A Personal Tribute to Likhetso Banda (1981 - 2012)

It is in death that we realize how a beautiful strand Likhetso was in the fabric of the Christian community. But let us not unravel. Instead, let us hold together and love each other the way he loved us. 

And we know he did. Let us learn from his attitude and his impartiality to friends. Let us realize though he is a strand removed from us, God has taken him in order to add him to the fabric of the community in glory where his life deserves to be. 

Likhetso was a great drummer and his departure will leave us with a missed beat. Our music is solemn because even though we know he is in a better place this place will never be the same without him. But without a doubt, Likhetso is definitely playing a flawless beat in the worship team in heaven. 

This morning it has finally sunk in, he is truly gone. The tears that I have shed this morning seemed to have piled up for the last 20 hours. For a while I thought it was a crazy dream and i waited eagerly to wake up. But as reality sank in, our brother is gone for sure. My wife tried to comfort me but for some minutes there, i was simply inconsolable. There is a reason to my pain

Liks loved people, and I was not an exception. A time in my life nearly 10 years ago when things in my life were not going so well, when people found it easy to point fingers at me because of my faults, and to ridicule me because of my frails, even though he was a normal funny person, he was still loving and friendly. He was one individual who genuinely cared. 

I remember him at Northmead Assembly, outside the church with his smile and friendly demeanor. I recall him encouraging me. And even though he was younger than me, he showed greater maturity and love. I will miss him for that. 

I will miss him for his friendliness and brotherly kindness. He was just like that. I remember meeting him at ON THE RUN, and after some interaction he dropped me off at church road and he came in to meet my cousins, and interacted with them as I watched with a pleased smile. Liks would never embarrass you with a bad attitude. 

I remember him during music rehearsals, his passion, his laughter, his ideas, and his specialty in funny but well synced beats. I remember. Liks was truly a star, but he was still humble and kind. 

But I wish I had said thank you. I really wish he had known how much I appreciated him. I really wish I told him how he stood out different from others, worth emulating. Maybe I did, but i can’t remember it because he deserved more gratitude than I could ever recall giving. But if it makes me feel any better, thank you Liks. Thank you for being you and being a blessing. Your music, your smile, your love for soccer, your friendship, and your Christian faith are truly not in vain. THANK YOU

Likhetso Banda died on 22nd June, 2012 after suffering from a heart condition. May his soul rest in peace. 

Visiting the Victoria falls

Our trip to Livingstone was preplanned but I kept it as a surprise to my wife. So I made reservations for a double executive room at Chapa Classic Lodge in the heart of Livingstone as recommended by my old time buddy Krestah Muchindu.

I had to make the reservation 24 hours in advance because I did not want drama upon arrival. I believe planning is very important before you embark on a trip. And I tried to be true to the principle.

Being me, I do not take the offer. I employ negotiations skills. I followed through graciously and I was awarded about $11 discount.

After I broke the news to the wife that we were heading to Livingstone for three days, we packed and headed for the bus station where my young brother, Israel, had made resevations earlier.

When we got there however the Mazhandu bus station attendant who had made the reservation called their Lusaka counterparts and the response was disappointing. They had sold all the tickets and the bus was full.

Shalom Luxury Coach

We hesitantly turned to the next bus service, Shalom, which proved to be more efficient and more comfortable. To start with the Mazhandu bus which should have come at 11am arrived after 12pm at the same time with the Shalom, apparently which was on time.

What was a disappointed had just turned out for our good. I had almost entertained the thought that we had started the trip on a bad note, and here I was being proven wrong all together. This is going to be a wonderful experience.

There are seven towns to conquer on your way from Kafue to Livingstone. The first is Mazabuka which we knocked out only in 60 minutes. Along with that the Mazhandu bus was also behind us, much to my pleasure.

Monze was next. Our luxurious coach had to stop by at tooters, a fast foods joint, where we had to buy refreshments. 

Accident scene after Monze

As we left Monze we found what appear to be a fatal accident. A truck carrying maize had over turn and the drivers cabin seemed rather twisted. We could see bystanders pulling out the victim out of the ruined truck cabin. What a horrid site. I turned my camera away and the trip continued.

Next, we passed Chisekesi, a countryside and serene and serene location. This is where my wifes grandmother stays. Other than that, we were soon approaching Pemba.

Beyond Pemba, past Batoka where there is a turn off to the famous Mamba mine, we were well on our way for Choma. With a routine stop over, Choma had fallen. Kalomo was next.

We got to Kalomo after 4pm and we just needed Zimba out of the way and our sights would be set at our final destination. That is what happened in no different way. Just before dust at 6pm we touched down and out went my tablet and, straight to social media and I proudly updated my check in on foursquare and facebook - we were in Livingstone, the tourism capital of Zambia.

My good old friend Krestah picked us up at the station and we went straight to the Chapa Classic Lodge. Our room was spacious and comfortable with 42" LCD TV, a bathtab and shower with hot water. It suited our needs just fine.

They have wifi provided by ZAMNET which was the disappointing part because it could not work. If Microlink had better customer service I could have done an immediate recommendation.

But that didn't prohibt yours truly, your tech savvy self-appointed ambassador of tourism. My galaxy tab is accessing 3G on airtel without any difficulties at all. That is how come this blog has been done wholly on my tablet.

Anyhow, Chapa Classic has full English breakfast coming along the booking. We were up at 7am and walked to the diner for our breakfast. But the surrounding are clean, the courtesy is world class and the service excellent. Plus the peaceful environment that we enjoy, being a tourist in Zambia is a wonderful experience. Looking forward to day two.

After breakfast we took walk into town, bought sunglasses and slippers and jumped on a taxi and headed to the Victoria Falls.

The experience was exhilarating. After taking some photos we were served with rain coats, which were appropriate because it was about to thunder. 

We couldn’t wait to get to the knife bridge. Naturally we were all smile, excited like toddlers. The feeling was intense. 

We were right in the heart of one of the wonders of the world.

It was already raining in the bushes leading to the knife bridge. We got there and took a few pictures. Memories had to be saved. We then crossed the little bridge under the storms of the falls. The feeling was overwhelming.

On the other side of the knife bridge, we could see the cross boarder bridge where banji jumping is done. We opted not to succumb to the temptation. We have saved that extreme for next time around. 

Finance Bank and Professional Life dare to make insurance accessible to all

FBZ managing director and CEO Mr. Barkat Ali and PLAL managing director,
Mr Rajagopal Krishnaswamy complete the signing ceremony. 

Professional Life Assurance Limited (PLAL) has partnered with Finance Bank Zambia Limited (FBZ) to deliver affordable life assurance policies through FBZ’s 52 branches across the country. The partnership was launched on Wednesday 30 June, at Finance Bank Headquarters, Lusaka. 

Speaking at the launch FBZ managing director and CEO Mr. Barkat Ali said his bank will act as the distribution channel for the insurance products under the partnership and PLAL will underwrite the policies. 

The Bancassurance partnership will cover two particular products namely Bantubonse and Credit Life. The partnership is seen as a way to make it easier for the low income bracket to access to affordable insurance services. Clients will now be able to conduct their banking and have access to the insurance services all under one roof. 

The Bantubonse life assurance policy offers protection to the policy holder and their family in an event of death. With a minimum of K2, 500 per month paid for at least three months, the beneficiary would receive a minimum of K1m in the event of death of a policy holder. 

Credit Life is designed to protect policy holders from credit related losses in case of termination of employment through redundancy, death of the insured, total and permanent disability among others. 

PLAL managing director, Mr Rajagopal Krishnaswamy, said the Bantubonse life assurance policy has been received well among the targeted clients, in the low income bracket, in the peri-urban areas of Zambia. 

He also indicated that the information regarding the policy will be made available in local languages in respective provinces. 

During the event FBZ managing director and CEO Mr. Barkat Ali said Credit Suisse are still partners in FBZ with 40% shares and FBZ still enjoys a customer base of over 120,000 customers across Zambia. FBZ has a deposit base in excess of K1 trillion. 

Women learn to give priority to the romantic and bonding aspects of the love relationship and to deny the sexual and genital aspects. Meanwhile men tend to develop a preference for the latter and to repress the bonding aspect. 

It is these differences in men and women that frequently produce misunderstandings and differences in desire in a relationship.

On the one hand, the fact that only one aspect of sexuality is accepted at the expense of the other leads to sexual experiences which can only be partially fulfilling for women and for men.  On the other hand,  because the aspect privileged by one of the partners is the one denied by the other, men and women come to have a different understanding of sexuality and consequently develop different expectations.

For example, the man would be thinking about whether he wants oral sex or a romp in the car, whilst his woman is thinking about commitment and roses. 

Frictions

These different expectations cause of frictions the relationship as each partner believes that his or her way of sexual expression is better than that of the other. The friction occurs when each partner tries to  convince the other one that his/her point of view is better.

 

Women would like their partners to be nothing other than all tender and loving. On the other hand men wish that their women could just get “wild” in bed. 

Because of these different expectations, the communication process is broken down and it becomes difficult to fulfill each other’s important needs. At the centre of this problem is the need for the woman to retain her femininity and the man his masculinity. By giving in to the man’s way of doing this, the woman feels that she is losing out. The man feels he is losing out by giving in to the woman. 

Some women feel that by giving in to a man’s demand for sex with no emotional conditions is succumbing to indecency. 

Similarly, a man does not wish to be perceived as weak and so he refuses to be tender and relational. 

However, if a relationship would have a chance of success, partners need to understand that when it comes to the issues behind the bedroom door, it is a matter give and take. 

Couples must understand that, you cannot love your partner from your own viewpoint. To love your partner you have to love them from their side. 

It then becomes necessary for men and women to recognize that their partner’s way of experiencing sexuality is complimentary to their own and that both would gain by simply integrating the other’s approach into their own way of experiencing sexuality. 

Even so, this recognition is only the first step in a long process of integration of the two aspects of sexuality within a person's and a couple's sexuality that becomes a source of pleasure and fulfillment. Here are some pointers that would help you resolve such conflicts in your own relationship. 

1.    Identify how you feel. Be clear about your own expectations and sexual needs. 

2.    Learn and understand your partners needs, expectations, and feelings regarding their own sexuality and sexual needs. 

3.    Communicate clearly your sexual feelings, expectations, and needs. 

4.    Be receptive when your partner tries to communicate their needs and expectations. 

5.    Do not look down on your partners needs or feel that your own are of superior importance. 

6.    Look at your partners needs as your opportunity for adventure and new experiences

7.    Enjoy yourself, and enjoy your partner, and enjoy you’re your union. 

The AFCON Cup on its way to Zambia

On Sunday, Zambians will go to church in the morning, pray for the Chipolopolo boys, have their Sunday family lunches, put on their Chipolopolo replica jerseys, and remember the fallen Chipolopolo team that perished off the coast of Gabon in Libreville on that fateful April 1993 day. We will hear the latest Zambian musical tracks playing at loud volumes in praise and support for the copper ammunition; from Chililabombwe to Livingstone, from Mongu to Nakonde, and from Chipata to Solwezi.

The bullets will be cautious and all blazing as they continue on their giant slaying mission. Most likely, the coach will keep his dream team together once again led by Captain Chris Katongo, with the midfield marshalled by Master Kalaba and the defence wall erected by Sunzu and the boys.

Anyway, let us leave the technical issues in the hands of the lady’s man, Renard Herve, who is well able and has the full confidence of the Zambian soccer fans and FAZ for that matter. We know well he will be in his white shirt, and we don’t mind. Sentiment around social media is that perhaps that white nice shirt should be put in the museum after the cup comes to the Lusaka on Monday 13^th February, a day before valentines when lovers will not just celebrate in red, but in green, orange, and white.

Ivory Coast is without a doubt the favourites, and that is probably the writing on the wall, “the great shall fall.” As it is written, “cursed is he whose trust is in the arm of flesh.” They will without a doubt have massive support on this Sunday in the Libreville stadium. Sadly for them their support will not be on the field of play. Our fallen heroes will this Sunday truly rest in peace as we wrap up business to their eternal pleasure. More than anyone of us, Kalusha Bwalya understands this more. Gladly he is the FAZ boss and not those other wannabes.

This final is not just an emotional moment for Zambia. We have shed tears, we have cried aloud, but in the end it is more than these powerful emotions. This final is bringing a conclusion to an outstanding matter between the past and the present. Efford Chabala and the team will stand behind our boys and the trophy will keep shaking on its stand because the forces at play are from paradigms separated by 19 years of waiting.

The first game was played on 21^st January and Mayuka wearing shirt number 20 scored in the 12^th minute. Kalaba score the second goal in the 21^st minute. That game between Zambia and Senegal ended 2 : 1 in favour of the copper bullets. Now Zambia is going to play the finals on 12^th February, 2012, in the city of serious memories. May those who have gone before us stand in the galleries beyond the river and smile; its Zambia’s time. Numbers do not lie.

When Zambia dispatched Sudan in the knock out stage at the AFCON 2012, they put 3 goals past the Sudan unanswered. Meanwhile later on Ivory Coast also scored 3 unanswered goals in the quarter finals to set up a date with Mali.

Then there arose a favourite black star from the west, Ghana. But bullets are fatal. Mayuka, Kalaba, Sunzu, Chris, Lungu, Chansa, and all the rest on field and at bench, remind you of David when he faced goliath. The bigger the size, the lesser the chance that you would miss that fatal copper shot. Big names disappoint, and as a life coach I will always share that philosophy. Your strength should be from within and not from your title.

Well, Gyan had a penalty on in the 7^th minute. But Mweene, who started the competition with a couple of silly mistakes, was taking no nonsense this time around. The penalty was taken and our goal keeper was equal to the task. Gyan did not miss, but Kennedy Mweene saved comfortably.

To cut the long story short, the big gigantic black star was left with a sorry scar when Chansa picked out Mayuka and Emma, my friend on Facebook, but who probably has no idea who I am, didn’t look like he had space, but when your time has come, balls goal through people. And Zambia scored. Chipolopolo 1 : Black Scars 0.

Ivory Coast played later and beat Mali. And so it was not the dice that was cast, it was the games that were won, and the date was made. The truth is when the boys visit the scene where the 1993 crush took place; the bullets will not just be fatal copper ammunition. They will be reinforced with emotion, motivation, and a support from the unseen dimension. And so the cup shall be in Zambia on Monday 13^th February 2012.

Who wants to bet against me now?

DAY 6: INCREASE YOUR FIQ

#WATER#GOALS#BUDGET# LETS GO

Money is not evil. Money is good. If you bought two bottles of mineral water for each of the 1 billion people who have no access to clean drinking water in the world today, you will have to be a billionaire (in US$). That is good and that is a lot of money.

Money is probably the most important commodity next only to time. However financial illiteracy is probably the waste form of disaster known to mankind.

Increase your Financial IQ daily. No matter the level of education you attain, and no matter how much money you make, without adequate financial intelligence you are a disaster, an embarrassment, and a failure just waiting to happen.

Financially intelligent people know that time is the primary source of money. They know that they cannot achieve anything in life without a proper use of their time.

Financially smart folk earn more than they spend. Average folk spend according to how they earn. Financial ignorant people spend more than they earn. Their financial cone is wide-side down.

Three skills that increase you Financial IQ

1. EARN: Learn to earn. Make it a hobby, a habit, a way of life. Whatever you do, earn. You must earn enough that your expenses would never exceed your earnings. DO NOT become a money monger and irate people with your salesmanship. But do things of value that people will be glad to pay you for it.

2. BUDGET: Budgeting is NOT writing a wish list. Most people write a wish list and call it a budget and in the end it only becomes a source of frustration. You write the budget after allocating a certain amount for the budget. In short a budget is the list of higher priority necessities that will fit in the allocated amount. Always budget based on available resources.

The process is not complete until after you have bought items, you write down what has been bought, and you compare to see your performance based on the budget that you made. This skill alone can raise your financial IQ high enough to improve your life.

3. SAVE: Those who do not save have no seeds of greatness in them. Stop being the channel of expenses in your home and become the channel of savings. Keep your expenses low to manage to save easily.

Practice insurance, investing, and giving. These will ensure that you manage your present and future smartly and live a better life tomorrow than today.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

BUY A WATCH: If you cannot manage your time you will most likely never be able to earn, let alone manage your money.

OPEN A BANK ACCOUNT: Open an account separate from your transaction account. This will keep you out of debt. Instead of getting anything on credit, save for it and buy it when the money is enough. Ensure that such an account is not easily accessible via mobile banking or ATM cards.

BUY A DIARY AND A PEN: the secret to managing your time and finances is in writing things down. The moment you get flowing with this skill that’s the very moment your days will be fulfilling and your finances will start making sense.

SEE YOU AT THE TOP.

DAY 5: I AM STUCK

#WATER#GOALS#BUDGET

Life happens to the best of us. Day 5 is more like that. After 4 days of great stuff, you get to the place where the creativity wears thin, and the momentum is significantly much less. You wake up to higher demands and unequal energy. You find that your resolve has sublimed.

Have you ever had ideas where you got excited in the begining, you researched, you planned, you invested, and you started rolling. You even began to accrue some stable customer base but then everything just came to a standstill? There is no more freshness, the first love is gone, and the sound or cranking is getting louder. Your efforts are not having any impact.

You are officially stuck. The business is not growing. The farming project is not progressing. Your project is not inspiring. Your relationship is dry and stagnant. You are stuck in an uncomfortable place.

When things are stuck it’s a dangerous place to be at. If nothing is done quickly it can be a regrettable situation. When a business is stuck you will lose money in expenses whilst you are gaining nothing in the sales. When a career is stuck you will be working harder to keep your job whilst getting less pay. When your relationship is stuck you will be depressed without seeing a way out. When your life is stuck you will lose hope.

Three things you need to do when things get stuck;

1. INVOKE YOUR CREATIVITY AND PERSONALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT

Most people think a savior will come from somewhere else. The savior lives within. DO NOT think that someone else will fix things for you. Get yourself, your business, your career, your relationship, unstuck orelse no one else really cares as much as you do.

You are the answer. That is why it is you who is faced with that situation. It is you opportunity to display your problem-solving gift. You are NOT the victim. You are being set up for victory.

If it is a business re-brand it, relocate, start a new product, or change the packaging, or redesign your delivery system, integrate social media and tap into a new dimension. Whatever you do, look within for a solution. If it is a relationship remember the things that you know your partner doesn't like and avoid them, remember the things they like and do them. Speak positively. Be considerate. Get your relationship unstuck. It got stuck so that you can get it unstuck and grow.

2. GET HELP

Some people are too proud (maybe the right word is foolish) to admit that they are stuck. The sooner you admit it the better (actually the wiser). When things are stuck the next thing is they will get damaged. The longer you stay in there the more rooten the situation gets. Many people need to get over themselves and admit that they are stuck and just call for help.

Whatever it is that you are going through someone can give you are hand. Identify the RIGHT person and let them push you out.

3. CALL IT QUITS

We have been told that quitting is not a very plausible thing. They say a winner is not a quitter. But there are times when the only way to win is to quit. Admit that your methods, ideas, or system is not going to achieve the intended result in your situation and just give up. Walk away.

Sometimes moving on from a failed project, or a broken relationship, or a non progressive career can be the hardest thing to do because we have become accustomed and acclimatized.

The moment you identify that you are stuck and that there is no way of getting yourself unstuck in order to progress, the wise thing to do maybe to quit.

REMEMBER the place where you are stuck is not your final destination. What you do about it should be with the objective to get you to your final and desired destiny in life. Whether you fix it yourself, whether you call in help, or whether you simply let go, you should move toward your destiny.

SEE YOU AT THE TOP

DAY 4: BE TIME CAUTIOUS

#WATER#GOALS#BUDGET

“What is US$1 billion to someone who does not have it,” one might ask. More crucially, “what is a minute, an hour, a day, a week, a month, a year, to someone who does not have it.” When you do not have money you would be considered broke or poor. If you do not have time you are dead. Time is the most important commodity in life. Time is not money. Time is life.

As the clock ticks, your life is ticking away. Every minute that passes you are invariably being drawn to your death day. Yet people live life incautious of the value of time. Even if today you were given a billion united states dollars, it would be nothing if it was in exchange of your total time and you were told you only have 45 seconds left to live. Are the things you are doing with your time of higher value?

YOU CAN INCREASE THE VALUE OF YOUR TIME

You time is as valuable as the value of the things you do. Some of the valuable things you can do with your time include adding value to people’s lives, praying, reading the bible, helping the poor, and improving your life.

YOU CAN MAXIMIZE YOUR TIME

Most people go by through the day without daily goals or a program. That is minimizing your time. Maximize your time by programming your day with goals and assignments for the day and ensure that everything that you do is well planned for.

YOU CAN TRADE YOUR TIME

Your time is your primary source of income. Whether you are choosing a career, or going into business, the important thing is how much money can be made in each hour. You need to decide between activities that produce more money per hour to be able to get ahead in life.

Here are four general things you need to do with your time every 24 hours.

1. INVEST YOUR TIME: this means do things in your time that will result in securing your future relationships, finances, and your dreams.

2. WORK YOUR TIME: the formula of work is force times distance (W= F x D). The result is measured in joules and is referred to as energy. You want to ensure that your time produces the powerful energy of life known as money. Ensure that your time is full of money making activities.

3. RELATE IN YOUR TIME: the one thing that is of greatest value in human life or time is the relationships we have and what amount of time we invest in those relationships. Make sure you avoid people who only want you to be a source of benefit for them. This kind of people you just get to know and the next thing they are asking for talk time? Those you must by all means cut off. They are parasites and time wasters.

Make sure it is within your effort to build relationships with people that add lasting value into your life. Ensure to build relationships with people in whose lives you will be able to add value.

4. REST: rest should be planned for. Your health is important and how much rest you have can affect your life intensely. Working hard doesn’t produce as much results as working smart. And your brain will be more effective and creative when it is accorded sufficient rest.

Today and for the rest of your time on earth don’t waste your time, don’t be late, and don’t lose anytime.

SEE YOU AT THE TOP

DAY 3: STAND UP TO YOUR CHALLENGES

#GLASS OF WATER#DAILY PLAN#DAILY BUDGET#

The secret to being defiant in the face of a challenge is to know what you are leaning on.

Your enemy's worst nightmare is not what you are today but what you have potential to become. What scares your enemy is not your present but your future. But in order to stop you from fulfilling your potential tomorrow, he brings trouble today. Heartbreaks, lack of finances, depression, sin, anger, and all sorts of personal problems.

Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. The purpose of trouble is to take you out before you reach you full potential, reduce your effectiveness, or make you lose belief and confidence.

The one way to trouble trouble is to make sure that when trouble comes you should not be troubled by it. That is how you trouble your trouble. Instead of thinking about your problem, start thinking about your solutions. Instead of thinking about your current troubles, think about your glorious future. Instead of being discouraged about the failure of yesterday, be motivated by the successes of tomorrow.

Here are three things you need to remind yourself in the middle of the storm

1. I AM STILL HERE - You see, you have to have had a record of some victories in the past for you to still be standing. Draw your motivation and momentum from your past victories. If u are still here it means that you made it and hence you can claim to be a force to reckon with.

2. I WILL GET TO MY DESTINY - Believe in the potency of your destiny. That if it’s your destiny then you will get there regardless of the battles you are facing. So whether you will get there crawling, limping, walking, flying, or indeed running, is of no consequence. Destiny is just that; destiny. It means that you will get there.

3. I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED - Before you look into that tornedo of your challenge and become defiant, check if the cornerstone you are leaning on is indeed Jesus. When you affirm that, look into the face of your trouble, challenge, lack, sickness, or whatever it is and tell it "who art thou before me? You will be made low like the rest of them".

SEE YOU AT THE TOP

DAY 2 - TAKE THE BOLD STEP

Before you proceed

-Take a glass of Water

-Write down your program for the day

-Check how much money you have for today and make your daily budget.

Now let us go to our focus. I have had some brilliant ideas in my life and had I taken the bold step, I don't know, but chances are I could have been living large and dining with the upper class. All to say, it’s not good enough to have great dreams and good intentions.

The secret to success is in taking a step at a time. Often we think about step 1, step 2, and when we realize step 3 will be difficult, we give up and never get to take step 1. If that is what you have been doing, no wonder you have delayed your success.

For many people it is the capital factor. You know you should write a business plan, you know you should register a company, and you know you should do a market research, but when you think about the fact that capital is hard to come by, you bury your dream.

For some it is relationship. You know you should settle down with her, introduce her to your family, and engage her, but when you think about the cost of lobola and the wedding you lose steam and cower away.

Maybe it is further studies, maybe it is that musical album, or a canvas painting, or physical exercising, or just finding a pet, or doing up your garden, whatever it is, today it is time to take the first bold step.

The Chinese say when the student is ready the teacher will appear. When the children of Israel where faced with the Jordan River, the priests had to take the bold step into the water and that’s when the rest followed.

What bold step are you about to take today? Unless you take it the rest will not follow. When you show up, God will show off for you. Do it.

SEE YOU AT THE TOP

DAY 1: I DESERVE THIS

In order to fulfill whatever it is that you desire, you need to believe that you deserve it. Today, that’s what we are going to do. Believe that we deserve what we want.

What is your goal? Look yourself in the mirror and tell the guy/girl you see in there these words. “I DESERVE THIS” .

If you wish to live a holy life, say to yourself, “I deserve to live a holy life.” If your wish is to improve your vocabulary, say to yourself, “I deserve to have an excellent vocabulary.” If you dream is to be rich and famous, tell yourself that you deserve it.

The truth is that you deserve to be at the very top. The reason is simple. Jesus has already taken the fall for you and so, you can now rise to the very top. The mistakes that you will make, that you are making, and that you have made, don’t count because Jesus has already taken the fall for them. So don’t let anything stop you. You deserve to get your dream.

SEE YOU AT THE TOP.

21 Days and Nights of Consistency

There are general things that relate to all of our lives such as health, money, and time. These are generally areas where we can succeed well or fail lamentable depending on the disciplines that we have. These 21 Days and Nights of Consistency are about developing these seemingly small habits that will affect you specific goals and activities in your individual or corporate life. Whatever your dream, whatever your goals or resolutions, and whatever the habits you want to build, these areas will be one at minimum, or all involved.

In this regard, I have picked on some of the most important general things that you have to do every morning besides our daily focus. The following activities you must do every morning when you awake and I will do my best to remind you.

GLASS OF WATER

Drink one glass full of water every morning. Make sure it is not too cold. It has to be at room temperature at best because too cold water in the morning might not go so well for many people. This will set out your day to a good start with metabolism back on the run, and your system flushing out and your good body rehydrated. Do this every day. I hope after the next 21 days you will have developed this habit and it will add value to your life and you will live longer.

WRITE DOWN YOUR DAILY GOALS

When you wake up every day, before you do anything else, write down the things you want to achieve. In short set out your program for the day by writing it on a piece of paper. DO IT. Don’t give you life to memory. Write the goals down. Prioritize them and work on them in their order of importance. Do this whether at work, in your business, at school, or at home. This will definitely set you up for a well thought out day and you will end up somewhere beyond your usual unplanned day. In fact, it may be the gulf between where you are and where you want to be. At the end of the day, make sure you sit down to check on the items you wrote out and how they worked out. Remember as you set your daily goals that they must be goals related directly to the things you want to achieve in the long term.

DAILY FINANCIAL PLAN

Thirdly, check how much money you have for the day and budget it out. Decide exactly how much money you will spend or make that day. And then stick to your financial plan. Do not spend money that you didn’t plan to spend. Every evening write down everything you bought and account for your money. If you want to be in the top crater of the rich, I suggest you do this. As you set out your daily budget ensure that you keep in mind that goal that you want to attain. Remember in the next 21 days we are developing lifestyles that we wish to linger with us for the rest of our lives.

Baldwin apologizes to passengers, not airline

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alec Baldwin issued an apology Wednesday to fellow passengers on an American Airlines flight that was delayed by his refusal to stop playing a cellphone game — but stopped short of apologizing to the airline or the flight attendant he later mocked on Twitter.

The "30 Rock" actor's note, posted to the Huffington Post (http://huff.to/sENHR2 ), instead lamented the state of modern air travel. Baldwin noted the financial struggles of airlines, saying the result is that air travel has devolved into an inelegant experience, akin to riding a Greyhound bus.

Baldwin said the level of service on U.S. carriers has deteriorated.

"Filthy planes, barely edible meals, cuts in jet service to less-traveled locations," Baldwin said.

Baldwin writes that increased security on commercial airplanes post-9/11 has resulted in a "paramilitary" aura around air travel.

"September 11th was a horrific day in the airline industry, yet in the wake of that event, I believe carriers and airports have used that as an excuse to make the air travel experience as inelegant as possible," Baldwin writes.

Baldwin's letter is the latest volley in a dustup with American Airlines, with the airline taking to social media Wednesday to maintain it was following federal regulations when it booted an "extremely vocal customer" from a flight for refusing to shut off his cellphone.

The airline, which earlier cited passenger privacy in declining to discuss the matter, said on its Facebook page it decided "to provide the actual facts of the matter" after Baldwin stated publicly he had gotten kicked off the flight.

The company never cited the "30 Rock" TV star by name.

Baldwin took to Twitter after Tuesday's incident at Los Angeles International Airport, saying he was asked to leave a New York-bound plane after a "flight attendant on American reamed me out" for playing a game on his cellphone. Baldwin said he was playing "Words With Friends" while the plane sat at a gate.

American said on Facebook Wednesday that Federal Aviation Administration regulations require that cellphones and other electronic devices be turned off as soon as the airliner's door has been closed. The company said Baldwin refused to comply.

"The passenger ultimately stood up (with the seat belt light still on for departure) and took his phone into the plane's lavatory," American Airlines said. "He slammed the lavatory door so hard, the cockpit crew heard it and became alarmed, even with the cockpit door closed and locked. They immediately contacted the cabin crew to check on the situation."

The airline added that Baldwin was "extremely rude" to the flight crew, calling people "inappropriate names" and using offensive language.

Baldwin's spokesman, Matthew Hiltzik, said Wednesday it was the flight attendant who acted inappropriately. He said other people on the plane were violating the regulation and that Baldwin was singled out.

"The plane was already delayed half an hour at the gate when Alec was playing 'Words with Friends,'" Hiltzik told The Associated Press. "Other passengers who tweeted flagrantly violated these rules without any repercussions — proving that they were obviously selectively enforced."

Airport police have said they did not respond to the incident.

Baldwin deactivated his Twitter account and all of his previous tweets were removed. Hiltzik said that was because the actor was setting aside his Twitter activity to concentrate on "30 Rock."

At least one other celebrity came to Baldwin's defense on Twitter.

Boxing great Oscar De La Hoya, who was on the same flight, tweeted that he thought the flight attendant overreacted.

"(at)AlecBaldwin was doing nothing wrong but playing 'words' on his phone," De La Hoya said.

Baldwin boarded another American Airlines flight to New York after Tuesday's incident, but said he wouldn't fly with American again.

In the tweets that have since been removed, Baldwin mocked American Airlines as a company "where Catholic school gym teachers from the 1950's find jobs as flight attendants."

He also called "Words With Friends" an "addicting" game. Players compete online to score the most points by building words with tiles on a Scrabble-like game board.

Baldwin plays the role of the vain executive Jack Donaghy on the NBC sitcom "30 Rock" and played an amorous ex-husband to Meryl Streep in the 2009 romantic comedy "It's Complicated."

He also is featured in a series of comical TV ads for Capital One credit cards. In one spot Baldwin strolls through an airport and luxuriates on an airplane while surrounded by a coterie of assistants.

Press release: Umuntu Media relaunches the next version of www.iZambia.co.zm

Umuntu Media has launched the next version of the iZambia lifestyle portal, in the next step to deliver up to the minute local content that is immediately relevant to the needs of Zambians. iZambia.co.zm was launched in January 2011 and quickly grew to attract a significant following in the country.

iZambia was the first in a series of portals containing up to the minute information about entertainment, property, jobs, accommodation and news specifically relevant to people across Zambia. On the new iZambia you can find:

• Top local, internation, sport and entertainment news
• LIfestyle: Fashion, Food, Gadgets, Gossip, Health, Movies, Music, Relationships, Travel and TV
• What's on section
• Jobs: Manage your CV online, apply online, setup job alerts
• Property to buy and to rent
• Resturant guide
• Accomodation guide with online bookings
• Business directory
• Games
• Music and videos
• Social platform where you can create events, groups, share photos and video or find the love of your life

All this in your own portal for Zambia. Visit www.izambia.co.zm today.

Umuntu Media's iPortal series was born in response to a lack of local information that is immediately relevant to the people of Africa.

Johan Nel, CEO and founder of Umuntu Media says of the relaunch: "The relaunch of iZambia consolidates our position as the fastest growing online publisher in Africa. From the start we saw tremendous growth in uptake of the portal, clearly demonstrating the need to generate comprehensive, updated and locally relevant content to people across Africa.”

Umuntu Media will soon be launching Mimiboard, a social media tool designed in Africa by Africans for Africa. The platform will be launched in alpha version in January 2012.

-ends-

For more information, contact Johan Nel, Umuntu Media, johan.nel@umuntumedia.com

About Umuntu Media

Umuntu Media exists because we love Africa, we love technology and we have a passion for local content.

With just one registered domain per 10 000 people on a continent with over a billion people, we are filling a significant gap in Africa.

With a background in media and online publishing, our CEO and founder Johan Nel saw that gap while researching local information for a family holiday in Namibia in 2009. Our journey started with a very simple mission: to deliver relevant local content on world class platforms across the continent.

In September 2010, with support from the Dutch investment firm, eVentures Africa Fund, our business plan expanded from a single portal for Namibia to multiple portals across Africa.

The winning iPortal formula encapsulates our passion: to bring relevant local content to people who want to know what’s going on in their area, all day, every day. Keeping true to our promise of getting Africa online, we remain focused on our ambitious growth plan to deliver thirteen local content portals by April 2012.

We are also rolling out Mimiboard, a mobile communications platform created in Africa, for Africa, designed to cater for Africa’s local content needs.

Our business is driven by certain key principles. Always question the norm. Never be boring. And always embrace new technology to directly serve the market that wants it. After all, a publisher that owns a tech platform is the publisher of the future.

About eVentures Africa Fund

eVentures Africa Fund (eVA Fund) is dedicated to mobilize capital and experience in the Netherlands/Europe to invest in small and medium sized African internet and mobile related companies. eVA Fund focuses on development in terms of capital and business development support, i.e. knowledge, experience, access to proven business concepts/applications, and network.

The target region is sub-Saharan Africa. Website: www.eva-fund.com

WEDNESDAY BOYCOTT

Airtel Zambia this week showed arrogance and ignorance when over 15,000 subscribers boycotted Airtel services. Instead of responding to the specific issues that the subscribers raised, which were communicated to them and were also aired on radio, television, in the newspaper as well as on the internet, it was interesting to note that all Airtel management could say was, “we will call you back” and in another instance all they could say was “we value the opinions of our subscribers.

Indeed, everyone’s opinion is to be valued and there’s is no law against that. But when you are dealing with a group of subscribers who pay you for a service, it is no longer an issue of opinion, but an entitlement of the subscriber that you respond with an explanation for each separate issue raised, unless of course you deem yourself as doing the subscriber a favor.

As I sat on my laptop in my house in Kafue, I read the comments of discontent subscribers and I realized that the problem with Airtel is that they do not value the customer. They just want money. However, that has to change. Because we are already paying them money, we just have to sit them down and show them what we want till they oblige.

We need to see an improvement in Airtel’s overall customer care policy, going beyond lip service and actualizing those promises to ensure that customers feel that they are not being cheated out of their hard earned cash by this Indian corporation.

A piece of advice to Airtel is that if you continue to underestimate and disparage the source of your income, we the people have the capacity to incapacitate you and help you pack out of business. It should be understood clearly that Airtel was not here before, and tomorrow we can make sure that it no longer is here. This is a subscriber’s threat.

Airtel is not the “boss”. The subscribers are. If they complain about the quality of service that they are receiving and those issues fall on deaf ears, there are two things that will most likely happen. Firstly, the subscribers will continue to de-campaign Airtel and probably move to competing providers.

Secondly they can sue Airtel for obtaining money by false pretences. Airtel has misrepresented promotions, products, and services hence collecting large sums of money through talk time use and cash purchases. It must be understood further that the idea of suing Airtel would be supported by many thousands of people who have witnessed these misdeeds on the part of Airtel.

Some of the issues that subscribers have raised include the competitions such as the one where subscribers are promised that one of them would win K10m each day if subscribers would enter a competition by sending a text message to a certain short code. Those text messages cost about K3000 each. It is believed that no one has ever won that competition hence Airtel has been pocketing that money from the competition.

Airtel is in the habit of changing the terms of competitions or promotions such as Cheza without explicitly communicating to subscribers who have opted in with the ulterior intention to make more money from the same unsuspecting subscribers. Recently Airtel increased the charge on Cheza from K2 to K5 without informing the subscribers explicitly. Airtel claims that they had places adverts in the newspaper. The question is how many of the 4 million subscribers read the newspaper that carried those announcements?

Airtel further contended that they were giving 100 sms over weekend for the numbers that are enrolled for the Cheza program. However, subscribers wondered what an individual needs 100 sms for over 2 days especially that you can only sms the same number. Hence the justification given by Airtel’s customer care crew that visited my house in Kafue on Tuesday 8 November was flimsy and inordinate.

Internet bundles are also excessively expensive on Airtel. Meanwhile their 3G is slow and below world class standards. This is unacceptable in a country that is desperate to develop and reduce the cost of business in order to promote wealth creation.

I have written on this BlogSpot before how that Airtel’s 100MB is 3 times more expensive than Cell C’s 100MB bundle. My internet connection for instance is unlimited for which I pay $87 on Microlink. This is still very expensive compared to similar services in other countries. However, with my average usage of 8 to 10GB per month, I would be paying in excess of $250 on Airtel accompanied with an unreliable delivery and poor service support.

That brings us to the quality of customer care services that Airtel subjects it customers to. This alone would warrant suspension of the operating license of this service provider in developed nations. Customer care is the epicenter of customer satisfaction but it seems that Airtel use that for customer provocation.

Their customer care crew is clearly untrained and has adopted an attitude that is designed to provoke customers and cause increased dissatisfaction. The complaints related to bad customer care experiences are so many that believably, if sorted, that alone may indicate willingness on the part of Airtel to make its customers happy.

However, it is understandable that they would not have the capacity to do that, as we saw in their response to the last boycott that they just don’t really care about us.

This is why the Wednesday Boycott will continue this week 16th November, as we grow numbers, get more on to the ground get more organized and continue to demand for investors to deliver a morally acceptable service both in terms of quality and in terms of pricing.

The mission of this Wednesday boycott is to press an order for quality services of a world class standard at the price that is right regardless of the sector in order to promote development and raise Zambia’s standard of services in general.

To Airtel the world is watching, the customers are standing up, and the nation is listening.