Why Dogs are Amazing

Yesterday, at the Wandegeya traffic lights crossing, I noticed a stray dog beside me. I was amused at the way it stopped patiently with the rest of the pedestrians and crossed the road together with them at the right time.

That left me thinking, ‘Was the dog just copying what the pedestrians were doing or was it aware of the dangers of crossing the road while vehicles were still moving?’

According to research by Friederike Range and Ludwig Huber, of the University of Vienna, and Zsofia Viranyi, of the Eötvös University in Budapest, dogs like human infants, do not simply copy an action they observe, but adjust the extent to which they imitate to the circumstances of the action.

Normally, dogs prefer to use the mouth when faced with a task of opening a container by pulling a rod. However, in the study, a female dog was trained to open the box with her paw. When the other dogs observed the female's action, they imitated it in order to get the food. However, the dogs imitated selectively. They used their mouths instead of their paws for manipulating the rod when they had seen the demonstrating dog using her paw while holding a ball in her mouth. However, when the demonstrating dog's mouth was free, the dogs imitated her action completely and used the paw themselves.

The dogs sensed that the female dog was unable to use her mouth because she had a ball in it so they chose the easier, more preferred way to achieve the goal. But when the mouth was free, there seemed to be a reason for the demonstrating dog not to use her mouth, and so the dogs imitate the action.

Do you have anything to share about what dogs can do?

I saw a documentary yesterday on NTV on many amazing things about dogs especially their sense of smell. I remember my late father narrating to my mother and I a story he had heard on BBC about this dog that kept sniffing, snuffling and becoming agitated whenever he sat at his master’s leg or something. Indeed, when she checked with her doctor, it turned out she had cancer.

ScienceDaily 27 April 2007. 22 May 2008 http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2007/04/070426145103.htm

Photo by www.petplanet.co.uk/.../news_story13_old2.htm

Life’s Woes

I can’t sleep, 

My thoughts deep 

Stunning, shocking, 

How all sin, 

Even the saint. 

I can’t sleep, 

With qualms deep, 

Hush-hush tales, 

Not to trail. 

I can’t sleep, 

On loads deep, 

Feeling sadness, misery 

For life’s tests, 

For life’s woes. 

I can’t sleep, 

I can’t alienate, 

Life’s woes.

What Makes Him Wise

He loves to be captain,
To take risky commissions,
Ponder all solo,
Solo finding life that will keep him lured,
For passion’s in being lured.
He’s useful here,
He’s useful there,
Then conducts lone speeches for later.
It is called relevance
It is called astuteness
To think of next
To think of dawn.

Inspired by his post.

The Hague Awaits Me

So am to sign a peace accord,
No body guards and guns.
Peace accord I will not sign,
That is their monkey trick,
They want to arrest me on signing.
Let my sickness carry on for ever,
My place not be ready.
Hague waits for me,
But I will not go,
Let justice obtain new ways,
To bring me to order and reproof,
Tomorrow.
I hope I’ll be dead by morning,
I hope I’ll be dead then,
And wait for the Day of Judgment,
That is called the last day.

Please, Stop the Fights

I cannot believe how much I like Les Wanyika music compared to my childhood days. Perhaps it was my brother who disliked them more when we were growing up in Kenya for he made sure he always came with his own music from school (Kings College Budo). He banned Swahili Service in the house unless Leonard Mambo Mbotela was on with his Jee huu ni ungwana? I remember as children we used to imitate Leonard Mambo Mbotela with his live football commentaries “Kadenge na mpira, Kadenge na mpira, anachenga, moja, anachenga mbili, anakuja katikati....wasikilizaji, wananchi, mashabiki ni...(gooooooooooooooooalllll!!!)X3”

English Service did not go well with my brother because he said it played outdated songs. The radio never left my Mom’s bedroom but once my brother was back home from school, it would be in our room. I seem to remember my brother saying that President Moi had stopped any Kenyan radio station from playing Western music.

Today he is in the UK but Mom says he has tried his best to get the ‘Sina Makosa’ music. Les Wanyika is obviously one of his treasured collections.

The situation in Kenya has triggered off the memory of such songs being played in the bars in Cheptulu, near Kaimosi in Kakemaga district (and not very far from Eldoret where some Kenyans were burnt to death in a church building). As these songs would be played, it was not uncommon to see a well endowed woman swaying her hips slowly to the song, enticing the men to join her.

My heart goes out to all my Kenyan brothers and sisters. Please, stop the fights.

Sina Makosa - Les Wanyika - tizedboy

Huyu ni wangu yule ni wako
Chuki ya nini kati yangu
Mimi na wewe

Nasema.....Sina Makosa eee bwana aa

Wewe una wako nyumbani nami nina wangu nyumbani
Chuki ya nini kati yangu mimi na wewe

Nasema........

Paulina - Les Wanyika - tizedboy

Paulina mama
Shemeji naleta mashitaka
Sielewi lengo la nduguyo oo
Vibaya sana mama aaa

Naona imani yake ee....
Ni ndogo kwangu mama
Shauri Yako - Super Mazembe - tizedboy

Nilikueleza yaka we mama Fatu wangu mama
Mapenzi ya kwetu ee haitagawiana mama
Tabia yako na yangu haisikilizani eee
Unaona unaona sasa we mama(x2)

Unapenda kuvaa mimi sina namna mama
Unapenda kula vizuri mimi sina PESA o Fatu ee
Niibe Mali Sizoweye watanifunga
Niue mtu nipate dawa ya fedha

Niue mutu watanifunga
Niue mutu Dhambi kwa Mungu

Shauri yako, shauri yako ee(x2)
Shauri yako wende lote Sena wangu
Siwezi kuuwa mutu mama
Dhambi kwa Mungu mamaye
PamelaII - Les Wa Nyika - tizedboy

Jambo la muhimu
Nakuomba Mama we
Twende kwa wazazi nyumbani.....wakatuone

Wandugu zako wote nimeshawaona ee
Waliobaki Wazazi wako Pamela ee aaa

Jambo la muhimu
Nakuomba Mama we
Twende kwa wazazi nyumbani.....wakatuone

Maneno ya busara kutoka kwa wazazi
Nimeyapata na Dua njema

Pamela ee aaa
Jambo la muhimu Nakuomba Mama we
Twende kwa wazazi nyumbani.....wakatuone

I Will Move On

Why am I thinking of him
Thinking love

Why am I missing him
Missing bliss

Why am I feeling hopeless
Feeling lost

Why am I dreaming of him
Dreaming radiance

While I think of him, he has forgotten me
While I miss him, he misses them
While I feel hopeless, his life is great

I will live,
Live without him

I will forget,
Forget about him

I will move on,
Move on with my life
Move on to greater heights
Move on to greener pastures
Move on to bigger dreams
Move on to better thoughts

The Pain of Losing a Friend

I call him
I feel pain

I read him
I feel pain

He ignores me
I feel pain

He responds
I feel pain

He laughs
I cry

He cries
I cry