Steve Jobs Dies at 56

Apple Inc co-founder and visionary CEO up to August 24 2011 has passed on aged 56 years old. Jobs was born in San Francisco in 1955 by Paul and Clara Jobs of Mountain View, California, who named him Steven Paul. He leaves behind his wife Laurene Powell Jobs and their four children.He was also served as the CEO of Pixar animation studios and a Director of the Walt Disney Company in 2006.Under his leadership Apple Inc. has been a technological giant in the computer and mobile handset industry for many decades as well as being an innovative company that has produced revolutionary gadgets such as the iphone and ipad. There is also the successful line of Apple computers which run on MAC operating systems.
Jobs was a successful inventor and was either primary inventor or co-inventor of 338 US patents or patent applications related to a wide range of technologies. he is described as many as one of the greatest American innovators who wasn't afraid of thinking differently and had a vision of changing the world.

Jobs announced to his employees that he had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his pancreas in mid 2004. Job had stated that he had a rare and far less aggressive type known as islet cell neuroendocrine tumor.He initially resisting the idea of conventional medical intervention and embarked on a special diet to thwart the disease. Later on in July 2004, Jobs underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy (also known as "Whipple procedure")  that appeared to successfully remove the tumor.during this period Jobs  did not require nor receive chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Numerous messages of condolence have poured in from millions of people all over the world to the extent of crashing down some social media sites like twitter. messages have also come from prominent personalities such as US president Barrack Obama, Microsoft Co-founder and Chairman Bill Gates, Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg amongst others

The Return of The English Premier League

Having taken a break for 2 or so months the greatest drama series on earth is back. The English Premier League started off last weekend with some pomp as newcomers were shown a baptism of fire, West Brom being beaten 2-1 by Man U, QPR thrashed 4-0 by Bolton (lucky devils) and so was Swansea by Man City. They definitely received a warm welcome from being promoted from the championship.  


Debutants making headlines were the likes of Gervinho (Arsenal) being red carded, Sergio Aguero ( Man City) scoring a brace and giving an assist and Chelsea Manager Villas Boas starting off with a nil - nil draw against an impressive Stoke City. Being a Man U fan I cant help but be biased and complement new signing Ashley Young, academy products Tom Cleverly and Danny Welbeck for making impressive starts in this years campaign and we hope to see more of them, as for Degea, he just needs EPL experience to build his confidence. Man U man to watch out for this season, Anderson#8 and Ashley Young#18 As he weeks progress we are bound to see more exciting matches and emphatic score-lines. 


The weekend also saw the end of the longest,grueling and ultimately cat and mouse transfer sagas in football history. Cesc Fabregas joined his boy hood club,FC Barcelona, for 30 million Euros plus some other clauses in a 5 year deal. Phew!! Really glad it's all over as it was becoming a big bore every season since it was a matter of when and not if.  


Back home in the Kenya premier League, Gor Mahia FC recorded an unfair draw with robbed team Sher Karuturi who have every right to be aggrieved as the added time was extended from 6 minutes to 9. Gor's equalizer was however a true beauty of a goal in a game which they were headed for a direct loss. It will be interesting to see how K'ogalo handle their next games and if the referees assistance will be in force.

2008 Beijing Olympic Medalist Samuel Wanjiru Dies Aged 24

Olympic marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru has died after apparently falling from the top floor of his home in Nyahururu, central Kenya.
The police said champion died from injuries sustained after jumping from top floor of his home in Nyahururu town at about 1am local time.

News of the death spread like bushfire in the town and by the morning many people among them athletes had thronged the Nyahururu district hospital mortuary where the body was lying.

The athletics champion was said to have jumped from his house at the Muthaiga estate in Nyahururu. Police said there was a quarrel between the runner and his wife Triza Njeri moments before he leaped to his death.

Nyandarua police chief Jasper Ombati said Wanjiru had come home at 11pm with a female friend after a social evening before the wife unexpectedly showed up moments later.

Mr Ombati said the runner was pronounced dead on arrival at the Nyahururu district hospital where he had been rushed by relatives.

Relatives found him lying on the concrete floor bleeding through the mouth and ears.
The Doctors at the district hospital tried to resuscitate him in vain. His female friend was being held at Nyahururu police station where she is helping police with investigations. The wife and a guard also recorded statements.

A huge crowd milled around the home by day break but the police had condoned off the area.

The sports hero was set to appear before a Nyahururu court on May 23 where he is charged with being in possession of an illegal fire arm.

In March, he had a sigh of relief after his wife and a guard, William Masinde, withdrew assault charges against him before the same court.

OSAMA BIN LADEN DEAD

Osama Bin Laden

Osama Bin Laden,the longtime leader of al Qaeda, who is the mastermind of the worst terrorist attack on American soil is dead. U.S. President Barack Obama made this announcement late Sunday night, an this is coming 10 years after the attacks that killed almost 3,000 people in the United States.


He was killed by U.S. forces in a mansion outside the Pakistani capital of Islamabad along with other family members according to a senior U.S. official who spoke to journalist.
In his address to the nation late Sunday night,President Obama called bin Laden's death "the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al Qaeda."

The United States team launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan and there were no American causalities. They also took care to avoid civilian casualties.They killed Osama bin Laden after a firefight and took custody of his body.
U.S. diplomatic facilities around the world have been placed on high alert after this development in fear that al Qaeda supporters may try to retaliate against U.S. citizens or U.S. institutions.

Hundreds of people arrived at the White House late Sunday night and chanted, "USA! USA!" They then chanted, "Hey, hey, goodbye!" in reference to the death of bin Laden and they spontaneously sang the national anthem according to CNN reports.

In President Obama's speech, he reiterated that the United States is not at war with Islam as even Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, in their  statement on Monday morning welcomed the death of bin Laden citing that bin Laden never represented Muslims or Islam In fact and in addition to the killing of thousands of Americans, he and Al Qaeda caused the deaths of countless Muslims worldwide.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2ZEbfwfxKs

Champions League Quarter Final Draw 2011

Quarter-final draw (5/6 & 12/13 April)

2011 QUARTER FINAL DRAW

1: Real Madrid CF (ESP)                                                 Tottenham Hotspur FC (ENG)

 


                              VS







2: Chelsea FC (ENG)                                                      Manchester United FC (ENG)

 

                     vs      
                            




 

3: FC Barcelona (ESP)                                                           FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)

 


                   vs

                                                             


4: FC Internazionale Milano (ITA, holders)                   FC Schalke 04 (GER)

                     



                            vs                                                                  

Semi-final draw (26/27 April & 3/4 May) 

1: Inter/Schalke VS Chelsea/Manchester United
 

2: Real Madrid/Tottenham VS Barcelona/Shakhtar

Final (20.45CET, 28 May, Wembley)
 

Winner semi-final 2 v Winner semi-final 1

The pairings from the quarter-finals onwards were determined by an open draw in which no teams were seeded and clubs from the same national association could be drawn against each other. The side drawn first will play the first leg at home. The last-four fixtures are also determined while an additional draw defined whether the winner of semi-final 1 or the winner of semi-final 2 will be considered, for administrative purposes, the home side in the final.

President Kibaki advertises for post of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)

President Kibaki

On Thursday President Kibaki  advertised for the position of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

And the new DPP would have to meet high qualifications, including having at least 10 years’ experience as a superior court judge, professionally qualified magistrate, distinguished academic or law practitioner.

Further, the DPP should hold a law degree from a recognized university, or be an advocate of the High Court of Kenya, or possess an equivalent qualification in a common-law jurisdiction.

In a special issue of the Kenya Gazette, President Kibaki said an interview panel would receive and process applications, and interview and recommend at least three suitable candidates for nomination to the post.

Members of panel

Members of the panel include the Attorney-General or his representative, a representative of the Office of the President and that of the Office of the Prime Minister.

Others are a representative of the Justice ministry, two representatives from the Law Society of Kenya and one from Central Organization of Trade Unions.

The President said that the interview panel shall have the power to elect its chairperson and regulate its own procedures.

Applications should be received before March 31 by electronic mail at dppapplications@kenya.go.ke or at the Public Service ministry, Harambee House, 10th floor, in sealed envelopes. The applicants would be made public.

The DPP was one of the four top posts that were at the center of a nomination row between President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga last month.

PM Raila Odinga

Mr Odinga triggered the controversy when, on January 29, he flew in from Addis Ababa and denounced the list of nominees announced a day before by President Kibaki to fill the positions of Chief Justice, Attorney-General, DPP and Controller of Budget.

The nominees were Mr Justice Alnashir Visram, Prof Githu Muigai, lawyer Kioko Kilukumi and Mr William Kirwa, respectively.

The PM claimed that he had not been consulted by the President.

After a protracted row, the President withdrew his list and said the CJ will be recruited by the Judicial Service Commissioner, while the DPP and the Controller of Budget would be recruited by the Public Service Commission.

The two principals would nominate the next AG.

47 DEGREE ENGINEERING COURSES REJECTED BY ERB KENYA

The Engineering Registration Board (ERB) has rejected to accord accreditation status to 47 ongoing and planned engineering degrees in local public and private universities. The degrees were submitted for accreditation late last year.

According to ERB’s Report on Accreditation of the Engineering Degree Programmes, degrees were rejected because of their low quality curriculum, lack of qualified lecturers, segmentation, and duplication of the programmes and absence of professional focus.

The report, produced last year, accuses universities of enhancing mediocrity by developing sub-standard degrees which amounted to cheating the public that they were offering engineering degrees, while the menu consisted of technician based courses.

Kenyatta University had its eight engineering degrees in energy, manufacturing, water, construction, civil, mechanical, computer and electrical and communication rejected on the basis of lack of lecturers, inadequate laboratories and segmentation of degrees. By the time the university was seeking accreditation for Bachelor of Science in Electronic and Telecommunications Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering, the programmes had only two members of staff and none was a registered engineer.

"If the university wants to mount courses in those disciplines, then it should recruit academics in control, engineering, power systems and machines, telecommunications and microwaves, electronics and microprocessors," says the report.

On the university’s Bachelor of Energy Engineering, ERB points out that energy is basically an application course and relies on other courses in mechanical and electrical engineering. "An undergraduate course should therefore concentrate on the disciplines on which energy management is based rather than focus on energy alone," says the report.

Egerton University had also its eight degrees in various fields of engineering and technology rejected for various reasons that ranged from lack of qualified staff, weak curriculum as some units lacked depth of coverage, segmentation and duplication.

The issue is serious in that while Egerton proposed to offer BSc in Electrical and Control Engineering, BSc in Telecommunications and B.Tech in Electrical Engineering, BSc Instrumentation and Control Engineering, the university had only seven lecturers and none was registered as an engineer. The ERB queried how only seven staff members run four degree programmes without compromise in quality.

A review of specialization of engineering staff at Egerton showed only two lecturers had a specialization manufacturing engineering. The staff proposed were either specialized in mechanical or agricultural engineering, as well as B.Ed and their numbers are not adequate said the report.

However, it is not only Egerton that is using B.Ed degree holders to produce engineers. According to the report, the most senior member of staff at the Department of Telecommunication Engineering at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology has basic degrees in education and physics. According to ERB the senior staff member lacks the required background to offer academic leadership in an engineering environment.

According to the report, the coordinator of the BSc Telecommunication at JKUAT is also not a registered engineer or a corporate member of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya. The university was also faulted for providing an outdated list of its staff, many of which had left the university. Besides, the university failed to indicate universities attended by its staff as required by ERB regulations.

Whereas, JKUAT had proposed to conduct a degree programme in mining and processing engineering, the university had nobody qualified in mining. ERB recommended that before the university could launch the programme there should be evidence of staff with responsibility and authority to define academic standards. ERB is worried that while universities mounted degrees in environmental engineering and submitted their degrees for accreditation, the content is deemed to be very low. Curriculum developed in those areas have failed to show that graduates will have adequate mathematical proficiency through study of differential equations, probability and statistics, calculus-based physics, advanced chemistry and earth sciences. The programmes also lacked grounding in geology, meteorology, aquatic biology, toxicology and fluid mechanics among other relevant units.

However, serious academic anomalies were also noted at Muliro University of Science and Technology where engineering courses are being conducted by professionals from other disciplines. Some core units are also being taught by technicians.

For instance, a course named highway Materials and Pavement Design is being taught by a technician, while Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering Materials is being taught by a geologist while Highway Geometric Design is being taught by a surveyor. Last year, the university had also engaged a part-time graduate in home economics to teach Public Health Engineering in the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering.

The issue of local universities offering inferior engineering education is not just contrary to ERB’s regulations but also against Washington Accord, a global agreement that specifies recognition and international equivalence of engineering qualifications. According to Dr Win Phillips, the chairperson of the International Engineering Alliance, it is not prudent for universities and other degree awarding colleges of engineering to segment professional disciplines. This means graduates of segmented or sub-standard degrees cannot be registered by affiliates of the Washington Accord that comprise national registration bodies such as the ERB and other similar signatories.

Notably the price is high for students who join unaccredited programmes in universities, not just in Kenya but also in other countries. This means such graduates cannot develop successful careers in engineering since they cannot practice as professional cadres. According to Engineers Registration Act Cap 530 only registered engineers that are authorised to practice and offer engineering professional services in the country.

As ERB has pointed out, it is apparent that most universities in the country are pursuing the path to make technician courses to be degree programmes. But it is necessary to draw a bold line to establish the difference between technicians and engineers.

A list of the undergraduate engineering programmes not approved by the engineering registration board

1. Bachelor of Science in Telecommunication and Information Engineering

2. Bachelor of Science in Mechatronic Engineering

3. Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronics Engineering

4. Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

University of Nairobi

  

1. Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Biosystems Engineering

Moi University

1. Bachelor of Engineering in Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering

2. Bachelor of Engineering in Manufacturing, Industrial and Textile Engineering

3. Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering

4. Bachelor of Science in Electrical Apparatus and Systems

5. Bachelor of Engineering in Telecommunication Engineering

Kenyatta University

1. Bachelor of Science in Energy Engineering

2. Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering

3. Bachelor of Water Engineering

4. Bachelor of construction Engineering

5. Bachelor of Science in Civil and Water Engineering

6. Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Telecommunication Engineering

7. Bachelor of Mechanical and Energy Engineering

8. Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

1. Bachelor of Science in Telecommunication and Information Engineering

2. Bachelor of Science in Electronic and Computer Engineering

3. Bachelor of Science in Materials and Metallurgical Engineering

4. Bachelor of Science in Biomechanical and Processing Engineering

5. Bachelor of Science in Soil, Water and Environmental Engineering

6. Bachelor of Science in Mining and Mineral Engineering

Egerton University

1. Bachelor of Science in Instrumentation and Control Engineering

2. Bachelor of Science in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

3. Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering

4. Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering

5. Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering

6. Bachelor of Technology in Industrial Technology

7. Bachelor of Science in Water and Environmental Engineering

8. Bachelor of Science in Telecommunication Engineering

9. Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Control Engineering

Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology

1. Bachelor of Technology in Production Technology

2. Bachelor of Technology in Electrical and communication Engineering

3. Bachelor of Technology in Civil and Structural Engineering

Kenya Methodist University

1. Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering

University of Eastern Africa, Baraton

1. Bachelor of technology in Automotive Engineering

Daystar University

1. Bachelor of Science in Electronic Engineering

Mombasa Polytechnic University College

1. Bachelor of Engineering in Building and Civil Engineering

2. Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering

3. Bachelor of Engineering in Telecommunication and Information Engineering

4. Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and electronics Engineering

5. Bachelor of Engineering in Instrumentation and Automation Engineering

1. Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics Engineering

2. Bachelor of Technology in Electrical and Electronics Engineering

JAPAN HIT BY 8.9 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE

The massive earth quake that struck off the coast of Japan was felt 150 kilometers away, some as far as Beijing and caused enormous tsunamis of up to 10 feet. The effects of these tsunamis will be felt in over 50 countries in the pacific and people living off the coastline have been advised to seek shelter at higher ground. The USGS reported 11 aftershocks after the quake some of which measured like a real earthquake. They were felt a few minutes after the initial quake. 

The effects have seen a firebreak breakout at an oil refinery in the Northeast of Tokyo as well as some areas around Tokyo. Tsunami hits have washed away homes, cars, houses, boats, fields and infrastructure. The Yen has fallen sharply after the quake signaling economic distress. The 2004 earthquake in Thailand and Indonesia hit a high of 9.1.

Japan has issued 6 meter tsunami warnings after the quake. The next country to be hit is Taiwan at 9.40 GMT and people are being warned in advance. Japan's Prime Minister has called for calm and cooperation as the government tries to sort out the disaster. The city's public transport system in Japan is stalled and power has been cut to 4 million homes in Tokyo. Its rush hour there and millions of people have been stranded in the city.

The entire west coast of the United States and Canada has received a tsunami alert.