USAID international youth day

Kenya is documented to have a majority of its people under the youth bracket who are quick to swing to everything induced by the media. The youth have been oriented to have a mindset of instant pay through M-Pesa, instant communication through short message texting (sms) and social media texting not to mention the prevalence of ‘win a million and get rich instantly’ monthly draws.

An insight from a renowned BBC journalist from Kenya - Joseph Warungu about Kenya’s FM stations echoed a culture that is quickly getting out of hand. 

Elizabeth Njeri (right) and her grandmother (left) at the Mathare

Early Childhood Development Center on May 18,2012. Elizabeth

who was orphaned at childbirth is among the few lucky orphans who

benefited from the former Mathare Day Care Center now Mathare

Early Childhood Development Center

 It is an open secret that HIV and AIDS is one of the lead causes of the increase in the number of Orphaned and Vulnerable Children. In Kenya much has been done to fund existing child care centers and homes offering OVC services, but a gaping disconnect is still felt in low resource segments like slums dealing with the OVC problem. Most of the OVCs living in the slums find safe haven in these facilities which are met with a host of challenges -- from lack of space and facility to untrained personnel responsible for day to day operations.

Elizabeth Njeri, who was orphaned at child birth and is now a healthy ten year old girl, is a beneficiary of such centers. She was found by neighbors in a vulnerable and sickly state back in their Naivasha home where her mother used to live and work in the Naivasha flower plantations. Given her sickly condition Elizabeth had to be admitted at the Kenyatta National Referral Hospital where doctors advised that the hospital should take custody as she had lost her primary care giver and required urgent treatment.

The Beetle is famous for its longevity, the longest-running and most manufactured car with a single design platform. For those who have owned or kept a keen eye on the Volkswagen over the years, it is one car design that can be quickly picked out from a collection of cars in the city streets or on a highway. Known for its brilliant workmanship the Volkswagen Beetle has not failed to upscale its much needed effort to remain competitive among its peers. The much anticipated third generation design of the Beetle 2012 is already in the bid for launch and I must say it is a much more sophisticated coupe than its predecessor, the New Beetle, that debuted in the US markets in 1998.

The Three variants

The third generation Beetle comes with a wider (3.3 inches wider and 6 inches longer), lower clearance, with a flatter roof and more horse power than its predecessors. Variants - what the Volkswagen calls trim levels of the 2012 Volkswagen beetle are also much in the offing with the Base Beetle, Beetle 2.5 and the Beetle Turbo available for the customers’ preferences.

1.0 Base Beetle

The Base Beetle will sell for a starting price of $18,995 for its five-speed manual transmission. Being launched this year (2012) the base Beetle will come with 17-inch and 18-inch alloy wheels, power windows with one-touch up and down, cloth seats, cruise control, 50/50 folding rear seats, a computer monitor and an eight-speaker surround stereo system. A Beetle L version will also be on sales later in the summer season in Europe, with additional features such as: heated front seats, a second glove box, Bluetooth and a media interface for digital accessories for mobile devices like iPods and smart phones.

1.1 Beetle turbo

For power junkies, the Turbo version is the ideal choice and a good investment for a fun driving experience. For an extra $3,600 compared to the 2.5L, the turbo charged 2.0 liter four cylinder offers better acceleration, faster wheel response in steering and an overall wholesome sporty feel.

In theory, the 200-horse power turbo looks like an upgrade from the Beetle 2.5 L but its performance has to be coupled with a dual-clutch six speed automatic transmission to experience the distinct difference. This engine is however recommended for those who can compromise on loud sound engines because the Beetle Turbo can be very loud for a non-turbo enthusiast.

1.2 Beetle 2012 2.5 L

With style and sophistication comes compromise of higher prices. But with the Beetle 2012 2.5 L, style can be provided with much affordability. The 2.5 liter five – cylinder engine will launch in a starting price of $20,895 for its six speed automatic transmission version. Added features to the 2.5 L such as with Sunroof will go for $22.295 with the manual and $23,395 for the automatic. Like other variants of the Volkswagen, the 2012 Beetle also has the disadvantage of engine buzzing even with the modest of accelerations.

Old and Modern design cues

Volkswagen has managed to combine old and modern design cues in styling the 2012 Beetle. The front exterior represents an evolution of prior generations while the rear borrows slightly on the original Beetle with its flattened roofline and C-pillars that form an arc extending to the rear bumper.

The Volkswagen Beetle 2012 is marginally larger than its predecessor measuring 3.3 inches wider and 6 inches longer than the Beetle. This enhances more space, stability and a more ‘manly look’ (giving credit to a flatter roof, a straighter chopped windshield and less rounded body edges).My take on the 2012 Beetle, it is closer to becoming a unisex car model and will certainly lure more men into purchase, pushing the Volkswagen company higher in its bid to gain market share.

The Smart UPS 1500 is an uninterpretable power supply device built by the American company APC and hails in status among award – winning Smart-UPS models. Like any other UPS, it is used to protect data from networks or servers, by providing a regulated amount of power for a certain period of time during power outages. The smart UPS 1500 has earned it stripes by merit in its ability to be efficient even in fluctuating power load levels. It is ideal especially for the latest types of virtualized server systems which have the tendency of fluctuating power consumption load levels.

The smart UPS 1500 variants

The smart UPS 1500 comes in various designs: the rack design, the tower design and the convertible design which can convert to both tower and rack. These variant models also merit its ‘popular’ nature by having its design compatible to every application that requires UPS enabled services. For instance by customer review and usage, the rack design is suitable for virtue (density optimized servers) that are utilized in environments that require large power distributions.

Product upgrade enhancements

By product enhancement the APC Company has managed to give its loyal customers an upgrade from previous versions of the smart UPS (such as the smart 1000 and 700 UPS).The smart 1500 UPS comes with longer battery performance which allows almost half an hour back-up time threshold when it is half loaded and seven minutes back-up time when fully loaded.

In terms of improved monitoring and alert capabilities, the smart 1500 UPS has inbuilt software known as the Power Chute software where a user can connect through its serial or USB port to a local or remote internet access. The software has up to forty events that execute useful capabilities such as setting the internal buzz system to warn of a potential error or pop-up a dialog window for an email alert. Its most useful feature is the shutdown sequence. If a user for instance experiences a power dropout when using their PC, the smart 1500 shutdown sequence activates and after the battery attains its critical power level it gives priority to the Operating System safe log off before a complete system shutdown.

Upgrade enhancements done to the smart UPC 1500 also feature a fan system which is not found in older models like the 1000 smart UPS. The fan helps to emit heat when the system gets hot while its inbuilt thermostat helps to turn on the fan when required, thus offering a quiet atmosphere under normal temperature conditions.

The limitations

Apart from its heavier weight compared to previous models (largely due to its larger batteries) and its unpleasant noise from the fan, the smart 1500 UPS weaknesses merely overshadows its strengths. It is efficiently capable of providing service to units as small as retail outlets and homes to massive companies dealing with data and voice networks.For large networks,the Smart-UPS XL version is most suitable with an extension capability of increasing run time.By its configuration, this model can be fitted with external battery packs, which translates to more power input. The start up businesses and mid-size enterprises can benefit from the basic smart UPS that is economical and can protect small equipment and network gadgets.