Tuesday 22 May 2012

Yoga Helps me deal with stress

Yoga has been practiced for more than 5,000 years. There are myths that Yoga involves stretching and coiling yourself in "inhuman" ways, truth is, one never too rigid, or too old, or too chubby to do yoga. It is very relaxing and very rewarding. According to my trainer, "You leave a yoga session feeling more energized than  when you came in!"

Biologically, Yoga may release the lactic acid that builds up with muscle use, which may cause stiffness, tension, pain, and fatigue. In addition, yoga increases the range of motion in joints. It may also increase lubrication in the joints. The outcome is a sense of ease and fluidity throughout your body. This is because yoga helps one increase the oxygen intake in their bodies. Because of the deep, mindful breathing that yoga involves, lung capacity often improves. This in turn can improve sports performance and endurance.

Some yoga styles use specific meditation techniques to quiet the constant "mind chatter" that often underlies stress. Other yoga styles depend on deep breathing techniques to focus the mind on the breath. When this happens, the mind calms.

With me, Yoga has relieved my asthma as well as helped me deal with lower back pain.

Sunday 20 May 2012

"Ocampo Six" Will inevitably be imprisoned

I think it is a good thing some of the Kenyan Leaders were taken to the ICC. If you look at the pattern, all, except one have been found guilty on various charges. Though their process is long, justice is inevitably delivered.
These are some of the cases the ICC has overseen and all were found Guilty. Apart from the Rwandan due to insufficient evidence.

1) Thomas Lubanga(Congolese rebel leader)ICC started investigation in March 2004, verdict was passed on 17 March 2006

2) Germain Katanga(leader of the Patriotic Resistance Force in Ituri, in Congo) Trial started on 2 July 2007, and verdict passed on 17 October 2007

3) Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui(a colonel in the Congolese army and a former senior commander of the National Integrationist Front (FNI) and the Patriotic Resistance Force in Ituri (FRPI)) Trial begun on 6 July 2007 and verdict passed on 7 February 2008

4) Jean-Pierre Bemba (leader of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC), a rebel group turned political party) His trial started on May 22, 2007 and verdict passed on July 3, 2008. Moreno Ocampo was prosecutor in chief for this case. He was charged with five counts of war crimes (murder, rape, torture, pillaging, and outrages upon personal dignity) and three counts of crimes against humanity (murder, rape and torture)

5) Callixte Mbarushimana (a Hutu Rwandan) was indicted for crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2009. ICC trial started on January 25, 2011. he was later He was released on 24 December 2011 as it was found there was insufficient evidence to convict him. (Pre-Trial Chamber declined to confirm the charges against him)

6) Laurent Gbagbo (President of Côte d'Ivoire) Arrested on 11 April 2011 and a guilty verdict passed on November 30, 2011. Luis Moreno Ocampo was the chief prosecutor in this case as well.

7) Charles Taylor (President of Liberia) trial started on 20 June 2006 and verdict passed on 26 April 2012

Wednesday 16 May 2012

Kenya-Nyeri Battered Men

I know it is the culture in Kenya for men not to accept that they are being abused, but if one's life is in danger they should scream and yell out for help. http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Husband+lucky+to+be+alive+after+panga+attack/-/1056/1324472/-/e3mkcb/-/index.html

What the women are doing to these men is not justified. They may claim that the men are useless and just spend most of their time drinking and not fulfilling their duties. But there are other ways to deal with such cases other than batter them, they are human too.
http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Letters/Alcohol+solely+to+blame+for+the+beatings+husbands+endure++/-/440806/1355102/-/pbk5h1z/-/index.html