On Monday July 18 Nelson Mandela turned 87. Looking at Mr Mandela's life and his personality, I can't help wishing we had more leaders like him, not only in Kenya but also in the rest of Africa. When I look at all the looting and mismanagement of affairs being carried out by the current Kenyan government, it hurts even more to think of Mr Mandela's accomplishments. When I see how Mugabe is handling the land issue in Zimbabwe, it hurts even more to think of how graciously Mr Mandela handled the sensitive issue of race in South Africa.
Mr Mandela would have had every reason to feel bitter and harm those who had put him behind bars for 18 years. He would have had every reason to try and make as much personal profit from his fame and term as president of SA. He would have had every reason to keep a firm grasp on power and seek a second presidential term. He could have, but he didn't.
This is not to say that Mr Mandela hasn't personally profited from his position. I'm sure he's leading a good life. But unlike most of our African leaders, Mr Mandela has given back much more to the people of his country. I don't have any figures on the number of schools, orphans, hospitals or townships that have in one way or another received assistance from or through him. But what I see is his effort. Especially in the fight against HIV/Aids, Mr Mandela has helped enormously. The awareness he has brought to this epidemic and other African problems can hardly be quantified.
Let us hope that Mr Mandela continues to represent our continent for many more years to come. At the same time, let us hope that very soon we will have other African leaders with a similar track record.
As I write this, Kenyan police are fighting protesters outside parliament in Nairobi. The protests are against the latest draft constitution and the amount of power that will remain with the president. We are three years into the NARC government and we are still waiting for a new constitution - one which president Kibaki had promised within 100 days. My thoughts are with our fellow citizens in Nairobi.
BBC slideshow on Nelson Mandela.
BBC profile on Nelson Mandela.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Mad skills videos
Check out this video of LeBron James catching fire from very very far during a practice session. Since I never got the chance to watch Jordan live, I hope that at least one day I can catch LeBron.
Also check out this video with moves from Zidane and Ronaldinho. Zidane's career is almost over, but thanks to Ronaldinho (and many others) soccer still has a lot to offer.
Both videos are from Koreus.com
Also check out this video with moves from Zidane and Ronaldinho. Zidane's career is almost over, but thanks to Ronaldinho (and many others) soccer still has a lot to offer.
Both videos are from Koreus.com
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Federer Express
Living in Switzerland, it's kind of hard to get away from all the talk on Roger Federer. Obviously all of his big matches are televised live. And in tennis it doesn't get any bigger than the Wimbledon's finals. You know a tournament is huge when it's officially called "The Championships". Even one of those aliens Tom Cruise is sure are among us, will realise the importance of Wimbledon when he/she/it reads those two words.
After watching Federer win his third consecutive Wimbledon title today, I can't help but feel sorry for his opponent Andy Roddick. Most of it is probably because Roddick comes across as someone who would be cool to hang out with. Watching him giving his all and having Federer simply return everything he was throwing at him made me feel sorry for him. If Federer was dominating Hewitt that way, I would have absolutely enjoyed that much. I had a blast watching Federer demolish Hewitt 6-0, 7-6, 6-0 at last year's US Open final.
Though I clearly wanted Federer to win, I was sometimes rooting for Roddick. I didn't want him to win the match, but at least be able to compete. But since Federer decided to bring his best tennis, Roddick had little chance. In the first set, Federer was just in the zone. He simply could do no wrong. In the second set Roddick at least pushed him into a tie-break. By the third set, I think most of Roddick had given up. He once again had to say to himself that Federer was almost unbeatable.
Roddick and other current good tour players are in the unfortunate situation of playing tennis at the wrong time. Kind of like NBA players during the Jordan era or Tour de France participants during the last six years (though I do have my doubts with Lance and cycling in general).
In case you were wondering:
a) Tom Cruise and I "are currently not on speaking terms". I never thought I could hate someone who starred in two of my all-time favourite movies (Jerry Maguire and A Few Good Men) this much. I can deal with his scientology stuff (I just don't pay attention). But his relationship with Katie Holmes is too much for me to handle. I used to consider her to be the nicest and among the most beautiful actresses. But now she's engaged to someone who's posters used to hang on her wall as a teenager and has begun talking about scientology too. Free Katie!
b) I can't stand Lleyton Hewitt! I have nothing against playing with emotions and once in a while letting yourself go. But this guy is too much! Sometimes I find myself shouting at him on tv after one of those "shout c'mon / do a fist pump / stare at opponent, crowd or friends" things of his. No wonder other players hate him so much.
After watching Federer win his third consecutive Wimbledon title today, I can't help but feel sorry for his opponent Andy Roddick. Most of it is probably because Roddick comes across as someone who would be cool to hang out with. Watching him giving his all and having Federer simply return everything he was throwing at him made me feel sorry for him. If Federer was dominating Hewitt that way, I would have absolutely enjoyed that much. I had a blast watching Federer demolish Hewitt 6-0, 7-6, 6-0 at last year's US Open final.
Though I clearly wanted Federer to win, I was sometimes rooting for Roddick. I didn't want him to win the match, but at least be able to compete. But since Federer decided to bring his best tennis, Roddick had little chance. In the first set, Federer was just in the zone. He simply could do no wrong. In the second set Roddick at least pushed him into a tie-break. By the third set, I think most of Roddick had given up. He once again had to say to himself that Federer was almost unbeatable.
Roddick and other current good tour players are in the unfortunate situation of playing tennis at the wrong time. Kind of like NBA players during the Jordan era or Tour de France participants during the last six years (though I do have my doubts with Lance and cycling in general).
In case you were wondering:
a) Tom Cruise and I "are currently not on speaking terms". I never thought I could hate someone who starred in two of my all-time favourite movies (Jerry Maguire and A Few Good Men) this much. I can deal with his scientology stuff (I just don't pay attention). But his relationship with Katie Holmes is too much for me to handle. I used to consider her to be the nicest and among the most beautiful actresses. But now she's engaged to someone who's posters used to hang on her wall as a teenager and has begun talking about scientology too. Free Katie!
b) I can't stand Lleyton Hewitt! I have nothing against playing with emotions and once in a while letting yourself go. But this guy is too much! Sometimes I find myself shouting at him on tv after one of those "shout c'mon / do a fist pump / stare at opponent, crowd or friends" things of his. No wonder other players hate him so much.
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