Saturday, April 1, 2023
Sunday, March 21, 2021
Post the untimely death of Tanzania's popular president John P Magufuli
With due respect to all the mourners, I think the association of heart disease (vs Covid-19) with Dr Magufuli’s death will unfortunately encourage Tanzanians to continue sticking to the status quo and not follow WHO recommended guidance regarding masks, social distancing, vaccines, etc.
For the sake of saving potentially thousands of Tanzanian lives, it may be advisable for the new administration to associate Covid-19 (even if not true) with his death just to bring a healthy dose of reality/awareness in the public and have a better chance of controlling the spread of Covid-19 in Tanzania.
Along those lines, it is crucial that the new president and top associates will lead by example especially when addressing the public (wearing masks, social distancing, taking vaccines, etc). Likewise, science will have to be relied upon and off-the-cuff solutions to combat Covid-19 like nationwide 3-day prayers or steam baths will not be taken too seriously. After all, the rest of the world are not fools for relying on science and bending over backward to fight Covid-19.
Just my sincere observation/suggestion, trying to help – no offense intended.
Sunday, January 10, 2021
Swahili version of my Nov 19, 2019 post "Long article sent in 2014 to Daily News Tanzania"
Mlengo wa serikali siyo sahihi
Nilizaliwa
Uandishi huu umekusudiwa kuongeza ufahamu kuhusu mambo ambazo zinaelekea
zinapuuzwa. Inatoa ukosoaji ya kizuri kuhusu, kwa maoni yangu, hali mbaya ya
mambo huko Dar-es-salaam, ikifuatiwa na mapendekezo maalum. Ni njia yangu ya
kufanya kitu kwa matumaini ya kuboresha hali hiyo.
Haichukui fikra kubwa kutambua kwamba miundombinu ya Dar-es-salaam hapo awali
ilibuniwa kwa idadi ya watu ambayo ilikuwa chini
Kwa mfano, pahala pengi ambapo miaka thelathini iliyopita kulikuwa na nyumba
zenye safu moja, sasa kuna miinuko mingi yenye viwango vingi - lawama zote ni
kwa watengenezaji wa majengo ambao wanaonekana wanalenga faida ya muda mfupi
dhidi ya gharama ya kuongeza mzigo wa maji, umeme, na maji taka juu ya
miundombinu zinayohusiana nazo. Matokeo yake, kwa bahati mbaya lakini kwa
kutarajiwa, ni matukio mengi ya maji taka kufurika barabarani. Hata mvua kidogo
kwenye hali
Lakini kuna uwezekano kwamba watengenezaji wa majengo (na yeyote ambaye
walilazimika kuhonga ili wapate vibali vya ujenzi, mikataba, nk) wamecheka njia
nzima mpaka benki. Na kuhakikisha kicheko chao ni ngumu
Inaeleweka, miinuko nyingi mpya zilizojengwa zimesababisha uongezeko kubwa za
idadi ya watu mjini. Hiyo nayo imesababisha msongamano wa trafiki wa kutisha
kwenye barabara nyingi (mengi ambazo hazina alama za njia) karibu wakati wowote
wa kazi. Hiyo haishangazi kwani hizo barabara zinazohusika zilibuniwa
kushughulikia sehemu ndogo tu ya magari ambayo kwa sasa zinashughulikiwa.
Matumizi mabaya hayo ya barabara husababisha kutokea kwa mashimo makubwa ambayo
yanazidisha msongamano wa magari - haswa yanapojazwa na maji ya mvua
yaliyochanganywa na maji taka.
Watu wanaonekana kuwa na wakati zaidi huko, lakini hawaonekani kuwa na uwezo wa
kufanikiwa
Inadhaniwa, serikali inafanya kitu kukabiliana na hali hiyo ngumu ya kuishi.
Lakini kwa maoni yangu, mlengo wa serikali siyo sahihi kwa maana kwamba
rasilimali zinatumika katika shughuli ambazo zinaweza kufanya hali kuwa mbaya
zaidi - wakati wachache (kama watengenezaji wa mali na wauzaji wa vifaa
waliotajwa hapo awali) wanaendelea kujitajirisha na kuwaacha raia wakilala
nyuma.
Kwa mfano, sioni vipi ujenzi wa Bus Rapid Transit, uwanja wa ndege mpya wa
kimataifa, na daraja huko Kigamboni zimepewa kipaumbele taratibu katika juhudi
hizi, wakati miundombinu za maji, umeme, na maji taka zinahitajika kuboreshwa.
Bila shaka, juhudi zilizotajwa zitaongeza mtiririko wa watu kupitia mjini na
zitazidisha matumizi za miundombinu ambazo ni dhaifu hata sasa.
Fedha za serikali pia zimetumika kukusanya wauzaji wadogo wa barabarani na
kutowaruhusu kufanya biashara. Hoja, inaonekana, ni kuboresha hisia ya mji. Kwa
kukosekana na njia zingine za kujitafutia riziki, kuna uwezekano juhudi
Nadhani rasilimali za serikali zingetumika vizuri zaidi ikiwa zingetumika
kuboresha mifumo ya umeme na maji taka. Au kuongeza ufahamu kwa umma juu ya
kutotupa takataka kwenye mifereji ya maji ya mvua. Au kuweka mapipa mengi ya
takataka kote mjini na kuweka ratiba thabiti ya kuchukua taka. Vivyo hivyo,
rasilimali za serikali zingetumika vizuri zaidi ikiwa zingetumika kukuza
ufahamisho wa madereva haswa wakati wapo kwenye msongamano wa magari. Nakumbuka
haswa dereva aliyesimamisha gari
Mara nyingi, niliona wafanyakazi wengi wakifagia kwa mikono mitaa ziliyojaa na
trafiki ili waondoe mchanga na vipande za ardhi - wakati huo huo, kulikuwa na
eneo la ardhi tupu na uchafu siyo mbali kutoka hapo. Natarajia mwajiri wao
alishinda zabuni ya kufanya shughuli
Ni kweli, hata wafanyikazi wa nyumbani na wauzaji wa mitaani Dar-es-salaam siku
hizi wana simu za mkononi, na waishi wa pale wengi wana iPads za hivi karibuni,
wanamiliki gari za bei ghali, na wanajua mambo mengi kuhusu mitandao ya
kijamii. Hoteli zingine hata zina helipad kuwezesha usafirishaji wa wateja
wenye shuguli nyingi kwa helikopta hadi uwanja wa ndege. Lakini, kwa maoni
yangu, hiyo haifanyi mji kusemeka imesonga mbele. Badala yake, hiyo inaimanisha
kwamba watengenezaji wengine (wa kigeni) wamejipatia soko kubwa la kuuza bidhaa
zao. Ningependa kuona rasilimali za serikali zikitumika kuendeleza fikra na
mitazamo ya wananchi, badala ya kuwapa tu ufikiaji wa vifaa vya kisasa.
Rasilimali za serikali pia zingetumika vyema zaidi ikiwa zitatumika kukuza
mawazo ya kufanya kazi kwa haki, kwa mfano, kutii ishara za trafiki, kufuata
maagizo ya askari wa trafiki, na sio kutupa taka taka hovyo hovyo. Vivyo hivyo,
pesa hizo zingetumika vizuri zaidi ikiwa zingetumika kuunda mazingira ambayo
polisi na polisi wa trafiki wanaonekana
Pamoja na mafikirio hayo, siwezi kuona jinsi mtu anavyoweza kuita mji
umeendelea ikiwa mawazo kawaida ya watu ni kwamba wezi, wakikamatwa, hupigwa au
huchomwa moto hadi wanakufa. Fedha za serikali zingetumika vizuri zaidi ikiwa
zingetumika kuleta uelewaji kwa umma kwamba mazoea hayo ni ya kinyama na
hayakubaliki kabisa katika karne ya 21. Ni jambo la kushangaza kwamba mawazo
Mwishowe, fedha za serikali zingetumika vyema zaidi ikiwa zingetumika kukuza
utumiaji wa hundi (na hata kadi za mkopo) badala ya pesa taslimu, kwani
matumizi zao zitaunda mazingira bora za kibiashara.
Ingawa ni rahisi kusema lakini ni ngumu kutekeleza kwa vitendo, rasilimali za
serikali zinabidi kupewa kipaumbele ipasavyo kwa nia ya kukuza mazoea na
mitazamo ambayo mwishowe zitawanufaisha wakaazi wote, sio wachache tu. Kwa
maneno mengine, kufanya jambo sahihi na kuwa na mawazo ya wote kushinda lazima
iwe msingi kuu ya kuendesha matumizi ya serikali. Ni matumaini yangu kwamba
aina ya ufahamu ambayo nakala hii imejaribu kukuza itakuwa na athari nzuri kwa
wote wanaohusika.
Ninatarajia kupata mshangazo wa kiwema wakati mwingine nitakapotembelea
Dar-es-salaam.
Nash Khatri
Julai 11, 2014
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Pet ownership is not my thing
Historically, humans have had pets for possibly tens of thousands of years. Not surprisingly then, pet ownership is quite common in the world. And for whatever reason, it is especially popular here in the US. But I have never owned a pet, not even in the form of a house plant – and I am not planning to get one, whether a dog, a cat, or any other animal.
While some people can’t imagine their
lives without pets, I think of pets as not only unnatural, but also mostly
burdensome and unnecessary. Notably, the status quo with respect to pet
ownership seems to be functioning just fine. So there really isn’t
anything that needs to be changed in that regard, though my preference is to care
for and to spend time, energy, and effort with people rather than with animals
that happen to be pets. In the backdrop of that, I’d like to share my lukewarm view
on pet ownership, while being careful not to alienate or offend readers, many of
whom are likely to be pet owners. After all, a typical American household, for
example, has about 1.6 dogs and 1.8 cats.
Generally speaking, pets help their
owners manage loneliness or depression, by giving them companionship. Some
dogs, for example, also offer protection for their owners. As such, many pet
owners often treat their pets better than humans. Essentially, they consider
pets, especially cats and dogs, as part of their family. Bumper stickers with
messages along the lines of “My dog is my best friend”, “Dogs are better than
people”, or “I love my cat” abound in the US.
Many dog owners feel so close to their
dog that they don’t hesitate to put their face right next to its mouth and even
kiss it as a sign of affection. I have even seen strangers do the same to other
people’s dogs that they consider to be cute or lovely. As such, many pet owners
snuggle and even share their bed with their pets. It’s common to see news story
about how a dog alerted and thereby saved a family from their burning house in
the middle of the night. A wealthy lady onboard the doomed Titanic ship refused
to get on a life boat because she was not allowed to bring along her big dog –
her dead body, apparently with arms wrapped around the dog that also perished,
was later found by a recovery ship.
Numerous parents are often fully
convinced that their pets, especially dogs, will not harm them or others,
including young children. While dog and other pet attacks are quite rare, the
unexpected unfortunately happens and the result can be devastating. We have all
seen news reports about biting and even mauling by an otherwise friendly dog.
While such attacks may be very infrequent, they should not be merely shrugged
off. It is important for pet owners and even strangers to not get complacent
with pets to the point of totally dropping their guard down and becoming
vulnerable to unexpected attacks. After all, pets are mere animals and have an
inherent tendency to act on their animal instincts when we least expect them
to. Often, such unexpected and often unprovoked aggressive behavior by pet dogs
can be attributed to fear, pain, anxiety, hunger, insecurity, or even
territorial issues.
Studies may conclude that
pet owners have better physical and mental health than people who do not live
with a pet. But in reality, other factors (like marital status, gender, age, race, living arrangements, income,
employment status, etc.), rather than pet
ownership, may be the real cause of better health for pet owners. Likewise,
studies may indicate that rich married non-smoking religious white women that
are in their sixties typically live to be at least 100 years old. If such women
are, however, also inclined to own a pet, we could wrongly conclude that it was
pet ownership that allowed them to become centenaries. Therefore, when
comparing attributes of pet owners with those of non pet owners, we have
to be careful about the validity of our conclusions. In a very
general sense, I think pet owners and non pet owners are simply wired
differently. While the former may be drawn to pets for companionship or
protection, the latter aren’t. Notably, different is just that – not better or
worse, just different.
Many people, it seems, like to feel
important and have a subconscious void in that respect. Perhaps to fill that
void, some folks resort to getting a dog as a pet. That way, for instance when
they return home at the end of a long day from work, at least the dog will
welcome them back, often enthusiastically. Moreover, chances are, the dog will
follow instructions and look up to them as their authoritative boss. In that
regard, a dog provides an ego boost to its owner – which is likely to be
especially rejuvenating to those who have an innate desire to feel
significant. Likewise, some pet owners seem to like the attention they get
because of the pet, for instance, while walking in the park with a dog or while
driving with it. A cute, cuddly, or impressive looking pet can often be a good
attention getter or conversation starter for the pet owner.
It often amazes me how countless dog
owners make time out of their busy schedules to tend to their dogs. They don’t
seem to mind taking the dogs out for daily walks, cleaning up after them, and
even putting up with or neutralizing the mess and smell they leave behind in yards,
vehicles, and houses. And let’s not overlook the potential damage to carpet,
furniture, door, etc due to chewing, drooling, and scratching, especially if
the dog is not well trained.
Understandably, it is in the best
interest of the pet and veterinary industries to ensure that pet ownership
thrives indefinitely. One way of doing that is by ingraining into the psych of
the populace phrases like “Pets are part of the family” and “Dogs are better
than people”. Likewise, businesses that cater to pet owners routinely advertise
by using phrases like “Your pet will thank you” and “Doesn’t your dog deserve
it?” to humanize pets and to subtly reinforce or manipulate pet owners’
emotions.
The pet and veterinary industries
combined are worth almost $150 billion in the US. In light of that
huge figure, my view is it would be naïve of us to think that money doesn’t
have much to do with the popularity of pets in the US. And thanks perhaps
to pet industry lobbyists, a vast majority of US presidents (refreshingly, not including
our current president Trump) have had pets while in office. The normalization of having
pets at the White House has certainly helped to further
embed into the American mindset the acceptability of pet ownership. All that,
for better or for worse, and in a business sense, has propelled pet ownership to
become as much of the American fabric as, for instance, beer, pizza, hotdogs,
organized sports, guns, and religion.
In many other countries,
and especially in developing nations, dogs are not quite regarded as part of
the family as they are in the US. Cats and dogs in many other countries, for
instance, are often fed leftovers, rather than pet food bought specifically for
them. Notably, service dogs are not considered to be pets because their main
purpose is other than to offer companionship or protection. They are instead
trained for specific purposes like, detect drugs, sniff out bombs, neutralize
criminals, hunt, guide the blind, etc.
In light of my preference to care for
and to spend time, energy, and effort with humans rather than with animals, I
have shared my sort of negative opinion on pet ownership, without
necessarily trying to change anyone else’s view of the same. After all, as mentioned before, the
status quo regarding pet ownership seems to be functioning just fine. Alternatively,
while acknowledging that pet ownership is not my cup of tea, I have shared my view on it from
an unconventional perspective, without meaning to be insensitive or offensive.
Hopefully, you will see some grain of truth in my perspective that pet ownership,
at its core, is not only unnatural, but also mostly burdensome and
unnecessary.
Sunday, August 9, 2020
Difference between Biggest number and Infinity
Let’s say we are trying to determine what a person is thinking in real time by attaching wireless miniature probes to various parts of their brain and having a computer interpret the electrical (or magnetic, electromagnetic, etc) signals thus generated.
Computer interpretation of those signals will be based on a previously compiled and stored database that mapped various signals from different sections of a subject’s brain to specific thoughts (per interrogations of that subject).
All else being equal, the higher the number of such signal-thought data pairs in a database, the more likely a subject’s real time signal interpretation by a computer will approach the subject’s actual thought at that time.
In that sense, a database with a billion (vs. a million) signal-thought data pairs will enable a computer to provide a more accurate interpretation of a person’s real time thoughts – but there will be some room for improvement. Along those lines, a database with ten trillion such data pairs will enable an even more accurate interpretation of a person’s real time thoughts – but once again, there will still be some room for improvement. By extension, there will still be some room for improvement even if a database were to contain “biggest number” of such data pairs.
Only when such signal-thought data pairs in a database are infinity will there be no room for improvement, and the computer’s interpretation will then match exactly with what a subject was actually thinking in real time. That’s the subtle difference between the concepts of Biggest number and Infinity.
Aside: In mathematical sense, Infinity – Biggest number = Smallest number (not Zero)