Commentary by Michael Kanda directed against Jared Odero’s and Malaki’s comments!

Michael Kanda Says:
January 17th, 2007 at 7:06 pm e

Odero’s statements speak for themselves and try as Malaki might to interpret them otherwise, he will convince no one but himself.

Malaki has utterly failed in his understanding of my comments, so here is a reply to the points he has raised:

1. I did not claim that Kenya Stockholm Blog is a Luo outfit or should report on Luo issues as Malaki claims. My statement was in regard to the use of the term “Kenyans” as used by Kenya Stockholm Blog when referring to the Luo community in Stockholm. This is not tribal in any sense, just factual. No one outside the Luo community in Stockholm has so far expressed dismay, or called meetings to discuss how the family wish to inter Maggero.

2. The case of Gbeyo as quoted by Odero was comparative and this is quite plain to see. Malaki apparently does not recognise synonymic statements when he sees them.

3. I still maintain the so-called meetings are Kangaroo courts, the conveyers being judge, jury and hangman. This in essence is spiced up with mob-justice mentality were emotions are whipped up in a frenzy of righteous indignation.

4. Odero deliberately called the petition by the liberated young Kenyans as “cheap feminist attacks” and whiners’. This was a cheap attack, as it was insulting. Semantics claims Malaki, and I beg to differ. And on this note, one wonders why Odero assumed that the liberated young Kenyans are all female? Great insight on his views on women by the way.

5. Malaki wants statistics to the fact that Kenyans find the unfolding events, tug of war if you may, distasteful and revolting. Well, keep on surfing to African Press in Norway and spread the word around on what a great site it is.

6. These so called meetings are tantamount to Kangaroo courts as explained in my earlier post. I stand by my statement. If Malaki finds me petty for speaking my mind, this is his prerogative. Let the music play on!

Many thanks.

Michael Kanda

Related stories:

• “Osewe and his mates were not involved in his (late Maggero’s) life when he was alive and neither should they do it now”, says Ebony!
• I fail to see anything in Odero’s article that is against the Maggeros; says Malaki
• Sweden: Condolences and assured support to the Wuod-Maggero family!
• Maggero: “Liberated Young Kenyans” Under Attack
• I am concerned about the obvious apparent bias in Kenya Stockholm Blog, Says Randa
• By liberated young Kenyans in Stockholm! 
• Kenyan dies at 73 in Sweden. His death divides Kenyans living in the country!

___________________

Published by Korir, African Press in Norway, APN, africanpress@chello.no

  

Commentary by Ebony in Sweden, a reaction to Kenya Stockholm Blog’s articles on the late Maggero.

I am a Kenyan who lives in Stockholm, and I cannot believe what I have been reading in the Kenya Stockholm Blog.

Osewe should discontinue to use the term “Kenyans in Stockholm” and quit acting like our spokesman but instead write the individual names of his supporters.

Maggero had a family and his burial should be a private matter, Osewe and his mates were not involved in his life when he was alive and neither should they do it now.

I am utterly disgusted by Osewe bringing up bi-racial relationships or marriages in the manner that he did. R.I.P Maggero.

By Ebony in Sweden

Related stories:

• I fail to see anything in Odero’s article that is against the Maggeros; says Malaki
• Sweden: Condolences and assured support to the Wuod-Maggero family!
• Maggero: “Liberated Young Kenyans” Under Attack
• I am concerned about the obvious apparent bias in Kenya Stockholm Blog, Says Randa
• By liberated young Kenyans in Stockholm! 
• Kenyan dies at 73 in Sweden. His death divides Kenyans living in the country!

______________________

Published by Korir, African Press in Norway, APN, africanpress@chello.no

I’m not the greatest; I’m the double greatest. Not only do I knock ‘em out, I pick the round. 

It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up. 

Floats like a butterfly, sting like a bee, his hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see.
Before the 1974 fight against George Foreman

I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale; handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail; only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalised a brick; I’m so mean I make medicine sick.
Again, before the 1974 Foreman fight

I’m so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and got into bed before the room was dark.
Yet more ’74 pre-fight build-up ahead of facing Foreman

The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights. 

Superman don’t need no seatbelt.

When you can whip any man in the world, you never know peace. 

I’m the best. I just haven’t played yet.
On playing golf.

ON BOXING
Boxing is a lot of white men watching two black men beat each other up.

Champions aren’t made in gyms, champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.

Only the nose knows where the nose goes when the doors close. 

I never thought of losing, but now that it’s happened, the only thing is to do it right. That’s my obligation to all the people who believe in me. We all have to take defeats in life.
After losing to Ken Norton, 31 March 1973

ON RACE, RELIGION AND LIFE
I am America. I am the part you won’t recognise. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me. 

Cassius Clay is a slave name. I didn’t choose it and I don’t want it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name – it means beloved of God – and I insist people use it when people speak to me and of me.
Announcing his conversion to the Muslim faith after first Sonny Liston fight

“What’s my name, fool? What’s my name?”
To Ernie Terrell during their 1967 fight – Terrell had refused to call him Muhammad Ali

I know I got it made while the masses of black people are catchin’ hell, but as long as they ain’t free, I ain’t free. 

Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs? 

I got nothing against no Viet Cong. No Vietnamese ever called me a ‘nigger’. 

Nobody has to tell me that this is a serious business. I’m not fighting one man. I’m fighting a lot of men, showing a lot of ‘em, here is one man they couldn’t defeat, couldn’t conquer. My mission is to bring freedom to 30m black people.
Before his fight against Jerry Quarry in 1970.

A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.

What’s really hurting me – the name Islam is involved, and Muslim is involved and causing trouble and starting hate and violence. Islam is not a killer religion, Islam means peace. I couldn’t just sit home and watch people label Muslims as the reason for this problem.
21 September 2001, in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks

ALI vs FRAZIER
Frazier is so ugly that he should donate his face to the US Bureau of Wildlife.

Ali 
It will be a killer, and a chiller, and a thriller, when I get the gorilla in Manila
Ali, before the “Thrilla in Manila” against Frazier

Joe Frazier is so ugly that when he cries, the tears turn around and go down the back of his head.

Ali 
I always bring out the best in men I fight, but Joe Frazier, I’ll tell the world right now, brings out the best in me. I’m gonna tell ya, that’s one helluva man, and God bless him.
Ali, after the “Thrilla in Manila”

I said a lot of things in the heat of the moment that I shouldn’t have said. Called him names I shouldn’t have called him. I apologise for that. I’m sorry. It was all meant to promote the fight.

Ali 
The Butterfly and me have been through some ups and downs and there have been lots of emotions, many of them bad. But I have forgiven him. I had to. You cannot hold out for ever. There were bruises in my heart because of the words he used. I spent years dreaming about him and wanting to hurt him. But you have got to throw that stick out of the window. Do not forget that we needed each other, to produce some of the greatest fights of all time.
Frazier in reflective mood.

ON OTHER OPPONENTS
Hey Floyd – I seen you! Someday I’m gonna whup you! Don’t you forget, I am the greatest!
To then-world heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson during the 1960 Olympic Games.

Why, Chump, I bet you scare yourself to death just starin’ in the mirror. You ugly bear! You ain’t never fought nobody but tramps and has beens. You call yourself a world champion? You’re too old and slow to be champion!
To Sonny Liston before their fight on 25 February 1964

I shook up the world! I shook up the world!
After beating Liston

That all you got George?
To Foreman late in the Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire on 30 October 1974

By Longstory/Cutshort

__________________

Published by African Press in Norway, APN, africanpress@chello.no

Commentary by Malaki

By Joseph Malaki

Related stories:

• Sweden: Condolences and assured support to the Wuod-Maggero family!

• Maggero: “Liberated Young Kenyans” Under Attack
• I am concerned about the obvious apparent bias in Kenya Stockholm Blog, Says Randa
• By liberated young Kenyans in Stockholm!
• Kenyan dies at 73 in Sweden. His death divides Kenyans living in the country!

 ______________________

Published by Korir, African Press in Norway, APN, africanpress@chello.no

Chelsea’s star Andrej Sjevtsjenko (30), is repinorted to have asked Chelsea-owner Abramovitsj to replace manager Jose Mourinho with Milan-manager.
 
By doing so, Sjevtsjenko is now fueling the crisis between himself and Mourinho.

Reliable sources are quoted saying that Sjevtsjenko has taken the step to request Chelsea-owner Roman Abramovitsj to get rid of Mourinho and bring in his former boss in Milan, Carlos Ancelotti.

Carlos’s contract soon ending in Milan:

According to the media Sjevtsjenko is quoted to have said that Ancelotti is the only man that can help him back to the high standard he is known to represent as the most feared footballer.

He also believes that Ancelotti is the right person to take Chelsea a step forward.

According to the Daily Mirror, Ancelotti will leave AC Milan in the summer, after six seasons as the boss at San Siro, where he took home the Champions League-top medal in 2003. Before becoming manager, he was a top Italian player and later progressed to become a football coach.

Problems in the wings and troubled waters:

Chelsea has experienced problems, sailing on troubled waters, and the man said to be the main actor in all the problems is none other than Sjevtsjenko.

Mourinho has been quoted saying Sjevtsjenko is a lazy fellow, and he urges that he puts more effort into training.

The problem seems to be the fact that many do think that Sjevtsjenko acts as Abramovitsj’s eyes, and ears, in the dressing room and this may be uncomfortable for the other players, and Mourinho. Mourinho seems to have lost trust in him, and a situation like this destroys the club’s moral.

Excluded: Absent during the recent game:

It is getting more and more clear that Mourinho does not have any more faith in the player who was brought to the club by Abramovitsj, costing Chelsea 350 million kroner.

During the recent play-off against Wigan, Sjevtsjenko was totally left out of the team. Chelsea is saying the reasons for excluding him is not the conflict, but sustained injuries by the player. The truth, however, seems to be different according to the experts, who say the portuguese manager is of the opinion that the player is no longer useful, and he would rather give the opportunity to a younger player.

The cold relationship between Mourinho, and Sjevtsjenko, has also damaged the relationship between Mourinho and Abramovitsj.

It is reported that during a discussions about Sjevtsjenko, the two men, Mourinho and Abramovitsj parted in anger without reaching any agreement. And now according to observers, they communicate through the club director Peter Kenyon.

During the conflict, it is important that Mourinho has in mind the fact that Sjevtsjenko and Abramovitsj are Russians and that may carry the weight in the final analysis coming to 2 against 1.

By Longstory/Cutshort, For African Press in Norway, APN

_________________

Published by African Press in Norway.

Troubled Britney Spears looks to have had a tox-sick reaction to a boozy night out.

The pasty-looking pop princess was in pieces after a drinking binge with new fella Isaac Cohen.

But the male model was left mopping the contents of her stomach off the gear-stick with paper towels.

An onlooker said: “The car suddenly stopped and Britney was being sick.

“As soon as they realised they could be seen, Isaac tried to cover the mess with his shirt.”

The couple arrived home in Los Angeles on Friday at 3am from a Hollywood nightclub marathon.

But Britney, 25, still opted for a “hair of the dog”. The mum of two, who split from hubby Kevin Federline last year, went for the weekend to Las Vegas.

She and Isaac stayed in the £20,000-a-night suite at the Palms Hotel.

By Longstory/Cutshort, For African Press in Norway, APN.lifted

Condolences and our assured support to the Wuod-Maggero family in this time of grief.

Odero has just proved what the Kenyan liberals are stating; anyone who seems to be of a different opinion than that shared by the clique of so called conservatives a.k.a Kenya Stockholm Blog supporters is subjected to immediate ridicule, and branded a madman.

Resorting to using phrases like “muted and shackled” and sarcastic innuendo, a common feature of the Kenya Stockholm Blog, does not change the fact that these Kenyans also do have the right of expression.

The debate is certainly not about Luo customs, belief, and tradition as Odero would have us believe, but Wuod-Maggero’s immediate family and their wish to inter his remains in the way they see fit and becoming.

Granted, no man is an island and we belong to one community or the other. However to claim that Mrs. Dagmar Wuod Maggero did not know the mind of her husband, a man she lived with daily for 43 years is pure folly and utter nonsense.

That Woud belonged to the Luo community is not in question, but this relation was secondary to that of his family. He would be the first to defend Dagmar if he were with us today, a fact that should be indisputable even to the most hardcore conservative.

When did decency and compassion go out of the window? Most communities world over are in agreement when it comes to the rights of the immediate family, the next of kin. I can imagine how distressing it must be for Wuod’s children to see this tug of war between friends, and well wishers in Stockholm, and their mother, over their father’s remains, with cynical Kenya Stockholm Blog’s articles as the icing.

Many Kenyans understand this, and do not have to appear in kangaroo courts disguised as meetings to argue for or against. One doesn’t have to be an intellectual to be able to discern right from wrong. “With friends as these, who needs enemies?”

Odero cites the Gbeyo case. He, however, seems to forget that Gbeyo had no next of kin in Sweden, no one to speak in his stead, and the Swedish authorities hence acted in the matter they saw fit. The similarities Odero would have us see in the two cases elude me. Yet again half truths are presented to the Kenyan public, courtesy of Kenya Stockholm Blog.

It vexes me personally when things are done in the name of Kenyans, yet when the same Kenyans protest, or are of a different opinion are deemed imbeciles. Odero even goes as far as insinuating that women are incapable of contributing to the ongoing debate, terming their thoughts as “cheap feminist attacks”. Shame!

Lets call a spade a spade. The whole situation that has arisen has disintegrated to a sordid show where the perceived prestige of the Luo community in Stockholm is at stake. Therefore the Kenya Stockholm Blog should be honest enough to replace the term “Kenyans” with “Luo Community Stockholm” when reporting about these “meetings” .

The people behind the Kenya Stockholm Blog may think it is a popular forum for Kenyans in Stockholm, but far from it, hence the out-pour on African Press in Norway, APN.

Odero would be surprised at the number of Kenyans of all ethnic backgrounds who view what is going on with the utmost distaste and revulsion.

Wakenya in Stockholm and Scandinavia once again reiterate their unwavering support for Mrs. Dagmar Wuod Maggero and family.

The kangaroo court called for on Friday will remain just that. We urge Mrs. Dagmar Wuod Maggero, and family to disregard these so called meetings, and refuse to become party to the illegitimate agenda of the people concerned.

Name calling and jeering only goes to expose the despots within our community, bent on causing pain and seeking recognition all in the name of African tradition.

Michael Kanda is reacting to a story by Jared Odero below:

• Maggero: “Liberated Young Kenyans” Under Attack

__________________

Published by Korir, African Press in Norway, APN, africanpress@chello.no, source.KenyaStockholmBlog. 

This is what happens in our African countries !  A Tanzanian of Indian origin benefited twice in two corruptions deals.

One in the purchase of an extremely expensive Jet for the former president of Tanzania Ben Mkapa and in getting the British air force a lucrative deal in the purchase of a very expensive radar system.

The guy walked with 12 mill. dollars in his pocket in the second deal as a middleman, the amount he got in the first deal is still unclear ! The Indian businessman by the name of Somaia !!  The question is do we need these Indians ! or should we remember Idi Amin ??

UK probes Tanzania air radar deal  
 
UK Serious Fraud Office officials have visited Tanzania, as part of a probe into the purchase of an air traffic control system five years ago.
Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said in the UK he would give no more details to avoid influencing the investigation.

The UK Guardian newspaper reported that British defence company, BAE Systems, allegedly paid a Tanzanian middleman a commission of $12m to win the order.

BAE says it is cooperating fully with the investigation.

At the time, the serving UK International Development Secretary Clare Short criticised the sale of such an expensive system.

Neither the BAE nor the SFO are commenting on recent developments. BAE has strongly denied operating a secret slush fund to sweeten deals.

The SFO recently decided to drop a long-running BAE corruption probe into a huge arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

Reports said the Saudis had threatened to pull out of a new BAE deal unless the probe was brought to an end.

Opposition politicians accused the government of putting cash before principle.

By Longstory/Cutshort, For African Press in Norway, APN.Lifted