With the current arguments about the various commissions being constituted to find out the causes of evils in our society am sure many of my fellow Kenya citizens are disgusted with lapses in leadership integrity. Are you finding it hard to trust many of today's high profile leaders? To help us decide how leaders should behave and how to judge them, we need a clear understanding of what we should expect of them.

Senior business, religious and political leaders must be people of integrity because we grant them so much power over our social and economic well being. We feel let down by integrity lapses in leaders because we expect so much of them: we want them to improve the fundamental quality of our lives.

The people we allow to lead us must be competent enough if we are to trust them and not just honest. To be a credible candidate for any job, a person needs the skills and personal qualities to be effective in the role. Integrity is also broader than honesty. In addition to being honest, leaders with integrity must behave ethically. A criminal could be honest while breaking the law. Leaders with integrity must have an unwavering commitment to culturally accepted values and be willing to defend them. This requires them to do the right thing even if it is not in their personal interest. Leaders with integrity are responsible and consistent.

As the bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, I can say with certainty that virtually no one is completely honest. Who has not, for example, failed to stop at traffic lights, cheated on exams, lied in the loan application form or exaggerated achievements to look good in a job interview? Many of us have what we might call "convenient values." We live up to them only when they don't prevent us from doing what we want.

There are varied reasons why we are dishonest but they include the feelings of being entitled to something and being able to get away with it. People in high places feel that their power makes them untouchable. Also, because there is so much more to gain by bending the rules in high places, the temptation must be enormous. Because high profile leaders are so driven to stay in power, only the rarest of leaders can put principles ahead of personal interest when they are threatened with losing their exalted status.

When we notice these failures in our leaders we more often get are angry and disappointed, but, because we also envy people in high places, we are secretly pleased to see that they are only human after all. These reaction is also related to the strength of our expectations. When we expect little of people, their failures don't surprise or matter much to us. When we feel hugely let down at the news of a flawed leader, therefore, we should ask ourselves why we expected so much of this person in the first place. In any case, our reaction to moral lapses in leaders is without doubt partly determined by our own attitudes, values and current mental state.

We can improve the integrity in high places through the education system and by implementing more transparent monitoring processes, but our culture must also reward it as much as it does the pursuit of selfish interests. We need to depend less on leaders to meet so many of our needs and, because they are only human, expect less of them.

Below is a video you will enjoy and get challenged.

A Little Humor

Are computers Male or Female? Decide for yourself!
Reasons to believe computers are Female:		Reasons to believe computers are Male:
1. No one but the Creator understands their internal logic.		1. They have a lot of data, but are still clueless.
2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else.		2. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they are the problem.
3. The message "Bad command or file name" is about as informative as, "If you don't know why I'm mad at you, then I'm certainly not going to tell you".		3. As soon as you commit to one you realize that, if you had waited a little longer, you could have obtained a better model.
4. Even your smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for later retrieval.		4. In order to get their attention, you have to turn them on.
5. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.		5. Big power surges knock them out for the rest of the night.

Computer Help

Basic Computer Maintenance

IT support can be quite expensive to some people. I have however found that a lot of the "problems" people encounter are common place and could be avoided. To save yourself from spending a lot of money on computer repairs (that could with time exceed the actual cost of your assembled computer), here are a few basic guidelines required to help keep your PC out of the shop:

• Always use a surge protector! Power surges, spikes, lightning and blackouts are all things that can literally burn up your computer & its peripherals. Save yourself lots of money in repairs by buying a decent surge protector (AKA power strip) for your computer and use it. A good UPS (uninterruptible power supply), though slightly more expensive, is even better. Also, realize that these power strips can only take so much. Once they get hit with a large spike of voltage, they can lose their protective capabilities.
  
• Always use up-to-date virus protection! Everyone should know about this by now, but we often see computers with either no virus protection at all, or anti-virus software that's badly out-of-date. Nothing can wreck your computer faster than a virus (except for maybe electricity, like I mentioned above), but with a small investment in good anti-virus software and making sure you set it to update itself daily or incase you don't have internet connection, ensure you download its updates weekly, you can easily protect your computer and your critical data from being trashed. Norton, Kerspersky & McAfee are the most popular brands, but there are others. Some are even free for personal use. Here are some links you can visit for more information:
  
  McAfee Anti-virus - http://us.mcafee.com/
  
  Norton Anti-virus - http://www.symantec.com/nav/nav_9xnt/
  
  AVG Free Anti-Virus(for home users only
  

  http://www.grisoft.com/doc/40/lng/ww
  

• Be careful what you install on your computer! This is another thing many people overlook. A good rule of thumb is "if you don't need, don't install it". This is especially true when you surf the web. You will likely get bombarded with pop-up ads trying to get you to install all kinds of free utilities they claim your computer can't live without. Most of these are spy ware, ad ware and junk. These little programs can slow down your system, collect personal information without your permission and sometimes even cause your computer to crash. Rather than pay a technician to clean up your computer when it's a mess, it's a better idea to keep it clean from the start.
  

 

Important Stuff:

• Always plug your computer into a surge suppresser, or better yet, an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).
  
• Always have virus protection software installed, and make sure it stays up-to-date.
  
• Always have a firewall in place between your computer and the Internet, especially if you have a high-speed connection.
  

 

Regularly Scheduled Maintenance:

Daily

• -Run a virus scan on the memory and hard drive
  
• -Back up the important files on your hard drive
  

Weekly

• - Update your virus protection software's virus definitions
  
• - Check the Microsoft web site for updates and service releases for your operating system
  

Monthly

• -Run Scandisk/Check Disk on your hard drive
  
• -Clean out unnecessary -Clean out unnecessary & temp files on your hard drive
  
• -Run Disk Defragmenter on your hard drive
  
• -Dust -Dust & clean: case, keyboard, mouse, monitor & printer
  

Yearly

• Upgrade your system BIOS.
  
• Spray out the inside of your computer (blowing out the dust).
  
• Consider possible upgrades: more RAM, a larger hard drive, a newer version of the Windows operating system, etc.
  

Here are some tips and tricks everyone needs when they get started helping end users.

Many of the service calls I get end up being training sessions rather than repair jobs. That's because beginners often have problems because of their inexperience and immediately jump to the conclusion that the computer is "broken."

Here are a few of the most common ones, which we generally handle over the phone during the initial consultation rather than making a trip out to the site:

• "The taskbar is gone." The user has accidentally resized the taskbar so small that it's just a thin bar across the bottom of the screen. We explain how to resize it.
  
• "My program is gone." The user has deleted a shortcut from the desktop, and doesn't realize that he can start the program using the Start menu. Alternatively, the user has accidentally deleted the program's shortcut from the Start menu.
  
• "My documents are gone." The user is in an application program, such as Word, and has always stored his files in the Documents folder. Someone has changed the file location that appears in the Open dialog box, and the user doesn't know how to change folders. We give the user a quick tutorial on file and folder locations.
  
• "I can't find the files I unzipped." The user has used WinZip or some other unzip utility to extract files from an archive, but didn't pay attention to the folder name where the files would be extracted. We either have them unzip again and this type note the location, or use the Search (or Find) command to locate the files if their names are known.
  

If a Device Doesn't Work, Try Updating Its Driver

When installing a new device and it doesn't work, don't automatically assume that the device is defective. The problem is more likely to be a driver issue, especially if you are running a different Windows version than the driver was specifically written for.

Visit the device manufacturer's Web site and download any updated drivers or patches and install them. Only after you have installed the most recent driver and software versions should you seriously suspect a physical problem with the hardware.

Try Safe Mode and step-by-step Confirmation to Troubleshoot Windows Start-up Issues

Suppose you get video, and can get into the BIOS, but Windows won't start.

• If it doesn't even attempt to start -- for example, if a hard disk error crops up before you see the Windows splash screen -- then you're probably looking at a hard disk problem.
  
• But if the Windows start-up process begins and then aborts, a faulty or conflicting device driver is probably the cause. This can occur because of a FAT error, or after upgrading to a new Windows version, after installing a new driver for an existing device, or after installing an entirely new device.
  
• If Windows locks up during start-up, the next time you start it, a Windows Start-up menu appears offering to allow you to start in Safe Mode.
  

(You can also call up this Windows Start-up menu by pressing F8 when you see the message "Starting Windows.") Safe Mode loads only a minimal set of drivers, so it will probably exclude the driver that is causing you problems and allows Windows to load. If you can get into Windows through Safe Mode but not through a normal boot, it means that the problem is software-related -- more specifically, that it's related to a driver or program that is loading at start-up.

The most common driver to cause problems is the video driver.

• If Windows locks up at the point where the chosen video mode kicks in (that is, after the splash screen but before you see the mouse pointer), an invalid video mode has probably been chosen. Start in Safe Mode and change the video to a relatively conservative setting, such as 256-color 800x600 with Adapter Default for the refresh rate. In a situation like the one described above -- where Windows boots in Safe Mode but not in normal mode -- the obvious solution is to find the item that's causing the problem and eliminate it. This is often easier said than done, however.
  

One effective way of doing it is to use the Step-by-step Confirmation option on the Windows Start-up menu. Press F8 as the PC is booting to display it; if you see the splash screen, you've missed the F8 opportunity; reboot and try again. From that Start-up menu, choose Step-by-step Conformation. Then press the Y key to step through each line of the start-up. When the line executes that is causing the problem, the PC will lock up, and all you have to do is look at the last text that appeared on the screen to see which driver or program did it. This doesn't always work because sometimes an item that's causing a problem will not have its own separate step in Step-by-step Confirmation. However, it can catch many driver-related errors.

Use MSCONFIG To Turn Off Drivers and Applications that Load at Start-up

• If you are able to identify the driver or application that's causing a start-up problem, the obvious solution is to remove it or turn it off.
  
• Unfortunately, it is not always obvious how to do that. Programs that load at start-up can be called from Win.ini, from the Start-up program group, or directly from the Registry itself; drivers that load are called from the device's properties in the Registry, and it's not easy or safe for a beginner to edit the Registry directly.
  
• For example, suppose a user had a scanner with a driver that loaded at start-up, but then he removed the scanner and its software.
  
• However, for some reason the Registry never got the message and still tries to load the scanner driver at start-up. You could look in the Start-up folder on the Start menu, and if a utility for the scanner appears there, remove it.
  
• You could also look in Add/Remove Programs to see whether the driver can be uninstalled that way. But failing those two, the only thing left to do is edit the Registry to get rid of it. Most versions of Windows come with a utility called the System Configuration Utility, also known by the name of the executable that starts it: MSCONFIG.
  
• This is a handy, safer way of editing the start-up options in the Registry; you can turn individual items on or off freely, trying various combinations until you narrow down the problem.
  
• To run it use Start/Run and type MSCONFIG. You can access this utility from Safe Mode, so you can use it to troubleshoot problems that prevent Windows from starting normally as well.
  
• Each of the tabs enables you to deselect individual lines in the start-up routine. For example, the Start-up tab lists all the programs and utilities that are set to automatically load at start-up. You can deselect a line and then try restarting Windows again to see whether that line was the root of the problem. If it wasn't, come back to MSCONFIG, re-select it, and try deselecting something else.
  

Random Lockups Are Often Caused by FAT Problems or Overheating

One of the most frustrating problems to troubleshoot is a random one, one that doesn't seem to have one specific cause. The key to troubleshooting such problems is to remember that the symptom is not always directly indicative of the cause. The program or utility that it locks up on is not necessarily the issue.

Suppose Windows starts normally, but then starts crashing, freezing or giving serious error messages shortly afterward. Many times running Scandisk (or Check Disk in Windows 2000/XP) will solve the problem. That's because such problems are often caused by errors in the FAT or NTFS file system and this utility will fix them.

• In Windows 9x/Me, choose Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and Scandisk.
  
• In Windows 2000/XP open My Computer, right-click the drive and choose Properties, and click the Check Now button on the Tools tab.
  

If checking the disk for errors turns up nothing, overheating may be the culprit.

Check the following:
Make sure the CPU fan is installed correctly and functioning.

Check for missing back plates behind expansion slots.

You would think that having more air in the case would not be an overheating cause, but it often is. That's because the case is designed to pull air in from the power supply fan and force it through the case in a certain path. If the case is open, or there are extra air holes like missing back plates, the air doesn't flow as designed.

After the PC locks up, turn it off and then touch the larger chips on the motherboard and the video card to find any that are especially hot. If you find one, try blowing compressed air on it to cool it off; if this cause the system to work again, that chip is probably the problem.

Memory Problems Usually Aren't Really Memory Problems

If you get a blue-screen error reporting a problem with a specific memory address, and it's the same every time, use a diagnostic program to check the RAM for errors.

Bad memory could cause Windows problems. However, actual physical memory programs are fairly rare. In the majority of cases, an error that references a particular memory address does not mean that there is anything wrong with the memory itself, but rather with the program or driver that happens to be loaded in that memory address at the moment.

So don't go on a wild goose chase to find a physical problem with the memory that doesn't exist; treat the situation as a problem with Windows itself.

Viruses Can Cause All Sorts of Screwy Errors

A PC that was previously healthy that starts suddenly exhibiting all kinds of serious problems such as lockups, out-of-memory errors, and refusal to install new programs has probably been infected by a virus. Some of the most recent ones, such as W32.klez.gen@mm and its variants, can actually prevent an antivirus program from being installed or run; they require a special removal tool.

If you can install and run a full antivirus program such as Norton Antivirus, do so, and keep the virus definitions updated. If an antivirus program won't install, go to a Web site for an antivirus program (such as www.symantec.com for Norton Antivirus) and download a Klez removal program. Place its icon on the desktop, and then boot into Safe Mode and run it. By the time you read this, some new virulent virus may be circulating and causing other problems; for the latest virus reports keep the Web sites for Norton Antivirus and/or McAfee Virus scan bookmarked in your browser.

Reinstalling Windows Can Save Time in the Long Run

If you're running into a brick wall troubleshooting a Windows installation, often it is more time-effective to completely reinstall Windows than to fuss for hours trying this-and-that.
The quickest way is to reinstall over the top of the existing copy; that way you don't have to reinstall any applications. However, this also keeps some of the problems, so it might not solve the problem. You can try it first if you like, but keep in mind that you will have wasted half an hour on it if it doesn't work.
A more satisfactory solution is to install Windows into a different folder, but this requires you to reinstall all applications afterwards, so it turns into a multi-hour project. For a Windows 9x/Me system, I usually boot from a start-up floppy and rename the old Windows folder to something like Winback, so I can continue to use the name Windows for the folder containing the OS files. I also try to delete everything in the root folder before installing to a new folder.

This is easier in some OS versions than others; you'll probably need to boot from a start-up disk and use the ATTRIB command to remove the read-only and hidden attributes from some of the files there.) With Windows 2000 and XP, you can't boot from a start-up floppy, but you can boot from the Windows CD-ROM, and then use the Repair Windows Installation option or reinstall completely.

A Problem with an Application Is Not Always that Application's Fault

If a problem occurs only when starting or using a specific program, it's easy to assume that the program is to blame. But the real problem might be that the application is conflicting with another application, or with a device driver. Here are some things to try, in roughly the order that I would try them:

• Verify that the shortcut you're using to start the program points to the correct file to start the program.
  
• If you have upgraded to a new version of the program this is particularly an issue. The shortcut might still point to the previous version.
  
• Run Scandisk (or Check Disk, in Windows XP). Run the Disk Defragmenter. Turn off any programs running in the background, particularly antivirus programs.
  
• Before launching the program with which you are experiencing problems, use the Task Manager (or the End Program dialog box, in Windows 9x/Me) to see whether there are any programs or processes that are not responding.
  

I have run into situations before where a program that loaded at start-up would stop responding shortly after start-up but not show any evidence of it until it caused a seemingly unrelated program to crash when launched.

• Disable as many of the programs that load at start-up as possible, and then restart the computer. Then try running the application again.
  

• If that doesn't help, try running the application in Safe Mode. If it works, you at least know that the program itself is okay and that a conflict with something loading at start-up is causing the problem. If the program doesn't work in Safe Mode, try uninstalling and reinstalling it. Before you do, however, make sure you have a full set of installation disks for it and that if you have an upgrade version you also have a full previous version.
  

 

"Lost" Word Files Usually Aren't Really Lost

One of the most common application problems end-users experience is the loss of data when Microsoft Word crashes.

• Word does have an AutoRecover feature, but it isn't perfect (although Office XP's version is the best to date in this regard).
  
• When AutoRecover is enabled in Word, the recovered documents are supposed to load automatically the next time you start Word after a crash.
  
• Sometimes this doesn't happen, however. Many people assume that it's because no AutoRecovered version exists, but that's not always the case. I have often been able to find "lost" documents by using Search (or Find).
  
• To do so, search for files with ~ as the first character or .tmp as the extension that were modified within the last day. Sort them by size, and start opening them in Word, starting with the largest ones. If you find one that contains any part of the lost document, save it as a regular Word document with Save As.
  

The other problem with Word occurs less frequently, but is just as frustrating. The user tries to open a document, only to be told that it is not a valid Word document or the file is not found.

 

The file does exist, of course -- you can see it in Windows Explorer. But Word won't open it. When this happens, try opening the file in WordPad, and then using Copy and Paste to copy the content into a brand-new Word file.        

Balancing Attitude and Reality

Maintaining a positive attitude in life.

Every event in our lives can leave us with great joy or hopelessness. The events may or may not be directly related to us. At the moment everyone is predicting how there are bad financial times ahead due to the financial crisis in America. All we hear is there are tuff times ahead. These sentiments, as much as they may be true have the power to make us live in great negativity. As the analysts go through the reports, they never give us a chance to look at the brighter side of the whole bad event. It is unfortunate that there are more negative thoughts/people around us than there are positive and the few positive do not seem to exert their authority anymore.

To help us in our daily projections it is relevant if we consider the biblical verse that encourages us not to worry about tomorrow for today has enough troubles. This implies that each morning, God gives us a limited amount of energy to spend in that given day. He gave children of Israel manna enough for each day only. If we spend too much on unwarranted needs, we begin to run on stress and that's when bad things happen. Therefore, we need to keep our supply of emotional, mental and physical energy at appropriate levels. It is our duty to get enough sleep, exercise, and right food so that we replenish our bodies. And we need to laugh often, take breaks, get away, not try to be super people, understand we can't please everyone, watch out for our perfectionist tendencies–all those things are important to keeping the bank account of energy re-supplied.

On a typical day you leave home/hostel in a good mood, assuming you woke up at the right time and so had enough time to prepare well, but before you get to town where you have an appointment, there's a traffic problem or the driver in front of you is very slow or the matatu takes too long to be full or something just happens along the way. So, the blood pressure starts rising and you're spending emotional energy. You are worried that you will be late. As you get to your destination, the phone is ringing and you have to deal with an angry or desperate caller or are reminded of an assignment you haven't finished that is due that morning. You spend some more emotional energy. About mid-morning may be the computer you are using in a cyber café or workplace or in campus computer lab goes down, then you realize that work/assignment you haven't completed and you're already behind schedule, a co-worker/roommate/relative irritates you and causes you problems, you get a headache at noon, and the day goes downhill from there. You're emotionally broke by noon; the account is empty because you've spent all your emotional money on those little things. You feel as though everyone is out to get you into trouble.

This illustration points out how significant it is for us to consider how we spend our emotional energy. Consider the difference your decision or emotions are going to make in the next 24 hours. Throughout your day make yourself more aware of how you're spending that emotional energy, and keep asking, "Is it worth it?" And by God's grace with his wisdom, you will learn to be much more frugal in the way you spend your energy. We should refrain from allowing short term events determine the decisions that will affect our long term future.

I also wish to suggest that you respond to the negatives with a positive. If you have people who gripe about the job, you could point out to them, "Well, I guess there are some unemployed people out there who'd love to have our job." Say it nicely, quietly, but don't be afraid to be positive with those negative people. We allow them to intimidate us too easily. They may not like your positive response, but as long as you do it in a nice way, please don't let that stop you. You must protect your mind from their negativism, or they'll poison your thinking.

Now that we realize that there are so many negative events around us daily how then can we stay positive in this negative world? We all choose the attitude we maintain in any situation. No matter how difficult it may be to stay positive on a given day, it's still easier than being negative. When you and I choose to be negative, we are choosing the hard way. Being positive is the easy way out. Some of us choose to be negative saying that if the bad thing we fear comes true, then we won't be greatly disappointed. As such when things don't seem to work, they will say that it has always been this way for them.

I want to encourage you to really get serious about developing and maintaining a positive attitude. God created us in His image and likeness, and we have every reason to be optimistic having understood who He is and the plans He has for us. And we should demonstrate that to our worlds by maintaining a positive attitude, regardless of our circumstances. I hope you'll be willing to start that process today, and continue it for the rest of your life.

Having said this, I need also caution you against careless optimism. You may have been told that "attitude is everything". While there's no doubt about the power of a positive outlook, as I have illustrated above, attitude alone won't make you achieve your goals. By itself, attitude is unable to resurrect a doomed business plan or make up for a deficiency of knowledge. Attitude can't alter reality or reverse a dire financial or physical situation.

The "attitude is everything" doctrine becomes particularly dangerous when a person lives on hope rather than paying his or her dues for success. The mindset, "All things work together for the good," substitutes for planning and effort. As a friend once commented to me, most of us fail to achieve our potential because of poor planning in the name of having faith in God's plan for our lives. Attitude has undeniable benefit, but it's not a magic ticket that compensates for failure to perform. You cannot disconnect attitude from reality and expect to be successful. As we maintain this positive attitude we need also to face reality and take appropriate actions to avert disaster. The same God who requires our total dependence on Him has also given us the ability to plan for the events around us by giving us knowledge wisdom and power to have dominion over everything He created.

Let us not avoid developing our skills and talent and focus on attitude. You need to learn to be competent in your duties even as you maintain that positive attitude. If you maintain a positive attitude at the job interview, you definitely might get hired but before long, if you are not competent for the job, you soon will be fired. Maintain a positive attitude but seek out to improve yourself.

At the same time you need to realize that it will take time and diverse experiences for us to get to the top. In our youthful ambitions, things seem to be too slow. We seek to create impact, to be recognized. When we fail we are encouraged to remain hopeful never being reminded that they are those mishaps that will help us attain our potential. Maintain a positive attitude but allow the experiences to mould you character.

As John Adams said, "Facts are stubborn things." They may be painful to accept, but they cannot be ignored. Attitude alone cannot reverse financial numbers showing a company on the verge of bankruptcy. The reality for many companies involves difficult decisions like outsourcing or layoffs to cut costs.

By itself, attitude cannot stem the tide of an evolving industry. For instance, newspapers must adjust their advertising strategies to confront the fact that consumers are flocking online for news. Without a fundamental shift in their business models, traditional newspapers face extinction-regardless of the attitudes permeating their company cultures.

Attitude fills us with hope that we might reach our dreams. However, hope divorced from action proves false. In the words of musician, Bruce Springsteen, "A time comes when you need to stop waiting for the man you want to become and start being the man you want to be." Never stop dreaming, but also never cease growing if you expect your dreams to come true.

In conclusion, the truth is that a positive attitude will make great difference in our lives. It the expectations we have of ourselves or the expectations we allow others to impose on us that greatly determine our performance in academic, professional or social lives. If you expect to win or succeed in whatever you are doing, you must be able to visualize the expected success. Maintaining a positive attitude will greatly help us relate well others. It will help us face challenges with optimism and courage.

We however need to be cautious and be real with ourselves as we remain positive at all times.

Who am I

As we live here on earth, we all seek to identify who we are. Most of the time we identify ourselves by what our friends say of us or by what we have achieved academically or socially. We may chose an identity that is most appropriate for a specific occasion and change once we are in another scenario. All in all we all can define who we are irrespective of whether that is true of ourselves or it only what we dream of becoming.

In this relation there are so many things in the society that happen and we all frown at the sight of them. We get angry when we see some people "misbehave" in public. One thing I've noted however is none of us ever looks within ourselves for those moments when others would have reacted in a similar manner to our actions. We wonder who they are.

I believe that we are all unique in our own ways. God created each one of us with special abilities. In the same way, he has allowed some weaknesses to be manifest in us. The bible says that His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses. This does not mean that God condones mediocrity, but it simply should help us accept who we are despite the "flaws" in our attributes. At times what we feel ashamed of in ourselves turns out to be what someone else longs to have. Allow me to use this example about ladies. I have met several ladies here in Nairobi whom when I asked what they didn't like about themselves were frank enough to say they did not like their big breasts. They did everything to make them seem small. Then I met a Japanese friend who told me that in her country women struggled to have large breasts. They even go for surgery for breast enlargement. This is also true for our skin color. Most white people suffer sunburns whenever they visit our game parks yet there are so many of us using skin lighteners so that they can look "beautiful".

I would strongly encourage you to be happy with what you have for God who placed you in Kenya knew that whatever he has endowed in you will be very useful in Kenya. As someone once commented, God didn't put you in Kenya so that you can pray to win a green card to go to the USA. He however expects you to go all over the world and impact people's lives for His kingdom and that is why He will enable you get a study visa or work permit to China to be a missionary there. As much as the understanding of who we truly are will help us live in greater freedom and happiness, it also helps us live at peace with our enemies and friends.

However, there is at times the temptation to use these weaknesses to live in mediocrity. Accepting our weaknesses does not mean we ignore opportunities for self improvement. If there is anything you can do to change some aspect of your personality, you should do it immediately. For instance, it is true that there are some people who are very temperamental. These people get angry so quickly over anything that they do not approve of. However, the bible clearly instructs us that we should be slow to anger and abiding in grace and love. And so if you noticed that you are easily angered by anything and everything, then you should take the time to seek God's help in applying His word to your life so that you honor him in your life.

One basic truth is that we are not perfect. We however should work towards perfection. This does not mean despising all the "negative" aspects of our lives. My understanding of seeking perfection is focusing on what God has bestowed in me and seeking to make the best use of it. It is seeking training that will enable you apply your skills in a Godly manner for the betterment of the society. If you truly know that you were created in God's image and likeness, then we should look out who God is.

A lot of the struggles we go through about our personalities are as a result of a limited or lack of understanding of who God is. We seek truth but in the wrong places. We listen to descriptions of who we are or should be but from the wrong people. We read the wrong books. We associate with the wrong people.

As someone once commented, if you want to understand how any equipment works or how to operate it, then you go to the manufacturers' manual. If you follow the advice in the manual but the equipment still does work as expected, or in the course of use, it develops a fault, then you call their technical support for more instructions and troubleshooting and solution to the problem. And so if God is our manufacturer, why do we seek to solve the problems in our live or seek to understand ourselves by reading a different manual. God has provided His manual to us but we often refuse to read it. He has a technical support that is standby throughout and is accessible at no cost.

Things may not be working as you would wish in your life. You may have read a lot of truths about yourself in the Bible but it does not seem to apply to you. I would encourage you to seek the truth. This truth is only found in the word of God. Daily meditate on this truth and ask Him to reveal to you more truths. Ask Him to help you understand His word. He definitely will if you seek Him out of a clean and sincere heart.

There are so many "truths" being spread around us. With the emergent of many fm radio stations, people have qualified themselves to be authorities in different matters of our society. These people seek to advice us on how to make our marriages work, how to live healthy lives, how to make more money. One thing most of us never pose to ask ourselves is; what is the source of this information they are shoving to us? Who is their inspiration? What is their motivation? What are they advocating for?

If Jesus is their hero, they rely on the bible for instruction, they are motivated by the desire to glorify God and serve Him and advocate for His supremacy and reign in our lives, then they are worth listening to. One guiding principle that has really helped me to moderate my decisions is this; I believe that if you are going to believe everything you read or hear, then better not read or listen. This I have found helpful even in the church. As the Bereans in the book of Acts were commented for searching the scripture to find out the truths, I have always sought to confirm God's truth spoken on the pulpit by carefully going through whatever is preached.

Friends, we need to ask God for wisdom in living out for what He created us. Our lives will be more fulfilling when we understand the greatness of our God and the idea He had in creating us. We will be more able to appreciate the faults in others without condemning them. We will be able to accept our weaknesses without feeling inferior but rather allowing His strength to be made manifest.

And so next time you see a rather irritating behavior from someone or notice a 'flaw' in your personality or appearance, ask yourself; what was God's purpose in making them/me this way?

Associating Well With Others

Effective Decision-Making Behaviors

Every moment we are awake, we are constantly faced with moments when we need to make decisions. A lot of what we are is as a result of the decisions and choices we make every minute. To make any decision process work, individuals or group members need to behave themselves in certain specific ways. These behaviours can be shared with the group or generated as norms in advance of any decision-making session but best of all will be really valuable if they are infused is us and act as the guiding principles in our daily lives. More significantly, a careful understanding of these behaviours will improve our relationship with other people around us.

Behaviours That Help	Behaviours That Hinder
Listening to other ideas politely, even when you don't agree	Interrupting people in mid-statement
Paraphrasing the main points made by another person, especially if you are about to contradict their ideas	Not acknowledging the ideas that others have put on the table
Praising others ideas	Criticising others ideas, as opposed to giving them useful feedback
Building on other's ideas	Pushing your ideas while ignoring other's input
Asking others to critique your ideas, and accepting the feedback	Getting defensive when your ideas are analyzed
Being open to be able to accepting alternative courses of action	Sticking only to your ideas and blocking suggestions for alternatives.
Dealing with facts	Basing arguments on feelings
Staying calm and friendly towards colleagues	Getting overly emotional; showing hostility in the face of any disagreement

This is my condensed updated resume

Benson Eshikuta Kusina Résumé
Objective	To work in a challenging environment exercising the skills I have acquired through training and experience and translate these skills into their fields of application especially in Engineering, Information Technology, Telecommunication and Research and disseminate the information learnt effectively. To perfect these skills and also work as a team player in an institution that values professional integrity.
Education	B. Sc. Electrical and Electronic Engineering University of Nairobi.
Experience	Technical Support Assistant, Procom Computer Technologies from September 2008 Computer Administrator, Main Campus Christian Union, University of Nairobi from 2006 to 2008. Developed and maintained content database management system for the Christian Union. Offered technical advice and basic training on computer use to other Christian Union members. Designed, developed and updated the Christian union website. (http://mccu.uonbi.ac.ke/ ) Gained practical experience and knowledge in Database Management Systems, Website development and user support. The Kenya Power and Lighting Company August 2005 – October 2005 and July 2006 – October. Attachment at KPLC Nairobi Area. Assisted in preparation of Tender documents and supervision of work at the Projects department. Maintained distribution lines in Eastland along Jogoo Road. Response to emergencies and restoration of power to KPLC customers. Designed distribution lines for some areas under the area design and construction. Volunteer, Africa Shumpei Kambe Fellowship January 2002 – August 2003 Participated in the street children rehabilitation program at Pumwani Social Hall Offered livestock health instructions and assisted in livestock treatment in Maji Moto near Massai Mara. Others, University of Nairobi July – October 2007 Workshop Technology at the university of Nairobi workshops where I gained great knowledge on operations of common electrical and communication equipment. Kenya Bureau of standards standardization seminar (university of nairobi) Polling Clerk, Electoral Commission of Kenya in December 2008
Skills	Computer hardware installation, Microsoft Office Applications, Web Based Applications, Visual Studio Programming, Macromedia Dreamweaver (web design), Php and Mysql, SQL Server 2000/2005, User support and network management
Activities	Chairman of Science Club and Debating Club (Kilingili Sec School.) Organized and took part in the high school Science congress competition up to provincial levels. Campus Representative, Emuhaya Constituency Students Organization. Active member of The Main Campus Christian Union

REFEREES

1. Justus Njoroge Kamau

P.O Box 62096 - 00200,

Nairobi

Tel +254728600233

kamaujustus@gmail.com

1. Dr. G.S.O Odhiambo,
   

   Senior Lecturer,
   

Department of Electrical Engineering. (UoN)

P.O BOX 16262 – 00100 GPO,

Nairobi

Tel: 020-318262 Ext 28327

020 – 800823

+254722788331

Email: dept-elec@uonbi.ac.ke

3. Dr. Paul Malalu Kisia

P.O Box 21
Kabarnet

Tel: +254721648861
Email: malalu_p@yahoo.com