No one talks of safari without mentioning the great treks that crisscross the African continent. So popular is this cradle of mankind for its magic-ridden sunsets and vast plains teeming with wildlife, that many seem to awe away at the bush ideal, totally ignoring that the continent also takes pride in mothering some of the world’s most blissful and unpolluted islands. This year, maybe it’s time to spice up your travelogues by exploring at least one of these exotic and scenic African islands. Madagascar’s bevy of islands Located down Southeast on the coast of the Indian ocean, Madagascar, or Madagasikara as known in the local dialect is a sight of paradise, a lush show of biodiversity that satiates all senses and desire for nature’s own healing. It’s the fourth largest island on earth, consisting of various distinct regions marked by unique, kaleidoscopic topography. The country’s wildlife and its flora and fauna accounts for the world’s 5% unique life; an experience that cannot be fou...

Positive thinking is a mental attitude that admits into the mind thoughts, words and images that are conductive to growth, expansion and success. It is a mental attitude that expects good and favourable results. A positive mind anticipates happiness, joy, health and a successful outcome of every situation and action. Whatever the mind expects, it finds. Not everyone accepts or believes in positive thinking. Some consider the subject as just nonsense, and others scoff at people who believe and accept it. Among the people who accept it, not many know how to use it effectively to get results. Yet, it seems that many are becoming attracted to this subject, as evidenced by the many books, lectures and courses about it. This is a subject that is gaining popularity. It is quite common to hear people say: “Think positive!”, to someone who feels down and worried. Most people do not take these words seriously, as they do not know what they really mean, or do not consider them as useful and effec...

  A son of shopkeeper was sent to the wisest man in the World to learn the secret of happiness. The wise man lived on a beautiful castle high atop a mountain. To reach there the lad had to go through the desert for 40 days. The lad on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity: tradesmen came and went, people were conversing in the corners, a small orchestra was playing soft music, and there was a table covered with platters of the most delicious food. The wise man conversed with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn to get his attention. The wise man listened attentively and then suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours to get the explanation. “Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something”, said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. “As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill”. The boy began climbing and descending the many stairwa...

By Strive Masiyiwa A young woman came up to me the other day and said, "Mr Masiyiwa, I follow you on Facebook and I'm still trying to decide whether or not I'm an entrepreneur?" "Are you curious by nature?" I asked. "How do you mean?" she asked, puzzled. "An entrepreneur is someone who is hyper-curious, and manages to channel that curiosity towards a singular purpose. If you’re a person who likes things the way they are, and you don't like change, you’re never likely to be a successful entrepreneur." A few weeks ago, a friend of mine told me about an incredible new technique for something (I won't tell you what it was today). "Can you send me a link to something that’s been written?" Even before he had even sent me the link, I rushed to search on the Internet. Within a matter of days, I’d read dozens of articles, watched video clips, and was tracking the idea. Soon I was corresponding with some of the key players involve...

By Strive Masiyiwa When my business was still very small, I once found myself facing a crushing cash flow crisis. My biggest concern was finding money to meet the payroll, and this one month, it just seemed impossible. Being a believer, I prayed every day for a miracle as the deadline drew closer. One morning, it came into my spirit to approach a very wealthy businessman whom I knew was also a man of faith, and would hopefully appreciate my situation. I went to his office, and said to him boldly that I believed God wanted him to help me. To my shock and disappointment, he turned me down flat. I left his office and continued to try and get the money. Eventually an old friend of mine who ran a bank called me out of the blue and helped me out with a small loan. He didn’t even ask me for a guarantee, which surprised me. This same banker friend continued to extend to me little loans whenever I was in trouble, and he never asked for a guarantee of any kind. Many, many years later, when I was...

The ruling jubilee party is pushing for amendments of an earlier negotiated electoral law,which states that voter identification and results transmission should be solely electronic.The jubilee coalition want to amend this law to allow the electoral  body to use manual system in places where electronic system fails. There is much opposition  mostly from the opposition coalition which now claims this will be used an avenue for rigging in favour of the incumbent. In my own opinion,having a print out of voter register as a backup, only to be used to identify legible voters in places where biometric devices fails.This  can't in any way be used as an avenue for rigging since  the voting will be six piece and no candidate even from jubilee strongholds contesting for any seat either in county or national assembly  can allow dead or unregistered people vote. The truth of the matter is that the manipulation of votes can only happen after winners of other seats apart from...