Knock on the White House

The final debate has been done. Obama has been impressive with his foreign policy. It was evident he was going to win this final debate. Impatiently waiting for November 6th..Will the Obamas remain in the White House or its now time for the Romneys...Lets wait and see....

MEMORIES STILL FRESH!

FROM SORROW TO AFCON CHAMPIONS

February 12^th 2012, what a day to remember when Zambia beat the star-studded Ivory coast in the African Cup of Nations (AfCON) finals in Libreville, Gabon. I remember watching the game with my Zambian friends. The atmosphere was so intense, not only because it was a dream come true for the Chipolopolo boys from Zambia to be in the finals but also that the boys put up a splendid performance. From the moment the whistle blew to start the game it was evident Zambia had come to accomplish one mission. To win and honour the souls of the former Zambian team players who died in a plane crash in 1993 in the same country of Gabon. The former players met their fate on the way to the World Cup qualifier tournament.

Luck was indeed on the Zambian boys as through the game, we watched the Ivorian star Didier Drogba miss a penalty 10 minutes before the final whistle. It was a moment that fuelled further the energy levels of my Zambian friends. They chanted vernacular songs throughout the game. One song that got my attention is the one that literally translated that the Chipolopolos , which means bullets( Zambian team) will fire and kill the elephants(Ivory coast team). The Ivorian captain who is also Chelsea striker and African footballer of the year 2006 and 2009 could have done better if only he knew his penalty would have claimed his team a win as there was no goal conceded in  the  full time played. The game ended up in penalty shoot-outs. Now this was the time I really witnessed my friends going through an emotional roller coaster. It was one dramatic penalty shoot-outs I haven’t watched in years since the UEFA champions’ league finals between Manchester United and Chelsea in 2008.

As the penalty shoot-out progressed to penalty number 8, all it needed was for one team to miss and grant opportunity to the other to grab the trophy. I saw my Zambian friends go through a swing of emotions, from celebrating to nervousness. Thanks to one Zambian man Stophira Sunza who managed to score the last needed penalty. Sunza’s kick into the net declared Zambia’s redemption win and ensured that every able Zambian was shouting on top of his lungs and jumping up and down in celebrations. It all ended 8-7, Zambia had done it. Zambia had beaten Ivory Coast. One chipolopolo(bullet) dropped dead the elephants.

BALL ON GOAL BLUES.....

The weekend could not get any sweeter without Chelsea’s sweet victory against Arsenal. To add cherry on top, Manchester United got a bitter loss to Tottenham. Chelsea keeps impressing fans with a good record of wins at the moment in the Barclays premier league. Meanwhile the blues can relax and rest assured that at least their number one defender, John terry has retired from international football. Who wouldn’t be happy, knowing your player has at least been spared from injuries…A big shout out to all Liverpool fans for the first  win, since the season started this year.

2012...WHATS NEXT IN 2013?!

The Googlemobile  packed with radar sensors (Source: autonews.com)

California took the fast lane to the future on Tuesday when Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law that lets self-driving cars onto public roads. Brown rode to the signing ceremony at Google Inc. headquarters in the passenger seat of a vehicle that steered itself, a Prius modified by Google.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin and State Sen. Alex Padilla, who sponsored the bill, were along for the ride. An engineer for the technology company,Chris Urmson, sat in the driver's seat, but the car drove itself. "We're looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality," Brown said just before signing the bill. Google has been working on self-driving technology since 2010, including testing a fleet of self-driving cars along California roadways. Google's driverless cars rely on video cameras, radar sensors, lasers and a database of information collected from manually driven cars to help navigation, according to the company. The new law goes into effect next year and establishes safety and performance regulations for testing driverless cars, provided an operator is ready to take control if necessary. However, it will likely take years before a fully self-driving autonomous vehicle hits the road, industry official say. "The self driving car can really dramatically improve the quality of life," said Brin, who pointed to uses ranging from aiding the blind, ferrying revelers who drank too much, to simply making better use of commuting time. He added that by driving closer together more safely than human-driven cars, self-driven cars might cut congestion. But Google has no plans to build its own driverless cars."We have had great conversations with a variety of automakers," he said. "Anything we do is going to be in partnership with the industry."

The technology has been in the works since the 1950s, when General Motors showed off "dream cars" with features such as autopilot. Recently, carmakers have started incorporating into today's models some elements based on the innovations in those early vehicles, including adaptive cruise control or traffic-jam technologies that can slow the car automatically. Carmakers developing autonomous technologies include BMW AG, Ford Motor Co., GM, Honda Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Corp., Mercedes, Nissan Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp., Volkswagen AG and Volvo AB, as well as suppliers, technology companies and universities. Chip company Intel Corp created a $100 million fund in February to invest in future auto technology. Nevada and Florida have already passed laws allowing self-driving cars.

ARTICLE COPIED FROM: autonews.com

NURTURING OUR SEEDS..

The same way conception of a child happens when a loving man and wife meet, God desires  us  to also have a loving relationship with Him that willl enable us conceive and nurture the seeds that He plants us. However just like any pregnant mother does in taking care of the seed inside her, we have to do the same with these other seeds. We have to constantly, water them, feed them to make sure what we harvest is in accordance to what God desires of us. God only wants us to produce fruitful seed.

The devil however in his tricky ways, is never happy to see us progress or become productive, particularly in the field that make us glorify God’s kingdom. He constantly tries to bring all sorts of pain to bring us down. Some of his tricky ways include, fear. Fear is the root cause of most eveil. For starters it makes us doubt God’s goodness and mercy upon us, His ability to do things for our good. Fear makes us lose trust in God. Fear makes us listen to the voice that is not Godly, which in most cases brings us down. The devil also uses the trick of making us not get up when we fall, and yet the loving God promises us that He will never leave nor forsake  us. Sometimes God lets the devil try his tricky ways so that when God takes charge, He does it in abundance. Fear causes us to panic, it makes us to be impatient. We tend up questioning so much on when our harvest or birthing will come and yet, our God is a God of plan, purpose and timing. He rightly prepares us so that when we harvest, its of value.

There are ways to protect and nurtute the different  seeds that God plants in us; We have to stay in His word and teaching by constantly reading the bible, we have to attend church, prayer meetings, listen to his songs and teaching. We have to have a heart of thanksgiving. When we are grateful we are constantly reminded that our God is a provider, supplier, moulder, mentor and our strenghth to carry the seed when times become tough!

CREATED TO BIRTH LIFE

What a fantastic way to end the mid-term break. I attend a woman of destiny conference. The conference ran for two days Friday and Saturday. It was themed “Created  to Birth Life”. I love it when women meet for such conferences. Not only do we get the freedom to express our deep feelings towards the reality of life, but there is also so much that we learn from each other. One woman’s story is always worth an encouragement to face the future no matter what it brings. There is always a sense of ‘if she overcame that, I can also overcome this’.

Looking at the theme I also learnt that as a Woman, not only were we created to birth life in the physical, there is more to it.  God has placed different seeds  which are the giftings in us that are just like a little baby  for us to conceive,  carry, nurture  and birth. These giftings God rightly plants in us. They include counseling, ministering, interceding, caring, etc. We have the privilege and responsibility to receive such a seed and water it until its ready to come out.  Just like pregnancy pains, we should expect that birthing these seeds  will not a smooth ride.  Pain of all sorts will come along and If we are not careful enough we can miscarry.

The message was just in season for me. Recently I got challenged in one area where God placed a calling. I have been called to minister through music among main other giftings.  Devil thinking he knew me better, I got stabbed in the back by my very own friends I never expected. It hurt so much that I even thought of quitting. OMG I would have miscarried my seed. Thank God that the little faith that remained in me, made me strong and God in His mighty power brought about revelation as to why everything happened the way it did. From today onwards, I have made up my mind to never look back and allow people discourage me on what God has gifted me to do. I am His precious daughter. He created me for a purpose. He set me a part for greater exploits. He rightly molded me and carries me on the palm of His  hand. I am a Woman of destiny!!

TALK....TALK....

Months before his death, there were roars of insults and curses circulating around the social networks. It was as  if the late president of Malawi hadn’t done anything good for the Country. That he secured food for his people, it was quickly forgotten. Not that it surprised me much, for it is easy to remember the wrong that people do than the good they do

What shocked me was, in the midst of fuel and forex shortages, some people ended up comparing the Country to Sodom and Gomorrah. Really?! But just as they say, talk is cheap. Today the Country seems to be in worst “Sodom and Gomorrah”. Reports on different media cite that crime has accelerated like never before in the Malawian History. (You will agree with me that crime was one of the atrocities of Sodom n Gomorrah). I also hear there is scarcity of water. As for devaluation, don’t even make me go there, last holiday was something else. I come from town and life was tough, what more with those in the villages.

When new Government took over, the message that offered hope and encouraged many was the message of love and forgiveness. But what followed? Vengeance.  I have never understood why in Many African Countries; particularly mine, when Government changes, it means people losing jobs. The bible commands us love. It says Love is the greatest gift of all. Where there is love, God commands blessings. How do we possibly expect to have an economic breakthrough without love? When we see others being tortured such as losing a job, we celebrate. I wonder why??