Hell-bent: Transcending pain in competitive yoga

By: BBC


For the millions of people who have made a new year's resolution to lose weight in 2013, yoga is an enticing option.
But they are fooling themselves if they think it will be an easy route to a better body and a more relaxed mind.
In a bid to lose 45lbs (20.4kg), Benjamin Lorr began attending super-heated Bikram yoga classes in Brooklyn, New York.
It was the beginning of a sweaty two-year journey which he documented in his book "Hell-Bent: Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendence in Competitive Yoga".
The BBC attended a class at Bikram Lower East Side, one of Mr Lorr's favourite studios, and filmed him practising in his apartment with US Yoga gold medallist Courtney Mace.
Produced by Anna Bressanin; camera by Ilya Shnitse

Kulahappy: Naswa-Kenya (Romance) Ep 33

Wenger frustrated with Gunners draw

By: AFP

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger expressed frustration with his side's inconsistency and criticised their mental sharpness after they needed an own goal to snatch a draw from Southampton only three days after beating Newcastle United 7-3.
But he confirmed that his search for a remedy will not include bringing back the club's former striker Thierry Henry for a second comeback season.
"We didn't create a lot after having scored five at Reading, seven against Newcastle," the Frenchman complained. "The goal chances we created were not a lot and our game lacked purpose, lacked penetration, lacked speed - all the qualities that we usually have and that we didn't see tonight.
"It is frustrating. It is nothing to do with the physical side. In a game of that magnitude against a Southampton team that was really highly determined, I felt we lacked purpose in our game, and it was more mental than physical. We lacked sharpness.
"There is no specific reason. We prepared normally, we prepared well, and, maybe Southampton deserve some credit as well. They fought for every single ball until the last second."

Arsenal's English striker Theo Walcott (C) skips past Southampton's Guly Do Prado (L) and James Ward-Prowse during their Premier League clash at St Mary's Stadium on January 1, 2013. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger expressed frustration with his side's inconsistency and criticised their mental sharpness after they needed an own goal to snatch a 1-1 draw.

It was Theo Walcott's free kick that was put into his own net by Guly Do Prado, but otherwise Walcott was anonymous after his hat-trick on Saturday.
Wenger explained: "Overall, nobody was put in good positions to express something offensively.
"We didn't have enough quality to get them out of position, but it is difficult to identify any specific thing. We have to analyse that together and see why because we have big games coming up and we want to get back to our normal performance."
Wenger also ruled out re-signing Henry for a second time after bringing him back on a temporary deal a year ago. "He is going away somewhere," he said. "He is not ready and for the moment we are not on that case."
But he confirmed that he hopes to be active during the transfer window. "I will be active, yes," he said. "We are looking everywhere and we are open-minded. We want to strengthen the squad if possible and if we find the right players."

Southampton's Polish goalkeeper Artur Boruc (R) claims the ball under pressure from Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny on January 1, 2013. Nigel Adkins, the Southampton manager, was pleased with his side's performance, and the point in a 1-1 draw took his team out of the bottom three, ahead of Wigan Athletic on goal difference.

Nigel Adkins, the Southampton manager, was much more pleased with his side's performance, and the point that took his team out of the bottom three, ahead of Wigan Athletic on goal difference.
"Arsenal have been beating teams out of sight but Artur (Boruc, the goalkeeper) has had nothing else to do apart from the deflection and we created some good opportunities for ourselves," he said. It shows how far we have come. We got a hiding (6-1) at The Emirates, but we have a growing maturity. Tactically we were bang on and yet again the players put good performances in."
After early dominance by Arsenal, Southampton and took the lead with a scrappy goal after 35 minutes, Bacary Sagna's attempted clearance hitting Southampton's Jason Puncheon and rebounding for Gaston Ramirez, Southampton's record signing, to drive low past Wojciech Szczesny.
Arsenal's equaliser two minutes later was even messier. Walcott curled in a free kick from the left that seemed to be going harmlessly to Boruc, but Do Prado, Southampton's Brazilian winger, swung a foot at the ball at the near post and deflected it into his own net.
Do Prado tried to make amends with a shot that Szczesny had to save well and a corner kick that Sagna almost put into his own net, while Ramirez had a goal disallowed for a foul on Laurent Koscielny that few people noticed apart from the referee's assistant.
Walcott, anonymous on his return to his former club, hit a shot straight at Boruc - Arsenal's only effort on target.
Wenger said: "Considering the performance, I don't think we deserved more, but it's two points lost if you look at our target over Christmas."

Kalonzo says Uhuru opposed to reforms

 
Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka delivers his New Year message at his Yatta Home in Kithimani, Machakos County January 1, 2013. He urged Kenyans to prepare for transformation in the New Year. VPPS 

 By: KITAVI MUTUA kitavimutua@gmail.com
Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka on Tuesday accused Jubilee alliance leaders of being “diehard conservatives” who could not be trusted to transform the country.

Mr Musyoka said Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Ruto were hiding behind their youthful age to confuse Kenyans and shed off their status quo image.

The VP who is Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s running mate in the Coalition for Reform and Democracy(Cord) said their team was composed of social democrats while their Jubilee alliance opponents were conservatives who were opposed to reforms and change.

“If you are opposed to reforms and transformation of the country, that fact doesn’t change because you’re younger than your opponents. The truth is that these Jubilee leaders are true conservatives,” the VP said during a New Year’s press briefing at his Yatta home.

“We as Cord leaders stand for true social transformation which will grow the country’s economy in double digits because we combine servant leadership and proven passion for reforms,” Mr Musyoka said.

Mr Musyoka expressed confidence that the Cord alliance will trounce their rivals in the March 4 General Election and told Jubilee leaders to be ready to concede defeat.

“This election is a contest between champions of peace who put the interests of the country first against leaders trying to use their ethnic communities to ascend to power for selfish interests,” he said.

Reconciliation

He said victory for the Cord alliance in the next elections will restore Kenya’s image as maturing democracy in Africa adding that the world was watching to see if the country will put behind the 2008 post election violence.

He urged Kenyans to set aside petty ethnic differences that divide them and vote for the Cord leadership saying it will guarantee respect for the rule of law, full implementation of the Constitution and equitable distribution of resources.

“Once we win the elections, our number one priority will be to reconcile the whole country and restore the lost sense of patriotism,” he said.

SOURCE: Daily nation

This is part II of a III part series examining TNA presidential candidate’s bid for a place in Kenya’s political High Table

      
BY: Rashid Wanjala



After carefully examining Mr. Kenyatta’s tenure at the treasury, together with the massive bad inheritance, I can conclude that he is a heartless and merciless man!

This is so sad for a leader whose subjects are landless paupers, struggling with high inflation among other harsh economic conditions a product of incompetency as Minister for Finance.

As Finance Minister, he is alleged (widely reported) to have frustrated the ODM plans to obtain treasury funds to purchase land which was intended to resettle Mau Forest IDPs in Rift Valley, therefore dis-enfranchising thousands of ODM and URP supporters, who remain homeless and in the cold due to Uhuru’s evil designs.

The selective resettlement of IDPs is reported to be one of red flags raised by the Kalenjin elders while examining the much publicized Uhuru Ruto alliance; this together with the unresolved historical land related injustices are key impediments to a successful alliance.

After carefully analyzing his ministerial decisions, I have come to conclude that UK is where ZERO ethics business, ruthlessness and politics converge.

As Finance Minister he punished regions perceived to support his competitors by starving projects in such areas of funds, especially the Mau Forest Restoration IDPs and instead, diverted such funds elsewhere for example the ultra modern Thika Road instead of the high impact Mombasa- Nairobi-Malaba highway.

The thinking was that land value would skyrocket along Thika Road (Superhighway) and around Brookside Dairies to an all time high, and would be disposed at a killer price! Smart business move right there. But is it ethical when it is done at the expense of the hustler and the poor IDPs even without considering the cost savings by businesses if priority could have been given to Mombasa-Nairobi-Malaba border highway.

I know the Chinese funded the Superhighway, but to pay for it and balance the books, the Mau IDP land funds and funds meant for the numerous road projects in perceived ODM strongholds were diverted to other projects and debt repayment program.

This will go down as the classic case of redistributive injustices meted out on the Kenyan people for a man who claims to be a champion of the youth. Not when he is responsible for the continued stay of families in the cold!

Those funds are believed by public policy analysts to have been diverted to the Thika Road Super Highway project which passes not just though his political stronghold of Thika, but through part of his land, which is in both sides of Thika Road.

Before the Kenyatta family sold part of it, it transversed on both sides of Thika road from Mang’u High School, keep driving, Brookside, keep driving past Kahawa Barracks and KU, keep driving, at All Sopps, veer to the left at the All Sopps roundabout, keep driving , head towards Kangundo.

Even though Thika Road Superhighway was a nobel project, it is a testament to how far the defacto leader of the PNU wing of government can go to advance his business and evil political designs.

Todate, even after stepping down as Finance Minister, Mr. Kenyatta wilds immense power over treasury, its rumoured that Njeru Githae, the Finance Minister is ”user friendly” and that Mr Kenyatta still takes all decisions at the ministry.
The “Rats for Dinner” enthusiast is a robo-signer of documents.

Is Mr Kenyatta anti Western powers? – hell no!

Mr Kenyatta has invested heavily in Europe; he continues to mislead Kenyans into thinking that China is the next god, while actually theirs is actually an evil alliance intent on collaboration to burden our children with irresponsible debts while his land value benefits from such projects that have been packaged as well intentioned.

He continues to use American products like iPhone instead of low quality Chinese products, use Teleprompters US style, like we saw during the TNA launch, not a single thing he does which is Chinese, including where his kids go to school.
Infact his TNA launch was an attempt to copy cat American DNC and RNC conventions- (the very people he demonizes), which never came close to it.

Intellectual dishonesty

He read a speech which was massively plagiarized from various Obama speeches, including the Thomas Jefferson authored Unilateral Declaration of Independence, but without citing his sources. This is sheer intellectual dishonesty, or just lazy to cross check a pre written speech, a standard that is expected of a leader of Mr. Kenyatta stature.

For those who care, come 2013, you have a choice either a plagiarist president or an intellectually honest president. Miguna Miguna in his book Peeling Back The Mask (even though not a credible source) describes as situation where Prime Minsiter Raila Odinga declined to read a copy and paste speech written by Adams Oloo’s student because it was heavily plagiarized from Thambo Mbeki’s speech on Pan Africanism, and instead Miguna claims, he was requested to write a speech within a very short notice. A testimony that Mr Kenyatta’s erstwhile competitor Dr. Odinga would never read a plagiarized speech!

2013 therefore presents us with a choice between, Plagiarist in Chief versus Intellectual in Chief.

Teleprompters require you to be a good reader, and from the TNA launch presentation it was obvious that the presenters were struggling to read, and so their intention to make it look like an Obamaisque presentation boomeranged miserably- intellectually, and in style of presentation.

Uhuru therefore appears to copy everything American, British and European, from suits, shoes but wants the few on whose backs he wants to ride on, to use fake, copycatted and short lasting poor quality goods from China.

Even schools like Peponi School which is associated with his family does not advance Chinese systems of education but the Western style of Education. He is therefore part of a business which is preparing the next generation of Western Educated graduates from elite families, who can speak the Queen’s English without an accent, while misleading the poor masses about how evil US, Germany, Britain are. It’s the highest form of sheer hypocrisy. He calls them imperial, anyone tell me what is more imperial than owning land the size of Maine, Vermont and the British Island of England combined.

His lawyers in the ICC are British, and recently, to confront and neutralize free speech he enlisted the services of a UK policy insider. It has been reported that “Mr Kenyatta has appointed Ed Straite, a former adviser to Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance minister) George Osbourne to boost his public image in the wake of concerns that he should not be running for Kenya’s highest office”. You can read more of this from this link http://darmetropolitan.blogspot.com/2012/10/marketing-in-politics-uhuru-kenyatta.html#!/2012/10/marketing-in-politics-uhuru-kenyatta.html

UK seems determined to con his way into the house on the hill by riding on the backs of the very paupers, for who he hasn’t had the decency to show remorse, and share a piece of his massive land which comprises a large proportion of what his celebration in the Forbes Magazine.

At $500m it is the value of these 500,000 acres of land that makes him 2 times richer than Mitt Romney whose net worth is $250 m. Take that land away and other Kenyans would be competitive.

I didn’t make this up; actually The Forbes magazine describes Uhuru as “heir to some of the largest land holdings in Kenya. He owns at least 500,000 acres of prime land spread across the country. The land was acquired by his father in the 1960s and 1970s when the British colonial government and the World Bank funded a settlement transfer fund scheme” meant to resettle everybody including the Mau Mau veterans and other common Kenyans. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2011/89/africa-billionaires-11_Uhuru-Kenyatta_FO2Q.html

However, instead of redistributing that World Bank funded resettlement scheme for the benefit of all landless Kenyans, it was diverted. That is how UK’s land inheritance was acquired. And that is why he ought to ACT NOW, if at all he doesn’t want the next election to be about the Squatter’s Landlord versus X. 
Source:http://www.jamiiforums.com/kenyan-politics/373672-tujikumbushe-ukweli-kuhusu-uhuru-kenyatta.html