Blurb from the Kenya Buzz

I COULDN'T HAVE SAID THIS BETTER MYSELF!! .......

"About three or four years ago, crime and car-jacking dominated discussions at cocktail parties across Nairobi. The past couple of years, gridlock traffic and the stock market/economy were more popular, a reflection of the thriving economy. Towards the end of 2007, there was a slight bias towards political discussion but it wasn't yet more popular than the traffic issue because everyone thought it would be business as usual no matter who won at the polls. If you have dared to leave the safety of your house at night and have started back on the cocktail circuit, you will have noticed that there is now no other discussion but politics. Everyone is reeling with disbelief over the current state of affairs. And yet in hindsight, not really surprised at all!

Every New Year is a time for optimism and fresh starts. We had our hopes, our plans and our dreams for great things in 2008. Now all hangs in the balance; the future so unpredictable and frustration is in the air. People want to be optimistic and it seems like it wouldn't be so hard just to "get back to normal" but at this point "normal" will be a facade when landlords are throwing out tenants of different tribes, companies are firing people of different ethnic backgrounds and killing and burning continues around the country.

There may be a fix to the political stalemate as Kofi Annan arrives to help our leaders negotiate a settlement. This may even lead to the economy bouncing back and people getting on their feet again financially. But a comfortable political settlement and a thriving economy won't put us back where we were at the end of last year. There is a tremendous amount of emotional healing that is needed in Kenya. And it would be a terrible mistake to overlook this and hide behind a peaceful facade. Tribal issues need to be addressed explicitly and openly, perhaps through a truth and reconciliation commission. If glossed over, tribalism in Kenya will only brew and simmer beneath the surface to rear its ugly head again at the next election or other trigger event.

Let's share the vision that by next election, everyone will again be safe and welcome anywhere in Kenya.

WE WISH YOU PEACE AND PROSPERITY IN 2008 FROM KENYABUZZ."

http://www.kenyabuzz.com/

Dubai Update

Yes - we are still alive and breathing!  Seems a day or two after Meer's recoverty from the flu, I we both got a pretty rough cold!  Luckily Meer's only lasted a day or so, but as for me - I am still honking the snauze and fillling up tissues like a trucker!  Imagine.  A few days were pretty bad... aches and pains, but now we seem to be almost better!  And really - there are worse things than filling up tissues to the brim! ha ha ha!!

 

Anyway - Meer is being a real champion.  He is at a really sweet stage of almost being able to ask for what he wants - well - he CAN, but sometimes he needs to be reminded to use his words instead of "that"! 

 

He fell really badly a couple days ago - went to "climb up" a cheap metal stool, but obviously it came tumbling down ontop of him - fell back on the tile floor lke a plank, basically - with a stool chaser!  Got a big goose egg on the back of his head, and then a doozy on the front of his head!  YES - he continued to make the most of his hard skull for the rest of the day - bashed his temple ont he cupboard door, and then dinged himself again on soemthing else.  All in all - by the time the next day rolled around - he was headbutting shelves for FUN, basically! ha ha ha!  Poor little guy.  STILL has a big green and purple bruise cover about half of his forehead!

 

So ya.  Thomas is the new thing.  The satelite tv was out one day (during heavy rains - and yes - we are in the DESERT!!) we watched Thomas dvd's as a family... Kush was like, "It's like a SOAP OPERA!!!" Go figure.  And considering Meer has just about everything from his favorite toy store (great staff, and a demo of everything for the kids to play with in the store!!), we are now collecting him the Thomas train stuff!  And to be serious - it is quite pricey - it adds up in a hurry.  So instead of getting something he might get bored of, we get him a piece or two of Thomas the Train.

 

ANYWAY - it is late already, so I am going to be lame and hop into bed!

More as it happens... or shortly there after! ha ha ha!

;-D