TO SMOKE OR NOT TO SMOKE?

In Zambia we never run out of topics to discuss. At the moment there is a fresh debate (or not so fresh) which is going on. This debate is all about a plant which allegedly has more than 100 names worldwide.

Some of the listed names for this plant are so strange. Wacky Tabacky, Hooch, Peyote, Green Monster, Indian Boy, Art Supplies, Panama Red, Oscar the Grouch and even Green Pants.

In Zambia this plant is commonly called "Icamba". You may know it as Hemp, Cannabis, Marijuana or simply Weed. 

A political party named Green Party has insisted that it will legalise the cultivation of marijuana if they are elected to run this country. The President of the Party Mr Peter Sinkamba said if Marijuana was allowed to flourish it would bring $15 billion to the country's treasury.

"It will not only bring in money but we are going to employ about 300,00 youths which will benefit the country." 

On top of that, The Green Party has promised that it will abolish the Drug Enforcement Commission. I am not here to talk politics but I have noticed how this has excited certain quarters of our society.

The possession of Marijuana is prohibited in many countries with jail terms ranging from light sentence to severe. Countries like China, Indonesia, Japan, Sweden, Turkey, France, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Philippines and the United Arab Emirates have the strictest cannabis laws.

It is said that the oldest known record of cannabis use came from the Chinese in 2727 B.C. The Greeks and Romans  were also familiar with cannabis. In 1545 it spread to the western hemisphere where Spaniards imported it to Chile where it was used as fibre. 

Marijuana was criminalised in many countries in the early 20th century. In the United States the first restrictions for sale of marijuana came in 1906. It was also outlawed in South Africa in 1911, in Jamaica in 1913 and in the United Kingdom in the 1920s. 

Marijuana has considerable medical benefits ranging from glaucoma to cancer. Despite this, possession of marijuana is prohibited in many countries because it is classified as a Schedule I drug on the basis that it has a high potential for abuse.

Advocates for the legalisation of marijuana say apart from its curing properties, it also promotes creativity, open-mindedness, moral progression and so on. 

One person even said that Marijuana triples your potential. If you are a song writer, you will be come more creative in song writing. If you are an author, your writing will be more creative. The later seemed like a joke because if that was the case, one would assume that if you are dumb, then you will become dumber.

Many people do not use marijuana as a medicine but they consume it for its psychoactive and physiological effects which includes heightened mood or euphoria, relaxation and even for an increase in appetite.  

On the other hand, despite its medicinal use, marijuana is also associated with impairment of cognitive function when it is used frequently. A cognitive function test indicated that chronic marijuana smokers did worse  than non-smokers. Those who started smoking marijuana before the age of 16 did worse than those whom started smoking it later in life. 

Chronic smokers repeated errors more often even after they were corrected. They also had more trouble maintaining a set of rules. It is also said that Marijuana use impairs short term memory, alters judgment and decision making. It affects mood, producing severe anxiety, paranoia and psychosis in extreme cases. 

For those who smoke it, marijuana smoke is an irritant to the lungs, similar to tobacco smoke. Marijuana smokers have the same respiratory problems as tobacco smokers although no increased risk of lung cancer has been described to date in medical research. 

That said, possession of cannabis is illegal in most countries as a result of the agreement about Indian Hemp, in the international Opium convention of 1925. That in itself makes it a challenge for the Green Party to export marijuana outside the country because their are currently about five countries where the possession of marijuana is legal or almost legal. 

SEX CAN MAKE YOU LOOSE YOUR GENITALIA

I am not a TV News addict but on this particular day, my attention was caught by one of the items on the headlines. 

“A lusty woman of Chongwe district who desires more substantial sex with her husband is allegedly on the run after partially cutting her husband’s penis with a knife for refusing sex with her.”

After watching the clip of the injured man, I started asking myself questions why anyone in their right frame of mind would go to such an extent for the love of sex. Usually, women who react angrily by attacking the penis do so when the husband has been sleeping around with other women. 

On 2 may 2014, a Malawian woman cut off her husband's private parts in similar circumstances. The husband is a fisherman and he had gone on a job errand on Lake Chirwa for some days, leaving her pregnant wife behind.

When the man came back, the wife welcomed him as usual. During bed time, the wife asked for sex, but the husband refused saying he was too tired to perform. The woman amputated her husband's sex organs while he was fast asleep.

If the two women above really did what they did because of not having sex from their husbands, then one would assume that they suspected that their husbands were having sex with other women and the last resort was to harvest the guilty tool by cutting it off.

In nearby Zimbabwe, a man's private parts were doused with petrol and burnt by the wife along with her sister. The man was on separation with his wife but on this unfortunate night, he went to her house and demanded for sex.

When the wife refused, he threatened to kill her. The wife's sister took a 5 litre container of petrol and doused the man before his wife set him on fire saying she wanted to burn the private parts causing them unrest.

A lot of married people have been injured or even killed because of sex. One would think that people who are married have a fantastic sex life and they can have it any time they want. But the above examples reveal that sex can cause a lot of harm even in marriages. 

One young lady was complaining. "My boyfriend has a problem. He gets extremely angry when I don't give him sex when he wants it. It is very rare that he pursues sex and I deny him so I don't understand what his problem is. Maybe once in every two or three months he will get denied." 

"Yesterday we had a huge fight about this. I was home from work and was working in the house all day. He came home and wanted it. I did not because I was so filthy. It escalated to him punching our closet door and putting a hole in it. Is this normal guy behaviour or am I living with a psycho?"

A lot of men and women get so angry when the partner denies them sex. The truth is everyone has days when they are just not into it and no matter how the partner tries to get them in the mood, nothing will change that. 

However, the way one refuses sex can also have a bearing on how the other person will react. Do not make it look like you do not like the person. What bothers most people is not actually being refused sex itself but the feeling of being rejected. 

This is the time when someone now starts asking questions as to why they are being rejected. For most people, the conclusion could be that their partner is having sex with someone else. This could even be the major reason why people who become violent after being refused sex would attack the sex organs.

There are so many wild stories all over the world of people doing all sorts of things to partners all for the sake of sex. Last week, a 27 years old woman of Chipata's Mkanda area told the Chipata Magistrates Court how her husband cut off part of her genitalia with a razor blade to make her unattractive to other men.

How were other men going to see her genitalia as if she always walked around without wearing any panties? That is the most cruel thing to do. It is natural for a person to be jealousy and and angry when a partner is involved in an extra marital affair but there must be a limit to how that punishment is meted out. 

I remember when I was young my mother would tell us of how people who stole things had their hands amputated. This practice is still done in some countries where they practice Sharia law. 

According to INSA news service, Iran has unveiled a finger amputating machine. A man who was convicted of theft and adultery by a court was used as a demonstration. 

I am sure we have not seen or heard the last about sexual organs being attacked by aggrieved partners. 

Image courtesy of Dundee Photographics freedigitalphotos.net

THE FIFA WORLD CUP, BITES AND PRESIDENTS

There is no doubt that the biggest talking point so far at this year’s FIFA World Cup is Uruguay’s Luis Suarez’s alleged biting of the Italian defender Giorgio Chiellin.

Suarez himself denied biting Chiellin on purpose but alleged that he fell and slammed his teeth on the defenders shoulder which left a bite mark. He also said that he hurt his teeth in the process.

The most unfortunate thing is that this is not the first biting incident in which Suarez has been involved. In November 2010, during a game between Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, Otman Bakkal confronted Luis Suarez in a melee, but the Uruguayan learnt over and bit him on the neck.

The second incident happened in April 2013 in the game between Liverpool and Chelsea. After jostling with Ivanovic in the penalty area, Suarez responded by biting the Serbian defender on the arm. Liverpool fined him for this incident and was banned for ten games by the Football Association.

The latest incident at the World Cup brought the wrath of FIFA.  Luis Suarez was slapped with a four month ban on all football activities, a nine match international suspension and a $112,000 fine.

However, this punishment did not seem to go so well with Uruguay’s President Jose Mujica.  When he was asked on a TV sports show about his opinion on the World Cup, the President said, “Those at FIFA are a gang of old sons of bitches.” He then gasped and put his hand on his mouth as if to say I can’t believe I said that. His wife who was standing near him also added her feelings. “I support the President’s remarks,” she said.

President Mujica does not seem to be the only head of state whose daily schedule includes the World Cup. Ghana’s President John Mahama has demanded that an investigation must be carried out to determine that country’s dismal performance in Brazil where the team only managed 1 point and ending their campaign at the bottom of their group.

Ghana has had trouble in their camp because of appearance allowances and the investigation may be centred on that. Two of their star players, midfielders Sulley Munthari and Kevin-Prince Boateng were expelled from the squad for indiscipline. It is also known that Ghana players threatened to boycott their game against Portugal if they did not receive their money. Some reports even indicated that they boycotted training.

The Ghanaian government had no option but to send cash money in excess of $3 million in a chartered plane to Brazil. Ironically, Ghana lost their last game to Portugal and ended up being ousted out of the World Cup. This must have incensed the government who are now looking for a payback after being held at ransom over allowances.

On the other hand, as if to make the Ghanaian players look desperate money lovers, the Greek national team players have turned down a bonus from their Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, which was given to them for reaching the knock-out phase for the first time.

“We do not want extra bonus, or money. We only play for Greece and its people. All we want is for you to support our efforts to find a land and create a sports centre that will house our national team.”

What a contrast to Cameroonian players who prior to the World Cup threatened not to show up in Brazil over bonus money. While some players value the thrill of playing at the World Cup and representing their countries, others see the World Cup as a money making opportunity. Of course a player must get paid because that is where his livelihood comes from but one cannot help but notice the desperation and greed exhibited by players, particularly from Africa.

Like his Ghanaian compatriot, the president of Cameroon Paul Biya has also requested for an inquiry to find out why the team failed to win a single game at the tournament.  As if this was not enough, Cameroon’s Football Federation is investigating allegations of match fixing by some of its players at the World Cup. This is after a convicted fraudster correctly predicted that they would lose 4-0 and have a man sent off against Croatia.

In case you are wondering, this FIFA World Cup is not the first one where State Presidents and governments have been infuriated by the dismal performances of their national teams. In 1974, Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo) became the second African country to qualify to the World Cup.  They lost 2-0 to Scotland and were humiliated 9-0 by Yugoslavia before meeting Brazil in their third game.

During that match, the referee awarded Brazil a free-kick.  Zaire’s defender Mwepu Ilunga kicked the ball away when Brazil were preparing to take the free-kick, earning himself a yellow card. Brazil won this match by 3-0 and the Zairean team came back conceding 14 goals without scoring any.

Recently, Ilunga (who is now aged 64) revealed that Zaire’s dismal performance was influenced by a dispute over bonuses. He said that despite losing 2-0 to Scotland, the team was happy with its performance. The mood in the team changed when the players discovered that a bonus owed to them had been intercepted.

Two hours before kick-off, the team did not want to play until they were threatened that they will be sent to the dungeons. Ilunga said the reason they lost by such a big margin to Yugoslavia was because the players sabotaged the match. It is alleged that President Mobutu sent a message, telling the players that if they lost by more than five goals to Brazil, they will never be allowed to return to their homes.

“I said to myself: “I’m not playing anymore. Why would I stay on the field and take the risk of not returning home when the others – the people who took our money – are watching us peacefully from the stands?”

He said he seized the opportunity when Brazil were awarded the free-kick to provoke the referee so that he could be given a red card. Unfortunately for him, the referee produced a yellow card and his action only ended up in the records as one of the World Cups most bizarre incidents alongside Zidane’s head butt and most probably the Luis Suarez biting incident among others.

With the World Cup in Brazil still going on and getting even more heated, we may still see more Presidents getting involved in the drama.

Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono freedigitalphotos.net

DON'T HIDE, JUST PAY

If you have been on a minibus before, you have probably seen a sticker with the words "Just Pay, Don't Hide" or the one that says "Don't say the driver will pay for me, just pay".

How many of you remember getting on a black and yellow UBZ Neoplan Bus?

The bus had two doors, one at the front and one at the back (In and Out). The back door was the one that you used to get on the bus and that is where the conductor was with his ticket vending machine slang over his shoulder together with a money bag. This is the door where you had to buy your ticket before you got on the bus. You were not allowed to get on the bus using the front door which was strictly for disembarking passengers.

Children of a certain age were not supposed to pay any fare. I am cannot remember what the age limit was but the conductor would ask every child what their age was.  Mothers usually advised their children to mention a lower age so that they could not be charged to get on the bus. But the conductors had a way in which they would determine if someone was cheating.

If he doubted your age, the conductor would ask you to put your arm over your head and cover the ear on the other side with your palm. If you touch your ear, then you are old enough and eligible to pay the bus fare.  Those who completely failed to do this test would get on the bus without paying.

I remember my mom telling me each time we were at the bus stop waiting to get on a bus to try by all means not to touch the ear. This was the part that I hated most because it was humiliating in a way. It was also practically impossible to fake it when I reached the age where my arms had grown long enough to achieve this feat.

I really found this to be the most unpleasant part of every bus ride that I took on a UBZ bus. It also made me feel like a criminal trying to get a free ride. I ended up loathing bus conductors and saw them as some kind of villain.

I also remember mothers and conductors arguing about the correct age of the children. Some conductors even earned themselves a reputation of being the most difficult or stone hearted.

Once you got on the bus, the next ‘villain’ was the Ticket Inspector who was responsible for making sure that everyone on the bus has paid. While the conductor may have been the most feared individual by the kids because of his questioning and strange way of determining their age, the Ticket Inspector seemed to be the most important and most feared individual by cheats on the bus.

The ticket Inspector had the power to throw you out of the bus at any place if he found that you have not paid your fare or if you have overshot your disembarking point. The Ticket Inspector worked in a mysterious way. Sometimes you would find him on the bus and sometimes he was not there.

Some individuals, especially young men, would take advantage of the Ticket Inspector’s absence on the bus and sneak in without paying. The bus would start off quite alright without any incident until it reached the next or even the third or fourth station. As soon as the bus stopped, the Ticket Inspector would get on board.

And all doors were closed. He would then go from seat to seat asking for tickets. If you did not have a ticket, you were forced to pay or even sent out of the bus. At the next station, he would get off the bus and wait to board another bus. He was so very unpredictable. Sometimes the bus would go through all stations without the ticket inspector getting on board.

Sometimes people would ride all the way without paying and without encountering the dreaded ticket inspector until the last stop. Here you would find him waiting for the bus. He would board the bus and stand at the door to check for tickets. I witnessed incidents where young men’s shoes would be confiscated for not having money to pay. The shoes were kept in the bus and they were asked to come and get them when they had the money.

Then somewhere things changed. UBZ was no more. Mini buses came on the scene. Unlike the big UBZ buses, these buses were quicker and carried a small number of people ranging from 14 to 32 passengers. The old UBZ buses carried more than 60 or 70 passengers. The smaller buses only had a driver and conductor. There was no ticket inspector. Up to now, these buses are the most popular for ferrying people around town.

There are no tickets on the minibus which raises so many questions on accountability of the day’s takings. However, the owners of these buses came up with a way of making sure the people working with these buses brought in enough money. They have given them a target amount to bring in everyday without considering how tough business would be at times.

Passengers getting on the minibus do not pay before they get on the bus. You just jump on the bus when it stops and pay a few minutes later while on the bus. Sometimes arguments occur between a passenger and the conductor because some passengers take advantage of the fact that they already on the bus and they will pay less than they are supposed to pay.

In most cases, such people would say “that’s the only money I have” and many times weak conductors cannot do anything but accept. However, there are some tough conductors who would stop the bus, get the money from you and force you off the bus.

It does not matter in what era you're living, paying the bus fare is one way of showing that you are a gentleman.

Image courtesy of  sixninepixels, freedigitalphotos.net

I KILLED MY DAUGHTER AND I HAVE NO REGRET OVER IT

In the past few weeks, the local press carried some heart wrenching stories, ranging from a woman who dumped her newly born baby in a toilet during a church service, policemen taking a client’s car for a night time drinking spree and crushing it after a client left it in their custody for safe keeping and a ten year old girl who became pregnant but does not know who is responsible for her pregnancy.

But the story that shocked me the most came from the international media and it was that of a Pakistan woman who was stoned to death by her family in front of a court. Almost 20 members of the woman’s family, including her father and brothers attacked her and her husband with batons and bricks.

What was shocking was that all this took place in broad daylight before a crowd of onlookers and right in front of the high court which to many is a symbol of justice. The only consolation to this sad story was that the father was arrested and hopefully all those who were involved.

The only crime this woman committed was to marry someone she loved.  The couple went to court to register their marriage but the woman’s relatives were waiting outside. As the new couple walked up to the main gate the family members fired shots in the air and tried to snatch her from her husband. When she resisted, they started beating her with bricks from a nearby construction site.

Her father then surrendered himself. “I killed my daughter as she had insulted all of our family by marrying a man without our consent, and I have no regret over it”, he said.

This was not the first time a woman has been killed in such a gruesome manner. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan released a report indicating that 869 women were killed in similar “honour killings” in 2013.

If there is any cruel death that one can think of, stoning, or lapidation, is one of them. It is a slow and painful death. According to Wikipedia, stoning still remains a legal form of judicial punishment in Iraq, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Northern Nigeria, Aceh in Indonesia and Pakistan where this recent case took place.

In 2012, a couple who had sex outside marriage were stoned to death by Islamists in the town of Aguelhok in northern Mali. They were buried up to their necks, then pelted with stones until they died.

Stoning has been condemned by several human rights organizations such as Amnesty international and the Human Rights Watch. I know that very few people would support that type of justice. I have seen thieves beaten with all types of weapons including stoning but I cannot comprehend why someone can kill their own relative in such a way.

What was more appalling about the Pakistan woman is that she was pregnant at the time she was being killed. This means that two lives were lost in the name of restoring honour.

I am a person that likes watching movies and these include horror and other violent movies but I don't think I can stand and watch people stoning other people to death. I have seen videos on You-Tube of people being executed by stoning but I do not have the guts to click on the play button to watch.

This brings me back to the local stories I have mentioned at the top. I keep wondering what would have happened to the 10 year old girl of Ndola who has been made pregnant if she belonged to that Pakistan family. I am sure the parents of this little girl have been shocked and totally embarrassed by the whole incident but they cannot possibly take her outside the house and stone her to death.

The same applies with the woman who dumped her newly born baby. The people at the church who rescued the little one were obviously annoyed with the mother. Would stoning her to death be the ultimate punishment? Who would pick the first stone?   

Image courtesy of  Simon Howden, freedigitalphotos.net