Kenyan Pundit

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[EDIT] One of KP’s readers has left a comment that I’m inclined to agree with no matter how strongly I feel about the need to vocally challenge our MPs shenanigans, the protesters should have formally alerted the police (Wanyiri Kihoro claims they did though, is this right or wrong?)…two wrongs do not make a right.

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Today’s Business Daily (which is actually quite a good read, unlike it’s cousin the Nation which has become just as mediocre as the Standard) featured two well-written stories on local techies.

First story is on Mama Mikes (Seg, loving the shirt si you hook me up), a business that’s a great example of what we need more of in Africa.

Second story is on Skunkworks Kenya, another example of can-doism that warms my heart. You can vote for it on Muti here and Digg it here.

Still on local tech, Sasanet has launched a Coders Challenge - over kshs 300,000 in cash prizes. Entry closes on August 16. (Joe Mucheru, si you get Google to leta Summer of Code to East Africa)?

Finally, don’t say you didn’t get told - Digital Indaba 2007 is coming up in September, you can apply for scholarships here (meanwhile [cough cough] the “real African” blogging conference has yet to materialize). I’d like to see some women getting scholarships this year!

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- Challenges of getting Africa connected. What about an alternative (be sure to read the comments as well)? I’m just curious why I don’t see much attention on efforts to bring electricity to all African homes….well first, are there even focused efforts? If not, what’s the hold up?

- Nice gem from Benn Loxo du Taccu on Congolese musicians in Kenya during the 70s.

- Interesting New Yorker review of a book I’d like to read sometime (I really miss Borders!) especially as someone who is working hard to provide information to the Kenyan voter, the “Myth of the Rational Voter“.

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I’m a huge proponent of building and showcasing our local (African) content rather than bitching up a storm about how neglected we are…here’s two opportunities to do so.

First, the African Cookbook Project launched by the indefatigable Fran Osseo-Asare at TED Global. Please hop over and find out how to contribute…you know when you leave home (read Kenya) even for a few weeks, after family you typically miss food the most (how many times have you dreamt about chapos, proper ugali and nyama choma, that ka-fried tilapia etc.)…so lets do our part to help record and preserve a critical part of who we are. An aside, wish we had more African cooking blogs, haven’t come across any new ones since I stumbled upon the wonderful Mirecipe.

Second, for the sheng speakers (I don’t think I qualify anymore, I belong to the sasa/fit/buda/mathree days that are almost certainly obsolete), please update the list of words on Wikipedia’s Sheng entry.

EDIT: Please check out African Writing for another great example of African content…just debuted and lots of great stuff there. Hat tip Sunrise!

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Gabi_Cute

Originally uploaded by ateka.

She’s 20 weeks today, this was taken about a week and a half ago.

For the other new mums who want details (and let me know if my mini foray into mommy blogging is helpful)…we’ve been doing solids for about 3 weeks, new guidelines from the experts and the paed recommend waiting until six months, but I was tired of waking up several times a night to feed her (solids seem to have helped) and I felt she was ready to move on. So far so good, she’s always been a good eater. Started with rice cereal mixed with formula, then a new mashed veggie with a bit of milk mixed in for 3 days to see what’s popular and to watch for any reactions. First veggie was carrots, which was not a big hit. We’ll try again next month, maybe mixed with something else. Second veggie was sweet potato, very popular…she could do seconds. Third veggie was butternut, not as a big a hit as sweet potato but seems to go down well. Right now doing butternut and sweet potato combo. I’ve put off trying fruit until this week because it’s recommended that you get them used to vegetables first before the sweetness of fruit. Banana has not been well received to my suprised, tomorrow we try pears.

To the non-mums…yes, with motherhood comes preoccupation with a lot of things that many would find mundane including the color and consistency of the baby’s poop

A couple of tips on the transition to solids:
- A big plastic bib is essential, it gets messy.
- Don’t worry if half the food seems to end up everywhere but in the mouth in the beginning, they soon get the hang of it. Start with small portions first and not when they are too hungry otherwise they don’t have the patience (sometimes I give her a bit of milk beforehand).
- It’s trial and error, some foods will take and some won’t. Don’t fret about it and don’t be afraid to go with your instincts.
- Recommend the book “Complete First Year Planner” by Annabel Karmel. Gives you a good idea on a schedule you can follow plus has ideas for meals when they are ready to try more.

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