January 2015 – Page 7 – The Speaker News Journal

How 50 year old James quit smoking

January 2, 2015January 1, 2015 by The Speaker Editors

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After years of intensive smoking of cigarettes since 1979, James Mogga, a gardener with one of the hotels in Juba, South Sudan said he left smoking in 1989 in Oliji, a refugee camp in Adjumani, northern Uganda.

He shares his experience as explained to the New Nation how he began smoking in 1979 during Amin’s regime in Kasese, western Uganda.

“I started smoking in Kasese in 1979. I began with a cigarette called Sweet Menthol nicknamed “Saidia Malaya” (Assisting Prostitute). Why?
Because girls too liked it because it smells nice like chewing gum,” he recalls.

“From Sweet Menthol, I graduated to Rakes filter cigarettes where I was a professional smoker then till Amin was overthrown and we went to Congo, former Zaire where I lived for five years as a refugee.”

He says that in Congo he was tricked by a fellow colleague and smoked opium which made him to behave as if he was mentally not alright until he was fined for mistakes he committed unknowingly.

“My friend in a drinking joint gave me a cigarette called Lezar–at the time I did not know he had emptied it and filled it with opium. I smoked and felt something in my head,” he narrates.

According to him, he started hearing something and suddenly a wild animal appeared and he ran inside and got a panga (a machete-like tool).

“I got the panga and started cutting down the bananas where we were drinking the locally brewed alcohol. I cut the bananas till the owner came, so when he asked me I said there was a wild animal to kill for food.”

He adds that the owner arrested him and took him to the hospital to establish what was wrong but the medics found out that he was not sick but drunk. So what he did was due to the influence of alcohol.

James narrates that the following day, he was fined 100 Zaire, the currency used during late Mobutu Seseseko of Zaire, a lesson he was taught.

From 1985, James continued smoking until he came to the Sudan. Then he stayed in Kajo-Keji, his ancestral land until, after two years’ time, he again went to Uganda as a refuge because of the war between the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army and the Sudan government.

In Oliji refugee camp

He says they had drank and smoked till late, so he went home and the following day. He had wanted to smoke again, only to find that there was no cigarette after thoroughly checking his pockets.

“I went asking from neighbours but all had nothing and I headed straight to the shop. I had 20 shillings with me but the owner of the shop had no loose money for change. I proposed to leave the 20 shillings and go with the cigarettes but the owner said he does not like keeping my money. Then I insisted that I should be given the cigarette and pay later again it was rejected.”

James further narrated that he went home disappointed and decided to go for a long call to ease himself so as to nurse the discontent.
As he walked a distance and began squatting down, he luckily got a leftover of a cigarette by some who had defecated and disappeared.
When the refugees were first settled in the camps, they had no latrines but just defecate in the open “Matar.” Matar means in Arabic the airport where they go and empty themselves.

“I was pleased to see the leftover of the cigarette and took it very fast and started smoking. I smoked twice and the third one, the fire from the cigarette accidentally entered my tongue and burnt me seriously prompting me to throw it away,” narrating while laughing and sipping his white bull beer a bit in one of the bars in Juba.

According to James, it was the start of his new move to quit smoking as he thought and asked himself why he was smoking and a self-imposed slave to mare cigarettes.

“I entered inside and told my wife about leaving cigarette. She laughed and doubted my move. I collected all the papers in the room used for rolling cigarette and burnt them in presence of my wife. Since I decided to say no to smoking,”

He continues “I was feeling out of place for a period of two weeks and just staying indoors like a sick person. If the urge comes, I take coffee. After the two weeks, I lost interest and when fellow smokers come, I refuse to join them,”

Asked on the government’s directive to ban smoking in public places countrywide, James welcomes it saying people should respect others and where to smoke.

“Smoking shames people because even the rich borrow cigarettes from the poor and in public; smokers go hiding in bathrooms, toilets to smoke.”

The Ministry of Environment has banned smoking in public places, according to an order that came in this month covering the entire country and aims at maintaining a healthy environment.

Places listed are government institutions, airports, seaports, hotels, restaurants, cinema and bars.

Violating the order will be considered a criminal offence and the perpetrators will have to pay of fine of SSP500 apprx USD 150.
James still drinks alcohol but he says he will one time abandon drinking like how he dealt a big blow to smoking.

He also said last April, he got paid and drunk all his money with co-workers which prompted him to switch off his phone for three days to avoid calls from children since they wanted school fees paid.

“I then pressurized those with my money to pay back so as to pay the fees for my children which I luckily did.”

By Moi Julius

Star Africa
The Corporate Weekly
CDC

Happy New Year 2015 from Kenya

January 1, 2015 by Morris Cerullo

It's all pomp and glory as the world welcomes the year 2015. Faithful from all over the globe last night gathered in places of worship to bid goodbye to the year 2014 and to usher in another year of possibilities. The year 2015 comes amidst challenges from the previous year and everyone waits to see how the year will take its course. The events which were broadcast live saw the nation host several gospel artists from all over the world with the Groove party held at the Kasarani stadium hosting a South African gospel artist, Solly Malanghu and local artists, Willy Paul, Size 8, Pitson, Bahati and others. Among other artist at the TSO event was Christina Shusho and local artists. At the shout of the word 2015, fireworks, celebrations and jubilation rent the air in honor of the New Year.

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It’s all pomp and glory as the world welcomes the year 2015. Faithful from all over the globe last night gathered in places of worship to bid goodbye to the year 2014 and to usher in another year of possibilities. The year 2015 comes amidst challenges from the previous year and everyone waits to see how the year will take its course. The events which were broadcast live saw the nation host several gospel artists from all over the world with the Groove party held at the Kasarani stadium hosting a South African gospel artist, Solly Malanghu and local artists, Willy Paul, Size 8, Pitson, Bahati and others. Among other artist at the TSO event was Christina Shusho and local artists. At the shout of the word 2015, fireworks, celebrations and jubilation rent the air in honor of the New Year.

In Kenya, the situation isn’t different; people thronged places of worship to give thanks unto Almighty God for yet another year. The country’s leadership wasn’t left behind as politicians joined other Kenyans in celebrating the birth of yet another year. The president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces was on his toes to deliver a message to the citizens, seconds after the new year was born. While speaking at the state house, President Uhuru Kenyatta thanked every Kenyan for the great job they did in the previous year. Dubbing it a year of possibilities, the president indeed expressed great belief that there are going to be numerous possibilities in the New Year. He called on all Kenyans to be part of the development agenda and to be mindful of each other’s security.

The church leaders as well gave preachings that ushered everyone into the New Year. Nevertheless, as some Kenyans went to churches to pray, other citizens joined to cross over while at social places. The clubs at the city center were fully parked as celebrities also entertained their followers. The Machakos Governor as well joined his county residents at the Machakos people park in which people enjoyed some cool reggae music from different artists. However, after ushering the new year, Kenyans now await to see what the new year brings on board. It may have been an enjoyable moment last night with everyone staying up to late. Already the teachers’ strike is on and it only remains doubtful if the New Year will come along with goodies to woo the teachers to get back to class. Even as Kenyans get to celebrate today, the celebrations may be short-lived with calls to get back to work beginning the second day of the month. As for pupils and students, it’s now not about the New Year but more precisely about school.

Even as the nation experiences adversities, it is believed that the New Year will come along with solutions for these problems. It is indeed a time that the leaders need to unite to work together to achieve development goals. He time for ethnic divisions should now be over. It is a new year with new things.

Letter by Morris Cerullo

Scientists discover new method of cell division that allows cells to correct for larger and smaller birth sizes within a few generations

January 26, 2021January 1, 2015 by The Speaker Editors

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Light has been shed on the longstanding question of how cells regulate size and how they know when to divide. According to recent research at UC San Diego, some cells–billions of years divergent from each other–use a unique, robust and simple method that had not been observed by scientists. The research has ruled out both of the prevailing theories of cell division–the so-called “timer” and “sizer” theories. Instead, evidence points towards an “adder” paradigm that corrects for differences in birth size through reproduction.

“Our experimental data and analysis of growth of Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis shows neither timer nor sizer are correct models,” Dr. Sattar Taheri, postdoctoral fellow in the Jun Lab in the Physics Department of the University of California, San Diego and first author of the report, told The Speaker. “Instead, cells ‘add’ a constant mass in since birth until division. That is, irrespective of the cell size at birth, cell grow by a constant size and then divide. This strategy automatically ensures that cell of larger/smaller than average size, correct their size within several generation.”

The new “adder” paradigm is a simple mathematical principle. Further mathematical model developed by the researchers helped understand fluctuations and distributions of cells’ growth parameters.

Time and size do not even factor into growth and division for “perfect adders.”

Taheri explained the problem approached by the research.

“In their life cycle, bacteria grow in size until they divide into two daughter cells. Scientists knew that cells have a ‘strategy’ to control their size–or, in other words, when to divide–but we did not know what that strategy is.

“In fact, this has been one of the long standing problems in biology.”

The research was conducted with a device that allowed the team to isolate individual genetic materials and observe the E. coli and B subtilus over hundreds of generations and under various conditions. Samples about a thousand times better than previous samples were derived from this process.

“Without a powerful technology to precisely acquire data on growth of live cells, people could only suggest theories. ‘Timer’ and ‘sizers’ were two major ideas. Based on the timer model, cells have a clock. The clock start when cells are born, and once a constant period of time passes, division is triggered–irrespective of the cell size. The sizer model suggests that growing cells divide once they reach a critical size. This requires cells continuously monitor their size.

The research, as Taheri stated, found that the previously posed models could not explain growth and division. Instead, a surprising new concept emerged: the “adder” paradigm that applied to most of the bacteria the team has so far studied–as well as the data coming out of other labs.

However, the solution is only a part of a greater picture. Taheri noted that cell division was much more complex than a single theory could explain.

In particular, higher organisms “care more” about size, and add more mass before dividing if they are born smaller. That said, those cells also reach target size in the same way that perfect adders do, according to the researchers.

“Note that this adder principle is not the only possible strategy to maintain size homeostasis. It was unexpected to find this, specially in both E. coli and B. subtilis–that are billion years apart in evolution. It’s a unique way. Robust and simple. However, some other higher organisms, including yeast, seems to use other strategies.”

The two reports that resulted from the research, “Cell-size maintenance: universal strategy revealed” and “‘Cell-size control and homeostasis in bacteria” were completed by Suckjoon Jun, Massimo Vergassola and Sattar Taheri-Araghi, and were published in the journal Current Biology. Both papers will be available at the Jun Lab webpage.

Destroy, Rebuild – The future of green space in Ho Chi Minh City

January 1, 2015January 1, 2015 by The Speaker Editors

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With green space losing out to several large public infrastructure projects, local residents are worried about the future of Ho Chi Minh City’s urban environment. Michael Tatarski looks into one group’s conservation efforts and asks whether the city can develop without giving in to environmental tradeoffs.

When news broke in November that the city would clear 84 mahogany trees from Ton Duc Thang Street to make way for construction of another bridge from District 1 to the Thu Thiem area across the Saigon River in District 2, Nguyen Phuong Thao felt she could no longer stand by. “Someone needed to speak up, and I decided I would be the first to do it,” she says through a translator.

The announcement came on the heels of another story that 200 trees would also be felled in District 2, while part of Le Loi and all of Nguyen Hue, two major downtown thoroughfares, had already been denuded for work on a pedestrian boulevard and the metro system. According to Thao, who owns a coffee shop and works for a company that builds brands, many residents felt depressed by the news because they couldn’t do anything, as the plans were already approved when they were released to the public. In response she created a website, HappyTreeInSaigon.com, to give voice to those concerned by the removal of so much green space.

“The purpose of the website was to collect signatures and send them to the agencies and organisations [in charge of the bridge and other projects] so the government will know about the expectations of the citizens and consider more carefully before they conduct something that may harm the environment,” Thao says.

So far, Thao and her team have collected around 3,000 signatures, about half of which are from students. “The final purpose is to get the attention of people who have authority because I don’t want to do this alone,” she says. “I want someone who actually has power and can make an impact.”

Happy Tree in Saigon, the group born from the website, made headlines late last year when members gathered on Ton Duc Thang and held banners explaining the importance of the doomed trees. However, the group does not plan any repeat actions, since the police were concerned about traffic jams related to the group’s presence. “We will focus more on digital media and when we have enough funds we will focus on one spot, like having an event in one place, not on the street,” Thao stresses.

When it comes to funding, Thao is hopeful that NGOs working on environmental projects in Saigon will be willing to provide monetary support to her conservation efforts. If money comes through, Thao aims to create an education campaign centred on the environment. “Youths do not fully understand the environment … I want them to learn how to protect it in the correct way,” she explains.

Dr Michael Waibel, a professor in the Department of Human Geography at the University of Hamburg who has studied Vietnam since 1996, agrees that Saigon has a green space problem. According to statistics from the HCMC Park and Greenery Office, the city has just 0.8 square metres of green space per capita. This puts the city well below the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of a minimum eight square metres per capita. However, Waibel’s main concern is inequality in access to green space. “People in District 7 or on the outskirts have much better access,” he says. “The biggest problem is with the densely-populated inner city. It’s a socioeconomic question.”

He views the current situation with the trees in a more utilitarian way. “Regarding the trees on Le Loi, in this case it’s a tradeoff. You need a public transportation system to decrease individual traffic, so you make something that is good for sustainability but you have to cut the trees,” Waibel says from Hamburg. He is also positive about the future of green space in the city, something which may hearten Thao and the other members of Happy Tree in Saigon.

“One thing you can say is that the trees grow incredibly fast in Saigon,” the urban planner says. “Look at Phu My Hung [a new urban area south of the city], where the trees have become huge in just ten years.” If trees are replanted once the projects are completed, he reckons, the streets could look nearly normal in just a decade or two. The city government has also set a target of raising the provision of green space to four or five square metres per capita in the future.

However, these initiatives can’t come solely from authorities. “The people themselves have to realize and fight for more green space in their neighbourhoods,” Waibel says. He points to the verdant hems, or alleys, of the city, often full of potted plants and flowers. “This kind of bottom-up initiative to expand green space should be supported and people should be educated that they have their own responsibility,” he continues.

Thao understands this responsibility and hopes Happy Tree in Saigon can link decision-makers and the general public. “What we are perceiving wrong is that we develop our country first and protect the environment later,” she says.

The group plans to connect the people who work with trees and the environment with the architecture firms and urban planners who are building the future Saigon to get them to work as a team. “At the moment they work separately, and by bringing them together they can make a complete plan to build while preserving the environment.”

By Michael Tatarski