Sunday, August 7, 2011

STAGGERING, SPIRALLING U S A MILITARY SPENDING

U.S. defence spending out of control, POSTED HERE ON 7/8/2011.

The Toronto Star
by Fareed Zakaria

NEW YORK — The scary aspect of the debt deal meant to force all of Washington to its senses is the threatened cut to defence spending. If the congressional “supercommittee” cannot agree on cutbacks of $1.5 trillion, the guillotine will fall and half of those cuts will have to come from expenditures on national security. As with so much Washington accounting, there is lots of ambiguity in baselines and terms (for instance, what is covered under “national security”?). Most experts estimate that the defence budget would lose $600 billion to $700 billion over the next 10 years. If so, let the guillotine fall. It would be a much-needed adjustment to an out-of-control military-industrial complex.


First, some history. The Pentagon's budget has risen for 13 years, which is unprecedented. Between 2001 and 2009, overall spending on defence rose from $412 billion to $699 billion, a 70 per cent increase, which is larger than in any comparable period since the Korean War. Including the supplementary spending on Iraq and Afghanistan, we spent $250 billion more than average U.S. defence expenditures during the Cold War — a time when the Soviet, Chinese and Eastern European militaries were arrayed against the United States and its allies. Over the past decade, when we had no serious national adversaries, U.S. defence spending has gone from about a third of total worldwide defence spending to nearly 50 per cent. In other words, we spend almost as much on defence as the planet's remaining countries put together.

It is not unprecedented for defence spending to fall substantially as we scale back or end military actions. After the Korean War, president Dwight Eisenhower cut defence spending 27 per cent. Richard Nixon cut it 29 per cent after Vietnam. As tensions declined in the 1980s, Ronald Reagan began scaling back his military spending, a process accelerated under presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Given the enormous run-up in spending under George W. Bush, even if President Barack Obama made cuts comparable to those of his predecessors, defence spending would remain substantially above the levels under all those presidents. The Bowles-Simpson commission's plan proposed $750 billion in defence cuts over 10 years. Lawrence Korb, who worked at the Pentagon for Reagan, believes that a $1 trillion cut over 10 to 12 years is feasible without compromising national security.


Serious conservatives should examine the defence budget, which contains tons of evidence of the liberalism run amok that they usually decry. All the talk of waste, fraud and abuse in government is vastly exaggerated; there simply isn't enough money in discretionary spending. Most of the federal government's spending involves transfer payments and tax expenditures, which are — whatever their merits — highly efficient at funnelling money to their beneficiaries. The exception is defence, a cradle-to-grave system of housing, subsidies, cost-plus procurement, early retirement and lifetime pension and health-care guarantees. There is so much overlap among the military services, so much duplication and so much waste that no one bothers to defend it anymore. Today, the U.S. defence establishment is the world's largest socialist economy.


Defence budget cuts would also force a healthy rebalancing of American foreign policy. Since the Cold War, Congress has tended to fatten the Pentagon while starving foreign policy agencies. As former defence secretary Robert Gates pointed out, there are more members of military marching bands than make up the entire U.S. foreign service. Anyone who has ever watched American foreign policy on the ground has seen this imbalance play out. Top State Department officials seeking to negotiate vital matters arrive without aides and bedraggled after a 14-hour flight in coach. Their military counterparts whisk in on a fleet of planes, with dozens of aides and pots of money to dispense. The late Richard Holbrooke would laugh when media accounts described him as the “civilian counterpart” to Gen. David Petraeus, then head of U.S. Central Command. “He has many more planes than I have cellphones,” Holbrooke would say (and he had many cellphones).


The result is a warped American foreign policy, ready to conceive of problems in military terms and present a military solution. Describing precisely this phenomenon, Eisenhower remarked that to a man with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. In his often-quoted farewell address, Eisenhower urged a balance between military and non-military spending. Unfortunately, it has become far more unbalanced in the decades since his speech.


Fareed Zakaria is editor-at-Large of Time magazine and a Washington Post columnist.comments@fareedzakaria.com

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

FAIDA ZA FUTARI YA TENDE

posted here on 3/8/2011
FUTARI YA TENDE NA FAIDA ZAKE
Na: Mujahid Mwinyimvua
“Enyi watu kuleni vilivyomo katika ardhi, halali na vizuri, wala msifuate nyayo za shetani, bila shaka yeye kwenu ni adui dhahiri (Qur‟an: 2:168). “Enyi Mlioamini kuleni vizuri tulivyokuruzukuni, na Mumshukuru Mwenyezi Mungu, ikiwa mnamuabudu yeye peke yake”. (Qur‟an: 2:172). “Na kuleni katika vile alivyokuruzukuni Mwenyezi Mungu vilivyo vizuri na halali na Mcheni Mwenyezi Mungu ambaye nyinyi mnamwamini (Qur‟an: 5: 88). “...... na kuleni (vizuri) na kunyweni (vizuri). Lakini msipite kiasi tu. Hakika yeye (Mwenyezi Mungu) hawapendi wapitao kiasi.” (Qur‟an; 7:31).
Jambo moja kubwa tunalojifunza katika aya za hapo juu ni kuwa lazima tufanye uchaguzi wa vile tunavyotaka kula. Uchaguzi huo tunapewa vigezo viwili, cha kwanza ni uhalali (halaalan) na cha pili ni ubora (twayiiban). Uchaguzi wa vyakula kwa kigezo cha uhalali hikma yake moja ni kuwasaidia watu katika jamii kuwa katika amani na utulivu wa kweli. Kwa sababu watu wakizingatia kigezo hicho watakuwa wanachuma kwa misingi ya uhalali. Yaani dhulma
mbalimbali kama vile wizi, ujambazi, rushwa, ulaghai, nchi moja kupora rasilimali za nchi ingine, biashara ya ukahaba, ushoga, usagaji, madawa ya kulevya na kupunja vipimo hazitakuwepo. Pia, rushwa ya ngono na wizi kama ule wa fedha za EPA, Richmond, kuingiza samaki wenye sumu, ujanja wa kupandisha bei ya bidhaa wakati wa mfungo wa mwezi wa Ramadhani, mambo yote hayo yasingekuwepo.
Kuhusu uchaguzi kwa kuzingatia kigezo cha pili (ubora), ni muhimu kwa uimara wa afya ya kiwiliwili. Wasomaji hasa waislamu wakumbuke kuwa ingawa vyakula vilivyo halali ni ruhusa kuvila, lakini muhimu kujua kuwa ubora wa hivyo vyakula unatofautiana kama tunavyofahamishwa na Mola wetu katika aya ifuatayo: ''Na katika ardhi muna vipande vinavyoungana (na kuzaa kwake namna mbalimbali) na muna mabustani ya mizabibu, na mimea mingine, na mitende ichipuayo katika shina moja na isiyochipua katika shina moja. Vyote vinanoshelezwa (vinamiminiwa) na maji yale yale; na tunavifanya bora baadhi yake (kuliko)

vyengine katika kula. Hakika katika haya zimo ishara kwa watu wanaotia mambo akilini''. (Raad, 13.3). Kwa kuwa ubora wa vyakula vya mimea inatofautiana, na vyakula vya nyama na samaki navyo viko tofauti kwa sababu vinategemea vyakula vinavyotokana na mimea.
Ni dhahiri kuwa watu makini watafanya uchaguzi wa vyakula kama Mwenyezi Mungu alivyowahimiza. Bahati mbaya ya mambo kwa watu wengi, wakiwemo waislamu hawajishughulishi kutafuta elimu ya kujua mambo ya vyakula. Kwa mfano, vyakula vya kukaanga na vile vya kuchemsha vipi ni hatari kwa afya ya mlaji? Ni kwa namna gani ulaji mbaya (kama vile mafuta mengi) unasababisha upungufu wa nguvu za kiume au upungufu wa nguvu za kike. Yaani, watu kushindwa au kuchukia kufanya jimai kwa mwezi au zaidi hali yakuwa wako katika ndoa. Hili ni tatizo lilanlokuwa kwa kasi hapa Tanzania, uliza madakrari au soma vitabu au magazeti utajuwa ukubwa wa tatizo hili. Allah atulinde na hilo janga.

Jambo lingine tunalojifunza kutokana na aya tulizozinakili awali (2:168, 2:172, 5:88, 7:31) ni kula kwa kiasi, yaani tusifanye israfu. Ni masikitiko makubwa kwa waislamu wengi kipindi hiki cha mfungo wa Ramadhani kutumia muda mwingi asubuhi mpaka jioni kuandaa vyakula vingi kuliko mahitaji. Matokeo yake vyakula hivyo vinatupwa, wakati kuna baadhi ya binadamu katika duniani hii wanakufa au watoto hudumaa kutokakana na kukosa chakula. Mtume Muhammad (s.a.w) amehimiza sana watu wawe wanapima vyakula vyao. Pia, Mtume (s.aw) amefundisha kuwa mtu akila aligawe tumbo lake sehemu tatu. Sehemu ya kwanza iwe nafasi ya chakula, ya pili maji, na ya tatu nafasi ya kuweza kupumua (hewa). Vilevile, Mtume (s.a.w) amesema mtu akila aache hali ya kuwa kidogo anasikia njaa. Kwa hakika kama tungekuwa tunafanya uchaguzi sahihi wa vyakula vyetu, kuwa na tania nzuri ya ulaji na kula kwa kiasi kama Mwenyezi Mungu na Mtume wake walivyotufundisha tunge weza kufikia lengo la pili la funga ambalo ni

kuimarisha afya ya kiwiliwili. Kuna watu baada ya funga ya Ramadhani ati uzito wao unaongezeka. Hawa walikuwa wanakula sana na hivyo, hawakunufaika kiavya na funga.
Baada ya utangulizi wa hapo juu, sasa tujikite na faida ya kufuturu kwa tende na tuone namna tende ilivyo msingi wa kuandaa futari (mlo wa futari unaoliwa baada ya kukata swaum). Kwa mujibu wa mafunzo ya Mtume Muhammad (S.A.W), mfungaji anatakiwa afungue kwa tende au maji, halafu aswali magharibi na baada ya hapo aendelee kula. Na hapa ndipo tunaposema kukata swaum na kula futari.
Turejea hadithi ifuatayo ili kuthibitisha hoja yetu ya hapo juu: Anas (r.a) ameeleza kuwa Mtume (S.A.W.) alikuwa akifungua kwa tende mbichi zilizokomaa (fresh) kabla ya kuswali (Magharibi), kama hizi hazi kuwepo alifungua kwa tende zilizowiva na kukauka (mbivu), na kama hizi hazikuwepo alikunywa mafunda machache ya maji (Tirmidh na Abu Daud). Pia tunaelezwa katika hadithi nyingine namna

Mtume (S.A.W) na Maswahaba zake walivyokuwa wanakula tende za kufuturu ni witiri (1, 3, 5, 7, n.k). Zaidi ya hayo, tukumbuke msisitizo wa Mtume (s.a.w) wa kuwahi kufuturu mara tu muda unapofika. “Watu wataendelea kuwa katika heri endapo tu watakuwa wanaharakisha kufuturu (Sahih Bukhari na Sahih Muslim) ”.
Katika kuingia ndani zaidi ya mada yetu ya leo, vema turejee wito wa Mwenyezi Mungu alioutoa katika aya tulizozinukuu hapa juu. ''Hebu Mwanadamu na atazame chakula chake” (80.24). Yaani sisi wanadamu tafakari, tuchunguze na tutafiti juu ya vyakula tunavyokula. Tukiacha kukitazama chakula katika muktadha wa Tauhiid, tunaweza kukitazama chakula katika mitazamo mingine. Mtazamo mmoja unaoendana na mada yetu, ni kukitazama chakula katika virutubisho (nutrients) vilivyomo ambavyo ndivyo vinarutubisha mwili wa mwanadamu. Tukumbuke kuwa habari ya tende ni kubwa kuanzia historia ya zao hilo, nchi zinazolima, Qur‟an inavyosema kuhusu tende, Bi Mariamu

(mama yake Yesu -A.S-) alivyokula tende wakati anajifungua, virutubisho vilivyomo ndani ya tende, manufaa ya tende kama chakula na dawa, na kadhalika. Lakini kwa makala ya leo itoshe tu kwa kutazama virutubisho (nutrients) vilivyomo ndani ya tende na faida ya tende kama chakula na dawa ili waislamu wanufaike kiafya na pia yakini yao juu ya usahihi wa dini yao uongezeke zaidi na wawe na stadi za kuwaelimisha wasiokuwa waislamu kwa kutumia lugha watakayo ielewa kwa urahisi (sayansi ya chakula).
Tukumbuke ni ahadi yake Mwenyezi Mungu aliyoisema katika Qur‟an kuwa atawaonyesha watu ushahidi wa kuwepo kwake, ukweli wa Uislamu, Mitume yake, Qur‟an, Kiyama na mambo mengine kwa kutumia mwanadanu mwenyewe na mazingira yanayo mzunguka, zikiwemo tende. Rejea Qur‟an: „Tutawaonyesha ishara zetu katika upeo wa mbali na katika nafsi zao wenyewe mpaka iwabainikie kwamba haya ni kweli. Je! Haikutoshi kwamba Mola wako Mlezi kuwa Yeye ni Shahidi wa kila kitu (Surat Fuss'ilat/H'a Mim Sajdah: 41.53).

Kufuturu kwa tende ni jambo lenye faida kubwa kama alivyohimiza Mtume (s.a.w). Maendeleo ya sayansi yanatusaidia kuongeza ufahamu wetu unaosema kuwa tende ni chakula na pia ni tunda lenye dhamani kubwa sana kwa binadamu. Ukweli huu ni kwa sasabu zifuatazo. Tende ina asilimia 60 mpaka 70 ya sukari aina ya glucose na fructose. Mtu akila tende aina hii ya sukari inanyonywa na utumbo na kuunguzwa na seli na hatimae inatoa nguvu kwa haraka. Kwa mfungaji swaum nguvu hii humpa furaha na akili yake inatuama kwa haraka. Ndio kusema haifai kufuturu kwa vyakula vigumu kama vile hindi la kuchoma au ugali. Tende pia ina vitamini aina ya C kiasi cha gramu 3, na kiasi kidogo cha vitamini B-complex. Tende zikiwa hazijawiva sana na mbichi (fresh) ndio zina vitamini nyingi zaidi. Aina hii ndiyo aliyokuwa anaitumia sana Mtume wetu (S.A.W). Vitamini mbali mbali huwezesha mwili kuwa na kinga ya kupambana na maradhi. Pia baadhi ya vitamini zinasaidia kuimarisha mbegu za kiume na kuongeza uwezekano wa kutunga

mimba. Yaani mbegu za kiume zinasafirishwa kwenda katika nyumba ya uzazi kwa msaada wa baadhi ya vitamini.
Vilevili, tende ina kiasi fulani cha maji (15% au zaidi) inategemea ilivyo andaliwa. Maji yana kazi kubwa sana mwilini. Baadhi ya kazi hizo ni kupoza mwili na kuwezesha kazi mbali mbali zinazotaka mazingira ya umajimaji kufanyika kwa ufanisi. Tende ina protini kiasi cha asilimia 2.5 na madini asilimia 2.1 (Calcium, Phosphorus, Chuma). Protini ni muhimu kwa ukuaji na ukarabati wa mwili na viungo vilivyo ndani yake. Madini yanasaidia kulinda mwili. Tende inakiasi kidogo cha mafuta (0.4%) ili kukidhi haja ya mwili na haina aina mbaya ya mafuta inayoitwa cholesterol. Mafuta yana kazi nyingi mwilini, zikiwemo kutoa nguvu na kutengeneza vitu fulani. Cholesterol pia inakazi muhimu katika mwili, kinacho takiwa mafuta hayo yasiwe mengi. Yakiwa mengi yana sababisha maradhi kama vile ya moyo, kiharusi (stroke), unene na presha. Zaidi ya neema hizo alizoumba Allah, tende ina nyuzi nyuzi za kilishe (dietary

fibres) kiasi cha asilimia 3.9%. Nyuzi nyuzi hizi zinafaida kubwa katika mwili wa mwanadamu. Kwanza zinanyonya sumu kutoka tumboni na kuitoa nje pamoja na kinyesi. Pili, zinasaidia mtu kupata choo kikubwa mara kwa mara hivyo ananusurika na tatizo la kukosa choo na ugonjwa wa kansa ya utumbo.
Kwa upande wa faida ya tende kama dawa kwa ufupi ni kuwa. Tende inasaidia kuondoa tatizo la tumbo kuuma. Hii ni kwa sababu tende inazuia vijidudu vya maradhi kukua ndani ya utumbo na pia inasaidia kukua kwa bacteria wazuri ndani ya utumbo. Kwa maneno mengine, ndani ya utumbo kuna weza kuzaliana aina mbili ya vijidudu aina ya bacteria, wale wazuri na wale wabaya. Hata hivyo, ifahamike kuwa mtu akinywa maji machafu, yasiyochemshwa au kuwekwa dawa za kuua vijidudu asitegemee kuwa tende itamsaidia. Tende haitaweza kufanya kazi hiyo, sababu umeipe mzigo mkubwa. Tende ikitiwa katika maji usiku kucha (saa 12) na isuguwe ndani ya maji hayo halafu kunywa ni asbabu ya

Allah kukunusuru na maradhi ya moyo. Wakati huo huli nyama nyekundu (ngo‟mbe, mbuzi, kondoo, n.k) kwa wingi na unafanya mazowezi ya viungo mpaka unatoka jasho. Pendelea kula nyama nyeupe kama vile samaki na kuku (sio wa kisasa). Gazeti la Daily Times la Uingereza la taerehe 12.10.2005, liliripoti kuwa samaki wanasaidi kurudisha akili za wazee ambao wanapoteza kumbukumbu. Pia inafahamika kuwa samaki na ndizi ni mlo bora kwa kujenga akili za watoto. Haya kina mama na kina baba msikose kuandaa mlo huo kwa watoto wenu.
Zaidi ya hayo, tende inaimarisha nguvu za kiume na hivyo kuleta maelewano ndani ya familia. Tende kiasi cha kiganja kimoja ukiziloweka ndani ya maziwa (fresh) ya mbuzi kwa usiku mmoja (overnight) na halafu zisage tende humo humo ndani ya maziwa (toa mbegu). Ongeza unga kidogo wa cardamom (uliza maduka ya dawa za kiarabu, kihindi, n.k) utengeneze na asali kidogo katika mchanganjyiko huo, nguvu za kiume zitaimarika na mbegu za uzazi zitakuwa na

afya ya kuchangia mimba kushika kwa idhini yake Mwenyezi Mungu. Si vizuri kutumia dawa za dukani. Kama huna budi kuzitumia dawa za dukani, lazima upate maelekezo ya daktari. Tukumbuke siku hizi kuna biashara kubwa ya dawa za kukuza makalio, mapaja (hips), matiti na viungo vya uzazi vya kiume/kike. Kwahiyo, bila kupata uashauri kutoka kwa madaktari waaminifu kuna hatari kubwa ya kupata dawa ambazo zitapoteza kabisa nguvu zako za kiume au za kike. Muhimu fanya uchaguzi wa vyakula na fanya mazowezi ya viungo. Pia pata muda wa kupumzika.
Watoto wanaokaribia kuota meno husumbuliwa na tumbo la kuharisha. Mtengenezee mtoto juisi nzito ya tende na asali kidogo (changanya), mpe kijiko kimoja mara tatu kwa siku. Tumbo litapona na meno yatakuwa imara kwa idhini yake Mola wetu. Hata hivyo, kuhusu tende pia tuzingatie ushauri ufuatao: Tende zina nasa vumbi na uchafu mwingine. Kwa hiyo, nunua tende safi iliyofungwa vizuri na kama unawasiwasi nayo ioshe na maji safi kabla ya kuila.

Kwa kuzingatia manufaa yapatikanayo ndani ya tende ni vizuri kwa kutumia mlango wa kiasi kuona msingi wa kuandaa mlo wa futari unaofaa. Kwanza mlo wa futari tunaokula baada ya kukata swaumu na kuswali Magharibi uwe laini na uandaliwe na vyakula ambavyo ni rahisi kusagwa tumboni. Pili, vyakula hivyo viwe vitamu, ila visiwe na sukari nyingi sana. Mfano wa vyakual hivyo ni ndizi zilizoiva na kupikwa, viazi, maharage, mihogo na vingine mithili ya hivyo. Vyakula vya futari (na vingine) visiwekwe chumvi nyingi wala mafuta mengi. Kama mafuta watu watumie yanayotokana na mimea. Mawese, alizeti, ufuta, mahindi ni miongoni mwa mafuta bora kabisa. Mboga za majani na matunda (au juisi) ni muhimu wakati wa kula futari. Ikumbukwi juisi bora ni ile ya kuandaliwa bila kuwekwa chemikali. Inasikitisha kuona watu hasa Dar es Salaam wakifuturu kwa kutumia soda au juisi ya viwandani zenye utamu sana. Huu utamu unatokana na chemikali ambayo kiafya ni hatari. Nadhani wasomaji mtakumbuka zamani kulikuwa na vipakiti ukichangab ya na maji unapata

juisi. Kimoja unachanganya na maji ndoo moja au jagi moja. Hii pakiti ina chemikali ambayo ni tamu mara kadhaa ya sukari. Mpaka umeshajifunza tende na umuhimu wa kutafuta elimu zaidi ya mambo ya vyakula.
MAKALA HII ITAKOKA KATIKA GAZETI LA ANUUR LA AGOSTI 05, 2011, DAR ES SALAAM, INSHAA ALLAH