smart economists you can ask out there ,but make sure you learn something about it if u want to survive in coming days.

Internet usage in Burundi: Burundi according to the world statistics has 60.000 internet users, that’s 0,7% of the population. “That’s not bad if you remember that we just came from a civil war (hopefully it’s over) which affected all the sectors of our economy. ” you are going to say and that’s an excuse.

Let me compare Burundi to two other African countries : Congo (RDC) and Rwanda. From 2000 to march 2008, Burundi, Rwanda and Congo went respectively from 3000 users -60.000 users, 5000-150.000 users, 500 users - 230.000 users, , that is a growth of 1900%, 2900% and 45.980% respectively.

Yes it’s obvious that the country of the smartest guy Samandari is the last on the list. Where is he by the way? Where did he go ?. Does anyone know?

Who shall we blame for that ? Burundian government for sure you will say and it’s reasonable. But in this article I don’t want to talk about that. I won’t to demonstrate that, we burundians , I mean burundians who are not decision makers have also not played well our role in internet usage growth in our country.

How and why? You are going to ask. But tell me first, because if you are reading my article, you are most probably reading it from my blog (www.gakiza.com or daniel.rugamba.com) or somewhere else it has been posted and that’s mean u are on internet. Tell me then, why are you on internet.

If u are like me maybe, u have that 24hours 200Mbps connection at home, and at the work u are always connected and reading some stuff from here and there, about that and this , and surfing internet is a good way to keel your time. Yes that’s a good answer, and bye bye. I now want to ask to that guy who is paying 20 fbu /min for the connection.

Why are you here guy ? Maybe she has got a Boyfriend in Europe or wants to write or read an email from that old schoolmate. It’s good reason too. Remember, humans, in our nature are always looking for profit. Yes profit. Don’t tell me about the so called non-profit organizations. Even when u give money to a bagger in the street, you do it because you learn it is a good charitable gesture and that gives you peace and it’s the profit, if I don’t mention the promised haven we all want to join. If you pass around him/her, your conscience accuses you and feel guilty.

Believe it or not, I m not going to argue about that, what I mean is that, unless people can get a profit from internet, they are not going to pay money or spend time on it. May it be friendship, services or cash, Burundians need the money they spend in those internet cyber-cafe back in their pockets. It doesn’t matter how expensive it is, what matters is to get back more than they gave. Yes they need it back or they will stop going there. That’s a true truth.

Back to our statistics: I may tell you one thing , witch is no longer available at the world statistics page : Just last year, in 2007, the same statistics showed Burundi and Rwanda at the same Rank with 60.000 users each. After one year, Burundi remained at 60.000 users and Rwanda added 90.000 users making 150.000 users in all. Yes you gonna tell me that Rwanda government have been investing a lot in ICT infrastructures and promoting internet.

That’s true, I know that ICT for Kagame is what Football and Choir are for Nkurunziza. However that’s not where I want to go. Wait a bit and look at Congo.

According to the statistics, Congo internet usage is growing at nearly 49.000% ( from 2000- March 2008). I know we all heard that Rwanda invaded Congo in 1998 but I do doubt that Kagame is the one who taught Congolese, who at the time nearly knew nothing about internet (about 500 users in 2000) the benefits it can bring to them.

What the Congolese government have done, that the Burundian government didn’t do to promote internet usage among congolese. Has Congo been politically more stable than Burundi to explain that gap between 1900% and 49.000% ? . Dear friend I don’t think so. I checked on internet and found no specific policies or program in Congo about that.

So what do I want to say? It’s not the government which is going to do everything. We Burundians need to create money generating services on the internet for our country. Try to go online in all your activities and people will fallow you. How about selling your products online?, how about just telling us the services you can offer online. How about putting your car rental company or just an offer about the availability of your car or house for rental. If that was accessible, people would first compare the prices online before they decide and all those commissioners you normally find at Bujumbura central market will have to know how to use internet or will just disappear.

The truth is that, u don’t do it because Burundians don’t use internet and they will not use it before you do it. You need a ROI (Return on Investment) for your business. Putting all your services online cost money and because they won’t use it, u won’t gain from it. Try looking farther, the future is bright.

What have u done? I know you’ve been murmuring : what this guy, who is giving lessons to others have done? Shut up ! Ok , I won’t answer to that question right now and I shut up for now, give me few weeks and u will see. If u are also asking for few weeks, it’s good, praise God.

But before I leave you alone guys, let me remind you that RUGAMBA is offering free hosting for small businesses in East Africa willing to go online. write to daniel@rugamba.com or rugamba@rugamba.com for more information.

Bye Bye and see you soon.

Shanghai, Ir. Daniel Hakizimana