FPL GAMEWEEK 27

I currently rank 175k a drop from the 145k rank on Gameweek 25. I owe my drop to captaining Aguero who gave me a return of 4 versus 28 by main rivals who captained De Bruyne.


This is how I line up. I have used my 2 free transfers to bring in Doherty (6.1) and Jimenez (7.8) who face NOR/tot/BHA in their next fixtures. I have released Aguero who has a blank gameweek 28 and injured Kelly.

The squad is projected to score 70 points. Captain Choice is Salah

Also look out for Pepe, the gameweek 26 top scorer, as well as Aubameyang who have a kind run of fixtures except the blank gameweek 28.

Technology, A Tool for or Against Corruption? IFMIS in Kenya.

Technology, A Tool for or Against Corruption?

Four years ago, the Kenya Government launched an Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) described as an automated system that enhances efficiency in planning, budgeting, procurement, expenditure management and reporting in the National and County Governments in Kenya. This, according to IFMIS website (http://www.ifmis.go.ke/?page_id=2340) ushered a new era of a fully automated procurement process, from requisition, tendering, contract award to payment.

In a nutshell, such automation was aimed at enhancing visibility and accountability in all levels of procurement for government.  So one might ask, how comes we lose so much money when we have a system fully dedicated to enhancing accountability and making public procurement efficient and effective. Does technology help in curbing corruption or is it the new tool for corruption. Corruption has indeed become a menace in achieving shared prosperity and ending poverty. 

One of the challenges in investigation of corruption cases is in the records management. According to Anders Hjorth, digital records exist in different forms and are spread across different systems. This makes them difficult to locate, analyze and control in the absence of a proper and well established evidence management system. The EACC and DCI are charged with investigations of corruption cases in Kenya. However, lack of intra-agency collaboration across different technical platforms compromises the chains of custody practices. This is mainly due to intentional loss of evidence and inevitable physical deterioration of digital records with none of the mandated institutions taking responsibility. 

Kenya’s investigations have been censoriously haltered through unlawful destruction of evidence, missing information and assets, and lack of proper oversight or records management especially in the public sector. In a discussion of effectiveness of technology in the fight-against corruption, it was noted that many developing countries have laws that allow the use of digital evidence as internationally recommended. Nevertheless, judges have been sometimes reluctant to accept admission of such evidence. Such loopholes are thus taken advantage of by corrupt officials. 

What can be done better?

So let’s not be victimized as the proverbial ‘Complainers with no solution.’ Many other countries have implemented similar strategic approach to IT Integration. We must thus benchmark why there’s a better story than ours. The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption of the Republic of Slovenia developed an app ‘Supervizor’ for monitoring expenses of public bodies. It has helped reveal correlation between change in government and money disbursements from state budget users to a limited number of companies. 

Kenya’s EACC must enhance its agency capacity and promote transparency. IFMIS should have a sublet Information management system designed specifically for income and asset disclosure, and a document management system that functions as an archive (Study case Romania). Electronic submissions should be completely instituted for disclosure forms and income. Such robust digital system allows for a purely and wholly electronic audit.

Technology is as good as the integrity of the hands in which it falls. Like any tool, it needs to be used properly or it can cause harm, and proper use requires awareness of the risks, good standards of practice and training. However, technology, if used with skill, can be a powerful tool in the fight to end impunity.

Welcome to Kenya Mr.Dictatorship –Kuna Matata

For five decades, we have accepted a system that ensures only the greedy eats. Ours has been a history of greed for power. The greed that makes incumbent presidents fear to hand over power to persons, not from their tribe. The greed makes other tribes feel they must be in power to feel included and get a chance to ‘eat.’  When a people who feel excluded in the eating air their dissent, the greed for power convinces the eaters that they have power over dissent and can shut down any voice to the contrary. They are whispered to by ‘fake advisors,’ to shut down the media, arrest and harass opposition voices and in unprecedented unconstitutional and illegal case, arrest, detain then deport Lawyer Miguna Miguna (a citizen of Kenya by birth). Since 1963, we’ve had about only four government transitions. I read about Kenyatta the first-one who promised to crash people of Kisumu, then Moi came, and I experienced his ruling at a tender age (he couldn’t buy my loyalty for a packet of milk ‘maziwa ya nyayo’). Kibaki turned our tolerance for each other into acceptance, built a happy nation for a few months and five years later tore us apart, we haven’t recovered from him.  Jubilee administration has decided to test the depth of waters with both its feet- that’s worse than even the dreaded KANU era.

                 "Kenyans have been taken to the banks of the river of     dictatorship"

There is an African proverb that says ‘You can take a cow to the river, but you can’t force the cow to drink.’ Kenyans have been taken to the banks of the river of dictatorship, they have refused to drink. They refuse to drink from the river infested with maggots of ethnocides; they refuse to drink from a river fed by sewers of tribal alienations. If the events since 30^th of January are to go by, Kenyans have been pushed to the brink by a laughable regime that wants to force legitimacy.  I’m no lawyer, so in a layman’s language, I would say forcing legitimacy is forcing people to like you. If people don’t like you, they don’t. Mr. Uhuru must accept that the cows have refused to drink. To cane the cows or slaughter them, it’s up to him. So Jubilee must not waste our time and money to convince the other legitimate 62% who boycotted the October 26^th elections come-birthday-party that at the helm of dragging the country lies H.E Raila Odinga and any other opposition voice. We have thrown away the law, the once vibrant 2010 constitution that sent Deputy Chief Justice Nancy Baraza for just pinching the nose of a guard, is now being urinated on.  The dictators are happy, any economic competitor is happy. 

The good news is we have been here before, not once not twice. In a battle between the people and force, people have won triumphantly. Those who have gone into exile have returned to the shame of their tormentors Ask Koigi Wa Wamwere, ask Ngugi was Thiong’o and the many who had to flee the Kenyatta and Moi regime.  

WannaCry Ransomware

As you've likely heard, WannaCry is a new ransomware variant that takes advantage of a vulnerability in the Windows operating system (MS17-010) to encrypt the infected computer’s data and hold it hostage until a ransom is paid.
More than 4,000 educational organisations were among the 30,000 ‘institutions' to have been paralysed by the global cyberattack, which is known as Wanna Decryptor ransomware, or WannaCry, Qihu 360, an anti-virus software firm said. 

Currently the hackers demand a ransom of  not less than US $.300 which increases after every 24 hours upon failure of payment.

What is ransomware?Malicious software that locks a device, such as a computer, tablet or smartphone and then demands a ransom to unlock it.It can lock the device or data contained in the device.

How does it affect a computer?The software is normally contained within an attachment to an email that masquerades as something innocent. Once opened it encrypts the hard drive, making it impossible to access or retrieve anything stored on there – such as photographs, documents or music.

Microsoft slammed the US spy agency that had originally developed software that allowed the ransomware attack to infect computers. The "Eternal Blue" tool developed by the National Security Agency had been dumped onto the public internet by a hacking group known as the Shadow Brokers. 

Remedy?? 
So far Microsoft released a patch over the weekend for the Eternal Blue vulnerability that defends against it even with older versions of Windows.

Since simple unplug your computer from the network might render you jobless today or for the week while waiting on solution, people must then be able to identify malicious emails and avoid opening them at all cost. 
I can't insist more on the importance of organizations having secure data backup.For those who have never considered cyber crime as a major issue you can start Firewall Hardening today and test if you have an effective Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems.(IDS and IPS).

 Well I'll be attending Webcast AlienVault Labs Security discussion on technological and policy aspect of identifying vulnerability and exploits and will get to you on more about WannaCry Ransomware,but remember if your data gets locked I swear you wanna cry.


Cavin Ouma,
BMCS,CISA, CCNA
  

Integrated Services Digital Network

Integrated Services Digital Network

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is a circuit-switching technology that enables the local loop of a PSTN to carry digital signals, resulting in higher capacity switched connections. ISDN changes the internal connections of the PSTN from carrying analog signals to time-division multiplexed (TDM) digital signals.

ISDN turns the local loop into a TDM digital connection. This change enables the local loop to carry digital signals that result in higher capacity switched connections. The connection uses 64 kb/s bearer channels (B) for carrying voice or data and a signaling, delta channel (D) for call setup and other purposes.

There are two types of ISDN interfaces:

Basic Rate Interface (BRI)-ISDN is intended for the home and small enterprise and provides two 64 kb/s B channels and a 16 kb/s D channel. The BRI D channel is designed for control and often underused, because it has only two B channels to control. Therefore, some providers allow the D channel to carry data at low bit rates, such as X.25 connections at 9.6 kb/s.

Primary Rate Interface (PRI)-ISDN is also available for larger installations. PRI delivers 23 B channels with 64 kb/s and one D channel with 64 kb/s in North America, for a total bit rate of up to 1.544 Mb/s. This includes some additional overhead for synchronization. In Europe, Australia, and other parts of the world, ISDN PRI provides 30 B channels and one D channel, for a total bit rate of up to 2.048 Mb/s, including synchronization overhead.

For small WANs, the BRI ISDN can provide an ideal connection mechanism. BRI has a call setup time that is less than a second, and the 64 kb/s B channel provides greater capacity than an analog modem link. If greater capacity is required, a second B channel can be activated to provide a total of 128 kb/s. Although inadequate for video, this permits several simultaneous voice conversations in addition to data traffic.

Another common application of ISDN is to provide additional capacity as needed on a leased line connection. The leased line is sized to carry average traffic loads while ISDN is added during peak demand periods. ISDN is also used as a backup if the leased line fails. ISDN tariffs are based on a per-B channel basis and are similar to those of analog voice connections.

With PRI ISDN, multiple B channels can be connected between two endpoints. This allows for videoconferencing and high-bandwidth data connections with no latency or jitter. However, multiple connections can be very expensive over long distances.

Note: Although ISDN is still an important technology for telephone service provider networks, it is declining in popularity as an Internet connection option with the introduction of high-speed DSL and other broadband services.

NB;

PSTN –Public Switched Telephone Network  -This’ a general term referring to the variety of telephone networks and services in place worldwide.

TDM Time Division Multiplexing – Technique in which info. From multiple channels can be allocated bandwidth on a single wire based on preassigned time slots.

Cavin Ouma 

BMCS, CCNA, CISA(ON GOING)

LIFE IS HARD, LIFE IS DIFFICULT

 I feel to share this piece,I read it often and always find inspiration in the little things I do,this' an encouragement to fellow youths still hustling out here.....


Everybody wants to be happy in life. We all want to live a perfect life. We want that great job or a successful business. We want to be married to Mr. Right or Mrs Perfect. We want to have great kids. We want to have friends that stick by us come rain or shine. We want to be able to have all the material things life has to offer and have all our problems just disappear.
Everybody wishes for good life. It may be at different levels. One person may define a good life one way and another may describe it another way. For one person a good life may be just having three meals a day and a roof over their head. For another it may be having a huge mansion and a couple of million dollars in the bank.
There are different levels and meanings to what a good life is. But whatever you definition of it, there is perhaps one thing that you may have in common with many other people. You might want that good life stress free. You would like to have it without having to work so hard or struggle so much for it. That is a normal human expectation. Nobody likes to struggle through life.
Unfortunately, that is also what may be stopping you from having that great life. The thought of all that work, all that planning, overcoming hurdles and resistance is enough to make a lot of people give up before they even start. It can all seem too overwhelming, and for many it all just doesn’t seem be worth it. It’s like being drained of energy just at the thought of running a marathon. Before you are even at the starting line the thought of all that running just scares you and tires you so much mentally you just decide not to go for it. It’s just too hard.
One of my favourite books is titled “The Road Less Travelled” by M. Scott Peck. The first sentence in the book is:

“Life is difficult.”

Now, if you pick up a book and the first thing it tells you is “life is difficult” you may just think “is this book going to get reassuring and encouraging after such a start?
But, as Peck goes on to explain, once you accept that life is hard, it no longer becomes an issue that it’s difficult. He says:
“Once we know that life is difficult- once we truly understand and accept it - then life is no longer difficult.”
In life you will have difficulties getting anything you want. It is very rare to get anything in life without some degree of effort. Only if you win the lottery will you have everything without effort, and even then you would have had to go out and buy the lottery ticket anyway so it’s not free at all.
Life is hard – your boss will not always be the nicest person in the world. Your job will have challenges that you did not foresee. Your workmates will sometimes be a pain. You won’t always get the salary and recognition that you want and deserve at work. Your clients may not be the nicest people in the world.
Life is hard – your kids won’t always be the ideal kids you want them to be. Your wife or husband may not be as perfect as you thought they were when you married them – in fact I can guarantee you they are not. Your home may not be the ideal place you would want it to be. You may not the perfect wife or husband that you once thought you were.
Life is hard – running a business is not as easy as you thought it would be. No one is lining up to bring money to your business, even though you are a really nice person and your business has great products to offer.
I could go on and on with these examples, but the bottom line is that “Life is hard.”
I don’t mean to say in all this that you don’t deserve a break. I am not saying that you are not justified in thinking that you deserve more than what you have gotten from life and the world to this point.
I am not saying that you are not justified in feeling the way that you feel. I know you have had it tough at times. I know that at times you feel that it’s all very confusing and just too hard. I mean you have worked very hard. You’ve done all that you possibly could in your life whether it is at work or at home. But things just don’t seem to have worked out as well as you had planned or hoped. It all just seems to have gone wrong and you don’t know or understand how or why.
But that’s okay. It’s normal. That’s what being human is all about. That’s what life is all about. Life is hard. Accept that.
Once you do, you will feel better about your circumstances. Then you won’t think of your situation as anything but what is common to every human being. Then you will think of your situation as a part of life. You will no longer beat yourself up about how bad things are or how you are not doing so well in one area or another. You will realise that you are only human. You make mistakes just like everybody else. You are not perfect just like everybody else.
But don’t stop there. Accepting that life is hard does not mean that you accept every circumstance and simply go with the flow.
You see, there are two sides to this story. There is another side to this coin. On the one side of the coin is where you have the words “life is hard” inscribed, but if you turn that coin over you will five very small but powerful words. They read:

“You can make it better”

That is one of the beautiful things about life. You can make your life better. You have total responsibility for what you do and how you respond to the fact that life is hard. As the now cliché saying goes:
“If life hands you lemons, make lemonade.”
Accepting that life is hard comes with accepting that you have the responsibility to make it better. Not only do you have the responsibility to make it better, you have the ability and the power to make it better.
You can make it better – become a better employee and someone worth giving more responsibilities at work. The promotions and the better pay are sure to follow one way or another.
You can make it better – learn how to raise better kids and have a happier home. Become the good husband or wife you would like your spouse to be.
You can make it better – learn how to turn that business around. Gain the extra skills you need to run a successful business.
You see, the only person you have any control over is yourself. You cannot change other people. Let’s take the example of marriage for moment. Notice that I did not say you should turn your husband or spouse into an ideal spouse. I said you should become the ideal husband or wife you want your spouse to be. Then, once you become such a person you may have several choices as to how to relate to your spouse.
Firstly, once you are as near perfect a spouse as anyone can be your husband or wife might see the difference and also decide to change for the better or they may just change naturally as a response to your new attitude. Secondly, if they don’t change, perhaps you will have reached a level of maturity where you are content and satisfied with who they are and their faults no longer bother you. Or thirdly, in some cases, such as in abusive relationships or in relationships that are a risk to your health, you may reach a level of self acceptance and courage where you are able to leave that abusive or unfaithful partner.
Whatever the case may be, this example illustrates one other important fact about teh fact that life is hard and taking responsibility. That is:

“You always have choices”

No matter what situation you are in, you have a choice. No matter how bad things are, you have a choice. No matter what you think you can or cannot do, you have a choice.
Now it may not be an easy choice, by any means. It may be a very difficult choice and the road you decide to take may be a tough one. It may push you way out of your comfort zone. It may mean that in the initial period your life may get even harder than it already is. But it is a choice nonetheless.
A lot of times you will actually find that the choices are not as hard as you thought they were. You may just have shut off your mind from seeing those choices and possibilities because you thought you had no choice. Once you become open to the idea that you are responsible for your life and that you have choices, you will find that you are no longer stuck just because life is hard.
At that point, life is still hard, but you have the final say. Your life becomes more meaningful and purposeful. 

shared from http://www.motivation-for-dreamers.com/life-is-hard.html 

NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED YOUTHS;

It is one thing to hear that there is unemployment among the youth of this country and another to actually be among that statistic. Having completed my Degree last year December, it’s just three months and I have started feeling the pinch of reality.While one may argue that three months is premature, but again when you are optimistic and ambitious as I and many other graduates one expects an invitation or two for an interview or even internship or graduate training. Well employment is elusive and the replies you get even evasive.As one of my colleagues said,” Unemployment is a ‘privilege’ of the wealthy, with their greater financial security enabling them to wait for ideal job”.

 

Graduates during a past graduation ceremony Maasai Mara University.    

So many graduates are produced annually from our universities in even larger numbers than the employment opportunities that are created. (Education, 2014) About 50,000 graduates are churned-up out of public and private universities in Kenya piling the number of unemployed youths to about 2.5 Million.Most of these graduates are now forced to do menial jobs to survive. Now these are just youths who had a chance to attend either university or other tertiary and or middle level colleges.

Lets now trace even the larger number of youths that the government can not yet account. In 2003,the government launched a free primary education initiative that saw about 7 Million pupils enroll for class one (KTN, 2015).In 2010 when these 7 million were supposed to sit for their class eight exams only 746,080 pupils enrolled and got their results. Out of that 521,601 enrolled for Form 1 in 2011 (NEWSPAPER, 2015).So question is where did 6.3 Million pupils get stuck or disappear within the eight years?

Later in 2014 when this number would be now in Form Four for their ordinary level exam,the latest results released showed 480,000 students sat the O’levelexam, another 7.8% wastage from the number that enrolled in 2011.Only 150,000 attained the minimum grade C+ for entry into university. So lets assume all the students (which again is impractical) whose results were released get a chance to join universities, colleges and polytechnics to work with the previous deviation.

In total from 2003 to 2014 only about 6% complete the education system to the O’level exam.A worrying percentage indeed. This statistic means that we have about 90% or 6 million youths to add to the previous 2.5 Million graduands who are unemployed. A certain level of education,especially if it is tertiary may make you an entrepreneur of your own or give you the patience to be optimistic that you may or will certainly get a job. But the other 6 Million who we are sure didn’t complete the O’ level exams or the basic class eight KCPE, where do they go to. This is the number that is susceptible to pressure frustration and any Tom Dick and Harry who tells them do this and that and you get huge cash.The six million is the source of the radicalization process that the government complains about. The six million is the source of youths that are addicted to drug abuse. This is the source of young and energetic youths gunned down everyday in crime related activities.All these challenges that the youths face all rise from or can be linked to unemployment.

In the end the devil does much of his welding in an idle workshop, and as long as these youths will fall victims of this system and provide that tempt able platform  then we still have a lot of related challenges to deal with.