KARIBU MAISHANI

KARIBU MAISHANI

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

what is aerobics


Aerobic: This word, by itself, simply means "with oxygen," but it comes alive when used as an adjective to describe exercise. Aerobic exercise is exercise that is vigorous enough, lasts long enough and is done regularly enough to keep your heart and lungs in good shape. Aerobic exercises burn fat faster than any other type of exercise.
From Jacki Sorensen's Aerobic Lifestyle Book by Jacki Sorensen with Bill Bruns.

Exercise: You know what this is. The official definition according to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary is "bodily exertion for the sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness." Notice that there's nothing in the definition that says exercise needs to be boring, cumbersome, or repetitive. We're here to tell you that you can achieve physical fitness with exercise that is fun and enjoyable
Fitness: Here's what fitness means to Jacki Sorensen: a firm, lean body; a strong heart; a slower heart rate; lower blood pressure; muscle strength; muscle endurance; flexibility; and the most magic ingredient of all: energy. Fitness...makes you feel so good; so truly alive!
Fitness: Here's what fitness means to Jacki Sorensen: a firm, lean body; a strong heart; a slower heart rate; lower blood pressure; muscle strength; muscle endurance; flexibility; and the most magic ingredient of all: energy. Fitness...makes you feel so good; so truly alive!



Abs is short for "abdominals." A lean, flat stomach requires strong abdominal muscles and the elimination of abdominal fat. Because it's not possible to effectively strengthen the abdominals without lying down and working against gravity, every Jacki's class includes a concise abdominal routine on the floor.

Gluts (pronounced "gloots"): "Gluts" is short for "gluteus maximus" (large muscles of the buttocks). These muscles receive special attention when we do "glut work" during the Vertifirm™ segment of class.

StrongStep™, Jacki Sorensen's newest aerobic program, is a unique blend of exercise, bench, and resistance training using a step for increased lower-body resistance. StrongStep is a total-body workout of low-impact, high-energy step routines. For more information about StrongStep and Jacki's other aerobic programs, see Jacki's Aerobic Programs.

Vertifirm™ stands for "vertical firmness." Vertifirm is Jacki's system of firming muscle groups while standing up, instead of in traditional floorwork. Because traditional floor exercises only work on isolated muscle groups and do not significantly raise your heart rate, they are not effective fat burners. Jacki has taken these exercises off the floor and choreographed them so you get the muscle strengthening and toning of floorwork combined with the calorie-burning capabilities of aerobics. Students may use optional hand-held and ankle weights during the Vertifirm segment for additional muscle strengthening and toning. (Ankle weights are not used in StrongStep™ because the step provides enhanced lower-body resistance.) For more information about Vertifirm, see What Is Vertifirm?

Aminah Assilmi

This American lady, a former radical feminist and Southern Baptist from Oklahoma, studied the Quran, Sahih Muslim and fifteen other books on Islam in an attempt to convert the Arabs in her college class to Christianity and "save those poor ignorant heathens from the fires of hell." But guess what happened!
The Introduction and Decision
I was completing a degree in Recreation, when I met my first Muslims. It was the first year that we had been able to pre-register by computer. I pre-registered and went to Oklahoma to take care of some family business. The business took longer than expected, so I returned to school two weeks into the semester (too late to drop a course).

I wasn't worried about catching up my missed work. I was sitting at the top of my class, in my field. Even as a student, I was winning awards, in competition with professionals.

Now, you need to understand that while I was attending college and excelling, ran my own business, and had many close friends, I was extremely shy. My transcripts actually had me listed as severely reticent. I was very slow to get to know people and rarely spoke to anyone unless was forced to, or already knew them. The classes I was taking has to do administration and city planning, plus programming for children. Children were the only people I ever felt comfortable with.

Well, back to the story. The computer printout held one enormous surprise for me. I was registered for a Theatre class...a class were I would be required to perform in front of real live people. I was horrified! I could not even ask a question in class, how was I going to get on a stage in front of people? My husband was his usual very calm and sensible self. He suggested that I talk to the teacher, explain the problem, and arrange to paint scenery or sew costumes. The teacher agreed to try and find a way to help me out. So I went to class the following Tuesday.

When I entered the classroom, I received my second shock. The class was full of 'Arabs' and 'camel jockeys'. Well, I had never seen one but I had heard of them.

There was no way I was going to sit in a room full of dirty heathens! After all, you could catch some dreadful disease from those people. Everyone knew they were dirty, not to be trusted either. I shut the door and went home. (Now, there is one little thing you should know. I had on a pair of leather hot pants, a halter top, and a glass of wine in my hands...but they were the bad ones in my mind.)

When I told my husband about the Arabs in the class and that there was no way I was going back, he responded in his usual calm way. He reminded that I was always claiming that God had a reason for everything and maybe I should spend some time thinking about it before I made my final decision. He also reminded me that I had a scholars award that was paying my tuition and if I wanted to keep it, I would have to maintain my G.P.A.. Three credit hours or 'F' would have destroyed my chances. For the next two days, I prayed for guidance. On Thursday I went back to the class convinced that God had put me there to save those poor ignorant heathens from the fires of hell.

I proceeded to explain to them how they would burn in the fires of hell for all eternity, if they did not accept Jesus as their personal savior. They were very polite, but did not convert. Then, I explained how Jesus loved them and had died on the cross to save them from their sins. All they had to do was accept him into their hearts. They were very polite, but still did not convert. So, I decided to read their own book to show them that Islam was a false religion and Mohammed was a false God.

One of the students gave me a copy of the Qur'an and another book about Islam, and I proceeded with my research. I was sure I would find the evidence I needed very quickly. Well, I read the Qur'an and the other book. Then I read another 15 books, Sahih Muslim and returned to the Qur'an. I was determined I would convert them! My studies continued for the next one and half years.

During that time, I started having a few problems with my husband. I was changing, just in little ways but enough to bother him. We used to go to the bar every Friday and Saturday, or to a party, and I no longer wanted to go. I was quieter and more distant. He was sure I was having an affair, so he kicked me out. I moved into an apartment with my children and continued my determined efforts to convert the Muslims to Christianity.

The, one day, there was a knock on my door. I opened the door and saw a man in a long white night gown with a red and white checkered table cloth on his head. He was accompanied by three men in pajamas. (It was the first time I had ever seen their cultural dress.) Well, I was more than a little offended by men showing up at my door in night clothes. What kind of a woman did they think I was? Had they no pride or dignity? Imagine my shock when the one wearing the table cloth said he understood I wanted to be a Muslim! I quickly informed him I did not want to be a Muslim. I was Christian. However, I did have a few questions. If he had the time....

His name was Abdul-Aziz Al-Shiek and he made the time. He was very patient and discussed every question with me. He never made me feel silly or that a question was stupid. He asked me if I believed there was only one God and I said yes. Then he asked if I believed Mohammed was His Messenger. Again I said yes. He told me that I was already a Muslim!.

I argued that I was Christian, I was just trying to understand Islam. (Inside I was thinking: I couldn't be a Muslim! I was American and white! What would my husband say? If I am Muslim, I will have to divorce my husband. My family would die!)

We continued talking. Later, he explained that attaining knowledge and understanding of spirituality was a little like climbing a ladder. If you climb a ladder and try to skip a few rungs, there was danger of falling. The Shahadah was just the first step on the ladder. Still we had to talk some more.

Later that afternoon, May 21, 1977 at Asr', I took Shahadah. However, there were still some things I could not accept and it was my nature to be completely truthful so i added a disclaimer. I said: "I bear witness that there is no god but God and Mohammed is His Messenger" 'but, I will never cover my hair and if my husband takes another wife, I will castrate him.'

I heard gasps from the other men in the room, but Abdul Aziz silenced them. Later I learned that he told the brothers never to discuss those two subjects with me. He was sure I would come to the correct understanding.

The Shahadah was indeed a solid footing on the ladder to spiritual knowledge and closeness to God. but it has been a slow climb. Abdul Aziz continued to visit me and answer my questions. May Allah reward him for his patience and tolerance. He never admonished me or acted like a question was stupid or silly. He treated each question with dignity and told me that the only stupid question was the one never asked. Hmmm...my grandmother used to say that.

He explained that Allah ahd told us to seek knowledge and questions were one of the ways to accomplish that. When he explained something, it was like watching a rose open - petal by petal, until it reached its full glory. When I told him that I did not agree with something and why, he always said I was correct up to a point. The he would show me how to look deeper and from different directions to reach a fuller understanding. Alhamdulillah!

Over the years, I had many teachers. Each one special, each one different. I am thankful for each one of them and the knowledge they gave. Each teacher helped me to grow and to love Islam more. As my knowledge increased, the changes in me became more apparent. Within the first year, I was wearing hijab. I have no idea when I started. It came naturally, with increased knowledge and understanding. In time I even came to to a proponent of polygamy. I knew that if Allah had allowed it, there had to be something good in it.

"Glorify the name of thy Guardian - Lord Most High, Who hath created, and further, given order and proportion; Who hath measured, and granted guidance; and Who bringeth out the (green and lush) pasture, and doth make it (but) swarthy stubble, By degrees shall We teach thee (The Message), so thou shalt not forget, except as Allah wills: for He knoweth what is manifest and what is hidden. And We will make it easy for thee (to follow) the simple (path)." (Al-A'la 87:1-8)

When I first started to study Islam, I did not expect to find anything that I needed or wanted in my personal life. Little did I know that Islam would change my life. No human could have ever convinced me that I would finally be at peace and overflowing with love and joy because of Islam.

This book spoke of THE ONE GOD, THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE. It described the beautiful way in which He had organised the world. This wondrous Qur'an had all the answers. Allah is The Loving! Allah is the Source of Peace! Allah is the Protector! Allah is the Forgiver! Allah is the Provider! Allah is the maintainer! Allah is the Generous One! Allah is the Responsive! Allah is the Protecting Friend! Allah is the Expander!

"Have we not expanded thee thy breast? And removed from thee thy burden the which did gall thy back? And raised high the esteem (in which) thou (art held)? So, verily, with every difficulty, there is relief: Verily, with every difficulty there is relief!" (Al-Ishirah, 94: 1-6)

The Qur'an addressed all the issues of existence and showed a clear path to success. It was like a map forgiving, an owner manual for life!

How Islam changed my Life?
"How much more we love the light...If once we lived in Darkness."

When I first embraced Islam, I really did not think it was going to affect my life very much. Islam did not just affect my life. It totally changed it.

Family life
My husband and I loved each other very deeply. That love for each other still exists. Still, when I started studying Islam, we started having some difficulties. He saw me changing and did not understand what was happening. Neither did I. But then, I did not even realise I was changing. He decided that the only thing that could make me change was another man. There was no way to make him understand what was changing me because I did not know.

After I realised that I was a Muslim, it did not help matters. After all...the only reason a woman changes something as fundamental as her religion is another man. He could not find evidence of this other man...but he had to exist. We ended up in a very ugly divorce. The courts determined that the unorthodox religion would be detrimental to the development of my children. So they were removed from my custody.

During the divorce, there was a time when I was told I could make a choice. I could renounce this religion and leave with my children, or renounce my children and leave with my religion. I was in shock. To me this was not a possible choice. If I renounce my Islam....I would be teaching my children how to be deceptive. For there was no way to deny what was in my heart. I could not deny Allah, not then, not ever. I prayed like I had never prayed before. After the thirty minutes was up, I knew that there was no safer place for my children to be than in the hands of Allah. If I denied him, there would be no way in the future to show my children the wonders of being with Allah. The courts were told that I would leave my children in the hands of Allah. This was not a rejection of my children!

I left the courts knowing that life without my babies would be very difficult. My heart bled, even though I knew, inside, I had done the right thing. I found solace in Ayat-Ul-Khursi.

"Allah! There is no god but He - the Living, the Self-subsisting, Supporter of all. No slumber can seize him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) Before or After or Behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth. His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and he feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is Most High, The Supreme (in Glory)." (Al-Baqarah, 2:255)

This also got me started looking at all the attributes of Allah and discovering the beauty of each one.

Child custody and divorce were not the only problems I was to face. The rest of my family was not very accepting of my choice either. Most of the family refused to have anything to do with me. My mother was of the belief that it was just a phase and I would grow out of it. My sister, the 'mental health expert' was sure I had simply lost my mind and should be institutionalised. My father believed I should be killed before placed myself deeper in Hell. Suddenly I found myself with no husband and no family. What would be next?

Friends
Most of my friends drifted away during that first year. I was no fun anymore. I did not want to go to parties or bars. I was not interested in finding a boyfriend. All I ever did was read that 'stupid' book (the Qur'an) and talk about Islam. What a bore. I still did not have enough knowledge to help them understand why Islam was so beautiful.

Employment
My job was next to go. While I had won just about every award there was in my field and was recognised as a serious trend setter and money maker, the day I put on hijab, was the end of my job. Now I was without a family, without friends and without a job.

In all this, the first light was my grandmother. She approved of my choice and joined me. What a surprise! I always knew she had alot of wisdom, but this! She died soon after that. When I stop to think about it, I almost get jealous. The day she pronounced Shahadah, all her misdeeds had been erased, while her good deeds were preserved. She died so soon after accepting Islam that I knew her 'BOOK' was bound to be heavy on the good side. It fills me with such joy!

As my knowledge grew and I was better able to answer questions, many things changed. But, it was the changes made in me as a person that had the greatest impact. A few years after I went public with my Islam, my mother called me and said she did not know what this 'Islam thing' was, but she hoped I would stay with it. She liked what it was doing for me. A couple of years after that she called again and asked what a person had to do to be a Muslim. I told her that all person had to do was know that there was only ONE God and Mohammed was His Messenger. Her response was: "Any fool knows that. But what do you have to do?" I repeated the same information and she said: "Well...OK. But let's not tell your father just yet."

Little did she know that he had gone through the same conversation a few weeks before that. My real father (the one who thought I should be killed) had done it almost two months earlier. Then, my sister, the mental health person, she told me that I was the most 'liberated' person she knew. Coming from her that was the greatest compliment I could have received.

Rather than try to tell you about how each person came to accept Islam, let me simply say that more members of my family continue to find Islam every year. I was especially happy when a dear friends, Brother Qaiser Imam, told me that my ex-husband took Shahdah. When Brother Qaiser asked him why, he said it was because he had been watching me for 16 years and he wanted his daughter to have what I had. He came and asked me to forgive him for all he had done. I had forgiven him long before that.

Now my oldest son, Whittney, has called, as I am writing this book, and announced that he also wants to become Muslim. He plans on taking the Shahadah as the ISNA Convention in a couple of weeks. For now, he is learning as much as he can. Allah is The Most Merciful.

Over the years, I have come to be known for my talks on Islam, and many listeners have chosen to be Muslim. My inner peace has continued to increase with my knowledge and confidence in the Wisdom of Allah. I know that Allah is not only my Creator but, my dearest friend. I know that Allah will always be there and will never reject me. For every step I take toward Allah, He takes 10 toward me. What a wonderful knowledge.

True, Allah has tested me, as was promised, and rewarded me far beyond what I could ever have hoped for. A few years ago, the doctors told me I had cancer and it was terminal. They explained that there was no cure, it was too far advanced, and proceeded to help prepare me for my death by explaining how the disease would progress. I had maybe one year left to live. I was concerned about my children, especially my youngest. Who would take care of him? Still I was not depressed. We must all die. I was confident that the pain I was experiencing contained Blessings.

I remembered a good friend, Kareem Al-Misawi, who died of cancer when he was still in his 20's. Shortly before he died, he told me that Allah was truly Merciful. This man was in unbelievable anguish and radiating with Allah's love. He said: "Allah intends that I should enter heaven with a clean book." His death experience gave me something to think about. He taught me of Allah's love and mercy. This was something no one else had ever really discussed. Allah's love!

I did not take me long to start being aware of His blessings. Friends who loved me came out of nowhere. I was given the gift of making Hag. Even more importantly, I learned how very important it was for me to share the Truth of Islam with everyone. It did not matter if people, Muslim or not, agreed with me or even liked me. The only approval I needed was from Allah. The only love I needed was from Allah. Yet, I discovered more and more people, who for no apparent reason, loved me. I rejoiced, for I remembered reading that if Allah loves you, He causes others to love you. I am not worthy of all the love. That means it must be another gift from Allah. Allah is the Greatest!

There is no way to fully explain how my life changed. Alhamdulillah! I am so very glad that I am a Muslim. Islam is my life. Islam is the beat of my heart. Islam is the blood that courses through my veins. Islam is my strength. Islam is my life so wonderful and beautiful. Without Islam, I am nothing and should Allah ever turn His magnificent face from me I could not survive.

"O Allah! let my heart have light, and my sight have light, and my hearing (senses) have light, and let me have light on my right, and let me have light on my left, and let me have light above me, and have light under me, and have light in front of me, and have light behind me; and let me have light." (Bukhari, vol. 8. pp. 221, #329)

"Oh my Lord! Forgive my sins and my ignorance and my exceeding the limits (boundaries of righteousness) in all my deeds and what you know better than I. O Allah! Forgive my mistakes, those done intentionally or out of my ignorance or (without) or with seriousness, and I confess that all such mistakes are done by me. Oh Allah! Forgive my sins of the past and of the future which I did openly or secretly. You are the One who makes the things go before, and You are the One who delays them, and You are the Omnipotent." (Bukhari, vol. , pp. 271, #407)

A brother from Germany wrote and sent this photo


A brother from Germany wrote and sent this photo. The branches clearly say in Arabic that - "THERE IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH". This is said to be scene on a piece of cultivated farmland in Germany. Many Germans have been said to have embraced Islam upon seeing this miraculous sight and that the German government put steel fences around that part of the farm to prevent people from visiting and witnessing this miraculous site.

KALMA-E-TAYYEBA WRITTEN IN BRANCHES

Obama signs landmark health bill into law


SAUL LOEB / AFP - Getty Images
President Barack Obama, surrounded by supporters and camera-wielding lawmakers, signs the health care insurance reform legislation during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on Tuesday.

updated 1:57 p.m. ET March 23, 2010
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed into law a landmark health care reform bill, presiding over the biggest shift in U.S. domestic policy since the 1960s and capping a divisive, yearlong debate that could define the November congressional elections.

The law will bring near-universal coverage to a wealthy country in which tens of millions of people are uninsured. The plan's provisions will be phased in over four years, and it is expected to expand coverage to about 94 percent of eligible non-elderly Americans would have coverage, compared with 83 percent today.

"We have now just enshrined the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health," Obama said at a signing ceremony at the White House, where he was joined by House and Senate Democrats who backed the bill as well as ordinary Americans whose health care struggles have touched the president.

"We are not a nation that scales back its aspirations. We are not a nation that falls prey to doubt or mistrust," Obama said. "That's not who we are. That's not how we got here."

The president praised those House members who had "taken their lumps" during the overhaul debate. Shouted one lawmaker in the audience to laughter, "Yes we did!"





Obama paid tribute to what he called the "historic leadership and uncommon courage" of the members of Congress who pushed ahead with the measure amid the often heated debate. He also hailed the new law, saying it helps lift a "decades-long drag" on the economy.



With Victoria Kennedy, widow of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy in the audience, Obama took note of the long battle to bring the health overhaul measure to his desk. "He was confident we would do the right thing," the president said of the longtime Democratic lawmaker.

The plan is expected to extend coverage to 32 million uninsured Americans, reduce federal budget deficits and ban such insurance company practices as denying coverage to people with existing medical problems.

Obama has pushed health care as his top priority since taking office in January 2009. Failure would have weakened him and endangered other issues on the president's ambitious domestic agenda, including immigration reform and climate change legislation.

Republicans were united in opposition to Obama's redesign of the health care system, criticizing it as a costly government takeover affecting one-sixth of the U.S. economy. They have vowed to use the issue to try to regain control of
Congress in this year's elections.

"By signing this bill, President Obama is abandoning our founding principle that government governs best when it governs closest to the people," said House Republican leader John Boehner. "Never before has such a monumental change to our government been carried out without the support of both parties.

Shortly after Obama signed the bill, mostly Republican attorneys general from 13 states said they are suing the federal government to stop the health care overhaul, arguing that the provision that requires Americans to carry health insurance is unconstitutional. Experts say the effort will likely fail because the U.S. Constitution states that federal law supersedes state laws, but the legal challenge may keep the issue fresh in the mind of voters come November.

Democratic lawmakers say they have delivered on Obama's campaign pledge for change, revamping a system in which the spiraling costs have put health care and insurance out of the reach of many Americans.

Now the president must sell the law's merits to a wary American public.

The next act begins Thursday, when Obama visits Iowa City, Iowa, where he announced his health care plan as a presidential candidate in May 2007. There Obama plans to talk about how the new law will help lower health care costs for small businesses and families, selling the overhaul to Americans who are deeply divided over the plan.

The House passed the 10-year, $938 billion bill Sunday night after a rancorous debate. Not one Republican voted for the bill. Some Democrats also voted against it.

The measure represents the biggest expansion of the U.S. federal government's social safety net since President Lyndon B. Johnson enacted the Medicare and Medicaid government-funded health care coverage programs for the elderly and poor.

A companion measure sought by House Democrats to make a series of changes to the main bill was approved 220-211. It goes to the Senate, where debate could begin as early as Tuesday. Majority Leader Harry Reid says he has the votes to pass it — though only under special budget rules requiring just 50 votes rather than the 60 usually needed to bypass the opposition's delaying tactics.

Republicans plan to offer scores of amendments to slow or change the companion measure, which Democrats hope to approve as written and send directly to Obama for his signature.

Both the House and Senate had passed separate versions and were close to resolving their differences when the Democrats lost a crucial Senate seat in a January special election that put the effort in peril. The Democrats regrouped and came up with an compromise that required the House to approve the Senate-passed measure despite opposition to many of its provisions, then have both chambers pass a measure incorporating numerous changes.

THE NAME OF ALLAH ALMIGHTY WRITTEN IN THE CLOUDS

Light Drinking Good for the Heart


Two studies confirm previous evidence that it reduces mortality
By Ed EdelsonHealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Two major studies confirm the current medical consensus that moderate drinking appears to be good for the heart but heavy drinking is bad for health in general.

"This would not change our current guidelines, which provide an upper limit and not a lower limit, no more than two drinks a day for men and no more than one drink a day for women," said Dr. Kenneth J. Mukamal, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an internist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He is lead author of one of the reports published online March 23 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The new study, using data from nine National Health Interview Surveys done between 1987 and 2000, is more thorough than previous reports and provides "some of the strongest evidence to date" of a link between moderate drinking and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, Mukamal said.

Specifically, the study tries to separate out the health effects of people who list themselves as abstainers, some of whom have never touched the stuff and others who were heavy drinkers but gave it up because of possible damage to their health.

"Some studies have done better than others at that, but this is by far the largest effort to do it," Mukamal said. "We have data on more than 2 million person-years, appropriately weighted so that it is representative of Americans over the last 20 years."

The study looked specifically at deaths from cardiovascular conditions such as heart attack and stroke. It found a lower rate of such deaths in light and moderate drinkers than among people who never drank or quit. The type of alcoholic beverage -- beer, wine, liquor -- made no difference.

"Indeed, the lowest rate of cardiovascular mortality was among those who drink moderately," Mukamal said. "That benefit is clearly eliminated in people who drank above that level."

The results "dovetail nicely" with those of previous reports, but "they are not likely to lead to any recommendation to drink alcohol," Mukamal said, since drinking can have adverse effects on organs outside the cardiovascular system.

A second report in the same issue of the journal by Italian doctors and epidemiologists at Catholic University, in Campobasso, looked at the relationship between alcohol consumption and death rates in eight studies that included more than 29,000 drinkers and nondrinkers who had cardiovascular disease.

Moderate alcohol intake had a protective effect for those people, the report said. It found the maximum reduction in risk of death from all causes among those whose alcohol intake ranged from 5 to 10 grams a day. (A typical drink is usually defined as containing 13.7 grams of alcohol.)

For cardiovascular deaths alone, the maximum protective effect -- a 22 percent reduction -- was found for a daily intake of 25 grams of alcohol. The death rate went up with higher daily alcohol intake levels.

Their bottom line: "In patients with cardiovascular disease, light to moderate alcohol consumption (5 to 25 grams per day), was significantly associated with a lower incidence of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality."

But it's important to remember that advice about drinking should be made on the basis of a person's specific risk factors, said Dr. Arthur L. Klatsky, a senior consultant in cardiology at the Kaiser Permanente Health Plan in California, who wrote an accompanying editorial.

For example, there is no net benefit of moderate drinking for young women, since it increases the risk of breast cancer, Klatsky said, but the cardiovascular benefits for middle-aged men and women are there.

"Advice about this has to be given on an individual basis," he said.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Michael Owen nje kwa msimu mzima


Michael Owen nje kwa msimu mzima

Mshambulizi wa klabu ya soka ya Manchester United ya Uingereza, Michael Owen, akiwa na matatizo ya misuli ya paja, tangu mechi ya ushindi wa magoli 2-1 ya Kombe la Carling dhidi ya Aston Villa, hataweza kucheza tena msimu huu.
Mchezaji huyo mwenye umri wa miaka 30, alifunga bao la kusawazisha katika mechi hiyo ya Wembley, lakini alipatwa na matatizo ya misuli alipokuwa akiukimbilia mpira katika kipindi cha kwanza. Kujeruhiwa kwa Owen kumempotezea matumaini yote ya kushirikishwa katika timu ya England.

Meneja wa Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, amesema kwamba kinyume na walivyofikiria hapo awali, hali ya Owen ni mbaya zaidi, na kwa kiasi fulani, alisema huenda hayo yalitokana na uwanja wa Wembley. Owen, ambaye ana mwaka mmoja uliosalia katika mkataba wake wa miaka miwili na Man U, awali alitazamiwa kupumzika kwa wiki chache tu. Atafanyiwa upasuaji Jumatatu.

Nigeria inaweza kushinda kombe la dunia


Kocha mpya wa Timu ya taifa ya Nigeria, Lars Lagerback ana imani kuwa timu ya Super Eagles wana vipaji vya kuiwezesha kufikia hatua za nusu fainali kwenye kombe la dunia huko Afrika ya kusini.
Kocha huyo ambaye ni raia wa Sweden alishuhudia Timu yenye wachezaji wasiocheza nje ya Nigeria wakiizaba Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasi ya Congo mabao 5-2 mjini Abuja mnamo siku ya jumatano.

Baada ya mechi hiyo kocha huyo aliulizwa kuhusu matarajio yake ya uwezekano wa kufuzu kucheza nusu fainali. Alisema kuwa kuna uwezekano mkubwa, nadhani kwamba kila kocha, kila taifa linaloingia mashindano yoyote huwa na matumaini ya ushindi.

Kocha huyo aliongezea kuwa Nigeria ina wachezaji wenye vipaji kwa hiyo wana kila fursa ya kupiga hatua kwenye mashindano ya kombe la dunia. Lakini aliongezea kuwa ni muhimu kufanya mipango ya kina ili Nigeria iweze kufanikiwa tukianza na kuwakusanya wachezaji wote katika kambi moja.

Utaratibu kurudiana Ligi Kuu wapingwa




Bodi ya Ligi Kuu ya England imesema haiafiki utaratibu unaopendekezwa wa mechi za marudiano kwa ajili ya kufuzu kwa mshindi wa nne na timu itakayopata nafasi pia ya kucheza Ligi ya Mabingwa wa Ulaya.
Katika mkutano wa bodi hiyo uliofanyika siku ya Alhamisi, mwenyekiti wake aliamua kupinga pendekezo hilo kwa wakati wowote ule siku za baadae.

Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool na Arsenal imearifiwa nao haraka wamepinga wazo hilo.

Hata hivyo vilabu vingine kimsingi vinaelekea kuafiki wazo hilo

Stuart Holden wa Bolton avunjika mguu




Kiungo wa Bolton Stuart Holden hataweza kucheza soka kwa wiki sita baada ya kuvunjika mguu wake wa kulia.
Holden alijeruhiwa wakati akichezea Marekani iliyofungwa mabao 2-1 na Uholanzi katika mchezo wa kirafiki wa kimataifa siku ya Jumatano.

Holden mwenye umri wa miaka 22 aliyejiunga na Bolton mwezi wa Januari, alicheza tangu mwanzo katika klabu yake mechi mbili zilizopita dhidi ya Wolves na Tottenham.

Nae meneja wa Bolton Owen Coyle ameeleza katika mtandao wa klabu hiyo, katika mechi zote mbili aligundua kipaji cha mchezaji huyo, kwa hiyo kuumia kwake ni pigo kubwa. Aliongeza kusema jambo la muhimu atarejea imara zaidi.

Terry ashukuru mashabiki kumuunga mkono




John Terry alijisikia ameungwa mkono vizuri na mashabiki wa soka wa England katika mchezo wa Jumatano wa kirafiki walipoifunga Misri mabao 3-1 katika uwanja wa Wembley.
Terry aliichezea England kwa mara ya kwanza tangu alipopokonywa unahodha baada ya tuhuma za kuwa na uhusiano na aliyekuwa mpenzi wa Wayne Bridge.

Nahodha huyo wa Chelsea, amesema amefurahishwa na namna mashabiki walivyomuunga mkono na amewashukuru.

Ameongeza kusema kulikuwa na watu wachache waliozomea mwanzoni lakini ameweza kuyadhibiti. Wana haki ya kutoa mawazo yao.

Kulikuwa na wasiwasi Terry, aliyekuwa akizomewa na mashabiki wa timu za upinzani katika michezo ya Ligi Kuu ya England hivi karibuni, angekuwa na wakati mgumu katika uwanja wa Wembley, hali iliyomfanya Wayne Rooney kuwaomba mashabiki kutomzomea.

Waziri Mkuu Brown ahojiwa kuhusu Iraq


Waziri Mkuu wa Uingereza Gordon Brown ameliambia jopo linalochunguza uvamizi wa Iraq kwamba uamuzi wa kuishambulia nchi hiyo ulifanywa kwa sababu za msingi.
Akihojiwa moja kwa moja kwenye runinga mjini London, Gordon Brown amesema akitegemea taarifa za vyombo vya ujasusi aliamini kwamba Iraq ni tishio la kukabiliwa na kuwa mpango wa utulivu kimataifa ulikuwa hatarini.

Bw Brown, ambaye wakati huo alikuwa waziri wa fedha chini ya serikali ya Tony Blair, amekanusha habari kuwa kulikuwepo na upungufu katika vifaa vya majeshi kutokana na uhaba wa fedha.

Uturuki yashutumu azimio la Marekani


Waziri mkuu wa Uturuki, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ameshutumu azimio ambalo limepitishwa na bunge la Marekani linalodai majeshi yake yalitekeleza mauaji ya halaiki ya waarmenia wakati wa vita vya dunia vya kwanza.
Erdogan amesema nchi yake inashutumiwa kwa uhalifu ambao haikutekeleza.

Ameongezea kuwa hatua hiyo ya Marekani itadhuru uhusiano kati ya nchi hizo mbili.

Tayari Uturuki imemrejesha nyumbani balozi wake nchini Marekani.

Mwandishi wa BBC anasema swala hili ni nyeti sana nchini Uturuki ambayo ni mshirika wa karibu wa Marekani na mwanachama mwenza katika muungano wa mataifa ya NATO

Brown: Mapema kuondoa vikwazo Zimbabwe


Brown: Mapema kuondoa vikwazo Zimbabwe

Waziri Mkuu wa Uingereza Gordon Brown amesema vikwazo dhidi ya Zimbabwe ni lazima viendelee hadi masuala ya ukiukwaji haki za binadamu na vizuizi kwa vyombo vya habari viondolewe.
Baada ya mazungungumzo na Rais wa Afrika Kusini Jacob Zuma, Bw Brown amesema Zimbabwe ni lazima ioneshe msimamo dhabiti wa kufanya uchaguzi huru na wa haki kwa siku zijazo.

Rais Zuma, akiwa katika ziara ya kiserikali nchini Uingereza, ameshauri vikwazo viondolewe ili kuisaidia Zimbabwe kupiga "hatua mbele."

Waziri Mkuu Brown pia amepongeza maandalizi ya Kombe la Dunia yanavyokwenda nchini Afrika Kusini.

Ameitaka Afrika Kusini kutumia "msukumo na vuguvugu" la mashindano hayo kuhakikisha kila mtoto nchini humo anapata nafasi ya kwenda shule ya msingi.

Wakati wa mazungumzo hayo mjini London, viongozi hao wawili walijadili masuala mbali mbali yakiwemo uchumi duniani, uhusiano wa biashara, mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa na suala la kuenea kwa nuklia.

Waliokufa maporomoko Uganda wazikwa


Waliokufa maporomoko Uganda wazikwa

Maziko yamefanyika nchini Uganda kwa watu waliouawa kufuatia maporomoko ya ardhi yaliyokumba vijiji vitatu karibu na mji wa Bududa.
Mwandishi wa BBC Joshua Mmali akiwa eneo yalipotokea maporomoko hayo kwenye miteremko ya mlima Elgon amesema katika baadhi ya sehemu familia nzima imezikwa.

Kiasi cha maiti 90 zimekwishapatikana na zaidi ya watu 260 bado hawajulikani walipo.

Umoja wa Mataifa umesema unapeleka mahema kwa watu wanaofikia 5,000 ambao nyumba zao zimezolewa na maporomoko hayo.

Katika kijiji kimoja watu walioshuhudia wamesema wanafunzi wa shule walikuwa wamejibanza katika zahanati na baadae ikasombwa na maporomoko hayo.

MONUC yajadili kuondoa wanajeshi DRC


MONUC yajadili kuondoa wanajeshi DRC

Umoja wa Mataifa umesema umeanzisha majadiliano na serikali ya Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Congo kuhusu kuondolewa kwa awamu vikosi vya kulinda amani.
Harakati za Jeshi la Umoja wa Mataifa nchini Congo, MONUC, ndiyo yenye idadi kubwa ya wanajeshi wanaolinda amani katika maeneo yote amabayo Umoja wa Mataifa hulinda amani duniani.

Muda wa vikosi hivyo unatarajiwa kumalizika mwezi Mei.

Tangazo hilo lilitolewa na Naibu Katibu Mkuu wa Umoja wa Mataifa, anayeshughulikia harakati za kulinda amani, Alain Le Roy, baada ya kukutana na Rais Joseph Kabila.

Hakuna ufafanuzi uliotolewa kuhusu tarehe ambapo wanajeshi hao wataanza kuondolewa, lakini serikali ya Congo inataka waondolewe mwaka huu.

Bw Le Roy alisema kundi la Umoja wa Mataifa lilipatiwa muda wa mwezi mmoja kutathmini jinsi walinda amani hao watakavyoweza kuanza kuondoka Congo kabla ya Baraza la Usalama la Umoja wa Mataifa kujadili kuongezewa muda kwa MONUC, mwezi Juni.

Msemaji wa serikali ya Congo, Lambert Mende, amesema askari wa kulinda usalama wa Umoja wa Mataifa wanapaswa kuondoka nchini humo isipokuwa mkoa wa mashariki wa Kivu ifikapo mwisho wa mwaka huu.

Ethiopia yakanusha ripoti ya BBC


Ethiopia yakanusha ripoti ya BBC

Mashirika ya misaada na serikali ya Ethiopia zimekanusha madai ya matumizi mabaya ya fedha katika ripoti iliyotolewa na BBC.
Katika ripoti hiyo BBC imesema uchunguzi wake umegundua mamilioni ya fedha za msaada kusaidia waathiriwa wa janga la ukame miaka ya thamanini zilitumika kununua silaha.

Abadi Zemo, afisa mwandamizi wa muungano wa vyama unaotawala Ethiopia, amesema madai hayo hayana msingi wowote.

Pia alikanusha madai kuwa Waziri Mkuu wa Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi, wakati huo aliamuru asilimia tano pekee za fedha hizo za msaada zitumike kukabiliana na ukame.

Naye nyota wa muziki wa rock, Bob Geldof, aliyeongoza juhudi za kukusanya kiasi kikubwa cha fedha hizo za msaada, amesema ripoti hiyo ni upuuzi mtupu.

Makundi ya waasi wa zamani yaliyohusika na usambazaji misaada maeneo waliyoyashikilia, wameiambia BBC ni asilimia tano tu ya fedha za msaada ndizo zilitumika kukabiliana na baa la njaa.

Uchunguzi wa shirika la ujasusi la Marekani CIA wakati huo ulisema kwa hakika msaada ulitumika kwa shughuli za kijeshi.

Waziri wa zamani wa Somalia mashakani Marekani


Waziri wa zamani wa Somalia mashakani Marekani

Raia kadhaa wa Kisomali ambao walisema walikuwa waathiriwa wa mateso wametoa wito kwa Mahakama Kuu nchini Marekani kuwaruhusu kumchukulia hatua za kisheria aliyekuwa makamu wa rais na waziri ulinzi wa Somalia anayeishi Marekani.
Marshal Mohamed Ali Samantar, alikuwa makamu wa rais na waziri wa ulinzi mnamo miaka ya thamanini.

Jaribio la kumshitaki limeanzishwa chini ya sheria za Marekani, zinazoruhusu kesi kuhusu mateso yalitokea nje ya nchi kuweza kusikilizwa, ikiwa nchi ambako uhalifu ulitendeka haiwezi kushughulikia kesi hizo.

Waandishi wa habari wanasema Bw Samantar anadai kuwa na kinga kama afisa wa zamani wa serikali.

Majaji nchini Marekani wameonekana kuwa waangalifu katika matamshi yao ikiwa anaweza kufunguliwa mashtaka nchini Marekani.

Nigeria yachunguza mauaji ya abiria


Bunge la Senate nchini Nigeria limeanzisha uchunguzi kuhusu picha zinazoonyesha miili ya waathiriwa wa kisa cha wizi wa mabavu kwenye barabara kuu ya Lagos kuelekea mjini Benin.
Picha hizo zimesambazwa kwenye mtandao na zinaonyesha maiti zimetapakaa barabarani na maandishi yanayosema abiria hao waliamriwa kutoka kwenye basi na kulala chini.

Wanawake walibakwa kisha dereva wa basi hilo akiamuriwa kuwakanyanga abiria wake mara kadhaa.

Mkuu wa Polisi ametakiwa kufika mbele ya bunge la Senate kutoa maelezo juu ya hali ya usalama katika barabara za nchi hiyo.

Visa kama hivi ni vya kawaida nchini humu na abiria ambao wametekwa hulazimishwa kulala chini na kuporwa.

Mara nyingi abiria hao hugongwa na malori ambayo yanaendeshwa kwa kasi kwenye barabara hizo.

Mamilioni ya watoto kupata chanjo ya polio barani Africa


Kampeni za kutokomeza maradhi ya kupooza au polio katika mataifa ya magharibi na kati kati mwa bara la Afrika zinaanza leo, zikilenga watoto wapatao millioni thamanini na tano.
Wafanyakazi wa huduma za afya na watu waliojitolea watakwenda nyumba hadi nyumba katika nchi kumi na tisa, na kuwapatia chanjo kupitia mdomoni watoto walio chini ya umri wa miaka mitano.

Bara la Afrika limepiga hatua kubwa katika miaka ya hivi karibuni katika kupambana na mardhi hayo ya kupooza, ambayo kwa kawaida huathiri mfumo wa neva mwilini, lakini baado haujaweza kutokomezwa kabisa.

Juhudi za huko nyuma za kuangamiza ugonjwa huo zilishindikana kwa sababu watoto wengi hawakuweza kupatiwa chanjo.

Baadhi ya viongozi wa kidini nchini Nigeria pia walipinga kampeni za kutoa chanjo hiyo, wakidai kuwa zilikuwa ni njama za mataifa ya magharibi kutaka kusambaza virusi vya HIV na ugumba.

Polisi nchini Rwanda wanasema kumekuwa na milipuko miwili ya makombora katika mji mkuu wa Kigali


Milipuko ya makombora Kigali

Polisi nchini Rwanda wanasema kumekuwa na milipuko miwili ya makombora katika mji mkuu wa Kigali. Moja ya milipuko hiyo ilitokea karibu sana na eneo la makumbusho ya mauaji ya kimbari ya mwaka wa 94.
Hadi sasa hakuna mtu aliyeripotiwa kuuawa japo watu 16 walijeruhiwa.
Polisi wanasema bado wanachunguza mashambulizi hayo na hawajabaini waliohusika.

Mtu mmoja aliuawa katika mlipuko kama huo mwezi uliopita. Serikali ya Rwanda inalaumu waliokuwa maafisa wake wawili kwa kupanga mashambulizo hayo ya mwezi jana.

Mmoja wa maafisa hao, Lt Jen Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, amekanusha madai hayo na amekimbilia Afrika Kusini. Bwana Kayumba ambaye alikuwa balozi wa Rwanda nchini Inidia, analaumu serikali ya Rais Paul Kagame kwa kupanga njama za kuzima wapinzani wake.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Mchezaji wa Man City matatani




Mchezaji wa Manchester City anachunguzwa kufuatia tuhuma za kumpiga kichwa shabiki wa Manchester United katika kilabu cha pombe cha usiku.
Michael Johnson anatuhumiwa kwa kumpiga shabiki huyo aliyekuwa akiimba nyimbo za Manchester United mtaa wa 42 katikati ya Manchester city mwezi wa Desemba.

Johnson, mwenye umri wa miaka 22, baadae alikamatwa kwa tuhuma za kudhuru na kumsababisha maumivu mtu aliyempiga.

Msemaji wa polisi amesema mchezaji huyo yupo nje kwa dhamana hadi tarehe 14 mwezi wa Aprili.

Polisi wamesema watu wengine wawili pia wamehojiwa.

Serikali ya mpito yaundwa Niger


Serikali ya mpito yaundwa Niger

Viongozi wa kijeshi nchini Niger wameunda serikali ya mpito inayojumuisha mawaziri 20 wakiwemo wanajeshi watano na wanawake watano.
Serikali hii imeundwa wiki mbili tu baada ya jeshi kupindua serikali ya Rais Mamadou Tandja.

Kwa mujibu wa redio ya taifa, wizara za ulinzi, michezo na mazingira zimekabidhiwa majenerali watatu walio na uhusiano wa karibu na Rais aliyepinduliwa.

Kiongozi mpya wa kijeshi, Meja Salou Djibo, ameahidi kurejesha Niger katika mfumo wa demokrasia ingawa hajaeleza tarehe kamili.

Rais Tandja aling'olewa mamlakani baada ya kubadilisha katiba ya nchi ili kumruhusu kusalia mamlakani hata baada ya muhula wake wa pili anaoruhusiwa kikatiba kukamilika.

Al Shabaab wafurusha wafanyikazi wa WFP, Somalia

Kundi la wapiganaji wa kislamu nchini somalia, Al-shabaab, wameamrisha shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa wa mpango wa chakula, WFP, kusimamisha shughuli zake na kuondoka nchini humo.

Kundi hilo linalodhibiti maeneo mengi ya kusini mwa nchi hiyo, limesema kuwa litachukua hatua dhidi ya raia yeyote wa Somalia anayeshirikiana na shirika hilo la WFP.

Kundi hilo limesema WFP linaangamiza wakulima nchini humo kwa kusambaza chakula cha bure nchini humo.

Marekani kupunguza silaha za nuclear


Rais Barack Obama ameanzisha utaratibu unaonuwia kupunguza silaha za nuclear zinazomilikiwa na Marekani.
Bw Obama alikutana na waziri wake wa ulinzi, Robert Gates, kujadili mkakati mpya, ambao maafisa wanasema utakuwa muhimu katika mpango wa rais wa kutaka kuufanya ulimwengu kuwa mahali salama pasipo kuwa na silaha za nuclear.


Hakuna taarifa rasmi iliyotolewa kuhusiana na suala hilo.

Mwandishi wa BBC mjini Washington amesema Rais Obama anatarajiwa kufutilia mbali mipango ya kuendeleza silaha mpya za nuclear.

Wakati huo huo, suala moja lingine muhimu linabakia--ambalo ni lini silaha za nuclear zinaweza kutumika.

Congo yatakiwa kumshitaki afisa wa kijeshi


Congo yatakiwa kumshitaki afisa wa kijeshi

Mashirika ya kutetea haki za binadamu katika Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Congo yamewasilisha malalamiko serikalini dhidi ya afisa mwandamizi wa kijeshi katika jimbo la Kivu ya Kaskazini.
Mashirika hayo--likiwemo, Human Rights Watch--linawashtumu askari walio chini ya Col Innocent Zimurinda kwa mauaji ya watu wengi, ubakaji na kuwalazimisha watoto kutumika kama wapiganaji katika vita.

Katika taarifa waliyoitoa, mashirika hayo yanaitaka serikali imsimamishe kazi na kumfungulia mashtaka kamanda huyo.

Wito wa mashirika hayo umetolewa wakati serikali ya Congo ikijiandaa kutekeleza mashambulizi makubwa dhidi ya waasi,ambayo yanaungwa mkono na Umoja wa Mataifa.

Mashirika ya kutetea haki za binadamu yanahofia kuwa raia hawatolindwa katika operesheni hiyo ikiwa Col Zimurinda atashirikishwa.

Kamanda huyo hakuweza kupatikana ili kujibu shutma hizo.

Balozi wa Rwanda nchini India, Lt. Jenerali. Kayumba Nyamwasa, ameng'atuka katika nafasi yake na kuvuliwa wadhifa huo na serikali ya Rwanda


Rwanda yamfuta balozi wake wa India

Balozi wa Rwanda nchini India, Lt. Jenerali. Kayumba Nyamwasa, ameng'atuka katika nafasi yake na kuvuliwa wadhifa huo na serikali ya Rwanda.
Jenerali Nyamwasa, ambaye ni kamanda wa zamani wa kundi la waasi nchini Rwanda lililotwaa madaraka mwaka wa 1994, anaarifiwa kuwasili nchini Uganda.

Serikali ya Rwanda imesema kamanda huyo wa zamani alihojiwa na maafisa wa upepelezi wa makosa ya jinai baada ya kurejea mjini Kigali kwa mashauriano.

Serikali ya Rwanda sasa inataka afisa huyo arejeshwe kutoka Uganda.

Jenerali Nyamwasa ni mwanadiplomasia wa pili wa Rwanda kuachia ngazi katika majuma ya hivi karibuni.

Meli ya Saudi yatekwa Ghuba ya Aden


Maharamia wa kisomali wameiteka nyara meli kubwa ya Saudia katika ghuba ya Aden.
Meli hiyo, Al Nisr Al Saudi, ilikuwa na mabaharia 14 lakini haikuwa imebeba mafuta.

Nahodha wa meli hiyo ni raia wa ugiriki ma mabaharia wengine wanaamika kuwa raia wa Sri Lanka.

Kwa mujibu wa wanajeshi wa majini kutoka ulaya wanaoshikika dorioa katika eneo hilo, maharamai wa kisomali wanashikilia meli 6 na mabahararia 132.

Visa vya utekaji meli katika ghuba ya Aden huongezeka katika miezi ya Machi , Aprili na May kwa sababu ya hali mbaya ya anga.

Rais wa Uganda Yoweri Museveni amezuru eneo kulikotokea mkasa wa maporomoko ya ardhi


Rais Yoweri museveni awafariji waathiriwa

Rais wa Uganda Yoweri Museveni amezuru eneo kulikotokea mkasa wa maporomoko ya ardhi mashariki mwa nchi hiyo. Inahofiwa kuwa zaidi watu 300 wamekufa.
Mvua kubwa ambayo imekuwa ikinyesha katika eneo hilo lenye milima la Bududa ndio imelaumiwa kuwa kwa kusababisha janga hilo.

Waziri wa Uganda anayeshungulikia majanga, Tarsis Kabwegyere, amesema kuwa bado hawana picha kamili ya athari za janga hilo.

Mkurugenzi wa shirika la msalaba mwekundu nchini humo, Michael Nataka, anasema shughuli za uokozi zingali zinanedelea na shirika hilo linaomba msaada zaidi.

Kwa mujibu wa shirika hilo maiti themanini zimepatikana huku watu arobaini wakiokolewa. Zaidi ya watu 250 bado hawajulikani waliko.

Fedha za msaada zilinunuliwa silaha Ethiopia




Shirika la utangazaji la BBC limepata ushahidi kuwa mamilioni ya dolla kwa ajili ya msaada ili kukabiliana na hali ya ukame nchini Ethiopia mnamo miaka ya themanini zilitumika kununulia silaha.
Ukame uliotokea wakati huo uliwafanya watu millioni saba kuwa katika hali ya kuhitaji msaada wa dharura, huku dunia nzima ikitawaliwa na picha za baa la njaa, na watu walioonekana kukata tamaa.

Juhudi kubwa za kutafuta msaada, zilizo-ongozwa na mwanamuziki wa mtindo wa rock Bob Geldof, zilikusanya fedha nyingi ambazo hazikutarajiwa.

Wakati huo mashirika ya misaada yalilazimika kufanya kazi pamoja na waasi ili kuwafikia waathiriwa wa baa hilo la njaa.

Mmoja wa viongozi wa waasi alisema ni asilimia tano tu ya fedha hizo ambazo zilitumika kwa ajili ya kupambana na janga hilo la ukame.